Warmer Days with Grandma and Grandpa

The Festival of Lights Parade

We finished our Saturday in Star Valley with the Festival of Lights parade. Dani was taking Helga in it and wanted nieces and nephews to help hand out flyers for her Hang 10 Nail business. Mariah braved the bitter cold and did it.

Dave, Justing, Evan, Jim and I stood as sideline supporters. We were amazed at all of the candy that got thrown. These guys had no problem fighting off the little kids to fill their own pockets! I was too cold to even care.

Mariah made it and so did Helga! (The green car next to her!)

Making Apple Cider

We spent Saturday making apple cider with all of grandma and grandpa's apples. We had cutters, and washers and pressers. It took about 4 hours with about 20 people working ot make 53 gallons of cider. No wonder it costs so much at the store. We drank gallons of cider and it was superb.

Sandy and Shirlene were washers.

The boys were washers downstairs and they did NOT want any adult supervision.

Outside the men faced the cold and worked the cider press!

Thanksgiving 2011

We spent Thanksgiving in Star Valley this year. Grandma always has plenty of company to hang out with her and keep her awake!

Here are Sandy, Dani and Kenna waiting for the food after our morning of cooking. A few of the faithful family folks actually ran a 5K this morning so they could eat more pie! We had lots of those and that was basically the only thing left at the end of the feast.

We decided that we just need to cook and cook and cook some more for the Call family gatherings. That's basically what we did for four days and everyone was happy.

Grandpa would get pretty tired and I just had to get a picture of how he would fall asleep. He hung on to the remote just so that none of us could turn off Bill O'Reily!

Orlando!

Dave had a conference in Orlando, so I decided to go with him. It all only happened after I found out that I didn't book the tickets that I thought I had long ago. There was one seat left on the plane when I found out that night before, so I booked a nice and expensive ticket to join my hubby! On the way home, we took two different flights but in the end, we both arrived safely and HIS ticket was much cheaper than mine. We stayed at the WorldQuest Orlando which was a great condo resort. The only thing that would have made it better would have been to have our kids with us!

We went to Sea World one day. Of course we saw Shamu but we decided that the dolphin trainers have much more fun than the the whale trainers do. They get to at least go in the water with their pets.

The aquariums were pretty cool and we decided that eels were simply evil swimming snakes! Eeks.

This seal was quite a beggar. We had quite a bit of fun watching.

Hearing the Christmas music all day and seeing all of the the Christmas trees was a little weird because it was nice and warm and humid! Those things just don't go together in our book.

We also got to go to the Kennedy Space Center. It was AWESOME! Lots better than I had even thought. The only thing that was bad was Dave's eight dollar hamburger!

This is the closest I got to any astronauts, but I did find out that this space suit costs $400,000.00 to make! Holy cow!

Sad Day at Our House...Riley Died

It was a very sad night last night. When Mariah and I drove home we saw Riley laying on the front lawn in the dark. We instantly knew something was wrong because Riley never leaves his dog bed in the garage! When we got out, he didn't get up. He tried, but he couldn't. We both started to cry because we knew that it meant that this was his last bit of time.

I called Blaine and he came over, looked at Riley, and said, "Yep, he's done." So, Blaine gave him the shot to put him to sleep and let him be out of his pain. We were very sad to say goodbye to our 16-year-old, "tupid dog."

Dave was out of town and so Blaine took Riley's body with him. However, when Cado came home and found out that Riley had died he just sobbed and he said that he really wanted to bury Riley. (Of course, Riley wants to stay on the farm!)

So, he, Mariah and I, went out in the cold, dark, past the barn and dug a big hole. Blaine brought Riley over and it was very touching to see Cado carry his dog for the last time. Mariah put a pink blanket over Riley and a put a piece of bread by him. She also had brought down a box of Life cereal, because it was Riley's favorite, but we forgot to put it in. (Kind of ironic huh) Cado very carefully put the dirt over Riley and then we all helped fill it in. It was a special time to be with my tender-hearted kids.

I told them that I bet Riley is up in heaven...chasing veterinarians! (He never liked Blaine!) ha ha

Salmon Salad! Delicious.

This was "kind of" the recipe I followed. I didn't use the goat cheese and I candied the almonds. The tomato vinaigrette dressing was what made this salad divine!

Grilled-Salmon Salad

A spice rub and fresh goat cheese gives this Grilled Salmon Salad great flavor. You can make the tomato vinaigrette up to 3 hours ahead; cover and chill.

Photo by: James Carrier

• YIELD: Makes 4 servings
• COURSE: Main Dishes, Salads

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds boned, skinned salmon fillet, cut into 4 equal pieces
• 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• About 1 teaspoon salt
• About 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 8 ounces salad mix, rinsed and crisped
• Tomato vinaigrette
• 4 ounces fresh chèvre (goat) cheese, crumbled
• 1/4 cup minced green onions (white and pale green parts only)
• 1/4 cup pine nuts

Preparation

1. Rinse salmon and pat dry. In a bowl, mix brown sugar, cumin, chili powder, and 1 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Place salmon in bowl and rub pieces all over with spice mixture. Cover and chill at least 30 minutes or up to 4 hours.

2. Lay salmon on a barbecue grill over a solid bed of hot coals or high heat on a gas grill (you can hold your hand at grill level only 2 to 3 seconds); close lid on gas grill. Cook, turning once, until a thermometer inserted in center of thickest part reads 140°, 6 to 8 minutes total.

3. Meanwhile, divide salad mix equally among four plates. Place a piece of salmon on each mound of greens. Drizzle salads equally with tomato vinaigrette and sprinkle evenly with goat cheese, green onions, and pine nuts. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Tomato Vinaigrette

This recipe goes with Grilled-Salmon Salad

• YIELD: Makes about 1 cup
• COURSE: Salad Dressings

Ingredients

• 1 cup diced firm-ripe tomatoes (about 8 oz.)
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon minced shallot
• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• Sugar to taste
  

Preparation

In a blender, combine tomatoes, vinegar, oil, shallot, mustard, salt, sugar and pepper. .

Brooke Inspires Us to Make Great Salads!

California Pizza Kitchens Bbq Chicken Salad

By Sharon123 on May 11, 2005

Photo by my3beachbabes

12 Reviews

• 
• Prep Time: 25 mins
• Total Time: 40 mins
• Serves: 4, Yield: 8 appetizer servings

About This Recipe

"The employees at Pizza Kitchens rate this number one! What's not to love with the crunch of the jicama, corn chips, and lettuces; the explosions of different flavors with every bite; and the contrast of the sweet-and-spicy barbecue sauce with the cool ranch dressing...mmmm...mmmm!"

Ingredients

FRIED TORTILLA STRIPS

• vegetable oil, for deep-frying
• 12 corn tortillas, cut 1/4-inch strips

GARDEN HERB RANCH DRESSING

• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon cold water
• 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 8 tablespoons sour cream
• 1/2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 tablespoon thinly-sliced scallion tops, and whites
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh Italian parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh dill
• 1/4 teaspoon minced dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon minced fresh basil

Page 2 of 3California Pizza Kitchens Bbq Chicken Salad (cont.)

Ingredients (cont.)

GRILLED GARLIC BBQ CHICKEN

• 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 tablespoon minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts ( 5 oz ea)
• 1/4 cup good-quality sweet-&-spicy barbecue sauce

SALAD

• 1/2 head iceberg lettuce ( cored, rinsed and dried and cut into thin 1/8" strips)
• 1/2 head romaine lettuce leaves ( separated, trimmed, rinsed, dried, and cut thin strips)
• 12 large fresh basil leaves, cut 1/8-inch strips
• 1 lb jicama, cut 1/4-inch by 1/4-inch by 3/4-inch strips
• 2 cups shredded monterey jack cheese
• 1 cup canned black beans, rinsed drained
• 1 cup canned sweet white corn kernels, drained
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 lbs fresh ripe tomatoes, cut into 1/2-inch dices
• 1/2 cup good-quality sweet-&-spicy barbecue sauce

Directions

1. To Make the Fried Tortilla Strips: In a deep, heavy frying pan, heat several inches of vegetable oil to a temperature of 375 degrees. Working in batches if necessary to prevent overcrowding, carefully add the tortilla strips to the hot oil, submerging them with a metal skimmer or slotted spoon. Fry the tortilla strips until evenly golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Carefully lift them out with the skimmer or slotted spoon and transfer them to paper towels to drain and cool. Set aside, uncovered.
2. To Make the Garden Herb Ranch Dressing: In a mixing bowl, use a fork to stir together the mustard and cold water, forming a paste. Set aside for 10 minutes. Add the remaining dressing ingredients to the bowl and, using a handheld electric mixer at low speed or a whisk, blend together just until smooth, taking care not to incorporate too much air into the dressing. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
3. To Make the Grilled Garlic and BBQ Chicken: Preheat a stovetop grill or the broiler. In a mixing bowl, stir together the olive oil, garlic, soy sauce, and salt. Turn the chicken breasts in this marinade and leave to marinate at room temperature for about 15 minutes. Grill or broil the chicken breasts until cooked through, 5 to 6 minutes per side. Chill thoroughly in the refrigerator. Cut the chicken breasts into 3/4-inch cubes and, in a bowl, toss with the barbecue sauce to coat well. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Page 3 of 3California Pizza Kitchens Bbq Chicken Salad (cont.)

Directions (cont.)

4. To Make the Salad: In a large mixing bowl, toss together the lettuces, basil, jicama, Monterey Jack cheese, beans, corn, cilantro, dressing, and half of the Fried Tortilla Strips. Transfer the salads to chilled serving plates. Surround each salad with diced tomatoes and the remaining Fried Tortilla Strips. Top each salad with chunks of Grilled Garlic BBQ Chicken and drizzle the chicken with the barbecue sauce. Garnish with the scallion.