Tuesday, May 15, 2012

A Hike to Kick Your Butt

Mother's Day
is 
MY DAY!

never mess with
MY
day


after
losing
two games
of Jenga
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and
enjoying
a glass of
Andrew's
first batch
of
home brewed
beer
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we
drove
to
Montana de Oro
for a
Mother's Day beach hike
we started about 1 mile UP from the beach
at
the
Rim Trail head
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Our goal was
the
Morro Bay Estuary
south of
Morro Rock
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this
time of year
a
good
portion
of
 beach access
is closed
because
the
Snowy Plover is
 nesting
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the Plover
must have
been
 hiding
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happy
energy
after
the
sandy downhill
jaunt
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we
even
found
friends
to 
capture
Mother's Day
memento
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the
day
was
foggy
but warm



lots of happy little sand pipers
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and
sadly
lots of
trash

Andrew found a floating fish line
that he named 
Floaty
(and dragged it with him the entire hike)
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Public Service Announcement
…….
balloons
plastic bottles
plastic bags
plastic containers
all 
along 
the beach

we collected a huge assortment
to recycle
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there
were
so many 
mylar balloons
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to make
a long
hiking story 
short
we went
about four miles
north
along the
peaceful
uncrowded
 beach

turned around
(with our collection of trash)

and
happily
hiked back
to
the 
beach trail head
(at the bottom of the hill)


I might
remind you
….
what goes down
has to 
go 
back 
up



going
back up
the
sandy
trail
to our
car
was
so
gnarly

(I thought I was going to die)
(couldn't even stop my momentum to take any pictures)



alas,
we
all
survived
(even me)

here are
just
a few
of our
beach treasures
(styrofoam things etc)
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 Floaty
and
shells
 and
sand dollars
 (most broke on the hike back)
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It
was 
wonderful
Mother's Day!

I inhaled
the
 day
with
my
family
and
survived
the
ghastly
sandy 
uphill
trek
of 
The Rim Trail
at
 Montana de Oro State Beach
P.s.  there are many 
many
other 
easy


medium easy


and


difficult hikes


as well as


Horseback riding
bike routes


tide pools
and 
anything
and
everything 
involving
Nature
at her best at
 Montana de Oro

Monday, May 14, 2012

Cilantro, Food Styling (or lack of) and a Recipe

An
abundanza
of 
cilantro
cries out
for
Cilantro Pesto!
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IMG_1164 IMG_1168
I harvested
about
2 cups
(and a few basil leaves)
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and 
tossed it
my food processor
with
1 c. walnuts
zest and juice 
of 
1 lemon
 a
seeded 
jalapeño
and salt
IMG_1173

the
food processor 
whirled
for about
1 minute
and 
poured
 in
3 TBS. of water
and 
1/4 c. garlic flavored olive oil

IMG_1175

this
pesto
rocks!
a bit of heat
 from the jalapeño
freshness 
from the cilantro
and lemon

(spread it on ciabatta with brie and spinach and press in a panini press)
OOOOoooo, baby
so good!


…for some killer salmon

I had
a leek
a couple 
carrots
and
a celery stalk
that 
called out
for a quick sauté
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I
topped
the sauté with
boneless
skinless
salmon filets
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drizzled
maybe
1/4 c. dry rose
over the salmon
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covered
the pan
turned the heat to
low 
it cooked 
the salmon for
about 20 minutes
~
and then topped
each piece 
of fish
with a dollop
of 
pesto


If
I
was a
food stylist
or
a photographer
I could have made
this look
as 
delicious
as it tasted

alas…….
trust me!
delicious!!!
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Salmon
with
Cilantro Walnut Pesto

2 c. cilantro (a few basil leaves or tarragon can be fun additions)
1 c. walnuts
1 lemon - juice and zest
1 jalapeno - seeded
1 tsp. salt
1/4 garlic flavored olive oil (or your favorite olive oil)
3 TBS. water

Combine the first 5 ingredients in food processor and process for about 1 minute  - With motor continuing to run add water and olive oil through the feeder tube.  Voila!

Salmon
1 leek, cleaned and sliced
1 carrot, chopped
1 stalk celery, sliced
1 TBS. olive oil   (I used Lemon infused)
2-3 salmon filets, boned and with or without skin
1/4 c. dry white or rose wine 
1 c. of same wine to enjoy while the fish cooks

Saute the veggies in the olive oil for about 4-5 minutes (they still need to have a bit of crunch). Season the salmon filets and lay on top of veggies.  Add the wine, cover your pan and cook over low heat for about 20 minutes (if your fish is very thin you might want to only cook fish for 10-15 minutes).
Top salmon with a good sized dollop of pesto.




Sunday, May 6, 2012

Every Girl Needs a Little Bling!

 On April, 29th
Petit Soleil 
hosted
a
trunk show
that
showcased
a plethora
of
playful
fun
and 
unique
jewelry



called
IMG_1156

It is
a
really
unique
assortment
of
chains
bracelets
and necklaces
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that
you 
mix
match
and 
attach
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all of these
fun
and 
whimsical
little
charms
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some
chains
are
simple
(you can add one-two-three little charms)


some have 
some 
fantastic
bling appeal
(that you can
 add one
big fabulous 
charm
to)

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I
really
love
the 
initial charms 

and 
who
 can resist
the simple advice
 of
"laugh until it hurts"?    
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Each
month
JewelKade
features
a
something
 really special
when you
spend
"X" 
amount of  money

this
was
the 
featured necklace
(hello, Tiffany Blue and silver)
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she will come to your house
and 
set up a show
to
entice
 your friends

or
you can
 peruse
through
the 
catalog 
on-line
and contact
Jess
to
 order
all of
the 
JewelKade
goodies
you like


I loved
the
bride-to-be
that
chose
special charms
and 
the chains
to make her bridesmaids shine..
            And the grandma that bought a gorgeous
                           bracelet and added initial charms to represent each
                                      of her cherished grand babies…
                                              how cute is that?



MAKE
IT
YOUR 
OWN!

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Relentless, Powerful, and the Genesis of Something Really BIG!



May 2, 2012


"15 years ago today Alex was diagnosed with leukemia. I remember it so clearly the fear and sheer panic. I look at how strong and healthy he is now and sometimes think it's a dream. He is my love and I'm so graeteful to have him in my life. ♥"



Jeniene Cenoz 








April 22, 2012
was
the
very 
first
the genesis of something big


my gosh!!
it
was just
SO 
exciting

and
it was
A
SCREAMING SUCCESS!
it
was
successful
for
SLO

(and
the athletes
loved
the event)


and,
after
a year +
 of
hard work
fretting
pulling hair out
and crying..
it was
a
SCREAMING SUCCESS
for
the

lead
by
Barbara
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you ask,
what,
pray tell
makes
 a
running event
A
 SCREAMING SUCCESS?
in a nutshell,

1.  500 thousand dollars
was raised by
250 athletes
for
research and treatment
towards
a
CURE
for
all
blood related
cancers
2.      Alex
 (see mom's quote above)
 a HEALTHY
17 year old leukemia survivor
ran his first 
1/2 marathon
3.  Alex's dad,
 Jeff,
raised at least $2000.
and ran his
54th marathon
4.    Maureen, 
a mother of triplets,
just finished
her final
chemotherapy treatment
for leukemia
was
at the
finish line 
to cheer on the
team in training athletes
5.  Annie
raised over $2000.
for
 Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
and
ran her
best 
marathon time ever
and qualified for 
Boston
6.  Ruby, 16 years old,
also
raised over $2000.
 and
ran her
first 1/2 marathon
7.  Rachael, raised over $2000.,
and ran
her
1/2
in under 
2 hours
and
countless
other
inspirational 
stories
that screamed
success



The evening before
a
event
is
powerful!

It is
an
evening
of 
inspiration
and 
hope

love 
encouragement
and
PASTA!

Rachael
and Annie
were
inspired

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IMG_1106
Eldra
 has inspired
 150 SLO High School students
(and their moms)
to run half marathons
and
they have raised over $700.00……
many of Eldra's student athletes 
go on
to run more 
1/2 marathons and full marathons
and
 continue to 
raise money
 to find a
cure
for Leukemia
    relentless