Category Archives: Utah

My food order arrived overnight, much of it (juice, milk, eggs, bacon, bread and rolls) doubled in size because Jim’s brother is flying in tomorrow for the weekend.

I had ordered some grapes but the organic “surprise” box had a huge bag of grapes in it as well so I washed them, cut them into single-serving portions for Jim to take to work.

I’ve a huge bowl on the counter filled with organic onions, potatoes, avocados, tomatoes, nectarines, and beets. I like the fact that the beets and carrots come with the greens attached to show me how fresh they are. Of course I cut them off right away, but it’s nice to see them.

So I’m changing my menus around a bit. Later today, when I’m finished cleaning house, I’ll make big batches of cole slaw and potato salad. I’ll roast the beets and chill them for one of my favorite salads “invented” by the former LA bastion Chasens. Beets, endive, toasted walnuts. I make a dressing using sherry vinegar.

So I’ve lists upon lists and I already know I won’t have time to wash the dog today. Maybe Friday when they’re off fishing. I checked the fishing report and called to make sure their gear is ready to pick up. I’ll pick up a few steaks for Friday night in case they come back with no trout! But the most important thing is that Jim’s long johns arrived by mail yesterday… and they fit! I hear the waters are quite chilly at 10,000 feet above sea level. So we’ll pick up poles and waders and boots and perhaps a few more flies en route home from the airport tomorrow.

If we do have trout Friday, I’ll dredge them in seasoned flour and pan-fry them, save the steaks for Saturday and plan on stuffed roast chicken for Sunday supper. We bought a guide book to be used by guests, and picked up the local weekly paper and glossy magazine for ideas. It’s an arts and music weekend up here in the mountains, there’s a ton of things to do and we’ve no set plans except to tour downtown Saturday rather than Sunday.

Over the weekend we looked at the forecast and it was dismal, seven days of thunderstorms. We got the car washed on Sunday so of course we hit five minutes of drizzle but it’s been sunny ever since! Enough dawdling. It’s time to gear up for “hostess with the mostest” so, to work we go. Cheers, Dee

We’re lucky to have windows the entire width of our townhome on both floors. Upstairs, the master bedroom overlooks a nature preserve and three of the nation’s top 15 ski resorts.

This morning I was up at six and saw movement in the Preserve. Two elk were walking, then bounding, toward the highway. It was a sight to see. I’ll try not to think of the pound of raw elk meat and bone in the freezer for Zoe food. They bounded past the Greater Sandhill Crane family out shopping for breakfast with their colt, Eddie. Frazier? The show. The littlest Crane is Eddie, the dog.

Yesterday I made a great fruit salad out of my mystery basket of organic foods that are delivered weekly. I could have used some strawberries, raspberries and blueberries but here’s what I used: mango; pear; peach; plum; and cantaloupe. I’ve enough to make another salad tonight and perhaps serve it over a scoop of organic raspberry sorbet.

Jim is not a great fan of chicken but lately I’ve been making one that he likes. I take two bone-in, skin-on breasts and dredge them in milk, then seasoned flour, beaten egg, then panko crumbs (also seasoned) and bake them in the oven for about 50 minutes at 400 degrees. It’s not fried chicken but is close enough for me!

Our family friend (and inspiration for this blog) Joan made her version of this when we were kids and we thought it was great! She used cracker crumbs or even potato chips for the coating.

For seasoning I made a smoked paprika rub. I add a bit to the flour and to the panko and mix it in. Darn, I thought I knew where to find the recipe for it. It’s perfuming my pantry right now even though it’s in a glass jar! It smells intense but has dark, rich flavors that I might use on a roast loin of pork or other meat. Not on a NY Strip, though.

It’s another day in paradise and Jim’s brother is coming in later in the week so I’m working on lists and menus and what they should take fly-fishing. The answer to fly fishing is … everything but me. I’ll have dinner ready in case we have no trout. It should be a fun weekend. Hope you’re cooking this summer. I just sent myself the NYTimes piece on 100 summer salads and look forward to reading it and trying some. Cheers! Dee

This is what we have.

http://shakespeareslove.com/ermine_trap.htm

Nasty little things. I thought Zoe was casing it, turns out it’s the other way around. Cheers, Dee

This morning it appeared for the first time, running to and fro on our deck, in and out of flower pots etc.  For about an hour Zoe was mesmerized.  I had to close the slider because one side of the screen is open, not visibly so even to insects but one lunge at it and she’d be outside!

It was moving so fast at first, I thought it was a baby chipmunk.  There are chipmunks out here by the tens of thousands.  Luckily it left after about an hour.  Tonight (it’s 8:00 p.m.) it came back and was definitely aware of Zoe inside and her preoccupation with it.  Jim got off a couple of shots from indoors.  Here’s the best one:

What Am I?

It looks like a baby ferret to me.  What’s your thought?  Is it feral?  Oh, for the purpose of size, each board on the deck is approximately 5.25″ in width.  Val, what do you think?  Cheers, Dee

Years ago I was en route somewhere and had to stay over at LAX for the night before my next flight.  When I showed up at the hotel there were a whole bunch of guys in the deserted area of the parking lot, all with rod and reel, practicing casting.  This was my introduction to fly fishing, guys casting in LA in a dry parking lot.  Apparently it was a meeting of the International Fly Fisherman’s Federation.  First time I’d heard of that group!  I knew these guys wouldn’t be out partying all night keeping me awake, but as my room was next to the ice machine it was in heavy use between 4-5 a.m. when they got up to fish before the day’s sessions!

Today was my second introduction.  My brother-in-law is coming into town next week and Jim wants to take him up to the mountains to try fly fishing.  Today we rented gear in advance (to make sure they had XL waders and size 15 boots for him, John will be easier to fit) and bought flies, leaders, a hat for Jim and I just ordered him long underwear because the water’s cold up there!

Just in case I DON’T have trout to cook next Friday night, I’ll have a few steaks handy for when the adventurers return to the homestead.  Actually the first time I had really fresh, simply cooked trout was at a restaurant in the Black Forest in Germany and I was hooked.  A few years later a bunch of us got a cabin in the Adirondacks and the guys went out early morning to fish.  They caught and gutted a bunch of trout.  I’d brought some flour, salt and pepper, and lemons and I cooked them up for breakfast.  Yummy!

Let’s hope there’s something fresh to cook up.  I’ll let you know.  Right now it’s time to get back to making my organic ginger-carrot soup.  It features my weekly delivery of local organic produce and meats.  This week we tried the New York Strip steaks, and my surprise package included more carrots, grapes, a mango, a pear and nectarine.  But I ended up with 4# of carrots in the frig so thought I’d make up a soup.

Hope y’all had a great weekend!  Cheers, Dee

I made hard-cooked (many of you call them hard-boiled) eggs the other day.  I placed them in cold water to cover and waited ten minutes or so then turned on the timer for ten minutes.  Now, after cooling, the shells are difficult to remove and the yolks are OK for me but only 90% done for most people.  They’re not runny, just dark yellow in the center and tough to peel.  Is there a magic number of minutes at 7,500 feet above sea level for the perfect egg?  I was thinking the entire time that all the time it took for them to come to a boil, they’d be over-cooked!  Please let me know.  Thanks, Dee