tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78463736250898931942024-03-05T08:14:09.147-06:00Tiny's TreatsA blog about food...Tiny's Treatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07813972848364890160noreply@blogger.comBlogger38125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846373625089893194.post-869764949013814072013-01-01T22:36:00.000-06:002013-01-01T22:37:10.268-06:00Delicious Destination: Japan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Delicious Destination: Japan</div>
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November 10-20, 2012</div>
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Japan was a
somewhat unexpected trip in our travel wish list, but it turned out to be one
of the most amazing trips we’ve ever taken.
My friend Michelle’s (OMC) husband, Kyle, is a Navy pilot and has been
stationed in Japan the last few years.
Missing my friend and former roommate, we decided to take a trip to
visit and see what Japan has to offer. </div>
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OMC and Kyle
live outside of Tokyo, but I also wanted to see Hiroshima and Kyoto. Hiroshima, for the historical significance
since we also visited Pearl Harbor this year.
Kyoto, because I read about its cultural history in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Bamboo-Grove-Yoko-Kawashima-Watkins/dp/0688131158/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1356259543&sr=8-1&keywords=so+far+from+the+bamboo+grove"><i>So Far From the Bamboo Grove</i></a>. OMC was a fabulous hostess and tour guide and
I don’t know how we would have made it all over the country, much less
navigated Tokyo without her. She also
checked out <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Rough-Guide-Japan/dp/1848366159/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1353879884&sr=8-1&keywords=rough+guide+japan"><i>The Rough Guide to Japan</i></a>, which is
an excellent guide book. I enjoyed it so
much I ordered it from Amazon when we got home.</div>
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OMC
recommended we purchase a 7 day <a href="http://www.jrpass.com/buy_the_japan_rail_pass_online">JR Railpass</a> prior
to our arrival, since we would be traveling around the country. The 7 day pass was ~$350/person and was money
well spent. We used it so much; I think the JR lost money on us.</div>
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The weather
forecast predicted highs ranging from the 50s to low 60s. I really struggled with what to pack, as I
wanted to look cute but be comfortable at the same time. In the end I decided to wear jeans and tennis
shoes, and found a fabulous black <a href="http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/bobeau-asymmetrical-fleece-wrap-cardigan/3113609?origin=category&contextualcategoryid=0&fashionColor=HEATHER+CHARCOAL&resultback=0">fleece
cardigan</a> at Nordstrom, which turned out to be the best $40 I’ve ever spent
(I just wish it had pockets). I paired
the cardigan with light sweaters each day, and also had a light rain jacket and
umbrella packed just in case (good thing I did!). In addition to packing for 10 days in a <a href="http://www.ebags.com/product/travelpro/crew-8-20-rollaboard/201561">carry-on
</a> suitcase, I also brought my trusty <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000H825BW/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00">backpack</a>,
which has so many pockets, and holds so much, it’s like a Mary Poppins bag.</div>
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<b><span style="color: #f6b26b;">Depart IAH:
Saturday—Day 1</span><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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The flight was ~14 hours direct from Houston, and Scott and
I passed the time on flight by watching movies, reading, watching the first
half of Mad Men season 1, and napping. </div>
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<b><span style="color: #f6b26b;">Tokyo: Sunday—Day 2</span><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Our flight arrived almost an hour early at NRT, which was
good thing because it didn’t seem so bad until the last two hours. OMC picked us up and took us to her favorite
sushi place, <a href="http://japantourist.jp/view/shin-s-sushi-in-zama-kanagawa">Shin’s</a>. I had the misfortune of developing the
“throat tickle” the day before we left for our trip so her friend Brittany
graciously met us for dinner with a bottle of Robitussin for me. Dinner at Shin’s was delicious and we sampled
the spicy tuna roll, scallops with asparagus, and yellow fin tuna. After getting settled at OMC’s house we were
ready to go to bed about 9pm. The 15
hour time change took a few days to get used to, so between that and my
coughing I woke up a few times during the night.</div>
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<b><span style="color: #f6b26b;">Tokyo: Monday—Day 3<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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Our first full day in Japan started at a leisurely
pace. I was very excited for my first
shower room experience, which was amazing.
All Japanese homes have a “shower room” which is an open room that
contains and bathtub and a shower head on a hose. Typically Japanese families bathe together,
so this makes it easy to get everyone showered without making a huge mess. My other favorite feature, which is so
efficient, is the toilet sink. The top
of the toilet tank contains a faucet, and when you flush the toilet, water
comes out of the faucet for you to wash your hands and then refills the toilet
bowl.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1DAYd6TfOiwXMNO-q2OY3YPphDyAlgPpnbZ2FayssZbjmhX6enJJrWKT6C6hDUeH2_BLCakGlIo0LDn98UBiaHZEjbbHicMMqyFPdQLGwKX0hQfizmMS6HhLFvy-JJBGYlDf9ma3yUcpm/s1600/IMG_2858.JPG" height="320" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="240" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> toilet sink</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6id3aT_4ZR0rnFXWIPg2PnkJZl0jdJkLkdOkRks91GvvWt2NcxJDjjTPdcqBFo93okariuivrdT1tSQTI89Ltyt-D7aZEYncGpvH-aQWME3Cu5o2E2CklaEHnVVGo3oqP9nmAS5CnTuJ5/s1600/IMG_2857.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6id3aT_4ZR0rnFXWIPg2PnkJZl0jdJkLkdOkRks91GvvWt2NcxJDjjTPdcqBFo93okariuivrdT1tSQTI89Ltyt-D7aZEYncGpvH-aQWME3Cu5o2E2CklaEHnVVGo3oqP9nmAS5CnTuJ5/s1600/IMG_2857.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">shower room</td></tr>
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We took the <a href="http://www.tokyometro.jp/en/index.html">Tokyo
metro</a> from Zama going into Tokyo and also got a PASMO card to put money on
for our metro fares (we were able to cash out our balance before we left). We spent a lot of time on the subway during
our trip, which was a great way to get around and also observe the locals. OMC was able to track the metro schedule on
her iphone which helped us know when and where to get places. People do not eat or drink on the metro and
phones are on vibrate. People pass the
time by napping, reading or using their phones to text, play games, or listen
to music. Also across the country
subway/train stations not only facilitate transportation but also contain
stores, restaurants, and malls to make everything efficient when using public
transportation. Most families have one car
or no car, so public transportation is a way of life. I always enjoy this on trips, since Houston
is not a walking city. However I was
informed that Tokyo is Houston-hot in the summer and during those times you really
wish you can just get in the car and crank the A/C so you don’t have to walk to
and from the train.</div>
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Our first stop in Tokyo, was in the Roppongi neighborhood at
<a href="http://www.janespearl.com/">Jane’s Pearls</a>. Jane is a Japanese-American born in Hawaii,
and was so gracious to educate us about pearls.
After seeing everything there was to offer, Scott bought me a long
strand of traditional pearls and two long strands of small pearls that can all
be worn together or separately in a variety of ways. This was the perfect memento to have from our
trip so I can think of Japan every time I wear them.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD5qOnSnlZelvubGH6uTWGArZh4P3Qz-0omlULHQVj4jI5Xj5fRENR0FCqZtchx7um5AVf8cqomwdMs66yWbGrrGGZIf6fF3V5SHePGdLROgihJqB4ghec7IUrcEePvItoR5cpiakwo5UE/s1600/IMG_2613.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD5qOnSnlZelvubGH6uTWGArZh4P3Qz-0omlULHQVj4jI5Xj5fRENR0FCqZtchx7um5AVf8cqomwdMs66yWbGrrGGZIf6fF3V5SHePGdLROgihJqB4ghec7IUrcEePvItoR5cpiakwo5UE/s1600/IMG_2613.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">entrance to Yasukuni Shrine<br /></td></tr>
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Our next stop was to the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yasukuni_Shrine">Yasukuni</a> Shrine and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Y%C5%ABsh%C5%ABkan">Yūshūkan</a> Japanese
war museum. We had some excellent
Japanese ramen noodles on the Shrine grounds.
The museum was very interesting and some of the things we learned were
that when the West came to Japan requesting they open their ports to
foreigners, Japan sent ~20 consultants to the US and Europe to learn about
Western culture. Also of course one the
events leading up to the Japanese attack of Pearl Harbor in WWII was the US Oil
Embargo and Japan’s view of the Pearl Harbor attack was that we wanted them to
do it so we’d have an excuse to enter the war. After the museum we strolled
through the shrine’s garden and koi pond.</div>
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We spent the evening in Shibuya walking around and taking in
the sights. One interesting store we
visited was, <a href="http://www.tokyu-hands.co.jp/en/">Tokyu Hands</a>, it’s
an everything store. A hybrid of Target,
Hobby Lobby, and Home Depot all combined into one. They already had their Christmas items on
display with the slogan “Happy Party Christmas” instead of the traditional
Merry Christmas. Since most Japanese are
Buddhist or do not practice religion, Christmas is not celebrated as a
religious holiday but as a <a href="http://www.tanutech.com/japan/jxmas.html">commercial
holiday.</a> </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAS5A6xjI-Bk9aNuH52V0DJwayh5q2etijD-yte67_c5FqFH2TCaYSQpTA3oO7OeWxuwwgwSRpYlTfrB7z97bUbPmFYCYdohkJOV34amRuFDb6ibG1thgUjmYaa8blacUStS68iHHXFTt5/s1600/IMG_2614.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAS5A6xjI-Bk9aNuH52V0DJwayh5q2etijD-yte67_c5FqFH2TCaYSQpTA3oO7OeWxuwwgwSRpYlTfrB7z97bUbPmFYCYdohkJOV34amRuFDb6ibG1thgUjmYaa8blacUStS68iHHXFTt5/s1600/IMG_2614.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tokyu Hands "Happy Party Christmas"</td></tr>
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We stopped in a British pub for a drink before our dinner at
a theme restaurant, <a href="http://www.lock-up.jp/">The Lock Up</a>, which was
a rather unique experience. Scott was
handcuffed upon entering and we were led to our jail cell for dinner. We weren’t sure of the exact theme, which
seemed to be a mix of mental institution/mad
scientist/Frankenstein/jeckell&hyde.
The drinks on the menu were in a mad scientist theme served in beakers
and test tubes. I ordered a drink that
had cotton candy with it. We ordered
shrimp tempura with fondue, pizza, potstickers, grilled meat, and a few other
“tapas” style items to share.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOfgwkh3u3mYzX1vFmluKriiJGVSrTMQSfY7DYJfuycrGItHE69JCEGBZG1AEexjcUQPvgeLJg88k6-Zs24SeNhJHOWdb8NyTyzXEqI_mLo4m4Svk9diLyqYjm7sHb6X5o6zVR8x9KSciy/s1600/IMG_2615.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOfgwkh3u3mYzX1vFmluKriiJGVSrTMQSfY7DYJfuycrGItHE69JCEGBZG1AEexjcUQPvgeLJg88k6-Zs24SeNhJHOWdb8NyTyzXEqI_mLo4m4Svk9diLyqYjm7sHb6X5o6zVR8x9KSciy/s1600/IMG_2615.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scott "Locked Up"</td></tr>
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We walked through the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXtOdSgf6Ic">Shibuya Crossing</a>, the
world’s busiest intersection, on our way to the train station, and for a Monday
night ~9pm, there were so many people! I
cannot even begin to imagine what this must be like on a weekend. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz7-W578zp-oKrrQZPmyOH5vBUGUBTcQzWvpmphzDYcnfNlFtGzbz7bA2MmpX0d5URiY82qljI9MYynKQwcpBD8ZUfoYH87r2Sqm_bm4reXliw_62Kn42YxGCwqMPsI3Eth_wAJRWDWfxp/s1600/IMG_2617.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz7-W578zp-oKrrQZPmyOH5vBUGUBTcQzWvpmphzDYcnfNlFtGzbz7bA2MmpX0d5URiY82qljI9MYynKQwcpBD8ZUfoYH87r2Sqm_bm4reXliw_62Kn42YxGCwqMPsI3Eth_wAJRWDWfxp/s1600/IMG_2617.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shibuya Crossing</td></tr>
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<b><span style="color: #f6b26b;">Tokyo: Tuesday—Day 4<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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OMC surprised us with our lunch being a private sushi lesson
@ Shin’s. She knows I love to cook, so
it was great to learn something new. Making
sushi rolls is much harder than it looks.
The key is to move quickly since the rice is so sticky. We first laid the seaweed paper on the bamboo
roller, and then formed a ball of rice in our hands; quickly spread it across
the seaweed paper, and the left a small border one long side. Next was adding a stripe of wasabi paste
using the finger roll method—this also has to be done quickly or one end will
be very spicy with too much wasabi and the other end won’t have any. Next place two strips of tuna side by side to
form a line and begin using the bamboo matt to roll up the sushi log. Once it has been rolled, you want to press
your fingers over the mat to make it more of a rectangular shape. The knife is then dipped in cold water to
help make a clean cut, and then quickly wipe the knife clean with a damp
towel. While we ate our creations for
lunch, Shin then made a sushi “burrito” filled with eggs, crab, and variety of
other items which we also tried. He also
gave us a gift of a sushi calendar, which I have hanging at my office as a good
diversity tidbit.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKdz6o722ido-aJ2h4sN18Om7E7gvRKxFm1BG3n1KLR_pXbrdZCnX9C-lPRdXBIZTUmpbKEIwnx9YxktReEQC2AGAi6ndgThEd_W3I7UXtKMYwtp58Ob7m2mD6QfjXD29qA5y5QqVS6mDC/s1600/IMG_2644.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKdz6o722ido-aJ2h4sN18Om7E7gvRKxFm1BG3n1KLR_pXbrdZCnX9C-lPRdXBIZTUmpbKEIwnx9YxktReEQC2AGAi6ndgThEd_W3I7UXtKMYwtp58Ob7m2mD6QfjXD29qA5y5QqVS6mDC/s1600/IMG_2644.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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After our lesson we
headed into Tokyo and strolled through the gardens of the <a href="http://www.meijijingu.or.jp/english/">Meiji Shrine</a>. Afterwards we walked through the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harajuku">Harajuku</a> main drag and
surrounding neighborhood. This was an
area with interesting people watching.
Some of the girls dress up like dolls and characters. Strolling down the street was a bit of
sensory overload, lots of shops and signs with many colors and Japanese
characters and people everywhere. We
eventually found ourselves walking through a more upscale residential and
retail area that wasn’t as crowded. We
stopped by a French style café, <a href="http://www.travelandleisure.com/travel-guide/tokyo/restaurants/anniversaire-cafe">Café
Anniversaire</a>, for dinner. We sat
outside, and felt like we on a sidewalk in Paris instead of Tokyo. I enjoyed some champagne, and had some
prosciutto and cheese crostini for my dinner.
Scott and OMC had a salmon salad sandwich, and a prosciutto salad.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbnX-pezp3q4qDhz_wAy6ytIqHfvMpEZFVFtVOKsi_8vT78zriCZHDnirs2sAu7y9a0Odj_Gm8GH_-qg7DRPyTdnvFyBPeVER8MGmsacyYl00lCDuyr-cJaKtQoaATWPaq65lJxMsiWq3V/s1600/IMG_2654.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbnX-pezp3q4qDhz_wAy6ytIqHfvMpEZFVFtVOKsi_8vT78zriCZHDnirs2sAu7y9a0Odj_Gm8GH_-qg7DRPyTdnvFyBPeVER8MGmsacyYl00lCDuyr-cJaKtQoaATWPaq65lJxMsiWq3V/s1600/IMG_2654.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sake barrels at Meiji Shrine</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYTtGuBhXZfh3OyLExaAt6QheQfoO3_-gHXRspHeQA_mq0-Luu0ckNHd5u_NC6Fkkj2bxQ3N8Or-0zN3GE60Ad_FUVWLbrNkKRnkBltk0x71dr77QSbJG7zrO06TBahc3cHyUX-UWhRY8s/s1600/IMG_2658.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYTtGuBhXZfh3OyLExaAt6QheQfoO3_-gHXRspHeQA_mq0-Luu0ckNHd5u_NC6Fkkj2bxQ3N8Or-0zN3GE60Ad_FUVWLbrNkKRnkBltk0x71dr77QSbJG7zrO06TBahc3cHyUX-UWhRY8s/s1600/IMG_2658.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Meiji Shrine</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuTmJL5sowTIWYRwI34qYJ4-PUiFc16bf438TOdjD7LYT3S78tOfYOdvsaayj4mnoXJIOM8R3fQmTgc9ZYDe10UjOqs-BJ_vxl3C_xUAc8_nFtaG1f_f0Ve9MBaRfGoSt7TCpjBDctctrJ/s1600/IMG_2661.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuTmJL5sowTIWYRwI34qYJ4-PUiFc16bf438TOdjD7LYT3S78tOfYOdvsaayj4mnoXJIOM8R3fQmTgc9ZYDe10UjOqs-BJ_vxl3C_xUAc8_nFtaG1f_f0Ve9MBaRfGoSt7TCpjBDctctrJ/s1600/IMG_2661.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Meiji Shrine</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b><span style="color: #f6b26b;">Hiroshima:
Wednesday—Day 5<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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Wednesday morning was an early start since we were going to
Hiroshima. We finally began using our JR
Rail pass to take the Shinkansen bullet train to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiroshima">Hiroshima</a>. When we arrived at the Hiroshima train
station, we took a quick cab ride to our hotel, the <a href="http://www.crowneplaza.com/hotels/us/en/hiroshima,-hiroshima/hijja/hoteldetail?sicreative=14337675200&dp=true&sicontent=0&sitrackingid=442877299&siclientid=1863">ANA
Crowne Plaza</a>, which was conveniently located near the A-Bomb Dome and Peace
Memorial park and museum. We quickly
learned that Asian style beds have very hard mattresses. Historically the Japanese slept on tatami
mats, and it’s only been since the war that they began to use western style
beds.</div>
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After freshening up, we strolled along the river and made
our way to see the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiroshima_Peace_Memorial">A-Bomb Dome</a>. This is one of the few structures that
survived the Atomic bomb, and this is the only building that was kept, as a
reminder of that time. We noticed there
were several groups of Japanese school children visiting on a field trip. A group of them, ran up to me and asked if I
would answer some questions for their school project. They wanted to know where I was from, what I
thought of Hiroshima, my name, and what are popular foods and sports in my
country. I was then approached by many
more students, and they had a different school project. Their project was asking people to write
peace messages. I think I wrote at least
20 peace messages. Afterwards Scott and
OMC laughed, because the kids first saw them, but then saw me and my blonde
hair and decided to run up to me instead. I had wanted to walk through more of the peace
park, but I saw how many school groups were over there waiting on their tour
buses, and was worried I’d never make into the museum before it closed, because
I’d be writing so many peace messages.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFLbGwT0bIWWYAfdNQ5X9mOpkqhFBH_DYcSwReQG5wGEp2jh12HHT_k-dnJhzUYvdYz4g3C8jKp90yaQCzQUVJosXSzu9ajsGZJJs5PPoOkYOjeWGvX_rsyKJ0eYbLh6PqPVbxu8aREnMt/s1600/IMG_2664.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFLbGwT0bIWWYAfdNQ5X9mOpkqhFBH_DYcSwReQG5wGEp2jh12HHT_k-dnJhzUYvdYz4g3C8jKp90yaQCzQUVJosXSzu9ajsGZJJs5PPoOkYOjeWGvX_rsyKJ0eYbLh6PqPVbxu8aREnMt/s1600/IMG_2664.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A-Bomb Dome</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3f4Ehz1v_XSDXxuwfqzu-f9MaHDFq3nfOYSASJC1DA1_lYmzXXJA68wYfOwLYzmhA7DONA6fDeMynh555I318YHhFO5E0YQB6hVI8LwQxaoAeLozQU5RbwvznEseFMzRJHicQICdQYsHz/s1600/IMG_2673.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3f4Ehz1v_XSDXxuwfqzu-f9MaHDFq3nfOYSASJC1DA1_lYmzXXJA68wYfOwLYzmhA7DONA6fDeMynh555I318YHhFO5E0YQB6hVI8LwQxaoAeLozQU5RbwvznEseFMzRJHicQICdQYsHz/s1600/IMG_2673.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peace Memorial</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmMP6BORvya2845wLNolVJWVwFjVfqx9B5H8ftvU-DjENd5zMwxoIgvLjGAwhyphenhyphen8A42-w7Kd4ffJ3qQUuVV4vFrZy5wAFcQFKx-DojbFODsta_g-lq5r0YEiDzmayQhaQo_xqvm02Ea6U-q/s1600/IMG_2675.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmMP6BORvya2845wLNolVJWVwFjVfqx9B5H8ftvU-DjENd5zMwxoIgvLjGAwhyphenhyphen8A42-w7Kd4ffJ3qQUuVV4vFrZy5wAFcQFKx-DojbFODsta_g-lq5r0YEiDzmayQhaQo_xqvm02Ea6U-q/s1600/IMG_2675.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peace Walk</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="http://www.pcf.city.hiroshima.jp/top_e.html">Peace
Memorial museum</a> was a very moving experience, just thinking about what
happened that August day and the days that followed. I didn’t feel guilty as an American, but more
just sad that such a devastating event had to occur. I’m sure that at the time it wasn’t an easy
decision to make, and that there weren’t any good options. The museum had models of the city before and
after the bomb. We learned that that the
two of the reasons why Hiroshima was a target was that it was a military
stronghold, but more importantly, there were not any American POWs in Hiroshima. Also there were no air raids on Hiroshima, so
that it would be easier to see the full impact of the bomb. The museum had letters from Albert Einstein
written to US government with his hypothesis of what the impact would be. Also on display were many letters written
over the years by the mayors of Hiroshima to various governments asking them to
stop nuclear testing and remember what happened to Hiroshima. On display were many artifacts, stories, and
testimonials of what happened that day.
One photo was a man’s shadow that had been preserved on the sidewalk, a
watch that stopped ticking at the exact moment, among other things. It was expected that nothing would grow there
for 75 years, but the next spring despite everything being charred and black,
the plants started to sprout again as if nothing happened and it provided a
renewed sense of hope. However it was
sad to read about the birth defects that resulted and the large increase of
cases of children with leukemia in the years that followed. </div>
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Afterwards we had dinner at <a href="http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g298561-d1169039-Reviews-Ristorante_Mario-Hiroshima_Hiroshima_Prefecture_Chugoku.html">Ristorante
Mario</a>, which was across from the museum and recommended by the guide
book. We had seen quite few Italian
restaurants so far in Japan, and decided to give it a try. One thing that was interesting is that
everyone there was Japanese. Usually at
home the owner of the Italian restaurant has some Italian ancestry, but that
was obviously not the case here.
However, the food was very delicious, and surprisingly authentic despite
our location. We all started with the Caprese
salad, which consisted of arugula, heirloom cherry tomatoes, and ricotta cheese
with balsamic vinaigrette. For my entrée
I had fettuccini pasta with prosciutto, and a cream sauce, followed by a
dessert plate of a sorbet and chocolate tart.
I also had some prosecco with the meal.</div>
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It was quite chilly and windy that evening so we decided to
spend our evening at the hotel bar instead of walking around the city. I had the most delicious and beautiful tea
presentation. I ordered the chamomile
tea, which was brought to me in a clear glass tea pot, which had chamomile
flowers floating in the tea. In addition
a base with a tea light was provided to keep the tea warm. </div>
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<b><span style="color: #f6b26b;">Miyajima Island &
Fukuoka: Thursday—Day 6<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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This was one my favorite days on
the trip and the main activities were so different from each other that it felt
like two days. We started our morning by
using our fabulous JR Rail Pass to travel to Miyajima and then took the JR
Ferry to <a href="http://www.gojapango.com/travel/miyajima_travel.html">Miyajima
Island</a> (shrine Island). The ferry
ride over had a beautiful view of the floating <a href="http://www.gojapango.com/travel/miyajima_torii.htm">O-Torii</a>. Upon arrival we made our way to the <a href="http://www.gojapango.com/travel/hiroshima_itsukushima_shrine.htm">Itsukushima-jinja
shrine</a>. We made our way through the
shrine along the water enjoying the view of the beautiful fall foliage along
the way. After taking a few token
tourist photos, we then made our way into the hills to see the Daisho-in Buddhist
temple. The walk through the hills was
amazing; taking in nature, seeing more beautiful fall colored leaves, and the
view of the water from up high. The
temple was my favorite event of the day.
The sights and sounds were so unique.
As I entered the property I was greeted with a cup of tea. The temple grounds were full of garden paths
and several caves that were each their own little shrine. Afterwards we made our way down the hill and
had some delicious street food of chicken, beef, and pork.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUSKWl_CPLQsRh_ihpOCWjvKGMmrvEQ5kfsVxmn4ohPtX-K0mn8zy1FRupEBkKfv08-gqiwSul92hdDLRmIUbOArtXu_6KnQhxrokZUVxwIg4f-DE6OCKHmzbBUcdfcHrkNV1UtUm7ON2k/s1600/IMG_2702.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUSKWl_CPLQsRh_ihpOCWjvKGMmrvEQ5kfsVxmn4ohPtX-K0mn8zy1FRupEBkKfv08-gqiwSul92hdDLRmIUbOArtXu_6KnQhxrokZUVxwIg4f-DE6OCKHmzbBUcdfcHrkNV1UtUm7ON2k/s1600/IMG_2702.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Floating O-torii at Itsukushima-jinja
shrine</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwU8z3hrFJpejkfW4befxSijSiw1jefZHkuNLv5ROjoTdQRTqREJQ98R5Rfj4ArEuP93fhtX9wKcFXjRdixwg9wbWHUz2SYBnuLPz8uYlUS5iyk2eh_QfWaCfnxlXaAk8uNlwC9nC8vzZF/s1600/IMG_2704.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwU8z3hrFJpejkfW4befxSijSiw1jefZHkuNLv5ROjoTdQRTqREJQ98R5Rfj4ArEuP93fhtX9wKcFXjRdixwg9wbWHUz2SYBnuLPz8uYlUS5iyk2eh_QfWaCfnxlXaAk8uNlwC9nC8vzZF/s1600/IMG_2704.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Itsukushima-jinja
shrine</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3W5gXc4yasfnHAU6oMBlgG2MaqTyKvgCdEK07T5x8pkrMxJRzjYPfeHIRUcLLjbKElwHtkqjgxyR8VR_TqnCAQiZ0eBRPZ13_G2ENpkc5Ld0x4WqEKbIkqaBLMHU0i2nUZH8jW3ppGWba/s1600/IMG_2707.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3W5gXc4yasfnHAU6oMBlgG2MaqTyKvgCdEK07T5x8pkrMxJRzjYPfeHIRUcLLjbKElwHtkqjgxyR8VR_TqnCAQiZ0eBRPZ13_G2ENpkc5Ld0x4WqEKbIkqaBLMHU0i2nUZH8jW3ppGWba/s1600/IMG_2707.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Itsukushima-jinja
shrine</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjduZsPZjvY1opsqaF6AJx_y9VzzXNoSKxCkg0KN494lFLraLmW4GPsEHdntd5FNVVBFqTJAHnk9-EVAsYZOXH7zDRKNklD8UEKLnCNObjNL63bsVWsFYDIAGy59XvT32HU7UiAmub71LG-/s1600/IMG_2721.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjduZsPZjvY1opsqaF6AJx_y9VzzXNoSKxCkg0KN494lFLraLmW4GPsEHdntd5FNVVBFqTJAHnk9-EVAsYZOXH7zDRKNklD8UEKLnCNObjNL63bsVWsFYDIAGy59XvT32HU7UiAmub71LG-/s1600/IMG_2721.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">hillside path to Daisho-in Buddhist temple </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRD1criFzwX6-gL3U_UshDMBC5SqloJ2h8W6dMBt2BW9iy_KyE3fGojfOc0bXIJO2m-r9OhjNslYKChJpqyyOaorlMC8Txo-KG3h4TMkU_EvTLnmPUaoU08Iu4d3xUI1Oa-g6Ilzs1yY-V/s1600/IMG_2726.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRD1criFzwX6-gL3U_UshDMBC5SqloJ2h8W6dMBt2BW9iy_KyE3fGojfOc0bXIJO2m-r9OhjNslYKChJpqyyOaorlMC8Txo-KG3h4TMkU_EvTLnmPUaoU08Iu4d3xUI1Oa-g6Ilzs1yY-V/s1600/IMG_2726.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Daisho-in Buddhist temple </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivjJ6a7QtZ2cfGAhYqRkiH1Y90RJw_v4oguS4z5HlPuINtP97zvjn-pe_ai_fa-DrX_6rS05dZLcXhP-NoKSO7C8Cwz9JJO9zPFpkGRoZN5uC0AciSIBXvlW22MNTHTYFD8deU3m1eN4Qh/s1600/IMG_2727.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivjJ6a7QtZ2cfGAhYqRkiH1Y90RJw_v4oguS4z5HlPuINtP97zvjn-pe_ai_fa-DrX_6rS05dZLcXhP-NoKSO7C8Cwz9JJO9zPFpkGRoZN5uC0AciSIBXvlW22MNTHTYFD8deU3m1eN4Qh/s1600/IMG_2727.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Daisho-in Buddhist temple </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7h1O20bccc1NTrEaAnNtAcUKYOqNfbbhWbsGLlF9hygVLKagetD4YaKBcPpI2AycKyYYnJn8simM8avn26BKWkgBwqv2-gP7BTJisjfi1_z_VccYbPTM7j7K4KyJneyY8zfssg2dr89U2/s1600/IMG_2729.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7h1O20bccc1NTrEaAnNtAcUKYOqNfbbhWbsGLlF9hygVLKagetD4YaKBcPpI2AycKyYYnJn8simM8avn26BKWkgBwqv2-gP7BTJisjfi1_z_VccYbPTM7j7K4KyJneyY8zfssg2dr89U2/s1600/IMG_2729.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Daisho-in Buddhist temple </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlohaeQgQ3qz21b9_oQQXS8d8LpPT1Bu9Pd0S62oiPya4kjDOKCHjv6c3RXWEiMnWDB8Sw34nAhGs47JjMjkNxVmulB7fnUaFuCqFxBgRi8XOV5VkeloxM1AnOhMz-f4GXfCl93WU_PFP6/s1600/IMG_2730.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlohaeQgQ3qz21b9_oQQXS8d8LpPT1Bu9Pd0S62oiPya4kjDOKCHjv6c3RXWEiMnWDB8Sw34nAhGs47JjMjkNxVmulB7fnUaFuCqFxBgRi8XOV5VkeloxM1AnOhMz-f4GXfCl93WU_PFP6/s1600/IMG_2730.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Daisho-in Buddhist temple </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK8qy6b_E3lOEc9A05gT0CpqgM4z54bCi8PcgUiSPi0aybxxSgfLlzh852-WL5WBGBn9fuObr9NsydGZyXDPxUCKQTcjAjw-4JreyG3jcopKX0HwWnhLTjqX02IuCAeHfmAXBC3HlmoISX/s1600/IMG_2731.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK8qy6b_E3lOEc9A05gT0CpqgM4z54bCi8PcgUiSPi0aybxxSgfLlzh852-WL5WBGBn9fuObr9NsydGZyXDPxUCKQTcjAjw-4JreyG3jcopKX0HwWnhLTjqX02IuCAeHfmAXBC3HlmoISX/s1600/IMG_2731.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Daisho-in Buddhist temple </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1r2RJruBIomdXu8Ay3Jqn2aIovZccwzq0opiAsH_MSdjTnlHOrlUZUTB4wlULXYvOdqvdHqro_jg_Gqt7b-pPpzt1XpUfl4SNhRSNHigdSa9_ia2h9i3WKGquI0eH7HIHwAbU9a-596ZL/s1600/IMG_2738.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1r2RJruBIomdXu8Ay3Jqn2aIovZccwzq0opiAsH_MSdjTnlHOrlUZUTB4wlULXYvOdqvdHqro_jg_Gqt7b-pPpzt1XpUfl4SNhRSNHigdSa9_ia2h9i3WKGquI0eH7HIHwAbU9a-596ZL/s1600/IMG_2738.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">yummy street food</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After Miyajima Island we used our JR Rail Pass to take the
train to Fukuoka and attend a <a href="http://www.fukuokadreaming.com/?p=928">sumo</a>
tournament. Sumo was much slower than I
was expecting. They spend more time in
their prep routine trying to intimidate each other than actually
wrestling. The prep for each match was
several minutes and the match itself was 30 seconds to a minute. </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Ov8Uv0KuNT7eHhHoQhqjB1u3v7vnchW5EKucC9-reDAyLP0qOW5xyjoIjQRNEKINTt_hCLziHHDncAe9hWsfDs80z-HrJxGuC1pukHXf9eveGOTEUNtGNOZBr2KraSmEfvrdAe13iskp/s1600/IMG_2751.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Ov8Uv0KuNT7eHhHoQhqjB1u3v7vnchW5EKucC9-reDAyLP0qOW5xyjoIjQRNEKINTt_hCLziHHDncAe9hWsfDs80z-HrJxGuC1pukHXf9eveGOTEUNtGNOZBr2KraSmEfvrdAe13iskp/s1600/IMG_2751.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">sumo match</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcW8dHH21xeFkq7daFl1D3X5bpkEjlu7TLCyUjjU0wrP0SqBWEvPX4w6SRlkxqSsLR82n9OuVKlz-VTMoxZ20YS_uwRpvVXSV9XyOsDiLlwI2-UjPMgM00gJk6o78BWy5STegDw6zhWAPo/s1600/IMG_2752.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcW8dHH21xeFkq7daFl1D3X5bpkEjlu7TLCyUjjU0wrP0SqBWEvPX4w6SRlkxqSsLR82n9OuVKlz-VTMoxZ20YS_uwRpvVXSV9XyOsDiLlwI2-UjPMgM00gJk6o78BWy5STegDw6zhWAPo/s1600/IMG_2752.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">sumo match</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1BlMQ1A6UZByPkL4Np_O75S7VWVDwGsq6pWl-TmV_VO1fnwNwqyIAAA_Sv5Vzr7yUziNNce1_yxNqgwcSnJbmWqfvGr1EIQoWWgsKP9VB6bjWhtZQ3fXia2cDMJnMZhz-gMEe0dFyoTig/s1600/IMG_2753.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1BlMQ1A6UZByPkL4Np_O75S7VWVDwGsq6pWl-TmV_VO1fnwNwqyIAAA_Sv5Vzr7yUziNNce1_yxNqgwcSnJbmWqfvGr1EIQoWWgsKP9VB6bjWhtZQ3fXia2cDMJnMZhz-gMEe0dFyoTig/s1600/IMG_2753.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">sumo match</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiccKWYXEeH8T46xR7hsdr3ecwTJQDWzT8zi_GYyaroZW4y57greDBIOJIGH_jXy7vbynUDgWPD6TmB8JqU6LNwulc2rOFMgmH4xeNZT38M5saALEeVZAVoG8prQU49jHNlBr4VcusCCF-g/s1600/IMG_2754.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiccKWYXEeH8T46xR7hsdr3ecwTJQDWzT8zi_GYyaroZW4y57greDBIOJIGH_jXy7vbynUDgWPD6TmB8JqU6LNwulc2rOFMgmH4xeNZT38M5saALEeVZAVoG8prQU49jHNlBr4VcusCCF-g/s1600/IMG_2754.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">sumo match</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #f6b26b;">Iwakuni & Kyoto:
Friday—Day 7<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We started our day with a quick trip to <a href="http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6175.html">Iwakuni</a>, to see the Iwakuni
bridge. The bridges construction mimics
a stone skipping across the water and makes it easy to cross during a flood.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUSqfzBcYN3fCEZu8jAameM3MUZV7Dzy1QScrlv-5nw8HZYDbHzakxkBJEBX0SfpKTnaZgL8bOcn0ovNGRzro0Q6hdcTEmsEOBbM3sx8pa-vr_LwJ11Cpood6Za39kl0N7nqG_kZg7dXIX/s1600/IMG_2767.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUSqfzBcYN3fCEZu8jAameM3MUZV7Dzy1QScrlv-5nw8HZYDbHzakxkBJEBX0SfpKTnaZgL8bOcn0ovNGRzro0Q6hdcTEmsEOBbM3sx8pa-vr_LwJ11Cpood6Za39kl0N7nqG_kZg7dXIX/s1600/IMG_2767.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Iwakuni bridge</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUSwt7pfYqvk7hSrOi5Sru1-xQPlq-iW2aWOPoyTuw5OgFYR-vWoZ9riFaqC-bJ7H1aJVXj-_sq0lqiBqrqdGoRqxoTbWAncGRQe7U3GXoP1f4XuDtE8OBd5dPMxjsyBBPNHhFsZdnxN0r/s1600/IMG_2792.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUSwt7pfYqvk7hSrOi5Sru1-xQPlq-iW2aWOPoyTuw5OgFYR-vWoZ9riFaqC-bJ7H1aJVXj-_sq0lqiBqrqdGoRqxoTbWAncGRQe7U3GXoP1f4XuDtE8OBd5dPMxjsyBBPNHhFsZdnxN0r/s1600/IMG_2792.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Iwakuni</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoK5jf_QPCqan9Rb96_pYfnnBMRJDh29RtUbuGnhU7FIgFH_RU7V1oNm0brbEmLJ9Nr3ctnnRRsc6J9FclCFarRA6OpGE79iL6S238A5L7PpWxxzqX2yqMmnfQDTjn3bX3setAPpqitH4g/s1600/IMG_2797.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoK5jf_QPCqan9Rb96_pYfnnBMRJDh29RtUbuGnhU7FIgFH_RU7V1oNm0brbEmLJ9Nr3ctnnRRsc6J9FclCFarRA6OpGE79iL6S238A5L7PpWxxzqX2yqMmnfQDTjn3bX3setAPpqitH4g/s1600/IMG_2797.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">fall leaves at Iwakuni</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn_O_Gz6hAgAqfe2A2c_qOqMujZ636pg9Y0S_YzwIcfl_2AC8diGigdqjRW4d8r-5SyoIdrG2FYCXDwopcWf2rRZpht3Ij-OBffabiERL2OpwtK8E26eENSL2czDWco1vutTdB-658OgHA/s1600/IMG_2805.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn_O_Gz6hAgAqfe2A2c_qOqMujZ636pg9Y0S_YzwIcfl_2AC8diGigdqjRW4d8r-5SyoIdrG2FYCXDwopcWf2rRZpht3Ij-OBffabiERL2OpwtK8E26eENSL2czDWco1vutTdB-658OgHA/s1600/IMG_2805.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Iwakuni bridge</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Then we were on our way to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyoto">Kyoto</a>, which turned out to be our
favorite city on the trip. Our hotel,
the <a href="http://www.miyakohotels.ne.jp/newmiyako/english/index.html/">New
Miyako Hotel</a> was conveniently located across the street from the train
station. After checking in we purchased
a <a href="http://www.city.kyoto.jp/koho/eng/access/transport.html">city bus
day pass</a> and rode over to see <a href="http://www.kiyomizudera.or.jp/lang/01.html">Kiyomizu-dera</a>. Afterwards we went to the <a href="http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3902.html">Gion</a> district, walked
around, and then strolled down the lovely <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ponto-ch%C5%8D">Pontocho</a> alley. Pontocho is lined with restaurants and bars,
and OMC took us a fabulous place for dinner called <a href="http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g298564-d1657902-Reviews-Issian_Pontocho-Kyoto_Kyoto_Prefecture_Kinki.html">Issian
Pontocho</a>. Our waitress, Alex, is a
high school student, but her English was so American she had to be from the US
and we found out grew up in Los Angeles until she was 9, at which time her
parents decided to move back to Japan.
Our dinner consisted of several courses that were cooked on a large hot
stone on our table. We had shrimp,
scallops, chicken thighs and necks, pork, beef, and veggies. All the pieces were small and could be easily
eaten with chop sticks.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikh1j9PMVauxDoo_Dm4cPjuEl7EaJjYAPG-ujzOo7mV11JqTKQ1v9PXkMJrTrubcauTwfGlJ5kfOjgi3F51mOMcO4c7qi1uSWyjZ-fizF-rTDJRT8bydVXRhzplbDXxVqaA3C8HSoAL0dR/s1600/IMG_2811.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikh1j9PMVauxDoo_Dm4cPjuEl7EaJjYAPG-ujzOo7mV11JqTKQ1v9PXkMJrTrubcauTwfGlJ5kfOjgi3F51mOMcO4c7qi1uSWyjZ-fizF-rTDJRT8bydVXRhzplbDXxVqaA3C8HSoAL0dR/s1600/IMG_2811.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Kiyomizu-dera</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxU3zQjPIBOyCiodsXlPttf1X-byzf597Oa6G3tLTO3Aym0FVcBnXV61ho__7nnOj6ut85C5S0RbpzdqKeA6IEElExfF7A55pttIg-gla3PUxztiQSEPGiEzYj9MYI9COhIEl31fOh5kkB/s1600/IMG_2812.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxU3zQjPIBOyCiodsXlPttf1X-byzf597Oa6G3tLTO3Aym0FVcBnXV61ho__7nnOj6ut85C5S0RbpzdqKeA6IEElExfF7A55pttIg-gla3PUxztiQSEPGiEzYj9MYI9COhIEl31fOh5kkB/s1600/IMG_2812.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Kiyomizu-dera</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIk6pjibs6HTo67WHins0y2_pyYh8ZHiBMvTGKbLdzdDjAplC08gB6N3uViXR1oJ-VO5WjGu0BarTFZL9VusffIzW-crWj-qrxOtOF7eskcsIjb3XH9bP3HpEBDvgTh1Gtz9rEOyfJTjmu/s1600/IMG_2813.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIk6pjibs6HTo67WHins0y2_pyYh8ZHiBMvTGKbLdzdDjAplC08gB6N3uViXR1oJ-VO5WjGu0BarTFZL9VusffIzW-crWj-qrxOtOF7eskcsIjb3XH9bP3HpEBDvgTh1Gtz9rEOyfJTjmu/s1600/IMG_2813.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Kiyomizu-dera</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCULZdDKH6BRswqNlCIjVYDomg5hrCPWrfNofXYhumgBoXDQQcPmg9HwpW2e9BW2gqcDEdWpiA-b8WStarssOLVPN3nSmi-QwmdcEk6haM_FRVurTha4UFaAOJFcD_qPy1OssEGSEsXhtv/s1600/IMG_2815.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCULZdDKH6BRswqNlCIjVYDomg5hrCPWrfNofXYhumgBoXDQQcPmg9HwpW2e9BW2gqcDEdWpiA-b8WStarssOLVPN3nSmi-QwmdcEk6haM_FRVurTha4UFaAOJFcD_qPy1OssEGSEsXhtv/s1600/IMG_2815.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Kiyomizu-dera</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvqznInEuSY4ZDYqbh9ikMIrdoiMB9Wz3yFvXhKULxzFmtNrvEZr-v_wp50KTkkqzSIpK6DIlgaredfbFBTv91Ir0K1AEgNox7E5JJteMYMF9DYLUZauDt1qMkvelG34H1aMAYWpIiOHAT/s1600/IMG_2818.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvqznInEuSY4ZDYqbh9ikMIrdoiMB9Wz3yFvXhKULxzFmtNrvEZr-v_wp50KTkkqzSIpK6DIlgaredfbFBTv91Ir0K1AEgNox7E5JJteMYMF9DYLUZauDt1qMkvelG34H1aMAYWpIiOHAT/s1600/IMG_2818.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Kiyomizu-dera</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b><span style="color: #f6b26b;">Kyoto in the Rain:
Saturday—Day 8<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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Our second day in Kyoto was very unique not only in the
places that we visited but also the weather, which turned out to be very
rainy. Had I been at home in Houston I
would have spent the day napping on the couch, but I had to be a good tourist and
see everything Kyoto had to offer, rain or shine. Also OMC’s friend, Julie, had been in Tokyo
for work and she met us in Kyoto that morning.</div>
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We started our sightseeing by walking through the thousands
of Torii gates at <a href="http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3915.html">Fushimi-Inari</a>. The rain was more of misty sprinkle and we
felt prepared with our rain jackets and umbrellas. During the torii gate walk we thought about
what a cool date spot this would be, but wondered if the Japanese viewed it
that way since the walk was technically a shrine.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS3bt9kLGkVGMnWmE7hMuEFueU_fvaYcFNUsR9B656o04bOZ0SsXACVKjhgoiSD1cpGb29DDGs96MlhY1rbjO1xO_ST9zFVXuWFh8qBOKtZcr25MRmwA4VJiYBFkS7ThTUE9SNoWogezB4/s1600/IMG_2824.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS3bt9kLGkVGMnWmE7hMuEFueU_fvaYcFNUsR9B656o04bOZ0SsXACVKjhgoiSD1cpGb29DDGs96MlhY1rbjO1xO_ST9zFVXuWFh8qBOKtZcr25MRmwA4VJiYBFkS7ThTUE9SNoWogezB4/s1600/IMG_2824.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fushimi-Inari</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Next we made our way to the <a href="http://www.gekkeikan.co.jp/english/index.html">Gekkeikan Okura Sake</a>
Museum and Brewery. The rain was a
little stronger but not enough to slow us down.
A few times we looked like super tourists as we kept checking our maps
trying to find it. Even though the sake
museum exhibits had Japanese captions, we were able to get the gist of the
history and process of sake making. At
the end we had the opportunity to sample two kinds of sake and some plum
wine. I’m not a sake fan, but I did like
the plum wine. Fortunately Spec’s
carries their products so we can enjoy some at home.</div>
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Afterwards we hopped on the city bus to make our way over to
<a href="http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/p/m/21e29f/">Jonan-gu</a> shrine
and gardens. We debated whether or not
to change our plans to an indoor activity, but decided since we were already
wet we might as well keep going. We did
not know what wet was at this time. As
we walked, the rain began pouring. We
were soaked and since there weren’t any tourists out and about due to the
weather, there were no cabs in sight. As
we approached the gardens, we said they better be the most beautiful gardens
we’ve seen, and thankfully they were which made the rain worth it. In an
attempt to escape the monsoon we eventually found a taxi to take us to local
subway station. </div>
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When we got back to the hotel, Scott and I changed into dry
clothes and then had a very late lunch at the hotel restaurant. I knew if I took a nap, I’d be ruined for the
day so I had to keep moving. This was
our opportunity to have a date night on the trip. I was determined to have some Kobe beef,
especially since we were so close to the town of Kobe. Our Google searches found two places in the
Gion district with rave reviews, <a href="http://dgeekdcook.wordpress.com/2011/11/29/grill-miyata-best-beef-in-kyoto/">Grill
Miyata</a> and <a href="http://www.hafuu.com/">Hafuu</a>. We decided on Grill Miyata, as it sounded
like a delicious hole in the wall, where a Mr. Miyagi type man would cook us a
fabulous meal, and tell us about Japan.
The bloggers all said it would be difficult to find, but we did our
research, walked down the street and found it right away only to find out it
was closed. Neighboring business gave us
the impression it was closed for good.
So that meant plan B, dinner at Hafuu.
</div>
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<br /></div>
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At this point we couldn’t use our iphones map app since we
had no wifi, but I thought I had recalled it being located along the
river. After walking around with no
luck, we decided to wander through Gion’s main streets. I spotted an iphone store and knew they would
have internet on a display ipad. I
walked in and asked if anyone spoke English, and attempted to tell the store
clerks about our restaurant search.
Miraculously they found the website, address, and map for Hafuu on their
ipad. However their attempts to draw a
map with only lines for streets and no words really had me worried. So I asked them to write the name and address
in Japanese so we could give it to a cab driver. We found a cab, and I showed the driver the
address card and our wordless map. He
seemed a little unsure, and I thought for sure we would end up driving in a
circle only to get out where we started.
He began driving and turned occasionally where I thought the map might
have directed. One of the final turns
was down a quiet dark street, he stopped the cab to ask a man closing up shop
if he knew where the restaurant was (no man in the US would ever dare stop to
ask directions…I couldn’t believe it).
The stranger indicated it was just a little further down the street and
within seconds we had finally arrived at our destination.</div>
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We walked into Hafuu and had the option to sit at a table in
the dining room or have counter service.
We opted for the counter so we could see the action in the kitchen. We ordered the Kobe beef dinner set which
came with several courses, at this point a month later I don’t remember much
except they were all yummy but the Kobe beef was the star attraction. Only two cuts were offered, the sirloin and
tenderloin, we ordered one of each and they split both on our plates so we
could sample both. By far the most heavenly
tasting steak I’ve ever had with the exception of <a href="http://www.killenssteakhouse.com/">Killen’s</a> Kobe beef which is a very
close tie. We had a nice chat the Hafuu
owner, who told us he briefly attended college in Florida for a year and then
returned to Japan. He and his wife own
two Hafuu locations, and their other location is the one on <a href="http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g298564-d1664829-Reviews-Hafu-Kyoto_Kyoto_Prefecture_Kinki.html">trip
advisor</a>, etc and wondered how we found their “local” location. We told them about our story. At the end of the meal, the owner called a
cab for us, and he and his wife escorted us outside to make sure the driver
knew where to take us. </div>
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<b><span style="color: #f6b26b;">Kyoto: Sunday—Day 9<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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Luckily for us the weather cleared up for our last day of
sightseeing in Kyoto. We purchased a <a href="http://www.city.kyoto.jp/koho/eng/access/transport.html">Kyoto
sightseeing pass</a> which gave us unlimited on/off privileges on the city
buses and Kyoto subway for the day. This
was a full day as we made it to five temples, which was great so I could enjoy
all my nature walks.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><a href="http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3908.html" style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Golden
Pavilion</a> </li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><a href="http://www.ryoanji.jp/smph/eng/" style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Ryoanji</a><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">
temple </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><a href="http://www.ninnaji.or.jp/multilingual_info.html" style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Ninna-ji</a><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> temple</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><a href="http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3918.html" style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Nijo
castle</a></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><a href="http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3907.html" style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Silver
pavilion</a><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> and </span><a href="http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3906.html" style="text-indent: -0.25in;">philosopher’s
path</a></li>
</ul>
<div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicCi1y8xWqoZpidOXKwd7DsMBhZOZ2sRn3-tRd7hwNPu31Ud0xNMLWj9XNjDpt7cNKFlnPzhoReeqWMzjD7069Q0criW2_UotbNu78r3RvtwHMpk0mdEqXtghv3QqMNy-6y2a1LcLLPPjP/s1600/IMG_3418.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicCi1y8xWqoZpidOXKwd7DsMBhZOZ2sRn3-tRd7hwNPu31Ud0xNMLWj9XNjDpt7cNKFlnPzhoReeqWMzjD7069Q0criW2_UotbNu78r3RvtwHMpk0mdEqXtghv3QqMNy-6y2a1LcLLPPjP/s1600/IMG_3418.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Golden Pavilion</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<ul></ul>
</div>
<!--[if !supportLists]--><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoI0B1_luUEg6_QEsZlm0-qoyHeyoSF-kTyW7FI36_uswPUPsfKufNA-ItkZdx9jxpdeocxbguFrrwOOMrxciEyv-Z0KadzKoNbD0EjPaN5isyGQ4-tBDJqk5-Brw4DqI_zPJVzy2GHDbC/s1600/IMG_2836.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoI0B1_luUEg6_QEsZlm0-qoyHeyoSF-kTyW7FI36_uswPUPsfKufNA-ItkZdx9jxpdeocxbguFrrwOOMrxciEyv-Z0KadzKoNbD0EjPaN5isyGQ4-tBDJqk5-Brw4DqI_zPJVzy2GHDbC/s1600/IMG_2836.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ryoanji Garden of Infinite Learning</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMYpbvgFDkWY5V3CG87fYLaisYjAnsC_QED_Lws0eYrv38H7wf8dhlWfWh1MqTyD61ZEfGw0ET5MI85uR0eT8ixu4YmpY7FhSy-xmm9phJ6NlErsoRf6Q4E7nghzxx5PUm58E4llvnZ-yB/s1600/IMG_2838.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMYpbvgFDkWY5V3CG87fYLaisYjAnsC_QED_Lws0eYrv38H7wf8dhlWfWh1MqTyD61ZEfGw0ET5MI85uR0eT8ixu4YmpY7FhSy-xmm9phJ6NlErsoRf6Q4E7nghzxx5PUm58E4llvnZ-yB/s1600/IMG_2838.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ninna-ji</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhp1EdaIq68GIkZcqhJYFYbE7JBsDHTn6EfQ-hH9lrcf_nu1-7rh_omyOM9uvc4S6WMRP4KB67gpQf9-0a9tAyotEXrhRcXeY1-12HgkmYp_pKWRhjSl2XNgi0ON88dzVw9dUc0hq36Gx4/s1600/IMG_2843.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhp1EdaIq68GIkZcqhJYFYbE7JBsDHTn6EfQ-hH9lrcf_nu1-7rh_omyOM9uvc4S6WMRP4KB67gpQf9-0a9tAyotEXrhRcXeY1-12HgkmYp_pKWRhjSl2XNgi0ON88dzVw9dUc0hq36Gx4/s1600/IMG_2843.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nijo Castle</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUB4A5U0io8_QytpOP827FomvFztqzO9You7jsVusj0u0EMZZwFaaZwr_s9bmGI2cV1tBF00RcmMb3RVUyNyOmfaO4LHkAenk0QRIy3lnsPz8nGk3NjP97oAEg6D4F6HnVorr2zVmIsLzs/s1600/IMG_2850.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUB4A5U0io8_QytpOP827FomvFztqzO9You7jsVusj0u0EMZZwFaaZwr_s9bmGI2cV1tBF00RcmMb3RVUyNyOmfaO4LHkAenk0QRIy3lnsPz8nGk3NjP97oAEg6D4F6HnVorr2zVmIsLzs/s1600/IMG_2850.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Silver Pavilion</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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We had some time to kill before catching our train back to
Tokyo, so we ventured to Pontocho in Gion and first stopped at the <a href="http://www.vcarious.com/Attraction/Japan/Kyoto/TheStardustClub.html">Stardust
Club</a>, which was teeny tiny, dark, full of smoke, and the walls were covered
with Jazz/Blues posters. We stayed for a
drink and then went down the street to try another bar Fly Me to the Moon. This
bar was also teeny tiny, but had a massive drink menu. As a rule everyone had to order a drink, I
guess this was the seat fee. </div>
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Finally it was time to go, so we made our way to Kyoto
station, and grabbed some “gas station snacks” for dinner. I had some <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pretz">pretz</a> to snack on and Scott purchased
pretz and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ch%C5%ABhai">chu-hi</a>. </div>
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Oddly, one of my favorite Japan experiences was on the train
ride home. On the local train from Tokyo
to Zama, a group of drunken 25 year old Japanese guys entered our subway
car. They had a box of pizza, and upon
seeing us started yelling “Oh Shit!”.
Apparently drunk is the same everywhere.
We had a good laugh, and they sat with us talking to us in English and
wanting to share their pizza. One guy had an app on his phone that he typed in
Japanese and it translated to English so he could communicate with us. </div>
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<b><span style="color: #f6b26b;">Tokyo: Monday—Day 10<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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After getting back to Tokyo late the night before, we had a
late start to our day. We were also a
man down as someone had too many Chu-His the night before.</div>
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We started the day with lunch on the base. At this point we needed a break from eating
Japanese food and wanted something more comforting. I had Mexican food, pork carnitas tacos,
which were very tasty. </div>
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<br /></div>
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After lunch we made our way to Yokohama, and our first stop
was the <a href="http://www.cupnoodles-museum.jp/english/index.html">Cup
Noodles Museum</a>. This was a fun
experience to learn about the creation of ramen noodles and industry
history. It was also another example of
how the Japanese think about what best for the group instead of the individual,
as the ramen noodle inventor eventually disclosed his patent, in order for the
industry to make better products. Next
we went to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yokohama_Landmark_Tower">Landmark
Tower</a> observatory, to the view of Yokohama lit up at night. Then we strolled through Yokohama’s <a href="http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3201.html">China Town</a>. At first glance I thought it looked just like
everything else, but after taking a closer look, I noticed that the torii gates
were red and more ornate than the traditional Japanese torii gates.</div>
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Finally we were hungry and ready for dinner; our first few
restaurant attempts were unsuccessful as many restaurants were closed on
Mondays. We ended up at a quaint Spanish
restaurant named Primero. Of course the
staff was Japanese, but our waiter actually spoke more Spanish than English! I was delighted by this as I could actually
communicate and practice my Spanish. Surprisingly
the rest of group spoke very little Spanish, so I had the chance to play “tour
guide” and translate the menu, plus order more drinks as needed. Everything we ordered was very tasty, and
compared to tapas I’ve had in Spain or at other Spanish restaurants in the US,
surprisingly authentic. I kept my order
simple with sangria, queso manchego (manchego cheese),jamon de serrano
(Serrano ham), and gambas al ajillo
(shrimp w/ garlic). OMC ordered a bacon
wrapped plantain concoction that she was fabulous, maybe I’ll try to duplicate
it at home one of these days.</div>
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<b><span style="color: #f6b26b;">Tokyo & Houston:
Tuesday—Day 11<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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Our last day was bittersweet, I was wishing I had extended
our trip through Thanksgiving so we could stay longer, but it was time to go
home. Kyle treated us to base tour and showed us some F-18s. Then he and OMC escorted us to the train
station so we could catch the Narita Express to the airport (our JR Railpass
covered the Narita Express too!). </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx9LvxqtEG0ceNpw5f0J8CmfgAeY-0Y2vQOSMsAE4e75sexuAXMJGQ5S6RGPcHWNP1Ov2AFDqxi_Z6u_XHuXyhluWjL6xA1CNVCrTRGrwIqPJw5VG_WPdrp__DcVuGglqlOfKOciJWw32K/s1600/IMG_2859.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx9LvxqtEG0ceNpw5f0J8CmfgAeY-0Y2vQOSMsAE4e75sexuAXMJGQ5S6RGPcHWNP1Ov2AFDqxi_Z6u_XHuXyhluWjL6xA1CNVCrTRGrwIqPJw5VG_WPdrp__DcVuGglqlOfKOciJWw32K/s1600/IMG_2859.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">F-18</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One thing that surprised me about the airport was that we
didn’t have to take off our shoes when we went through airport security. On the flight home we watched the second half
of Mad Men season 1, did some reading, napping, and 11 hours later we were back
in Houston. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We were glad to be home sleeping in our own bed but
regularly think of our trip and continue to observe and discuss cultural differences
and ways we could benefit from Japanese customs. Hopefully we can go back to Japan and
continue to see more of the beautiful country.</div>
Tiny's Treatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07813972848364890160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846373625089893194.post-458125164104248832011-05-30T19:39:00.004-05:002011-05-30T19:47:17.320-05:00CSA 5.19.11: spring mixed with a little summerWe missed two weeks of our CSA produce deliveries since we were in Italy, but we came back to yummy goodness that was delivered on our anniversary. Here is a recap of the summer preview we enjoyed.<br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#ff6666;">Blackberries</span></strong><br />I had no idea that blackberries could taste this good! There is definitely something to be said for eating blackberries right away when they are picked at their peak ripeness. I’m still kicking myself for not actually making anything with these blackberries,we just snacked on them. But I guess they could be counted as an easy weeknight dessert because they did satisfy my sweet tooth after dinner a few nights.<br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#ff6666;">Squash & Zucchini</span></strong><br />I can’t get enough squash and zucchini during the summer, usually by the time August rolls around I’ve had enough. Most of the time I just slice it and throw it in the baking dish with salt, pepper, EVOO, and some truffle oil alongside a pork tenderloin or chicken. This time we had so much that we enjoyed it a variety of ways.<br /><br />1. <strong>Grilled</strong>: We sliced and cooked some squash on our grill pan with some steaks and made a foil boat and cooked some on our outdoor gas grill as well.<br /><br />2. <strong>Pasta</strong>: I subscribe to Health magazine and saw a recipe for <a href="http://www.blogger.com/Farfalle%20with%20zucchini%20and%20white%20beans">farfalle with zucchini and white beans</a> earlier this spring. I’ve been saving it to enjoy with fresh zucchini. The recipe was okay, if I were to make it again I’d maybe some sort of light sauce with lemon juice, lemon zest, and EVOO.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6vdLKUBgrSzOHrd5YWChSOkIkZuaCwrxLpzvmkyKFVl9pTVY8A7JjxY3OXhY8A3Wk60RAzi6NpiyEnZEhuOcU_34VH2pU7hMMAubpP5EFhEMCiBLv9U9d1FK6i8G400IQFD1gSh9dXKru/s1600/IMG_2387.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5612674012425562546" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6vdLKUBgrSzOHrd5YWChSOkIkZuaCwrxLpzvmkyKFVl9pTVY8A7JjxY3OXhY8A3Wk60RAzi6NpiyEnZEhuOcU_34VH2pU7hMMAubpP5EFhEMCiBLv9U9d1FK6i8G400IQFD1gSh9dXKru/s320/IMG_2387.jpg" /></a><br />3. <strong>Pizza</strong>: I found this recipe for <a href="http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/zucchini-and-basil-pizzas.html?cm_src=RECIPESEARCH">zucchini and basil pizza</a> several years ago in a Williams-Sonoma catalog and its one of my favorites tasting so light and fresh. It’s easy to make and I took a shortcut with some fresh pizza dough from Central Market. <br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn71-cHxeKIFPYbDRYu0DI8lDCleGiPmckkDnfzRLUs75uHIvcSCrBb_Vi7j8hyx6b12CVXfDaMpkVcalzsBlkwmvXrPm3D5q51SdgBLcJtL3CUbkO4g1lgx8akb5R6uOoI2rX3EgB3m8W/s1600/IMG_2395.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5612674005516292498" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn71-cHxeKIFPYbDRYu0DI8lDCleGiPmckkDnfzRLUs75uHIvcSCrBb_Vi7j8hyx6b12CVXfDaMpkVcalzsBlkwmvXrPm3D5q51SdgBLcJtL3CUbkO4g1lgx8akb5R6uOoI2rX3EgB3m8W/s320/IMG_2395.JPG" /></a><strong><span style="color:#ff6666;">Cabbage</span></strong><br />I used the cabbage for one of my favorite Bon Appétit fast easy fresh recipes, <a href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Crispy-Black-Bean-Tacos-with-Feta-and-Cabbage-Slaw-351271">black bean tacos</a>. I substituted the cabbage for the cole slaw mix, added two small diced mangos, and also substituted peppered goat cheese for feta since I already had some for the pizza. I also purchased the southwest flour tortillas from Central Market because their tortillas are just so yummy!<br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKXNDcAfsh3Z0GLOmKvIo6WBd2v_8qAC-eb-tOwkk6FCZU0UkYBqvK6xPwOAO2AAcdl51gBTh3jbQWdcAPT4OgxFETsXPmP6fG7E1my6RfgR-Zwqhv5IH_Gb_N09KEtQBlK4dvAiVkg0a4/s1600/IMG_2393.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5612674000274328818" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKXNDcAfsh3Z0GLOmKvIo6WBd2v_8qAC-eb-tOwkk6FCZU0UkYBqvK6xPwOAO2AAcdl51gBTh3jbQWdcAPT4OgxFETsXPmP6fG7E1my6RfgR-Zwqhv5IH_Gb_N09KEtQBlK4dvAiVkg0a4/s320/IMG_2393.JPG" /></a><strong><span style="color:#ff6666;">Collard Greens</span></strong><br />I haven’t branched out on the collard green recipes like I should; instead I went with a “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” philiopshy since Ellie Kreiger’s <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ellie-krieger/short-cut-collard-greens-recipe/index.html">short cut collard greens</a> recipe has been a success every time, especially when made with applewood smoked bacon. </div><br /><div><br /><strong><span style="color:#ff6666;">Onions</span></strong><br />I use these as an ingredient as needed. The best part is that the delivery is now dry onions so I don’t have to worry about using them so quickly.</div>Tiny's Treatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07813972848364890160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846373625089893194.post-67743793659672490642011-05-27T18:38:00.003-05:002011-05-27T18:44:56.758-05:00Patio Date Night with Italian Souvenirs<p align="left">Scott and I had a fabulous patio date night last Saturday as part 3 of our anniversary celebration. Since the weather was great we decided to take full advantage of the patio before the heat and mosquitoes invade for the summer. </p><br /><p align="left"><strong><span style="color:#ff6666;">Appetizer: crostini with black truffle salsa</span></strong></p><br /><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPoyk2b0h4oDqcj4vx1YGgN8i2dQCIppPrL0ezqdEF-v8P8ZY-qLpxlQbwCuz0lqlnYQWThdz7jJ2vgTelYHSMU-WdnRy3B-V01gbzeApq5K1dktOaXVxttQsy6qRiODYaYx5wc6ivDPuL/s1600/IMG_2382.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 240px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611544901195851410" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPoyk2b0h4oDqcj4vx1YGgN8i2dQCIppPrL0ezqdEF-v8P8ZY-qLpxlQbwCuz0lqlnYQWThdz7jJ2vgTelYHSMU-WdnRy3B-V01gbzeApq5K1dktOaXVxttQsy6qRiODYaYx5wc6ivDPuL/s320/IMG_2382.JPG" /></a></p><br />We purchased this gem in Assisi. I really hope I can find more of this locally because it is amazing. I used half the tiny jar for our appetizer. This was very simple to make. I sliced and toasted some French bread and then topped it with the black truffle salsa.<br /><br /><span style="color:#ff6666;"><strong>Entrée: NY Strip Steaks with a southwest rub</strong><br /></span>This steak recipe is one our favorites from Bobby Flay’s <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Bobby-Flays-Mesa-Grill-Cookbook/dp/0307351416/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1306539735&sr=1-1">Mesa Grill cookbook</a>. I keep a container of “southwest rub” on standby to use on various meats. The steaks were coated in EVOO and then seasoned with salt and pepper and then I put the southwest rub on one side of the steak. They were grilled on a grill pan over medium-high heat for 4 minutes on one side and then 6 on the other.<br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#ff6666;">Sides: Stuffed squash blossoms and grilled squash</span></strong><br />The stuffed squash blossoms were my favorite item from the cooking class we took in Rome. I had my first farmer’s market experience the morning of to locate the squash blossoms. There were about 20 in the container so I made 8 for us and the remaining 12 as appetizers for our Sunday night dinner. The filling for the squash blossoms was a mixture of approximately ¾ cup ricotta cheese, zest of 2 small lemons, juice of one lemon, and 1/8 tsp nutmeg. Once the blossoms were stuffed I twisted the tops and put them in a baking dish and drizzled a little EVOO on top and then baked for about 7 minutes in a 350 degree oven.<br /><br />For the grilled squash I sliced a squash and then drizzled some EVOO and truffle oil on top and seasoned with pepper. Then I grilled them on the grill pan for about 2 minutes on each side.<br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#ff6666;">Wine: Unity<br /></span></strong>Our buddy Jason at The Tasting Room—Uptown Park had recommended this wine to us last fall. After sampling it we purchased a bottle and have been saving it for the perfect meal. I thought the symbolism of the name was very fitting in honor of our anniversary.<br /><br /><br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQSFWN6R98FfNgIQdeXUrzV64NgQDpMLQi31v9P2Kv8l91OvJFQbhnRX_HYOUyC8-pANZNiKxBQDmLJ0BI3DbpabcseC62AgTRWPgTTV7r6TVOdL2gZRrQUKXtDjPe8PhT7-XRtc73Qw7a/s1600/IMG_2384.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611544895513030562" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQSFWN6R98FfNgIQdeXUrzV64NgQDpMLQi31v9P2Kv8l91OvJFQbhnRX_HYOUyC8-pANZNiKxBQDmLJ0BI3DbpabcseC62AgTRWPgTTV7r6TVOdL2gZRrQUKXtDjPe8PhT7-XRtc73Qw7a/s320/IMG_2384.JPG" /></a></p><br /><strong><span style="color:#ff6666;">Dessert: BlueBell’s Fudge Brownie Nut ice cream with chocolate and caramel sauce<br /><br /></span></strong>Tiny's Treatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07813972848364890160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846373625089893194.post-26765500161899547692011-05-25T20:41:00.020-05:002011-05-27T17:53:41.782-05:00Delicious Destination: ItalyScott and I traveled to Italy earlier this month to celebrate 5 years of marriage. Time flies when you are having fun! Also many thanks to bloggers VA Belle and Elefantitas Alegres for traveling to Italy the month prior and giving us lots of tips and info for our trip…especially…drum roll please…the <a href="http://www.ricksteves.com/">Rick Steves’</a> Italy 2011 guidebook and podcasts (these were priceless). We even traveled with only carry on luggage, no checking bags and I even packed lighter than Scott!<br /><br />When planning our trip Scott wanted to learn all about the history and see the sights, I on the other hand think that is what Google is for and I wanted to eat, eat, and eat some more. Most importantly I didn’t want a vacation boot camp experience that was constant tourist attractions, bad food, and no time for leisure to feel like an Italian. We booked the Italian Dream tour through <a href="http://www.trafalgar.com/">Trafalgar</a> tours, so that we could visit multiple locations and have our lodging and transportation arranged for us. Dominic our tour director is Scottish and he is hilarious! I’m glad he wasn’t Italian because those British accents are so charming and his constant use of the word brilliant and lots of sarcasm and humor made us laugh nonstop. We also had a great group to travel with; I was expecting a bunch of elderly folks but most everyone was around their 50s (which is the new 30, so technically they were in our age group) and liked to have a good time. Also surprisingly everyone on the tour except for one lone traveler was from the US or Canada, so it was great to also learn about different states and regions in North America. We bonded with two couples from Charleston that were very fun and became our drinking buddies.<br /><br />For starters all the food and wine was delicious. We are fairly knowledgeable about California wines but know nothing about French and Italian wines. We went with the house or local wine everywhere and never had a bad glass and added bonus it was super cheap!<br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#ff6666;">Rome: Saturday—Day 1<br /></span></strong>Our flight arrived in Rome at 8:30 am and we met our new friends from Charleston while waiting for the bus to take us to the hotel. We decided to call our new formed group “the troublemakers” since we were determined to have a good time with lots of vino. We dropped off our bags at the hotel, freshened up, and found our way to the metro. Thanks to Rick Steves we had bought our tickets online for the Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel so we headed that way. With our fabulous guidebook, we stopped to grab some pizza to go from a Pizza Rustica place a few blocks from the Vatican. Believe it or not this is the only time I ate pizza in Italy. The rest of the days were filled with pasta, prosciutto, gelato, and vino! Anyway back to the pizza. The pizza rustica places have giant rectangles of different pizzas, you chose the one you want and they cut it according to the size you request. The pizza is warmed up to crisp the crust and then folded over much like a Panini, then wrapped in paper and napkin so you can eat it on the go. I opted for the zucchini blossom pizza since that is something that would be difficult to find on a menu in Houston, and it was so yummy! Plus I love a crispy crust!<br /><br />It took us about an hour and half to get through the Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel. Unlike the Louvre in Paris, the Vatican Museum is just the right size, well organized, not rooms of repetition, and had just enough variety to hold my attention. When we arrived at the Sistine Chapel we listened to Rick’s podcast, which conveniently also showed the images that were being discussed—this was very helpful since there is artwork everywhere.<br /><br /><br />That evening we went out with our tour group for a night stroll through Rome to see the Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, some Cathedral I can’t remember the name of, and the Piazza Navona.<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnyZrTfLuDR4KsAjCiDs07cmPKD1CgxrAQf4yffA2ki3HslpsJjURx_47F3WJY-8B2JjOLR1k2mLVN9oq8jocsibYRYRa3FZ7MN5ouWDFJfjvILNTebsyWldEIrwUAuxPFQf6hEeKe5zU1/s1600/IMG_2165.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 240px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610851713029345762" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnyZrTfLuDR4KsAjCiDs07cmPKD1CgxrAQf4yffA2ki3HslpsJjURx_47F3WJY-8B2JjOLR1k2mLVN9oq8jocsibYRYRa3FZ7MN5ouWDFJfjvILNTebsyWldEIrwUAuxPFQf6hEeKe5zU1/s320/IMG_2165.JPG" /></a></p><br /><p align="center"><em>Trevi Fountain</em><br /></p><br /><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdgcNPec3FGQYhinon3h_9WfHohcW_UHFIDfk9SYedzdyu2PiBngsIIH4aWPfx_YB5EXeiWgvZQZ4qZbrT8FIfRK8ZbZjHFmjhqtvRQ0Lk-82hKPkUc5HD7ehp-qNnVdZ4sqIynBP5Munz/s1600/IMG_2175.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610851702353996658" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdgcNPec3FGQYhinon3h_9WfHohcW_UHFIDfk9SYedzdyu2PiBngsIIH4aWPfx_YB5EXeiWgvZQZ4qZbrT8FIfRK8ZbZjHFmjhqtvRQ0Lk-82hKPkUc5HD7ehp-qNnVdZ4sqIynBP5Munz/s320/IMG_2175.JPG" /></a></p><br /><p align="center"><em>Pantheon</em></p><br /><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir0-OhNuHBabaoWXb7EOQW_qrHx1pdUZalFhsLZVhZUBY3VrgSzCzwMkajTu2TN9LM__jB3kxzSSuA9fxzl2Ih0gBLVilR8liQUdrK1oyXgmP_a8KeCYhI2MieECkQkLtBSZF50x9GmvQs/s1600/IMG_2173.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610851697842959618" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir0-OhNuHBabaoWXb7EOQW_qrHx1pdUZalFhsLZVhZUBY3VrgSzCzwMkajTu2TN9LM__jB3kxzSSuA9fxzl2Ih0gBLVilR8liQUdrK1oyXgmP_a8KeCYhI2MieECkQkLtBSZF50x9GmvQs/s320/IMG_2173.JPG" /></a><br /></p><br /><div align="center"><em>Pantheon</em></div><br /><br /><div align="left">We consulted the book and found a fabulous restaurant a block from the piazza that is a local favorite, called <a href="http://www.enotecaculdesac.com/index.html">Cul de Sac</a>. It was a bit chilly out so we grabbed a small table for 2 inside next to the door. The waiter recommended the Lazio Syrah which is grown in the region. I’m usually not a Syrah fan but this wine was wonderful and not to dry and smoky. I tend to think of BBQ when I think of Syrah. We started off with a platter of prosciutto, salami, and some cheeses—they were delicious. For our entrees Scott ordered the pesto pasta (spaghetti) and I ordered a tagiatelle with a hare (rabbit) ragu. Both were delicious, and I had to go with the rabbit since the pesto pasta is easy to reproduce at home. </div><br /><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOGCMpCcQXQ25_RMOOj5CaWgifvPZLNegpqkWq2fdhyphenhyphenivHefQu3jtktT_p3z-M_M8QP5P7qYJFhvT3Ay1n6ZusrcE84pJWHhq_FHKYRaHDLlcpYTviUqgRRawbb9pk31jIwAiXFUWy2HU8/s1600/IMG_2177.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610851047085938738" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOGCMpCcQXQ25_RMOOj5CaWgifvPZLNegpqkWq2fdhyphenhyphenivHefQu3jtktT_p3z-M_M8QP5P7qYJFhvT3Ay1n6ZusrcE84pJWHhq_FHKYRaHDLlcpYTviUqgRRawbb9pk31jIwAiXFUWy2HU8/s320/IMG_2177.JPG" /></a><br /></p><br /><div align="center"><em>Antipasti: cheese and meat platter </em></div><br /><div align="center"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEAREc1WUvfxMhP9ikkf_DTwX5dCx9HfgHc99w0azT5GmlMQCtoRrywb2IjrOYuGNnK9GcLq_0KJl3WfbcCMYTzrkF2_iIzjysboum2-v4ZBv_uj5s1m0q_vd2rALX2lxWZlc7VFwoOA9X/s1600/IMG_2178.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610851039838257122" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEAREc1WUvfxMhP9ikkf_DTwX5dCx9HfgHc99w0azT5GmlMQCtoRrywb2IjrOYuGNnK9GcLq_0KJl3WfbcCMYTzrkF2_iIzjysboum2-v4ZBv_uj5s1m0q_vd2rALX2lxWZlc7VFwoOA9X/s320/IMG_2178.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br /><div align="center"><em>yummy local wine<br /></em></div><br /><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi79Ikdh0xsv1xy3PV6eYIIlrQ51edsR0lc7jonyX_oGMXxZrhW7bxbcxspQKlbVHgA5TDX3T456fvPZokEyN21nMTFT_HbPr7qSOdcjaPD9ZqdqmnHqCW1gMPH0NztXMgKEhzrBUN-XU-z/s1600/IMG_2179.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610851038245129826" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi79Ikdh0xsv1xy3PV6eYIIlrQ51edsR0lc7jonyX_oGMXxZrhW7bxbcxspQKlbVHgA5TDX3T456fvPZokEyN21nMTFT_HbPr7qSOdcjaPD9ZqdqmnHqCW1gMPH0NztXMgKEhzrBUN-XU-z/s320/IMG_2179.JPG" /></a><br /></p><br /><div align="center"><em>yummy pasta, so good I almost forgot to take a pic</em></div><br /><br /><div align="left">We finished the night with a stop at a gelateria, which even had a Viagra flavor! Yes they did, and it was blue just like the pill. I wonder how much of that they sell? I got a cinnamon flavored gelato which was super yummy since I am obsessed with anything cinnamon and always double it in a recipe. </div><br /><div align="left"><br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#ff6666;">Rome: Sunday—Day 2</span></strong></div><br /><div align="left">We started the day at the Vatican to check out St. Peter’s Basilica. Scott was so excited by everything that he became our photographer for the trip. </div><br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTAJG_JlBDJKVAA617ndqDL8sAcTGr8ldwx0kfak9OFeQvAYZQccRmeuXRlOJ9TCW4GRbb6pMMlB0UVGEDYu_BeIcMLCeHGLg5FiycGT3AObAhYGz9VQe0P43VrUYeJyicziqZ1Bz-zcvP/s1600/IMG_2194.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610850346792293922" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTAJG_JlBDJKVAA617ndqDL8sAcTGr8ldwx0kfak9OFeQvAYZQccRmeuXRlOJ9TCW4GRbb6pMMlB0UVGEDYu_BeIcMLCeHGLg5FiycGT3AObAhYGz9VQe0P43VrUYeJyicziqZ1Bz-zcvP/s320/IMG_2194.JPG" /></a></p><br /><p align="center"><em>The Vatican: St. Peter's Basilica</em></p><br /><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGevMqaRyW72fsjMSwiBDth8rJIYBagPe3eyjDc_3lIjHurHKyGtr6lInYJX6C-CpsBjuPODVu59QfCLJcVymcwakkP2jMA3_t8elfEBAoVmSA5lSDFBHzkOcu-bc5Kk1Jfg_Boi5VlsGJ/s1600/IMG_2215.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610850338758825138" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGevMqaRyW72fsjMSwiBDth8rJIYBagPe3eyjDc_3lIjHurHKyGtr6lInYJX6C-CpsBjuPODVu59QfCLJcVymcwakkP2jMA3_t8elfEBAoVmSA5lSDFBHzkOcu-bc5Kk1Jfg_Boi5VlsGJ/s320/IMG_2215.JPG" /></a></p><br /><div align="center"><em>The Vatican: St. Peter's Basilica</em></div><br /><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLLlkowt1UWWL5vpARmd1VM2X4lG3nxb4TTLkFOKcYWU1Wrv-mD97vZhGqCaN8z32P_JvPzx_CnHBggf4WC-Wl0KXCIDjSEg2keebMcjK8QgYzV2WIvv4IPEuO-Y5CwkJ9vXDQYH4Gec5w/s1600/IMG_2233.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 240px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610850332201048738" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLLlkowt1UWWL5vpARmd1VM2X4lG3nxb4TTLkFOKcYWU1Wrv-mD97vZhGqCaN8z32P_JvPzx_CnHBggf4WC-Wl0KXCIDjSEg2keebMcjK8QgYzV2WIvv4IPEuO-Y5CwkJ9vXDQYH4Gec5w/s320/IMG_2233.JPG" /></a><br /><em>The Vatican: St. Peter's Basilica</em></div><br /><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyj6EyFWyWTBCrfMiVH8JB2DbKJKcB1qprqGtHvP9M9pS8aKyjMnHGFghtKxR5XqK_7SXPX1zi28cfLBSkSMw-0EJ-fGVFuHB_7vYUv-ygmm1IQKntcoZVw92wD9yVT2qt_o32eUoLx_DK/s1600/IMG_2235.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610850329366855250" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyj6EyFWyWTBCrfMiVH8JB2DbKJKcB1qprqGtHvP9M9pS8aKyjMnHGFghtKxR5XqK_7SXPX1zi28cfLBSkSMw-0EJ-fGVFuHB_7vYUv-ygmm1IQKntcoZVw92wD9yVT2qt_o32eUoLx_DK/s320/IMG_2235.JPG" /></a></p><br /><p align="center"><em>The Vatican: St. Peter's Basilica</em><br /></p><br /><br /><p align="left">Afterwards we went to check out the Coliseum and Roman Forum. It was a bit crowded so we didn’t get to go inside (we’ll save that for our next Italy trip).<br /></p><br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg811ib95unZ94nR8W2MoRiLqtPRvsIb-2d7gZq6jbVUK5jKtnUHFE4M6HdKsissgxr8YWdVj61pSMzMtQ9LKiXQuAlYzL5_pOOyj17JC4ZCHmVqe4ndLAVUO4gVPLGR91OOOEpG_isl8hg/s1600/IMG_2268.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610848662952721234" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg811ib95unZ94nR8W2MoRiLqtPRvsIb-2d7gZq6jbVUK5jKtnUHFE4M6HdKsissgxr8YWdVj61pSMzMtQ9LKiXQuAlYzL5_pOOyj17JC4ZCHmVqe4ndLAVUO4gVPLGR91OOOEpG_isl8hg/s320/IMG_2268.JPG" /></a></p><br /><p align="center"><em>The Coliseum<br /></em></p><br /><p align="left">We walked around and then wandered around to find another Rick recommendation for lunch the Caffé Dello Studente. We were given complimentary outdoor seating and campari spritzers just for having Rick’s book. I had a very yummy sandwich called the Regina which was filled with prosciutto, mozzarella, porcini mushrooms, and arugula.<br /></p><br /><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ7adR4xiOJYPf8BhyBdWUZr-zMvSTzAheKH9pCYXMmwbA8fLhYAzm2CkPVUfryXRmXSKiCVkPJIbtZsq_MFVRt4mpTAi92n_x9QvFQaS5fIPm2zrkYM2-6WP_r8FBc6oyBv25cRijBOJ7/s1600/IMG_2273.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610848658562975650" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ7adR4xiOJYPf8BhyBdWUZr-zMvSTzAheKH9pCYXMmwbA8fLhYAzm2CkPVUfryXRmXSKiCVkPJIbtZsq_MFVRt4mpTAi92n_x9QvFQaS5fIPm2zrkYM2-6WP_r8FBc6oyBv25cRijBOJ7/s320/IMG_2273.JPG" /></a><br /></p><br /><p align="center"><em>The Regina</em></p><br /><p align="left"><br />After lunch we travelled outside of Rome to Tivoli to see the gardens of the Villa D’Este. The grounds were beautiful and all the fountains were amazing! We wrapped up the afternoon with some gelato (lemon and mixed berry) on the square. </p><br /><div><br /><div><br /><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAN05wJCYnA3pN2E_MXKTTaQtQ6nYLM6uCOB3tCznYaXM2JNTJbKVX9oTMWtnds90-4ZbEWyrVhoaf7QFYmr0MbmX8JHcXRBEzLJUn3UCXV0X7QBTrh7iPLRG2B7aheLCH6TaH9jDcpU_3/s1600/IMG_2279.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610847577733602658" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAN05wJCYnA3pN2E_MXKTTaQtQ6nYLM6uCOB3tCznYaXM2JNTJbKVX9oTMWtnds90-4ZbEWyrVhoaf7QFYmr0MbmX8JHcXRBEzLJUn3UCXV0X7QBTrh7iPLRG2B7aheLCH6TaH9jDcpU_3/s320/IMG_2279.JPG" /></a></p><br /><div align="center"><em>Tivoli Gardens</em><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixN_fCYR-SywoW7Cm8vEsyEa5SIuo970JSg4Rk8awy92Og4s8aOSLgDwWW1LNUCBv9RwmZu0b_5Lq8Ngfq9wYe_oF7WAEL_dJ0AlFG8W9OBqypUov6yyEsUIqKWbuvCQ6PR2SpbdKbgtDk/s1600/IMG_2280.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 240px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610847567545159298" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixN_fCYR-SywoW7Cm8vEsyEa5SIuo970JSg4Rk8awy92Og4s8aOSLgDwWW1LNUCBv9RwmZu0b_5Lq8Ngfq9wYe_oF7WAEL_dJ0AlFG8W9OBqypUov6yyEsUIqKWbuvCQ6PR2SpbdKbgtDk/s320/IMG_2280.JPG" /></a><br /><em>Tivoli Gardens</em><br /></div><br /><div align="left"></div><br /><div align="left">Sunday night I had arranged a surprise for me and Scott. I booked a private cooking class through <a href="http://www.nancyaiellotours.com/">Nancy Aiello tours</a> at the home of Nina and Alfredo. These two Italians were so charming and hospitable, we really felt as if we were among friends. In addition to the cooking lesson it was fascinating to learn about their life in Italy, the culture, and their travels abroad. Despite traveling light I had packed our aprons from home. Scott and Alfredo chatted while Nina directed me in the kitchen. We had a delicious meal that was all made with a few ingredients and very simple to prepare, which is great because we can easily reproduce everything for quick weeknight meal or casual dinner party. For our antipasti we made squash blossoms stuffed with a mixture of ricotta, lemon zest, anchovy paste, and nutmeg. These were my favorite thing on the menu, partially since they are so “exotic”. In Houston I can only find squash blossoms at the farmers market or rarely on a restaurant menu. For the primi we made spaghetti with a homemade tomato sauce. The foundation of the sauce was olive oil, garlic, and I think some red pepper flakes, but also added a mix of sundried tomatoes, anchovies, and onions, plus fresh vine ripened tomatoes. I was informed that no one in Italy buys jarred pasta sauce, everyone makes their own, and canned tomatoes are only used if desperate during the offseason. Four our main course we enjoyed a fabulous little beef roll ups, not sure what to call it but basically had some thin sliced steak, then a layer of prosciutto, some smoked mozzarella, fresh sage leaf, and then roll it all up and secure with a toothpick, coat with EVOO, and sprinkle with a bread and almond crumb mixture, and bake. Our side was some red bell pepper which was super yummy since I love bell peppers. This of course prompted a discussion about peppers and they do not have jalapenos in Italy. And finally for our dessert, we made a balsamic reduction which was sprinkled on chopped strawberries in a demitasse cup with a crushed amaretto cookie at the bottom. It was light and provided just the right amount of sweetness to finish the meal.<br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#ff6666;">Rome to Venice: Monday—Day 3<br /></span></strong>This was a long travel day on the tour bus but it was also our first autogrill experience. An autogrill is basically a glorified truskstop that is like a Bucees’ with a mini Luby’s inside, except that Luby’s buffet is yummy Italian food and they even have wine to enjoy with your meal. The scenery on the road was beautiful, travelling through Tuscany and seeing the grape vines, olive trees, and old hilltop towns. When we reached Venice, we immediately had a gondola ride to relax and take in the city. I wasn’t sure what to expect of Venice since I’ve heard mixed reviews. Upon arrival we were in love. And it does not smell! Everything is so quaint and picturesque. <br /></div><br /><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO59J50qpZhrqAlS_ILxDmpuhi2LYsWR1OiPih59SgUDqD2qayHtpB4WegOQN-ZdvkvJLs4Tsxl02w3iRXxy_mZ4wxRNzfdy4GSiado6pI1gFIWHWE2Mlkbl2E5iUEohn0EXUcrMp4pMJF/s1600/IMG_2309.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610846802564231330" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO59J50qpZhrqAlS_ILxDmpuhi2LYsWR1OiPih59SgUDqD2qayHtpB4WegOQN-ZdvkvJLs4Tsxl02w3iRXxy_mZ4wxRNzfdy4GSiado6pI1gFIWHWE2Mlkbl2E5iUEohn0EXUcrMp4pMJF/s320/IMG_2309.JPG" /></a></p><br /><div align="center"><em>Venice: St. Mark's Square</em></div><em></em></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><strong><span style="color:#ff6666;">Venice: Tuesday—Day 4</span></strong></div><br /><div>The morning started with a glass blowing demonstration and a little shopping at the Murano glass store. Then we followed Rick’s advice and got lost in Venice with our troublemaker friends. Since we were on a small island it’s really impossible to get lost or go too far. We just kept walking down streets and turning occasionally and then we stopped at one my favorite Venice places…a cicchetti bar! They are everywhere and you can even do “pub crawl” with them. Teeny little wine bars that also serve some crostini and antipasti. The boys had a beer and the girls had a glass of wine and we each had a crostini to snack on. We weren’t there very long and felt like we were chugging our wine, but when we looked around we saw everyone else had come and gone and slammed down their wine. I guess everyone is always in a hurry. </div><br /><div><br /><div align="center"><br /></div><br /><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtUtPlg9JyjwTmZJZePlErIZQbeMywpxKbpoLiz0dWKuz1U0eyomVtF708Us-Eo-AG4EP6wdKJMuIxuU9Keq2QLfh9PKZzoo2auvxiWPNrGsiQ3JXYTxG7C9KcUkE9wVyEC8PiUFqpZc1i/s1600/IMG_2319.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610846796277353314" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtUtPlg9JyjwTmZJZePlErIZQbeMywpxKbpoLiz0dWKuz1U0eyomVtF708Us-Eo-AG4EP6wdKJMuIxuU9Keq2QLfh9PKZzoo2auvxiWPNrGsiQ3JXYTxG7C9KcUkE9wVyEC8PiUFqpZc1i/s320/IMG_2319.JPG" /></a></p><br /><div align="center"><em>Cicchetti Bar</em></div><em></em></div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Afterwards we strolled over to the produce and fish markets and everything was unbelievably fresh. We made mental note to stop by later and pick up some snacks for a little happy hour before dinner. We also stopped by a wine shop to check out the local wines. We had a good laugh about the cranberry juice container that looked like it was written in Russian but said that it was made with real North American cranberries.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div><br /><div align="center"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirarNJEGK0hvWxDETolaPwW8MM9oIS3VQgCF7AOSdme73M21Ab3LbSubb8m5aBVdu1O53uIXf4AMJESM9FI9MvGvNwPaqnAAyNBDMWy48DoFnajEXplj0UHFPDwJeUql2PoQLGmDJf08bU/s1600/IMG_2320.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610846794305481026" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirarNJEGK0hvWxDETolaPwW8MM9oIS3VQgCF7AOSdme73M21Ab3LbSubb8m5aBVdu1O53uIXf4AMJESM9FI9MvGvNwPaqnAAyNBDMWy48DoFnajEXplj0UHFPDwJeUql2PoQLGmDJf08bU/s320/IMG_2320.JPG" /></a><br /><em>Produce Market</em><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxYdZ2p9JLGxf16312eomfU9ZLbes6qJ81LSgytcynRmsIB1WaxLODGSDHpzKibKXy8nV8bGM7XUfczR_G2MmtZlM6EO5I-ItnzugB26oRJGMwja7nFZWy-QH-PFdGK03ZEI39hInHZ8v_/s1600/IMG_2321.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610846790749209282" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxYdZ2p9JLGxf16312eomfU9ZLbes6qJ81LSgytcynRmsIB1WaxLODGSDHpzKibKXy8nV8bGM7XUfczR_G2MmtZlM6EO5I-ItnzugB26oRJGMwja7nFZWy-QH-PFdGK03ZEI39hInHZ8v_/s320/IMG_2321.JPG" /></a><br /><em>Seafood Market</em><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6O_2t5OOThTVhxWXhgv3F0ba4jCjpoZOcgTFqQb3eUrgaTt3rcwMTdy5BJf9qg2RkNS8ccBZl4-hAfGuyCYmQAcDFRChmlkuvINfQ_YtKt0f-txvSojkYfMsKBKSm9kKbpVKr3xNHVDUw/s1600/IMG_2322.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610846779946027634" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6O_2t5OOThTVhxWXhgv3F0ba4jCjpoZOcgTFqQb3eUrgaTt3rcwMTdy5BJf9qg2RkNS8ccBZl4-hAfGuyCYmQAcDFRChmlkuvINfQ_YtKt0f-txvSojkYfMsKBKSm9kKbpVKr3xNHVDUw/s320/IMG_2322.JPG" /></a><br /><em>Venetian water fountain</em></div><em></em></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Following Rick’s instructions, we had lunch at charming spot called Trattoria da Bepi, which was a bit of walk but totally worth it, since it was off the beaten path and had some fabulous seafood. After all we were on the coast and needed to take advantage of the seafood since it was so fresh. Scott and I shared the sea bass, which was presented to us as the whole fish and then our waiter cut it up and served it to us. <br /><br />After lunch we walked through St. Mark’s Basillica and then raced back to the market and wine shop and did a little divide and conquer to get our happy hour goodies…we ended up with delicious assortment of cherry tomatoes, raspberries, bread, prosciutto, salami, cheese, red wine, and some dessert treats.<br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#ff6666;">Verona: Wednesday—Day 5</span></strong><br />This was another day on the road with quick stops in two towns on the way to Florence. Our first stop was in Verona, and began at Juliet’s balcony. Then we headed to the Roman Arena and checked out the inside which is still relatively intact and is still used for concerts and other events. Scott and I did part of Rick’s self guided walk starting at the Arena, walking past the devotional column, and around to Porta Borsari and Corso Porta Borsari which was the main entrance to Roman Verona and functioned as a toll booth. We made a quick detour into <a href="http://www.enotecadalzovo.it/home.asp">Enoteca Oreste</a> and had a glass of wine with the owner, who only spoke Italian and talked to us about his wines and pointed to various items with his cane, so we sort of figured out what he was trying to say. Then we made our way through the Piazza Erbe on our way back to our meeting spot.</div><br /><div><br /><div align="center"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9IX5A53AMh8KuwRoT7Tg9nDeKFlSfVvmOZuXLnhCoY5ghu3B5ZmvnzqcQnhULK3WjLFKM0u0wUYgKtefUkTCWpl1K4BVr_0uXIjmGWCElv70ePuz94XUZdgaWG2zt6rrb-1aLqqV2Ejo2/s1600/IMG_2338.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 240px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610845095290413570" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9IX5A53AMh8KuwRoT7Tg9nDeKFlSfVvmOZuXLnhCoY5ghu3B5ZmvnzqcQnhULK3WjLFKM0u0wUYgKtefUkTCWpl1K4BVr_0uXIjmGWCElv70ePuz94XUZdgaWG2zt6rrb-1aLqqV2Ejo2/s320/IMG_2338.JPG" /></a><br /><em>Piazza Erbe and the whale bone</em></div><br /><div><br /><div><br /><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEkCHuP061CTL5xO72cFUN2TnBurCpM9VETBeQgLHOJB8vKIL0ZmHqS6eu4cQjPgHNFh34wxpR2NyRhvccq2lhY66lsVkTPUY1UG0C0jgjccqYajCdw-vo1jS_0o2EmPOqRtnvWrSv4rlk/s1600/IMG_2329.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 240px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610845088333594002" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEkCHuP061CTL5xO72cFUN2TnBurCpM9VETBeQgLHOJB8vKIL0ZmHqS6eu4cQjPgHNFh34wxpR2NyRhvccq2lhY66lsVkTPUY1UG0C0jgjccqYajCdw-vo1jS_0o2EmPOqRtnvWrSv4rlk/s320/IMG_2329.JPG" /></a></p><br /><div align="center"><em>Porta Borsari</em><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQCpypEQngHfStFnXEStxbeqXRQbPws_oQkK1_SyTRS4Tg_2XPx3Je7x2OxFgUeGcwJv6RcGI_gzr0BZaeEWefRmGixccPxxOSNrPD1kjWWutuH1Ej1_aMvq80o7utq6xSbr9UEFY5BMOu/s1600/IMG_2324.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610845078359828514" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQCpypEQngHfStFnXEStxbeqXRQbPws_oQkK1_SyTRS4Tg_2XPx3Je7x2OxFgUeGcwJv6RcGI_gzr0BZaeEWefRmGixccPxxOSNrPD1kjWWutuH1Ej1_aMvq80o7utq6xSbr9UEFY5BMOu/s320/IMG_2324.JPG" /></a> </div><br /><div align="center"><em>Roman Arena</em><br /><br /><br /></div><br /><div align="left"><strong><span style="color:#ff6666;">San Gimignano: Wednesday—Day 5</span></strong></div><br /><div align="left">The name of this town is a bit of a mouthful, so we have some nicknames for it…I call it “San G” and Scott calls it “San Chimichanga.” This medieval town is on the hill with a fabulous view of Tuscany. We chose to spend our time here doing two things, eating gelato, and sitting outside drinking some local wine enjoying the view. San G is home to the gelato world cup winner <a href="http://www.gelateriadipiazza.com/">Gelateria Pluripremiata di Piazza</a> and I enjoyed the lavender blackberry and rosemary raspberry flavors<br /></div><br /><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnhg-28aCGu5Cl17uVGu2i9-cQMCAflBHw_wbwIJ-W-PLJtx8-qdPBcAKu-H1vArD9YX4p_BVMe3MZQHB3k1iz9GL4oPD9dBotY7anr74VjGJ_tNER72mxWYR28xBKH3g4BUC3IrdXrlJF/s1600/IMG_2341.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610843993174913314" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnhg-28aCGu5Cl17uVGu2i9-cQMCAflBHw_wbwIJ-W-PLJtx8-qdPBcAKu-H1vArD9YX4p_BVMe3MZQHB3k1iz9GL4oPD9dBotY7anr74VjGJ_tNER72mxWYR28xBKH3g4BUC3IrdXrlJF/s320/IMG_2341.JPG" /></a></p><br /><div align="center"><em>View from San G.</em><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiCbG_2Gleo_Cq89GX3jZjl7Sl1ewCwx7drfRuhfloufk8iijY_c6EkDA7wSqkluT8x1SWbMOivrI8Sixl4n5DzC_n0Z2KnDXeQPbOKdOWJJp8jjRrLzIPLSrgpREDrwlI08H4-IMAq94C/s1600/IMG_2347.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 240px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610843983955074226" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiCbG_2Gleo_Cq89GX3jZjl7Sl1ewCwx7drfRuhfloufk8iijY_c6EkDA7wSqkluT8x1SWbMOivrI8Sixl4n5DzC_n0Z2KnDXeQPbOKdOWJJp8jjRrLzIPLSrgpREDrwlI08H4-IMAq94C/s320/IMG_2347.JPG" /></a><br /><em>San G.</em></div><em></em></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><strong><span style="color:#ff6666;">Florence: Thursday—Day 6</span></strong><br />Prior to the trip I really expected Florence to be my favorite city, but it was my least favorite (not that I didn’t like it, l I just liked all the other cities more). Maybe it was because it was one of the last places we visited so I had too much to compare it to, maybe it was because it felt more cramped and crowded, or maybe it was all the blog posts I read prior to the trip of people enjoying many a delicious meal so this is what I was expecting to be the culinary mecca…unfortunately I wasn’t there long enough to eat my way through the city but I ate as much as I could during the few hours I was there. We of course saw the David, he is so much taller than I had expected and even more perfect that he looked on Google Images. After the David it was time for me to begin my brief culinary experience. Scott and I went to the big market aptly named Mercato Centrale or Central Market. Since Central Market in Houston is my favorite upscale grocery store I knew this building had delicious treats inside. All the booths of meats, cheeses, pastas, and wine, all looked amazing, and it was a maze, very easy to get lost. I purchased four pastas while here to take home with me and was thankful I had packed the recyclable shopping bag to assist with transport since I was determined not check any bags at the airport…oh so back to my pasta purchases. I bought 3 flavors of tagliatelle: truffle, arugula, and plain, and then one package of saffron spaghetti. <br /><br />Thanks to one of the bloggers for sharing her Rick Steves’ recommendation we lunched at a darling little place called Trattoria Icche C’e C’e. We enjoyed a bottle of the house white wine, and for antipasti Scott had a caprese salad and I had some melon with prosciutto. I never knew cantaloupe could be so tasty and juicy, it was seriously the best cantaloupe I’ve ever had. I can’t remember what Scott ordered I just remember being disappointed he didn’t order some pasta with boar since boar meat is very popular in the area, but he liked what he ordered so I guess that’s all that matters. Per the blogger recommendation I ordered the truffled cream tagliatelle which was every bit as delicious as it sounds. When the waitress first brought it to the table I sat there for a minute just wafting the savory truffle scent into my nose before digging in. There is a similar <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/tagliarelle-with-truffle-butter-recipe/index.html">recipe</a> in the Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics cookbook which I have made at home, so it’s good to know that with a little truffle butter from Central Market, I can go to Florence any time I want. </div><br /><div><br />Scott and I walked around a bit after lunch and then made our way across the Piazza della Repubblica to enjoy a glass of wine at Osteria la Congrega. This fun little spot has a variety of indoor, covered, and outdoor seating. We enjoyed the patio while sipping our vino. Then we stopped by Festival de Gelato to get my daily gelato fix (one of the goals of the trip was to eat gelato everyday). </div><br /><div><br /><div align="center"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmKkh_h-JnG1l0VeixASfWz8RlDQBBaTWADaM9nEQrmnc8C-Sow7gXUB0yfeZqKtJLLwqw8fQwb_16pM3XkD5iuB9v9DPFP6AeeIa3gzr8Eaf_96StrWOXoamJJSg3e_JABOKsQWj2biNC/s1600/IMG_2364.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 240px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610842729135737538" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmKkh_h-JnG1l0VeixASfWz8RlDQBBaTWADaM9nEQrmnc8C-Sow7gXUB0yfeZqKtJLLwqw8fQwb_16pM3XkD5iuB9v9DPFP6AeeIa3gzr8Eaf_96StrWOXoamJJSg3e_JABOKsQWj2biNC/s320/IMG_2364.JPG" /></a><br /><em>The Duomo</em><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh45iHFuzQe8ItH9wbHlKogW5QGlabkVCPOvNYl5BgzpSaZ14p3F0Nmnh801ZvWNyQd36Yncq39k6TcgK2jegtfuGikF7KA9w0aCb-c03QBYzlrZOJDHLonLW6A48MOTq4iSjQuNqTTn3Zg/s1600/IMG_2363.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 240px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610842728787155298" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh45iHFuzQe8ItH9wbHlKogW5QGlabkVCPOvNYl5BgzpSaZ14p3F0Nmnh801ZvWNyQd36Yncq39k6TcgK2jegtfuGikF7KA9w0aCb-c03QBYzlrZOJDHLonLW6A48MOTq4iSjQuNqTTn3Zg/s320/IMG_2363.JPG" /></a><br /><em>The Duomo</em><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuYTLENStHq1tSTj6BJpKwkJRJVq0MCUA0vUgjgNjtJ_Yq1Pa3corv7_vqdZRcZynoy_ze0NH2p7ZMs2n9aAhLUGi7I-3otXz0oPfl15C-Wl_lojgBiQ2pKdpq0R5Si8hBk8lJuKz6MoEE/s1600/IMG_2370.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610842718409013074" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuYTLENStHq1tSTj6BJpKwkJRJVq0MCUA0vUgjgNjtJ_Yq1Pa3corv7_vqdZRcZynoy_ze0NH2p7ZMs2n9aAhLUGi7I-3otXz0oPfl15C-Wl_lojgBiQ2pKdpq0R5Si8hBk8lJuKz6MoEE/s320/IMG_2370.JPG" /></a><br /><em>View of Florence</em></div><em></em></div><br /><div></div><br /><div>That evening we enjoyed a wonderful dinner at the <a href="http://www.fattoriailpoggio.it/">Fattoria Il Poggio</a> winery in Tuscany. I don’t remember everything we ate, just that it was all delicious and the wine was bottomless and the night culminated with a dance party under the stars and singing along to the Mamma Mia soundtrack on the ride back to the hotel. The parts of the meal that do stand out, the bruschetta was amazing! I loved the soup and the chicken was very good. I bought their little leaflet cookbook which of course does not have any oven temperatures or cooking times, I guess they are masters and just know when everything is just perfect. <br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#ff6666;">Assisi: Friday—Day 7</span></strong> <br />Assisi is another picturesque tiny town and the home of St. Francis. With my various European travels I really thought once you’d seen one Cathedral you’d seen them all, but the Basilica of St. Francis I found to be the most interesting since it had so many levels and worshiping spaces, and not to mention amazing panoramic views! After strolling through all the facets of the Basillica, Scott and I strolled into town to find a spot for lunch and were on the hunt for a little deli type shop called <a href="http://www.labottegadeisapori.com/">La Bottega dei Sapori</a>. We got some delicious sandwiches; mine was on a rosemary foccacia with arugula, salami, and cheese. And one thing shocked me, they had bagged salad greens just like any grocery store in Houston. I thought “oh my they are cheating!” The owner let us sample various “salsas” and pestos with a variety of truffle and mushroom combinations. We bought a tiny jar of the black truffle salsa which is amazing! We would have bought a larger jar but were worried about our limitation of the airline mandated quart sized ziplock bag. Hopefully I can find more of this amazing stuff at Central Market or Spec’s. We of course also got a bottle of wine to enjoy with our sandwiches. </div><br /><div><br /><div align="center"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghYO2b_ZehOgagKAhSlZOrcgACDZwrxd5NkMIjBx0jFT2l8feZ-jgPfA3_KryDIOowuPCdGEMf32oLzoTvduR8Pgp9dlEnmMtlgIOlJty6LigXHx7Y8h2FW9kyYLnbGWdbw7X6tl3FfSN9/s1600/IMG_2375.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610841713049740482" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghYO2b_ZehOgagKAhSlZOrcgACDZwrxd5NkMIjBx0jFT2l8feZ-jgPfA3_KryDIOowuPCdGEMf32oLzoTvduR8Pgp9dlEnmMtlgIOlJty6LigXHx7Y8h2FW9kyYLnbGWdbw7X6tl3FfSN9/s320/IMG_2375.JPG" /></a></div><br /><div><br /><div><br /><div><br /><div align="center"><em>View from St. Francis Basilica</em></div><br /><div align="center"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibwyzH14SlaV3juaTZWzi5jO82E9RC_kWc5xjOJbeYom73b2_Le1jHQRLdUzKfyVr0HdeVSkzMBlicP7rkddHOKK3SmIfVCQogDs1Zzr9sV22NUMgE4186gAX-Yq-LaTzbRTAKKZivIsHx/s1600/IMG_2378.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610841709612191810" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibwyzH14SlaV3juaTZWzi5jO82E9RC_kWc5xjOJbeYom73b2_Le1jHQRLdUzKfyVr0HdeVSkzMBlicP7rkddHOKK3SmIfVCQogDs1Zzr9sV22NUMgE4186gAX-Yq-LaTzbRTAKKZivIsHx/s320/IMG_2378.JPG" /></a></div><br /><div align="center"><br /><em>Roman Forum</em><br /></div><br /><p align="center"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610841700312421474" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw9rKs0x01X0zbnksrEzp-JMKv5Q2cc5tjsDbZ4No_5ZcQBXgk5KBTe9g2DM0JGkMMqFX2NGZ7_1bgByqeJXevAb1AzjVmrdy0Uc7AO4bZe5JkQKW8mLTitzxJj_GB_X_p3DgipqpeIEcA/s320/IMG_2379.JPG" /><br /><em>Piazza Comune</em><br /></p><br /><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmSIZRhL1HTFbNJTlLcz0buJo7OeyM5S8KKk6LdShoBKcBuwMC9hLUq89b2KYrixv5sg9XvpXaXXsp251cHH831o4lPCIeuMAiuUI-IUkBVR8Z2dDHDK1YrQnuHpJHUaSzVlNOrLjTd9W2/s1600/IMG_2376.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610841139303146338" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmSIZRhL1HTFbNJTlLcz0buJo7OeyM5S8KKk6LdShoBKcBuwMC9hLUq89b2KYrixv5sg9XvpXaXXsp251cHH831o4lPCIeuMAiuUI-IUkBVR8Z2dDHDK1YrQnuHpJHUaSzVlNOrLjTd9W2/s320/IMG_2376.JPG" /></a></p><br /><div align="center"><em>St. Francis Basilica</em></div><br /><div align="center"><em></em><br /></div><br /><div align="left">Then it was on the road back to Rome to share in a farewell dinner with our new friends before parting ways and heading home the next morning. </div><br /><div align="center"></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Tiny's Treatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07813972848364890160noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846373625089893194.post-20845609280985650222011-04-26T21:00:00.005-05:002011-04-26T21:12:01.558-05:00CSA: Home Sweet FarmI’ve got a new project for some blogging material. This year I am participating in a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) with the <a href="http://www.homesweetfarm.com/">Home Sweet Farm</a> in Brenham, Texas. The farm makes produce deliveries to various drop locations around the Houston area for 30 weeks throughout the year.<br /><br />This is a very exciting and challenging opportunity for me. Usually my weekly grocery store purchases have quite a bit of produce. So I thought this would be a great way to support a local farmer and have some super fresh produce to eat. Although this also means trying some new produce that I haven’t cooked at home before. Some new items so far have been radishes, collard greens, swiss chard, and bok choy. My weekly pickup is on Thursdays at the JCC, so my goal each week is to use everything before the next delivery. This is forcing us to eat more meals at home and also to eat more veggies than we might normally.<br /><br />I’m on the 3rd week and have started to get the hang of all this. I always plan a weekly menu in advance but it’s usually based off of some new recipes I want to try, some weeknight staples, and my freezer, fridge, and pantry inventory. So now once I pickup my delivery I go to the internet and search <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/">Food Network</a>, <a href="http://www.myrecipes.com/">My Recipes (Southern Living)</a>, <a href="http://www.epicurious.com/">Epicurious</a>, and <a href="http://www.google.com/">Google</a> to find out what recipes I can find that sound yummy to me. Not to mention Farmer Brad & Jenny also send a <a href="http://www.homesweetfarm.com/Update.htm">weekly update</a> on Mondays with what’s coming available, the status of the crops, and some recipes to try for produce that might be delivered that week.<br /><br />So here is what I have to work with this week…<br /><br /><span style="color:#ff6666;"><strong>Head Lettuce<br /></strong></span>Every week has included head lettuce and/or spring mix and after two weeks of having salads for lunch, I needed a break and this week Scott gets to enjoy some lunch salads. He usually takes sandwiches to work, and we spend ~$14/week on deli meat + ~$3 on a loaf of bread, so instead this week I purchased a colossal rotisserie chicken for $7 and shredded it to be added to the salad with the addition of some nuts, dried fruit, and <a href="http://www.briannassaladdressing.com/flavors/blush-wine.html">Brianna’s blush wine vinaigrette</a>.<br /><br /><span style="color:#ff6666;"><strong>Turnips<br /></strong></span>The <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Southern-Living-Editors-Magazine/dp/0848732820/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1303868703&sr=1-1">Southern Living 2009 Christmas Book</a> has a great recipe for a <em>creamy turnip soup with bacon, caramelized pears, and onions</em>. I had made this during the winter and it was delicious. Although I think the fact that this recipe allows me to use one of my favorite gadgets, the immersion blender, coupled with bacon might be part of why I like it so much.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4xjn528FFIQxmiaRk6n9vp74MD2NYGa1g7zOuKGr2us1DswPnm79HGbfMBQz2Fq0CURRDryF5WmYt49lp3J35EEHNMUtCONFDZxxsj6qjPBy-7ObBCXaC5aSfCtPWyIjsGEA_MrCZJXKE/s1600/IMG_2119.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 255px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 202px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5600077853269017842" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4xjn528FFIQxmiaRk6n9vp74MD2NYGa1g7zOuKGr2us1DswPnm79HGbfMBQz2Fq0CURRDryF5WmYt49lp3J35EEHNMUtCONFDZxxsj6qjPBy-7ObBCXaC5aSfCtPWyIjsGEA_MrCZJXKE/s200/IMG_2119.JPG" /></a><span style="color:#ff6666;"><strong>Swiss Chard<br /></strong></span>Tonight I made Giada’s <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/whole-wheat-spaghetti-with-swiss-chard-and-pecorino-cheese-recipe/index.html"><em>wheat spaghetti with chard and pecorino</em></a> for a quick and tasty weeknight dinner. I made a few tweaks to the recipe. I only had one bunch of chard, used Italian style diced tomatoes, skipped the white wine since I didn’t have any open and substituted with pasta water, I also skipped the olives because I <u>do not</u> like olives, and used parmesan instead of pecorino since that is what I usually have in my fridge. Oh and I also had some leftover mushrooms so I added those as well.<br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlJnwKphQI4_9hWWZgvl413UtMTG4r8iTf6SzD2POL9IvHXVxHr0nkAFLI_tiOe0QKDsv12axr2hs9loH7SaRQpywwqQy7heziSAdim3SMXH3VHXA0OKy-kubpTRw6-o48TzoleGhifPUH/s1600/IMG_2139.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 243px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 182px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5600077851624429666" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlJnwKphQI4_9hWWZgvl413UtMTG4r8iTf6SzD2POL9IvHXVxHr0nkAFLI_tiOe0QKDsv12axr2hs9loH7SaRQpywwqQy7heziSAdim3SMXH3VHXA0OKy-kubpTRw6-o48TzoleGhifPUH/s200/IMG_2139.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div><span style="color:#ff6666;"><strong>Collard Greens<br /></strong></span>I’m planning to make Ellie Krieger’s <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ellie-krieger/short-cut-collard-greens-recipe/index.html"><em>short-cut collard greens</em></a> as a side for my pork tenderloin tomorrow night. Scott is a huge fan of collard greens. I made these the first week with bacon instead of Canadian bacon and he really enjoyed them.<br /><br /><span style="color:#ff6666;"><strong>Radishes<br /></strong></span>I’ve had radishes every week and have tried them two different ways. The preferred method is to slice the radishes and add them to the baking dish/roasting pan with a pork tenderloin or chicken thighs and season them w/ salt & pepper, add a little EVOO, and a tiny bit of truffle oil. Also the radish tops can be roasted as well. For the radish tops toss w/ a little EVOO and sprinkle with salt, place on a sheet pan and bake at 400 for about 10 minutes or so until crispy.<br /><br /><span style="color:#ff6666;"><strong>Arugula<br /></strong></span>Arugula is another item I’ve had each week and have included it in pastas but have also made the Barefoot Contessa’s <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/white-pizzas-with-arugula-recipe/index.html"><em>white pizzas with arugula</em></a>. This is a delicious pizza, but I short cut with the fresh pre-made pizza dough from Central Market which is half the recipe and I make it as one pizza. Since I still have half of the cheeses left we are making this again on Thursday for a date night on the patio.<br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#ff6666;">Onions<br /></span></strong>I just use these as an ingredient as needed. See swiss chard and collard greens.<br /></div><br /><br /><br /><div></div>Tiny's Treatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07813972848364890160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846373625089893194.post-52212518176069939492011-02-22T18:46:00.001-06:002011-02-22T18:46:00.186-06:00Easy & Elegant Sunday Supper<a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/tagliarelle-with-truffle-butter-recipe/index.html">Tagliarelle with Truffle Butter</a> and <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/french-apple-tart-recipe/index.html">French Apple Tart</a><br />Adapted from Barefoot Contessa<br /><br />I have wanted to make the tagliarelle with truffle butter ever since I first saw Ina make it on the Food Network and it was just as delicious as I had anticipated it would be. This past weekend Scott and I went to New Braunfels to visit my Grandpa (he is 99 and has an iphone and ipad), so I knew we’d need to have something quick and easy planned for dinner on Sunday night when we returned and these recipes were perfect.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzGxpm539gyMkxRMowlIXL6SucfPftlhlFAYX1wPwJSD_-W4ql5WO81NaI6OECoQwdCAc09CACanwL8HOlKOhnK_ue5geNeBWEyra_fZfjxmO2RhzKNxStsJTaqKTNaQNhkJvlVzd7QiQk/s1600/IMG_2131.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5576309110252327970" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzGxpm539gyMkxRMowlIXL6SucfPftlhlFAYX1wPwJSD_-W4ql5WO81NaI6OECoQwdCAc09CACanwL8HOlKOhnK_ue5geNeBWEyra_fZfjxmO2RhzKNxStsJTaqKTNaQNhkJvlVzd7QiQk/s320/IMG_2131.jpg" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9qiHPMCSquGcprd4AoIa7RczBCO7X4dJzm-4AfIN07qIjss5dAHjceGzhuBfhrS8e014aUyG5ZJvrB9KqnNbreAZoOCPmttXs8fhZwLlRD1WVH8heesH1lc4I0TZc5jaDA8V-3hi1NT1T/s1600/IMG_2134.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5576309105508951346" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9qiHPMCSquGcprd4AoIa7RczBCO7X4dJzm-4AfIN07qIjss5dAHjceGzhuBfhrS8e014aUyG5ZJvrB9KqnNbreAZoOCPmttXs8fhZwLlRD1WVH8heesH1lc4I0TZc5jaDA8V-3hi1NT1T/s320/IMG_2134.jpg" /></a>The Tagliarelle with truffle butter had a few challenges and adjustments. The recommended cipriani tagliarelle pasta is not available at Central Market, so instead I purchased some fresh tagliatelle. I love fresh pasta so I’m sure this was every bit as good as the original if not better. However I almost had a heart attack when I discovered that the truffle butter was not in its usual spot and fortunately the cheese lady found some hidden in the deli. The recipe calls for 3 oz of shaved parmesan, but I think 1.5 oz would be plenty and only 2 Tbsp of fresh chives as well. This made 3 servings, but I wish my dad hadn’t been there with us so I could have eaten more of it. So let’s say it make 2 generous servings, if you are serving it alone.<br /><br />The French apple tart was very simple to make and tasted very light. I took a shortcut and used a puff pastry. I had made Ina’s <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/apple-turnovers-recipe/index.html">apple and dried cherry turnovers</a> for Valentine’s Day and only made half the recipe so I had a sheet leftover to use for the tart. The recipe calls for 4 granny smith apples but I only used 2.5 apples and less than ¼ cup of sugar and about 3 Tbsp of butter. For the glaze I used 1 Tbsp dark rum and finished off a jar of apricot preserves (so ~1/4 cup). I didn’t even strain it, just dipped the brush in the mixture and then onto the tart. Also the tart only took 45 minutes to bake.<br /><br /><div></div></div>Tiny's Treatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07813972848364890160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846373625089893194.post-30177937465525313992011-02-21T18:28:00.002-06:002011-02-21T18:30:37.044-06:00Be Mine with Cookies & Cream Bites<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY7Ru2ki6aL-ngLNz8jzTEm_qKysIuE6TtTKFhPrNn8_MuiE_49LqXcBlmMEKH1BqCXKmyLztGoTCZ6sNj8FdIVKsRpWhYJ_zhJx8NCpUqN_zw7-SNaXSwBKjkFsWQrhsImu5Q1bajxwG4/s1600/IMG_2124.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5576304424276234354" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY7Ru2ki6aL-ngLNz8jzTEm_qKysIuE6TtTKFhPrNn8_MuiE_49LqXcBlmMEKH1BqCXKmyLztGoTCZ6sNj8FdIVKsRpWhYJ_zhJx8NCpUqN_zw7-SNaXSwBKjkFsWQrhsImu5Q1bajxwG4/s320/IMG_2124.jpg" /></a>Cookies & Cream Bites<br />adapted from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Peace-Meals-Junior-League-Houston/dp/0615207839/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1298333558&sr=1-2">Peace Meals </a>by the Junior League of Houston<br />makes 30 bites<br /><br />ingredients:<br />1 package Oreos (1 lb, 2 oz)<br />8 oz cream cheese (1/3 less fat), softened<br />14 oz chocolate candy coating<br />sprinkles<br /><br />directions:<br />1. Grind Oreos in a food processor and once crumbled add in cream cheese and combine until no cream cheese can be seen.<br />2. Transfer mixture to a bowl and refrigerate for at least 45 minutes.<br />3. Once the mixture is chilled form into 1” balls and place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and then chill for another 15 minutes.<br />4. Melt chocolate candy coating and dip balls into the chocolate using a skewer or toothpick, then dip into sprinkles and place back on cookie sheet to dry.<br /><br />These cookies & cream bites were super easy to make and super rich and chocolately. They pulled double duty since Scott and I sampled some as part of our Valentine’s dessert tray and then the remainder was consumed at the monthly birthday celebration at work. Believe me when I say they didn’t last long. I'll admit I ate at least 6 Oreos before actually getting started. I was thrilled with the short ingredient list and also bought the store brand ingredients to save a little money. Next time I think I’ll buy the double stuffed Oreos. The best part was the Kroger brand candy coating came in its own microwavable tray so I didn’t have to rig a double boiler and had one less dish to clean. I used a small cookie scoop so I only made about 18-19 instead of the 30 suggested and I’m sure part of that was the upfront quality control testing.<br /><div></div>Tiny's Treatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07813972848364890160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846373625089893194.post-70238219929453367132010-12-27T13:59:00.004-06:002010-12-27T14:13:31.102-06:00Cozy Christmas<span style="color:#cccccc;">Traditional Christmas Dinner</span><br /><a href="http://www.blogger.com/">Williams-Sonoma Entertaining</a><br /><br />Usually Scott and I host Christmas Day for ~14 people, but this year we only cooked for 4. This sounds like it would be simple, but choosing the menu was the hard part. Most holiday recipes are written for 8-12 servings. The Traditional Christmas Dinner Menu from Williams-Sonoma Entertaining was for 6 servings, so we had just enough for leftovers. The only change I made was to substitute the oyster stew for a salad. Everything was delicious and I’d definitely make each recipe again. One thing I found amusing was that 4 of these recipes had half and half as ingredient; I ended up needing a half gallon of half and half.<br /><br /><br /><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY_DNnQe2yekfRmQ3eqZ0lsAxfjySYiWYfkfLjsQPphkEbOj4Rf4GNJwujV6wkkbiNxpH1B-vZuRQBsAFdIGPONojG0Usd7rgEUTEFDrszAXqB7vZtoYmZ5cqMBdwBE3GNT-4bQF-9j416/s1600/IMG_2109.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555455110786090674" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY_DNnQe2yekfRmQ3eqZ0lsAxfjySYiWYfkfLjsQPphkEbOj4Rf4GNJwujV6wkkbiNxpH1B-vZuRQBsAFdIGPONojG0Usd7rgEUTEFDrszAXqB7vZtoYmZ5cqMBdwBE3GNT-4bQF-9j416/s320/IMG_2109.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><span style="color:#ff6666;">Winter Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing</span><br />This salad was very yummy I deviated a little from the recipe and for the greens got a bag of mixed greens that also contained some soft butter lettuce. This salad was full of surprises with cashews, dried cranberries, walnuts, pear, apple, and Swiss cheese. The salad dressing ended up being lemon vinaigrette since Central Market was out of poppy seeds in their bulk section. I borrowed this recipe from Peace Meals but also stumbled upon a variation of it by another name in one of my Southern Living Christmas books. This could also be great as a meal salad with some chicken or pork. </p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii1qpS6OliQ-OXzPpFxLk9zP91dWt8hOBhNGY2SVPwngxUtwPchqAnfLIKNpCn6LN_5Orn-24mHq1fo5eGV8-5cB7FbMEiO76cpxpT8RRWqEc0XZzkruFjhH0jd59nvLnAH02T2Kis6VwR/s1600/IMG_2113.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555454831456484866" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii1qpS6OliQ-OXzPpFxLk9zP91dWt8hOBhNGY2SVPwngxUtwPchqAnfLIKNpCn6LN_5Orn-24mHq1fo5eGV8-5cB7FbMEiO76cpxpT8RRWqEc0XZzkruFjhH0jd59nvLnAH02T2Kis6VwR/s320/IMG_2113.JPG" /></a><br /><span style="color:#ff6666;">Standing Rib Roast</span><br />I splurged and bought the Central Market Prime rib roast since it’s the holidays but a choice cut would be just as good. I made the herb paste a few days before so I’d have less to do on the big day. However the cooking time in the recipe was grossly understated, I was glad I used a meat thermometer to stay on track since even with my oven on convection roast it took an additional 30-60 minutes to cook. I also skipped the madiera jus since I had too many things going on at the last minute but I did make the horseradish sauce (since it could be prepped early).<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnK-XpPG8KfjskLNvTstriSXg0TMcR3RVCCL3aPS2D2SOZ_-k0-AHJyU5F9PvCOX1IkhtZVZf-b1i111krJaAWBVrbbpFdPg57XvHZaYIWKb5zpsdIvYsRKmWi4nc08BGgXoPIy9tiOv_e/s1600/IMG_2114.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555454828508439138" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnK-XpPG8KfjskLNvTstriSXg0TMcR3RVCCL3aPS2D2SOZ_-k0-AHJyU5F9PvCOX1IkhtZVZf-b1i111krJaAWBVrbbpFdPg57XvHZaYIWKb5zpsdIvYsRKmWi4nc08BGgXoPIy9tiOv_e/s320/IMG_2114.JPG" /></a><br /><span style="color:#ff6666;">Yorkshire Pudding</span> </div><div>The puddings were easy to make and were very light and tasty. I substituted rosemary for the thyme since I love rosemary and its easier to handle that thyme. And lastly a smear of butter makes everything better.<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPVfi8y-TBscr80fJV0D6Y98f1gG1gIRJ92_zr0SxjG4icLjnfqzyF8cgxg8OaWfHPr8AgfuXy_ZSpIH607YAkEiTxJIVc3IoQbsCLRbqACE4l5gBgKf2NfmuCDiONzM8Ndq5FnnVOTZQN/s1600/IMG_2118.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555454824357760658" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPVfi8y-TBscr80fJV0D6Y98f1gG1gIRJ92_zr0SxjG4icLjnfqzyF8cgxg8OaWfHPr8AgfuXy_ZSpIH607YAkEiTxJIVc3IoQbsCLRbqACE4l5gBgKf2NfmuCDiONzM8Ndq5FnnVOTZQN/s320/IMG_2118.JPG" /></a><span style="color:#ff6666;"></span></div><div><span style="color:#ff6666;">Potato and Celery Root Puree</span></div><div>This was very light and tasty, I liked the addition of the celery root and they didn’t seem as dense as most mashed potato recipes.<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgio6oFrmywY-3IoPggn6OQIGHFBvZE0-XPwcabYA9u9HST3iYeZnTN7FykO6LQnFEgDfO3A7mJWo6Oi-7-1NKidNdAAHtHkJFVl-mVhwJFc84reCsv9c8j4V2LBiP2aqElhVENfHR53ZLC/s1600/IMG_2116.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555454821927769362" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgio6oFrmywY-3IoPggn6OQIGHFBvZE0-XPwcabYA9u9HST3iYeZnTN7FykO6LQnFEgDfO3A7mJWo6Oi-7-1NKidNdAAHtHkJFVl-mVhwJFc84reCsv9c8j4V2LBiP2aqElhVENfHR53ZLC/s320/IMG_2116.JPG" /></a><br /><span style="color:#ff6666;">Creamed Spinach</span></div><div>I was amazed by how quick this recipe was to make. I think about 5 minutes in total. Spinach dishes can be really good or just okay…since this one had almost 2 cups of half and half it was rich and delicious. <div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7y7gIWu7B-IL06NVTMIsuskJ-PCPtDFrycw07VT1jB4al0XmJsekBaoXWthO3SlxchUR6F5tXhUencq5fJeXuUOShq5DDfFHVVs7SfgiLBKnkALDBDvM2iU6JvXs9aG1dV7TRGaditejw/s1600/IMG_2117.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555454813431367906" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7y7gIWu7B-IL06NVTMIsuskJ-PCPtDFrycw07VT1jB4al0XmJsekBaoXWthO3SlxchUR6F5tXhUencq5fJeXuUOShq5DDfFHVVs7SfgiLBKnkALDBDvM2iU6JvXs9aG1dV7TRGaditejw/s320/IMG_2117.JPG" /></a><br /><span style="color:#ff6666;">Bread Pudding</span></div><div>These “individual” bread puddings were really enough for two people each. They were massive and the cream anglaise really was the best part.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div></div></div></div></div>Tiny's Treatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07813972848364890160noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846373625089893194.post-74543952759270750192010-12-24T13:06:00.003-06:002010-12-24T13:18:12.659-06:00Delicious Destination: Belize<a id="internal-source-marker_0.7836752343511109" href="http://www.matachica.com/">Matachica Resort</a>, Ambergris Caye<br /><br />Back during the summer Scott and I decided to plan a trip to start off the Christmas holiday with some R&R. Our requirements for the trip were that it had to be a tropical location in the Caribbean and a direct flight from Houston. We wanted a place that was romantic and where we could get away from everything. A google search led me to the Matachica Resort in Belize. The photos on the website were beautiful and the reviews on Trip Advisor and Yahoo Travel confirmed that the experience would match the photos. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEGWtPlbpnOx4KiY-X7t0UJNMXXSvMhXM93GuUKtoEzOJ0PVkKqBBYSAo7gOO-kqNUafFjOX2hAjvjpE464DE35LIyUSgVUS2uq1XZIjpKFuPy8SgpvQuYS1py4yxJFPsjoZJqcfAwLV8g/s1600/IMG_2047.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5554328320388852898" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEGWtPlbpnOx4KiY-X7t0UJNMXXSvMhXM93GuUKtoEzOJ0PVkKqBBYSAo7gOO-kqNUafFjOX2hAjvjpE464DE35LIyUSgVUS2uq1XZIjpKFuPy8SgpvQuYS1py4yxJFPsjoZJqcfAwLV8g/s320/IMG_2047.JPG" /></a>We had a 2.5 hour flight from Houston to Belize City, Belize. From there we took a propeller plane to San Pedro on the island of Ambergris Caye and Charlie from Matachica met us at the San Pedro airport and took us by boat the resort. The resort is only 5 miles from town, but the roads are sand primary land transportation is via golf cart so travel by boat is the way to go.<br /><br />Upon arrival we were greeted with a welcome cocktail, settled into our bungalow, and then had delicious lunch followed by some relaxation at the pool. We had no TV or phone, and the main house did have some computers and wi-fi but I turned off my phones and left them that way the whole time.<br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3uXGtp8qLzWsJ9PveNmRDMOoSnQTS8uByZ00xuAfJRExikslS82JOTjTnv6GqW8WvknJfcu3Krz4y9rr3gAFp_hap9XD7vbfWL44ITHaDaOckEtt_k6WcO1Sj0tSxXYXdc582d93LZYju/s1600/IMG_2054.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5554328315389049570" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3uXGtp8qLzWsJ9PveNmRDMOoSnQTS8uByZ00xuAfJRExikslS82JOTjTnv6GqW8WvknJfcu3Krz4y9rr3gAFp_hap9XD7vbfWL44ITHaDaOckEtt_k6WcO1Sj0tSxXYXdc582d93LZYju/s320/IMG_2054.JPG" /></a>A typical day was wake up, eat breakfast, short walk down the beach, layout on the beach, eat lunch, go back to the beach, and then finish the afternoon by the pool. Every evening we had a pre-dinner cocktail at the bar, then had dinner, and went to bed. Each meal we worked our way through the menu so we could try as many different items as possible, and all were delicious.</div><div> </div><div>One day we actually went on a fishing/snorkeling excursion just the two of us and our guide. We caught enough snapper for our lunch and dinner which the chef prepared for us. We chose fish tacos for lunch and pouch of with snapper fillet, tomatoes, bell peppers, and white wine burre blanc sauce for dinner. This experience was one of the favorites of our trip.<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXBZEetNQ4AgcadWJKJd9WSH9O7H0xD-hn6QNQJq8t3HseGCdHCpIdTL7eoVh6rhIVMerYNDolL9BVCjfKp7x7SoYRrZCfUYLaIQwwIogoPSh2A0mV0n2YhFnvOCaL7o4A3oqJobuHK8Nl/s1600/IMG_2072.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5554328315463743746" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXBZEetNQ4AgcadWJKJd9WSH9O7H0xD-hn6QNQJq8t3HseGCdHCpIdTL7eoVh6rhIVMerYNDolL9BVCjfKp7x7SoYRrZCfUYLaIQwwIogoPSh2A0mV0n2YhFnvOCaL7o4A3oqJobuHK8Nl/s320/IMG_2072.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZRNoozFpBi4dMqu7z4Gf99vF8DkTup24AK_AaWGL7TdQfkaPsbnxm0uSXOLo0GwTzGn-a0ggd1fzgX6sR5Xu4eMcwSY-uVOXPIjHMvD9YChadfNI4de1zwrSvypb3cBGhDeOr_liWhB2G/s1600/IMG_2077.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5554328308225388290" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZRNoozFpBi4dMqu7z4Gf99vF8DkTup24AK_AaWGL7TdQfkaPsbnxm0uSXOLo0GwTzGn-a0ggd1fzgX6sR5Xu4eMcwSY-uVOXPIjHMvD9YChadfNI4de1zwrSvypb3cBGhDeOr_liWhB2G/s320/IMG_2077.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5554328307661162914" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi24CuA2LyvnDq5PdZ3ZSx5jZR55KVqKlLhSach9JQFalMsSzfGfk9zy-8DHdSw1PkLkmzvHRKoi3NCd8rzxlUQLSxqJm8N2Yw6SzEbr4Dpo2qIyVfqI9xj5N-fUPUkTO_0GB_rYMHoq9NT/s320/IMG_2087.JPG" />Our last full day we indulged in spa appointments so we could be fully relaxed before returning home.</div></div></div></div>Tiny's Treatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07813972848364890160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846373625089893194.post-20344225571765283782010-12-14T21:57:00.002-06:002010-12-14T22:01:45.463-06:00Lazy Lasagna<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgocPb6nUmHEuC9TobaEssIrQwAfwADIPYV1zyc3YVetwtuzKGcWBPP5wt_KT1iD6MMvAeiyVpp44fzQT4kDT1B9wXTTdxb0ImfJPkvIhzDFLSsHon4AfH2mvFe00CMf2VGDJQJk1Y37Gd9/s1600/IMG_2043.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550753594423411586" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgocPb6nUmHEuC9TobaEssIrQwAfwADIPYV1zyc3YVetwtuzKGcWBPP5wt_KT1iD6MMvAeiyVpp44fzQT4kDT1B9wXTTdxb0ImfJPkvIhzDFLSsHon4AfH2mvFe00CMf2VGDJQJk1Y37Gd9/s320/IMG_2043.JPG" /></a>Turkey Lasagna<br />adapted from <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/turkey-lasagna-recipe2/index.html">Barefoot Contessa</a><br /><br />I was not a lasagna fan until I tasted this recipe. Everything Ina Garten makes is delicious and when I first saw this episode on the Food Network for Turkey lasagna I knew it was going to be fabulous. The first time or two I made this recipe I actually used turkey sausage, a combination of mild and hot. One day I was at Central Market and instead chose half hot pork sausage and half mild pork sausage and it really took this recipe to the next level. But go ahead and use the turkey so you can pretend likes it healthy. I also do use lower fat cheeses in the recipe when available. <br /><br />This is a great make ahead dish that can be stored in the freezer. I’m sure you noticed the crude presentation of a foil baking dish in the photo. I make two of these every year for our annual Labor Day trip. I use the foil pans for the trip so we don’t have to wash dishes and I don’t have to worry about anything breaking during transport. This year we were expecting more people so I had made 3 but some people had to drop out at the last minute so I left the third lasagna in the freezer to be enjoyed at some unknown date in the future. Well that date has arrived. See it’s my birthday and December is always a busy time of year, and we are leaving to vacation in Belize. So in addition to being out of town every weekend this month I just don’t have the time for a proper b-day celebration. But since several friends have inquired and insisted I do something to mark the occasion my compromise was to have a causal low-key girls dinner and thaw out that lasagna. Everyone else was responsible for vino, salad, and dessert (and my wonderful husband washed the dishes). One friend said it wasn't right hat I was making my own dinner, but the work was done back in August, I just threw it in the oven.Tiny's Treatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07813972848364890160noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846373625089893194.post-21224023276532912722010-11-26T15:32:00.004-06:002010-11-26T15:40:38.531-06:00Sweet Potato Pie<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijLHf1oT0TgyRlxjRPepxkLVAQyav9yqxjMNoTiNmmlN8YtrpkemEXdB4HZhLwAAdYv94Vf_ieo1VRVYUKJWMai5KoywfHOnAG0GsupmjowNdH7kp8P1SfJJ_KQpFx92ze2kn6O4MgMf0k/s1600/IMG_2023.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543974840094982706" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijLHf1oT0TgyRlxjRPepxkLVAQyav9yqxjMNoTiNmmlN8YtrpkemEXdB4HZhLwAAdYv94Vf_ieo1VRVYUKJWMai5KoywfHOnAG0GsupmjowNdH7kp8P1SfJJ_KQpFx92ze2kn6O4MgMf0k/s320/IMG_2023.JPG" /></a> Sweet Potato Pie with Marshmallow Meringue<br /><a href="http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=50400000107602">Southern Living</a>: November 2010<br /><br />This delicious pie is on the cover of the Southern Living Thanksgiving issue and has the look of perfection. Mine of course does not look as fabulous since I don’t have a food stager or professional photographer on standby. Many years ago at a Thanksgiving buffet I grabbed a slice of sweet potato pie by mistake thinking it was pumpkin—they are both orange. I was disappointed when I was told it was sweet potato, but reluctantly tasted it anyway and was pleasantly surprised. This pie was absolutely delicious and exceeded the pie in my memory.<br /><br />Also last night while eating Thanksgiving leftovers for dinner I realized this pie can double a side or dessert since its sweet potato!<br /><br />I started off this year’s holiday season with our new tradition of a broken oven (it has broken 3 years in a row during the holidays). Fortunately the part was available and it was repaired on Tuesday allowing me plenty of time to bake my dessert to take to Scott’s family Thanksgiving. <br /><br />There were several great things about this pie recipe. I was able to bake the sweet potatoes for the filling on Tuesday night, use a Pillsbury pie crust and assemble and bake the pie on Wednesday, and then prepare the meringue on Thursday morning. For the sweet potatoes, I poked them with a fork, wrapped them in foil and baked them in a 400 degree oven for about an hour and half and then scooped out the filling. I absolutely detest making a pie crust from scratch--I feel like it’s a lot of unnecessary work for something that is in the background, and yet at the same time it’s so essential. I once cut my finger on the food processor blade while making a pie crust for a less than stellar pie, so maybe I am scarred for life. But there are some shortcuts I take to deviate from my scratch method, and for me the Pillsbury pie crust is one of those rare exceptions.<br /><br />This pie also had several baking firsts for me. I don’t bake a lot of pies since my favorite desserts are cookies and I will occasionally bake a tart but tart crust is entirely different. Anyway this pie called for prebaking the pie crust using pie weights. I didn’t read over the directions until the last minute, so instead of braving the Thanksgiving shopper insanity at the grocery store to pick up some dried beans, I was already planning to stop by Williams-Sonoma for some pre-black Friday holiday shopping and purchased pie weights there. Scott made the mistake of biting into one thinking it was candy…good thing he didn’t bite too hard or he would have lost a tooth. Also this was my first time to ever make a meringue which sounds intimidating, but it was actually very easy thanks to my Kitchen Aid mixer. However I discovered in the car on the way to our Thanksgiving meal that meringue can melt so it needs to stay in the fridge.<br /><br />Enjoy!<br /><div></div>Tiny's Treatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07813972848364890160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846373625089893194.post-42454112147219565862010-11-04T18:46:00.001-05:002010-11-04T18:47:53.000-05:00Chocolate Raspberry Cookies<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXGy01WVoVX8B0DUS_QKBdQCdF5J1AoNDM0iUmXHOlelePG4Ku_AfMWsuAllnZP7BuZUoQw_3u_sI3kUKXyTuNTOnmGV5oLUNJfZA593YNtkrfvZ0xQJmjqBO10W0cwnp6ULhhZ7-jRSlO/s1600/IMG_1988.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5535845369326297202" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXGy01WVoVX8B0DUS_QKBdQCdF5J1AoNDM0iUmXHOlelePG4Ku_AfMWsuAllnZP7BuZUoQw_3u_sI3kUKXyTuNTOnmGV5oLUNJfZA593YNtkrfvZ0xQJmjqBO10W0cwnp6ULhhZ7-jRSlO/s320/IMG_1988.JPG" /></a>Chocolate Raspberry Cookies<br />By <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/chocolate-raspberry-cookies-recipe/index.html">Paula Dean</a><br /><br />I’m in love with these cookies and also very sad since this is the last time I will ever bake them. Hershey’s has discontinued the main ingredient. I used to be able to find the chocolate raspberry baking pieces at my local grocery store and then one day they were gone. I immediately went to the Hershey’s website only to discover they were no longer listed. I sent an email to Hershey’s urging them to bring them back and to let me know if there were anymore packages available in the Houston area. As luck would have it, I received a reply and headed over to the River Oaks Randall’s where I bought the last bag! This was over a year ago and I have been holding on this piece of heaven ever since, waiting for the perfect occasion. <br /><br />That day has finally come. When I bake cookies I usually have enough for 2 occasions, so I try to be strategic about splitting up the cookies…I don’t want to end up with too many on my waistline. The two lucky recipients of this chocolate goodness are my Grandpa and my old boss Anita. <br /><br />My Grandpa is 99 and recently broke his hip, had hip replacement surgery, and is temporarily living in a rehabilitation facility so he can undergo physical therapy everyday for several weeks to learn how to walk again. He has a serious sweet tooth and those genes were passed onto me. At his age I hope he is around long enough for this pain and suffering to be worth it. So I thought I’d cheer him up with a package of cookies and some cross word puzzles to keep him occupied. <br /><br />Also Anita’s birthday was on Halloween, so I owed her some goodies. She was my boss for several years when I first started working and she is responsible for molding me into the employee that I am today.<br /><div></div>Tiny's Treatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07813972848364890160noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846373625089893194.post-20327586691727991302010-11-01T20:56:00.002-05:002010-11-01T20:59:55.058-05:00Fall Flank Steak SaladThis recipe was inspired by the November 2010 issue of Southern Living. It is filled with fabulous fall and Thanksgiving recipes, including a sweet potato pie that I have been dying to bake. I was looking for a quick and easy weeknight recipe and when I saw the <a href="http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=50400000107588">Leafy Green Salad with Pears</a> recipe I thought, “Add a protein and it’s a meal.” <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxo_L7NK_EbkRvvAWoIPX85yZt-g9YYVZ6HQdJXvCIrHy-2VfnczNyg0lvOQyQf6_TXDecEFfPNkhG0Ig_kkXXRuXJtcISadDiyufOrwiGMT_psCVAt6o7_Q0L7sIwDd5QHGcGo89fDOzZ/s1600/IMG_1975.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5534765616369668162" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxo_L7NK_EbkRvvAWoIPX85yZt-g9YYVZ6HQdJXvCIrHy-2VfnczNyg0lvOQyQf6_TXDecEFfPNkhG0Ig_kkXXRuXJtcISadDiyufOrwiGMT_psCVAt6o7_Q0L7sIwDd5QHGcGo89fDOzZ/s320/IMG_1975.jpg" /></a>Fall Flank Steak Salad<br />Serves 3-4<br /><br />1 lb flank steak<br />1 Bartlett pear<br />¼ cup candied pecans<br />1 bag butter greens<br />Salt & pepper<br />Salad dressing (optional)<br /><br />1. Heat skillet over medium heat<br />2. Season flank steak with salt and pepper and cook for 5-6 minutes per side for medium rare. Let rest for 5 minutes before slicing.<br />3. Slice pear.<br />4. Add lettuce to plates and top with steak, pear slices, and candied pecans. Add salad dressing if desired.<br /><br />Blue cheese would be a great addition to the salad. I have a chunk in the freezer but was too distracted with all the leftover Halloween candy to think about it. I opted for no salad dressing; however Scott added some <a href="http://www.briannassaladdressing.com/flavors/blush-wine.html">Brianna’s Blush Wine Vinaigrette</a>. A honey vinaigrette or balsamic dressing would be a great addition as well. I will be enjoying the leftover salad for lunch tomorrow.<br /><div></div>Tiny's Treatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07813972848364890160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846373625089893194.post-42984938517346714422010-10-17T21:05:00.004-05:002010-10-17T21:11:24.521-05:00Date Night Any/Every Night<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGZXQrM_i2ZlnXlas5lPZpUxvgSX8YDaQbjGa1Ee9r2693hfeevZS9lDOFIXQg2ri583lUHBXbroGVkN5gOf5UZfQQ1VwJCcO_oxpiVggH3CaOxx4v8Hm5_NZevg3e-WtcqdvRA5m6EOsF/s1600/IMG_1970.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529202109684323826" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGZXQrM_i2ZlnXlas5lPZpUxvgSX8YDaQbjGa1Ee9r2693hfeevZS9lDOFIXQg2ri583lUHBXbroGVkN5gOf5UZfQQ1VwJCcO_oxpiVggH3CaOxx4v8Hm5_NZevg3e-WtcqdvRA5m6EOsF/s320/IMG_1970.jpg" /></a><br /><div>Recipes from <a href="http://www.juniorleaguehouston.org/?nd=full&key=294">Peace Meals</a></div><br /><div></div>Tonight Scott and I conducted our weekly Peace Meals recipe test with a few tests. 1. We finally used our new grill that my dad gave us for our anniversary back in May; and 2. We had dinner on the patio.<br /><br />You are probably wondering why it took us ~5 months to use our grill for the first time, but really it’s a simple answer, it was just too HOT outside, plus we have a grill pan which is well suited for cooking for two and indoors.<br /><br />And then there is the concept of dinner on the patio. Now that Fall has arrived, we have been trying to eat dinner on the patio regularly. Everyone loves dining al fresco whether on the patio of your favorite restaurant (Grappino’s, Teala’s, La Vista, etc.) or in your own backyard.<br /><br />So tonight we made our usual Sunday dinner routine into an unexpected and perfect date night with dinner on the patio. We turned the television to the classical music channel, opened the patio doors, and were celebrating the Christening of our new grill. I usually try to limit my adult beverage consumption to Thursday, Friday, Saturday, but the ambiance made it hard to resist. Scott really wanted a glass of wine all we currently have in inventory is “the good stuff”. Speaking of “the good stuff”, our wine du jour was from our 4th anniversary trip to Napa back in May-- we enjoyed the <a href="http://elysewinery.com/index.html">Elyse </a>“C’est si bon,” which is French for “It’s so good!”. I don’t think we need to explain that further because the name says it all.<br /><br />And onto our meal…the Grilled Pork Loin Adobado and Honey Roasted Root Vegetables. I was expecting the pork to be spicy but it wasn’t at all. I roasted some Poblano peppers which are milder chiles, the pork had a good flavor, plus I have plenty of leftovers for lunch the next few days and for Scott’s dinner on Wednesday night while I’m at book club. The honey roasted root veggies were delicious and easy to make. I roasted butternut squash, carrots, turnips, fingerling potatoes, garlic, and shallots mixed with honey, olive oil, champagne vinegar, salt, and pepper for 45 minutes at 400. If I had it to do over again I would have turned the veggies along the way for even carmelization, or actually just left the garlic cloves whole instead of slicing. It was definitely a great fall/winter side dish and good compliment to the pork.<br /><br />Stay tuned for a mushroom quiche which I’m hoping will turn out fabulous since I have very high expectations.<br /><div></div>Tiny's Treatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07813972848364890160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846373625089893194.post-57804723583144138622010-10-04T19:56:00.003-05:002010-10-04T20:06:00.008-05:00Butternut Squash Bisque<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs__GUqpfPW2hNKnlmeGW3PM56SFaWuTp0P_q8VNoC9rWe8XnBfwr7VV1j2qncFYXXQ8rjP86NZQu3h1i0ZjLfakPTaVAzcmscbXQGUe7Wlyha2eni2YBO-m_tymUL-X7sQarAM_2th_Yi/s1600/IMG_1965.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524359681945737714" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs__GUqpfPW2hNKnlmeGW3PM56SFaWuTp0P_q8VNoC9rWe8XnBfwr7VV1j2qncFYXXQ8rjP86NZQu3h1i0ZjLfakPTaVAzcmscbXQGUe7Wlyha2eni2YBO-m_tymUL-X7sQarAM_2th_Yi/s320/IMG_1965.jpg" /></a>Butternut Squash Bisque<br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Peace-Meals-Junior-League-Houston/dp/0615207839/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1286240299&sr=1-1">Peace Meals </a>by the Junior League of Houston<br /><br />To celebrate the beautiful fall weather I decided to make Butternut Squash Bisque for dinner. This is a delicious and easy to make recipe. It took a little over an hour including prep but there was quite a bit of inactive cooking time so it was nice to not have to slave in the kitchen non-stop. Best of all is the surprise ingredient… a jalapeno! The jalapeno added some “heat” in the background in addition to some depth to the bisque. The carrots, celery, leeks, jalapeno, butternut squash, and chicken broth needed to be pureed after they had simmered awhile. The recipe says to puree using a food processor or blender, which translates to more dishes to wash. Luckily I had my secret weapon the <a href="http://www.surlatable.com/product/cuisinart+smartstick+immersion+blender%2C+buttercup.do?keyword=cuisinart&sortby=ourPicks">immersion blender</a> (and yes I do have the green one). My sister-in-law, Jill, gave me the immersion blender for Christmas last year and it’s a Godsend. This nifty tool makes pureeing soups and sauces a breeze since you can leave everything in the pot. I rounded off the dish with a chopped pecan garnish. I skipped the fried sage because it just wasn’t a step I felt was needed for a Monday night dinner. However I did think about frying up some bacon, but decided to forgo for the same reason.<br /><br />The recipe claims to be 4 servings. I think a proper portion should be 1 cup; however Scott prefers 2 cups, so the recipe really yields seven 1 cup servings or ~three 2 cup servings. I have some leftover which I have frozen in individual his and hers servings to enjoy in the future.<br /><div></div>Tiny's Treatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07813972848364890160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846373625089893194.post-2650017873783097392010-07-27T20:15:00.002-05:002010-07-27T20:22:00.607-05:00Pan-Roasted Pork Chops with Yellow Pepper Mole Sauce<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd7p2IBD4WWj3eFpoQ-sWUrKg1ZD_FLocxb7TK_-xhl_sRogbrzaYKzj4zs7qwUZtm-cXOqMdcNEBd8G2xSa4a3osXPdiXyqNqib_YfyxuYtu9kGJy26JMGIEv8W3D2bUPC4jZA2RDR7GB/s1600/IMG_1955.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5498759871444050818" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd7p2IBD4WWj3eFpoQ-sWUrKg1ZD_FLocxb7TK_-xhl_sRogbrzaYKzj4zs7qwUZtm-cXOqMdcNEBd8G2xSa4a3osXPdiXyqNqib_YfyxuYtu9kGJy26JMGIEv8W3D2bUPC4jZA2RDR7GB/s320/IMG_1955.jpg" /></a><br /><p><a href="http://www.randomhouse.com/crown/enewsletter/recipe/bobbyflay/">Recipe </a>by Bobby Flay</p><p>Saturday night Scott and I had a date night at home. We haven’t cooked a nice meal on the weekend in awhile and were long overdue. I always enjoy trying recipes from Bobby Flay’s <em>Mesa Grill</em> cookbook because they are always delicious and we are never disappointed.</p><p>I’ve never understood why my husband, or any man for that matter, is obsessed with pork chops. I’ve never had a pork chop I’m excited about until I made this recipe. These pork chops were tender and juicy, which I credit to their massive size. Often times when I buy pork chops at the grocery store they are cut thin, cook too fast, and I’m often left with a dry and tough meal. These chops were so big that they weighed a pound each, but for two I only spent $10 which is significantly less than I usually spend on a good cut of meat for the two of us. So not only are these delicious but also affordable.</p><p>There are two secrets to making this recipe a success...</p><p>1. <strong>Get really good pork chops!</strong> I of course went to Central Market and had the butcher cut me double cut bone-in pork chops. </p><p>2. <strong>You must make the mole sauce</strong>! This sauce is fantastic, it’s got a little sweet and savory all rolled into one. We have some sauce left over so I’ll be added it to my standard weeknight pork tenderloin recipe tomorrow night.</p>Tiny's Treatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07813972848364890160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846373625089893194.post-13102211750984855782010-03-22T14:00:00.005-05:002010-03-22T14:05:50.632-05:00Restaurant Review: Killen's SteakhouseScott and I recently went to <a id="gml4" title="Killen's Steakhouse" href="http://www.killenssteakhouse.com/" goog_docs_charindex="55">Killen's Steakhouse</a> per the recommendation of a friend--a friend that likes really good food. He had claimed Killen's had the best steak he'd ever eaten and we agree. The drive to Pearland was worth every bite. From the outside, it doesn't look like much, but the inside was very tastefully decorated and the cuisine, very tasty!<br /><br />We had an excellent waiter who helped steer us through the menu.<br /><br />I started with a cosmopolitan that was perfectly blended and Scott relaxed with a dirty martini. We ordered a bottle of the Reynold's Family Reserve Cabernet to compliment our steaks.<br /><br /><span style="color:#ff6666;"><strong>Appetizer </strong><br /></span><br /><span style="color:#99ff99;">• NUESKE BACON WRAPPED U‐10 SCALLOPS •<br /></span>Jumbo Scallops wrapped in bacon served on a bed of spinach, with lemon butter sauce<br /><br />These scallops were amazing, some of the best I've had. I'm sure I was influenced by the bacon but they would have still been divine without it. The scallops and spinach rested upon a thick slice of fried potato. There were 4 jumbo scallops on the platter, I could easily come back and order the scallops as entree paired with a salad.<br /><br /><span style="color:#ff6666;"><strong>Salad<br /></strong></span><br /><span style="color:#99ff99;">• GARDEN •</span><br />Mixed Greens, Tomatoes, Red Onions, Cucumbers and Carrots<br /><br /><span style="color:#33ff33;"><span style="color:#99ff99;">• WEDGE •</span><br /></span>Fresh Iceberg Lettuce Wedge topped with diced Tomatoes, Apple Wood Smoked Bacon, Chives and Chef Ron’s Roquefort dressing<br /><br />Both salads were good, but not the focal part of our meal. We were planning to eat a lot, and I couldn't believe Scott wanted to waste valuable stomach real estate with a salad.<br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#ff6666;">Entree</span> </strong><br /><br /><span style="color:#33ff33;"><span style="color:#99ff99;">• 16 oz Kobe Beef RIB-EYE •</span><br /></span>This was one of many Rib-eye options on the menu. They actually had a 32 oz one that we could have spilt but we decided on a divide and conquer approach. I did see two men at another table each ordered their own 32 ounce rib-eye and eat all of it, let's just say they looked like they could have each eaten two of them. I had a bite of Scott's rib-eye but it was nothing in comparison to the Kobe Beef filets that I had.<br /><br /><span style="color:#33ff33;"><span style="color:#99ff99;">• (3) 3 oz Kobe Beef Filet Mignon •</span><br /></span>I opted for the special, fully expected all kobe beef to be equal. This flight really surprised my palette.<br /><br />1. Nebraska Morgan Ranch<br />The Nebraska beef was fantastic. It tasted like a hunk of meat drenched in butter.<br />2. Texas AKAUSHI KOBE BEEF<br />I fully expected the Texas beef to be better, since well everything is bigger and better in Texas, but it was least favorite. Had I had it on its own I'm sure it would have been awesome but in comparison it just wasn't.<br />3. Australia Blackwood Ranch<br />The Australia beef was so good I am speechless. We were told it was the most comparable to the highest grade of Japanese kobe and I believe it.<br /><br />We split a side of macaroni and cheese, which was of course delicious.<br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#ff6666;">Dessert</span> </strong><br /><span style="color:#ff6666;"></span><br /><span style="color:#33ff33;"><span style="color:#99ff99;">• Creme Brulee Bread Pudding •</span><br /></span>I don't get very excited about bread pudding, but this one was excellent. It was moist, without being wet, and also won the best bites competition at the Houston Rodeo.<br /><br />This meal was a super splurge for us so maybe next time we will attemp to try some of the more affordable items on the menu.Tiny's Treatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07813972848364890160noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846373625089893194.post-26045138196840772222010-03-06T08:08:00.004-06:002010-03-06T08:17:02.248-06:00The Weekly Menu<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje1uB9GTJH9D8e7qVxSgBbP43rq8bBDCjzvjqRenPmdfZK4TAevze_dWEZB4f7KFIDlTVZ0Kkqu3Ofs0R9D-NHFKQwNC_in7Mz_RdQGNvdLW6nGHdkN_0cBQ61yZ5ddTqCGdx4J7VD686D/s1600-h/grocerylist.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 268px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445522491961966498" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje1uB9GTJH9D8e7qVxSgBbP43rq8bBDCjzvjqRenPmdfZK4TAevze_dWEZB4f7KFIDlTVZ0Kkqu3Ofs0R9D-NHFKQwNC_in7Mz_RdQGNvdLW6nGHdkN_0cBQ61yZ5ddTqCGdx4J7VD686D/s320/grocerylist.jpg" /></a> I plan my meals for the week and grocery shop on Sunday. I developed a spreadsheet to plan for each day and also prepare my grocery list. When planning for the week, I take inventory of my pantry and freezer to see if there are any ingredients I can use. I also mark our social activities on the menu so that my husband and I can keep up with each other's schedules. I use the <em>other</em> section for things such as baking for birthdays, book club, etc. This helps me stay organized and makes it easier to enjoy healthier meals more often. I hear people make excuses and say they come home from work and then can't decide what to have for dinner, then they don't want to go the store, and next thing you know its fast food for dinner. I have certain weeknight staples that I stick to during the week, and the weekend is my time to test recipes and enjoy extravagant gourmet dinners.<br /><br />Also I am big fan of using the freezer. Often when purchasing chicken, meat, or pork I try to get a value pack and I'll freeze the extra pieces in the necessary quantity/serving combo to be thawed later as needed. I recommend reading <a id="jst3" title="Can I Freeze It?" href="http://www.amazon.com/Can-Freeze-Versatile-Appliance-Kitchen/dp/0061802468/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1266967932&sr=1-1">"Can I Freeze It?"</a>, it provides a lot of great information on what types of food freeze well and the best freezing materials and methods. I haven't tried any of the recipes, but I use the methods all the time.<br /><br /><br />Click <a id="bhy5" title="weekly menu" href="http://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B0_s8B0s32KlMTA4MDg5MzgtNGRhZi00NGMwLWFkMTgtNGM4M2Y2NDQ1NmJk&hl=en">here</a> to print a copy of the weekly menu plan.<br /><br />Here are a few of my weeknight staples. I'll be sure to add more in the future<br /><br /><a id="utwp" title="kebabs" href="http://tinystreats.blogspot.com/2009/02/pomegranate-glazed-shish-kebabs.html">kebabs</a><br />You can skip the pomegranate glaze, it doesn't add flavor and isn't worth the effort to make<br /><br /><a id="fczi" title="pork chops" href="http://tinystreats.blogspot.com/2010/02/pork-chops-with-sauteed-apples.html">pork chops</a> w/ sauteed apples<br /><br />poblano & mushroom <a id="r9ep" title="tacos" href="http://tinystreats.blogspot.com/2009/11/poblano-mushroom-tacos.html">tacos</a><br /><br />spice crusted <a id="dlhb" title="pork tenderloin" href="http://tinystreats.blogspot.com/2009/03/spice-crusted-pork-tenderloin-with.html">pork tenderloin</a> w/ roasted baby carrotsTiny's Treatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07813972848364890160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846373625089893194.post-77432025037112537382010-02-23T17:22:00.002-06:002010-03-06T08:17:42.283-06:00Restaurant Review: Chez NousScott and I celebrated Valentine's Day at <a id="s11-" title="Chez Nous" href="http://cheznousfrenchrestaurant.com/" goog_docs_charindex="44">Chez Nous</a> in Humble. We celebrated our fist Valentine's day together at Chez Nous, back in 2004, so we decided we were long overdue for a trip back. The owner/chef was the executive Chef at Tony's back in the 80s, so its great food. Chez Nous is French for our home, and its just that...a cozy cottage with seating in various rooms. We were sitting in the library next to some wine bottles. We enjoyed the 5 course chef's table with wine pairing, everything was delicious. We were told the chef's table is logged with each reservation so that diners can have a new experience each time they request it. Chez Nous is worth the drive.<br /><br /><span style="color:#ff6666;">I<br />Riesling<br />Salad of Raindrop Farms Tomatoes, Organic Field Greens, marinated Red Onions, Feta, Chick</span> <span style="color:#ff6666;">Peas and our signature Vinaigrette</span><br />I love tomatoes so this was a treat for me.<br /><br /><span style="color:#ff6666;">II<br />Chardonnay<br />Grouper with oranges and roasted fennel</span><br />I don't eat a lot of seafood but this fish was light and delicious. The citrus added a nice flavor and was nicely complimented by the roasted fennel.<br /><br /><span style="color:#ff6666;">III<br />Pinot Noir<br />A Classic Country Terrine of Veal and Duck with Cornichons and Sauce Charcutiere</span><br />This pate was complete with some bacon...need I say more.<br /><br /><span style="color:#ff6666;">IV<br />Pinor Noir<br />Filet w/ Risotto a port reduction</span><br />The filet was delicious but the risotto made the course.<br /><br /><span style="color:#ff6666;">V<br />Rose Champagne<br />Passion Fruit-Raspberry Souffle</span><br />This souffle was delcicious and I wish we'd had a larger portion. I love anything with raspberries. The rose champagne was the perfect way to end the night.Tiny's Treatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07813972848364890160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846373625089893194.post-47425590086652340332010-02-10T20:41:00.003-06:002010-02-10T20:48:53.121-06:00Pork Chops with Sautéed Apples<p>This is a super fast recipe that has become one my weeknight staples. Its so easy to make and delicious. I freeze the extra pork chops from the package to have on hand for a future weeknight. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvmMNayAryV4mJPATaIbh972S63j87D1ArNOt1FoLbu8FdCywdQPExowl_NFp7iNGTHwih6rjA8CFRbfFNWdbBJB9hRYSp8PTDE4sT8UTokw2o6X11B1mDx2HVj4rNZd4F14wsfRQUG1hR/s1600-h/IMG_1807.jpg"></p><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436810876498641442" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvmMNayAryV4mJPATaIbh972S63j87D1ArNOt1FoLbu8FdCywdQPExowl_NFp7iNGTHwih6rjA8CFRbfFNWdbBJB9hRYSp8PTDE4sT8UTokw2o6X11B1mDx2HVj4rNZd4F14wsfRQUG1hR/s320/IMG_1807.jpg" /> <p></a><span style="color:#ff6666;">Pork Chops with Sautéed Apples</span><br />serves 2</p><p>2 boneless pork chops<br />salt and pepper<br />1 granny smith apple, peeled and cubed<br />1/4 cup apple juice*<br />1 Tbsp butter<br /> </p><ul><li>Heat skillet over medium heat.</li><li>Lightly sprinkle pork chops with salt and pepper.</li><li>Cook chops for 5 min one side, and then 3 minutes on the other side for medium.**</li><li>Remove chops from pan.</li><li>Add apples to skillet and saute for 3-4 minutes.</li><li>Add juice and butter to pan and cook with apples for 1 minute.</li><li>Spoon apples and sauce over the chops and enjoy.<br /> </li></ul><p><br />*I use whatever juice I have on hand. Sometimes cranberry juice, tonight I used blueberry pomegranate juice.<br />**Many people think that pork has to be thoroughly cooked like chicken, and that is not true. It is perfectly safe to eat pork that is pink in the center. If you want to cook your pork all the way through then cook for 5 minutes on each side.<br /></p>Tiny's Treatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07813972848364890160noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846373625089893194.post-41571993410748127432010-01-18T13:43:00.004-06:002010-03-06T08:18:13.930-06:00Restaurant Review: The Strip HouseThe Strip House is celebrating its 5 year anniversary during the months of January and February with a special promotion--5 courses for $55. Scott and I have never dined at the Strip House, so we decided to take advantage of this special. Due to the variety of the menu we decided to opt for wine by the glass so we could drink a compatible wine with each course. All of the courses were delicious and each better than the last. I would have like a few more minutes between each course, but I am a very slow eater, so maybe that's just me.<br /><br /><br /><em><span style="color:#99ff99;">Wine: House Champagne</span><br /></em>I opted for champagne for two reasons: 1. I became an aunt that week and wanted to celebrate and 2. I thought it would go well with the lobster bisque.<br /><br /><span style="color:#ff6666;">I LOBSTER BISQUE CAPPUCCINO, <em>chopped lobster and chives</em></span><br />The bisque was the perfect amount and consistency, it didn't fill me up too quickly.<br /><em><br /><span style="color:#99ff99;">Wine: Flora Springs Chardonnay<br /></span></em>Chardonnay is often paired with Scallops so I wanted them to taste their best.<br /><br /><span style="color:#ff6666;">II GRILLED TOMATO & BUFALA MOZZARELLA SALAD, </span><em><span style="color:#ff6666;">balsamic glaze and basil</span><br /></em>This was a delicious salad and a good twist on a caprese salad. It was also garnished with finely sliced red onion.<br /><br /><span style="color:#ff6666;">III SEARED SEA </span><span style="color:#ff6666;">SCALLOP, </span><em><span style="color:#ff6666;">edamame succotash, black truffle butter, corn broth</span><br /></em>The scallop is one of the best I've ever eaten at a restaurant. Great flavor and meaty texture.<br /><br /><span style="color:#99ff99;"><em>Wine: 75 Wine Co Cabernet</em><br /></span>Cabernet and steak are two peas in a pod.<br /><br /><span style="color:#ff6666;">IV 6OZ. FILET </span><span style="color:#ff6666;">MIGNON, </span><em><span style="color:#ff6666;">black truffle creamed spinach, goose fat potatoes</span><br /></em>The filet as cooked to perfection. The black truffle creamed spinach was amazing, I could not get enough of this. The goose fat potatoes were delicious with interesting presentation and flavor. They were like a fried mashed potato ball, bu the consistency and level of saltiness were a hybrid between a french fry and a hash brown.<br /><br /><span style="color:#ff6666;">V STRIP HOUSE PROFITEROLE, <em>chocolate malt & espresso ice cream, hot fudge sauce</em></span><br />I think the best part was the hot fudge sauce! Yummy!Tiny's Treatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07813972848364890160noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846373625089893194.post-52474552401305429442009-11-10T20:18:00.004-06:002009-11-11T07:56:09.517-06:00Restaurant Review: Lucio’s<p>Scott and I are huge fan of BYOB restaurants, we frequent Collina’s and La Vista on a regular basis solely because they are BYOB. Last year we discovered a new BYOB favorite, Lucio’s. This place doesn’t look like much from the outside, but the magic is in the kitchen. Both times we have dined here, the restaurant has been packed, the service excellent, and most importantly the food delicious. Lucio’s is what I will call an upscale BYOB restaurant, it’s a little pricier, but hey you can bring your own wine so you aren’t paying a markup. And my personal favorite detail is that Lucio’s uses nice wine glasses, instead of the short glasses I see at other BYOB places.<br /><br />We brought two bottles of wine, a white and a red, to pair with the various courses of our meal.<br />Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, Rancho Chimiles Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley<br />Silver Oak, Cabernet Sauvignon, Alexander Valley</p><p>Appetizer:<br /><span style="color:#ff6666;">Jumbo Lump Crab Tower</span><br />Sliced avocado, pico de gallo, poblano coulis<br /><br />The crab tower was the perfect start to the meal, the chunks of crab were huge and it was just enough to get our mouths watering for the rest of the evening.<br /><br />Salads:<br /><span style="color:#ff6666;">Goat Cheese Apple Salad</span><br />Shallots, mix greens, candied pecans, chevre, apple, honey vinaigrette<br /><br />This salad was an obvious choice for me because I love goat cheese. The only detail not mentioned in the description, which I consider to be a very important one, is that the goat cheese medallions are fried. We all know fried things are always better. The second reason I ordered this salad is that apples and pecans are in season so it had “Fall” written all over it.<br /><br /><span style="color:#ff6666;">California Tomato Salad</span><br />Fresh mozzarella, basil, mixed greens, balsamic reduction<br /><br />Scott ordered this salad with thick slices of mozzarella and tomatoes, and it was loaded with fresh basil. I love the smell of fresh basil.<br /><br />Entrees:<br /><span style="color:#ff6666;">Grilled Jerk Quail</span><br />Potato hash, red pepper, onion & asparagus<br /><br />The first time we dined at Lucio’s Scott ordered quail and the tiny bite I tasted was fantastic, so this time my decision was already made. The quail was so tender and delicious and the veggie hash was fantastic. I was asked 3 times if I had finished eating because I wanted to savor every bite. I will only order the quail from now on. Plus quail is one of those ingredients that unless you are a bird hunter, you don’t usually make at home or see on restaurant menus.<br /><br /><span style="color:#ff6666;">Rib Eye Au Poivre</span><br />Thyme cognac sauce, cheddar mash, haricot verts<br /><br />Scott ordered the rib eye which is a true man’s meat and potatoes dish. I had a bite of the cheddar mashed potatoes which were of course delicious as is anything with cheese, and covering the potatoes was a rib eye so huge it took up most of the plate. The bite of rib eye I tasted was delicious, but my favorite is still the quail…I can make a mean steak at home, so I usually try not to order steak when I go out.</p>Tiny's Treatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07813972848364890160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846373625089893194.post-68122363926525723792009-11-08T07:58:00.004-06:002010-01-23T18:33:09.492-06:00Poblano & Mushroom TacosThe Fast Easy Fresh section of Bon Appétit is a great source for healthy, quick, and easy weeknight meals. These tacos are easy to make and very delicious. Scott and I both agreed this recipe is a keeper and I can’t wait to make it again. Maybe next time I’ll add some leftover Thanksgiving turkey.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqzP9AHRC6YHXXrT26e4d-IYSeGm0EkNdx6luH1lGeahvMcKHcE5frj9JVPFnyxeZ-4bSvl1EGaltEddpu4DkA2OHKwdiCexR6KUQFwr29KVP7PBYYXyXb9jHFmj4qd3MSMdky_pn9CZbM/s1600-h/IMG_1761.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401732161835391906" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqzP9AHRC6YHXXrT26e4d-IYSeGm0EkNdx6luH1lGeahvMcKHcE5frj9JVPFnyxeZ-4bSvl1EGaltEddpu4DkA2OHKwdiCexR6KUQFwr29KVP7PBYYXyXb9jHFmj4qd3MSMdky_pn9CZbM/s320/IMG_1761.jpg" /></a><strong><span style="color:#ff6666;">Poblano Mushroom Tacos<br /></span></strong>Adapted from <a href="http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/quick-recipes/2009/11/poblano_and_mushroom_tacos">Bon Appétit</a>, November 2009<br />Serves 2<br /><br />2 Tbsp vegetable oil, divided<br />1 Poblano chile, seeded and thinly sliced into long strips<br />1/2 small red onion, sliced<br />3 ounces crimini (baby bella) mushrooms, thinly sliced<br />1 tsp ground cumin<br />4 corn tortillas<br />4 thin slices Monterey Jack cheese<br />½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped<br />2 roma tomatoes, diced<br />¼ cup Feta cheese, crumbled<br /><br /><br />1. Heat 1 Tbsp vegetable oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.<br />2. Add Poblano chile, red onion, and mushrooms; sauté mixture until brown, about 5 minutes.<br />3. Mix in ground cumin, and then transfer mixture to medium bowl.<br />4. Heat remaining 1 Tbsp oil in same skillet.<br />5. Add tortillas in single layer, draping up sides of skillet to fit.<br />6. Divide mushroom mixture among tortillas, placing mixture only on 1 side, and then top each tortilla with a slice of Monterrey Jack cheese.<br />7. Fold plain tortilla halves over filling and press firmly.<br />8. Cook tortillas 1 minute per side.<br />9. Transfer tacos to plates. Open tacos and sprinkle with chopped cilantro, diced tomatoes, and crumbled feta.<br /><div></div>Tiny's Treatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07813972848364890160noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846373625089893194.post-41455377955901110502009-11-02T20:53:00.004-06:002009-11-04T08:21:55.457-06:00Spicy Cheese StrawsI love anything with cheese! I first made this recipe two years ago for my holiday open house. I recently made them again for a shower and I had forgotten how yummy they are. I love the spicy kick from the red pepper flakes as well as the crispy crunch. In addition to being an edible treat these cheese straws also became part of the tablescape. Cheese straws can be displayed in crystal glasses, short vases, or mint julep cups.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh98Mctz4u0aCIt8-P4SN9pTQvBF__tqnsxaa9B-aVjgTNZeIqmCNA3yUdO9JWvzb6324uDYjh2hWCeM7KsVozaNN-vOFWoDYpIx-z6M9pRXHkn7WmtzqpxF1424hLLkuXJ4zUvy9PcFarh/s1600-h/IMG_1728.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399705321803111650" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh98Mctz4u0aCIt8-P4SN9pTQvBF__tqnsxaa9B-aVjgTNZeIqmCNA3yUdO9JWvzb6324uDYjh2hWCeM7KsVozaNN-vOFWoDYpIx-z6M9pRXHkn7WmtzqpxF1424hLLkuXJ4zUvy9PcFarh/s320/IMG_1728.JPG" border="0" /></a><strong><span style="color:#ff6666;">Spicy Cheese Straws</span></strong><br />Adapted from <a href="http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1687545">Southern Living</a>, December 2007<br /><br />1 1/2 cups (5 oz.) shredded extra-sharp Cheddar cheese*<br />3/4 cup all-purpose flour<br />1/4 cup unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces and softened<br />1/2 teaspoon kosher salt<br />1/2 tsp. dried crushed red pepper<br />1 tablespoon half-and-half<br /><br /><br />· Preheat oven to 350 degrees.<br />· Combine first 5 ingredients in a food processor; pulse in 5-second intervals until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add half-and-half, and process 10 seconds or until dough forms a ball.<br />· Turn dough out onto a well floured surface, and roll into an rectangle (about 1/8 inch thick). Cut dough with a sharp knife into 1/4- to 1/2-inch-wide strips, dipping knife in flour after each cut to ensure clean cuts. Place strips on ungreased baking sheets.<br />· Bake for12-14 minutes or until ends are slightly browned. Cool on baking sheets on a wire rack 30 minutes.<br /><br /><br />*I use cracker barrel sharp cheddar and grate the cheese using a hand grater. Trying to grate in a food processor makes the cheese too fine in turn making the dough too soft.<br /><br />I like to make a double batch, if I can resist from eating the block of cheddar. Straws can be also be made ahead and frozen.Tiny's Treatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07813972848364890160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846373625089893194.post-87331158382451378142009-11-02T20:37:00.005-06:002009-11-02T20:49:44.771-06:00Puffy PigsThese yummy appetizers are a twist on the classic pig-in-a-blaket. They are easy to make and guaranteed to be a hit. Small cookie cutters can be used to cut shapes for any occasion.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEtjLVYpek8Q8SIT95MNQjmz_8vILEuoEuSN2KoWrzPwvJoZAgxaxd48Gf6zyG2-veMCokygpos_64Ftz8-oZIVhJemtjMx-6VpQDxDWhuLJv2yDqQlzdCPsqx4aQtgJrIq9srRRV9vAvs/s1600-h/IMG_1725.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399701279461571250" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEtjLVYpek8Q8SIT95MNQjmz_8vILEuoEuSN2KoWrzPwvJoZAgxaxd48Gf6zyG2-veMCokygpos_64Ftz8-oZIVhJemtjMx-6VpQDxDWhuLJv2yDqQlzdCPsqx4aQtgJrIq9srRRV9vAvs/s320/IMG_1725.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><span style="color:#ff6666;"><strong>Puffy Pigs</strong></span><br />Makes 40<br /><br />1 lb chicken spinach asiago sausage (from Sam’s)<br />1 package puff pastry<br />Toothpicks<br /><br />· Preheat oven to 400 degrees.<br />· Cut each sausage link into 8 slices.<br />· Cook sausage slices in a skillet over medium heat, 4 minutes per side.<br />· Thaw puff pastry according to package directions. <br />· Use cookie cutters to cut pasty.<br />· Top each sausage bite with pastry shape and secure with a toothpick and place on a baking sheet.<br />· Bake for 20 minutes until pastry is puffed and golden.<br />· Transfer to platter and serve.<br /><div></div>Tiny's Treatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07813972848364890160noreply@blogger.com0