The Inch-Worm Jungle of Death

As part of an exploration/deer survey of our local mountains, Seth and I went up Hobbs Canyon this weekend. There isn't really a trail that goes up there so we pretty much had to blaze our way up through the oak brush along the ridge. Not exactly the most fun or effective way to hike, but it was definitely adventurous.

Overlooking Layton area (that's Antelope Island in the background)

While fighting our way through the oak brush, we saw what must be the largest colony of inch worms in the world. All the oak brush leaves were hashed to bits and the little inch worms were hanging by their silk threads off of all the trees. We must have picked off about a hundred of them throughout the day. We kept finding them on our hats, crawling up the backs of our necks, and making their way up our backpacks and pants. I've never seen anything like it.

I did take a picture of the millions of worms, but it didn't turn out too well. So look at Seth in this beautiful meadow instead.

 

This was my favorite conversation snippet of the day:

Seth: {pointing at the surrounding bushes} I'd say a hippo came through here about three hours ago.
Karen: Really?! I had no idea we had hippos here! We better get some hippo spray.

Probably the best part of the hike was seeing all the wildflowers in bloom. I couldn't believe how many different flowers there were.*

Seth doing his part to repopulate the endangered dandilionus giganticus

*Stay tuned for your infallible** guide to identifying Utah wildflowers!

** OK they're probably all going to be wrong, but at least there'll be pictures of flowers. Identifying stuff is hard.

Today's Special: It's All Good

Balsamic Grilled Portobello Sandwiches with Goat Cheese and Roasted Peppers- New Recipe. Wow these turned out so good! Seth mentioned at least 3 times during the meal how awesome they were. Very easy to make and healthy to boot! This is definitely a keeper.

Shaker-Style Smoked Chicken Thighs and Grilled Corn-on-the-Cob- New Recipe. This turned out really good despite the fact that I didn't actually do any of the smoking as stated in the recipe (too lazy, too hungry, and no wood chips). Also, just as a tip for all you chicken barbequers out there: use chicken thighs! Chicken breasts have to be cooked "just-so" on the grill in order for them to not turn out dry. Chicken thighs keep their delicious texture and are more forgiving if you overcook them a little. Plus, thighs are much cheaper and quite frankly I think they taste better too. I was able to pick up 2 pounds of chicken thighs for only $2.50 and easily removed the skin myself (you can buy them boneless and skinless).

If you've never grilled corn on the cob, it's time you had. You can get fancy with putting butter and such inside the husks beforehand, but I always just throw the corn on the grill (husks still on!) and rotate them every 5 minutes or so. They're done when all sides start to blacken a little. Mine were done at the same time as the Shaker chicken this time around. Oh and if you don't want to burn your flesh off but still want hot corn to eat, shuck the ears while wearing oven mitts, works pretty good!

Cassoulet-Style Chicken Thighs- New Recipe. I'm always a little wary of these crazy bean recipes, but somehow they turn out surprisingly good! I think white beans are my favorite. They have a great creamy texture and a nice mild buttery flavor. My food processor was my best friend when I made this. I used it to turn 2 pieces of wheat bread into crumbs (and blend the oil into them), chop the onion, and mash up the beans. That food processor saves me so much time. Anyway, this recipe is a keeper!

Mama Hanson's Fish Stew- New Recipe. One day Dad Hanson raved to me about this "tomato based fish chowder" Mama Hanson had made. He said, "It's the best chowder there is to be found and all gourmet fish places should hang their heads in shame." I knew I needed the recipe. Mama Hanson is a soup/stew guru so I felt very privileged to gain access to this recipe. It didn't actually come with instructions, just a list of ingredients, so hopefully I made it right. I thought it turned out very well and was even better the next day (which is usually the standard for soups).

Mama Hanson's Fish Stew

 2 tbsp. olive oil

1 green pepper, diced

1 red pepper, diced

1 large onion, diced

2 carrots, sliced thinly

2 stalks celery, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 cups chicken broth

1 (28oz.) can diced tomatoes

1/2 tsp. basil

1/2 tsp. thyme

1/2 tsp. turmeric

1 bay leaf

1/8-1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper

1 lb. cod fillets, cut into 1" pieces

1/2 lb. white fish, crab, or shrimp

2 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped

Heat olive oil in a large stockpot. Add green pepper, red pepper, onion, carrots, celery, and garlic and cook until onions are translucent.

Add chicken broth, tomatoes, basil, thyme, turmeric, bay leaf, and crushed red pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes (for thicker stew, leave off lid).

Add all fish/crab and continue to simmer until fish is cooked through (about 5-10 minutes more). Garnish with parsley and serve.

Serves 4-6

June Book Reviews: "A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius," "Born Standing Up," "Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl," "Into the Wild," & "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn"

My Rating System: Ok*, Good**, Great***

A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius
by Dave Eggers

Rating: *

This is a non-fiction book about the author and how he helps raise his young brother after his parents both die within a few months of each other.

I had never heard of this book until I saw it on CD at the library. The title caught my attention and the cover stated that it was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize and was featured in the New Yorker. So, of course I had high hopes. Unfortunately it didn't deliver. Now to be fair, I listened to this on CD. I found the narrator's voice very grating and annoying. I have a feeling I would've liked this book more had I actually read it. Even so, I found the author to be very self-centered. I think he just wrote this book to get sympathy and money. Nothing much ever really happens and I felt like I was reading a bunch of promotional crap for this guy between all of his name dropping, subtle plugs for MTV's "The Real World," and stories about starting up his "mold-breaking" magazine, "Might."  I had no idea my friend Heidi had read this book before but it made me feel better to know that she didn't like this book much either (see her comments here).

Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life

by Steve Martin

Rating: **

This is Steve Martin's autobiography about how he got started in his career by doing stand-up comedy. Seth and I listened to this on our road trip to Las Vegas and we both enjoyed it. I liked that Steve Martin was the actual narrator which gave this a bit more character. It was funny but with bits of seriousness and I thought it was a great insight to his life and how he got to where he is today. I find myself liking him even more than I did before after reading this.

Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl

by Anne Frank

Rating: *+

This is a book about a young teenage Jewish girl and her experiences during the Holocaust. Now, I don't want to diminish the importance of this story in any way (being the classic that it is), but aside from small tidbits here and there, there wasn't much of a story here besides Anne Frank and seven other Jews hiding out in a "secret annex" during the war. It talks about what they eat and how they live and a couple minor scares of almost being discovered, but that's about it. The rest of this was basically just like reading a regular teenage girl's diary about how they are so picked on by everyone, how nobody understands them, and all the boys they currently have a crush on. But like I said, don't get me wrong, I think it was important Anne Frank kept a diary about this time in history, but there just wasn't a whole lot to it... mainly just a teenage romance. I actually found the added ending which told what happened to Anne and her family after being caught by the Gestapo to be more interesting.

Now, I'm normally pretty tough on anything deemed as a 'Classic.' I feel like if it's a Classic, it should beat the pants off of most other books out there. With that said, I would say this has some important historical insights into the life of a Jew during the Holocaust. As far as being a great literary Classic? Not so much.

Into the Wild

by Jon Krakauer

Rating: **

This is a book about a young twenty-something college graduate who decides to cut ties with all his family and possessions in order to explore the country and ultimately the Alaska wilderness. It also includes stories of the author and other men who have had similar experiences.

I thought this was an interesting book and it was cool to get a few more details of this story after having seen the movie version. I did think the book got a little long winded though. There seemed to be a lot of unnecessary tangents and/or extended explanations and reiterations of certain topics. This could have been shortened considerably without harming the story. I think actually for once in my life, I liked the movie better than the book.

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

by Betty Smith

Rating: **

This is a book about a girl named Francie and her life growing up poor in a Brooklyn neighborhood. This book took me a couple months to get through. The first 100-150 pages were kind of slow going. After that it was pretty good, but never riveting. It wasn't a book I couldn't put down or wanted to spend every moment reading. It was good, but not great. Which after all I'd heard about this book, was a bit of a let down. I kept comparing this to Angela's Ashes and thinking how much better that book was, even though the story lines are very similar. Yet another disappointing Classic.

Meh. Think Up Your Own Damn Title.

I don't really have anything to say tonight, but that's OK. I'm just relishing the rare moment I have during the week to just sit and relax and do nothing. Most days when I get home from work, time just seems to go by so fast and before I know it, it's time for bed and I haven't done much of anything. Tonight I came home from work and declared that tonight we were eating leftovers. And I don't feel like running. So I'm going to sit here on the couch and watch my t.v. shows and read my books and click around on the Internets and just do nothing. And it's all just as amazing and wonderful as I hoped it would be.

Running with the Loogyman

It's only mile one in the 10K but already I'm dreading the next five miles. Sure, the race is going to be tough, but I never planned for this. I've heard about these sorts of people but have yet to encounter one in real life. I've managed to fall into my running rhythm right behind him: The Loogyman.

Loogyman is a middle-aged guy. He's wearing a red sleeveless shirt and running shorts and looks like every other male runner out here (except for that one guy with the appallingly short flappy shorts *shudder*). And yet, he's not normal. Not normal by a long shot. And I'm stuck here running with him, against my will.

Every fifteen seconds or so I hear "HAACK SNORT PHLOOP!" as Loogyman hocks yet another loogy. Mile after mile this putrid man jabs at my gag reflexes making me wish I'd chosen to run the short children's race instead. But no. I'm here. Dodging loogies.

At around mile two or three I finally catch up to Loogyman. And then I pass him. And then I can't hear his loogies anymore. But then it's mile four and Loogyman is catching up again. I hear the dreaded sound behind me... HAACK SNORT PHLOOP! HAACK SNORT PHLOOP!!  NO! Loogyman is catching up with me!

My tired legs can't run any faster and soon Loogyman is on my heels. Then we are neck and neck. Then he passes me. It's mile 5 and Loogyman passes me. He is slowly gaining ground and I soon realize it is impossible. Loogyman is going to beat me. Did you hear me?! I said I GOT BEAT BY LOOGYMAN!

I still have a good half mile or so to go when I come to terms with this shameful truth. It is something I'm just going to have to accept. As I come down the home stretch I see strangers cheering me on. Then I see friends and family cheering me on. I kick it into high gear and finish with a burst of speed: 56:36... I've done it in under an hour. And I feel a sudden euphoria of pride and joy.

As I come through the chute and catch my breath, I see the familiar outline of a stranger. It's Loogyman... My Running Nemesis. "You beat me this time old man," I think to myself, "but next time you won't be so lucky. I'll be back for more and when that time comes, I'm going to smoke your Loogyman butt."

Today's Special: A Whole Lotta Food

Turkey Soup- New Recipe. This is the recipe that saved Seth's wild turkey from culinary disaster (long story short, it was way too salty after I roasted it). This soup helped tone down the saltiness of the turkey a lot and made it not only edible, but incredibly delicious. The recipe name doesn't sound too fancy, but it was some of the best soup we've had in awhile. Definitely a keeper! (p.s. I substituted corn for carrots because I didn't have any).

Basil Pesto Pasta- New Recipe. This pesto turned out so good! Even better than the stuff in the jar I buy at the grocery store. I have to admit I was a little scared to try it, but I was pleasantly surprised. Very fresh tasting. Oh, I did sub pecans for the walnuts. I also used this on gnocchi instead of regular pasta.

 Fajita Burgers- New Recipe. These were really spicy so watch out if you're cooking for kids. They were a bit crumbly but I think it was because I didn't chop up my onions small enough. Seth really liked these, but I thought all the stuff mixed into the burgers was a bit overwhelming. I'd probably tone it down a bit next time. Also, the roasted peppers were good (Seth made them!) but not sure they were worth the effort. I'd suggest using some store bought roasted red peppers in a jar. I think this would actually cut back on the spiciness too. Oh and one more tip: Don't eat one of these right before you go running. Bleh.

Sauteed Chicken Breasts with Creamy Chive Sauce- New Recipe. This turned out ok... maybe a bit on the bland side. I think it would've been better had the sauce simmered longer and/or the flavors had more time to meld. Definitely not bad by any means, but nothing spectacular.

Mediterranean Tuna Panini- Repeat. These were Seth's exact words the other night when I made this... "This one of my favorite things you make." Enough said.

Granola Bars- New Recipe. This is another Alton Brown recipe. I wanted to try and make my own granola bars for a couple reasons. #1 Store bought granola bars are pricey #2 Store bought granola bars aren't that good or filling or healthy. I wanted to make my own granola bars so I could control all those variables and I have to say my experiment worked pretty well.

There were a couple changes I made to this recipe. I couldn't find hulled raw sunflower seeds at the grocery store, so I just left them out. Also, I tried using agave nectar in place of honey. For my dried fruit I used a mixture of regular and golden raisins, dried cranberries and I believe there were some dried blueberries in the mix as well. These turned out pretty well. They are more of a soft granola bar and mine were a bit crumbly, but not too bad. I read reviews on the recipe that said these were hard to cut or really crunchy... I think this may be the difference between the honey and agave, but I'm not sure. I've already bought ingredients to make a second batch and I think I'll try using honey this time to see which I like best. I'll let you know how it goes.

Ok so update on that last paragraph. I made a second batch of these with honey and they turned out even better I think. I let them cool in the pan this time and I couldn't get them out. So, I nuked it in the microwave for a minute to soften it up and then it came out... in pieces. I would suggest baking this then right away (before it cools) dump it out onto a cutting board and press it together/shape it and then let it cool.

p.s. These were made in a 9x9 pan and I cut them into 8 bars- using these proportions the granola bars have about 400 calories, which is a good sized breakfast. Perfect for my drive to work!

I Put the Bake in Bacon

Have you ever tried baking your bacon? No? Well let me tell you... DO IT! Need more convincing? OK then. Here are the reasons you should give it a shot:

1. Your house won't smell like bacon for a week (if you like your house to smell like bacon for a week then this probably isn't for you).
2. All the bacon slices cook evenly.
3. You won't get splattered with bacon grease.
4. You don't have to flip it over.
5. One less thing to watch while you make your family breakfast in the morning.
6. No messy cleanup.
7. You can cook a lot at one time.
8. It's extremely easy.

If that didn't convince you of the awesomeness of baking bacon, I don't know what will. Here's how you do it...

Cover a baking sheet with tin foil.

Place a cooling rack inside your foil lined pan and spray it with non-stick spray.

Add as many strips of bacon as you would like, but make sure there is a little space in between so they cook evenly.

Put it on the center rack of your oven and turn the temperature to 375 deg. F. (no need to preheat!)

Cook for approximately 10-15 minutes (depending on how thick your bacon is and how crispy you like it).

and WA LA! Perfect bacon! And it's done as soon as you're done making the pancakes!

The best part is, there's no messy cleanup! I let the fat cool down and solidify, then put the cooling rack in the dishwasher, wad up the tin foil from the baking sheet and throw it away, and put the perfectly clean baking sheet back in the drawer! How awesome is that?