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.)