Hello and welcome back to The Stone Soup Cook–so glad you’re here!
Well, well, well–just as I’m bragging about the weather here in Northern California, we suddenly get hit with the first heat of the summer! The temperature is supposed to soar to 95 today. But it will be short-lived and we’ll be back down in the high 70’s by Sunday.
Summer here in the Valley is like that–short spurts of heat, followed by mild temperatures. In the evenings, we cool down to the 50’s or 60’s due to coastal fog that blankets our region much of the time. The deeper the fog layer, the cooler the day. Today, however, we had no fog in the Valley–a sure sign that it’s going to be a hot one. Still, the overnight temperature plunged to about 55 and the early morning was glorious–cool and clear–the perfect weather for a hike. My buddy and I regularly hike on Fridays and this morning was no exception. We met at 7:00 and took a new route at our regular nature preserve. We were rewarded with a dazzling view of a scoop of white pelicans snatching up their early-morning breakfast in a lake:
A hummingbird taking a sun-bath:
A ground squirrel that was NOT camera-shy:
and finally, a great white heron taking stock of the morning in the cool, shallow waters of the bay:
Just LOOK at that neck! There were jackrabbits and other fauna that were far too quick for my camera, but we felt richly rewarded for our early-morning efforts.
But now that I’m home, I’ve got the air cranked up and the house closed, and it’ll be the perfect evening to grill some meat outside! And what better or more versatile meat to grill up that chicken?
Grilled chicken is good hot or cold and my grilled chicken recipe is ultra-simple: brine, season and grill. I usually grill up several chicken breasts and eat them hot the first night and then use the leftovers later in the week as the protein for a big salad.
Tune in next week for more adventures on the grill!
Until then,
Peace, love and good food,
Keri
