Tomatoes with Mozzarella and Basil

2 large heirloom tomatoes, sliced
1 fresh mozzarella cheese ball, sliced
5 fresh basil leaves, cut into strips
olive oil
pinch kosher salt
fresh cracked pepper

Arrange the sliced tomatoes and mozzarella on a plate. Sprinkle basil over them. Drizzle with olive oil and add salt and pepper to taste.

Very easy and delicious!

Today is the last official day of my summer break. I did some fun things today. A friend and I did the downtown tourist thing that most locals in our town don't do. It was fun walking into the many shops that abound here. We had lunch at Vinny's. Something I rarely have a chance to do because Steve and I usually like to cook ourselves and lunch... well, that for other types of employment. If I'm lucky, I will get 20 minutes for lunch. Usually, it's between 10 and 15. But... we won't go there.

I am excited about starting a new school year with a new group of students to work with. I love the smell of school, of new books and of pencil shavings.

I realize too that 10 years ago this semester, I went back to school to get my teaching certificate. I look at the timing of going back to school as a good sign. 10 years ago, I did not have a job and we had tuition to pay, we made it back then. I guess we can do it again!

Thank you, Steve for all the support and encouragement.

Kropek

Box of shrimp crackers
hot oil

Fry shrimp crackers a little at a time.
Eat.

A year ago today, I was cajoled by my sister, Chesca to start a blog. Today is my one year anniversary and I am celebrating it by writing a short one.

I have been making the most of my last two days before the beginning of the new school year. Actually, I am running the errands I would normally save for the weekend because by the time I get home from school, establishments like the bank and post office are closed.I went to lunch and had the most delicious chicken salad sandwich. It had cranberries and mesclun lettuce with it.
I have enrolled for graduate school online and made arrangements for orientation and registration. I am actually biting the bullet and attempting to finish graduate school. It is an expensive endeavor as there are no public universities or colleges in our small tri-state area. I hope I can handle the work load of teaching school, going to school, and Bryan's senior year school activities. As well as paying that blankety-blank tuition bill! I'll keep you posted...

Sticky Rice with Mango

2 cups sticky rice, soaked overnight
2 cups coconut cream
1 cup sugar
pinch salt
2 mangoes, sliced into strips
sesame seeds, toasted

Steam rice for 15 minutes. Mix coconut cream and sugar until dissolved.
Stir half of the mixture into the sticky rice.
Scoop rice mixture onto dishes and top with sliced mangoes.
Garnish with sesame seeds.
Serve remaining coconut sauce on the side.
Makes 4.

Steve and I have just returned from a visit to one of our favorite places in the world. The Bay Area. Eight days of a break from the Midwestern heat, visiting with college friends some,we had not seen in almost 30 years, and spending the final days of our stay with Teddy and Gigi.

The only hiccup in our plans was the difficulty we experienced with airlines but I won't go into that. Needless to say, travelers these days experience a variety of situations related to getting to where they have to go.

Our stay in Salinas was filled with multicultural meals. Mexican, Korean, Vietnamese, Thai, and seafood. Hey, we were by the water, we HAD to have seafood. Reacquainting ourselves with Raja and Deanne ,who generously housed us during our stay, seeing Stella and getting to know her son, and of course,Carol, who has come to Galena to visit and naturally, it was good to see her. Of course, we thought of Liz and Charlie who were unable to join us due to family emergencies.

Our visit with our UP friends started out with shopping in Gilroy (the garlic capital- yes, the smell of garlic permeates all over). We even got to eat garlic ice cream; which was very good. Raja took us to Point Lobos and we walked along the coastal bluffs. Saw all sorts of sea and bird life. Then on to San Juan Bautista Mission. It had this wonderful old church that smelled like the churches in the Philippines when we were growing up. Some of the tiles on the floor had footprints of animals that had stepped in it when the tiles were formed all those years ago. The flowers in the gardens were beautiful and the cemetery in the back was intriguing. Along the back of this mission runs the San Andreas Fault.We also spend a whole day at the Monterey Aquarium. We saw all the various feedings throughout the day. We also observed Samuel (Stella's 11 year old son) enjoy his first scuba diving lesson in the tidal pool.

Raja graciously took us back to San Mateo so Steve and I could resume our visit with Teddy and Gigi.We had actually started out with them and Teddy (and Gigi) drove us to Gilroy. They took us around Half Moon Bay and there, I sat on the beach for maybe five minutes. (It was cold.)Then, we walked along very high cliffs overlooking the ocean where the trees are bent permanently in the direction of the wind. That was really cool.Gigi drove us to Pescadero, a small town they like very much. I liked it too with its off the beaten path feeling.
We took the train in to San Francisco and had a to-die-for meal of dimsum in Chinatown. I still dream of the shrimp dimsum. Chinatown was filled with people going about their daily lives. If I didn't know better, I would have thought we were in Hong Kong or China.
Our last night, Gigi cooked a delicious homemade soup along with a dish she created with orange chicken. Stephen Labrador joined us and we talked to Chesca via computer video.

Teddy, Gigi, and Steve had to test their patience while they waited for me to get some major dental work out of the way too. Thanks, Jit. I won't go into it. All I will say is: my lower teeth are beautiful!

On our last afternoon, Gigi took me to see her school. I think she and I were mentally preparing ourselves for school to start. Granted we work with different aged students, yet the mental preparation is the same for many of us educators. Her school has a lot of green space, something our school lacks partly because of our northern climate. Her classroom is large and open with lots of counter and storage space (is the grass greener on the other side?)I got to meet the librarians and one of the teachers she collaborates with. It was nice getting to see a California school.

Steve and I arrived back home to find our house still standing. Our son (left alone for the first time as a teenager) unharmed and unhurt from football. He had strong support people to rely on while we were gone.

California is lovely and I think I could live there if I could have a garden. In the mean time, I'll keep gardening where I am. Ok, I'll teach too.