Went on a full moon cross country ski with a fire bonfire afterwards. And now I’m home icing my tail bone.
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Category Archives: forage
Skipping the Super Bowl: hike
I know that football game happened but I don’t know who played. Today we are experiencing a subtropical moisture plume making Northern Arizona strangely overcast. We made vegan tacos for breakfast and then headed out into the mist. In Oak Creek Canyon I had a “therapy session” with my sweetheart, practicing jumping from rock to rock in the creek and pushing my limits – going beyond my comfort zone. I got to the point where I was showing off. On the way back north we stopped at a seasonal waterfall and icy little canyon in the pines.
Building the Taco: Corn tortilla, homemade beans, homemade guacamole, sweet potatoes, homemade salsa, vegan mayonnaise, chulula hot sauce.
Pictures from the hike
Brunch at Coppa Cafe
Sometimes It’s best to have someone else cook and do the dishes. Coppa Cafe in flagstaff is is a great place. The location is understated but very convenient and super cute inside. The food was wonderful – hard cooked eggs on my salad were perfectly done, which is very important to me. So many eggs out there are boiled into a rubbery ball with a green chalky yolk. I am an egg snob.
The folks at Coppa Cafe were not at all snippy about me asking what could be made without meat, which was refreshing. They outlined what changes they could make on most menu items. Its a real bacon culture out there these days! The meat did look high quality and they do use a local source for beef.
My americano- yum!
Niçoise salad – hold the brunchy bacon
Baked eggs with a tomato sauce
Parsnip soup with rose, Meyer lemon, and olive olive. So fancy and delicious!
Molten lava cake – didn’t get a shot before we dug in. Delicious!
Taking these photos today has affirmed my New Years resolution to slow down and take time to get the best photo I can with the darn phone. I want to do it justice…
Plum brandy
In the fall I pick tiny plums from old neglected plum trees from around downtown. This fall I had a bag that I just stuck in the freezer to do something with later. Then, while cleaning the freezer I accidentally left these plums out and they thawed. Since I have a little cough I decided to do something easy with them to enjoy and celebrate with later. Plum brandy! I have loads plum sauce put up already. I’ll soak the plums in brandy for a while then mash the plums with the brandy and soak some more over the course of several weeks and then strain through a very fine cloth. I use a ‘nut milk bag’. I did this last year with both gin and brandy and gave it out and took it as a camp warm up on backpacking trips. No sugar just the plums and liquor. Amazing and fruity!
First big snow of the season
Yesterday on the urban trail we had we nicest cross country ski with the snow still falling. Gathered up some mountain winter magic!
Tonight a friend had a winter gathering and made this flaming punch. Supposedly it’s a Charles Dickens recipe by way of esquire magazine. I know there’s everclear and rum and lemon juice and i imagine sugar but I didn’t get the recipe. I stuck to the apple cider, but it sure was pretty.
First big snow of the season
Yesterday on the urban trail we had we nicest cross country ski with the snow still falling. Gathered up some mountain winter magic!
Tonight a friend had a winter gathering and made this flaming punch. Supposedly it’s a Charles Dickens recipe by way of esquire magazine. I know there’s everclear and rum and lemon juice and i imagine sugar but I didn’t get the recipe. I stuck to the apple cider, but it sure was pretty.
Superstition wilderness thanksgiving honeymoon
Here are some photos of our trip to the superstition mountains east of Phoenix. The saguaro were out of this world!! And the cholla! This is my second trip in the western lower elevation part of this wilderness area and I’ve been pleasantly surprised with the amount of water. I didn’t get any photos of a pretty gigantic-bouldery box canyon because I got a little activated with some technical spots and the light getting low. We were able to get really remote pretty quickly even though the peralta trailhead that we took to link to our loop is very busy with day hikers. Seems we saw bear poo and fur. I kept hoping that it was a coatimundi or an ocelot, but that’s smaller poo.
Aphrodisiac herb and spice liquor
I have the best friends! Just broke out this beautiful gift from a blossom buddy. This sweet spiced and herbed brandy is the perfect partner to a dark winter new moon walk. Lets all make some for ourselves!! I wish a little of this came out of the spring in oak creek!
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