CREAM

Not Here!

2010-09-27T14:00:00.000-07:00

Turns out, this little blog has NOT been the best way to communicate adventures, pictures and thoughts to our out-of-town relatives.

So, if you're looking to keep up with the Reagans, find us on Facebook or give us a call!

Cheers,
Corinne

A Well-chosen Poem

2010-02-14T21:58:00.000-08:00

Mark read this to me at our Valentine's dinner:

AN INVITATION
The Pasture

I'm going out to clean the pasture spring:
I'll only stop to rake the leaves away
(And wait to watch the water clear, I may):
I sha'n't be gone long.-You come too.

I'm going out to fetch the little calf
That's standing by the mother. It's so young
It totters when she licks it with her tongue.
I sha'n't be gone long.-You come too.

- Robert Frost

Point Betsy

2010-02-08T21:36:00.000-08:00

Last summer, Mark's parents took us on a lovely tour of Northern Michigan. It's stunning!

Here we are, enjoying the wind and Petoskey stones on Lake Michigan. For the record, those are Mark's shorts, and I'm trying to keep them from blowing off!

This a favorite among the favorites of favorite Reagan destinations: Point Betsy Lighthouse.

Thanks Mom and Dad!

Granville Market

2010-01-16T12:02:00.000-08:00

Our lunch of stone-baked caraway seed bagel, fresh mozzarella balls and salami.

The cute little aqua buses.

Practically under the bridge.

Sideways pears. They grow like that.

Incredible selection of terrines!

I don't remember what these were...some type of nut?

Beautiful Pastry Case

Gearing up for the 2010 Olympics.

Lonsdale Quay

2010-01-16T11:29:00.000-08:00

A quay is a wharf or bank where ships or other vessels are loaded. We simply had to revisit a delightful market there.

The tugs all snug as a bug in a rug...

Dragonfruit! The inside looks like kiwi except the flesh is white.

Persimmons!

Orchids!

Lamb Gyro!

Nanimo Bars on the top shelf! We bought and ate one, of course.
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Lynn Canyon

2010-01-16T11:03:00.000-08:00

Three years ago, we made it to Lynn Canyon by nightfall. We inched our way out on the bridge and listened to the raging water in the dark while the rain poured down around us. This time it was still raining, but at least we had daylight!

There was a blue balloon stuck in the current!

Mark's VILLAIN look. And I have no idea how to get rid of the writing on the wall.
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There was someone else on the bridge too...that had, at some point in their life, been to IKEA.

View of the suspension bridge from upstream.

Hunky Husband

Me, by my favorite photographer. The cold made our cheeks rosy!

Roasted tomato and Italian sausage Pasta

2009-09-03T11:39:00.000-07:00

In response to someone asking "Yum, will you share the recipe," here it is in all its made-up glory.

Cut a few cups of cherry tomatoes in half. Or, cut regular tomatoes into half-cherry tomato size pieces. Place in oven-proof dish. It could be a 9x13 or just use your all-stainless steel cooking pot like I did! Drizzle, nay POUR, a generous amount of olive oil over. The oil should at least coat the bottom of the pan. Season with Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. Roast in 400 degree oven for 30 min. Longer is acceptable too, I think. So is a lower temperature. In any event, the tomatoes should look "shriveled."

While your pasta is boiling, add sweet Italian sausage to the pot of roasted tomatoes. I like chicken A La Fresco brand. (They also make a fabulous chicken apple sausage.) Also add some diced onions (1/4 on onion). Garlic too if you want (but I didn't). Add more olive oil if it looks like it won't properly cover the pasta as if it was a sauce. Cook on med-low until onions are soft and sausage heated through. Throw in some fresh basil for color if you've got it.

Add your pasta to the tomato mixture and stir until well coated with the delicious olive oil. Serve with parmesan if desired. Enjoy!

Laird Park with Schuilings and Dimelers

2009-09-01T18:26:00.000-07:00

About two months we went camping with our some of our best comrades: Keith, Nellie and Charlie; and Jason, Liz and Hazel. Laird Park, just north of Potlatch, comes highly reccommended. Not too big of a campground, is next to a river with beach for swimming, is cheap and even has a cool may-pole thingy where you grab onto metal handles dangling from chains and swing yourself around. (Sort of like tether ball, if you were the tether ball.) We had a lovely spot next to the river which lulled the kiddos to sleep (all night!) and provided a back-up refrigerator.

Keith, Jason and Mark smoked pipes and offered intelligent comments on the world's problems.

Liz made us delicious tacos for dinner which for some reason I don't have a picture of, and Hazel went mostly without clothes to stay cool.

Charlie got tuckered.

And Mark put grapes in his eyes (?)

Liz, I think it was your pink sleeping bag that did this to him.

Yes Indeedy I Have Been Remiss...

2009-08-31T21:47:00.000-07:00

...but I have a colossal excuse. We had no internet for the summer. That's right, no internet. Our Turkish neighbor went home, that is, to Turkey for the summer and we share internet with him, wireless internet that comes out of his modem and says you have been sucessfully connected to MK Cafe and your signal is "very good." Thus we had no internet for the summer. Forgive me now?

Now it is time to consult our camera (thank you again, Mom and Dad Rodman) to tell us what we did this summer.

Looks like we went to the Oregon Coast in June to teach Family Camp music for Reformation Covenant Church. Pastor Steve Wilkins taught on the family and marriage in a distinctive southern accent. It was fabulous. In fact, almost as good as the music my hubby taught.

We were really there!

So was Mount Hood.

And some bright green moss.

The Stuff Dreams Are Made On

2009-05-09T12:33:00.000-07:00

According to Mark, when I'm having a nightmare, I start breathing deeply and very erratically. He knows then to wake me up and relieve me of my chasing monsters.

Well early this morning, Mark detected the scared-person breathing pattern and kindly woke me with a "Corinne, you're having a bad dream."

The thing is, I WASN'T having a nightmare. I dreamed that I was in a kitchen store and I was looking at some beautiful cherry wood cutting boards the size of small card tables. Apparently they were pretty exciting.

Happy Done Day!

2009-05-09T12:20:00.000-07:00

Mark is finished with the first year of his conducting master's!

If you think that now he's slacking off, let me fix that. He's writing his master's thesis over the summer on the harmonized settings of Genevan psalms published in England after the exile of the persecuted Calvinists (1560-1620).

To celebrate Done Day, I made a special dinner of mushroom-Swiss burgers, strawberry spinach salad and Texas sheet cake. Mark loves cake, almost as much as tracking down obscure hymnals and transcribing their Genevan settings into modern notion!

Mark has worked incessantly on his studies and still managed to lead our marriage by the still waters this year. He scored straight As on his voice juries (just like last term!) and has earned equally high marks on his papers. I'm so proud of you Mark - Thank You!

Dragged Through the Garden

2009-04-28T14:07:00.000-07:00

After reading about our fun little picnic, I'm sure you're all anxious to stampede the grocery and squeeze in a little outdoor dining yourself. Let me introduce you to the ways of the aforementioned Chicago-Style Hot Dog.

1. BUN: IF you are fortunate to have poppy seed hot dog buns and IF they are not astronomically expensive and IF you have a bun steamer then that's what you would do. If not, get the whole wheat or white enriched jobbies and toast them briefly under the broiler (guess which one I do).

2. HOT DOG: find the best quality all-beef hot dog you can. I usually reach for Hebrew National or Nathan's. An authenticity expert will tell you the hot dog should be in a natural casing (i.e. pork intestine) and should "snap" when you bite into it. We don't have those kinds of hot dogs in Idaho. Cut an half-inch x into the end of each dog and fry in a pan until cooked through and deliciously browned. The x is for decoration and Mark invented it. (Authenticity requires steaming or boiling the dog. You decide.)

3. REQUIRED CONDIMENTS:

~Dill Pickle Spear

~Tomato Wedges

~Celery Salt (light sprinkling): you must NOT skip this. It is not a Chicago Dog without it. Buy it cheaply in bulk and place in a salt shaker for ease of use.

~Sweet Relish: the neon green kind if you can find it.

~Yellow Mustard: please note that ketchup is not listed here. That's intentional. It ruins the delicate balance of flavors.

~Diced Onion: in my stomach's humble opinion, optional.

~Pickled Sport Peppers: also optional in my mind, since the entire western half of the U.S. doesn't carry them. Mark occasionally substitutes little hot peppers, which have basically the same effect: adding a little heat. I'll pass, thanks.

Assemble as best you can, open wide, and enjoy!

First Picnic of the Year

2009-04-28T13:29:00.001-07:00

On April 4th we had our first picnic of 2009 up by the Jewett Observatory next to a healthy juniper bush.

We keep our picnic equipment, the old MSU blanket and our bright blue cooler box, at the ready for such purposes.

What the observatory looks like inside:

From our observation location, you can see most of the Washington State University Campus.

Including the Ensminger Pavillion, where we had our wedding reception.

We had Chicago-Style Hot Dogs, Pea Salad, Cheetos from a can, Mandarin Oranges and Root Beer.

I like Chicago Dogs.

Mark likes them more.

What I Did Last Fall

2009-04-20T20:58:00.000-07:00

The King Alfreds are lending some class to the concrete steps.

Spring Means...

2009-04-20T20:31:00.000-07:00

Sewing blue couch pillows. Fabric a la Joanna plus 40% off coupon. Thanks Susan for donating your machine to me!

Here is the lumbar pillow from the leftovers. Mark calls it the Lombard pillow, which is funny if you hear him say it.

Who in their right decorative mind put that pillow on a black chair with a green fleece blanket? Yikes! That chair is on the chopping block next.

Here is the living room WITHOUT the new pillows, although there is, confusingly, a blue pillow in this picture too. THAT blue pillow went bye-bye since it had successfully survived too many indoor and outdoor years of usage in a college apartment (and it was already there when I moved in). It had the scars to prove it.

And yes, those are the kitchen chairs in the foreground. The rooms in our house like to be close to each other.

30 Days Hast September, APRIL, June and November

2009-04-05T16:04:00.001-07:00

The latest desk calendar from Chocolate & Zucchini!

Mark and I sometimes have a wedge of nice cheese on Sunday to celebrate the Lord's Day. Lately we've been substituting dark chocolate, but with Easter rolling around I might need to head over to the Wine & Cheese Company on 3rd St. and pick up some beauties like these!

Buckle up...

2009-03-28T14:33:00.000-07:00

...because this is a doozy of a post! "Where the ox treadeth out the corn, the manger is not clean." In other words, when Mark is working hard on another master's degree, I don't use (or even see) the computer.

Without further ado, I present: MARCH AT A GLANCE (or at least what I took pictures of).

OVER SPRING BREAK...
Philadelphia welcomed us with open, warm-weather arms as we arrived to see Mark's sister Erin and her husband Michael and their son, Shea.

Shea has flannel jammies and likes to cross his feet.

He also likes the train tracks Uncle Mark builds him.

We visited the musicologist Dr. Peter Jeffery at Princeton University, NJ. The most impressive part of campus? Metered parking was only $.30 an hour (which would earn you 12 measly minutes on the WSU campus.)

Mark looking just like the handsome intelligent man that he is.

We also visited an eminent Bach scholar named Dr. Don Franklin at University of Pittsburgh. I played the organ of 4,700 pipes at Heinz Chapel (funded by Mr. Ketchup himself) in Pittsburgh catty-corner to his office.

We chilled at Grandmother's in Connellsville, PA and ate Uncle Todd's birthday cake.

ON THE HOME FRONT...

We had the Dimelers and Mortimores over and I used the Great Outdoors as my walk-in refrigerator, which works just fine when it's 35 degrees out, even in the sunlight.
The Mortimore children brought us hand-painted original works of art, which we are saving until they become famous and we make a killing profit, all for having them over to dinner once.

I bought a baby-size carton of buttermilk at Dismal Dissmores because I'm a sucker for quaint single-serving size and it was only $.69.

Hazel Schuiling came over and ate Mark's nose.

Little Charlie Dimeler had his baby shower.

Look at his forehead wrinkles!

I put all the blue and white books in the built-in shelf for an "Artistic Statement."

More on our Spring Break foray to Pennsylvania to come, including AUDIO EVIDENCE that I did indeed play the Heinz Chapel organ.

Absentia

2009-03-18T16:20:00.001-07:00

We're in Philadelphia enjoying 60 degree weather!

We arrived in Philly on Monday night and headed up to Pottstown to Mark's sister's house, driving a Toyota "Rave."

After a jaunt up to Princeton to consult a music professor on some contacts, we're back to playing with Shea and catching up with Erin and Michael.

Tomorrow night dinner is at Vince & Tony's where the best pizza in the U.S. is served. We need our yearly fix.

On Friday we're uprooting to Pittsburgh for the weekend where Grandmother lives. We'll get to see Mark's other sister and his parents too.

The best part is: it's warm. We're unthawing.

Pictures forthcoming - I forgot the camera-to-computer cord.

Noon set Menu

2009-03-02T13:30:00.000-08:00

It's March! New calendar from Chocolate & Zucchini!

Wodehouse on a Tea Towel

2009-03-02T13:20:00.000-08:00

How could you not resist trying to win this?

Get on over to Rebekah Merkle's Fortnightly Purse and enter!

On second thought, don't enter. I want me to win.

Key Limes!

2009-02-23T19:26:00.001-08:00

Fact: on February 16, 2009 I found double-fist sized bags of little Key Limes at WinCo. WinCo you are wonderful. Why? These little mesh bags of imported exotic pygmy fruit cost $.68 in toto. Who says you can't eat like a gourmet?

To top that, I found a bag of 8 Kiwis for $.98 - and they're delicious! For breakfast, cut them in half and eat the inside with a spoon. Amaanda taught me that in Prague.

How do you store your potatoes? Mine go in a big bowl on my kitchen shelf. Oh dear, my cookbooks are showing.

Georgie Porgie, Pudding and Pie

2009-02-23T18:50:00.000-08:00

I found these block-prints in a consignment store in Port Townsend, WA while visiting my family on the Olympic Peninsula for New Years.

Note the wonderful coat rack which the drill-wielding Mark a.k.a. "Level" hung for us. Now our living room chairs don't have an overcoat slung over the back of each. The basket is holding our winter paraphernalia.

Feb. 14th at the Reagans

2009-02-19T22:53:00.000-08:00

Conversation three years ago:

Me: So, Mark. What do you like on Valentine's Day?

Mark: I like a big sugar cookie with pink frosting on top.

Me: OK

Isn't it nice that husbands are clear? Mark does not normally like pink. Not pink oxfords, not pink dresses, and especially not hot-pink wallpaper. But on Valentine's Day, he makes his once-a-year nod to the place that pink holds in the universe - on top of his gigantic sugar cookie.

And Mark, the kind husband that he is, bought me flowers. And he knows that roses are not my favorite.

Just look at the insides of the beauties! Thanks Baby!

Burgers 'n Mac

2009-02-18T21:57:00.001-08:00

Mark loves Mac 'n Cheese. I try to make it at least once a month and February is especially appropriate. The elbows must, of course, be served in a bowl with two lion's heads on it. That's because I'm pretty sure that the Crusading Knights came home and requested Mac 'n Cheese from their Fair Ladies.

I don't have a recipe (sorry!) since I make it up. But I will say it must have Tillamook cheese, and it must have a little mustard. Cream doesn't hurt either if you have it. :)

If you're fresh out of elbows, you can also make a bacon cheeseburger. That's another February hit!

Charlie's Up

2009-02-16T11:46:00.000-08:00

Keith and Nellie have a few pictures of Charlie up at their blog, so zip on over there and check out Mr. Cute.

The Lost Art of Illustration

2009-02-15T14:28:00.000-08:00

I uncovered these gems of illustrative wit while searching for a sugar cookie recipe in my original Betty Crocker Picture Cook Book with the "distinctive" red cover.

Yamazaki Bolo from Macys

2009-02-13T20:01:00.000-08:00

I love my silverware! Mark actually found them when we were registering for our wedding. They have a nice weight to them, and the shapes are classy and non-distracting.

Thought I'd show a picture of them sitting all happy in their box. Just waiting to dutifully transport something from plate to lips.

Found at a Store Near You

2009-02-12T21:50:00.000-08:00

Cara Cara Pink Oranges. Look like oranges on the outside, grapefruit on the inside and taste like oranges on the inside AND outside!

Found these at a good ol' WinCo and I must say they are delicious.

Have I ever told you my tip for picking produce? Smell the fruit. It should be fragrant and smell with certainty like an orange, grapefruit, etc. This works great for melons, too. Be prepared for some weird looks.

Eight Pounds, 13 oz. and 21.75 Inches Long

2009-02-04T13:43:00.000-08:00

Keith and Nellie just had Charles Hendrik Dimeler this morning!

I fully admit that I got online right away and bought this:

Oeuf a la Coque with Mouillettes

2009-02-02T14:24:00.000-08:00

If you haven't checked out Chocolate & Zucchini yet, stroll on over and download yourself this beautiful desk calendar.

(Soft boiled egg with toasted goat cheese and artichoke bread fingers)

Hummus

2009-01-25T18:59:00.000-08:00

Mark is a great cook. In fact, back in the courting days he taught me how to make hummus. We love hummus any time, but especially in the summer with grilled Israeli chicken.

Here's my official hummus story:
The first time I met Mark's wonderful parents, I wanted to make a great dinner for them. Knowing how these things historically go, I anticipated, nay, expected something to go wrong. Well, Mark and his roommate Keith had this old blender that you had to "help" to mix things. So, I'm whipping up some hummus, jamming the utensil down there to keep the beans moving around, and Mark said, "Be careful not to blend the spatulta in." Well, that's exactly what happened. Keith, wanting to see Mark get married off, faithfully hunted through the whole bowl of hummus for white spatula bits, to avoid any awkward "mmmm, hhmm, crunchy?" moments. We found a huge piece right before it went out to the table.

Hummus

1 can garbanzo beans
¼ c Tahini (sesame paste and the best place to find it is next to the peanut butter)
3 T Water
2 T Lemon juice
1 T Olive oil
I Garlic clove
½ tsp Salt
½ tsp Cumin
½ tsp Cayenne
¼ tsp Black pepper
Parsley (for garnish)

Blend all ingredients until smooth. Leave things out or tweak amounts as the spirit moves. If you can’t find tahini, use more olive oil instead. I personally like lots of lemon juice and cayenne. Serve with pita brushed with olive oil and toasted under the broiler.

Grilled Israeli Chicken

5 Garlic cloves, chopped
2 T ground Cumin
1 ½ tsp ground Cinnamon
1 tsp Paprika
Juice of 1 Lemon
2 T Olive Oil
3 lb Chicken, cut into 8 portions (or I use 8 chicken thighs)
Salt and Pepper
Cilantro, for garnish

For a Yemenite flavor, use 1 ½ tsp turmeric and pinch of ground cardamom in place of the cinnamon.

In a bowl, combine the garlic, cumin, cinnamon, paprika, lemon juice, oil, salt and pepper. Add the chicken and turn to coat thoroughly. Rub the mixture on a little too. Leave to marinate for at least 1 hour to overnight. On a hot grill, sear the meat, then set the portions in a low-heat spot until cooked through. (The juices will run clear.) Serve with warm pita and hummus.

Open Eye and Lily Bee's

2009-01-25T17:15:00.001-08:00

I love a great antique/consignment/flea market store. And by great I mean a wide variety of selection combined with inexpensive prices. There should be new items and some that could use a new coat of paint. And, they shouldn't have "antique" prices unless they are truly worth that much!

I love Open Eye Antiques in Palouse and Lily Bee's Consignment in Pullman. Here's a few of my favorite finds:

Fiestaware mugs in Shamrock Green from Open Eye. $3.50/per. Don't you love the cheerful color and round handles?

Not that I go looking for this brand! But, I needed a new purse and happened upon this classy number for $25 at Lily Bee's and the high-quality leather doesn't hurt!

Gives New Meaning to Rear-End Collision

2009-01-23T09:57:00.000-08:00

Over at Femina, Rachel has a great post in praise of grocery fun at WinCo (Stands for "Winning Company" in case you're wondering).

Which reminds me that I love grocery shopping too and that's where many of my adventures happen.

Take Monday, for example. As you all know it was Martin Luther King Jr.'s Birthday, and apparently all the college students celebrate their day off by heading to the Grocery. I found myself in rush hour traffic down the produce aisle.

Well, I was breezing past the citrus section, pondering the price of lemons as opposed to the limes and not paying nearly enough attention to the front end of my cart. Confident my stash of lemons was holding out nicely and I didn't really need more, I once again gave my attention to the cart traffic - just in time to watch myself run my cart right into the behind of a poor, unsupecting college guy in front of me. He was in the "lean" category and my collision was enough to launch him forward with an audible "Whoaah" and ram the person in front of him!

Whoops!

Rime's Frost

2009-01-18T20:57:00.000-08:00

"Soft Rime's Frost or Hoar Frost is a white ice that forms when the water droplets in fog freeze to the outer surfaces of objects. It is often seen on trees atop mountains and ridges in winter, when low-hanging clouds cause freezing fog. This fog freezes to the windward (wind-facing) side of tree branches, buildings, or any other solid objects, usually with high wind velocities and air temperatures between -2 °C (28 °F) and -8 °C (18 °F)."

Even on the Chain Link Fence

University of Idaho Arboretum

Welcome To Our House

2009-01-17T15:01:00.000-08:00

Tally-ho to family and friends from Mark and Corinne in Pullman!