A little about me!

My name is Kerry, I'm a former "ski bum" living the dream at Lake Tahoe trying to make a solid life up here! I love everything about this place from snow filled winters that include skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, hitting the gym etc., to the sunny temperate summers filled with boating, lake side fun, swimming, BBQ's, hiking, and lets not forget river floating!

I have an older dog named Bear (who loves to float and may possibly be the most popular dog in Tahoe City) and an amazing boyfriend named Joe. They are the loves of my life and the guinea pigs for all my recipes and crafts! Thanks for being such great sports, guys!

I'm trying to focus on the things I love and hope that they can help me achieve my goals and get me to a career that I love. I really enjoy running recreation facilities and am dying to get a full time/year round job in that field! There's nothing better than being able to help people have a great time! 

Maybe it's the nurturing/mothering instinct in me.  I love to cook, I love to take care of people, I love to instigate fun, and I love to make people happy!  

Stay tuned for more of my happenings including cooking, clothes/craft making, and Red Cross courses! Who knows what else I'll include in here!

Super Easy, Delish, and Healthy Salmon Dish! (with optional Aoli)

This dish is one of my favorites at the moment.  It is pretty simple to put together, it is good for you, and it tastes AMAZING!  Okay... so maybe the aoli isn't the best for you, but using a light mayo instead of regular cuts the bad stuff a bit I suppose...

Here's what you'll need: (2 servings)
Salmon fillets (2)
Asparagus
Fingerling or small Red potatoes (the little tiny guys, or you can cube up larger ones... I prefer the colorful little ones)
Mayonnaise
Lemon
Garlic clove (1)
Deli mustard

Easy Peasy!

The idea here is minimal prep and relatively quick cook time resulting in an excellent meal!

Preheat oven to 400°F

Boil the potatoes in water for about 10 minutes (just enough to soften them a little) - Strain

Line a cookie tray with foil.  Place the salmon (skin side down) and arrange the potatoes and rinsed and trimmed asparagus on the cookie tray.  Sprinkle a little olive oil, salt, and pepper over everything. Cover and SEAL (as best you can) the tray with another piece of foil. Pop it in the oven for about 15 minutes. After the 15 minutes, I like to remove the top foil and BROIL the tray for about 2-3 minutes. *Watch carefully so it doesn't burn! Let it sit covered on tray out of oven for about 5 minutes. As it bakes, make your aoli!

In a small bowl combine about 3 tablespoons mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 tablespoon mustard, and 1 clove minced garlic. Mix it up with a spoon or fork and POW! There's your aoli!

Serve beautifully on a plate with a dollop of the aoli and ENJOY!

*WARNING* You may become addicted to the aoli after this meal. You'll want to put it on everything!

Bomb Diggity Pasta with Chicken, Mushrooms, and Zucchini

Another one of Joey Dubbs' favorites! Quick and easy and great for leftovers!

What you need:

1 box of pasta (I really like the veggie pasta rotini)

2 chicken breasts or 4 thighs (boneless, skinless)

1 med-large zucchini

1 package mushrooms (crimini or white...)

Pecorino Romano cheese

Olive Oil

Garlic Salt

Dried Chopped Onion

First, heat up a skillet to cook up your chicken.  I prefer stainless steel because it gives the chicken a nice brown.  Add about a tablespoon of butter to melt.  Sprinkle in some garlic salt and dried onion.

 Once the butter and seasoning is sizzling, add your clean/rinsed chicken:

Cook covered about 10 minutes on each side until the chicken is nice and brown and cooked through.

While the chicken is cooking, bring a pot of water to a boil for your pasta.  Also, prep your veggies by cutting them into bite sized chunks:

Once your chicken is done cooking, remove it from the pan and let it sit about 5 minutes. Next, chop it up into bite size bits:

 Your pot of water should be boiling now, add your pasta:

Cook according to packaging directions (about 12 minutes for this veggie rotini.) Don't forget to stir occasionally!

While the pasta is cooking you can get your zucchini and mushrooms cooking.  Heat a large skillet with a little olive oil (about 1Tbsp.)  Add your mushrooms and zucchini and sprinkle with a little garlic salt and dried onion if you like:

Cook until veggies are tender and zucchini is slightly transparent:

You're pasta should be cooked through by now.  Strain it thoroughly and add it back to the pot you cooked it in or into a good size mixing bowl

Now you can start stirring in your cooked chicken and vegetables:

Sprinkle some cheese and a little olive oil on top and mix it all through - I love Pecorino Romano because it has so much flavor and you don't have to use much!

Serve it up and enjoy!

Yummmmm!!! 

(One day I'll have a gas stove again...)

Vegetable Quinoa Dinner with Egg

Have you ever tried "Quinoa?" coin-no-ah? kiwi-no-wa? queen-wah? KEY-NWA! The "supergrain!" Or as the packaging also informs, its actually a seed from a plant similar to spinach! And a darn tasty one at that!

This dish is so filling, and healthy and delish! I've always been a meat and potatoes (or french fries and ice cream) type of gal, but I've also had a few roomies and besties who are strictly vegetarian. I LOVE vegetables too, and I have been trying more to center my meals around them.

Here's what you need for this dish:

1 3/4 cup Vegetable Broth (or water or other broth...)
1 cup Quinoa (rinsed in cold water and strained well)
1 cup fresh Spinach leaves
2 Roma Tomatoes, diced
1 Avocado, diced
2 Eggs
Cilantro Dressing (store bought or see recipe below)
Salt, Pepper, Parmesan, Hot Sauce, Sour Cream (all optional and to taste)

Let's get this party started!

Combine vegetable broth and quinoa in a sauce pan. Bring to a boil, stir, cover and immediately reduce heat to simmer. Simmer 12-18 minutes until liquid is absorbed, quinoa looks semi-translucent, and you see the "germ" sticking out on the quinoa (like little tails on each seed.)  Cooking directions on quinoa packaging always ask for 2 parts liquid and 1 part quinoa, but I find that it ends up like soup and never fully absorbs, so I've lowered the liquid content for a more "rice-like" consistency.

While the quinoa is cooking, get your veggies ready! I like using baby spinach leaves because they're already bite size, and then dice up the tomato and avocado into bite sized bits. Simple!

When the quinoa is about 2 minutes from finishing cooking, I'll fry up my eggs. You could fry or poach them, both would give you that oozy delicious yolk that brings everything together.

Scoop a hefty serving spoon full of quinoa onto your plate or large bowl, arrange your spinach, avocado, and tomato on the quinoa, drop your eggs on top! Lastly, add a little salt and pepper (and a pinch of parmesan if you like) and drizzle some cilantro dressing over everything. Mix it all up and chow down!

I cheated this time and used store bought cilantro dressing, but i like a lighter home made dressing typically. You can find an excellent recipe for that HERE

Quinoa is seriously great with a bunch of different stuff. Mix in whatever you like! I even like it cooked in veggie broth then mixed up with a little sour cream and a lot of Cholula! Yum!

On another note, Here's what I got into today... stayin' in those pines :)

Enjoy!

Chicken Adobo - a Filipino TREAT!

Growing up, one of my best friends was Filipino (Floridel.) I used to spend a lot of time at her house having pool parties, singing karaoke, and taking advantage of Mamung's (her grandma) excellent cooking! So much fun! That lovely woman would make us TRAYS of delicious egg rolls... Always presenting them to me saying, "Eat! Eat more! You're too skinny! Eat more eggroll!" God, I loved that woman! I'll be on a mission to make her famous egg rolls one of these days!

*throwback picture of the gang coming soon!*

Anyway, Chicken Adobo was a common dish at parties at the Sotelo residence and I always LOVED it (along with everything else!) I have my own take on it (attempt at authenticity...) and I love to serve it on steamed rice with cooked carrots! So tender! So delicious!

thanks, Kelly, for bringing over croissants!

*Note: It is best to prepare and marinate the chicken a day before you want to cook this dish.  That way it will be extra tasty and tender!

What you need:

Chicken thighs or drumsticks (with bone & skin!) 4-6 pieces
Garlic, about 6 cloves
Soy sauce, about 1/2 to 3/4 cup
Bay leaves, 3
Whole Peppercorn, about 1 tablespoon
White Vinegar, about 1 tablespoon
Brown sugar, about 1 tablespoon (optional)
Cooking oil, enough to coat bottom of pot

Basmati Rice, 1 cup
Water, 2 cups

Carrots, cut up
Water, 2 cups
Butter
Parsley (fresh chopped or dried flakes)

Here we go!

Marinate your chicken -  All you need is your chicken, garlic, and soy sauce. In a ziplock bag or bowl, place your clean/rinsed chicken pieces. Coarsely chop your garlic cloves. Pour in the soy sauce and add the garlic cloves to your chicken. Seal or cover your chicken mixture and refrigerate overnight.

Cooking time! in a deep stainless steel pot, heat up about 2 tablespoons cooking oil. Remove the chicken from the marinade and keep the marinade on the side, you'll need it later! Add your chicken, skin side down to the pot. (Careful! It fights back!) Brown for about 5 minutes on each side. Ten minutes total. This should make the skin nice and a little crispy!

ahhh! it's so angry!

Next pour your marinade over the chicken into the pot. Sprinkle in the whole peppercorns, and drop 3 whole bay leaves into the mix.  Bring to a boil then turn heat to LOW, cover the pot and simmer for 30 minutes.

browning nicely :)

after adding marinade, bay leaves, & peppercorns

With 10 minutes left to cook, pour in about 1 tablespoon of white vinegar and about a tablespoon of brown sugar. Stir, cover, let it finish cooking!

While you're chicken is slow cooking, cook your rice.  You can use a rice cooker or cook it over the stove. Need help with that?  Bring 2 cups water to a boil, add 1 cup white basmati rice. Turn heat to low, stir once, and cover the pot. Cook covered for 18-20 minutes. Remove from heat and leave covered for 5 more minutes. Fluff and it's ready to go!

Of course you can do any other side dish with this, but I just think carrots are tasty. I just boil about 2 cups water in a pan, toss in the carrots, cover and cook over medium for the entire time the chicken is cooking.  I like to strain them then saute with a little butter and some fresh or dry parsley!

carrots! nom nom!

everything cooking together like a big happy family - all to be ready at the same time!

This meal is super filling and SO good! Hopefully Mamung would be proud of me! Let me know what you think!