Song of the Week - Swimming in the Flood

I don't write on my blog as much as I have been wanting to lately. Mostly because life has hit me (in a good way) these past 6 months with a lot more responsibilities and tasks. I feel like I get no downtime... I'm constantly on the go - weekend to weekend. As a short timeline, I road-tripped from Portland to SLC with Joshua, visited my family in Utah, drove to AZ with Misty, went to Canada for a week, came home and started school and work, went to Vermont and New York for 4 days for a wedding and tour of Dan's college, Dan came to AZ, I went to Portland with Clover, and now this is my first weekend really alone, HOME, just me and the Clove.

WOW.

I am seriously exhausted and my suitcase has constantly been full. On the days I'm not traveling, I'm at school for 5-6 hours, work for 5 hours, then the dog park with Clover for a couple hours. Haven't had much time to do the things that I love to do - like cook, listen to music, cuddle with my little girl, walking, etc. So this weekend I did all of those things and loved it :)

I got the new Passion Pit album a couple weeks ago, and as soon as I heard this song I knew it would be a song that represented a period of time in my life. I look back on each little segment of my life and can think of a song that really put into words how I was feeling. This song seems to be that for me at the current moment. Because when life decides to flood down on you, you can either sink or swim. I've been in a blender of new emotions, life experiences and settings in the past 6 months. I have been through a few treacherous floods before, but when it's a flood of all good things that carve out a new path in life, what a beautiful thing that is.

Passion Pit
Swimming in the Flood
"Manners," 2009
_________________________________

My eyes have once again been proven wrong
Your clouds, your blanket and my pity song
Hovering on your front lawn
Carry on until it's gone

What can I do?
The river's overrun
We're swimming in a flood, you know?
I thought I felt your touch
But the water's rising up

Then I lie naked in a rampage
In the flesh, face to face with the onset
I forget everything that's ever made me
Rise again
Now slowly leave my memory

What can I do?
The river's overrun
We're swimming in a flood, you know?
I thought I felt your touch
But the water's rising up
Now all my lovers raise their cups

What can I do?
The river's overrun
We're swimming in a flood, you know?
I thought I felt your touch
But the water's rising up
Now all my lovers raise their cups

Song of the Week - Desert Sunrise

Desert Sunrise
Brett Dennen

Living in Arizona after Portland has been quite the adjustment. I feel like a new person after this summer and have so few words to express what that means. But for now, I wake up everyday... sun rising onto the desert... Clover giving me kisses - ready to start the day. It's a strange place, but I'm attempting to fall in love with it all over again... though it's taking longer than I thought it would. Today I'm making a commitment to finding the simple beauties of the place I am in, and the second time around it's going to mean something completely different, but it could possibly be equally as delicious as the first.

Here's to you, arizona.

The desert landscape that helped me discover a part of myself that needed to be found.

__________________________________

~~A desert sunrise, you warm my soul~~
Painting me in shades of clay
Covering me whole
Oh, I'm a lizard
Sunbathing in
Your radiance
Oh I'm crawling out of hiding
So sweet so sweet you are
If I could only have a taste
Wrap my lips around your flavor
Just because you are
Just because you are
So beautiful

I've been waiting all this life in the company of one
And I know I am young, but I don't want to be alone
If you could only just consider the two of us
And I know darling I could be so good to you

I See you rising on the horizon
Bringing light into the day
And I'm coasting on your rays
When I awoke you spoke through the midst of a mystic bliss
Casting shadows on all my dismal yesterdays
Do you remember that you told me darling that I was so real
I tell you all my tears for you are real
We'll cross that bridge again someday
I know we will
I hope we will

Desert sunset a lullaby
If I could give it all to you
If you'd only let me try
Sing so sweetly
It's my only wish
Music drips from your lips like sweet sips of a summers kiss
Summer raindrops precious tongues twist

I've been waiting all this life in the company of one
And I know I am young, but I don't want to be alone
If you could only just consider the two of us
And I know darlin' I could be so good to you

I see you risin' on the horizon
Bringin' light into the day
And I'm coastin' on your rays
When I awoke you spoke through the midst of a mystic bliss
Casting shadows on all my dismal yesterdays
Do you remember that you told me darlin' that I was so real
I tell you all my tears for you are real
We'll cross that bridge again someday
I know we will
I hope we will

Desert moonrise into the night
Before we lay our heads I wish to walk under the splendorous starlight
Sing so sweetly
It's the sweetest sound
And I become weak in the knees
And I drop down and kiss the ground
And all my cares lie far below
In this earth I wish to die
In this heart my fire grows

Recipe of the Week

Halibut Vegetable Chowder

I made this the week before Erica came to visit - and had totally forgot about it until I was looking through some of my foodie pictures :) It comes from a recipe book I got on the coast called "Seafood Twice a Week." It's a great resource for making quick and delicious seafood, and comes with pages and pages of how to prepare and cook all kinds of seafood properly. It also has great sections on the benefits of eating seafood twice a week because of the omega 3's & fatty acids, heart healthy protein, low sodium, minerals & vitamins, etc. I sometimes shy away from cooking with my friends from down under because you always hear in the news of people getting sick from shellfish and undercooked seafood. However, in this book they list a lot of facts to refute those common misconceptions.

In a study conducted by the FDA findings showed:

*One illness per 1,000,000 servings of cooked seafood
*One illness per 250,000 servings of shellfish, including raw shellfish
*One illness per every 25,000 servings of chicken

Eating cooked seafood is 40 times safer than eating chicken!

Well okay, my excuse is dried up and on its way out, so I am ready to experiment with an array of costal goodies!

This halibut chowder was a great way to cook halibut for the first time. I prepare a lot of salmon dishes and sometimes tuna, but this was my first white fish I had cooked by myself.

Halibut Vegetable Chowder:

1.5 pounds halibut
2 carrots, sliced
2 celery stalks, sliced
1 medium sweet or yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes, with juice
3 red-skinned potatoes, diced
1 cup water (or 1 cup chicken broth or 1 cup white wine for more flavor)
3 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, minced, or 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon fresh basil, minced, or 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Directions:

1. Cut fish into 1-inch boneless cubes
2. Saute' carrots, celery, onion, and garlic in oil for 5 minutes
3. Add tomatoes, potatoes, water, 2 tablespoons of the parsley, and all other seasonings. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
4. Add halibut and simmer 5-10 minutes or until halibut flakes with a fork. Sprinkle with remaining parsley.

Per serving: 203 calories, 6 gm fat, 375 mg sodium,

Sauvie Island Spaghetti

I know, I'm on a roll and it's just going to keep coming! I've got a lot of good recipes to share from the past few weeks.

Dan's mother was in town this past week and we had a great time exploring the city together. It was a challenging week, as Clover had an ear infection and was feeling down and out. Kathy helped me get Clover back on track, though, and we still had a great time for the week she was here. She helped me bathe Clover, get her ears cleaned every day, manage her medications, take her outside... I truly couldn't have done it without her. Clover cried out as Kathy left to get on the MAX to go back home to New York, she truly misses her and all the love and attention she got all week long.

We went to Mt. St. Helens over the weekend (awesome!), had wine tastings at several wineries on a rainy Sunday afternoon, went to the lavender festival, had dinner while watching the sun set in Timberline Lodge at Mt. Hood, shopping, lunching and ice cream all over the city during the days with Clover, and finally my favorite - a day at Sauvie Island picking berries and exploring farms of the northwest. Kathy and I both love Portland, so it was great to enjoy the city together all week long and learn more about each other. This was my fourth visit with Kathy and it always seems like I learn so much just by spending time with her - about any kind of current events, wine, cooking, herbs, flowers, or just life in general. We have a lot of interests in common. Looking forward to spending more time with the Griswold/Kitners in less than a month for my second Canada trip!

As for the recipes, Kathy called this "Sauvie Island Spaghetti" because we either picked the veggies ourselves or got them at the markets right on the island. For me this was the best day I've spend in Portland. After seeing the film "Food Inc." I've gotten really interested in knowing more about how our food reaches us and the things that happen to that food on its journey to our plates and stomachs. Buying and cooking local, organic food has become my new hobby up here in Portland, and even though it will be harder to do this back in Arizona, I am looking forward to entering that community.

This was the first completely homemade sauce I've ever made. I decided to go vegetarian because we made a beef-taco soup earlier in the week. I got to use my new food processor to prepare the sauce which was AMAZING. All the hours of chopping I used to spend are now being spent on perfecting flavor and experimenting with herbs. So as I can remember, this is how it went...

Sauvie Island Spaghetti:

2 medium walla walla sweet onions
4 cloves elephant garlic
1 of each - red, green, and yellow bell pepper
2 carrots, grated

Pulse several times in food processor. I left a few bigger chunks, but pulsed the onions a little more. It was so cool grating the carrots in the food processor! Next, sauté all in a large pan with several tablespoons of olive oil.

In the meantime, I processed the gigantic tomatoes we got. I should have taken a picture because they were crazy looking, massive on-the-vine tomatoes. I was going to blanche the tomatoes and remove the skins, but I like keeping the skins on all my veggies. So I just pureed the tomatoes, 2 gigantic and 3 smaller tomatoes and added them to the mix. I also added a tablespoon or so of crushed red pepper flakes.

While this was bubbling I chopped 2 smaller zucchinis in the processor, and added this along with chopped mushrooms to the sauce. I let it continue to simmer for about 20 minutes while I prepared dessert. Right before serving I added the freshly picked basil and oregano.

We served the sauce over cooked spaghetti noodles, with real Italian bread Kathy showed me how to pick out - alongside a great dipping oil, and of course our freshly picked raspberries in chilled white wine. It was a feast for kings! Definitely worth a day of picking in the humid Portland sun. Dan said it was the best sauce he's ever eaten, and like I always say... "the best dinner is the one you make yourself."

As for dessert, I made a recipe we got at the lavender festival - Blueberry Lavender Sweet Cake. I picked up several bags of cooking lavender at the festival along with some recipes to try out. I even got some for Erica so she can taste the goodness herself, I'm sure Cayson will appreciate the goodies.

This recipe is very easy to make, it's simple, just sweet enough, and makes a great light snack or even breakfast treat. For the lavender sugar, you just process 1 tablespoon cooking lavender with 1 cup of organic granulated sugar in the food processor. You can make several cups at a time and store in an airtight container.

1 stick sweet cream butter
1 cup lavender sugar
2 eggs
1 cup flour
1.5 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup fresh blueberries (or peaches or any soft fruit, or combination)
Fresh English lavender flowers for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour one spring form or flat-bottom cake dish or pie plate. Whip lavender sugar (reserve 2 tablespoons for top), with the butter in a mixer for 2 minutes. Add eggs, flour, and baking powder and whip for 2 minutes. Transfer batter to prepared pan; smooth the batter and lay the blueberries evenly on top. Sprinkle the reserved 2 tablespoons of lavender sugar over the cake. Bake about 40 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cut into wedges when cool. The blueberries sink right into the cake. Serve alone or with fresh whipped cream.

It was a very eventful week... delicious food, laughter, beautiful sights and lots of adventure. I've definitely enjoyed my Portland life. With only 3 weeks left, I'm trying to figure out how I will be able to say goodbye to the best chapter of my life yet.

My New Best Friend

It is now officially time to rock out in the kitchen!!!

Recipe of the Month!

Well I have been distracted as of late with a little ankle biter running around, but that doesn't mean I haven't been cooking or doing anything cool or fun! I have been wanting to post a lot of new recipes I have been trying out, but by the end of the day I am too tired to get on the computer. Here is a meal I made last week that was outstanding! I have to make it again. It was so simply delicious and incredibly easy to make, two pluses in my book.

As for the first recipe... Dan and I were eating at Laughing Planet Cafe, our favorite portland restaurant. It's closeby, sustainable and local produce, and inexpensive as well. There is a great patio too so we enjoy taking clover and hanging out at dinner time. They had a cilantro pesto on a burrito I ordered and WOW is all I can say. I went home thinking I needed to figure out how to make something like that. So I searched on the food network and it came up with this recipe.

Pan-Seared Chicken with Cilantro Pesto

• 2 tablespoons garlic-flavored or regular olive oil, divided
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (well just however many people you have eating)
  
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, plus 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons pine nuts
• 1 cup packed fresh cilantro leaves, minced
  
• 1/4 cup lowfat sour cream
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled

Directions:

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper. Place the chicken in the hot pan and cook until golden brown and just cooked through, about 3 minutes per side.

Meanwhile, place the pine nuts in a small dry skillet and set over medium heat. Toast the nuts until golden brown, about 3 minutes, shaking the pan frequently to prevent burning.

Transfer the pine nuts to a blender or food processor and add cilantro, sour cream, the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, the garlic, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Process until smooth, adding water, as necessary, to create a thick paste. Serve the chicken with the pesto spooned over the top.

So at this point I didn't have a food processor so I just mixed all the ingredients with a potato masher to kind of break up the pine nuts. I liked it being chunky, but I will try the recipe again with my new food processor! I got a great deal on one at Macy's yesterday and I'm grinning big time, so excited to try out some great recipes!

Okay, now for the second recipe. Dan's brother Rich, being the nice gent he is, sent us a wonderful christmas present last year - a subscription to Bon Apetit! I got our latest issue last week and a delicious looking salad was inside, I just had to make it.

Orecchiette with Fresh Mozzarella, Grape Tomatoes and Garlic Chives:

10 oz. orecchiette (little ear shaped pasta; about 3 cups uncooked)

1 pound pea-size mozzarella or fresh mozzarella diced (can be found at Trader Joe’s)

1 pound grape tomatoes or pear tomatoes in assorted colors, halved

6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar (I used more)

3 tablespoons minced fresh garlic chives or regular chives (I used regular and then minced several cloves of garlic)

2 tablespoons minced fresh oregano

Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender, but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain and put in large bowl, add mozzarella and stir until cheese starts to become soft. Add tomatoes and all remaining ingredients; toss to blend evenly. Season to taste with salt and pepper if desired.

And to top the meal off, serve with fresh cherries!!! I love summertime berries :)

Song of the Week - Clover, our Angel =)

So like I said in my last post, you may have heard we are now living in Portland. And now you also may have heard we added a new member to the family. No, I definitely wasn't pregnant, but the stork did bring us something pretty cute!


This is Clover, the new love of our lives. We'd been talking about getting a dog for quite some time, but being in school has really taken up a lot of my time and we didn't think it would be possible to raise a puppy in the middle of all of that. Then we found ourselves in Portland for the summer and the opportunity presented itself on a silver platter. The last two weeks have been a roller coaster of so many emotions. We read so many books, forums on the internet, got advice from friends, but nothing really prepared us for what has unfolded. But I can tell you that I feel so much love for this little ball of fur that it's really quite overwhelming.

There are a lot of stories I could tell so far, but most of them involve her potty behaviors, and I'm sure ya'll don't care about that as much as we do! I wanted to post my song of the week for Clover because it's my favorite memory with her so far. The first weekend we got her we were exhausted beyond belief. It seemed like every second we were either running, playing fetch, trying to get her to eat and go potty, and it all had completely obliterated us. So we decided to go out to dinner for a couple hours Saturday night in hopes she would just take a little nap and settle down. We got home from a great dinner only to find that she had an accident in her crate and stamped it all over herself and her blanket. We went into operation panic, disinfecting everything, putting clover into her first bath in a total frenzy with water going all over the bathroom, and her howling at the top of her lungs. After "operation restoration" was complete I laid down on the couch and could only cry because I felt like the worst caretaker alive. I can't even imagine what it feels like to have a real child, but that was a first taste of what it means to be responsible for another being's happiness and I felt like I was doing a terrible job.

Then in the background I heard this song playing on the iPod and it just calmed me. Clover is our little angel... there is no limit to how much she loves us. I can feel that from her every time she falls asleep in my lap, and every time she gives me kisses when I come home to play with her at lunch. Adding her to our lives feels perfect and I can't believe how much she is changing us in the two short weeks she has been here. There are a lot of things we had to give up in the beginning, but when looking at the big picture they seem like itty bitty grains of sand compared to how much better our life is with her.

Jack Johnson
"Angel"
Sleep Through the Static, 2008
________________________________

I've got an angel
She doesn't wear any wings
She wears a heart that can melt my own
She wears a smile that can make me wanna sing

She gives me presents
With her presence alone
She gives me everything I could wish for
She gives me kisses on the lips just for coming home

She could make angels
I've seen it with my own eyes
You gotta be careful when you've got good love
Cause the angels will just keep on multiplying

But you're so busy changing the world
Just one smile can change all of mine
We share the same soul
Oh oh oh oh oh ohhh

We share the same soul
Oh oh oh oh oh ohhh
We Share the same soul
Oh oh oh oh oh ohhh
Oh oh oh oh oh ohhh
Umm umm umm uhhhhhhmm

Homemade Granola

So now that I am alone during the day and a big open kitchen is staring me in the face all the time, I am in a baker's paradise. I have been cooking and baking and feeding my Griz and friends for several weeks and have loved it. It is fun to be able to have this kind of freedom.

My first project was a homemade granola. I know, I know, Portland is turning me into a certified hippie! I made this with all organic ingredients and only used natural sweeteners. So it's a great way to get a bunch of grains in the morning with breakfast, or a boost before a run, or a delicious treat served with yogurt, fruit or ice cream.

I had a really good time reading about natural sweeteners, as I am really committing to not buy products that have high fructose corn syrup in them. I have to spend twice as much time at the grocery store in order to avoid those products but it so worth it. It amazes me that foods marketed as "health food" still have this substance in them. It is frustrating just how many things we never even "think twice about" and use on a daily basis have high fructose corn syrup.

High fructose corn syrup was a government subsidized sweetener because it was easy to use, twice as concentrated as other sweeteners, and stores and ships easily. But now we see that it is destroying the average American's health... leading to diabetes and heart disease. It causes a quick rise in energy and brings you down just as fast. So we are enjoying seeking out foods that are free from this addictive and terrible substance. It is more expensive to buy foods without high fructose corn syrup, but truly, in the end you pay double in health care for any lack of investment you failed to make in your health. This is a concept I am just beginning to grasp.

Dry Ingredients:

5 cups rolled oats (you can also use a combination of rolled grains)
2-3 cups of raw almonds or pecan halves (or other nuts)
1 cup raw sunflower seeds
¾ cup sesame seeds
½ cup wheat germ (or ground flax seed)
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp sea salt

*Other Possibilities: ½ cup dried fruit (add after cooked) –date pieces, cranberries, cherries, apricots, mango. Did not use fruit this time but will try it next time with cranberries or dried cherries.

Wet Ingredients:

¾ cup unsweetened applesauce
1/3 cup or brown rice syrup (can also use agave nectar)
1/4 cup honey

2 Tbsp safflower oil

Preheat the oven to 300°F.

Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Mix the wet ingredients together, and then stir into dry ingredients. Stir well to mix thoroughly.

Spread the mixture into two baking dishes. Bake for 35 – 40 minutes, or until evenly golden brown. Stir every 10 minutes to ensure even browning. Stir again when removed from oven to keep it from cooling into a solid mass. The granola will crisp as it cools. If you use fruit, stir once it is cooled. If you want more big clumps in the granola like I did, skip the last turn so it is more of a solid mass and it breaks up as you pick it up.

Store in the refrigerator in a large zip lock bag or other airtight container.

Makes about 10 cups.

Transformation of the Tempe Condo

So these pictures are a long time in coming, I know, I know. But at least they made their way onto the blog. Later is better than never right??? :)

This kind of chronicles the last semester and the work-in-progress that is the Griswold/Porter condo. The first picture starts at the beginning, October of 2008, Dan buys condo. Moves in.

December of 2008 starts the next chapter, Val moves in.

March 2009, updating begins. We take trip after trip to Lowe's, write out plans, budgets, etc. We decide to do everything in pieces. Family room, dining room, kitchen, then bedroom. Before Portland all we have time to accomplish is family room and part of dining room.

Val starts project on spring break by priming & painting all the doors, trim, doorways, etc.

At the end of spring break, Yurea comes to paint family room. He is a Croatian contact of Dan's friend Sinead at work. He does an EXCELLENT job!

Things are looking good! This is pre-blinds.

We pick out wooden blinds for the window in this room, as well as the two entryway windows in the foyer. We choose vertical screens for the sliding glass door.

Take note of Dan's ceramic frogs at the end of the stairs. He loves them so much ;)

We really love the vertical panels because we can see the green from the trees outside. The light is just filtered so it doesn't shine directly on us, but still provides a good, balanced light for the room.

After painting we start updating the hardwares and light fixtures. We replace both outdoor light fixtures, which had pretty much ceased to exist, the hallway sconce, and the big hanging light you see in a few of the pictures. (Which used to be a long, hanging HUGE grey disco light ball, which Dan has decided to keep in the bedroom for when it "comes to him" about what this ball's purpose should be. I am actively plotting every minute of my life to destroy said ball)

New doorknobs, no more gold fixtures!!!!

And there you have it! Next item on the list is painting the dining room a deep red, and finishing the tan color into the kitchen. Also next on the list is getting another couch! We survived the first 6 months of living together with one couch, and I must say it was quite the feat. I feel pretty proud of us. There's nothin' like "together time" all the time ;)  So we are rewarding our efforts with a matching love seat from the set. Also we didn't get around to putting our pictures back up, so that is on the list as well. We are looking forward to purchasing some art while we're up here in Portland to bring back to the newly painted walls.

We have enjoyed improving our living space, and our life together along with that. Like everything, it's a work in progress! This project taught us a lot about working together. Looking forward to many more improvements...

Song of the Week

Band of Horses
Detlef Schrempf
from "Cease to Begin" - 2007
____________________________________________

And take a little walk when the worst is to come
When I saw you looking like I never thought
And say you're at a loss or forgot that words can do more than harm

The town is gonna talk, but these people do not
See things through to the very minimal
But what's it gonna cost to be gone?
If we see you like I hoped we never would

When eyes can't look at you any other way,
Any other way, any other way
When eyes can't look at you any other way,
Any other way, any other way.

So take it as a song or a lesson to learn
And sometime soon be better than you were
If you say you're gonna go, then be careful
And watch how you treat every living soul

My eyes can't look at you any other way,
Any other way, any other way
When eyes can't look at you any other way,
Any other way, any other way.