Adventures in Hiking and Eating

Warning: This is going to be like a slide show of someone else's vacation pictures.   I'm one of those people who actually enjoy looking at other people's pictures, complete with narrative (ok, maybe not a thousand of them), but I do enjoy it.  If you're not- well you might want to skip my next couple of posts.

After days of sitting at Education Week, it was time to put on my hiking shoes and head outdoors.  I absolutely love hiking in Utah.  The sky is big and blue and I've yet to be rained on.  That is so nice, because here at home, I have to carry a rain poncho with me every time I hit the trail and I've had to use it often.  When I forget, well, I almost always get wet and if it's not from rain, it's from the humidity. Utah is dry and I enjoy that.

I was able to take two hikes over the weekend and I loved them both.  The first was extra special 'cause I met up with a sweet friend who lives in the area and we spent the day together.  It was Whitney's idea to hike in the American Fork Canyon to the Mt. Timpanogos Caves.  

The tours through the cave were guided and required a ticket.  We had our tickets, but were running a little behind so we had to hike fast to get to the top in order to make it in at our designated time slot.  The trail was great, but steep, and we climbed 1,092 feet in 45 minutes!   I was darn proud of myself that I could keep up with that Whitney girl.  She's a lot younger than me!

Even though we were moving right along, I did notice some interesting signs along the way.

Yikes!

 The smoke from wildfires that were burning not too far away, limited our long range views, but I still thought it was breathtakingly beautiful.

I carried a light jacket to wear in the caves, because it was supposed to be cool, but after that sprint up the mountain, the cave felt great to me!  We went through three different caves and there were places you had to crouch and bend, but mostly it was a fairly level route.  The ceilings, walls and floors are covered with stalactites, stalagmites and other interesting formations.

The calcite formations below are called helictites and are one of the hallmark features of this cave.  They twist and turn in all directions and are very delicate and fragile.  

This is called the Great Heart of Timpanogos in Timpanogos Cave and is 5 1/2 feet long and 3 feet wide,

weighing 4000 pounds.  It's made up of at least three tremendous stalactites that have grown together.

Besides the excitement of being in a really neat place, we had an incident where a little girl fell below the guard rails, down into the cave formations.  That was one of the scariest things I've seen in a long time.   Her dad dropped his camera beside me on the ground, and scrambled down after her.  Physically she was fine, emotionally I'm not so sure.  She screamed non stop until her parents could get her out of the cave.  I felt sorry for her and her mom and dad, but can you imagine the family stories that will come from that experience?

We had a great morning and after all that exercise we went straight to Cafe Rio and had lunch.  If you've never eaten at a Cafe Rio, well, I 'm sure I can't possibly describe it's awesomeness in a way that you could really understand how delicious it is, but just know it's sooooo good, I'd been thinking about eating there since I got on the plane.  And it did not disappoint.  Sorry I have no food pictures to tempt you with.  All I was thinking about was eating!  If you ever get the chance to eat there, Pork Barbacoa salad is all you need to know.  And go hungry.  Thanks Whit, for a great time.  I sure do love you!

Hike number two took me into Provo Canyon, past this beautiful river

and Bridal Veil Falls.

I was headed for Sundance, because it's one of my most favorite places ever! 

Whenever I come to Education Week, I plan time to come and do this hike.  The ride up the ski lift to the top of the mountain gives you a hint of what you will see as you hike back down.

 And this is what you see...

Love, love, love!

until you end up here.

Thirty minutes later, you're back at the resort and ready to have lunch at the Foundry Grill, which is, oh so good.  This time I did think to take a picture of my lunch.  Fish tacos with sweet potato fries.  So very yummy in my tummy! 

Utah, I love hiking your mountains and eating your food!

Warm Green Bean Salad

This has been the year for green beans on our farm.  I planted five short rows and they have been giving non stop. 

I love it!! 

I've canned countless quarts and made bean salad.  We've eaten a "mess" of beans almost every week all summer long. You know what that is right?  A big pot of beans cooked with a little piece of bacon for seasoning or maybe just a little olive oil.  You can't really go wrong with that.   But one of our favorite dishes using fresh beans and cherry tomatoes is a warm green bean salad.  I've been making it so long, I can't even remember where I got the recipe.  So unfortunately  I can't give credit where credit's due.  All I know is, we sure love it. 

 I like to use very small and tender beans for this dish.  I string the beans and just trim the ends.  Cut the cherry tomatoes in half.

This recipe calls for pancetta, which is an Italian bacon.  You can buy it at the deli and recently I've seen it packaged in some grocery stores.  A good thick sliced bacon can be substituted, but honestly, I think it's best with the pancetta.  Pancetta is not cheap, so I watch for it to go on sale and then I buy a couple of pounds, putting a few slices in a package, vacuum sealing it and keeping it in the freezer until I need it.  It freezes beautifully (as does bacon).   I have a number of recipes that call for pancetta - brussels sprouts with a balsamic glaze and a butternut squash soup, come instantly to mind.  I'm always happy when I get ready to make one of these if I have some pancetta that I can pull out of the freezer, instead of using my bacon.

Chop the bacon or pancetta into small pieces and cook in frying pan until crisp. Watch closely so they don't get too brown.  Remove and drain on a paper towel.

Boil the green beans in salted water until just tender.  Don't overcook.  The beans should still have a little snap to them, but not too much crunch.  This is not your southern style, "cook'em till their mushy", bean dish.  Drain in colander and dry the beans off on a paper towel.  You don't want them to have water on them, because it will dilute the dressing.

With a few tablespoons of the rendered fat from the bacon, you will make a nice warm dressing with a little olive oil, sherry vinegar and honey, which you pour over the beans and tomatoes.  Gently mix.

Grate fresh parmesan cheese over the top and add the crumbled pancetta.  Enjoy it right away while it's still warm.

We had this salad a couple of days ago with grilled chicken and whipped sweet potatoes(also from the garden!) and it was a delicious meal. I'm going to miss those fresh beans and  tomatoes, because they are almost gone now.  But yesterday I planted some fall vegetables in my raised beds- broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, collards, beets and lettuce, so in another month or so, we'll be having different kinds of salads.  

Warm Green Bean Salad

cherry tomatoes, halved

1 lb. fresh green beans, ends trimmed

1/4 lb. chopped pancetta or a few slices of bacon

2 1/2 T. sherry vinegar

1/2 T. honey

3 T. olive oil

grated parmigiano reggiano cheese

Slice tomatoes in half and clean and trim beans. 

 In small bowl, mix vinegar and honey. 

  Cook pancetta in pan. Drain on paper towels.  

Discard most of the fat from pan, leaving a couple of tablespoons.  

Add olive oil to pan.  Set aside.

  Cook beans in boiling water until barely tender. 

Drain beans and pat dry on a paper towel. 

 Put the beans in a bowl with the tomatoes. 

 Return pan with oil to medium heat.  

When oil is warm, whisk in the vinegar-honey mixture and turn the heat to high. 

 Whisk until mixture boils and emulsifies.

  Pour over hot vegetables.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

 Add pancetta and top with cheese.  Toss gently.

Kindred Spirits

Entry: kindred spirit

Part of speech: noun

Definition: a person who shares beliefs, attitudes, feelings or features with another

That's the dictionary definition of a kindred spirit.  

My definition is someone who "gets you".   A person who shares common interests, who's easy to be with, who makes you feel better and helps you become better by spending time with them.  A person who makes you laugh or cry and whatever the emotion - you're comfortable with each other in that moment.  This person is so much like you, you find you color coordinate your outfits, even when your not trying to or you realize you are thinking the same thing at the same moment and you don't even have to say it.   A look or gesture can take the place of words and be totally understood.  You're perfectly "at home" with this person no matter where you find yourself and you just know they love you, exactly as you are.

I've been blessed with many wonderful friends over the years, but kindred spirit friendships, well those are extra special and I could count them on both hands.  I've found that Heavenly Father has always provided such a person in my life when I really needed them.  He knows women need to walk through life with other women.  Life is fluid and ever changing. But the thing about  kindred spirits, is no matter how far apart you live or how long it's been since you've spent time together, when you reconnect, you pick right up where you left off.  As if it had only been yesterday when you were having your first lesson on how to eat an artichoke together or having summer camp in each other's homes, holding new babies or crying at gravesides, strolling through museums and castles, or picking fruit and making pasta.  Yes, it's a beautiful thing, these special friendships.

This year, I've been blessed with a new friend.   What's been surprising to me is how quickly our friendship developed and how completely "at home" I feel with her.  Last year when I went on my trip to the Holy Land, my sister and I were thrown together with a bus full of people who were complete strangers.  In less than a week, we were no longer strangers and many of us had become friends.  You can go here to meet some of them.  Thanks to Facebook and blogging, we're even closer now.  How often do you meet someone, spend a week traveling though the middle east with them and have them open their home to you, for as long as you want to stay?!?   Well that's what happened.  I know it seems crazy, but I count it as one of those tender mercies from the Lord. I don't think these things happen by accident.  Once again, He has brought into my life another wonderful friend and the more time we spend together the more I just know, she's a kindred spirit.  

On my recent trip to Utah for Education Week, I stayed with Jeannee and her husband LaRon.  Aren't they a cute couple?  They are both just great and I had so much fun while I was with them.  I know it's not easy to have a houseguest, but they were gracious and hospitable in every way and I felt perfectly at home with them.  

Whether we were riding through the canyons or sharing ice cream,

working in the kitchen, making Sunday rolls

or home made pizza (yes, I will share this recipe for BBQ pizza with you soon) or

walking through her gardens (can you believe how beautiful those tomato plants are?),

gathering vegetables (she wears aprons just like I do)

we were having a great time.  I felt like I was learning from her all the time.  I have new recipes for pizza, granola and granola bars, hamburger buns, homemade ice cream, pumpkin butter and bean salad to can for winter.  She taught me how to knit dishcloths that I love using and making.  She introduced me to an electric pressure cooker, new attachments to my Bosch bread machine, ice cream maker and new equipment for making juice for canning.  My Christmas wish list is complete.  We went to church together, to parties, to the movies,  strolled through art exhibits and attended classes where we learned lots of neat stuff.  We talked about callings and families and adult children in a relaxed way and the whole time, I felt completely "at home" with her, like we had really known each other all along.   Isn't that just amazing?  And her husband LaRon, well he's pretty neat too, a perfect gentleman who refused to let me pay for anything and opened my door every time we went somewhere in the car.  They both spoiled me terribly and they shouldn't have done that, because of course, now I'm going to want to come back again!!!  Thanks LaRon and Jeannee, I sure love you guys!

Summertime Blessings

First Monday counting...

                       when I share entries from my Gratitude Journal

1761- zucchini bread with lots of nuts

1762- walking in the rain

1763- gazpacho

1764- green beans in jars

1765- making a birthday cake with little girls

1766- lunch with friends

1767- Education Week

1768- airplane seats with plenty of leg room

1769-granola with sunflower seeds

1770- garden tour

1771- blue skies and big, fluffy clouds

1772- ice cream cones with plastic animals

1773- listening to chuck wagon music as I ride through the canyon

1774- Cascade Springs

1775-home made hamburger buns

1776- Sunday dinner with friends

1777- chocolate mint brownie

1778-knitting dishcloths between classes

1779- hiking with Whitney

1780- running into old friends

1781- carrot cake

1782- singing in the choir with Lois

1783- card game with the Sagers

1784- catching a ride to the top of the mountain

1785- wildflowers in meadows

1786- waterfalls

1787- fish tacos

1788- toys in mason jars

1789- hotdogs at a baseball game

1790- spending the day with Lynette

1791- temple spires

1792- four bean salad to enjoy this winter

1793- watching Dillon clean his guitar

1794- listening to my favorite musicians

1795- leeks from the garden

1796- a holiday weekend

1797- home teachers

1798- a new job for Travis

1799- fall plants for my raised bed garden

1800- laughing with friends

"It's wonderful what may be done if we are always doing."

Thomas Jefferson