Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to you & yours! We look forward to celebrating the new year with you soon!

1/2 Marathon!

Some friends and I are signing up to run the Rock&Roll 1/2 Marathon in Las Vegas. This will be especially cool because it is at night on The Strip. This will be especially daunting since I haven't run more than two miles since high school. As a result, here is my training schedule:

The race is December 4th, so we've allowed plenty of time for training. Our plan is to drive up Friday afternoon, go out on Friday night, recover by the pool on Saturday, run the Half on Sunday, drive back on Monday. 

Anyone is welcome to come and cheer us on! 

Books Galore!

With Dave gone, I've had a lot more extra time this past week. So I've read two books - There isn't anything more satisfying and heartbreaking than finishing a good book. I love the can't-put-it-down-stay-up-till-1am-reading feeling, though I do feel sad when I finish a book.

So here's what I've been reading recently, and what's next on my shelf.

Recently Finished

Tiger's Curse by Colleen Houck

A Young Adult aka Teen novel, this was a fun book - adventure, fantasy, some romance. Barnes and Noble advertised it as an "Epic Series," so I bought it, read it in two days, and then moved to ....

Tiger's Quest by Colleen Houck

... Book 2 in the series, read that in two days, and now have to wait until November for the next book in the series to be pulished. WhompWhomp. 

There's just something timeless about YA fiction. First, it's easy to read. Second, the themes transcend age. A 90 year old reader and a 20 year old reader can relate to teen anxiety, heartbreaks, rebellion. 

I will admit that these two Tiger books were more along the lines of the Twilight series - predictable, over the top emotions, but still a good adventure/escapism book

The Secret History of the Pink Carnation by Lauren Willig

This one was more "my age." I love historical dramas. This book on www.paperbackswap.com was billed as Historical Fiction. Well there's some romance in it. Like Steamy romance. I hadn't expected that and it surprised me. But I've got the next book in the series on order, as well. 

Next Up

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

I think the two different covers of this book tell two different stories, so we shall see. I chose this book based on NPR's recommendation. Their book critics made a list of books to read for the Hogwart's Grad, books to read for (post)college students that grew up with Harry Potter. The list includes Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card, which I've already read - coincidentally in my YA Fiction class in college, and The Magicians by Lev Grossman. 

Summer Travel

We've been out and about a LOT in the last month. We had POM leave - Pre-Overseas Movement vacation days - scheduled for late June-early July. Luckily for you, I forgot my camera most places we traveled. Whomp Whomp.

Dave and I spent a few nights in San Francisco, where we played tourist. San Francisco Giant's baseball game, Alcatraz night tour, Point Loma National Seashore, 1917 Earthquake spot, and fantabulous Indian burritos. Those were the highlights.

We spent the 4th of July visiting Dave's family in the South. We bought fireworks and set them off! I know, it sounds boring but let me quantify. 1) I grew up outside of DC, and we usually only had sparklers. 2) We bought big exploding fireworks in Mississippi. 3) We attempted to blow up a watermelon. Additionally, we ate at Rendezvous, the originator of Memphis-style (dry rub) ribs. We got to spend time with our nieces, who eventually accepted Dave, and Dave's family. It was relaxing and fun. Except for the fact our return flight was canceled. But we made it back.

Last on our tour-de-everywhere, we drove six hours up the spine of the Central Valley to Redding, CA. Redding is the northern-most point in the CenVal, and as such, it doesn't feel so much like a valley but more like you are surrounded by mountains on three sides. Dave's future roommate, TJ, and my friend, Amy, tied the knot in a lovely, lovely ceremony. We bought a camera for the occasion, but it was left behind at the reception - never to be seen again. So no photos of Dave in his dress-whites and I dressed up. Whomp Whomp.

Jaime and I wiating for the ceremony to start - I was so excited, I wanted to cheer during the vows.

The newly married couple. (I was there when she chose her dress, so pretty.) 

OCF girls

Now we are home for a few weeks. And no more traveling. We were glad to accomplish so much during our time off, but we were exhausted.

What's Growing?

I'm starting a new segment: What's Growing?

As temperatures soar in the Central Valley, the benefit is the abundance of fruits and veggies. This is also true in my own little garden!

Ta-dah! My garden!
LtoR: climbing rose bush, zucchini, tomatoes,  and cilantro.

The Garden Plot: 

I planted my garden in April, I think, from seeds. I learned a lot: about irrigation, timing, watering, sunshining, etc. I planted everything from seeds. The squashes did well. The tomatoes, not. The cilantro sprouted and grew, but not the parsley. (I think area flooded the seeds out.) In May, my mom and I put in some tomato plants. Katie taught me that if you trim off the lower branches when planting, and stick them in the ground, they trimmed branch will sprout roots and grow. And it's true! I bought only two plants and currently have about five or six tomato plants due to this method. 

Zucchs!

 The Fruits: Plums, Nectarines and Pomegranates - Oh, My!

Plums Galore! Slider has to be monitored when he is outside now. The pits of plums are bad for dogs. Dave and I don't like plums but our friends are benefitting.  

Nectarines! DELICIOUS. A great addition to breakfast!

Pomegranates are starting to form. I spied a humming bird at the tree last evening. These will be ripe in September/October/November. Remember the pomegranate jelly I with Katie made last year? 

 The Flowers:

Succulent pot with some Aloe Vera growing! 

These lilies were transplanted from a friend's garden last spring. They started out very meager, but have exploded. I will probably have to thin them out this fall and spread them some more around the yard.

A Sunflower's Tale:

In April, I planted about 15 sunflower seeds in two varieties. One variety sprouted better than the other but it didn't matter in the end: The caterpillars - originiating from the fruit trees I expect - mowed them all down. ALL OF THEM. Save one. This lonely sunflower! I planted new seeds again in May - this time in a raised pot. I had about 10 sprouts. One morning I went to check on them and I was down to TWO. The Caterpillar Bandits struck again! And then one morning a few days later, one of my two was just wilting and not doing well. Hm. And then there was one. I nurtured it and transplanted it last week to be near the lonely sunflower. 

So I gave up on planting any more sunflowers of my own this year. I didn't want to buy another package only to have it ravished by caterpillars and snails. On to Plan B: Transplants. There are a multitude of wild sunflowers in the vacant fields around my house. I enlisted Dave's help. We grabbed gloves, shovels and plastic bags, and took a walk, filled our bags and returned home. So these guys will have a different look than the traditional one-headed sunflowers. 

The transplants. 

The only survivor of the original seedings. 

The lone survivor of the Sunflower Experiment: Round 2. I planted this guy next to his brother, right behind the air conditioning unit. 

 TLC Projects: 

This past weekend was the first time in a long time that Dave and I spent some time on the house. We did some furniture chess and purchased this gem: An antique-wood table! I'm currently using it as a gardening/potting station. The cat - who has been enjoying yard-time - believed it was a gift for him. You should have seen him. He'd hop up and then peer inside at us and meow, as if to say, "wow, that was nice of you to get me this cool perch!" 

Old Wood potting station

Future garden project: irrigation for the pots. 

The Squash Garden: Future location of garden expansion. 

Last week, after visiting Katie's plot at the Community Garden, I was inspired and planted pumpkin and butternut squash seeds. I have this vision of making Diane's Pumpkin Soup from a pumpkin I grew in my backyard. I planted the seeds in pots and plastic cartons to intimidate caterpillars and snails. And just today I've got a sprout! With my success with squash I am hopeful that I will have a pumpkin in September or October. Just in time for soup! (It was easy to find jack-o-lantern pumpkin seeds but harder to find "sweet" pumpkin seeds. Hopefully I found the right kind. 

 The Pots: 

Look closely! There's a sprout!

The potted plants. LtoR: Zucchini, with basil under some of the leaves, tomatoes.

 Feels Like Home:

The Guard Dog. Doesn't guard against snails and caterpillars. 

Decorations: A Christmas gift for the Wrigley's is up in use! 

What's for Dinner

Fish Tacos with Cabbage and Chili Slaw

My first experience with fish tacos was a success! I'm slowly getting back in to the groove of cooking regularly again. When Dave's gone, there's a lot of Lean Cuisine in the freezer. I was worried Dave wouldn't like this - because of the lack of red meat (and we know I tend to eat vegetarian when Dave's away). Dave gave it a double thumbs up and suggested we add it to the rotation! Woot! AND - wait for it - there is an onion in the recipe. And he still ate it! And liked it! Granted, I did substitute the red onion for the shallot. But success none the less!

photo from bhg.com

ingredients

• Tacos:
• 1-1/2
  lb. fresh or frozen cod or halibut fillets, thawed and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2
  fresh tomatillos, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (2 cups)
• 2
  tsp. olive oil
• 1
  clove garlic, minced
• 1/2
  tsp. finely shredded orange peel
• 1/2
  tsp. finely shredded lime peel
• 12
  6-inch corn tortillas
• Slaw:
• 5
  oz. green cabbage, thinly shredded (1-1/4 cups)
• 1/2
  cup thinly sliced red onion
• 1
  poblano or pasilla pepper, halved crosswise, seeded and thinly sliced
• 1
  carrot, peeled and shredded
• 1/4
  cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 3
  Tbsp. olive oil
• 2
  Tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1
  Tbsp. freshly squeezed orange juice

directions

1.Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In bowl toss together fish, tomatillos, oil, garlic, orange peel and lime peel. Season with salt and black pepper; set aside.

2.Cut six 12-inch-square sheets of foil. Place one-sixth (about 2/3 cup) fish mixture in center of each square. Fold diagonally in half in a triangle. Fold edges two or three times to make a packet. Place packets in single layer on a large baking sheet.

3.Bake fish 10 to 12 minutes, until packets puff slightly (carefully open a packet to check fish doneness; fish should flake easily with a fork). Meanwhile, in dry skillet warm tortillas over medium-high heat until soft, about 15 seconds per side.

4.To serve, divide fish mixture between two tortillas. Top with Cabbage and Chile Pepper Slaw. Serve immediately. Makes 6 servings.

Cabbage and Chile Pepper Slaw In a medium bowl combine cabbage, red onion, poblano pepper, carrot, and cilantro. For dressing, in small bowl combine olive oil, lime juice, and orange juice. Season with salt. Toss with slaw.

nutrition facts

• Calories341
 
• Total Fat (g)13
 
• Saturated Fat (g)2, 
• Monounsaturated Fat (g)7,
• Polyunsaturated Fat (g)3, 
• Cholesterol (mg)36, 
• Sodium (mg)293, 
• Carbohydrate (g)30, 
• Total Sugar (g)3, 
• Fiber (g)5, 
• Protein (g)28, 
• Vitamin C (DV%)1.11, 
• Calcium (DV%)12, 
• Iron (DV%)14, 
• Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet