Canaan 2017

Hello friends! I know it's been awhile and that was definitely not my intention. The hubby and I were staying in West Virginia with his family with no Wi-Fi. Then, as soon as we got home, I got a cold. Drat! As such, I've been feeling foggy, achy, and completely stuffed up. I haven't felt like writing, except to text the hubby to ask him for more soup or another box of Kleenex 🍜🤒

Chocolate Avocado Quick Bread

I've been eating an abnormal amount of avocados lately. It's just been one of those phases. You know, the periods in your life where you become so obsessed with something you find yourself eating it everyday? This seems to happen to me all the time. As of late, it's guacamole. Multiple times a week, I've been finding myself at the grocery store picking up yet another 2 avocados. 2 avocados makes enough guacamole for me to eat for exactly 3 days. If I'm not sharing my guac, that is. I mix it with finely minced red onion, fresh cilantro from the garden, a little lime juice, and a smattering of kosher salt. It's guacamole perfection, every time. 

Seafood Stew

Unbelievably, this is a leftover dish.

Yes, it's true! I had a handful of frozen bay scallops in the freezer, waiting for something to be used in.  I had one, lonely cod filet also hanging out in the freezer. And then, after the Ducks won the Rose Bowl (woot woot!), I had leftover shrimp. The last clue to this puzzle? An extra can of clams from making clam dip. 

Chipotle Shrimp Tacos with Lime Sour Crema

Let me tell you, it's an almost impossible task to feed me tacos I don't like. I'm not picky, I've eaten them from everywhere, all over the country. While I eat them all, I do know a good taco when I come across one. There's a very modern taco shop in Huntington, WV called Black Sheep that I love. They are one of those places that serve unlikely taco combinations like duck with pickled blackberries (to die for) and brisket with blueberry sauce (drool). There's just so much flavor in their creative tacos. And speaking of flavor...

These tacos are packed with flavor. That was the first comment the hubby made after trying them. Actually, it was just that one comment and then these tacos were magically gone from his plate. He's not the lover of Mexican dishes that I am, so I was pleasantly surprised. There's only a couple of spices that flavor the shrimp, but those few flavors pack a punch. Top the shrimp off with crunchy cabbage and fresh made salsa, guacamole, and lime sour crema? Holy good guacamole!

And now I feel I must share this injustice with my readers. My favorite Mexican restaurant in town closed! They had amazing fish-bowl sized Patron margaritas that could knock your socks off. The type of margaritas that make any dinner taste amazing. Sigh. Just like Chinese food, I'm now relegated to only getting my Mexican fix by my own hands. It's just not the same when you have to prepare it and clean up the kitchen that looks like it's had a bomb dropped on it. 

So in the meantime, I'll continue to wait patiently for a new Mexican restaurant in town and keep my fingers crossed it's decent. On the other hand, dear readers, if any of you know a restauranteur looking for a new market, there's a HUGE niche where I live due to the complete lack of options. And please hurry- must. have. enchiladas.

Happy Thursday everyone!

Ingredients:

Lime Sour Crema-
1/3 cup fat free sour cream
1 tbsp lime juice
1/2 tsp chipotle chile powder

Chipotle Shrimp-
1/2 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 tsp chipotle chile powder
1 tsp chile powder
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp canola oil

Tacos-
tortillas or crunchy taco shells
thinly sliced cabbage
salsa
guacamole
cilantro, roughly chopped

Directions:

1. To make lime sour crema- combine sour cream, lime juice, and chile powder in a small bowl. Mix thoroughly. Set aside.
2. To prepare shrimp- combine shrimp with chile powders and salt. Allow to marinate for 30 minutes. Heat canola oil in a large skillet. When warm, add shrimp. Cook 3-4 minutes or until shrimp are opaque.
3. To prepare tacos- spoon shrimp onto tortilla. Top with lime sour crema, cabbage, salsa, guacamole, and cilantro. Serve immediately.

*Recipe adapted from Heather Christo

Linked to: Weekend Potluck

Pizza Margherita

Pizza Margherita is one of my favorite pizzas. Simple, elegant, and oh-so tasty. There's no sauce and not many toppings, so the individual ingredients really shine. Everyone needs to try this pizza, it really shakes up the American ideal of "pizza". You know, greasy, cheese-ladden, smothered with toppings, and with thick, ropey crust. Instead, this pizza gets back to pizza's roots with simplicity (something I seem to be seeking out more and more these days).

Switching topics to something non-food related- I'm really upset by this water emergency in West Virginia (you can read up what's going on here). I should also mention I live about 40 miles west of the affected area, and about 65 miles from the actual leak site. Lets not even mention the damage done to the environment by having a toxic chemical dumped in the river and released into the air, but the fact that so many people have been affected. I had to run to Sam's yesterday (my area's Costco) and I couldn't believe the chaos. Families were pushing 3-4 carts loaded down with 20+ cases of water. The area where the water was located was worse. People were arguing over cases of water. When I was checking out, someone came to tell the cashier the store was out of water. Even today as I'm watching the news, the water ban in 9 counties in West Virginia remains indefinite. I felt spoiled yesterday as I used my water to make my pizza crust. Washed dishes in the sink. Took a long, hot shower. Americans take so much of their daily lives for granted.

All right, I'll hop off my soapbox and allow everyone to get back to their weekends. The hubby and I are having double-date night tonight with one of our couple friends, so I'm excited about today's potential. And... Zumba in a couple of hours!

Tonight's gonna be a good, good night ----> A little Black Eyed Peas reference for this lovely Saturday morning :)

Ingredients:

Basic pizza dough
1 garlic clove, halved
1 tbsp olive oil, divided
4 large plum tomatoes, thinly sliced
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/3 cup basil, thinly sliced
1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Directions:

1. Prepare pizza dough according to directions. Preheat oven according to directions.
2. Once your pizza dough has been rolled into the desired shape, take the cut side of the garlic half and run it over your pizza dough. Repeat with the other half. Brush 1/2 tbsp of olive oil onto dough. Place tomatoes on pizza in a single layer. Cover with cheese. Broil in the oven 3-7 minutes, or until crust and cheese is browned and blistered. Remove from oven.
3. Sprinkle basil over pizza. Combine remaining olive oil with balsamic vinegar in a small bowl. Whisk furiously to combine. Drizzle mixture over pizza. Cut pizza into 8 slices, and serve immediately.

Recipe adapted from Cooking Light

Sunday in West Virginia

Hubby and I continue our quest of trying new things....

We got a tip from a fellow runner to try running in Ritter Park, which is located in Huntington, WV. The hubby and I had never heard of this park, so we decided to find it. I'm so glad we did, the park is just gorgeous! The park is immaculate and well-manicured. Miles of gravel track loop and wind through the park, where numerous runners huff and puff their way around. There were ducks and squirrels everywhere. This was the place to run. This was my third day running in a row, so I was a bit tired. I'm looking forward to going back when I'm more rested, this is the perfect place to get lost in the beauty around you.

Not the most attractive duck, but I found him charming :)

A long flight of concrete stairs in the park lead to this rose garden high atop the park.

The rose garden even has banquet rooms you can rent for events. The view was just amazing.

The weather was perfect for running. It was about 68º, sunny, no breeze.  I just love fall around here.

More selfies!

A perfectly shaped rose.

Stairs leading to the rose garden, creek below. The creek winds through the park.

Ducks in the creek! 

Leaves beginning to change color...

For lunch, the hubby and I headed about 15 minutes from Huntington to Lesage, WV. There's a little restaurant in Lesage that was featured on the Food Network's "Diners, Drive-In's, and Dives" called "Hillbilly Hotdogs". It was time to try it. It's quite the site to check out.

Cold beer is a must after a fall run. I chose a Pumpkin Hard Cider, which I liked. I definitely wouldn't be able to drink a 6-pack of the stuff, but it was a refreshing change. 

The picnic table we sat at outside was covered in license plates from all over the country. I, of course, had to find the Oregon one. Visitors can sign the plate from the state they are from! I decided that since technically I live in Kentucky, I couldn't sign the Oregon one. But if we bring my parents back here, they sure can! :)

License plate tree.

Splurging on beer battered onion rings.

I chose the Spicy Chicken Sandwich. Yum! The hubby had a HUGE Bacon Cheeseburger, which was gone before I could even take a picture. LOL.

Checking out the grounds. 

Riding the Hillbilly Express.

Pondering how they actually got that van up there...

It was a fun Sunday :)

Happy Monday folks! Have a great week!

Enjoying Something I've Always Hated

I'm not a natural-born runner. Or a fast runner. Or even a good runner.

I've hated running my entire life. I've come to realize now, as an adult, that while my childhood self was really speedy, I also had no endurance. Not a lick of stamina. I was technically in good shape, I loved being athletic. I played soccer, basketball, softball, volleyball, ran track, and competed on my high school's dance team. I was playing sports year round, which means I was getting plenty of exercise everyday. But I never ran. I hated conditioning, and ended up giving up soccer and basketball to focus on the two sports that made me run the least: volleyball and dance. Loved them, still love them, but they don't require the same endurance as say football or cross-country. They just don't.

For the last couple of years, I've had a pretty much exclusive relationship with my elliptical machine. While I got in some yoga and Pilates on the DL, I pretty much stayed loyal to that machine. That lasted until one month ago. My elliptical machine found its way to that special place for dead electronics in the sky. It was bound to happen, it was 6 years old. I'd logged in plenty of hours on the ol' girl, she had a good life. It was time to think about what I was going to do. Buy another one? Join a gym? Become a couch potato/obsessed soap opera fan? After a lot of thought on the subject, I'm currently at that I-really-want-a-new-elliptical-but-I-really-don't-want-to-pay-for-it state of mind. I decided I would run stairs here at the house until I found a good deal on an elliptical.

2 days into running stairs (OMG, I hate running stairs. Talk about BORING), I up and decided to go for a run. Outside. What was I thinking? I hadn't run in years, and besides, didn't I hate running? Sure enough, the first run sucked. My legs felt like they were being yanked from my body, my hips felt about 80 years old, and I never felt like I could gulp enough air. I wasn't even able to run a mile without walking. At the same time, it felt kind of good. I found this strange, because I'd never felt that way before. In fact, it felt so good, I've continued.

Yesterday, the hubby and I participated in the Path to the Cure event in Huntington, WV. 3000 walkers and runners showed up, all decked out in pink for the 5K. I'd only been out running a couple of times before the race, but I managed to run almost the entire race. The hubby thinks I may have walked 2-4 blocks, which isn't bad for me. I'm pretty proud I just finished. Plus, now I have an actual time that I can try to beat while I'm enjoying my fall running.

Path to the Cure
Huntington, WV
September 29, 2013

Happy Monday everyone! I hope everyone has a great week!

The Parental's 2nd Kentucky Trip

Wow, it's been awhile since I've blogged!

I'd fully planned on getting a couple of blog entries in while my parents and my aunt were here, but alas, even the best laid plans go awry at times.

Their visit flew by! It went by almost as fast as the hubby's and I's October Oregon visit. And the week that my aunt was here? Ha. It seemed like 1 day. It was sooooo much fun having my family at the new house vs. our Ashland rental from the days of yore. Actually, it's more like, the days of ick.

If you thought I might be getting better at remembering to take pictures, you'd be wrong.

If you thought I wouldn't just count on scrounging together photos that my family took, you'd be wrong.

If you thought I'm old enough to know better, well, you'd be wrong.

The important thing is I do have a few photos to share from the last 2 weeks :)

Myself, Mom, and Aunt Marilyn, upon our reunion as a fabulous trio :)

The hubby's Aunt and Mother came down to the house to visit with everyone.

Dad, Aunt Marilyn, Myself, Mom, and Hubby. Man, I need a piece of art for that wall :)

Gizmo thoroughly missed his Grandpa.

Lunch at the local brewery.

Unbeknownst to me, this stadium near us was home to one of the 1st NFL teams. I can't believe I didn't know that!

Appetizers we had for a small party which included my parents, the Hubby's Aunt, Uncle, and Mom, and some of the Hubby's high school friends.

We finally had one sunny, warm day on the day before my parents  left. At least we had one day where we got to sit outside in the sun!

The Hubby and my Mom. That's our house in the background!

Also, we did a million other things that I did not take pictures of, including: A trip to Huntington, lunch at the Black Sheep Restaurant in Huntington, a wonderful dinner at the Hubby's mother's house, watching 5 million hours of the NCAA tournament, drinking countless gallons of wine, and dining at an Irish pub in Cincinnati. 

In the meantime, I must be getting old, because I'm so tired from their visit! And it was a relaxing visit. Oy. I can't imagine how 40 is going to feel if 30 feels like this :)

Weekend Recap: 7/14/12

Leaving another weekend in the dust...

The hubby and I were really anxious this weekend, because construction on the home is supposed to start today (Monday). However, it's 9:57 am and there's no one at the property. Grr. I'm not sure I would recommend the building process to anyone that's looking to get it done at an efficient pace. This has been the most drawn out and laborious process. I really think I might scream if they don't show up today.

Besides the hubby's and I's restlessness, we tried to just have a good weekend anyway. Saturday, we went to the mall in Huntington, WV, just to get out of the house for awhile and take our minds off construction frustration. We did some shopping, did some eating, and of course, did some drinking :)

We got a board game called "Wits and Wagers" while we were at the mall, so we busted that baby out on Saturday night for some family fun.

My latest wine obsession. I'm not into red wine, but I'm starting to branch out. I'm hoping this is like tipping my toe into the water, and at some point my immature palette will evolve to the point where I drink red wine by the gallon. Well, maybe not by the gallon... Wine always makes a board game a little more fun.

This is what happens after a few glasses of red wine. The question for the game that was asked had to do with Ferdinand Magellan, and I picked up my iPhone without thinking, and googled Christopher Columbus. Not cool, Jessica, not cool. My iPhone was confiscated until further notice.

I snapped this priceless one of the hubby shortly after the Magellan incident. But before confiscation :)

Rarely do we have a weekend without puppies. This is the only time I can ever capture all the dogs' attention at one time. That special time when they all want chicken jerky at the same time. Suddenly, I'm the most popular person in the house.

Upon making a purchase at the local Victorias Secret whilst we were at the mall, I received a free purple stuffed dog. Haloti became enamored with the stuffed animal and has declared it his property. This photo was kind of blurry, but still kind of cute.

He chose to "bury" his stuffed animal under this blanket. Right buddy, like we all didn't just watch you hide your toy under the blanket!

And finally, it's been hotter than hot! This Southern heatwave feels like a sauna, thanks to the humidity. This has also brought some crazy summer thunderstorms to the area, many of which have knocked out the Internet for a couple of days at a time. I figured I needed to blog today, because who knows how long I have until the Internet is taken out again?

Happy Monday! The hubby and I are sitting on pins and needles, forever waiting for construction to start. Please be today!

Happy Birthday Dad!

Today is my Dad's birthday!

I like to think that I'm getting over homesickness, since I've lived in Kentucky for a year and a half now. Yet, I still feel that pang of homesickness when I miss stuff I would normally have celebrated with my family. My mom's birthday, the Superbowl, my brother's birthday, the NFL draft, my dad's birthday. I think I've been feeling more homesick lately because the hubby and I aren't taking our planned trip to Oregon this summer, since the house will be in the middle of construction. I guess that's part of being an adult, eh?

My Dad is hilarious. I think he uses a dry sense of humor to disguise his huge heart. He spends a lot of time with the sheltie that he and my mom rescued, and with the cat that I "rescued" in college. To be around those animals, it's completely obvious that they love him. My Dad was also a hospice volunteer for 5 years. He spent a large amount of his own personal time helping those whose lives were drawing to a close, running errands for them or just simply keeping them company. A typical night at my parents house involves Mom having a glass of wine on the couch, yelling at whatever sport is being displayed on ESPN that night. You'll find Dad in the rocking chair in the back of the room, with his headphones plugged into his laptop, watching whatever show, movie, or YouTube clip Mom doesn't want to watch. It's pretty funny to see.

In honor of his birthday, I've rounded up some of my favorite photos of our years together:

December '07. My brother's college graduation.

Taken a couple of hours after my brother's graduation. I think you can see everyone is feeling pretty toasty by this point. It looks like my Dad is making the hand signal for "phone", but I can't say for sure :)

Christmas '07. Dad's ready to open the presents.

Sept '08. The Oregon vs. Purdue game. Looking oh-so-proud of his son. There was a time when Jeff couldn't take a picture without a peace sign and sticking out his tongue. Sigh.

February '09. The Superbowl. Haloti is very interested in whatever Dad is about to eat.

July '09 on Jerame and I's wedding day. Grilling salmon and zucchini for the feast we devoured after the ceremony. Beer within arm's length of the grill :)

October '10. The day we took Jerame's mom to meet my family during her visit to Oregon, although it looks like a Game Day doesn't it?

July '11. Taken during my first trip back to Oregon after moving to Kentucky. Pictures of Dad smiling are slim to none. I promise, he is happy in these photos! :)

Still my trip to Oregon. Although I planned my trip for July so I could have nice weather, it was only sunny 1 day on my 11 day trip. This was taken on said nice day. Dad relaxing on the deck with my brother's dog.

Sept '11. My parents first trip to Kentucky, and I believe, Mom's first time to Kentucky ever. This was taken while exploring downtown Huntington, WV (about 20 minutes from our house in Kentucky).

Another pic from my parent's Kentucky trip. Dad loved this little former train station that's been reformed into a small shopping center.

I wish I had some older pictures, but wouldn't you know? Photos on my computer only go back so far, since previous cameras used to have film that was developed instead of photos that are uploaded to the computer. You know, back in the stone ages? Oh, how the times have changed!

Anyhoo, Happy Birthday Dad! Wish Jerame and I could be back there to celebrate, but I have a feeling things will calm down after this year and the hubby and I will be making regular trips back to Oregon. Hopefully Mom will let you watch a program on the TV tonight, instead of on your laptop. Just kidding, Mom! :)