First Snow at Canyon Creek

We took our friend Tracy for a photo hunting car trip today. At our house it was cold, but sunny and beautiful. When we headed west on Highway 20 within seven miles we hit snow. Beautiful snow with sunshine to illuminate the gorgeous whiteness.

Here are some shots of the first snow at our favorite Canyon Creek Campground.

What a day for catching photo images!

A Day Filled With Friendship, Photohunting, Relaxing and Another Keeper from the Recipe Box

 the smaller sidewalk in front of the house

 Today has been a day I needed! Walking in the rain and taking pictures, sitting by the fire in the gazebo, and sneaking in a nap have been just a few activities Tracy and I both needed as we continue to enjoy her visit. I am revisiting another keeper from the recipe box for dinner tonight. This recipe originally came from Taste of Home, but a friend of mine that caters loves to use this as a dish that can be prepared ahead of time.

Slow-Cooker Enchiladas
1 pound ground beef
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1 can ( 16 oz.) pinto or kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can ( 16 oz.) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can ( 10 oz.) diced tomatores and green chilies, undrained
1/3 cup water
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
6 flour tortillas ( 6 or 7 inch)
In a skillet cook beef, onion and green pepper until beef is browned and vegetables are tender; drain. Add the next eight ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Combine cheeses. In a 5-qt. slow cooker,layer 3/4 cup beef mixture, one tortilla and about 1/3 cup cheese. Repeat layers. Cover and cook on low for 5-7 hours or until heated through. Yield: 4 servings.

Tracy getting reacquainted with Shelby in the gazebo

Pend Orielle Caramel French Toast: A Keeper from the Recipe Box

When company comes I love to try new recipes and keepers that I use again and again. The following recipe was in the Spokesman Review at some time. It was a perfect make-ahead dish for brunch this morning. Our guest Tracy gifted us with lovely tulips last evening so I had to catch pictures of them also.This recipe is certainly worth a try! Very easy and very tasty.

Pend Orielle Caramel French Toast
From "Northwest Mornings Cookbook" Inn at the Lake, Newport, Washington

2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup butter
14 slices cinnamon-raisin bread
6 eggs
2 cups milk
2 cups light cream
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
Garnish:
3/4 cup finely chopped pecans
Sour cream

In a saucepan, combine the corn syrup, brown sugar, and butter. Melt until smooth and bubbly. Spread in the bottom of a greased 11x7 inch glass baking pan. Overlap bread slices like dominos in pan over syrup.
In a bowl mix eggs, milk, light cream, sugar, vanilla, and salt. Pour over bread. Cover with foil and bake 350 degrees for 45 minutes, then remove foil.Bake for 10-15 minutes more or until puffed and golden brown. Slice and invert pieces to serve. Garnish with sour cream. Top with small bits of pecans.

Yield: 8 servings.

Gathering Around the Table with a Good Friend and a Keeper From the Recipe Box

Last June my friend Tracy came to spend a few days at our house. We drove around and took photos, relaxed, I prepared some favorite dishes, and we got her blog going. Then we made plans for a return visit. That week-end we planned in June began tonight. We both took a personal day from teaching tomorrow. We will de-stress in the greenhouse, take photo walks, drive to Bangs Mountain, do some writing, and solve world problems. Tracy and I met during my teaching days in Kennewick and have been friends for about twenty years.  JEJ has to raise his hand to get into the conversation once we get started.
Tonight I tried a recipe I have had for awhile. I knew Tracy loved ginger and we decided this recipe is a keeper. Instead of the whole chicken, I just used thighs. Easy and very tasty!
 
Indonesian Ginger Chicken

Copyright, 1999, The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, Ina Garten

Ingredients

nocoupons

• 1 cup honey
• 3/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup minced garlic (8 to 12 cloves)
• 1/2 cup peeled and grated fresh ginger root
• 2 (3 1/2 pound) chickens, quartered, with backs removed

Directions

Cook the honey, soy sauce, garlic, and ginger root in a small saucepan over low heat until the honey is melted. Arrange the chicken in 1 layer in a shallow baking pan, skin side down, and pour on the sauce. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil. Marinate overnight in the refrigerator.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the baking pan in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover the pan, turn the chicken skin side up, and raise the temperature to 375 degrees F. Continue baking for 30 minutes or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh and the sauce is a rich, dark brown.

Celebrating With Special Authors

 One of my favorite assignments at school this year is to be the elementary writing coach. I visit each elementary classroom once a week and do writing activities with the students. I have loved every minute of it. I got a special invitation Monday to be part of the Writing Celebration in second grade. They had each contributed a story to their first class book.

 The most important part of the celebration was hearing each second grader read their favorite story they had written first quarter. After each reader shared their story and picture the audience exploded in applause.

We ended the author reading with a toast (with yummy Fruit Punch) to all the talented second grade writers. We then enjoyed a feast of  Mrs. Potter's delicious pumpkin cake, Cheez-Its, gummy bears, and  cookies. 

Perfect Faith

 Leaving You

Just before I left we sat at the kitchen counter
and there was something very sweet
about your child's foot
on top of mine,
the way your arch curled around my anklebone
and cradled it there. I wondered
what you were thinking about, smiling as if the best thing in the world were right then,
our breakfast and the sun.

I was remembering when you were born.
I would hold you,
your eyes looking at me,
your hand touching my cheek,
my hair, and when sleep
took you, you lay in perfect faith
that I would hold you forever.
-Kate Schmitt

Kate Schmitt wrote this poem her younger sister. She said in a book I was reading recently that "we are poems ourselves- the poems of our parents." I loved that line. This poem reminded me of moments I shared with my younger sister that I revisited recently as I spent time scanning old photos. When Silver Valley Girl was a baby I think she did "lay in perfect faith that I would hold her forever."

Here Raymond Pert and I are holding her forever as we posed on the snow.