Well, we had summer, it was hot and sticky and now we are moving into fall. Seriously it was nice to have a few days of toasty weather, but I much prefer a day like today. Cool and a bit cloudy and then sunshine in the afternoon.
I enjoy the farmers markets, all the fresh produce and lots of beautiful flowers. This is a perfect example, this bouquet cost me $10 and will last at least 2 weeks
Traveling Neighbors
Edy was on the road again, this time to Boston for a work trip. She got caught in the glitch involving airline travel. A long day of trying to get home. She is now going to head off to London with granddaughter Freya. They are going to spend time in London exploring interesting places like Harry Potter studios. What a great opportunity for Freya a special time given to her by her special grandmother.
Carole went to Denver for some family time
John and Linda went to Texas to be a part of an important event in their family. Their grandson who recently graduated from Texas A & M got married. It looks like they had a great time.
Congratulations to the newlyweds.
Recipe Du Jour
Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad
Serves 8
Ingredients
8 Oz. uncooked penne pasta, or any other shape you prefer
¾ C creamy Caesar salad dressing
1 tsp grated lemon zest plus 2 T fresh juice (from one large lemon)
½ tsp fresh ground pepper
¼ tsp Kosher salt
2 Cups shredded rotisserie chicken
1 pt. multicolored cherry tomatoes, halved
¾ c thinly sliced red onion (from 1 small (6 oz) red onion) I used a shallot
2 oz. pre-shredded Parmesan cheese (about ½ cup), plus more for serving
2 cups chopped romaine lettuce
1 C garlic-seasoned croutons (such as Texas Toast)
Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish
- Bring a large pot of water to boil over medium-high heat. Add pasta and cook according to package directions; drain in colander, and rinse with cold water.
- Whisk together Caesar dressing, lemon zest and juice, pepper, and salt in a large bowl
- Stir in cooked pasta, chicken, cherry tomatoes, onion and parmesan cheese until thoroughly combined. Cover with plastic wrap, and chill in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or up to 4 hours to allow flavors to meld.
- Remove from refrigerator, and let stand at room temperature, covered, about 30 minutes. Just before serving, stir in lettuce and croutons
- Sprinkle with additional Parmesan cheese and garnish with parsley.
Restaurant Review
120 W Dayton St. Suite D1
Edmonds, WA
425 275 9590
Hours
Sun-Wed 11AM -12 AM
Thurs-11 Am-1 AM
Fri-11AM-2AM
Sat. 9AM -2 AM
No Minors
This is a typical pub/tavern/grill – lots of TV’s, darts and pool tables
Jerry had a steak, I had a burger, burger again not as good as the Blackbird but would go back, we were there early so not too crowded so don’t know how noisy it would be later in the evening. If you want what we call a (cheap & sleazy) dining experience I think you would enjoy this. Service was good and there was plenty of parking.
For Your Information
Myrna’s contribution
I saw Myrna carrying one of her windows screens up this week, she had just had it made since she had broken one when we had our windows washed. I asked where she went since we have one with the same problem? So, if you have the same problem here is where you can get a new one.
Skyline Windows
17240 Ronald Pl N
Shoreline, WA 98133
Kayoko’s contribution
I recently donated some older but freshly laundered bath towels to the veterinary hospital next door. A kind and friendly front desk staff was always gracious and appreciative of the old bath towels every time I dropped them off as they use those old towels for the animal patients. If anyone is thinking of organizing a linen closet, kindly please consider donating older towels to the animal hospital next door. Thank you so much!
FIY number 3
5 smart tips for cooking better pasta
We all make mistakes when we’re cooking pasta, from under salting to overcooking. Her’s how to make perfect pasta every time
Cooking pasta may be nearly second nature to many of us. After all, this is one of the first foods many of us learn to cook on our own, even if those early adventures are mostly about a box of mac and cheese or a packet of instant noodles. But shockingly, there are still a few mistakes many of us make when it comes to cooking our own pasta, and it is definitely having a negative effect on our pasta outcomes. Will making these mistakes make our pasta inedible? Nope but it will keep us from the platonic ideal of pasta that we all deserve
- Under salting the cooking water
If there is one thing to adopt as the basic standard of all pasta cookery, it is to properly salt the water the pasta is being cooked in. The boiling process is the only time you can season the pasta, anything else is just seasoning the sauce. Imagine cooking your ribs with no salt or spices, just plain, and assuming the barbecue sauce will make up for it. Cooking water for pasta should taste salty. The romantic adage about it tasting like the sea is a little florid, but the thinking is sound. Taste your water before you add your noodles, and if it doesn’t have the level of saltiness of a good chicken broth, add one more tablespoon at a time-until you get there. - Adding oil to the pasta water
While you do want to season your pasta water with salt, you do not want to attempt to flavor your pasta or “prevent it from sticking “by adding a slick of oil to the boiling water. The oil will cling to your pasta when you drain, and while it might help prevent the noodles from sticking to each other, it will also prevent your sauce from sticking to your noodles. - Not checking the pasta early or often enough
Al dente means “to the tooth” and is code for “my noodles are not mush”. You do not want your pasta to have a texture of paste, you want each strand or shape to stand on its own and hold up to its eventual coating and give a nice chewy texture. Having said that, you also do not want it crunchy in the middle, and “to the tooth” does not imply “stick to the tooth”. Start taste-testing your pasta a good 2-3 minutes before the package directions say and then every minute until it has the perfect texture. - Not saving some of the pasta water
This starchy seasoned elixir is the magic difference between pasta sauce that clings luxuriously to every noodle, with a beautiful creamy texture, melding the two into one cohesive unit and pasta sauce that feels just spooned on top of noodles. Adding a little of the pasta cooking liquid to your sauce as you combine the two is paramount perfect dishes. Always save a cup or two of the liquid before straining - Rinsing Pasta
That is starch in the pasta water you just saved. Some of it is clinging to the outside of your drained pasta and it is clinging to the outside of your drained pasta, and it is there to help you sauce adhere, like delicious glue. Pasta, after all, essentially means “paste,” which might help you to remember not to turn the sprayer on your colander full of noodles once they are in the sink. The only exception to this rule is for pasta that will be used in chilled pasta salads, which can use a fast cold rinse to help stop the cooking
By Stacey Ballis from Food & Wine
Ridge Report
WHAT’S YOUR WARTAGE?
I’ve just returned from a visit to “Urgent Care” where they tunneled through a wall of ear wax to find my ear drum. In the process they noted that I had a wart on the edge of my upper ear and offered to remove it. It seemed like a good way to improve my looks so, using the modern method, they froze it with a cryogenic material. Painless, but will cost a few bucks.
In earlier times we had other means for ridding ourselves of this plague. I have tried just picking at them or using salicylic acid, with mixed results. My best solution came around 1946 while I was visiting my “Cajun” grandparents on a central Louisiana farm. I was busy picking at a wart on the back of my hand when Uncle Cooper asked what I was doing. I described my problem, and he said, “I can get rid of warts”. He gave me a copper penny (had to be copper), told me to rub it on the wart good, and then threw the penny over my shoulder into the grass. Next, we had to do a thorough search for it. If we weren’t able to find it…. the wart would go away. Even at 11 years old I wasn’t naïve enough to believe it. Within the month my wart disappeared.
I didn’t think of it again for about 20 years. A friend had invited me to dinner one Friday afternoon. We were sitting on his back patio in New Orleans sipping bourbon when he started rubbing his hand. I asked what the problem was, and he said he had four big warts on his middle finger that were bothersome and impossible to get rid of. He had done the cryogenic treatment and removed them, but they grew back again. I said, “I can get rid of warts”. He wanted to know more, so, kind of giggly, he did the routine and was unable to find the penny again. We laughed about it for a few days, and then the warts slowly disappeared, never to show up again.
I have repeated this successfully with a couple of other people over the years and have come to believe the brain has an influence on warts. How else could you explain such a ridiculous thing? (No Louisiana Voodoo was involved.)
Getting to Know You
This month “Getting to know you” is Bev Klein
I am a product of the mid-West, Omaha, NE. But I was pretty much raised in South Seattle. I graduated from Evergreen High School in June of 1960 and a week later went to work at Pacific NW Bell Telephone Company. I worked there for 30 years until I retired at the age of 47. (Early out). I was transferred from a Seattle office to a New York City office at AT&T in 1965-67 at my request as I had a friend there who needed another roommate. Living in the Big Apple was probably more educational than 4 years of college! It remains one of my favorite cities still. Upon returning to Seattle in the mid-60’s, I discovered the beauty and diversity of my own state. I became a downhill skier, hiker, X-country skier, and eventually climbed Mt. Rainier at 40 years old. I joined the Mountaineers and taught Ice Axe Arrest, which is the most fun you can have as an adult (sliding down a snowy hill upside down and backwards). I learned Folk Dance, and later in life learned to Clog Dance with the Senior Center.
I owned my own home from the age of 28, but at 66 I sold my last house in the Northgate area and moved to a condo here in Richmond Beach, the nicest neighborhood in all of Washington. Having not much experience in condo living, I was just lucky to buy in RMC. I like the size, (not too many neighbors, but just enough), the location (close to the beach), and the people who live here (all of you). I feel very fortunate to have found new friends and helpful neighbors here. This is a place I won’t leave willingly. Thank you all for being such good neighbors.
Entertainment -TV
Exploring India, a 2-part documentary about India. I think you might enjoy it. It is on Amazon PRIME.
Entertainment -Books
For all you history buffs I’m reading a book named Pegasus Bridge by Stephen E Ambrose
It is a story about a bridge in Normandy, the 1st soldiers killed in WW11 were killed in this battle. It tells about the landing of several gliders the 1st soldiers landing in France on D Day.
There are 3 bridges that became especially famous during WW11, Pegasus Bridge in Normandy, Lundendorff Railroad Bridge in Remagun over the Rhine River and Arnhem Bridge featured in the movie A Bridge to Far.
An interesting blow by blow description of what these hero’s went through leading up to and the landing in France.
Upcoming Events
Our annual Potluck is coming up, we will be getting together with everyone, a chance to catch up with what has been going on in your neighbors’ lives and have some great food.
We will meet in the garage on Sunday August 25th. Set up about 4:00 PM, happy hour at 5:00 and dinner about 6:00.
We will be putting out a signup sheet for everyone to list their favorite potluck dish. BYOB
We hope to see all of you at this fun event.