We have always wanted to hike S. Sister. Just to say we did it... ya know? Over labor day we went for it. We set out Saturday; planning to backpack to Moraine lake, put our stuff down and summit that day. After getting a late start (we had to stop at REI for some booties for Addie) we headed out on the backpacking section of our trip. We hit Moraine lake pretty late but were still planning to summit. We were actually pretty lucky and got stopped by a ranger for taking a short cut. He slowed us down enough that we decided not to hike the whole thing that day. I think that was a good decision.
Now that we weren't summiting, we still needed something to do. We set out to hike at least part way up and see how it was. We came across some guys who were basically in the same situation as us but had gone further to the top. They were able to let us know that we could just bring a water filter and not have to pack as much water. (There is a 'lake' at the top).
The next day we set out to summit. We rolled out of bed at 4:30 and hit the trail at 5am. The sunrise was awesome! Matt got some good pics. The day was perfect. We managed to avoid most of the crowds with the 5am departure. That was AWESOME because it looked terrible to be climbing at 12:00 with 100 other people.
We ran most of the way back and hit our base camp around 12:30 or 1pm. The hike all the way to the bottom with our stuff was pretty brutal. It is definitely nice to go light.
After Matt and I returned from our S. Sister hike on Labor Day weekend (more pics to come) I had an email from Zappos with 'Zappos Couture Fashion Week Sweepstakes Winner!' as the title. I almost ignored it but I remembered that I had randomly entered that drawing about a month before. At 10pm on Sunday, I finally read the email. It said that myself and a guest were invited to NY fashion week. Paid airfare, hotel, fashion week tickets and a $1000 Zappos gift card! If it wasn't from Zappos I would have thought it was a total scam. But... It was real!! The whole thing has been a whirlwind but next week Matt and I get to go to three shows in NYC for Fashion week! I am sooooo excited!
Everyone at Zappos was so nice and they hooked it up!
Last night I was trying to come up a recipe that utilized the leftover GIANT zucchini that our friends gave us from their garden. It was the first 'fall' day of the season in Portland and something warm and filling sounded good. It was delicious and super easy. I found this recipe on simplysugarandglutenfree. I used Muir Glen tomatoes (with basil) and they worked great.
I have included a great fall song to cook, eat and sip wine to. Enjoy!
Stewed Zucchini & Chickpeas adapted from 1000 Vegetarian Recipes by Carol Gelles
serves 4 – 6
1 tablespoon good quality extra virgin olive oil
1/2 of a large onion, sliced thinly
3 cloves of garlic, grated on a microplane
28 ounces of whole tomatoes in the juice
5 to 6 cups of zucchini, quarted and cut into 1 inch pieces
2 cups cooked chickpeas (canned will work, too)
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 teaspoon whole greek oregano
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper, or to taste
Heat olive oil in a dutch oven over medium low heat. Add onion and saute until soft, 5 – 8 minutes. Add garlic and saute for another minute. Add tomatoes with juice. Use your wooden spoon to break up the tomatoes into small pieces. Add zucchini, chickpeas, basil, parsley, oregano, salt, and pepper. Bring to a low boil then reduce to a simmer. Allow to simmer for 30 minutes, uncovered, or until zucchini is still slightly firm.
Serve over oven baked polenta
Here is the recipe... It is much easier than I thought! I used rice milk and it added a slightly sweet flavor to it which I really enjoyed
Oven Baked Polenta
serves 4 – 6
3/4 cup stone ground cornmeal
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
2 cups filtered water
1/4 cup 1% milk or more water for dairy-free
1 tablespoon unsalted butter (optional)
additional filtered water if necessary
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Put cornmeal, salt, and pepper into a 2 – 3 quart casserole dish. Add filtered water and whisk together. Cover with lid or aluminum foil. Bake for 15 minutes, remove from oven and carefully whisk again. Return to oven and bake for another 15 minutes. Remove your so-simple-to-make polenta from the oven, stir in milk and butter. Add additional filtered water to reach desired consistency. (I usually add 1/2 to 3/4 cup.)
This weekend one of my best friends graduated from nursing school! Whoot Whoot! Matt and I were trying to figure out the perfect present to commemorate her day. We decided to make a picture 'shadowbox' of the trip to Thailand the three of us took together last year. Here are some pictures of the finished product. You can find the original images here: thebentmoment.com
verb /bərn/ burned, past participle; burned, past tense; burning, present participle; burns, 3rd person singular present; burnt, past participle; burnt, past tense
(of a fire) Flame or glow while consuming a material such as coal or wood
- a fire burned and crackled cheerfully in the grate
(of a candle or other source of light) Be alight
- a light was burning in the hall
Be or cause to be destroyed by fire
- he watched his restaurant burn to the ground
Damage or injure by heat or fire
- I burned myself on the stove
(of a person, the skin, or a part of the body) Become red and painful through exposure to the sun
- my skin tans easily but sometimes burns
Feel or cause to feel sore, hot, or inflamed, typically as a result of illness or injury
(of a person's face) Feel hot and flushed from an intense emotion such as shame or indignation
- her face burned with the humiliation
Be possessed by (a desire or an emotion)
- Martha was burning with curiosity
Use (a type of fuel) as a source of heat or energy
- a diesel engine converted to burn natural gas
(of a person) Convert (calories) to energy
- the speed at which your body burns calories
Produce (a compact disc) by copying from an original or master copy
