Back on the Trail......

So, I'm back on the trail, some days literally.  I haven't posted anything since early February!  I had good intentions to write but, that's how far my thought process went.  Distractions (just plain LIFE) were many.  In the beginning of 2017 we were inundated with a record snow pack.  We kept busy snowshoeing the peaks around us.  We also eagerly watched and waited for our grand baby.  Hubby went "under the knife" to repair a rotator cuff injury.  He's still recuperating to this day!

We made a mad dash to the Mendocino Coast for some much needed R &R.  Of course, we took our traveling gray cat.  She's the best...  We walked the headlands, ate great seafood, scoured the beach, took lots of pictures, rested, drank more wine, etc. Good for the soul time!

Our grand daughter arrived before her due date.  I'm sure she was eager to meet her new mommy and daddy.  I can't say enough about the love I felt seeing her for the first time.  I can't wait to teach her some family recipes and spend grandma time with her.  I had a wonderful relationship with my grandma while growing up and I hope I can impact little Ryann Ava like my grandma did for me.

Summer is almost over...technically it's Fall, but could someone notify the person in charge of the weather.  Turn the thermostat down or something!  So, in anxious anticipation of Fall I'll leave you with some of my favorite recipes.

Zucchini Bread

Mushroom Tagliatelle

Apple Crisp

Spicy Chicken Posole Soup

Enjoy!!!

#3 Hiking Around Reno/Tahoe

Yet another hike!  Hey, it beats sitting on the couch!  We chose Brown's creek "lollypop" loop which is right up the street.  A lollypop loop is a straight trail which loops at the end to make a lollypop.  Think tootsie roll pop!  What we thought was a 4.8 or so hike, turned out to be more like 6.1.  

Let's begin.  There is a parking lot across from the beginning of the trailhead which is off of Joy Lake Rd.  It began with a steady ascent through a canopy of shaded forest.  With all the rain we received this year wildflowers were in bloom and made the going beautiful.  As we made our way to the summit there was a "side trip" trail called Sundown Town.  Evidently, a group of investors had plans to make a theme park of sorts during the early 60's.  That's the first I had ever heard of this.   

Heading back to the main trail we veered off to the right and down into the canyon area where the Brown's Creek flows down from the mountain.  Ah, nice shady aspen groves!  That was the nice part.  After crossing the creek we began to climb again as did the temperature that day.  There seemed to be plenty of obstacles such as rocky trailbeds to maneuver and a lot of loose rocks to make your feet slide.   And slide I did, swearing with each step and vowing to buy some new hiking shoes that would grip better.

Brown's creek trail, to me, was becoming a nightmare of sorts and I began to question whether my feet and/or my knees would make it in one piece!  At the bottom of the trail which was a little over half way we crossed the creek once more and began our ascent back to the main trail.  With  the sun beating down on us by this time, the climb seemed to be a struggle, for me.  For hubby, not so much, so trying to stay at his pace was getting to me (and my attitude went sideways!).  I just wanted to get off this trail as soon as possible! 

Well, I'm here to tell you I survived this one.  Cross it off my list.  Done!   Later that evening at our friend's house for dinner our hike was mentioned.  My friend looked at me with scary eyes as she exclaimed to me that that was where the mountain lion hangs out!  Hmmm!  

  Would I do this hike again?  Maybe, just the first part, not the whole loop!  Stay tuned for more fun!  

 Did you know?

 Beautiful vistas

 More nice views

Wild morning glories?

Cool aspen grove - possible mountain lion/cougar country?

Hiking Around Reno/Tahoe 1

As promised, I'm hiking the trails around Reno/Tahoe and living to tell you.  Sometimes, barely living, with lung busting gusto!  Our first "serious" hike of the season, I had this wonderful idea to climb most of the way up the Jones/Whites creek trail leading up to Church's Pond.  The beginning mileage had already been accomplished on a previous trip.  We were erroneously told that we had conquered the "worst" part!  I'd love to run into those folks, probably all of 20 something and compare notes.

Remember, I purchased a guidebook of the trails in the whole area.  They recommend that this loop be done counterclockwise from the beginning on the Whites creek trail.  Supposedly, it would be less strenuous.  (The trail was classified as "strenuous!)   What does this mean?  We would soon find out.

We packed a lunch, a few fig bars and plenty of bottled water and set off early.  We decided to go up Jones creek to Church's pond, have lunch and return the same way.  Piece of cake, right?  The first mile or so was easy and then there was that "worst" part.  Only problem was that it continued most of the way pretty much straight up with many switchbacks.  When you reach the ridge you have options.  You can cut off to Church's pond, continue on the loop for the return trip down or go back the way we came.  We chose the later.

I have to say I was extremely proud of what we accomplished since I am not anywhere near tip top shape.  Will I do it again?  Probably not.  There is an expansive grove of lime colored aspen trees lining the creek as we ascended.  I can only imagine how beautiful this area will be in the Fall, so maybe we'll do part of the trip again.

So, now I know the meaning of a STRENUOUS trail.  It is a relentless, mostly uphill quest with many moments of lung burning bouts interspersed with conversations we had about where we would spread each other's ashes if we failed to make it!  Yep....that's the definition.

NOTE:  Thank you to the elderly gentleman (80ish) who passed us on the way up.  You truly were an inspiration!

almost to the ridge

watch where you walk

view from the ridge looking toward Washoe Valley

no explanation necessary

The views were amazing!

Valentine's Day 2015 and a Lesson on Pasta Making

One of the reasons I began writing my blog was to preserve memories as well as recipes.  I wanted a "place" I could visit to fetch those recipes and relive those precious memories.  As Valentine's day approached my mind went into warp speed trying to come up with the right feast to serve hubby and myself.  In the years gone by we had everything from gnocchi, seared scallops, fillet mignon to a limoncello lavender cocktail!  One thing was certain, we didn't want to go out to dinner with a zillion other people.  So, how to make this night special?

The day began with a brisk walk to the creek and back.  We had a premonition that today would be a "pig out" day!

Then, my first Valentine ever came to visit and delivered some luscious dark chocolates!  Dad, you really know your daughter well and I love you for that.  My mom surprised my hubby with a box of cookies.  You see, I'm still a "spoiled" little girl since I've been getting a valentine from dad longer than I can remember and I have the cards to prove it.

Later in the day we drove over to my son's deli/ice creamery to have lunch, of course.  The Cuban sandwich was amazing, but the hugs given to him and his beautiful bride were better.

Back at home, I started the prep for dinner.  Time to make the home made pasta.  I'll give you the recipe I use the most because, for me, it's the easiest.  You'll need a food processor, so fetch it from that deep dark cupboard where you may have buried it years ago.  Also, if you are lucky enough to have the pasta attachment for a kitchen aid mixer (thanks mom) pasta making is a cinch!   Okay, so the first time out it's frustrating, but with every try, it gets better.  Here goes.

Pasta

3 cups flour

4 eggs

1 tbsp salt

1 tbsp oil

Put the four into the food processor.  Put the eggs into a bowl along with the salt and oil.  Beat well, start the processor and begin to pour the eggs in.  The dough will turn yellowish and look a bit like cornmeal or small pebbles.  To test it, pinch the dough with your fingers. (Make sure you turn off the processor first!)  If it clumps together turn it out onto a breadboard sprinkled with flour.  Knead until it forms a smooth ball.  Place it into a bowl, cover and let it sit for 30 minutes.

When the time is up, remove to the breadboard.  Cut into manageable pieces and roll with a rolling pin just enough so you can fit into the pasta roller on lowest setting.  Now comes the fun part.  Keep sending that piece of dough through the roller and increase the setting every time until you get a long thin piece of pasta which resembles lasagna noodles.  I usually put all the rolled out pieces onto a floured cookie sheet.

Then you need to change the roller to a fettuccine noodle attachment.  If you don't have these rollers you can always hand roll and cut!  (Not in my lifetime!)  As I send the long wide noodles through the fettuccine roller, I  cup my hands underneath to catch the noodle nests and then place them back onto the cookie sheet.  You can sprinkle a bit of flour on each nest and loosen with your fingers so they won't clump together.

To cook, boil some salted water and ease them in.  This recipe makes a bunch.  I usually cut it in half which serves 4-6 healthy portions.  Cooking fresh pasta will be done in a fraction of the time (usually 3-4 minutes as they rise to the top).

For this batch of noodles I picked something from my "food to try bucket list" ......drum roll, please!

Tagliatelle with Wild Boar and Mushroom Sauce inspired by a trip to Tuscany!  Stay tuned for the next post!

Top 10 Most Popular Posts of 2013

I've gone back in time once again to compile a list of the top 10 FOOD posts of the year.   These are not chosen by me, but they are the ones that received the most "hits" for whatever reason.  Enjoy and I hope you try some of these in the future!

Starting with #10:

10)  Italian turkey meatballs

 9)  Soba Noodles

 8 ) Blackberry Balsamic Glazed Chicken

 7)  Angel hair pomodoro pasta

 6)  Italian limoncello pudding

 5)  Prime rib and sweet potato hash

 4)  Pesto tortellini edamame

 3)  Home made black bean burger

 2)  Strawberry lavender sorbet

 1)  Crispy baked squash chips (link not provided, made in April 2013)

Which is my favorite?  I love them all, but strawberry lavender sorbet?  What's not to like about that?  I was also pleasantly surprised by the black bean veggie burger and limoncello pudding.  With the exception of the prime rib hash all the selections are easy to whip up.

No surprise to me, but, actually the most "hits" overall went to my travel pieces!  I guess the passion is obvious...this girl needs more travel in her life!!  Thanks for continuing to read and feedback is always welcome.

Scratch Christmas!!!

What does that mean?  Scratch, in this case, is an adjective not a verb.  No, it doesn't mean I would like to get rid of Christmas (although, I don't like the "happy holidays and the Xmas greetings").   Do we have to diminish everything important because we must be politically correct ALL the time?  There, I got it out...and I feel better!

This Christmas was a "made from scratch" event in the kitchen.  For Christmas Eve, we had our Feast of the Six Fishes.  Yes. it's seven fishes, but we had too much food and I chose to scale it back.  We started with appetizers like my son's bacon wrapped scallops (the best by far) and baked not fried coconut panko shrimp with a spicy apricot dipping sauce.  The appetizers were eaten in such a frenzy that I neglected to capture them with a picture!  Oh no!  Moving on we gathered around the table for traditional seafood pasta with more shrimp, scallops, clams and cod.  Yum.  A small salad of butter greens sprinkled with pistachios and goat cheese topped with caramelized pears accompanied the seafood bucatini.

And because I didn't want to put up with the crowds and traffic (or out of laziness on my part) I decided to make cannoli shells, previously purchased in the past, from scratch.  I don't recommend doing this on the eve of Christmas Eve!  I was surprised how easy the process went.  I had the cannoli shell forms hidden in the cupboard and I've never used these in well over 15 years.  Shameful...

I kid you not. They're from scratch.

In addition to the meal we arrived at grandma's earlier in the week to do a bit of Christmas cookie baking.   My son made sugar coated rosettes while his bride whipped up molasses spice cookies.  Grandma busied herself by creating a pumpkin pecan pie and I tried my hand at a new recipe.  Mini frangipane tartletts.  I'll make these again, for sure!  (recipe to come).

Rosettes, molasses spice and frangipane bites

I asked myself so many times this year why I went to so much trouble preparing everything from scratch.  Hmmmm....not sure, except that it all comes from my heart...I enjoy it....and This year my mind needed to stay busy.  I hope everyone's Christmas was special and blessed!

Part Two - The French Food Parisian Style

J'aime beaucoup la cuisine francaise.   I love French food!  Before arriving in Paris I developed a "bucket list" of sorts.  One of the best ways to experience a different culture is through its food.  And I proceeded to have my fill.  While the potential to gain at least 10 pounds was real,  I was surprised when the scale registered only 1 1/2 pounds gain!  But, Paris is hardly the place to stick to any type of diet!

One MUST try as many fine pastries, chocolates, cheeses, wine and baguettes as possible!   I excelled in this category.  I'm 1/4 French, after all.  It's in my blood!  Here's a sample of the beautiful food.  Disclaimer:  Not all was eaten, but they sure looked nice.

The mornings usually began with cafe or chocolate chaud (hot chocolate) along with a buttery flaky croissant, pain chocolat or other mouth watering pastry.

Paris is truly a walking city, fairly flat and spread out.   To devour some of these treats with no guilt attached, a metro trip to Montmartre with the equivalent of 20 flights of stairs (Who's counting?  I was with every breath!) would be in order.  The reward?  A fresh chocolate hazelnut crepe from one of many street vendors in the small quaint village.

If you want to eat a little more sensibly the choices are everywhere with a bistro or cafe on every corner, it seems.  Or you can grab a quick bite from the market or display cases of the local neighborhood boulangerie.

Next segments:  Some sights in Paris.
                          The food of Southern France.  Stay tuned!

A Quick Getaway to Riviera Maya

Traveling is my HOT BUTTON.  When it's combined with excellent food choices I'm a happy girl.  When it requires long sunrise walks on the powdery white sand beach, I'm there!  Add a sprinkling of relaxing snorkel excursions and I (almost) never want to go home.

As I alluded to earlier, hubby and I escaped to the Caribbean shores of the Riviera Maya two weeks before Christmas.  I'm always amazed at how quickly my body acclimates to the warm tropical air and ocean breezes after arriving from freezing temperatures back home.  But, the Mayans graciously hailed our arrival, with a smile and a "welcome" margarita as we check into our home for 8 days.  A slice of heaven?  Maybe...

We usually allow for one touristy excursion on these "relaxation trips".  This time we chose to swim in Akumal Bay with the sea turtles, combined with a snorkel into the depths of ancient Mayan cenotes (see-no-tes).  These are a series of underground caves that dot the landscape.  The cenotes are very sacred to the Mayan people as they are believed to be the connection to the underground or other world and ,at times, their only source of freshwater.  

Sacred altar

We visited three, but swam in two because a wedding ceremony was taking place at one.  Our first dip was in a semi underground cenote  warmed by the sun thus producing algae which was a buffet for small pirhana-like fish.  I guess these tiny fish are all the rage for use in pedicures.  They nibble on the dead skin!   No thanks!

The pirhana pedicure cave

Protective thorns on trees...protected from what and do they swim in the water, too?

We ventured over to the huge cave of amazing clarity and color.  The sun beamed into the cave illuminating and casting shadows into the teal colored water.  I could have floated in there for hours while peering into the dark crevices of the cenote waterway.  I found it hard at times to quiet my mind though, thinking of all those creatures from the black lagoon...a bit of an eerie feeling as I waited for unfamiliar jaws to clamp  onto my leg.  Time to climb out of the cave.  On to the remainder of our snorkel excursion...Akumal Bay Swim with the Turtles.

The deep dark cave.  Anyone for a swim?

This bay is known for its sea turtles, abundant fish, and brilliant white sand beach.  It did not disappoint, however, if I were to do it again (and hopefully, I will) I'll hire a car to get us there and venture off on our own.  I felt rushed, racing from turtle to turtle as they were pointed out by our guide.    Swimming with the turtles is supposed to be relaxing, not when it's done with a multitude of snorkelers swimming around, over and into you.  With that said, it is a gorgeous area to swim, sunbathe and snorkel, just not with a large group.  You will see many turtles (very cool), eels, stingrays, and plenty of colorful fish as well as a coral formations swaying with each swell of the waves.

If I could snorkel everyday, I'd be a very happy girl!  More about our trip to Mexico....later.

A Year in Review - 2012

I thought it would be fun to do a "year in review" of the most memorable (for me) moments in each month.   I'll also be writing a  piece featuring my most popular food related posts of the year.   I hope you enjoy my reflections and encourage you to drop by once in a while for updates on Wendy's Favorite Place.   Thanks for your comments and views during the years and Happy New Year!

The first 6 months of 2012:

  January brought an unwelcome event.  Fire just over the hill from us in Washoe Valley.  I was packed and ready to go.

 February, like most years around here, we experienced a balmy mild Winter.  So, a hiking we will go, near Bower's Mansion and Davis Creek Park.

In March we celebrated my mom's 82nd birthday.  Oops, sorry about the candles!  Mom, you're the BEST!

 April....We celebrated Easter....my dad's 83rd birthday and drum roll, please!  My son popped the question.  Jeremy and Leilani are getting married!  Wonderful news!!  And those cream puffs were pretty tasty, too!

 What a great Mother's Day in May!   My love built some raised garden beds and later I had a gourmet dinner made by my son and his fiancee.

 May is one of my favorite months....my flowers come back every year and that is cause for celebration.  This high desert climate can be very limiting in the garden arena.

June  A great way to "kick" Summer into high gear...The Reno Rodeo  Ye..Haw!  And, gentlemen, start those barbecues!

Stay tuned for the last 6 months of 2012.  

Tuesday Travel - Picnic in the Sierra Nevadas

"There are few things so pleasant as a picnic eaten in perfect comfort." - W. Somerset Maugham

Today is Travel Tuesday, and yes, I'd like to say I went hiking in Macchu Picchu or Costa Rica.  However, some of the best hiking trails happen to be right in my backyard and that's where I "hit the trails" the last two weekends.

Did you know that Macchu Picchu's elevation is lower than my hike on the Lower Loop Tahoe Meadow trail?  The Tahoe Meadow's trail came in at around 8500 elevation while Macchu Picchu hovers around 8000 feet!  Of course, to get to the Peruvian site you need to go to Cusco to begin the Inca Trail hike or take the train to a point where you hike the rest of the way.  Holy crap, Cusco is at 14,000 feet!!!  I've got more conditioning ahead of me...

Nevertheless, we made the trek into the meadows with picnic provisions in the backpack.  Hubby carried the backpack while I snapped pictures and made sure I didn't pass out!   The trail is wide and mostly flat except for a few hills which we navigated with a few brief "rest stops" to catch our my breath.  About half way we stopped for our picnic.  Gourmet peanut butter and jam, and last week roasted red pepper hummus with avocado on, of course, Tahoe 12 grain bread!

I'll leave you with some pictures of the beautiful Tahoe Meadow Trail System which starts just off highway 431 between Mount Rose ski resort and pristine  Lake Tahoe.  

Trail system map

Babbling Ophir Creek meanders through the hike

View of Washoe Lake looking East

Picnic time ...Hummus and avocado sandwich

Ahhhh!

Birthday Girl Goes to the Beach

Back to the beach!  For my birthday I chose to satisfy all my senses.  Born and raised near the ocean, I have such a fondness for seafood, walking the tidepools, hiking on the bluffs overlooking the sea and just being able to breath in the moist salty air!  Believe it or not fog does not bother me, unless I need to drive in its soupy thickness.  At least you learn to appreciate those "perfect" days when the fog rolls back and the sun glistens across the water.

The past four days were spent in Half Moon Bay just 20 minutes south of San Francisco, yet WORLDS away!  I wanted to "retreat" with my best friend, my hubby and do all our favorite things.  Athough I didn't get to zip line (one of my favorites), I immersed myself into the coastal life of rising early and hiking the bluffs, walking tidepools, going to the beach, gorging on fresh seafood, taking lots of pictures, or just relaxing on our veranda while sipping some wine.  Happy birthday to me...no fanfare.  I'll save that for maybe, 65 or 70 years young.

Here's a few moments at the beach retreat.



Seal Cove Inn



Hummingbird Haven

Beautiful Cottage Gardens

Trail to the beach through cypress forest

Relaxation time

One of many accessible beaches

Rare coastal sunset