Category Archives: Food

Another Tuesday Dinner at Moisi and Nadia’s

Conversation between Moisi and Ellen b.

Moisi: “Hi Elyena (Russian for Ellen) you know what mom and me do?” (said with wonderful Russian accent)

Ellen b: “No Pop what did you do?” (plain old western U.S. accent)

Moisi: “We go to Rose Hills and make funeral arrangements.”

Ellen b: “Really?”

Moisi: “We choose Memorial Chapel not Sunrise Chapel.”

Ellen b: “Good choice Pop…”

So there you have it Moisi and Nadia are all set now. I’m sure this is a typical conversation y’all have with your folks, too. My parents not only have taken care of many funeral arrangements for friends and family, they have made their own arrangements so we don’t have to. They are something else…

On a lighter note here are some photos from the evening in Brea…

The four sisters who are off the hook in making the funeral arrangements…

 

Jackson the Great Grandson. (Michelle, I like how you’re looking up at Jack in this photo of a photo…)

Jack again (Hope you see these M. Lou!)

Michelle and Debbee (my nieces)

Oh and the menu… Pineapple Chicken with Basmati Rice, Seven Layer Green Salad, Chocolate Blintzes with Fresh Fruit and a Creme Anglaise drizzled poured on top.

Photobucket is holding hundreds of my photos hostage and that’s why you don’t see the original photos on this post.

Ventura…Where it all Began, the Bayles/Spiro Friendship and First Hike…

On Sunday Dear and I drove North for a great breakfast at Allison’s Country Cafe in Ventura before we headed to the Ventura Fair Grounds Flea Market. The Flea market was row upon row of stuff,  Antiques, Shabby Chic, New, Old, Furniture, Chotchkies, Jewelery, Treasures and Junk…

The weather was lovely but we got toasted because we forgot our sunblock. Silly Washingtonians in California!

 

But the real fun treat was to see Two Trees. This was the site of our very first Bayles/Spiro Hike way back in early 1985. We know it was before Katie (Katherine) was born so Jamie was a wee babe…

 

I stood at this intersection to take the photo of Two Trees. That was quite the infamous hike with Dave, Jody (who we think had her arm in a cast), Lucy, Bridget, Jamie (a baby then), Dear, Ellen, Josh and Dan. Of course the first thing our boys wanted to do was to climb those two trees. We were never exposed to being outdoor type people till we started our friendship with the Spiro’s. We credit them with dragging us along on their outdoor adventures and teaching us the love of being able to tell the story of survival after the fact… God Bless them dearly!

Click to read more about Two Trees.

Any photos missing from my posts are the result of Photobucket blacking out all my photos that I stored on their site since 2006.

Carpenteria ~ Sunday Drive

After church on Sunday Dear and I took a drive up the coast to the little beach side town of Carpenteria. After we got there we got a great tip on a Mom and Pop run restaurant where we had a wonderful breakfast with thick bacon and bisquits and gravy. If you are ever in Carpenteria we recommend The Worker Bee Cafe. The wife is the waitress and the husband is the cook who we saw come out of the kitchen to make sure he got someone’s order right. We walked along Linden Ave. and browsed through Magpie Antiques, Homestead Antiques, Hollyhock Cottage, and a candy shop called Robitaille’s Fine Candy. We saw some great old houses and the Historic Methodist Church (now Capinteria Valley Baptist) which was built in 1888.

A LOL side note: In order to post these collages with my minimal space on this blog presentation I have to narrow down the photo. When people are in the photos like myself above you get contorted and narrowed also. So my disclaimer is that I’m not that tall, do not have those longer legs, and am not that thin at present 🙂

Carpenteria is home to the largest known Torrey Pine in existence. Torrey Pines naturally occur in just two locations: Santa Rosa Island in the Santa Barbara Channel, and along the coast near La Jolla in San Diego County. Collected in 1888 as a seedling on Santa Rosa Island, Judge Ward planted it on the grounds of his home (Wardholme). This Torrey Pine thrived and reached beyond its 40 to 60ft. height. In 1988 it measured 128 feet tall, 121 feet wide at the crown, and 20 feet in circumference at four feet off the ground. It was an amazing tree to see. We drove over to the Carpenteria Cemetary where majestic towering oaks remain from the ancient oak forest which originally blanketed the Valley. We drove over to the Carpenteria Cemetary before we headed home and saw some great headstones and majestic Oak trees.

This was one of the most interesting headstones we saw. Dr. Samuel Austin Moffett and Mrs. Lucia Fish Moffett were buried on this site. They were moved to the campus of the Presbyterian College and Theological Seminary in Seoul, Korea on April 20, 2006. Dr. Moffett was a pioneer missionary to Korea. He founded and served as the first President of the Seminary from 1903 to 1924.

Thanks for coming along with us to Carpenteria not to be confused with Carpeteria…

Any photos missing from my posts are the result of Photobucket blacking out all my photos that I stored on their site since 2006.

Another Happy Birthday at Julienne

Michelle of A Simple Sweet Life is having a birthday today.

 Happy Birthday Michelle!

Michelle, ma belle
These are words that go together well
My Michelle

Michelle, ma belle
Sont des mots qui vont tres bien ensemble
tres bien ensemble

(sorry couldn’t help myself)

Ryan and my niece Michelle

Jackson my Grand Nephew

Nieces Debbee and Melissa

Sister Lana G! and her husband Steve

 Sister Kathy and Ryan

Ellen, SIL Kelly, niece Debbee

Dear was with us too but my photo didn’t turn out but Michelle’s did so you can see Dear and me over there.

We drive, we eat, we laugh, we celebrate, Lana pays!!

We are blessed indeed. Thank you Lord!

ht: Michelle lyrics by the Beatles

Any photos missing from my posts are the result of Photobucket blacking out all my photos that I stored on their site since 2006.

Tea for Two ~ Vintage Blue

Tea for Two in my Library

Welcome back

 

I’m including this recipe for  tea sandwiches that my mom made for us a while back. .

 Curried Chicken Tea Sandwiches

 

INGREDIENTS

     2 cups cubed, cooked chicken, 1 medium unpeeled red apple, chopped, 3/4 cup dried cranberries, 1/2 cup thinly sliced celery, 1/4 cup chopped pecans, 2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions, 3/4 cup mayonnaise or salad dressing, 2 teaspoons lime juice, 1/2 teaspoon curry powder, 12 slices breadLettuce Leaves

DIRECTIONS

  1. In a bowl, combine the first six ingredients. Combine mayonnaise, lime juice and curry powder; add to chicken mixture and stir to coat. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Cut each slice of bread with a 3-in. heart-shaped cookie cutter. Top with lettuce and chicken salad.

 

 

So happy you stopped by my library for tea. You can still see more tea parties at Make Mine Pink.

Any photos missing from my posts are the result of Photobucket blacking out all my photos that I stored on their site since 2006.

Welcome to Moss Rose Tea Party ~ hosted by ellen b.

 Welcome Ladies to Ellen’s

Moss Rose Tea Room

Here’s your seat and let’s enjoy delicacies and delightful conversation.

 

The Tea has been steeped and is ready for you…

 

Sugar? One lump or two?

 

A few sweet delicacies and lots of pink roses.

 

We hope you will sit awhile and speak kindly of your hostess…

 

We’re thrilled that you’ve joined us in our little fun.

 

and that you will leave here remembering everyone.

 

So relax, enjoy, be still for awhile.

 

The world will go on without us for now.

 

We’ll chat, laugh, sip to our heart’s content.

 

And when it’s all over we’ll be happy we met

 

So much beauty to enjoy.

 

So many people to meet

 

So glad you stopped by to enjoy my pink and moss treats!

To enjoy more tea parties head on over to Make Mine Pink and click on the links….

Any photos missing from my posts are the result of Photobucket blacking out all my photos that I stored on their site since 2006.

WFMW ~ Simple Lists & Rewards

This simple 6 x 8 notebook is my organizational wizard. I use this each week to organize myself and to get things accomplished. With a pencil I line out 7 boxes for the 7 days of the week starting with Monday. Each box has the date and day of the week. I put the set appts. in each box. Along the left side I list all the tasks I’d need to accomplish or would like to accomplish that week. I add more as I think of them during the week. In the upper right hand sidebar I list any birthdays that are in that month. Below that I keep a running list of anything I need to buy at the store. Nine times out of ten if I have something on this list it gets done. I take great joy in crossing off accomplished tasks or purchased items. I put fun things to do on these lists too. Below are some pictures of one of the fun things I always try to include on my to-do list.

This is Leticia our waitress at our favorite local Mexican restaurant near our home in Washington. Eating at her family restaurant was on my list this week and voila here we are!

The restaurant is called La Corona and we’ve been here often enough that they know what we like to order and we have more than casual conversations with Leticia about herself and her family.

Laura and Josh joined us for a late celebration of their anniversary.

Dear, Ellen b. and Katie stuffed already on our favorite salsa that they make here. Katie’s friend Heidi joined us too after the photo-op.

So not only do I schedule chores but I schedule some fun too. Bottom line what works for me is organization with my little binder and eating out at a Mexican Restaurant at least once a week!

To see what works for other people head on over to Rocks In My Dryer and join the frenzy fun!

Any photos missing from my posts are the result of Photobucket blacking out all my photos that I stored on their site since 2006.

WFMW ~ Meals on Wheels

 When I’m asked to take a meal to someone who is laid up due to surgery or when someone comes home from the hospital after having a baby, I try to keep it simple. Here is a simple meal that I made last week to share with someone who had surgery. It’s got protein, veggies, and rice all in one dish. Easy to transport and I just add some extras like grapes and cookies and bread to take along.

Heat 1 T. oil in pan on medium heat. Add 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut in strips; cook and stir until lightly browned, stirring occassionally.     (Season the chicken lightly with salt and pepper)  Although the recipe didn’t call for it I would add some onion sauteed in the pan first before adding the chicken.

 ADD 3 cups cut-up fresh vegetables (carrots, broccoli and red pepper) cook and stir 3 to 5 min. or until crisp-tender.

Stir in 1 can of chicken broth (14- 1/2 oz.) and bring to a boil.

 Stir in 2 cups of instant rice (I used instant brown rice) and 1/4 C. Kraft Zesty Italian dressing: cover. Reduce heat to low. Cook 5 min. or until liquid is absorbed and chicken is cooked through.

The finished product. (BTW: I usually double the recipe so that I can take a meal and feed my family the same meal, too)

I added some focaccia bread, red grapes, cookies, and lilies to take along with the main dish.

Now here is a tip that the recipient of your meal is sure to appreciate. Take the meal to them in totally disposable containers. It can be quite the project for someone who is ill or laid up to return dishes to their rightful owners! And this is what those bulky Costco boxes you get at the checkout can come in handy for, to transport a meal.

Now you can head over to Rocks in My Dryer to see more Works For Me Wednesday posts…

Weekend Wanderings…

The L. A. Farmers Market

 Farmers Market (no apostrophe!) was created in July 1934.

In July 1934 a contingent of farmers pulled their trucks onto an expanse of empty land at the property known as Gilmore Island at the corner of Third and Fairfax in Los Angeles. They displayed their produce on the tailgates of their vehicles, to their delight, customers quickly arrived and parked their cars on a hastily created dirt parking lot in spaces designated with chalk. They strolled among the trucks purchasing fruit, vegetables and flowers.

The atmosphere was casual, the open air commerce enticing, the goods fresh, and the result remarkable. Farmers Market became an instant institution.

We met our friends from Seattle at the Original Los Angeles Farmers Market for dinner and a stroll. Luke, (one of our former pastors in Seattle), Terri and their two daughters Sophie and Greta are in L.A. for some sight seeing that will include the ultimate first time visit to Disneyland for the girls on Monday and Tuesday!

A very upscale outdoor shopping center, The Grove, has been built right next to the Old Farmers Market. We ended our visit with an elevator ride to the 8th floor of the parking garage at “The Grove” to get an aerial view of this Miracle Mile area of Los Angeles and Hollywood. We were hoping to see the famous Hollywood sign but sad but true it was too “L.A. smoggy hazy” to see it clearly! We were able to see the Griffith Park Observatory.

 View from a trail in Griffith Park from the south, looking north.

On our way home after our visit we were driving through a couple multi-million dollar neighborhoods and were shocked to see this eyesore on one of the street corners. We were amazed and decided to turn back to take some digital shots of this monstrocity. My photos will not give this gaudy display of bad taste justice.

There were over 14 of these statues…

Yikes! This is a beautiful neighborhood of amazingly landscaped and manicured lawns. House after house displays beautiful architecture and upkeep. I can only imagine what the immediate neighbors think. We found out later that there was a lot of TV coverage over this property and a  lawsuit that the neighbors brought to try to get these statues removed. They lost their suit. The bright white wrought iron fence was added after some of the statues were defaced.

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My weekend ended with a 250 mile round-trip out to Nuevo, California for dinner and a church service that my nephews Levi and Caleb were leading worship for (Levi in the red, Caleb in the orange). A nice ending to a busy weekend. Blessings on your week ahead…

Photobucket has blacked out all my photos from their site that I used on my blog since 2007 and I’m working to update my thousands of posts.

Julienne ~ Birthday Breakfast

My photos are being held hostage at the Photobucket site as of July 2017.

 Happy Birthday Melissa!

 I met my sister Kathy and her daughters, Michelle and Melissa, and my mom for breakfast this morning at Julienne. It is Melissa’s birthday and we love to have celebrations at this wonderful restaurant in San Marino, California.

Mom (Baba), Ellen b, Kathy, and Melissa the birthday girl

Michelle, Kathy and Melissa

The menu is amazing and the ambiance lovely. We don’t mind the drive to meet here. We kick back, forget our figures and eat wonderful things like,

Lemon Creme Brulee Scone

Blueberry Pancakes with Lemon Curd Sauce

Spinach Crusted Quiche Provencal with Rosemary Roasted Potatoes,

Parmesan Crusted Potato Cake with Poached Eggs, Guacamole and Pico de Gallo,

Open Face Omelette with Chicken Sausage, Gruyere, Tomatoes; Rosemary Roasted Potatoes

Now we can watch our calories till we meet at Julienne again…say in September for Michelle’s Birthday! Lana G, we have to time this next celebration just right so you are in town!

Michelle, Baba, and Melissa…