Recipe of the Week: Grilled Fish with Strawberry Avocado Salsa

As you can tell, we've been on a grilling kick. Summer and grilling go together like salt and pepper. Who doesn't like it when you can whip up a quick and easy meal with minimal clean up afterwards?

This week, we are sharing a delicious recipe for a strawberry avocado salsa. It is fresh, sweet, and tart, with a small amount of heat. Serve it over grilled fish (any kind you like), couscous, and a side of roasted asparagus. Yum.

Ingredients
1/2 pint of fresh strawberries, hulled and quartered
1 large avocado, diced
1/4 red onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
juice from 1 lemon
salt to taste

Directions
In a large bowl, combine all your ingredients and mix well.
Refrigerate for at least 1/2 hour before serving.

we're home

Seeing my parents and getting to travel up and down the northeast with them was a lot of fun, but Zach, my parents and I are back in Indiana, and I am overjoyed to see my little fellow!

last day at acadia

first three pictures are of jordan pond

after rising early to watch the first light hit the eastern shores, we returned for a short nap, then ate breakfast, packed our bags, and went back to acadia for one last trip through the park before we headed back to portland to fly home tomorrow morning.  the drive through the park was a bit of a spur of the moment decision, but it was a good decision.

@ sand beach

we decided we'd just take a drive around the park road loop before heading off.  we ended up spending the better part of the morning.  the weather was perfect, with blue skies, a warm sun, and a cool breeze. we stopped several times to take pictures and just stare at the amazing features of acadia.  we stopped by the aptly named sand beach (most are covered with granite boulders and stones), where we walked out to the atlantic waves crashing across the beach.  mindy's face lit up, as she ran out ahead of the rest of us to the water.  she may not be all that into the woods (it does have bugs), but crashing waves give her the same kind of excitement i get from climbing mountains.  it was wonderful to see.  her dad told me how he used to take her to changi beach in singapore when she was a kid.  then she turned around and looked at us with the same grin that i've seen in their old family photos.  pure joy and wonder.

@ thunder hole

after walking through the sand and letting the icy waves wash across our feet, we got back in the car and continued on.  we stopped along the granite cliffs with the waves crashing.  i climbed down the rocks and checked out the tidal pools which were filled with mussels and other little sea life going about their days.  it was so cool.  a world within a world.  after some more pictures and wandering we piled back in the car and finished out the park loop, then began our drive back to portland.

as we made our way off mt. desert island i could see a huge storm brewing ahead of us, and about two or three towns down the road it began to pour.  and i mean pour.  it was a long drive down small roads and through tiny towns, but we made it back safely.  after we returned to portland, we finished off our trip with one last lobster at j's oyster bar.  i think i'm lobstered out, but it was worth it.

sunrise from cadillac mountain

Early this morning, we dragged ourselves out of bed and onto Cadillac mountain to catch the very first light of the country. It was very cold and windy, but the amazing landscape and the anticipation of the sunrise kept us all excited.

If you're up and getting ready for the new week ahead, here's a song for you ... Happy Monday blog readers!

up and down acadia

today was my alone day at acadia national park, as none of my travel partners were up for the rugged hikes up the mountains.  in the morning i dropped mindy's dad of for a round of golf at Kebo golf course, then sent mindy and her mom out whale watching.  then i drove toward southwest harbor and acadia mountain.  i ditched the car near echo lake, laced up my shoes, grabbed my bag and a bottle of water and headed off.

everytime i enter the woods, whatever woods it may be, i breathe deep that first breath of cool air, rushing out from under the trees.  it's like a shot of energy, and a feeling like i'm on my own.  i love the idea that my safety lies in my ability to control my body and my mind at once.  over-excited, i quickly made my way up acadia mountain, pausing to take some pictures and draw a bit in my sketchbook.  at the top i took a short break and sat out on the edge of the granite cliff over-looking the sound and out into the ocean.  the wind was crisp and strong and it felt amazing to sit out there on the edge waving with the trees.  the descent was (as always) much more treacherous.  i passed several other hikers, all in sturdy hiking boots (i wear 4 oz-nothing-to-them running shoes), some with cross country ski poles, and none seemed to be moving very well.  i honestly can't imagine how many of them made it down the mountain, because i found the trails quite difficult, requiring a bit of agility and pretty good balance on the edge of cliffs.  walking poles had to only be burdensome.

at the base of the mountain the trail split and i could choose to return to the car, or go up st. sauveur mountain.  there was a third choice, but the trail was closed for the nesting peregrine falcons.  i chose the mountian and it ended up being a more rugged climb than i had expected.  the trail to st. sauveur was mostly just a gully with all the washout rocks and tree limbs to climb up and through, and the top didn't have quite as good of views as acadia, but it kicked my ass.  i had to remind myself to keep picking my feet up so i didn't trip over any rocks or roots, but i was tired, and thankfully didn't trip on anything.  

i made my way back down the mountain, completely exhausted, and back to the car.  then i noticed that there was a little trail heading out to echo lake, so i decided i needed to check that out too.  besides, when would i have another chance.  i walked out to the ledge, took my shoes and socks off and stood on a mossy rock, knee deep in the refreshing water.  just what i needed after my several mile hike through the mountains.  i sat there for a bit just staring out over the water, amazed at its beauty.  then i hiked back up the hill, to the car, and back to the golf course to pick up my father-in-law.  we ate a burger and drank a beer (beer is always best after you've just thrashed your body and mind with this kind of experience).  then headed back to the hotel.

i am dead tired and sore as hell but it was beyond worth the trip.  i got to see some of the most amazing parts of the park, saw only a few people and got to be seemingly alone in the woods for the better part of my morning.  it was exhilarating, and things like this always make me feel more connected to life, and less concerned about what i should do with mine.

dead tired

from rockland to bar harbor

this morning we set off for bar harbor and acadia national park.  we began our day with a breakfast provided by our wonderful hosts at Berry Manor Inn B&B.  and i must say again, if you're going to rockland for any reason, primo or otherwise, please stay with them.  they are really a top notch place with wonderful people who will treat you like you're the president.

just outside of town we stopped off at the rockland harbor breakwater light and walked out on the pier that is about 1k long. the breeze blowing in off the bay was so refreshing that i couldn't help but take deep breaths of it. there were lobster traps floating off the edge a ways and fisherman filling their coolers with mackerel, sailboats drifting passed and a few barely visible windmills spinning on the far shore.  i jumped off the pier and onto a giant boulder to draw from its perspective.  mindy asked me to pose like a mermaid, which i did, then i jumped down and collected a few shells before double-timing it to the end of the pier.  the sky was just amazingly clear, and jumping the cracks in the giant granite blocks was fun for a slight morning run.

we then all piled back into the car for a scenic drive the rest of the way up the coast to bar harbor.  we passed through many quaint new england towns with the sea visible to the south nearly the entire way.  just before bucksport we crossed a giant suspension bridge where you could see forever.  it was a great scenic drive.  we arrived and settled in, wandered around a bit, drank some beers, and ate some lobsters.  tomorrow mindy's dad will play some seaside golf, mindy and her mom plan to go whale watching, and i am going to acadia to get lost in the woods (hopefully not really lost).

Rockland and Primo

today we drove from portland to rockland for a date at one of america's top restaurants, Primo.  we've read about it, we've seen in on food network and the travel channel, and have salivated at every bit of press they've received.  so needless to say we were excited.

in the morning we took mindy's father for a round of golf at a different course outside of portland, where as usual, he met up with a couple of guys and whipped their asses up and down the course.  then bought them a couple of beers as a consolation.  meanwhile, mindy and her mom and i went about the town looking for fun stuff to do.  we wandered into Yes books, a used, rare, and wonderful bookstore on congress st.  we bought a few books and chatted with the owner a bit.  he was a great guy with a wealth of experience in the bookie world.  he'd met james baldwin and allen ginsberg, and even at one point before baldwin's death hosted the two of them for a screening of an unpublished, unedited, and unreleased film about ginsberg.  of course, he had a great selection of beat works.  the bookstore even continues to publish a regular anthology of poems, similar to what city lights used to be, before they sold out.  a place we actually can't wait to be able to drive back to so we can buy a few boxes of instead of just a few books.

after a little lunch we were on our way to rockland.  a wrong turn took us off the interstate and down some of the state highways that are quite literally, over the hills and through the woods.  thinking to myself, without this road, this must have been what thoreau must have discovered in the walden pond and the maine woods.  it is daunting, but beautiful, as i was waiting for a moose to go loping across the road.

we arrived in rockland, found our B&B at Berry Manor Inn, and had just enough time to relax before heading out to dinner at Primo.  Berry Manor is a national historic building and the staff is quite amazing.  they treat the guests like gold and, for my first experience at a B&B, has set the bar too high for most to compete.  highly recommended.  highly.

Primo on the other had was a bit disappointing.  when we arrived we wandered through the garden a bit, which is just awesome.  there are greenhouses, and pigs, and chickens, and fruit trees and shrubs, and flowers everywhere, all stuffed onto just 3 acres.  our hostess at the B&B told us that the chef's goal is to raise 80% of the food they serve in the restaurant on site.  needless to say the foodie in me was excited.  perhaps it was my high hopes or perhaps it was the bigot at the table beside us, but my experience did not live up to expectations.


We were seated in a room with 2 older couples (one of whom was a former pastor) who were yacking loudly across the room from different tables at each other about jesus and how wonderful he is.  no big deal.  our waiter read us the specials which we could not hear over their inconsiderate conversation.  having had enough, i turned and politely asked the woman to my left if they could keep it down a bit.  when i turned back, i heard her mumble something about how i was only annoyed at the subject of their conversation and some snide remark about the stupid chinese at the table beside them.  that ruined my experience right there.  thankfully, neither mindy, nor her parents heard the bigot bitch, who was scolded by her husband, saying she was embarrassing herself.  but she didn't stop, just kept going in a muttered-just-loud-enough-for-me-to-hear voice.  i was steamed, but remained calm, and just let it slide.  then our food came out.  appetizers were good.  the entree's however were disappointing.  mindy's dad's steak was over cooked and the bacon pieces were so big that the saltiness over powered everything.  the vegetables were so garlic salted that i couldn't taste the vegetable.  my steak was cooked well, but i ordered it rare, they really only had to cut it and sear it.  mindy ordered a pasta dish with wild foraged mushrooms, which she enjoyed, but her mom's meat was half charred.  a little char is nice on a steak, but too much is bitter and inedible.  the deserts were good, but everything else leading up to them had sealed the fate of primo for me.  it's too bad really.  i had looked forward to eating here for quite a while.  we built this portion of our trip around eating here, and i don't think my expectations were outrageous.  just disappointing, and the fact that we had to sit beside some xenophobic ignorant fucking bitch just made it a bad experience.  too bad, primo, Fore Street restaurant in Old Port, Portland puts you to shame, easily.  EASILY.  and it is cheaper too.

Tomorrow we head to Bar Harbor and Acadia National Forest.  i can't wait.  and hopefully the assholes will go back to where they came from.