RoundAbout San Diego

These two pictures were taken from our roof on a very hot, hazy day. I wish we could get rid of the power lines

Charlie went on a cruise down to Mexico with his Dad, sister, and a bunch of the English crowd. This is Charlie and Hannah on the formal night

Alex and I try to eat vegetarian once or twice a week - if makes us feel healthy. We've found several tofu recipes that we really like and this is one of them. Serve with rice.

Tofu with Red Peppers & Black Bean Pase

1 (12.3-ounce) package reduced-fat firm tofu, drained
2 teaspoons grapeseed or canola oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
4 dried hot red chiles
2 cups thinly sliced red bell pepper
2 tablespoons sherry
1/3 cup coarsely chopped green onions
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon black bean paste
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil

Cut each block of tofu in half lengthwise. Place tofu slices on several layers of paper towels; cover with additional paper towels. Let stand 30 minutes, pressing down occasionally. Cut tofu into 1/2-inch cubes.

Heat grapeseed oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic, ginger, and chiles; stir-fry 30 seconds. Add bell pepper, and cook 3 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Stir in tofu and sherry; cook 3 minutes or until heated through, stirring frequently. Stir in onions; cook 30 seconds. Remove from heat; stir in soy sauce, bean paste, and sesame oil, stirring gently to combine.

Serves 4

Thank you Cooking Light Magazine

This recipe is an old family favorite and was given to me by Janet. It came from the "Elegant But Easy" cook book (old version). It is great with cream, whipped cream, or ice cream.

Fruit Torte

1 C sugar
½ C sweet cream butter
1 C sifted flour (all purpose)
1 Tsp baking powder
2 Eggs
Pinch of salt
Fruit of Choice
Additional sugar for top
a few Tsp of lemon
Cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350.

Cream sugar and butter until light in color and fluffy. Add flour, baking powder, eggs, and salt. Will result in a sticky dough.

Place dough into 9" springform pan. To the top add sliced apples, peaches, plums, or berries of your choice. Sprinkle the top with sugar, lemon juice, and some cinnamon.

Bake at 350 for 1 hour

I received a phone call at work today around 10am. Alex called in a bit of a panic because the color they were putting on the house was orange. He didn't think I would go for it and wanted me to come home to take a look.



I must admit I took one look at the photo above and my mouth dropped to the floor. I asked Alex to stop the painting until I got home but the workers continued on saying not to worry, it would appear darker after the 2nd coat and when it had dried properly.

I came home and drove up the drive-way to find this.


I was in utter shock. I was sure this wasn't the color I had chosen. The workers continued working while Alex and I paced the patio. We couldn't do much - it would be too expensive to change our minds (we had already changed our minds once going from a wishy-washy grey to terra cotta because I wanted to be bold and different from all the neighbors). After a deep breath and another cup of coffee (too early in the day to have a shot of whiskey which is what I really wanted) we decided to go with it.

These are taken from the street




We are thrilled with the finished look. The house really stands out on the street and it has a nice warm look to it. We could design the front yard to give it a Mediterranean or Southwest look. Can't wait to get started on that.

The house was started on today and they began by power-washing the walls and blasting off all the loose bits of old stucco. Beneath the stucco the walls were in terrible condition but all the cracks and holes were fixed in preparation for the new finish. After taping off the wall around the trim, doors, and windows, it was time to paint them. Yesterday we changed our minds about the color we wanted. Everyone in our neighborhood has the same color house - gray, beige, off-white. We have decided to go with Sienna while keeping the navy blue trim.





After finishing all the trim they applied the new texture so the new color on the walls would have an even finish



Tomorrow they will start putting the color on the walls.

What a day! Alex and I are both hurting in places we didn't know existed. We have decided to have the exteria of the house refinished using tex-cote and we had to do some prep work ahead of time. Out front we had some overgrown plants with roots going well below the foundation line which all had to be cut down. It took all day and we're pretty exhuasted. We resorted to Panda Express for dinner because I just didn't want to face standing on my feet a moment longer. Anyway, we are going to have a light gray house with dark blue trim. To give you an idea of what we did today here are some before and after photos.

Alex starting the job


View from the street - you can see how much work is needed in the front yard


Alex wondering why I'm the one with the camera while he's doing all the work


Not even close to being done


Now we (Alex) just have to pull the roots - easier said than done


More photos in a week or two when the house has been resurfaced.

Charlie came over for dinner tonight with Joelle so I cooked

Pork Tenderloin with Maple Glaze

2 12- to 14-ounce pork tenderloins
2 teaspoons crumbled dried sage leaves
1 tablespoon butter
6 tablespoons pure maple syrup
6 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

Rub pork tenderloins all over with crumbled dried sage; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Melt butter in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot and bubbling. Add pork tenderloins and cook until brown on all sides, turning occasionally, about 6 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook until thermometer inserted into pork registers 150°F, turning occasionally, about 10 minutes longer. Transfer pork to platter; cover to keep warm.
Whisk 5 tablespoons maple syrup, 4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar and Dijon mustard in small bowl to blend. Set aside. Add remaining 2 tablespoons vinegar to skillet and bring to boil, scraping up any browned bits. Reduce heat to medium-low. Return pork and any accumulated juices to skillet; add maple syrup mixture and turn pork in glaze just until coated, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Transfer pork to cutting board. Cut pork into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Stir remaining 1 tablespoon maple syrup into glaze. Season glaze to taste with salt and pepper.

Arrange pork slices on plates. Spoon glaze over pork and serve.

I served this with little white potatoes, steamed and buttered, and a green salad.