4th of July

It has been too long. Between my super important job as a nurse and my graduate courses I clearly did not find motivation for keeping up with my blog for the last couple of months. And rest assured that I have received much grief from my loving fans...

I would like to report that my 4th of July celebrations were wonderful. Jackson and I of course went for a nice long walk. Look at him posing for photos he just knew would end up online in one form or another. 

No 4th of July festivities can be complete without fireworks accompanied by very American brownies and cookies - courtesy of my friends' little boy Cayden. 

And of course I would not be myself if I didn't have a beer-garita. I even shared. Not many places in Grand Forks can offer outside seating in the summer, so I tend to frequently visit those that do. This yummy margarita is available at the Boardwalk Bar and Grill in East Grand Forks. Although only 3/5 stars on the Yelp review, I do think that it is a good place to visit, especially because of their summer outside seating. The menu, although one writer wrote was very limited, provided just enough options. 

What to eat when traveling

Choosing an inexpensive yet nutritious and tasty meal is certainly a challenge when traveling. Not at the Minneapolis airport! By recently banning McDonald's the airport is transforming into a place where you really can find something good to eat. (I do have to admit though; I love the McDonald's oatmeal as well their coffee- which means a lot coming from a self professed coffee snob- I guess those are my guilty pleasures!) Read about the recent change in the article HERE.
Recently I had a chance to stroll by the G gates and what I discovered amazed me and made my very excited for the next layover. The huge area is filled with fruits and veggies, freshly made sandwiches, hot and cold buffet style meals and yogurts- it will certainly be a planned stop.
One of my favorite places remains Surdyk's. Known for its wines and cheeses, at MSP airport it also offers amazing meals and drinks. Stop by there next time for a bloody and a salad, it is located in the mall area near the Body Shop or the Harley Davidson store. Yum!

Must have Moussaka

I love all things eggplant. When we were in college Jeffrey used to make an eggplant parmesan bake that I absolutely loved. For some reason we haven't made it for a while but recently the good old friend visited our tables again.
Moussaka is traditionally made with meat, such as lamb. It's eaten in Mediterranean countries; in some as a cold dish and in some as a hot one. I would definitely recommend eating this dish hot!
Since I haven't been cooking with meat for a while now, I am always on a lookout for vegetarian recipes or I simply skip the meat or add something else instead of it. Easy for me - this recipe was already designed vegetarian with bulgur instead of lamb. If you haven't heard of bulgur, it is a very healthy grain that is pretty rich in fiber.
The recipe is from Cooking Light and you can find it online HERE. I only used 2 eggplants, actually. One mistake I made, which you can probably tell from the photos is that I poured the Bechamel sauce BEFORE I arranged the final layer of eggplant, which made it look pretty but the edges of it became hardened during the baking process. Regardless, it disappeared from our plates pretty quickly!

The simplest pizza in the world

I have written about pizza before; I love how easy and delicious it is. The reason why I don't make the grilled or the balsamic pizza (click on the links for recipes!) as often as I used to is because making the dough can be a real pain in the behind...
My life has changed since I found this recipe for the simplest dough ever. I am unsure of who created it; I have heard gossips that she was an Australian nutritionist, or perhaps a school teacher. She better take credit soon before the nominations for Nobel prizes are accepted.

The dough requires two ingredients:

1 cup Greek plain yogurt

1 cup self rising flour

Now, if you don't have a self rising flour at home you may make it using this recipe. Just click on the link!
You must mix both ingredients and knead the dough for 5-8 minutes. Roll it out and place on a baking sheet. The dough bakes quite fast - I recommend placing your toppings on it and baking it all together.

 I don't like using pizza sauce, instead, I brush the top of the dough with a mixture of olive oil and chopped garlic. Almost all the ingredients are raw, the spinach was sautéed earlier. I baked it at 350-375 for about 15-20 minutes.

Last day in Mexico and the best Mexican meal ever!

While in Mexico, we couldn't pass on visiting the historical sites which, after all, make traveling what it is. Jeff and I saw the ruins of Tulum, which were built by the Mayans on tall cliffs along the Yukatan coast. The establishment was known as the City of Dawn, as it faces the east. It housed about 1,000 people and was surrounded by a wall, pretty well preserved until today, actually, that helped the Mayans defend against the Spanish, of course up to the point when diseases caused majority of deaths in this culture.
As you're travelling you need to keep in mind that certain (most) tourist sites are very old and it takes a lot of effort to keep them standing for the generations to come. This particular city was built in 13th century but judging from tourists ignoring the "keep away" signs and climbing the ruins I do not know how much longer it will stand there.

This photo is just absolutely magical.

Looking down from the edge of the ancient city at the beach.

Aaand... we're back in Minneapolis... welcomed by a snow storm preventing us from driving home that night. We spent the night in Minneapolis and since we were not satisfied with the amount of Mexican food we had in Mexico, we ate enchiladas at a delicious hole-in-the-wall place called Andale Taqueria Y Mercado (click in the name for their website and here for the Yelp reviews).The food was truly amazing; I don't visit MSP too often but I will be sure to stop by next time!

Salt Lake City and the hidden treasure

Salt Lake City is one of my favorites. I love walking around the Temple Square, enjoying the flowers or Christmas decorations and meeting missionaries from all over the world.

We had an opportunity to watch the Mormon Tabernacle Choir practice. Simply put - amazing. I love listening to their music during the holidays; it makes it so much more celebratory.

One of the most memorable moments was... you guessed it - good food. Approved by Moby, who apparently is a frequent customer at this restaurant, Sage's Cafe proved to be a great find. Organic and vegetarian, fresh and colorful. Check out their menu and I think you may be pleasantly surprised by the gourmet look and acceptable prices for these unbelievably creative dishes. The only canned foods used for preparation are coconut milk and tomatoes and all of the ingredients are organic and locally purchased first. If you want to find out more, please visit the "about" section of their website (click on the name for the link).

Lynne Marie enjoyed her French toast with apple carrot butter. Yum!

I, of course, opted for something south of the border inspired. Here are my tofu tacos with home-made salsa and guacamole. 

Now, I am unsure what Jeff ordered; it looks like the Mountain, according to the online menu. It features a tofu scramble with a faux sausage on top. Usually I don't trust the vegetarian sausages featured in the frozen section of the grocery store as I find them too processed (just look at the ingredients!) but this "sausage" was reported as homemade from tofu, nuts and other secret ingredients. 

What's for dinner, Mexico?

Staying in an all inclusive resort certainly has its advantages, all listed below. Forgive me for no dessert photos, I got to them too fast...
Despite my expectations, the meals and the restaurants were pretty high quality. I do wish, however, that we had more opportunities to try Mexican food. The resort had one Mexican restaurant on site and snacks by the pool, otherwise we had an opportunity to eat at one of the places in Playa del Carmen but we didn't as we were in a hurry to get to the Tulum ruins... wait for the next post!

Hola Mexico!

This December we decided not to shiver in North Dakota's beginning of winter, but to fry in the sun instead. Having never been to Mexico, my expectations were certainly exceeded. The coast of the Yucatan offers sandy beaches, beautiful water and amazing people.
Being an adventurous person I felt that staying in an all inclusive resort took away from my venturesome nature, but I can assure you that you can still get out and do all kinds of activities, although passing on free drinks, beautiful resort and free food can certainly prove difficult. We did however go kayaking (got flipped by the high waves and promptly returned to the shore), snorkeling with the turtles and swimming in fresh water caves. Visiting Playa del Carmen was a treat in itself, as the town was a little more commercialized than I expected it to based on my other previous travels, but it did make for a great occasion for Christmas shopping!

I met new friends, but I didn't get too close... ;)

Playa del Carmen and a giant bottle of tequila - I did not purchase it as it clearly spelled "trouble"!

Giving thanks

For Thanksgiving we went to Moab, UT and maybe did not have a turkey, but instead...

-were super happy to see anything other than the plains of North Dakota (although we love it, too)

- saw beautiful views

- randomly met my bridesmaid ShiAnne (how crazy is that!!!) and went hiking and repelling at U-Turn together

- hmm... danced YMCA on top of a mesa?

- rappelled... and perhaps cried a little from fear of heights. Maybe.

- at one point assist-rappelled with my brother-in-law who said he's done it before and admitted afterward that he has not... makes for interesting memories.

- saw amazing views yet again...

- saw arches and maybe even stood on top of them

- went jeeping in Chicken Corners Trail, UT, named after the hikers being too chicken to go any further...

- across the river is the Thelma and Louise point from the famous movie - pretty steep, huh!

Sahara on the East Coast

One of the best moments of Philadelphia, in addition to seeing Al Capone's cell, was eating Middle Eastern food at the Sahara Grill restaurant on Walnut Street. We enjoyed a big meal and finished it with my favorite dessert - Turkish coffee!

First we enjoyed a plate full of baba ganoush - a simple yet tasty dish of mashed up eggplant, olive oil, spices and sometimes onion used as a dip. And we all know that eggplant is one of the most delicious vegetables!

Next came the dolmas - grape leaves stuffed with vegetables, although you can get it in a meat version. There are several types of dolmas, as it generally means grape or cabbage leaves with filling. Dolmas are served in several countries varying from Turkey to Greece to... Sweden. I bet you didn't know that Poland had its own version of dolmas - they're called "golabki" (which actually means "little pigeons") and are a meat and tomato filling stuffed cabbage leaves.

Jeffrey ordered a kebab meat with rice and salad.

Stop with the photos and let me eat my dolmas!

Turkish coffee concluded the meal. It is made by boiling the grounds (and sometimes sugar) in the water. Therefore, when you're drinking it you're risking the grounds stuck in your teeth but are rewarded by amazing taste otherwise not achieved by other methods. Just don't smile at your server unless you're sure your teeth are coffee-grind free - not that it happened to me. I'm just saying.

Philadelphia

In November we had the pleasure of visiting one of the oldest and historically important cities in America. Seeing the Liberty Bell and reading about its meaning to so many people was very interesting. Did you know that it was once a symbol of those who were trying to abort slavery? Actually, that's where the name came from. Read more about it here.

Of course we enjoyed a Philly cheesesteak sandwich. Apparently it is supposed to be served with Cheez Whiz, although additions of other cheese versions are also popular.

One of the most interesting parts of the trip was a visit to the Eastern State Penitentiary, as I have lost of family members serving their time there. Just kidding! Although it was at one time the most expensive prison in the world, now it is serving as a museum. This is where Slick Willie Sutton and Al Capone spent their sentences. The prison had their own pet, a dog named Pep, and despite of what one may believe - no, Pep was not a prisoner.

I found the cell of Al Capone the most interesting of all, perhaps because the guards allowed him to bring in fine furniture and rugs.