Road Food

We're in Coeur d'Alene, ID and I knew we would be out and about for lunch today so I went to the website Roadfood.com to see what might be in the area. Yes, I have it bookmarked - We're retired, remember!!

Hudsons Hamburgers - been making them since 1907 and they have perfected simple meat, pickle, onion, and sauce in a bun. No fries, no shakes, no lettuce, just hamburgers AND pie!
This place is a long narrow room with a counter and maybe fifteen bar stools. We got there just before noon and had to wait a few minutes for someone to FINALLY finish and get gone so we could feed ourselves!! It was good though because we had a seat right in front of the grill. The cook was forming those patties as he slapped 'em on the grill. By the time we were finished eating the line was out the door a ways!
I don't know why I can't remember to take pictures of food before I start to eat! No way you're going to see a picture of that piece of pie that JC and I shared!
That's right folks - the hamburger was just over $2. It was really good, too! They also make a breakfast ham and egg sandwich, but they stopped serving those at 11:00.

Plant Rescue!!

Poor, poor, pitiful plant. It actually needs to be rescued from me, not by me!! This plant is a descendant of a trio that I received when my girls were born almost 29 years ago. Those three little plants went through repottings and enough generations to supply a greenhouse. Sadly this and one healthy plant that was adopted out to my mother are all that remain.
The only reason this one is still alive is because my good friend G made sure it was watered when we were out RVing for 5 months last season. Of course it hadn't been watered much since and I felt bad about pushing that responsibility on G again, so I decided to bring it with us for this RVing season. This is the first time it has seen the sun in years as it was in my windowless condo bathroom.

It had gotten quite scraggly so I gave it a severe haircut just before we left. Notice the signs of new life - maybe there is hope yet. My only fear is that I will leave it sitting on a picnic table in some random RV park. To be continued . . . . .

Granola

I made a double batch of granola today because we are heading out in the RV soon and my little Advantium oven really can't accommodate large cookie sheets and I don't have the patience or want to spend the time it would take to bake small batches! This is a really tasty recipe and you can adapt it to suit your tastes which is exactly what I did to the original recipe!! Its great with milk, yoghurt, fruit, ice cream, chocolate - use your imagination!

Granola

Adapted from a recipe by Alton Brown

Episode EA1E06

3 Cups rolled oats (old-fashioned oats)

1 Cup slivered almonds

1 Cup coarsely chopped walnuts

¾ Cup shredded unsweetened coconut

¼ Cup + 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

¼ Cup + 2 tablespoons maple syrup

¼ Cup vegetable oil

¾ teaspoon salt (I often omit this)

1 Cup raisins (I often omit this)

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine the oats, nuts, coconut, and brown sugar.

In a separate bowl, combine maple syrup, oil, and salt. Combine both mixtures and pour onto 2 sheet pans. Cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes to achieve an even color. (I usually only stir twice, after 30 minutes and after an hour – I think it makes for chunkier granola.)

Remove from oven and transfer into a larger bowl. Add raisins and mix until evenly distributed.

UFO's

Don't panic - we aren't being invaded - yet. Unfinished objects are cluttering my life and making me feel guilty about all the new projects waiting in the wings, so there's a new rule!!

MUST COMPLETE TWO UFO'S BEFORE STARTING ANOTHER PROJECT!!!! MUSTMUSTMUSTMUST!!

(at least until I get down to a more reasonable number like 20 or 30 or so) : )

The Best Carrot Cake - Evah!!!

Just look at that beauty! Oh man, it is sweet, nutty, moist, spicy and just downright pretty!!

This recipe is from my new favorite food blog: Pioneer Woman (click on the name to go there). I discerned from her writings that she lives on a horse/cattle ranch somewhere in Oklahoma and her blog is full of good recipes and she is really funny. Click here for the recipe to the carrot cake. I actually cut the recipe in half and put it in an 8x8 pan at 350 for about 30 minutes. I did that because, well, there are just two of us and a full cake just seems a bit over the top. Of course that was before we tasted it! Run to the store and get the stuff to make this cake . . . Now! What are you waiting for?

We had dinner out on Saturday with our good friends A and G. G had made reservations at the Pink Door in Post Alley near Pike Place Market. We sat out on the deck and enjoyed a beautiful Seattle summer evening and all the bounty that the Pacific Northwest has to offer:

Halibut with two sauces, an heirloom tomato reduction and an herb infused vinaigrette.
And Cioppino - prawns, mussels, clams, and calamari in a spicy tomato and white wine broth!

Yep - I copied that straight from the online menu!!

Yummy!

JC's Favorite Sandwich

JC's favorite sandwich is home made egg salad.

eggs, Miracle Whip, mayo, chopped bread and butter pickles, finely diced onion, mustard, celery salt, salt and pepper.

Yummy!
Yummier with bacon on top!
The finished product - not the healthiest, but we did have cantaloupe for a side dish!