The
other day when Mr. C. and I were grocery shopping and standing in front of the
fresh seafood counter deciding on which fish to buy for our evening meal, I
asked my dear husband to make the choice. After no hesitation whatsoever he
chose halibut cheeks. Yikes – no pressure there! (I’m still, after all my years
spent in front of a stove, slightly intimidated by cuts of meat and critters
caught in salt or fresh water that cost more than $20 a pound. Foolish as that
may seem, it is never-the-less a fact.)
So,
with only the pressure of my own insecurities weighing me down, I decided to
stick to a very simple formula I use a lot when preparing seafood or chicken. Butter
+ lemon + capers + white wine = delicious² (squared). Thus the recipe you see
before you.
Now
of course you don’t have to use halibut cheeks in this recipe. You can use
halibut fillets, or cod, or salmon, or catfish, or whatever relatively firm
fleshed seafood that is fresh and on sale that day. Oh wait – that’s how I
usually decide which creature from the deep lagoon I’m going to take home with
me. I peruse the offerings, check to see which are fresh caught and where, ask
questions of the fishmonger if necessary, and almost always choose the “catch
of the day” aka the one on sale. You, on the other hand can choose any old kind
of fish you want for this dish! And enough about my foibles. Back to this
recipe.
This
dish is easy to prepare, takes very little time to fix, contains easily
obtainable ingredients, and pairs well with rice and a simple salad or steamed
vegetable. (Makes for a dinner that takes no time at all to get on the table.)
This recipe is basically da bomb! Enjoy.
1 lb. halibut cheeks
1/3 c. unbleached, all-purpose flour
½ tsp. kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
pinch paprika
2 T. unsalted butter
1 T. extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp. capers, drained
2 T. dry white wine
1 T. fresh lemon juice
1 T. chopped fresh parsley
Whisk the flour, salt, pepper, and paprika together in a
small flat bottomed dish. Lightly flour each cheek, then gently tap away any
excess flour.
Melt the butter in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the
olive oil. Swirl the pan around until the butter and oil are mixed and bubbly.
Place the halibut cheeks into the bubbly butter and cook for
a minute or two. Flip then add the capers, white wine, and lemon juice. Time
will vary depending on the size of the pieces but to make certain the cheeks
are at perfect temperature (about 125 degrees), use an instant-read thermometer.
Remove pan from heat, sprinkle with parsley, and serve immediately.
This is a low fat
recipe. Both the meatballs and the sauce are basically good for you. Now what
you serve them on can be a different story. But I’ll get to that later. For now
let’s just concern ourselves with the meatballs and sauce.
First the
meatballs. What can I say except I probably have never met a meatball I didn’t
like. OK, that’s not true. Let me re-state that. I have never met a homemade meatball I didn’t like. I have
unfortunately met quite a few mass produced meatballs that, well frankly, I
wouldn’t give to a dog. (And I’m not crazy about dogs.)
But homemade
meatballs. Ahhhhh. They are routinely delightful. And these ground turkey
meatballs are no exception. Thanks to the Culinary Hill web site for this
terrific meatball recipe.
Now on to the
marinara sauce. This is my “go to”, never fails me, always loved by one and
all, never to be changed, simple, always in style, Italian to the core, decades
old recipe for marinara sauce. (If that description doesn’t win you over, I
haven’t a ghost of a chance of converting you to my thinking, so leave this post
immediately.)
But if you are
still with me, this is the sauce for you.
Now onto what to
serve these delightful meatballs and this incredible sauce on. (And yes I know
not to ever, ever end a sentence with a dangling participle. But shucks, I only
minored in English in college, so cut me some slack!) Anyway…..
If you are truly
concerned about healthy eating, you can always serve these meatballs and this
sauce on spaghetti squash, quinoa, black beans, or shirataki noodles. (Haven’t tasted
shirataki noodles myself, but what I have read scares the heck out of me, so you
will have to venture into this uncharted territory with someone else as your
guide.) But if you are like me, and want to stick to the real reason meatballs
and sauce were invented in the first place, let’s talk pasta. (And yes I know,
pasta gets a lot of bad press.) But from everything I’ve read and heard, foods
we eat affect our blood sugar. And since pasta is a high carbohydrate food, diabetics
particularly need to watch portion sizes so their blood sugar levels don’t
spike.
But pasta itself
is a lower glycemic index food. And eating food with a lower glycemic index can
help keep blood sugars more stable than eating foods on the higher glycemic
index scale. So here’s the good news. Cooking pasta al dente, which I always
recommend, helps keep blood sugar in better control. Plus, when pasta is cooked
al dente, it remains firmer for better texture, mouth feel, and taste. So for
those of you who are especially concerned, but don’t want to entirely give up pasta,
always cook pasta al dente, if not
molto al dente, and reduce the quantity you normally consume.
For more
information, go on line. There is more information about pasta being OK (within
limits) than you can ever hope to read. Also there are some great articles on
how to cook pasta al dente. Actually molto al dente is best when you are adding
the pasta to a sauce. I recommend an article written by Alex Delany for Bon Appétit magazine – December 14, 2017. Good
information.
I hope you enjoy these recipes. Happy eating everyone.
Meatballs Recipe:
½ c. finely minced
onion
3 garlic cloves,
finely minced
1/3 c. minced
fresh parsley
2 lg. eggs
2 tsp.
Worcestershire sauce
½ tsp. dried
basil
½ tsp. dried
oregano
1 tsp. seasoned
salt
freshly ground
black pepper
1 c. rolled oats
2 lbs. ground
turkey or chicken (93% lean)
extra virgin
olive oil
In a large bowl,
combine the onion, garlic, parsley, eggs, Worcestershire sauce, basil, oregano,
seasoned salt, and pepper.
Stir in the oats
and ground turkey. Mix well, but don’t over work the meat. Using a small ice
cream scoop, plop meatballs on a lightly greased rimmed baking sheet. Using a
pastry brush, gently slather each meatball with olive oil.
Bake the meatballs
in a pre-heated 400 degree oven until browned and cooked through, about 15 to
20 minutes (an internal thermometer should read 155 degrees). Remove from oven
and use immediately, or allow to cool and refrigerate or freeze.
To freeze the meatballs:
Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet, not touching. Freeze until solid, about 1 hour, then transfer to a freezer-safe container and store up to 1 month.
Marinara Sauce Recipe:
2 T. extra-virgin
olive oil
½ c. chopped
onion
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 (28-oz.) can
chopped or diced tomatoes (Italian tomatoes preferably)
1 bay leaf
pinch crushed red
pepper flakes
1 tsp. dried
oregano (I use Mexican oregano)
½ tsp. kosher
salt
freshly ground
black pepper
3 T. chopped
fresh basil leaves
1-2 T. butter,
opt.
In a large
covered sauce pan, heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the onion and sauté
until soft and translucent, about 6 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for an
additional minute. Add the tomatoes, bay leaf, red pepper flakes, oregano, salt,
and pepper. Stir to combine ingredients. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover,
and simmer for about 30 minutes. (Take the lid off part way if the sauce is too
thin or allow to gently burble away until the sauce reaches your desired
thickness.) Remove from heat, discard bay leaf, add the basil, and adjust
seasoning. If the sauce tastes acidic, add butter 1 tablespoon at a time to
round out the flavor.
So
having just posted a recipe for a healthy (relatively speaking) carrot bread, I
thought I would follow that recipe with a “less-bad-for-you” chocolate chip
cookie option. I found this recipe on the Cookie and Kate web site.
Now,
if you didn’t happen to catch my last post, let me just explain that in my
endeavor to keep us as healthy as possible as we grow older (at an ever increasing
rate of speed I might add), I’m trying to cook and bake with our over-all
health in mind.
But
it’s not easy. We are very, very spoiled. We love good food and drink, and don’t
at all appreciate not being able to eat and drink as we please. But Mother Nature
is not on our side in this regard. “She who must be obeyed” has made it abundantly
clear that we are not in charge – “she” is! For instance, my stomach doesn’t
handle refined sugar very well anymore. And wine – suffice it to say I usually
don’t partake. Grrrrr!
But,
and here’s the good part – I know how to cook. And there are a world of great
recipes out there written by health conscience (and yes I know it should be
health-conscious, but I like my word for it better) people much more creative than
me. And they take their healthy cooking very, very seriously. (And bless them
for it!) And this recipe is proof of what I speak.
The
only change I made to Kates recipe was to substitute dark chocolate chips for
semi-sweet chocolate chips and add coconut and nuts.
So
I made these cookies for our trailer trip. And they were so darn good I couldn’t
believe there was no flour, brown or white sugar, and just 4 tablespoons of
butter in the whole darn mess. Amazing.
So
if you want to continue to feel like you can eat anything you want, I would recommend
you give these cookies a try. They are really good and since you should keep
them in the freezer, you might not be as tempted to eat as many since they won’t
be in the heart of your kitchen – the cookie jar!
So go on. Take a chance. But no, they won’t ever replace a butter rich, soft and chewy cookie loaded with chocolate chips. But they don’t taste like sawdust either. And – they are better for you. Of course, these cookies will never be considered good for you. That’s a given. But better works for me. Hope it works for you too.
2/3
c. real maple syrup
2/3
c. natural peanut butter
4
T. (½ stick) unsalted butter, melted
1
lg. egg
1
tsp. vanilla extract
½
tsp. baking soda
½
tsp. baking powder
½
tsp. fine-grain sea salt
1¼ c. old-fashioned rolled oats*, ground for 30 seconds in a food processor or blender
1½ c. old-fashioned rolled oats*
½
c. coconut
1
c. dark chocolate chips
1 c. chopped walnuts
Whisk
the maple syrup, peanut butter, and melted butter together in a mixing bowl. Beat
in the egg, scraping down the side of the bowl once it’s incorporated. Stir in the
vanilla, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Using a large heavy spoon, stir
in the ground oats, rolled oats, coconut, chocolate chips, and walnuts until
they are evenly combined.
Using
an ice cream scoop, drop the dough onto parchment paper lined baking sheets.
Bake the cookies in a pre-heated 350 degree oven until they are barely set and just beginning to turn golden around the edges, about 12 minutes. Remove the cookies from the oven and let cool completely on the pans. Store in an airtight container in your freezer.
*Reminder: If you are gluten intolerant, make sure you buy oats that have been certified as gluten free.
True
confession time. I could eat carrot cake with cream cheese frosting every day
of my life if weight and remaining healthy were not a concern. But since they
are, I probably only bake a carrot cake once a year. But when I do – watch out
baby. Because carrot cake is good 3 times a day – for breakfast, lunch, and
dinner. And I really can’t stop myself. I like carrot cake that much!
So
when I was preparing food for our last trailer trip, I thought a healthy
(emphasis on healthy) quick bread would be nice to have along. Quick breads
(think banana bread) are perfect with breakfast, for an elevenses snack with a
cup of coffee, or even for dessert. So then, what quick bread to fix? And for
whatever reason, I thought about how much I love carrot cake. Which then naturally
led me to – why not a carrot bread?
Now
I had never thought about a carrot bread before, much less tasted one (that I can
remember), but the idea of a carrot quick bread was like a revelation. Maybe
all those lovely carrot cake ingredients could be magically transformed into
something I could enjoy more often than once a year! Then, I couldn’t imagine
that someone out there wasn’t already several steps ahead of me in developing a
recipe. So I went on line. And I found a recipe on the An Oregon Cottage web
site that was almost what I was looking for. So I started with Jami’s recipe
and added my own special touches. And I came up with the recipe I am sharing
with you today. (Is that applause I hear coming from your computer?)
So
to make a long story short, we cut into this bread for breakfast one morning
while on our trip, and there was much rejoicing in the Carr trailer with our
first bite.
Now
understand, this carrot bread is never going to take the place of carrot cake with
its moist and delicious texture and cream cheese frosting to die for. Never in
a million years. However, not wanting either of us to die any time in the near
future mandates a change in our way of thinking about food. And I’m thinking
this bread is a pretty darn good way to enjoy the wonderful flavor of carrot
cake without having the little devil that lives on my left shoulder applauding
my lack of self-control, while the little angel who sits on my other shoulder
weeps uncontrollably into a soggy Kleenex!
So if you love carrot cake, and happen to be looking for a quick bread with lots of carrot cake flavor, that’s easy to prepare, and contains considerably less carbohydrates than “the real thing”, this recipe is for you. And yes, you can add a bit of frosting or glaze to the top of this delicious bread. But you’re not going to get a recipe from me. I have enough to deal with from my own little devil. I don’t need yours hounding me too! (Enjoy the recipe and love and peace to all.)
1
c. whole wheat flour
1
c. whole wheat pastry flour*
2
tsp. baking powder
¾
tsp. baking soda
½
tsp. kosher salt
1½
tsp. ground cinnamon
¼
tsp. ground ginger
¼
tsp. allspice
¼
tsp. ground nutmeg
½
c. sour cream
½
c. real maple syrup
¼
c. (½ stick) unsalted butter, melted
1
lg. egg
2½
c. shredded carrots
¼
c. golden raisins
¼
c. shredded coconut
½ c. chopped walnuts or pecans
cooking spray
Whisk
the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and
nutmeg together in a large bowl.
In
a small bowl whisk together the sour cream, maple syrup, melted and cooled butter,
and egg. Pour the sour cream mixture over the dry ingredients and mix just
until just combined. Fold in the carrots along with the golden raisins,
coconut, and walnuts. (The dough will be very thick.)
Spread
the dough evenly into a large loaf pan or two smaller loaf pans that have been
coated with cooking spray. Level off the tops with an offset spatula.
Bake
in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 50 to 65 minutes (depending on the size of
your pan or pans) or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool
in the pan(s) for 10 minutes and then turn out onto a metal rack to cool
completely.
For
me, there is nothing that says “fall is really here” better than large, relatively
inexpensive green peppers in the produce section of our local IGA. And every
fall I buy the biggest and most gorgeous peppers I can find to fix one of my
favorite dishes – stuffed green peppers. I absolutely love stuffed peppers. And
of course, most years I decide that yet another stuffed pepper recipe on this
site wouldn’t be a problem because everyone likes choices – so here goes with another
option for this perennial favorite.
Since
I’m still on my “let’s get healthier” kick (please may it last forever God), I
decided to come up with a recipe that contained no starch. (Of course it still
contains fat, because really, could you even conceive of a stuffed green pepper
without cheese? I didn’t think so!) Anyway, this recipe does contain cheese,
and plenty of it. But remember – cheese
is a great source of calcium, fat, and protein. It also contains high amounts
of vitamins A and B-12, along with zinc, phosphorus, and riboflavin. So
to my thinking, all things considered, if I am going to push the boundaries of
healthy eating, cheese is still better for me than say – a chocolate chip
cookie even if it’s made with whole wheat flour. But if you are still concerned
about the amount of cheese in this recipe, you can always reduce the quanity.
Just don’t tell me about it or I will feel guilty. In other words, don’t spoil
my self-delusion that cheese is really good for us. Thank you.
But
back to this recipe. For starters, let me just say that McCormick’s Grill Mates
Montreal Steak Seasoning is a really great item you should consider adding to
your spice collection. I use it a lot. Just a tablespoon added to a pound of ground
beef makes for truly delicious hamburger patties. And I often sprinkle it on
steaks before I throw them on the grill. It’s also fabulous in meatloaf. Or
added to the braising liquid for pot roast. And the best part. If you buy it at
Costco in the 1 lb., 13-oz. container, it is very inexpensive. If you don’t
want to start with as large an amount, Bartell’s (drug store) usually carries
the small bottles in various flavors at a very good price. (FYI: I buy the
small jars in several flavors for my trailer collection of spices and herbs.)
Anyway,
give this recipe for peppers a try. Or check out my other stuffed green pepper
recipes on this site. All are really tasty. And if you have never eaten a
stuffed green pepper because you think that every bite would include green
pepper – you’re right. But also know that cooked peppers are milder in flavor
than when they are raw, and are a perfect partner with savory sauces and nicely
seasoned meat.
Now you will have to excuse me. There’s half of a stuffed pepper in the refrigerator. And I’m hungry. And Mr. C. is at a rehearsal. So it’s mine. All mine. Life is good!
3
large or 4 small green peppers
1
T. extra virgin olive oil
1
lb. lean ground beef
½
c. chopped onion
1
lg. stalk celery, finely diced
3
garlic cloves, finely minced
8-oz.
tomato sauce
pinch
crushed red pepper flakes
1
T. Montreal Steak Seasoning
1
T. dried parsley
freshly
ground black pepper
1
T. Worcestershire sauce
1½-2 c. shredded cheese (whatever combination of cheese you happen to have on hand)
Slice
the tops off the peppers and remove the seeds and membranes. Set peppers aside.
Discard the stem, and chop the pepper tops into small pieces.
Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan and sauté the ground beef until it’s starting to brown. Add the chopped pepper tops, along with the onion and celery; cook until onion is translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomato sauce, crushed red pepper flakes, Montreal Steak Seasoning, parsley, black pepper, and Worcestershire sauce. Simmer for a few minutes to blend flavors. Remove from heat.
While
the meat sauce is simmering, bring a pan of water to a boil. Add the green
peppers and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from water and drain. Place in a lightly
greased baking dish.
Fill
each pepper half way, add half the cheese; add remaining meat mixture until it
reaches the top of the pepper. (If you have extra
filling, tuck it in among the peppers. Makes for great nibbles for the cook!)
Bake
in a pre-heated 375 degree oven for about 40-50 minutes or until the peppers
are soft and the filling is brown. (If the top is browning too quickly, gently
lay a piece of aluminum foil over the whole mess.)
Remove
from oven, top with remaining cheese and return to oven until cheese is melted.
Great served with a side of brown rice and/or a salad.
One of the hardest decisions I’m faced with when we are on a trailer trip is what side dish to fix with a simple meat entree. It’s easy to take a couple pork chops or chicken breasts out of the freezer, but then what am I going to serve with them? And yes I do sometimes buy rice, risotto, or quinoa packaged mixes to take along for just this kind of situation. But most package mixes just don’t taste as good as those I prepare at home.
So
for our last trailer trip, I made up my own “pre-packaged” rice pilaf to take
along for 2 of our dinners. (I cooked the rice the first night, served half, then
put the remainder in my fridge for later on in the week.) It worked out great! And
it was ever so much tastier than any rice that I’ve previously served that came
in a box from the grocery store. (Plus no unpronounceable ingredients to worry
about!)
So
I decided I would be preparing homemade rice, quinoa, and even pasta side dish
packages in the comfort of my home kitchen before all of our camping trips from
now on.
So
in celebration of this momentous decision, I have added a new CATEGORY on this
blog just for recipes that can easily be pre-packaged in your home kitchen and
cooked in your trailer, RV, boat galley, or over a camp stove. (Long sentence,
but it just had to be said!)
So
if you are a camper or boater and want to serve the same level of delicious
food while you are on an adventure, be it over land or sea, keep watching for
other recipes under the CATEGORY – CAMPING
RECIPES. (Clever name right?!?!)
And
while we’re on the subject of food for camping or boating, if you have a good
sized freezer I recommend that you stock that freezer really well before you
leave home. It is very difficult to find the same kind of choices you are used
to when you are shopping in a mom and pop or small convenience store in a small
town. But if you plan ahead, you can start your trip with such delicacies as
homemade chili, soup, beef stew, meat loaf, meatballs, marinara sauce, curry
sauce – to mention just a few. Plus I always include an uncooked package of
pork chops, chicken breasts, ground lamb, pork tenderloin, frozen uncooked
shrimp, steak, bacon, sausage, and a couple packages of ground beef. Of course
I always have to augment my initial supply, but I wait until I get to a good
sized town to purchase additional provisions.
But enough about me! This post is really about this dish. It’s tasty and easy to prepare. Nuff said!
Savory Dry Ingredients: (Combined at
home before you leave)
2
T. dehydrated onion
2
tsp. dried parsley
1
tsp. granulated garlic
½
tsp. dried sage
½
tsp. dried marjoram
½
tsp. celery salt
freshly
ground black pepper
1/3
c. finely chopped dried mushroom pieces (porcini, shiitake, chanterelle)
Combine
all of the above ingredients and store in an airtight container. (I use a small
plastic bag.)
Rice and Almonds: (Packaged at home
before you leave)
½
c. wild rice
¾
c. brown rice
1/3
c. slivered or sliced almonds
Place
each in a small plastic bag.
When you’re in camp or docked for the
night:
1
T. extra virgin olive oil
2¾
c. broth – veggie, chicken, beef, etc. (I
use water and broth crystals when camping)
Bring the olive oil and vegetable broth to a boil in a
large covered saucepan and add the wild rice. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 to
20 minutes. Stir a couple of times while wild rice cooks. After the 15-20
minutes, add the brown rice and the savory dry ingredients (recipe above).
Bring back to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for
another 45 minutes or until the rice is tender. Again, give the rice a stir or
two during the cooking process.
When the rice is done, remove from heat and add almonds; stir
well to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning. Set aside for about 5 minutes.
Fluff with a fork just before serving.
I
really hate it when I have to eat my words. (I enjoy eating almost everything
else, but eating my own words causes me anxiety and hives.) But sometimes there
is just nothing for it except to get it over with and start chewing. So – in full
disclosure, in a previous post for Mexican rice, I stated that “with the exception of a particularly delicious paella I once
enjoyed in Spain and a fine recipe I have for cabbage rolls, I don’t like rice
and tomatoes cooked together”.
But
when researching recipes for a recent Mexican food themed meal I found this
recipe from Once Upon a Chef. And since I love and trust this site, I bit the
bullet. I did make a couple very minor changes, but I don’t mess with the bones
of a Jenn Segal recipe, because she is a remarkable chef. So I left in the
tomato paste.
And
of course, you know what I have to say next. The rice was wonderful, and one of
the main reasons was because the (damn) tomato paste was one of the ingredients!
Gurrr!
Now
this is important so pay attention. Sometimes, actually quite often, I am wrong
about food combinations. It’s all a matter of taste anyway. So as I have previously
stated, any recipe for something like this rice dish, is simply a guide. If you
wanted to add peas (as Jenn originally included), add peas. Or you like a more
pronounced garlic influence, up the number of garlic cloves. Or you feel
chopped celery would add a nice base flavor, chop away. Or if you are like me,
and still on the fence about cilantro, decrease the amount in any given recipe
and add a bit of fresh parsley. That’s the joy of cooking. You make it your own
by simply being creative and adding your own special touch.
So make this wonderful rice. It turned out that one of the enchilada dishes I served was quite runny. So what my guests did was top their rice with the enchilada. It was great! So don’t hesitate to use this as a base for other Mexican dishes. Have fun in the kitchen. That’s what this is all about.
2
T. extra virgin olive oil
1
c. finely chopped yellow onion
1
jalapeño pepper, stemmed, seeded, and finely minced (or more or less to taste)
2
lg. cloves garlic, finely minced
1½
c. long grain white rice
2
T. tomato paste (preferably Italian tomato paste)
3
c. vegetable broth
1
tsp. kosher salt
freshly
ground black pepper
½
tsp. chili powder
½
tsp. ground cumin
2
T. finely chopped cilantro
2
T. finely chopped parsley
4 tsp. fresh lime juice, or more to taste
Heat
the olive oil in a large covered pot over medium-low heat. Add the onions and
jalapeño and cook, stirring frequently, until onions are softened and
translucent, about 5 minutes.
Add
the garlic and rice; cook, stirring frequently, for about 3 minutes.
Add
the tomato paste, broth, salt, pepper, chili powder, and cumin; turn up the
heat and bring to a boil.
Reduce
the heat to low, cover the pot, and simmer until all the liquid is absorbed,
about 20 minutes. Stir periodically. When done, remove from heat.
Add
the cilantro, parsley, and lime juice; fluff the rice with a fork to mix. Let
the rice sit for a few moments for the flavors to meld. Taste and adjust
seasoning, add additional lime juice if desired.
To make ahead, do not add the cilantro, parsley, and lime
until you have re-heated the rice and just before you plan to serve. To reheat
the rice, heat in a covered container in a 350 degree oven for 30-40 minutes,
or until the rice is good and warm. Stir in the cilantro, parsley, and lime.
Adjust seasoning. Serve immediately.
I
know I’ve said it before, ad nauseam in fact, but I love dishes I can prepare ahead
for special dinners with family and/or friends. There is just something about waking
up on the day of the planned event having at least part of the meal happily
residing in my refrigerator or on a counter. OK, I still feel a bit of panic, but
it is soon offset by remembering that I have at least one if not some of the
preparation already completed. (And at my age, every little bit helps.)
So
recently when I was planning to serve Mexican food to 38 people, I realized most
of the dishes I wanted to serve would have to be fixed ahead. And I knew I
wanted to serve a coleslaw, both for color and crunch.
Now
most of my coleslaw recipes you can cut the veggies ahead, and you can prepare
the dressing ahead, but you shouldn’t combine the two parts until just before
you plan to serve. But I wanted a coleslaw that could be made ahead, in fact,
one that would profit by spending some quality time in cold storage. So I went
online. (Of course I did!) And found a recipe on The Kitchen Magpie site. As
usual, I changed the ingredients a bit, but not in any radical manner.
So
all I can say now is that if you like coleslaw, this is a recipe which should be
given special attention. It is crazy delicious and very simple to assemble. And
you can make it the day before you want to serve it! (I keep coming back to
that salient feature, but I’m old, so cut me some slack.)
Anyway – just make this salad. It’s yum!
1/3
c. fresh lime juice
½
tsp. ground cumin
2
tsp. honey
2
cloves garlic, finely minced
½
tsp. kosher salt
freshly
ground black pepper
½
c. extra virgin olive oil
½
head green cabbage, very thinly sliced
½
head red cabbage, very thinly sliced
1½
c. grated carrot
4-5
very thinly sliced green onions
¼
c. chopped cilantro
1 T. chopped Italian parsley
Shake
the lime juice, cumin, honey, garlic, salt, pepper, and olive oil together in a
small covered jar.
Toss the green cabbage, red cabbage, carrot, green
onions, cilantro, and parsley together in a salad bowl.
Pour
the dressing over the cabbage mixture and toss together until the veggies are
completely covered in dressing. If time allows, cover the bowl and refrigerate
overnight for best results. Toss again just before serving.
This
lovely seafood/guacamole/salsa like appetizer is simply delicious. The recipe
comes from one of my favorite recipe sites – Natasha’s Kitchen. I changed a
couple of amounts here and there, but this gem can only be attributed to
Natasha’s culinary genius.
It’s
like guacamole on steroids. Every bite beckons you to take another bite. So in
that way, this is a dish where you could conceivably make a pig of yourself in
front of your friends and family. So maybe the first time you prepare this before
meal nibble, you should do so all by yourself in the privacy of your own
kitchen. Just sayin’. It’s just that good. Or, you could always make a double
batch and eat as much as you want, leaving the lions share for your family and
friends. (Sounds like I speak from experience, right?!?!) Actually not.
I
made this last Sunday for a Mexican food themed pre-concert meal for our 101st
JazzVox concert in our home. But I barely got a taste of it before our guests
heartily enjoyed their way through the whole bowl. But the bite I did get made
me certain that it would not be too long before I made some just for Mr. C. and
me.
So
if you are ever in the mood for a special appetizer, give this delightful
recipe a try. I would also advise you to visit Natasha’s site. She has a
wonderful flair for food and her recipes are mostly easy to follow and include,
again mostly, readily available ingredients. Happy eating!
Oh, and sorry I haven’t posted recipes for a while. We were enjoying another adventure out in this amazing world of ours. If you would like to follow us on our recent trailer trip, klick on September 2019 Trailer Trip.
1
lb. lg. raw shrimp, peeled, deveined, and tails removed
¼
tsp. kosher salt
freshly
ground black pepper
1
T. extra virgin olive oil
3
med. limes, juiced, or more to taste
couple
dashes of hot sauce (I use Frank’s Red Hot), opt.
½
English cucumber, semi peeled, seeded, and finely diced
4
Roma tomatoes, seeded and finely diced
3
avocados, diced
½
c. finely diced red onion
1/3
c. chopped cilantro
yellow and blue tortilla chips, for dipping
Season
shrimp with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a fry pan over medium high
heat. Add shrimp and sauté just until cooked through. Remove from pan. Allow to
cool, then coarsely chop and place in a large mixing bowl.
Pour
the lime juice over the shrimp, and let sit for a few minutes before gently
stirring in the hot sauce, cucumber, tomatoes, avocados, onion, and cilantro. Taste
and adjust seasoning. Serve with tortilla chips.
From our campsite in Yoho National Park (Kicking Horse Campground).
OK, I don’t usually write a trip report when we go on trailer trips. I don’t know why I’ve never written one before, but this time I decided I would post about our recent camping adventure. I realized more and more of our friends have discovered that living out of a trailer while seeing some of the most beautiful countryside in the world is as enjoyable as we have always said it was. (Actually it has very little to do with us. It’s just that our friends are getting older right along with us, and sleeping in a tent (strike that) getting in and out of a tent on knees that are starting to develop or are already suffering from arthritis, is not fun anymore! And getting soaked while trying to cook dinner in a horrific rain storm has jolly well lost its appeal too. Just like carrying a heavy pack while traversing mountain trails somehow doesn’t hold the cachet it did when we were say – 40. So where some of our friends used to be avid tenters and/or owned boats and enjoyed fun adventures on Puget Sound, age and reality just naturally led to discovering the joy of land yachts.)
Now for some of you who have never spent a night in a travel trailer or RV, let me begin by laying out some of the reasons why going to all the trouble of hauling one of these babies around is such a delight. First of all – you always have a bathroom at your disposal. And for those of you who are over the age of 60, you understand how comforting that can be. Also, you unpack your cloths once. Once. No more getting in and out of luggage at every change of location. Then of course, you have your own bed and pillow. And, you can open windows.
Now that may not seem like a big thing to some of you. But I hate sleeping in a hotel room and not being able to get fresh air when I want it! Then of course there is the food aspect of having your second “home” with you everywhere you go. You can bring supplies for breakfast, lunch, and dinner should you so choose to have all 3 squares in the privacy of your own space. (You don’t have to of course, but the option is always there!) And ice. Our freezer make ice overnight. The freezers in most trailers today are large enough that you can bring enough frozen items for a whole month of meals. Even ice cream. And I have to say. If you have never been in the middle of absolutely nowhere, and enjoyed a frozen Dove Bar in the middle of summer, you have simply not lived! And I have never yet been in a hotel that allows you to keep your door open, sit outside in the fresh air, feel the sun on your face, listening to ocean waves or the gurgle of a river, reading a good book, with your favorite libation on a little table beside you. At least, not for $40-$50 a night!
Now
of course there are the drawbacks. But frankly sitting here in Kootenay
National Park looking at the aspen trees whose leaves are just starting to
change color, I can’t think of a single one.
So please enjoy the brief daily log of where we were and where we stayed. But please understand. This is mainly a record for Mr. C. and me and for our friends who also spend time in their trailers. This post records the route we took, the campground plus site number where we stayed, and any recommendations (including restaurants along the way) we think you might consider valuable.
Tuesday, September 10, 2019 – Camano Island to Hope, British Columbia (BC)
Had
lunch at Bob’s Burgers and Brew in Sumas (where we crossed the border.) Good
burgers and fries.
At
Abbotsford, took Trans-Canada Highway (TCH) 1 to Hope, BC (beautiful scenery)
Coquihalla Campground, fabulous site 113 on the river. And since we would only be in camp for one night, we didn’t unhook. (Makes for a fast get-away!)
the Coquihalla River
Wednesday, September 11, 2019 – Hope, BC to Hedley, BC
Jumped
onto Hwy. 3 (Crow’s Nest Highway) thru Manning Park and on to Hedley.
No
lunch on route.
Riverhaven RV Park, site 8 on the river. Fabulous campground. Very clean and well-manicured.
Could not have been a more beautiful camp site. And the owner was wonderful. She went out of her way to make us feel welcome. She genuinely wanted us to enjoy our stay in her park. Even had charming neighbors. Not invasive, just pleasant.lunch by the Similkameen Riverhappy camper
Thursday, September, 12, 2019 – Hedley, BC to Christina Lake, BC
Continued on Hwy. 3 to
Christina Lake
Had lunch in Midway, BC in
the Kettle River Valley at Mile 0 (zero) Diner. Wonderful food!
Schulli Resort, site 16 near lake OK campground. Very pleasant owner. $40 (Canadian) Cash only
OK campsite.We were fairly close to Christina Lake. This picture taken from my reading spot in the shade of a lovely old tree, complete with squirrels.
Friday, September 13, 2019 – Christina Lake, BC to Cranbrook, BC
Hwy 3 all day!
Lunch in Creston, BC at Jimmy’s Bar & Grill. Food was fine. Beer was great!
Beer – not just for breakfast any more!
Cranbrook/St. Eugene KOA, site 31 right on the river
Brand
new campground. Lovely setting on First Nation land. And right next door –
casino and golf course. But very quiet and lovely grounds. Would stay there
again. People in office were charming.
St. Mary’s River
Saturday, September 14, 2019 – Cranbrook, BC to Kootenay National Park (NP) –
Redstreak Campground, site F 31 (pull-thru with lots of room between sites)
Hwys.
93 and 95 (beautiful scenery)
No lunch on route.
Sunday, September 15, 2019 – Kootenay NP
Drove through the park all the way to the Banff NP entrance (also the Continental Divide and the Alberta border). Turned around and drove back through cloudy and rainy weather. Hopeful that weather the next day would be better. What we could see was absolutely beautiful.
Monday, September 16, 2019 – Kootenay NP
Drove
back north through the park as far as Vermilion Crossing where we had a picnic
lunch (in the truck) because once again, the weather was not conducive to being
outside. But what we could see was glorious. We definitely want to return and
explore this park in better weather. Beautiful does not even begin to describe
what we saw.
Wild
life was abundant. Several sightings of big horn sheep (even in camp), mountain
goats, and one lone elk with a rack larger than the rest of his body. He was
splendid and he knew it!
Picture taken right next to the Vermillion River Crossing.Looking further down stream.
Tuesday, September 17, 2019 – Redstreak Campground through the Northern part of
Banff NP which leads to Jaspar NP – Pocahontas Campground – Site D 15
What an incredible ride. We drove north on 95, then turned East on TransCanada 1 to hwy. 93 North to Jaspar. In Jaspar we turned North East on hwy. 16 to our campground which is only a few klicks from the East Gate entrance to Jaspar NP. It was a long day. But the Canadian Rockies are exquisite. In any direction we looked, high incredibly beautiful mountains and lovely valleys filled the horizon.
Bighorn SheepOne of many glaciers and snowfields we saw from the road.
When
we finally reached camp, we were tired. But when we saw our camp site, our
energy returned. Our camp site was tucked into the woods, with a lot of room
between sites, and our trailer backed up against a creek. Lovely and very, very
quiet.
Mountain creek behind our camp site. We could hear it at night. Lovely.
Wednesday, September 18, 2019 – Jaspar NP
Today we decided to go north and east out of the park to the town of Hinton to get gas. With a full tank of gas we decided to go even further afield and do some exploring. So we drove north on the “scenic route to Alaska” (so described on the road signage) headed for the town of Grande Cache which is about 143 klicks from Hinton. We had never traveled as far north in all the many times we had camped in British Columbia and Alberta. So this was a real adventure. New territory. And we so love to explore new areas of the world.
And
we were not disappointed. We were basically in the eastern foothills of the
Rocky Mountains. Up and down hills, around lakes, and trees everywhere we
looked. The larch, aspen, and cotton wood trees were all turning yellow so the
color contrast with the evergreens was delightful. The weather never got boring
either. One minute the sun was shining. The next minute our wipers were barely
able to keep up with the liquid onslaught.
Then back to our dry camp. (Dry camp definition. No water, electric, or septic hookups.) Note to friends thinking about buying a travel trailer. Get one with a solar panel on the roof. And yes it costs more. But – you can dry camp without fear of losing power. OK – you can’t run your microwave or toaster. So what! You can however, read into the wee small hours of the night. You can re-charge your phone, Nook, or Kindle. You can run the fan above your stove and your fantastic fans (look it up) so you are never without a lovely flow of air even in very warm weather. And – now this is important so pay attention – you can turn on lights and read until your eyes fall out of your head. (We love to read, can you tell?) But no, you can’t watch TV when dry camping. So if you are accustomed to watching TV every night – don’t dry camp! Simple solution.
Thursday, September 19, 2019 – Jaspar NP
A slow start to our day this morning. A leisurely breakfast and time spent studying our map to plot out our destination for today’s trip in the park. Since we had stayed in Jaspar previously, we had already visited most of the hot tourist spots. But we had not visited Maligne Lake. And I am so glad we decided to make this lovely lake our destination for today. We saw a moose. A moose! In the woods. Not in a marshy area where you normally think a moose would be found munching away on tender shoots. Nope, this guy was just off the road in a forested area. And this was no little guy. This was a full grown male moose. Big old rack and all. It was thrilling to say the least.
As
stated above, we were on our way to Maligne Lake in the East Central area of
the park. Up through forested areas and next to rushing rivers. When we arrived
at the lake, there were scores of people. We finally found a place to park and
walked down to the shore to take pictures. It was only about 50 degrees and the
threat of rain was ever present. So we didn’t spend too much time walking
around.
Then
back in the truck and back towards camp. But first a stop at the Maligne
Canyon. Again rain was sputtering at us when we got out of the truck. But with
rain jackets on and trekking poles firmly affixed to our hands, off we
proceeded to bridge 1 & 2.
Now I have seen narrow canyons before, and rivers at the bottom of canyons before, but I have never seen a narrower canyon with the water so far below us. It was crazy exciting to view. An easy walk too. (Always like that!) And because of the nature of the rock that formed the canyon walls, there were potholes of every size for the water to swirl around in.
Couldn’t even see the water it was so far down in the canyon.
a dry pothole
View from the 2nd bridge
The first bridge (I think)
Up near the top of the canyon
Then
back to the truck and on to Jaspar (the village) to gas up and check our email.
(No service at our camp ground.)
Along
the way back north to our campground, we saw more bighorn sheep, a nice elk,
and about 5 trains. (Being train lovers, we are always on the lookout for
bright single headlights on tracks.)
Then
a bit of shopping in Hinton (we had forgotten to get new batteries for our
trailer smoke alarms while we were in Jaspar). And because we hadn’t had any
lunch and it was getting on towards 5:00, we decided to stop for dinner at Mr.
Mike’s Steak House (casual). OK, but not amazing.
Friday, September 20, 2019 – Yoho NP – Kicking Horse Campground – site 85
What an incredible drive through Yoho and into Banff NP. Past innumerable ice fields and glaciers.
Andy thinking to himself – see anything you like, dear? Patti thinking to herself – it just doesn’t get any better than this! I can’t wait to come back.
Then onto TransCanada 1 and down to Kicking Horse Campground.
Got into camp about 10 minutes before Rick and Katie (Andy’s sister and her husband).
Had
a wonderful dinner with them and then off to bed with dreams of all the
wonderful sights we would see the next day.
Saturday, September 21, 2019 – Yoho NP
Got an early start (10:45) on our sight-seeing trip to see beautiful Takakkaw falls conveniently located at the end of the road our campground was on.
Andy, Patti, Rick & Katie – the intrepid travelers
waterfall runoff
While taking the short path to get a close and personal look at the bottom of the falls, we realized there were several climbers on the vertical walls of this giant rock. Good grief! We watched them for a while through our binoculars, then slowly wound our way back to our trucks. Next destination – Lake Louise. But first a stop at the spiral tunnels. And of course, not a train in sight this visit. When Mr. C. and I had visited this area 7 years before, we had watched a train go into one end of the tunnel, and then out the other end with some of the cars still going into the side of the hill. Amazing. For more information about the spiral tunnels, go online and watch one of the many YouTubes that show this marvel of railroad engineering. But on to Lake Louise. And OMG!
Seven
years ago when we were in the area and had visited Lake Louise, same time of
year BTW, we had no problem parking and walking around the lake. This time, all
the parking lots were full and it was a total mad house. At least we had cell
phone service, so we decided that none of us wanted to fight the crowds and we
would go somewhere else for the day. So we left Lake Louise behind and headed
for Fields. On our way to Fields, we stopped along the road for a picnic lunch.
While we were eating, Rick spied Mountain Goats on the rocky mountain face across
the highway. So we spent some quality time checking out the white fuzzy
critters hanging out on bare rocky outcrops. Delightful.
When
we reached Fields, it was basically just a small town very close to our camp
ground. But it was delightful in its rural simplicity. Tiny homes, tiny yards,
but lots of charm. And of course like everywhere else in the vicinity, lots of
people. All we really wanted was a cup of coffee. But apparently everyone else
wanted something too, so we decided to just go back to camp and make our own
coffee. So there!
While
Rick, Katie, and Mr. C. went for a hike near our campground, I worked on
dinner. Then a quiet evening in camp and an early bedtime. 9 plus hours later
we got up for Sunday’s adventure.
Sunday, September 22, 2019 – Yoho NP
Again
an early start around 10:15. (OK, so 10:15 is not early by some standards, but
we are on vacation. And what that means is that we can get out of bed any old
darn time we want! And then there are showers to be had, coffee to be drunk,
breakfast to be made, and plans to be hatched. This all takes time!)
So
today’s agenda included a drive to, and a hike around Emerald Lake. And again –
people everywhere. So parking quite away from the lake, we got out our warm
jackets and trekking poles and away we went. Well I got about 1/3rd of
the way around the lake (over 3 miles around the whole lake) when I decided I
had walked far enough. But Rick, Katie, and Mr. C. decided to continue walking around
the entire lake. And when they were finished and telling me all about what I
had missed – muddy areas, roots jumping out at them from the path, and mud
everywhere (I mentioned the mud already, but it bears repeating) we
re-connected, with me dry and happily sitting on a comfortable rock, and them a
bit tired and ready to crawl back to camp for refreshment. So that’s just what
we did. We had packed picnic lunches, but with so many people and the weather
not looking conducive to sitting outside, we headed back to camp and ate our
lunches in our respective trailers.
Emerald Lake
Ready to walk. Note the beautiful lodge in the background. Not to mention the scenery itself!Flowers along the path.
But
it was only early afternoon, so we headed out again. This time to visit the
boundary of Kootenay NP and Banff NP. (Coincidentally the border between
British Columbia and Alberta and also the continental divide.) Having reached
that destination, we decided to back track a bit and head North West of Lake
Louise towards Jaspar NP and the beautiful Bow Lake.
Now
Bow Lake in and of itself is lovely. But when you have it as a foreground to
two glaciers, you just can’t beat it for spectacular! So we walked around a bit,
but when it got chillier than we liked, we headed back to our trucks and made
tracks for home.
Then a pleasant evening enjoying drinks, dinner, and companionship. A great day.
Monday, September 23, 2019 – Sicamous, BC – Cedars RV Resort – site 190
Trans
Canada 1 all the way through Revelstoke NP due west to Sicamous. Stopped in the
small town of Revelstoke to obtain groceries and have lunch. Then on to our
camp ground.
Now
most of the time when we reach our destination with our previously printed out
campground reservation confirmation in hand, we simply walk into the office,
say howdy to the nice host or hostess at the desk and they help us find our
site and all is peachy keen and dandy. But between the time I booked our sites in
April and when we arrived in September, the campground had been sold and all
the sites were now individually owned. (This seems to be very common in Canada
BTW. People buy RV sites then actually live on them either year round or for a
certain portion of the year.)
Well at least for us, the previous resort owners had made sure that the new owners honored our pre-paid reservations. So instead of a friendly person directing us to our camp site, the office was closed and all we had was a site number and a map, but no guidance. OK, we’re smart people and we know how to read. But never the less, it was a bit disconcerting. And of course it was time to do laundry. But with no one in the office to make change for us, and us without a roll of Canadian quarters, I had to wash underwear in our kitchen sink. 24 hours later, our underwear was still wet, and the prospects were not good that they would be dry in any foreseeable future! (We are truly ruffing it here!)
But
we found our sites, enjoyed a nice dinner together, and slept very well in our
quiet and secluded sites right next to the pond that brought us to this RV
resort in the first place.
Now pictures and written descriptions can be deceiving. And had it not been late September, the pond lovingly referred to in the description of this fantastic trailer site would have been grounds for battle. Because if ever I saw a mosquito breeding ground, this pond was the poster child for a haven for mommy and daddy mosquitos with dreams of over populating the world with flying, stingy nasties. Not a bit of flow to be seen on this pond. And only murky waters that probably only saw the light of day twice a year. Before the trees budded out in the spring. And just after all the surrounding deciduous trees lost their leaves in the fall. Other than those two times, the pond would have been in shadow with no hope of ever feeling a breeze ripple the surface water. And no critters of any kind visiting the area. No ducks, no fish, no apparent beaver activity. No nothing alive. Like I said – a perfect breeding ground for mosquitos!
But we survived. But I can’t help but wonder who was buying these sites and whether they ever planned to spend any time outside their trailers? Because some of the rigs were enormous. In fact, one of the 5th wheel trailers was longer and larger than any trailer I had ever seen before. And I have seen some large trailers. I was going to measure it, but our tape measure would not have come close to recording its length, so I decided not to bother. Anyway, all I can hope for the new owners, is that they like to stay inside their trailer during the summer. Because the mosquitos are really not going to be their friends.
The pond
Another view of the pondPicture through the trees from our neighbor’s site. Notice the lovely flowers.
Really a lovely site (in September)
Would return to this park again if this site had not been sold. Oh well. There are always more parks and new sites to visit and enjoy.
Tuesday, September 24, 2019 –
Sicamous
This
was another of those leisurely days when we didn’t have any real plan, so
things kind of happened spontaneously. Our first adventure was to drive down
the road to Sicamous to get gas. Gas is always a nice thing to have. And
getting gas without a trailer attached to your truck is always preferable to
having to find a station with enough room to pull up to the pumps and then get
away from the pumps with every part of your trailer and truck still intact. I
know this sounds simple. But until you have had the pleasure of hauling your
home on your back, you can’t quite understand how nerve racking it can be to
complete even the most simple of maneuvers. So with gas tanks full and time to
spare, we decided to head for the town of Salmon Arm.
Now
had I been the founder of this most delightful burg, I’m almost positive I
could have thought of a better name. Salmon Arm? Why not Arm Pit? Or Pork
Belly? Because this is a beautiful little town right on a lovely lake with room
enough for suburbs with views both to the lake and to the surrounding
foothills. And to my thinking, it deserves a nicer name! But who am I to
recommend a name change at this late date. Salmon Arm it is! (But don’t miss
this lovely little town if you visit this part of BC.)
Our first stop – the Visitor’s Centre. Then we walked out on a pier and paid tribute to an osprey and a blue heron. After getting back in our trucks we took a side road to Canoe Beach. We parked and in order to get to the beach we had to walk through a culvert- like train underpass. And with luck on our side, a big old train just happened to come along. And of course, because I absolutely love trains, I had to walk through the tunnel while the train was steaming over my head. So today I was run over by a train. But not a bruise to show!
Of course I didn’t think fast enough to have Mr. C. take my picture in the culvert with the train steaming overhead. But you can use your imagination.
After
our adventure with the train, we decided to head back to camp for lunch. After
lunch we decided to drive back to Revelstoke and to re-visit Revelstoke NP and
drive to the top of Mt. Revelstoke. We had visited this area 7 years before and
had made this same drive. But 7 years ago it had been sunny and nice. Today it
was sunny when we started up the mountain, but the weather soon deteriorated
into a heavy rain shower. By the time we got to the top, the rain was threatening
to turn to snow and the fog was so thick, we could have cut it with a knife. So
we did what any other reasonably intelligent couple would have done. We turned
the truck around and beat feet for home.
One
interesting aspect to our visit to the NP, was the signs posted along the
drive. Watch out for amphibians. Every few klicks there would be another sign
posted with a picture of a salamander and a frog. Really folks. Watch out for
amphibians when nary a sign of caution for all the hikers who were on the trail
that went from the bottom of the mountain to the summit and must have crossed
the road 8-10 times. Perhaps the park rangers were more enamored with
amphibians then with humans. We will never know!
And dogs were not allowed past a certain point on the road because a grizzly bear had been sighted at the top about 2 weeks before. Maybe I’m mistaken, but I would think a grizzly bear could be quite a few miles away after 14 days. And what does a grizzly have to worry about from a 10 pound dog anyway? Apparently some things are to remain mysteries. Just shut up Patti, obey the rules, and don’t ask too many questions.
So
after getting rained out, we headed back to camp and a lovely dinner and
evening with Rick & Katie. Tomorrow – Kelowna.
Wednesday, September 25, 2019 – Hiawatha RV Park – Kelowna BC
Highway
97 south out of Sicamous to our camp in Kelowna. I didn’t take a picture of our
camp site because I don’t plan to ever return to that campground! Our sites
(C10 & C11) were so close together that our picnic table sat right next to
the septic hose from our neighbor’s trailer. Not a place I ever want to see
again.
However, had a nice visit from Rick and Katie’s friends Gord and Dianne who retired to Penticton from Vancouver. They drove up and spent a couple of hours visiting with us. Brought us cookies too! After they left we took a short walk along the lake in our very upscale neighborhood with fancy hotels and condominiums.
This beautiful sculpture was along our lake walk in front of some very fancy resort accommodations.
Thursday, September 26, 2019 – Kelowna, BC to Lake Chelan State Park (SP) site 8
Stayed
on hwy. 97 south all day. Lovely drive because we were never far from a
beautiful lake or river. They call this area Lake Country for a reason. It is
also the heart of wine country. So there were an abundance of wineries we could
have visited. Of course we would have had to pay duty on any wine we would have
purchased, so we just kept driving until we reached our destination.
Boy oh boy has Chelan expanded since we were last in the area. Gorgeous new homes and condos and such. Everywhere you look, there is another million dollar home being constructed or not more than 5 years old. But all you have to do is spend a little time in the area and you understand why people want to live here or have their 2nd home here. Today was the first day of our entire vacation where it was actually sunny most of the day. And the temperature was in the 70s. Beautiful. Got to camp about 4:00. Took a few minutes to hook up hoses and dig things out of their hiding places, but we were soon on our way to the local Safeway for provisions. I’m telling you. The deli case and pre-made food case was the largest I have ever seen. Obviously that is what sells at this very large store. The fresh meat case was about half the size of the one on Camano Island. But had I wanted a ready-made sandwich, cooked chicken, or meal of almost any kind, I would have had no worries. Kind of a sad commentary actually. At least I would have felt pretty bad if I lived in Chelan and was trying to eat healthy and provide my family with nourishing food on a full time basis. All that prepared food is not only costly but not nearly as nourishing as most food cooked from scratch. Oh well. This appeared to be a store that caters mostly to tourists and retirees. (Or so it seemed.) And if truth be told, when I am on a trailer holiday, I tend to purchase a few things, like store bought hummus, risotto mixes, and marinara sauce, because either they have a greater shelf life than homemade, or they take a lot less time and effort to prepare after a long travel or adventuring day. So I am just as guilty as the next guy when it comes to convenience when on vacation.
Our fabulous and spacious camp site at Chelan State ParkYou can see Lake Chelan just across the large grassy area behind our trailer. When we first arrived, I practically had to use my broom to encourage 2 deer to move while Andy backed the trailer into position. They liked our site too.
Friday, September 27, 2019 – Lake Chelan State Park
Late
start to our day. We had some emails that required answers and some
reservations to make and by the time we finished with our “chores” it was
11:30. So we decided to drive to the end of the South Shore road. (The
campground is on the South Shore road, but only about a third of the way to the
end.) As we were driving along I was completely taken aback by all the homes
both along the shore and up in the hills. I had no idea Lake Chelan was this
populated.
Since
the early 70s and up to about 12 years ago, we used to wilderness camp on
Kootenay Lake. And since we still lived in our Bellevue home, we would go I-90
to Cle Elem and then to Wenatchee and then North through Lake Chelan to cross
the border at Osoyoos. And every year we would make a stop in Chelan for a root
beer float at the A&W along the main drag north out of Chelan. But we never stopped to look around the lake.
Chelan was merely a quick stop along the way.
And Mr. C. and I many years ago took the Lady of the Lake (boat) up to Stehekin to spend a few nights at the Stehekin Valley Ranch. But we never drove around the area much that time either. So I was completely blown away by all the development on both sides of the lake. After lunch we drove along the North shore. (May actually be called the Manson highway.) Again, I was amazed at the sheer numbers of homes, condos, orchards, schools, fruit packing plants, and humanity in general living in an area I had assumed held only barren and unpopulated dry desert hills. I know better now! But back to our drive up the South Shore road.
We decided to turn in at Field’s Landing. Field’s Landing is the first stop the Lady of the Lake (boat) makes each day on its way up the lake to Stehekin. As we were driving down the entrance road, a black bear sow ran right in front of our truck. Now we know it was a black bear (we later talked to the park ranger regarding the sighting), but this female (we think) was the color of cinnamon. She was absolutely beautiful. All 150 (plus or minus) pounds of her.
FYI: Though they are called black bears, the species comes in a range of colors. According to the North American Bear Center, “Black bears come in more colors than any other North American mammal. They can be black, brown, cinnamon, blond, blue-gray, or white. The variation in color has to do with their environment. A lighter color is more common in black bears in Western states, as the lighter shades help them blend in better in open meadows as well as reduces heat stress. In the Northeast, on the other hand, around 97 percent of black bears are black in color, whereas around half of the black bears in the West are shades of brown.”
Regardless
of the color – WE SAW A BEAR TODAY! Absolutely
fantastic.
Then back to camp
around 4:00 to check our email, have a small libation, relax, and decide where
to go for dinner.
We mainly eat dinner at our campsite, but a couple times each trip we go out. Usually it’s at the beginning of our trip and near the end of our trip. With only one more campground before we return to civilization, this is our night to splurge and let someone else cook our meal and do our dishes. (Our last campground is one of my favorites – Wanapum SP. But Wanapum SP is in Vantage Washington. And if you have ever been across the Columbia River at Vantage, you know there is no fine dining establishment around for miles.)
So for our last trailer dinner we will just have to content ourselves with home grilled New York steaks, with a caramelized onion and Stilton Blue Cheese sauce. Corn on the cob and a fresh romaine salad will complete the meal. (Our last campsite meals tend to be pretty special too. And probably better than tonight’s meal. But I will let you know when we return from dinner.
Note: We had dinner at Tin Lilly’s in down town Chelan. OK, but not special and very noisy.)
Saturday, September 28, 2019 – Wanapum
State Park, site 19
Raining buckets
as we were hitching up at Lake Chelan SP. Left camp about 10:30. Drove south on
the west side of the river – 97 alt. Easy drive with no complications. There
was rain and wind here and there, but nothing too difficult to handle. Arrived
at Wanapum in fairly nice weather. Set up camp and had a leisurely afternoon. However,
as evening approached the wind picked up and so did the rain. So my plan of
grilling steaks was thwarted by Mother Nature. So instead of steak we enjoyed
ground lamb burgers with Tzatziki sauce, Mexican black beans, and salad. Oh
well. The steaks will taste really great when we grill them at home.
Our site on Wanapum Lake
Wanapum Lake is a reservoir on the Columbia River. It was created in 1963 with the construction of the Wanapum Dam. It stretches from the Wanapum Dam upstream to the Rock Island Dam. The dam and lake are named for the Wanapum people.
For
more information about the Wanapum people, visit https://www.historylink.org/File/9524
Could we get much closer to the lake? I don’t think so! Lucky us. No wonder we keep coming back to this fabulous campground. Already looking forward to the next time.
Sunday, September 29, 2019 – home again
The end of a vacation
always causes me sadness and happiness at the same time. Sadness to be leaving
the joys of travel and seeing new and glorious surroundings. But happiness too
because we are returning to glorious surroundings filled with new adventures on
the home front. Back to regular musical rehearsals and gigs for Mr. C., and new
recipes to try and write about for me. And back to our fuzzy family members –
Miles, Max, and Squeaky and to the joy we always find from spending time with
our dear friends. All in all, life for us is good. We are incredibly lucky to
still be able to travel and never take the opportunities we have been given or
the gifts we have received for granted.
I hope you have enjoyed this short narrative and the pictures from our trip. We had a wonderful time. But then, we always have a wonderful time. We simply make it happen.
Special thanks to Rick and Katie for their part in making this a terrific adventure. Can’t wait for the next trailer trip with you guys. And to our other traveling friends. Just let us know when and where, and we will be there if possible. Happy trails everyone.
