Glen Ivy and Mud!

Headed with my girls to Glen Ivy for a relaxing day of sun and MUD!

Formerly called Temescal Sulphur Springs in the 1860's,

it wasn't until the late 1880's that it was known as Glen Ivy Hot Springs.

Glen Ivy got its name for the wild grape ivy growing in Coldwater Canyon.

The original owners were from England where the word

"glen" is synomyous with "canyon".  "Glen" "Ivy" - there you go!

Glen Ivy Hot Springs has been around for over 150 years.

It was originally a bumpy day-long trip from Los Angeles by a horse

drawn wagon (later by Model T!!) to experience the healing

waters of its natural hot springs.  Back then it included a hotel.

Here we are present day.

Nestled up against a mountain range, it is truly an oasis!

It boasts sulphur pools, jacuzzi pools, a 3 foot deep rafting pool,

a lap pool, a "north" pool, a "south" pool, and even an ice cold pool!

An oasis where we spend the day lying in the 100+ degree desert heat

experiencing relaxation, slurping sipping pool-side Peach Bellinis
and Strawberry-Coconut Pina Coladas, eating good food, and 
getting dirty in a MUD bath!

Yes - M-U-D!
Here someone has fingerpainted in mud onto the door into the sauna cave!
(Yes, as if it isn't hot enough outside to dry out the MUD before exfoliating.)

One of the treatments included with admission is the use of this MUD bath.
MUD is slathered on, dried-on, then towel-dried off/exfoliated prior to showering,

leaving skin soft.  An additional treatment is offered for $25 where a

woman paints on a warm green body moisturizer, then more heating in a

sauna cave, then showering... and finishing while enjoying fresh apples, iced

water and hot tea under a fine-cool mist! I know, makes you want to

say, "Ahhhhh" just reading this, doesn't it?  "Ahhhhh..." just one more time... 

Okay.  SO.  Now that you are all relaxed, I can tell you about the food! 

 My favorite part!  The day doesn't go without good food!

Lunch......

Our selections:

Smoked Salmon & Walnuts Salad

Naked Waldorf Salad

and

Ahi Hawaiian Poke Salad

I ordered the Smoked Salmon & Walnuts Salad, like I always do.

(I have been told I am so predictable.)  This salad consisted of House Applewood

Smoked Wild Salmon, Cherry Tomatoes, Mandarin Oranges, Celery, and tossed with Organic Fresh Garden Greens and Glen Ivy's house made Dill Miso Vinaigrette.

Daughter #2 ordered the Naked Waldorf Salad

comprising a Grilled Free-Range Chicken Breast, Strawberries,

Candied Pecans, Celery, and Baby Greens with a Feta Cheese Vinaigrette.

Daughter #1 ordered the Ahi Hawaiian Poke Salad

comprising Cubed Wild-Caught Ahi Tuna tossed in Zesty Hawaiian

Vinaigrette, Avocado, Toasted Almonds, Soy Sauce, Seaweed Salad,

Cucumber, Daikon Sprouts, Sesame Seeds, with a Miso Lemon Vinaigrette,

Dragon Juice, and Wasabi Cream.

These salads were divine! We had a hard time keeping each other's forks

out of each other's salads. And, I have officially decided I am going to deviate

and order the Ahi salad next time.  If you like spicy, like I do, you would love it! 

And, yes, a deserving shout-out and thank you to my girls for enduring

the photo session before they could dig-in. Actually, Daughter #2

was taking pics with her iPhone.

As can imagine, we had a glorious day of relaxation, laughing, and

mother/daughter fun.  I wonder if Daughter #1's white lace bathing

top will ever be white again after that MUD?  Remind me to ask.

Thank you for visiting me...  I now have the urge for a cup of hot tea and

a fresh apple.   Ahhhhh......

Fondly,

~ Karen

Ina's Got a Blog!

Source: Barefoot Contessa website

I have been a fan of Ina Garten for years!

You all may know Ina as Barefoot Contessa.

I have been cooking my way through her cookbooks for years 
and my cookbooks show it!  They are well-seasoned and well-loved!

I like to write the date the first time I make the recipe, along with

a critique.  (This potato-fennel gratin is to die for!) I like to also 
write the names of the guests I served it to - to avoid ever serving 
the same dish to them twice!  Do any of you do that?

I will even add my own personal touches like this picture on 
the left of my niece on her 7th birthday which 
I taped onto that cake's recipe page!

This one happened to get just a little too close (oops!) to the

stove!  I recall stamping out the singe and kept on cooking! 

I later taped over the singe to preserve the cover.  All better! 

I have been slowly making my way though each and every one 

of her cookbooks and, by the end of the year, I have had a 

goal to finish making everything in her first book.  

I've said I'm going to do it for a very long time so I finally set a goal

this year (one of my New Year's Resolutions actually) 

to accomplish it.  As I speak type,I am down to 4 or 5 savory 

dishes but a number of desserts and breakfast recipes are yet 
to be made!  Won't those be yummy?  

I was recently on her website and noticed that Ina now has

Ina's Blog. Yes, she's joined us all in blogland!  She 

currently has three posts so we all can get in early

and not miss a thing! She tells us what she's been doing and 

includes links to favorite recipes and resources 

to some of her favorite things.  I also saw on her website that 

she has another book coming out this Fall named 

"Barefoot Contessa Foolproof".  I did not know that.  How cool is that?  
I'm thinking I may need to accomplish my goal before this new one 
comes out! I had better get busy cooking...


Join me this week for the following linky parties:






Thank you for visiting me!


Fondly,
~ Karen

What's for Dinner? Southwestern Beef Kabobs and Orzo Salad

The menu tonight is 

Southwestern Beef Kabobs on an Orzo Salad

It starts with a cool bed of Orzo Salad full of vegetables tossed with

a sweet lime-jalapeno dressing.  You can adjust the amount of 

jalapeno, depending on how much heat you want.

The beauty of this salad is that you can make it 24 hours before serving.

I find it helpful to throw a salad like this together before going to work

in the morning.  When I get home, I just have to grill the meat.

 The Beef Kabobs are southwest because of the spice rub they are coated with.

Chili powder and cumin are the predominate flavors but added to those

is the kick of ground oregano.  These Kabobs can be grilled or broiled.

The make ahead tip is to cube the beef in the morning or night before

when making the salad.  I also put the spices in a separate gallon Ziploc ahead 

of time.  I combine the beef cubes with the spices just before lighting the gas 

grill. Give them a good shake to coat well, then thread them onto 

the wet skewers as the grill is preheating.

Recipe:

Southwestern Beef Kabobs with Corn and Orzo Salad.

Source:  Better Homes and Gardens: Make & Take

Serves 8

8 10-inch bamboo skewers

2/3 cup dried orzo 

2 cups fresh corn kernels (4 ears)

1 medium orange sweet pepper, cut into bite-size pieces

2/3 cup grape tomatoes, halved

1 14.5- to 15-ounce can kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion

1 small zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon finely shredded lime peel

1/4 cup lime juice

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 fresh jalapeno chile pepper, seeded and finely chopped

2 tablespoons snipped fresh cilantro

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 teaspoons chili powder

2 teaspoons garlic salt

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground oregano

2 pounds boneless beef sirloin, cut in to 1-inch cubes

1. Soak skewers in water for at least 30 minutes.

2. Cook orzo according to package directions, adding corn kernels for the last minute of cooking time.  Drain orzo and corn in a colander; rinse with cold water.

3. In a large bowl combine orzo, corn, sweet pepper, tomatoes, beans, onion, and zucchini.

4. In a small jar with a screw-top lid combine olive oil, honey, lime peel, lime juice, garlic, jalapeno, snipped cilantro, and salt.  Shake well.  Add dressing to orzo mixture, mix well.

5. In a resealable plastic bag combine chili powder, garlic salt, cumin, and oregano.  Seal bag and shake to mix.  Add beef cubes to bag.  Seal bag and shake to coat.  Thread beef cubes evenly onto bamboo skewers.

To broil:

6. Preheat broiler. Place kabobs on the unheated rack of a broiler pan. Broil 3 to 4 inches from heat for 8 to 12 minutes or until desired doneness, turning once.

For gas grill or charcoal grill:

7. Preheat grill.  Reduce heat to medium. Place kabobs on grill rack over heat. For a gas grill, cover.  For a charcoal grill, uncovered, over medium coals.  Cook for 8 to 12 minutes or until desired doneness, turning once halfway through grilling.

Enjoy!

Thank you for visiting!

I will be joining these parties: 
Stone Gable's On The Menu Monday
and



Wishing everyone a great week! 

Fondly,

~ Karen

Lavender Blue in So Cal

Is Lavender purple or is it blue?

Looking at this lovely field of lavender... Imagine us being in the beautiful lavender fields of Provence, France... Well, okay. Not quite.  I

 tried.  I even managed to take a picture without any palm trees!  Ha! 

Tucked away in the hills of So Cal, just minutes from the Pala Indian

reservation (and, yes, casino!), and a little off the beaten path - just off 

Old Lilac Road in Valley Center, CA... 

is Keys Creek Lavender Farm. 

A "farm" brought back to its luster by a woman from Africa. 

It got its name from the name of the dirt road it is actually located on 

and which is also the name of a nearby creek - Keys Creek.

Keys Creek Lavender Farm is a USDA certified organic lavender

farm and grows many different varieties of fragrant lavender,

including French and English.

Each variety is identified for us visitors.  

This one reads: "Royal Velvet" and the one I thought was the prettiest.

There is even a reminder of where we really are!

Yes, I was watching out but wasn't too worried.

I figure its all just part of the adventure!

Going up a slight hill stood (see the palm trees!) an adorable gift shop 

selling all things lavender.  Lavender soaps, essential oils, candles, jelly, 

dried lavender, and more! To the right is a Tea House.  There we enjoyed the 

fresh air as we ate lavender scones with lavender jelly as we drank lavender tea.  

How apropos?  See the lavender umbrella above over the picnic table?

Even the Adirondack-like chairs were the color lavender!

And....

 there was dried lavender in the restroom!  Actually, the restroom 

was quite cute but I spared you all the porcelain!

This was taken from the Tea House overlooking the "Royal Velvet" variety.

This is of the "Lavender Sweet" variety.

As the sign at the entrance above implies, the lavender blooms

in only May and June.  We were told that all the fields are in

total bloom at the end of June at which time they have a

festival.  In early July, the lavender will be harvested.  The 

remainder of the year it will lie dormant, only to 

be spectacular once again next year!

Thank you for visiting and I hope you enjoyed the lovely pictures.

I will be joining

Show and Tell Fridays

Seasonal Sundays

Fondly,

~ Karen