Last Minute Honeymoon - Part 2

Having been in New Orleans for three days, Tim and I were looking forward to a little R&R. We had booked the seven day Western Caribbean Cruise over New Years. 

Despite the grey skies and the murky Mississippi River, we were so excited to be aboard the Norwegian Dawn. Being our first time on a cruise ship we really didn't know what to expect. The ship seemed enormous with 13 levels, 2000 guests and 1000 staff. It was now the time to get acquainted with the ship. 

The Grey Mississippi

Food Onboard

From the moment we booked the cruise we received endless emails with information on dinning and drinks packages. If you work it out you need to drink about 10 drinks a day for the drinks package to be worth it and it just wasn't that kind of trip for us. We were very torn about the dinning package since we had heard great things about the speciality restaurants but at the same time there seemed to be so many free options. In the end we were glad we didn't book it because the free restaurants were lovely. 

Also, not all of the paid restaurants were enjoyable for us. On our first night we chose to go to Bamboo, the Asian themed restaurant. The appetisers were what I would expect to find in the Asian section of the supermarket freezer. The mains were absolutely drenched in heavy, sweet, gluggy sauce. Then dessert came and was the redeemer. Out of three different flavoured creme brulees, one was fabulous (the green tea) and the other two not bad (but not memorable enough for me to remember the flavour). 

Looks Can be Deceiving: Our Meal at Bamboo

So having experienced what had to be the worst food on the ship we decided to book what was purported to be the best, Le Bistro. This is a fancy French place with a great reputation, but after the Bamboo catastrophe we had our doubts. 

Luckily for us, we were proven wrong (mainly). The first two courses were scrumptious. We loved everything about our mussels, scallops, asparagus, seafood bisque and steak. Then came dessert and of course we decided to order three since the food had been so damn delicious so far. 

Lets start with the omelette creme brulee with no crispy top! Need I go on? Next were three different flavoured profiteroles. These were soggy and badly defrosted and just plain unpalatable. The last was the chocolate fondue. Served in a enormous receptacle and I am not sure why. The fruit was inside half a pineapple, again why? The fruit was raw so no much can go wrong, but the chocolate was lumpy and barely sweetened. 

As I said the first two courses were amazing, but to be followed by such an unpleasant last course really put a dampener on the whole experience... We were a little disheartened with the restaurants at this point. 

French Cuisine at Le Bistro

But let me say that I never had a bad experience at the complimentary restaurants. Even at the buffet, the food was never cold or soggy, or anything but fresh. The other free restaurants also impressed us with a daily dinner menu that is often similar to the paid restaurants.

We also loved the outdoor BBQ's next to the pool deck that were inspired by the food of that day's destination. Lets just say that on a cruise, you will never go hungry!

The Entertainment

This ranged from amazing to don't bother. But then I guess it is great that they cater to so many different tastes. 

We really loved going to the theatre where we saw a French Aerialist duo, performances by The Second City, and an amazing Magician (who called me onstage!). One time they did have a cheesy dance troupe but we left halfway through since that is not our style. 

We also liked going to trivia at the two different bars on board and watching karaoke performances. 

Another great entertainer was Pedro Mariani who played guitar and sang every night and always pulled a crowd.

We also liked to do our own thing like play ping pong, shuffleboard or checkers on deck as well as doing walks along the promenade. 

Shore Excursions

Cozumel, Mexico

Cozumel, Mexico

Tim and I had booked a Mexican Cuisine Workshop and Tasting at Playa Mia resort. This was a very organised cooking class with the talented Chef Luis. On the menu were Spicy Prawn Sopes, Grouper Fillet sautéed with vegetables and Tamarind Sauce, and Caramelized plantains with a Chocolate Tequila Sauce. 

Both Tim and I thought this was a winner shore excursion. We loved learning to prepare authentic Mexican cuisine and got some great tips from the amazing Chef Luis and his sous chefs. 

Mexican Cooking Class at Playa Mia Resort

While you prepare the food you also have an open bar and Tim and I enjoyed a steady flow of Piña Coladas. After cooking we sat down to sample our creations at communal tables. This was a lot of fun and luckily the food tasted delicious. 

Once the lesson was over we had about an hour and a half to enjoy the resort before our return transportation arrived. We also had the option to stay longer and make our own way back if we had wanted to. 

When we got back to port we explored some little stores just beyond the shopping mall which had beautiful local wares, before heading back aboard our ship. 

Belize City, Belize

Adventures in Belize

Belize does not have a port due to the vast corral reef that surrounds the island, making it unsafe for ships. Because of this you are required to tender to shore, or catch a little boat directly from the cruise ship to land. This was a lot of fun and maybe one of the highlights of this stop. We had chosen to do cave tubing but we also had inclement weather that day. It was a very long drive and our tour guide's enthusiasm seemed to waiver as the day went on. 

The one thing we really did love at this destination though was the food. We had a local chicken and rice dish that was somehow very simple and very special. It was very aromatic and well flavoured. They also had very rustic nachos or tacos cooked to order in a giant fire. They were really lovely too.  

The cave tubing itself was disappointing to me because I expected some level of adventure. I have previously spent an entire day tubing down the Amazon River in Ecuador. This experience couldn't even hold a candle to that. We were all tied together which took away the feeling of freedom or discovery. The cold weather also made it less enjoyable since it was a "wet" excursion.

The one thing I did really enjoy was the cave it self. It was full of lovely geological specimens such as quartz formations, stalactites, stalagmites and more. There were also bats which our guide pointed out to us. But the most interesting part was the history and ties to the Mayan culture. The actual cave that we went through is where the Mayans believed hell to be. It was also where they believed that the earth was formed and we saw the rock formation of the eagle of their legends and others too. So it was not all bad, overall we had a nice day.

Roatan, Honduras

Beautiful Honduras

We booked the Deluxe Catamaran Sail and Snorkelling with lunch. This was equal favourite with our Mexican cooking class. 

The sailing around the island was magnificent. Then the snorkelling was something very special. We saw so many varieties of fish and corral. I really enjoyed that it was a guided snorkel too. Also I loved that we just jumped off the boat into deep waters to snorkel. I loved to dive down to get a closer look at it all. 

After a good session of snorkelling we had a delicious lunch on the boat and open bar again. The time just flew before we were at land and catching a mini bus across the island back to port. 

We still had about an hour and half left before we needed to board. Tim had a crazy idea to look for a restaurant serving Lizard and was trying to get some of the local kids to take us there. They were really sweet and when we told them how much time we had they let us know that it would take to long to get there. We ended up going to a very large market just outside of the port where there is a lovely market and bar serving $2.00 cocktails. These cocktails were delicious and I was very sad to have to leave to get back onto the ship!

Costa Maya, Mexico

Fun in Costa Maya

For our second stop in Mexico we booked the Jaguar Truck and Mayan Adventure Tour. 

First we went to a Mexican Cenote which I was super pumped to experience. However this "cave" was nothing like the underground paradises I had seen on google images. It was a tiny narrow cave that we went through one by one. It was very dark and the water was quite pungent. In other words it was a major disappointment. We also did tandem biking through a private ranch. I would have liked that part to be a bit longer though. After this the Jaguar truck took us to a private beach. They had had bad weather for a week which had brought masses of red algae to the shore. It was quite unpleasant but not the fault of the tour. The lunch was nice, but not as good as what we had had at the other ports. We were meant to experience stand up paddle board, body boarding and other such activities here but we just had lunch outside and then ran onto the bus once the storm picked up again. 

When we returned to port we had a chance to explore the lovely straw markets which included a stand with local flaming spray paint artist, a beautiful pool and restaurants. Before heading on board we sampled the local delicacy Molcajete, served in a volcanic pot (shaped like a pig in the photo above). 

New Orleans

Once the ship returned to New Orleans, we still had the better part of the day before our flight. We arrived at the Riverwalk Marketplace only to find that there was no line at Cafe Du Monde. This is completely unheard of, and can only be attributed to the fact that they had literally just opened and it was raining outside. 

We ran in and ordered 3 bignets and a coffee. While these little cakes are incredible, I implore you to skip the murky water they try to pass off as coffee... Regardless, it just felt like Tim and Dee 1, Bignets 0. Especially with the trouble we had gone through the week before trying to get them. 

We made the most of the free wifi in the centre at this point, since we had been mainly incommunicado from the world for the past 7 days. 

After a substantial amount of time, we decided it was time to tick one last place off our list. We headed over to the Palace Café on Canal Street for the best brunch we've probably ever had. 

This is another of the Brennan Brother's restaurant, like Red Fish Grill that we had visited the week before. These are a family of amazing restaurateurs who really know how to set up an incredible restaurant. They have also trained many Chefs who have gone on to start very famous restaurants of their own throughout the USA.

Palace Café

From our experience and looking at the other tables, I don't think you could order badly at this place. As soon as you sit down they bring you a freshly baked crusty baguette. We then ordered the Crab Cheesecake and Shrip Rémoulade, followed by the Shrimp Tchefuncte. We also enjoyed the build your own Bloody Mary Station, but the stand out was the Bananas Foster which was cooked at our table. The bananas are sautéed in brown sugar and cinnamon then flambéed with banana liqueur and rum and served with vanilla bean ice cream! The Jazz musicians that accompanied our meal were also very talented. 



All in all we had a lovely first time cruise. I would recommend this ship to families or people looking for a relaxed escape. Personally I would not go on the same cruise again because when there are so many other options to try, why double dip?

Bear Creek Mountain Resort

Setting out in the snow

This weekend, Tim and I were finally able to enjoy the freezing weather by spending the the day at Bear Creek Mountain Resort . At only one and half hours drive away from us, we could not believe that we had been there sooner!

Bear Creek Mountain Resort

We arrived at midday just in time for lunch. We ate at the Mountain Eatery which is a beautiful open style cafeteria overlooking the slopes, with huge stone fireplaces. Knowing that we were about to do a massive workout loaded up on carbs to get our energy. I got a big, juicy hamburger and Tim munched down some rather large Chicken Tenderloins and Fries accompanied by some Sierra Mist (rather appropriately named given the setting!). Getting a little jittery, we stopped into the bar at The Grille and downed some liquid confidence in the form of Butterscotch Schnapps.

Cheers!

We then purchased four hour lift tickets at $54.00 each and snowboard and boot hire at $36.00 each. Based on the resorts I have visited previously, I found BCMR to be very reasonably priced. Also, both of our boots were brand new, and the boards were in excellent condition. This is a big plus, as anyone who has experienced shoddy rentals will tell you. 

Once we got all our gear on we were ready to hit the slopes. But as we got onto the snow it hit me that it had been three years since I had last snowboarded. I couldn't even remember how to do falling leaf (the first move you learn). I was very panicked and almost wanted to go back home. 

Luckily that is when we spotted the magic carpet. This is just a conveyor belt that takes you "up" an almost horizontal hill. In other words it's for people who have zero experience. 

Tim was only too happy to humour me and my panic attack. He didn't even complain while we very slowly ascended about 2 feet. As soon as I started strapping my feet into my board, I felt like my training was coming back to me. I jumped up and did falling leaf all the way down, not even hesitating to avoid all the clumsy beginners along the way. 

With this confidence boost, we agreed I was ready for Ski lift E. This would take us to a short green run (for beginner) called Drifter. I got in line with my snowboard in hand only to be told that it is compulsory to wear your board on the ski lift! I had completely forgotten about that. I strapped one foot in and awkwardly lined up with a board hanging off one foot. When we were the next in line we had to hurriedly follow the chair the people in front of us were catching, as the chairs don't stop. Since I had the board strapped to my foot it was very hard to hurry. I almost fell off just trying to get to the lift. 

Trail Map

Once we mounted the lift we enjoyed the beautiful view from above and were having a lovely time. It wasn't until we spotted the sign saying "Prepare to dismount" that I got nervous again. We had to get off this moving lift with the board strapped to one foot. I don't know how I did it, but I managed to quickly jump onto my board and place my non tied foot into in like a skate board and land very gracefully without falling. I whooped into the air yelling, I didn't fall!! The people around me just kinda stared but I was jubilant, I had this!

The Chair Lift

We boarded down with no falls until I reached the bottom where I only semi stacked it. Having such a great run, we felt ready to progress to the bigger Green run: Broadway. So we went over to B lift and got in line. This was one of the things we loved about BCMR, the short lines. Talking to some people on the lift, we were informed that the day's lines were considered long. These lines were nothing compared to what we have to deal with at Thredbo, Australia or heaven forbid the crazy lines at Queenstown, New Zealand!

Broadway was a lovely run and quite long for a green level. It was also nice and wide, but with some challenges to keep things interesting. What you don't realise the first time you go down it is that you need to initially pick up some speed to make it across a flat section at the top. We were just warming up and going very slowly the first time when we reached the plateau. We had to hop and scoot across a bit sheepishly while all the pros blitzed past. 

After doing this slope several times we decided we were ready for a blue run (intermediate level) and went down Kodak. It was so much more of a challenge but a lot of fun! 

After two hours boarding, I was really starting to feel it, and I really needed a break. My Fitbit had also gone off announcing that I had already reached my target of 10,000 steps for the day. We went back to the café for some coffee and biscuits. It was the perfect stop and gave us the energy we needed. 

The rest of the afternoon was spent on Kodak and finally at Cascade Park. Once I started to get tired I found that I was falling more. Also, as it got later and darker the slopes were getting icier. Once it gets icy it is harder to stay in control and hurts a LOT more if you fall, since the ground is so hard. When our four hours were up I was definitely ready to call it a day!

Bear Creek Mountain Resort

Today I woke up so sore, but it really was so much fun. Next time I would love to stay at the resort since it looks so beautiful. The nearby towns are also idyllic in the snow and make for a beautiful drive. I would love to explore some of the lovely stores and eateries that we drove past. 

So all in all, we are looking forward to going back soon. 

Last Minute Honeymoon - Part 1

Christmas in New Orleans

Over the Christmas and New Years break, Tim and I were lucky enough to go on our honeymoon. We only planned it with two weeks notice since we had a last minute change of plan. With the help of a few intense googling sessions we quickly found the perfect trip. We booked a 7 day cruise departing from New Orleans to Mexico, Belize and Honduras. This would be our first cruise and first time travelling to New Orleans, Central America and the Caribbean!

So on Christmas morning we departed PHL airport, destination MSY. When we arrived we went straight to the Airport Shuttle desk which is the most economical service. We paid $76 for a round trip for two. The shuttle took us straight to our Hotel, the New Orleans Marriott. On they way back we arranged for collection from the cruise terminal. 

We arrived a the very fancy New Orleans Marriott, but unfortunately the customer service there is subpar. But besides from every single staff member being rude and unhelpful, the hotel is lovely, like any Marriott and was very conveniently located on the edge of the French Quarter near the cruise terminal.

That first night we wanted to explore the infamous Bourbon street. It is usually described as rather rambunctious, but being Christmas night I guess most of the usual college kids were at home with their families. Walking down the street you cannot help but be attracted to the big neon signs of Big Easy Daiquiris selling what appears to be mainly frozen cocktails and pizza. It also seems that everyone is carrying one of their Styrofoam cups thanks to the city’s open cup policy. Not wanting to miss out, we jumped in and got one. While I was happily sipping away at my lightly spiked Mango Crush, I noticed that Tim was kinda struggling. He had asked for the most popular flavour and had inadvertently ordered The Hurricane, which has white rum, dark rum and Diesel 190! Basically you’re going to get tanked if you down one of those on an empty stomach. We swapped halfway through so that we could both be on the same level. As the temperature dropped we did begin to question whether slushies had been the best decision, but after getting some headway on the drink started to warm up.

Frozen Drinks on Bourbon Street

Eventually we wandered into Spirits on Bourbon which was lots of fun. This bar has recently been on a TV show called Bar Rescue and has apparently had a complete makeover and subsequent turnaround from previous financial struggles. We started off with the $1 shot of the day, Apple Pie (Apple Schnapps topped with whipped cream), and had one or two more throughout the night.

They had a big selection of bar food available which is basically just a means to line the stomach for more drinking. We had a lovely Trio of Sliders, yummy Fried Pickles (my dad reckons they'll fry your shoe if you're not careful!), and the shrimp bignets. Unfortunately we really disliked the shrimp bignets but once our server noticed we weren't eating them he insisted on removing them from our bill, now that's good service. 

The bar also has a famous cocktail, the Resurrection that comes in a flashing skull cup. In other circumstances I would have thought it was lame, but after so much fun it seemed only fitting :-)

Another unanticipated bonus of going to Spirits was the Duelling Piano performance. The guys took requests, mainly 80's and 90's songs and most of the bar sang along. There was also a trio sitting next to us at the bar who were trying to heckle one of the pianists a little. The thing is, never heckle a bar entertainer with a microphone if you can't take a little prodding back. It made for a lot of laughs from everyone else, but might explain why they left so early. Being our first night in the city we left a little early as well, probably around midnight, since we didn't want to wear ourselves out too soon.

Spirits on Bourbon

The next morning we had a reservation for a Jazz Brunch at The Court of Two Sisters. This beautiful restaurant has a rich history dating back more than one hundred years. We sat in the lovely outdoor courtyard where you are serenaded by low-key jazz tones. The atmosphere is really gorgeous there. The Brunch is served buffet style, and is super fresh and yummy, offering beautiful N'Awlins cuisine including both Cajun and Creole fare.

The Court of Two Sisters

As a means of walking off breakfast, we decided to do a Free Tour of the French Quarter. I have previously done other cities with this company, yet by contrast our tour guide did not provide much depth. Most of the information felt like it was read straight off a plaque in the street and was barely worth the $10 we paid for the two of us. But for an hour and a half's entertainment I felt I had to give something. 

The boring tour left us a little drowsy and when we smelt the fresh aroma of espresso we followed the beautiful scent. It led us to discover the best coffee shop in the USA so far! Spitfire Coffee was the best attraction in NOLA for me. It might just be the best café in the world. We mentioned this to the owner/barrista who replied “I know, when I moved here from Portland I couldn't find good coffee anywhere so I opened this shop”. Tim later mentioned that maybe we should go to Portland for our next trip.

Spitfire Coffee Mmmmmmm

After this stop we wondered around again, stopping in at the Cat’s Meow for some public karaoke performances. We didn't quite work up the nerve to do it ourselves, but were very entertained watching the other brave souls.

Another bar hop led us into Maison Bourbon for some more live Jazz, Irish Coffee and a Hot Buttered Whiskey for Tim (as in actual hot butter in steaming hot whiskey!). Then Tim insisted on a quick stop in Popeyes for some “Louisiana Fast”. 

After this it was time to hurry over to Jackson Square where we would meet our second free tour of the day, this time a Ghost Tour. Before the tour I had no idea NOLA had so many famous ghosts. But whether you believe in ghosts or not, the tour was very fascinating. The hauntings only serve as the platform for the stories and for me it was the historical context that I found most interesting. For example visited old theatres, hospitals, convents war barracks and landmark houses all in the French Quarter. Different ghosts were from different eras and while one story covered the Spanish occupation, the next was the French, or when the Creoles lived mainly in the French Quarter and so on. 

One very interesting story was that of Madame La Laurie. Her house is said to be cursed so that all who possess it now face hardships. Even former owner Nicholas Cage found there was some truth to this legend when the house was repossessed by the I.R.S. because of tax fraud. Our tour guide also mentioned that since the house is so haunted it is not uncommon to capture a ghost on film. Naturally everyone in the tour then whipped out their cameras to give it a go. I was not expecting anything but I captured a strange blue orb in the photo below. According to our guide this is a ghost. I am not sure that I am convinced but not one else in the group got anything on film, so I was a little chuffed at that.

Did I capture a ghost?

For dinner that night I was hoping to try the famed Shrimp PoBoy, but when you really want something sometimes it's just out of reach. Even though we found NOLA POBOYS, wouldn't ya know it? They were sold out of Shrimp. Oh well, we had to make do with a Roast Beef PoBoy and after this bad boy I pretty much stopped complaining. Yum!

Roast Beef PoBoy 

The next day it was pissing down rain, but luckily we found some plastic ponchos for $1 each, which kept us dry and warm. For breakfast we tried a little place next to the hotel called Mena’s Palace. It was full of locals and the food was what I have come to expect from an American dinner / café. We had wanted to try the beignets at Cafe Du Monde that morning, but the line was a few blocks long!

After breakfast we went window shopping down the lovely Royal Street, which is full of art, vintage wares, jewellery and other such pretty things. There we happened upon a place called Café Beignet. The line looked to be maybe 10 people long out on the street, so we joined and were excited to finally try the city's most famous pasties. After about 10 minutes the line had progressed so we were inside the café. But now we realised that this was a LONG café and we still had a lot of line to get through. I was disheartened and wanted to leave and forget all about those damn beignets. But apparently I had done a good job of selling them to Tim, who doesn't usually like sweets, and he wouldn't let me leave. He suggested he would go to the ATM while I waited there and then we could go for a delicious Spitfire Coffee together. He left and was back in time for maybe half a meter's progression in line. We tagged teamed and I sat down at a table to play candy crush, wondering how these little cakes could be worth the frigging wait. 

Eventually Tim appeared triumphantly with beignet bag in hand. We each scoffed one hot little icing sugar covered cake and they were “gooooooood”. We left one in the bag to eat with the coffee, which was delicious as you know. It’s probably a good thing too that we had those ponchos because I am not kidding when I tell you that they put about 100 grams of icing sugar in the paper bag. It suddenly made sense why so many people were walking down the street with white powder all over their clothes. I guess the people don't party quite as hard as I originally deduced *hehe snort hehe*

Beignets

By this point we felt like we knew this little section of the French Quarter like the back of our hands and were prepared to explore a different part. We had heard that Frenchman Street was more of a local hangout so we headed that way with a detour via the French Market. I tend to love most markets but even I would agree that this market is a bit too much of a tourist trap. So with no purchases (and a happy Tim), we continued along our way.

The French Market

Once we reached Frenchman Street we looked for somewhere to eat, because that is pretty much what this holiday was all about. We found a place called Dat Dog, which was a lot of fun. I ordered a delicious Crawfish Sausage and Tim got Duck, which was good but too heavy in the end. Our waiter also tried to dissuade us from getting Anna’s White Trash Fries saying it might be too much. I really don’t know why we didn't listen to him, and then we wonder how we are gaining weight in the USA….Regardless it was a lovely and we enjoyed sitting on the covered balcony people watching.

Dat Dog Hot Dogs

After lunch we were trying to head back towards our hotel but got a bit lost. Then we got really lost and had to get out the phone GPS because we had no idea where we were going. Since we had left the restaurant I had needed to pee. I had silently been hoping to just pop into one of the many bar that were around everywhere. Except now we were bumbling through the suburbs and I was dying. At last we found the dingiest looking bar in town called The Golden Lantern and I ran straight in. While I was in there Tim had ordered a I-just-used-the-bathroom-so-I-need-to-buy-a-drink drink. He had ordered a rum and coke which we had typically paid $7-$8 for in the city. Here it cost $2.50! What had originally been one pity drink, turned into about 4 hours spent in there. We made friends with all the locals and the bartender / owner who were all so lovely, and we almost missed our reservation at one of the Brennan Brothers Restaurant's before we realised the time and ran over there.

The Golden Lantern

We did arrive a little late to Red Fish Grill and they had just given our table away. Luckily we found a seat at the bar so we didn't have to wait for a table. This restaurant is very special and we absolutely enjoyed everything we ate there. We ordered the BBQ Oysters which are flash fried with Crystal BBQ Sauce and house made Blue Cheese Dressing. These were to die for and it's a good thing they give you a whole, freshly made baguette to mop up the sauce. We also got the Des Allemands Catfish and Shrimp Creole with green onion rice as well as the Redfish Bisque. Everything was amazing and this restaurant is a must visit if you are in the city.

Red Fish Grill

The next morning it was time to leave the hotel and slowly make our way to the cruise terminal which also just so happens to be an Outlet Mall called Riverwalk Marketplace. We killed some time by stopping for yet another delicious breakfast this time at Poppy's Time Out Sports Bar. I had a surprisingly delicious New Orleans Breakfast which had Prawns, Crawfish, Poached Eggs with Salsa on a Biscuit (Aussies read savoury scone). It was "gooooood", and left me wondering if there is bad food anywhere in NOLA? Tim had the heart attack Honey Drizzled Chicken on Biscuits which he loved. And then it was just a matter of time before we were cruising down the Mississippi and away to our next destination.

Breakfast at Poppy's Time Out

Dabbling in Watercolours

You may remember when I was in Baltimore I wrote about finding a little art store and stocking up on watercolour paints. That was more than a month ago now and I have to say I am very happy with my investment. 

Usually I tend to get very excited about starting a new project and spend lots of time thinking about it and even planning only to give up on it shortly after starting. It's not that I am fickle or easily bored, I mean I can find entertainment in very simple things for hours. The problem is that often the actual activity does not live up to the expectations I created. Also just because you want to like something doesn't mean that you will. 

However so far I have really enjoyed playing with these paints. I have to call it playing since unfortunately it turns out I am not an undiscovered genius artist. At the same time the enjoyment and relaxation that I have gotten out of these paints is priceless, so I am very glad I bought them.

I guess the point of this post is that if you have a bit of a curious desire to start a new hobby or activity don't be deterred. Don't worry if you are a habitual hobby starter who can't seem to follow them through. I think this is just pent up creative energy that is looking for an outlet. And who knows, maybe this will be the hobby you finally stick to ;-)

Here is some of my dabbling so far. There is a lot of room for improvement, which means more painting for me, yay!

Mapo Tofu Basic Recipe / Quick Easy Dinner

If there is one thing that I love to do when cooking, it is substituting ingredients with what you have on hand. Not only is it more cost efficient and saves you lots of money, it is also much less wasteful. Lets say you want to make a cake and the recipe calls for cream, why not substitute with sour cream or even Greek Yoghurt that is already in the fridge? Sometimes the substitutions can even be healthier for you. It's little things like this that make me happy sometimes.

Recently I was perusing the fridge trying to think of what I could make from what I had on hand. It was getting close to two weeks since my last grocery shop and supplied were getting low. I was down to a quarter of a capsicum, a packet of tofu, some mince and sauces. I always have cans and some things in the cupboard too. I learnt this from my mum who is a closet 'doomsday prepper' (notice the pun hehe). That's why I had an onion or two and some garlic cloves along with a limited herb selection (I don't want to buy every herb I normally use since I am only in the USA for a limited time).

Focusing on the Tofu I remembered how much I love eating my mother-in-law's Mapo Tofu. She only makes it on special occasions and it is originally her mother-in-law's recipe. I decided that the main ingredients are mince, tofu and chilli so the rest is optional and open to interpretation. Here is my little twist on the recipe which is an easy weekday option. Quick, easy and delicious, you should give it a go!

Ingredients

1 Tablespoon oil
1 Capsicum, Diced
1 Onion, Diced
2 Garlic, Sliced
1 Can Whole Chopped Tomatoes
200 Grams Mince Meat (preferably half pork half beef, but I only had pork on hand this time)
1 Package Firm Tofu, Diced
1-2 Tablespoons Chilli Sauce
1 Teaspoon Cumin Powder
1 Teaspoon Dried Oregano
1/2 Cup Soy Sauce
1/2 Cup Chinese Vinegar
Salt
Pepper

Method

Heat oil in medium to high heat.

Add the onions, stirring until they become translucent.

Add the capsicums and the garlic, stirring until they too are softened.

Next add the meat, chilli, soy, vinegar, and stir until slightly browned.

Then add the tomatoes, cumin and oregano, and allow them to simmer for approximately 10 minutes or until softened and set.

At this point gently stir in the tofu and allow to cook together for approximately 5 minutes more.

Taste before serving and add salt/pepper/chilli if required.

Best served with rice, but you can always substitute with other carbs. I used crusty bread that I had on hand ;-)

The Hudson Valley, New York

The very first weekend following my arrival in the States, Tim and I went on a road trip up the Hudson Valley. This area is renown as being most beautiful in the fall and though we were going on the tail-end of the season,  it was a beautiful time to go. All the trees seem to be alight and varied on a colour palette ranging from burnt orange to charred red and stinkingly bright yellow. 

We set off on Friday night, after Tim finished work. Our first stop was dinner at Americana Diner which really exceeded our expectations. We were super impressed with our order of the Table Sample for Two which includes Fried Mozzarella, Calamari, Lamb Koftas and Smoked Salmon; the Grass Fed Beef Sliders on home made Brioche; and the Pulled Pork Soft Tacos with chili and cilantro (coriander) salad. Then to drink Tim had the Pear and Rosemary Spritzer (virgin) and I had a delicious Cranberry Margarita, followed by espressos all round (not the best but sadly usual for American Coffee).

Being so well fed and watered we were fuelled up to brave the New York traffic and didn't mind the late drive as we blasted the radio where all the DJs seemed to have colluded to play only Magic's Rude and Taylor Swifts Shake It Off across all stations for the duration of the drive.

Eventually we made it up to the Fairfield Inn Spring Valley Nanuet only teetering on the edge of insanity and thankfully able to finally stop that incessant racket on the wireless. It was a late hour, maybe around midnight and we were tired from the drive as we approached the check in desk. I left it to Tim but felt that it was taking too long for them to hand over the damn keys already so I got a little closer and realised that they were stuck on the reservation name. The man was saying "Sorry you're reservation is not in the system" and Tim was getting visibly annoyed asking him to check again under the name Lee, L-E-E. The man repeated it back ok L-A-A where I interjected no L-E-E as in E for EGG, Tim then gently tried to get in front of me possibly fearing for the man's safety if I managed to get closer to him. Then Tim goes for the assimilation tactic and says L-EEEE-EEEEE and the man goes oh L-EEEE-EEEEE, why didn't you say so! I just walked away thinking "he's not worth it...".

After this drama we walked into a very comfortable suite and honestly slept very well. They even have this great thing where you don't need to check out any more so we didn't have to talk to Mr. EEEEE again which was a bonus. With this we were on our way to the lovely little town of Nyack at the base of the Hudson River for breakfast. First we made a little detour at their farmers market, which while very small was charming. We weren't sure where exactly to eat so we asked some locals. The locale they recommended was obviously good since it was completely booked. Luckily there was a little cottage café a few houses down that we decided to try instead.

The place is called the Art Café and it is really very cute with very good classic café meets Jewish cuisine. I ordered the Ricotta Pancakes with berries and date honey (yum!) and Tim got the Sabich which is a thick pita pocket filled with boiled egg, home made hummus, pickles, eggplant, cherry tomato and red onions. Both recommendations and both delicious. So after yet another yummy and very filling meal I was getting the idea that I would not be staying in quite the same shape that I had arrived to America in, but oh well, you only live once!

After this we jumped back in the car and were driving through Tarrytown, we were one week away from Halloween at this point and realised we were about to drive past the cemetery surrounding the legend of Sleepy Hollow (thanks GPS for the great info) and decided that this serendipitous moment should not be squandered and had a good old wander amongst the graves. Look at some of our happy snaps.

After this we wanted to make some headway so we drove for quite awhile until it was time for a late lunch. Then we stopped at Farm to Table in Fishkill. Here we had one great and one not so great dish. Tim ordered the Coq au Vin which was absolutely fabulous, but sadly my Prince Edward Island Mussels were a real let down. It felt like they were either baby mussels, picked too young or else severely malnourished adult mussels that led a hard life before their unfortunate capture and ensuing delivery onto my plate. Maybe it's because in Australia we have such big and juicy Mussels and I am just spoilt but as I say, just give these a miss if you are there and stick to the chicken. But one thing I must add is that our server was incredibly helpful and friendly. He gave us lots of great info on the area and some great suggestions on where to go next.

So thanks to our server we were then on our way to the Walkway over the Hudson. This is the longest elevated pedestrian walkway in the world and offers beautiful views of both the Hudson River and the Valley surrounding it. A great free attraction not to be missed if you are in the area.

It was starting to get dark at this point but we had one last meal to squeeze in before heading back. We made our way to the hipster town of New Paltz, as suggested by our waiter. We worked up an apetite by browsing the many antique / gift / quirky stores and then decided on Indian for dinner. We found Suruchi tucked away behind the main street and saw that it had rave reviews online so we gave it a go. We walked in and the place looked packed, but still we asked if they had any tables. They said "Yes, if you don't mind sitting close together". It was a little alcove for one really but since it smelt so good in there we decided to literally squeeze in like we were human tetris pieces. Patrons at other tables watched and giggled at us, but we were undeterred at this point. We eventually ordered a few plates and while we waited they brought papadams and spicy dipping sauces. "Oh nice", we thought and munched away. Not realising that we should have conserved this food like people in a life raft that know they have to make it last. The food took about 2 hours to to be served. We were only a little hungry when we got to the restaurant but after about an hour or so I was feeling ravenous. We toyed with the idea of leaving, but from our earlier exploration of town we had seen that everywhere gets packed out on Saturday night and we feared we would just be waiting at a different place if we left. And surely the food couldn't be that far away could it? We did ask the waitress at this point, who apologised and explained that they don't usually get so busy... hmmm... not really knowing what to make of that answer we had to just wait this one out....

Once the food finally arrived, I had no complaints about its authenticity or flavour. It was great, we just wished we hadn't had to wait quite so long for it. 

So on that note, we were away and heading back to Cherry Hill and commenting on what a great success our first Road trip in the USA had been.