travels

How to Research Your Travel Destination

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I’m so behind on posts – I haven’t even finished telling you about my exciting adventures in Las Vegas – but I wanted to quickly share a tip for finding places to hit while traveling. Of course there are review sites like Yelp, plenty of periodicals, and even just a virtual walk down the street with Google Maps’ street view. But sometimes I want more personal advice.

I follow a lot of blogs on Google Reader and have many well-traveled friends who post photos on Flickr. When I’m getting ready to travel, I like to  search those two sites to see whether my friends (real or virtual) have visited my destination. Here’s how I do it:

Flickr:
If you don’t use Flickr, you can simply head over to flickr.com and search for your destination (maybe add a keyword – like ‘food’ or ‘park’). But if you do use Flickr, and want to search your contacts’ photos, click ‘More Search Types’ after you type into the search box on the top right and choose ‘Your Contact’s Photos.’


Google Reader:
If you’re not familiar with Google Reader, it’s a RSS reader – a tool that allows you to follow blogs (the benefit: no need to visit each blog to look for updates). Simply search at the top and your  results will show you whether that search term was used in any of the blogs you follow. Sometimes, it’ll be a surprise to see which of your friends have visited your destination.

What about you?
How do you research the places you’re going to visit?

eats, rhode island

German Food & Beverage Tasting

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Last weekend we attended the “Taste of Germany” food tasting / art show at the German American Cultural Society of Rhode Island.  The GACS, which is in a residential neighborhood in Pawtucket, has a picturesque mirrored ballroom perfect for special events.  (I’ll let you in on a secret – their cozy basement bar, the Ratskeller, is open on Friday nights from 7pm and is a great place for shockingly affordable German food and draft beers. The selection varies, but some of the beers I’ve had on draft include Kulmbacher Pils, Franziskaner Hefe-weisse, Spaten Lager, Aventinus Dunkel, to name a few.)

This was the first time they’ve held a tasting, and it was a huge hit, so hopefully it’ll happen again next year. I really appreciated the choice of uncommon and interesting foods.  The dishes represented 16 different regions of Germany.

I brought my camera and snapped photos of my favorites:

Eier in grüne soße (eggs in green sauce) from Hesse. The green sauce is bursting with fresh herbs.
Eier in grüne soße

Harzer Kase mit Musik – this marinated cheese is an acquired taste (one that I’ve acquired and my husband hasn’t). It’s really strong and pungent. Some people say the “music” that accompany the cheese comes a bit later, if you know what I mean (I hope you didn’t think my blog was too classy for fart jokes!)
Harzer Käse mit Musik

Bread soup – doesn’t sound like anything special, but it was absolutely delicious!
Bread Soup

Some of the other dishes included three other soups (potato/shrimp, white bean, green bean), potato salad, pretzels with obatzda (a cheese spread- also a favorite of mine), Spreewald style sweet pickles, herring dip, quark spread with pumpernickel, plum cake (my contribution), and stollen.  A large beer and wine selection accompanied all of this food – we had a couple of German beers on draft and toasted with a glass of Heinz Eifel Eiswein.

You can view the rest of my photos from the tasting on Flickr.

arizona, drinks, eats

Kon Tiki, Tucson

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When we were in Tucson I dragged (I am not exaggerating) my husband and parents to Kon Tiki, an untouched 1963 tiki bar. We weren’t even in the mood for a drink, and man were those drinks strong! But I wanted to bask in the Polynesian surroundings and leave with a tiki mug. This one was especially cute.

Mai Tai
Photo by Jeremy May

Its current content, also a perfect Arizona souvenir, is equally likely to put some hair – ahem, spines – on your chest.

Kon Tiki Cactus

 

arizona, eats

Sonoran Hot Dogs in Tucson

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I’ve been to Tucson, Arizona probably twenty times, but only had my first Sonoran hot dog this year. And then I had another.

The Sonoran style hot dog is wrapped in bacon, placed in a soft and sweet Mexican bolillo roll, and topped with chopped tomatoes, onions, pinto beans, shredded cheese, ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, and sometimes jalapeno sauce.  The roll is not cut all the way to the ends, and the hot dog is small enough to fit entirely inside, making a perfect container for the numerous toppings.

Our first was from El Guero Canelo, which started out in 1993 as a hot dog cart. Their building reminded us of an airplane hangar – spacious, lots of metal, very clean. We loved the fixings buffet, which featured giant grilled spring onions and grilled hot peppers, jalapenos maybe, that had our mouths on fire.

Sonoran Hot Dogs
Photo by Jeremy May

Our second was from BK Carne Asada & Hot Dogs. It was a nice day so we took advantage of their outdoor seating.  Our order came with grilled peppers on the side. They also had a fixings bar which had an interesting roasted pepper salsa.

Sonoran Hot Dogs
Photo by Jeremy May

We washed down each of these hot dogs with horchata, which J cleverly noted is the Arizona equivalent of the classic Rhode Island gaggers / coffee milk combination.

Which was better? It was a close call! I very slightly favored the BK dog because the bun was sweeter and softer, and the dog was grilled perfectly – maybe it’s the mesquite they use. But I preferred the fixings and horchata at El Guero Canelo, and my dining companions preferred their hot dog. I recommend trying both and deciding for yourself.

arizona, eats

El Tovar at the Grand Canyon

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We started our Arizona trip with an excursion to the Grand Canyon. Originally we were going to visit for an evening and morning, but a flight cancellation meant we only had the morning to see the park.

So imagine our disappointment when we woke up, walked to the rim, and saw this – as captured by my phone:

What the Grand Canyon looked like

I especially felt bad for Jeremy, who hadn’t been before (I’d been about 20 years ago).

We made the best of the situation and had a leisurely breakfast at the El Tovar Hotel. I definitely recommend a breakfast there – the menu is great and surprisingly affordable for the quality. Apparently if you go on a clear day, they have quite a view. Given the conditions, we warmed up by the fireplace instead of requesting a window seat.

Sonoran Style Eggs

Jeremy had the Sonoran Style Eggs, described on the menu as “Served in a Tortilla bowl with Two Eggs any style, Chorizo, Natural Chicken, Black Beans, Roasted Peppers, Jack Cheese, Ranchero Sauce, Salsa, Sour Cream, Breakfast Potatoes and Flour Tortilla.” I’m glad it was big enough to steal a few bites for myself. I had the Wild Mushroom, Fresh Spinach and Smoked Gouda omelet, which was also delicious. The staff was friendly and super attentive – I don’t think I’ve ever had my coffee refilled so many times in one breakfast.

When we finished breakfast, the clouds had started to clear, leaving us with a dramatic snowy view.

Grand Canyon

breakfast, cooks

Chicken and Waffles

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Last March we stayed at the Venetian in Las Vegas and enjoyed two amazing brunches at Bouchon. One morning, Jeremy ordered the Chicken and Waffles, described on the menu as “roasted chicken, bacon and chive waffle, Tahitian vanilla bean butter, sauce chasseur.” We couldn’t stop talking about it, and after a Google search, I see we’re not alone.

Today I made us Bouchon-inspired chicken and waffles for brunch.  This Chicken and Waffles recipe from The Cookworks was a good basis, but I made a few changes.

For the waffles, I added minced chives and three slices of finely diced crispy bacon to the batter (also, I substituted milk with a squeeze of lemon juice for the buttermilk, simply because I didn’t have any).  Instead of skin-on chicken breast, I used moderately sized leg quarters. Last, I omitted the dijon cream sauce and instead emulated Bouchon’s menu with vanilla butter and something like a sauce Chausseur (I didn’t go crazy with ingredients here – I essentially made a gravy from rich chicken stock with some shallots and wine).

Dreaming of Bouchon

I’d rather eat the Bouchon version, but when I’m over 2000 miles away, this is a pretty good brunch. Next time I make it, I’ll omit the sugar in the waffle recipe. The Bouchon version uses sourdough, so maybe I’ll try a yeast dough as a base…well, before “next time” we have to eat our way through the 10 leftover waffles in the freezer. Not that I’m complaining.

buys

Grocery Shopping on a Budget

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I’m lucky to live two miles from a Price Rite. Price Rite is so magically inexpensive, I always feel like I’m going overboard and the bill is rarely over $20.  To keep prices down, the store has simple shelving, limited brands, no free grocery bags (I prefer to bring reusable bags anyway).

Here’s what I bought today, which combined with our pantry and freezer, will be the basis of many meals for two:

  • 2 large heads romaine lettuce
  • 1 large bunch broccoli rabe
  • 4 cubanel peppers
  • 2 jalapenos
  • 6 limes
  • 1 lb dried great northern beans
  • 1 lb dried chick peas
  • 1 lb dried black beans
  • 1 lb white rice
  • 1 package 6″ flour tortillas
  • 1 package 8″ flour tortillas

and the total was… $14.86

What are your favorite places to shop when you’re on a budget?

baking, cooks

Chocolate Peanut Butter Granola

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As I mentioned in my last post, I like experimenting with granola ingredients. My favorite lately has been chocolate and peanut butter – even more addictive than the classic honey granola I posted last time, and a great homemade gift for the holidays. You may want to adjust the sugar and salt depending on the type of peanut butter you use. I prefer Teddie Natural Chunky peanut butter, which is unsweetened but salted.

Recipe: Chocolate Peanut Butter Granola

Ingredients

Chocolate Peanut Butter Granola

  • 2 c oats (not quick)
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 c cocoa powder
  • 1/2 c salted peanuts
  • 1/3 c canola oil (or other neutral oil)
  • 1/3 c peanut butter
  • 1/3 c honey
  • 1/4 c brown sugar, packed
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350.
  2. In a large bowl, toss oats, salt, cocoa powder and peanuts.
  3. In a saucepan, heat oil, peanut butter, honey, brown sugar, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture bubbles a bit. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
  4. Pour liquid ingredients into the oat mixture and stir until the oats are evenly coated.
  5. Spread oats onto a nonstick cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove and gently toss the granola (if you want chunkier granola, just run a spatula under the granola and gently rearrange). Turn off the oven and put the granola back in for up to an hour to dry, tossing once more along the way.
  6. When granola is cool, store in an airtight container.
  7. Now the hardest part: try not to eat it all.

Number of servings (yield): 12


baking, cooks

Best Granola Recipe

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Making your own granola is easy and delicious. Addictively delicious. I can’t tell you how long the shelf life is because we eat it so quickly, especially when there’s a batch of homemade yogurt in the fridge.

Here’s my basic recipe, adapted from others I found.  After the recipe, I’ll give you my favorite add-ins.

1. Preheat the oven to 350.

2. Mix in a large bowl:

  • 3 cups rolled oats (NOT quick)
  • 1 tbsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup nuts (I use almonds)

3. Heat in a small saucepan, stirring a few times, until the sugar dissolves and the  mixture starts bubbling:

  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 2-3 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup neutral oil, such as canola oil
  • 1/4 cup water or juice (I like orange juice)

4. Once heated, stir in:

  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

5. Now pour the hot honey mixture into the oats and stir – make sure to stir all the way down to the bottom so all the oats get coated.  Spread on a non-stick or sprayed cookie sheet and place in the middle or top of the oven for 7 minutes.

6. Remove from the oven, stir, turn the heat down to 225 and bake for 30 more minutes, checking once in a while to make sure it’s not burning (or turn off the oven and leave in for an hour or more).

That’s it!

Homemade Granola

Variations:

Optional / swappable add-ins to the oat mix in step 2. You will probably want at least some nuts, but don’t feel like you need this long list of ingredients, you don’t!

  • 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
  • 1/4 cup sesame seeds
  • 1/4 cup flax seeds (for healthy granola)
  • 1/4 cup wheat germ (for healthy granola)

Optional flavoring in step 4: almond extract, or why not orange?

Baking method: Depending on your ingredients, your baking time might vary. To test, I put a tiny bit in a dish and cool to see if it’s crunchy enough. You want your granola to be dry.  I’ve experimented with a lot of baking methods, sometimes if I don’t have time to watch it, I will bake for an hour at a lower temperature, or if I notice it’s not dry enough after baking, I’ll leave it in a warm but turned-off oven for an hour or so.  You can also bake it at a higher temperature for a shorter time, but you risk burning if you tend to multitask like me.

Type of Granola: If you want a healthier, less sweet granola, you can use more oats (4 cups instead of 3).  If you want a sweeter granola that holds together in big chunks, decrease the oats relative to the other ingredients.

breakfast, cooks, meals

Three Days of Salmon

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After a fishing trip to Alaska last year (which I still need to blog about), we have some large pieces of salmon in the freezer. As someone who rarely cooked fish before, this has given me a wonderful opportunity to try new recipes and cooking techniques.

The large pieces sometimes mean several days of salmon.  Crafting a new meal out of leftovers is a creative exercise of which I’m very fond!  Here’s how I got three delicious meals out of one generous piece of salmon.

Day 1
Dinner: White wine-poached salmon topped with Pungent Parsley and Caper Sauce.  Green and yellow beans almondine.

Salmon SandwichDay 2
Lunch: Salmon sandwiches on 7 Stars Olive Bread spread with leftover Parsley and Caper sauce.

Day 3
Brunch:  Salmon cake benedict on 7 Stars Olive Bread with bearnaise sauce.  The leftover salmon and sauce made 5 salmon cakes when mixed with some onion, egg, old bread, and spices.

Sometimes, leftovers can be quite luxurious.

Pictured above: A salmon sandwich I made on olive bread – albiet a different one