Zero for Five

Today was my fifth fishing trip in about as many weeks. It went about the same as the previous four with the exception that I brought Lauren this time. What does Lauren bring to the table that an experienced, successful fisherman like myself doesn't have? I don't know.

We left to go fishing at about 4 o'clock in the afternoon. The destination was the Hobble Creek catch basin. After a short drive we arrived and parked the car on the side of the road over looking the picturesque pond. We picked out our fishing spot from the car, and then made our way down to the shore. I had the lines all ready to go with my trusty Panther Martin Spinners. We began the easy cast and retrieve of spin fishing as we stood on the bank.

After a about 15 minutes of spin fishing, Lauren turned to me and said, "I think I need to try the Power Bait." "Ok," I replied. She then asked, "aren't you going to put it on my spinner?" "No," I said after I had a good laugh. I began to prepare the power bait rig all the while chuckling to myself.

I left Lauren with the new power bait rig and returned to my rod with the Panther Martin. It wasn't more than a minute later that I heard, "I think I had a bite." I looked back at Lauren. No way, it's probably just grass," I thought as I stared intently at the tip of her rod. I was almost ready to look away convinced that my grass diagnosis was correct when I saw the tip of her rod jerk. A few seconds later it jerked down again. "Reel it in!" I called.

A half a minute later a flattened piece of power bait surfaced a few feet off the shore. I reshaped the bait for Lauren, and then went back to my Panther Martin. Another 30 seconds went by and again I heard "I got a bite!" I looked over to see the characteristic bend in the tip of her pole. She waited and then the pole bent again, but this time it was more than just a bite it was a hooked fish!

The fish splashed its way into shore, as two little boys on the other side of a tree next to us screamed "he's got one! he's got one!" The fish had about had it and was coming into shore, just about the same time that Lauren had had enough of the gender confused elementary age boys. "It's a SHE!" Lauren called out as the fished flopped onto shore.

We let the fish go, and I did the fish a favor by letting the day end without catching any myself...

Party in your mouth

Finals are over and Brandon and I are enjoying the beginning of summer. As of late, I have been really into Good Things Utah. I have discovered it is a great source for recipes. I have tried a couple of things and they have been a hit. Tonight I made some chicken tacos that I saw on one of last weeks show. We loved them and they were pretty darn easy to make. I thought I would share this recipe for anyone else who is looking for a good summer meal. In Brandon's words they were very "satisfying." (I would also suggest frying the tortillas. It was fun to do and they tasted great. Also, lime juice is a great addition.) 

 

Chicken Tacos

Ingredients:

1.2 tablespoons butter

2.Canola oil, for frying

3.2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken

4.breasts, cut into bite-size pieces

5.3 tablespoons chopped onion

6.2 to 3 garlic cloves, minced

7.2 vine-ripened tomatoes, chopped

8.1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

9.Salt, ground black pepper, garlic salt

10.12 corn tortillas

TOPPINGS:

Shredded Cheddar cheese,pepper Jack cheese, or a combination Sour cream Fresh spinach, thinly sliced Fresh Salsa (p. 125)or Tabasco sauce Lime wedges.

6 servings


1. Heat the butter and 2 tablespoons of oil in a medium skillet over medium high
heat. Add the chicken and onions and cook and stir until the onions are
soft and the chicken is tender and no longer pink. Add the garlic and cook
about 1 minute more. Decrease the heat to low and stir in the tomato and
cilantro. Add water (or chicken broth) if the mixture seems too dry. Season
generously with salt, pepper, and garlic salt. Continue cooking about 2
minutes. Cover and turn off the heat. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.

2. Heat 3/4 cup of canola oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Fry one
tortilla: With tongs turn it once to cook both sides, then quickly fold halfway
over and cook for a few more seconds to make the taco shape. Drain on
paper towels. Place the tortilla in the oven to keep warm. Repeat with the
remaining tortillas, putting each one into the oven to keep warm. (If the taco
shells cool, they lose their crispness and become tough and chewy.) For soft tacos, simply heat the tortillas one at a time in a dry skillet over high heat for a few seconds on each side. (Or wrap tortillas in aluminum foil and heat in the oven at 275 degrees for 20 minutes.)

3. To serve, place a small amount of the chicken mixture in each taco shell. Put the filled tacos on a platter and serve. Pass the cheese, sour cream, spinach, salsa and lime.