Walking into Spring

It has been a really good month walking out on the Rail Trail. Now everything is greening up and the black flies are making their presence known. Just at the end of the week, up until then, I had not seen any. Now I need to find the bug spray and also hope for a good stiff breeze to keep them away. Percy continues to get better and better at swimming as we try to teach him to jump in the water so when we get to North Hatley he might jump off the dock. He can do it, he just needs the confidence and Wyke is no help.

Catching Up With Friends

We had a wonderful trip to Portsmouth on Monday to have lunch with our good friends who live in Portland, Maine. The six of us were young parents together when we all lived in Cape Neddick, Maine 40 years ago. Old friends are the best kind of friends but then so are new friends. We discovered that meeting in Portsmouth was about half way between us plus we get a really nice lunch out of it at The Oar House. We did a little shopping and then returned home after a really wonderful day. Lots of flowering bushes were out down on the seacoast, they are just that little bit ahead of us.

On our way back we stopped in Concord at the New Hampshire Fire and EMS Academy to drop off a few items to our recruit. He looked very handsome in his uniform. Somehow I took this picture with the sun behind him but I still like the picture. He is starting week #4 and is really loving it. His big practical EMT exam is coming up so this week will include some extra preparation for him. Over the weekend he did get called out to a medical call and to a chimney fire as he continues to be a part of the New London Volunteer Fire Department. He is a busy young man these days.

Outside Work at Jenny Lane

We are just beginning the clean up from winter and starting to think about what to do with the gardens on a tight budget. One thing we have a lot of are small boulders so thanks to a very strong grandson we moved a number of them and placed them strategically in the front garden and the side garden.

I have great plans for planting some things around the rocks and edging the gardens. The dogs have all but destroyed the daffodils so we need to put something hardy in there. It’s a project and actually a big project that will eventually involve some heavy machinery but not quite yet. In the meantime it doesn’t look quite as barren as it did.

The Reason I Walk

Believe it or not, that is Momma fox, sleeping under the forsythia bush near where her babies are. She isn’t very big herself. I took Katie by to see if the babies were out playing but they were not but we spotted the Momma as we drove by.

Cooking This Week

Katie is creating again and here is this week’s entry.

Bob’s Chicken and Cabbage Salad (Bon Appetit)

DRESSING
8 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 2″ piece ginger, peeled, finely chopped (about 1 Tbsp.)
½ cup vegetable oil
¼ cup Dijon mustard
¼ cup toasted sesame oil
¼ cup unseasoned rice vinegar
3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 2¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt
1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. sugar
½ tsp. freshly ground pepper

SALAD AND ASSEMBLY
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 2 lb.)
1 Tbsp. Diamond Crystal or 1¾ tsp. Morton kosher salt, plus more
¾ cup raw almonds
½ small head of purple cabbage (about 10 oz.), cored, thinly sliced
4 baby bok choy, thinly sliced crosswise
6 scallions, thinly sliced
2 8-oz. cans water chestnuts, drained, quartered
1 7-oz. bag mung bean sprouts (about 2½ cups)
Preparation

DRESSING
Step 1: Whisk 8 garlic cloves, finely chopped, one 2″ piece ginger, peeled, finely chopped (about 1 Tbsp.), ½ cup vegetable oil, ¼ cup Dijon mustard, ¼ cup toasted sesame oil, ¼ cup unseasoned rice vinegar, 3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice, 3 Tbsp. soy sauce, 1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 2¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt, 1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. sugar, and ½ tsp. freshly ground pepper in a small bowl to combine.* Do Ahead: Dressing can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and chill. Whisk before using.

SALAD AND ASSEMBLY
Step 2: Pour ½ cup dressing into a medium bowl. Add 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 2 lb.), sprinkle with 1 Tbsp. Diamond Crystal or 1¾ tsp. Morton kosher salt, and turn to coat. Let sit at room temperature at least 30 minutes.

Step 3: Preheat oven to 350°. Toast ¾ cup raw almonds on a large rimmed baking sheet, tossing halfway through, until golden brown, 8–10 minutes. Let cool, then coarsely chop; set aside.

Step 4: Line baking sheet with a piece of foil about twice its length. Remove chicken from marinade, letting excess drip back into bowl, and arrange in a single layer on baking sheet; discard marinade. Fold foil up and over chicken and bring edges together to make a packet; crimp tightly to seal.

Step 5: Bake chicken until cooked through (an instant-read thermometer inserted through foil and into the thickest part of a breast should register 150°), 30–40 minutes. Let cool in foil, then tear open packet and shred chicken into large pieces.

Step 6: Place chicken in a large bowl. Add ½ small head of purple cabbage (about 10 oz.), cored, thinly sliced, 4 baby bok choy, thinly sliced crosswise, 6 scallions, thinly sliced, two 8-oz. cans water chestnuts, drained, quartered, one 7-oz. bag mung bean sprouts (about 2½ cups), and remaining dressing; toss to combine. Taste and season with more salt if needed.

Step 7: Pile salad on a platter; top with reserved almonds. *Do Ahead: Chicken can be marinated 12 hours ahead; cover and chill. Chicken can be baked 2 days ahead; cover and chill. Vegetables can be sliced 1 day ahead; cover and chill.