We slept in late. Our Saturday started with coffee. The day began to warm up by the time we were finished and it was time to get going.
After a haircut (for hubby) and we both had showers, we headed up to Temecula to pick up our wine shipment and enjoy a glass of wine on their patio. The sun was out and the day was already heating up by mid morning.
We hadn't eaten any breakfast, so on our way to Temecula, we stopped at Rock 'n' Jenny's for some lunch and chowed down some delicious deli sandwiches. It was much hotter in Escondido. It was still a bit muggy, but in some weird way, the heat felt good.
Thankfully, it was a bit cooler in Temecula up at the winery. Leonesse sits up on a hill looking out into a small valley and there was a constant breeze to keep us cool. A nice pause in our day.
We were home by mid afternoon. Dinner. Yard watering. Started watching Season 6 of 'The Closer'.
Our night is coming to a close.
TENNESSEE CALLING ~A WRITER'S JOURNEY~
7.09.2011
7.07.2011
ANOTHER HOT NIGHT
It's been a hot day.
Actually, it's been a hot week. Hot and humid. All week long.
Today, when I left work at 4 p.m., it was 81 degrees, downtown--somewhere that has cooler temps than where we live and which is cooler than anywhere else in San Diego County.
I came home to a heated house. Ugly hot.
Time to open windows, open the front door and get this house cooled off. We changed into shorts, sleeveless shirts, shed our shoes and padded barefoot outside to plant ourselves on the patio in the shade for awhile. What to do for dinner...leftover Gazpacho? Nothing sounded good, so tonight Bruce ran back out and picked up some Mexican food from Maritza's (the very best 'fast food' mexican food on the planet). You have to call ahead or be prepared to wait 15-20 minutes for your food and it is worth every minute. In the meantime, I made us two ice cold margaritas. Neither of us felt like heating up the kitchen, or even grilling anything.
BONUS: I had some leftover half and half, whipping cream and whole milk, so I whipped up a batch of ice cream in our Cuisinart ice cream maker (ICE-20). It's the kind that you keep the tub in the freezer and make a simple mix (ours was vanilla) and dump in in the frozen tub that sits on the motor and turn it on for 25-30 minutes. I put the creamy soft serve mixture into another container and put it in the freezer to harden.
It will be a delicious treat for us later with some leftover chocolate sauce from the other night. Or maybe some ice cream with our chocolate sauce. We love chocolate sauce.
The ceiling fans are all on high. And we have a standing fan going in our room off of the kitchen and the house is cooling off. The good thing about living by the beach is that by night time it is usually perfect for sleeping. Granted, we have had a few summer nights that were hard to sleep through, but they are rare.
We're gonna speed up the cooling down part of this scenario for us with a dip in the pool tonight. We ordered some Papasan Spring Floats that were delivered today. We didn't expect them until next week, so it was an unexpected surprise to see the box on the front porch this afternoon.
Best of all tomorrow is Friday....nothing like a Thursday night followed by a Friday, preceded by a Monday holiday. Right?
Actually, it's been a hot week. Hot and humid. All week long.
Today, when I left work at 4 p.m., it was 81 degrees, downtown--somewhere that has cooler temps than where we live and which is cooler than anywhere else in San Diego County.
I came home to a heated house. Ugly hot.
Time to open windows, open the front door and get this house cooled off. We changed into shorts, sleeveless shirts, shed our shoes and padded barefoot outside to plant ourselves on the patio in the shade for awhile. What to do for dinner...leftover Gazpacho? Nothing sounded good, so tonight Bruce ran back out and picked up some Mexican food from Maritza's (the very best 'fast food' mexican food on the planet). You have to call ahead or be prepared to wait 15-20 minutes for your food and it is worth every minute. In the meantime, I made us two ice cold margaritas. Neither of us felt like heating up the kitchen, or even grilling anything.
BONUS: I had some leftover half and half, whipping cream and whole milk, so I whipped up a batch of ice cream in our Cuisinart ice cream maker (ICE-20). It's the kind that you keep the tub in the freezer and make a simple mix (ours was vanilla) and dump in in the frozen tub that sits on the motor and turn it on for 25-30 minutes. I put the creamy soft serve mixture into another container and put it in the freezer to harden.
It will be a delicious treat for us later with some leftover chocolate sauce from the other night. Or maybe some ice cream with our chocolate sauce. We love chocolate sauce.
The ceiling fans are all on high. And we have a standing fan going in our room off of the kitchen and the house is cooling off. The good thing about living by the beach is that by night time it is usually perfect for sleeping. Granted, we have had a few summer nights that were hard to sleep through, but they are rare.
We're gonna speed up the cooling down part of this scenario for us with a dip in the pool tonight. We ordered some Papasan Spring Floats that were delivered today. We didn't expect them until next week, so it was an unexpected surprise to see the box on the front porch this afternoon.
Best of all tomorrow is Friday....nothing like a Thursday night followed by a Friday, preceded by a Monday holiday. Right?
7.05.2011
HOT DAY -- COLD SOUP
The temps climbed today and this afternoon when I got home from work, our house was hot.
I had already planned on making Gazpacho for dinner and it sure hit the spot for us to have on a hot summer night.
Gazpacho is a cold tomato juice based soup that is full of fresh finely chopped vegetables-- 2 whole cucumber, 2 green bell peppers, 1/2 onion, 1 large peeled tomato, 2-3 stalks of celery and avocado (to add on top of each serving).
I'm pretty sure I have written about this soup and posted the recipe, but here is the gist of it in a nutshell because I have tried to find it and am just too dang tired and lazy tonight to look for it again.
GAZPACHO
Begin with 1/2 cup of olive oil and a 1/4 cup lemon juice whisked together.
Add to that a 64 oz bottle of tomato juice and chopped veggies (see above), 2 teaspoons salt, pepper (I love pepper and use a lot) and some Tabasco sauce (you decide how much depending on whether or not you like heat (spicy) added to your food). We like heat and add a generous amount, but it does not come out spicy. Add a few dashes and taste. Chill for two hours (or less if you are really hungry, like we were tonight). Serve with tortilla chips.
We enjoyed a delicious and healthy dinner that was quick to throw together and didn't heat up our kitchen!
I had already planned on making Gazpacho for dinner and it sure hit the spot for us to have on a hot summer night.
Gazpacho is a cold tomato juice based soup that is full of fresh finely chopped vegetables-- 2 whole cucumber, 2 green bell peppers, 1/2 onion, 1 large peeled tomato, 2-3 stalks of celery and avocado (to add on top of each serving).
I'm pretty sure I have written about this soup and posted the recipe, but here is the gist of it in a nutshell because I have tried to find it and am just too dang tired and lazy tonight to look for it again.
GAZPACHO
Begin with 1/2 cup of olive oil and a 1/4 cup lemon juice whisked together.
Add to that a 64 oz bottle of tomato juice and chopped veggies (see above), 2 teaspoons salt, pepper (I love pepper and use a lot) and some Tabasco sauce (you decide how much depending on whether or not you like heat (spicy) added to your food). We like heat and add a generous amount, but it does not come out spicy. Add a few dashes and taste. Chill for two hours (or less if you are really hungry, like we were tonight). Serve with tortilla chips.
We enjoyed a delicious and healthy dinner that was quick to throw together and didn't heat up our kitchen!
7.04.2011
INDEPENDENCE DAY
We'll be celebrating Independence Day tonight at my parent's house. We're making homemade ice cream and watching fireworks from their deck. I've cooked two different recipes for ice creams.
We are making a batch of Burnt Sugar Ice Cream, which (in a nutshell) is made from sugar that has been melted and browned in a skillet and added to your custard base. It's very, very, very, very good.
I would always look forward to a bowl of Burnt Sugar ice cream when we would stop for the night at my Aunt Grace and Uncle Jimmy's house in El Reno, Oklahoma on our summer cross country trip to Kentucky (and back home). We went every year to spend most of our summer staying with our grandparents, and spending time with all of our aunts, uncles, cousins. I have precious memories of my summers spent with family in Kentucky.
We are also making a batch of Moolicious Vanilla Ice Cream, which is chillin' in my fridge. It's ready to pour in the ice cream freezer and freeze. I cooked up a recipe of rich chocolate sauce to drizzle over the ice cream, too.
We'll be doing our laundry and floating in the pool today. It is supposed to be a bit cooler today--but still in the mid 80's--so I am gonna be in the water.
We're throwing some Mahi Mahi on the grill for Naked Fish Tacos for an early dinner on the patio. Naked Fish Tacos are Fish Tacos without the tortillas. They are just as tasty and filling.
NAKED FISH TACOS
Grilled Mahi Mahi, marinated however you like and topped with the following:
shredded cabbage (we like to use the angelhair cabbage)
pico de gallo (chopped onions, jalapenos, cilantro, tomatoes and lime juice)
shredded mexican cheese
avocado slices
and Crema drizzled over the top
Crema
half sour cream
half mayo
lime juice
Tapatio hot sauce for heat
Mix together to taste. Make as much or as little as you need.
Muy delicioso!
We are making a batch of Burnt Sugar Ice Cream, which (in a nutshell) is made from sugar that has been melted and browned in a skillet and added to your custard base. It's very, very, very, very good.
I would always look forward to a bowl of Burnt Sugar ice cream when we would stop for the night at my Aunt Grace and Uncle Jimmy's house in El Reno, Oklahoma on our summer cross country trip to Kentucky (and back home). We went every year to spend most of our summer staying with our grandparents, and spending time with all of our aunts, uncles, cousins. I have precious memories of my summers spent with family in Kentucky.
We are also making a batch of Moolicious Vanilla Ice Cream, which is chillin' in my fridge. It's ready to pour in the ice cream freezer and freeze. I cooked up a recipe of rich chocolate sauce to drizzle over the ice cream, too.
We'll be doing our laundry and floating in the pool today. It is supposed to be a bit cooler today--but still in the mid 80's--so I am gonna be in the water.
We're throwing some Mahi Mahi on the grill for Naked Fish Tacos for an early dinner on the patio. Naked Fish Tacos are Fish Tacos without the tortillas. They are just as tasty and filling.
NAKED FISH TACOS
Grilled Mahi Mahi, marinated however you like and topped with the following:
shredded cabbage (we like to use the angelhair cabbage)
pico de gallo (chopped onions, jalapenos, cilantro, tomatoes and lime juice)
shredded mexican cheese
avocado slices
and Crema drizzled over the top
Crema
half sour cream
half mayo
lime juice
Tapatio hot sauce for heat
Mix together to taste. Make as much or as little as you need.
Muy delicioso!
7.03.2011
TWO DAYS DOWN
Yesterday we spent the afternoon in the pool. We got lots of sun (even a tad too much) and grilled out baby back ribs for dinner. The weather was warm. It felt like summer and we enjoyed every minute of it.
Today we spent the afternoon at our neighbor's summer party. There were a lot of people there and so much good food to eat. Sangria, appetizer platters, dips, chips, crackers, teriaki beef kabobs, cream cheese stuffed jalapenos wrapped in bacon, asparagus wrapped in prosciutto, pork ribs...raspberry brownies....oh my.
Now we're home relaxing with a Netflix movie. A quiet end to another great day.
Today we spent the afternoon at our neighbor's summer party. There were a lot of people there and so much good food to eat. Sangria, appetizer platters, dips, chips, crackers, teriaki beef kabobs, cream cheese stuffed jalapenos wrapped in bacon, asparagus wrapped in prosciutto, pork ribs...raspberry brownies....oh my.
Now we're home relaxing with a Netflix movie. A quiet end to another great day.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)