Who Eats This?

Yikes!

What I like About the Prez....he's so...COOL!

Our New First Family

How nice it will be to have a young, vibrant family in the White House. The Obamas are such good role models to all Americans. Gotta love those cute kids, too!

I especially like that Mr. Obama uses technology in getting his message out. His "Saturday Message" was filmed and put on his transition website Change.gov. Now this is a President that knows what's going on, knows how people get their information and is up-to-date. How refreshing!

President Obama!

What a historic night...! I am so looking forward to having a president that isn't embarrassing, someone who knows how to speak, who has fresh ideas and goals for America. What an interesting journey we are on in this country.

I am also looking forward to having a young family in the White House. I remember how the Kennedy children brought such a interesting facet to the White House.

It's time to leave our history of racism and inequality behind, to go forward with renewed hope for this country.

I'm so proud to be an American.

My First Pumpkin! Happy Halloween!

This experiment in baking happened by chance. My dear husband and I went to a local grocery store to pick up a few things and they were giving away pumpkins. I selected a medium sized one.

I have never baked a pumpkin and wasn't too sure what I was doing. I baked the pumpkin whole after piercing the skin (peel?) in a few places. I baked the pumpkin for 90 minutes. The house was infused with a lovely sweet-potato smell. I cut the pumpkin in half, scooped out the stringy innards and seeds, removed the peel and chopped the meat. I baked the pumpkin cubes for another half-hour. While still warm, I placed the cubes in my blender and whirled until smooth. I drained the pumpkin through a couple of paper towels. It was really "wet"!

Then, I proceeded with the following recipe:

CINNAMON-PUMPKIN EMPANADAS
Source: A Mexican Breakfast recipe from Esperanza’s Cafe (Joe T. Garcia’s Bakery), Fort Worth, Texas. From: Texas Monthly

15 ounce fresh baked and pureed pumpkin
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

Mix ingredients together and set aside.

Empanada Dough:
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 packages (1/4-ounce each) dry yeast (41/2 teaspoons)
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
2 generous pinches cinnamon
3 cups flour, divided in half
generous 3/4 cup vegetable shortening

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine water, sugar, salt, yeast, baking powder, and cinnamon. Using an electric mixer, gradually blend in half of the flour. Add shortening and thoroughly mix, then gradually blend in remaining flour.

Divide dough into 4 equal parts, then shape each of those parts into 4 dough balls. Slap the dough balls between the palms of your well-floured hands until somewhat flattened, then roll on a floured surface into circles approximately 4 inches in diameter and 1/8-inch thick. Put about 1 1/2 tablespoons of pumpkin filling in the center of each circle, fold over, and seal edges by pressing lightly with a fork on both sides.

Bake on a greased cookie sheet until golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes (watch carefully; they can burn quickly). Makes 16 empanadas.

Here is the finished product. Not exactly bakery quality, but they are really yummy! Thanks to my wonderful son, Joe, for giving me the idea to bake my own empanadas.

First Day of Fall Apple Pie

Fall Caramel Apple Pie

1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie or ready-made pie crusts.
1/2 cup unsalted butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup water less 1 teaspoon
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla flavoring
8 Fresh fall apples - peeled, cored and sliced

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in flour to form a paste. Add water, white sugar and brown sugar, and bring to a boil. Reduce temperature and let simmer. Let cool a bit.

Toss apples in caramel mixture.

Place the bottom crust in your pan.

Place apples in pan, cover with top crust. But vent holes in crust, brush with beaten egg, sprinkle with white sugar.

Bake 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Continue baking for 35 to 45 minutes, until apples are soft.

Bonnano Emma Sandals Finally Arrive!

The box finally arrives!


I have the ugliest feet in the world, but I have some gorgeous sandals!

The First Day of Fall

My husband and I made a trip to Anderson Island today and we picked a few apples. So nice to smell the fragrant apples, feel the crisp air, and see the trees change color. Fall is officially here tomorrow.


Between the apples and blackberries available, I will have plenty of pie fruit this fall. Yum. Photos of pie to follow this week sometime!

My Latest Find - A Great How-To Website

Yummy Mac & Cheese! Enjoy!

Who is Sarah Palin and Why Does she Insult Me?

As hard as I try to "relate" to Sarah Palin, I find myself a bit insulted at McCain's choice of running mate. It is as if he is parading Ms. Palin around, saying "look at me, I'm so with it".

I found a great column in the New York Times today, which pretty much summed up how I've been feeling about Palin. Read Judith Warner's piece HERE. Also, I found this amusing "blog"parody: Sarah Palin's Blog

New Orleans, Then and Now

Poor New Orleans. So battered and bruised. I visited there before Katrina, and took this photo:

And with yet another hurricane, new visitors to the Quarter:

Of course, being with the Corps of Engineers, I wish I were there, battling Mother Nature and desperately trying to protect the city and monitoring the levees. I would love to deploy, for the sake of the city, I hope I don't have to.

Hopefully Gustav won't be another Katrina, and the levees won't breach again.

OBAMA - BIDEN!

After being a local delegate for Obama, I was especially moved by his speech tonight. What an extraordinary speech, one that cut through the superficial, got down to what is important. I am so hopeful and inspired right now. I am prayerful that this intense, gentle man can change the direction of this county. It is time we looked past race, upbringing, status, power and old-school failures and embraced change. We MUST elect Mr. Obama. I truly feel I witnessed history tonight.

Anderson Island Photos

My husband and I like to go to the "island" - Anderson Island - almost every weekend. Here are some photos of our trip this weekend:

The Pierce County Ferry is located in Steilacoom, Washington, a historic area of Puget Sound.

Residents of this quaint village have a great view of the Olympic Mountains:


Our first stop is usually the General Store:


A visit always includes a swing by the local marina - Mount Rainier in the distance:


On the ferry back to the mainland, great view of Mount Rainier:

Another Berry Good Weekend

We returned to the island to pick more berries. We picked about 20 pounds. Here are some photos:

Our favorite blackberry patch:



Vines loaded with juicy, ripe blackberries:



The best berries are just slightly out of my reach:




Time for a manicure:

What a busy weekend!

My husband and I had a great weekend. On Saturday we saw the latest Woody Allen movie Vicky Christina Barcelona at the Grand Cinema Theater here in Tacoma. What a great movie! I will use any excuse to spend two hours admiring Javier Bardeim. He is such a versatile actor.

Today we went to Anderson Island, Washington. We have property on the island at the Rivera Club, and will build there in the next couple of years. There is a very nice golf course, restaurant, marina, a co-op garden pea-patch, and a quaint general store. That's it. Very simple, very laid-back resort type location. Click here to read a nice article about Anderson Island published in Sunset Magazine.

There are lots of blackberry bushes in the unincorporated areas of the island. The bushes were just loaded with fat, sweet blackberries! My handsome husband and I spent an hour or so picking them. We wound up with enough for three pies. Two fat bags of berries are in the freezer, and here is the pie I made for my sweetie tonight. Before and after baking. He loves my pies!


It turned out pretty nice!



FRESH WILD BLACKBERRY PIE
INGREDIENTS
• 4 cups fresh blackberries
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1- 9 inch double crust pie
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1/4 cup white sugar

DIRECTIONS
1. Combine 3 1/2 cups berries with the sugar and flour. Spoon the mixture into an unbaked pie shell. Spread the remaining 1/2 cup berries on top of the sweetened berries, and cover with the top crust. Seal and crimp the edges. Brush the top crust with milk, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup sugar.
2. Bake at 425 degree F for 15 minutes. Reduce the temperature of the oven to 375 degrees F, and bake for an additional 20 to 25 minutes.


Apparently the pie was good, as my sweet husband had his fill of it. He is in his favorite chair, watching tv. He will be asleep soon!

Another pair of sandals!

As if I thought summer would last forever, I purchased yet another pair of Navajo sandals. These are Jack Rogers. They are just so incredibly comfortable. I was getting impatient waiting for my Bonanno monograms, so I bought these lovely handmade leather sandals in bronze and silver:



There is quite a rivalry between Bonanno, Rogers and Solario. I like them all equally.

My Latest Purchase - Stephen Bonanno Sandals

Yes, I did it, I retired my old pair of Stephen Bonanno sandals and ordered a pair of sandals in the Emma style, which will have my monogram. I ordered Black with Winter Camel whip-stitch. I hope I get them before summer disappears here in Washington. This is the Emma style:

It was only about 70 today, too cool to ride the Vespa.

Butch Hancock & Jimmie Dale Gilmore

One thing I really miss about Texas is a great music. Here is a favorite of mine,
Jimmie Dale Gilmore along with Butch Hancock (both of Austin, Texas)

I took a raft trip hosted by Far Flung Adventures a few years back and Butch Hancock was the oarsman on my raft. Here is a photo of me getting soaked - Butch Hancock is the guy with a hand one one of the oars:

Trip to Los Angeles

Took a trip with my husband to visit my youngest step-daughter and her sweet daughter, Sydney. Here are some photos from the trip:

Hooray for Hollywood!

Where else can you see Superman strolling down the street?

Of course I had to shop a bit. Bought a cute Hermès scarf!

After some serious shopping, Sydney took a gelato break with Grandpa.

At the Pier at Santa Monica for some super-fun rides and excellent people-watching.

The best set of shoulders in Santa Monica!

Back in Simi Valley, after a very long day.