Dan’s brother Eric and his wife Jennifer are the proud parents of Kristin Reese Lewandowski, born this afternoon. Eric says her middle name comes from Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups - the best flavor combo on the planet. Not sure whether to believe him or not - he’s such a kidder

As soon as I have a photo of her, I’ll post it. Now little Tommy has a sister! Bet he’s excited. I really wish we could go see them, but unfortunately, they live 700 miles away. Well, we’ll get to Michigan again soon, I hope. In the meantime, congratulations to the happy parents!

Some people say the Internet discourages communities and that some people spend more time with virtual friends and activities than with “real” ones. I think the Internet vastly expands the number of people we can connect with, on just about any topic you’re interested in. In fact, on the Web design mailing list I belong to, there are people I’ve known for up to 12 years, and some I’ve met in person at conferences.

I happen to be interested in food and cooking, among other things. There’s a food blogger named Bri, of Figs with Bri, whom I have never met, and probably never will, but the food blogging community has come together to raise money to help her pay for cancer treatment. If that doesn’t demonstrate the generosity of friends, I don’t know what does.

So this month, the food bloggers Jai and Bee of the blog Jugalbindi, who host the monthly food photography event called Click, have linked this month’s event to a fundraiser to help pay for Bri’s treatment. Since the color yellow is associated with cancer research, thanks to Lance Armstrong, the theme is yellow food. So here’s my entry - yellow onions from our garden:

For this month’s Grow Your Own food blogging event, hosted by Andrea of AndreasRecipes.com, I made tzatziki, the Greek sauce/dip made of yogurt, cucumbers and seasonings. My dill is still doing pretty well, although it likes cooler temperatures, so it probably won’t last much longer. I keep the mint in a strawberry jar on the patio, to keep it from invading and taking over the herb garden.

I love this stuff, especially in the summer - it’s so cool and refreshing. We eat it as a dip with homemade pita chips and crudites, and as a sauce for grilled chicken or gyro sandwiches. Just toast some pita pockets, season chicken with oregano, lemon and garlic (I use Penzey’s Greek seasoning), then slice the chicken and put it in the pita with chopped lettuce and tomato, topped with tzatziki and some feta cheese.

Here, I served it with pita chips and baby carrots.

Tzatziki

3 cups plain yogurt, or 2 cups plain Greek yogurt (preferred)
1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and shredded
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. white vinegar
1 tbsp. fresh dill, minced fine
1 tsp. fresh mint, cut into chiffonade
1/2 tsp. salt or to taste

If using regular yogurt, place yogurt in a cheesecloth-lined sieve over a bowl; put bowl, covered, in the refrigerator for 1 hour to drain excess liquid. If using Greek yogurt, this step is not necessary.

In a large bowl, combine yogurt, garlic, oil, vinegar, herbs and salt. Add cucumber and mix well. Place in a serving dish, cover and refrigerate for at least two hours, to allow the flavors to mingle and make friends

I have a couple of new plants this year that are going great so far, and they’re both for my interest in Thai cooking - a lime tree (Citrofortunella mitis) and lemongrass (I also have Thai basil, but forgot to take a picture - soon). Note to me: Here’s a post from Kalyn’s Kitchen on freezing herbs that includes several recipes using Thai basil.

Lime tree

Lemongrass

We decided to plant one lemongrass in the ground and one in a pot, to see if it will withstand the winter here, which is usually pretty mild.

24 years ago today, Dan and I tied the knot in my mother’s back yard in Michigan. It was a beautiful ceremony, outside, on the water, with rain for good luck (I’ve heard that, anyway). Happy Anniversary, sweetheart! Here’s to many more

Joelen’s Culinary Adventures has quite an ambitious list of food blogging events. I couldn’t keep up this month, but I do have an entry for Iron Chef: Honey. For this one, make a dish where honey is one of the main ingredients.

I got this chicken marinade recipe from my Uncle George’s second wife, Cathy. They met when George was on his 7-year sailing trip around the world in the 1980s; Cathy is from Australia. She made this for us once when they had first come back to the States via the Atlantic Ocean and up the Intracoastal Waterway from North Carolina. I hadn’t made it in quite a while, but we really enjoyed it, so I’ll have to make it again soon.

Cathy Twomey’s Chicken

2 lbs. bone-in, skin-on chicken
1/2 cup clear honey
2 tsp. curry powder
2 tsp. soy sauce
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Whisk all marinade ingredients together in a small saucepan and heat over low heat till well combined. Cool. Season chicken with salt and pepper; loosen skin with fingers and make two one-inch cuts in skin (do not cut meat) to allow marinade to get to meat. Pour marinade over chicken and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.

There are various ways to cook this. It’s done when an instant-read thermometer reads 160 degrees F.

In a skillet or saute pan: Brown chicken well on both sides, turn heat to low, cover and simmer 20 minutes till done.

In a grill pan: Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Cook chicken on both sides in oven-proof grill pan (I used cast iron), till well marked. Place pan in oven and bake for 20 minutes or till done.

I served the chicken with an Asian noodle salad that I made up this afternoon. I’ll post that recipe later. It worked out quite well.

In 2006, my friend Barbara and I went to visit our friend Liz in Colorado. While there, we rented horses and went on a ride to the Continental Divide. Below are our guide and Barbara with the great Rocky Mountain scenery in the background.

This is for Photo Friday’s weekly challenge, The Great Outdoors.

If you like seafood, and we do, check out these pocket guides to which species to best to purchase and consume, and which to avoid. The guidelines are based on sustainability (whether the species is overfished), bycatch (whether the fishing method brings in and kills other types of sea life), and habitat damage (some fishing methods damage the ocean floor, for example, harming the environment for many species, and there are different guides for various sections of the U.S.

• Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch Pocket Guides

Seriously, if you need a laugh, this is one funny group of sites. There are several topics:

• Cats
• Dogs
• Politics

Enjoy

Whew, long time, no blog! The first week of June, Dan and I went back to James River State Park. He and colleagues Dan B. and Richard took a group of teachers there for a retreat as the capstone to a professional-development class they have been teaching all year. I went along to 1) take vacation in the beautiful park and 2) help Paul prepare meals for 25 for two days. After the teachers left Thursday after lunch, Dan, Dan B, Richard, Paul and I went tubing on the James - that was great. I need to get hold of the video from Danny B and post it. But I guess the week exhausted me more than I realized - I’ve been tired all week.

I promise (I know you’ve heard that before ) I will post photos and videos soon, but in the meantime, it’s been HOT HOT HOT! and Jaden from Steamy Kitchen blogged about being interviewed by the Washington Post for a story they did recently on making meals with little to no cooking needed, so I wanted to make a note of it. Here’s the link:

• Cooling Off With Hot Food Writers

I especially like the idea of the Asian-flavored ceviche and the Chinese cucumber appetizer. I already have my own delicious tzatziki recipe; in fact, I made it last week to serve with grilled chicken, lettuce and tomatoes in pita pockets. Easy, yummy meal for the hot weather.