From the kitchen...

Vegetable Fried Rice

This dish is so simple and so delicious.... although I want to make it much more often so that I can perfect it.

3 cups cooked rice

2 eggs, beaten (optional)

1/2 cup onion, chopped

1/2 cup carrot, chopped

1/2 cup bell pepper, chopped

1/2 cup celery, chopped

1 spoonful of butter

vegetable oil

sesame oil

soy sauce

salt and pepper

Heat a wok to the maximimum, then coat with vegetable oil. Quickly add the beaten egg and scramble. Add the rice and a spoonful of butter and start mixing, be careful not to let the rice stick to the wok and burn. Cook for 2-3 minutes then add the vegetables and continue to stir. Add

From the kitchen...

Seared Tuna with Mango Salsa

Taryn, Owen and I tested our culinary skills with a couple of gourmet dishes while she was in town last week. On our first attempt, we made Chicken Marsala, and although it was good, our lack of a large saute pan kind of threw our timing off. I didn't get to take any pictures, but we will definitely attempt it again in the future. On our second (very successful) attempt to be chefs, we made seared tuna with mango salsa accompanied by vegetable fried rice. With a larger saute pan and a new wok, we really did a great job.

The first thing we prepared was the mango salsa. Saute in olive oil some chopped onions and a touch of minced garlic. Once the onion becomes translucent, throw in some chopped jalapenos and mangos. Add some orange juice and sugar and let simmer. This is what you need to end up with.





Next we marinated a beautiful and fresh filet of tuna. Season with salt, pepper and olive oil. Heat your saute pan on high heat and lightly coat pan with olive oil. Cook each side of the tuna filet for about 2-3 minutes, you just want to cook it enough to sear the outside and leave the inside rare.


So now we have the lovely filet of tuna ready, and it is time to make its side dish, vegetable fried rice (post to immediately follow).

Sweet Face

My goal in life is to be as good of a person my dog already thinks I am.
--Author Unknown

Tree

Trees are sanctuaries. Whoever knows how to speak to them, whoever knows how to listen to them, can learn the truth. They do not preach learning and precepts, they preach undeterred by particulars, the ancient law of life.

--Hermann Hesse

Don't fall for anything

Give to us clear vision that we may know where to stand and what to stand for -- because unless we stand for something, we shall fall for anything.

--Peter Marshall

Atlas Shrugged

"Did you really think we want those laws observed?" said Dr. Ferris.
"We want them to be broken. You'd better get it straight that it's not a bunch of boy scouts you're up against... We're after power and we mean it... There's no way to rule innocent men. The only power any government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren't enough criminals one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws. Who wants a nation of law-abiding citizens? What's there in that for anyone? But just pass the kind of laws that can neither be observed nor enforced or objectively interpreted – and you create a nation of law-breakers – and then you cash in on guilt. Now that's the system, Mr. Reardon, that's the game, and once you understand it, you'll be much easier to deal with."

('Atlas Shrugged' by Ayn Rand, 1957)

I took this photo in Rockafeller Center, NYC last December.

Memory.

A memory is anything that happens and does not completely unhappen.
The result is some trace which is left. The trace may last for a long time or it may last only for a short time. Information that comes into the brain leaves a trace in the altered behaviour of the nerve cells that form the memory surface.

-Edward de Bono, Lateral Thinking, 1970

That first step

Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase.

~Martin Luther King Jr.

I took this photo of the "miraculous staircase" at the Loretto Chapel in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
My fiance and I will be married there in December =)

Ever and on

The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then?
I cannot say.


-J. R. R. Tolkien

A beautiful sky

But beauty seen is never lost,

God’s colors all are fast;

The glory of this sunset heaven

Into my soul has passed…..

-John Greenleaf Whittier, Sunset on the Bearcamp, 1876

Georgia

"Dogs are not our whole lives, but they make our lives whole."
-Roger Caras

From the Kitchen...

Saffron Orzo with Shrimp

Sooooo Owen and I tried this dish last night for the first time. It was definitely a success and a keeper, but we didn't add enough salt and spices to bring the dish to a level of excitement. Next time we make it, we'll be sure to wear our Emeril chef hats and kick it up a notch.

Bring 6 cups of broth to a boil and add a pinch of saffron, just enough to flavor the broth. Add 1 lb. of orzo and cook until tender. Add broccoli florets with about 5 minutes to spare on the orzo. Once tender, drain the orzo and set aside.

In a seperate pan, heat olive oil and add garlic and crushed red pepper to saute for a minute or two. Add fresh mushrooms and cook until tender. Add peeled shrimp and saute until pink on both sides.


Once the shrimp are almost done, take off of heat and add to orzo. Mix and add salt, pepper and crushed red pepper to taste. Ready to serve!

Arthur and George

Arthur and George by Julian Barnes is a story of injustice and spiritualism in the early twentieth century in England centering around Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of Sherlock Holmes, and George Edalji, a non-famous lawyer.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is a gregarious, creative and outspoken man who is raised believing in chivalry, romance and honor. He is a doctor turned writer, and he becomes very famous for his stories of the adventures of Sherlock Holmes.

George Edalji is a half-indian lawyer, who suffers injustice based on racism and bigotry in his small hometown in England. He is wrongfully accused of writing malicious letters to numerous people (including himself) and mutilating animals. He serves three years in prison.

The two central characters develop from childhood throughout the novel. They are two very complex characters, and Barnes does a superb job of creating dual/parallel stories up until they meet. Their lives do not cross paths until the middle of the story, when Arthur, who is depressed from his wife's recent death, stumbles across George's case of injustice. Arthur insists on helping George clear his name and get recompense from the home office of England.

Once the two embark on their mission of obtaining a free pardon, they develop a friendship that lasts a lifetime. They learn from each other, especially because they are so different from one another. The book is very good, and the character depth is the driving force in Barnes' work. He does an excellent job of portraying that time period in England, and the novel is based closely upon real events.


Rodrigo's rating: A good read, highly recommended

Quote of the day

"strength of character does not consist solely of having powerful feelings, but in maintaining one's balance in spite of them. Even with the violence of emotion, judgement and principle must still function like a ship's compass, which records the slightest variations however rough the sea."
-Carl von clausewitz
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