Barefoot yes, Contessa... not so much

As a self proclaimed Nomad, being in one place for an extended period of time isn't always easy for me. Add being practically unemployed for 4 months and you add on another level of madness. Then fate struck. Last weekend I happened to catch an episode of barefoot contessa. Ina was talking about her time in Paris and wanted to make an Parisian meal for her hubby... and I thought, if I can't get to Paris, I'll bring Paris to ME!!  So, I set out on my first adventure in french cooking.

Ina talks about how making french pastry can be daunting (yeah, no sh*t) ,but if you can make one thing really well, then you're set. My first attempt at making Profiteroles was an EPIC failure. The recipe calls for you to make a dough substance and then pulse in eggs in a food processor. We didn't have a food processor handy here at the 'rents, so we went with the trusty magic bullet. Which would have been fine, if everything had been attached properly. Unfortunately, we ended up with a very liquid mixture everywhere and one broken bullet base.

Here is a pic of the 2nd attempt. They look ok, right? WRONG. Feel free to check out the link for what they SHOULD have looked like http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Profiterole. In any event. after 2 cups of milk, 2 cups of sugar, 2 sticks of butter and 8 eggs, I decided that try number 3 was going to have to wait for another day. They tasted good, so I improvised.

One thing that turned out FAB was the chocolate sauce for on the Profiteroles! Yum! Chocolate, cream, honey and coffee made this a delicious treat!!

The main course? Herb baked eggs. They were actually quite delish, but I think would be better served as a brunch than a dinner meal. Some of the eggs turned out a little too cooked, I think I would really need to get the timing down. However, some at the table like their eggs over medium, and that's how they got them for this dish! Herbs on the top include: fresh thyme, rosemary and parsley. Of course there is also garlic and Parmesan, butter, and cream in these as well!

Plated herb baked eggs with toasted french bread for dipping!

And granted the profiteroles didn't turn out as expected, but they were tasty just the same. Instead of cutting them in half and stuffing with ice cream, we made a little sandwich and covered with the chocolate sauce. When they use their fingers to soak up all the sauce, I call the dessert a winner!

So that was my first attempt at french cuisine. All in all, well worth it. Someday, I'll master the profiterole, and hopefully one day enjoy the real thing in ol' par-ee but until then, I'll enjoy the leftovers.

Bon Appetit!

A Lost Twilight Birthday

My Breaking Dawn cake. Love you Michelle!

YUM!

Bird setting the mood with music while making a delish dinner of Alfredo!

Not only did we get to celebrate my burfday, we got to celebrate Maria's graduation from nursing school! GO MARIA!

Nothing like going through 6 seasons of LOST merchandise. Oh, to dream of owning Charlie's Drive Shaft ring or Eko's Jesus Stick.

Yummy cake on New Moon plates! Notice cake placement. Thanks Bird.

What would the plates be without the napkins?

Corey's delish homebrewed beer. Wish I had gallons of it!

The new and improved Statue of Liberty!

Random Photos

Just some additional photos from the trek across America. Lady was a good (and relaxed) little traveler. Even without drugs!

Long shot of the new RV!

I heart trees 

Ahh... that summer green

Angry Iowa skies

Possibly the nicest rest stop in America. It was amazing and inside they had tiles of famous people from Iowa. Like W.P. Kinsella who wrote the book that Field of Dreams is based on.

This is the view to the right of those angry clouds straight ahead

We were stuck in Iowa for 3 days. This was about 2 or 3 am. Managed to snap a shot just as the lightning struck outside!



It rained so hard that we actually had to pull off and wait for ir to slow down. I was trying to take a pic of the awesome old car, but there were too many raindrops. I think it came out even better!

View of one of our many campgrounds

Wrap Up

 Well, this blog is lonnnnnnnnnng overdue- considering we ended up back in PA in June and now it is Nov, but here goes.  We had some rough weather in Indiana! Little did we know at this point that we would be spending almost a WEEK in this state! We headed to an appointment to get a new hitch and found out that the RV we had driven (as seen in this pic) really wasn't safe anymore, so we needed to get a new one!

 Indiana takes their fireworks very seriously. I mean really?  (notice the police car next to me.. haha.. I risked being pulled over for this pic!)

 Ugly clouds a brewin' ....

 Clever sign.. Dan's body shop- We meet by accident.. haha

 The Cock A Doodle Cafe. We ate quite a few meals here while we were stuck in Indiana waiting for the new RV. The walls are floor to ceiling with chicken/ rooster decorations. Food was awesome!

 TV in the new RV. It comes up from the desk. The black thing just below it is a FIREPLACE.

 Interior shot of the new RV. Kitchen and Dining area.

 You know your getting closer to home when....

 Helllllllo Ohio!

 YAY! PA Welcomes me home

My final trip total! And I did it allllll by myself! Phew! It was a long trip but was so amazing. It is something I will NEVER forget. Thanks again to my Mom and Glenn who came all the way to get me!

Iowa

Well, we have been in Iowa for the last three days, and I must say the most impressive thing Iowa has shown me was the perfect mullet above and what can only be described as biblical (i.e. end of the world scary) thunderstorms. My friend Carrie would have been in her element. I didn't get a picture of the crazy storms so a picture of the mullet will have to do. Loving the pose too. This guy rocked!

Strange statue (I think of a bull?)  in the middle of a field. Iowa is an odd place.

Wondering if this is like Disneyland?

Well, I have to say, I'll be glad when we are through Iowa. It has been HOT and muggy and I mentioned the thunderstorms. They were so bad on Thursday, we actually had to stay put! It was nice to have another day to relax, but I am starting to itch to get home! Looks like it maybe another week. Hoping to be in Illinois tomorrow and Indiana by Sunday. Have to get a new hitch for the 5th wheel in Indiana on Monday. Keep your fingers crossed that all goes well!

On the Road Again....

Well, we are on the road again. My last look at the mountain I climbed! Goodbye to Crazy Horse and Custer, SD! I will miss you! Yes, I took this from a moving vehicle that I was driving. No one tell Oprah, ok?

We started seeing signs for Wall Drug in Wall, SD. For my East Coast friends, it was like South of the Border signs. It start about 200 miles before. We didn't stop due to a late start, but we did learn that during the depression Wall Drug was almost forced to close. But the owner (a very intelligent lady) thought perhaps if she put a sign along the dirt road that they would give away free ice water, it might drum up business. It worked. Check out that marketing!

South Dakota takes pride in their rest stops! The South Dakota sign was etched into the outside and the teepee looking structure was out front.

Another Wall Drug Sign...

I thought this was hilarious. Then I looked inside. Should I be afraid that they were SOLD OUT? Or afraid that they say to TRY THE NEXT STOP!

Tonight we are in Chamberline, SD and staying along side the Missouri River.  It is absolutely beautiful.

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The downtown area is just as cute as Custer and these views of the river are beautiful!

We lost an hour driving today, so  I will be off to bed soon. Hope you enjoy these pics from today!

Crazy Horse Memorial Hike (Volksmarch 2010)

Today was the Volksmarch up to the Crazy Horse Memorial. What a day! It was a tough hike. Apparently it changes every year, based on where they are blasting and we got quite a strenous one, but it was so worth it in the end. Above is a close up picture (from near our starting point) of what they have completed. The face and arm have been completed so far. Below is a statue of what the final product will look like. As an FYI, the pictures at the top are taken from what will be the arm of Crazy Horse (the flat bit).

This is the ACTUAL picture from near the starting point. I think it was mean to make us go by the finish first... knowing we had so far to go....

Coming around the bend at the top. My first glimpse...

The completed face. Pictures can NOT do it justice. There were several times I really didn't think I was going to make it and questioned whether or not this was even worth it. It so was!

Me.. standing at the hole that will be between the arm and his stallion!

YAY! THE FINISH LINE! I DID IT!

This is what will eventually be carved into the Mountain! Mount Rushmore (4 big white faces who were each particularly cruel to the Indians) being carved into the Sacred Black Hills is really an insult to American Indians. This will blow Mt. Rushmore right out of the water! There is some controversy over the memorial as well, but it is getting people educated about the American Indian, and for that, I am glad it is there. The story is that the elders asked the sculptor to create Crazy Horse so that the white man would know that they had great heroes too. The meaning behing the sculpture (and the reason he is pointing) is that Crazy Horse supposedly once said "My lands are where my dead lie buried". Wikipedia has more info (and pics) if you are interested.

Darla told me that one of her traditions is for the person she is hiking with to pick and animal from the great fence (see below) and to get their pic with the animal they chose. I chose this bird and here is my self portrait (while I waited for her to get her camera)

The nature gate. Scuplted by the same sculptor. It is hard to tell in this picture but each little gold speck is a different animal!

My medal! Little did I know that this was the 25th anniversary! On the medal is the monument and the sculptor (who died in the late 80's) and his wife. She and 7 of their 10 kids still run everything. It is important to note, that they get NO federal funding. Everything is though donations, admissions and gift shop sales.

I was lucky enough to meet and purchase a very small but original piece of art work from Del Iron Cloud. A very famous Lakota artist and an amazingly sweet man!

I actually purchased this pin yesterday, but wanted to post it with the rest of my loot. This pin is made from porcupine quills. I has the Lakoto colors and represents the four corners and the four races. This was purcharsed at Red Cloud School on the reservation and a very worthy cause if you are looking to throw money at a non profit!

An energy bar. Buffalo & Cranberry. I haven't tried it yet. But, I did have a Buffalo burger today..... DELISH! (and very healthy!)

All of my loot from the past two days. I have learned and experienced so much! I am so grateful that Darla spent this time with me and I am so grateful for the awesome people I met, who were so gracious to me. Thanks again Ron Kills Warrior, Del Iron Cloud and Walter Eagle Tail.