Another weekend in Issaquah

    Every so often I like to visit my daughter, Robin, just to catch up and be able to give her a hug in person. She lives in Issaquah, Washington, a small town about fifteen miles east of Seattle. Her apartment is small, but charming, and she shares it with her adorable cat, Petey.

Her name is Petey

 

 

 

 From her little aerie one can see for miles around. The hill and valley views from her windows and balconies are glorious. Because it can often be overcast or raining, light becomes a priority in the Northwest but her apartment has plenty of it.  There are at least five or six windows bathing the unit so it is always light and bright, even on the darkest days.

View from the balcony

Whenever I head north I always bring with me a secret desire to see rain. California is in such dire need of water right now that any moisture is a blessing. This trip did not disappoint.
    My first day there dawned sunny and bright with a few spotty clouds. On Cougar Mountain, where Robin lives, there are a myriad of hiking trails winding through forests and low lying meadowlands. Robin has a map of trails so we decided to try one or two. There is something magical about tramping through an old growth forest, with its soft, spongy, trails and lichen covered fallen logs. The quiet is almost unnerving. Add a drifting mist to the landscape and you are in fairyland. Unfortunately my bum knee keeps me from making the most of the hikes as I can’t walk too steep uphill or downhill, but we managed to get in at least a peaceful one hour walk.

Before we left to go hiking we put a corned beef on to simmer in her slow cooker. St. Patrick’s Day was only a week away so why not get a jump on it and have our corned beef and cabbage dinner that night, corned beef hash for breakfast the next day and corned beef sandwiches for lunches? After the hike we took a shopping trip to the outlets in North Bend so she could spend her Christmas gift certificate at the Eddie Bauer store.
    Our plan was to hike again the next day but good news/bad news. Bad news, we couldn’t hike. Good news, it was pouring rain! Pedis and manis were the order of the day and a movie took up the rest of the afternoon.
    That night Robin wanted to make her Asian Inspired Turkey Meatloaf for dinner.

 She used the Ulu knife her ex-husband brought back from Alaska to chop the herbs. It is similar to a mezzaluna knife but, used for centuries by native people of the Arctic, the Ulu increases dexterity and leverage, making fine cuts simple and heavy chopping easier. From chopping nuts to slicing cheese and meats, cleaning fish, and dressing game, the Ulu Knife does it all. Even chopping a few herbs for a meatloaf.

Ulu Knife

Sunday morning I went with Robin to one of her weekly meetings and then back to the apartment for corned beef sandwiches before we headed to the airport for my trip home.
    Robin plans to move back to California, her state of birth, in the fall so she can be closer to her family. I am over the moon happy that she will be so close but at the same time, there goes my excuse to visit the Emerald City. Maybe in the future we can fly up to Seattle together to visit the rain, the friends she left behind,  and try a few more of those trails.

 

 Asian Inspired Turkey Meatloaf

 

You will need:

1 lb. ground turkey
1 egg
2/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
1 Tblsp. fresh ginger, finely chopped or from a jar
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped or from a jar
1 Tblsp. low sodium soy sauce
1 Tblsp. fish sauce
1 Tblsp. chili garlic sauce
1 Tblsp. fresh mint, minced
2 Tblsp. cilantro, finely minced
2 Tblsp. fresh basil, finely minced
vegetable oil spray (like Pam)

Glaze
1/3 cup catsup
1 Tblsp. soy sauce
2 Tblsp. Hoisin sauce
1-1/2 tsp. fresh ginger, finely chopped or from a jar
1 tsp. chili garlic sauce
1-1/2 tsp. Siracha hot chili sauce (more if you want it spicier, less if you're a wimp)
1/2 tsp. Sesame oil
juice of one lime

Set oven to 350 degrees

Spray a baking sheet or baking dish with vegetable oil spray. 

Lightly mix the ground turkey with the next 10 ingredients and form into a loaf on baking pan. Mix the ingredients for the glaze and pour over the loaf, spreading with a knife to cover loaf.

Bake for 55-60 minutes or until meat thermometer reads 160 degrees.

Serves 2-4

Fifty Shades of green

     I am twice blessed. I live in sunny California and I live just steps from the Los Gatos Creek Trail.  When I first moved into my townhouse I would walk on the trail every day, rain or shine. Now, ten years and a broken kneecap later, I try to get a walk in, at least two or three times a week.
    My walks have become more contemplative than athletic but I'm always surprised at how different each walk is. I never tire of the scenery; it changes with the seasons, (yes we have seasons here in Northern California), with the time of day, and, depending on which direction I go, with the number and variety of wildlife.
    If I go to my left on the trail it will first take me high above the creek where I can watch Mallards whizzing along through little rapids like they’re whitewater rafting on a class IV river. Before long, I come to what I call “The Meadow.” It’s a sunny, flat area along the creek, surrounded by shady oaks. Not a bad place for a picnic, I think.

The Meadow

Then I hear the distant roar of water spilling over the Vasona Lake dam. From the trail I can see and feel the power of all that water crashing into the quiet pool below it. Once I saw a Red Breasted Merganser perched on a log there, serenely preening his colorful feathers.

Vasona Dam

Pool below the dam

 Now comes the a steep climb to the top of the dam where the scene opens out to include the entire Vasona Lake and the Los Gatos hills beyond. If I go around the lake I will come to Vasona Park where every spring Great Blue Herons make their nests in the rookery, high in the tops of the Eucalyptus trees. At noon you can hear the hungry hatchlings calling, YAK YAK YAK for their lunch. Then it’s time to head back home.

Vasona Lake

From my house, if I turn to my right on the trail, I head toward the city of  Campbell. The first thing I notice is a sharp, somewhat medicinal scent; then I see a small but beautiful grove of rough-barked Eucalyptus trees. That lovely scent reminds me of my youth when my grandmother took me to concerts in the Sigmund Stern Grove in San Franicisco.

Eucalyptus grove

Years ago when I first started plying the trail it was winter and I was amazed at the number and variety of migrating waterfowl that took refuge in the creek and the percolation ponds along the way. Unfortunately, due to the drought, the percolation ponds are now all dry.

Merganser

I miss seeing the Mergansers, the Goldeneyes, the Wigeons, Gadwalls and my favorites, the shy, but gorgeous, Wood Ducks. I long for the day the rains return and fill the ponds again. In the meantime there is still plenty to see. Three huge office buildings are being built along Winchester Blvd. and I can watch the construction from the trail which borders their future parking lot. I hear the beep, beep, beep of the heavy machinery backing up and distant sound of a construction worker’s radio playing. Further on as the trail ascends I look back and see how the buildings are blocking the view of the hills.

It's blocking my view of the hills!

    On I go through a tunnel of tall trees and newly sprouted Oxalis along the trail.

    There are still Canada Geese wandering around looking for mates and the ubiquitous Mud Hens never seem to leave the area. From the bridge that crosses the creek I can look down on a turtle treading water and soaking up some sun. I haven’t read Fifty Shades of Gray or seen the movie, nor do I have any desire to, but the title inspired me to take a series of photos on my Creek Trail walk today because all along the way Spring is making itself known in buds, blossoms and fifty shades of green. One doesn’t have to have a creek trail or specific place to walk, although it’s great if you do. No, even walking around your neighborhood can give you a new perspective.
  
The only recipe I have today is for Peace of Mind.

First set your attitude to “Grateful”

You will need:
Some sunscreen, if the sun is out
A small amount of free time
One pair comfortable shoes
One open mind

1. Open your front door.
2. Put one foot in front of the other.
3. Now walk in any direction for any amount of time.
4. Look around you. Look up. Look down.
5. Listen to the birds and other sounds.
6. Feel the sunshine or the rain on your skin.
7. Smell the air; good or bad.
8. Be grateful for what you can see, hear, feel.

Deconstructed Enchiladas

    Weeks ago my daughter, Robin, who lives in the Northwest, told me about this recipe. It sounded delicious but the weather has been so warm that I wanted to wait until it got cooler before I tried it.
    My granddaughter, Lexi, has been working many hours, saving her money for her Pacific Crest Trail hike-through. In a few weeks she will start at the California/Mexico border and hike through California, Oregon, and Washington arriving at the U.S./ Canada border in October. (I knew I shouldn’t have given her that book, Wild, by Cheryl Strayed!) So far our living room looks like a warehouse for Costco with all the trail food she is amassing.

Looks like a lot of food but it will go fast on the trail

She will fill boxes with extra food, money, socks and boots, and address them for us to mail to her at intervals throughout the hike. Thank heavens her boyfriend, Spencer, is going with her. Originally, she planned to go it alone which filled my heart with dread. But, bless his heart, Spencer has stepped up and offered to accompany her on this adventure. Lexi has been backpacking since she was six so this won’t be her “first rodeo.” I think she is very brave and I hope the trail will be all she hopes it will be.
    Also she has been singing and playing at more gigs in San Jose and Saratoga and recording in Santa Cruz lately. What I’m getting at is that it has been only me for dinner most of the time lately. But tonight she is home and wants to try this recipe with me.
    It’s uncanny how many canned ingredients this takes. Get it? Uncanny, canned. Haha. Sorry about that. Of course, if one is ambitious, homemade enchilada sauce could be used; or fresh handmade tortillas would be a treat. For most of us, however, that would be above and beyond.  This is another of those recipes that you can bake and eat from for days. Or, you can bake it and freeze half for a later date. Either way it’s tasty, goes together in a jiffy and only takes one pound of ground beef. I wonder I could dehydrate it for Lexi to take on the trail!

Ingredients for Deconstructed Enchiladas

Colorful filling ready to be layered.

First layer

Into the oven

Ready to eat

Deconstructed Enchiladas

1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
1 Tbls.garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground oregano
1/2 can red enchilada sauce
1 8 oz. can El Pato salsa de chile fresco
 (or plain tomato sauce if you want a milder casserole.)
1 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 15 oz. can petite diced tomatoes
1 2.25 oz. can sliced black olives
1 4 oz. can diced green chiles
3/4 cup frozen corn
1 16 oz.pkg. corn tortillas
8 oz. shredded Mexican cheese
Cooking spray (Pam)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large skillet over medium high heat, brown the ground beef, breaking it up into small chunks. Add the chopped onion and garlic and cook for 5-7 minutes, or until the ground beef no longer has any pink. Add the next nine ingredients and cook for another 5 minutes.

Spray a 9”x14” baking pan with cooking spray. Layer corn tortillas on bottom of pan, overlapping if necessary. Ladle enough of the cooked filling (about 1 cup) over the tortillas and spread. Sprinkle with cheese. Continue layering tortillas, cooked filling, and cheese, ending with shredded cheese. Bake in 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes or until brown and bubbling. Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Serves 6-8