Snow in Edmonds

Travels with George and Marta Posted on by

December Snow in Edmonds

We have been in a cold weather pattern since Saturday. A low pressure created a trough which pulled cold air down from Alaska and British Columbia. It has pushed the cold down into California.

The forecast was for snow to start as early as late Tuesday night. Wednesday morning – nothing. The Olympics created a snow shadow and no snow. The doppler radars screens were amazing. It had created a doughnut with snow circling around the edges of the Puget Sound.

Everyone was gripping on Wednesday about how the schools had canceled their classes but there was no snow. I feel so sorry for the administrators who have to make a decision at 5:30am on what to do. The best headline was “Seattle paralyzed by chance of snow”.

We kept waiting around but nothing happened. Then it finally started yesterday afternoon around 3pm. It was light small flakes. We got a good coating by the early evening.

Snow Storm in Edmonds

It continued this morning. I took the ruler and checked the amount on the deck. We received 2-3 inches. The traffic was a mess. There are many major highways closed and people abandoning vehicles. I am sooooo glad that I do not have to drive in it.

I decided to go out for a walk this afternoon. I bundled up, pulled out the hiking boots, gators to cover the ankles and keep the snow out of my shoes and started out. I was surprised at the amount of people out, both walking and also driving.

First I headed for Chase Lake, a small pond that is behind our house. It is a peat bog and used as a storm runoff area. It was covered with a light coating of ice. Under the bridge there was a small bit of the pond that hadn’t yet started to ice over. Two ducks were swimming around wondering what the hell was going on. A snow plow went by. Cool. I hadn’t seen one in the neighborhood before. It was good to see that Edmonds had one checking the major streets.

I came back and then walked the opposite way. The street goes up hill. The kids were out with their sleds. At the top, was an accident. One truck had slide into a fire hydrant and rock after hitting another truck. Fortunately, it had not caused any water to leak from the hydrant.

Back home, I have been watching the birds in our backyard. We have suet cakes up which attract flickers and woodpeckers. We have two hummingbird feeders and a group of Anna hummingbirds which over winter in our area. We have been bringing them in at night to prevent them from freezing and then put them out in the morning. They are always waiting nearby for the feeder.

Currently it is 27 and snow continues. Here are some pictures from my walk.

December Snow in Edmonds December Snow in Edmonds
December Snow in Edmonds December Snow in Edmonds
December Snow in Edmonds December Snow in Edmonds

Where is Borneo?

Travels with George and Marta Posted on by


View Larger Map

Do you know where Borneo is located? I didn’t. I had a little bit of an idea but I had to break out the atlas to get a good idea of where it is located.

Borneo is an island in Southeast Asia. The South China Sea borders the island to the north. Across the South China Sea is Vietnam and Cambodia. Malaysia is to the west. Indonesia is to the west and south. The Philippines are to the East. It is the third largest island in the world. It is also the third highest mountain with Mt. Kinabalu at 13,435 ft.

The island is administered by three countries. The southern half of the island is Kalimantan, the Indonesian part of the country. Brunei occupies a small portion in the northern part of the island. The remaining northern part of the island is Malaysia. This is the part of the island we will be visiting.

There are two states in Malaysian Borneo; Sabah and Sarawak. We will spend about one week in each portion. Starting in Kota Kinabalu, we plan on visiting Mt. Kinabalu and the rainforest near Lahad Datu in the Sabah state. Then we will move to Kuching in Sawarak.

I’m excited. This will be a big adventure for us. We have not visited the jungle before other than a few days in the mountain rainforests in Costa Rica. It will also be our first vacation in Asia. I’ve been to Singapore for business for just a few days but that is it.

There are a lot of unknowns – how will we handle the heat? The humidity? The food? The culture? But we will see some amazing things.

Borneo – Here We Come

Travels with George and Marta Posted on by

We did it! We booked our air tickets to Borneo today. Making the first reservation is always the hardest part of traveling for me.

Back in November, we were looking for a place to visit in January or February. I started to follow the airfare to Rome but it just didn’t excite us. I took a look at the airfare to Australia – still up around 1500-2000. What about New Zealand? Even higher – 2000-2500.



Rafflesia
Originally uploaded by cornstaruk

G suggested looking at Southeast Asia. Bangkok was more reasonable, 850-900. Possible. We love to trave; to places where there are plants or gardens that interest us. We have been seeing Rafflessia – the largest flower in the world. We also have a collection of nepenthes, carnivorous pitcher plants. Both of these plants grow on the island of Borneo. I even bought G a book on the “Pitcher Plants of Borneo” when I visited Singapore in 2000. People have also told us about Mount Kinabalu in Borneo. I’m not in any shape to climb this 13,000ft peak but I wouldn’t mind doing some day hikes along the trail to the top.

I checked out the flights to Kota Kinabalu (KK) and discovered that Asiana airlines flies to KK from Seattle via Seoul. And the airfare wasn’t bad. Less than $1,000 US! It was much easier to go via Seoul than going via Los Angeles to Singapore or Kuala Lumpur. Coming back is not going to be great since we have a 12 hour layover in Seoul but we hope to do a half day tour from the airport.

For the past couple of weeks, we have been pouring over every guidebook on Borneo we could get from the library. I searched the forums and googled different destinations. We worked up a potential itinerary, discussed dates and decided to go for it.

I also sent off a reservation request to the Borneo Rainforest Lodge. Several people have recommended this lodge on Fodors and it sounds like a great place to see wildlife in the wild instead of rehabilitation center.

Now to work on accommodations.

Frozen day in Edmonds

Travels with George and Marta Posted on by

Snowy Day at Edmonds

We are current in a deep freeze. These happen rarely here in the Pacific Northwest but when they do, they are always difficult. The temperatures dropped Saturday night and it started snowing. Sunday was cold and eventually the sun came out. But it never warmed up.

And then the sun went down and the temperatures plunged into the teens. Last night it was a low of around 15 degrees. A few of G’s plants got freezer burn even in the greenhouse. Tonight he is running an extra heater to protect them.

I went for a walk down along the shore on Sunset Drive. My god was it cold. The wind was coming strong from the North. The sound was covered by white caps. My cheeks were stung and burned by the crisp north wind.

The sun is down and stars are out. It is not a good sign. That means another hard freeze tonight. It is already 22 degrees at 7:30pm. Brrrrr… And the forecast is for snow and more cold the rest of the week.


Snowy Day at Edmonds
White caps on the sound – Mt. Baker in the distance.

Sunday SlowSoupers #4 – Italian Wedding Soup

Travels with George and Marta Posted on by


Italian Wedding Soup

It is week 4 of the Sunday Slow Soupers ~ a group soup cook-a-long on Slow Travel. This week’s selection is Italian Wedding Soup selected by Slow Travel member Teaberry.

I had never heard of Italian Wedding Soup before. I grew up on the west coast and although we had a large Italian population in the valley I had never come across it. Recently, I saw it canned in the stores under the Progresso brand.

I did a little research on the soup. It is not a soup that is served at an Italian wedding but instead a mistranslation of the Italian name “Minestra maritata” which translates to married soup. The soup originated in southern Italy and the name came from the marrying of the flavor of meat and greens.

The main ingredients in the soup are the meatballs, greens, carrots and chicken broth. Many recipes also add pasta or egg.

I used ground beef as my meat of choice for the meatballs. They have a wonderful flavor from cinnamon and allspice. I haven’t made many savory dishes which use these spices so this soup was a new flavor adventure for me. Now I want to try more dishes. They were wonderful with the bitter green arugula.

Several Slow Soupers recommended baking the meatballs instead of frying. You can bake them instead at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. I want to try that next time. My soup ended up a little fatty. My meatballs also burned a little bit so my soup ended up darker than several others. I also omitted the bacon.

It is perfect to warm you up on a icy cold December evening.

Italian Wedding Soup

Meatballs:

2 eggs beaten
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
3 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
3 cloves minced garlic
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 pound ground turkey (or ground meat of choice)
2 tablespoons olive oil
spices: 3/4 teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon allspice, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon salt

Mix everything together, and roll into 1″ balls. Saute in the olive oil until lightly browned on the outside. Set aside.

Soup ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped celery
3 cloves minced garlic
3 diced strips of turkey bacon (or regular bacon)
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons Marsala wine
2 quarts of chicken stock
1 cup orzo
1 tablespoon dried oregano
4 fresh leaves of basil, chopped
3 cups of arugula

1/2 cup shredded Parmigiano for garnish

Saute the onions, celery, carrots, and garlic in large soup pot for 5 – 6 minutes. Add the turkey bacon and the balsamic vinegar, and let all the flavors mix and blend.

Add the Marsala and let this cook down a little. When it is almost evaporated, add the chicken stock, orzo, meatballs, and oregano. Simmer this for about 15 minutes, til the orzo is soft.

Add the basil and arugula and cook for about 1 more minute. Serve with a sprinkling of Parmigiano for garnish.

PhotoHunt: Favorite

Travels with George and Marta Posted on by

Oaxacan Carved Cats
Oaxacan wood carved cat figure

This week’s photohunt is Favorite. I thought about this for a while. Several items came to mind; hike, garden, flower, food. But I wanted to do something a little bit more personal and I choose to show my favorite souvenir.

I started collecting Oaxacan wood carvings of cats on our first trip to Tuscon. We travel each spring to view the wildflowers and gardens in the Southwest. The gift stores will frequently have a small assortment of Oaxacan wood carvings. These are a traditional art from the area around Oaxaca Mexico. The “figuras” are carved typically in the form of an animal but some are more fantastic and are then called “alebrije”. They are painted in bright colors and decorated. Some are rather simple and other very elaborate. Here is more information on the process used to create the figuras.

I’ve collected several over the years during our travels in the Western States. I always look over the selection of various animals and find a cat. One day I hope to travel to Oaxaca to see the artisans in action and purchase them directly.

Here are a few of my favorites.


Oaxacan Carved Cats

Oaxacan Carved Cats

Oaxacan Carved Cats
The smallest one of the collection

Oaxacan Carved Cats
Doesn’t he look old?

Oaxacan Carved Cats
My favorite – I love the flowers and bright red

No more recipes in the Seattle Times

Travels with George and Marta Posted on by

The Seattle Times has been shrinking and shrinking over the past few years. I’ve seen the sections consolidate, columnists and writers disappear, and an increase in syndicated articles. This week even more major changes happened in the Times. There are only three sections now. I don’t read Sports so for me – it is down to two small sections. There were 22 pages including 4 full page ads in the first section and 18 in the second section in today’s paper.

The reasons, lack of revenue and burden of operating under the Joint Operating Agreement. But it is getting ridiculous. I think they have cut too far now . They are almost asking their readers to leave. We had already started to think about canceling our subscription (after 30 years!) and reading it online.

Today was another disappointing day for the new format. There were no food recipes at all in the paper. It is Wednesday, right? I’m even wondering if there is still a food section. The only hint of the old food section was a column by the food writer, Nancy Leson, which is really more of a local restaurant blog. I never even cared much for the column. They had some little insert about the latest hot cocktail. Hmmm… maybe that might appeal to a younger crowd but I doubt if they even read the newspaper. Oh yeah some article about a new book on “Seattle’s Historic Restaurants.” But nothing about food.

The article above announcing the changes never said that there wouldn’t be a food section but it did say that there would no longer be a NW Life where the food was published. Not only are the recipes gone but also the wine column and the gardening section. I just assumed that they would be reduced and moved in with another section. I guess I was wrong. And I think it is a big mistake.

I went to lunch with a former co-worker and I checked out the Seattle Post Intelligencer. It is our second newspaper and part of the JOA. They had a good page or two devoted to food and several good sounding recipes. They also had a good article on food gifts you could make for Christmas.

I’ve always liked the PI. It has a more liberal slant compared than the moderate Republican slant of the Seattle Times. But I stayed with the Times because they had more depth and content. Or they did at one time.

But after the latest changes this week – the PI is looking real good. Hell for that matter – even the Everett Herald is looking good.

Richmond Beach Bonfire

Travels with George and Marta Posted on by

Bonfire at Richmond Beach

The great thing living here in the Puget Sound area is the tradition of the Christmas Ships. Many of the live aboards will decorate their ships with Christmas lights. Each marina has a special night where the boats will go out along with a large party ship to sing carols to groups gathered on shore.

We’ve been going for the past 5 years and it is great fun. The boats will gather at the Edmonds Marina and then travel south to Richmond Beach Park in Shoreline where there is a large bonfire. In the past, there have been two large bonfires but this year there was only one. We suspected it was another sign of hard economic times.

And it was crowded this year. Last year, it was freezing cold – 28 degrees. We think that might of kept the crowd down a bit. But this year, it was warmer – 40 degrees. Or maybe families were looking for free entertainment.


Bonfire at Richmond Beach

Bonfire at Richmond Beach
Totem in the moon and firelight – Richmond Beach Park – Shoreline

Sunday SlowSoupers #3 – Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Travels with George and Marta Posted on by

Butternut Soup

It is week 3 of the Sunday Slow Soupers ~ a group soup cook-a-long on Slow Travel. This week’s host is Krista from In and Out of the Garden.

I love butternut squash. It has such a smooth texture and is perfect for soups and gratins. I’m not a fan of acorn squash and pumpkin which I find is much more stringy when cooked. I was excited to try Krista’s soup.

Many recipes have you cut and dice the squash which I find very challenging. Elise at Simply Recipes has a great post on how to peel and cut a squash that I am going to try next time I need to dice a butternut squash. This time I only needed to cut it in half which I find daunting enough. I’m not very skilled with a knife and inevitably end up with cut fingers. Plus I could only find a large 4 lb squash which was going to be even more challenging to cut in half.

So I called in G to help. He methodically approached it and used a rubber mallet to help cut the squash. You want to do it slowly so you don’t damage your knife but it works. Next time we are going to try cutting off the bottom and top cutting straight down.

After the squash is cut, the soup is very easy. You can do the roasting in advance to save even more time. I omitted the pancetta and used vegetable broth. On a cold frost day, the warm soup is very comforting.

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

2 butternut squash, about 2 pounds each (or 1 acorn squash and 1 butternut)
a little butter (or olive oil)
a couple tablespoons diced pancetta (optional)
1 onion, diced
a dash of red pepper flakes (optional)
5-6 cups of chicken (or vegetable) broth
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
dash of freshly ground nutmeg
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

optional garnish: a little creme fraiche or plain yogurt

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut the squash in half and scoop out seeds. In a roasting pan, place the squash with a little pat of butter or a drizzle of olive oil over each piece. Cover the pan with foil and bake for 1-1/2 to 2 hours or until completely cooked through.

2. In a heavy soup pot or Dutch oven, saute the pancetta and onion (or just the onion in some olive oil) until lightly browned. Add some red pepper flakes to taste, if you like a little heat.

3. Scoop the flesh from the roasted squash and add it to the pot. Add 5 cups of vegetable broth and the seasonings and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered for about 10 minutes.

3. Using a hand mini blender, puree the soup until it is smooth and creamy. If it is too thick, add up to a cup more of the broth. Taste and add more salt, if necessary.

4. Serve garnished with with the creme fraiche or yogurt and an extra dash of freshly ground pepper.

Serves at least 6

Note: can be successfully doubled and can be made ahead of time and reheated just before serving.


Butternut Soup Butternut Soup
Butternut Soup Butternut Soup

Butternut Soup


Related:
Squash Soup with Fried Sage Leaves
Squash, Corn and Coconut Soup

PhotoHunt: Breakfast

Travels with George and Marta Posted on by

zucchini olive oil cake

This week’s photohunt is breakfast. Breakfast isn’t big in our house. We don’t eat the typical American breakfast food except for special occasions. G and I each prepare our own meal. G is big into habit. Same thing. Everyday. Veggie burger, sliced apple, banana and glass of cranberry, raspberry, pomegranate juice. I can’t do it. I have to have something different.

I’ll have something more varied. Pasta, Leftovers, sandwich. Today I have a cold so it will be chicken soup.

But for the hunt, I choose a picture of eggs, the quintessential ingredient in the American breakfast.