Chasing Winter - Days 5 & 6 (The Olympic Peninsula and Seattle)

Day 5

So we started off our day with Blue Star doughnuts. I know that yesterday I said I couldn’t eat another doughnut, well, today is a new day! I have to agree with the locals on this one. Voodoo is the tourist trap but the real deal is Blue Star. Yesterday we tried all of their exotic flavors like blueberry, bourbon, basil, and blackberry peanut butter, today we stuck to the basics and got apple fritters and plain old glazed doughnuts. Seriously, a party in your mouth! They are so good

We said goodbye to Portland and headed off to Seattle. We took the 101 through the Olympic Peninsula. It was so beautiful! It was like a cold and foggy rain forest. I tried to get some pictures but as per usual, they did not do the view any justice. Here is an attempt:

We went to Forks, Wa and saw all the Twilight sights like 13 year old fan girls. It was super dorky and fun. My mom tagged along like a trooper. We got our nerdy pictures in the town and then drove out to La Push Beach which was gorgeous!

La Push was amazing! Here are a couple of pictures but trust me… they don’t capture the essence of that place, it was magical! I definitely think I could live in the Pacific Northwest, it is stunning!

We were going to have dinner at Bella Italia in Port Angeles but we ate lunch a bit late and weren’t hungry for dinner when we passed through so we just drove through the town and went on our way. All of these little towns in the Olympic Peninsula are really cute though. I would love to make my way back here and spend more time.

We took a ferry across Puget Sound from Bainbridge into Seattle. That was really fun because it was dark and we got to enjoy the lit-up Seattle skyline on our way. It was beautiful. I do have to say though… we definitely caught winter. It was windy and freezing all day. I am a little worried about how prepared I am for Iceland. I may have to do a last minute REI run to stock up on some more layers! We didn’t get into Seattle until fairly late – unfortunately every driving day ended up being about two hours longer than I had thought. We were tired but also super hungry so we ended up going to at 8 oz. Burgers and had a delicious hamburger that totally hit the spot. Delish!

Day 6

Seattle, what can I say? I LOVE this city! I have never been here before and I think I found my soul mate city. It is incredible here. Of course, as luck would have it, today was the first beautiful sunny day Seattle has had this year. Oh well, we got some heavy rain in Portland which gave us our “winter fix” and tomorrow I am headed to Iceland for some legitimate winter weather so I can deal with another sunny day.  We spent the morning touring Pike Place Market. The market is amazing! I love the local art and food and the uniqueness of it all. I could definitely spend all day there! We are going back tomorrow to spend a couple more hours before heading to the airport. One day is definitely not long enough for this city!

We had tea and crumpets at a cute little crumpet shop and then toured around the city for a couple of hours with another 30-year old hipster tour guide, Jake. He was awesome; we got tons of insider tips that made the rest of our day great. He directed us to the BEST fish and chips place – Owl n' Thistle, for happy hour. It totally hit the spot! Best chips ever! You know… I have found that if you get a good tour (check the Trip Advisor reviews) it can really be a great way to be introduced to the city. I have enjoyed the ones that we have done. You kind of have to get over caring about looking like a tourist, but once you embrace that you actually are a tourist and just get over it, it can be fun.

We went down to Post Alley, which was creepy cool. We saw the infamous gum wall, which was disgusting! There is really not much else to say about it. Gross.

We ended up having a “happy accident” when we got on the bus to go to Kerry park to capture some views of the city. We went the wrong direction and what was going to be a 20-minute trip took an hour! Honestly though… it was nice to sit down a bit. I seriously feel so old right now! We are averaging 10-15 miles of walking each day and I am sooooo sore! I am actually looking forward to spending a day in a plane, just to rest my feet! When we finally got to the park we did get some beautiful shots of the city. I definitely have to come back to Seattle. One day was not enough! I know I speak for Cheryl too when I say, we love the Pacific Northwest! It makes us feel so out of place living is So Cal. Not really a shocker, I know. Anyone want to move up here with us?

Chasing Winter - Days 3 & 4 (Redwood Forrest and Portland)

Day 3

Today was a looooong day. I knew it was going to be long before we started but boy, it was long! Our goal was to leave San Francisco at 6:00am. We accidentally locked the house keys in the apartment before we got our things out. So, I had to call our host and have her call a friend who had a spare key and we had to drive an hour round trip to go collect said key in order to actually get on our way. Needless to say, that set us back a bit.
In spite of the rocky start, the day moved along fairly smoothly. We drove through Napa Valley and saw the fog that San Francisco denied us over the vineyards. I tried to capture a picture but it doesn’t do it justice, it was a gorgeous morning!

We then went from Napa to the Redwood forest. Wow, those trees are huge! They were really awe-inspiring. The colors were so vibrant. Shockingly these pictures were able to capture the clear turquoise water of the river underneath the green moss covered trees. I only wish I could have taken scratch and sniff pictures because the only thing better than being dwarfed by these wooden giants was the smell of the forest. So earthy and fresh! I could have stood there breathing the air all day and I would have been satisfied.

We ended up having lunch on a dock on the beach in Eureka, Ca. We found a great little hole in the wall sandwich shop whose name was literally “Hole in the Wall”. They made me the hugest sandwich I ever ate! One of the most delicious too. Lunch ended up being all we needed for the day which was good because the original plan was to meet up with my cousins for dinner before we got into Portland but because we were running so late we had to nix those plans. Fortunately they are flexible so they will meet us tomorrow night for dinner in Portland.

Our Plan B was to grab some Voodoo doughnuts for dinner. A pretty awesome dinner don’t you think?

Day 4

Well, we ended yesterday with doughnuts and started today with them! For breakfast we had Blue Star Doughnuts which we supposedly better than Voodoo according to the locals. I have to agree with the locals. Voodoo was ok, but nothing special really, I think it is more the presentation. Blue Star was just delicious. I think I could go a long while before having another doughnut though. I am a bit sugared out!

So, the big news is we found it! We found winter! Portland was in the 40’s and raining so we got to wear our winter coats and hats and everything. So happy! The rain made it all so beautiful too. We spent the first couple of hours of our day touring the city. Then we went to the Japanese Gardens, which were so beautiful. It is amazing that they were just nestled in the city. It was an amazing oasis and I loved walking through it.

We then went to Stumptown Coffee to warm up and got beautiful drinks – this is definitely not Starbucks!

And we spent over two hours wandering around Powell City Books. Talk about amazing! I could get lost in there - it was so great! We finished off our day having dinner with my cousins who live near Portland. I haven’t seen them in about 10 years so it was great to catch up even if it were just for an hour.

The best part of our day was the last. We went to The Fish and Chip Shop so that Cheryl could take a picture in “The Tardis Room” with David Tennant. 

This is the place:

Anyway, we walked in and landed near the stage of Karaoke night. Karaoke was taking place right in front of the photo opp. so the only way we were going to get a picture was to sing Karaoke. Cheryl had a mild panic attack and thought of the scene in “Adventures in Babysitting” where they were told, “No one gets out of here without singing the blues.” We hightailed it out of there before they could drag her onstage but she never got her picture. Nerd dream shattered.

Overall Portland was awesome, rainy, and cold. I loved it and will definitely be back.

Oh, and bit of trivia – over 30 characters on the Simpsons were named after streets in Portland. Weird and quirky. Love it!

Chasing Winter - Days 1 & 2 (California Coast/ San Francisco)

Day 1 – The California Coast

The epic vacation has begun! Cheryl dubbed our trip “Chasing Winter” since we both love the cold weather and have been disappointed with the summer weather we have been having since Christmas! So, we are driving up the west coast from San Diego to Seattle, then Cheryl will fly home and my mom and I will fly to Iceland. I have been planning this trip for months and it is finally here! I am so excited!

Mom and I met Cheryl at the rental car place and picked up our SUV. I am profoundly grateful that my dad won our argument over Christmas where he insisted that we rent a car and I insisted that my faithful 1999 Chevy Prism was up to the task. In hindsight that was probably just my pride talking because my poor little car, while continuing strong, is really falling apart. It makes tons of noises, has no working air conditioning, the window is broken, and the passenger door won’t open. In addition to all of that, it is a tiny little thing that would barely hold our luggage and us. We ended up with an SUV and it is way more comfortable that it would have been had my pride won out. Good thing my dad is even more stubborn than I am. Thank you, dad!

We drove up the Pacific Coast Highway, which overlooks cliffs and the Pacific Ocean below. It was a gorgeous drive! Here I am at Mugu Point.

We stopped at the Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo where my parents honeymooned 40 years ago this week! It was actually a really cool hotel although quite dated. I think it had the original sign that looked completely ghetto. Still… very cool in kind of a retro way. We drove by Hearst castle, but didn’t have time to stop so I saw just enough to whet the appetite. I will have to take a weekend trip up there and to Solvang one of these days.

Here is my mom at the Inn. 

We had lunch at Pea Soup Andersen’s. It awoke a childhood memory of being taken there to eat pea soup after a day in Solvang with my aunts. I remember hating it then. What kid wants pea soup for lunch? I ordered it anyway since my moto on this trip is, “when in Rome”. It was ok, but I wouldn’t order it again, I mean, when is pea soup ever epic?

We were going to do dinner in Chinatown tonight but our drive ended up taking us about 3 hours longer than I expected it to so we nixed those plans and ended up calling it a night by the time we got in. We are staying at our first AirBnB and it is right downtown. We had to go meet a guy to pick up the key, then drive to the apartment to drop off our stuff then drive to a parking garage to park the car. All while driving a rental car through busy San Francisco. It was a bit stressful and I will say, true character comes out. Fortunately, the car is parked and from here on out we walk until we leave San Francisco.

Day 2 – San Francisco

Ok, San Francisco was awesome! It was sunny and gorgeous, which, even though we are really anxious for some winter weather, was nice since we were out walking for hours on end. We spent most of the day doing a tour of the city. The tour ended up being really cool. Sure, it feels a little touristy but whatever, it was worth it. We ended up being the only ones on the tour so it was just Cheryl, my mom and I along with our new friend, Sean, a 30 year-old hipster. Seriously, this is the way to go. The four of us went all over the city. We covered tons of ground and we went through all the various neighborhoods.  In addition to getting to see the sights, we got to hear lots of history of the city and learn little random facts – like the fact that the Safeway store in the Marina District was actually a famous place to meet singles. Apparently, every Wednesday night, single people would come to Safeway to find a date. It was voted the number one place to meet singles at some point. Seriously, Google it, it’s so weird!

Since it was a walking tour we got to go into little alleyways and interesting nooks and crannies of the city. Here we are in an underground tunnel. It was just underneath an art store. Who knew?

After our day tour wrapped up we came home for a couple of hours to get a second wind. Then we went out on the town! We walked from our apartment to Pier 39 and Fisherman’s Warf (which we didn’t see earlier in the day) and then ate some delicious Chinese food in Chinatown, thanks to a great recommendation from our hipster buddy, Sean. We enjoyed the feel of the city at night, especially Chinatown, and eventually made our way home. I am so completely exhausted now… we walked around all day long; we clocked in about 14 miles today. My feet are killing me! I will be looking forward to spending the day tomorrow on the road. Napa Valley and Redwood Forrest, here we come!

Salted Caramel and Hot Fudge

I got to “spread my wings” in the kitchen this month when my friend, Ryan, asked for homemade hot fudge sundaes for his birthday. Homemade means homemade vanilla bean ice cream (I have made it before here) and homemade hot fudge sauce and homemade salted caramel sauce. To be fair, he didn’t ask me to make everything rather than buying it, but I decided if I was going to do it, I would do it right. I scoured the Internet for recipes for homemade ice cream toppings and found both of these, which were delicious. The sundaes were rich, creamy and amazing and the sauces last well in the refrigerator for a few weeks. I used the left over salted caramel for a “Fall dinner” party this weekend and served it with sliced apples for dipping. I love the salt added but you can also make this recipe without the salt for just regular caramel sauce. For Thanksgiving, I am using this sauce to make a slated caramel apple pie. Stay tuned…

Salted Caramel Sauce

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar
12 Tbs. butter, at room temperature, cut into pieces
1 cup heavy whipping cream, at room temperature
1 Tbs. fleur de sel (or any other flaky sea salt)

Directions:

Add the sugar in an even layer over the bottom of a heavy saucepan, with a capacity of at least 2 or 3 quarts. Heat the sugar over medium-high heat, whisking it as it begins to melt. You'll see that the sugar will begin to form clumps, but that's okay. Just keep whisking and as it continues to cook, they will melt back down.

Stop whisking once all of the sugar has melted, and swirl the pan occasionally while the sugar cooks.

Continue cooking until the sugar has reached a deep amber color. It should look almost a reddish-brown, and have a slight toasted aroma. This is the point where caramel can go from perfect to burnt in a matter of seconds, so keep a close eye. If you are using an instant-read thermometer, cook the sugar until it reaches 350°F.

As soon as the caramel reaches 350°F, add the butter all at once. Be careful, as the caramel will bubble up when the butter is added. Whisk the butter into the caramel until it is completely melted.

Remove the pan from the heat and slowly pour the cream into the caramel. Again, be careful because the mixture will once again bubble up ferociously.

Whisk until all of the cream has been incorporated and you have a smooth sauce. Add the fleur de sel and whisk to incorporate.

Set the sauce aside to cool for 10 to 15 minutes and then pour into your favorite glass jar and let cool to room temperature. You can refrigerate the sauce for up to 2 weeks. You'll want to warm the sauce up before using.

Hot Fudge Sauce

Ingredients:

2/3 cup heavy cream
½ cup light corn syrup
1/3 cup brown sugar
¼ cup cocoa powder
¼ tsp. sea salt
6 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped, divided in half
2 Tbs. butter
1 tsp. vanilla

 Directions:

In a 2-quart saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the cream, syrup, brown sugar, cocoa powder, salt and half of the chocolate to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low or low (enough to maintain a low simmer), and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining chocolate, the butter, and the vanilla extract, stirring until smooth. Let cool for 20 to 30 minutes before using (it will thicken as it cools). Store in a jar or airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. To reheat, microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute until it's pourable but still thick.

Barbaric Nerdiness

Yesterday, some friends and I went to the Viking Festival. My neighbors (I may have mentioned them before) are beer brewing Vikings (yes, for real) and they invited us last year. It was so fun, we went again this year. I had even more fun this year, I even got to throw a flaming axe. Going to a Viking Festival is a bit like stepping back in time. Many people are in costume and carrying weapons. They have music and have competitions like fish flinging, log tossing, axe throwing, archery and combat. It is barbaric and feels very manly, but it is also super nerdy when you think about it. Will Wheaton's definition of a nerd totally applies to these people (and I LOVE it!)

So Vikings are big, manly, bearded nerds who, let's face it, are really the best kind! I am 99% sure that I will eventually end up with someone who gets obsessive and geeks out over things like I do. I could totally see myself getting wrapped up in the Viking culture. I love the idea of making costumes and dressing up. And (you never cease to learn something new about yourself) I found that I rather enjoy watching men being barbaric and throwing weapons and yelling war cries. What can I say, I guess I am a primitive woman at heart. Seriously though, check this out - best nerds ever, right?

I actually learned that this sub-culture runs deep. There is a pretty big group of people that get together annually for "wars" where they go camping for a week in primitive tents and every one has to be dressed up in traditional garb, by day the men get all dressed up in their chain mail and fight battles with one another and by night they have bonfires and drink mead and dance and basically just be medieval. Doesn't that sound SO FUN?!? I would so go to that. I really need to become closer friends with my neighbors. I bet they go to those events. One day, I will tag along. Things like this really nail home how much of a geek I really am. I am hearing it as I say it, but oh well. I embrace it! Here are some pics from yesterdays adventures:

Christmas Crafts in August

Last week was HOT! We have one week out of every year that is not absolutely perfect weather and last week was that week! Being so close to the beach, I don't have any air conditioning so hot, sweaty and grumpy pretty much defined the week. For some strange reason, in spite of this weather I am really feeling Christmasy right now. I am in the mood for the holiday season and wish it weren't four whole months away! Boo.

I have been looking at homemade stockings on Pinterest and got inspired to make some. I really like the simple look of burlap and happened to have leftover burlap from my makeshift light fixture that I made for my outdoor space here so I took several different patterns and ideas from Pinterest and made my own version. Mine have a lace cuff and I put a brooch in the corner that I found from Michaels and hung wooden initials that I painted with red glitter (also from Michaels) from the brooch. It is nice because they can be personalized but easily changed. Since I seem to have a new roommate every few years, the flexibility is nice. I also like the combination of the burlap, lace, and glitter. It gives a lot of dimension to a simple pattern.

Here is the final result:

Unfortunately, I don't really have a "how to" here, so if you want to make your own stocking, you will have to google patterns. I really just made my own pattern by tracing a stocking that I already had onto a paper bag and using that. I used a fabric the same color as burlap as a liner and then used and off white fabric as a liner for the lace. Then I stared at all of the pieces for a long time as I figured out which way everything needed to be for me to sew it all together (not as easy as it looks, when things need to be turned upside down and inside out it gets confusing) But all in all, it was an easy project, I did it all in one afternoon. And it was fun, I love being crafty! Now I just have to wait four more months for christmas. Patience...