This is one of my favorite times of the year in the desert, flowing water, many colored blossoms, green foliage, cactus looking fat and happy, beginning to bud, and the Arizona sycamores and cottonwoods Shadow and boots, seven fallsbursting with green.
It appears the volcano in Iceland is not going to go back to sleep without causing mankind to take notice of the disruption possible. Thousands of flights have been canceled by the the ash cloud ejected from the eruption under a glacier. The ash is even more destructive to air traffic because some of it may be turned to glass by the ice before being ejected high into the air.We’ll just have to wait and see if this will last for weeks and cause major economic disruption in North Atlantic and European transportation, or fade away quietly. I wouldn’t bet on either.
One man’s solution to cooking for one without resorting to pizza or chips and dip.
Preparation: put a cup of water in the crock pot and turn on high, chop vegetables, throw in crock pot with contents of tomato can and cover. Cook on high for three hours; then add mushrooms, can of red beans, squirt of fish sauce, add chicken broth, chili flakes, and turn to low. Cook on low until time to eat. Adjust liquid if necessary. Grate sheep cheese on top of each bowl of soup (not in photo, forgot) and grind some pepper on top of that. Serve with whole grain bread and wine.
Preparation: cook yam covered with some water in microwave 2/3 done, let sit to finish. Fry salmon in lots of extra virgin olive oil with garlic powder and tarragon, remove and cover to stay warm. Add broccoli to salmon juices and olive oil on medium high and brown, add 21 Salute, chicken broth and finish covered. Serve on 8″ plate and a glass of wine.
The link above will take you to Mark Doumas’ Facebook page where he has posted a video of a few of us crossing one of eight bridges over Sabino Creek near Tucson. It’s usually a great short steep ride of about three miles, but with this winter’s snow, and recent spring rains, the bridges become a fun, and cold challenge.
The three policemen, in two cars, arrived shortly afterward and parked between myself and nine cycling friends. I sat down, figuring I would be there a while. Three seemed like an awful lot, maybe they called backup out of concern that I would draw my prosthetic funnel and attempt to use it as a weapon. Or maybe the possibility of arresting a woman for urinating in public was the most interesting thing going on around campus that morning.
Claire and I were honored to be able to fly on a vintage B 24 and B 17, with members of the Womens Air Service Pilots, WASPs, from Phoenix to Tucson. They were a delight to be around and it is a memory we will cherish. The story ran in the Desert Leaf, a Tucson monthly.
Today about 200 surviving WASPs were presented with the Congressional Gold Medal. About time! We hope all our friends were there.
This view is probably familiar to many in my generation who served in Vietnam in the 1960’s and 1970’s. It was taken, looking north, from a headland jutting out into the South China Sea, forming a barrier to weather, and no doubt troop movements, between South Vietnam and North Vietnam. Hai Van Pass, Vietnam.
Ingredients: leftover vegetables and chicken saute (two days old, max) extra virgin olive oil, 1/3 cup coconut milk, 1/2 orange, 1 tbsp fish oil, 1 tbsp red curry paste, 1/4 cup dry whole grain basmati rice, cashews.
Pour the cook a glass of wine.
Preparation: cook rice 35 minutes in salted water, drain and cover to finish; stir fry rice in olive oil, curry paste and fish oil; add leftovers to mix with coconut milk and heat; squeeze 1/4 orange into wok and stir.
Serve on 8″ plates with 1/4 orange and chopsticks.
Preparation: fry chicken breasts coated with Trader Joe’s21 Salute and garlic powder in lots of olive oil, chop vegetables large pieces, cook penne al dente while you fry the vegetables in lots of olive oil with tarragon and marjoram; add cubed fried chicken. Drain pasta and cover 1/2 of an 8″ plate, add vegetable/chicken breast mix, top with sheep cheese, pepitas and ground black pepper.
A few years ago Claire and I traveled the Silk Road from Beijing to Istanbul on our tandem bicycle. In a small town in Azerbaijan, we saw this door sill with three horseshoes attached, pointing to the street. In the U.S. some people attach a horseshoe over their front door, point up, for good luck, and/or prosperity. We were, as usual ignorant in the local language, and unable to ask what this means. Not knowing is sometimes more interesting than knowing all. But I wouldn’t mind if someone from the Caucasus area would tell us.
Preparation: Claire bakes her no kneed many grained bread; I can’t be more specific because she makes it differently each time, which is part of the adventure! Steam the asparagus while frying the salmon in olive oil, sprinkled with tarragon and fresh pressed garlic. Make dipping oil/vinegar mix adding Trader Joe’s 21 Salute and pepper. Arrange on an 8″ plate, sprinkle asparagus with sea salt and serve with wine.
Claire played Charlie Chaplin in our local Entertainers presentation. She did the scene where he eats his boot while starving in Alaska in the movie, The Gold Rush.
Vietnamese school girls, in the hot Mekong delta, ride their bicycles to and from school. They wear these beautiful pant/dress outfits, and large face masks. We learned thatthey wear the masks mainly to protect their skin from the sun
Dice vegetables in large pieces, cube cooked chicken breasts; fry vegetables in lots of olive oil, adding pressed garlic, spices and cubed chicken near the end.Cook pasta al dente, drain but reserve 1 cup, add 3 tbsp of pasta water to bowl, one egg, 1/4 cup grated cheese and stir until a sauce. Reduce over heat if necessary. (Claire’s sauce) Mix pasta back into sauce. Place vegetable chicken mixture and pasta on 8″ plate, cover with sauce, sprinkle nuts and add pepper or salt if you like. Have with wine and your sweetie.