COOKING CLASS

THE SUR LA TABLE COOKING SCHOOL

FRIEND PATTY

CHEF KYLE

THE DINNING EXPERIENCE 

My friend Patty and I decided we would try out a cooking class at Sur La Table. After careful deliberation we decided upon a class called Earth-Friendly Dinner Party. The menu was as follows:

• Fennel and Turnip Crudites with Fennel Salt
• Butternut Squash and Sage Soup with Sage Breadcrumbs
  
• Light Homemade Chicken Stock
  
• Roast Chicken with Rosemary-Garlic Paste
  
• Sauteed Kale with Smoked Paprika
  
• Chunky Jerusalem Artichoke and Potato Mash
  
• Pears in Honey and Pine Nut Caramel with Artisanal Cheese
  

The meal was wonderful. Patty and me made two dishes the chicken and the pears in honey. I don't often roast a chicken but it was far easier and quicker than I thought and I learned some things on how to butterfly a whole chicken and what to look for when purchasing a whole chicken. The chicken turned out moist and flavorful. When we started on the pears dish I would have never thought all the ingredients would work together. The tartness of the cheese and sweetness of the pears with the honey really worked well together they offset each other. 

The class was very informative as I learned new knife skills and difference between salts and how they change the flavor of a dish. This is the first cooking class I have ever taken and I am really looking forward to the next class. Patty and me are looking at the schedule and deciding on which one to take next. We are even thinking of even taking our husbands. There is a cooking class called Date Night and we thought if we could talk our husbands into going we may all really enjoy it. 

It was so much fun sharing and enjoying Life in Celebration.

SUNSHINE, TUMBLE WEEDS AND GOLF

THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM

This is the view of the driving range at Sunbrook Golf Course in St. George. This is how the morning started out yesterday blue skies, sunshine, NO wind and a hope for more of the same. 

Let's start from the beginning. I had entered into the Utah State Winterchamps Tournament in St. George, Utah over the weekend. The first day of the tournament was glorious. The sun was shinning no wind to speak of and I played the best round of golf in over a year. My drives were going around 24o yards, the approach shots were either on the green or close by, my chipping was fantastic, and the putts were dropping like the ball knew where it needed to go. All was good! I came in on the first day leading my flight. What I was happy about was that I played well for the first time for what seemed like a long time. I knew on Saturday afternoon that Sunday would be a new day and a whole new ball game. 

Sunday started out just beautiful. The weather broadcasters were spewing gloom and doom. We all dressed for the rain and cold we were told to come. Waking up you could see the moon and stars (the wake-up call was for 5:15 a.m.). Upon arriving at the golf course there wasn't a cloud in the sky, no wind and no gloom. Many of us felt we had over dressed in long pants, turtlenecks, sweaters and rain gear. The first four holes were a golfers dream sunshine and warming weather. On the fifth hole it was like someone put the whole course in a wind tunnel. The wind started blowing so hard you could hardly stand still over your ball to swing at it. You had to aim 40 to 50 yards into the wind from your target. The wind had up rooted so many tumble weeds you had to play dodge ball with them on the putting green. One member of our foursome was tending the pin and we did not notice this behemoth of a tumble weed come onto the green and in rammed her in the backside. The darn thing was as big as she was. If any of you know anything about tumble weeds you know they are as prickly as a rose or more so. They have thousands of very sharp thorns that break off very easily and stick to what every they catch onto. Well needless to say her butt was full of thorns. The poor things could feel them for the rest of the round. I can honestly say it felt like it was one of the longest rounds of golf I had played. Playing in the wind that gusting up to 5o mph is fatiguing. The round did not go so well for me. I played okay but not like I had played on Saturday. I made some par's and a few boggies but not enough pars to keep me in the lead. I finished tied for third. 

All said and done I don't feel bad about my finish I can honestly say I had a great time, made some fantastic shots and made some new friends. Golf is what you make it as with any sport. You can make it hard harsh or you can make it an enjoyable time to do your best where you savor your victors and greet your losses.  Golf is a pass time and a hobby not your life. 

Remember live you LIFE IN CELEBRATION.

GREAT FRIENDS 

AND 

A WEEKEND OF TOO MUCH FUN

The victims of a great time. Too much food, too much booze, too much fun. It was great spending time with you all and we will have to do it again next year at the same time and same place. 

There was a lot of Celebration of Life.

SISTERS

The Sisters

Norma and Nicky

My two older sisters came down and spent a few days with me at our vacation home. It was really nice to spend the time with them. Almost two years has past since the last time we had spent more than a few hours together. It was nice talking and reminiscing about our youth and our parents. One of the things I have to say is that the stories didn't really change but the people telling them have. It is a little discerning to see how much time has passed and the effects it has on all of us. When talking I don't see my oldest sister Norma being 70 years old or the second oldest Nicky who is 67 years old or me being 56 years old. In my minds eye I see the sisters much younger than they are. I don't see the gray hair or the wrinkles on either one of us. It is somewhat a shock for me to really accept that they are reaching such an age. It was a little upsetting to see that my oldest sister is not getting around a well as she has in the past. My sister Nicky is worried about her shuffling. I saw some of that while we were out shopping. I also saw that her asthma is still something to be dealt with. The asthma and advancing age is probably the reason of the the shuffle. It really saddens me to think that my sisters are getting on in years and they are starting to slow down. 

All that really mattered was that I had a fantastic visit and they seemed to have a good time also. We played golf, shopped, decorated the kitchen, went out to dinner and spent time together. It was wonderful to reconnect with them.

Time passes very quickly and we all need to not take the people around us for granted. We need to grasp each and every minute and live our Life in Celebration.

WINTER IS STILL HERE

A tree in our yard. 

I know there are many people who would love to just see the blue sky. But come on where is Spring. I am really ready for a few spring flowers poking their heads out of the grown with a promise of things to come. I think the south side of our yard which is protected by a high fence has not been uncovered by snow for months. I am antsy to go to the local nursery to pick out those new summers plants to grow in flower beds.  I am also looking forward to the 120 new bulbs I planted last fall. I hope that I had given them enough bulb food for them to blossom. When I get back next week  I hope to see some activity maybe a daffodil or two ready to show me their faces.

Remember even though the weather is cold and not so sunny and warm there is still reason to live your Life in Celebration.

GOOD FRIENDS

You are looking at four individuals who have one very fine thing in common. They are good friends. The picture was taken on July 4Th 2008. This was one of the first times we had gotten together. We had gone to a BBQ and fireworks at the local recreation center it was our first community event and invited us to join them.  At first as with any new relationship there is a discovery period, ask questions feeling each other out and testing boundaries.  We discovered we like Stacy and David and looked forward to getting to know them. 

It is now 8 months after the first outing in July and I feel that we have made friends for the rest of our lives. We look forward to our trips down south so that we can share a cup of coffee or friendly dinner around the table. We are planning meet in San Francisco for fleet week. They are getting ready to head home in the next few days and I know I will miss them both once they are gone. It will not be the same going down south and not have Stacy and David's friendly smile to greet us. I will miss the little chats over the fence, the dinners at our house, the discussions about houses, the little shopping trips, the sharing of what we bought and what our plans are for decorating. 

They are what you would call Snow Birds and the urge to return to their summer home is growing strong. They are planning on returning in the next week and we just wanted to let them know we will miss them and are counting the days when we will have a chance to get together again.

My you live your Life in Celebration

A LIFE

This past week I have been in Denver for my husband's father's funeral. I have never seen sorrow as I had with my husband. It was the deep heart retching kind that crumbles you making you smaller than you are. My husband had a special relationship with his dad. 

I know my he will miss him every day. 

I had never been to a military grave yard. I guess what made me stop and think was that for as far as the eye could see there were these white marble headstones. Each and everyone one of them is a resting place for someone who either lost his live at war or gave a portion of his life protecting our way of living. It was very humbling to me to wonder through the site and read the names. Many of them have passed in the last five years. Many of them were the age of my husbands father serving in WWII and Korea. One never thinks about the multitude of men who have served our country with pride and dedication. We hear about the numbers but you never really have a clue of the number until you see something like I saw at Fort Logan in Colorado. This is only one of the many military cemeteries around the country that are filled with men and women how have given a slice of their life to this country. 

Fort Logan has 16 burials a day five days a week all year long. When you do the math it is staggering the number of military how are passing on a daily basis. If there is a military cemetery near you go and wander through the site and read some of the names. It puts a lot of things into perspective. 
This was the final dedication to a fallen soldier it was given with pride and received with pride.