Sunday, July 24, 2011




We spent a rejuvenating, reinvigorating, and relaxing (if those three things are possible all at once!)  weekend in North Carolina with friends on the Green Narrows.  This was my first time on the Narrows and Michael's third.  It was just the life-affirming, confidence-inspring experience that we needed - and so much fun!  The photos above show my run in three parts at Zwick's Backender, one of the more challenging rapids on the river.   

Saturday, July 16, 2011





Pika is on the mend!  Nacho is still worried about her, but she's doing just fine considering what she went through.



I've recently had the unsettling experience of finding a recipe I love and then forgetting where I found the recipe.  This happens less often when the valued recipe came out of a cookbook I own, but Michael and I are more frequently using recipes found online.  In my experience with lost online recipes, they're not easily found.

So, it's in this spirit that I'm listing a number of recipes I've recently found online, cooked at home, and thoroughly enjoyed:

Soba with Peanut-Citrus Sauce
This recipe is simple and rewarding.  I tried it while Michael was out of town; he doesn't enjoy nut sauces very much.

Pasta with Roasted Cauliflower, Chickpeas, and Ricotta
Michael thought this was forgettable, I thought it was awesome.

Baked Mac and Cheese with Vegetables
This has quickly become a staple in our house because it's easy to make ahead and tasty.

Banana Bread with Chocolate and Ginger
I've made this recipe twice - once overcooked and once undercooked.  Despite the fact that I haven't gotten it right yet, I think the banana/chocolate/ginger combination is a definite winner.

Alea's Eggplant Pizza Bites
This recipe is pictured above and doesn't really need a recipe - it's really more of just a good idea.  We served them with pesto on pasta and salad (made with basil and tomatoes straight from our garden)!

I'm eager to try the following recipes sometime soon:

Roasted Vegetable Enchiladas
We've been eating almost exclusively vegetarian lately but have yet to find a really great vegetarian enchilada recipe.  This recipe looks promising!

Simple Summer Peach Cake
Michael frequently has to deal with the repercussions following my insistence on making desserts with complex recipes.  This one looks really straightforward.

Wednesday, July 13, 2011



Our precious Pika had a run-in with a branch in the yard that resulted in a large section of her left side being sliced open.  Approximately 30 stitches and a $800 vet bill later, she's all sewn up and feeling much better!  She's been wearing t-shirts to protect her injured area; we've tried several on her so far, and the purple is her favorite.

Sunday, July 3, 2011












Last week I went on a tour of the valve lab to look for valves that might be useful for testing in my branch's test facility.  The photos above show a small sample of the total hardware in the warehouse - it was incredible!  The largest valve is shown in the second to last photo.  I included my feet in a couple of the photos for scale.