One Month: Dream Realized

The view from my window

Since 1996, I've had this dream.  A dream to move to the Seattle area.  Even after a disastrous first visit (record snow fall kept me house bound for the entire week I visited), just that one day of touring the city and view of the mountains was enough to get bitten by the bug. Although life got in the way, compromises had to be made, others had to come first, still in the back of my mind, it was ever present.

Last year I made a decision.  With my son fully raised, it was finally a time where I could put myself first.  This decision was not without a lot of thought and planning.  See, I don't usually move quickly about big decisions, but when I finally do settle on one, it damn near impossible to stop me. It also took a lot of sacrifice, one of those being I temporarily had to abandon writing.  That included this blog and another I blog I have had for years.  After much sacrifice and an unbelievable amount of money, I finally stepped off the plane, into my new life, on April 1st. I let out a deep breath of relief.  It was like I had been unknowingly holding my breath for all these years.

The move was not complicated, but it wasn't without it's many challenges.  The hardest thing? Besides leaving my family and close friends, the most difficult aspect was basically divesting myself of 90% of my belongings.  Ever try to get rid of 45 years of accumulated memories and possessions?  The first phase was pretty easy.  There were so many things that needed to go naturally.  Things I had no attachment to and just cluttered up the place. The last phase was the hardest, letting go of well loved books, years of accumulated gardening stuff, costumes and prized collections. I had to assess what was really important to me. Suprisingly, that came down to very little.

I  moved to Lake Stevens WA with two suit cases, a laptop, and my cat, Phantom Bobaggins. A month later, that is still where I stand.  I have exactly 20, small boxes of things, a hope chest, one dresser, a sofa size painting, and a Victrola to ship eventually.  That's it!  Not much to represent the last 46 years of my life, but I'm okay with it.  Because I get to do something most people never get the chance to.  I have wiped the slate clean and am starting from scratch. I find it hard to articulate the feeling.  It's a bit like defying gravity. I never have felt so free.

As hard as this past year of preparation has been, finally getting to this point was like a giant weight had been lifted off my shoulders.  At 46, I am happier than I have ever been in my entire life.  It's ridiculous how much I smile now.  I was able to lease a little cottage by a gorgeous creek in the country. It's close enought to Seattle, to enjoy all it has to offer, but far enough away to gain some peace and quiet. The cottage has that alpine ski cabin feel and I perpetually feel like I'm on vacation.  I'm surround by these massive cedar trees and just down the road I have a spectacular view of the mountains.  I'm awestruck by the magical beauty of this place every single day. At any moment I expect to see gnomes and sprites. I have to constantly pinch myself and remind myself that no, dear, you are not merely dreaming, this is actually your home now.

I'm walking distance from my sister's place, which is a godsend. We spend most of our afternoons walking the insanely beautiful Centennial Trail.  I am enjoying getting to know the flora and the fauna around here, which far differs from the Southern United States. Many nights I sit by my creek, mediating, while being soothed by the babbling brook sound of water.  I spend weekends helping my brother in law farm and look forward to all that yummy, organic produce soon to come.  I'm getting quite the farmers tan, which amuses me, because I'm so fair skinned that I rarely tanned while living in the South. Who would have thought I would finally tan in Washington State of all places?

So many things about this state is a dream come true for me.  Clean eating is a breeze here.  My brother in law supplies me with fresh eggs, hormone free, free range, organic chicken meat, and fresh, salt water fish.  The guy just up the road from me sells organic beef, at a reasonable price. Local and sustainable living is just a way of life around here, so I feel right at home.

I have the exposure to different cultures, that I have been craving.  A new Asian friend has clued me into the most awesome of Asian markets, H-Mart, where I confess I must learn a little self restraint. I spend wayyyy too much money every time I go. There are so many ethnic stores around here, that I never have a problem finding the ingredients to make great exotic dishes.

Homemade spicy dukbokki with kimchi

 I have also discovered a really great Korean restaurant in Redmond.  The food was so good, that I couldn't stop eating it!

Stone Korean Restaurant

I am in thrift shop heaven! My sister and I have scoured the stores in the greater Seattle area and have found the most awesome of stuff.  I may end up completely furnishing my house with thrift store items. Like I said before, I came with only two suit cases full of clothing, but relying on my knowledge of the usual cool climate, I only packed long sleeve items.  Due to unseasonably warm weather this past week (we hit the low 80's this weekend), I had to go buy some summer clothing just to survive. I found so many great piece in the stores in Redmond, that I may never buy new again! I'm really excited about my new "used" summer wardrobe!

I guess this is all for now.  It's my birthday today.  I'm going to spend the day outdoors, soaking up that vitamin D and appeasing the earth mother in me.  Tonight my family has a small dinner planned for me.  I couldn't wish for a better birthday present, than to be right where I am, doing exactly what I am doing. Sometimes planning and taking a risk really pays off.  I know it's only been a month, but I think I got the windfall. Namaste.

Another's Trash, My Treasure

Several weeks ago, my son's friend asked me if I would be interested in a rotisserie oven and a bread machine. It seems that his grandparents were moving and they were just going to toss these things. I told him sure, bring them to me, I can certainly put them to good use!

The rotisserie was still in a box and had never been opened.  It seems that his grandparents received it as a Christmas gift a few years back and never found a use for it. What a shame that they never found out how completely awesome this gift was, but I am over joyed with my good fortune.

He also told me the bread machine had only been used once. His grandmother found it harder to use than she thought it would be, so she just stuck it in pantry. Believe me, it looks like it has never been touched and unlike the grandmother, I don't find it hard to use at all. As I type, my house is filling with the awesome smell of fresh bread.

These are two items I have seriously contemplated purchasing lately.  I have seen several bread machines at the thrift store, but they were still  a bit pricey and I am kinda of leery about buying appliances used for a good sum of money.  You never know if it's going to work right until you get it home and if I'm gonna spend over $20 on it, then it better work!

Both the rotisserie and the bread machine has seen weekly use, since received.  I have gotten into the habit of roasting several chickens each weekend, to save on cooking time for meals during the week. I have also found that it is very easy to roast veggies for Meatless Monday's and seafood is so easy in this, that I have no problem keeping my my promise of eating fish at least once every week.  I have dozens of recipes to try out and I'm sure you will see many of them here in blogs to come. The best thing about it, in this hot weather, I'm not heating up my house with the oven! This is definitely a plus.

Today I am making honey wheat bread. It is very simple and oh so good! If you have the time, I suggest you make two loaves, because it never lasts very long around here.

I am also making a rotisserie pork tenderloin, soaked in a apple cider and brown sugar brine and topped with a ginger peach sauce. Green Beans Provencal with Herb Roasted Potatoes.

For the brine I used this recipe and doubled it for a 4 lb pork tenderloin.  I let it soak over night, but no longer than 12 hours.  Please remember to make sure that your pork tenderloin is not enhanced.  The label will indicate if it is enhanced.

Now, the peach sauce is all my own. Find the recipe below:

Peach Sauce:
4 tablespoons brown sugar
4 teaspoons cider vinegar
2 teaspoon low sodium soy sauce

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/2  teaspoon ground cinnamon
 4 fresh peaches, peeled and sliced

Mix brown sugar, vinegar, soy, cornstarch, ginger and cinnamon in small saucepan. Bring to boil on low heat; simmer 5 minutes. Add peaches; simmer 3 minutes longer. To serve, spoon warm peach sauce on pork tender loin.

Adventures in Eating Salmon: A Non Fish Eater's Journey Part 1

Baked Teriyaki Salmon
Mango Kiwi Salsa
Honey Lime Corn Relish

If you are are a regular reader, then you know I am not a big fan of fish.  If you are new to my blog, I'll keep the history lesson short.  Up until five years ago, with the exception of shell fish, I did not eat fish.  In the past five years I have acquired a taste for salt water fish, but one of the things that was still a hit or miss thing with me, was and is, salmon. 

I have wanted to like it.  On occasion, I have enjoyed it grilled, usually with a ginger glaze sauce.  But I have never managed to cook it myself, where it was even edible, much less enjoyable.  Nevertheless, I have pledged to keep trying until I can manage to consume salmon, on a somewhat regular basis. In that spirit, I purchase a couple of nice salmon steaks to experiment with. 

One of my great pleasures in life is trying new recipes. Some of my very favorites come from the Cooking Light magazine.  In the latest issue, they had a recipe for Cedar Plank Grilled Salmon with Mango Kiwi Salsa. The picture set my mouth a watering, so I gave my son the task of procuring a cedar plank for me. Well, after several attempts to find a non-treated plank failed, a friend advised me to just do a teriyaki marinade and grill it in my fish basket. This really appealed to me, so grilled teriyaki it was!

As you may know, I am on a quest to be a 80/20 clean eater by January 2013.  Although I have divested most of my kitchen of most pre-prepared foods, mainly ones that contain preservatives, I still owned a bottle of Lawry's Teriyaki Marinade.  I decided now was the time time to use it and remedy my kitchen of it's presence. (I am most certain that one made by me would have been much yummier and I promise from now on, to try hard not to fudge.)

After a few mishaps with our grill, it was decided that I would resort to baking it.  Now, I have NEVER, had much success with baking salmon.  I was sure that it would turn out like it normally does, dry or very fishy tasting, but I consoled myself that I had the awesome salsa and corn relish to fall back on.  

Let me just say that this was the most wonderful surprise I have had in a long time.  Not only was it was it edible, but it was delectable! The spicy sweet salsa was a perfect match and I couldn't be more pleased with how it turned out.  I ate every last fork full. 

I still want to try the original recipe, so I am on the search for a non-treated cedar plank. With more recipes like this one, I may actually promote salmon to a regular rotation status in my menus, dare I say, weekly? What? It could happen!  

I apologize for the quality of the photo.  I am not a professional food blogger (yet), but I am looking for a better camera and will hopefully post better shots in the future.  Below are the recipes for the above meal and I hope you enjoy. 

Baked Teriyaki Salmon

4-4 oz salmon steaks

1 bottle of Lawry's Teriyaki Marinade

Marinate salmon for at two hours. Preheat oven to 350. Spray oven dish with cooking spray. Remove salmon from marinade and place into ovenware. Discard remaining marinade. Bake for 22 minutes.  Remove the skin, by sliding your knife just under the skin. 

Serves 4

Calories per serving 240

Cooking Light Mango Kiwi Salsa

1 ripe mango, peeled and diced

1/2 cup kiwi, peeled and diced

2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped

1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp of fresh lime juice

1 serrano chili, finely chopped

Mix all ingredients and chill.  Can be made ahead. 

Serves 4

Calories per serving 54

Honey Lime Corn Relish

4 ears fresh corn, shucked and sliced off cob

1 medium onion

1 cup of bell pepper (red looks really pretty)

2 serrano chili, finely diced

1 tbsp olive extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsp lime juice

1 tbsp honey

salt and pepper

Coat heated skillet with olive oil.  Add onions and bell pepper and cook until onions are translucent. 

Add corn and serrano.  Cook for 2 mins, stirring often.  Turn heat down to low and add lime juice and honey.  Simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated. Salt and pepper to taste. 

Servings 4

Calories per serving 138

Joys of Leisure Bike Riding

  There are many things I miss about my childhood, mainly snow days and summers off, but the other thing that I came to realize I missed greatly was bike riding.  I don't mean the kind where you train daily to do marathons, I refer to the type, where you just meander and enjoy the scenery, stopping at the local small grocery to grab an ice cream bar, then continue riding one handed, while licking furiously to keep the ice cream from running down your arm. You know, the simple fun kind?


  As a kid, I spent hours and hours upon my bike.  Cruising around with my friends, pretending to be superheroes (because in our heads Spiderman and Superman would be naturally be riding bikes, duh) or doing daredevil tricks like jumping ramps, or wheelies to impress boys. I was a pro at fixing  a bike, often called upon to rescue a fallen chain, tightening a loose handle bar and even building a few by combining the parts of old ones. In the summertime I would patrol the neighborhood until the streetlamps came on, signalling it was time to go home.  My bike, like a cowboy's horse, was my constant companion.


  I realized a key component was missing in my life, when I started to admire the retro bikes I have been seeing around town lately.  I started to day dream about a mint green beach cruiser with a basket.  I could visualize myself breezing around town waving at my neighbors, stopping to pick up a sack of groceries or two and maybe visiting the used book store in search of a cool find.


  During my trip to Seattle to visit my sister, we decided to take a trip to India in a few years.  I know several friends that have done this they have all told me that there are certain parts that are best toured on bike. On this same visit, I took a ferry to the San Juan Islands.  We encounter several cyclist on the ferry and the idea of exploring new places by bicycle really appealed to me.  It was then and there that I concluded, what was sorely missing in my life was a bicycle.


  After looking around the inter-web for a month, I decided that, until I found out if the reality of riding was as enjoyable as my memory of riding, I would limit myself to spending no more than $150.00.  I found this great bike at Walmart.com within my price range.

  Although not mint green,the raspberry color seemed fun and rear rack, basket and beverage holder seemed really to suit my needs as leisure and commuter rider. Now to go purchase the bike!

  Ah the disappointment of finding something online, only to not find it in the store.  The Walmart Sporting Goods rep told me that although they did recently have it in stock, the bike had been an extremely popular model and he had sold the last one that very day. Drat!

  He offered to call around town to see if he could find one, so while I waited, I causally looked at the other bikes on display. I had my heart set on that one, still I had to admit some of the others were kind of cute, but most were too this, or too that for my taste. Then I saw it, a teal blue Huffy Cranbrook Cruiser.  It was love at first sight.  No, it did not have a rear rack. It didn't even have a basket. Those had been two requirements in my search and would be imperative in my eventual plans, but I really LOVED this bike.  It spoke to me in a way that no car or designer shoes ever have.  The best part was, it was almost $40 cheaper! 

The sales rep came back and told me he had found the deluxe cruiser at another store, but I no longer cared. My heart was set on the teal blue bike with the green and gold flower detail.  Sure I would eventually have to spend money on a rear rack.  Of course I would have to find a basket, but this was MY bike, it knew it and I knew it.  She whispered to me "Take me home with you" and I whispered back "Okay, let me get my wallet".  

  Isn't she pretty?  I couldn't wait to ride her and yes guys, it really is just like riding a bike, you never forget.  I rode up and down the street so filled with joy, that I could hardly contain myself.  That little girl inside went 'weeeeeeeeeeeeeeee' and the adult in me reasoned this will work off quite a few calories. The little girl told the adult to shut up and just enjoy the ride.


 Unfortunately the temperature has climbed up near 100f, so my plans to ride all over the neighborhood have been thwarted. Still, I think I will brave the heat late this afternoon, to get the high of zooming my new bike up and down the hills.  We are told constantly to 'act our age' or 'grow up', but I think this is one time that it's perfectly acceptable to enjoy a long forgotten past time.


This is just another step in simplifying my life and I hope to have many trips and adventures on my bike to blog about later.  Until then, WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!

REVIEW: Bumpy's Texmex Grill

I try not to eat out much anymore and when I do, I tend to make sure my restaurant dining experience is a treat, rather than the same ole same ole. A friend at work has been trying to get me to try out Bumpy's Texmex Grill for weeks now.  I am the guinea pig for all places new, but frankly, the thought of yet another TEXMEX place in central Arkansas did not excite me, so I danced around a visit for quite awhile.


Friday, a workmate and I finally decided to take the plunge.  I will admit my expectations were low.  I mean, come'on, we have loads of great authentic Mexican restaurants (And lunch trucks, shout out to my favorite Luncheria Mexicana Alicia) around here and I seriously doubted that a texmex place was going to thrill me. What I got was a nice surprise.


Our waiter was very friendly and knowledgeable about the menu. The first thing he informed us was that Bumpy's promotes use of fresh and local products, including, but not limited to produce, beef, and chicken.  Case in point, the grilled vegetable side dish is seasonal, so it changes  constantly, depending on what our local farmers are growing during that time period.  Today's offerings were zucchini, yellow squash, and onions. Yes my friends, that is exactly what is in season in Arkansas right now!


Now, seeing I too promote local, fresh, and sustainable, it seems like serendipity that Bumpy's and I would find one another. I cannot tell you how excited I was about this news (a new blog was flowering in my head), so much that I whipped out my phone to start taking pictures of food and asked our very patient waiter dozens of questions.

Like other texmex restaurants,  Bumpy's offers complimentary salsa and chips.  The salsa was a decent, hardy variety with a good  kick to it.  I was told if I wanted spicier, I could opt for the Salsa Verde. I passed, wishing to concentrate this time on my food and not wanting to consume that many chips. My friend ordered the queso, which after sampling seemed to be a hopped up version of   my favorite Velveeta/Rotel combination, quite tasty.  Our waiter assured us it was not Velveeta and that fresh cheese was melted every day and the tomato spice combination were indeed local. This was all served with slices of fresh local peppers which I adore.


I  spotted fish tacos on the menu and decided to get one my weekly fish serving out of the way. (I am behind, but I will be having fish tonight, so all is good!) I figured with this being Arkansas and Bumpy's promoting local, the fish was probably catfish.  I am not a fan fish, as you are all aware, and especially not catfish.  Before I settled on my choice I asked JP (Not going to list his name, because I didn't get his permission to put him in this blog) what type of fish were in them.  I asked if it were catfish and he said, no, it was a Mexican fish called pangasius.  A warning bell went off in my head.  Where had I heard that before? Nevertheless, I opted for the tacos and was not disappointed.

They served a spicy tartar sauce with my tacos that was a delicious companion to the fish .  The fish nuggets in the tacos was a mild flavored fish coated in a well seasoned, crispy coating.  The grilled vegetables, including a roasted pepper, was so enjoyable.  I truly love grilled vegetables, especially local, seasonable ones! The black beans, topped fresh tomatoes and peppers perfectly complimented the already flavorful beans.  This lunch was so good and filling, that I was only able to consume half of my meal.  This meant take home for a yummy meal latter.


My companion chose the chicken enchiladas with cheesy potato soup and  cheesy mashed potatoes. She deemed her meal completely delicious and quickly consumed the majority of her meal.  She's a picky eater, so it must have been good!


We agreed that this was a very lovely experience and Bumpy's would be put into our lunch rotation.  I left there full, satisfied, and happy that I had found another restaurant that promoted the same values I do.  The price wasn't too bad either, cashing in at around $11 apiece for each of us, the same amount we tend to spend at our favorite Mexican restaurant.


On a side note, the name of that fish continued to bother me.  Being the food sleuth I am, I did some researching.  Suddenly it came back to me. OH! THAT PANGASIUS! Yeah, the Vietnamese Pangasius (yeah it's not local), is a shark catfish that has flooded US fish markets.  US fish farmers, most notably Arkansas catfish farmers, raised a stink that this was ruining the local markets, due to the abundance and low cost. They even went as far as demanding that it could not be labeled as catfish, because it was not truly a catfish and confused consumers.  The farmers got their way and pangasius is now labled as Basa, TRA, SWAI, PANGASIUS, CHINA SOLE, BOCOURTI, RUFFY,  PACIFIC DORY.  


Although I do enjoy the taste of pangasuis, much prefering it over the taste of catfish, I feel that if Bumpy's using this fish, while promoting themselves as supporting local products, that they are being a bit misleading.  I am hoping my waiter was wrong and plan to call Monday and clarify what fish they do use.  I would rather they support local fisheries and gulf cost fisherman, than to use a fish that a picky fish eater like I would eat.  When I find out for certain, I will update this blog.  Let's not condemn them before we have the facts.  If I in fact do find out the waiter was correct, I will encourage the owners to rethink this practice. 

Still, I applaud Bumpy's for promoting local and seasonal.  This is a trend in central Arkansas that I hope I continue to see grow.  I would really like to know if any of my local farmer friends are suppliers for Bumpy's.  If you are, hit me up with an email. (located in the profile section of my blog) I will keep it confidential, unless you and Bumpy's wish to publicize it.  Then I will be all about the shoutouts.  ;)

If any of my readers know of other restaurants, please alert me.  I am very much wanting to promote these places.  Local and fresh is best!