For some reason I had an extremely difficult time getting myself motivated for work this morning. I stayed in bed until after 9:00, took my time getting ready and begrudgingly headed out the door. My 12 -5 workday takes a huge bite out of my weekend productivity. In fact recently it had gobbled up the whole thing. Week after week I stare at the same things that need to be put away, cleaned or repaired...and I do nothing.
During my Costco workday I often jot down random thoughts and observations for my blog. Today Jeff, an observant Costco customer, stopped by to ask me if I was a psychologist taking notes. I explained my silly blog and he shared an awesome IPhone app recommendation - Dragon dictation. It is the perfect application for me - the perpetual blogger. Jeff showed me how it works on his ITouch. You simply speak into the microphone on your phone and the app translates your speech into an emailable document. How cool is that?! I just hope it is compatible with my antique IPhone. Thanks Jeff for the recommendation.
Today was the day for interesting customers. Besides Jeff and his family, I met Scott, an entrepreneur opening a new wine store in Oviedo in about 45 days. It is affiliated with Tim's Wine Market, a very cool wine store in Orlando. He took my HeartSong card and promised to give me a call when it opens. I will keep you posted. I met another gentleman who used to do business in Italy and spent a lot of time in Abruzzi where my wine is crafted. His description of the food, the wine, the landscape and the people made me want to hop on a plane right after work. If only I had a passport...and a purse full of money.
Mike called me right as I was wrapping up my work day to say he was coming home from Gainesville instead of staying the night. My plans quickly changed from cleaning and putting things away to creating a nice meal we could share together. I picked up fresh shrimp, salmon. salad fixings, whole wheat artisan bread from Costco and headed home. My attempt to light Jim's grill was unsuccessful, so instead I decided to cook the salmon in parchment with lemon, dill and sweet onions. While the salmon baked at 400 F for 20 minutes, I marinated the shrimp in orange juice, olive oil and Weathervane seasoning. Then sauteed them in a little olive oil and butter. After removing the shrimp from the pan, I added some of the OJ marinade and reduced it down to concentrate the flavor. I drizzled a little of the orange herb butter sauce over the shrimp and salmon...served it with salad and a slice of the delicious whole wheat bread. Since the salmon was a humongous piece of fish. I have plenty left over for Salmon Club Sandwiches tomorrow. Karen was right, cooking at home can be very rewarding.
After dinner I tackled one of the recipes from David and Sheri's cookbook. I made Granola. The recipe was quite easy and the smell as it was baking was intoxicating. I think I may have toasted the oat and nut mixture a little long, but it still is quite tasty. I added dried cranberries, dried cherries, dried blueberries, chopped dried apricots and peaches.
David's Granola
5 cups old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup canola oil
1 cup honey
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 cups chopped nuts
2 cups dried fruit
Combine the oats and nuts in a 9x12x2 baking pan. Thoroughly combine the oil, honey and cinnamon and pour over oat mixture. Mix by hand until oats and nuts are well coated. Bake at 325 F for about 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes to toast evenly. When oats are cool, add dried fruit and store in air tight container.
Yields 10-12 servings
The great thing about this recipe is you can play with the combination of fruit and nuts. David suggests almonds, walnuts, raisins, cranberries, chopped apricots, dates or blueberries. He always includes crushed banana chips.
Many hugs,
Kathy
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