Cozumel: A (Very) Little Winter Escape

Cozumel: A (Very) Little Winter Escape

Good morning, dear ones! After waking at 4 a.m. (UGH!) to drive home from Seattle this morning, I had high hopes of arriving in time to write you a long, newsy post. Alas, dense fog, pouring rain, and heavy traffic threw those plans right out the window. Instead as I look out my window at the aforementioned fog and pouring rain, I’m going to conjure up my own little sunny vacation with a few pics of sand, sun and water from a past trip to Cozumel. I hope they cheer your heart as much as they do mine. ๐Ÿ™‚

How are YOU? How was your weekend? What is your favorite memory of the last two days?

Washington: Hickory Smoke Salmon with Caramelized Onions

Washington: Hickory Smoke Salmon with Caramelized Onions

Hooray! It’s Friday!!! I have such lovely things to look forward to this weekend that I want to fast forward through this day and get to the good stuff. So sit back as I share some photos from beautiful Washington, and I’ll tell you all about it. ๐Ÿ™‚

I’ve been very ill for the last week and cooped up in my house for so long I’ve got a serious case of cabin fever. Thankfully my lovely doctor has me feeling heaps better and I’m celebrating by visiting a whole slew of dear folks.

Tonight I get to have Chinese food with my grandies and parents, then spend the evening chatting up a storm with a new friend while we sip coffee andย  indulge in this Mocha Cinnamon Tart.

Saturday I’m heading down to Seattle for a mini-reunion with two dear friends from waaaaay back in the good ol’ days. I haven’t seen them in years and I’m SO excited that at last our paths have crossed once more and we get to catch up over a scrumptious meal and explore downtown Seattle.

Then I get to see my beloved brother and sis-in-law for more good food and great talks, and who knows what mischief we’ll get into. I don’t care what it is. We can sit and stare out the window for all I care – I’m just so happy to get to see so many people I love all in one weekend.ย  ๐Ÿ™‚

What are your plans for this weekend? Are you suffering from cabin fever like me? Or are you looking forward to some quiet, cozy moments at home? Whatever your plans, I wish you much happiness and will see you Monday morning bright and early to hear all about your adventures. ๐Ÿ™‚

If you have a free moment today, my article on an Amsterdam Flea Market is up at The Travel Belles! Click here to view: A Colorful Grey Day in Amsterdam, and leave a comment to let me know what you think. ๐Ÿ™‚

In the meantime I’ll share my favorite dish of this week: Hickory Smoke Salmon with Caramelized Onions. I love it so much I had it for lunch AND dinner today! The onions are cooked until they’re lovely brown and sweet. A handful of brown sugar and some liquid smoke make them even more tasty. Simply pile them on top of your salmon, bake the whole lot for twenty minutes and you will have salmon that is moist and packed with flavor. It keeps well in the fridge and reheats beautifully, so it’s perfect for weekday lunches.

Happy weekend! ๐Ÿ™‚

Hickory Smoke Salmon with Caramelized Onions

Ingredients:

1 salmon, split and deboned (can also use fillets)
butter
olive oil
3 large onions, halved and sliced thinly
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp liquid hickory smoke
salt

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
  2. Lightly oil a baking sheet and place salmon on top, skin side down. Sprinkle with salt and set aside.
  3. Melt butter and olive oil in saucepan and add all the onions. Stir and cook for a long time, 20-30 minutes until onions are soft, brown and begin to caramelize.
  4. Add brown sugar and cook another 5-10 minutes.
  5. Add liquid hickory smoke, stir and cook for 1 minute.
  6. Pour onion mixture over salmon.
  7. Bake 20-30 minutes until salmon is cooked to desired level of doneness.
A Walk Through Stormy Paris

A Walk Through Stormy Paris

Good morning! Brrr, it’s SO cold in Washington this week. I’m huddled under a quilt, have my apple cinnamon tea at hand, and am happily noshing my way through my first bag of mandarin oranges. Woohoo!! Those little beauties always feel like the holidays to me. ๐Ÿ™‚

Today I thought we’d continue our walk through stormy Paris, admiring gold-tipped wrought-iron gates and stunning apartments while thick, black clouds roll in, preparing to drench us.

When in Paris I am compelled to wander, amble and stroll. There is something so lovely about not having a specific destination, simply starting out in one direction and seeing where it takes you. I even like not knowing what I’m looking at. It’s much more fun to imagine the stories behind those stern gates, curved windows, and massive doors.

I wonder if the people who live or work in the above building ever climb that tower for a stolen moment to read or watch the people passing by. I know I’d have to.

Who are the people living in these apartments? Do they mind not having a yard or a patch of grass to sit on? I wonder if there is a rooftop garden hidden behind those chimneys? Or perhaps a courtyard in the middle? I’d sure like one if I lived there. And maybe some window boxes overflowing with red geraniums, pink petunias, fragrant alyssum and royal blue lobelia. Wouldn’t that cheer things up beautifully?

If you could spend a month in Paris, where would you like to stay? A fancy hotel, modern apartment, gabled attic room, a creaky walk-up, a villa hidden behind gates?

South Africa: Red Lentil Curry and Braai Black Fin

South Africa: Red Lentil Curry and Braai Black Fin

A couple months ago my dear friends, Cameron and Robin, returned from an extended trip to South Africa. Robin was there a year helping women trapped in the sex trade, and Cameron was there for a few months designing and creating a sculpture to be featured in the facility where Robin worked.

Both Cameron and Robin are part of my cooking club and are such fabulous people. Authentic, down-to-earth, kind and loving, they make all our lives better just being there each week. They’re also fantastic, inventive cooks. They’re the sort of folks who can look in the fridge and cupboard, pull out random ingredients and put them together in ways that make us all swoon.

While in Africa they didn’t have a big kitchen to putter around in. Their tools were limited to a funny little hot plate and a small Braai – the South African BBQ. But that didn’t stop them. They still managed to churn out the most scrumptious dishes, and today I’m delighted to share two of them with you.

The first is a red lentil curry made at Museum Park, Pretoria Central, South Africa. They picked up spices at their local Pick and Pay, turned on their hot plate and started cooking. They added garlic powder, cracked mustard seed,
celery seed, and birds eye red peppers to red lentils and black pepper.

Then covered the lot with water and let it simmer for 45 minutes until the lentils were tender and flavorful.

While visiting the Cape of Good Hope, they got a craving for fresh fish. Although staying at a backpacker hostel, they were delighted to find a Braai (BBQ) at their disposal. They picked up a local black fish called Rock Fin from Kalk Bay, a small town on the Cape of Good Hope. They got some off the shelf braai spice at the Checkers grocery marketย  down the street and grilled the Rock Fin until the skin was browned and crispy and the fish flaked beautifully.

I’m hungry just writing about it! ๐Ÿ™‚ Makes me want to hop on the next plane to South Africa and explore that incredible country, closing each day with dear friends and homemade food cooked on a hot plate.

This is my contribution to Wanderfood Wednesday.

Cameron and Robin’s Red Lentil Curry

Ingredients:

1 package red lentils
black pepper
garlic powder
cracked mustard seed
celery seed
birds eye red peppers

Directions:

  1. Combine everything, cover with water, bring to boil and simmer for 45 minutes until lentils are tender.
  2. Serve with fresh bread.
A Stormy Stroll and Dessert in Paris

A Stormy Stroll and Dessert in Paris

Storm clouds billowed up looking dark, menacing and absolutely beautiful one Fall afternoon in Paris last year. Undaunted by the impending storm, I tossed a red scarf about my neck and walked briskly through the crowded city streets and into the Jardin des Tuileries.

How I love Parisian gardens, be they small, tidy ones tucked away at the back of an old church, or grand, sprawling ones like the Tuileries or Luxembourg. The Tuileries was my favorite that trip. It was a five minute walk from my brother’s apartment, and the perfect escape from honking horns and yelling passersby.

It was a source of never-ending delight for me since I never knew what I’d find there. Fully expecting marble or stone statues in classic poses, I was highly amused by this fellow and his compatriots dotting the landscape for some sort of exhibit.

I strolled past amorous lovers, watched children shrieking with laughter as they played tag in the trees, smiled at finely dressed elderly couples walking slowly along hand in hand.

The massive gates of the gardens always make me feel special, like I’ve been granted access to a place normally reserved for royalty. I smile as I walk through them, suddenly feeling more confident and not caring one bit that I may be the only woman in the park not wearing heels.

It was a beautiful morning, made all the more lovely by a stop at a cafe for luscious Crรจme caramel and a hot, strong cup of espresso.

My friend Tuula has a great post up today featuring 17 Ideas for An Afternoon in Paris. It’s perfect for a bit of armchair traveling on this cold, Fall day.

What would be your ideal dessert on a wander through Paris?