Meals 144-150

05/23 i'm playing hookie from work today to spend a little more time in chincoteague with my boo. this place has clearly come a long way....it has a taco truck! and one run by hipsters!!! this place was within easy walking distance to our little rental cottage. and the taco combinations here are intriguing and delicious. i had already scoped the place for lunch, and very much enjoyed their falafel taco with candied mint, and their scallop taco with grapefruit salsa. tonight, for my meatless monday dinner, i went back to get their cauliflower taco. like any good taco truck, the lines here can get a little long, but if you are ever in the area? it's worth the wait. they make their own tortillas in house, and it makes all the difference.

http://www.picotaqueria.com

05/24 apparently i didn't get my fill of crabmeat while at the beach, because tonight....there's more! a simple crab salad stuffed avocado. crabmeat tossed with yogurt, cilantro, scallions and a little lime juice. placed in a perfectly ripe avocado. and that good people, is all! a simple, quick, and very tasty meal!

05/25 tonight my office hosted a dinner at a nearby restaurant, american tap room. this is a great place for a crowd. the menu has enough variety that anyone can find something they like. and the beer selection is extensive. fancy enough to be appropriate for a business dinner or date (it was one of tony and mine's first). but casual enough for a good happy hour (as i have attended a handful of times). we had a group of 8, and a wonderful time. appetizers of pretzels with cheddar ale dip and lettuce wraps. and a meal of scallops on creamed corn. the scallops were wonderful! and i never gave much thought to creamed corn before, but i was very much impressed. i'll have to add this to my list of "recipes to try"!

http://americantaproom.com

05/26 it was an abnormally late day at work tonight, so there wasn't anytime to go to the store, never mind time to put together a meal. luckily i had a beautiful assortment of cheeses in the fridge, and some fresh fruits. which was perfect for throwing together a simple cheese plate! a whisky cheddar, a roquefort, a jarlsberg, a pecorino, and goat cheese with pepper jelly. just a little sample of each. quick. easy. and a perfect way to unwind after a looooooooong day.

05/27 tomorrow is my dear friend shannon's wedding. at which i am most honored to be a bridesmaid! so tonight was the rehearsal dinner. this is my first time being an attendant at a catholic wedding, so i REALLY needed the rehearsal. it's like calisthenics. stand. sit. stand. kneel. stand. sit. stand. kneel. bow. i feel like i need one of those charts that football coaches draw up. with lines and x's and squiggly marks. *fingers crossed* i'll remember it tomorrow!

the post-rehearsal dinner was at a restaurant near the church. a lovely restaurant, "black bear bistro", with a basement room set aside for the family/bridal party. they set up a buffet with some of their customer favorites. shrimp and grits. pasta with sausage. and a "sweet tea chicken" served over mashed potatoes. it was very similar to a chicken marsala. a wonderful sweet and savory sauce with mushrooms. everything else was good. but this was amazing. and mashed potatoes!! i'll have to come back here and check out the rest of their menu....

http://www.blackbearbistro.com

05/28 today was the wedding! it was a lovely day. the weather was sunny and warm. the ceremony was sweet and charming (and relatively smooth with the choreography). the reception was held at a local winery. "the winery at la grange" is actually one of my favorite in this area. it has gorgeous grounds. overlooking rows of grapevines that surround beautiful historic brick homes. they had set a tent up for the wedding party against one of the tasting areas.

the catered food was an absolutely adorable spread of sliders and mini sandwiches. perfect for an afternoon outdoor reception! here's my plate with a taste of everything. potato salad. corn and avocado salad (yum). a little biscuit with ham. a chicken salad lettuce wrap. roast beef and arugula on brioche. and......mini lobster rolls. yes, i grabbed two. i love lobster rolls! maybe it's because i never have them? so they're a novelty? i may have ended the night with sneaking a couple of these home....no judgement.

of course there was cake. a unique vanilla cake with blueberries and browned buttercream. it was delicious. really it was. but....that was not nearly as exciting as the fact that there was a coldstone truck set up!!!  here are three of us bridesmaids with the lady of the day enjoying our sweet treats. shannon let us each pick our own style of dress. she asked that we wear "light grey", "knee length" and "bright shoes". the rest was up to us! i think it ended up being a very fun look for us all. and the bride's dress? the dress that really matters? was gorgeous. light and airy and whimsical.

and of course a wedding at a winery means....wine! cheers to all!

05/29 tomorrow i'll be up at the compound celebrating my dad's 75 birthday....and i know the meal there won't be a "meatless" one, so i'm swapping out tonight's meal for a meatless option in it's place! more fritters! these are sweet potato and corn cakes. with a side of mango avocado salad. the sweet potato is seasoned with cumin, chili powder, garlic, onion powder and oregano to give them a "southwest" flavor. tossed with the sweet corn, scallion, cilantro, bread crumbs and a beaten egg. cooked in a skill with a little olive oil. just until golden. if i've learned nothing else from this year's experiment, i have learned you can never go wrong with fritters for a meal!

Meals 137-143 (and "the other woman")

05/16 with all the asparagus that is in season now, i made a lightened up version of cream of asparagus soup tonight. bright green asparagus pureed with leeks, green peas, garlic, parmesan and greek yogurt. i was a little dubious of this recipe. i love roasted asparagus as a side, but as a soup? i wondered if it wouldn't be overwhelming. it actually makes for a very pleasant soup. the yogurt adds a wonderful creamy texture without too much fat. and the combination of leeks and green peas balances the asparagus beautifully. and something this green, must be good for you!

05/17 tonight's meal was a very simple salad. bacon, avocado, tomatoes and red onion on a bed of spinach. nothing fancy. but sometimes the simple meals are the best!

05/18 i frequently order fish tacos if i see them on a menu. especially if it's a grilled fish, not fried. they almost always come with some type of spicy/cream sauce that is addictive. and the crunchy cabbage slaw is such a wonderful addition! tonight i made them at home with a grilled mahi mahi. the sauce was a combination of cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, lime juice, cilantro and yogurt. and a little drizzle of sriracha on top. i coated the fish in a little of the seasonings as well before grilling it. and it came out perfect! wonderful flavors, and not too heavy.

05/19 i'm slowly going through all the different combinations i have of asian flavored chicken meals. tonight's was an orange ginger chicken. pieces of chicken breast sautéed in a reduction sauce of orange juice, chicken broth, ginger, soy sauce and red chili paste. a little orange zest and a few sesame seeds on top add the extra touch to this meal. and the side of broccoli perfectly soaked up the extra sauce!

05/20 tonight was tortellini tossed with spinach, tomatoes and a little of the italian sausage i had leftover.

05/21 ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce you to the entity i refer to as "the other woman". the antares. a supply rocket that launches from NASA's flight facility wallops island, just off the edge of chincoteague at the eastern most part of virginia. this sleek and intimidating entity is what often draws my tony away from me (hence the moniker). he frequently has to travel to the launch site while the engines are being tested. and this weekend is one of those tests. as much as i hate to have him out of town, at least chincoteague makes for a nice weekend trip! so i packed up the pooch and we headed to the island for the weekend.

it wasn't the most ideal weather for a weekend at the beach. it was actually cold and rainy much of the time. here you see the harsh grey skies and barren water front. all the same, it was an excellent weekend. i rather enjoy having the beach to myself! 

one of the best parts of being down here is being near all the wonderful fresh seafood. tonight we ate at "ray's shanty". a local haunt decorated with wood paneling and beach paraphernalia. it's just what you would expect. cheap beer. cheaper wine. shrimp sold by the bucket. no linen table cloths, just paper place mates. but....amazing seafood! tony always gets the blackened tuna here. and it is a MASSIVE piece of tuna. i opted for the crab cake (broiled of course). they were tasty, but i am sad to say, lacking in old bay. really virginia? get it together and put old bay in your crab cakes!!!!! aside from the seafood here, it's worth mentioning that ray's shanty has down right addictive hush puppies. i swear they have a deep fryer that has been blessed by the pope. these little golden nuggets are fantastic!!! sadly, i didn't get a picture of the wonderful little joys of deep fried corn bread....

but i did get a picture of our brunch! more crab cakes!!!!! this was at bill's. a little more upscale restaurant that was an easy stroll from our cottage. another gorgeous crab cake nestled on a toasted english muffin and topped with a perfectly poached egg. and the hollandaise....oh the wonderful decadent hollandaise. perfectly crips home fries. bright red strawberries. i love a good brunch. a lazy morning spent eating decadent foods. and this brunch, was one of the best i've ever had!

05/22 to offset the heavy foods we've been eating, tonight i made a turkey and quinoa burgers. topped with a sriracha mint yogurt sauce, and next to sides of steamed green beans and glazed carrots. it was nice to end the week with something a little healthier!

Meals 130-136

05/09 for tonight's meatless meal i wanted to try something i had seen a few times on pinterest. sweet potato nachos. i love sweet potatoes. i love nachos. but i never though of combining the two. i was most pleased with the result! the hardest part was making the sweet potato chips. even thinly sliced on the mandolin, they took a loooooooong time in the oven at a low temperature to get crisp. worth the wait though. before baking i had tossed them with olive oil and a few spices like cumin, chili powder, garlic and oregano to add a nice flavor. once they had cooled a little i sampled one. two. three. i had to stop myself from eating all the chips as they were! i laid them on a plate as a base for the copious toppings i had. black beans. corn. cheddar. scallions. cilantro. salsa. sour cream. and avocado. oh how i do love me the avocado. all together it made for a very filling meal. and now that i know how to make the chips? i foresee them appearing as the side dish to many future meals. sorry for the blurry picture!!!

05/10 during my travels in italy, i saw the combination of sausage and kale rather frequently. often in soups. sometimes over pasta. tonight i decided to try the combination on spaghetti squash. a spicy italian sausage pairs rather nicely with the bitter green of kale. it balances the flavors out quite nicely! i added a few mushrooms and tomatoes that i needed to use up, and tossed it all with roasted spaghetti squash. despite the sausage as a component, this meal was actually relatively light. and much heavier on the veggies than the meat. so no guilt!!

05/11 it's may. the second week of may. and we are still in the middle of cold, rainy, grey weather. it is most disheartening! given the dreary weather i opted for comfort food tonight. i can't even remember when or where i saw this recipe for crock pot "swiss steak". but i've had it for years and never tried it. there are a million recipes for swiss steak. all of which involve slow cooking with a great deal of moisture and a typically tough cut of meat like flat iron steak. most use tomatoes, but this one uses onions and beef broth. the addition of paprika, mushrooms and sour cream to this dish made it almost like a combination of beef stroganoff and hungarian goulash. and those are both wonderful comfort food dishes! so i figure tonight was a good night to try it. and on a bed of creamy mashed potatoes. the flat iron steak i used came out SUPER tender and delicious. the sauce was a little on the heavy side, but made for a nice gravy on the mashed potatoes.

05/12 there have been so many recipes i've made that were variations of stuffed chicken breast. tonight i wanted to use a different base. stuffed tilapia! a filet of tilapia stuffed with chopped broccoli, a beaten egg, a little parmesan, a bit of cream cheese, some spices and a few tablespoons of breadcrumbs. baked just until the tilapia became transparent. it was actually a really nice alternative to the chicken i've been using. i love the versatility and light texture of tilapia. for a side i made a strawberry basil salad. since we are in strawberry season, i want to take advantage! a little balsamic drizzle and a few cucumbers makes this salad a light and rather refreshing side dish.

05/13 tonight's meal was sort of a "deconstructed sushi". i got the idea from a recipe on skinny taste for "spicy shrimp stacks". but rather than try for the neat pretty stack? i just went for a free style bowl presentation. a base of brown rice drizzled with soy sauce. a layer of fresh avocado. shrimp that was tossed with a little mayo and sriracha. and a topping of scallions and sesame seeds. all together the flavors and textures were that of some of the best "americanized" sushi rolls i've had! next time, i want to try this with a sashimi-grade tuna......

http://www.skinnytaste.com/spicy-california-shrimp-stack/

05/14 tonight was one of my personal favorite meals. seared scallops served on a bed of parmesan risotto with a side of asparagus. i love everything about this meal! it all hinges on having good quality sea scallops. and quickly searing them quickly in a HOT skillet with a little bit of butter and white wine. the natural sweetness of the scallops comes through and the texture is one that melts in your mouth. and you can never go wrong with a good risotto. i start with a base of garlic, onion and shallot. then the arborio rice. a little white wine. and chicken broth. finish it with some parmesan and a little parsley. and this is definitely the season for fresh asparagus! quickly roasted to keep that little bit of crunch in the stalks. and the gorgeous green color. such a very wonderful meal!!!

05/15 we have a small farmer's market here in town that sets up every thursday morning. only a handful of vendors set up. but there is one particular vendor that i am obsessed with, and was very happy to see had returned to set up this year. "the lambs quarter". a farmer/butcher from calvert county that comes here to sell his wares. and he makes the most AMAZING sausages. chorizo. cheddar brats. spicy italian. everything i've bought from him is amazing. tonight i took the spicy italian sausage i had just purchased and sautéed it in a skillet with some sliced sweet onion and red peppers. amazing flavors! so simple. but when the ingredients are this good? you really don't need much! if you should ever find yourself in calvert county, i highly recommend you pay the farm a visit......

http://thelambsquarter.com

Meals 123-129

05/02 after two weeks of vacation (and vacation eating) i really want to focus on healthier meals this week. lean meats and LOTS of veggies. to start the week off i made a thai coconut curry tofu. i know, i know. tofu has a bad reputation as being a mushy bland sponge in food. and to be fair, it really is bland. which makes it ideal to soak up the wonderful flavors of red curry, fresh ginger and thai chili that are in this dish. i've also learned over the years that the mushy texture tofu can be made infinitely better if it's sliced thin and baked at 300F for about 30 minutes prior to adding it to dish of choice.  this bakes out a great deal of the moisture that the tofu is packed in, and yields a much firmer and more pleasant substance.

it's crazy that a dish that is not only vegetarian but *gasp* VEGAN can be so rich with flavors. that's the best part of thai cuisine! it can be so tasty and so healthy!! look at all the colorful vegetables in this dish. ripe tomatoes, yellow bell peppers, bright bok choy, earthy shiitake mushrooms, herbaceous cilantro....all swimming in a savory rich broth of coconut milk, curry and red chili paste. this would be great served over rice, but i usually just eat it as a stew. and it's even better the next day for lunch!

05/03 last night was thai cuisine, tonight was indian! i found a crockpot recipe for chicken tikka masala that i've been wanting to try for a while. tomatoes, onions, garlic and a handful of spices create a bed for diced pieces of chicken breast. this would probably have more depth of flavor if i had used chicken thighs, but i was trying to be on the calorie conscious side. after everything is cooked through, just add a little yogurt to give the dish a creamy texture, and top with cilantro. like last night's meal, this would've been great over rice. but i opted for roasted chickpeas instead, to add a little "crunch" to the meal.

roasted chickpeas are probably the most genius thing to have come from the "low carb" trends. drained and rinsed canned chickpeas, tossed with a little olive oil and baked for 45 minutes at 400F. (be sure to shake the baking pan halfway through). they get this wonderful golden color and a little *crunch* in texture. the flavor is rich and buttery. and they take very well to seasoning! i usually throw a little sea salt and rosemary on mine. but they are also amazing with a sprinkling of old bay!

05/04  i took advantage of the break in our rainy weather, and used the grill tonight to make some steak and veggie kabobs. there was a sale on some beautiful rib eyes, so i cubed them up and skewered them with chunks of peppers, onion, tomatoes and mushrooms. i doused everything with a simple marinade of soy sauce, garlic and ginger. just enough to add a hint of flavor, but not so much to overwhelm the natural flavors of the fresh ingredients. and since it's spring time? that means fresh asparagus for a side!!! crisp, beautiful, green and wonderful asparagus!

05/05 i looked into my repertoire of stuffed-chicken breast recipes to find one i hadn't made yet. buffalo stuffed chicken jumped out. i start out as i have so many times before, with a flattened piece of chicken breast. this time i stuffed it with a little cream cheese mixed with bleu cheese dressing, chopped celery, chopped green pepper, chopped carrot, and a healthy pour of buffalo sauce. then each piece is rolled up and placed in a baking dish. smothered with more buffalo sauce and a sprinkling of cheddar cheese, these little guys are baked at 375F for 40 minutes.

for a side i did a little twist on a wedge salad. because nothing goes better with buffalo sauce than bleu cheese! i used a base of spinach instead of the typical iceberg lettuce in a wedge salad (i gotta get the iron where and when i can!). then topped it with tomatoes, red onions and crumbled bacon. then a pour of bleu cheese dressing and a drizzle of buffalo sauce to mirror the flavors of the chicken. mmmmmm. the salad alone would've made for a satisfying meal!!

05/06 tonight was a date night with my boo! we went to our go-to spot, the breeze. we always see their pizza on the menu, but have never actually tried it. so tonight was the night to do so! we ordered their margherita style pizza, but upped the ante by adding meatballs to it. now, having just returned from my recent trip to brooklyn, my expectations were low. i know that sounds snobbish. but let's be honest. no "new york style" pizza outside of new york is really going to measure up. this one was ok. decent. not bad. but.....it wasn't "new york". still, a wonderful evening out with boo!

05/07 being from maryland (and close to the bay), i grew up with a lot of rockfish (a.k.a. striped bass.....or stripers....not to be confused with strippers as my phone likes to autocorrect) on the table (the stripers not the strippers). i never really appreciated the delicacy of this fish until i was older. it turns out? it's one of tony's favorites. so whenever i see it in the store (which is sadly very rare in virginia) i make sure to grab a piece for dinner. i like to keep the prep on this fish simple. a little olive oil, a sprinkle of old bay, and a few minutes on the grill. that's it. rockfish has a relatively delicate flavor, so it shouldn't be overwhelmed by heavy sauces or spices.

since the main course was one of tony's favorites, i decided to carry through with some of his favorite sides as well. this has become a "boo appreciation" meal. the bleu cheese cole slaw? always a hit. spinach quinoa patties? can never go wrong with those. and sweet potato fries? mmmmmm. sweet potato fries. a happy plate, a happy boo!

05/08 happy mothers day to all the mothers out there! i went up to the compound to see mamacita and  give her a mothers day hug. we had a nice afternoon feast of fried chicken, grilled brats and fresh strawberries. in the maryland/virginia/delaware area there is a chain of convenient stores called royal farms. and they have the BEST fried chicken. seriously. at a gas station. it's amazing! beside the good food, it's always good to spend time chatting with the family!

hard to believe it's already over a week into may. crazy how the year is flying by!

Malbec-Off!!!

we invited some friends over for an event we've been talking about for a while. the "malbec off". a blind tasting of various malbecs to see which ones reigned supreme! we invited our friends that have a taste for red wine, and asked each to bring a bottle to sample/share. we ended up with 8 bottles, a very nice variety! everyone got a small tasting glass from each bottle without knowing what it was (the glasses were labeled with letters), and a sheet to write down their opinions. at the end, we all compared what we liked/didn't like. then the letters and corresponding bottles were revealed! (FYI....tony and i agreed that misterio and padrillos were our favorites). a successful venture! we may have to try this again with pinot noir. and zinfandel. and cabernet sauvignon.....

of course we weren't going to have people drinking all of this wine on empty stomachs, so had to put out a spread of snacks. prosciutto and melon is one of those easy-but-fancy appetizers that always seems popular at events like these. sweet, ripe cantaloupe wrapped with thin salty prosciutto and drizzled with a balsamic glaze. this was a combination i was introduced to while i was in italy. it's always impressive, and colorful, and so quick to put together!

i feel that bleu cheese and red wine are the very best of friends. for tonight i made bleu cheese "cookies". i found this recipe one year in the washington post's "christmas cookie" edition. it's savory cookie made with bleu cheese (i always opt for my favorite-maytag) and walnuts. i suppose they're really more of a thick cracker than a cookie? either way, wonderful morsels of bleu cheese goodness!

Blue Cheese Walnut Cookies
3 1/2 oz blue cheese (i use maytag....as i always do)
3 Tblsp unsalted butter (room temperature)
1/2 c flour
1/4 cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/3 c walnut (chopped)

-combine bleu cheese and butter in a food processor.
-add flour, cornstarch, salt and pepper.
-pulse until mixed.
-add walnuts.
-pulse just until combined.
-wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate 30 minutes.
-roll dough to 1/4" thickness.
-cut into desired shapes.
-bake 12-14 minutes at 325F

it is that wonderful time of year, that avocados are everywhere. and that means GUACAMOLE!!!! there are few things in the world quite so wonderful as fresh guacamole. i've found that my life is made easier if i make the "salsa" part of the guacamole the night before. it saves prep time the day of serving and gives the flavors time to meld together. i toss diced tomatoes with red onion, jalapeño 

(i like a little kick in mine, but the recipe is just as good without it), garlic, cilantro and lime juice.  i have found that the fresh garlic and cilantro really make all the difference in a good guac and a "meh" guac. then the next day i mash up as many avocados as is needed for the crowd and throw in the tomato concoction. a little sprinkle of salt and that's it! 

since we were tasting malbecs, and most malbecs come from argentina, it seemed appropriate that i make a carne asada with chimichurri sauce! sadly, i never got a picture of the whole steak as it came off the grill. it was too quickly carved and devoured.....so all i have is a shot of these two slices on a plate. but i promise it came out successfully! i had never made carne asada before. flank steak marinaded in vinegar, oil and spices. grilled just until pink in the middle. carved into thin slices and served with this wonderful herbaceous sauce.

the sauce is simple enough, the key is to make sure the ingredients are fresh (and REALLY green)

Chimichurri
1 c cilantro
1 c parsley
3 Tbsp fresh oregano
3 cloves garlic
1/2 red onion
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp lime juice
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 c olive oil

-combine all ingredients but the olive oil in a food processor.
-pulse until chopped.
-slowly drizzle in olive oil until combined.

just as good on shrimp and chicken as it is on steak!

for dessert i wanted to continue the argentinian theme, and was thinking what i could do with dulce de leche. of course i settled on cupcakes. duh! there are four different uses of the smooth and creamy caramel in these guys. the cake? has dulce de leche in the batter. the frosting? a dulce de leche buttercream. the center of the cake? a  filling of dulce de leche. and to finish it all of, a little drizzle on the top. these little guys were rich, but soooooooo good!

good wine, good food and good friends. the recipe for a good night! happy may!!

Meals 116-122

04/25 after my first full day in sedona, i am EXHAUSTED!!! i took advantage of my "freebie" at the hotel restaurant again. i barely had the energy to walk across the lobby, so forget about driving across town. they had a butternut squash ravioli on the menu that i thought would be perfect for my meatless monday. sorry to say sedona rouge, but you missed the mark on this dish. the sauce was WAY too heavy. instead of a little butter and sage? they doused these raviolis with a thick artichoke cream sauce. maybe i'm being too picky. my taste buds get a little off with the change in altitude.....

04/26 i kept driving past this restaurant called the "barking frog" and chuckling. so i decided to give it a shot tonight for dinner. the menu was pretty standard tex-mex fare. i ordered a very simple salad with carne asada.

the dinner itself was so-so, but the decor of this place? worth it. i mean look at this painting. i really need to find a copy of this for my living room!

04/27 my last dinner in sedona! there's a restaurant in town that everyone keeps recommending. "elote". it's supposed to be the best (and most authentic) mexican restaurant in the area. the chef has won numerous awards for his dishes. i was advised to get here early, as the tables always fill up, and there is usually a line out the door. being a singleton, i opted to eat at the bar.

i'm always on the look out for good mole sauce. so was excited to see a dish with mole poblano on the menu. and was even more intrigued when i saw what it was being served on. braised buffalo short ribs? not chicken? how very......south west...to have buffalo. i've only had buffalo meat ground, so was interested in trying a larger cut of meat from the animal. and anything in mole sauce makes me happy!

the meat was leaner, and darker than traditional beef. but with a great flavor. whatever method they used to braise the ribs yielded a very tender result. the meat was literally falling off of the bone into that wonderful dark sauce. the mole wasn't overly sweet. it was mildly spicy with a hint of smokiness. my only regret is that i wasn't able to finish this extremely hearty meal! i agree with everyone's recommendation. if you are in sedona, this is absolutely the one restaurant you have to try!

04/28 i'm back in phoenix for the night. i have an ungodly early flight in the morning, so am spending my last evening in arizona near the airport (woo). tonight is a fast food take out kind of night. which is lucky, because arizona? has in-n-out burgers!!!

one of the great tragedies of my life, is that while i briefly lived in southern california? i was a vegetarian. so never ate at in-n-out burger. which is considered a fast food delicacy to anyone from so-cal. it wasn't until many years later, on a return visit to la that i finally tried one for the first time. a single cheeseburger "animal style". i still maintain that five guys has the superior burger. but....for a fast food chain? these are pretty damn tasty! their claim is fresh, high quality ingredients. and you really can taste the difference. if you haven't had one of these burgers? and you ever get the chance? take it! and be sure to look on-line for the "secret menu". they don't advertise the animal style in the actual restaurants. but i recommend ordering your burger that way. tomatoes, pickles, grilled onions and a thousand island-ish spread. so good, but soooooo messy. get extra napkins!

04/29 home sweet home! i got in tonight and was starving after a long day of traveling. as soon as i dropped my luggage off, tony and i went over to guapo's. plantains and a chicken quesadilla for me tonight!

04/30 it's been a while since i've actually cooked a meal, so tonight i was anxious to get back in the kitchen. this is one of those recipes i've been meaning to try for a while. chicken breasts sautéed in a raspberry chipotle sauce. the sauce is pretty easy. a few tablespoons of raspberry jam mixed with diced chipotles in adobo sauce and a splash of cider vinegar. once mixed together, the sauce is boiled down until it's roughly the consistency of bbq sauce. then poured over chicken that has been sautéed in olive oil. the sauce was fantastic! sweet, spicy, smoky. a LOT of flavors.

for a side i made some mashed sweet potatoes, and threw in a few of the extra diced chipotles to mirror the flavors of the sauce. just enough to bring some heat to the dish, but not too much to overwhelm the flavors of the sweet potato. and then a little steamed broccoli to add some green to the plate. overall a relatively healthy meal, and a nice welcome back to the kitchen!

05/01 tonight we had a group of friends over for an informal wine tasting that focused solely on malbecs. since we didn't want our people drinking on an empty stomach, we of course had plenty of snacks laid out. i'll put up a separate post about the food.....and of course the wine!

Sedona Pt 3

i kept most of my schedule here free so that i could hike as much or as little as i please. but the one planned event that i had booked was a "vortex yoga hike".

i read about this experience when i was researching "things to do in sedona". i wanted to hike. i wanted to visit a vortex. i wanted to do some yoga. and this promises to do all three! so it seemed like a no-brainer experience for me to try.

http://vortexyogahikinginsedona.com

this business was set up by "yogi blair" as a way to introduce people to the spiritual side of sedona.

we were a smaller group this morning, myself, a couple from connecticut celebrating their 20th anniversary, and yogi blair himself.

we met at the trail head for sugar loaf mountain. a smaller hill that overlooks the entire city of sedona.

the weather was perfect for the hike. sunny and brilliant skies with just enough of a breeze to keep us comfortable.

a slight incline hike took us up the side of sugarloaf for a stunning view of the entire area. here yogi blair led us through an aromatherapy ritual. breathing in the scents of bay leaf and tangerine to help us focus our minds and relax our thoughts.

we strolled down the mountain to an area known as "falcon's nest". one of the smaller vortex spots in the area. it sits just below coffee pot rock in a valley to the north of sedona. apparently one of the signs of a vortex is how twisted the trunk of the juniper trees are. look at how the bark twists and winds on this guy....

just a little ways off the trail there was a stretch of smooth red rock, perfect for laying down our mats!

it was amazing to be outside during this class. to feel sunlight on the skin, a breeze through the hair, and the wonderful stretch of the yoga.

i highly recommend this experience to anyone who comes here, even those who have never done yoga before. yogi blair will keep the class as basic or advanced as is comfortable.

this really is the best way to feel the energy that comes from these red rocks! though, at one point i did connect a little TOO close with nature. somewhere between bridge pose and pigeon.....i got stung by a bee. not the most zen-inducing feeling!!!!!

the last little ritual that yogi blair led us through was a "chocolate meditation". allowing a piece of dark chocolate to melt in our mouths as we stroll back through the scenery in silence. listening to the sounds of the nature around us and feeling the warmth of the energy around us.

definitely a "new age-y" experience. but an amazing one!!! you might sometimes roll your eyes at all the talk of crystals and life force. but i promise this really is a phenomenal way to explore the wonders of sedona!

Sedona Pt 2

i decided to spend my second full day in sedona exploring oak creek canyon and coconino national forest.  considered one of the most scenic areas of north america, this canyon follows oak creek through 12 miles of steep cliff faces as it winds between sedona and flagstaff. the drive along highway 89A follows the creek, and is beautiful enough, with a gorgeous scenic outlook on the north end.

i detoured at west fork bend for a hike deeper into the canyon. this is where the trail begins, leading off the main road and meandering back into one of the streams that feeds oak creek. this area is known as "call of the canyon". a reference to the zane grey novel that was named for this spot. 

generally speaking, this is one of the easier hikes in the area. a relatively flat trail that goes back about 4 miles through cool shaded woods. the tricky part of this trail is the 13 points that it crosses the stream. as it had been a rainy few days, the water levels were higher than usual, making these crossings a little tricky.

the deeper into the canyon the trail goes, the higher the red cliffs on either side rise. making for an almost chilly stroll.

amazingly after 4 miles, the terrain continues to change at every turn. even the sounds are different. spring time here brings a number of migrating song birds, so each chirp and call adds to the natural music. 

the way that the water has shaped the rocks over the years is mesmerizing. different colors, swirls, stripes and textures.

here is where the proverbial sidewalk ends....as the canyon narrows there isn't room left for an official trail. avid hikers will put on their river shoes and keep hiking/wading/swimming another 11 miles through the stream.

i've read that the water trail leads to some of the most beautiful spots and rock formations in the area, if you're willing to get your feet  (and at some point up to your shoulders) wet to see them. 2 miles past this point is a campground that is supposed to be breath taking. maybe i'll discover that on my next trip.........