On the subject of angels...

Lake Superior, May 2009

The guardian angels of life fly so high as to be beyond our sight,
but they are always looking down upon us.
~Jean Paul Richter











One Love. One Peace. Always and all ways~

On the subject of Love...

When we understand that man is the only animal who must create meaning,
who must open a wedge into neutral nature,
we already understand the essence of love.
Love is the problem of an animal who must find life,
create a dialogue with nature in order to experience his own being.

Ernest Becker

One Love. One Peace. Always and all ways~

Zucchini Wrapped Salmon with Dill

Welcome to a new feature here on One Tree Past The Fence.
It's all about mistakes. We all make em.
It's how we move forward and what we learn that counts.
I know right? (grinning)

I'm calling it Fix This Dish.
I'm not the best cook. I'm not.
I have a handful of recipes I do well.
I have a lot of recipes that look great in photos.
I lose something in my execution.

So...
I thought I'm going to post the not so good and ask for your help.
I'm asking you to fix this dish~!

Ingredients:

Salt
Pepper
Fresh Dill
Fresh Salmon
Zucchini

Preparation:

Salt and pepper the salmon filets.
Top with a sprig or two of dill.
Wrap the salmon with thin strips of zucchini.
Brush the zucchini wrapped salmon with olive oil
Salt and pepper also.
Bake at 425 for about 15 minutes.
If you need to brown the top a little bit,
hit broil for a couple of minutes.

It didn't taste bad. It almost tasted good.
It sure looked pretty.
I KNOW it could be great...but how?

Fix This Dish Please!

On the subject of...

In some mysterious way woods have never seemed to me to be static things.
In physical terms, I move through them; yet in metaphysical ones,
they seem to move through me. -

John Fowles

Yuzen Japanese Restaurant, Seal Rock, Oregon

Oregon April 2009

Anyone who knows me knows I love sushi.
I have spent the last couple of years traveling,
hit Europe twice, more than a handful of states
in search of the best sushi.

I think I found it.

Yuzen Japanese Restaurant in Seal Rock Oregon.

I didn't think I'd find anything close to Blue Chili in New York.
Completely different atmosphere but equally satiating.

Anyone who knows me, knows that I have no qualms about
walking up to other peoples tables politely asking to hijack
their food for a photo or two, or three.....These two women were
kind enough to accommodate my request, as were a few other tables. ha.

I know I've found the best tempura I have EVER EATEN.
It was so light, the vegetables crisp, and yet the whole thing
just melted in your mouth. I didn't know it was possible.

Prices were reasonable, the service outstanding.
And I'm really picky when it comes to waiting on tables.
I've spent good portion of my career
doing just that. We waited and wanted for nothing.

A picture says a thousand words...so let this review speak with images.
It is after all what I do best.

We ordered nigiri, a few rolls, miso soup, steak and tempura...
I hope you're drooling when you finish reading this.

Fried tofu soup

Fried Prawn

Miso Soup

California Roll

Forgive me for forgetting the name of this one,
was a fried fish roll, it was fantastic.



Eel













Yeh, I'm craving that tempura...
And yeh, I posting ANOTHER tempura shot
because I can.
ha.




Yuzen Japanese Restaurant

Yuzen,
US 101, Seal Rock, Oregon
tel. 541-563-4766,
eight miles south of Newport




I cannot end this post without thanking Monique for a wonderful trip,
which I will write more about in future blogs. I'm still playing catch up.
Her hospitality and friendship go beyond words...

Saturday Crabs...I mean Crab Legs

Everybody does Sunday chicken, Sunday this, Sunday that...
Its Saturday and we're eatin crab legs, me n brother Joshy n Hannah.
I'm sitting here writing this post, I look out the window
and I see them. The missionaries. Now I appreciate their
efforts. I do. This winter on the coldest day of the year, with the
wind chill it was -60 fahrenheit here they were spreading the
Good message. I told them I was good in my faith, without defining
my faith. They kindly left some pamphlets.
Today I'm have tempted to play some porn loudly if they knock on my door.
Yes the window by the door is open.

No one interrupts my crab leg eatin.
Not even messengers of God.

Ingredients:

6 lbs Snow Crab Legs
Wine, trust your own judgement,
1 cup is plenty (sweet or dry, doesn't matter)
I happened to have some moscato today.
1 cup of sugar.
One big pot of water
A ton of butter, melted


I know those of you who are big on the Old Bay seasoning are cringing.
Go ahead.
More for me to eat.
I've used this method for years,
and it works.

Preparation:

Bring water to a boil.
Add wine and sugar
Add crab legs
Let sit until the crab is heated through.
No need to boil them, they're already cooked
and frozen.

The reason I add the wine and sugar, is that the crab legs
that are frozen often times run salty. No I don't live on the coast.
Fresh crab legs are a dream for those of us in northern Minnesota.
Anyway, this method seems to cut the salt and well snow crab legs
should be sweet.

And they are. Perfection.

My father dips his crab in cocktail sauce.
Its good. But I'm a butter baby. Mas butter is better.
So yes those little bowls are about to be filled with
melted oh so glorious butter.

Werd from the cook:
If you have cooked a gluttonous amount,
and plan to go back later and eat more...
Pull ALL the crab legs out of the water.
What are left to sit in in the pot will get water logged.
You can always put the extra back
in the hot water for a quick reheat.

On the subject of...

Chicken Cacciatore On The Fly For Two

Ingredients:

3 small tomatoes
4 chicken thighs
4-5 cloves of garlic
1 small onion
1-2 cups white wine
1 cup chicken broth
olive oil
calamata olives
fresh rosemary
fresh thyme
parsley
salt
pepper

Preparation:

Here I go... not measuring again.
Came home the other day was starving.
So whatever measurements I give you are guesses at best
and if I don't give you measurements,
I'm counting on you all having enough common sense
to know how much salt is too much.

Using a mortar and pestle grind fresh thyme, rosemary,
couple cloves of garlic and kosher salt into a paste.

Rub the chicken thighs with the herb paste.
Make sure to get it under the skin.
Let chicken marinate for an hour....overnight wouldn't hurt.

Heat large saute pan, add olive oil
On medium heat sear the chicken thighs on both sides.
Drain the fat.
Add 4 or 5 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced.
One small onion finely chopped.
Saute until fragrant.

Deglaze with a couple cups of white wine.
Add a cup of chicken broth.
This will somewhat poach the chicken the rest of the way through.
Add parsely, and more rosemary n thyme.
Add olives.
Add quartered tomatoes.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Let simmer until liquid reduces.

Serve over noodles.

I hear you.....

Oregon 2009 Sea Lion

Ha okay it hasn't been a roar...
more like a few grumblings like hey miss your blogs, man thnx for that.
It's always good to be missed even by a few.

I can't say blogging is like exercising, but it
is an exercise in writing. I think I'm going to do
just that. A ramble for old time's sake.
Only a few of you who read this might remember
the days when this girl posted more than a photo
and a quote, or a recipe.

Oregon. I went to Oregon.
I posted pics over on facebook.
I blew my laptop monitor out.
I usually sit in the mornings or at night
and crank out a photo blog.
That answers your question, so why
the hell haven't you blogged them here.
Oregon was great. Ranks right up there
with my NYC trip. Freakin outstanding.
I will do an Oregon blog.
I now have a new laptop.

I've also been working on a new website.
Its prefab but I like it. I organized 324878753
photo files. Now I can't find the photos I want.
Go figure.

I can't figure out my no sleep thing n its starting to kick
my butt by the middle of the week.
On weekends I'm usually to bed by midnight.
Up at the latest by 8. Okay I'm awake around six or seven,
but having the luxury of getting up just a little later I'm not
about to waste. So during the week I work 7 am - 3pm.
I try to wind down around nine. Crash out by eleven.
I'm up until two. Best rem sleep is hitting after 4am.
I gotta kick this. Any suggestions.
I know more physical activity.
Will do, the knee is getting better every day
and this week I am brace free. Skittish in step
maybe but pushing thru, gotta heal.

It's raining lightly on and off today.
I can smell spring.
I like that I can smell spring.
I like it a lot.

People are so predictable and yet they never cease to amaze me.

I didn't get a Mac.
I'm not a Mac hater.
I'm just unMac.
I couldn't commit.
Of course had I gone Mac, I'd have
chosen the newest MacBook Pro and a lofty
little price of 2499.
Pass.
I'm rolling with a Toshiba this
time around instead of a Dell.
I'm not a Dell hater.
Dell's been very good to me.
Apparently that makes me a minority.
24 hours in, I'm obviously
honeymooning this new toy.

We've called off the Grand Tetons road trip,
brother Joshy and I. Neither of us are thrilled
to have I-94 thru the Dakotas be the mainstay of
driving time. We'll hold out until we can take a few weeks
and do the drive to northern California, and on down the coast.
INSTEAD, we are going to my favorite place at the end of the month.
North Shore bound we are for the Blue Fin.
They have a three for two night special.

So work my ass off until then I will.
Speaking of work for the first time in over four years,
I will have weekends off. What do people do on weekends?
I don't care. I need to have a social life. It's time.
My peeps are off on weekends. I want to jump back
into shooting weddings. Weddings happen on weekends.
I'm going to happen on weekends.

Speaking of social life...I got plans to make. : )
Y'all have a good week.



Life is good.