Mix dry ingredients together.
Whisk wet ingredients together.
Top with butter and syrup.
Makes about 30 pancakes.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Corn Pancakes
When the sweet corn comes into season at the Fresno State Farm Market, it's a big deal...and I mean, a B-I-G deal! Living a mile from the Fresno State campus, we frequent their Farm Market for fantastic dairy products, wine, fruits and veggies, as well as pork, lamb and beef (all raised/grown on campus and by CSUF students). It's usually a quick trip. But when it's corn season, the parking lot is always full, and sometimes you even need to wait in line OUTSIDE the market, then inside again to pay. Well, we braved the lines last Friday and bought some corn and ground beef for hamburgers on the BBQ. Amazingly, we had some cobs left over. So I made corn pancakes. Growing up, when we had leftover corn, my mom or dad usually made corn pancakes the next morning. Here is my favorite pancake recipe (whole wheat, no refined sugars)...plus the corn!
Mix dry ingredients together.
Whisk wet ingredients together.
Top with butter and syrup.
Makes about 30 pancakes.
Mix dry ingredients together.
Whisk wet ingredients together.
Top with butter and syrup.
Makes about 30 pancakes.
Monday, June 20, 2011
Summer weekend
We stayed in town this weekend and enjoyed a not-so-hot summer night at Farmers' Market!
Audrey and her gigantic cookie! I snuck a bite...it was fantastic!
We also enjoyed a backyard BBQ with friends. The kids had a great time swimming!
Audrey and her gigantic cookie! I snuck a bite...it was fantastic!
We also enjoyed a backyard BBQ with friends. The kids had a great time swimming!
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
First camping of the summer!
This weekend we headed up to the mountains for our first camping trip of the summer! We packed for REALLY cold weather and were pleasantly surprised. The patches of snow all around were slowly melting with the gorgeous, warm sun out both days!
From the biggest to the smallest, the nature in the park always amazes me!
"Keep close to Nature's heart...and break clear away, once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean." — John Muir
After a good breakfast,
we were ready to play,
and ready to hike!
The cooler weather made the fire an inviting treat in the late afternoon! We read and made s'mores both nights!
It also made the Ranger Station a welcome respite! The kids love to go and see all the exhibits, watch the short video about the park, and attend ranger talks (Saturday afternoon was an interesting one about mountain lions).
What a great start to the summer!
From the biggest to the smallest, the nature in the park always amazes me!
"Keep close to Nature's heart...and break clear away, once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean." — John Muir
After a good breakfast,
we were ready to play,
and ready to hike!
The cooler weather made the fire an inviting treat in the late afternoon! We read and made s'mores both nights!
It also made the Ranger Station a welcome respite! The kids love to go and see all the exhibits, watch the short video about the park, and attend ranger talks (Saturday afternoon was an interesting one about mountain lions).
What a great start to the summer!
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Final school week
Here are a few pics and videos from the kids' last week of school.
On the final week of school, Audrey's class performed a short 30-minute musical called "Gold Dust or Bust". It was a great way for the kids to learn about the Gold Rush and a nice way to fill their final week. They set up one wall of their room as the backdrop for the musical, set up risers and chairs, and performed once for the parents, then six more times throughout the week for other 1st-4th grade classes. Audrey was one of the main story-tellers, giving the play its comic relief! Here are some of my favorite moments. The entire musical is in small sections in my youtube account if you're interested.
A paper quilt that Audrey's class constructed together.
Fourth quarter awards. Audrey received awards for citizenship and made Honor Roll (3.5 or higher GPA). Great job Audrey! We are so proud of you!
To celebrate the school year ending, Auntie Christa took Audrey to ice cream!
Isaac's class celebrated the final week of school with an ice cream sundae party! All of the kids brought their favorite topping to share and Isaac managed to get a small sample of each topping on his scoop of ice cream! They also had a pizza party on a different day for the kids that read 100 books during the school year (which he did by January). And although they don't give Honor Roll for 2nd graders (since they don't give letter grades until 4th grade), I let him know he was top notch as far as grades are concerned (he ended the year with the top reading and test scores in his class)! Way to go Isaac! We are so proud of you! He would have also had perfect attendance for the quarter if his lame parents wouldn't have left last Friday morning (with him in the car as well, headed for Grandma and Grandpa's) for their anniversary trip. After realizing this I apologized profusely and reassured him over and over again that it was just a ribbon and he had perfect attendance in my book. Boy, I felt like such a ding-a-ling
Last day at Robinson with his buddy C.J. Isaac will be at a new school next year!
Isaac's trip to Baskin Robbins with Auntie Christa on the last day of school!
We are so thankful for such a wonderful school in our neighborhood! Our kids had fantastic teachers this year that both challenged them and loved them! We already kicked off our summer break with a camping trip this past weekend and will post pictures in a couple days! Happy summer!
On the final week of school, Audrey's class performed a short 30-minute musical called "Gold Dust or Bust". It was a great way for the kids to learn about the Gold Rush and a nice way to fill their final week. They set up one wall of their room as the backdrop for the musical, set up risers and chairs, and performed once for the parents, then six more times throughout the week for other 1st-4th grade classes. Audrey was one of the main story-tellers, giving the play its comic relief! Here are some of my favorite moments. The entire musical is in small sections in my youtube account if you're interested.
A paper quilt that Audrey's class constructed together.
Fourth quarter awards. Audrey received awards for citizenship and made Honor Roll (3.5 or higher GPA). Great job Audrey! We are so proud of you!
To celebrate the school year ending, Auntie Christa took Audrey to ice cream!
Isaac's class celebrated the final week of school with an ice cream sundae party! All of the kids brought their favorite topping to share and Isaac managed to get a small sample of each topping on his scoop of ice cream! They also had a pizza party on a different day for the kids that read 100 books during the school year (which he did by January). And although they don't give Honor Roll for 2nd graders (since they don't give letter grades until 4th grade), I let him know he was top notch as far as grades are concerned (he ended the year with the top reading and test scores in his class)! Way to go Isaac! We are so proud of you! He would have also had perfect attendance for the quarter if his lame parents wouldn't have left last Friday morning (with him in the car as well, headed for Grandma and Grandpa's) for their anniversary trip. After realizing this I apologized profusely and reassured him over and over again that it was just a ribbon and he had perfect attendance in my book. Boy, I felt like such a ding-a-ling
Last day at Robinson with his buddy C.J. Isaac will be at a new school next year!
Isaac's trip to Baskin Robbins with Auntie Christa on the last day of school!
We are so thankful for such a wonderful school in our neighborhood! Our kids had fantastic teachers this year that both challenged them and loved them! We already kicked off our summer break with a camping trip this past weekend and will post pictures in a couple days! Happy summer!
Thursday, June 09, 2011
End of the school year
Today ends the school year for Isaac and Audrey. It is also the end of some things for Violet too. At the end of May, Violet had her last class of gymnastics. She'll take a break for swim season this summer and move up to a new, afternoon class in the fall. Here are a few videos from her last day.
It was also her last few days with mom all to herself. I have been on the ground a lot with her lately, doing puzzles, reading, playing games, realizing that these special days are soon coming to a close. Granted, she will be coming home from kindergarten an hour and a half before the others next year. But we may have another child in our house by then, who knows? Yesterday we made cinnamon rolls together to share with the kids' teachers. I got out my camera to see if I could get any fun shots!
I will update the blog in a couple days with all the fun things Audrey and Isaac did this last week of school!
It was also her last few days with mom all to herself. I have been on the ground a lot with her lately, doing puzzles, reading, playing games, realizing that these special days are soon coming to a close. Granted, she will be coming home from kindergarten an hour and a half before the others next year. But we may have another child in our house by then, who knows? Yesterday we made cinnamon rolls together to share with the kids' teachers. I got out my camera to see if I could get any fun shots!
I will update the blog in a couple days with all the fun things Audrey and Isaac did this last week of school!
Tuesday, June 07, 2011
Anniversary Getaway!
Randy and I got out of town this past weekend for an early anniversary trip (it's actually June 28). The weekend worked out best for our adoption schedule (we are hopefully finishing our home study interviews the last week of June), and for child-care. Randy and I left Friday morning with Violet and Isaac (Audrey stayed in town to be at school, attend a friend's sleepover on Friday night, then spent the rest of the weekend with Grandma Arlene). After a quick stop in San Jose to drop off the younger two at my parents' house, we got back on the road to head further north...to Calistoga. We have lived in California all our lives and never visited wine country. We had a great weekend, even with the rain, which didn't stop for more than hour the entire weekend! Here's some photos of our adventures (click on the photo to see it larger)!
On our way up the Napa Valley, we stopped for a late lunch at this local landmark! The original sign is still out front, although it is now called Gott's Roadside Café.
Waiting for my meal in their picnic area behind the stand.
Two burgers...Niman Ranch whole beef patty burgers, with red onions, local blue cheese, Niman Ranch bacon, pickles, and a beer-battered onion ring, topped with BBQ sauce, on a toasted egg bun...to be exact. Don't ya wanna just jump in the car right now and go eat there?
Two fries...chili & sea salt dusted sweet potatoes, and garlic fries...to be exact. Have you found your car keys yet?
Our final destination, the Chanric Inn. Some friends of ours recommended this bed and breakfast and we were not disappointed one bit! This charming 7-room inn had a cute little garden and patio around the back, and a hot tub and spa up behind the inn, surrounded by a beautiful garden and tall redwoods!
A built-in fireplace in the patio.
A fountain in back patio as well.
Although the inn and its grounds were beautiful, and the hospitality tremendous, the breakfasts alone are reason to return! One of the owners is a professional chef, and makes all the breakfasts with fresh (and as local as possible) ingredients! Our first breakfast included hot coffee, fresh squeezed orange juice, buttermilk banana bread, fresh strawberries macerated in a balsamic vinegar, served over creme fraiche, topped with Indian mint (from his garden) and lemon zest.
The third course was a creamy truffled polenta, with a tomato basil sauce, topped with a soft-poached egg. So yummy! I'm not sure I've ever eaten a poached egg...I think I need to learn how to cook them!
With our tummies full and happy, we headed out to explore the Valley. Unfortunately, the weather forced us to leave our bikes at the Inn (we'll have to go back to ride the trails and hike up the hills another day). Fortunately, wine-tasting is all indoors! Our inn-keepers recommended a couple wineries and we headed out. First to Envy Wines, next to Bennett Lane Winery, where we both enjoyed their 2006 Maximus and 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon.
After a quick stop for a small lunch, we headed to Lava Vine Winery, which was our favorite winery of the day! Being a small production winery, they were sold out of four of their eight wines. So to round out the tasting, they paired a cheese tray with their two white wines, a sliver of filet, wrapped around blue cheese and a blackberry compote to pair with their '08 Syrah, then into the back room for a barrel tasting of their '09 Cab and '09 Petite Syrah (both fantastic!) and then back to the tasting room for one small square of dark chocolate, drizzled in olive oil (also their own, from trees on their property) and sea salt to pair with their Late Harvest dessert wine (aka: Port). YUM!!! Check out their website to see how they are making their family business succeed while using organic, sustainable practices!
After one last tasting at Cuvaison (where I left my notes on the counter...bummer, but I remember I liked their Syrah the best) and our only purchase of the day (their Port), we headed back to the Inn for a little rest and a dip in the hot tub! Another couple staying at the Inn returned at the same time and decided to join us. As we sat in the spa, comparing tasting notes and sharing stories, Donna told me she had visited a spa in Canada (they were from Ottawa) where you paid good money to go from a hot tub, to a pool, then to an icy waterfall (supposedly rejuvenating to the body and the skin cells). We figured, as the rain started pouring down, that that was as good as a waterfall, so we only needed to submerge ourselves in the cool pool to get the full effect, right? Our husbands thought we were crazy, but out of the hot tub and into the pool we went (I must confess, I only did it AFTER Donna did). It was quite invigorating, I must say! Hot tub to pool, then sitting out in the rain with my feet in the hot tub...a full lap in the pool, then a last sit in the hot tub before it was time to head in and get ready for dinner!
An alleyway through downtown.
Browsing at the local bookstore.
Our destination...JoLé. Both the food and the service were FANTASTIC!!! Being a bit of a stickler about where my food comes from and who/how it was raised (it that an understatement?), I was so happy to find a restaurant in town that is dedicated to using local, sustainable, farm-fresh ingredients! Check out their website to read their story. CAUTION: you may want to book a weekend in Calistoga just to eat at JoLé after perusing their photos.
Our starter, house-made gnocchi with broccoli rabe, garlic, and chili flakes.
Randy's choice, braised Korean short ribs paired with a cilantro, jalapeño coleslaw. My choice was the crispy duck rillete, served with pickled onions and cherries over a pistachio sauce.
For dessert...the house specialty (in-house pastry chef, Sonia, is co-owner with her husband, Matt), coconut cream pie with a decaf Americano (the coffee was certified fair-trade and roasted by a local company, and even the sugar packets were fair trade...I looked up the company, Wholesome Sweeteners and you can buy it in Fresno)! Randy chose a milk chocolate cake, layered with bananas and dark chocolate ganache, topped with dulce de leche ice cream.
We awoke at 6:30 Sunday morning to a somewhat cloudy sky, but NO rain! We quickly got dressed and headed out for a bike ride.
We rode up to Chateau Montelena, hoping to get on the grounds and see the Chateau and the duck pond, but the gate was locked, and even though the side gate was open, we felt as if we were trespassing and passed on finishing up our weekend in the local sheriff's office. Next time! We hopped back on our bikes to head back and the rain started to fall. Within another mile it was a downpour! Good thing we had a nice warm shower available in our room when we returned! And just in time for breakfast!
Sunday's breakfast included hot coffee, fresh-squeezed orange juice, lemon-blackberry muffins, and local, organic nectarines, apricots and cherries in an amaretto sauce, topped with slivered almonds.
The main course, chived eggs over fontina toast with mushroom duxelles, topped with sauteéd spinach and truffle oil.
The resident dog, Dennigan, relaxing in the kitchen.
The rain paused long enough for us to take a picture in the patio before leaving!
Our last morning included a tasting at Von Strasser Winery. We saved the best for last! They let us taste 8 wines, their Rosé, Veltliner, '08 Diamond Mtn. Zin (which I could just keep in my glass and smell all day), '07 Diamond Mtn. District Cabernet (my favorite), '07 Estate CS, '07 Sori Bricco CS (Randy's favorite), '07 Post CS, and '06 Reserve Cab (delicious and way out of our price range)! As we finished our tasting, the other couple at the bar asked if we could get a tour of the caves. Since there was no one else in the tasting room, and two employees behind the desk, one of them offered to take us in!
After a very fun and informative tour, and a final purchase of two bottles, we headed back to San Jose to pick up Isaac and Vi.
It was perfect timing to stop in Los Banos at our favorite taco stand, Cutija's.
Carne asada torta! We enjoyed our dinner under the tin roof in the midst of a torrential downpour, lightning and thunder! This was such crazy weather this weekend!
Although the rain stopped as we got on the 99, the dark clouds to the west let us know it was not over yet. Only an hour after getting home and minutes after the kids were in bed, the rain started up again and the sky lit up every few minutes overhead! Randy and I finished our fantastic weekend on the front porch, watching the storm, with an evening snack of Fruit Loops submerged in low-fat, local milk (yeah, even with the fancy description, it's still not gourmet...just yummy)!
Thank you to all our friends and family that helped out with our kids so that we could get away and celebrate the fantastic fourteen years of marriage with which God has blessed us! We are so fortunate to have so many people that love our kids and gladly help out! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
On our way up the Napa Valley, we stopped for a late lunch at this local landmark! The original sign is still out front, although it is now called Gott's Roadside Café.
Waiting for my meal in their picnic area behind the stand.
Two burgers...Niman Ranch whole beef patty burgers, with red onions, local blue cheese, Niman Ranch bacon, pickles, and a beer-battered onion ring, topped with BBQ sauce, on a toasted egg bun...to be exact. Don't ya wanna just jump in the car right now and go eat there?
Two fries...chili & sea salt dusted sweet potatoes, and garlic fries...to be exact. Have you found your car keys yet?
Our final destination, the Chanric Inn. Some friends of ours recommended this bed and breakfast and we were not disappointed one bit! This charming 7-room inn had a cute little garden and patio around the back, and a hot tub and spa up behind the inn, surrounded by a beautiful garden and tall redwoods!
A built-in fireplace in the patio.
A fountain in back patio as well.
Although the inn and its grounds were beautiful, and the hospitality tremendous, the breakfasts alone are reason to return! One of the owners is a professional chef, and makes all the breakfasts with fresh (and as local as possible) ingredients! Our first breakfast included hot coffee, fresh squeezed orange juice, buttermilk banana bread, fresh strawberries macerated in a balsamic vinegar, served over creme fraiche, topped with Indian mint (from his garden) and lemon zest.
The third course was a creamy truffled polenta, with a tomato basil sauce, topped with a soft-poached egg. So yummy! I'm not sure I've ever eaten a poached egg...I think I need to learn how to cook them!
With our tummies full and happy, we headed out to explore the Valley. Unfortunately, the weather forced us to leave our bikes at the Inn (we'll have to go back to ride the trails and hike up the hills another day). Fortunately, wine-tasting is all indoors! Our inn-keepers recommended a couple wineries and we headed out. First to Envy Wines, next to Bennett Lane Winery, where we both enjoyed their 2006 Maximus and 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon.
After a quick stop for a small lunch, we headed to Lava Vine Winery, which was our favorite winery of the day! Being a small production winery, they were sold out of four of their eight wines. So to round out the tasting, they paired a cheese tray with their two white wines, a sliver of filet, wrapped around blue cheese and a blackberry compote to pair with their '08 Syrah, then into the back room for a barrel tasting of their '09 Cab and '09 Petite Syrah (both fantastic!) and then back to the tasting room for one small square of dark chocolate, drizzled in olive oil (also their own, from trees on their property) and sea salt to pair with their Late Harvest dessert wine (aka: Port). YUM!!! Check out their website to see how they are making their family business succeed while using organic, sustainable practices!
After one last tasting at Cuvaison (where I left my notes on the counter...bummer, but I remember I liked their Syrah the best) and our only purchase of the day (their Port), we headed back to the Inn for a little rest and a dip in the hot tub! Another couple staying at the Inn returned at the same time and decided to join us. As we sat in the spa, comparing tasting notes and sharing stories, Donna told me she had visited a spa in Canada (they were from Ottawa) where you paid good money to go from a hot tub, to a pool, then to an icy waterfall (supposedly rejuvenating to the body and the skin cells). We figured, as the rain started pouring down, that that was as good as a waterfall, so we only needed to submerge ourselves in the cool pool to get the full effect, right? Our husbands thought we were crazy, but out of the hot tub and into the pool we went (I must confess, I only did it AFTER Donna did). It was quite invigorating, I must say! Hot tub to pool, then sitting out in the rain with my feet in the hot tub...a full lap in the pool, then a last sit in the hot tub before it was time to head in and get ready for dinner!
An alleyway through downtown.
Browsing at the local bookstore.
Our destination...JoLé. Both the food and the service were FANTASTIC!!! Being a bit of a stickler about where my food comes from and who/how it was raised (it that an understatement?), I was so happy to find a restaurant in town that is dedicated to using local, sustainable, farm-fresh ingredients! Check out their website to read their story. CAUTION: you may want to book a weekend in Calistoga just to eat at JoLé after perusing their photos.
Our starter, house-made gnocchi with broccoli rabe, garlic, and chili flakes.
Randy's choice, braised Korean short ribs paired with a cilantro, jalapeño coleslaw. My choice was the crispy duck rillete, served with pickled onions and cherries over a pistachio sauce.
For dessert...the house specialty (in-house pastry chef, Sonia, is co-owner with her husband, Matt), coconut cream pie with a decaf Americano (the coffee was certified fair-trade and roasted by a local company, and even the sugar packets were fair trade...I looked up the company, Wholesome Sweeteners and you can buy it in Fresno)! Randy chose a milk chocolate cake, layered with bananas and dark chocolate ganache, topped with dulce de leche ice cream.
We awoke at 6:30 Sunday morning to a somewhat cloudy sky, but NO rain! We quickly got dressed and headed out for a bike ride.
We rode up to Chateau Montelena, hoping to get on the grounds and see the Chateau and the duck pond, but the gate was locked, and even though the side gate was open, we felt as if we were trespassing and passed on finishing up our weekend in the local sheriff's office. Next time! We hopped back on our bikes to head back and the rain started to fall. Within another mile it was a downpour! Good thing we had a nice warm shower available in our room when we returned! And just in time for breakfast!
Sunday's breakfast included hot coffee, fresh-squeezed orange juice, lemon-blackberry muffins, and local, organic nectarines, apricots and cherries in an amaretto sauce, topped with slivered almonds.
The main course, chived eggs over fontina toast with mushroom duxelles, topped with sauteéd spinach and truffle oil. 
The resident dog, Dennigan, relaxing in the kitchen.
The rain paused long enough for us to take a picture in the patio before leaving!
Our last morning included a tasting at Von Strasser Winery. We saved the best for last! They let us taste 8 wines, their Rosé, Veltliner, '08 Diamond Mtn. Zin (which I could just keep in my glass and smell all day), '07 Diamond Mtn. District Cabernet (my favorite), '07 Estate CS, '07 Sori Bricco CS (Randy's favorite), '07 Post CS, and '06 Reserve Cab (delicious and way out of our price range)! As we finished our tasting, the other couple at the bar asked if we could get a tour of the caves. Since there was no one else in the tasting room, and two employees behind the desk, one of them offered to take us in!
After a very fun and informative tour, and a final purchase of two bottles, we headed back to San Jose to pick up Isaac and Vi.
It was perfect timing to stop in Los Banos at our favorite taco stand, Cutija's.
Carne asada torta! We enjoyed our dinner under the tin roof in the midst of a torrential downpour, lightning and thunder! This was such crazy weather this weekend!
Although the rain stopped as we got on the 99, the dark clouds to the west let us know it was not over yet. Only an hour after getting home and minutes after the kids were in bed, the rain started up again and the sky lit up every few minutes overhead! Randy and I finished our fantastic weekend on the front porch, watching the storm, with an evening snack of Fruit Loops submerged in low-fat, local milk (yeah, even with the fancy description, it's still not gourmet...just yummy)!
Thank you to all our friends and family that helped out with our kids so that we could get away and celebrate the fantastic fourteen years of marriage with which God has blessed us! We are so fortunate to have so many people that love our kids and gladly help out! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
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