While the month of January is not quite over, the 27th is close enough for me. I thought it would be fun to share some of our favorite recipes and book reviews from this month. (Because I realized that I am the boss of this blog, I can do whatever I want!)
January Foods:
Since Rob and I are both part of the CSA here in Bend (Community Supported Agriculture), we get weekly supplies of produce from around Oregon. Being winter, we are stuck in root vegetable and apple season.
Below are some the meals we've been having this month:
Potato and leek frittata:
http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipe/potato-leek-frittata
We use 6 whole eggs, top with white cheddar, and serve with side salad. An easy week night meal.
Butternut squash and sage pasta:
http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/food/2012/02/22/penne-with-butternut-squash-and-sage.html
This is from my favorite cookbook: America's Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook. I like to throw in a cup of peas.
Greens and garbanzo bean soup:
http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/garbanzo-beans-greens-50400000109639/
We get an abundance of kale and chard every week that I get overwhelmed with. These kinds of recipes always work great for using whatever I have in the fridge. I also never remember to get 2 cans of beans, so 1 always seems to work fine for us. We splurged and got a fancy loaf of bread from the market too.
Pork chops and roasted vegetables:
On the weekends I like to go to our local butcher to get inspiration. This week, he talked me into pork chops, cooked on the stove with a little butter. Who could resist? I roasted some brussel sprouts, potatoes, and some of that pesky leftover butternut squash with rosemary, salt, and oil. Yum!
Jessica's Book Review for January:
Ahab's Wife. Ugh. (Can that one word be my review?)
At 650 pages, it's intimidating, but Goodreads recommended it based on my review of The Red Tent, so I gave it a shot. The first 1/3 flies by, I would even call it enthralling. Then it bottoms out. To provide a brief plot summary (no spoilers involved), it's supposed to be the untold story from the wife of Ahab (from Moby Dick). She disguises herself as a boy and runs away on a whaling ship early on. The story abroad is great, interesting. Then she decides to be a woman, have babies, cry to the earth, mourn death, talk to the moon. The story continues on for years, randomly hopping from one life event to the next with little continuity or reason to care.
I will give it 3 stars on Goodreads simply because I believe 2 stars is mean.
Rob's Book Review:
All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy.
A cheesy romance movie starring Matt Damon and Penelope Cruz? I think not! I never saw the movie and probably never will, but this book is perhaps one of the greatest american novels of our generation. Written with the straightforward, no non-sense style of a Hemingway novel, this book tells the captivating story of two friends traveling by horseback into Mexico. This is their tale and it's one of brotherhood, adventure, love, and murder. I highly recommend having a look - but you don't have to take my word for it.
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Snowshoes and Beer
We had some friends visit us from Corvallis this past weekend and thought it would be perfect time to learn snoeshowing.
[As a side note, this being our first winter, employed, in Oregon, Rob and I both wanted to experience Bend the way it was meant to be - on the slopes. So Rob went all out and bought skis and a season pass for Mt Bachelor. I, on the other hand, chickened out. Why does waking up at 7am, spending all day in the cold, falling down in the snow not sound exciting to me? While everyone else is counting the days left in the ski season, I am counting down the days until I can wear flip flops again.]
We headed up to Todd Lake, at the base of the Sisters and Mt Bachelor, to spend the afternoon. Rob and I went there last year and cross-country skied, which was more terrifying and exhausting than it probably should have been. This time I brought my camera and blue skies.
I wish that I could say that the weather is always so gorgeous and the snow so perfect, but I really think we lucked out. It's great for convincing people that we live in paradise. :)
Todd Lake trail: ~6 miles round trip, flat terrain, back country trails.
South Sister in White:
The Crew: Drew, Carrie, Rob, myself. I met Carrie at a book club in Corvallis. Rob and Drew were both grad students at OSU, coming from UT, by way of Colorado. I remember the first time I met Carrie at a book club meeting, after introducing myself from Austin, TX, she asked if we wanted to watch the OU/TX game together that weekend. I said, sure, but I'll be rooting for OU. Hence, the rivalry continues. (OU beat TX that year).
Mt Bachelor in all his glory:
My head:
After Carrie's food meltdown.
These suckers dive bombed us repeatedly until Drew almost killed one with a snowball.
Sorry, PETA.
Todd Lake:
After heading back into town, we thought it was a good excuse to do some pub crawling. We tried out the new brewery Crux then my favorite Cascade Lakes. I always like to sneak in an excuse to eat at BTBS (Broken Top Bottle Shop) - so we headed there for dinner. They have THE best beer selection, THE best food, and THE worst service in town. Total ski bums as wait staff, but god, their food! I have been known to go there 3 times in a week. Just sayin.
Sunday we headed to my favorite breakfast stop, then did a quick hike up pilot butte:
No better way to spend a weekend than with great friends, great food, and great weather.
Saturday, January 12, 2013
Getting to Know the Sisters
Since my original goal for this blog was to have a dumping ground for all my pictures, I better start from the beginning.
Below are pictures from our first week here in Bend: Labor Day Weekend, 2011. We decided to summit the South Sister on Rob's last weekend before joining the real world again. I was intimidated to say the least - it's 12 miles round trip with 5,000 ft elevation gain. And coming from sea level in Corvallis, we were already at a disadvantage with the trail base near 6,000 ft.
For those not familiar with the area, here is an excerpt I found about about the Three Sisters range - hey, a little learning never hurt anyone:
The Three Sisters are three volcanic peaks of the Cascade Volcanic Arc and the Cascade Range in Oregon, each of which exceeds 10,000 ft in elevation. They are the third, fourth, and fifth highest peaks in the state of Oregon and are located in the Three Sisters Wilderness. The Three Sisters are the centerpiece of a region of closely grouped volcanic peaks which form an exception to the typical 40- to 60-mile spacing between volcanoes elsewhere in the Cascades. South Sister is the youngest and tallest volcano of the trio.
Here they are from our viewpoint in Bend (South sister is second from the left):
Enough talking, check out our hike:
Below are pictures from our first week here in Bend: Labor Day Weekend, 2011. We decided to summit the South Sister on Rob's last weekend before joining the real world again. I was intimidated to say the least - it's 12 miles round trip with 5,000 ft elevation gain. And coming from sea level in Corvallis, we were already at a disadvantage with the trail base near 6,000 ft.
For those not familiar with the area, here is an excerpt I found about about the Three Sisters range - hey, a little learning never hurt anyone:
The Three Sisters are three volcanic peaks of the Cascade Volcanic Arc and the Cascade Range in Oregon, each of which exceeds 10,000 ft in elevation. They are the third, fourth, and fifth highest peaks in the state of Oregon and are located in the Three Sisters Wilderness. The Three Sisters are the centerpiece of a region of closely grouped volcanic peaks which form an exception to the typical 40- to 60-mile spacing between volcanoes elsewhere in the Cascades. South Sister is the youngest and tallest volcano of the trio.
Here they are from our viewpoint in Bend (South sister is second from the left):
Enough talking, check out our hike:
Green Lake - the trailhead
Snow in September!
On our way up.
Broken Top
Close shot of South Sister
Mt Bachelor
Steep ascents
The bachelors.
Tear Drop Lake - highest lake in Oregon.
Taking a rest.
We made it!
Middle Sister - North Sister - Mt. Washington - Mt Jefferson
Edge of the world.
Back at home, watching the sunset in our little mountain home.
Saturday, January 5, 2013
My First Blog
Since I have always been slow to jump on the technology train, it seems fitting to start a blog now. Now that the blogging world has been bloated with photos of smiling, crying babies (and cats). Now that anyone with an internet connection can share their opinions (spelling and grammar not required). Now that the novelty of a blog is about as cool as myspace. Now that I am 30. It is definitely time for me to blog.
So why am I doing this? Like any engineer, I like to address the problem statement first. I don't have babies or cats to speak of and certainly don't have strong opinions worth sharing in a public forum. I am not really much for attention, but maybe that is the point. I want to share my pictures and thoughts with those who count in this little corner of space. I had a xanga account in my 20s, thankfully long-removed (god, I hope so). And I like to believe that my 30s will bring more insight, joy, satisfaction. And hey, I want to share it with my family and friends!
About the name of my blog: I struggled with what I was doing again. I wanted something Oregon related, but kept coming up with names that sounded like a travel digest or western frontier-ish. I don't claim to know much about Oregon. But I do live here and that seems to be enough to distinguish myself from the rest of my family. And while I don't plan on writing travel series on top hikes in central Oregon, I did want to share this part of the country as we experience it.
So welcome to my blog! Keep track of Rob and I as we figure out the NW. While we enter into a new stage of our lives. And as I learn how to use my new camera. Maybe someday we can share pictures of babies and puppies. Until then - enjoy our simple life here in Bend.
So why am I doing this? Like any engineer, I like to address the problem statement first. I don't have babies or cats to speak of and certainly don't have strong opinions worth sharing in a public forum. I am not really much for attention, but maybe that is the point. I want to share my pictures and thoughts with those who count in this little corner of space. I had a xanga account in my 20s, thankfully long-removed (god, I hope so). And I like to believe that my 30s will bring more insight, joy, satisfaction. And hey, I want to share it with my family and friends!
About the name of my blog: I struggled with what I was doing again. I wanted something Oregon related, but kept coming up with names that sounded like a travel digest or western frontier-ish. I don't claim to know much about Oregon. But I do live here and that seems to be enough to distinguish myself from the rest of my family. And while I don't plan on writing travel series on top hikes in central Oregon, I did want to share this part of the country as we experience it.
So welcome to my blog! Keep track of Rob and I as we figure out the NW. While we enter into a new stage of our lives. And as I learn how to use my new camera. Maybe someday we can share pictures of babies and puppies. Until then - enjoy our simple life here in Bend.
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