Simply Norma – Page 77 – Living Simply

Honey Soy Broiled Salmon

Well, I have to admit that I don’t really know how to cook salmon. My husband normally takes care of it for me as I’ve had an aversion to trying it since I didn’t want to fail. He has a really nice garlic sauce he adds on top of the salmon before broiling it.

But I got bold! I took a hold of my salmon cooking fears and moved forward in my cooking adventures. Did it work? Â Yes! I found this great marinade that I absolutely love. Â I did have a bit of an adventure though. First, here’s the recipe.

Ingredients

1 scallion, minced
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1 pound salmon cut into 4 portions
1 teaspoon sesame seeds

Directions

Whisk scallion, soy sauce, vinegar, honey and ginger in a medium bowl until the honey is dissolved
Place salmon in a sealable plastic bag thenÂ add 3 tablespoons of the sauce and refrigerate to marinate for at least 15 minutes. Reserve the remaining sauce.
Preheat the broiler
Line a small baking pan with foil and coat the foil with cooking spray like Pam
Transfer the salmon to the pan, skinned-side down. (Discard the marinade.)
Broil the salmon 4 to 6 inches from the heat source until cooked through for about 6 to 10 minutes.
Drizzle with the reserved sauce and garnish with sesame seeds.

Yum!

Simple, eh? Everything went well until I set the oven to broil and put the salmon in. I set my timer for 4 minutes thinking that I’d check it early since the recipe calls for 6 to 10 minutes. Well, I was fortunate to stick around in the kitchen as my smoke detectors started going off. At 4 minutes the salmon was done and the broiler let me know it.

Lesson learned? Â When trying a new recipe make sure you set your timer for less time than what it calls for “just in case.”

But what a great marinade!

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(Note: Click here to be directed to the original recipe)

Doolittle’s Woodfire Grill

On a recent trip to Fargo my husband and I stopped at a little town called Alexandria to look for a place to have dinner. We tried to sidestep the fast food chains and came across a “new” restaurant called Doolittle’s Woodfire Grill.

The restaurant was busy but had ample seating around 6 p.m. when we arrived. We were seated immediately and our waitperson came quickly. Looking around, my husband noticed that the surroundings looked like an Applebee’s and I agreed. The inside has had an upgrade though and looks like an upscale sports bar.

For dinner, my husband had the Chicken Rice Soup with the Chicken Sandwich for his entree. The Chicken Rice Soup was okay — similar to ones I’ve tasted at other restaurants. But the Chicken Sandwich — wow! The chicken was so tender. I’m accustomed to eating dry chicken as most restaurants don’t seem to know how long to cook it. Very good!

I originally was going to have a salad but didn’t want to worry about portion sizes and whether they could put the sauce on the side (I find that restaurants tend to add too much vinaigrette on their salads) so I opted for the Mediterranean Flatbread.

It looked good but was a tad too crispy (and I like crispy). So — it was okay.

Service here was really good and the environment was what one would expect at a sports bar that has TV’s (which this one does) – a tad noisy. Overall though, it’s a good place to eat.

Jerry Sandusky

There have been so many articles written regarding Gerald (Jerry) Sandusky, the former Penn State University football coach who was found guilty of sexual abuse, that I hesitate to put my two cents worth into the discussion.

However, what I find lacking, except in very few instances, is discussion around how a Christian should react to Mr. Sandusky.

I haven’t found anyone, Christian or otherwise, who is not appalled by what has happened. Child abuse is such a horrible crime that I can’t wrap my brain around how anyone can abuse children.Â On this earth, we all look for justice as a means to punish the wrongs that society (people) commit and there is nothing wrong with that. What would our world look like if everyone was allowed to do as they pleased without any regard to the safety of others?

But what or who do I see when I look at Mr. Sandusky?

I am saddened to look at the face of this man whose inner thoughts or motives no one can possibly know — perhaps not even he can explain what happened. How does a person get to this point in their life? Was he in need of acceptance or power or did he have a mental disorder?

I know people will ask why I am not first saddened by what has happened to the victims — children at the time of the abuse. Don’t misunderstand what I am saying here. I am deeply saddened and troubled by what the victims have had to go through. But if Mr. Sandusky weren’t “defective” there would have been no victims.

And here is where I think the majority of people, including Christians, err in their thinking.

We are all defective. We like to think we are better than others but in reality we are not. I know no person who is perfect. The list of vices that we humans have is innumerable, i.e. cheating, gossiping, murder, rape, lust, lying, stealing, coveting, selfishness, etc.

Does my vice or defectiveness equal that of a child molester’s? Whose in charge of ranking the morality of society? Me? You? The government? The church?

As a Christian, I accept that I am a sinner along with everyone else in the world. What I am offered through the death of Christ is forgiveness of my sins, mercy, kindness and acceptance as a child of the Creator of the universe. I don’t take this gift lightly.

So how I view and treat my fellow travelers on this earth is important. I have to be able to impart the same gift to others that I have been given and have accepted. Is it easy? Absolutely not. I am prone to look at the actions of people since I cannot read their hearts.

I can’t read Mr. Sandusky’s heart — only God can so only He will be able to give true pardon or justice as He sees fit.

What I do know is that Mr. Sandusky, if he wants it, is offered the same gift that I am. And since I am a child of the God who provides that gift, I have to be able (through His strength) to offer it to my fellow travelers on this earth — including Mr. Sandusky.

I have had to forgive my own predators and place them in God’s hands for redemption.

So much heartache has been caused by Mr. Sandusky’s actions and lives will never be the same.

But dear reader, as we look at what is happening around us in the world, let us reflect on how our own thoughts and actions affect the people we rub shoulders with every day. Let us remember that we too have the power to lift up or tear down the lives of people around us. Like an old poem says “drop a pebble in the water, in a splash it is gone but there are hundreds little ripples circling on and on and on.”

May my, and your, influence build up and not tear down. And may God have mercy on us all as we travel in this pain-filled world.

Drop A Pebble In the Water

Drop a pebble in the water: just a splash and it is gone
But there’s half-a-hundred ripples circling on and on and on
Spreading, spreading from the center, flowing on out to the sea
And there’s no way of telling where the end is going to be.

Drop a pebble in the water: in a minute you forget
But there’s little waves a-flowing, and there’s ripples circling yet
And those little waves a-flowing to a great big wave have grown
You’ve disturbed a mighty river just by dropping in a stone

Drop an unkind work, or careless: in a minute it is gone
But there’s half-a-hundred ripples circling on and on and on
They keep spreading, spreading, spreading from the center as they go
And there is no way to stop them once you’ve started them to flow

Drop an unkind word, or careless: in a minute you forget
But there’s little waves a-flowing and there’s ripples circling yet
And perhaps in some sad heart a mighty wave of tears you’ve stirred
And disturbed a life was happy ere you dropped that unkind word

Drop a word of cheer and kindness: just a flash and it is gone
But there’s half-a-hundred ripples circling on and on and on
Bearing hope and joy and comfort on each splashing, dashing wave
Till you wouldn’t believe the volume of the one kind word you gave

Drop a word of cheer and kindness: in a minute you forget
But there’s gladness still a-swelling and there’s joy a-circling yet
And you’ve rolled a wave of comfort whose sweet music can be heard
Over miles and miles of water just by dropping one kind word

The Front Yard and Bridge

The work on the front yard has come to a screeching halt as the temperature continues to be in the 90’s during the day with the humidity between 85 and 100. Â Ugh! Â It is too hot to work outside. On a “normal” Minnesota summer day I can work up quite a sweat working outside for 2 hours in the morning so imagine what would happen if I attempted working in this hot weather.

Nevertheless, we have made progress. The few plants we laid out are enjoying the humidity. And the Japanese bridge has been placed over the drain that we wanted to be able to walk over.

Here are some “before” pictures of what our yard looked like:

And another picture “before:”

We are not quite finished with the front yard as we still have 3 large rocks to add to the landscape along with stepping stones going to and away from the bridge.

But — we’ve made much progress especially since I mainly work in the mornings when it’s cool and the mosquitoes aren’t out.

Both ends of the bridge still need large cement slabs that will lead to the stepping stones and provide support for the bridge so it doesn’t come in contact with the dirt or bark.

In addition, I will be purchasing a “fake” rock cover for the septic lid that is right behind the bridge so it will look more “natural.” They work very well at hiding these septic lids that are quite ugly-looking in the landscape.

Landscaping takes a LOT of time. All the grass was removed and as many weeds as possible pulled up. I did lay the landscape tarp over 3/4 of the yard to keep the weeds down.

Once the weather cooperates, I can lay the stepping stones and large rocks. I decided not to put too many plants in this year as the ones that are there will grow and I’d like to see what they look like in a year as I don’t want the space to be overcrowded but have a more simple look.

I’m hoping to find a landscaping class that I can take so I can get more of a feel on what to do with the rest of the property. Next year I hope to tackle (slowly) the 1/2 acre in the back of our property that has a lot of brush growing on it. I had hoped to be able to clear a lot of it already but the weather has not cooperated although the mosquitoes (bless their souls — oops! no, I don’t mean that) have not been bothering me too much.

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Black Bean Casserole

I received this recipe from a friend of mine, Yoko, and have been making it off and on for awhile as it is quite tasty. The original recipe feeds quite a few people so I have adjusted it accordingly to feed two with a little bit of leftover.

Ingredients

1 cup chopped onion
1 green pepper
1-14 ounce can tomatoes, cut up, keeping only half of the juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 cup Salsa (I used mild)
1 15 ounce can black beans or red kidney beans, drained
6 Â 6-inch corn tortillas
1 cup shredded low-fat Monterey Jack cheese

Directions

In a large skillet, combine the onion, green pepper, canned tomatoes, garlic salsa and cumin.
Bring the ingredients above to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for approximately 10 minutes.
Stir in the beans.
In a medium size baking dish, spread 1/2 of the bean mixture on the bottom.
Top with 1/2 of the tortillas.
Add the other 1/2 of the bean mixture on top of the tortillas.
Top with the last 3 tortillas.
Spread the cheese on top.
Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30-35 minutes.
Remove from oven and let stand 10 minutes so the casserole can set while cooling.
Top with tomato slices and olives if you desire.

Whala! This is a very easy dish to make.

Chop the pepper and onion and mince the garlic

Los Arcos Mexican Restaurant

It sure seems like I’ve had a lot of food blogs lately and between trying new recipes and new restaurants I believe I’m getting a handle on “food.”

Our son found Los Arcos Mexican Restaurant while we were in St. Paul for an appointment. It’s in a strip mall and I almost missed seeing it.

The restaurant was not crowded when we arrived but there were a few patrons there. We were greeted right away by the waitress and both the service and food were good. We’ll definitely have to visit this restaurant again.

I was only going to order one taco but they are small so I ordered three and was not disappointed as they were quite tasty.

My husband and son enjoyed their meals also.

Definitely not disappointed that we found this restaurant.

Los Arcos Mexican Restaurant is located at 360 W. Bernard St, West St. Paul, Minnesota.

Hearing in the Storm

With lightning and thunder more rampant in the Midwest than in the West, I sometimes wish I had the power to tell the storm “just go away!” Much easier said than done though.

My focus during the storms is away from myself and at what is happening around me. I should probably buy stock in weather.com as I continually check it to see how close the storm will be and how soon it will arrive. It’s helpful because it gauges within 6 hours what will happen.

But life does not have a built-in weather.com. No — life’s storms come and our focus turns outward to the things happening around us. Death, disability, unemployment, greed, sickness, over-spending, divorce, etc. etc… Â Some storms are caused by how we live while others just happen to show up on our doorstep and say “Just coming to visit for awhile.”

What response do you have when “they” come whether invited or uninvited? Honestly I usually get frazzled and my brain goes haywire for awhile. Â Until …

“Then theÂ LordÂ spoke to JobÂ out of the storm.Â He said: … ” Â Job 38:1

Yes, I have to stop and listen to God while theÂ sky lights up like flickering lights, thunder crashes as if someone is bowling with clouds in heaven Â and rains pummel the ground.

I’m learning that it’s all a matter of perspective. I can run to and fro and call this person and that one for advice or I can just stop and listen to what God has to say to me while in the storm.

All storms bring a blessing. It’s true! We may not see the blessing immediately because our vision is focused on everything that’s going wrong but in the end, there is a blessing.

The old adage “If life gives you lemons, make lemonade” is perfect when one is trying to change their perspective on how to deal with problems that are hurled at us. Ever done that? Make lemonade from lemons? Just add a teaspoon of sugar and whala!

Look and listen for the blessings because they are surely there — even if the world feels like it’s crumbling around you.

The Good Old Days

Where have the “good ol’ days” gone? Remember when people would ring the doorbell and come into your house and visit?

Remember when you looked forward to getting mail because it might contain a card from Aunt Mabel or Cousin Samantha?

No email, Facebook, Myspace or Twitter existed in the “old days.” It was a more simple time when visiting on the front porch with family or neighbors was an every day event.

We should strive to bring back those one-on-one face-to-face connections that gave more meaning to the word “relationship.”

The Space Needle Sky Restaurant

The first time I went to the Space Needle restaurant was over 20 years ago and it was expensive but not impressive. One time was enough until recently when friends of mine decided to take my husband and I along with another couple to dinner. This restaurant would not have been my first choice but since they were paying for everything we went along.

Parking in the area is available at the many pay-by-the-hour parking lots but we decided to splurge and have the Space Needle valet service make the parking spot hunt non-existent. We were not disappointed. At $8 (for those who are eating at the restaurant) it was a bargain. The valet service starts at the entry to the Space Needle.

My husband and I, along with one couple, arrived 45 minutes early and we were not allowed to check in until all six of our party was accounted for. Checking in was a breeze at that point and we were handed a “buzzer” that would alert us when our table was ready. Until then, we headed up to the observation deck to take in the views.

Queen Anne Neighborhood View, Seattle, WA

Lake Union, Seattle, WA — Another view of Lake Union

The day was quite cloudy — a typical Seattle day, although being July I expected sunshine.

After 20 minutes or so, our buzzer went off and we headed down one flight of stairs to the restaurant. When we arrived the hostess was bustling around trying to find a table for us. My friend had requested a table by the window and they didn’t have any available.

Normally this would not have been an issue but an elderly woman in our party was using a walker. They bustled us to one place, then another and then … I got annoyed. All the movement was not good for our physically challenged friend. Then we waited. And waited. Another 15 minutes.

We finally were seated next to a window and our waitress gave us the menu. She was polite but I could tell she was in a hurry. My guess is that she had too many tables to wait on. Oh well …

We ordered Martinelli’s Sparkling Cider so we could toast this occasion — a 50th wedding anniversary (3 years late), my 55th birthday (a few days early) and a goodbye to our friends who are moving to Arizona.

I was in for a pleasant surprise when I tasted the Martinelli’s. It was delicious! Normally I don’t like sparkling cider because there is too much carbonization but that was not the case. Can cider become better with age or what could be the reason this one tasted so good? My family usually had cider for the holidays but the taste of this Martinelli’s surpassed any I’d ever had.

Next we ordered two appetizers. One was a salmon “crab” cake which was more like a salmon loaf and the second was the Rustic Flat Bread which was delicious.

And then we waited for the entrees to come. And waited. One thing I have learned in my almost 55 years of living is that the “finer” restaurants allow you to take your time at meals. But this seemed a little longer than what I expected.

By the time the food arrived we were ready to devour it. When the waitress put the plates in front of each person I could see disappointment in one of my friends eyes. Portion sizes were really small. The beef tenderloin that my friend ordered tasted wonderful but the baby carrots were a disappointment. There were, maybe, 5 little tiny carrots. The same was true with most of the other entrees in terms of the vegetables.

The portion size was enough to fill you if you weren’t overly hungry. I was happy with my entree — the Anderson Ranch Lamp Chops. Not much meat on the bones but it sure was tender. I had to pick the bone up though and bite the small bits of meat off or I wouldn’t have had much of a meal as the knife would not cut into the corners very well. (Yes, not proper etiquette but I was a hungered! laughing)

Perhaps the reason they don’t give you too much food is so you can have some of their yummy dessert! I can’t remember the name of mine and it’s not on their website but the inside had a chocolate filling and the outside tasted very light and it all melted in your mouth. My mouth waters just thinking about it.

Sky City Restaurant, Space Needle dessert

We had a good time even though service was a bit slow. I was chagrined to see that the Sky City Restaurant has a minimum food and beverage charge of $35 per person. I guess it doesn’t matter since the cheapest dinner entree I could find was $38.

Well worth it though. A definite five star dinner but three stars for the service.

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Small Town Living

Yes folks, it’s happening right here in our area as reported by our local paper, The Washington County Star Tribune, in the Â “police blotter” section. Gotta love it!

Two men and one woman fishing on Lake Olson reportedly caught a big bass and put it in their livewell rather than release it.
Police were unable to locate two people on a personal watercraft reportedly driving recklessly in a no-wake zone on the St. Croix River south of the Hudson Bridge.
An officer helped the owner of a herd of buffalo put them back into a fenced area on 170th Street west of Parade Avenue.
Police checked on a report of a helicopter hovering near Big Carnelian Lake.
Two people were issued written warnings for drinking beer on the beach of Little Carnelian Lake at Stillwater Township Park.
A driver was cited for failing to move over a lane when he had room while driving by a traffic stop on Hwy. 36 near Demontreville Trail.

Click hereÂ for a glimpse of the Star Tribune.