Category: Food

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Another round of lockdowns…

So, Governor Inslee announced a further round of tightened lockdown rules for Washington state, and anyone who is surprised by this hasn’t been paying attention to what has been happening with Covid-19. Infections, and deaths, have been on the rise for weeks and show no signs of diminishing any time soon.

What this means is that the holiday season is going to be truncated for many of us. I’m totally OK with that to tell the truth, I just wish that they would develop a viable vaccine and get it out into the wild…soon. One of my co-workers is finally back to work today after having contracted it, and spent the last two weeks in quarantine at home. We work at a major hospital in Spokane. I’m so sick of the whole thing.

The reality is that Thanksgiving is going to be a very different experience for a lot of people (at least those who take the threat seriously). Large family gatherings are out. No eating a meal at a restaurant instead of having to cook it yourself. No sitting around, pleasantly bloated watching football with extended family. No Black Friday sales.

Instead, only immediate family will be together on this national holiday. In my case this means the wife, child, and our dog. Granted, I don’t find this to be particularly painful, being that I am a known anti-social A-hole, but that is not the case for my wife. Large family gatherings seem to spring up every time the wind blows when it comes to my in-laws. This was the single hardest thing for me to cope with when I married into that clan.

Any type of gathering on my side of the family was restricted to Thanksgiving, Christmas, and occasionally the 4th of July. And generally, not everyone would make those, either. No big deal, if there was something I needed to know about regarding my siblings my parents made sure I was informed. Since my father is no longer with us most of those events have gone by the wayside, and that’s fine by me.

Trying to accomodate two Thanksgivings, or two Christmases was always a pain in the ass, and always left me feeling grouchy (well, grouchier anyway). For me, these times were meant to be spent with the wife and kid (or alone when I was in the Army), not a bazillion other people all putting up a false front of bonhomie. Someone was always pissed at someone else, or flat-out not a fan of one or more of those gathered for the occasion. Why bother, or even pretend? I’ve never understood that…trust me, if I don’t like you it is readily apparent.

Last year we flew to Phoenix for Thanksgiving, stayed at a 5-star hotel, and partook of the huge holiday feast that their staff prepared. That’s my kind of holiday. And the nice weather didn’t hurt either. No such luck this year. That is the worst part of this whole situation as far as I am concerned…this virus is restricting my ability to just pack up and go somewhere. We like to travel, and generally take a few long weekend trips, and one big trip each year. An international trip is planned for every two to three years.

In fact, we had planned on being in Sicily for three weeks last summer, but well, that didn’t happen for obvious reasons. Nor am I convinced it will be possible in 2021 either. I’m not sure how many more opportunities I will have for such travels in the future (I’m 58) and I begrudge every lost chance. To be honest, if it was just me I would still travel, but it’s not.

Anyway, I would wish everyone the best for the holidays, but…meh. Hopefully we will be able to get past all this horseshit in the relatively near future. I’m crossing my fingers.

 

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20th Anniversary

So, my 20th Anniversary was last week. Yeah, yeah, congrats to me and all that. Here’s the thing though…I count it as 32 years, even if the wife refuses to see the logic.

Allow me to do the math for you: 2 years dating + 10 years engaged + 20 years married = 32 years.  According to her highly suspect woman logic I’m not allowed to count anything before the wedding. Huh? It seems to me that any time spent solely with her should be taken into consideration. I mean, its not like I was seeing other people, right? So married in all but name…that’s my take on it.

Anyway, whether you use my math, or hers, it still adds up to a milestone, and so to celebrate we went to dinner at Churchill’s on Saturday night. Now, as it turns out they have only been reopened for a short time, and  they are once again shutting down dine-in operations as of Sunday. Why? Because of Covid-19…sigh

This was our first real meal eaten in a restaurant in months, and my daughter’s first time dining there period. As usual, the food and service were excellent. I always order the same thing, the 12 ounce Filet, add the pepper sauce please. The wife had the 8 ounce Filet, and the daughter had Braised beef tips with mushroom risotto. Dessert consisted of the Coconut cake and a crème Brulee.

It’s nearly impossible to go wrong at Churchill’s. The food is that good. I really shouldn’t be upset that they are shuttered for operations again (although they do still have packages to go), but I am. Between all of the places that have closed permanently, and the eateries that are only partially open, options to go out are very slim. If I’m going to risk catching the crud, then it has to be worth it.

Yes, I can, and do, cook at home, but it’s just not the same. Besides, sometimes I don’t want to have to work that hard for dinner. I am so done with this pandemic…

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Salsa, nectar of the gods.

I’ve been reading that this will probably be the hottest summer on record, and that got me thinking it would be an excellent opportunity to grow the makings for salsa.

Usually trying to grow hot peppers in the Northwest is a bit of a crap-shoot. Some years are long and hot enough, and others aren’t. Frankly, I’ve not bothered lately because it is always disappointing when it fails.

I’m going to give it another shot though. Fresh, ripe peppers from your own garden taste so much better (and are usually much spicier) so if there is a good chance to succeed then I’ll go for it.

Beefsteak and San Marzano tomato plants were purchased this weekend, along with Jalapeno, Serrano, Fresno red chili, and Hawaiian sweet-hots. These varieties should give a good range of flavors and heat to the salsa’s I will be making. I almost went for Carolina Reaper, Ghost, and Scorpion peppers, but only my wife would truly enjoy them…lol.

Buying two of each will ensure that I not only can make my salsas, but can fry some up to go with steaks, and freeze some for use later in the fall. I really wanted some Hungarian Wax plants (one of my favorites), but was unable to find any.

The heat index, or Scoville unit ratings for these varieties are as follows:

  • Jalapeno- 2,500-5,000
  • Serrano- 6.000-23,000
  • Fresno- 2,500-8,000
  • Hawaiian sweet-hot- 1,000-5,000
  • Hungarian Wax- 5,000-10,000

So, as you can see they fall anywhere between relatively mild to “better have some chips handy” to tame the burn. Perfect, something for everyone. I’ll cross my fingers and hope for the best…there might even be some pictures somewhere along the road.

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Holiday fun…or something like that.

We went to Phoenix for the third time over the Thanksgiving holiday, and for the most part it was good, but… Well, let’s just say that it didn’t start off on a good note. The direct flight we took shortened the flight time considerably, but it doesn’t really matter how long the trip is if the last twenty minutes are spent breathing in the acrid aroma of fresh vomit. A young boy in the seat in front of us slept for most of the flight but woke up on the approach to landing, and immediately started yakking his guts out. Lovely.

Now, before you start getting all up in arms at my insensitivity, I feel it’s only fair to inform you that the sight and smell of vomit triggers a sympathetic reaction which means that I can end up doing the same. Not always, but often enough that I fail to find the situation amusing in any way. As a matter of fact, when my daughter was a baby I would take a poop filled diaper over her yakking all over my shoulder any day of the week. I certainly wasn’t the only one either, as a quick glance around me showed most people covering their noses or grimacing at the prospect of having to endure this for however long it took to get out of the plane when it landed.

When that ordeal ended we made our way to the Enterprise rental car area where our ride awaited. Now, I had hoped to get an Infinity Q50 or Maserati Giulia, but unfortunately ended up with an Infinity QX70 Crossover. Meh, not a huge fan of SUV’s in general as I prefer something sporty. However, being that it was a holiday I guess beggar’s can’t be chooser’s. Continue reading “Holiday fun…or something like that.”

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Memorial Day Weekend

In search of nice weather (definitely lacking in the Spokane area at that time) we decided to go somewhere over the Memorial Day Weekend. As it happened we chose to go back to Phoenix, Arizona for the second time in six months.

Partially this was due to the fact that a direct flight from Spokane International would get us on-site in just over two hours, not to mention we were practically guaranteed sunny and warm weather. In addition, there were plenty of good restaurants that we had not gotten to eat at the last time we were there.

The flight on American Airline departed at 08:40AM Saturday morning, and we deplaned at Sky Harbor prior to 11:00AM. Unfortunately, check-in at the hotel wasn’t until 04:00PM, so we had some time to kill. I drove us to the Fashion Square Mall in Scottsdale and we ate lunch at Shake Shack before spending the next few hours shopping. Not my favorite activity by any stretch of the imagination, but we had time to kill. Continue reading “Memorial Day Weekend”

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Italy 2017- Rome Pt 2

The Borghese

We left Sorrento via taxi (again) and from Naples took the high-speed train back to Rome. This was our last stop for this trip, and would provide the base for our day trips.

We walked from the train terminal to our next hotel, just a couple of blocks away. The Hotel Diocleziano was perfectly located for our needs. It is near to the Diocletian Baths, which I recommend visiting, the museum is very nice, has a full grocery store just a block or two away, and is within walking distance of the Borghese.

Additionally, if, like us, you are looking for something slightly less Italian to eat I will point you to Africa Ristorante, the Ethiopian food served here is amazing. I wanted to go back again, but I was over-ruled as there were other places the family wanted to try. Still, do yourself a favor and stop in, you won’t be disappointed.

The next morning we got up early and took a taxi to the Borghese. This would be our only stop for the day, and while exhausting, totally worth it. This is more than just an art gallery, as there is a zoo, gardens, and other activities available. Be advised that the tickets you purchase for the gallery only allow you two hours, and that is simply not enough time. We chose to focus on Bernini and Caravaggio for our time there. It would take several days (and several tickets) to do the gallery justice. Also, do yourself a favor and visit the bookstore before you enter the gallery…the hours are wonky and we missed out on buying anything because of that. Continue reading “Italy 2017- Rome Pt 2”

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Italy 2017- Sorrento

Sorrento

We took a taxi from Naples to Sorrento and it turned out to be the perfect method of travel. Trains do run between these two cities, but the taxi was faster, and far more comfortable. The price was reasonable too, 100 Euros for three of us and our luggage. Best of all we got dropped right at our hotel.

The Grand Hotel Riviera Is a luxury hotel with sweeping views of the Bay of Naples. My wife would tell you that it was the nicest place we stayed at while in Italy, and I would be hard-pressed to argue with her. The room was spacious, clean, and had a large balcony over-looking the sea that we took advantage of nightly. In fact, my daughter had to be drug in every evening when it was time to sleep.

The hotel is located right on top of the high cliff that dominated Sorrento, and the sunsets were spectacular. In fact, Mt Vesuvius was visible, highlighted every evening by a gorgeous multi-colored sky.

There is no pool, but rather a private swimming spot right in the Mediterranean itself, with a dock that has beach chairs for those who want to sun themselves. Continue reading “Italy 2017- Sorrento”

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Italy 2017- Naples

Naples

One of the reasons that we stayed at a hotel so close to the train terminal in Rome was because the second leg of our trip would require taking a high-speed train to Naples. And I do mean high-speed. There was a KPH sign in the compartment that kept updating as the train went faster. I have to admit that was pretty cool, although it drew my eyes away from the scenery flashing by outside.

Now, I’ve made the drive from Rome to Naples, and taking the train is way more relaxing. For one thing it lets you take a good look around as you cover the miles, and for another it is faster. Not by a lot, but enough to make a difference.

Upon arrival we grabbed a cab and made our way to the hotel we would be staying in for several days. Costantinopoli 104 is just a couple of blocks away from the National Archaeological Museum, and is located in a fun and vibrant neighborhood.  Also, the hotel is secured by large metal gates that block off all entrance from the street… My wife was appreciative of this fact and it also served to street noise that might have been bothersome. The impression I had was that it was a college district located in the heart of the old town.

The museum is definitely not to be missed as it contains many artifacts from both Pompeii and Herculaneum, as well as other local sites. Additionally, there are many other points of interest in the immediate area. Gesu Nuovo (a church), the Cloister of Santa Chiara, and many other interesting places…all within easy walking distance. Continue reading “Italy 2017- Naples”

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Vancouver, BC

Our daughter is taking Japanese as her language elective in high-school, and planning to do so all four years. This is all well and good (aside from the fact that neither my wife nor I can help with that in any way), but to make matters worse it just so happened that her Freshman year was the biennial class trip to Japan. To say I was unenthusiastic about allowing her to undertake such an adventure at the age of fifteen would be a huge trivialization of my feelings on the matter.

However, as usual, my inclinations were completely ignored and the wife and child proceeded to take the necessary steps to facilitate said trip. Granted, waiting until July 2020 would have been costlier (Tokyo Olympics), and her friends were already signed up (peer pressure). The trip was going to last eleven days and would fall in the middle of July 2018.

As the scheduled departure date drew near I realized that there was no reason for us to sit around in Spokane staring at each other and wishing for something…anything, to do. Now, I have lived in Spokane most of my life, and yet in all of that time I had never actually been to Vancouver, BC. Whistler? Check. Kelowna? Check. Banff? Check. Ainsworth Hot Springs? Check. Continue reading “Vancouver, BC”

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