Lessons from cooking: I need to practice more of everything

It hit me today. I really am getting better at cooking. And this time I figured that out on my own.

My husband has told me a couple of times recently that I have improved (and he managed to say it in a way that seemed like a compliment). Though I take his opinion seriously – we are frequently brutally honest with one another – it usually takes awhile for my confidence to catch up.

Goodbye Gamey Taste: Venison meatballs

I made meatballs for our annual holiday party to go along with all the pre-packaged items we served. They were a hit and the best meatballs I've ever made. The kicker: No fancy ingredients and a very simple setup.

On the Road: A tourist's view of Maui, Hawaii

For work (and lots of play) we ventured to Maui in October. It was a nice quiet time to go, and I would easily go again. It's unlike any other place in the United States.

A little late, but here are some shots from the places we visited on Maui:

At the Fairmont Kealani Maui - I took this when we were going to Nick's Fishmarket,
a fine dining restaurant there.

Goodbye Gamey Taste: Marinated venison steak

This is the first of a series of posts on cooking venison, aka deer meat. In particular the deer that my husband got while hunting a few weeks ago. I'll post one recipe a week and then rank that recipe on how well it got rid of that wild game taste that so often accompanies, well, wild game. I'm not a fan.

That said, venison is a very lean meat and because of that is a great alternative to beef. There's also something to be said for using the meat that comes from a successful hunt. On the other hand, I admit it would have been better had I not seen Bambi before he was taken in for processing.

40 by 40: How am I doing?

Since I do not yet have 40 items to do before I'm 40, I'd say I'm not doing that well. But in realizing I hadn't updated that part my blog in awhile, I decided to take a look at where I'm at in reaching the goals I have set.

1. Complete a Master's Degree - I finished that right before I set the goal. It's a good confidence-building method.

2. See a Beatle in concert. - Ditto.

40 by 40: No. 25 – See the Great American Landmarks

I'm running a little behind in getting up to 40 things to do before I'm 40. At this rate I might not finish writing the list before I'm 40. So let's get to it. Here's No. 25.

No. 25: While traveling to every state, see the country's most amazing landmarks.

I had marked a link awhile back to America’s Most Beautiful Landmarks, as chosen by Travel+Leisure magazine this summer. I’ve seen some of them, but not all, and I absolutely love to go to the places everyone talks about whenever I travel – however tourist-y they may be. Most of the time, it’s worth it. So why not aim to do so while attempting to hit all 50 states before I turn 40?

The places on the list I have already been:

Adventures in Pork: Fifth time's a charm

Thanks to my father, I finally know how to cook pork. I'll just consider my first four tries at cooking this meat practice.

When I went home to Nebraska to visit this fall, we went out and bought a pork loin to cook for dinner. The idea was that he would walk me through how to do it properly.

I learned the following tips:

Finally, the courage to fly: Ziplining in Maui

One of the platforms at Piholo Ranch. In the end the
suspended bridge up to the platform was
scarier than ziplining itself.

“1, 2, 3 …”

I stood there – or rather hung there in my harness – with no intention of letting go and flying. I had just watched three other couples fly down the zipline, but somehow my feet wouldn’t leave the platform.

“OK, let’s try again,” the 20-something leader said. “1, 2, 3 …”

Nope. At this point I was shaking. I comfort myself that I was not the only one terrified. One of the girls who went before us was scared, and she’d gone skydiving before. Not even tandem. Said it was nothing – and yet she was scared of ziplining. Made me feel better and worse at the same time.

I was up on that ziplining platform at Piholo Ranch in Maui because my husband badly wanted to zipline while we were in Hawaii. I had always wanted to zipline, as well, per my 40 by 40 goals, thinking it was a good way to face my fear of heights and my fear of falling without having to skydive or bungee jump. Because I would be tethered to a cable via a harness, I felt it was the activity that was the least likely to go awry.

Catching up on recipes: 4 that worked for me

My recent cooking has not been a total disaster. Not everything I make is under- or over-seasoned. Here are four recipes that worked ... mostly. It's all relative.


1. Bacon-wrapped chicken breast. Because really, everything is better wrapped in bacon. Even the bananas I had at a fancy restaurant once. This particular bacon was left over from a pack of fresh bacon I bought from the meat counter, and we wrapped some chicken with it. Thick, juicy bacon. Yum.

Shots from the Trail: Picture Rock

Mountain biked Picture Rock Trail this weekend near Lyons, Colorado. I love fall riding!

It was a solo ride, which I needed. It was nice to get out of the house. And one of things I like best about mountain biking is that I have to focus on the biking, and therefore can't focus on anything else. It's a great stress reliever.

Here are a few shots I took with my cell phone during my ride.

Beautiful views!

My fly-fishing adventure ... minus the fish

In an attempt to say yes more often, I decided to go for it this weekend when our friends asked if we wanted to go fly-fishing. I donned some rented waders, and with a borrowed rod went to Moraine Park in the Rocky Mountain National Park to learn to fly-fish in the creek there. At first, casting was difficult. I kept getting the line tangled. But I eventually caught on, and successfully cast without fear of scaring any fish away.

A severe case of over-seasoning: I've got to find a balance!

In the time I've not been blogging, I've kept trying new things in the kitchen, consistent with my goal to learn to cook. While I used to have a severe case of under-seasoning, which I thought I had fixed, I'm now fighting with too much seasoning.

Mostly, everything's ending up much too salty.

Banana bread with honey - Yum!

This one's for you Dad ... I'm finally back, and writing about the oh-so-exciting topic of banana bread. I have had a very difficult time as of late making anything that tastes great. I have gone through a spell of over-seasoning (as opposed to my previous problem of under-seasoning...), so I was pleasantly surprised when my banana bread, using this recipe from the Food Network, turned out well. Especially considering I'm not much of a baker.

And I'm back.

Where have I been for the past month + ? Well, I haven't been blogging. The good news however is that I did not stop trying new things in the kitchen. The bad news is that I didn't do much of anything else. Even my mountain biking has suffered.

The next few days, I'll post some cooking posts, as well as an update on where I am with my 40 by 40 goals. Perhaps I'll even add a few, since I don't exactly have 40 on my list yet.

Here's to catching up ...

Getting my biking mojo back post-Bitterbrush

There's something about falling multiple times on one ride that can destroy your confidence on the trail. I ride with the Boulder Mountainbike Alliance Gurlz Ride on Thursdays when I can, and a little over a week ago we did the Bitterbrush side of Hall Ranch. I had thought I was ready for it. I had thought I had the technical skills to do at least part of it. I was able to do much less of it than I expected.

Golf is about who gets the highest score. Right?

There's something about finally keeping score that has made me play worse than ever. Golf is definitely a mental game.

As I mentioned in my last post, I kicked off the "keeping score" part of my golf game with a 68 on 9 holes at Ute Creek Golf Course in Longmont. I beat that today at Sunset Golf Course in Longmont - as in, I scored much higher. If golf were a game scored like basketball, I would be rocking it. If you take a look at the scorecard below, you'll see one reason I didn't do so well ...

A baseline for reaching my golf goals

Sunset Golf Course in Longmont - not where I played the
other day, but a nice 9-hole course.

I kept score for the first time last weekend at Ute Creek Golf Course, a beautiful 18-hole municipal course in Longmont. My goal is to score 100 on an 18-hole course (it's easy to get 100 on a 9-hole course - ha!) by the time I'm 40. It's going to require a lot more practice, but now I have a place to improve from.

I scored a 68 on 9 holes. Double that, and I have a lot of work to do to reach my goal. And probably a lot more lessons.

Back to Betasso

I rode at the Betasso Preserve yesterday west of Boulder. I rode just the Canyon Loop trail but unfortunately, as we were afraid the dark clouds nearby were coming our way, we skipped the new Benjamin Trail the first time around. I'll have to try it out next time we go.

Betasso was the first trail I ever rode on a mountain bike. My husband freaked me out that first time ... but I ended up really enjoying it. It was also the first trail I went over my handlebars on, learning the tough lesson that you should never hit the brakes when you are going over a rock. Oops!

Shots from the Trail: A deer and its fawn

I love seeing wildlife while I'm out riding on the trails in Colorado (provided it's not a mountain lion or a bear, neither of which I've ever seen). When I ride in the evening, I tend to see a lot more deer. Tonight I saw a deer and its fawn off of Springbrook trail south in Boulder.

The Great French Fry Challenge: Starting off with basic sweet potato fries

My husband has set upon me a challenge to learn how to make french fries of all shapes and sizes ... regular, crinkle cut, waffle fries, and so on. He's especially interested in the waffle fries, but I decided to start with regular old fries. In particular, I decided to try making sweet potato fries.

Shots from the Trail: Hall Ranch

Just a few photos I took with my cell phone (which is all too often doubling as a camera these days on the trail) when we rode Hall Ranch. This is only a very small sampling of the trail. It was one of those stormy days, so the clouds were pretty cool. Hall Ranch, for those who don't know, is near Lyons, CO, which is at Hwy 36 and 66, and at the gateway to the mountains.

We always ride the switchbacks of the Antelope trail up rather than Bitterbrush, which includes the rock garden. I'm fairly certain at this point that I have the skills technically to tackle at least part of the rock garden, but we just haven't done so yet. We stick with what's comfortable ...

typical view of Antelope - rocky, switchbacky goodness. not much fun on the way down. I still haven't figured out how to effectively navigate tight switchbacks when rolling down a hill.

Shots from the Trail: Wapiti Trail at Heil Valley Ranch

Some pictures from my ride on Wapiti Trail at Heil Valley Ranch in Boulder County today ... I only made it 2.5 miles up the trail. This trail connects to a number of loops and recently was connected with the newer trail, Picture Rock. One day, I shall go farther. But for now ...

It's the small victories on the trail that really matter

While a frustrated me was riding the Walker Ranch trail last weekend, my husband brought me back to reality after telling me that I could not be too hard on myself – it is a very difficult trail. The start of the trail – going clockwise – is the most difficult technically, and I kept having to walk my bike over obstacles. I felt more like I was hiking with my bike, and not actually biking.

Video: Mountain Biking Walker Ranch in Boulder County

Here's our latest video of a ride last weekend at Walker Ranch open space in Boulder County. The ride - a 7-mile loop with lots of uphill - was much more difficult than I had remembered, but at least we finished it. It's the small things, right? This ride requires you to carry your bike halfway through up a steep set of rocky stairs. You'll see a bit of that in this video, which my husband created.

40 by 40: Nos. 23-24

The next two items on my 40 by 40 list ...

No. 23: Say yes more often.
I am stealing this from a former classmate, who summed up pretty succinctly a new attitude I'm trying to adopt. This isn't a goal with an end-date in mind. It is simply an ongoing effort to get involved, meet new people, and, most importantly, have a lot of fun. Life is simply too short to stay inside and watch TV all the time. Although sometimes, you have to say yes to that too. ;)

Video: Mountain biking Doudy Draw/Springbrook trails near Boulder

The second video of mountain biking created by my husband using a handlebar-mounted camera. This is of a recent ride on the relatively easy Doudy Draw/Springbrook Trails south of Boulder. A little less bumpy than the last one ...

Maui here we come

There's nothing like a new travel book to make it feel like, yes, you really are going to Hawaii. Picked this up today at the bookstore, and now we're getting excited - even though the trip isn't until October.

On another note, this trip will check one more state off my list of trying to visit all 50 states by the time I'm 40.

Another of Time's 100 Greatest Novels Down: American Pastoral, by Philip Roth

It's been such a long time since I read Philip Roth's Pulitzer-winning American Pastoral as part of my 40 by 40 goal to read all of Time's 100 Greatest Novels, I had to remind myself of what the book was about. It was in truth about two months ago when I finished it. I just haven't had the motivation to write about it. Why? Well, it's a heavy book. Of the books I've finished since starting on this path, it is my least favorite because of its slow going.

Then again, I can still picture the main character in my mind – Swede Levov – the setting, the emotion, the craziness that is his mind in this book. So something must have stuck. And I do understand why it received critical acclaim. The entire book centers around the very personal impact the turmoil of the 1960s had on him.

Mango chicken: A fitting use of a fruit I love

I have never cooked with mango. In fact, I would venture to say I had never purchased a mango until this past week.

The fact I had mangoes was because I have been trying to incorporate more fruit and vegetables into my diet, per my decision to try to follow the new MyPlate guidelines as much as possible. This is also part of my learning how to cook, a 40 by 40 goal. 

Video: Biking Rabbit Mountain trails in Boulder County

We went biking again in Rabbit Mountain open space today in Boulder County (right outside of Lyons). We tried out our new handlebar mount for the "helmet cam." Turned out well - if not a little bumpy. Check out the video my husband made from the recording.

Shots from the Trail: Getting reacquainted with Rabbit Mountain

trailhead

We went mountain biking at Rabbit Mountain open space the other day, and it was as rocky as I remembered. It's not an overly technical trail; generally speaking it's pretty fast-moving. There are not a lot of big obstacles - just a lot of smaller rocks. There are some spots - mostly at the beginning - that require some technical skill.

We usually climb up the trail from the trailhead by the parking lot, and then take the Eagle Wind Trail loop - about 3 miles - and come back down the way we came. Keeping it simple.

We used to ride Rabbit Mountain frequently when we first started mountain biking a couple of years ago. It was our go-to trail after work, because it's the closest trail to Longmont and it was good for beginners. (It's off of Hwy 66, right before Lyons.) I didn't ride the trail last year, so I considered this ride my time to get reacquainted with Rabbit Mountain. It was also a nice reminder that I am not in great shape. A walker kept passing us at the start in the most technical part of the trail. (For the record, we caught up and passed her later.) After we got up to Eagle Wind, we moved much faster! It was fun.

I took a lot more photos of the trail than I expected, but I'm sharing many of them here anyway.

Taking the New MyPlate Guidelines for a Spin

Over the past week, I've eaten salad nearly every day. I started doing so after learning that I had gained nearly five pounds after a month of traveling. (Read: lots of wine and rich food) So I've integrated just a simple mixed greens salad, with grape tomatoes and sometimes shaved carrots with a low-cal dressing, into one meal a day hoping it will help fill me up and minimize what I eat of everything else.

It got me to thinking about the new MyPlate guidelines from the government. The almost ridiculously simple setup is designed to replace the Food Pyramid. 

40 by 40: Nos. 21-22

It's been awhile since I've updated my 40 by 40 plans. Finally, I add two more to the list.

Why I love rosemary and basil: They survive

Travel is bad for plants because my husband is even less of a plant person than I am. Here is what my rosemary and basil plants I am growing as I learn to garden looked like when I returned from Washington D.C. I was gone for five days.

First Ride at Valmont Bike Park: A little sunburn & an "injury," but a lot of fun

Mountain biking is a good sport for me. It pushes me to get past my fears – for example, it has taken me awhile to let myself fly down a hill, which is one of the most fun parts of riding.

I am far from a great mountain biker. But I pride myself on being past beginner status. That was a big step for me.

'Add This One to the Rotation': Lemon Chicken with Mushroom Sauce

I'm nearly done traveling for the summer - just one more trip this weekend through the early part of next week - so I'm finally getting a chance to get back to cooking.

You all know I can't create my own recipes. I'm just on a mission to learn how to cook, so I use everyone else's. And with the multitude of recipes on the Interwebs these days, there's plenty of opportunity to do so. I was in the mood for chicken tonight, but tired of barbecued chicken.

On the Road: Wine Country

My past two weeks have been on the road. Hence, no blog posts. First I traveled to Chicago to a hotel near O'Hare, not exactly the most scenic place to visit. However I did get to golf nearby in a forest preserve area. Despite the cold wet weather, it was a pretty place to play.

The second trip for work was to Sonoma, as in Wine Country in California. Given the romantic locale, it would have been much better with my husband, but all in all – for a work trip – it was quite nice. Here are some photos I took while there.

At Kunde, we ate in a cave (see barrels below) and had a wine tasting on a mountaintop.

Trying out the helmet cam on the trail

We took our new helmet cam for a ride on Sunday to try it out mountain biking. My husband has used it a few times already at his shooting matches. The camera is a Contour HD vholdr 1080P.

Going crazy for potatoes - sweet and otherwise

I am tired of boring side dishes. So this week I went in search of recipes for side dishes that would be better than my typical sautéed vegetables, pasta or fries.

First, some wine. My husband brought home some wine "made from organic grapes" from Alfalfa's, the new organic/natural foods store in Boulder. It was lovely. It was a mild Malbec, and we will definitely purchase it again. It was called Pircas Negras (on the left).

Now back to potatoes:

Left-hand low, guys teach girls wrong, and other stuff I'm learning in my golf lessons

I am taking golf lessons as part of my 40 by 40 goal to play a 100 game on a par 72 18-hole course. I've never kept score on a game before, so I have no idea how close – or likely how far – I am to reaching that goal. Regardless, this class has taught me that I certainly have a lot to learn. I've never learned the fundamentals of golf before. And some of them have taken me by surprise.

What lies beneath: Oh the joys of preparing a house for sale

This is probably a time I shouldn't open my house to visitors via my blog, but the process of preparing my home for sale has unearthed some surprises like this old Netflix DVD that I never returned. I vaguely remember paying a late fee a long while back, which I suppose means I get to keep it. And yet, I never watched it. I found it while cleaning out my desk a couple of weeks ago before putting it in storage to make our second bedroom/office look bigger.

I have time now, so perhaps I should take advantage of it
and finally watch the movie everyone else has seen: Slumdog Millionaire.

Tales of a Novice Mountain Biker: Fixing a Flat

You would think that I would have fixed a flat on my own before today, but I haven't. I'd helped my husband do so ... but I had never had a flat while alone. That changed today. I went to get my bike down, and the tire was flat. I was home alone, so I set forth on changing that tire. I wasn't going to let a flat tire keep me from getting out on the trail today.

Shots from the Trail: Greenbelt/High Plains

Some shots from my quick ride south of Boulder today on the Greenbelt and High Plains trails. Not difficult, but a quick, fun ride. Perfect for my current fitness level!

Suffering from a severe case of under-seasoning

I have had so much steak in the past month or so, and while I recognize a regular diet of steak is not necessarily a great idea, I do love a good steak. It's the Nebraskan in me. But I apparently suffer from a severe case of under-seasoning. I watched my brother season some steaks this weekend when I was in Nebraska for a mini-vacation, and he – the king of cooking meat – seasoned those steaks like mad.

Steak with a beer and brown sugar marinade: Oh how I love cooking with beer

If you haven't figured it out yet, I have not tapped the Betty Crocker cookbook in awhile. I wasn't satisfied with the first few recipes I tried, and so I've decided to use it for comfort food and baked goods, and to use the goodness of the web for everything else. In fact I am using the Betty Crocker chili recipe as a base for a pot that I have cooking right now.

Last Thursday night, I decided to take my friend's advice and make steak to supplement my iron levels for giving blood the following day. Really I love any excuse to make steak, and I feel like I am steadily improving my steak-grilling skills. I have not overcooked a steak in awhile.

Thursday I found a simple marinade: Beer and Brown Sugar Marinade.

Another book down: Atonement, by Ian McEwan

I bought this book
on my Kindle
from amazon.com.

It seems somewhat ironic (if not purposeful) that a critique of one of the characters in the most recent book I finished - Atonement - also fits the first pages of the book itself.

"Such writing can become precious when there is no sense of forward movement. Put the other way round our attention would have been held even more effectively had there been an underlying pull of simple narrative. Development is required."

While each scene was beautifully described, it was, to be blunt, boring.

Shots from Doudy/Springbrook Trails in Boulder: A good & easy first ride

I got out today for the first time this season on my mountain bike ... and the trail was much nicer to me than I expected it to be. I did not stay in shape this winter, so it was a surprise when the uphill of the first half of my ride - pretty much par for the course on a Front Range trail - did not kill me. In other words, I was able to make it a fair distance before stopping for a drink of water and to catch my breath.

This trail is not difficult technically, but it is a good time if you're looking for a quick ride after work or an easy ride at the start of the biking season. The latter was me today. I tend to stay away from Doudy Draw/Springbrook trails as they are also popular with hikers, runners and even horses. I was fine with this today, as I wanted to take my time and enjoy being back on my bike again.

My first run at golf for the year

I went golfing Saturday for the first time this year. And I went with a group of people I'd never met before – the women of the Northern Colorado chapter of the Executive Women's Golf Association. A nice step outside my comfort zone, and I was rewarded with a good time.

If I choose to join, I'm hoping my involvement with a group will help me play more regularly and improve so that I can play a decent game of golf consistently – part of my 40 by 40 goals.

Tomato and Almond Pesto in my wannabe food processor

I made this dish probably two weeks ago. I don't know why I haven't blogged about it until now, but it was a lovely dish that was an easy and quick meal and I plan to make it again.

Here's the link to the recipe I used for Pasta with Tomato and Almond Pesto.

I made this after finding it at America's Test Kitchen's website. However, I did not feel like registering to get the full recipe, so I found it in several other places on the web. Not sure if it was the exact recipe I would have got from America's Test Kitchen. But it was good.

Update on my "getting healthy" goals: Failure on all counts – or is it?

I'm looking out of the coffeehouse window, and dark clouds form the backdrop of my view, which means I should head home and get a run in before it rains or gets chilly. Already my motivation to exercise and eat well has waned.

In fact, since I posted in February that I would do a certain number of workouts a week and track my food intake via MyFitnessPal, I've not done well at all. I haven't gained any weight but I also have not got any closer to losing. I tracked just one full day of eating. I work out sporadically (though more consistently than I was) and it's so difficult to eat well when it's Girl Scout cookie time! And work trips always throw me off.

Of course, there's always an excuse waiting in the wings.

Success with steak, arugula and roasted pepper salad

Last night, I was bored, so I decided to find a fun recipe for dinner in one of the many cookbooks we have in our cupboards. I chose Seared Rib-Eye Steak with Arugula and Roasted Pepper Salad. Why? Well, I've never cooked with rib-eye steak, nor with arugula. And the last time I had a roasted red pepper was in Armenia, where it is part of the horavats tradition, aka barbecue; peppers are "roasted" in the horavats pit, and peeled and devoured along with any number of delicious bbq'ed meats and vegetables. Just thinking about it makes my mouth water.

Anyway. This is the recipe, except I followed the nearly identical one in our under-used cookbook: Everyday Italian: 125 Simple and Delicious Recipes featuring Giada de Laurentis.

Writing: Sweet Shushik - A favorite Peace Corps memory

Going through my writing again from the Peace Corps, I ran across the following memory of Shushik, a sweet lady I got to know through a series of visits in Martuni, about an hour south of where I lived. My guess is that she has since passed. May God bless her. My visits with her were a highlight of my experience.

Shushik at home

79-year-old Shushik Avetisyan, by her decision, lives by herself. She has never married (says it was better that way) and has lived in her humble, one-room stone home in Martuni most of her adult life. A singer, dancer, storyteller and riddle-maker, she spent her adult life – most of which fell under Soviet rule – learning how to do odd jobs. Her favorite was a job in the state gas office.

Sliders: Part Deux - Trying out a little swiss mushroom goodness

Just a quick post to share my attempt at making swiss mushroom sliders. I made my other standards as well tonight (if two times can be considered enough to have standards). I have to say, I'm really enjoying having some new recipes to work into our regular menus at home.

The breakdown for tonight's meal …

Wine: 2008 Da Vinci Chianti, because I like it, but mostly because it was already open.

Revolutionary Road: Depressing, but still a great commentary on modern life

I read this on my Kindle -
purchased through Amazon.

I chose Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates as the first book to tackle in my 40-by-40 goal to read Time's 100 best English-language novels. I had already read 14 of the novels when I decided to embark on this list, so Revolutionary Road marks No. 15 complete.

The book focuses on Alice and Frank Wheeler's life on – where else – Revolutionary Road, in a new development filled with "great hulking split levels." It is, as Richard Lacayo says in his reasoning for choosing this book for the Time list, an "account of lethal disappointment in the Connecticut suburbs in 1955."

The author explained in a 1972 interview (as noted on Wikipedia): "I think I meant it more as an indictment of American life in the 1950s. Because during the Fifties there was a general lust for conformity all over this country, by no means only in the suburbs — a kind of blind, desperate clinging to safety and security at any price."

40 by 40: Nos. 16-20

The next five items I would like to finish before I turn 40:

16. Watch a television show live.
You know, like the Price is Right, or a talk show. It'd be great fun to watch Conan in the studio. But I'm not picky.

17. Learn to cook.
If you've been reading my blog at all, you know I'm on my way. This is not a specific goal – but I figure as long as I'm working toward learning more about marinades, spices, and all those other culinary necessities, I'm "learning to cook."

A Second Chance for Porkchops

It's not often you get a second chance when cooking – at least not on the same night. If you burn something, or it doesn't turn out right, you order pizza and that's that. But I got a second chance with my porkchops the other night as I cooked for myself, and then two hours later, my husband. He got the better end of that deal.

Here's this week's recipe from Betty Crocker: Grilled Teriyaki Pork Tenderloin and Pineapple

I was going to buy actual Pork Tenderloin, which would have in the end probably been better, but what was available at the grocery store looked to be way more than my husband and I could eat. So instead I bought porkchops, ie pork loin minus the tender.

Slowly overcoming my fear of guns

As part of my goal to learn to defend myself (No. 3 of the 40 things to do by the time I'm 40), I must become more comfortable around guns. That's not to say that is the only thing I have to do to accomplish this goal. And of course it's not that I should not be afraid of guns. A healthy fear is necessary. But due to my inexperience with guns (and the inconvenient fact they were designed to kill), I have never felt comfortable near them – even when they aren't loaded.

Yet I'm married to a man who owns several.

40 by 40: Nos. 11-15

I have to admit, it's already getting hard to come up with new items to add to my growing list of goals to hit before I turn 40. It's making me think really hard about "what I've always wanted to do." So I will post my 40 by 40 to No. 20, and then take a break to really think about the next 20. Here's 11 through 15.

11. Learn to garden, as in, plant something, and successfully grow and harvest it.
I tend not to be good at plants. There's a reason why our home is filled with fake greenery. It's just easier. I've never been able to keep a plant alive. There are a few reasons for this: I forget to water, or I water too much. Or I just don't know what I'm doing ...

Betty Crocker loves her casseroles, but why aren't they healthier?

Betty Crocker loves her casseroles. But I learned this week as I flipped through that part of the cookbook that it's tough to find casseroles that are actually good for me. In fact, the casserole I chose for this week's recipe from that cookbook had 440 calories and 25 grams of fat (9g saturated) per 1 cup serving. Not ideal.

It's too late to turn back the clock on this recipe, as I've already made it, but I aim to look for healthier recipes going forward or to adapt the recipes in the cookbook to be healthier.

For my weekly Betty Crocker recipe, I chose the Santa Fe Chicken Tortellini Casserole. Find the recipe here.

Road Trip! (pt 3) Being a tourist in San Francisco

I've said on this blog that I love living in new places because that's how you learn what a place really is. For example, my short span in New Orleans was a different experience than visiting as a tourist. But I would still argue that everyone has to go to Bourbon Street on a Saturday night at least once.

I love living in new places and experiencing what the locals like. But I also love being a tourist, and going to all the places that the locals have long stopped visiting.

Road Trip! (pt 2) The long & somewhat windy road through Wyoming, Utah & Nevada

My husband and I were along for the ride as our friends moved out to San Francisco this past week. We drove up to Wyoming and took I-80 to the Bay Area. It was not nearly as scenic as I had expected it to be – part of that had to do with the weather. The other part had to do with the fact we drove through what seemed to be high desert for the entire second day. Not a lot of trees and very few towns.

That said, I had never driven to the West Coast before, and it was an interesting experience.

Here are a few highlights and photos from the trip:

For much of the drive immediately west of Salt Lake City, it felt as if we were driving right through the lake, as shown below. Notice the water on both sides of the highway?

But apparently this water is not as deep as it appears. In the winter, according to Utah.com, a shallow layer of standing water floods the surface of the salt flats. In the summer, the water evaporates and the surface is flat, and some would say, "desolate." The largest of the salt flats – the Bonneville Salt Flats – is the place to set land-speed records in the spring and summer when they dry out. Yes, that means that where you see water below, cars and other motorized vehicles drive very very quickly in the summer. We had the pleasure of seeing the area with water, which made for beautiful reflections of the mountains that sit behind the salt flats.

I insisted on being a speed tourist in the major cities we stopped in: Salt Lake City and Reno. I had never been to either city, so I wanted to get a taste for both. In the former, we went downtown to Temple Square. The Salt Lake Temple was much larger and more ornate than I had expected.

In Reno, we went to the diner I featured in this blog post on the Gold 'N Silver Inn. We also went gambling, however briefly (and unsuccessfully). The strip in Reno was not quite like Vegas, but it was still a fun diversion.

The rest of the drive, while interesting, was dotted with the (very) occasional tree, several signs of mining and a few small towns.

The prettiest was the final leg from Reno into San Francisco. The final leg of the trip into California featured snow-covered mountains and pine trees as we descended to the coast. The only odd thing I noticed as we entered California was a conspicuous lack of lines on the highway - as in, it was difficult to tell where your lane was. We also had to go through an agricultural checkpoint as we entered California. Last I checked, we weren't leaving the country, but perhaps there was a good reason for it? Who knows ...

Coming soon: Being a tourist in San Francisco.

(The above photos were taken by my husband and myself.)

Road Trip! Lemonade Porkchops at the Gold 'N Silver Inn Restaurant in Reno

I'm on a road trip right now from Colorado to San Francisco, helping some friends move. At the end of the second day, we decided to go try out some local diner food; we chose the Gold 'N Silver Inn, a 55-year-old 70s-decorated restaurant featured on the Food Network show, Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. I had the lemonade porkchops, and my husband had the tri-tip sandwich - both were featured on the show. I was more than pleased with my choice. Check out my plate - can't go wrong with a delicious barbeque sauce (made with homemade lemonade no less) and a crazy serving of gravy on some of the best mashed potatoes I've ever had ...

Here's the clip from the show on the restaurant - in this clip the chef shows Guy, the host, how they make the dish I ordered:

40 by 40: Nos. 6-10

It's harder than I thought it would be to come up with 40 things to do before I'm 40. But without further ado ... here are the next five.

No. 6: Write (and publish) a book.
Given I work for a business publisher, business will probably the theme. It will definitely be nonfiction.

No. 7: Visit every state in the U.S.
I've got a good start already. I've been to 29 states. I have plans to visit Hawaii in October for work (followed by a lot of play).

Outside of Hawaii, the other states I most want to visit: Alaska, for obvious reasons; Montana because that's where Glacier National Park is; and the New England states.

Colorado is my favorite state. But Florida is definitely in my top 5. We go there every year. Here are some shots from the last time we visited:

No. 8: Go ziplining
I'm terrified of heights. But for some reason ziplining does not scare me like skydiving scares me. And while I'd love to go ziplining in Costa Rica, I also found a place that does it in Colorado, a little closer to home. Soaring Tree Top Adventure in Durango calls itself the "largest, longest and safest zip line course in the world." And you can only get there on a train. Apparently there is a ziplining company in Salida, as well. I would consider this a big step for me on the "overcoming fear" front.

No. 9: Read every book on Time's 100 Best Novels list.
I was going to go with the BBC list, but this list intrigued me more as all the books were published from 1923 on. And I've read very few of them. I reserve the right to revert back to the BBC list, as I've read many more of those and while it feels like I have a lot of time left before I turn 40, the next 7.5 years will probably go by pretty quickly.

No. 10: Compete in a mountain biking time trial competition.
I have absolutely no idea what this entails. But mountain biking is the first fitness activity I've done in my adult life that I truly enjoy, so I figure competing in the sport would also be fun. I'll update my blog when I learn more or find someone that knows more about mountain bike races.

Some views from the trail:

Crested Butte

Fruita

Boulder

Next up: Nos. 11-15.

Diving into Betty Crocker (who incidently was never a real person!)

Betty Crocker is about to become my new best friend in the kitchen, a la Julie and Julia … Although in this case, Betty Crocker never existed. Apparently – at least according to Wikipedia – she was made up. And I quote:

"The name was first developed by the Washburn Crosby Company in 1921 as a way to give a personalized response to consumer product questions. The name Betty was selected because it was viewed as a cheery, all-American name. It was paired with the last name Crocker, in honor of William Crocker, a Washburn Crosby Company director."

I'm a little disappointed to read she wasn't a real person. (But I still love her brownies.) However, I needed a guide that is something more than the random Internet searches I have been doing for recipes if I'm going to really learn how to cook. And the Betty Crocker cookbook, at least in my life, is classic. But in my house, it has been very rarely opened. We have the "new edition." My mom has the real classic, one that has been used so much that the pages are discolored and falling out of the book. I love it. So once a week, I'll make a recipe from the book.

Now for the disclaimer: This blog is not endorsed by General Mills, which owns the brand name Betty Crocker. I'll not reprint any recipes that I use from the cookbook in their entirety here, because I'm afraid if someone by absolute random chance happened across this blog they'd sue me for copyright. I'll link to them instead because most of them are indeed online.

Last night I dove right into the fish section of the cookbook, with the second recipe of that section: the pecan-crusted fish fillet. Here's the recipe.

Why start with fish when there are so many great casseroles in that book? Well, I already had the tilapia in the house. Last night was a good example of the low level of my cooking skills. I not only (slightly) burned my tilapia, I also (slightly) burned frozen vegetables. This was coming off my slider victory, so I was a little disappointed.

Anyway, here are a couple shots of the cooking process for this recipe.

The best part was grating this lemon for coating the fish. The citrus smell was amazing.

This is the coating for the fish: chopped pecans (bought that way), bread crumbs and grated lemon peel.

Then I salted and peppered the fillets, dipped them in egg and the coating, and fried them in olive oil in a pan. I probably put too much oil in there or I just cooked them for too long without flipping them, because the coating burned quickly.

Thankfully, it wasn't so burned that it was inedible. I paired the fish with frozen veggies and a microwaved yam, aka sweet potato.

I judge my cooking by my husband's reaction. When he says we should make something again, I know I've found a good recipe. He didn't say that time time around. The fish was the best part (and the only part I actually followed a recipe for) though it wasn't something I'd go out of my way to make again. The sides I chose weren't quite as good. The veggies needed more spice, and the sweet potato with just a little butter was good for me, but would probably be considered bland for others. I foresee experimenting with sweet potatoes to determine the best approach to cooking them. Sounds like another challenge.

Food: My sliders - White Castle eat your heart out

One thing I haven't quite got down in the kitchen is timing. I'll go in, excited to make a recipe, and plan to eat said recipe within an hour of making it. Then I'll actually read the recipe, and find out I have to let something sit for one hour before proceeding. Or that it takes twice as long to cook or bake something as I had expected. Tonight was one of those nights.

I saw premade beef sliders at the grocery store last week, and was inspired to make a fun meal of sliders and fries one night. So I bought a pound of ground beef – Laura's lean beef – and some mini-hamburger buns, and decided to make a California-style slider and a slider topped with carmelized onions (because that's what I've seen on restaurant menus).

I made the sliders tonight after a day of helping some friends paint their house. I was starving.

I started, as always, with wine. Another cheap wine - Barefoot Cabernet Sauvignon. It's OK, but if you're going to go with a Barefoot red, go with the Merlot. It's $6.99, and it's a great simple wine for weekday nights.

Now into the preparations, it was the carmelized onion that caught me by surprise. Apparently it takes 30 minutes to properly carmelize onions, according to this website. As I had already started baking Alexia Foods' sweet potato fries, which take 20 minutes to bake, I adapted and cooked one sliced onion for as long as I could until the burgers and fries were finished.

I seasoned the burgers with a mixture I found online at allrecipes.com, but I made it sans onion powder and cayenne pepper because I didn't have any. But it was a great and very simple seasoning to throw together at the last minute.

I grilled the burgers on my Calphalon square grill pan, one of my favorite kitchen items.

And then pieced together my sliders with swiss cheese, avocado and tomato on one, and carmelized onions on the other.

I overcooked the burgers a little, and the sweet potato fries had to be reheated.  But even so, the meal was great. And my husband gave his seal of approval. Once I get this timing thing down, they may be even better.

Food: Learning to cook – recipes from the simple to the complicated

I'm starting to get the hang of this cooking thing ... or at least I'm trying to. I've never been a great cook. I can follow recipes, but I usually skip anything that isn't as simple as "throw the ingredients in a bowl, stir, and toss in the oven." At any rate, here are three recipes I've done in the past month or so that I considered a success - for me.

Last night I made baked spaghetti with marinara sauce, chicken and broccoli. The simple dish was inspired by a baked spaghetti dish I made on a whim a few weeks ago; that version was complemented by ground beef and mushrooms. And it was much more flavorful than my chicken version. My husband agreed. Another difference this time around: I used a mix of Italian cheeses, while with the ground beef version I used just plain old mozzarella.

I started with wine. I am a firm believer in drinking wine while cooking. This is one of my favorite value (read: cheap) wines. It's organic, full of body and delicious. I highly recommend it. Just $8.99 for a bottle of Castano at our local wine shop.
 

I used cooked angel hair pasta, mixed it with cooked chicken, marinara and broccoli and smothered them with cheese, baking at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Looking back, I would have skipped the broccoli. I believe chicken and broccoli go best with cream sauces. Unfortunately for me, cream sauces don't go well with healthy eating.

This looks like an ad. But it's not. I've tried many canned non-organic marinara sauces. I am picky, but I love this one - Bertolli Marinara with Burgundy Wine Sauce. So I wanted to share.

And the finished product. Melted cheese is the best, isn't it?

Here are some much more complicated recipes I've tried recently. Both were outside my comfort zone, so I was quite proud when they turned out well.

Recipe: Turkey Lasagna with Butternut Squash, Zucchini and Spinach
This took longer than I expected it to, but the result was wonderful. I would never have guessed butternut squash would taste so great in a lasagna with red sauce. Here is a picture of the lasagna in progress in my somewhat tight and disorganized space for cooking. I anticipate I'll get better at organizing the ingredients one day ...

Recipe: Chocolate Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Frosting
Sounds fancy, right? Anyone who knows me knows that I am not a baker. I can follow a recipe for most things. But when it comes to baking I always mess something up. I put too much salt or baking soda in, or I forget to account for elevation when I'm counting out cups of flour. My chocolate chip cookies generally end up flat. At least chocolate chip cookies taste good flat or otherwise

Inspired by a co-worker who loves the Cupcake Blog  and brought in amazing Chai Spice cupcakes to the office, I embarked a few weeks ago on trying my hand at making cupcakes from scratch - a first for me. I settled on Chocolate Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Frosting. I recommend the recipe that I followed, but take care not to accidentally double it. The blog actually posted the recipe so that you could make a gluten-free and a gluten-full batch of cupcakes. So for the two of us at home, I ended up with 26 cupcakes. My husband got a kick out of that, and both our co-workers appreciated it. My result did not look as pretty as the picture on the above-noted blog, but they still got good reviews. I guess it's hard to go wrong with chocolate and caramel.