Last night we had red pepper pesto chicken over rice. It's one of Daryl's favorite meals. For this particular recipe I can't give many exact measurements because I just do a little of this and a little of that.
1 jar roasted red bell peppers
Olive oil (approximately 1 TBSP)
Balsamic vinegar (approximately 1-2 TBSP)
Garlic (approximately 2-4 cloves, minced)
Shredded parmesan cheese, not the grated stuff (approximately 1/4 cup)
Basil (approximately 1 tsp)
Oregano (approximately 1 tsp)
Black pepper (approximately 1/8 tsp)
-- They may be difficult to find, but I also add 3-4 Mezzetta: Napa Valley Bistro - Mediterranean Antipasto olives along with 2-4 cloves of the garlic from the jar.
Put all into a food processor or blender, pulse/process until it's a pesto consistency - I usually pulse a few times, then process about 15-20 seconds.
Boneless skinless chicken breast (one breast for each person served)
1 TBSP olive oil
Dice chicken into bite size chunks... add to a pan with the oil. Cook chicken until no longer pink, approximately 5 minutes. Pour the pesto into the pan and heat on med - med/low ... just until it's warmed through - approximately 5 or 10 minutes.
Serve chicken/pesto mixture over a bed of white or brown rice.
Above pesto recipes serves 2-4 depending on portion size and if there are any sides.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Storm says 'I wasn't broken!'
Storm went in on Monday to get 'fixed'. It all started when he and CJ collided during play and Storm broke a tooth. The vet said it had to come out... so since he was going to get put under anyway we figured there's no better time to take away his manhood.
I gotta say - he really is a trooper. He came home Monday night, a little tired from anesthesia, and he has to wear the 'lampshade'. The vet put gauze around the neck area for tying it on, and Storm had it back off within seconds. A few more times of trying this, Daryl attached Storm's collar to the lampshade... that'll do it!
All day CJ seemed kind of mopey, but when Storm came home he perked right up and the tail started wagging. Much to CJ's dismay Storm wasn't allowed to play.
We placed Storm's kennel near the fireplace for his first night home, the vet said he needs to be kept warm while his body gets the anesthetic out. As soon as we got Storm settled in, CJ went right over to the kennel and laid down by his buddy for quite awhile.
I gotta say - he really is a trooper. He came home Monday night, a little tired from anesthesia, and he has to wear the 'lampshade'. The vet put gauze around the neck area for tying it on, and Storm had it back off within seconds. A few more times of trying this, Daryl attached Storm's collar to the lampshade... that'll do it!
All day CJ seemed kind of mopey, but when Storm came home he perked right up and the tail started wagging. Much to CJ's dismay Storm wasn't allowed to play.
We placed Storm's kennel near the fireplace for his first night home, the vet said he needs to be kept warm while his body gets the anesthetic out. As soon as we got Storm settled in, CJ went right over to the kennel and laid down by his buddy for quite awhile.
Kayakin'
This past Sunday we (Daryl, Tom and I) took it back to the waters, only this time it was arm power moving us along. There's a park on the Snohomish River about 15 minutes from our house so we launched the mighty kayaks there. We headed up river to a place called Spencer Island.
The way I understand the history is that a long time ago in this area, usually wetlands, someone shored up the sides of the river to dry it out and create the 'island'. In the early 1900's this land was used for farming. At some point, the dikes were breached allowing the water to once again come and go, creating the wetlands. It's called one of the best places to see birdlife in the area.
If you paddle around near high tide (the Snohomish River empties into the Sound, so it is affected by tides) the island is more accessible to paddlers. From Spencer Island we headed back out to the river and checked out some of the big boats on the slough before getting back to shore. Afterwards we headed to the Flying Pig for a fantastic lunch.
Click on the photos below to see a larger size.
The way I understand the history is that a long time ago in this area, usually wetlands, someone shored up the sides of the river to dry it out and create the 'island'. In the early 1900's this land was used for farming. At some point, the dikes were breached allowing the water to once again come and go, creating the wetlands. It's called one of the best places to see birdlife in the area.
If you paddle around near high tide (the Snohomish River empties into the Sound, so it is affected by tides) the island is more accessible to paddlers. From Spencer Island we headed back out to the river and checked out some of the big boats on the slough before getting back to shore. Afterwards we headed to the Flying Pig for a fantastic lunch.
Click on the photos below to see a larger size.
Monday, April 7, 2008
Sunday on San Juan
It's been awhile since my last post and there's more catching up to do... but before I get any further behind, I'll post about this past weekend.
Saturday we hung out in downtown Seattle. We walked to Pike's Place and had lunch at our favorite Mexican restaurant (for those that have visited already, you've been to this place). Walked more of Pike's and then the waterfront. There was a Peruvian Military Ship in port - that was cool! We walked to Pioneer Square for a cookie and then back to downtown. It was a great day just wandering around.
Sunday we took the ferry to San Juan Island. It’s one of the more scenic routes on the ferry runs. Apparently, back in the mid-1800’s the Americans and British claimed the island. The Hudson’s Bay Company solidified the British claim by occupying with a salmon-salting station and American settlers were occupying in anticipation of official American possession. Somehow a pig belonging to The Hudson Bay Company was shot by a settler and it almost started a war! Then British Columbia Governor James Douglas and US Army Commander Winfield Scott negotiated a joint occupation of the island until their dispute could be resolved. It took 12 years for the island to be officially awarded to the US. That’s the short story anyway… read more here.
So, we made it to the American Camp – which is not much more than a Redoubt (just an earth redoubt, no fortress), and 2 buildings. However, within this park live deer, red fox, Eagles, etc. There’s the longest public beach and more. So, we explored. It was a great day for seeing wildlife. I’ve never watched a Bald Eagle land in a tree before – it’s quite powerful.
On the island there is one of the best land based whale watch parks, Lime Kiln State Park where we stopped for a picnic. There are three pods of whales that occupy our waters. One pod lives here full time (J Pod) and the other 2 pods (K Pod and L Pod) come for the summer. These whale ‘families’ are larger than most Orca pods because they eat salmon instead of seals. Unfortunately J Pod didn’t make an appearance while we were there, but there’s a great lighthouse and wonderful scenery.
It’s our third time to the island – we really like going over there. It was our first time to the American Camp area, and we will be going back for the wildlife. We didn’t have time to see the British Camp, but that will be for another day as well.
Daryl got some great shots too! Check them out.
Saturday we hung out in downtown Seattle. We walked to Pike's Place and had lunch at our favorite Mexican restaurant (for those that have visited already, you've been to this place). Walked more of Pike's and then the waterfront. There was a Peruvian Military Ship in port - that was cool! We walked to Pioneer Square for a cookie and then back to downtown. It was a great day just wandering around.
Sunday we took the ferry to San Juan Island. It’s one of the more scenic routes on the ferry runs. Apparently, back in the mid-1800’s the Americans and British claimed the island. The Hudson’s Bay Company solidified the British claim by occupying with a salmon-salting station and American settlers were occupying in anticipation of official American possession. Somehow a pig belonging to The Hudson Bay Company was shot by a settler and it almost started a war! Then British Columbia Governor James Douglas and US Army Commander Winfield Scott negotiated a joint occupation of the island until their dispute could be resolved. It took 12 years for the island to be officially awarded to the US. That’s the short story anyway… read more here.
So, we made it to the American Camp – which is not much more than a Redoubt (just an earth redoubt, no fortress), and 2 buildings. However, within this park live deer, red fox, Eagles, etc. There’s the longest public beach and more. So, we explored. It was a great day for seeing wildlife. I’ve never watched a Bald Eagle land in a tree before – it’s quite powerful.
On the island there is one of the best land based whale watch parks, Lime Kiln State Park where we stopped for a picnic. There are three pods of whales that occupy our waters. One pod lives here full time (J Pod) and the other 2 pods (K Pod and L Pod) come for the summer. These whale ‘families’ are larger than most Orca pods because they eat salmon instead of seals. Unfortunately J Pod didn’t make an appearance while we were there, but there’s a great lighthouse and wonderful scenery.
It’s our third time to the island – we really like going over there. It was our first time to the American Camp area, and we will be going back for the wildlife. We didn’t have time to see the British Camp, but that will be for another day as well.
Daryl got some great shots too! Check them out.
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