We have a confession...

We are so embarrassed.  We thought we could hide it from the world, but it has been too heavy to bear.  We have to confess...we are midnight canners!

Shocking, isn't it?

For some reason, whenever Lee and I decide we want to can something, we start canning late at night.  And of course, we don't finish till midnight. Or often later. Yeah, we know...it's a real problem.  We're so ashamed.

Last year, Grandma Italy had apples.  We bought a new gadget (a meat grinder/fruit strainer combo for our KitchenAid) and Lee was so excited to use it, we started at 9:00 at night.  I was done at 3 in the morning, but Lee toughed it out to the last batch at 4.  There has GOT to be something wrong with us!  (It was worth it though, because that applesauce is SO good!  And it makes our homemade bread even better.)

This year, one of our neighbors got some windfall peaches from a friend and offered a couple of boxes to us on Saturday.  We actually talked about buying some peaches to can, so I took them.  For those of you who are like me and think that "windfall peaches" are some fancy schmancy brand of peach from Oregon or something, you're wrong.  They're basically peaches that have fallen to the ground because of the wind. I felt like an idiot.

When I saw the peaches, I could definitely tell that they were windfall peaches. Most were bruised and dirty.  Some had worm holes.  Others had a little bit of mold.  Our neighbor told us we could cut off the bad parts and highly encouraged us to can or freeze them ASAP--in other words, that Saturday night.

Hmm...that wasn't going to happen.  And it didn't happen on Sunday either.  Monday came around and went.  The peaches were starting to look a little too ripe. Some were already past the point of no return.

Today came and mostly went too--we finally got home from everything we had to do around 8:30. I kind of hemmed and hawed about whether I wanted to start so late while I sorted peaches.  Lee, on the other hand, was all excited about our very own canned peaches and put on the big canning pot on to boil at 8:45 PM.  This is crazy!

But, there you have it--our 12 quarts of our very own peaches.  While we were processing the last 6 quarts, I decided to write about our canning problem.  At least we finished before midnight this year!  It's only 11:15!

My First Bite at Layla

 

I had my first experience with two new things last week:  

• Layla, a new fabulous Mediterranean grill (4751 S Holladay Boulevard in Holladay,Utah)
• Eating and talking about food at Layla with a handful of cool food bloggers

Now, reddparty was never intended solely for food, but I've had a few posts about our food adventures.  Josh of ldsfoodcritic emailed and invited me to a tasting of small plates with some other bloggers. I've never met the guy--I have only talked to him before about making sushi for one of our events and I read his food blog.  That's it.

Why not!

I arrived late and met those cool food bloggers I was telling you about.    Tony Tadros, the young owner of Layla, had already started us on the small plates. There was a beautiful orange Fire Roasted Red Pepper Hummus that was everything you would hope it to be and more--of course, using some of the crisp wedges of pita bread to dip.  What was even more lovely was the Mahammara Walnut Spread.  Two words, people--pomegranate molasses.  For those of you have a sweet tooth, this is for you!

Tiffany of foodfinery and Heather of Salt Lake City Lunch Examiner both encouraged me to try the fries and dip.  Fries and dip?  At a Mediterranean grill?? The fries are tossed lightly with their Zaatar spices (I'm convinced they are secret, magical spices) and accompanied by a dipping sauce--a mild harissa aioli.  Despite the awesomeness of the fries and its magical spices, they took a back seat to the smooth, garlicky dipping sauce.

Jessica of foodieslut snapped pictures of Halloum Cheese, a sheep's milk cheese, and asked if she could have the last piece of cheese from the plate.  I was about to fight her for the salty, rich cheese that had been pan-fried, but I behaved.  When you try it, make sure you pair a piece of cheese with a slice of cucumber and tomato. It's balanced and refreshing.

We all decided we just couldn't stop at the small plates and ordered entrees.  Josh got this Beef Shawarma.  When I had a little bit of the meat, it tasted like it had some cinnamon in it.  Pleasant and sweet.

I got the Morgan Valley Lamb Kabob.  The server encouraged me to get it medium rare.  And I'm glad I did.  The lamb was so tender and juicy--just like eating a steak.

There is something I like to call the "I-wish-I-would-have-ordered-that-too" dish.  Heather got that dish. Dont' get me wrong--I enjoyed my kabob, but she ordered Layla's signature Lebanese Moussaka, which was light and sweet.  It seemed like there was a hint of cinnamon there too.  I'm ordering it on my next visit.

Naturally, we finished things off with some dessert. I ordered a Lychee Ice Cream, which was strongly lychee (this is a good thing, since most lychee-flavored things are barely noticeable) and a delightful texture.  We also tried the Layla Blossom Ice Cream (Orange Blossom) which had the expected orange flavor, but also an almost flowery taste to it.  The Layla Rose Ice Cream (Rose water) was surprising--it really tasted like roses.  I had no idea you could make that familiar rose smell into a taste.  It was a little odd. The Pistachio Ice Cream was hands-down my favorite.  I don't know how they did it, but it seemed like that ice cream was twice as creamy and thick as the others.  Plus, lots and lots of whole pistachios!

Ryan and Melissa of sweetchocolat passed down their Birds Nest, with pistachios nestled in this pretty, flaky, golden phyllo dough.  Nutty, crunchy, and sweet--a perfect last bite.

Thanks to those cool bloggers that made the evening so enjoyable.  I am looking forward to my next bite at Layla!

The Hip Strikes Again!

Lee's dad (we'll call him L3) invited Lee to join him on a mountaineering trek up Mount Rainier in Washington state.  Mt. Rainier is 14,411 feet high and perfect for training for other major mountains because of the variable weather, glacier and snow fields, and terrain difficulties.

Lee's collage of Mount Rainier

This crazy mountain thing started 3 years ago when one of L3's friends invited him and Lee to trek to base camp of Everest.  Everest, people!!!  (Yeah, when I first met Lee, his little adventurous spirit was quite attractive!)

After helping  the boys situate all their gear for their 35-lb packs and getting them settled in with the trekking company, my mother-in-law, Mom K, and I were off to make it a girls' vacation in Seattle while the boys were playing on the mountain. Wahoo!  The mice will play when the cat is away!

And did we play!  We went to the Pacific Science Center...

...Experience Music and the Science Fiction Museum...

...The Seattle Aquarium and The Seattle Art Museum (SAM)...

...The Space Needle (Lunch was awesome at the Sky City Restaurant.  I know, I know--you think that I'm just saying that because the restaurant rotates giving you a 360 degree view of the city while you eat. Okay, that's partially it. I had the Crab Melt--melted dill Havarti cheese on dungeness crab cakes, layered atop sliced tomatoes and a circle of buttery toast.  It was rich.  Almost too much.  Almost.

Mom K's treat was during dessert--lemon basil sorbet served in the lunar dish.  So refreshing and surprising!)...

...The Glass Blowing House and Waterfall Garden in Pioneer Square...

 

Who knew rooms went for so cheap in Seattle!

...and my favorite--Pike's Market!!  Yay!  Can I tell you how much I love that place?  Love love that place!  I had to take loads of pictures--I'm Asian!

Me with the Pig (and the famous fish throwers in the background)!

It was visually stimulating, of course.  But I wish you could hear the local street musician over the chatter of the tourists, punctuated by the yells of the fish throwers.  And I wish you could smell all the wonderful smells--fresh baked Chinese buns, fruit so perfectly ripe its sweetness hung in the air, and the saltiness of the seafood ready to fly.  And this place has Costco on any Saturday beat--samples, samples samples!  It was oh-so-lovely!

We finally headed back to find our men at Mount Rainier. When we arrived back at the lodge, I was surprised to find Lee there already. I was so excited to see him--I missed him while in Seattle, because I knew he would love it.

Lee about half way up Mt. Rainier.  No fun tickets left!

I come to find out that Lee didn't make it all the way to the top because of his hip.  (For those of you who have never heard Lee's hip story, ask him to tell it to you sometime.  It's quite the story! In short, he broke his hip because he was growing too fast and had to have a couple of titanium screws put in.)  He was about 5 hours into the hike and he had used up all his "fun tickets".  Bumbershoot! Lee doesn't really know why his hip was acting up at that time, but he was wise enough to come down.

L3 summit-ed and we had a good rest of the trip driving home.

And don't you fret, dear readers, Lee will soon be seeing an orthopod, eventually get back on Rainier, and definitely will see Seattle with me!

Name That Band Winner Is...

Before I announce who won the Name That Band contest, I would like to point out that most people that entered had a difficult time deciphering Lee's "awesome" clues.  Here are a couple of comments:

• I'd just like to say that those are not truly awesome clues--Lee at a dance?  I don't think there's a band named Awkward or Lunge...or maybe they're an indie band.   (Sharon)
• #1 The Wallflowers (? this is what comes to mind although...Lee, a wallflower? I saw you dance at the Cheese party, maybe I'm off on this one! lol)   (Tana)
• Pencil lead in a limo? Really?  (Fotohok)

Without further ado, here are the correct answers:

Lee's Clue #1: "Me at a dance"                                     Answer:  The Wallflowers
Lee's Clue #2: "Touted as the next Beatles"                    Answer:  Oasis
Lee's Clue #3: "What doctors and nurses do"                   Answer:  The Cure
Lee's Clue #4: "Pencil lead in a limo"                               Answer: Incubus
Lee's Clue #5: "The first former lead singer of Genesis"      Answer:  Peter Gabriel

And our winner is Kristi (+Bob) with 4 out of 5 answers correct!  (Yeah, I was shocked somebody got that many!  Well I guess there are some people out there that are on the same brain wave as my crazy husband!)  Kristi has won the family skate pass to Hollywood Connection--congratulations!