Simba the water dog

One loon ...

Two loons ...

Simba is interested ...

... in just about everything

Our three days on the lake two weeks ago were magical, made all the more so by the appearance of the majestic loons. The creatures are making a comeback from having been on the endangered species list.* They are so ungainly on land that they spend all their time in the water except when nesting, and their nests must be right next to the water so they can get to them.

The call of the loon is incredibly haunting. Listen to it here. It seems as if they live on lakes that are natural echo stadia, so the sound just reverberates all across the lake. It's one of my all-time favorite sounds.

The last day of our visit, the Huz and I waited till we spotted the pair across the lake, grabbed our camera and Simba, and climbed into the canoe for one last paddle. We had gone to see them the day before, but they were wary of us. They would only let us get so close and then they would dive. They're prodigious divers; you never know where or how far they'll come up. They probably swam right below our canoe sometimes to pop up some distance away on the other side. No doubt grinning a loony grin the whole time.

Amazingly, on the day with the camera, they were far less skittish. In fact, the male did a lot of diving, but the female never did. She would just poke her head below the water when he dived; it seemed as if she were watching him, but there I go anthropomorphizing again.

Simba is very comfortable on the water, having spent a lot of time in a kayak with his previous owner. See my favorite picture of him in the canoe here.

It's Sunday night, so we can expect to see lots of canine hijinks over at Weekend Dog Blogging at Sweetnick's place. Head on over for head shots, tummy shots, jump shots and what nots!

*From Vermont Fish & Wildlife:

Vermont's common loon numbers reached a low of eight breeding pairs in 1983 and was designated a state endangered species in 1987. The Vermont Loon Recovery Project, a joint effort between Vermont Fish & Wildlife and VINS, monitored the state's loon numbers and began management efforts to increase nesting success.

Artificial nesting platforms, reducing human disturbance and coordinating with hydroelectric companies and other agencies to stabilize water levels during the nesting period greatly benefited Vermont's loons. From 1983 to 1989 Vermont's breeding loon population gradually increased at an average rate of one pair per year. The numbers held steady at 14 to 16 breeding pairs from 1989 to 1994, and then dramatically increased statewide during the next ten years to 43 pairs in 2004.

still on vaca ...

I'm just back from a three-day whirlwind tour of The Big Apple, my absolute favorite city in the entire world ... although Paris might give it a run for its money. My sister and I were so lucky to be invited to stay in the apartment of a friend who lives in the upper East Village while she and her husband were at their little home in Connecticut. It was such a pleasure to have an apartment to come home to, rather than a hotel room. And you can't beat the view from their living room either ... yep, that's the Empire State Building. How fabulous is that? We enjoyed seeing it in all its colors and moods. Unfortunately, our nighttime shots were a little blurry, but here's a shot that gives you an idea of how incredibly glorious it is at night.

And to top it all off, we were able to visit with Martha at a fabulous Turkish dinner the night we arrived, and then visited her at her office Monday morning before we left. My only regret is thatI forgot to contact fellow blogger Paz before we left for the city to figure out how to connect with her. Paz! I am so bummed about that!

I feel a bit like a flea on a hot griddle, never settling anywhere for too long. With my sister's visit, we were here a few days, at the lake a few days, down in NYC a few days, all great times. She and her family got on a plane this morning, and I'm here till tomorrow noon and then I'm on the road again to do some cooking for a crowd at The Fold. Then back for a few days, and off again for Labor Day weekend.

I don't mind telling you, I'm looking forward to some concentrated time at home in September. Anyway, just thought I'd zip off this little love note to you all and say "au revoir" for a short time. The end of summer draws near ... here's hoping you're all ready for whatever autumn is bringing your way!

on vaca --- stay tuned

With family in town, a trip to the lake, and now a trip to NYC, I have much to tell and not much time to tell it! So here's a fun shot of Simba to give you a little taste of things to come. When regular posting resumes early next week, I'll have tales of a sweet little female baby moose, a pair of loons and a loony Huz. Please do come back for the exposition of this funner-than-usual vacation!

Simba caption not-contest #5

Can you help Simba express himself? He clearly has something very important on his mind ... what do you suppose he is muttering to himself? Or what will he say when he lifts his head and looks you right in the eye?

OK, all you creative types, leave your quotes in the comment section; I'll summarize when time permits, no promises about when because I have company coming into town tonight and keeping me busy for a couple of weeks! Posting will no doubt slow down a bit during this time as well.

velvety fudge pudding

Would you think me just too-too immodest if I told you that I make an absolutely killer chocolate pudding? One that goes great between layers of whipped cream, or in a chocolate cream pie, or even mixed with cool whip and piled into a parfait cup with an additional dollup on top. Sprinkle it with some crushed chocolate wafer cookie crumbs and there's just no turning back.

Problem is, the recipe has egg yolks and heavy cream and butter and chocolate. And sugar. And salt. Oh yeah, even my vanilla has alcohol in it. So now we see the second meaning of "killer" chocolate pudding!

As a woman of what they used to call "a certain age," I really can't afford indulgences like that very much. And even less so because I've just been offered and accepted a role in a play, as a woman half my age. Friends, I need to lose a little weight. Pronto. The play opens the end of September. No time like the present.

So I was tickled to find this recipe in Cooking Light. Made it, loved it. It's not killer, but it's quite good. But friends, take a look at the calorie total. If that's how fattening this is ... I can't even imagine how much more so the killer chocolate pudding is! So I guess this isn't quite the low-cal treat I was hoping for.

Shared a serving with The Huz, shipped the rest off to a family with kids. Very active kids. They can eat this without suffering blobules of fat starting to wobule around their tummies.

Oh, well, with peaches and cherries as good as they are right now, I can't really complain about not having yummy sweet treats available, now can I?

And there's always After The Play ... :o)

Velvety Fudge Pudding
From Cooking Light, July 2006 issue

1 cup 1% low-fat milk, divided
1 cup fat-free half-and-half
1/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
3 T cornstarch
1 large egg
1 large egg white
1½ tsp vanilla extract
chocolate shavings, optional

Combine ½ c milk, half-and-half, and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes or just until mixture starts to simmer.

Remove from heat; add chocolate chips. Let stand for 5 minutes, then stir until smooth. (NB: if you took it off the heat a little too quickly, the chocolate won't appear to completely blend with the milk. Don't worry, the next step will take care of that. I speak from experience.)

Place chocolate mixture over low heat and return to a simmer, stirring often.

Meanwhile, combine remaining milk, cornstarch, egg and egg white in a medium bowl or large measuring cup; stir with a whisk.

When chocolate mixture has begun to simmer, remix the egg mixture, as your cornstarch has probably drifted gracefully and silently to the bottom of the bowl. Then gradually add 1 cup of the hot mixture to the egg mixture, whisking constantly. Pour the entire egg mixture into the pan, whisking. Cook, stirring constantly, over low heat 4 minutes or until thickened.

Stir in vanilla. Serve warm, or place plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pudding (if you don't want it to form the chewy "skin" on top; my sister loves that part!) and chill.

Garnish with chocolate shavings before serving.

Serving size: ½ cup
Servings: 4

Calories: 314 (30% from sat fat)
Carbs 49 grams
Fat 10.3 grams (sat 5.8 g, mono 3.5 g, poly 0.5 g)

This is also my entry in WOBAT (Weekend Obnoxious But Amazingly Tasty) #2 over at A Fridge Full of Food And Nothing to Eat. Glenna will be posting the roundup shortly after August 15th. Can't wait to see what other WOBAT foods are posted then!

For now we see as through a screen door, darkly

Simba is so doggone cute as he waits at the back door to be let in. He knows he gets a treat as soon as he gets inside, so he's eager but rarely impatient. Sometimes he licks his chops in anticipation. As soon as he sees me heading toward the door, up go the ears, there's a coming-to-attention pose, sometimes there's a little dance. I've often wanted to capture that, but as soon as the camera comes out, his whole attitude changes. This time, though, I held the camera in one hand and reached for the treats in another, so I could capture his cuteness for you. Sorry about the screen door darkening the photos, though.

Notice how his tail is up in the earlier pictures, and then it begins to droop as he obviously wonders if he's ever going to be let in. But the hope always shines through in those eyes.

Duh! Re: comments

Oh, for goodness sakes. And I call myself an IT professional.

I've been wondering why there have been no comments on the blog for a while. Not few, but no. Then I realized I had turned on comment moderation without providing an email address so I could be notified when new comments had been received!

That deserves a big dope slap! Anyone want to volunteer?

Anyway, I have rectified the situation and, with apologies, your comments should now appear on the appropriate posts. Thank you so much that you didn't give up in the meantime!

Now I'm going to go read them all!

Sheesh.

prissy

Simba reclines in prissy elegance. On an asphalt driveway. Right next to a gorgeous, lush, soft lawn. Go figure. But doesn't he look content?

It's Sunday night, so we can expect to see lots of canine hijinks over at Weekend Dog Blogging at Sweetnick's place. Head on over for head shots, tummy shots, jump shots and what nots!

ads

Ok, so I succumbed to temptation and added ads to the blog. Please forgive their prominent spot at the very top of the blog ... as soon as I get a chance this afternoon I plan to move them to the sidebar. Ignore them for now. Which you probably are already doing if you've gone past them to read this. Thanks!

hot pepper jelly cheesecake

Stephanie over at The Happy Sorceress has invited us to a blog party! And since it's been so scorchingly hot pretty much nationwide, including up here in the normally frozen north, she's encouraging us to share our party appetizers that don't require any cooking. Now, I'm somewhat cooking deprived these days and would gladly have fired up the oven (and the air conditioner, if necessary) in response to such a pleasant party invitation. But it also took me no time at all ... from zero to decision in less than 60 seconds ... to decide what to make for this blog party. My delicious, spicy-sweet, incredible mouth-feel hot pepper jelly cheesecake, the hit of every party I've taken it to so far.

Now, calling it a cheesecake is something of a misnomer, because cheesecakes are baked and this is not. But it's prepared in a springform pan and contains cream cheese, so we're going to cut some slack here. Parties are not for nitpicking, it spoils the spirit of the thing, n'est pas?

I took this as a surprise extra to a potluck for 9 the other night, and the enthusiastic response was balm to my soul. Every baguette slice and every endive leaf was dipped and consumed, and then we went on a cracker hunt. In the end, a tiny bit was left on the plate and we moved on to a delicious dinner of tandoori chicken with cucumber and mango relish, local sweet corn on the cob, spicy sesame noodles, my spinach salad with gorgonzola and sugared walnuts, and a gorgeous blueberry pie with fresh-picked blueberries, a la mode. It's safe to say a good time was had by all!

Hot Pepper Jelly Cheesecake

1/4 c.	pine nuts (I substituted pistachios)
8 oz	cream cheese (neufchatel ok, but it makes a softer "cake"
1 c.	hot pepper jelly, preferably red (I used Catamount Specialties chipotle)
2 cloves	garlic, finely minced
1/4 c.	chopped fresh cilantro
5 oz	sharp Cheddar, grated (about 1 1/4 c); you can substitute Monterey Jack or even mozzarella
	sliced bread, crackers, or Belgian endive cups

PREP

1. Soften cream cheese
2. Mince garlic
3. Preheat oven to 325 F
4. Chop cilantro
5. Grate the Cheddar

FINISH

1. Place the pine nuts on a baking sheet and toast in the 325 oven until golden, about 8 minutes. Set aside.
2. Place the cream cheese, 1/2 cup of the jelly, garlic, cilantro and Cheddar in a food processor. Process until evenly blended.
3. Line the bottom of a 7-inch springform pan with parchment paper. Spray the sides of the pan with nonstick spray.
4. Add the cheese mixture. Refrigerate at least 2 hours.
5. Spread the remaining jelly evenly across the top surface and sprinkle the pine nuts on top. The recipe can be completed to this point up to 24 hours before serving.
6. To serve, carefully remove the sides of the pan. Transfer the cheesecake to a serving plate. Serve chilled, with bread, crackers and/or endive cups.

greens, gorgonzola and sugared walnuts

Recently I've been visiting Three Tomatoes for lunch with friends a lot. I've discovered a salad there that I can't seem to get enough of. I don't know if it's the hot weather, or some craving for something that my body is lacking, but their spinach and arugula salad with radicchio, gorgonzola, and sugared pecans just knocks me out!

We were invited to a potluck at friends' place last night, and as you know, I've been dying to get in my kitchen and make something. It seemed a perfect opportunity to try to replicate the salad.

In fact, it seemed a perfect opportunity to make a salad and an appetizer, so stay tuned for my Hot Pepper Jelly Cheesecake recipe tomorrow.

As often happens, when I went looking for the ingredients, I had to make some substitutions. I couldn't find any arugula at all, other than baby arugula, which doesn't have the peppery bite I wanted. The local season for arugula must be past, which makes sense, since it likes cool weather. We'll probably see some starting to appear in the markets again later in the summer.

I did find some beautiful baby spinach, loose. Don't you just love choosing your own loose greens rather than buying them pre-packaged? I used to love those packages, because they're sprayed with a gas that prolongs the freshness of the greens. But lately I've begun to notice the taste of the gas on the greens themselves, so I've started to avoid them when possible. It's not so noticeable on the spinach, but I am sure I smell/taste it on the precut romaine.

Anyway, the loose spinach was even more beautiful and more baby than usual, so I was delighted to just have spinach in the salad. I found some organic radicchio that I hoped would not be too bitter. Pecans were out of this world at $10.99 a pound, so I substituted walnuts. I asked for a very mild gorgonzola, because The Huz doesn't care for it and it's always a little risky if you don't know the people you're serving.

As it turns out, I needn't have worried. Every leaf was eaten, and afterwards as we all stood around the kitchen island everyone was reaching in the bowl for the last of the sugared nuts!

So, with no further ado, here's the recipe for the modified

Spinach, Arugula, and Radicchio Salad with Gorgonzola and Sugared Pecans

The sugared nuts

2 ½ c walnut or pecans, halves or pieces
1 c sugar
½ c water
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp salt
1 ½ tsp vanilla
coarse sugar
balsamic vinaigrette

Heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the nuts in a shallow baking pan or jelly roll pan and toast in the oven for about 10 minutes, stirring once or twice. When you start to smell the nuts, remove them from the oven and set them aside.

In a medium saucepan, combine the remaining ingredients except vanilla. Bring to a boil over medium heat, and cook to the soft-ball stage (236 degrees F on a candy thermometer) without stirring. Remove from the heat. Add the vanilla. Pour mixture over nuts and stir gently until the nuts are well coated and the mixture loses its gloss. It will start to make some strings as you toss and stir. This takes a while. It's OK to set it down for a minute and come back to see if it's cooled off enough to stir some more, or you can keep stirring to speed the cooling off.

Turn out onto a greased platter or some parchment or waxed paper and allow to cool. Just before the coating is totally cool, sprinkle with some coarse sugar and toss.

When nuts are totally cool, chop coarsely.

The salad

baby spinach
arugula, in equal amount with the spinach
1 small head radicchio
mild gorgonzola, crumbled
sugared nuts
balsamic vinaigrette

Crumble the gorgonzola. If it's soft, try putting it in the freezer ahead of time and then shave it with a sharp knife.

Julienne the radicchio into ¼-inch shreds. Toss with a little vinaigrette. Set aside.

Toss the greens with the vinaigrette. Distribute on salad plates. Cover with a layer of radicchio, then a good layer of gorgonzola, and then lots of sugared nuts.

Serve and await the compliments with a modest smile.

This is also my entry in Weekend Herb Blogging, normally hosted by Kalyn but this week being ably hosted by Christa from Calendula and Concrete.

YSMYISYM: tried-and-true recipes

Cate over at Sweetnicks is hosting a You Show Me Yours, I'll Show You Mine event: where do you keep your tried-and-true recipes?

I've tried all kinds of ways to keep favorite recipes nearby, including using one of those photo albums with the lift-up plastic pages, an accordion file, and a file card box. What's ended up working for me is a three-ring binder with tabs. It's portable, the print is large, I can write on the pages, and if they get spilled on I can just print them again, because most of the recipes are printed from my recipe website. A few of them are ones that have made it to the tried-and-true stage but haven't been HTMLd yet.

The recipes that I've clipped or printed and haven't tried yet are in a humongous pile in a pretty stamped-tin "basket" given to me by my dear friend Jill. That pile is growing all the time, but especially in recent months as I've waited for my kitchen to become usable again. There's a pile of pent-up cooking demand that's going to be satisfied very soon!

Head on over to Sweetnicks to see how others store theirs, and add your entry if you can get the permalink to her soon.

wordless wednesday

two down, one -- er, two -- er, five to go!

It is really hard to capture the smooth, shiny, sumptuous beautimousness of these new countertops. And the faucet, which is an absolute dream to use. And the deep, wide sink with its custom little grid thingie so everything you put in there stands up straight.

Please pardon me as I descend into total materialism. It will pass. I was nearly this excited when I got my refrigerator. Foodies, I'm sure you can relate!

The little smidgen of ceramic tile you can see there on the floor is a reminder of what our "before" looked like. That was on not only the countertops but also the backsplash. Lotsa 70's earth tones.

In about 35 years, what will they be saying about my Amazon Uba Tuba granite, "It's so nineties!"?

So, to recap:

1. The countertops are in!
2. The plumber has hooked up the plumbing!
   
3. Now I just have to get the electrician back to hang the lights and put in dimmer switches and I'm done.
   
4. Oh. And the contractor to do some silicone caulking.
   
5. And, of course, we need to choose a wall color and paint it.
   
6. That flooring has to be replaced pretty soon.
   
7. And did I mention I was thinking of painting a thin black strip along the top of the cabinets?

But for today ... I'm just reveling in getting this far!

they're here!

My new countertops are beautiful! Tomorrow the plumber comes to hook up the sink, faucet, etc., so I'll hold off posting a progress picture until those things are in. I am so doggone excited, I can hardly sit still in my seat!