Indio, California: The winds appeared late last night and blew all day, picking up quite a bit this evening. We both ran and then went out on errands, returning to our motorhome to meet with the contractor and architect who will be working on our "build-out" while we are back in Oregon this summer.
The Lovely Lisa teases us that we have a contractor, architect - not to mention a landscape architect - for a campsite. She does have a point... but that is the way it works down here.When in Rome...
The architect is happy we want to keep as much lawn as possible, as it is the custom in this resort to pave every inch of most lots. Not to mention how excited the landscape guy is about getting to incorporate actual grass into our landscape plan. By the way - our landscape "plan" is to create some sort of berm with serious plantings to persuade passing dogs from using our lawn as their bathroom. You all know I love me some puppies, but I want to keep the lawn "clean" as Leo will be crawling/walking on the grass.
Okay, so call me obsessive.
Go ahead. Call me obsessive.
Obsessive.
I'm okay with that.
Speaking of Leo:
What a drooling cutie! Wait - is he standing up in his crib?
Lenny, reading one of Lisa's childhood books to Leo
Leo is starting to look like a little boy. No longer an infant.
Is there a way to reverse time?
Since we were basically trapped inside our motorhome this evening due to the howling winds, I decided to test a recipe from one of the many food magazines DT brought back to me from our home in Oregon. Bon Appetit featured several "sheet pan" recipes - meals cooked in the oven. Trouble-free. One pan to clean.
Right up my alley.
I decided to try Parmesan Chicken with Caesar Roasted Romaine from the March 2012 Bon Appetit Magazine - basically panko (Japanese bread crumbs) and parmesan encrusted chicken breasts oven roasted, with romaine lettuce halves placed on the baking sheet for the last few minutes.
A mixture of panko, parmesan, garlic, parsley and olive oil is pressed into chicken breasts and baked at 450°.
During the last few minutes of roasting, halved romaine lettuce hearts (drizzled with garlic and olive oil) are placed on the baking sheet and finished in the oven.
The dish is plated with a few anchovy fillets placed on the roasted romaine lettuce. Lemon wedges are provided to squirt over all.This recipe is definitely a keeper - BUT - the recipe calls for roasting the chicken breast for ten minutes, then adding the romaine lettuce and roasting for an additional ten minutes.
What?
Don't know what size chicken breasts they were using, but the breasts I used were organic and Dolly Parton-esque. They required 20-25 minutes - even at 450°. The meal was delicious and worth keeping in the rotation. Easy.
SLOGGER REPORT: I slogged through three miles - and I had to walk a few times. It was cold. It was windy. My hip hurt. I'm old. Tonight I applied Tanqueray therapy for my hip and I will take tomorrow off. I'm only human.
Until my next update, I remain, your roasted correspondent.
RV Park: Motorcoach Country Club - The Crown Jewel of Motorcoach Resorts. 400 sites, three pools, three spas, fitness center, golf, bocce ball, tennis, 2-mile waterway, fine-dining restaurant, bar, security, free wifi, planned activities, perfectly maintained. Sites for sale or rent.