Ellie's Trip to California - Sunset Cliffs in La Jolla - Part 3

If I asked Ellie, I am pretty sure that she would say that one of her favorite things is pausing to take in a beautiful sunset. And as you will see here, she has a talent for capturing them. These beauties are from the Sunset Cliffs in La Jolla, California.

I think the ones below might be from another night. I am not sure if these are from Sunset Cliffs, or from Coronado.

And though she most likely does not like this picture of herself, I love this photo of my girl.

Ethan is still in Thailand. He has taken a few days to travel alone to see some of the temples. His traveling companions did not want to join him. He is ready to come home, but he is also in awe of the beauty of some of the parts of Thailand. His stories make me wish I could go traveling.

I've borrowed one of Ellie's images from her trip and created a small mixed media piece. I will share that with you in the next post.

While working on it, and looking at these photos, I've enjoyed the music of Ben Howard and Passenger. Perhaps you will enjoy their music, too:





I am going to buy these albums some time soon. For now, I enjoy the music on Youtube.com .

Sunset Cliffs in La Jola, California + Chicken Tikki Masala & Naan Recipes

During their trip to California, Ellie, Kohlton and Brandon got around on busses, a trolley and skateboards. They loved hanging out at the various beaches.

Here are images from the Sunset Cliffs in La Jola.

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Chicken Tikki Masala made in a slow cooker
via: The Kitchn
Serves 4 to 6

1 to 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 large onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1-inch piece whole ginger, peeled and grated
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 to 2 tablespoons garam masala
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
3/4 cup heavy cream or coconut milk
Fresh cilantro, chopped
2 cups cooked rice, to serve

Cut the chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces and transfer them to a 3-quart or larger slow cooker. Stir in the onion, garlic, ginger, tomato paste, 1 tablespoon of garam masala, paprika, and kosher salt until the chicken is evenly covered with spices. Stir in the diced tomatoes with their juices.

→ If you have the time: Marinate the chicken in 1/2 cup yogurt for up to 6 hours. Shake to remove excess yogurt before transferring to the slow cooker.

→ If you have the time: Sauté the onions and garlic in a little olive oil over medium-high heat in a skillet until softened, then stir in the ginger, tomato paste, and spices until fragrant. Transfer to the slow cooker with the chicken and diced tomatoes. This will give your tikka masala more depth of flavor.

Cover the slow cooker and cook for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low. Fifteen minutes before the end of cooking, stir in the heavy cream. If you prefer a thicker sauce, leave the slow cooker uncovered for the last 15 minutes. Taste and add more garam masala or salt to taste.

Serve over rice with fresh cilantro sprinkled over the top of each serving. The tikka masala can be refrigerated for 3 to 4 days or frozen for 3 to 4 months.

Recipe Notes
Chicken breasts can be substituted for the thighs, though I find thighs hold up better over the long cooking and breasts tend to fall into shreds. Still delicious, though!
For a little of that smoky, tandoori flavor, try using smoked paprika and roasted tomatoes.

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Naan
via:Garnish and Glaze Blog

1½ cups milk
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
3½- 4 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons butter, melted
garlic salt (optional)

Heat milk in the microwave until warm. Mix yeast and sugar in with milk and allow it to sit for 5 minutes until foamy. Mix in salt and then add flour, a little at a time, to form a soft dough. Empty dough onto floured counter and knead about 30 times until smooth and elastic, adding flour as needed.

Place dough in a large greased bowl and allow to rise for 1 hour.

Preheat griddle to or skillet to medium-high heat (about 375 degrees F).

Divide dough into 12 equal pieces and then roll out to be a little thinner than a pancake.

Place 2-3 pieces on griddle and flip after 1-2 minutes (or until dough bubbles and underside is browned). Brush the cooked side with butter while the other side cooks for 1 more minute. Remove from griddle and brush with butter (sprinkle with garlic salt if desired). Repeat with the rest of the dough.

Ellie's Trip to California (Part 1) - Coronado, Skateboards and Burgers

Ellie, Kohlton and Brandon came home from her trip to California on Monday.

She had a grand time relaxing at various beaches, at the hotel and at oceanside parks. They are not old enough to rent a car, so they made their way around on buses, trolleys, skateboards and by walking.

Their hotel was near an In-n-Out Burger and I think they consumed a ridiculous amount of burgers and fries while they were there.

They spent a good bit of time on Coronado. It has such a lovely beach.

We asked them to be sure to include themselves in some of the photos.

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Road Trip ~ A Photo Recap

The day after Christmas the kids left on a road trip together, just the two of them. They had been dreaming and talking about such an adventure for many years. I am thrilled that the time was right for them to go on the adventure. I will admit that it was a bit scary to send both of them off together without an adult. I was not worried about them. My son is a safe driver. But other people, other crazy drivers, were my concern. Here's a glimpse at what their trip was like:

They headed south out of Colorado, going over Wolf Creek Pass.

They made it all the way to the Moki Dugay in Utah. It was a cold, dark night and they attempted to sleep in the car. I don't think it was very successful. I think the low that night was something around 7 degrees.

I would imagine that the amazing sunrise in the vista made it a worth first adventure. They hit the road pretty quickly. They were aiming for San Diego.

They stopped from time to time for a few interesting sites.

Ellie did most of the navigating. They would drive for as long as they could.

That second night they camped in Needles, a park just over the Arizona border in California. It was a much nicer night with the low being near 43 degrees. They even set up the tent and had a fire.

That day they finally made it into San Diego. They spent time on the coastal highway, located their hotel and went to the beach, finding it colder than they had expected, they had a relaxing night in.

They spent more time on the beach the next day. They also met a friend for lunch at a place in La Hoya and enjoyed fish tacos.

I think they enjoyed it, but they seem to like living in Colorado best.

All too soon they had to head back home in order to be back for New Year's Eve.

It was a whirlwind road trip; one they are glad they did together.

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This evening we are enjoying a bit of homemade alfredo sauce on noodles:

Alfredo Sauce with Garlic

1 pound dried Fettuccine Pasta
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 tbl. Garlic, minced
1 cup Heavy Cream (I used milk)
2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese
(2 TBL Milk + 1/2 tea Corn Starch, for thickening, if needed)
1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
salt

Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, reserve 1/2 cup pasta water.

While the pasta is cooking, melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add in garlic and cook until garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute.

Stir in 1/2 of the cheese and cook just until it starts to melt. Stir in 1/2 of the cream and whisk until the cheese melts. If it looks like it will be too thin, stir the corn starch into the cold milk in a cup. Once it is well combined, pout this into the hot sauce and stir for a few minutes, until the sauce has thickened. Add in remaining cheese and cream. Continue whisking until smooth. Add pepper and parsley. If sauce appears to thick, thin with a little of the reserved pasta water.

Add hot pasta and toss to coat. Add salt if needed. Serve immediately.