The Watercolor App

Waterlogue.  Love Love Love it!  Check it out....it will turn any image on your phone into a watercolor and you get to change the filters.  Fun!

original photograph

Waterlogue App - bold

Waterlogue App - Natural

HAPPY SATURDAY!!!

Things I Learn From Other Blogs!

RECIPES!!!   Loads and loads of new recipes and ideas for meals!  I adore browsing thru cookbooks so when I began blogging, the food blogs were the ones that really fascinated me.  Amazing how creative and energetic so many people are...notice, I said "other" people are.  I just copy what they do and sometimes it turns out good, some times not!  But it's always fun trying new things.
So I have to report that, once again, The Pioneer Woman has come up with a great one.  Made these last night and I thought they were wonderful....

Spicy Dr Pepper Ribs by Pioneer Woman

Ingredients

• 1 cup Brown Sugar
• 1 can Dr. Pepper
• 1 can (5 Ounces) Chipotle Peppers Packed In Adobo
• 1/3 cup Brown Mustard
• 1 Tablespoon White Vinegar
• 3 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 2 packages Pork Baby Back Ribs

Preparation Instructions

Prepare the marinade by gently boiling the first 6 ingredients in a medium saucepan until reduced and thick, about 20 minutes. Allow to cool completely. Divide into two containers and refrigerate one container for later.
Place ribs on a large baking sheet lined with heavy foil. Brush half the marinade all over the ribs on both sides. Cover with foil and refrigerate for 8 hours to marinate.
When you're ready to cook the ribs, preheat the oven to 275 degrees. Place the pan, still covered in foil, into the oven for 2 hours. Remove the foil and increase the temperature to 300. Using the other half of the sauce, brush another generous layer all over the ribs. Return the pan to the oven and continue cooking for another 30 to 40 minutes, brushing on another layer of sauce as it cooks.
Remove the ribs when they're fork tender (keep cooking until they are). Slice and serve!

I also made another recipe from a blog that I really like:

Eat Cake For Dinner

Easy Lo Mein

adapted from: Mandy's Recipe Box
2 Tbl. soy sauce

1 Tbl. rice wine vinegar

2 Tbl. brown sugar

1/2 tsp. sesame oil

1 tsp. fresh ginger, grated

2 tsp. fresh garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. Sriracha hot sauce
2 tsp. cornstarch
2 tsp. canola oil
3 heaping cups coleslaw mix
1/4 c. green onions, chopped
6 oz. angel hair spaghetti noodles
   or chinese egg noodles

Cook noodles according to package directions.  Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, brown sugar, sesame oil, ginger, garlic, sriracha and cornstarch; whisk to combine; set aside.  Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the coleslaw mix and saute a few minutes or until crisp tender.  Add the sauce, the cooked and drained noodles and green onions.  Toss together to combine.  Cook for a few minutes and serve.  Serves: 2-4

Tasty.....Tasty!

The Cap'n was a happy boyfriend last night!!

Posted by Ree | The Pioneer Woman on February 18 2014

A Week of Sweetness

Last week I had the pleasure of all of my grandbabies company (cept katiejane :(  for a few days at a time!
Ms. sweetcheeks came to play with me for TWO NIGHTS....as she refers to her length of time away from home!  We were busy.  We made pigs in the blanket....

and she helped me make banana pudding....

we went to a friend's house to visit with her horse

new shoes!

and of course, her nightly bowl of ice cream in her special bowl!

she had to go home because her mom had plans for an out of town trip but the very next day....my grandSONS came to play!

and I fixed a leetle lunch for my sweet daughter in laws!

with a few bottles of this sparkling Rose, which was divine!!

I'M A LUCKY YAYA!

The Long but Very Interesting Road Home...

...back to Blew Bayou!  After 2 weeks of exploring the Samana Peninsula and the northern coast of Dominican Republic, it was time to head back to the sailboat.  We left Cabarete about 9 am and it took a good 5-6 hrs to get back.  But it flew by because of the stops and the beautiful landscapes we saw.  It began with a few village stops and fruit stand visits, of course.

when you stop in these villages, more than likely you'll meet the townspeople. and more times than not, they love it when you stop to talk to them....or just smile with them.  They love their lives here and seem very proud of their heritage.....and usually very happy to pose for a picture.  They love being able to see their images on my digital camera immediately!!

a young boy had a wheelbarrow full of coconuts and couldn't get it up the curb without spilling them so Cap'n stopped the car and got out to help him.  Job well done!

I was fascinated with the chickens cooking on a rotiserrie on the side of the road.  This was a Saturday and it must have been the day for cooking for the townspeople.  They were everywhere.  Notice the cage back there beside the man....

you may wonder how these chickens turn to cook...

the guy at the end of the pit?  Yep.....Hours of constantly, slowly turning the rods round and round and round!  Smelled so awesome.

the chicken turner....hubba hubba!!

and this, my friends, is Lechon!  Cooked pork that will make your mouth water just smelling it.  This is what was in that cage beside the man above.  Usually it's just out in pots on the side of the road in every village. 

and this guy could definitely "carve".....as in chop with a machete very quickly and with precision!!

Cap'n with the cook!

Right across the street, I see the most perfect fruit stand ever!  Even had a leetle bit of hardware store vibe to it!

There was every kind of fruit here....it was a beautiful site!

whole new meaning to "rice cooker"

the proprietor of the business!

Next up?  another Lechon stand!

a very picky customer!

cap'n making his choice

this sausage looked a lil scary but then again, we DO eat boudin around here!

Cap'n couldn't wait to eat some....Picnic in the car!!!

Just a short view of some of the things we did on the ride home.  See how the hours just flew by??!!!

Cabarete (updated)

March 4, 2014:  Up and At 'em once again............ON THE ROAD AGAIN!! And once again, we had a beautiful sunny day to travel.  And once again along coastal roads....

Down the road, between the cliffs with the ever blue waters beyond!

a silhouette of the landscape with ocean lined palm trees

No.....we weren't going to Cabrera...

Or to Rio San Juan....

Or even to Gaspar Hernandez...

but to CABARETE!!

It took us about 3 hrs and 10 min to get there.....and it was worth every minute for the drive was awesome!

Cabarete is a town in the Puerto Plata province of the Dominican Republic, noted for its tourism and beaches. It was founded in 1835 by Zephaniah Kingsley (as part of his Mayorasgo de Koka estate) along with his mixed-race family, and 53 slaves he freed from his Florida plantations and brought here while the island was under Haitian administration. Anna Kingsley owned a house in the harbor that stretched out to the sea. Several descendants of the Kingsleys and of the former slaves live in the area today.

Cabarete Bay has been the location of professional kitesurfing competitions (e.g. "WorldCup/Copa Mundial", Master of the Ocean), and nearby Playa Encuentro (3 miles to the west) is among the most popular surfing beaches in the Caribbean.    (wikipedia)

Of course, once again, the first thing we did upon entering town was to start looking for a place to stay.  I actually love the excitement of hoping and looking and exploring for rooms....praying that they will just have one vacancy for a night! Crazy, I know.  But after my trip to Italy and learning to pack for 6 wks in a carry on bag, I can do it in a second now.  Doesn't bother me one bit to move around a lot.
We found Villa Taina,

where they had one ocean front room for one night....

that was our room where the arrow is....but look what was right in front of the balcony!

So....the next night we moved to a Penthouse room with an awesome view and terrace!!

view of the terrace from our room!  DE-LIGHTFUL.

Soon as we checked in, I hit the beach.  Lovely Beach.  Big Time.

As we're lying there enjoying the peacefulness, I look to the sky and see at least a hundred of these....

we knew that this town was a major surfing town but I was completely surprised to see all the kite surfers.....looked like a hot air balloon festival!

I was amazed by this afternoon of entertainment, not to mention the beauty surrounding me.

 

each kite seemed to be a perfectly coordinated color against the sky

And each afternoon, when the winds picked up, the sky would be completely filled with abundant energy and kites of every color and shape.  Needless to say....I had a blast watching from the sidelines and thinking all the while how much fun my kids would have doing this!!

Such a quaint lil beach town.  No cruise ships. Hardly any Americans. Germans, Swedish, Italians....lots of cool people and languages and cultures.  Many many restaurants and beach bars all within walking distance of where we were staying.   What began as a 2 night stay turned into a 4 night stay and SO much fun!

Even found a condo on the beach for the last night that was da-bomb!!

Would be perfecto for a family vacation!!!  (fingers crossed!)

ours was the one on top!

huge terrace overlooking beach

private balcony in master suite 

view from the front terrace.....lots of shade in front before the "good" beach begins!

We just had the best time here relaxing and basically being very lazy beach bums!!

All in all, we moved 8 times in 11 days......hahahahaha.....BEST TRIP EVER!!!