Artistic Detour

2009-10-13T17:34:00.000-07:00

Salmon, the fish of the Northwest. This year the fishing was ‘killer’, our son Peter was knocking ‘em dead…..he was a salmon catching wizard on the Puyallup (Pew-all-up) River (we posted a few pics for those of you that like seeing dead fish and a proud young man). The silvers and pinks (humpies) were almost jumping out of the water for his hook. They taste soooo delicious, smoked or baked or BBQ’d or however you like them.

An easy Salmon recipe for those of you who cook….Mrs. ArtisticDetour is excused at this point…

Peach-Onion Salmon

One nice salmon filet with skin on, I prefer towards the tail about 2 -3lb piece.

Sauté one large sweet onion (Vidalia or Maui) until clear and soft in 3tbsp Olive oil (my preference).

Piece of foil large enough to wrap salmon up in, I always lightly oil the foil to prevent sticking.

Peel 1-2 large peaches cut up into slices-set aside for now. I jar peach preserves.

Place fish on foil, slather an even layer of peach preserves, cover with sautéed onions now layer peach slices on top, close up foil, no need to wrap too tight just make sure it is sealed, bake at 350 for 30 minutes, take a peek, fish should be done, a nice flaky pink color.

Serve with a garden salad with olive oil and pear vinegar dressing with sugar roasted walnuts (moisten nuts, roll in sugar, bake at 350 15 minutes or so until sugar bakes onto nuts). Sprinkle a few Craisins on top too, and you’ll have a refreshing salad.

Still hungry? Ok make some Jasmine Rice and mix in peach preserve when the rice begins to cook….adds a little hint of flavor to the rice. Your friends will be amazed your significant other (insignificant sounds dumb) will think you did something wrong and are trying to make amends…keep ‘em guessing, so have a feast that’s simple and fast. Oh!! Don’t forget the wine. I won’t recommend any, for all I know you like it out of a crystal glass or right from the brown bag like me.

Peachy

2009-09-05T13:22:00.000-07:00

Wow, It’s that time of year when you really need a big freezer. We are lucky enough to have friends with fruit trees, and a lot of summer’s bounty has found it’s way to our kitchen. We use some, freeze some, and pass some along. It’s nice to share.

Last week was all about peaches. Normally I am not the cook or the baker of the house, Mr. Artistic Detour likes to do that, but I thought I would clean out the storage box….aka oven….and go for it. I can’t believe the variety of meals you can make with peaches.

Here are a couple of recipes you might want to try.

Fresh Peach Cobbler
4 cups of fresh peaches, sliced.
1 ¼ cups of flour.
1 cup of sugar.
½ cup of brown sugar.
½ cup of butter or margarine
1 tablespoon of lemon juice.
1 teaspoon of lemon peel.
½ teaspoon of cinnamon.
¼ teaspoon of salt.

Combine the sliced peaches, lemon juice, lemon peel, ½ cup of sugar, ¼ cup brown sugar, and ¼ cup of flour. Spoon into greased nine-inch square dish.

Now make the topping….
Combine 1 cup of flour, ½ of cup sugar, ¼ cup brown sugar, salt and the cinnamon.Cut in the margarine until the mixture resembles corn meal.Sprinkle mixture over top of the peaches in the pan.

Cover and bake at 400°F (200°C) for 15 minutes. Then remove the cover and bake for another 40 minutes.

Fresh Peach Salsa
2 cups diced peeled peaches
1 cup diced tomato
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onion
½ cup diced red onion
1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
2 tablespoons lime juice, and a little lime zest
1 to 2 teaspoons finely minced hot or mild chili pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro, or to taste
dash ginger
dash garlic powder
2 tablespoons orange or pineapple juice
Salt and pepper
sugar or honey, if desired, to taste

Combine all salsa ingredients, let stand for 45 minutes or refrigerate for a few hours before serving.
Add a little brown sugar or honey if needed.
Add some tequila for flavor!
Goes great with grilled fish.

Coming soon…more Pacific Northwest goodies. Crab, salmon, and blackberry ideas are cooking!

Aloha

2009-05-27T13:50:00.000-07:00

We are back from our California and Hawaii vacation. What a fun trip it was. This time we were joined by my sister Neila, her husband, and her son Corey.They live in Phoenix. My mom also made the trip, from California and my sister Pam , from Washington DC area, was there also. Pam and Neila have never been to the islands, so they had lots of new fav spots to see. One of our sons, Nick, and his cousin Corey had a blast, and now want to move there. Ha!

The water was bathwater warm, the skies super blue, the sand and surf was just perfect. I found lots of seaglass also, which was just a bonus for this trip.

It was a little crowed though, especially in Lahaina, but I will hop a flight anytime to just smell the plumerias.

We did have great luck getting on our flights ( we travel on our airline benefits....standby), and lucked out on the First Class cabin.

It is beautiful and sunny here in the Seattle area, but I sure do miss the hot sand and the tropical setting. Our garden veggies seemed to really grow in a couple of weeks, and can't wait till they get big.

Until next time....we are planning a trip in the RV to the Washington and Oregon coast....just to wander aimlessly and find some nice beaches.

Aloha

Flowers

2009-02-18T12:25:00.000-08:00

I'm a Daffodil.

You have a sunny disposition and are normally one of the first to show up for the party. You don't need too much attention from the host once you get there as you are more than capable of making yourself seen and heard.

If you want to find out what type of flower you are....take the quiz at the bottom right of this page.

What's In A Name?

2009-01-28T08:02:00.000-08:00

What’s in a name? How did you come up with a name for your business, pets, boat, or anything else? Artistic Detour was born while we were driving home from one of our favorite blues clubs. Mr. AD (aka John) and I were talking about the detours we have had in our life, and how they take you to roads untraveled. We were also discussing starting a business and selling some things that we love to make. The light bulb went on, and the rest is history. Our pets were named by our kids, so that was easy. Our boat was a group effort with us and some friends who stopped by one evening. We were trying to think up a name, and had a few favs, but we just couldn't’t come up with the perfect name. We liked the definition of the term “gunkhole”, which is both a noun and a verb. It means a small sheltered cove, and it also means to roam the waters aimlessly from island to island. I wasn’t too hep on the word itself, but that is what we usually do in our boat. Well a few hours later, the list possible names was longer, and were getting just downright silly. We were still at it, when our friend pulled up the hood of his sweatshirt, said the word “gunkholing” in his best Bevis and Butthead voice, and we were all rolling with laughter. It then mutated into “GunkHolio” and believe it or not, we actually did use that name. Ha! I’m sure the folks who printed the decal with the name were chuckling. Feel free to post a comment on how you got your name! I love a story behind a name!

Fun With Words

2009-01-28T06:43:00.000-08:00

OK...I admit it....I like the fun and games that are out there. Here is another one. You can use your own text, or put your website address in the box. Here is the link if you want to play. Wouldn't this make a great T-shirt? http://www.wordle.net/create

What is Your Fairy Name?

2009-01-27T11:35:00.000-08:00

Your fairy is called Fire Rainbowwitch

She is a fortune bringer.

She lives where fireflies mate and breed.

She is only seen in the enchanted moment between sleep and waking.

Her dresses glow with fiery colours. She has multicoloured wings like a butterfly.

Get your free fairy name here!

Play With Fire

2009-01-27T08:30:00.000-08:00

Ahhh...nothing like firing up the kiln on a cold winter day. We have been playing with fire and melting glass and having way to much fun. A friend of ours is a glassblower, and if his piece is not absolutely perfect, he trashes it. Lucky me to have access to his mistakes. This is a plate, he thought it had a bubble, so I recycled it. It was cut, fire polished, and annealed. I love the cobalt blue color and the thick clear glass between the colors. It has so much depth to it. On the left is the "before" and on the right is the "after". I added some sea glass, a wire wrapped bail, and a cord. Maybe tomorrow I'll walk the beach and look for some buried treasure, but not today!

Test Time!

2009-01-27T07:15:00.000-08:00

You are The Wheel of Fortune

Good fortune and happiness but sometimes a species of
intoxication with success

The Wheel of Fortune is all about big things, luck, change, fortune. Almost always good fortune. You are lucky in all things that you do and happy with the things that come to you. Be careful that success does not go to your head however. Sometimes luck can change.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

Take the Plunge

2009-01-13T07:52:00.000-08:00

Ok...I have a blog. Now what? I told myself I would get out of the stone age and create a blog in 2009. Yea! I did it. I really don't know what to say or write here, but will anyone see it anyway?

I thought I would start by posting some photos of the wonderful December we had here in the Pacific Northwest. We had lots of snow, which is rare for us here at sea level, and although it made driving treacherous, it sure was pretty. These photos were taken on Camano Island, WA which is about an hour north of Seattle.

Am I still talking to myself?