tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12972907269110137862024-03-12T19:51:32.697-07:00Altadena HouseKris Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15321504007965104175noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1297290726911013786.post-8378469607907233592013-01-27T21:06:00.002-08:002013-01-27T21:10:50.183-08:00New Dutch Oven<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjueBhwm5Pojramslz66AFOmAu_XbsQbzf7OpCZmc-zTicLE2JwO_zrXeLbqK2oEKtVYY8j3YtlKB3I0Vv0CDjb1tkH0p_sU_BegT3KD3ZDAXpSj2svJvPGZgp0svZmSkdfe7vyB6MsOn0/s1600/photo-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjueBhwm5Pojramslz66AFOmAu_XbsQbzf7OpCZmc-zTicLE2JwO_zrXeLbqK2oEKtVYY8j3YtlKB3I0Vv0CDjb1tkH0p_sU_BegT3KD3ZDAXpSj2svJvPGZgp0svZmSkdfe7vyB6MsOn0/s1600/photo-1.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a>At this point, I've accrued just about every kitchen gadget I ever hope to own. However, a dutch oven was perhaps one item I'd overlooked. My mother had never cooked with one, so it wasn't clear to me whether shelling out for one- at a few hundred dollars for a quality one, was worth it. Recently, a porcelain-glazed option from Lodge has been getting great reviews on Amazon. At about $60, it was much more reasonable price tag for giving it a try. So I threw one onto my Christmas list, and my generous mother-in-law got one for me. It looks and feels beautiful- though I will note that it wasn't exactly easy to lug home through the airport in a carry-on.<br />
<br />
I was really excited to give my new dish a whirl as soon as I got home. I searched the web for a great recipe and I found <a href="http://www.thekitchn.com/the-ultimate-bird-jamies-chick-80388">this one for roasted chicken</a>. I love lemon, and I have a huge under-used sage plant in my garden. I was weirded out by last, unexpected component though-milk! Really? Milk? Well, I admit to being curious.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyUnxLr5PDS02YPao1bA6nBjTbQg5qCtSot2TtJCyreqOQCPbxNnfNVDEvREwWLVhv3SNO3a2PpwGdTLBx1ccfQmUVJrujy_bxtEGaO8AZEq3sogSzIyPG5UOl2KiuUHLwp9ZflRPe4to/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyUnxLr5PDS02YPao1bA6nBjTbQg5qCtSot2TtJCyreqOQCPbxNnfNVDEvREwWLVhv3SNO3a2PpwGdTLBx1ccfQmUVJrujy_bxtEGaO8AZEq3sogSzIyPG5UOl2KiuUHLwp9ZflRPe4to/s1600/photo.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a>I tried the recipe on a Sunday, and I was impressed how quick and easy it was. It basically just involved throwing the ingredients together, and after browning, putting the chicken into the oven. I followed the prior bloggers recommendation about leaving the lid on until the final 30 minutes and I'm glad I did. The chicken browned beautifully and I think it would have burned if I'd kept the lid off the whole time.<br />
<br />
The chicken did turn out beautifully. It tasted even better than it looked and got a huge thumbs up from the husband. It was very flavorful, but not heavy. It reminded me of great French cooking and would go well with potatoes and a green vegetable or carrots. We went with rice and fresh peas. The juices did make for a nice sauce- I just skimmed the top to avoid the milk globs (yes, there were a few). Overall, I was quite impressed and highly recommend this dish for an easy meal. It would be great for a dinner party because it looks impressive and was really effortless.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Kris Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15321504007965104175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1297290726911013786.post-90774176494601950112011-05-10T12:08:00.000-07:002011-05-10T12:09:44.773-07:00Summer GardenMy spring garden turned out rather disappointing- heavy rains and a lack of gutters colluded to drown many of my seedlings. Then, last two weeks of 90-degree temperatures finished off the survivors. Such is the life of a SoCal gardener- the average is 70 degrees but we seem to just swing through the extremes, rarely sitting at "average". <br />
<br />
So I threw up my hands and started my summer garden. It's been 90 after all, right? I had given an earlier start to my zucchini plants in the hope that they'd establish and bear fruit before being overwhelmed by the tomato plants like last year. The plan appears to be working- I already have one little zucchini. There are currently three plants- I'll see how crazy that is I guess. I also started snow peas earlier, and after a very slow start, they appear to be on their way to productivity. We had our first tasty, small batch this weekend.<br />
<br />
For the rest of the garden, I put in the following this weekend:<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gVrDr1jtFWI/TclLNR9-BGI/AAAAAAAAANA/UeDMAUfjJjY/s1600/IMG_6078.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gVrDr1jtFWI/TclLNR9-BGI/AAAAAAAAANA/UeDMAUfjJjY/s320/IMG_6078.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The peas & zucchini have a good start. <br />
Debris is from work on the front yard. </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<b>3 kinds of tomatoes:</b><br />
- Sweet 100 (Returning this year after a spectacular crop last year)<br />
- Hillbilly (Jon wanted an heirloom variety- this seemed appropriate)<br />
- Pantano Romanesco Italian Heirlom<br />
<br />
<b>3 varieties of peppers:</b><br />
- Golden Bell<br />
- Purple Beauty<br />
-Giallo di Cuneo<br />
<br />
<b>And the following:</b><br />
- Kentucky Wonder string beans<br />
- Little Leaf pickling cucumbers<br />
- Little Finger Carrots <br />
- Tatsoi (spring garden)<br />
- Golden beats<br />
- Pak Choi & Gailan<br />
<br />
Updates to come. For the moment, the garden is enjoying rain and 49 degree temperatures. So much for summer...Kris Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15321504007965104175noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1297290726911013786.post-86795408616146354442011-04-09T16:27:00.000-07:002011-04-09T16:27:08.531-07:00Yard Begone!We've been working to get our yard landscaped and renovated for about a year now. As with all home projects, its taken <u><i>way</i></u> longer than I would have thought. But we're on our way- at least with the front yard!<br />
<br />
Until now, we've been "that house" on the block- the one that clearly needs some love and care.We've done a lot of great things on the inside, which frankly is where we spend much of our time. Sadly, that left the outside mostly neglected except my veggie garden and an occasional clean up from the neighborhood gardener. The first step was to install and paint fences, which we did last summer. We also got a landscape plan made, but when all was done, Fall had come and we decided to wait.<br />
<br />
While winter has tried to keep its clutches on us this year, it is technically spring and we decided to get the front yard tackled. Our gardener has the plans in hand and he's been working in between the rain squalls to get the job done. The plan for the front includes ripping out all the grass and replacing it with wood-chips and drought tolerant, native plants. The move towards low-water, native landscaping is slowly taking hold in LA, and is especially working its way through Altadena. After living in Flagstaff for a summer, I know beautiful, environmentally-friendly landscaping is possible, and I'm thrilled we're making it happen in our own smidge of land. So far, the grass and the awful brink-lined flower beds are gone. Irrigation is coming next week. I'll post more pictures when we get the plants and ground cover it.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Cl0-3khUK1r-OnT2hP2qwNvSf-mjh2pK9bXRY3jZLckT5WF8DWFnHJ3iPFS48NTwWqGj1W1sM8Rl9Fkf0C7dN7YCWkhicsPwKk_XOwFtyidpQn2-gO7CTZBYiX9YUtSEiu-taY_6-w0/s1600/IMG_6049.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Cl0-3khUK1r-OnT2hP2qwNvSf-mjh2pK9bXRY3jZLckT5WF8DWFnHJ3iPFS48NTwWqGj1W1sM8Rl9Fkf0C7dN7YCWkhicsPwKk_XOwFtyidpQn2-gO7CTZBYiX9YUtSEiu-taY_6-w0/s400/IMG_6049.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Kris Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15321504007965104175noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1297290726911013786.post-9705959725043861382011-02-12T15:33:00.000-08:002011-02-12T15:36:05.137-08:00Spring GardenAfter a long hiatus, I'm back to gardening. My fall garden didn't go well- we had a lot of rain and the lack of gutters (normal in CA) resulted in a flooded bed. Thanks to la Nina though, we're now having a dry, warm spring. After spending the morning de-weeding the neglected bed I put in the following seeds:<br />
<br />
<ul><li> Choi Sum (like baby bok choi) from in-laws</li>
<ul></ul><li>Pak Choi Mei Qing Choi</li>
<li>Gai Lan? The package is in Chinese</li>
<li>Te Yu gai lan</li>
<li>Hatakena </li>
<li>Snow peas from in-laws</li>
<li>Purple Dragon carrots </li>
<li>Golden Beets</li>
<li>Little Finger carrots </li>
</ul>You'll notice a theme with the garden this season. I promised Jon that I'd try to grow some Asian veggies for him. It didn't go so well this fall, so I'm giving it a second go now. Its definitely an experiment- I'm not totally sure what some of these plants are suppose to look like. It makes weeding a little more adventurous.Kris Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15321504007965104175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1297290726911013786.post-89849539757748378842010-06-05T14:12:00.000-07:002011-01-29T20:24:10.470-08:00Garden Update<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH64xWU-6rbV2KbS71ilLAgzBLlIvn0fhuJgZMpZ0QaFOJuA_Voh6_Pc2nfYzMAIvCauh5VmGGTRcpK0LME30Clf9LXK3w2_LpCDxvdXT2ZP5ps1fth8x76VaCvBVwJBTNAcGTe4fPWB0/s1600/IMG_5751.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5479401625437933026" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH64xWU-6rbV2KbS71ilLAgzBLlIvn0fhuJgZMpZ0QaFOJuA_Voh6_Pc2nfYzMAIvCauh5VmGGTRcpK0LME30Clf9LXK3w2_LpCDxvdXT2ZP5ps1fth8x76VaCvBVwJBTNAcGTe4fPWB0/s200/IMG_5751.jpg" style="float: left; height: 150px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 200px;" /></a>The vegetable garden appears to be doing fairly well, which is coming as a total surprise. I guess watering your vegetables regularly makes a difference! I'm glad that I installed the automatic drip system. I was gone on business last week and didn't have to worry about my plants. I was pleasantly surprised to see how big they'd grown while I was gone. My tomato plants are nearly 4 feet tall and starting to develop little green tomatoes. I'm already seeing some beans and a bell pepper appear too. The zucchini has struggled, surprisingly, but it appears to be on its way now. Hopefully we'll have a bountiful harvest in the near future.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Bnz-ooiWPbzosFpVBiQpjo2o_OuoSwnGJu9DDwDMnn23WTYdF-TtABX_oY9aKWsLst_hP0qp343pcv-S5IqH1AOx4-Q38R_S3k418C3KvTlos755LZd-EwgPoMiO0bd98UPRpYBYw6s/s1600/IMG_5752.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a><br />
<img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5479404985594981538" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Bnz-ooiWPbzosFpVBiQpjo2o_OuoSwnGJu9DDwDMnn23WTYdF-TtABX_oY9aKWsLst_hP0qp343pcv-S5IqH1AOx4-Q38R_S3k418C3KvTlos755LZd-EwgPoMiO0bd98UPRpYBYw6s/s320/IMG_5752.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyPguMDbc8gD5t9jTaOJKKOTtjpTBGEEVThAP5TDcrSkOd35PV_Xu4IPaKzLt1PrTnX_B-DgMi4wG59IDnq2qfZ1Y-zw6LsAmtRxXl9mkhvwM3RxOHn3X66_wkirehFecyzuoF1yQktvI/s1600/IMG_5756.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5479402953861746098" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyPguMDbc8gD5t9jTaOJKKOTtjpTBGEEVThAP5TDcrSkOd35PV_Xu4IPaKzLt1PrTnX_B-DgMi4wG59IDnq2qfZ1Y-zw6LsAmtRxXl9mkhvwM3RxOHn3X66_wkirehFecyzuoF1yQktvI/s200/IMG_5756.jpg" style="float: right; height: 200px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 150px;" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDn4DMTPpysaOtQuG2dMDrs6ZOO2F0N6nPQNbrCDuzIqBDzfA17nc6FJe8AketBZC2mJ2jXvMO7_nUdvtmBpL3YtRwbg9BvmHU1FbK9sQLZxJTDDKCYPwDY2QiLJXT6qLDYIplr603uFc/s1600/IMG_5754.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5479404978002274258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDn4DMTPpysaOtQuG2dMDrs6ZOO2F0N6nPQNbrCDuzIqBDzfA17nc6FJe8AketBZC2mJ2jXvMO7_nUdvtmBpL3YtRwbg9BvmHU1FbK9sQLZxJTDDKCYPwDY2QiLJXT6qLDYIplr603uFc/s320/IMG_5754.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 320px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 240px;" /></a>Kris Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15321504007965104175noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1297290726911013786.post-51141821293483514462010-04-25T19:31:00.000-07:002010-04-25T20:28:25.268-07:00Vegetable Garden- v1.0After all the work we've done on the yards lately, I was inspired to start a vegetable garden. I'm not known for my green thumb, so I did a lot of reading up on getting a garden started. I'm hoping the studying will pay off and we'll have a bountiful harvest later this year.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzwSsJrq90nfCLrvqI0RWamepQ5F5SIJbsjTA0XnMW88leBv-76IyVg6HIpIs2H6kLExSwo7DNJPjEBP2_Owjv2Szr5B5IymVj9JS-DqSJ6o9YEN39bhnsKQAHwsSvoRNpstvkSZ74Tng/s1600/IMG_5658.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzwSsJrq90nfCLrvqI0RWamepQ5F5SIJbsjTA0XnMW88leBv-76IyVg6HIpIs2H6kLExSwo7DNJPjEBP2_Owjv2Szr5B5IymVj9JS-DqSJ6o9YEN39bhnsKQAHwsSvoRNpstvkSZ74Tng/s200/IMG_5658.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464274450392478578" border="0" /></a>Before I could plant anything in our raised bed, I had to de-weed it. It took me a day to get all the weeds out and the soil fit for the growing good things. The picture on the right shows the raised bed before I cleaned it up. It's on the south side of our house, so sunshine won't be a problem. Hopefully it won't back the vegetables too much come summer. Some of the weeds were waist high and tough little buggers. Now that the bed is cleared, we have a 3-foot by 20-foot bed to work with.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSvU8zWwtbuCOb3KeLjmrVThzpfTREpoN_uCFPiaTW9ai4iSeabeycDjl7l1tuXfRf_f18Jk5TqaGaqwUN-QOCwXui5CDglE44if-uCBmeIGOOiFR32JVTLvE81ZLMFfWqWZ6C-PkMYkQ/s1600/IMG_5661.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSvU8zWwtbuCOb3KeLjmrVThzpfTREpoN_uCFPiaTW9ai4iSeabeycDjl7l1tuXfRf_f18Jk5TqaGaqwUN-QOCwXui5CDglE44if-uCBmeIGOOiFR32JVTLvE81ZLMFfWqWZ6C-PkMYkQ/s200/IMG_5661.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464277119808439538" border="0" /></a><br /><br />To conserve on water, I installed a drip system to irrigate the veggies. I'm hoping it works as advertised, since I don't want to be spending my evenings watering and weeding. We'll see how that experiment goes. In further experiments, our outside electrical conduit runs right behind the garden box, so I also had extra piping through to allow future lighting. It required digging a deep hole to and getting really dirty. Jon couldn't resist grabbing a shot of me in my sullied state.<br /><br />The final results of stage I<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8_UCkavxobIl5Glr86wnX7o54AsR1T4W_Ix-r1SSPD_JVtkRSSprBC6NWyYcrT3RfsM1Ikye2aZfYMVXR03OyGBpnwsFjMl6HdnByN2RNkJc2ws3COek0o-xAFj5Um93yODsJnzcVJQ0/s1600/IMG_5663.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8_UCkavxobIl5Glr86wnX7o54AsR1T4W_Ix-r1SSPD_JVtkRSSprBC6NWyYcrT3RfsM1Ikye2aZfYMVXR03OyGBpnwsFjMl6HdnByN2RNkJc2ws3COek0o-xAFj5Um93yODsJnzcVJQ0/s200/IMG_5663.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464279510759423538" border="0" /></a>. After getting the drip system in, I transplanted a my first set of vegetables. So far, I have a set of sweet corn, Two different kinds of tomatoes, two different peppers and some bush beans planted. Phase II will be planting the vegetables from seeds. These will include zucchini, pole beans, and a second crop of corn. If all goes well, we'll be have some tasty veggies coming our way in a couple of months. I'll keep posts updating our progress. Advise is welcome, and very much needed.Kris Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15321504007965104175noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1297290726911013786.post-49068203545132270522010-04-11T12:50:00.000-07:002010-04-11T13:59:02.266-07:00Building fencesWe've been working to fix up a lot of the interior of the house over the past year, and with the warmer weather arriving our thoughts turned to our yard. We've had a lot of people over the past year tell us that the inside of the house is a lot nicer than they expected from the outside, and we're hoping to change that. Before we started planting beautiful plants, we knew we had to do something about our fence. We had a wrought iron fence around both the back and front yard was pretty dated; the white paint on it was rusted through and looking pretty shabby.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtwex72MROX11R8Q6LdtTEKb3LVwMDNnSwhF7DwoAV-t9b9AqWmop3pfTwoQbGCFeK1qyEkfdsNk1RnZo2oyjcrrlSAA6Fy9a56wR6T1T-w3dx_1k5crCfxZFlSmCyKCBmz2ZgD2QGzBU/s1600/IMG_5587.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtwex72MROX11R8Q6LdtTEKb3LVwMDNnSwhF7DwoAV-t9b9AqWmop3pfTwoQbGCFeK1qyEkfdsNk1RnZo2oyjcrrlSAA6Fy9a56wR6T1T-w3dx_1k5crCfxZFlSmCyKCBmz2ZgD2QGzBU/s320/IMG_5587.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458981585535932322" border="0" /></a><br /><br />In the front yard, we would have loved to get rid of the fence, but with all the foot traffic we get on our corner, it didn't seem practical. We decided to paint the wrought iron fence a red-brown that complements the house color. We're really pleased with the results- although it felt like it took us *forever* to get the job done and some help to get it all done. The picture above shows the old, drab white fence next to a section we finished. Lesson learned this project: when a paint product advertises "phenomenal adhesion", its probably a good idea to get it on your skin. Hopefully the paint job will last much longer than the rash...<br /><br />In the back, a kluged together set of wood, wrought iron fences, as well as shrubs, were used to create a barrier and privacy. Time had not treated any of it well. The shrubs had been hacked to nearly the roots before we moved in, so we had no privacy. Rather than salvage the fence, we decided to put a new, beautiful wooden one. Our good friend Andy came down from Portland to install it for us. Its soooo beautiful!!! And it went up so quickly! We couldn't be more thrilled. We still need to stain it and treat it, which is a big job, but we're already enjoying our new, private backyard. We also now have a new drive way to park our car off the road. We keep the (broken) automatic fence from the old wrought iron fence to give us a little security.<br /><br />Next step is to get the plans from our landscape designers and get started on the irrigation, hard-scaping, and then planting. It'll be a big job but so worth it!<br /><br />We have a bunch of pictures posted <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/diotimi/HomeImprovement#">here</a>. Here's some of my favorites:<br /><br /><br />Upper Right: Demolition of the old fence<br />Upper Left: The finished fence<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ0SbWKsGqtVKgw_bkH-8riqP3rvbpe4QmnTxxfTxGhlhqvWURmk3pftHpMam1hLli60gtTjACEbkvm7T66z0hLXLzQA-iorzaU05Z7T9pR1bq3EEgf6tHk0ZlujEWNXnrDLgAbCDoTmw/s1600/IMG_5596.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ0SbWKsGqtVKgw_bkH-8riqP3rvbpe4QmnTxxfTxGhlhqvWURmk3pftHpMam1hLli60gtTjACEbkvm7T66z0hLXLzQA-iorzaU05Z7T9pR1bq3EEgf6tHk0ZlujEWNXnrDLgAbCDoTmw/s320/IMG_5596.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458983761043501330" border="0" /></a> Lower Right: Andy and Jon thinking hard on how to get the fence to work out.<br />Lower Left: The beautiful gate Andy<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi05up-c4C9_xj4O_4iQVMX2A7CBTIoetJq1PXBTHZgG_07Ti3cqQeNF9fjH2_8Ft_v5GyDrtaJPoUtYoZYgBO5SO9XWb8GB09UcPo_Bw8buZ3cE-b5-cKaWcPh2U1UMfwlmGcGpl8KCFs/s1600/IMG_5612.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi05up-c4C9_xj4O_4iQVMX2A7CBTIoetJq1PXBTHZgG_07Ti3cqQeNF9fjH2_8Ft_v5GyDrtaJPoUtYoZYgBO5SO9XWb8GB09UcPo_Bw8buZ3cE-b5-cKaWcPh2U1UMfwlmGcGpl8KCFs/s320/IMG_5612.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458984336772598290" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAsuDewcXnyI5hWqShtHo_j4qjatGBD4DSazLJ3GciWZCBR8nXXTivbGypoP5bXu56R9Z8Q3tc7T9JX4d1E-9U20mCcxr8ffqLelE2oV66x4NQcC8jHbSxLipNNfoniez596SBlK4SHWM/s1600/IMG_5609.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAsuDewcXnyI5hWqShtHo_j4qjatGBD4DSazLJ3GciWZCBR8nXXTivbGypoP5bXu56R9Z8Q3tc7T9JX4d1E-9U20mCcxr8ffqLelE2oV66x4NQcC8jHbSxLipNNfoniez596SBlK4SHWM/s320/IMG_5609.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458984883204507458" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDDw3_DnHaJYmaiE8U0rdNm3zvKNIAvfFDoyIM83P9vQGiO9_y1GMiGERkKYpgDTag0cQb1g947yi0e7-LNervFVvKCgEy2gZ-6J2T0-KvgGVVi3hZmcb5DvAuBp46pEX_wmpbKu56nUU/s1600/IMG_5617.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDDw3_DnHaJYmaiE8U0rdNm3zvKNIAvfFDoyIM83P9vQGiO9_y1GMiGERkKYpgDTag0cQb1g947yi0e7-LNervFVvKCgEy2gZ-6J2T0-KvgGVVi3hZmcb5DvAuBp46pEX_wmpbKu56nUU/s320/IMG_5617.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458985119088421842" border="0" /></a>Kris Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15321504007965104175noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1297290726911013786.post-44365180435093930492010-01-22T22:44:00.000-08:002010-01-22T23:14:53.381-08:00Wild Weather<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSz_D3olY8Ji4kBS_IqYIOBUr-LIWDdxgAcV5euZT6v9kdlV18gG4sHM9N8Y33-9gKI_C2pIVWFVQCozzVv0x7JKhVTMAW7EwY87J1CtCXkyA6fLYJCgcF8Wj7NXBNmosrrOyjI6cttRk/s1600-h/photo.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSz_D3olY8Ji4kBS_IqYIOBUr-LIWDdxgAcV5euZT6v9kdlV18gG4sHM9N8Y33-9gKI_C2pIVWFVQCozzVv0x7JKhVTMAW7EwY87J1CtCXkyA6fLYJCgcF8Wj7NXBNmosrrOyjI6cttRk/s320/photo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429828900153404786" border="0" /></a>We've had some pretty wild weather in LA this week. It's rained about 10 inches in the foothill communities since Sunday. Fortunately, our little Altadena house has weathered the weather well. The community has managed well too, despite all vegetation lost during the wildfires. While all this moisture came down as rain at our home, it brought quite a bit of snow to our local mountains. We had a wonderful moment of sunshine this morning that revealed the lovely snows just above our house. I snapped this photo with my phone as I stepped out onto the porch this morning on my way to work. As you can see, we do get a taste of all four seasons up here in the 'Dena.Kris Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15321504007965104175noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1297290726911013786.post-62147205079700733852010-01-17T19:15:00.000-08:002010-01-17T19:40:58.073-08:00Stuffed Zucchini Boats5 Zucchini<br />1 Red or Green Bell Pepper, chopped<br />1 Onion, chopped<br />1 Tomato, chopped<br />1/2 cup Mozzarella, shredded or processed into crumbs<br />2 slices of bread, toasted and processed into crumbs<br />1 lb Italian Sausage<br />3 cloves Garlic<br />1/2 cup Black Beans<br />1/2 cup of Parmesan crumbs<br /><br />Set oven to broil. Cover zucchini with water in a large pot and bring to a boil. Cook for 5 minutes. While zucchini cooks, saute the onions. As the onions get soft, add the pepper cook until soft. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds, until fragrant. Set aside. Saute Italian sausage until fully cooked. Combine Peppers, onions, tomato, bread crumbs, cheese crumbs, black beans in one bowl to make the stuffing. Drain the zucchini, slice in half, the long way when cooled. Scoop out the inside squishy part of the zucchini, chop and add the stuffing. Put the stuffing into the zucchini boats, cover with foil and put into the oven for 10-15 minutes. Remover foil, add parmesan on top of the boats, cook for 5 minutes until cheese is browned. <br /><br />This recipe makes way too much stuffing, so you can use it the next night for stuffed bell peppers or freeze to use later. Also, any variety of items can be added to the stuffing- the black beans I added just because I had an opened can around. This recipe was inspired by one I found on Allrecipes.comKris Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15321504007965104175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1297290726911013786.post-66758478192425628872009-07-08T22:16:00.000-07:002009-07-08T22:29:25.038-07:00Back at itAfter work tonight I managed to:<br /><ul><li> hit the pool for physical therapy</li><li>watered all the living plants<br /></li><li>dig up the garden box on the west side of the house and add mulch. Planting will hopefully commence soon. I have to thank my neighbor for bringing us the mulch. And telling me what to do with it. And lending me the tools. I'm so lucky to have such good neighbors<br /></li><li>Clean the bathtub</li><li>Wash, fold a couple of loads of laundry</li><li>Cook dinner (ok well maybe it was just heating soup)<br /></li><li>Pay the trash bill</li><li>Search Jon's birthday present<br /></li></ul>That may not seem exciting, but for much of the past 2 months my typical night at home was: take my shoes off, take pain pills, go straight to bed. It's hard work healing up and I wasn't capable of doing much. I'm glad my body is now healed to the point that I can return to working on the house and being a useful, helpful spouse.Kris Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15321504007965104175noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1297290726911013786.post-25669413621347761812009-06-27T23:21:00.000-07:002009-06-27T23:31:23.032-07:00Long HaitusI know its been a very long time since I've last posted. There's a good explanation- Jon and I were involved in a motorcycle accident the weekend before Memorial Day. Jon was taking me down to an appointment in Pasadena on our motorcycle when a car suddenly pulled out in front of us. Jon suffered a cracked rib, but I ended up in the hospital with a moderate concussion and a broken leg. I've been spending much of the past 6 weeks recuperating. Needless to say, I haven't been doing much homemaking of late. I'm suppose to get my cast off on Monday, and I'm hoping to get back to working on the house, cooking, and blogging.Kris Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15321504007965104175noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1297290726911013786.post-24957280998852696732009-05-15T08:16:00.000-07:002009-05-15T08:33:08.890-07:00SoupJon and I receive a basket of vegetables and fruits from the local farmer's market every other week. They're delivered by <a href="http://www.auntieemsdelivery.com/recipes.html">Auntie Em's</a>, and everything we get from them is fabulous. Lately I though, I haven't been cooking as much, so I was sad to see the bunch of asparagus I received in our latest basket had gone limp. It still tasted great, so I decided to try my hand at cream of asparagus soup. I love the taste of roasted asparagus, so I made up this recipe:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Cream of Roasted Asparagus Soup</span><br />3 celery stalks (chopped)<br />3 cloves of garlic (pressed)<br />1 medium onion (chopped)<br />1 bunch asparagus (~ 1lb) (ends cut off, cut into small chunks)<br />3 golden potatoes (chopped)<br />1 can chicken broth<br />4 C water<br />3/4 C half and half<br />2 bouillon cubes<br />3 T flour<br />1 T soy sauce<br />3 T Olive Oil + more for roasting<br />Salt & Pepper<br /><br />Brush the asparagus with oil and roast in the oven under a high heat (500 F or on broil). While roasting the asparagus, heat 3 T of oil in soup pot on high and saute the onion and celery until onion begins to brown, stirring occasionally. Add minced or pressed garlic, saute for 30-60 seconds. Bring heat down to medium high. Add flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring to prevent burning or clumping. Add chicken broth, water, and boullion cubes to pot and bring to a boil. Asparagus should be finished roasting at this point. It should be turning golden brown in places and appear slightly shriveled. Once soup is at a boil, add potatoes and half of the asparagus. Bring down to a simmer and cook until potatoes are just tender (~ 10 minutes depending on how big the potato pieces are). Add the remaining asparagus into soup and then add soup to food processor in small batches until soup is thickened to personal preference. Add the cream, soy sauce, and season to taste. Bring to a just under a boil to incorporate the cream.<br /><br />I tried the soup before cream was added and it was wonderful, so one can forgo the dairy and vegetable stock can replace the chicken stock for a tasty vegetarian/vegan meal.<br /><br />It was so tasty, I couldn't bear to eat it alone. I wrapped the soup up and brought down to Caltech for a picnic dinner to Jon. Jon has been working many late hours in the lab lately preparing for the upcoming PhD Candidacy exam, so it was nice to have a meal with him last night.Kris Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15321504007965104175noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1297290726911013786.post-20595571687733593512009-05-14T22:48:00.000-07:002009-05-15T08:33:53.809-07:00Brush with Death (kinda)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB16FXmRDP53gfsSJ1rE3oMx5y-6_lYg-hJw3Reza2gYPUrTydvaSHZ4jt9Lvzqr2O8htQlSFvbhbXWU0WLE4ysfhNli8zjAmhgZe0Tmy2cicdJ0-Kdnd29VAyvOmMugXx9QDBFQZwWPs/s1600-h/IMG_5142.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB16FXmRDP53gfsSJ1rE3oMx5y-6_lYg-hJw3Reza2gYPUrTydvaSHZ4jt9Lvzqr2O8htQlSFvbhbXWU0WLE4ysfhNli8zjAmhgZe0Tmy2cicdJ0-Kdnd29VAyvOmMugXx9QDBFQZwWPs/s320/IMG_5142.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335926603787359026" border="0" /></a>This evening I had a close encounter with one Altadena's more unpopular creepy crawlies-the black widow spider. They're all over up here, so one must take care thrusting a hand into dark corners. However, I didn't expect to see one crawl out from under my fingers as I turned the door knob to the front gate this evening. At first I thought I'd imagined the thing skittering away since it was dark. But a set of long, knobby-kneed legs were visible from around the back side of the knob suggested otherwise. Closer inspection confirmed that indeed, there was a huge black widow spider a hairs breath away from where I'd just grabbed the handle. The spider seems to have settled there because it was in the same spot an hour later when I grab this candid photo. Its was taken with the point and shoot, so its not the most clear. Perhaps that's for the best though.Kris Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15321504007965104175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1297290726911013786.post-11041270185165054662009-05-07T16:44:00.000-07:002009-05-07T17:02:50.958-07:00The house as it was<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Xbbe0rK3PUxCYq6mxjtpCQ832AE02ueV0wWHSTASR8TXS5rSf3Kt5aI-5wLcZ8bmsuf9eoZF75HFU5x02sAOwmvbm43-xUhfmQTtqScoyLBl2PY2-g4KBFaEs4wgD1PQl65LunvLBho/s1600-h/house2.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 256px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Xbbe0rK3PUxCYq6mxjtpCQ832AE02ueV0wWHSTASR8TXS5rSf3Kt5aI-5wLcZ8bmsuf9eoZF75HFU5x02sAOwmvbm43-xUhfmQTtqScoyLBl2PY2-g4KBFaEs4wgD1PQl65LunvLBho/s320/house2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333236679041098002" border="0" /></a>My cousin Renee pointed out that I hadn't posted pictures of the house yet, which is quite remiss of me. Mostly I've been very busy at work, but I'm adding a link to the early pictures we took of the house when we were buying the place- we tried to catalog all the things that needed fixing, so the houses warts are over represented. <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/barkume/Home#">Here is the link to the "before" pictures</a>. "After" pictures will be forthcoming.<br /><br />Here's a goggle image of the front of the house. It pretty much looks the same right now.Kris Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15321504007965104175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1297290726911013786.post-74049204331514003482009-05-05T08:49:00.000-07:002009-05-05T08:55:36.494-07:00First Mortgage PaymentWe had our first mortgage payment taken out of our checking account today- well technically our second since we payed our first month at closing. Only 358 more payments to go.Kris Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15321504007965104175noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1297290726911013786.post-19811718172717533382009-05-04T11:42:00.001-07:002009-05-04T11:52:46.966-07:00Weekend Garage Sale Find<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs0xX6pV9ofns8CESJ2MfevEwigIh-i12ziNgjUP8rbQVWjFTX4bz4DySrL6THY_7LnDepgRakzGm_Zn44MJF9N879Xn62jlSSli6m-zcDkZblvVTXMqRW5xWREtEgzLhubRASUr55ntw/s1600-h/photo.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs0xX6pV9ofns8CESJ2MfevEwigIh-i12ziNgjUP8rbQVWjFTX4bz4DySrL6THY_7LnDepgRakzGm_Zn44MJF9N879Xn62jlSSli6m-zcDkZblvVTXMqRW5xWREtEgzLhubRASUr55ntw/s320/photo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332041297634425362" border="0" /></a>Jon and I checked out a few garage sales this weekend and we found this nice table/wine rack.We paid $30 for it, which I think is a great deal. It's painted with a green, antique-looking stain so it looks really nice with the greens in our tile. It replaces an old Ikea shelving unit that we inherited from Neal and Ashley when they moved to Chicago.<br /><br />The new table is going to hold our new rice cooker, which is a belated wedding gift from one of Jon's friends. We didn't want to keep the rice cooker under our wood cabinets for fear the steam might damage to wood, so the wine rack seems to be a good spot- I'll replace the temporary mat under the cooker with something nicer to protect the wood. The new rice cooker works great and I'm looking forward to trying some of its more advanced features, one of which is an "off" button. I won't miss having to unplug the cooker to turn it off like our old one.Kris Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15321504007965104175noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1297290726911013786.post-62695719980551792172009-04-28T21:31:00.000-07:002009-04-28T22:03:43.944-07:00Moved Again!Today I found myself moving again-but it was only down the hallway. I got a nice, new office at work. For the past year, I shared a windowless office with a coworker and an overly-active air conditioner. My new office has lots of windows that look out on our tree-filled courtyard. It faces west, so I get a lot of afternoon sun. I'm hoping I can retire the sweater collection and space heater I kept at work.<br /><br />I didn't really add any personal touches to my old office because it was a shared space, so I'm looking forward to putting my stamp on my new office. I already have my "Lightening at Kitt Peak" picture hung. I also bought a plant today at lunch and will get some more if I can keep the first one alive. I also ordered some prints from one of my favorite artists, <a href="http://www.heatherbrownart.com/">Heather Brown</a>, and eventually I'd like to get some more pictures of friends and family up.<br /><br />Even though the new office isn't a promotion, it feels like one. It was especially gratifying this afternoon to have a senior co-worker from another field office stop and feel like I had a very professional space to invite him into for our meeting. Hopefully, I'll get to stick around in this office for a while.Kris Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15321504007965104175noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1297290726911013786.post-65878504680308876262009-04-26T23:35:00.000-07:002009-04-26T23:56:00.693-07:00Busy SundayWe had a busy Sunday both in and out of the house. We went to South Pasadena for lunch at <a href="http://www.mikeandannes.com/">Mike and Anne's</a> and then we went to the Mission Street Arts festival. I got a great hat with blue buttons. I'm very excited about the hat because I have a hard time finding hats for my small noggin. Afterward, we took an afternoon cat nap with the cats.<br /><br />With all the fun things we did today, I'm amazed that we got some house projects and chores done, but we did! Jon got the cat door installed and hung our pot hanger in the kitchen. I finished painting the bathroom and managed to cover the hideous aqua-colored primer- more on that later. I also finally took Jon to the Super King market, which is the amazing Armenian grocery store down the road. He's converted. For dinner tonight, we had a salad with arugula, brussel sprouts, cranberries, blue cheese and toasted almonds with lemon vinegarette. We also had freshly made hummus and pita from Super King's bakery. Tasty!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQYY-_4nDJlxYUsv4qKzZxK5Az2hLniuT7LE7zMsfZe30PNZUe-nerirgCQVVkjxdT-Ejth26tnD0Z5oyGVYFaQtzReA1GbOTdALVeF9emiQGcLne6vVunJGC88ePYPHgGiVs6Mp9ZpcI/s1600-h/Photo+8.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 242px; height: 181px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQYY-_4nDJlxYUsv4qKzZxK5Az2hLniuT7LE7zMsfZe30PNZUe-nerirgCQVVkjxdT-Ejth26tnD0Z5oyGVYFaQtzReA1GbOTdALVeF9emiQGcLne6vVunJGC88ePYPHgGiVs6Mp9ZpcI/s200/Photo+8.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329260099842162594" border="0" /></a><br />I'm hoping to get some of our pictures from the weekend projects posted this week, but in the mean time you'll have to be content with just me and the new hat.Kris Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15321504007965104175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1297290726911013786.post-16108243193030684992009-04-26T10:53:00.000-07:002009-04-26T11:01:58.104-07:00WelcomeMy husband, Jon, and I just took the next step into adulthood by diving into the California real estate market and buying a home. It's a little 1950's starter home up in the hills of Altadena. Like many of the homes in the area, it has some quirks, which we continue to discover. This blog is meant to be a record for us and our friends and family on the progress we're making in turning this strange little house into a home. Thanks for reading.Kris Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15321504007965104175noreply@blogger.com0