The veggies of Fruitland

Hooray! The veggie stands in Fruitland are FINALLY open! Currently in my fridge: orange cauliflower, fresh broccoli, cucumbers, zuchini, green beans, lettuce greens, patty-hat squash (that's what a little kid called them), corn on the cob, a sweet onion, and a jar of dilly beans. Going to be some good stuff. I also got some Parma Sourdough bread and Chocolate milk. Yum!

Last night, I cut up two small zucchini and sauted them in a pan with canola oil, a little garlic, and some Lawry's seasoning (reduced sodium). When they were almost done, I threw in a tomato I cut up. It was devine! Tonight for dinner, we'll put the Sourdough bread to good use and make some BLT-A's (BLT with Avocado). Can't wait!

I've made some really good friends here that live just down the street. Aimee and Corby are great and their pup, Eddy, loves Ralfie and Tobie. We went on a drive out to Steck Park last night (about 20 miles outside of Weiser, ID). Tobie went directly into the water. He loves to swim! Ralfie doesn't even like to get his feet wet. Here are a few photos.

That's all for now. I'll dig out the camera and post some pics of the produce and dishes I make out of them.

Taco Soup

I bought a tube of the Jenny-O Taco flavored ground turkey and cooked it up last night. It was pretty good-- the other toppings masked the softer texture of the ground turkey (softer when compared to ground beef). With only 2 people in the house, I had a lot left over. So, I decided to make Taco Soup for lunch today. Due to the high garlic and onion flavors already pleasant in the meat, I should only have to add a few spices. This is what I did:

I added 3T. chili powder, 1T. ground cumin and 2tsp. ground coriander to the meat in a saucepan. Then I added 1 (15 oz can, no salt added) tomato sauce and 1 (14.5 oz can) low sodium chicken broth along with one can of red kidney beans (drained and rinsed). I'll let ya know how it turned out after lunch today!

Haven't posted a recipe in a while. How about some Orange-Honey Salmon??

Yummy yummy!!

1/3c orange marmalade]
2T honey
2T dijon mustard
1 1/2t. horseradish
1 (2lb) salmon filet

1. Mix the orange marmalade, honey, mustard and horseradish in a bowl. Set half of it aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 350°F or preheat the grill.
3. Set the salmon on a foil-lined baking sheet or on a couple layers of heavy duty foil for the grill. Brush the fish with half the marmalade mixture.
4. Grill or bake for 20 minutes, or until the meat flakes easily with a fork. Serve with the remaining sauce.

Enjoy!!

New family member-- Tobie!

Long time no blog! Time has been FLYING for the last few months. I can't believe its already December. Good thing I'mm done with Christmas shopping. :)

We have a new family member. His name is Tobie and he gets along famously with the kitties. Ralfie adores him. The doggies walk shoulder to shoulder everywhere, play together, sleep together, etc. It's been great so far and only one potty accident. His first vet appointment with our vet is Friday-- I think he may have an ear infection. Poor little guy keeps rubbing his ears on the carpet all the time. We'll see how it goes.

Minneapolis Vacation-- Wednesday

We also did a lot on Wednesday. We started at the James Hill House. James Hill is not only the name of one of my uncles, but also the name of the guy that built the railroad we traveled on to get to Minneapolis. His house was built at the turn of the century and is about 30,000 square feet. It was HUGE and filled with beautiful trim, tile, woodwork, etc. There was a kitchen in the basement that had a gas stove and a prep area on the main floor next to the dining room that had hot and cold cabinets where the food was stored until served. The coolest thing was the clothes dryer system. The system contained large wooden slats that hung over steam pipes. As steam ran through the pipes, the heat dried the clothes. Not bad for the 1890's!

The first picture is the front of the house. The bricks are a darker color because of the coal that used to be used to heat the furnace. The second picture is the buffet in the dining room. The third picture is the clothes dryer. The slats slid out so the clothes could be hung above the steam pipes.

After the Hill House, we went to the St. Paul Cathedral across the street. The church was filled with ornate stained glass, beautiful painted ceilings, and elegant statues. Here are a few pictures.

Minneapolis Vacation-- Monday and Tuesday

On Monday morning, we went to the Midtown Global Market. The global market is a collection of shops, delis and restaurants from around the world. My favorites were the Italian deli (fresh cheese, salami, and other meats), the Farm Stand (local cheeses and meats), and the soap shop. I got some rosemary mint soap that tingles nicely.

After the Market, we went to see Shanna at the University. She's a professor there. Here she is in the University of Minnesota mascot hat. Isn't she cute??

We ate lunch at a wonderful Italian deli and ventured off to the Zoo/Conservatory. Sam had never been to the Zoo-- he goes to the conservatory to beat the winter blues and the zoo is closed at that time. Admission to the Zoo/Conservatory is just $1! We saw a baby orangutan. sleeping monkeys with their tails wrapped together, a snow leopard, tigers, lions and giraffes.

Next, we went into the Conservatory. It took my breath away! The plants were beautiful.

Tuesday, I tortured my poor husband by taking him to the Mall of America. We spent about 5 hours just walking on every floor. I didn't go into too many stores. It was a great way to get our exercise for the day!

Minneapolis Vacation--Sunday's Activities

It's been a while! Ty and I just got back from a vacation to Minneapolis. We drove to Havre, MT to catch the train (Amtrak) to Minneapolis. The way there was really nice. We left Havre at 3:30 pm and arrive in Minneapolis the next day at 8:00 am. I was surprised at how comfortable the travel was. The train had a dining car where you could sit down to eat dinner and a snack car if you just wanted a little something. I saw several deer as we passed through Montana and North Dakota-- plus, I finished reading two books.

Once we arrived in Minneapolis on Sunday Morning, Sam (my uncle) took us to the Rennaissance Festival. It was really cool. People dressed in costumes and there were several fun shows to attend-- fire breathers, comedians, and magic shows. Here are a few pics from the fair...

That was it for Monday. We were tired after that long train ride and took a long nap. Here is Tyson with Abbie-- Sam and Shanna's Pit Bull puppy. She's a year old and LOVES to play!