A Trip South

Last week my Mom bequeathed me with an early birthday present: a new camera!!! And so I can share with you all what I did this weekend with pictures.

I spent my weekend with these fine gentleman (Pat, Orren and Mr. P)

Pat is spending his summer working at the Legal Aide office in Klamath County, three hours south of us. Orren, Mr. P and I headed down south to visit him and see the many wonders of Klamath Falls.

We spent time at the Klamath Lake

Fun Fact: The Klamath Lake is the largest lake in Oregon.

We also spent a good deal of time wandering around downtown.

We ate yummy BBQ, found a bar that served enormous pours of wine and whiskey, and enjoyed 80 degree temperatures at 11pm.

Armed with riding boots and spicy soup

The torrents of rain continue. But it is no matter because my riding boots and I are armed with a trench coat and a piping hot bowl of spicy chipotle chicken soup. We, my boots and I, are counting down the hours until it is finally the weekend, a four day weekend no less. In 5 hours freedom is mine. I shall return to my cozy house, a roaring fire, and a sweet husband. I shall make flamenco eggs. I shall enjoy their silky texture along side spicy chorizo and rich garlicky tomatoes. It shall be divine.

This weekend I am relishing in the fact that nothing is planned. Mr. P and I will go on a bike ride. I will attempt to finish organizing the office. We may start weeding our new massive yard. I may attempt homemade granola as seen in this months Bon Appetit via Molly Wizenberg. We may do some U-pick strawberry picking, which might tempt me to try my hands at a gluten free cobbler of sorts. We shall see.

Almost the Weekend

I have had a rocky week at work and am counting down the hours (3 more) until my freedom from 3.7 days. This is a big weekend because our dear friends Eric and Shelby are getting married on Saturday. Mr. P is an usher and one of the bachelor party planners/hosts, while our friend David and I are cooking and serving the rehearsal dinner tomorrow night. This is no joke my friends, we are making, plating and serving a 5 course meal for 30 some odd people. Here is our Menu:

Tomato Bruscetta

Cesar Salad

Cream of Asparagus soup

Naples style spaghetti and meat balls (my grandmother's secret recipe)

Double chocolate brownies and lemon bars

Tonight we are going grocery shopping and then setting the tables. Then tomorrow we begin our cooking marathon at 10am. Dinner is served at 7:30. It's going to be a long day but I think it will be a wonderful party. While we are doing prep work tonight the boys are having the bachelor party. Mr.P has to be in court at 8:30 am tomorrow morning. I am predicting a very grumpy husband on my hands tomorrow. Since the boys will be out getting into only God knows what kind of trouble I am going to take advantage of the calm before the storm to veg out with my sis and these fine people:

She just moved into her very first real apartment. And we need to christen it with a Dawson's Creek Marathon. You all know how much I adore the witty antics of Dawson Leery, Pacey Whitter and Joey Potter. Besides we are on Season three and getting close to the Pacey/Joey years which might be my favorite.

Happy weekend to everyone!

A Giant Egg

This weekend was very eventful. Friday night Mr. P and I went to see Crazy Heart and LOVED IT! It was so good and the music was amazing. I can't wait to get the soundtrack. Saturday we went to visit my Grandparents at the Ranch. Mr. P and Grampa worked the cows while Nonna and I cooked and visited. It was very nice. Then Saturday Night we all went out to pizza for a friends birthday. Sunday after church we had a wedding shower for our friends Eric and Shelby who are getting married soon. And then--this is the highlight--I fixed a giant egg for dinner. I kid you not. I wish I had taken pictures but I was too preoccupied with the egg to think of it. I shall back up and begin from the beginning.

As I have mentioned on this blog before I can't eat a bunch of foods right now. There are about 20 foods I can't eat. Of the twenty the three I miss the most are onions, corn tortillas and eggs. But I can eat goose or duck eggs if I find them. I have been searching with little luck when last week a friend from church told me she had a friend who sold goose eggs and they would give me a few to try. So yesterday I got two precious goose eggs and I was so excited. Oh to eat an egg again! Yet I was shocked at the size and weight of this egg. It is 2-3 times bigger than a large chicken egg and very heavy for an egg. It is very hard to crack. You cannot crack it on the edge of the skillet as you can a chicken egg. No, you have to hit it very hard on the sink edge and then pry off pieces of the shell until you have created an opening to pour the egg out of. When the egg finally gets into the pan it is bigger than three chicken eggs cracked into a pan. Believe me, after I cooked my giant egg I cooked Mr. P three chicken eggs and they were smaller than the goose egg. Also the goose egg has an enormous yolk. I ate my goose egg on top of rice and beans with lots of Tabasco and chorizo. It was wonderful and I was in egg heaven. I have another goose egg to eat so I'll be sure to take pictures when I eat that one.

Also this weekend I finally got onto twitter. I know I have heard people say this before and now I understand them. I am so confused. I don't get twitter at all and I need help. So if you are on twitter please find me and help me out. My twitter name is lauralpotter.

I hope everyone had a great weekend.

A weekend away

I spent my weekend here

My family's cabin in the woods.

This is the charming front porch...

Which looks out to the creek below

We went with a few friends, just a few because the cabin is very small. Much smaller than my apartment. This is the tiny kitchen where we cooked risotto and macaroni and cheese while the men grilled meat.

this is the equally small dining room where we ate Jessica's yummy minestrone.

This is my favorite reading chair to relax, chat and knit.

Such a delightful weekend...

Today I am...

Cooking this delicious Texas Red Chili for our friend David's Super Bowl Party

Packing my LL Bean Tote bag

Heading to the Oregon Coast with Jess and our Step Mother

Happy Weekend Everyone!

*chili image from Martha Stewart
*LL Bean tote bags found Here
*Image of Florence Coast Line comes from Here

Thank Goodness It's Friday

I am so glad it's Friday. Right now I'm sitting on my neatly made bed, watching the Food network, eating peanut butter and blogging. Can you think of a better way to start the weekend. Even better the grocery shopping is complete and although the house might be rather messy I don't have to do anything except stay home and clean it. But first I'm taking a break. Peanut butter is my new favorite food. I'm not sure why this is. I suppose I have always liked peanut butter but now I LOVE peanut butter. I particularly like peanut butter on apples but I also like it just plain on a spoon. Perhaps it's because I am on a special diet* and cannot eat many of my former favorites.

We are eating some great food this week at Potter Place, besides the peanut butter.
Saturday: Marinated Lamb Kabobs, roasted tomato risotto and baked eggplant
Sunday: French roasted Chicken and lentils
Monday: Plum glazed baked chicken with rice and cucumber salad
Tuesday: Chili and baked potatoes
Wednesday: Spicy shredded beef tacos with homemade pinto beans
Thursday: Pork Chops with rhubarb cherry sauce, mashed potatoes and french green beans

The Lamb and eggplant I am making up. The chicken I have adapted from Dave Lieberman's book, Dave's Dinners. The Plum glazed chicken also comes from Dave's Dinner's. The Chili, beef tacos, and beans are all my own recipes. The pork chops, which are so good, are from Everyday Dinner's.

Also this weekend I am going to make cream cheese and pickled veg. I'll post on those later this weekend with lots of pictures. Well I suppose I shall start cleaning my house now. Happy weekend everyone.

*I mentioned I was seeing a natural-pathic doctor, she thinks I may have a wheat or dairy intolerance and to see I have to eat NO wheat or diary for 6 weeks. She also had me give up coffee, caffeine, alcohol, sugar, and vegetable oils until we figure out what is wrong with me and I am healed.

summer has arrived

It was another crazy weekend for Mr. P and I. I think my mother is about to wring my neck:). She is constantly lecturing, I mean telling me, I need to take time for myself, have more quiet time, make more along time with Mr. P, and I seem to be incapable of doing so. And honestly I wouldn’t change it. I just love people. I love doing things with friends, and hosting parties, and helping with church activities and meeting friends for coffee. This is just who I am. But what was best about this weekend was that it really felt like the beginning of summer. This was the first hot and sunny weekend here and I spent most of the weekend outside enjoying it. Between the youth group garage sale, helping one of our friends move, sitting outside drinking iced coffee at one of my favorite coffee shops, wearing a skirt do dinnerJ, and spending Sunday evening at BBQ out in the country it really felt like summer is here. And so it got me thinking of my favorite things about summer, which I’m going to share:

Warm ripe tomatoes from my garden

The family cabin on the river
Reading in the hammock

Swimming in the lake
BBQ chicken and grilled corn on the cob

Cold beer on the porch
The crazy 4th of July family BBQ with my many many cousins (seriously, I have like 20!)
Riding horses with my grandfather on the ranch
Picking blackberries
Summer wedding receptions
The Family camping trip

What are your favorite things about summer?

Mrs. P