Friday, February 23, 2007

Senior Recognition Weekend at UCA

Senior Recognition weekend was great fun. We flew to Spokane on February 16 to spend the weekend with Joel. There were events Friday (Vespers), Saturday morning (Church), and Saturday evening (talent show). The Seniors provided all the music and talent. It was really nice and the performers were very talented.



















Joel --- All dressed up














The TVJA gang (minus Nick)
















Familiar -- video games and moms forking over $.





Spokane is a nice city. We had coffee and took a nice walk along the river.

Sunriver

We spent a great weekend in Sunriver. The weather wasn't great but we managed to squeeze in a long walk Saturday morning. The Sunriver Coffee Shop was missing!!! But...after a bit of exploration, it was found. Across the street. Phew!! That evening, we met up with some old friends and had a wonderful visit and dinner at the Pine Tavern.

Sunday was spent on the mountain. I believe we were the only people skiing that day. The weather was marginal..snowy and poor visibility..but the the snow was great and there were no people. We worked our way from the Sunrise Lodge over to Pine Marten and ultimately to Outback. We saw very few other skiiers on most of the runs and wore ourselves out.

Afterward, we were rewarded by a large (really large Nacho) and cool beverage. Fun times.



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Saturday, February 03, 2007

Warm Lentil Salad with Sausage


This recipe was pretty good, but could have used more seasoning. It would be a better side dish, than served as a main dish. In fact, I thought it would be good with the Balsamic Glazed Chop.
We really liked the kielbasa (we used low-fat turkey) with the lentils and the dressing was quite good. Next time, I'll add a little more dressing. Green lentils weren't available at the local grocery store, so I ended up using regular lentils and my last yellow onion was used the day before for Tortilla Soup so had to substitute shallot and a little red onion, which added an interesting flavor. Lots of leftovers!!

Socks!!


Last summer, my friend Stephanie gave me two #2 circular needles for my birthday after I'd mentioned that I'd like to learn how to make two socks at the same time. Until about three weeks ago, I didn't take the time figure out how. After a few missteps, taking the socks off the circulars, putting them on dps, rearranging and knitting them back on to the circulars, I finally have it figured out. It's a great process, but a person can really get tangled up in yarn and needles. Well, here they are so far....heels done, gussets done, now only the foot and toe remain. Yay!


Strangely, I met an old acquaintance (from 1982) at a class I was taking for work and found out she teaches a toe-up, two at a time sock class at a knitting shop, Tangle. I really want to learn that method, so may take her class in the near future. She also has a great blog, www.persistent illusion.com.



Thursday, February 01, 2007

Gratineed Gnocchi with Spinach and Ricotta

Such an easy recipe, really nice looking when it comes from the oven.

Balsamic Glazed Chop

Fabulous recipe, try making it with a Rib-eye steak. We made an extra and it was even better left-over.