My very own personal assistant

Has anyone heard about Sandy?

If you're like me, and would love to have a personal secretary, personal assistant, executive assistant or whatever you'd like to call the person that takes your appointments and makes sure you get your reminders and all, then you might want to check out http://iwantsandy.com/.

I can actually email her, or text her, even Twitter her, and she'll remember things for me and then send me reminders when I need them! I think I might be in love... (but don't tell Sara! Though I hear it's much harder to have an affair with electrons... ;)

Great news!!!

     The house is up!!! Doug first called me when they were across the way, up the hill, over the highway, but able to see that their house stood! It didn't look blackened, the car didn't look black - but they had to wait for W. to leave the area before it would be opened to them.
     Well, once the Pres was gone, they were able to get up close, and the house is intact! The yard is destroyed, fences burned, one tree was cut down, the treehouse lost a leg, but the house seems fine. They are extremely fortunate, as the house next door was burned to the ground, and 7 of the 13 houses on the block had some sort of serious damage or total loss.
     It's amazing to think that half of your neighbors had some slight difference in luck - what was the thing that spared one while condemning another? Doug said he pictured the opening scene to Forrest Gump - following the feather as it flits around blown by unfelt gusts of wind - and that had an ember blown slightly differently, perhaps it might have lit upon their roof and they wouldn't have been so lucky.
     We're just so relieved, thankful, happy, {insert your adjective here} that the family is safe and that they can start to return home!

San Diego Update 10/25

     They haven't been able to get up to the house yet to see for themselves, but hope that they can today. Apparently they are allowing limited access for medical needs, and they hope they can get up there for some things for Grandma.
     In the meantime, they are keeping busy looking for places to eat, and watching the news for... well, news. Some of the local businesses are open, but many are operating on reduced staff, since so many people have been displaced.
     It sounds like Ada and the kids were able to visit some of the cousins, so I hope they were able to have some fun amidst the upheaval. Here's to continued hope that the house is perfectly fine!

San Diego Siddalls

     Family and Friends, thanks for checking in. I've spoken with Doug and Grandma a couple of times today, and wanted to let everyone know what they've told me. In short, the news so far is as good as it can be when you've been evacuated from your home.
     The family is holed up not in Qualcomm stadium with the rest of the city, but managed through a serendipitous connection to move up to a Marine Corps barracks - so they actually have a room with two twin beds and a twin mattress for the floor! I'm guessing that it's pretty cozy with all five, plus the dog...
     Doug was not able to get up and check on the house personally, but a city councilman had some staff walk the neighborhood and create a list of houses that had been damaged. Their house is NOT on the list, which is good, though keep all your prayers going until they've had a chance to confirm it for themselves. Hopefully tomorrow he'll be allowed to go take a look.
     If Doug provides me any additional updates, I'll post them here - and feel free to make comments - I'll relay anything either direction! And may everyone come home, safe and healthy.

Summer Recipes

A couple of you have asked for some recipes from the BBQ - bon appetit!

Dun Rub

• 1 tbsp whole black peppercorns
• 1 tbsp salt (kosher or sea)
• 1/2 tsp celery seed
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• Dash nutmeg and/or cinnamon
• 1/4 cup brown sugar (firmly packed)

Grind peppercorns, salt and celery seed with mortar and pestle until pepper is well broken, but still with some larger pieces for character. Add all remaining ingredients except for brown sugar and lightly stir with pestle to mix thoroughly. Add brown sugar and mix well, removing any lumps with the pestle.
Sprinkle generous helping of rub on both sides of meat, pressing or rubbing in firmly. Allow to sit 15 to 30 minutes (perfect for bringing your steak to room temperature!). Grill a 1-inch steak on a HOT grill for 4 minutes a side for a perfect medium rare.
Rub can be stored in an airtight container for a few weeks. For a spicier rub, 1/2 tsp paprika (or more), or use hot chili powder, or add a dash of cayenne. For a sweeter rub, add an extra tbsp of brown sugar. If you don't have a mortar and pestle, use ground pepper and just mix ingredients well.

Famous Salad

• Wash, rinse and dry (salad spinner!) mixed greens.
• Add your fresh fruit of choice (whole or cut strawberries, mandarin orange slices, blueberries, raspberries…).
• Add candied walnuts (recipe below).
• Drizzle tableside or toss with sweet vinaigrette (recipe below).

Candied walnuts (almonds work nicely too)

• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup walnuts

Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan over high heat. Stir until sugar is dissolved and heat until a syrup is formed.

• For a clear, liquid glaze, remove from heat while syrup is still thin and toss walnuts to cover. Remove nuts from remaining syrup and allow glaze to cool.
• For a frosted look, add walnuts and stir when syrup forms large popping bubbles while boiling. Keep stirring until sugar has frosted on all the nuts.
• For nut brittle, heat syrup until just beginning to darken in color, quickly stir in half the walnuts and pour onto aluminum foil to harden. Break brittle after it has cooled.

Sweet vinaigrette It's not an exact science, but here's what I do:

• About 1/3 cup of olive oil
• About 1/4 cup of your choice of vinegar (I used the red wine kind on the 4th)
• About 1/4 cup of brown sugar (though this is usually less)

Whisk 'em all together and taste it.

• Too oily, add vinegar.
• Too sour, add sugar.
• Too sweet, add oil and vinegar (which is why I start light on the sugar so I don't ever have to do this step).

Kept airtight in the frig, it'll keep a week, maybe two. (I've kept it even longer...)

Some Re-arrangement

For anyone interested in updates on Sara, please check her blog (if you need the address, ask me). For the HouseSitters, you should have an email with the new blog address - and if you need it again, just let me know! The rest of this place is still undergoing some re-design, and you'll see more later...