Monday, June 26, 2006

Disneyworld

After graduation, we flew to Florida to immerse ourselves in Disney.
Monday - Dinner with Heather, Jason & Sidney, Video games for the boys
Tuesday - MGM. Tower of Terror(2x), Rock n Roller Coaster, Lights Speed Action
Wednesday - Epcot. Not our favorite. 25th Anniversary Dinner.
Thursday - Magic Kingdom. Space Mountain (2x), Peter Pan, Sleeping Beauty, Thunder Mtn. Met up with Heather and went to Typhoon Lagoon.
Friday - Blizzard Beach. Magic Kingdom for Splash Mtn, Haunted Mansion, Small World, Fireworks, and Space Mountain again.
Saturday - Animal Kingdom. Everest Expedition (2x), Safari Ride (awesome animals), Raft ride (got soaked). Lunch at Rain Forest Cafe. Back to MGM for Tower of Terror (girls only), Rock n Roller Coaster.
Jill, Sidney and Heather at dinner our first night in Florida.
So excited!!


The gang at Epcot.

25th Anniversary



Jumping for JOY!

Fun day at Animal Kingdom

Anxiously waiting for the Everest Expedition.


Our newly adopted daughter Sidney, (just kidding).

Revisiting the Magic Kingdom


All smiles after the Sky Coaster drop

Jill's Graduation

The Browns, Grahams, and Schmunks migrated to southern California to attend Jill's graduation on June 18, 2006. Thursday - Psychology Department Banquet, Friday Night - Consecration Ceremony, Saturday - Baccalaureate (which we didn't attend). We went to Crosswalk Church instead Sunday - Graduation.

I should mention that food was a prominent part of the weekend festivities: Italian, Asian Food at the banquet, Vegetarian food Friday for lunch, BBQ at Nathan's after church, then BJ's, and CPK after graduation.

Jill at the Consecration Service
Pat - The BBQ Master

The proud family with the graduate.


Back row - Michael, Bill, Darla, & Nathan, Cynthia, Pat

Front row - Lois, Cheri & Natalie, Jill Brown, Dorothy & me.


Thursday, April 27, 2006

Tuesday, April 25, 2006

Newest Sock project

Making these socks a little smaller than the last pair.

Girls' Quilting Weekend in Sunriver

Had a great weekend with my quilting friends: Darla, Stephanie, Rhonda, and Judy. We went to Sunriver and sewed, walked, ate, knitted, and talked...

Darla's quilt on the design wall. We all talked her into button-hole applique on the picture blocks. She got them all stitched by the end of the weekend.


Finished my socks and started another pair.


Rhonda started a vintage 9-patch quilt for her daughter Kelly's wedding. 140 5-inch 9-patch blocks in green, gold, black, brown and a little blue. Lots of work...most of the blocks were done by the end of the weekend. Stephanie is quilting one of the charity quilts we are donating. I quilted the other one.


Darla, Stephanie and Rhonda out for a walk. We walked 6 miles on Saturday and on Sunday and 3 miles on Monday. Judy is the pace setter. She walks so fast, the rest of us have a hard time keeping up.

Judy and Darla collaborating on the Moose quilt.

Our menu:

Darla made a wonderful Chile Relleno breakfast casserole served with fresh berries

Stephanie - Pasta Fagoli, salad and kalamata olive bread

I made German Pancakes with strawberries, turkey bacon, and pineapple

Rhonda - Chicken and vegetables served with yellow curry over brown rice

Judy - Homemade granola w/yogurt fruit

Monday, April 17, 2006

Family Photos

My folks moved out of our family home after more than 50 years. Their new apartment didn't have room for all the family photos and I now have boxes of pictures. Here is a nice selection of my parents and grandparents.


My mom, about 3 years old.

Here she is again in her 20's.

My mom's parents,

Sunday, March 26, 2006

Whale Watching (Not!)

Went to Depoe Bay to see gray whales migrating north. Sounded like a great idea since this is Whale Watch Week. There were no whales to be found, but we did have a great lunch at Tidal Raves on the north end of town. Fabulous Fish n' Chips, chowder and salad, topped off with Key Lime Pie, and Bread Pudding.

The view was fantastic, overlooking the ocean. Again...no whales. After lunch, drove north to Boiler Bay and took the girls for a little walk. It was soooo cold and windy.
























Sassy's favorite way to ride in the car is to be perched on the driver's shoulder.

Monday, March 13, 2006

Pacific Dunes Golf - Bandon

Pat & I spent a lovely morning golfing at Pacific Dunes Golf Course in Bandon, Oregon. The day started out partly cloudy, but by noon was quite windy and starting to sprinkle. What a unique and beautiful golf course. Definitely different than any other place we've played.



Guess whose ball is closest?


Brookings Weekend




After a snowy Friday evening drive to Brookings (6 hours!), we had a great weekend with Bill & Darla. On Sabbath, we woke up to sunny, cold weather. Enjoyed a walk on the beach, Bill found a souvenir, before driving to the Smith River and 'drifting' for several hours. Along the way, we stopped and stretched out legs in a beautiful grove of Redwoods. Pat even learned how to row a drift boat. By the end, we were pretty chilled. It was a good thing we had coffee and a heater in the boat. Afterward, we had delicious fish and chips, then it was hot tub time.

It was sunny again on Sunday and we played a scramble at Salmon Run. Of course, the team with the lowest combined handicap (Pat &Darla) won. Although Bill & LeAnne tried their best, it just wasn't good enough.

Sunday, February 26, 2006

Working on my second pair of knitted socks. The first pair were just plain gray. Too bad my skills needed improvement. 1st sock much larger (had the gauge wrong) than the second. Fortunately, being wool, I was able to shrink the big one and it almost matches the other. Can wear them around the house.. a little bulky for shoes.
The new socks are multi-colored stripes, knitted in a lace pattern. Check out the almost finished first sock....

Friday, February 24, 2006

Seattle



Spent a couple of days in Seattle on business and thought these pics said everything. Starbucks...Space Needle...Fish 'n Chips....Waterfront

Sunday, February 12, 2006

Joel's birthday weekend - Sunriver






Beautiful weekend in Sunriver for Joel's birthday.

Thursday, January 12, 2006

Wednesday, July 27, 2005

Friday, November 12, 2004

Stephanie Inn Crab Cakes

KATU 2 - Portland, Oregon
Stephanie Inn Dungeness Crab Cakes with Lemon Aioli - 7/13/2004
Served with a Garlicky Lemon Aioli and a glass of Chilled Sauvignon Blanc or Semillon, these crab cakes are the ultimate. Unlike many crab cakes that are filled with breadcrumbs or other fillers, these are pure crab, bound lightly with a fish mousseline. At the Inn, the chefs top the crab cakes with a thin slice of lemon and drizzle a touch of balsamic syrup around the edges. The dish is garnished with fresh chopped chives, and, in season, fiddlehead ferns.
Serves 2 as a main course or 4 as an appetizer.

Crab Cakes
  • 1/2 pound cooked Dungeness crabmeat
  • 2 ounces shelled, tailed, and deveined prawn or shrimp meat
  • 2 ounces fresh scallops
  • 4 tablespoons heavy cream
  • Juice of 1/2 lemon
  • 1/4 cup chopped chives
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Lemon Aioli

Makes about 3/4 cup

  • 2 egg yolks
  • Juice of 1/2 lemon
  • 1 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • Water if needed

Balsamic Syrup

  • 1 cup balsamic vinegar
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
  • Fresh chopped chives for garnish

To prepare the Crab Cake mixture: Pick through the cooked crabmeat and remove shells. Set the crabmeat aside. In a food processor, combine the prawns, scallops, cream, lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste. Puree the mixture until smooth. Transfer the mousseline to a mixing bowl and gently fold in the crabmeat, chives, and parsley. Cover the mixture with plastic wrap and chill until needed.
To make the Lemon Aioli: In a mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks until thick and lemon colored. Whisk in the lemon juice, garlic, and mustard, mixing well. Gradually add the olive oil, mixing steadily, until it is incorporated. If the mixture is too thic, substitute a bit of water for the oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and store in the refrigerator until needed.

To make the Balsamic Syrup: Pour 2 cup Balsamic vinegar into a saucepan, bring to a boil, and simmer rapidly, until it is reduced to the consistency of maple syrup.

To complete the Crab Cakes: Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil or butter in a large skillet over medium-heat. Form 1/4-cup portions of the crab cake mixture into small patties, about 1/2-inch thick. Fry the cakes on both sides until golden brown, about 4 minutes per side.

To serve: Arrange hot crab cakes on a plate and sprinkle with chopped chives. Drizzle a touch of Balsamic Syrup around the dges and serve with Lemon Aioli on the side.

Chef's Tip: The crab cake mixture can be preapred up to 8 hours in advance. The Lemon Aioli will keep, covered, up to three days in the refrigerator.

Chevy's Fresh Mex Sweet Corn Tomalito recipe | restaurant recipes

Chevy's Fresh Mex Sweet Corn Tomalito recipe restaurant recipes
Chevy's Fresh Mex Sweet Corn Tomalito
Source: Chevy's Fresh Mex Restaurant

5 tablespoons margarine, softened
1/4 cup Masa Harina
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup water
2 cups corn kernels, fresh or frozen, thawed, divided
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon milk

In a small mixing bowl, mix the margarine, masa and sugar using an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 1 minute.

In a blender container, blend half the corn kernels with the water until smooth. Combine this mixture with the margarine mixture, stirring well. Add the remaining corn kernels, corn meal, baking powder, salt and milk and mix well. Pour the corn mixture into an 8-inch square baking pan. Tightly cover with plastic wrap and steam by setting atop a medium saucepan of water on top of the stove. Bring water to a boil and steam corn mixture for 50 minutes to one hour (check to see whether you might need to add more water), until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Tomalito should have a smooth, moist texture.

NOTE: The pan must be tightly wrapped at all times.

Makes 12 to 16 servings.