Hiking

On Saturday, Jesse and I decided to get out of the city. We drove along the river a ways and hiked about 5 miles. It was so good to be out, even if everything was dead and a bit dreary. Although, I really can't complain about the weather. We haven't had any real snow to speak of, and I can almost imagine that spring will be here soon. Here are some pictures from our walk:

And boy were we tired. Even Molly, who freaks out in cars (and usually ends up on my shoulders) slept the whole way home. A nice day.

Catch Up: Christmas

Here are some pictures from Christmas I've only now uploaded:

Christmas Eve




Tara gave Jud her "Play with Me Elmo" on Christmas Eve. Even after he had ripped off arms, eyeballs, and batter pack, we were surprised to hear Elmo cry from the garbage sack, "Hey, aren't you going to play with Elmo? Oh well, maybe we'll play later."

Jesse in his Christmas Micky PJs

Molly looking at all the loot

This was Jesse after just spying his Wii stuff.

Breakfast

Making the roasted pears after dinner

The Rabbit

Here are some pictures from our rabbit adventure. Kelly came by to pick up her tablecloths, and ended up staying to take part in the festivities. And thank goodness she did. We had a grand old time!

Jesse researched how to cut up the rabbit, and hacked away with finesse and dignity...


Kelly browned the bunny bits...

mmm.

Here are some Lemon Meringue Tart happinesses:

Making the lemon filling

Lemon filling ingrediants

Kelly asked Jared to bring over his torch, and boy did we have fun!

Dinner.

Be Vewy Vewy Quiet...

After a very hectic week and weekend, I have today off. And it's time to cook! I couldn't over the weekend with talks and lessons to write for church, company, and no room in the kitchen. I didn't even feel like cooking for anybody. I even snuck upstairs at 5:30 Sunday morning to make secret French toast for just Jesse and me (he's not just anybody).

So now it's on. Kelly loaned me this awesome Alaskan cookbook, and there is a great-sounding recipe for braised rabbit in it. It reminded me of the one time I've had rabbit--at Madeleine's downtown in a cassoulet--and it was scrumptious. So I've decided to try to recreate that dish. Armed with my Mastering the Art of French Cooking (it was literally tucked under my arm as we went to the meat market), Jesse, Tara, and I went wabbit hunting! Turns out, due to maybe a combination of being in a semi-big city surrounded by hunting land and populated by many Russians, we were successful! Home we came with a frozen Thumper and three pig ears for the dawgs (which were all three eaten by Molly over the course of the evening). So tonight is rabbit cassoulet and a beautiful lemon meringue tart I found in Barefoot in Paris (a gift from Jesse for Christmas). Then tomorrow is coq au vin, which I'm very excited to try.

Last night I was thinking about why I tend to shy away from cookbooks without many pictures. I love to be inspired by what a dish should look like when it's finished. It's like the cookbook is a giant restaurant menu, and I can order anything I want. And I think it's also because I create the thing in my head before I ever touch a pot or pan. And our lesson from Sunday school was still fresh in my mind, about how God created all things spiritually before he made their physical beings:

"And now behold, I say unto you, that these are the generations of the heavens and of the earth, when they were created, in the day that I, the Lord God made the heavens and the earth.

"And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew. For I, the Lord God, created all things, spiritually, before they were naturally upon the face of the earth (Moses 3:4-5)."

People talk about expressing themselves through art, and I think they're partly expressing that part of themselves that needs to imitate that process: create something spiritually and then physically.

When I cook, I read the recipe, picturing myself building the dish. First sauteing the onions in their butter, then adding the rice, then boiling the broth and adding it to the rice and onions, then in with the herbs, salt, and pepper, and into the oven. And I have created a very specific thing in "spirit." Then I make the dish, creating a "body" for the risotto that (hopefully) matches that spirit. We've learned that a body plus a spirit equal a soul--a complete being. And I think this idea holds true with any art form.

Hopefully I haven't gotten too carried away. But this blog serves as a place for me to work out some ideas. Now into the kitchen!

Zombies!

I'm surrounded. Where's my kitchen?

Boring Post for Organizational Purposes

To Do (told you this was boring):

• Work Resume
• Clean.
• Apply for passport name-change
• Send copy of passport to Kent
• Apply for Kent Housing/figure out
• Do FAFSA
• Get Washington Driver's licence
• Apply for that thing
• Call Uheea
• Apply for scholarships

We're back.

Well, after a long, rainy, foggy drive yesterday, we arrived in Spokane (thanks to Jesse's mad skills) around 8:00. Jesse's off job-hunting now, and I've got a lot of catch-up to do around here.

As we drove home yesterday, I approached Spokane with some misgivings. Medford doesn't seem like home, nor does the Applegate--where my parents now live--and Spokane seems to hold onto my heartstrings with all the gusto of a weak cup of tea. Poor Jesse. Lately, he's my husband, taxi driver, therapist, children, mother, girlfriend, and exercise consultant. That's a tall order. But he listens to my rants faithfully, and maybe--who knows?--by the time we leave Spokane, we'll feel connected to this place. But I sort of doubt it.

In Medford, it was great to see our friends Sav and Adam, and Becky and Phil. We've missed them (and their adorable babies)! It was also good to reconnect with some of Jesse's family down there. And of course, my mom and pop. Had some yummy Chinese food, took some nice walks, had a "Have Gun, Will Travel" marathon with Dad, had a great visit with my grandparents, and had a generally nice time. In the car we finished Julia Child's My Life in France, which was very good. I was also pleased to find out that I don't work today.

So on we go... Robert and Diana will arrive tonight and will have their reception this Saturday (I'm sheduled to work) and Jesse and I are speaking Sunday. It's also my turn for the lesson in Young Women's. So a busy weekend planned. I did not get the writing done I wanted to last week, but I am working on a little bit of a secret project...

Drizzle Drizzle

Well, Jesse and I made it safely down to Oregon. I'll be the first to admit that I'm one of the worst road-tripping companions. My nerves instantly become rubber-bandy, my knuckles turn white, and I snap out orders mid conversation. However, Jesse (being a wise guy) visited the library before we left and brought back several books on tape. Among these was My Life in France by Julia Child. We listened to this book the entire 11 hours down, and it worked like a charm. I tell you what, if you ever lose your appetite, read this book, and you'll find it again. We practiced some French words (mostly food-related) and drooled over the dishes she describes. With only a few exceptions, I believe I was a tolerable driving companion.

Jesse drove on down to the Bay Area this morning, and I stayed behind in Medford. I'm looking forward to enjoying some time with my family, as well as some time alone. I've had some time to think, and as I sit here waiting excitedly for Barefoot Contessa to start (ooh, it's on!) I have to wonder if this food obsession is going too far. I don't know what it is, but the creativity of it, the new experiments to try, the endless things to learn, and of course the eating part--it gets me itchin' for the kitchen. And it's something more, too, but I can't put my finger on it.

I'm sitting in my parents' living room in the Applegate Valley. There's a beautiful view of the mountains and there are little wispy clouds lying around. It's nice and drizzly, and the flock of pigeons that lives in the field across the dirt road (and has since they moved here) is circling around. Very picturesque and relaxing. Ina's making a lemon yogurt cake. I saw some lemons in the fridge...

To Medford

Well my blogging has laxed a bit in the past few weeks due to more hours at work, and a backlog of photos to put up (which I'm bound and determined to still post). But in short, life is pretty good... We're still waiting for September to come and take us to England and Paris.

Christmas was great--very low-key. We also recently enjoyed a visit from dear friends Sarah, Beckah, and Ella. That was wonderful. Many pictures to post.

Robert's wedding is this weekend, and we'll be staying a few days in Medford, which will be really nice. I hope to get a lot of reading and writing done. Our cruise (not that I'm complaining) was wonderful, but involved a lot of family and schedules and the like, so it'll be nice to have some down time. Jesse is now on the job hunt again, hoping to find a real job with a predicable daily schedule, coworkers with highschool diplomas (at least), and a higher-than-minimum sort of wage. He's applied to several office assistant positions, so we'll see if anything comes to fruition soon.

Hopefully I will be posting soon with new writings and pics. Good luck to everyone this January. To me, it's the month when I begin to hold my breath and throw the covers over my head until spring comes. Come soon, Spring!