She Has Arrived at her Trip of a Lifetime!

We got to Skype with Cait last night. She was snug at a Buenos Aires hotel. She was excitedly telling us about her couple of days in Buenos Aires. She is is heading to Mendoza and meeting her host family today. She is also heading to intensive Spanish language classes, city walking tour, power walking in the park, visit to a winery with a wine tasting class, a cook out, Argentine movie festival, Argentine history sessions.....The jammy sod! ;-) Here is her blog if you want to see what she posts as her trip unfolds.

http://cait-en-mendoza-ar.blogspot.com/



****************************************************************************************

Last night I welcomed the first taking of "green" beans from the garden with a nice plate of them along with Salmon w/ Tangerine and Cardamom Vinaigrette. Kathy's wonderful smoked salmon made me hungry for salmon. Just look at it:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/katcat/3742446537/

My plate was also graced with wonderfully colourful Swiss chard, also from the garden. Please notice the plate is garnished with toasted cardamom seeds.




Tangerine and Cardamom Vinaigrette

1 lrg. clove of garlic
1 2" piece of ginger, peeled
4 sm. tangerines, juiced
1 tsp. dijon mustard
1/4 c. champagne vinegar
1/4 c. mirin
1 tbsp. ground cardamom
1 tsp. honey or a pinch of sugar
1 tbsp EVOO
1/4 c. canola oil

Put the garlic and ginger in a blender with the mustard, vinegar, Mirin, honey and ground cardamom. Add the oils slowly until everything is emulsified and gets somewhat thicker. Season with salt and pepper.





Notice how I wrote "green beans?" Well, the beans look like this until they hit hot water:









Another garden note, I am having the darndest time with tomatoes this year. First cold, windy weather, then a tree shading some of them too much, that and the much dreaded HAIL! Just look at the poor dears and what the nasty hail did to them:




I did get the first taste of a yellow pear tomato today, as I was watering. I didn't waste any time plucking it from the vine, washing it in the garden hose, then popping it in my mouth....It was just one of those occasions. :-) Plenty of green tomatoes of many different varieties, turn already will they?