Catalina

We left Ventura Harbor at 7:00 am headed for White’s Anchorage on Catalina Island. The weather had been terrible the past couple of weeks, lots of rain, heavy winds and high seas. There was a short break in the weather forecast so we cast off the lines and headed out to sea. We were expecting to have a bit of a rough ride from the after effects of the recent storm, but were pleasantly surprised with smooth seas and very calm winds. It felt great to be back out on the ocean and we were immediately greeted by a group of playful dolphins. The crossing was uneventful except for a near collision with a Blue Whale. John quickly changed course and the whale dove below the surface, not sure who was more surprised – us or the whale!

We were anchored at White’s by 3:00 pm and were surprised at how few boats were here, especially for a weekend:

And by Monday, it was pretty much us and...

White's Anchorage is one of our favorite spots on Catalina Island.  It is only about 5 miles from Avalon, a short ride by dinghy, so we can enjoy the scenic beauty and relative calm of White's and still be only minutes away from the bustle of "city life" in Avalon. We did make one quick trip into Avalon and I snapped this picture of Hamilton Cove on our way out.  This picture doesn't really show just how beautifully green the island is after all of the rains this year:

Our favorite spot to anchor is just off Hen Rock.  If you look at this rock just right you can see the hen sitting on her eggs:

There are three established areas here - The Newport Harbor Yacht Club facility:

I just love this palapa they built:

The Balboa Yacht Club facility:

And between the two - a camp:

We always enjoy visiting here in the summer and watching all the activity from the yacht clubs and camp but we also the love the solitude of visiting in the off season.

For dinner the first night we barbecued pork "country-style" ribs. I made a rub for the ribs from brown sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and a blend of black & red pepper.  When the ribs had been on the grill for about 30 minutes we brushed on a marinade made with olive oil, onion, garlic, cider vinegar, catsup, orange juice, Worcestershire sauce and chipotle. We also had black beans cooked with the same ingredients in the rib marinade and also a little maple syrup. And also a side of coleslaw - red cabbage, red onion, apple with mayo, balsamic vinegar, lime juice and a pinch of sugar and salt. I make this salad often but this was the first time I added sliced apples and what a difference it made - so crisp and fresh tasting. John & I both loved this slaw and for now on if I have fresh, tasty apples on hand I will always toss some in this salad.

And John's wine choice - 2002 Biale Aldo's Vineyard Napa Valley Zinfandel.

Life at anchor is great!!

Italian Dock Party

A couple of weeks ago our neighbors Mary & Suzi decided we should have an Italian dock party.  Mary did a great job decorating.  She set up cute little tables with red & white checkered tablecloths, vases filled with flowers, candles in straw flask chianti bottles and carafes of wine.

John hired a band with, of course, an accordion player.  The band setup their gear on the back of Bobby & Cynthia's boat and Bobby drove the boat over to our dock and backed into a slip next to the party, already in full swing, with the band playing!!

John enjoying the music:

The party goers were all in for a rare treat - Bobby played three songs with the band!  Most of our neighbors had never heard him play and were amazed at his awesome talent.

Joining in the fun, Jeri & Joe:

Bill & Mary:

John & Cynthia:

Bobby dancing with his very grown-up granddaughter, Cassidy:

My contribution to the buffet was a mushroom lasagna.  There is a mushroom farm less than a mile from the marina and some mornings the smell of the farm can almost knock your socks off.  Since we have to put up with the smell I decided I should start taking advantage of the local and very fresh mushrooms available in a little storeroom on the site.  Look at these beauties, the white, cremini and shitake mushrooms were from the farm, the oysters from the Farmer's Market and the dried porcini from my freezer:

Start by soaking the dried porcini in a cup of bowling water for about 20 minutes.  When the mushrooms have rehydrated remove them from the soaking liquid, reserving the liquid for the sauce. Wipe the fresh mushrooms with a wet paper towel to remove the dirt.  Quarter the mushrooms and chop in a food processor.  Make sure to remove the stems from the shitakes before chopping.  Melt butter in a large pan and when it starts to foam add the chopped mushrooms.  Resist stirring the mushrooms until they give up their liquid and then soak it back up. Add the reserved porcini liquid, making sure you leave the grit behind in the cup.  Add whipping cream and continue cooking, at a low simmer, for about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.  Build the layers in a casserole dish starting with mushroom sauce, lasagna noodles, mushroom sauce, Parmesan cheese, noodles, sauce, cheese and repeat until you have four or five layers, ending with cheese.  Cover the casserole with foil and bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes.  Remove the foil and cook for another 10 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and the edges are just starting to get crispy.

I didn't get a picture before my neighbors started digging in, but that's okay it just proves how much everyone loves this lasagna!

We Visit Jeff's Pizza Oven

We drove up to Oakland for the weekend to check out Jeff's new wood burning pizza oven. How convenient, and lucky for us, that it was also Easter and we could spend the holiday with  our Marco.

Here is the oven:

Friday night Jeff made five pizzas - carmelized onion, mushroom, a couple of margheritas and my favorite, sausage and egg:

Jeff made the mistake of letting me help with the mushroom pizza:

Oops! But Sarah thought it made a perfect place for a glass of wine:

Papa and Marco get in a flour fight:

Marco wins??

Saturday, we had fun experimenting with a pork roast in the pizza oven.  I butterflied the roast and smeared the meat with a mixture of garlic, onions, fresh oregano, fresh orange juice, olive oil and salt & pepper.  Then I rolled the roast back up and tied with kitchen string:

We roasted the pork in the ove for a couple of hours and --- Oh, yumm!!

On Sunday we made Carasau, an Italian cracker made from a yeast dough.  Jeff and Marco rolled out small pieces of the dough in the pasta machine: 

Then the pieces of dough are placed in the oven until they puff up like a mylar balloon.  As soon as they are removed from the oven, a small piece is cut off one end, opening the "balloon" and separated with scissors into two pieces.

Next,a couple at a time, the pieces are added back to the oven to crisp and then lightly brushed with olive oil and sprinkled with salt:

Here's the finished product:

Okay, enough with the pizza oven, time for Easter eggs: