Sorry, I cannot upload any photos. We were near Woodstock, VT. I had some photos to show some of the flooded trees and root systems affected by the tropical storm last month. We saw areas where the flood waters had to have risen over 20 feet. We saw mobile homes crushed like matchsticks. We saw numerous barns, mostly ancient ones crushed to bits. Trees on both sides of the rivers torn from their roots. Debris everywhere. We have been traversing the country roads on our quest for fall colors, for pretty winding-road scenery, and we have encountered work crews in dozens and dozens of places repairing roads, embankments, guard rails, shoring up the roadsides. We have become used to the orange warning signs telling us “flagman ahead.” or one-lane road ahead.

The trees are just barely starting to change color. My meager few photos of some orangish trees are not memorable. The last 2 nights we have had a freeze, so hopefully we will see more color in coming days. Yesterday we drove to Maine. Where we are staying we won’t have wi-fi, so I don’t know if I’ll be able to blog. We will be here for a week. Our friend who is loaning us her house in East Boothbay, told us to drive to the little corner store, an old fashioned kind of general store, park in the tiny parking lot, sit in the car and use the wi-fi there. It’s free! Every time I’ve tried to upload this post it won’t send because of the photos. It gives me an error message telling me there is a problem with the photos. Sigh. I’ll keep trying.

Well, we have been on the road now for a week. Five days it rained.
Yesterday finally the sun returned. We are happy campers. We have picked up a dear friend of ours from England at the Albany NY airport and have done some leaf peeping. Problem is: we came too early. Very few trees have turned. Yet.

I would have blogged more often but have had problems in most places with sufficient wi-fi connectivity. And am still having difficulty uploading photos. Obviously I need more info on how to upload from an iPad. I’ve downloaded two apps to help me, but no go. I can get a small photo to upload but they’re not big enough for you to hardly see! Here’s as good as I can give you for today. Photo taken today in Woodstock, Vermont on a beautiful country road.

Rain. Mist. Fog. Wet. Drizzle. Precipitation. Mud. Yuck. Drip. Raincoats.

Didn’t think we’d be in so many days of inclement weather. Hard to see the trees, those few that are turning. No photos at all. Raining way too much to jump out of the car to snap even one. Having to stay focused on the nearly all 2-lane roads we are driving. Stressful is what it is. The forecast is for 3 more days of solid rain. We have had 2 days of rain out of the last 3. We are in Northern Vermont now. Did visit the Ben and Jerry’s factory today. They don’t produce ice cream on Sundays, but we did sample their version of vanilla and Oreos, which was very good. They told us that they’re completely sold out of the Schw***ty Balls flavor, the one that’s caused so much controversy. Some states have banned it. Also stopped at the Cabot Creamery. Didn’t take a tour but ended up watching a tour bus get stuck across the 2-lane road. Everyone was very patient. Waiting.

Meanwhile, tonight we are in a BnB that doesn’t have TV. Back to my book, Caleb’s Crossing, while we listen to the steady drip of rain outside.

Actually yesterday was a beautiful day. Mostly anyway. The above photo was taken from a unique location – at a home on a hilltop above the east side of the lake. At Castle in the Clouds, a home built in about 1912 by a wealthy shoe manufacturer. A gorgeous place. More photos of that later.

There’s the same view as my last post taken from our hotel in Meredith, one of the pretty villages dotting the edge of the lake. Just sunshine instead of rain. You can see that the leaves aren’t really changing here yet.

I wanted to come here because I visited this gorgeous lake when I was about 15, when I attended a church summer camp. It’s just as beautiful as I remembered.

Not a lot of scenery today with clouds and showers that kept us from enjoying anything except trying to drive safely on unfamiliar roads and in an unfamiliar rental car with very slushy power steering. The rain began during the night. We are staying at a nice hotel resort on Lake Winnipesaukee, a moderately-sized lake with many inlets and bays. Our 2-day stay here is a splurge with a lake view. We hope the weather will improve tomorrow.

We enjoyed fried clam strips and haddock for dinner. Just delicious. I’m off to the lobby to grab a nice cuppa tea and curl up on the comfy sofa in the room.

Usually, when we have a gathering of friends at our house, I research new recipes to try. I’m fairly fearless about that, actually. There might be a few things I wouldn’t tackle without trying it first, but normally I’m game to try new combinations and new recipes anytime! But this particular time I didn’t. I used tried-and-true recipes with just one exception, the dessert. So, what did I make for this dinner? Thought you’d never ask . . .

First, I made an old standby, Layered Hummus and Eggplant, tossed with a balsamic vinaigrette. I sent my DH out that afternoon on a mission to go buy some sangak bread. I didn’t take another photo of the sangak – it’s an Iranian thin, stretchy and chewy yeast bread, kind of like super-thin pita but it comes out of the oven about 3 feet long, hot, steamy and I couldn’t believe it, Dave didn’t even snack on it on the way home. It made a great vehicle for digging into this appetizer.

Then, we had pork chops. Oh my goodness, did we have pork chops. I’d ordered them from a local meat market, and I KNOW I told them 1 1/4” thick. When I opened the package two days later just before our meal, I discovered they were cut 2” thick. Oh my goodness! Each single pork chop was about a pound (with bones). What to do? I didn’t think it would be very nice to cut the pork off the bones to have smaller pieces. I couldn’t cut them in half because I don’t have a saw capable of that. I just had to go with it – I informed Dave that these were going to need longer on the grill. I seasoned them with smoked paprika, salt, pepper and a bit of grapeseed oil patted on last, according to the recipe from Aaron McCargo on the Food Network. When my friend Darci had told me about the recipe, she’d made it with pork chops. I’d made it with some leftover pork roast that I cut thick, sort of like pork chops.

The chops are reddish from the smoked paprika that I rubbed on both sides. Makes the grilled sides look gosh-darned purrrty! And tasty.

Making the lemon shallot chutney was easy. I doubled the recipe this time and added segments from one orange in addition to the lemons (just because I had an orange that needed using). When I’d gone out to the garden to clip the fresh tarragon and chives, I spotted the lavender blooms and decided to throw in a few of those too. Why not, I said?

The chutney/relish was served separately so people could scoop as much as they wanted onto the pork chops. There was just a smidgen left.

‘Tis the season for tomatoes, so I decided to serve the marinated tomatoes that I’ve not made even once so far this summer. DH bought some beautiful heirlooms, and I had a big chunk of Italian parsley, and the vinaigrette that goes over it is easy to put together.

We had both yellow and red tomatoes. Ample salt and pepper goes all over it, the parsley, then the vinaigrette is drizzled over it. You marinate it for an hour or two, then let it sit out at room temp for an hour before serving.

A friend gave me a butternut squash she’d grown in her garden. What fun! I’d planned on making my roasted sweet potato black bean salad with jalapeno dressing, that’s been a favorite for several years. So I thought, why not use the butternut squash instead of the sweet potato. I don’t know that it was quite as good (it wasn’t as sweet, I’ll say that), but it was good.

I used the same technique as the original salad, roasting the butternut squash in the oven along with the red onion. Then it was tossed with the drained and rinsed black beans and lastly, the lime juice jalapeno vinaigrette.

The dessert I made, a sticky chocolate sponge pudding will be “up” on my blog sometime soon. If you simply cannot wait, here’s the pdf for it.

Was it good? Oh my goodness, yes. I’d make it again any day. And in fact, I tried this recipe a few days before, gave away most of it, then made it again for this dinner party.

The full story/recipe won’t show up here on my blog until October. I’m way ahead on stories for my blog, so you’ll just have to be patient.

Isn’t that just the cutest tub you’ve ever seen? We’re still not done with the bathroom remodels . . . Well, 2 1/2 baths are done but the master is not finished. But it’s close . . . like about a week maybe. I took photos from my iPad and am going to upload this post from it to see how another blog posting program called BlogPress (iPad version) works. any of you savvy types out there do email me if you see problems.

There’s a shot of the master. Floors are still raw wood so far – to be stained dark and polyurethane sealed later this week.

That’s my sink. Nothing has been moved into any space yet. That’s a candle and a fancy bar of soap sitting on the counter waiting.

No showers taken in this. . . yet.

There’s a peek into the guest bedroom where we’ve been storing clothes and junk for the last several months. It’s a mess is all I can tell you. Not a pretty sight. The two twin beds are piled high. Bags on the floor. Numerous boxes stacked wherever there is space.

Do you know about Hatch chiles? I didn’t, really, until some years ago when I visited Santa Fe, New Mexico, and learned about this unique variety of chiles, grown only in the hills and plains in New Mexico, from an area in and around the town of Hatch. It’s a hybrid, developed in 1912 by a local farmer who combined some of his favorite chiles and created the Hatch. They’ve become a huge success, a favored chile by most everyone who lives in New Mexico. Santa Fe even has an annual chile fest over Labor Day weekend that’s all about the Hatch chile. People drive from all around, to buy them – when the chileheads have big roasting baskets so you buy them already roasted. They’re a mild chile, about 1,000 to 2,500 on the scale. Less hot on the scoville scale than a jalapeno chile which is about 5,000 scoville units.

You have an opportunity, if you live in L.A. or Orange County, to buy some fresh or roasted Hatch chiles. This is a first – I’ve never been able to buy Hatch chiles here in California. Freida’s Produce has hooked up with Ralph’s grocery stores to sponsor some chile-roasting events this month.

If I’ve read the information correctly, you have to buy 10 pounds or 30 pounds of Hatch chiles (raw) and they’ll roast them at no charge. Or you can buy a smaller quantity, but then you’ll need to roast them yourself. People from Freida’s will be available at these events to discuss the chiles, recipes and helpful hints about handling and preparation. We’re going to go to the local one closest to us, so I’ll tell you all about it.

This Saturday, August 13, 2011, 10-4 or until they run out: Ralphs Costa Mesa, 380 E. 17th St. and Ralphs La Canada, 521 W. Foothill Blvd.

Next Saturday, August 20th, 2011, 10-4 or until they run out: Ralphs Los Angeles, 11727 Olympic Blvd and Ralphs Huntington Beach, 5241 Warner

And the following Saturday, August 27th, 10-4 or until they run out: Ralphs Tustin, 13321 Jamboree Rd and Ralphs Pasadena, 3601 E Foothill Blvd

New Mexico had a tough growing season this year, so prices are probably up (according to some info I read online). This venture won’t be cheap, but so far I have two friends who will share the bounty with me. It should be fun watching them being roasted.

Here’s a link to Freida’s Hatch site, with info and recipes.

Have you ever heard of them? I hadn’t. Until someone from Freida’s Produce contacted me asking if I’d like to try them (and if I liked them, hopefully tell you about them). They’re a unique variety of apricots, a hybrid of an Iranian and a Moroccan apricot. And when I tell you it has a short growing season, we’re talking days. Maybe a couple of weeks at most.

They’re a delicate color (with just the slightest bit of rosy hue on some of the skins) and they have a very delicate taste and they’re exceedingly juicy. And very tasty.

The flavor is lovely. Subtle, though. And truly, they’re only available right now (at Trader Joe’s and Ralphs). I didn’t end up baking with them – I’d thought about it – but the flavor is so delicate I was certain they’d be lost in a tart with other (perhaps more predominant) flavors. If you buy them, do plan to eat them right away. They won’t keep. Freida’s suggested a no-bake tart, adding the sliced angelcots last with a glaze of melted jam. We ate ours right there, poised over the sink, dripping juice down our chins.

Remember, we’ve been remodeling our bathrooms. It’s now been about 9 weeks, I think, maybe longer. The powder room and full bath downstairs are nearly done. The upstairs guest bathroom is nearly done also, and next week they start on the demolition of the master bathroom. Don’t know how many weeks it will take to do that one. Hopefully not as long as the others.

That’s the guest bath upstairs. We’re in the process of moving into it while the master bath is being done. We don’t yet have mirrors on the wall in front of the two sinks, or any hardware except the toilet paper holder. And we will have some kind of window treatment. Don’t know what yet, but nothing really to block the light. Haven’t yet used the shower, but will in just a few days. The granite is a greeny-black-brown color and blends nicely with the mosaic tile in the shower. My big ceramic urn (I think it’s an olive oil pot, but decorative only) I bought in Italy years ago blends well with the color scheme. My DH, bless his crazy, silly heart, has computed that the new cabinet above the toilet will hold 52 rolls of toilet paper. Only problem is, I don’t know how you can reach it while you’re, uhm, sitting.

There’s a picture of the nearly finished powder room downstairs. Only thing missing is the toilet paper holder at this point. I just love the copper vessel sink. Dave hates it. Thinks that in 3 years it will “date” the bathroom.

I need some nice, new green finger towels for this room. The mirror is the same. So are the sconces and the wallpaper. It’s just the cabinet and toilet that are new. Do note the cute little feet on the cabinet. It’s supposed to make it look like the cabinet is a piece of furniture.

Darci tells me I simply must have a new rug in this room. She’s going to pick it out for me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And there is the downstairs bathroom, fondly called “Dave’s bathroom.” A little hard to wash your hands at the moment with no plumbing hardware. There’s a leak in the shower mechanisms, so we don’t have water to this room yet. To be finished tomorrow, we’re told. The granite is the same as the one upstairs (green-black-brown). This is an ADA type of shower – you can’t see it, but there’s a slight slanted ramp to get into the shower (you can barely discern the glass shower barrier – see the right edge just to the right of the vertical green mosaic tile. Anyway, if either of us were in a wheelchair, we could wheel in, as they say. The wall color is a kind of moss green.

I love how everything looks so far. Our decorator, Darci, has done such a good job of coordinating colors and design.

There’s a photo of our master bath and dressing room area. It’s a chaotic mess right now as we’re both moving things to our bedroom, to the other bathroom, to the guest room and to the studio up another half level.

Along the right side are two closets that house my dressy clothes and my way-too-many jackets. On the left is another odd-shaped impractical closet that will stay the same (doors ajar) where I have extra shoes, dress heels I never wear at all, extra sweaters etc.

I think this would be the right opportunity to get rid of some of those things. Shoes that don’t fit, sweaters that are very out of date, or whatever. On the left side there’s a mirror, showing a reflection of my DH’s separate sink (and his 2nd set of artificial legs propped up against the cabinet). There’s also a large walk-in closet (his) that’s off to the left. The toilet is on the immediate left.

And down at the far end you can see a big white tub – that’s the jacuzzi tub that’s departing. I never – ever – use it. At the far end and to the left is a big shower. It will be bigger, and also adaptable for wheelchair access. We’ll have a small, free standing tub at the end on the right, kind of angled. We’re going to have a new window (behind the hanging light) down there at the end – one that will open to provide a ventilation path in the warm summer months. My sink is on the left just past those doors, and behind it is a very small walk-in closet (mine). But then, I have clothes completely filling the large closet in the guest room, so I have no room to complain!