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