Free Range Friday...randomly

Amy's here! Amy's here! (Yes, I took a photo but she'd be unhappy if I posted it - and she has a really big dog - so I'd be unhappy too. I'll get a good one before she leaves). If you don't know Amy, I can't even begin to describe her so I won't bother. If you DO know Amy, you'll know why it was very easy to talk and laugh with her for hours, drinking wine (shocking!) until it was time to sleep. We planned on getting up to hopefully see a good star show from the Perseids (which I always want to pronounce Persids). Laurie tried to wake me up a few times between 12:30 and 4 but I apparently wasn't budging, which, for an insomniac, is a lovely thing, except when missing a star show! At 4 though I finally came to and then Amy got up and the three of us sat on the back porch bundled up with the thermometer reading 54 degrees (Amy in a sleeveless tank top; she's way over-acclimated, in my opinion). The photo, which is from the Perseids last year, isn't credited but it certainly isn't something I took. I wish!

I didn't take these photos either. These were sent by my friend Janet, taken while we were looking at rocks. I didn't get any really good photos. She did though!

Photo credit: Janet Toy

Me trying to get as good a shot, and failing my mission

I'll just have to keep trying; one day I will get a shot of what I'm seeing on the rocks, which is this - solidness - that I can't quite convey through the lens. The other day at low tide I walked around them barefoot (not the sharp parts), just to feel the slightly sandpapery strength of them. There should be a way to share that photographically that, I've seen it done! but maybe not by me.

Last night we ate dinner with Laurie's parents, always a social and gustatory treat with a spectacular view (I did take this one). Yes, we're getting to the food part, the food I once again did NOT take a photo of because I'm just plain terrible about remembering to do that. Dinner at home is not like dinner out, even if it's not my home, and my brain does not register, shoot this plate, you'll want it tomorrow!  And I'm not exactly sure what the amounts are anyway, but I'll just tell you - Merry made this quinoa cranberry salad that was incredible. Here is most of what I remember her telling me was in it, and I hope this encourages her to send along the proper recipe so I can post it entire!

Merry's Quinoa and Cranberry Salad

Quinoa (I know that's in it!) - I'm showing Bob's Red Mill because I like the company's products and I can't remember what brand is sold in Milka's or Holistica Aimee. Most of the rest of you have many choices.

Dried cranberries (which we can actually get on Culebra - good thing, since there are no ferries to go get them anywhere else, an issue I hope gets resolved sooner than later). This is the only kind I've seen, except for bulk in co-ops here, but there might be other brands. Sure, you could use fresh cranberries if you wanted, but they would be right tart!

Slivered almonds (I don't know if the ones in this dish were toasted or not, but I would, just put them in a pan on a very low heat and move them around until they are slightly browned, take them off the heat and cool It happens really, really fast, so keep an eye on them, confesses a veteran of more than a few burnt almonds)

A small amount of finely chopped onion and celery

Raspberry balsamic vinegar - I'm pretty sure that is what I was told. I think there were other vinegars in there as well. There are many, many brands of this product. I chose this one because I'm a sucker for a pretty bottle, and all the great info on the web page. Great presentation, Pastamore! Of course, for another buck you can buy 6 8.5 ounce bottles of Alessi Raspberry Balsamic...Will they taste any different? I'll probably never know.

This is a wonderful cold dish, and might be as good warm, but it's summer (even if it is only 58 degrees here, it's a lot warmer on Culebra...and a whole lot of other places too - I'm still wrapped up from being out watching falling stars). Okay Merry, that's your cue from here!

Our meal was chicken breasts oven cooked in a marinade of ___________ something delicious and Asian (oh Merry...?), fresh wax beans, a red and green leaf lettuce salad, and a wonderful mixture of just off the vine fruits for dessert. Serious yum-o-rama.Thanks, Merry and Mark!
(Just a note to say, in case you haven't noticed, I've eaten really, really well up here. I should make a Maine recipe book including Phil's chicken and fish and Laurie's couscous and and and...)

Buen provecho! We're off to see wild animals and great boats, hopefully at different venues. Another random day in Maine...