Here you will find an archived weblog of my food, travel, and creative pursuits which I kept from 2010-2016. Please note both that the travel information contained here may outdated and that these logs were created on a prior version of this website and may not yet be optimized for the current version. If you’re looking for specific content, use the search field below! <3
You know when you visit a place for the first time and it just makes your heart sing?
Driving north along the Yellowhead Highway in Jasper National Park, I found one of those places; Jasper and Talbot Lakes. This was one of those great surprise destinations, simply stumbled upon along the way to something else.
Read MoreThis week's dose of wanderlust is a touch more somber and comes to you from my photograph archives; a few film shots from my visit to the city of Pompeii back in 2000. It was simply fascinating to walk along the streets with Mt. Vesuvius looming in the distance and think about the history of this famous place.
Read MoreI'm finding that my lists of great reads are beginning to get rather lengthy, so in an effort to slightly pare down but also elevate the awesome, I'm going to begin sharing a curated top ten good reads (and occasional watches) from around the web.*
What I Was Reading & Watching
1. Eating Through Nicaragua on TravelShus
The food in Nicaragua looks right up my alley - tostones are one of my favorite foods.
2. Everyday Adventure // Mt. Elbert on Annabelle MIntz // Move Beautifully
The views from the summit of this Colorado hike are just about enough for me to book a plane ticket.
3. Why So Many Icelanders Still Believe in Invisible Elves on The Atlantic
I think the world is made a better place when we believe there's a little magic in it.
4. Field Notes + Gluten Free Apple Fritter Doughnuts on Happyolks
For the first time ever, I want a donut pan.
5. Homemade Tootsie Rolls on kumquat
Due to my intolerance to most cow milk dairy and dislike of unpronounceable ingredients, most all candy has been off limits. So homemade? Yes, please!
Read MoreTotal honesty? Our garden is hideous right now. Truly hideous.
It's been suffering from a total lack of attention, as has the rest of our yard. But that tends to happen when you end up on the road a lot and spend time doing other things like recovering from the flu, designing your website, and celebrating other various events.
We did take the time to harvest the rest of our summer bed. The bowl of beets and carrots were juiced. Since we ended up with loads of green tomatoes - we tried the internet myth of putting them in paper bags in a dark place. And it worked! Well, at least sort of - for about half of the tomatoes. The other half I roasted with a little olive oil and sea salt and it was super tasty.
Hopefully next month, I'll have a better update with our winter edible garden plans
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Read MoreIf you're not up for the full 19.4 kilometers of the Tongariro Alpine Crossing or if the weather has taken a turn for the worse and the Crossing is closed - the 6 kilometer loop trail to Taranaki Falls is a perfect introduction to Tongariro National Park. We spent quite a good amount of time dawdling at the two beautiful waterfalls, taking in views of both Mt. Tongariro and Mt. Ngauruhoe, and snapping photos that now hang on our walls - so the loop took us about 3 hours to complete.
Read MoreThe only time in my life I enjoyed running was when I lived about four blocks from the beach in Monterey, California. If I woke up early enough, I could walk down to a nearly empty beach with firm sand and a light sea mist in the air - perfect running conditions for me. Before I moved away I made sure to capture a few images to preserve the memory.
Over the past three plus years, I've shared quite a number of recipes and over time, they just get buried in the archives. So I'm taking the time to revive a few of my favorites which make a regular appearance in our kitchen, update the photos, and share them as part of seasonal collections.
When I think about recipes I'm excited to make in the Fall, there are two characteristics that come to mind; comfort and warming spices. I'll start with one from the first guest post I ever wrote - over on XGFX for Vegan MoFo (Month of Food). This little recipe was inspired by one of my favorite gluten free friendly restaurants in San Francisco, Betelnut. Crispy Cauliflower is simple to make and even better, it's very allergen friendly, making it a great appetizer to serve at a get together.
Read MoreAfter an unplanned night of sleeping in the truck since all the campsites in Yoho National Park were full - I didn't exactly set out on this walk with the most open minded of dispositions. Never the less, the walk around Emerald Lake absolutely blew me away. No ordinary walk around a lake, the 5.2 kilometers are packed with varying environments and amazing views.
Read MoreKaiteriteri is arguably one of my favorite places in the entire country of New Zealand.
That's a lot for me to say about a country in which I've traveled to twice and will continue to return to because I just love it that much. It could have been the welcome sign at the cottage we stayed at or the fruit trees which surrounded the cottage. It may have been the farm stands, nearby gluten free friendly restaurants, or the beaches. In any case it was absolutely lovely.
On this last trip to Washington D.C. I got stuck in the National Geographic lobby during an insane thunderstorm, never adjusted to East Coast time, and ate at the chef's counter of an absolutely fantastic restaurant. It was a pretty wild trip.
That last experience was up there with my top gluten free dining experiences ever. Let me start by recommending that you make reservations at Birch & Barley the second you find yourself in Washington D.C. - don't let the name fool you either, they are incredibly gluten free friendly. By some amazing source of luck, I wandered in without a reservation and got seated at the chef's counter on a Thursday evening. Serious win.
As I walked in I asked the hostess about my dietary needs, specifically gluten and dairy, and was assured they would take care of me. Sitting down, I noticed the menu has a kind notation about welcoming substitutions to accommodate your needs. This was definitely my kind of place.
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