Spring at 7000 feet….

Is not exactly what I expected. I am rounding the bend in completing my first full year in Flagstaff, and along with that, my first experience of all four seasons at 7000 feet. I guess I should have been better prepared for what that experience might be like. Spring has been interesting, and challenging for me. I have realized how much I look forward to that magical re-greening of the world around me and that warming up that comes along with spring. It is not so much that it is not happening in Flagstaff, it is just much more erratic and slower than I anticipated it would be.

Sidebar: why is it that in every place you live, long-timers likes to take such pride and pleasure in informing you that “if you don’t like the weather, just wait a while and it will change.” Perhaps they don’t realize this little phenomenon is not quite as unique to their own long-term locale as they like to think it is? I am pretty sure I have heard that in every part of the country in which I have lived. Granted, experiencing rain, hail, snow, and sunshine before noon was perhaps a bit more extreme than most weather experiences I have had in recent memory!

In some ways, I have struggled with spring mountain weather more than I have the cold winter. In the winter, I expected to be cold and to bundle up. There was something a little magical about everything being covered in a blanket of whiteness every so often. Now, I am ready for cute skirts and sandals. My sweaters and me need a break from each other. There have been some teasers along the way that have fooled me into thinking that spring has truly arrived.

The last couple of weeks have tried to squash my hopes with several bouts of snow that have tested the limits of my patience. To make things worse, each snow has been preceded by that beautiful spring-like warm weather that I have been craving. I have included a few pictures of our most recent snow to show the juxtaposition of the gradual approach of spring with the snow that actually stuck. Crazy, right? That along with the constant high velocity, bone-chilling winds have, honestly, made me second guess choosing to live in Flag. Looking on the bright side? I had to chuckle at the series of Facebook updates that my Dallas friends made from their closets and bathrooms last night as they hunkered down for a tornado warning. Not really a spring concern here.

Everyone keeps promising that June is amazing here, and I do remember how nice July seemed to be, so I am optimistic for the future. I also have to admit that I spent a few minutes outside today on my lunch break enjoying the sunshine, and I caught myself almost complaining to myself about how warm I was getting. Needless to say, I nipped that in the bud! Bring it, sunshine!

When Life Hands You Grapefruits, Make Grapefruit Juice? No, I Can Do Better!

Apparently grapefruits are the April seasonal citrus that is arriving in our CSA. I don’t mind grapefruit. Occasionally, I like to eat one or have some Ruby Red juice. However, R hates the bitterness of grapefruits. Seven or eight grapefruits started seeming a little overwhelming, and I was just not in the mood for juicing and drinking them. I thought to myself, surely there are other options out there. So, I started perusing my favorite blogs for inspiration. We also had two different potlucks to go to on Easter Day. Perfect! Other people will like grapefruit, right? I won’t be stuck eating something all by myself that Robert rejects as to grapefruity.

My first adventure ended up being this recipe for Grapefruit Yogurt cake. After doing a bit of Googling, I found that this combination of yogurt and grapefruit in cake is pretty popular. I also found variations that use honey instead of sugar. Next on my list if we get more grapefruits is this scone recipe for scones: http://www.joythebaker.com/blog/2011/03/grapefruit-honey-yogurt-scones/

I ended picking this specific recipe since she made it as a loaf cake, and I knew it would be easy to slice into smaller pieces to share at a potluck.

I did make the syrup, but I did not do the glaze. Really didn’t miss it. The instructions don’t say to do so, but I pricked the top with a fork before pouring the glaze to assist it in soaking in and not running off the sides and being wasted.

It had a lovely texture and the grapefruityness was subtle. (Sidenote: Apparently my grapefruit adjectives are made up as spell check is hating on them!) Even R grudgingly admitted they weren’t bad. Everyone at both potlucks gave them the thumbs up. So super easy and super tasty!

My second contribution was this Grapefruit Guacamole. It was tasty, and grapefruit and avocado seems to be popular recipe combination. Unfortunately, it did not all disappear as hoped. People did say they liked it. It was just hard to compete with the elote and regular guacamole others had made! And of course, leftovers with avocado rarely keep. It was fairly chunky and juicy, so not too easy to eat as finger food on chips. I could definitely see it being yummy on a piece of fish. Of course, that will not happen in our house unless I happen to be cooking for myself. R did not touch this one at all.

It was a super simple recipe, but sectioning citrus is a royal pain in the @$$. I am not fan… I also added a little sugar to the pickling onions as a personal preference. As I was looking up the link, I found this version. If I did ever make it again, I think I might want to add the jalapeno and garlic it calls for to really make it seems more like a traditional salsa. I might also mash it up bit to make it more dippable. Probably would would not be as pretty looking, though. Oh, and I left the cilantro out because I think it is super yucky. I forgot to take pictures, but mine pretty much looked like the one in the picture with the recipe link.

PS I really love this resource when I have a random ingredient and am seeking ideas of what to do with it. It is a search engine for food blogs. Type in your ingredients and surprise! You get all sorts of ideas. http://foodblogsearch.com/

Pickled Pink and Other CSA Food Adventures

I had to share these beauties with you.

Ironically, BEETS have actually been a rare root vegetable in our weekly share. I am truly not a big beet fan. I like to pickle them, like these, or we will grate them and turn them into a rosti (giant hash brown). On the other hand, we have received a ton of turnips and several rounds of rutabaga. These two definitely have a place on my list of foods I just really never enjoy eating. I can’t explain it really, the best I can come up with is that their flavor reminds me of how body odor smells. Clearly, that is not pleasant. Robert has snuck them into a couple of things, and I have tolerated them. Most have been given away to others whose palate preferences differ from my own.

We have also received a ridiculous amount of RADISHES. I have realized that there are just not a lot of options for radishes besides salads…. We did experiment one night with sautéed radishes and peas. They weren’t bad, but the leftovers were not great. It was an unusual way to eat them, but unfortunately, not something we wanted to repeat on a regular basis. I also pickled a large batch of them (our other pickled pink). These turned out pretty well, but again, you can only eat so many pickled radishes. I think we are done with radishes for the time being, and ironically, I just came across a recipe use for them that sounded quite intriguing: Radish Butter. You dice them up super fine and mix them with butter and some seasoning. You then serve it as a spread and/or dip. So, if I get more radishes, you know what I am doing!

Here is the sauteed radishes with peas.

We have also made some interesting PIZZAS with some unconventional toppings like butternut squash and assorted greens. It is actually pretty fun to come up with creative and tasty combinations to put on pizza. We have also put beets, carrots and broccolini on our pizzas at different times. We recently did one with spinach, caramelized onions, carrots, and fennel, and broccolini along with some chicken sausage, blue cheese and mozzarella. It was quite tasty, but I think I concluded that I just don’t like roasted broccoli that much.

Beets on a pizza? Sure, why not!

Speaking of GREENS, those continue to keep arriving week after week. I think I have enough frozen greens to last until next winter at this point! The nice thing is that I have found that you can substitute quite a few different greens for spinach. In addition to pizza, it has made its way into a veggie lasagna and a tasty tortellini vegetable soup. They have slowly grown on me as the winter has progressed. I have also found that some olive oil, vinegar, garlic and salt will work quite well with the flavor of most leafy greens

Next up is tackling all of our CITRUS. Although we both like oranges, tangelos, and tangerines, we just don’t snack on them nearly enough. I am planning to experiment with some baked goods. For some reason, although I like lemon cake, I have always thought an orange cake sounds weird. However, I am not really sure I have actually tried one. So, that is my next culinary experiment. I have read about a Portuguese Olive Oil Orange Cake that I find intriguing to try. For our first round of citrus baking, however, we ended up making these Citrus-Currant Sunshine Muffins. They were tasty, but we didn’t exactly follow the recipe, so we may need to try it again! We forgot the citrus from the orange and the lemon juice, and we didn’t have any currants. I think some dried cranberries would be tasty next time.

I was excited to get FENNEL a couple of different times. As mentioned, it made its way into a pizza. Along with our citrus, it also allowed us to make one of our all time favorite couscous salads. I highly recommend this one, and grilling fennel gives it a wonderful flavor. It is super simple and filling. Here is the link for Grilled Fennel Couscous Salad.

Other cooking adventures included this Roasted Green Chile and Corn Chowder. Although not all CSA ingredients, it did contain some red potatoes and some of the green chilies that are still hanging out in our freezer. It was quite tasty, and R made the bread bowls for it.

Finally, we have received several bags of DRIED BEANS. We have discovered the joy and ease of using our slow cooker for them. You don’t even need to soak them! Just give them a rinse, cover them with hot water and let them simmer all day long. I will usually throw some chopped onion and garlic in there, but that is about it until the last half hour or so of cooking. At that point, you add some salt and pepper along with any other seasonings you might want. I like to put some Smoked Spanish Paprika in there to keep it vegetarian but still give it that hint of smokiness that would come from cooking some sort of smoked pork product along with it. With some corn bread, it makes an amazingly simple but satisfying meal. I think I will use up the last of my canned beans, and then completely convert to cooking my own in the future. It is healthier, cheaper, and better for the environment (less processed and packaged foods means less trash).

It's Possible I Have Developed a Bike Addiction

So, I have had a bike pretty regularly in my life for as long as I can remember. I think my first “big girl” bike was purple and got it for Christmas one year. In fact, that particular present kept me puzzling over the mystery of Santa’s existence for many years. We had left before Christmas to visit family, and there was definitely NOT a bike under the tree when we left. Upon our return, there it was! Mom finally explained the mystery when I asked, which I think was actually not that long ago! After loading me into the car, they had said they had forgotten something and went back in. While inside they put the bike out to surprise me when we returned.

Having a bike was especially important to me when I was growing up because it was my way of getting places to visit friends. I think I have mentioned before that we lived in a pretty rural area, so I did not have a posse of neighborhood friends. I had to venture out into a three to five mile radius if I wanted to play with friends. Even after turning 16, I did not have regular access to a car, so biking continued to be a way for me to get around to places. By now, I had upgraded to a Murray ten speed, also a purplish color. This one went to college with me. I did not ride it nearly as much in college, mainly because it was a very small and walkable campus. For most farther out errands, I would mainly get rides from friends (I was still not the owner of a car).

My main use of my bike during college was to train for DePauw’s Little 500. I am not really sure what prompted me to undertake this endeavor as I was really not athletic enough for such adventures! I think it was mainly because we really need riders in order for my sorority to field a team. It calls for a pretty grueling training schedule to prepare for the race. The race itself is a relay race where you race around the ¼ mile track as fast as you can. You ride single speed coaster-brake bikes that must be a certain weight (they all get weighed the day before the race). Because of the nature of the bikes and the race, you have “pushers” and “catchers.” To get your momentum going, a pusher rocks you back and forth inside a small taped box, and then pushes you off as your previous team mate completes their lap. Because of the speed and the coaster brakes, it is necessary to have a strong person at the end to catch and stop you so that you do not go flying over your handle bars and crash. Football players are often very popular for these tasks. Unfortunately, the story has a sad ending. Due to a series of illnesses and injuries, our poor little team had to call uncle shortly before the race, so I never completed the actual race. In future years, I was actually part of the student organization leadership that coordinated the race and associated events. I decided event coordination was more of my strength and interest!

After college, I took a hiatus from bike riding. I think I left the ten speed at school after graduation, actually. Then, I started my travelling job. It wasn’t until I settled in Louisville that I decided I wanted a bike again. That was around the time that comfort or hybrid bikes started gaining popularity. I became the proud owner of a Trek Navigator 200 (2000 model). That bike served me well for many years until it was stolen two years ago out of a locked bike locker at SMU.

Sadly, I don’t think I have any pictures of it, but I did find this one on the Internet.

Yeah, if you can figure that mystery out, I will be your best friend forever. Both mine and R’s were stolen, and we were just heartbroken. We replaced R’s pretty quickly, but I decided to hold off on replacing mine. We really didn’t have the money to replace both; I was dealing with my foot injury; and I was being stubborn. I wanted my Trek back, and the newest version had cheesy cruiser detailing that I didn’t like at all. My Trek had mountain bike lines and had a nice navy and gray color scheme. Nothing R showed me was appealing. In addition, we just didn’t ride that much. Dallas is NOT a bike friendly town in the slightest. We mainly used our bikes to do our weekly volunteer date night: SMU Feral Cat feeders.

When I knew we were leaving SMU, I knew I would replace my bike after I got to NAU. I knew it would be a bigger campus and a better place to ride. So shortly after getting here, I deliberated about what kind of bike I wanted. I definitely did not want a cruiser. I had liked my hybrid with the cushier seat and more upright handle bars. Unfortunately, as previously mentioned, many of the comfort and hybrid series had taken a decidedly cruiser look in styling. They were also color combinations that I suspected I could get tired of quickly and had flowers and stuff on them. I realize this probably sounds ironic to those who know me well. I am a pretty girly girl, and I like pretty things. For some reason, I like my bike to not be so girly. Go figure. R was pushing me towards a straight mountain bike in hopes of getting me out on some trails with him. We finally decided we just needed to start making the rounds at the local bike shops and see what we could find.

Luckily, in Flagstaff, there are many bike shops. So we went to several places and I test rode several. After several stops, I found the one I wanted. And it was on sale. And it was less than $400. And it wasn’t girly, but it was attractive to me. Ironically, it was a brand I had never heard of, Haro. So, I became a proud owner of a Haro Flightline 3 mountain bike. It is white with some bright green and black accents. She is called Rita. I think of Ritas as being small, but feisty and strong. And margaritas are green. I have enjoyed her a lot, and since I bought her in September, I have put quite a few miles on her. I even finally took her mountain biking in Sedona this January.

Me and Rita on the trail

In the interim, I fell in love with another bike. Now, I never thought I would be a multiple bike owner. In fact, I was amazed by the fact that my friend, J has four. I get that each serves different purposes, but I really struggled to wrap my brain around owning four separate bikes. When we travelled to Costa Rica, R picked up a cycling magazine that I ended up flipping through. It had a whole article on city bikes. Now, city bikes are different from cruisers. They are meant to move a little faster (bigger, thinner wheels, so R tells me). They often have fenders so that when the streets are soggy you don’t get it all over your nice work clothes. They often have chain guards so that you don’t have to roll your pants or fasten them tight. They are more up right , have cushier seats, and more of a step through style (this is where they do have some cruiser like qualities). However, they are just, well in my opinion, classy and not cheesy like cruisers. They look like the type of bike that a classy Parisian or Roman woman would use to get around her city. Enter the Felt Café 3. It was love at first sight. I liked her lines. I liked her robin egg’s blue color, her brown leather saddle and handle bar covers. I loved the drink holder! But did I really need another bike?? I mean, maybe? This would be nicer for getting around town and campus. I wouldn’t feel quite as silly to be all dressed up and riding my bike. It would make it easier to wear skirts (the step through). It was not a ridiculously expensive bike. And she was soooo pretty. She was feminine in a good and classy way!

Editor's Note: I did NOT intentionally dress to match her. I just like the color. It is why I got the bike in this color!

J took this picture. She was stalking Lizzie, I think.

So, we discussed it. We agreed that as long as I committed to doing more trail riding on Rita, that it would be okay for me to get a second bike Of course, no place in Flagstaff, despite the 15,000 bike shops, carries Felt. I called every store in Phoenix and none had the one I wanted in stock. So, finally, I had to order it, and now I am the proud owner of two bikes. I am one of those people! I have multiple bikes for multiple reasons. And I don’t regret it in the slightest. After much deliberation, I have called her Lizzie. I wanted something French like Lola or Gigi, but it didn’t seem quite right. I considered Tiffany for a while given her color, but I kept saying Lizzie in my head so I finally concluded that was the right name. She has been a dream! Robert just added a rack and a basket. We tested it this weekend, and I hauled home 23 pounds of groceries, with two uphills, and in the wind. Whew! It is going to take some getting used to the new weight distribution, but I am excited about all the new adventures Lizzie and I will take, especially as the weather starts getting warmer.

Who needs a car? I can haul my own groceries home with the help of Lizzie!

Costa Rica Cuatro Parte: Feliz Año Nuevo a la Playa

Okay, so I am a wee bit embarrassed that I am just NOW posting my final Costa Rica story. What can I say? This semester is keeping me hopping, and these entries are a little more time consuming since I am adding so many pictures to better illustrate my stories and commentary. I hope to be better. I don't want to lose my few readers out there in cyber space! So, this last one is what I call beach vignettes. It is more about impressions and thoughts that I had while lazing away at the beach. I hope you enjoy and perhaps it will warm you up in spirit as we wait for the last of winter to finish up for this year. And, if you make it to the end, there is a really cute picture as your reward for sticking with me.

Do you see the little hermit crab nestled in the shells?

Where we Stayed:

For the New Year and start of 2011, we headed to the beach. We stayed in a beach house borrowed from friends of my in-laws that was right on the beach. It has that rustic charm that all part-time use beach houses have. You know what I mean, right? The type of place where it is about the location, not the décor: very simply decorated, mismatched furniture, with lots of beds; mismatched dishes and silverware with random bits of cookware; piles of found treasures from the beach. We have all stayed in that beach house, no? Our location was the Playa de Esterilllo, just north of Dominical on the Pacific side. It was not a touristy type of place. It was a tico type of place. Life at the beach is always lazy. Walks on the beach. Lots of reading. Shell collecting. Eating. Drinking. Sleeping. No pressure!

Beach Life Pictures:

R's Dad Reading

Best. Reading. Spot. Ever!

Brother-in-law taking a nap with Peanut

Yes, I am reading. I am on vacation.

Our Beach Walk on Playa Hermosa:

R and his parents

Fossils!

My attempts to be artistic

R and a big @$$ tre

Could this be any more precious?

Sunsets:

I am a sucker for sunsets, and this trip did not let me down. We had two beautiful sunsets, and one cloudy one. I feel like I have become a bit of an expert since living in Flagstaff. I have realized that there are a few key elements to a good sunset. First, you have to have a good background view with minimal obstructions. Second, you need some clouds. To fully capture the gloriousness, you need to have those reflections on the clouds that show all the myriads of colors. Tonight, they looked like cotton candy at one point. Then they were this crazy pink gold color which began shifting to shades of lavender and deep shocking pink as the sun hits the horizon of the ocean. There is just something magical about watching the sun set over water or the mountains.

Feliz Año Nuevo:

Cava

We made it midnight, which, we often do not regardless of where we find ourselves that year. I find New Year’s to be one of those overrated holidays with so much pressure to make it epic every time. I think it is because we all do have one or two of those epic nights that you think you are expected to have every year, and I just don’t think it is possible. Well, perhaps, if you are filthy rich, you could make it epic every year, but the reality is that some are just going to be rather chill. And really, I am okay with that.

It took R and I about two days to even remember where and what we were doing last year, which was the first signal that it was probably not some spectacular adventure. We finally concluded that we spent it in Dallas at home fixing a nice dinner and that after watching the ball drop in Times Square, and a really bad performance of Umbrella by Rhiannon two hours before our own Central time zone midnight. I think we were in bed before midnight! Kay, enough digression! I think my bragging rights are that I have celebrated a New Year’s in every time zone in the United States, and in Costa Rica. So, that is kinda cool, right?

We have spent several at the beach in Costa Rica, hmmm, I guess this is my third? And they have definitely been of the relaxed variety. This is to be expected since we tend to be staying in a fairly remote area in a beach house. We are not in some busy little tourist town with bars to party at. I remember on my first New Year’s visit that I was the only one to make it to midnight. Happy New Year’s to me, eh? The second time, some friends came with us, so we made it to midnight. However, we were at a small isolated hotel, so it was us and a family made up of a mix of Costa Ricans and Americans from Alabama. We celebrated by the pool and did the countdown in Spanish and toasted with Imperial beer. Fun, but not epic!

This year, I was the one dragging, although I made myself stay up to ring in 2011. I should mention that part of it is that you operate on beach time. Sunrise comes early and you don’t have shades to block the sunlight as that would cut down on the needed air circulation. Most of us are up by 7 am. We spend all day in the warm sun either exploring or lying around on the beach. Tough work, I know, but the heat along with the vacation mentality zaps your energy. Most nights we are sleepy and drifting off to bed starting around 10 pm.

Beach Night Life: Skipbo and beer

What saved me and kept me distracted was the SkipBo game we found in the house. I have heard of this game but never played. It is a mindless and addictive card game, and we have played it pretty much every night.

We brought in the New Year with Cava and toasts with the sound of (come on, you can guess it) of fireworks in the background. After that, I was ready for bed. Happy New Year to me!

The Weather Report:

You always think you are prepared to make the climate change when you travel, but it is still somewhat unexpected. San Jose is at about 3000 feet. Since it is in the tropics zone, it is still quite warm. Actually, mild might be a better way to describe it. During the times of year I have been, I have also found it quite variable. Typically you can expect it to be comfortable to cool during the days, and I tend to find I need a wrap or light sweater in the evenings. Now that I think about it, it is kind of like the Flagstaff weather I experienced this summer and fall! This trip it seemed a little cooler and windier than I anticipated. I wish I had packed more socks as I hate having cold feet. I hate when I don’t get my packing quite right. Since the house is tiled, it is unavoidable, especially when the weather is cooler. However, since I mainly packed sandals, I only packed a couple of pairs of socks for wearing with my tennis shoes. So, I had to commandeer a pair of Robert’s socks once or twice as he packed plenty. Because of the tropical climate, there is always a bit of dampness no matter where you go. Once we moved to the beach, it was much warmer, and humid. Even though I grew up in a climate with a humid summer and have pretty much continued to be in humid climates, I have quickly adapted to the dryness of Arizona. As I have mentioned before, my hair does SO much better. Now I am back to frizziness and it always looks slightly oily and heavy with the product. Yay, thin curly hair… And I forgot what it feels like to feel sticky all the time, even after you get out of the shower. You can never get quite dry after showering. Despite readjusting the sensation of a humid climate, I have welcomed the warmth and sunshine. Finally!

Central American Night Time Symphony:

Since my first visit to Central America in college (El Salvador), I have associated the smaller country towns with a cacophony or symphony (you choose) of noises at night. I remember the first few nights were always the hardest, and I felt like I was kept up all night by the ongoing, changing sounds. Although we are at the beach, really we are still just in the country and the beach just happens to be the western boundary. Typically, it seems to be the dogs in the early evening. You always have a few yappers, and sometimes many, that just don’t seem to stop. Or maybe they are talking to each other? Redefining their boundaries at the end of each day? I am never really sure. It can go on for hours, and it usually seems to be one of the sounds I finally drift asleep to.

At some point, I usually wake up to the silence of intermission while all seems to be asleep or at least resting, well it is not complete silence. Now I hear the whirring white noise of the fan and much fainter under it, the crashing and booming of the waves on the beach nearby. With both, every so often, a gecko inserts its chattering, loud call. For a creature so small, it has a voice much greater. Later, as when I awake again, the sky is getting lighter as dawn is approaching and the birds start. In the country towns of other places, it has been dominated by roosters. Like the dogs, they can seem to go on forever. Here, in a more tropical location, there are more tropical birds that fill in the spaces in between. Although, it is not part of the chorus here, the cows would greet the morning as the finale and I would fully awaken to the sounds of their lows and moos.

Peanut! And he was not one of the yappy dogs!

It’s All About Exercise: Body, Mind and Soul

Whew! I was shocked to realize it has been almost a month since I last posted a blog entry AND I still have one last Costa Rica one to wrap up and post (this weekend). Sheesh! I suppose it shouldn’t be shocking that the last blog was the weekend before classes started. Yep, that is the time suck right there! Any spare time I have is spent shackled to a book or writing a response to something I am reading. It’s okay, though, that’s what I am here for. It has been a good, but weird semester start. I started out ahead, and now I am behind/barely on top of everything (dependent on the moment and your interpretation!) I am really enjoying my classes and a lot is connecting and overlapping, which is a wonderful thing as I continue working on forming a philosophy and working framework that I can try and articulate when needed and apply to the work I want to do in promoting sustainable living.

I am taking Environmental Sociology, which is fun for me. I have taken quite a few psychology classes, but never a sociology class so I am enjoying looking at the topic through a new lens. This week we are to be reading Walden, which I have never read and writing a journal for a week straight about nature in all its forms. I am also taking what we call “602.” This is the second required class for my class and its official title is: Environment, Culture, Community, Economy: An Interdisciplinary Seminar. Don’t ask me what that really means yet. I just know, that like the Sociology class, it means a ton of reading. We have started with looking at the indigenous culture, and I have enjoyed learning more about that. We were also required to go hear Winona LaDuke speak who is an amazing activist in the realm of environmental justice with a specific focus on Native people. My wild card class is a journalism class called Documenting Southwest Parks. The instructors received a grant to work with the National Park Service and have the students create documentaries that the parks can use to promote the work they are doing. I am treating this as a research methods class of sorts as I really enjoy qualitative research and see this an opportunity to explore a variation on that. For the project I selected, I will be working with 3 photojournalism (or “PhotoJ” as they are called in the biz) students. I will rely on their passion and expertise in the photography realm, although I do plan to do a bit of experimenting myself, and I will concentrate on the research and interviews. My professor was even able to locate a project proposal that ties in with some of my interests. We will be travelling to the Verde Valley to the Montezuma Castle and Tuzigoot Monuments to document their efforts to get local children and young adults connected with nature and the value of stewardship through educational and restoration programs. I am super excited and hope some of this will keep building towards the ever looming thesis. And then, just for fun, I am auditing a Construction Management class called Sustainable Buildings and Assessment. It will develop my building and facilities lingo, we get to take cool field trips, and it prepares us to take a LEED Green Associate certification exam if we are so inclined. Not sure yet, if I will, but I figure it can’t hurt and could look good on the old resume…

So in addition to studying and working, my other primary focus is being “Get In Shape Girl.” I have been extremely proud of myself for drastically increasing my level of physical activity since moving to Flagstaff. Mainly this has been happening through mostly giving up driving and relying on my feet and bicycle to get me where I need to be, as well as our weekend hiking excursions, but I have realized it is still not enough. I have needed to up my cardio and strengthening quota, so one of my goals with the start of a new semester was to take advantage of some of the group exercise classes that are offered, since they are “free” (I am sure I paid for them with one of the gazillion fees I get charged). I wanted to get them incorporated into my schedule from the beginning so that I could not make excuses or feel up the open time with other stuff. These are really the best option for me. I am a bit of a fair weather working out type of person. I hate exercise machines like the treadmill or elliptical. They are mind numbing and tedious. I don’t like to run, and I don’t like to walk or bike long distances when the weather is not an optimal temperature. So, a class keeps me motivated and moving. Someone else tells me what to do, and all I really have to do is follow the directions. Following directions doesn’t require too much thinking, but the concentrating and remembering of a sequence of moves distracts me from the fact that I am hot, and sore, and out of breath!

I am happy to report, so far so good! With the exception of last weekend when our temperatures were in the negatives and I just couldn’t bear the thought of stripping off and putting back on 3 or 4 layers just to work out, I have been getting to classes regularly. I have even been getting up for 7 am yoga, okay so not this week, but I am back on track next week! I am going to some Cardio Kickboxing classes which I always love, and this week I added a Stretching and Toning class that I really liked. My final step is to add in a Step class or two. I am feeling challenged, but not overwhelmed and not too out of breath. Now, my abs might argue with me about that whole challenge thing, now that I think about it. So I am pleased with myself and now I am just focused on keeping my momentum and having it be a continued priority.

R also took me out on a trail on my bike a couple of weekends ago. We went down to Sedona and went on the Cockscomb Area Trails. It was challenging, scary, and fun. I also had a big wipe out, but it has not scared me away, despite the fact that the bruises running down my left side are still a wee bit tender and are fading slowly! Really, the actual fall didn’t hurt that bad. I was a bit dazed, but not too traumatized. If anything, I was relieved that I had conveniently fallen between the tree and the cactus instead of on one of them! I also truly appreciated my helmet for the first time. Again, I didn’t really knock my head particularly hard, but I definitely appreciated the skull protection when I landed. Here are a couple of pictures of me including one of my battle wounds from where my gears scratched my calf. I think R was afraid he scared me off, but I assured him that I am ready to go back and am determined to not have to walk up those hills quite so much and have better control as I go down the hills. I suspect I will always prefer the tame and “easy” trails, but I think I will definitely add it to my list of recreational activities. Look at me branching out!

Don't I look cool?!?

Robert leaving me in the dust

Here I am in action. Such great scenery, too!

Yep, that's really me.

One of my ouchies!

Mad Scientist Cupcakes

For R’s birthday this year, I wanted to combine everything he loves: cheesecake, chocolate, and sea salt caramel. I proposed a Friday happy hour at Mia’s, which provided an additional challenge: how to transport via bike and easily serve to the masses in a public place. After many hours of research, I mad scientisted together the perfect birthday dessert.

Note the creative use of shoelaces as no bungee cords could be found

Credit for my inspiration came from the following three locations: Annie’s Eats, Bake or Break Recipes, and Brown Eyed Baker

With these, I created…. Drum roll please!

Fudge Bottomed Cheesecake Cupcakes with a Pecan and Salted Caramel Topping

Yes, this one was a wee bit complicated, and I have to admit, I got distracted just now with starting to write this and burnt my pecans… Grrrr… gonna have to redo that bit. My first attempt at making caramel, using the recipe I found, was an absolute disaster! And silly me. I left that for last and then was rushing around at the last minute to finish things up and not be late. I swear I have made caramel before and not had it be so hard. I am not sure if it was the recipe or the high altitude or both. I had to start over because it was this awful crystallized sugar mass. I found this recipe MUCH more successful and yes, don’t touch it! I kept poking at it with my whisk and ended up with rock candy on my whisk, which even with being nonstick was a horrible pain to remove.

Fasten your seatbelts, kiddos, this one, takes some time. Set aside an afternoon, put on some fun danceable music (My selections were Vampire Weekend and Caravan Palace). It is worth it, though. They were a smashing hit and got rave reviews. I am soooo proud of my new invention!

Yield is 24 cupcake sized cheesecakes (Note: the original recipe said it would make 32. I only had enough crust mixture for 24, but I did have leftover filling.)

Ingredients:

For the crust:

1 ¼ cups graham cracker crumbs (or 1 ½ cups if you don’t want to use pecans)

¼ cup ground pecans

4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

3 Tbsp. granulated sugar

For Fudge Bottom:

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate

¼ cup cream

½ tsp. vanilla extract

For the Cheesecake Filling:

2 lbs of cream cheese, room temperature

1 ½ cups of granulated sugar

Pinch of salt

1 tsp. vanilla extract

4 large eggs, room temperature

For the topping:

24 toasted whole pecans

1 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp of corn syrup (whoops, just realized I used 1 Tbsp, but it didn’t hurt it)

¼ cup of water

½ cup heavy cream

1 tsp of vanilla

Sea salt

Directions:

For Crust:

Preheat the oven to 325˚ F. Line cupcake pans with paper liners. I ground my graham crackers and pecans separately in the food processer then processed them together to combine. In a small bowl, combine the crumb mixture, melted butter and sugar. I started by melting my butter in the microwave in the bowl and then adding the rest. Stir together with a fork until well blended and all the dry ingredients are moistened. Press 1 tablespoon of the mixture into the bottom of each cupcake liner. (I used my bottle of vanilla, but a small drinking glass would work to easily and evenly press the crumbs down). Bake until just set, 5 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack.

Not pressed

Pressing the crust

Baked golden brown

Close Up!

For Fudge Bottom:

Put chopped chocolate into a bowl with the cream. Microwave in 30 second increments until the chocolate begins to melt and stir together to combine. Add vanilla and stir. I put about 1 ½ teaspoons of the fudge into the bottom of each cheesecake and used the back of the spoon to spread it out. Let set for about 15 or 20 minutes.

NOTE: You could definitely taste the chocolate, but it wasn’t quite as prominent as I hoped. I might bump up the amount next time, which would require an increase in ingredients.

For Cheesecake Filling:

To make the cheesecake, beat the cream cheese on medium-high speed in the bowl of an electric mixer until fluffy. Blend in the sugar until smooth. Mix in the salt and vanilla. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. To assemble, put about 3 tablespoons of the cheesecake batter in each liner. Bake until the filling is set, about 22 minutes. Rotate the pans about halfway through baking. They will look puffed when you remove them, but will deflate some as they cool. Set on cooling racks to cool to room temperature. Then, transfer to the refrigerator and let them chill, ideally, for about 4 hours until serving.

Ready for the oven

For Caramel and Pecan Topping:

Stir together sugar, corn syrup, and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Let boil until amber in color, about 3 minutes. PICTURE Don’t touch it! No, seriously, don’t. You will want to stir it and check and make sure it is not sticking. It won’t be. You will just end up with rock candy on your whisk. Remove from heat and whisk in cream. It might seem like it is going to explode, boil over, or lump together. Don’t freak – just keep whisking! After it gets to the consistency you like, whisk in the vanilla. Let cool to room temperature (or for 5 minutes if you are running super late like I was). Put about a tablespoon of caramel on each cheesecake and top with a toasted pecan and a wee sprinkle of sea salt.

What cooking caramel SHOULD look like