Vacation report and a new recipe

Well, vacation is over and I am sad to see it end. We had a great time and the weather was good. Not too hot and no rain while we were on the lake. We relaxed and did some fishing and boating on the lake. After the houseboat stay, we did a 3 day promotional tour of southern Indiana. First on the agenda was a musical instrument museum called Dr. Ted's Musical Marvels. It was really a lot more interesting than I thought it would be. Then we visited the Lincoln Boyhood Memorial where Abraham Lincoln spent his formative years in Indiana.

We then took in a Drive-In movie (saw the worse movie I have ever seen in my life, Nacho Libre) and stayed the night in an RV at Lake Rudolph in Santa Claus Indiana. The next morning it was off to see the Santa Claus Indiana museum and then to Holiday World, a major theme park with wooden roller coasters and a water park. That day was jam packed and it was HOT.

In the afternoon we left Holiday World and headed to Leavenworth Indiana on the Ohio River. We spent the night at a bed and breakfast called The Leavenworth Inn and that was heavenly. Very homey and relaxing. After breakfast the next morning it was off to Marengo Caves for a tour. Very beautiful and nice and COOL in the caves. Then it was time to head for home. Vacation photos are on flicker if you care to see them, just click on the flicker badge in the sidebar.

Okay, enough about the trip, now on to the food. The Australian food magazine delicious is now being published in the US under the Reader's Digest group. I found the premiere issue while on vacation and picked it up. Tomato and Olive Spaghettini comes from this issue and it is a winner. It was on the table in about 20 minutes and full of flavor with the garlic, tomatoes, olives, and pesto. Serve with a salad and garnish with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and you have simple but tasty Italian meal. This was a hit for all of us, even DH who is not real big on pasta. Let me know how you like it if you try it out.

Until next time.

Recipes
Tomato and Olive Spaghettini

Off for Vacation!!

We are leaving for vacation this afternoon. Hopefully, this will put me in a better frame of mind since I will be getting away from all the stress (except for the stress of DH and the DS's). Since we will be on a houseboat together, I cannot get away from them (tee-hee)! Just Joking!

I thought I would leave you with a new bread recipe that I tried last week. Chicky Bread comes from a novel. Diane Mott Davidson writes a series of culinary mysteries with the heroine/sleuth being a caterer in Colorado, Goldy Bear. These are fun light reads that are good for some escapism when needed. I have tried some of the recipes and most are really good. This bread recipe as written in the book is for a bread machine but I successfully adapted it to bake in the oven. I found I was out of molasses the day I made this so I substituted dark corn syrup and that worked well. The bread is just slightly sweet and the texture is soft with a fine crumb. All in all it is a good bread to have around. Let me know if you give it a try.

We return home a week from today and I have 3 more days off work to recuperate after this trip. I will post a rundown of the trip and some photos when we return. No internet access on a houseboat unfortunately!

Recipes
Chicky Bread

How does your garden grow?

Things have been busy around the homestead lately. I finally managed to get the garden planted and here is how it looked last week.

This photo shows the tomato plants.

This photos shows the pepper plants.

I have also planted some lettuce, green beans, and mesculan mix. I also have my small herb garden with parsley, chives, sage, basil, rosemary, spearmint, peppermint, oregano, and thyme. I can't wait for some fresh from the vine tomatoes!

Our oldest son Chris has returned home for the time being. He is working here in town again and has been home a week. He is helping us around the house a lot and will be able to mind the animals next week when we leave for VACATION!!! We will be staying on a houseboat in southern Indiana at Patoka Lake. It will be nice to get away from the phones and enjoy some peaceful time with nature. I won't want to come home!

Dinner tonight we had a favorite grilled salmon from Cooking Light. Maple-Glazed Salmon begins with a spicy rub on the salmon filets that are then grilled to perfection. Just before taking the filets off the grill, you brush them with maple syrup. The combination of the spicy and sweet is just right. I made the rub and seasoned the filets, while Chris grilled them. We also had some grilled corn on the cob and a pasta side from Giada De Laurentiis, Spaghetti with Garlic, Olive Oil, and Red Pepper Flakes. A nice and quick meal to put together and very satisfying on a pleasant summer evening.

Maple-Glazed Salmon
Spaghetti with Garlic, Olive Oil, and Red Pepper Flakes