Day Four; larry, bryce, and the garden house

Day Four.

This was my favorite day of the trip.  The family and I woke up in Kanab Utah and were headed out to Bryce Canyon National Park.  As we were driving around the small town to find some water when we passed a place called Laid-Back Larry's.  It was a small little natural food store / cafe.  I got some vegan waffles with soy yogurt and fruit.  Both my mum and I each got a smoothie as well.  It was a hidden gem.

On way to Bryce, we stopped to get gas to find a small farmers market in the gas station parking lot.  Of course we all had to glace over their wares.  I found a treasure!  This little loaf of vegan bread was great for my sandwiches at lunch.

Soon, we were on our way to Bryce.  The drive was nice, especially as we drove through the red canyon.  We arrived in Bryce around noon and decided that we would split up after lunch.  My mum rode a mule into the canyon while Ben and I did a short 3 mile hike into the canyon.  It was a relatively easy hike but amazing scenery.  We got to walk through a place called "wall street" where massive tree grow out of the red rocks.

Bryce was one of the best national parks I have been too.  I will go back and do more at some point but I got a very good taste of what it has to offer.  The large rock towers, called hoo-doos were very awesome.  In our goofiness, my brother and I were naming them as we walked past.  I took so many pictures that my camera was dead by the time we hit the hotel in Cedar City Utah later that same night.

Once we checked into the hotel, we found a place called Garden House.  This was a rather upscale place for such a rural town.  I had a "zesty" pasta with mixed vegetables.  It was decent but the service was a bit lacking.  It was still nice to have another hot meal on a trip I did not expect to get many.

Day Three; grand canyon

Day Three.

After waking up in Flagstaff, Ben, my mum and I, hit the road.  We had seen signs for some drive through safari.  Not my thing but I do like to see the animals.  We drive in, getting my 23 year old brother in for the 12 year old child rate!  There were some pretty awesome non-human animals to see but it would have been better if they were in the wild.

Next stop, the grand canyon!  After a short drive (comparably) we were at the front entrance.  I got an annual national park pass from a mildly rude ranger and we were in.  After watching a brief IMAX film about the canyon, we drove out to see it.


As soon as we departed the visitors center we were bombarded with wild elk crossing the road in front of us.  I have seen elk before but they are always stunning.  It was fun for my family to see them for the first time.  Then we got yelled at by a park ranger for taking pictures.

I do not want to discourage anyone from visiting the grand canyon.  It was incredible however, there was something that left me feeling a bit underwhelmed with it all.  I think it was to massive for my brain to comprehend.  I often felt like I was looking at a very well done green screen or CGI piece.  I know that it does not make much sense but, it was kind of insignificant in its wonder.  I felt like you had to see the canyon with something in front of it to get a frame of reference.

All in all, I am very happy I was able to see it.  It was something I will not forget, especially that initial site walking up to the rim.  We also saw some huge elk in the woods on several occasions.  It was a great day.  I really enjoyed being there with my family.  This was the prefect trip for the three of us to take together.

The day ended with a long drive through the night desert.  We finally stopped in Kanab, UT for a very rundown motel after eating dinner in Page AZ.  The vegan options were very limited so I just grabbed a sandwich from the car.

Day Two; dam oasis

Day Two.

Our first full day had the three of us checking out of the resort and heading to the grocery store to get some road trip items.  Then, my mum, my brother and I headed to our first stop of the trip, Hoover Dam.  The human made sights are not my thing but it was something both Ben and my mum wanted to see so it was on the list.  This was going to be a trip filled with adventure and compromise.

There was an interesting museum at the dam that discussed the advocates and adversaries of the dam when it was being created.  This was the aspect of the dam that interested me the most.  It was also a fun day to spend with the family.  I have not seen them in nearly a year.

After the dam, we took the long drive to Flagstaff AZ for dinner and lodging.  My mother has a bad back which limited our ability to hike as a group and required us to make sure we had a bed to sleep in each night.  This was the first of many long drives through the desert.  I napped.

Once were acquired lodging in Flagstaff, we went out to dinner at Mountain Oasis.  This was a quaint restaurant with many vegan options.  Ben and I split an order of Shiitake Spring Rolls.  They seemed a bit light on mushroom and the skins were slightly tougher than then should have been but I was still pleased.  I order a tempeh corn chowder with a vegan sourdough roll as well as the Mountain Oasis Thai Dish.  The noodle dish was good and filling.  The bread was delicious but the tempeh corn chowder was the best dish on the table.  I even asked for an additional bowl to eat in the morning.

I think we would have all agreed, this was one of the best meals on the trip.

Day One; donuts, reds, and veggies.

Day One.

From here in Atlanta, I grabbed an early flight to Las Vegas so that i could make sleeping and transportation arrangements before my mum and younger brother (Ben) arrived on their flight from Maine.  My brother had spend a weekend in Las Vegas awhile ago but otherwise, neither had spent any time out west.  Ben did live here in Atlanta with me for about a year, several years ago.

Obviously, as soon as I got the car straightened out for our week long vacation, I immediately set out for Ronald's Donuts, as any respectable vegan would.  I had not eaten anything at this point so I made sure to set at least a dozen donuts.

My next stop, after gobbling up several donuts in the car, was Red Canyon Conservation Area to do some hiking.  Red Rock was amazing.  The color patterns on the rocks were some of the best on the trip.  I took a several hour hike into the canyon which toward the end became a bouldering adventure.  I climbed until I reached the end where there was a dried waterfall that only runs when it flash floods.  Lucky for me, the day was clear and I was safe.  However, I did start to feel sick.  I had water but the 5 donuts I ate began to burn off quickly in the 100 degree heat and I got light-headed as I returned to the car.  Either way, it was a great afternoon in the mountains of Nevada.

I treated myself to a nice dinner at Veggie Delight before checking into the resort for the night.  The dinner was decent.  For an appetizer, I got Tofu Nuggets.  They were fairly spongy and I could have passed on them.  For an entree I ordered Basil Leaf Chicken.  It was much better but was a little to heavy on the mixed greens.

Then it was off to the hotel to relax before picking up the family at the airport.  We got back to the room and went right to sleep.  It was a long day for all of us and we had a busy week ahead.

Stuffed Cherries!

Along with the Three Bean and Cherry Salad, I made a quick dessert.  I made a stuffed cherry of sorts.

Stuffed Cherries

15 cherries
3/4 cup of cherries (finely chopped)
3/4 cup of confectionery sugar
1/4 cup of sugar
2 tablespoons of vegan cream cheese
1 tablespoon of corn starch
1 teaspoon of vanilla

Take all the ingredients other than the 15 cherries an heat on low until the become a liquid.  This should take about 15-20 minutes.  Stir frequently to avoid burning.  The mixture should be a thick dark purple color.  Once the mixture is done, put in the freezer for 15 minutes and it should thicken up pretty well.

In the meantime, take 15 cherries, cut in half and remove the pits.  Once the filling in cool in the freezer, begin to spoon it into the cherry halves and chill for 15 minutes.


It turned out to be a great potluck and there was many great dishes!  I am looking forward to the next.  Once I actually get a dinner table, I may try and host my own!

National Cherry Day?

Today was apparently National Cherry Day?  I only know this because the vegan meet up group I attend had a cherry themed pot luck.  Jamie was busy with her work at a new art co-op and although it was sad that she was not in attendance, I am very excited and proud of her for being involved!  I think it will be great for her.

Ashley happened to get the afternoon off and accompanied me to the potluck!  She is clever and instead of using cherries, she made a dish using cherry tomatoes!  I thought it was very smart and innovative.  Her bean and avocado stuffed cherry tomatoes were a big hit.

For me, I wasted to bring an entree however, I could not come up with a great cherry based entree.  Eventually i gave up and decided I would simply not follow the theme.  I was still drawing a blank.  I text my great friend Jonny who is a sous chef for a five star restaurant back in Maine, and re made an awesome recommendation.  he said "go seasonal and make a three bean salad".  It was perfect and the more I thought about the ingredients, the more I realized that I could swap some traditional ingredients out and incorporate the cherries!  So here it is, Three Bean and Cherry Salad.

Three Bean and Cherry Salad

15 oz of chic peas
15 oz of kidney beans
1 1/2 cups of green beans
1 1/2 cup of cherries

1/3 cup of oil
1/3 cup of sugar
1/4 cup of fresh basil (chopped)
1/6 cup of red wine vinegar
1/6 cup of apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons of red onion (chopped)
1 tablespoon of rosemary (chopped)
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon of salt

Using a strainer, rinse the chic peas and kidney beans thoroughly.  Meanwhile, chop the ends off the green beans and chop into 1 inch pieces.  Rinse with the chic peas and kidney beans.

In a large bowl, combine the onion, rosemary, and basil.  Theses should all be chopped fairly small.  Avoid large chunks.  Add the rinsed beans and stir well.

In a bowl, combine the sugar, oil, both vinegars, pepper, and salt and mix well.  Pour over the bean mixture and gently fold in.  Avoid smashing the beans, they may be delicate.  Begin the chilling process.

Chop one cup of cherries into several sizes.  Leave some as large has halves and chop others into small slivers.  Once the beans have chilled for about 30 minutes, add the cherries and gently fold into the mixture.  Chill for another hour.

This was not the only dish I made for the pot luck but if I said anything else, I would not have anything to say tomorrow so, wait.

Dinner out!

After a day that began a bit slow it finished strong.  I had a great dinner with Ashley and her good friend Candice.  Ashley made some alfredo pasta with garlic rolls and a caesar salad.  She is really going all out with her ability to cook vegan foods and occasionally, I get the benefits!

I made some peach lemon-aid to go with dinner and a few banana splits to have after.

Peach Lemon-aid

10 lemons
2 peaches
5 cups of water
2 cups of sugar

Cut the lemons in half and juice them.  This is an easy task with a juicer, if not the lemons will need to be squeezed until they release no more juice.   Once the lemon are empty shells, pour the liquid into a blender.  If a juicer was not used, the seeds will need to be filter out.  One way to do this is to pour the juice through a coffee filter or fine vegetable grater to sift the seeds out.  Depending on the size of the lemons, this should yield about 1 cup of juice.

Peel and remove the pit from the two peaches.  Cut into chucks and place in the blender.  Puree the lemons and peaches until smooth and liquid.  Add the sugar and water and puree until the sugar has dissolved, should take about 1 minute.


This turned out wonderful as a nice summer drink for a hot southern day.  It was very refreshing and the peaches were subtle enough to allow the lemons to sour through.

Pre-cation

The week before vacation seems so uneventful.  To an extent, it does not even matter what happens, it is all just a waiting game until that last minute of work and that first taste of freedom.  One week from today will be those moments for me.  I am already on my pre-cation.

The garden seems to be coming alive, the kitties are adjusting well, and one player foods have been all over my kitchen.  I hope that after I return from vacation, I will have the motivation to get more cooking done.

A few weeks ago, I saw a sight that reminded me of my childhood of entrepreneurship and even those stories of the past.  Some things will never change.

lemon-aid  $0.50 per cup

The cupcake guy?

I am not really the cupcake guy.  Let me clarify.  If you put a (vegan) cupcake in front of me I will be all over it.  I am a huge fan of cupcakes, or any cakes for that matter.  However, I can not make cupcakes very effectively.  It is a sad state of affairs, I am a snack goon that can not bake.

That is not entirely true, I have a few solid baked goods that I can make and are quite good, any of my cheesecakes would be a good example.  I have also stumbled on a few great cake and cookie recipes in my struggle with the oven treats.  It is just not my forte'.

I have worked far to many hours in the last several days.  I have actually logged more than 32 hours in the last 3 days at work and some how I managed to both squeeze in a closing and give my good friend Myrna a much needed driving lesson now that she has attained her permit.  The long hours does not allow me to go to bed until about 4am each day.

Last night, after work I got caught up in a cooking contest show about cupcakes.  Today, I decided to dive in.  I will not be left out of the baking world.  I made some ginger coconut filled cupcakes with coconut cream cheese icing.  I am going to put a bit more effort into making the icing thicker on this cupcake before I post a recipe.  The taste was spot on though.  I cheated a bit and used the Golden Vanilla Cupcake recipe but I did make the filling and the icing on my own.

Closed!

The gardening has been frustrating.  The rabbits did some significant damage early in the season and now we are in a drought.  The beets are about to end the growing season and are looking fairly small.  The okra and pepper plants look great but are not producing much.  I have gotten 2 very underdeveloped bell peppers and i picked my second okra.  I am not sure what I should do with a single okra every couple of weeks.  Not many recipes that call for a single okra!

The good news is, that I finally closed on a house that I had been working on for about six months.  It felt good and it was a friend of mine that bought the house.  He is very happy with the purchase and it makes me feel good to know that I helped him buy his first home.  Despite the challenges of getting the property to closing, it is clear to me that this is what I want to be doing.  Now I just need to find some more clients or I can get out of my jobby job.

The grand Canyon trip with my mum and brother is only about 10 days away!  This should be a fun adventure.  I honestly can not recall a time when we had a family vacation.  This may be a first.  My mum and I have taken some fun trip and many day trips but I think this will be the first time that we have added a sibling of mine.

Oh, and I made some pasta for lunch the other day.  It was with some leftover seitan, garden fresh basil, and mushrooms!  Yum!