Historic Old Town in San Diego…Visit the “Birthplace of California”

Posted on May 7, 2013 by Jodee

By Jodee Weiland

On our visit to San Diego this past February, we visited San Diego’s Old Town, described as the “Birthplace of California” in the tourist brochures.

Summarily, the story told in these brochures is that the area called Old Town was first discovered by an explorer named Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo. Others followed, including Sebastian Vizcaino who named it San Diego de Alcala while mapping the coastline in 1602. Then the Russian explorers came in the late 1700’s and eventually, the King of Spain sent Captain Gaspar de Portola and Father Junipero Sera with the purpose of a land expedition. The King did this in the hopes of claiming this land thought to be filled with gold and thriving landscapes. The Captain chose Presido Hill for the establishment of a military post, and Father Junipero Sera took on the task of building the first twenty-one missions in the area…the cornerstone of colonization in California. After years of continuous growth, in 1846 the first American flag was raised in the plaza of Old Town by a U.S. Navy Lieutenant and a Marine. Today visitors can take a look back into this historic era by walking through the Old Town area and the Plaza de las Armas.

We thoroughly enjoyed walking through the Plaza de las Armas, an area that once served as early California’s community center for fiestas, politics, and day to day life in general. Moving through Old Town, we caught a glimpse of life in the 1800’s as we had the opportunity to meet and talk to the many different merchants, some who dressed in the attire from that earlier period. The Old Town San Diego historic area has many things to see, to do, and to hold the interest of tourists when visiting.

During our visit there, we were able to explore the Specialty Shops of the Old Town Market and more. Although we did not see them all, there are art galleries, churches, historical homes, museums, a variety of shops, and many dining options. We were able to visit Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, which was established in 1865. It was the first church in California built outside the mission system. Every visitor will find something to enjoy. There are various tours available, including the Old Town Trolley City Tours that travel from Old Town San Diego State Historic Park to the San Diego harbor continuing on with more stops at Seaport Village, Gaslamp Quarter, Balboa Park, and Little Italy to name a few. There are eleven stops in all, and you can either stay on for the full two hour tour or get on and off all day. It’s your choice.

We enjoyed visiting Old Town San Diego because it was interesting to visit an area that was so important historically to the development of this beautiful city. San Diego, with its sunny skies and mild temperatures year round, is a great place to visit no matter what, but going there and not seeing Old Town would be unfortunate. Experiencing the history of a city through an area such as this is an opportunity to better understand not only the city but the people who live there and their cultural roots. Old Town San Diego was a great experience for us, and we’re glad we took the time to do a little exploring of our own while there. If you visit San Diego, add this to your list of places to visit…make a memory and enjoy!

Lemon Butter Tilapia Fillets…Tastes Delicious and Easy to Make

Posted on May 7, 2013 by Jodee

By Jodee Weiland

Whenever you are short on time and need a quick but healthy meal to make, this meal is what you need, Lemon Butter Tilapia Fillets.

My husband and I try to be health conscious in our food selections for meals. One way to do this is to prepare fish for meals. Everyone knows that fish is healthy, but with busy schedules and the daily insanity that most families run into trying to coordinate schedules and meals, sometimes you need that quick go to meal that is easy to prepare, delicious, and fast. That’s why I call Lemon Butter Tilapia Fillets one of my delicious, healthy, and easy back-up meals when things get hectic in our house. If you try it, I think you will be pleasantly surprised at just how easy it is to prepare and even more surprised at how good it tastes.

Lemon Butter Tilapia Fillets

3 to 4 frozen tilapia fillets (approximately 4 ounces each)
3 to 4 teaspoons or more whipped unsalted butter
Durkee Grill Creations Citrus Grill seasoning
1 lemon freshly squeezed juice or more to taste
Butter spray to prepare baking dish

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Use butter spray on rectangular baking dish. Rinse frozen fillets, but it is not necessary to thaw them. Then arrange fillets in baking dish. Put about 1 teaspoon of whipped unsalted butter, more or less, in pieces on top of each filet. Then sprinkle each filet with the Citrus Grill seasoning to taste. Place baking dish in oven and cook for 15 to 17 minutes. Halfway through cooking, about 8 to 9 minutes, drizzle fillets with the desired amount of fresh squeezed lemon juice. Continue to bake for the remaining 9 to 10 minutes.

When finished cooking, serve fillets with a vegetable of your choice. I use steamed green beans or broccoli because they blend well with the lemon butter flavors of the tilapia. This dish is excellent served with a nice Riesling wine. We love this dish because it is easy to prepare and cook, allowing you to serve dinner in less than a half hour. When you add the lemon juice, have your vegetables ready to be steamed. The steamable vegetables for the microwave make this meal the almost work free. It is a delicious meal to prepare when time is short and you want something easy but healthy to serve for dinner. We love it. Hopefully, you will, too. Enjoy!

Banana Walnut Loaf…With Just a Touch of Cinnamon and Nutmeg

Posted on May 3, 2013 by Jodee

By Jodee Weiland

One of my favorite recipes when I’m looking for something sweet, but not overly sweet, is homemade banana walnut loaf with a touch of cinnamon and nutmeg.

Over the years, I have tried a lot of different recipes for banana walnut loaf, but always felt there was something missing. When buying them from a bakery, I found quite a few I enjoyed, but the recipes I tried at home always fell short until I decided to take everything I knew about the basics for the recipe and then add on my ideas for improving it. No journey worth taking comes without some wrong turns here and there. So through trial and error and some adaptations to suit my ideas of what tasted good, I finally found just what I needed to make my recipe for banana walnut loaf with just a touch of cinnamon and nutmeg.

Don’t misunderstand. When cooking, I am just a woman who has spent many years experimenting in my kitchen while looking for ways to make meals more delicious and enjoyable for those I love. I take pride in feeding my family well with healthy recipes, while making the experience more enjoyable for them. Being Italian, I watched my parents cook delicious meals for us, rarely using a recipe to follow. My father, as well as my mother, enjoyed cooking and seeing the satisfied looks on our faces as we relished the wonderful meals they cooked and created, sometimes right there on the spot. Some recipes were used, but these were family recipes for cookies, sauces, and so much more. Others were created by them, teaching us to be creative with food as well. For the most part, we learned their recipes as my parents had with their parents, by watching them cook for us. So when I needed a recipe for banana walnut loaf to satisfy my tastes, I began a creative journey in my kitchen that took me to my banana walnut loaf with just a touch of cinnamon and nutmeg.

Jodee’s Banana Walnut Loaf…With Just a Touch of Cinnamon and Nutmeg

1/3 cup softened unsalted butter

1 cup sugar

3 very ripe bananas mashed

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 eggs beaten

1/4 cup fat free skim milk

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease (butter or butter spray) and flour the loaf pan.

Blend together briefly the butter and sugar using an electric mixer with the paddle attachment at a medium speed. Add in the bananas, vanilla, and eggs, followed by the milk, just until combined.

In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add this to the banana mixture, gently beating together until combined, adding in the walnuts last. The batter will be slightly lumpy.

Pour the batter into the loaf pan, filling it about two-thirds full. Bake at 350 degrees for 55 to 65 minutes watching closely. When the top of the loaf darkens to a golden brown and the sides of the loaf pull away from the pan, use a wooden toothpick to check and see if the loaf is done. Inserted in the center of the loaf, the toothpick should pull away clean if done.

Once done, let the loaf cool in the pan for 5 to 10 minutes. Then turn the loaf out of the pan and on to the cooling rack to finish cooling down.

This recipe for banana walnut loaf with a touch of cinnamon and nutmeg will not fail to please your family as much as it has mine. It is delicious and nothing beats homemade. Half the fun is when you have younger children to help you make your recipe. Baking for my children when they were young was worth seeing the smiles on their faces when they enjoyed a special treat made by me. The happy memories of these moments mean everything to me. The same is true when you have the opportunity to bake for grandchildren, extended family, or friends. My husband and I love this recipe! I hope you will, too. Enjoy!

Learn from yesterday, live for today…

Life experiences are what make us who we are today. Come share what I have learned from my experiences about cooking, traveling, and more, and enjoy!

Monthly Archives: May 2013

Historic Old Town in San Diego…Visit the “Birthplace of California”

Lemon Butter Tilapia Fillets…Tastes Delicious and Easy to Make

Banana Walnut Loaf…With Just a Touch of Cinnamon and Nutmeg