A coastal exhibit and lemon chicken

Last night, me and two of my friends went to the opening of Abriendo Puertas (Opening Doors). It is an exhibit that is being hosted by El Pueblo, the latino outreach organization and the George Ohr Museum, showing photographs taken by immigrants within the area. The photographs were beautiful, and the stories were touching. I highly recomend visiting. It will be up until October 5. It is located at the USM-Long Beach Library on the Third Floor. Visit here for more information.

On the way home from the exhibit, I decided I wanted roasted chicken. I remember looking at a recipe, for lemon chicken, and remembering that all I needed was chicken and lemons, and I had all the rest of the stuff, so I stopped in the store grabbed lemons and a chicken, and headed home.


This is how easy the recipe was.....
I was on the phone with my best friend gabby.....and I made the whole thing, and popped it into the oven, before I was off the phone.

This was the best smelling thing ever. My house filled with this rich meat smell, and the smell of lemons within 15 minutes of putting it into the oven. This would be a great recipe to cook for guests, because the smell alone will impress them. In addition to the smell, the fact that the simplicity of the recipe renders such a delicious bird makes me think that this is one of the best recipes ever. It beats my Roasted Chicken and Sweet Potatoes.

Because is started it so late, I didnt get to taste it until 10pm, but I stood at my counter and ate the leg and the thigh, dipping it in the juices, and grabbing a roasted onion between bites of chicken. I am so happy I have this for lunch today. Alright so here is the recipe. NOW GO MAKE IT!!!!!!! and be impressed with your cooking skills!

A productive and quiet week so far.

I woke up early today to sketch a bit for a project I am working on. Lucky me, I chose a morning when the storms are brewing. The rain is heavy, and the thunder is rumbling. It is so relaxing and has been very helpful in getting my head in the right place to work. I whipped out 12 sketches, and I figured I should make an update on what I have been up to for the last few days.

Starting monday, my week has been really productive, focusing a lot of my energy on my garden, my home and my work. At work, it seems like many of my projects are either wrapping up or gearing up. I have wrapped up two projects for the most part in the last few days. That has been really nice. I cant really speak too much about those projects, but maybe in time I can share them. I am also working on some of the marketing material for the office, and I have made a bit of progress on that this week, and hope to make some more serious progress throughout the week.

In addition to those projects, the new GCCDS website, something I have been working on for quite a while, will be launched soon. I cannot wait. I will be devoting a lot of this week and next to that effort. I am so ready to have that moving in the path it is right now.

On Monday, I finished laying out my garden, and since then, have been adding more plants, and starting the seeds for the new ones. Gardening is something that makes me so happy. I wish I had the money to really go all out, but it is fun to make do with what I have as well. It also becomes more of an extended project in this way, and not something that I spend a week on then just watch it grow. This way, I get to play in the dirt every few days, and get to have a garden that is growing in many different stages. Oh, I love just thinking about what I am going to do next to my little plot, and think of the nice drink it is getting from this morning storm.

All in all it has been a pretty relaxing beginning of the week. I went out on Tuesday night to play trivia at the Grocery, but only a few folks from our usual team were able to show up, so we decided not to play, and that only added to the relaxing week. I plan on keeping up the relaxing week. Although the activities memorializing the anniversary of Katrina might stir up the end of my week. And maybe I will go on a few adventures, but I would not mind keeping it low key for a little while. I have been going wide open for a while now.

Well, that is about it for now. I am going to go sit on my back porch and read until it is time to go to work.

Oh my garden.... and Dan!

In my last post, I mentioned that my weekend was not over... and that certainly was the case.

On my walk with my Momma on Sunday morning before she left, we were talking about cooking and things that we both enjoy.... and the subject of gardening came up. I had a garden I was pretty proud of when I was living in the camper, and when I moved, i had to let those baby tomatoes, the leafy dark green kale, my peppers, peas, squash that was just starting to make fruit, and my basil patch go to a certain future of an uneaten death. It was sad, very sad. Well, in our walk, we decided that it was time for me to make a garden, i could start with an array of fall veggies, and a few tomato plants, that would hopefully make fruit before it gets cold.

Well, after momma left, I headed for the garden center to buy some edging and some plants and seeds. I started digging up the grass. Once most of the grass was removed, I dug the edges for the border material. I was just beginning to put the border in when one of my best friends from college pulled up into my driveway. After giving him a quick hug, I ran in side, and put on some fresh clothes.

Dan, the same person I went to visit in Chicago not too long ago, is one of my favorite people on this planet. He is so genuine, and so inquisitive. I always have such a brilliant time around him. We jumped on bikes and rode through Ocean Springs. We rode through the harbor, and down to the Yacht Club where we looked at the catamarans and watched folks sailing. While we were there, he mentioned that he really wanted some sea food. I tried to think of a good place to go, but nothing was coming to mind, so I offered to cook him the rest of the Amberjack that I had in my fridge.

We called up one of my friend's that Dan had wanted to spend some time talking to, and I cooked dinner. It was a very relaxed and enjoyable dinner.

Monday, as I was leaving my house, I remembered that I had a half finished garden that needed to be finished that afternoon. It was no burden, but instead, made me a bit excited. I love doing yard work. I love it almost as much as I like cooking.

When I got home from work, I changed into my play clothes, ate a snack and got to it. I finished edging the garden, raked it smooth, and planted the mature plants that I had bought from the garden center.



In the garden right now are full sized tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, thyme, basil and cilantro.



I have seeds for brussels sprouts, kale, turnips and spinach. I will be working on getting those started tonight!

The weekend aint over yet....

but some how it feels like I have had enough fun to satisfy the weekend gods already.

I woke up this morning at around 6 am, listening to the birds and the sounds of my neighborhood. It was the first night I have slept with my windows open in a few months. It was really the first night that was noticably cool enough to do. I didn't really want to get out of bed. But I figured I could enjoy the cool morning outside, so I am sitting out in my screened porch, drinking coffee and enjoying the 70degree morning. It is beautiful out. My dog is at my feet, freshly brushed, and wishing she had a bite of my toast. (i will probably give into this) I hope the rest of my day goes as beautifully.

So far, my weekend has been just perfect. Not rushed, not wild, not action packed...I am not even sunburned but I probably should be.

Momma and Kathy rolled into town Friday around lunch time and we headed to Le Bakery for some Vietnamese poboys. Kathy went to the casino to meet up with her dad and momma took my car and went to the house for a nap.

Around 3:30 Momma picked me up from the office, we ran to the store to get necessities like coffee, dish detergent and a downy ball, dropped it off at the house and headed out. Momma loves this town, and it always seems that I recognize how pleasant it is more when she is here. We went to the Grocery ordered a few beers and sat outside to watch the evening begin in Ocean Springs. Kathy joined us a little while later, and then a few more friends pulled up chairs. It was raining at this point, and it only added to the atmosphere. Thankfully we were under the roof, but a few drops kept finding their way through, and they always seemed to land in one of my friend's glasses. It became almost a running joke. We ended up ordering some hummus and some of the grocery's fresh french fries, and sat there for the rest of the evening. The band came in, and we even sat there for that. It was so relaxing, and it was like the fun just came to us.

We left after we got to hear James play his harps with the band for a song or two, and went home to go to bed.



The next morning, Momma and I finished off the rest of the lasagna tart for breakfast, and went out to put a pic-nick together for our afternoon adventure. We went to the saturday morning farmers market, Fayards, and the grocery store, and had the materials to make a beautiful roast beef sandwich with red hoop cheese, on fresh baked bread and peppers from my momma's friend Al's garden back in Alabama. We packed the cooler full of beer, and our fancy sandwiches, met up with James, and headed out to the island.

The water was flat, and the sky was clear. We spent the day walking the beach, picking up huge scallop shells, trying to windsurf (james was the only one who could do it. but he has been doing stuff like that for years) and we ate our pic-nick. It was such a relaxing day. We got back into the harbor, right as the sun was hitting the horizon. After unpacking the boat, momma and I headed back to the house.

Momma and I went to Shady's and split a steak salad, and then headed to the Julip room but we were both so worn out that we were only good for one drink. The next morning we got up and went for a long walk around my neighborhood before Kathy came to pick her up.

It sounds like I have had a very full weekend, but the crazy thing is, is that it isnt over. I am expecting a visit from a good friend from school, and I think I will start making a garden while I wait for his arrival.

Momma on the Mississippi Gulf Coast!!!!!

My momma,left, and her friend Kathy, right, are coming to the Mississippi Gulf Coast today. Kathy is coming to spend time with her dad for his birthday, and mom is hitching a ride with her to come visit ME! I am excited to spend the weekend with her. Last time she visited, I was moving, and she some how got suckered into helping me, but we didnt get to have the good coastal fun that we normally do. So this weekend, I hope we get to make up for all of that... and have a lot of coastal fun. I plan on taking her to a bunch of restaurants that she hasnt been to yet, including the project lounge for the best burger on the coast, and maybe out on the water if the weather is good, and maybe out to see some good music. Oh, I am so looking forward to it.

The last few nights have been really uneventful but nice. I finally made the second lasagnia tart on wednesday night. Iit was good, but not as good as the first, because I made the dough a little too dry. But other than that it might have been better than the first. I added some more basil, and when I was sauteing the garlic I added a little sherry to it before I dumped the tomatoes in. It gave it a bit of a lighter flavor. It is totally edible, but not perfected. ONE DAY MY LITTLE TART PAN, YOU AND I WILL BE GREAT PARTNERS!!!!!!

Anyways, last night, I went to the gym and straightened up a little in anticipation of my momma's visit. James came over, and we went for a bike ride, and a beer. It was a nice simple relaxing evening, full of good conversation. It was a good ending to a productive day.

no tart tonight

I had planned on making a variation on that lasagna tart I made the other day, but it didnt happen, and I am sure for the best. My friend was supposed to come over and eat with me tonight, but we both have a bunch of stuff that we need to get done around our respective houses, and so we are going to eat the tart another night.

When I got home, I cleaned the kitchen from lunch, and went to the gym for a quick work out. Then I got to makin supper. My head must have been somewhere else, because I had a few mishaps. First, I put the garlic and onions in the olive oil and stated sauteing, but then, for some reason I put the tomatoes in before the onions had even begun to turn translucent. I sucked it up, and went on, adding the oregano, basil, bay leaves, sherry, a little spinach, and a sweet banana pepper that I picked up from the farmers market. I threw in a little sea salt, a little black pepper, topped the pan with a lid, and hoped for the best.

Some times when I make sauces like this, they are not the best thing that I have ever put in my mouth. And, because I didnt even give the onions a chance to cook, I was afraid they were going to be a bit strong.

Before I tell you how the sauce was, I have a side note. I went out side to see this turtle my roommate found, and my eye began to itch, so I rubbed it. Well, apparently I had not washed off my hands enough from that sweet banana pepper, which was not only sweet, but also pretty spicy. Well, I am sure you can guess what happened. It burned like the dickens, but then... it cooled down a little, and it wasnt that bad. It was almost enjoyable. I mean this by really exaggerating the word ALMOST. But it kind of reminded me of two similar feelings that I love. First is putting that alcohol stuff in your ears after you swim. The second is when you get too big of a bite of wasabi, and it burns up your nose. Well it was kind of like that. I am not going to say that from now on, when I am cutting fresh peppers, that I am going to stick my finger in my eye, because that would just be stupid. It hurts too bad. But I will KIND OF look forward to the next time it happens with a not so hot pepper.


Now onto the sauce. It turned out pretty well served on some vermaccelli, topped with some fresh parmesan. I would even serve it to my friends. The onions were not overwhelming, although I am sure it would have been better had they had a chance to brown a little bit.

Alright, off to do a little laundry, and watch a movie, and hopefully go play some trivia with my friends. Good night!

Seducing Dr. Lewis

Last night James and I watched this great little Canadian movie called Seducing Dr. Lewis. It was so refreshing. It was not wild, or violent. It was really funny, but human nature funny, not people being stupid funny. It was also not assholy funny. It was genuine and sincere. I really recommend it. It might be available at your local movie store, but not in Ocean Springs. It is, however, available on Netflix, and Netflix on demand.