Shrimp Curry Recipe

Yes, I know, I should be writing about a month in Italy, but that requires sorting through pictures from 3 cameras, three phones and one iPad...a rather herculean task. So, instead, I will share tonight's dinner. Actually, I am doing this so that I know what I did, where to find it and try to replicate it someday. It really was quite good as attested to by Ken and Casey.

Unfortunately, true to form, I forgot to take pictures. When one is hungry and the aroma of food is overwhelming, who thinks of a camera?

SHRIMP CURRY RECIPE
This is a mishmash of several recipes. It was quite tasty.

1 14oz can coconut milk
4-5 tablespoons red curry paste (entire 4 oz. jar)
Julienned carrot
Julienned red pepper (however much)
Potato cut into small cubes
Sugar snap peas
Thin sliced onion
1 cup chicken broth (more or less)
2 tbls Asian fish sauce
2-3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 or so tablespoons Thai basil (if you have it)
Chopped cilantro
Shrimp (small shelled, deveined)
However much you prefer: hot chili oil, siracha, red pepper flakes.

So, this is what I did:

1. Heat up small amount of the coconut milk in a skillet
2. Add the red chili paste and heat for a couple- three minutes
3. Put in the veggies, stir to cover with paste and cook for a few minutes...stirring
some
4. Add rest of coconut milk and cook for a few minutes until veggies are the way you
like
5. Add shrimp, broth, fish sauce and brown sugar. Cook until shrimp is ready.
6. Stir in cilantro, thai basil and a dash or two of lime juice

Serve with jasmine rice.

As usual, no picture.



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Lemon and Tarragon Chicken

A couple days ago I was sitting in Scratch's chair while helping Casey with his physics--well, more like encouraging him as I know zip about physics. This is Scratch, our beloved, spoiled puggle.


As his chair is next to our floor to ceiling bookcase in my office, I perused some of the books on the bottom shelf and noticed a put out to pasture cook book..."Simply Italian" by Valentina Harris, a descendant of the Renaissance Sforsa family.

Flipping through the pages, while feigning an interest in physics, I saw a beautiful photo of a chicken dish. Normally, I flip right past chicken but this looked good. So, yesterday, I made it and tonight we had left overs. It was very good last night and even better tonight. Yummy good.

Lemon and Tarragon Chicken

25 g. (1oz.) unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
6 chicken joints
Salt and freshly milled pepper
250 ml (8 fl. oz) chicken stock
3 egg yolks
Juice and grated zest of one lemon
About 10 tarragon leaves, chopped

Heat the butter and olive oil together in a deep pan, then seal the chicken joints quickly in the hot fat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then cover with the stock...(I put in extra stock.). Turn the heat down, cover with a lid and simmer gently for about 45 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. (Think I did somewhat longer.)

Take the chicken out of the pan and arrange on a warm platter. Raise the heat under the pan and beat the egg yolks and lemon juice and zest into the remaining juices with a whisk. Pour this over the chicken and sprinkle with the tarragon (which really adds to the flavor.) Serve at once.
Serves 6

I used peeled boiled potatoes the first night and rice the next night. Both were good with the gravy poured over.

This is so simple but so good. Enjoy.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Costa Rica--Tortuguero Part 2--The End

Well, have been back from Costa Rica for  6 weeks and am now getting around to finishing blogging it.  Last night Ken asked if I had finished writing which was quite remarkable as I usually have to nag him into reading it.  I think this summer I may break down and blog while traveling--maybe or maybe not. Most likely not.

So, our time in Costa Rica ended in a taste of paradise--nature untrammeled by civilization and people.  In some ways reminiscent of the Galapagos but even though it is awesomely beautiful it is not as totally pure or as breathtaking as the innocence of the wildlife there. Our Galapagos Trip

Leaving our lodge we headed down the relatively wide Tortuguero River leading to the Tortuguero National Park. In the park, the river narrows with byways and small offshots that Ferdinando, our guide, expertly navigated, going deeper and deeper into the forest. We were surrounded by the calls of the wild--birds and mammals. It seemed as if we were often exploring little creeks with beautiful toucans floating above the jungle tops.

 

Galapagos

Costa Rica

The trees hid    colorful iguanas (quite different from those in the Galapagos)-- hidden that is until  one fell off its  perch, splashing  loudly in the water,  barely missing a very startled Casey.


We heard monkeys carrying on extended conversations as they called to each other across trees. At some point in the conversations, one would decide to jump from limb to limb, tree to tree--sometimes through the air from one river bank to the other. It was truly awesome to be in the center of this everyday life. Watching the incredible acrobatics and gymnastics became a ballet and dance form--far different from the theatrics of the Olympics. Casey, the ever patient photographer, waited for this shot, poised to press the shutter at just the right moment. Magic!

On the way back to the lodge, Ferdinando treated us to a detour to the Caribbean coast. With engines revved, we rushed along the coastline with the spray of salt water hitting us. It was fun.

That night we had another moment of magic. When we entered the open air dining area, the young woman said "Please come with me. We have a special place for you tonight." Not having a clue as to why or what was happening, we followed her to the small picturesque thatched roofed area overlooking the pool. Gas lamps and torches and candles lit the circle. There was just one table, beautifully set. We were led to it by the young man in black who became our private waiter. A large barbecue was set up next to a table spread with huge amounts of beautiful meats, vegetables fruits and breads. The lodge's chef was there cooking and preparing a most sumptuous banquet--just for us. There were beef, pork and shrimp shish kabobs, corn on the cob, several vegetables dishes, mangoes, strawberries and watermelon. To say we were stunned would be an understatement. Now we truly were on Fantasy Island. We were there 4 nights and never saw other guests receive this treatment.  Even now as I write, it seems very dreamlike. Certainly it is indelibly etched on our minds, never to be forgotten.

After dinner, Casey retrieved the guitar hanging in the guest lounge and played for Ken and I as we sipped our espresso and savored the very special evening we had spent together.

The next morning after a leisurely breakfast, we packed up for the last time and waited for the little air chariot to take us back to San Jose and our flight home. The staff lined up once again to wave good bye and wish us a return.

 As Casey said, "the hard part of traveling is the going home." I think he has the bug.

Casey the co-pilot. 

Episode 4--Costa Rica--Tortuguero

Well, yes, it is taking a while to complete this adventure. Just chalk it up to a.) being busy, b.) being lazy, c.) out-of-town, d.) other priorities, or e.) whatever. They all have the ring of truth to them. Life has a way of moving on often without much explanation.

So, on to Tortuguero--probably my favorite part of another wonderful adventure--not that the other parts lagged in the wonderful department. It was all good.


Tortuguero is on the Caribbean side of Costa Rica and as such has a strong Afro-Caribbean heritage and presence in its food, its people, its life-style. It is significantly different from our other two destinations. In common with Arenal and Monteverde, though, is its exquisite beauty and nature that still remains unspoiled, providing a refuge for animals and birds of thousands of species. Because the Caribbean side and Tortuguero are much less accessible than other areas of Costa Rica it is less well-known or traveled. You feel as if you are in a special place--lucky to be there. There is a peace--a quiet solitude. It is a place where you wish for one more day--no matter how many you had. Good memories but bitter sweet.


We arrived by plane--a small plane, but at least one not held together by duct tape, as was the one in the Amazon. When the plane lands, on a little dirt strip and you see the river in front of you and the Tortuga Lodge across the river, the word "paradise" floats in the air. And then...the little water boat whisks you across the river where the staff is lined up welcoming you with fresh drinks and warm smiles and leads you to your open air table because it is lunch time. It was like being in a time lapse movie where we coud hear Tattoo announcing "ze plane, ze plane." Really there was something quite magical and other worldly about it. In many ways it reminded me of the Amazon Rain Forest, set in waterways--rivers and off-shoots, quite different from Arenal and Monteverde which were mountains and land.

After lunch and settling into our rooms, we wandered the breathtaking grounds, ran into a crocodile, listened to birds and monkeys chattering and luxuriated in our surroundings--far from bustle and hustle of the world that was somewhere far away.

We kept our distance from this guy (or gal, whatever.)

Look Closely Here--What Do You Find?

And then, before dinner, we went on a twilight nature hike which was pretty much a nightmare of momentarily huge proportions. The first unregistered clue was when we were told to don the lodge's knee high boots as our hiking boots would not be sufficient. Fortunately, I grabbed a walking stick which, along with the guide who held me up most of the way, keep me upright. 

Twilight was a misnomer--we were in the middle of the jungle and it was dark, very dark. What we had not been told was that along with being a jungle, it was a swamp--one that had just experienced two days of heavy rain. Between the two inches of water and the slimy, gooey, slurpy mud under the water, the boots were sucked up to about mid-calf with each step. And, they wanted to stay stuck! Pulling them out seriously impeded balance and falling into the mess was a most frightening thought. Thank goodness for young, strapping Juan whom I clung to like syran wrap. Needless to say, wildlife viewing was far from my thoughts; although we did see the occasional poisonous frog. Unquestionably, we had a very abbreviated hike. I should add, not surprisingly, Casey loved it and would have kept going; except, you would not want to be there without a guide. Becoming lost was a certainty. Returning not so certain.

A glass of wine with dinner never tasted so good! Time to relax and be thankful for the experience and even more thankful that it was over. Slept well that night.

Tortuguero is where the sea turtles come to nest and lay eggs each year but not at the time we were there which was disappointing but OK. There is so much more to see and do. All done by boat as there are no vehicles in Tortuguero--just boats in the waterways and bicycles in the postage stamp village down river. 

Ferdinando was our guide along the quiet river and canals of the jungle. Like safari guides, he could spot wildlife where we saw none. He could hear a muted sound and know what it was and where to look. He taught Casey many things and soon Casey often spotted things before Ferdinando. Casey may have a future with animals and wildlife as it seems to be an interest that helps define who he is.

A few glimpses of what is Tortuguero water ways.

And...will close for now and pick this up again tomorrow. I like to keep posts short so that they don't impinge on your time..after all you have more to do than read blogs--at least, I sure hope so.

Still a little left on Tortuguero, some final thoughts on Costa Rica and finally, the all time great picture taken by master photographer, Casey. All of this coming soon. 

Costa Rica Episode 3--Monteverde Cloud Forest

After a leisurely breakfast and preparations to leave Arenal and the beautiful Lost Iguana, we were picked up and taken to Lake Arenal which was just a couple minutes away--we had passed it numerous times on our excursions. A private boat and boat captain took us across the lake to the very muddy, very wet, very rustic landing place where a driver and van awaited us for the drive to Monteverde. Up until this point, we really had wondered why friends and family warned us of the mind and body numbing roads in Costa Rica. Yes, some had been a little rough but nothing to write home about. Within 30 seconds of this ride, we knew. This ride was to make the white-roads of Italy pale by comparison. There were ruts, holes-big holes, rocks, boulders and more for the next 2 hours or maybe it was 3--at the time I would have said 24. Additionally, as we went up the drop became steeper and steeper. We were thankful for a driver who clearly had made this trip many, many times and knew each boulder and hole. This was clearly more rugged territory than the more developed Arenal area. The reality is this just gave us one more colorful memory and experience; after all, we have enough freeways at home.

Finally we arrived in the town of Monteverde which is composed of restaurants, souvenir shops, excursions/tour/activity businesses, a couple banks (which was good as we needed an ATM to replenish our colónes which were about 500 to a dollar) and a very good ice cream place. Monteverde developed as a tourist area much later than Arenal and so lacks some of the rush and bustle which, truthfully, is really quite nice. It is still pretty rustic, simple  and laid back with wooden sidewalks and sometimes dusty window displays. Certainly not the nightlife that Arenal has, in which we did not participate.

We were immediately taken to our lodging the Monteverde Lodge and Gardens which architecturally is really at one with the surrounding foliage and forest. It is a mountain lodge not a glitzy hotel. At first we found ourselves comparing it with the beauty of the Lost Iguana and the lovely, large, well-appointed room we had there but we soon reminded ourselves of the difference between a resort and a lodge. The room here was rather cramped quarters for 3 people. Perhaps there were larger rooms which would have been nice. Since Casey is now man-size, we three trip over each other easily.

With that said, we did enjoy it here. The staff was helpful and accommodating--doing such things as drying our rather wet outer garments when we returned from the rather wet cloud forest. The restaurant was good and the wait staff was professional, warm and very nice.

The first night we went for a twilight, read dark, wildlife hike in the adjoining forest. Our guide was totally outstanding who, like safari guides, saw things we would never have spotted. At first I was a little concerned because Casey does not call me "queen of klutz" for nothing. There were up and down stairs and paths--some steep, reminding me that I should have listened to Ken when he told me I should exercise to get ready for this trip. Paths were slippery with wet leaves. But, in spite of these conditions, we were told not to grab any tree or foliage to steady ourselves as there might well be snakes entwined on them. This wasn't the most welcome of warnings! I did use a walking stick for the first time in my life and found that it worked wonderfully well and provided a refreshing degree of confidence and stability. The rest of the trip I used one on our hikes.

We saw several animals, sleeping birds, tarantulas, spiders, puma tracks and, I am sure, things I have forgotten. I had not known that birds perch on a limb and go to sleep for the night until dawn. We saw several doing this. It was a good walk. Dinner was in the lodge that night.

And...here is one. In bed for the night. Cute, isn't he or she?

The next day was a trip to the cloud forest in the morning. Cloud forests are higher in elevation than rain forest; however, just as wet. We actually did not see very much on this outing. Everything was in hiding. There was a tarantula or two, some birds and a millipede but that was about it--no animal life.

All and all, it was rather a dud except the forest is lush and gorgeous--sort of like nature's temple. 

That afternoon we went to a hummingbird gallery which basically was a place that had many feeders with sugar water to which humming birds flock. They were beautiful and there were a lot of them but it just seemed contrived with all the feeders.

Trio

Sofia

And, this was December 31--New Year's Eve. Not much was happening in town--in fact, I think nothing. The Lodge did have a special menu but it was turkey which didn't appeal to us. So, we went to Sofia which was recommended by the lodge. This was a very nice restaurant with an upscale menu which surprised us. It turns out that Sofia and Trio, where we ate the next night, are owned by a woman from the US who has restaurants here. The menus reflect some creative sophistication along with an acceptable wine list. We enjoyed both places.

Our last day in Monteverde, Ken and I toured the Don Juan Coffee and Chocolate Plantation while Casey had much more fun horsebacking riding. Somehow learning the ins and outs of all you ever wanted to know about coffee growing did not seem what a 14 year old would enjoy. The truth is that Ken and I didn't find it all that interesting either. I think we should have joined Casey even though I am quite certain my anatomy would feel the pain afterwards. Looking at this picture, it seems as if Casey could have used a larger animal but we weren't there so maybe they were all this size. All I know is that he had a great time, didn't fall off and said they went at a pretty good clip. He was happy.

In the afternoon we did go somewhere that we all found interesting--The Bat Jungle--which I know sounds creepy. But, it actually was very interesting in that the guy that took us around really likes bats, has studied them extensively and shares a wealth of knowledge about bats world wide. I was a little worried when they took us into the cave that bats would be flying around and into us but, happily, there was a glass wall between us and them which suited me just fine. The bat guy did go in and feed them and made himself at home and seemed to be pretty much left alone. Actually, contrary to my feelings about the coffee planation and the hummingbird garden, I would recommend going here.

The next morning we were picked up early for a three hour ride back to San Jose where we went to a small airfield and boarded our private chariot plane which took us to Tortuguero--which we all loved. Think of Fantasy Island and "zee plane, zee plane" if you are old enough to know.

This was actually bigger than the plane we had in Kenya and not held together with duct tape as was the plane in the Amazon rain forest--which was larger. Forgetting to pray is not an option on these adventures.

Costa Rica, Episode 2--Arenal

About this whole episode thing....blame it on Downton Abbey, of which I was not even aware for its first two years. Soap operas in any form, even sophisticated PBS imports from the BBC, always seemed that they would be a little tawdry and appealing to our baser natures (not that I ever watched one to see how wrong I could be)--besides, waiting from one week to another for the next "episode" seemed much too suspenseful. Of course, I did do Mad Men for a while which definitely was tawdry. Anyway, it seems that Downton Abbey has become a craze in many sectors, not least of all among my friends. So....firing up Netflix, I watched Season 1, Episode 1 as it was clear that season 3 could not begin in a vacuum. That happened last week and now I am on episode 6 of season 2, with the VCR recording season 3; tawdry has been replaced by high intellectual value.


So, in keeping with my new addiction, this is Episode 2 of the Grand Costa Rica Christmas adventure, taking place in Arenal, home of the elusive Arenal volcano. This is what we saw of the volcano as we arrived at our lodging. Shortly there after, it disappeared into the mist and rain for the next 4 days. I believe it reappeared shortly after we left.

Beginning shortly after our arrival, the rains began--torrential, deafening, wet rains, night and day. In between the heavens emptying, there were light rains and misting--but keeping the motif of wet. We  never were reduced to lowly sprinkles. But..never fear, we did not travel all this way to be intimidated or have our plans derailed. We carried on in true Downton Abbey fashion.  Fortunately, it was not cold and beauty surrounded us, lifting our souls.

About our accommodations, suffice it to say they were lovely. A very large room--very large--with a balcony spa and a straight-on view of the volcano--or what should have been a view. The grounds were tropical with birds, monkeys and other scurrying wildlife. Because the Lost Iguana is quite a distance from the town of La Fortuna, we had our meals there (except for lunch when we were almost always away). Glad to say the food was quite good. The rooms are scattered through out the property and so golf card pick up service was available when needed--like when the skies opened up and it was dinner time.

OK--what did we do? Well, adventure #1 was white water rafting. When we first began working with Costa Rica Expeditions, Gustavo our agent, scheduled us for level 5 rapids which did not seem like such a good idea to me, a total novice. He seemed to agree once I explained this so we settled on level 2 and 3 rapids on a different river--the Sarapiqui.  I can tell you that it was amazing fun even when the rain came down so hard that it was truly impossible to see. The best part of this was that it made the rapids even more exciting and we certainly could not get any wetter.   

Above is our raft group. The guy in blue is Enzo our guide. See if you can spot us in the other two pictures? The paddles are lifted in the air as we shout Pura Vida after successfully conquering each rapid, and, I am pleased to report, I did not fall into the river, needing to be rescued by the kayak guy. Although, my body of ancient years did know it had had a workout which gave cause for a leisurely, wonderful massage in the late afternoon.

Oh yeah, you may wonder how we took such wonderful pictures of our adventure; well, clearly we didn't. I am not sure how they happened but it seems that there is this magician man who jumps from location to location along the river taking photos--quite difficult to picture. As we were all having lunch with our guide after the rafting, this guy sat down, opened his computer and showed us 35 amazing pictures of our trip down the rapids. Of course, we bought the cd just to have some pictures to show you.

The next day came the activity which had caused me the most apprehension--zip lining. However, as friends had assured me, this is really super easy and an incredibly memorable experience. Check this link to get a pretty good idea of what it was Sky Trek. The first line (well, the first real line as there are 2 baby ones so you can make sure you want to continue) started in the rain forest but within a couple seconds I was sailing through the air, looking down into a deep, really deep, chasm--quite an adrenalin rush. One line was 700 meters, allowing a fantastic view of the surrounding forest and Lake Arenal. I was so ready to start over when finished--except it is not a cheap activity. And...to prove that I am not a vain woman always needing to be beautiful...here I am fearlessly jumping into the unknown. See, I did do it.

Our third major activity (there were smaller ones), was Caño Negro Wild Life Refuge, a 2 1/2 hour drive but well, well worth it--beginning with it being warm and sunny, rather than wet and rainy. This tour is on the river right along the Nicaraguan border. Here we had a leisurely boat trip down the river, spotting all kinds of wild life along the way---birds, colorful male iguanas and their dull, brown females, caiman, birds, monkeys, birds, lizards, horses, cows, sloths and birds--and, I am undoubtedly forgetting something. We liked this excursion a lot and highly recommend it. It was one of the best wildlife viewing places we were as when in the rain and cloud forests, it is actually difficult to see many things other than frogs, spiders and some birds--at least that was our experience.

After lunch, we took a quick 5 minutes detour to the Nicaraguan border but, with security guards ever busy eye, we thought it probably wise not to pass by the barbed wire. Zendar, our very good guide, quite agreed.

So, these are the highlights of Arenal. We loved everything here--even the rain. If you decide to go,  be sure to consider The Lost Iguana Lodge. It's only drawback is its distance to the town of La Fortuna if you are wanting nightlife, shopping, etc We were quite content to stick to nature.

Next up: Episode 3--Monteverde, bats, cloud forest (as opposed to rain forest,) and coffee.

Another Christmas Adventure--Costa Rica

It seems that Christmas has become a time for us to explore unknown places--that is, unknown to us. Last year it was historical, tumultuous, mysterious, revolution prone Egypt and Jordan--camel riding, pyramid climbing, temples and tombs. This year we chose beautiful, lush, nature at its best Costa Rica--rain forests, cloud forests, rivers, canals, rafting and ziplining. Very different places but both quite wonderful. The greatest joy of these trips, though, is the fun we have together and the memories that are forged and created for all of us but most particularly for Casey to carry with him through life. We are lucky that a 14 year old enjoys doing these things with his parents, so often this is not the case with teenagers. God blesses us.

Zip Lining

At one time, I would blog in real time as we experienced things; however, I find myself now choosing to use down time differently--reading a book, contemplating, lounging and watching life, maybe being ambitious enough to organize pictures from 3 cameras. I choose not to find time has disappeared in front of an iPad screen. With the journal that photos create, it is not too difficult to reconstruct when we get home. Plus, there is the added benefit of reliving the experience when writing and gazing into 600 visual records. Of course, it does take longer to write this way as pictures such as the one above cause me to reflect, remember and appreciate that moment we had. Such good memories.

As always, living on the west coast entails longer travel times than our east coast friends have..unless we are going to places like Hawaii, China and Japan. This time it was San Diego, Houston, San Jose (Costa Rica, that is.) We left Christmas morning as we wanted to have Christmas Eve with son Jeff, who then graciously took us to the airport as we abandoned him on Christmas day. We did make sure he had a few thousand piece Lego to keep him busy that day. No Christmas is complete for him without a Lego even though he is quite a grown man. 

We arrived in Costa Rica at 9:30 pm where we were met by a representative from Costa Rica Expeditions, whom I highly recommend when you decide to cross this country off your bucket list. After a short night of sleep, we were retrieved at 7:30 am to begin our acquaintance with sloths, toucans, monkeys, iguanas, crocodiles, caiman and at least 500,000 different birds. Casey was in his glory and now can give you the name of each of these birds. He and wildlife click.

Our first stop was La Paz Waterfall Gardens which had been recommended to me by friend Liz, an even more intrepid traveler than I. She is the one who gurued us re. Egypt and Jordan.  I knew if she approved of La Paz it was an OK side excursion before the real adventure began. La Paz is an animal sanctuary for rescued wild life which have been illegal pets or hurt in the wild. And, although the animals are penned, it is a way to see some of the elusive wildlife up close and personal. There are also wonderful butterfly and frog exhibits, ocelots, pumas, sloths and birds, of course. As in all of Costa Rica the foliage is lush, green and junglesque. There is a hike to and from the exquisite waterfalls but the trek is well worth the effort and, fortunately for me who is rather non-agile (read clumsy) at times, a wooden handrail to grasp.

   

We spent 3 or so hours here, including having a typical Costa Rican lunch of meats, rice and beans and wonderful fresh fruit, before heading off to our first destination, Arenal.


Our driver Doña Irma and our guide Gustavo were delightful. Driving in Costa Rica is not like driving in San Diego-which may or may not be a blessing; however, we were glad for Doña Irma's skills as some of the roads are a little challenging. It took three or so hours through coffee fields, mango groves and countryside to get to our lodge in Arenal, The Lost Iguana which was all that the website promised--beautiful, relaxing, wonderful service and a full view of the volcano...except we only saw part of it the first day and from them on it disappeared into the rain and mist. Although this was the "dry" season, as with much of the world these days, the climate is turned upside down. We had torrential rains almost our entire 4 day stay in Arenal. But...never fear....we didn't let water stop us and so we did all we planned...zip lining, white water rafting (after all rain couldn't make us any wetter than the rapids), hiking and more. All of this will be dutifully reported in episode 2 of the Costa Rica Adventure.

Our one and only view of the volcano  

More to come