Food, Glorious Food!

Sushi, Thai food, fresh bagels, Doughnut Man, no wait I’ve got it, In-N-Out!!! I was trying to remember what I was most looking forward to eating when I arrived in So Cal last week. Yes, I had been sent there to attend a conference for women in ministry, but I spent the greatest amount of my preparation energy daydreaming about what I would eat while I was there.


If you have been with me on this journey for any length of time you know that I am obsessed with food. In fact every blog ends with some yummy recipe. And if you have read even one of my entries you also know that the beautiful valley where I reside is greatly lacking in commerce. This includes great restaurants. I am not asking for anything special or fancy, just a large variety of spectacular cuisine. Is that so much to ask?

Now, I have to admit that I have it much better than most. I am married to one of the finest cooks to ever grace a home kitchen. Not only is my husband proficient in his craft, he actually finds the process relaxing. (This may explain my ever expanding hips.) So when I feel the need for Southern style BBQ, he cranks up the smoker and within hours I am enjoying ribs or brisket rivaling anything to come out of Memphis. Or if I get a hankering for seafood fettuccini he heads to the store to see what’s fresh to add to his decadent Alfredo sauce.

But, back to my rant, there is actually a Chinese restaurant here in town that serves crunchy Chung King noodles out of a can and calls it chow mien! I am sure this violates some article in the Geneva Convention. And the one place that serves a decent bowl of soup is up for sale, so that will be gone before long. I am sure you are beginning to understand my frustration.

“So where do you want to eat?” has quickly become the most dreaded question in my life. There is a great Steakhouse and Tavern in one of the outlying towns, but if they are open you have to be prepared for at least an hour wait for your food, and that is after the 20 minutes you waited to see a waitress. Then there is my favorite Greek joint, yes we have Greek food and it is spectacular. The challenge is it is only a drive thru with outdoor dining. So unless the sun is out and the wind isn’t blowing you will be bringing the food home where for the next three days you will be looking for the sweaty Greek man hiding in your home exuding that aroma.

Therefore it is extremely logical that I am already making my list for my next trip out of the area. This time we are off to Atlanta! Ohhhhh, soul food, no wait, BBQ!!! And my hubby won’t even have to wake up at 5 am to make it!!!



Reo’s Lemon Chicken
So yummy you won’t miss an Italian restaurant!
Cut two whole chickens in half and broil skin side down until brown. Turn once and reduce temperature and cook chicken fully.
Marinade- 1 cup olive oil
2 cups lemon juice                            1 tbls red vinegar
6-7 cloves crushed garlic salt and pepper and oregano to taste
Mix together. Cut up cooked chicken and arrange in pan. Cover with marinade and broil 3 minutes, turn and broil 1 minute more.

Adventures in Driving

I know it has been quite a while since my last post. In addition to attempting to recover from a car accident my computer crashed two weeks ago. Whew, it has been one crazy season at our house. But I stole my hubby's work laptop,(shhh, don't tell) so I am back in touch. At least I will be for the next two hours.

I was one of the lucky ones. At least I was on the day of my 16th birthday. The glorious day began with my Mother pulling me out of school to take my drivers test, and I actully passed. We drove home to find a hot pink and turquoise vintage VW Bug in the driveway, complete with the oversized bow on top. This one of a kind creation was a labor of love from my Father, and I loved every inch of it, from it's Baja gas pedal, to the marble gear shift. That car was the bomb! No really, it was, less than a week after I got it the engine caught on fire. That was okay, because as my Father was replacing the melted portions of the engine he was able to fix the small short that caused the horn to honk every time I turned right. Despite these small quirks I loved that car, it gave me the greatest gift a teenager could hope for, freedom!

After four years of joy, my husband and I sold the Bug within months of our marriage.Maybe pink wasn't his color, maybe he simply got tired of having to rescue me from the side of the freeway.

Ahhhh, freeways, those fabulous monstrosities of steel and  concrete that make the world go round. While stuck in rush hour traffic, I never thought I would miss freeways. But after 8 years I do. I miss watching the people in car next to me, make phone calls, put on make-up and yes, even reading the newspaper. And these were the drivers. But while this may seem trickey and even dangerous you must keep in mind that these cars rarely broke the 15 mph mark. I never gave much thought to the fact that my 35 mile drive home often took well over an hour.

Now, I spend hours and hours in the car, but for a much different reason. I spend hours to get to the nearest mall or Target. I drive over two hours to stock up at Costco, or for that matter to have soup, salad and beadsticks at Olive Garden. I think I enjoy my drives much more now, even without the people watching, there is just so much to see. The snow covered mountians that I must cross to leave my hometown are full of deer, elk and bald eagles, and all three regularly make appeances. Instead of breaking for an accident I find myself slowing down to let a flock of wild turkeys cross the road. And traffic jams are the result of grain trucks moving slowly during harvest.

I drive slower and far more cautiously than I every imagined possible. When I make the four hour trip to Portland I have to change my mindset. I have to remind myself that a car in the lane next to me is not a hazard and that breaklights ahead are no reason to panic. My sister has always said I drive like a granny, now it is true. But you know what, it really doesn't bother me.

So I have traded my VW Bug for a Chevy pick-up, my lead foot for four wheel drive, and freeways for gravel roads. I will teach my kids more about avoiding deer than changing lanes. I worry more about ice on the road than getting nailed for speeding. And I spend more on my snow tires than I ever would have for a great sound system.But despite all of these differences somethings never change. That blue beast of a pick-up gives me the same pricless gift that cute little bug did all of those years ago, freedom!

Corn, Blackbean and Tomato Salad (can you tell I am counting the hours until summer?)
Mix together in a bowl:
1 can corn, drained
1 can blackbeans ,drained and rinsed
2 chopped tomatos
1 chopped avacado
1 peeled, chopped and seeded cucumber

Dressing:
2 tbls cider vineger
1 tbls olive oil
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Mix together dressing ingredients, toss with salad, chill for one hour before serving.

Vocabulary Lesson

In the third grade I had the much coveted Miss Theal. She was the sweetsy, loving, pretty teacher with a sing-songy voice that everyone hoped for. Each student in her class room felt as if they had won the lottery, everyone that is except me. I was not her biggest fan. Not because of her personality, mind you, but because of her favorite subject, VOCABULARY!!! I despised the weekly busy work of looking up and writing out dictionary definitions, writing each word five times each, and creating our own sentences with our new words. Why couldn't she simply introduce new words and tell us what they meant?

Well, you will be happy to know that I did survive Miss Theal's third grade class, but barely. And I am ashamed to admit that while homeschooling my son during his third grade year we followed much the same format for our vocabulary lessons (but I did take mercy upon him and leave out the creating new sentences). But I have chosen to be much kinder to you my loyal readers.

I could have never guessed that moving to "The Valley" would require vocabulary lessons, boy was I wrong. There have been times over the past 8 years I have wished desperately for a interpreter. In addition to the completely new words that I had never heard before there were also words that I thought I knew the definitions to, but was mistaken. So if you are headed for the wilds of the Eastern Oregon Mountains you may find the following vocabulary lesson helpful. (Don't worry, there will not be a test on Friday. It's really okay, Miss Theal will never know.)

Nouns

Rig- any vehicle that could or ever has transported a dead animal. This is not limited to pick up trucks or SUVs. A Honda Accord with the gold package is quite capable of hauling a deer that has been quartered.

Pop- a bubbly, sugar filled drink usually served from cans. Known in other parts of the country as soda.

Jockey Box- a bread box sized compartment on the passenger side interior of most "rigs", know in civilized societies as a glove compartment.
(I once asked my husband if he had ever actually put "jockeys" in his Jockey box. He simply rolled his eyes as I pulled a pair of gloves out of mine.)

Crick-(rhymes with stick) A small, quickly moving body of water, similar to a river. A common location for fishin' ( for definition of fishin' see verbs below)

Verbs

Hookie Bobbin'- although not yet an Olympic sport, this ageless past time requires great skill from the "Bobber". One attempts to stay on his feet, holding onto a car bumper while being pulled over the snow and ice. (No skis required)

Huntin' and Fishin'- The correct pronunciation for the commonly mispronounced words hunting and fishing.

Bagged- Not the act of placing ones groceries into a plastic or paper bag. The act of killing an animal one has been huntin'.

Muddin'- The act of driving in circles off road in an attempt to get ones car as covered with mud as possible. Bonus points are added for getting the "rig" stuck in the mud.
Well, I think that is enough new vocabulary for one week. After all, no one learns a whole new language in a week. Enjoy!

Rick's Cheesey Rice Casserole
All of this "red neck" talk has me craving some Cheese Whiz. We learned this recipe from a dear friend in of all places LA. Don't worry he was a Texas transplant.

2 cups cooked rice
1/2 cup celery
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 Jar Cheez Whiz
1 pkg  frozen chopped broccoli (thawed)
1 can cream of chicken
1 stick of butter

Saute veggies in butter, stir in rice, and set aside. In sauce pan on low heat warm up soup and Cheez Whiz. Combine all ingredients in buttered baking dish and bake at 350' for 30 min.

Camo Quilts?

I've been spending quite a bit of time looking at all of the wonderful crafting and sewing blogs lately. My fingers are itching to get back to creating. The feeling is slowly coming back to my hands and I find that I can sit for more that about 5 minutes at a time. So now the question comes, where to start? How about a funky T-shirt turned dress for my 10 year old girl child? Oh, that satin tank top with ruffles looks like a challenging project.

Ok, the T-shirt dress is out, my daughter would rather die than be seen in anything that even closely resembles a dress. And where the heck am I going to wear a satin tank? So perhaps I should look back over some recent pictures to see what we could really use. Well, there is that lovely one from Christmas where my husband is wearing his new camo hat with our kids school emblem emblazoned across the front. I could complain about the hat but I am the one who got it for him. We have a sweet friend who owns a fun little custom t-shirt company. She had made one for her own husband and my hubby couldn't stand the thought of not having one of his very own. So she graciously whipped one up just in time for Christmas.

I am pretty sure I have touched briefly on the topic of camo in earlier blogs, but I think the subject needs further investigation. Camouflage clothing is something of a staple around these parts. I get it, I get it, when you are out hunting and you don't want to be seen by the animal you are about to shoot for dinner, camo is a very important item. What I am unsure of is how it migrated off the hunting and battle fields and into everyday life. I don't know how it began, but this is one fashion statement that is here to stay.

I am starting to get use to seeing men in camo walking around Wal-Mart. I like to tell myself that these gents are just coming in from archery hunting to grab a can of Spam for dinner. And then, when I see a camo baseball hat I talk myself into believing that they accidentally grabbed their hunting hat on the way out the door. But I am still stumped when I see camo vests and bow-ties at weddings and proms. I just can't seem to come up with a likely reason one would need their neck and tummy to disappear into the surrounding brush, especially at a formal event. And it's not just the guys here. I see many darling girls in camo hats bedazzled with rhinestone crosses. I mean doesn't the bling give your position away?

But nothing challenges me more than the camouflage fabrics found in the yardage section at Wal-Mart. There is camo fleece, camo cotton, quilting camo, satin camo and not wanting to neglect the gals, pink camo.  And this is hot selling stuff. The employee at the cutting table mentioned to me that it never goes on sale due to how consistently is sells. I don't know, I am still not convinced, do we really need a camo quilt?

All things have their time and place. This includes Camouflage. Anytime you are shooting at something or someone is shooting at you, you may wear camo. But I have to draw the line in the sand there!!

I know, I am talking a good game, but the reality is I bought my husband a camo hat for Christmas (which he loves by the way) and that is just something I am going to have to live with for the rest of my life. (No really, he will most likely wear it that long!)

Baked Oatmeal
(I am pretty sure this is one of my husbands creations and oh so yummy!)

2-3c cooked oatmeal cooled
2 eggs
1 ½ c milk
3/4 c sugar
Blueberries
1tsp salt


Combine oatmeal & blueberries in bowl. Heat milk, sugar and salt until hot. Wisk eggs in seperate bowl, slowly add hot milk mixture while wisking (so you don't scamble your eggs). Pour into oatmeal mixture. Stir well and pour into buttered baking dish. Cook uncovered 350* for 1hr or until middle is set. Serve warm with cream and brown sugar.

Homemade Christmas

This past fall when a good friend introduced me to the Advent Conspiracy I was inspired! What if I spent less this Christmas on things like gifts and decor? What if I took the money I saved and gave it away? What if everyone did this, what kind of difference could we make in this world?

My husband and I decided that the way we would "conspire" this year was to give only homemade gifts. I broke out the old sewing machine, and after a lesson on how to thread it from a friend, I was off. From a few simple ideas stole from craft blogs our house was transformed into Santa's workshop. I loved putting new fabrics together in interesting ways. The sound of my machine humming along while a Jane Austen book played in the background made me peaceful. I was well on my way to finishing over 30 homemade gifts for the season.

While all of this was going on, my family was getting in on the act. I had a vision of a white paper Christmas. Instead of buying new decorations to add to my haul, we purchased one ream of white copy paper. From this humble beginning our Winter Wonderland would emerge. Hundreds of paper strips became the paper chain that now covers my celling. My husband discovered his gift for cutting out delicate and exquisite snowflakes. Lastly a dozen origami cranes flew in to give new life to my old fake green wreath.

I was feeling pretty Martha Stewart about the whole thing, and had even mailed off two boxes of gifts when I left to pick my kids up from school on Tuesday. While driving 55 on the highway a pick up truck pulled out in front of me without warning. I smashed into him at near full speed in my almost new car. My car didn't make it, but thanks to the grace of God I did. I have no broken bones, just tons of soft tissue damage in my neck, back, arms and legs. This damage makes it difficult for me to sit for any length of time (this blog has been done in many starts and stops) without my hands falling asleep or my neck deciding it is time to quit.

Now my sewing machine sits on the dining room table with my last project still hanging from the needle. It, along with about 5 other projects will remain unfinished for now. My dear husband is working his tail off to keep up the house, cook the meals (he does a lot of that anyway), and keep up at work. He does this all with out one word of complaint, and a smile upon his face. The kids help out as much as they can as I sit and stretch and try to heal.

I am the kind of person who feels the need to create. I paint, sew, and write, not so much for others, but more for myself. Long ago I realised that it was the simple fact that we are crated in the image of God, the Great Creator, that gives us all the innate ability to create. The creative process is for me a form of worship. The connection I feel with my Lord when I am expressing myself is beyond description. But now in this season of healing I will have to learn how to simply "be still" and know Him.

So, my Martha Christmas will have to wait. There are dear friends and family members who gifts will arrive sometime in January. I refuse to go out and spend in a desperate attempt to get something in the mail. After all , I am part of a conspiracy and that is not to be taken lightly!

Soft Spice Bars (one of the many ways my husband is spoiling me)
3/4 cup butter melted
1 cup plus 1 tbls. sugar divided
1/4 cup molasses
1 egg
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp. salt

In mixer or mixing bowl combine butter 1 cup sugar and molasses. Beat in egg until smooth.
Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, ginger and salt. Stir into molasses mixture.
Spread into a well greased 15x10x1 baking pan (reg sized cookie sheet works great)
Sprinkle with remaining 1 tbls. sugar
Bake at 375 for 10-12 min. or until lightly browned. Do not over bake.
Cool and cut into bars.

The Land that Time Forgot

Whenever we head to what my children refer to as the "Big City" (I am speaking of Kennewick, WA. Never heard of it, that is ok, I hadn't either until I moved here. Trust me it's not that big, but they do have a Target and a mall!) the first thing my 10 year old daughter wants to do is ride the escalators. That's right nothing makes that child smile like a flight of moving stairs. She could ride them up and down all day long. Heck, who needs Disneyland when you have thrill rides just two and a half hours away.

You always hear people sing the praises of small town child rearing. In fact when you ask the average person why they have returned to The Valley, the most common response you will hear is "I wanted to raise my kids here". I though I fully understood the pros and cons of a small town upbringing, after all I didn't exactly grow up in a metropolis. But growing up in the suburbs in California did not even begin to prepare me for my current parenting experience.

When I first met my husband I would listen to the stories of his child hood and think "he has got to be making this stuff up". His youthful antics sounded more like the memories of my parents than of someone my own age. A common phrase in our marriage has become "we grew up 700 miles and 35 years apart". But I was sure times had changed and that the "modern" Valley would be nothing but a shadow of the place he once called home. Yet again, I was wrong.

Sometimes I think this is the land that time forgot. One of my favorite past times when I am volunteering at my kid's school is to look at the class pictures of years gone by. (Our children attend my hubby's Alma Mater.) There is very little change from year to year and decade to decade. Sure the 80's tend to stand out with "the hair". But other than that the variations are quite small. Each class of around 20 children sports much of the same basic look, jeans and collared button-ups. I must say that is precisely what my kids wore this year on picture day. Boots still tend to be the norm, I think this has less to do with fashion than function. Most of these kids still have outside chores each morning before school.

This is the school where Dodge Ball has not been outlawed, it remains a class favorite during PE. The same school boasts a yearly Christmas Play. That's right Christmas, not Winter Play or even Holiday. (Please don't tell the ACLU, the kids love it and I would hate to see third graders drug from the auditorium in hand-cuffs.) My children attend class in the same classrooms my husband and his siblings once sat in. They eat in the same small cafeteria where lunch is prepared daily by local Moms complete with fresh baked rolls. As a parent you can join your child for lunch any day you wish, without calling ahead, for 3 bucks! In this same cafeteria, ornate hand made gingerbread houses provide a festive feel through the month of December. When the month ends one lucky child from each class will have their name drawn and get to take this treasure home.

I often fear when I take my kids to cities like Portland or LA when we visit family. I am not afraid for their safety. I am afraid they will not know how to act. They don't understand the subtle nuances of how people act in a city. They are not aware of how much space to allow people in crowded areas. They are use to everyone around them looking and talking just like them. I try to expose them to different cultures and foods, but there are just some things you miss out on. They do love sushi, so I must be doing something right as a parent.

So, I am thinking about some sort of cultural exchange program. I will take my LA nieces for a few weeks each summer. They can come here and learn the finer points of Dodge Ball, camping, fishing and getting dirty. And I can send my two munchkins down to my sister for lessons in shopping, culture and escalator etiquette. After all, I don't think my daughter understands why people get upset when she runs up the down  escalator. I think they just need to get off of her ride.

The World's Best Peanut Butter Cookies
(I believe this recipe first came from my great-aunt Thelma. But they are the perfect cookie when you don't want to run to the store for ingredients.)
1 cup Peanut Butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
(yes, that is all!)

Mix together. Spoon by teaspoonful onto ungreased cookie sheet. Press flat with the back of a fork.
Bake at 375 about 11 min.
Makes 1 doz cookies (if you don't eat too much dough)

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree...

Remember those Hallmark commercials when we were kids? The family would tromp through a winter wonderland where they would find the perfect Christmas tree. They would cut it down, pull it back to their log cabin on a sleigh where they would decorate it with their million dollar collection of Keepsake Ornaments.

Yeah, right like that would ever happen!!

To say that my Mother was creative when it came to our family's Christmas trees when I was a child would be an understatement. We were three ladies, living on a hairdresser's salary in California. So the beautiful trees at the fancy Tree Farm were out of the questions. Sure we went there every year, we rode the hayride, drank the hot cider and ogled the decor in the gift shop. But we never purchased the spendy specimens found in their lots.

My Mom had other plans for our nod to this traditional Christmas decoration. There was the year that we headed to the lake where we cut down a Manzanita tree. Oh and who could forget the year that we decorated our silk ficus? Yes, my Mother had an amazing way of turning lemons into the most spectacular lemonade. The year did come when there was enough extra to purchase an artificial tree, which from then on did the honors in our home. We hated that tree. We mocked my Mom year after year, secretly wishing for her less conventional options.

Yesterday morning we loaded up our family and headed up to the mountains. Into the back of our all wheel drive rig (that is what we call any vehicle in these parts) we tossed in a saw, hot chocolate, blankets and snack. For 5 bucks they let you cut your own tree on public land. (Had this been available when I was a kid we would not have tempted fate and the law with that Manzanita. I do hope the statutes of limitations is up!)

Now, in years past this process has taken hours. It usually begins with us loading up the truck and heading up Fox Hill Road. About half way up this steep climb, our two wheel drive pick-up begins to slide backwards and I begin to panic. Thankfully my husband does not. He simply backs down the road and finds another location. We always end up somewhere up Spring Creek. By then I am in a bit of a foul mood (I know my family would call it more than a bit, but they are not writing this are they?) and will settle for nothing less than perfection. It takes hours for me to look over each tree in the forest. By the time the light begins to fade I make a quick pick. When we get it home my ever patient hubby trims and shapes my poor choice into something presentable.

Back to yesterday. We left the house at 8:45 am and made the brilliant move to stop at Starbucks on our way (everything is better when there is a latte in your hand). Instead of attempting Fox Hill in a two wheel drive we headed straight up Spring Creek in our AWD. The roads were icy, but the hottie behind the wheel got us up the mountain safely.  I, of course decided to begin looking for a tree where the road dropped off on a sheer cliff (I have never claimed I was much of outdoors woman). We scrambled down and into a beautiful grove of trees. Now for those who have never hunted down a wild Christmas Tree, let me take a minute to explain. Trees growing in groves are extremely deceptive. They look all full and lush, but only because they are all smashed together. It is not one full well rounded tree, but three or four scrawny ones huddling together for warmth that you are seeing.  So as the kids found an icy patch of snow to slide down on their bellies a la penguin style David and I searched for the elusive Christmas tree. With in 30 minutes we had two beautiful specimens loaded onto the top of the Santa Fe and were headed back down the road. They didn't even fall off on the freeway. Whew!

Now, this may not have been nearly as exciting as my Mothers law-breaking adventures, but we did have a pretty nice time as a family. Maybe Hallmark wasn't as wrong as I thought when I was a child. Maybe the Hallmark people just live in Oregon.

Tortilla Soup (a great way to warm up after the "hunt")
1 lg. ripe tomato
1 lg. onion chopped
1 clove garlic
6 c. chicken broth
tortillas
corn oil
salt and pepper to taste
avocado
grated cheese

Put tomato in broiler 8-10 min. Peel skin, put into blender.
In a small amount of oil cook oil and garlic, cook until onion is transparent. Season and add to blender. Blend.
Transfer to stock pot and add broth. Cook until slightly thickened.
Cut tortillas into strips and fry in corn oil. Cut Avocado into chunks and put some into each bowl. Add soup and top with cheese and tortilla chips.