Category Archives: Travel

Y2-Day 58 – What a Glorious Day!

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Every day is a glorious day but yesterday was exceptional.

Cindi had her first known boat cruise around Lake Arrowhead and had sea worthy legs!There was much duck feeding and duck chasing!A healthy dinner of vegan teriyaki beef skewers with roasted garlic, raisin pecan brown rice and a salad made with grilled artichokes, home grown tomatoes, red cabbage, Bitchin cilantro sauce, kalamata olives all mixed into a field of greens.Sharing new experiences, new places, and new foods.  It doesn’t get any better than that!

Y2-Day 57 – Mystery Solved

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After arriving to the treehouse ravished, we dove into raw garlic hummus with broccoli and black bean chips, a quick glass of San Pelegrino sparkly water, threw perishables into the refrigerator, walked Cindi around, put on the heat in the house and jumped back into the car and headed towards the center of town in Lake Arrowhead to catch the second outing of the Arrowhead Queen boat tour.  Dogs are allowed as long as they are behaved and Cindi made us proud.

After we meandered throughout the three levels of shops and restaurants ( Mountain Arts Co-Op, Three Dog Bakery for treats, Leroy’s for fashion, Tea and Coffee Shop for outdoor cafe-ing and a much loved boutique), essentially an outdoor mall, we called it a day, again famished.

On our way to the parking lot, we met a couple with two dogs who stopped to ask if we knew what breed Cindi was.  “Nope, not a clue.” we responded.  She declared Cindi a chi weenie, a half chihuahua and half daschund, a designer breed apparently, after observing that Cindi looked just like her Delilah (Samson, her toy poodle’s housemate).  Sure enough, Delilah was brown and a little bigger but her owner pointed out that the facial markings (which makes them look older than they are due to it looking like a gray haired condition), donut tail and all over look was identical.  Delilah barked.  She sounded just like Cindi even with the final ‘Hrrrmph’ exclamation point.

Well, what do you know?  What was the likelihood that at the very moment we were leaving and this couple was entering the main square, someone would inform us with living proof what Cindi’s origins must be – after all our speculations?

After looking on line, Chiweenies run the spectrum of hybrid appearances making it hard to believe Cindi could be one – but our two girls in Arrowhead had an uncanny resemblance.  Mystery solved.

Y2-Day 43 – Easy Trader Jo Vegan

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I heard some good feedback from yesterday and I am going to make it even easier for you to eat for a few days – buy prepared food!! Whole Foods and Mother’s Market of course but even Trader Jo’s has a selection of vegan prepared, ‘ready to go and enjoy’ meals.  I picked these items up today and had half the eggplant wrap for lunch.  Don’t go hungry, run by your nearest health-ier store because as Oscar Wilde once said – “After a good dinner one can forgive anybody, even one’s own relations.”

These are tips from ML in New York –

Love my AM fruit bake combos with apples, berries, bananas and crunchy peanut butter or almond flour yum yum yum! For lunch my 4 stagioni insalata: 4 colorful vegies raw for example: endive, beets, yellow pepper and snow peas!

 Here’s a shout out to all the winter wonderland peeps!  Thank you for the beautiful picture and stay warm!  Hunker down and get your veggies!

New York City- two days ago

Y2-Day 32 – Close Encounter

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When the fossil shop up in Arrowhead opens, they place a petite dinosaur out on the lake walk tied up to the railings.  All the kids love it and it lures them in to learn more about their geological physical surroundings  and possibly buy some special item in the store.

A certain new member of the family found the replica life like and being a social butterfly had no qualms about greeting this prehistoric ‘monster’.

Y2-Day 29 – Mountain Pup

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Getting ready to come up the hill and packing for a new dog is like the first time you actually go out with your baby and diaper bag.  It’s a bit exciting, you’re not sure how it’s going to go and there is much anticipation and some trepidation.

I was advised to crate her in the back of our small SUV.  Poor Cindi never complained, whined or barked but driving up the winding roads to an eventual elevation of 5200 feet was enough to get her sick and she didn’t know where to sit or lay down or what to do because she sure as heck didn’t want to be around her uprooted breakfast.

At long last we made it to the cabin.  The first thing I usually do is put on a pot of organic decaf coffee.  Remember having an infant?  It’s not the first thing I did.  Instead I made sure she walked the grounds, her crate was in a centrally located place, her dirty blanket was put in the wash and then and only then did I unpack the car.

After settling in, I made myself some lunch and we took off for Lake Arrowhead.  This time Cindi rode in the front with me and loved it.  She never moved or fidgeted because I think she wasn’t keen on the whole crated experience for one hour in a moving vehicle.  She seems to prefer the proximity to her owner and everyone knows ‘those with queasy stomachs’ should ride shotgun.

It was 56 degrees out so I thought she might need a jacket but as it turned out it was quite warm in the sun and she had to take it off once we were out and about.

We walked around the lake, she wagged her tail and pulled on the leash to get friendly with every dog (no matter the size) she saw and then we entered a doggie shop.  Here we scoured the goodies and decided to come back at the end of our adventure so the treats we were bringing home to Beau, Rocky and Lilah (J, the dog rescuer’s dogs) would be fresh.  

Every shop in Lake Arrowhead is dog friendly and I tried on some clothes at my favorite place but like having a baby, dogs don’t always want to wait around and watch you in the dressing room unless they are sleeping and Cindi was pretty heady with scents she had sniffed and eager to check out the rest of dog town so I cut my shopping short.  After all, it was her first time up to the lake and I needed to respect her first outing up here and make it special and make it about her, not me.

Tonight, a warm relaxing fire.  I intend on snuggling up with Cindi by my feet while I eat, watch TV or read. I will bring her crate by my bed and put on the electric heater nearby.  I let her off leash finally to roam in a cat free home and she follows me everywhere or stays in her crate watching me or resting.

My friend J said ” You have a new buddy that loves you no matter what you look like, what your breath smells like, what kind of car you drive nor what kind of purse or clothes you own.  None of that matters to Cindi.  She loves you unconditionally, now and always, no matter what.”

I cannot believe my fortune.  It could only be better if the love of my life were here. Yet I do believe and imagine seeing the three cats down the hill dancing the jig, relieved or at least perplexed, giving my husband a wary eye.

Y2-Day19 – Seattle goodies

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Foodstuffs are always the way to our hearts. It brings back memories, enhancing your experience all over again with flavor, panache and punch.

Half the lure of New York is the restaurant scene.  Berkeley is teeming with multicultural manna from heaven.  Pasadena has the fortunate position of being home to a few culinary schools and chefs practice on diners every chance they get and diners get the benefits of their stand out or edgy trends.  Let’s not even start in on cruises, Hawaii or Europe.  I could write a travel diary solely focusing on meals.

I remember great moments in my life by what I was eating.   I asked for ten homemade pizzas for my tenth birthday.  I made seven for my son’s third birthday party although I am sure he has no memory of it.  When my husband and I were dating, he always ordered lasagna and we scoured Long Island and NYC for Italian.  We shared hot fudge sundaes at the Friendly’s in Commack and we were the first to try the ‘all you can eat’ promotion for breaded fried shrimp at the Sizzler’s in Smithtown, N.Y. in the 70’s.

My BFF in NY once brought garlic bagels and onion bialys on the plane with her and people on board were begging her and dying for a bite from the sheer intensity of the smell wafting throughout the cabin.  At the bottom of her magical bag she had NY Italian cannolis stashed amid heavy cold packs.  Now, that’s a good buddy.

I am sentimental about when I first tried this or when I last tasted that.  My first onion was raw and eaten like an apple once I had teeth.  I ate the lemon innards up until not too long ago.  I first and last had escargots served with drawn butter, garlic and parsley on a family Baltic cruise.  I had a field day tasting different animal meats for the first time but I swoon recalling about it now at Brazilian churrassquerias both in Brazil in my twenties and in the U.S.A. when the kids were petite and dared to dare me.

Every menu is an opportunity to celebrate like Thanksgiving and make it sacred.

For a few years, I threw themed luncheons sharing original, foolproof recipes demonstrating them in my kitchen.

Yes, food is vital and plays a big part in our lives.

So it’s no wonder that food gifts, food related products, gadgets or books are frequently exchanged in our family.  My nephew just got into pie making – perfect opportunity for a few pie centered cookbooks for his shelf.  My son’s girlfriend wanted to do some cast iron cooking,  a nice Lodge specimen and cookbook followed.  My husband loves popcorn (who doesn’t?) – hot air popper wrapped and under the tree.

I gladly visited Seattle and brought home food gifts and had tons of food stories (check in the Search box for Seattle to read earlier posts ).Thanks to my son and J, we have the best of Seattle that could be packaged and stuffed into luggage right here in our own Southern California pantry.  The rose petal jelly was the only thing I even wanted for Christmas when asked.  It is unmatched in quality. We visited the start up store and heard the story of Kukuruza popcorn on our chocolate lover’s tour.  I spent hours tasting Quintessential oils and vinegars before concluding which flavors to ship back home.  I munched and snacked on freshly roasted Ceres’ sugared pecans with M and J after visiting the needle and Chihuly gardens.  Fifteen months later, we were gifted with a huge supply that ran the gamut and covered every sweet tooth.

Yup, that’s Maple and Coconut Balsamic vinegars.

 

day 359 – Pizza

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My favorite thing in the world to eat is Pizza, then Peanut Butter.  To consider them Trigger/ Downfall foods is to be polite.  How do you eat pizza when you are a vegan?  Easy, take a whole wheat or gluten free crust and top it with whatever veggies occur to you and with or without vegan cheez.  I support Darya brand which is dairy, gluten and also soy free.  Do you realize when you are vegan not one milligram of cholesterol enters your body?  Just latched on to that thought.  Hmmm.

You can also order a specialty pizza.  I ordered a vegan pizza up in Berkeley’s Build (see post – search under build) and recently at Z Pizza here in So. Cal.  I could have put together any number of combinations but I ordered the Berkeley Vegan right off the menu just to support UC Cal.  I ordered the small on wheat.  It came with marinara, vegan cheese, veggie burger crumbles, zucchini, tomatoes, mushrooms, red onions and bell peppers.  Next time,  I intend on ordering the organic tomato sauce with caramelized onions, Greek olives, roasted eggplant and pine nuts.  Yummmm.

day 355 – Waffle House

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Belgian Waffle Works at Lake Arrowhead Village sits right in front of the lake where the Arrowhead Queen is docked.  You can sit inside the cozy old fashioned decor with historical black and white pictures of the lakeside or you can sit outside with heaters, watching passerby’s, tourists and boat excursionists.

Waffles are served all day and there are sixteen ways to eat them.  There are lunch items, specials, hot and cold sandwiches, salads, a homemade soup of the day and appetizers.  It was a little after ten am on a sunny, crisp autumn Saturday.  The town was already bustling.

My sweetie pie ordered the Sweetie Pie: A Belgian waffle (their own exclusive recipe) baked with chocolate chips, topped with chocolate ice cream and smothered in chocolate sauce and whipped cream.Vegans don’t eat eggs, milk or butter so I had three choices: Oatmeal, a garden burger or a veggie sandwich.  Garden or Veggie burgers can be tricky – some brands use cheese or eggs.  The veggie sandwich was cold, consisting of avocado, bell peppers, onions, sprouts, olives, lettuce, cucumber and tomato.  You could choose white, whole wheat, sourdough or rye.  I decided I had a lot of veggies back at the treehouse (that’s what we call our cabin) I could consume later and they were organic plus I needed something warm.  We were sitting outside, albeit cuddled up next to a roaring heater.

I chose Steel Cut Oats (after assuring myself it was made with water not milk) with warm spiced apples, golden raisins and instead of milk, I asked for soy milk (which I ended up using in my coffee).  I also ordered a side of fresh fruit.I piled on the fruit and it was sweet and filling.  I was fortified till late afternoon.  

day 341 – Farewell to Berkeley

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One weekend can turn into over a week of Blog material – can you imagine what one week away to any destination could turn into?

In our family, all goodbyes must end and be punctuated by a food memory.

On E’s Bday, we brunched downstairs (she slept on our couch) at the hotel restaurant which is aptly named FIVE as in five stars, I imagine.  Executive chef Stephane Tonnelier and Sous chef Andre Arroyo man, arrange, create and execute a diverse menu, befitting of   any acclaimed fine dining in Berkeley.

FIVE is located adjacent to the lobby of Hotel Shattuck Plaza, newly renovated, two blocks from the edge of campus and on the corner of a BART station (not that it mattered when the strike was on).  It (FIVE) is in its own right, a destination bistro.

One can order the usual French toast, eggs benedict or pancakes for brunch or just as well order a chorizo omelet, smoked salmon or a bacon,spinach, fontina cheese omelet.  Also, being brunch, one could chow down on a burger, turkey club, fettucini with vegetables, asian meatball sandwich with pickled carrots, daikon, cilantro, sriracha aioli or a prosciutto mozzarella panini with oven roasted tomatoes, piquillo pepper, basil aioli, arugula and garlic chips.  There were twelve typical breakfast choices and ten solid lunch options.

My daughter elected to savor the duck confit hash with poached eggs (I had no idea she liked them served that way), confit duck legs, marble potatoes, caramelized onions and hollandaise for her birthday pick.  If I wasn’t vegan this week, I would have picked this.My husband chose the vanilla yogurt parfait with blueberry jam, granola and fresh berries.And I had to ask them to switch out, please, the cream with soy milk as they cooked my steel cut oats (so as to remain vegan) with golden raisins, cinnamon, brown sugar and a bowl of fresh berries. And a birthday surprise finale of sweet proportions!  Warm Homemade Banana Bread with ice cream, banana slices atop brittle, whipped cream, and swirls of caramel and chocolate sauce.Farewell to over indulging and hello to strict noshing!!!