Big changes coming

It's been a long time!  Can't really go into it right now, but in addition to being in the midst of a fantastic job rotation and a myriad of different things going on in the next few months, the biggest adventure is going to start soon.

First things first, the Armenian Food Festival is this weekend.  Sept 10 - 12.  Can't wait.  For the first time, we're having the entourage of family attending, so it's going to be a blast.  My parents, hubby's parents, family friends...

Next up will be a long weekend in Vegas.  YES!  My home away from home.  We haven't had a real 'getaway' vacation since March.  This is much needed.

Is it worth it?

Right now I'd have to say, "Not really."  I am in pain.  So much pain that I can't cross my legs without the assistance of pulling my leg up and over with my arms.  

Yes, I'm another fool who tried snowboarding this past weekend.  I do have to be thankful for the gorgeous, fresh powder that covered the beginner trail at Squaw Valley.  It saved my butt from turning black and blue. 

I tried skiing several years ago.  I didn't do too bad.  I basically made it to the beginner/intermediate level within 3 - 4 days total of skiing.  Unfortunately, one trip landed me with two torn ligaments in my left knee.  I stopped for about two years and then after one more try and another big tumble down the mountain (without injury, thank goodness), I walked away from the snow and didn't look back.  The fear had grabbed a hold of me and I lost all my confidence.  I knew what it was like to get hurt.

It's been six years and suddenly that little voice inside me was reminding me how much fun it was to swoosh down that snow when I was doing well.  There's nothing like that feeling, as a beginner, to make a hard stop where you make a giant snow spray.  And when that mist settles, you're still standing.  Yeah...  That was my one skiing moment I'll never forget.

Instead of skiing, I wanted to try snowboarding this time.  Don't ask me why.  It seemed like an awesome idea at the time.

Off we went to Squaw Valley.  We stayed at the lovely Resort at Squaw Creek.  All I can say is, it's a beautiful resort.  The furniture in the rooms is not my style, so I can't say much about that.  The grounds, however, are amazing.  Two big pools, three hot tubs, ice rink, several restaurants, several stores, giant outdoor fireplace to cuddle next to, and the thing most appealing to skiers and snowboarders alike... ski-in/ski-out lifts right on the property.  Hubby LOVED that.  Unfortunately, since I am a beginner, my journey began with a ride on the resort shuttle to Squaw Village for my board rental and lesson.

The next two hours, I can't even describe it.  I took a lesson for snowboarding.  I guess I was lucky.  The two kids that were in my group picked up on the boarding so fast, I basically had a two hour private lesson with the instructor.  The kids were brothers, and one of them had never even seen snow before.  To be fair, they have ridden skateboards and surfed, so it was no surprise that they did so well.  How well?  One brother was attempting jumps within the first hour of the lesson.  Show-off.  ARGH!!!  I spent most of my two hours falling on my a$$.

A quick lunch with hubby and I tried boarding for about one more hour before I called it quits.  I do have to say, I did a quick walk through The Village, and it is VERY nice.  Next trip, I plan to take a little more time to enjoy the area.  Maybe get a drink and enjoy it while sitting next to one of the big fire pits there.

Back to the resort and my husband has the CRAZY idea of going to the hot tub.  Hello?  Did you not see the snow falling?  Is it not 30 something degrees?  Lemme tell ya, it is the most wonderful thing in the world to be out there in the falling snow, in your bathing suit, sitting in a bubbling jacuzzi.  

That night and the next morning... I could not move.  Turning over in bed was pure torture.  Trying to stand after sitting on the sofa for more than a minute was next to impossible.  Raising my arms to wash my hair was a nightmare.

UGH!!!  I really didn't learn much from boarding except that it's true what people say - you fall a lot in the beginning.  That is not an urban legend.  Have I completely given up on boarding?  I don't know.  I want to learn it.  I really hate ski boots and I hate carrying around two skis and two poles (real pain in butt).  Nothing beat being able to walk around in those snowboard boots and just carrying one simple board around.  

I did better at skiing.  All in all, I've only fallen a few times (with the one big one) - so I don't feel like I'm wasting my time when doing that.  I don't know...

Well, I have until next Winter to decide.  But at this exact moment in time, to answer my own question of whether it was worth it, I would have to say NOOOOOOO!   Now give me more ibuprofen.

Back from vacation

It's been an amazing week.  Friday to Friday, we spent a lovely seven days in Oahu.  Plenty of relaxation, but lots of exciting events as well.

In a moment of insanity, I found the courage to go skydiving.  I purposely booked it for earlier in the week because I wanted to get it out of the way.  Surprisingly, I wasn't scared.  Not until the moment when my instructor told me to head towards the door of the plane at 14,000 feet.  Yep, I had just enough time to think, "What the hell am I doing?" and I was out the door.  No time to react - we were out and free falling.  It was surreal.  I just remember feeling extremely cold, and the photographer waving to me, and me waving back.  I think the free fall was for about a minute and then the parachute was deployed.

My instructor, Dan, was awesome.  He let me "steer" by pulling on the cables and we did a couple of spirals.  It was crazy.  Before I knew it, the ground was coming towards us and my feet were on the blessed ground again. This was one big thing off my bucket list.  

Another incredible thing off my list was swimming with the dolphins.  Honestly, I think I was more excited about this than the skydiving.  All my life, I had never been the lucky little girl who was chosen to pet the killer whale or to pose with the sea lions at those marine parks.  This trip, my dream came true.  We got into a lagoon (albeit man-made, at a hotel) and had the ultimate dolphin encounter for 30 full minutes.  Almost the entire time, we were touching, feeding, playing with, and learning about these wonderful creatures.  Ultimately, I got my wish, a picture of me kissing a dolphin.  I was in love.  The most amazing moment was when I was posing with my husband with the dolphin and we both had our hands underneath him - we felt that strong heartbeat.  I can't even describe how powerful it was feeling that pulse.

This trip also gave us the opportunity to visit the USS Arizona Memorial, which we missed during our last trip to Oahu six years ago.  Sure we all studied WWII in school, but nothing brings it home to you like this.  I didn't know what to expect, but I certainly didn't think it would affect me like this.  The memorial and the entire park is so well done.  Very respectful.  Very moving.  The day we visited, there were four survivors of the USS Arizona signing autographs.   My heart went out to them.  It's hard to imagine anyone having to live through the horror they witnessed back in 1941.  We payed our respects at the USS Arizona memorial, and also toured through the Battleship Missouri and USS Bowfin submarine.  

Aside from a lot of eating, we did one last 'fun' adventure.  Whale watching!  Not five minutes out of the dock, our boat came across a mother and her calf.  It was awesome!!!  Never thought we'd see something so quickly, but then it's lucky that we saw them, because we didn't encounter any other whales in the two hour ride. 

Seven days and a lot of pounds later, we're home.  Lots of experiences that we will never forget, and planning more for the next time we get to head back to Oahu. 

Two posts in one day!

This is definitely a record, considering I submitted a whopping eight posts last year (compared to previous years).  Don't know if I'll get to my cooking challenge this month (because of vacation and all), but I did make something new yesterday that turned out to be FABULOUS!!!

Honey Dijon mustard pork chops with bacon.  Oh yeah, pork on pork baby.  So, so good.  I saw it on Giada at Home and did a smaller version of her pork roast.  Dijon mustard, honey, garlic, and rosemary.  Slather that mixture all over the pork chops (that have been seasoned with salt and pepper, of course).  Then drape bacon slices over the meat.  Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes.  

The crispy, salty bacon paired with the sweet honey mustard spread.  Heavenly.  Try it!  You'll love it!

Checking them off one by one...

I don't know what it is.  Something in the air?  Something with the craziness that started the year 2010? Things are irking me today. 

Every day there is news that reminds me of the reasons I don't like reading up on the latest in the world.  People are intolerant, devastating earthquakes everywhere, ridiculous scandals that are really no ones business but with the people involved. 

With that said, I'm looking forward to some peace... Getting away from all this BS that is the world today.  I'll be away on a beach with a never ending supply of frosty Pina Coladas in my hand.  Yep, I'm headed to Oahu, HI.  We had plans to go about a year ago, but with Monte being sick, we canceled all vacation plans to stay with our baby.   It's time to let go of the world and enjoy paradise now.

With this trip, I will be knocking out a couple of things from my 'bucket list'.  If anything, my list is of things I would like to do in my lifetime.  They're all doable, though most require a bit of planning and saving.  

So, what am I checking off the list from this trip? Skydiving.  Yes, I'm going to throw myself from a plane.  Like I said, I don't know what it is with this year, but suddenly I've found a burst of courage (this as I'm sitting in the safety of my office).  And to clarify, when I say "throw myself from a plane", I mean me being attached to an instructor and screaming for my mommy as he pushes us out of the door.  Yeah... I don't know what I'm thinking, but I made the reservations already.  I'm gonna do it!

Another thing off the list is swimming with dolphins.  This is something I've wanted to do since our last trip to Oahu so many years ago.  Money was definitely the reason for us NOT doing it last time, and I've been kicking myself ever since.  This trip, there's no stopping me.  I'm going to get a picture of me kissing a dolphin. 

The rest of the trip is unplanned (except for some must try food places) and low key, as it should be.  

When we come back, I'm checking off a third item from the list.  A cooking class!  I've always wanted to take one.  Who knew Williams-Sonoma offers FREE classes?  I sure didn't.  I'm going to learn how to bake pies and tarts.  Yep!  I'm excited.

Lastly, we're heading up to Lake Tahoe soon - a little late for the season, I know.  I'm going to attempt snowboarding.  OMG!  I'm more nervous about that than skydiving.  Seriously.  Skydiving, if anything went wrong, well, it's done.  With snowboarding, I could get hurt... and have to recover.  Ugh.

The last time I was on the mountain, it was my first time skiing again after my knee injury.  I had a really difficult time.  I couldn't get past the fear of getting hurt again.  The mind is such a powerful thing.  I took a really bad fall toward the end of my run, and I took off those darn skis.  I may try again some day, who knows.  I didn't suck at skiing.  I actually picked it up fairly quickly.  But of the few times I did fall, I fell hard.  Hard enough to really shake my confidence.  

I really do want to try snowboarding though.  It looks like so much fun.  And honestly, I'd rather carry one cool board around than two skis and two poles.  I really want to learn some type of winter sport.  My hubby skis.  And while I will never get to his level (black diamonds), I would like to enjoy time in the snow and feel that rush of wind/adrenaline again.

So, in the next few weeks, I'll be able to check off four times from my bucket list.  I'm really excited about it and I'm glad I'm finally doing things off that darn list.  The list only gets longer as I think of new things, but that's OK as long as I'm actively checking things off from there too.

Without question, I am getting the picture/DVD package with the skydiving.  Will post when I get them.  ACK!  I'm going skydiving y'all!!!  If you hear something that sounds awfully like a blood curdling scream on Sunday morning... yeah, that would be me.

BTW...

The boeuf bourguignon turned out to be a success last month (January).  Each day that went by after the initial meal just got better and better.  Isn't that just how stews go?  Leftovers are a great thing.  

The recipe (from Mastering the Art of French Cooking) was very easy.  Every step carefully planned out to bring the dish together like a puzzle.  I have to admit, preparation was key.  I had all my ingredients laid out and ready to go.  That really helped.  Other than a lot of steps in the beginning (and timing), it was just 1, 2, 3, 4... 

January - Boeuf Bourguingon = Success.

February - Roast lamb = Success.

Last minute AGAIN!

My goodness!  Why do I do this to myself?  February seemed to just drag on and on, and before I knew it, it was the last weekend of the month!  Did I cook anything from my Cooking Goals list?  Nope.  Had I even picked anything yet?  Nope.  Last minute decision, roast lamb.  I couldn't find lamb shank like I wanted, so we ended up with a lamb roast.  Close enough. 

I usually read the recipe beforehand, but again, got lazy and only printed it out when I was ready to cook on Saturday afternoon.  Focus in on two words that blew my plans...Marinate overnight.  Ah well... no lamb on Saturday.

After a full night of marinating in a whole bottle of red wine, almost a full head of garlic, and lots of lemon juice and various spices, our purple lamb was finally in the oven.  Yep, the wine turned the meat purple.  Kinda gross, but also amusing.  Two hours later, along with preparing some sauteed mushrooms and some Mediterranean style couscous, we had a fantastic meal. 

So, I just made the deadline - AGAIN.  

Not sure what do to for March yet.  We're heading off to Oahu in three weeks (so excited).  I may need to exchange one of my listed dishes for something a bit lighter.  I just realized that I'm picking off all the meat dishes first and then what's left is a lot of cream based desserts.  Hmmm... 

Last minute meal

Well, the Kaymak goal did not work, but I'm not giving up for January yet. Meat! I know I can cook meat and with one day left for the month, I will master something from my list. Boeuf Bourguignon has been chosen. Basically it's a fancy French term for good ol' beef stew. Reading the recipe (I always recommend reading the recipe first) it's very much like braising short ribs, which I know I kick-ass. Hubby says my short ribs are second only to Daniel Boulud, and that is a GREAT honor. No one can touch Daniel's short ribs. No one!

I'm off to Safeway to gather ingredients. I hope to have this place smelling of that rich beef broth with wine and veggies, and of course, beef, in a few hours. Yay!

Kaymak, oh Kaymak, why do you hate me so? I will give you a few months to settle before I attempt making you again.

I'm talking to a recipe... (sigh) It's a sad, sad day.

Failure

Well, the Kaymak didn't turn out AGAIN. At least this time I didn't burn it and was able to make it into a lemon cream sauce for some pasta. ARGH!!! Frustrating. I don't know what I'm doing wrong.

I found one more recipe to try. This one calls for 1 tsp of salt. I will have one more go at it.

OK, I know I said I would make something over and over until I got it right - but I didn't take into account complete inedible failure and wasting food. It's the wasting part that irks me. And well, let's face it - I can't keep making full on whole milk and heavy cream recipes.

So, one last attempt at this and I'm moving onto the next dish.

Impatiently Waiting

Attempt number two at making Kaymak. I followed a slightly different recipe this time.

Heated whole milk to a slight boil. Added a small mixture of flour and milk (prepared earlier), and then added cream. Simmered and stirred for two hours. Hubby and I had to take turns. Finally, poured the mixture into an enamel pan and let that simmer without stirring for 30 minutes.

Let cool to room temp, and then set in fridge for 10 hours.

Well, 10 hours are long over... but I'm stuck at work. I'm chomping at the bit to get home and see how my Kaymak turned out. Will let you know...

I'm very excited.

Cooked cream

Yes, that's basically what I spent an hour doing last night. I cooked cream. Poured a pint of heavy cream into a quart of whole milk and ladled, ladled, ladled until the top was all foamy... and then tried to let it simmer on low heat - but I guess the pot was still too hot, because before I could stop it, the cream started burning. ARGH!!!

The end result was not so much Kaymak, but a thick off-white mess with bits of brown mixed in. Oh, and let's not forget the wonderful splatter all over my stove from ladling milk and letting it dribble back into the pot about 12" above the surface. Yep, splatter. All over the place. Even though I had spread towels everywhere.

I'm not so upset that the recipe completely didn't work for me, but it's that I hate wasting food. I didn't throw out the cream - will probably make it into a sauce or something, but still... it didn't live up to its potential in the slightest. Let's hope the second try will be better. It's such a simple recipe. I can't believe it bombed like that.

For those who are curious, this is what the end result should look like... And let's just say, mine turned out NOTHING like this. HA!

A slight change in plans

Well, I was all prepared to make Butter Chicken for the January recipe, but then my hubby informs me that he scheduled a gum graft "surgery" for this Monday. So he won't be able to eat it for a few days. This he tells me as I'm holding an ingredient list combing through the grocery store aisles. Great timing.

Quick change... I'm going to attempt to make Kaymak (pronounced 'k-eye-mock') this month instead. What is Kaymak? Oh, what is glorious, dreamy Kaymak? I was first introduced to this heavenly cream during my trip to Belgrade, Serbia a few years ago. It's a white cream with the consistency like the whipped cream cheese that you can get a Noah's Bagels. It's light and fluffy. It's literally the solid thick layer that forms from simmered whole milk and heavy cream.

Doesn't see TOO hard. Simmer the milk over medium heat and ladel consistently for about 40 minutes until a thick layer foam covers the top layer of the milk. Let it cool and store in the fridge for 10 hours. Then lift that top layer of cream off. That cream is Kaymak.

And now, something a little more lighthearted. A little beauty tip I recently discovered for myself. Ever have a nail that broke way down the nail plate? You can't cut it, but it's definitely split and catches on things? Extremely painful. Superglue sometimes can lock it down - but it doesn't work all the time.

A quick solution until your nail can grow out to be cut? Acrylic nails! I bought a pack of the Nailene short, French tip nails. I only applied one nail (obviously to the injured one) and painted over it with a darker color (hides the white tip of the fake nail easily). Looks great - no one can tell it's fake. No more pain from my nail getting caught on things - and it can safely grow out under a protective layer.

Works great - just thought I'd share. :)

Happy New Year!

Welcome 2010! I truly hope that this new year brings with it much less drama than 2009. There were good times, but there were also too many sad times.

My grandma had an accident at home several months ago, and has since recovered, but is now living in a 24/7 assisted living home. A painful reminder that she really is getting older, and there's nothing anyone can do about it.

Our beloved Monte will have been gone from us for three months come January 6th. We miss our baby every single day. Tears still come to my eyes even from writing about him. Not a day goes by I don't wish to hold him in my arms and feel his rumbling purrs as I smother him with hugs and kisses. That's one wonderful memory I will always have of him. He would let me hold him forever as long as I was continuously snuggling and kissing him. When I stopped, he would want to get down. My darling boy - so patient with his mommy.

With the new year brings new hope and new goals. Less drama and more happiness - that is what I wish for.

So what is my resolution for 2010? I recently watched the movie Julie and Julia. I loved it from the first two minutes in and fell even more in love with it as each minute went by. Like Julie, cooking calms me. It's my way of bringing a delicious end to stressful days. So, that brings me to my goal for this year. Nothing as dramatic as giving myself a deadline to cook over 500 recipes in 365 days. No, no, no...

I am making myself a list of the top 10 dishes that I love, but have always been too intimidated to try cooking at home. I give myself a goal of one dish a month. I figure I would give myself an eating break the months of November and December.

One dish a month - and that means perfecting it and cooking it multiple times within that month until I do. What can I say - some things I can let go of when they're not perfect. Other things, like cooking, I want to do right. I want you to say "YUM" with the first taste.

So, that is my goal/resolution/excuse for eating mission for this year.

We'll see how it goes!

First month, first dish... (drum roll please)

Indian Butter Chicken (Murgh Makhani)