Weekend Waterfalls

We went to the cabin for the weekend. It's becoming a recurring theme.

We stopped on the way up to hike the High Rock Trail at World's End State Park. The trail went straight up the mountain to the High Rock Vista & then straight back down again to this creek.

Because of the raging waters with all of the heavy rains & flooding, this wasn't a simple creek crossing. It was a raging mega-creek. We hiked upstream a little to find a narrower place to cross.

Then, despite all of our efforts to stay dry, it started to pour. We had originally planned to take a second loop that started where this loop ended, but decided to head to the cabin & get some lunch instead.

For Mommom's birthday, I offered to bake a cake. Unfortunately, she and Poppop had to cancel their trip up at the last minute, so she didn't get any. I'll have to make it again! I doubled the recipe for this Chocolate & Coconut Milk Cake since I like to have a layer cake for birthdays, but it would have been plenty of cake with just the single layer. No one was complaining about extra cake, though!

Mom & Dad gave me an early birthday present - a pillow top mattress cover! Our bed up at the cabin is pretty hard & the original mattress cover kept coming off. It was so nice so sleep on this instead!

We went for a few longer hikes on Saturday & Sunday to see more waterfalls & views.

I love being out in nature and seeing all the signs of life.

Butterflies

Leaves changing color

Deer running across the path

Blue skies with drifting clouds

Trees blowing in the wind

Birds flitting around

Chipmunks scurrying through the underbrush

There's something so calming and peaceful about it all.

The Bup has been whittling away at his hiking stick to make the perfect handle. A few more trips up and I think he'll have it done.

Here's the family in their hiking gear. Mom refuses to wear pants if it's over 40*F, but she'll wear gloves! We all had on orange for safety in case any hunters were out.

For breakfast - Pumpkin Spice Pull-Apart Bread. This was a kitchen flop from a few weeks ago, but this time it was a kitchen win! Yum!

The power of water! I think these waterfalls in the middle of the woods are far more beautiful than Niagra Falls.

Water is the driver of Nature.        - Leonardo da Vinci

Attempting Chipotle Burritos

One of the perks of eating at Chipotle is the variety and options available. It's no extra work if everyone wants a different variety of burrito, because they're all there and ready to scoop. And it's ALWAYS delicious!

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Another perk is their great dedication to a better food world. I'm sure you noticed already, but I feel very strongly about sustainable eating. I love knowing that when I'm giving my money to a company, I'm also giving it to a cause I believe in.

Luckily, the Bup and I have very similar taste, so when I decided to try to make Chipotle-like burritos for dinner, I didn't need to go overboard with options.

Chipotle is nice enough to provide their ingredients on their website. I followed their loose instructions and the result, while really tasty, wasn't quite the same. Close though for at home eating, though! I think my main problem was the wrap. It was only about half the size of theirs, so I couldn't fill it as full. It was also whole wheat, which has a stronger flavor than the ones at Chipotle. If you're going to recreate this, I'd recommend using a very large, plain flavored wrap.

For their black beans, here's what they say: "Our black beans are seasoned with cumin, garlic and other spices, then slow cooked until tender and slightly al dente."  I didn't have time to slow cook them, so I tried cooking them in a little water to soften them. It worked! I was looking for flavor more than anything else, though. The "other spices" part gets a little tricky, but they have a Mexican flair so I used onion powder & chili powder.

The Fajita Vegetables weren't too hard - they're just green bell peppers, red onions, and some fresh oregano. I love this part of the burrito experience, so I put in the extra (minimal) effort.

I skipped the rice, even though I love it. When we eat at Chipotle I usually get the salad, which I love having the rice on. In a tortilla, though, I feel like it's optional. The Bup doesn't really like rice in his burritos, so I didn't mind doing without, too.

We made fresh salsa earlier in the week in the VitaMix, so I'm using that.

I thought the guacamole would be the hardest part to replicate, but it turned out the best!

"Hand mashed, ripe Hass avocados, mixed with freshly chopped cilantro, red onions, jalapeño peppers, citrus juice, salt and selected spices until silky, sexy and delicious."

"Silky, sexy & delicious" is right! Again, it's those "selected spices" that are the kicker. I used my VitaMix for the guac, and I think that's a key step. It's always so creamy and thick. I usually use a fork to mash the avocado, which results in a tasty but chunky guac. In the blender, all the flavors really come together and it gets super creamy.

The fixings, minus the lettuce and the tortilla chips we used to finish off the guac. :-)

Assembled & ready to eat!

Almost Chipotle Burritos
Inspired by Chipotle
Serves 2

1 1/2 c cooked black beans (or 1 15oz. can, drained & rinsed)
1/2 c water
1 1/2 tsp cumin
2 tsp minced garlic
3/4 tsp onion powder
3/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 medium red onion, sliced
1 medium bell pepper, sliced
1 T fresh oregano, chopped
1/2 c fresh tomato salsa
Guacamole (see recipe below)
2 large tortillas (we used small whole wheat ones, which altered the traditional flavor & texture too much)
Optional garnishes: shredded lettuce, cheddar cheese, sour cream, fresh corn

In a nonstick pan, heat black beans and water on low. Add cumin, minced garlic, onion powder, chili powder & salt. Cook on low for 10-15 minutes, stirring often, until water has cooked off, and the beans soften and begin to break apart. Remove from pan, place in serving dish and set aside.
Using the same pan, lightly saute bell pepper and red onion for about 5 minutes on low, just until slightly wilted. Toss with fresh oregano.
If desired, heat tortillas in the nonstick pan or in the microwave, wrapped in a damp cloth.  Fill with beans, fajita vegetables, salsa, guacamole, and other garnishes, to taste.

Guacamole
1 avocado
1 small jalapeno pepper, deveined and seeded (unless you want a hot kick to it!)
1/2 small red onion, chopped
2 T lime juice
1/2 tsp dried cilantro (or 1 T fresh cilantro)
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp garlic powder

Prepare guacamole by pureeing the avocado, jalapeno, red onion, lime juice, cilantro, salt, and garlic powder in a blender or food processor until smooth. (If you prefer chunky guacamole, mash with a fork by hand. Just make sure the onion is finely chopped!) Place in a small bowl along with the pit from the avocado and cover tightly. Refrigerate until ready to eat.

Poppity Popcorn for Rainy Weather

For those of you who don't live around me, or haven't heard, Central PA got hit hard with the rains yesterday. I work about 15 minutes from my house and they had us leave at 2pm because there were so many warnings.

I knew I was in trouble when we opened the door to exit and there was 2 inches of water covering the parking lot. I took off my shoes to walk to my car, but then a co-worker offered to drive me over. The road out of the parking lot was like a river. My car was parked about 4 cars up from a mini-pond of water. I don't know how the people parked there got their vehicles out.

It took me 2.5 hours to get 1/3 of the way home. Traffic was at a standstill everywhere and there were tons of emergency vehicles on the road. That car ride was one of the most stressful drives that I've ever made. There were no traffic directors because everyone was needed for emergencies. No blockades were really up because the water hit so hard and so fast.

I saw fields flooded with water, cars submerged up to their windows and a man on his bike trying to ride through water up to his mid-calf. At one point, I drove through a puddle that was so deep I thought I'd lose my brakes, but there was no other place to go. A tractor trailer turning down a side road that I was on came within inches of my front bumper while I gripped the steering wheel and prayed he wouldn't hit me.

Finally, when I called my parents to let them know I still wasn't home, I found out that all roads that led home were flooded. They had friends trying to get home that came to their house because they couldn't get any further. Thankfully, those friends have a sister & bro-in-law who were kind enough to let me come in for dinner rather than me sitting in traffic. The Bup got home from work safely and walked to my parents' for dinner since I wasn't home.

Around 9:45pm, almost 8 hours after I left work, I was able to get through and get home safely. I didn't take any pictures...I was too busy gripping the steering wheel!

Today, I spent part of the morning using the Shop Vac to remove water from the basement (it wasn't too bad, but we got about 15 gallons) and the other part calling the members of the choir and cancelling practice for tonight. 

Then I made popcorn. Because nothing makes a more perfect snack on a rainy day than some warm, freshly popped popcorn.

I made it on the stove top, which is the very best way. I may never eat microwave popcorn again, at least not when I'm making it! My favorite topper is nutritional yeast, which is what I used, because it makes it taste cheesy, like that white cheddar popcorn that comes pre-popped in the bags.

Poppity Popcorn

Adapted from summerharms.blogspot.com

Yields about 15 cups

3 T coconut oil

3/4 c popcorn kernels

~1 tsp sea salt

Optional toppings: pepper, nutritional yeast, cinnamon sugar, Old Bay seasoning, garlic powder, cocoa powder, Italian seasoning

8 quart pot with lid

Add coconut oil to the pot and melt over medium-high head. Once melted, throw in 3 popcorn kernels. The kernels will pop when the oil is ready. Add the rest of the kernels and cover with lid. Using pot holders, begin to move pot back and forth to keep the kernels moving on the bottom of the pan.  Kernels will start to pop, keep shaking the pan until the popping slows down. When there is about 2 seconds per pop, turn off heat, but keep moving pan until popping ends. Season with salt (or other toppings) to taste and enjoy!

A Really Big Woodpile

We went and found some wood to chop over the weekend.

I feel like that picture would make a challenging jigsaw puzzle, with all those logs, grass & trees. Mom loves green, so it might be a great gift for her!

The tree at the end of the driveway at the cabin fell over during Hurricane Irene. We have an old driveway down the yard a ways, so when Mom & Dad got there they went in that way. By the time we arrived 2 days later, they'd already gotten it cleared well enough that we could pull in. There was still a lot of work to do, though!

Dad manned the chain saw.

He's super handy with that thing. I used to love wearing his big hat with its ear protectors as a kid because it was so huge. I love the smell of the freshly cut wood!

The Bup wielded the axe.

For three hours, he split log after log after log. We thought he'd be crazy sore the next day but he only had a few blisters. That's my man! :-)

Mom made sure our woodpile wouldn't fall over later.

I helped stack the woodpile after the logs were split. Mom showed me how to pile the ends up so that it is sturdy and won't fall over. See how they form a pattern back and forth, like pillars?

The butterflies drank nectar from Mom's flowers. All this work was making them hungry, I guess!

All the wood from this tree should be enough for about 2-3 winters at the cabin. Dad already had enough for this winter, so it will have time to dry out before we need it.

Good work for one morning!

We spent the rest of the weekend hiking, eating, sleeping, sitting around the campfire, and reading.

A perfect vacation.

Skiing

This was my world for the past week. Snow, frost, gorgeous views, and cold weather at Killington Ski Resort in Vermont.

We went Nowhere...

...and Somewhere.

We skiied on Solitude, a slow ski trail through nature.

It was a nice long peaceful ski.

And we did plenty of not so peaceful, fast, steep fun runs, too!

 

All bundled up for a big day of skiing!

We really loved the tree skiing. It was out of the wind and kept us working so we stayed warmer.

My poor feet still suffered. They were red around the toes every day. (Don't mind the chipped polish...) It burned to take a shower because they were so cold. This was after the shower, so they were warmed up a little by the time I took the picture. I still have all 10 toes after 4 days of skiing!

The Bup successfully navigated the Beast. He now loves Killington, too!

Can't wait till next year! It was a great workout and so much fun!

Reasons

I have to admit, I started this blog simply because I wanted to try it out. I love reading other people's blogs and always feel like I learn something. They also motivate me! So many accomplishments, so much time spent to do things that can seem intimidating. But somehow when someone writes about what they did, it's inspiring!

Hopefully I can share the many things I learn as I go along. My passions are mainly for the many aspects of food: nutrition, gardening, health, cooking, baking, eating...  But I'm also passionate about taking care of the earth and my future children. Usually, the two are intertwined.

Grocery shopping is a great example! Now, I LOVE grocery shopping. I'm not one of those people that goes in and out like it's a chore. I need plenty of time. Something might catch my eye! I can stand there looking at the pasta, trying to decide: which is the best deal?, should I use a coupon?, get a different kind?, which is the best for my  health?, is the organic worth it? All that without buying a single box. I just like to look and learn. It drives my husband crazy. (Added bonus? Perhaps!)

Usually my decisions end up being made based on the price, on whether I can get it in organic, on whether it has high fructose corn syrup in the ingredient list (like BBQ sauce), and on packaging.

All this, just because I found a great company, Blue Avocado, that promotes and sells using your own bags when you shop. I love their bags! For now, though, I'll have to keep using my freebies. They all work the same, I suppose. My local grocery store gives 3 cents back for each bag we bring to use! I'd do it anyway, but I love the incentive. I wish more places did that! Like Aldi, where they charge you just to use a bag at all. Very smart, even if they don't do it primarily to be eco-friendly.