Grubbin'

Checked into the Motel 6 in Cedar City, UT, just north of Zion....

Sun, 23 Aug 2009 18:42:33 -0700

Checked into the Motel 6 in Cedar City, UT, just north of Zion. OMG shower!!!

"Ain’t nuthin’ close by ‘round ‘ere"

Sun, 23 Aug 2009 12:02:51 -0700

“Ain’t nuthin’ close by ‘round ‘ere”

- Toothless man in death valley

Leaving Yosemite - rained out this morning. omw to Zion by way...

Sun, 23 Aug 2009 10:41:58 -0700

Leaving Yosemite - rained out this morning. omw to Zion by way of the one and only extraterrestrial highway.

Death Valley - spent the whole day driving through mountains and...

Sat, 22 Aug 2009 15:43:07 -0700

Death Valley - spent the whole day driving through mountains and valleys to arrived at the entrance around 5pm where it was 120 degrees outside. Death valley is HUGE!

Back to the Knobs. Bouldered with a crazy Romanian guy. (his...

Sat, 22 Aug 2009 15:16:14 -0700

Back to the Knobs. Bouldered with a crazy Romanian guy. (his name is in the tuolumne bouldering guide)

This pretty much sums up my day in death valley

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 18:12:43 -0700

This pretty much sums up my day in death valley

Getting schooled in Tuolumne

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 10:56:17 -0700

I met a nice newly married couple in camp yesterday morning. Wife was 7 months pregnent, and was planning to spend the day belaying her husband. I believe she called herself, “Belay bitch.” They had climbed all over they valley, but had never made it up to the meadows. I tagged along and gave them an introduction to Tuolumne slabby face climbing.

We hit up Low Profile Dome where I successfully lead my first outdoor climb. Wasn’t the hardest at a 5.7, but was a great introduction with 7 clips, 5 cam placements, and 30 feet of slabby runout before the anchor. I got to set my own anchor, tie two ropes together and repel down. Awesome.

Sadly they got in a big fight, and went home to San Jose this morning :(

Today I decided to take a road trip down to Death Valley to do some sight seeing. I’ll take pictures this time. I swear.

Found the internets at Mono Lake. Also a great view of Nevada.

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 13:01:23 -0700

Found the internets at Mono Lake. Also a great view of Nevada.

Got in late last night and ended up staying with a very kind...

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 12:48:33 -0700

Got in late last night and ended up staying with a very kind German family at Sawmill camp. Today found a great camp site beside a river at Junction.

Half Dome- last year’s conquest in the distance.

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 12:41:01 -0700

Half Dome- last year’s conquest in the distance.

My GPS decided to take me on a scenic route with an extra 90...

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 12:25:56 -0700

My GPS decided to take me on a scenic route with an extra 90 miles on 140. This is the south east gate to yosemite, cool!

Packed up and ready to roll.

Mon, 17 Aug 2009 20:39:22 -0700

Packed up and ready to roll.

$169.99 KitchenAid K45SS Classic 250-Watt 4-1/2-Quart Stand Mixer, White

Fri, 26 Dec 2008 14:24:00 -0800

$169.99 KitchenAid K45SS Classic 250-Watt 4-1/2-Quart Stand Mixer, White:

This is an amazing deal. We have the same one at home and paid closer to $300 for it.

Banana Bread!!! Joyce made this last night. It turned out a...

Wed, 14 May 2008 14:38:06 -0700

Banana Bread!!!

Joyce made this last night. It turned out a little chewie, but after a night in the fridge it’s probably the yummiest I’ve ever had

Asparagus Soup From Chez Panisse Vegetables (the best veggie...

Wed, 14 May 2008 14:18:00 -0700

Asparagus Soup

From Chez Panisse Vegetables (the best veggie cookbook ever!)

Joyce made this over the weekend and it was fantastic.

Delicious yellow cake with chocolate frosting! Yummy!

Fri, 09 May 2008 22:42:26 -0700

Delicious yellow cake with chocolate frosting! Yummy!

Tajine Kefta I first experienced this dish in Marrakesh this...

Wed, 07 May 2008 22:38:00 -0700

Tajine Kefta

I first experienced this dish in Marrakesh this past winter, but hadn’t tried making it myself until tonight. It was surprisingly easy and just as delicious.

Here’s what you’ll need

1 lb Ground lamb or beef

2 cans of tomato sauce

2 onions

2 garlic cloves

6 eggs

cumin, cayenne pepper, ground pepper, ras hanuit, parsley, olive oil

I’ll tell you how to make it later. I’m tired…

Spaghetti and double garlic bread with mozzarella

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 09:25:00 -0700

I am a sucker for garlic bread, and what goes better with garlic bread than spaghetti?

Perhaps you’d like to know what double garlic bread is? Well it’s something I invented last night, and guess what? It’s pretty much the most delicious thing that has ever entered my mouth.

Here’s what you’ll need.

1 garlic loaf - A loaf of bread with whole roasted cloves of garlic baked right in.

4 garlic cloves

softened butter (or olive oil)

fresh sliced mozzarella cheese

Preparation

1. Mince the garlic (I use the side of a large knife to crush the garlic into a mash)

2. Spread the butter on your slices of garlic loaf

3. Sprinkle your freshly minced garlic evenly across the top

4. Top with mozzarella

5. Broil for 2 to 4 minutes until golden brown.

And everyone knows how to make spaghetti…

Enjoy!

Garlic Prawns

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 10:07:00 -0700

This is a great last minute recipe for someone like myself who always has garlic, basil and prawns on hand. I had to run to the grocery to grab the thickened milk, but whatevs.

Note: Try substituting the thickened milk with coconut milk for a tastier (and healthier) base.

From http://www.exclusivelyfood.com.au/2006/07/garlic-prawns-recipe.html

Tender, juicy prawns in a rich, creamy garlic sauce.

We purchased 475g of headless, unshelled green prawns for this recipe.

Serves 4 as an entrée.

110g uncooked rice (or 1 1/3 cups cooked rice)

30g (1 1/2 tablespoons) butter or 1 1/2 tablespoons oil

16 green prawns, peeled and deveined

4 large garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

250ml (1 cup) thickened cream (35 percent fat)

1 tablespoon finely shredded basil, firmly packed

Cook rice according to the directions on the packet. Drain and keep warm.

Heat butter or oil in a frying pan or large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add prawns and cook for a couple of minutes, until prawns have just changed colour but are not completely cooked through. Turn prawns once during cooking.

Reduce heat to low, stir in garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, being careful not to brown garlic (it can develop a bitter flavour).

Add cream and increase heat so that the mixture is simmering rapidly.

While the sauce is reducing (keep an eye on the sauce to ensure it doesn’t reduce too much), spoon one quarter of the rice into a mould with about 1/3 cup capacity (we use a 1/3 cup measuring cup). Using the back of a spoon, firmly press the rice into the mould. Invert mould onto a serving plate, tap on mould to release rice and lift mould away. Alternatively, use a ring mould. Repeat with remaining rice.

Simmer sauce until it has thickened to the desired consistency and prawns are cooked through. Stir in basil and remove from heat.

Place 4 prawns on each plate. Drizzle prawns with sauce and serve immediately.

Kimche Chigae

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 19:18:00 -0700

Today I woke up feeling a little under the weather. So what better dish to make than a chigae (Korean stew)

From http://www.trifood.com/kimchichigae.html

Note: I like to drop an egg in about a minute before taking it off the heat.

Recipe Ingredients

1 cup kimchi, 16 oz pork belly (or any part with fat), thin sliced (uncooked bacon can be used as a substitute)
2 green onions, slice in a bias
1/2 pack dooboo (tofu)
2 kochu (hot green chili), chopped
2 tbsp kochujang (Korean chili paste)
1 tbsp kochukaru (Korean pepper powder)
2 tbsp minced garlic, 1 tsp soy sauce
3 cups water, salt, pepper

Cooking Directions

Place a pot on the stove, turn the heat on. Add pork belly (or bacon), saute for a minute or so.
Add kochujang and cook until meat becomes white.
Pour the water, add kimchi. Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer.
Add soy sauce, kochukaru, and garlic. Cook for 20-30 minutes.
Add chilies, green onions, salt and pepper. Cook for another minute.
Serve with rice.