PAPAS ala HUANCAINA SAUCE
Ingredients :
7 yellow chili peppers seeded and deveined
10 ½ oz feta cheese
Oil
2/3 cup milk
1 small onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
Preparation:
Place peppers in a blender. Pour milk and blend.
Sauté onion with garlic in oil until cooked.
Transfer this to blender together with the cheese.
While blending, add oil until a creamy sauce is obtained.
Pour the sauce over boiled and sliced potatoes.
This is a traditional Peruvian dish, typically a side dish.
We're trying it out tonight, with some Peruvian Ceviche (seafood dish)
If we survive, I'll try to remember pictures!!
Oh hey I just noticed it's after 4 pm here in Arizona, and that means it's after 5pm in New Mexico. So I'm gonna start drinking!!! Happy New Year!!!
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
The "ONE" For Real
We had visited the Chandler airport a few weeks ago, to inspect an old Cessna, and Steve couldn't get it out of his head. He'd found it by accident, driving around with a friend of his (Martin--that's a whole 'nother post...)
When they passed by the Chandler airport Steve spotted this plane and they drove in to find out about it. The plane's owner had died of cancer back in September, and the family didn't know what to do with the plane. They guessed it was worth $50,000 and that prompted Steve to hire a professional who specialized in those types of planes to really give it a good going-over.
After the inspection, he offered the family $20,000 since there were some expensive problems that needed fixing before it could be airworthy. They thought about it, for a couple of weeks. Steve called back, offered $5,000 more, and they accepted.
We flew down to Chandler in Tony's plane on Tuesday, and Steve finalized the deal with the family. Then he got to work on the plane's engine.
All in all, the repairs didn't take long and soon Steve was flying it around the pattern:
By the end of the day, we were feeling pretty confident so we hopped in and flew it home.
Now Steve's got a smile as big as the moon, because he's got his first plane.
Monday, December 29, 2008
The "ONE"
Steve found the "ONE" on the internet. I am referring to an airplane. He said we had to get to Phoenix ASAP because this plane was perfect.
So he asked his friend Tony who has a very nice plane to fly us down there on Sunday morning.
Here's Tony and Steve, landing us at the airstrip where we were to be meeting the seller:
On our approach I noticed the dairy farms below. People don't know that the outer edges of Phoenix is littered with those as well as miles and miles of fields growing corn, alfalfa, and maize.
My copilot was Squeak, who is Tony's little friendly Papillon.
She sat there in her little bed on the seat next to me.
Steve typically takes about two hours to inspect a plane he's interested in, and that gives me a LOT of time to get to know the seller, or the seller's wife, or whatever. I keep forgetting to bring a book to read.
This particular seller, Chuck, was married to a lovely woman who shared my political opinions and who also has spent much time volunteering for the elections.
We only had about twenty minutes to talk because Steve suddenly said, "Okay, gotta go!"
Apparently the plane was not what was advertised. Not by a long shot. So we boarded Tony's ride and took off into the beautiful blue skies.
I had nice opportunities to photograph the nuclear power plant, since we flew a little close to it. The steam was quite visible since the temperatures were cool enough:
Now, if you're a terrorist planning the Jihad, please refrain from lifting photos of the nuclear power plant. We like it just the way it is, without bombs in the middle of it and commercial jets crashing into it. Leave the power plant alone!
This is me, with my headset on backwards. I fixed it after I realized it was hurting.
Upon arriving back in Havasu, I took a photo of the "island." It's where our original airport was, across the London Bridge on a 2 mile long peninsula.
I remember commenting to my copilot Squeak that there sure seemed to be more houses crammed into the mainland side of Havasu than what it looks like from down on the ground. We think we're such a big city, until you take one look across the water and see just how small and isolated we are out here in the desert:
The new Super Wal Mart is situated right across from the airport (the current airport) and from the air it was hard to see that it is actually the pit of hell. But I know. Oh yes. I know.
Shay and I were in the pit of hell on Saturday, for he received a Wal Mart gift card from Grandma. Well, as we were in the very back of the store looking at video games, the fire alarm started sounding. The overhead announcement said over and over that a "fire emergency has been averted, however, exit the store immediately for your safety."
We put down our things and started walking toward the front door. The fire alarm continued to sound. I looked around at people and they just went about their shopping, like zombies. Nobody was paying attention to the fire alarm!!! We made it all the way to the exit when the manager came out to the doorway and said, "Sorry, false alarm, go back to your shopping."
I saw the fire truck pulling into the parking lot. We were out of there.
I had no intentions of being in the middle of a stampede in the pit of hell.
Today Steve has called with the news that yet another plane is on his radar. Another "The ONE."
So he asked his friend Tony who has a very nice plane to fly us down there on Sunday morning.
Here's Tony and Steve, landing us at the airstrip where we were to be meeting the seller:
On our approach I noticed the dairy farms below. People don't know that the outer edges of Phoenix is littered with those as well as miles and miles of fields growing corn, alfalfa, and maize.
My copilot was Squeak, who is Tony's little friendly Papillon.
She sat there in her little bed on the seat next to me.
Steve typically takes about two hours to inspect a plane he's interested in, and that gives me a LOT of time to get to know the seller, or the seller's wife, or whatever. I keep forgetting to bring a book to read.
This particular seller, Chuck, was married to a lovely woman who shared my political opinions and who also has spent much time volunteering for the elections.
We only had about twenty minutes to talk because Steve suddenly said, "Okay, gotta go!"
Apparently the plane was not what was advertised. Not by a long shot. So we boarded Tony's ride and took off into the beautiful blue skies.
I had nice opportunities to photograph the nuclear power plant, since we flew a little close to it. The steam was quite visible since the temperatures were cool enough:
Now, if you're a terrorist planning the Jihad, please refrain from lifting photos of the nuclear power plant. We like it just the way it is, without bombs in the middle of it and commercial jets crashing into it. Leave the power plant alone!
This is me, with my headset on backwards. I fixed it after I realized it was hurting.
Upon arriving back in Havasu, I took a photo of the "island." It's where our original airport was, across the London Bridge on a 2 mile long peninsula.
I remember commenting to my copilot Squeak that there sure seemed to be more houses crammed into the mainland side of Havasu than what it looks like from down on the ground. We think we're such a big city, until you take one look across the water and see just how small and isolated we are out here in the desert:
The new Super Wal Mart is situated right across from the airport (the current airport) and from the air it was hard to see that it is actually the pit of hell. But I know. Oh yes. I know.
Shay and I were in the pit of hell on Saturday, for he received a Wal Mart gift card from Grandma. Well, as we were in the very back of the store looking at video games, the fire alarm started sounding. The overhead announcement said over and over that a "fire emergency has been averted, however, exit the store immediately for your safety."
We put down our things and started walking toward the front door. The fire alarm continued to sound. I looked around at people and they just went about their shopping, like zombies. Nobody was paying attention to the fire alarm!!! We made it all the way to the exit when the manager came out to the doorway and said, "Sorry, false alarm, go back to your shopping."
I saw the fire truck pulling into the parking lot. We were out of there.
I had no intentions of being in the middle of a stampede in the pit of hell.
Today Steve has called with the news that yet another plane is on his radar. Another "The ONE."
Saturday, December 27, 2008
World Clock
Ever feel too optimistic? Then click on this. It'll take care of that.
http://www.poodwaddle.com/worldclock.swf
http://www.poodwaddle.com/worldclock.swf
Potatoes Pave'
A recipe that certainly made our Christmas dinner MUCH more satisfying....But after I noticed what it cost me to make it I just about threw up. The ingredients are a bit pricey. So I would suggest finding less expensive alternatives to the meat and cheese, or make this dish only occasionally. Like after you make a few sales on Ebay or something.....
4 oz Boar's Head Pancetta, Diced (very salty meat--$12.00 per pound OUCH)
¼ cup Small Shallot, Finely Chopped
¼ stick Butter
½ tsp Black Pepper
1/8 cup All Purpose Flour
1 cup Boar's Head Pecorino Romano Cheese, grated (strong flavored cheese)
½ cup Chives, Finely Chopped
1 tsp Garlic Cloves, Finely Chopped
1 cup Heavy Cream
½ tsp Kosher Salt
1½ lb Potatoes, Yukon Gold
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Thoroughly wash potatoes. Slice potatoes into ¼ inch thick ovals leaving the skin intact. Boil potatoes for 10 minutes, drain and set aside.
Saute pancetta in butter over medium-high heat for 2 minutes. Add shallots and garlic and saute for an additional minute. Add flour and mix with a wire whisk until thoroughly incorporated. Add heavy cream, salt and pepper and cook until thickened. Remove from heat and fold in chives and cheese.
Spray the inside of a medium-size roasting pan with non-stick spray. Cover the bottom of the pan with a layer of potatoes. Place 1/3 of the sauce mix over the potatoes. Repeat this procedure 3 times ending with sauce mix as the final top layer. Cover with foil and cook in the oven for 30 minutes. Incease oven temperature to 375°F and cook uncovered for an additional 15 minutes. Yields 3-4 servings.
Very garlicky, very salty, very delicious. But if you can find a substitute for the Pancetta and Pecorino Romano, you would probably feel better about making this one.
4 oz Boar's Head Pancetta, Diced (very salty meat--$12.00 per pound OUCH)
¼ cup Small Shallot, Finely Chopped
¼ stick Butter
½ tsp Black Pepper
1/8 cup All Purpose Flour
1 cup Boar's Head Pecorino Romano Cheese, grated (strong flavored cheese)
½ cup Chives, Finely Chopped
1 tsp Garlic Cloves, Finely Chopped
1 cup Heavy Cream
½ tsp Kosher Salt
1½ lb Potatoes, Yukon Gold
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Thoroughly wash potatoes. Slice potatoes into ¼ inch thick ovals leaving the skin intact. Boil potatoes for 10 minutes, drain and set aside.
Saute pancetta in butter over medium-high heat for 2 minutes. Add shallots and garlic and saute for an additional minute. Add flour and mix with a wire whisk until thoroughly incorporated. Add heavy cream, salt and pepper and cook until thickened. Remove from heat and fold in chives and cheese.
Spray the inside of a medium-size roasting pan with non-stick spray. Cover the bottom of the pan with a layer of potatoes. Place 1/3 of the sauce mix over the potatoes. Repeat this procedure 3 times ending with sauce mix as the final top layer. Cover with foil and cook in the oven for 30 minutes. Incease oven temperature to 375°F and cook uncovered for an additional 15 minutes. Yields 3-4 servings.
Very garlicky, very salty, very delicious. But if you can find a substitute for the Pancetta and Pecorino Romano, you would probably feel better about making this one.
Friday, December 26, 2008
Merry x-mas....
We just got back home from a trip to romantic Bouse, Arizona, where Steve examined yet another airplane for sale. This time, it wasn't some old man in the middle of nowhere with a junk plane. It was an old man in the middle of nowhere with a very nice plane. Too bad it's out of the acceptable price range. He's selling it because his 78 year old wife was just diagnosed with breast cancer and it's probably going to be an expensive fight. He did admit that the guy he bought the plane from had the same problem, a wife with cancer. I let him know that it's not a good selling point. However, Steve's gonna keep in contact with him and maybe they'll work a lower dollar amount. Who knows?
On the way home we encountered something that is quite common to Arizona although probably foreign to other states: "Virga."
It is rain that evaporates before it hits the ground. Very frustrating to us people who enjoy a little REAL weather now and then.
Further down the road, we noticed some interesting skies and had to pull over to take a few photos. The highway between Havasu and Parker (Indian Reservation) is surrounded by gorgeous mountains and the river is beautiful.
As we neared the outposts of Havasu we were astonished at some cloud formations that looked to be rain off to the East, with the sun reflecting off them from the West:
We must've taken 50 pictures, from the side of the road. The mountains in the distance were completely covered up by these clouds, which just seemed to be taking over the desert.
Once we got into Havasu, we noticed the "cloud" had taken on a more interesting look, and Steve's daughter called excitedly to tell us it was snowing in the mountains.
We tried to climb the nearest mountain in order to get a better look, but by the time we got up there the storm moved away from us. So we went out for some Friday night fish and chips.
It was an exciting day altogether, really, because Steve and I enjoyed ourselves a Latte on our way to the romantic, isolated community of Bouse:
That's his rugged, wonderful hand in the photo, with a scratch on it because he was wrestling a mountain lion earlier this week. Or he mis-handled his pocket knife. I dunno.
But, the Latte thing is quite exciting because Steve has NEVER been a coffee person, his whole life. And now all of a sudden he's interested. This means I've changed him. CHANGED HIM. Soon he will like Superman as much as I. Oh yes. It will come to be.
Our Christmas was quite subdued. We didn't do the gift thing, Steve did cards for his daughters and I. But his daughters got money with their cards. I got a kiss. Shay had a stocking with some Hot Wheels and money in it. And some clothing. Oh and of course the Kung Fu Panda DVD that I ordered him several weeks ago. But that was it. The food was delightful, and Steve's brother came over to enjoy it with us. Potatoes Pave was the big hit as well as the Red Velvet cake I made from scratch.
I gave Steve his carbon fiber cane which he loved. His actual present for me was a Cobra Helicopter jacket that he had made. It arrived in Fed Ex today, rather than before Christmas. He went thru a lot with the flight jacket manufacturer and the embroiderer to get it done right. The only other ones in existance belong to him and his boss. Mine actually fits nicely. And I look like a kung fu badass in it:
I especially like the "Remove Before Flight" tag on the sleeve zipper:
I hear Steve on his phone right now, telling someone that we're going to drive three hours tomorrow morning to see their plane. DAMMIT!
On the way home we encountered something that is quite common to Arizona although probably foreign to other states: "Virga."
It is rain that evaporates before it hits the ground. Very frustrating to us people who enjoy a little REAL weather now and then.
Further down the road, we noticed some interesting skies and had to pull over to take a few photos. The highway between Havasu and Parker (Indian Reservation) is surrounded by gorgeous mountains and the river is beautiful.
As we neared the outposts of Havasu we were astonished at some cloud formations that looked to be rain off to the East, with the sun reflecting off them from the West:
We must've taken 50 pictures, from the side of the road. The mountains in the distance were completely covered up by these clouds, which just seemed to be taking over the desert.
Once we got into Havasu, we noticed the "cloud" had taken on a more interesting look, and Steve's daughter called excitedly to tell us it was snowing in the mountains.
We tried to climb the nearest mountain in order to get a better look, but by the time we got up there the storm moved away from us. So we went out for some Friday night fish and chips.
It was an exciting day altogether, really, because Steve and I enjoyed ourselves a Latte on our way to the romantic, isolated community of Bouse:
That's his rugged, wonderful hand in the photo, with a scratch on it because he was wrestling a mountain lion earlier this week. Or he mis-handled his pocket knife. I dunno.
But, the Latte thing is quite exciting because Steve has NEVER been a coffee person, his whole life. And now all of a sudden he's interested. This means I've changed him. CHANGED HIM. Soon he will like Superman as much as I. Oh yes. It will come to be.
Our Christmas was quite subdued. We didn't do the gift thing, Steve did cards for his daughters and I. But his daughters got money with their cards. I got a kiss. Shay had a stocking with some Hot Wheels and money in it. And some clothing. Oh and of course the Kung Fu Panda DVD that I ordered him several weeks ago. But that was it. The food was delightful, and Steve's brother came over to enjoy it with us. Potatoes Pave was the big hit as well as the Red Velvet cake I made from scratch.
I gave Steve his carbon fiber cane which he loved. His actual present for me was a Cobra Helicopter jacket that he had made. It arrived in Fed Ex today, rather than before Christmas. He went thru a lot with the flight jacket manufacturer and the embroiderer to get it done right. The only other ones in existance belong to him and his boss. Mine actually fits nicely. And I look like a kung fu badass in it:
I especially like the "Remove Before Flight" tag on the sleeve zipper:
I hear Steve on his phone right now, telling someone that we're going to drive three hours tomorrow morning to see their plane. DAMMIT!
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