MON 26 MAY: Galleries, Gunflint Tavern

One of the neatest, (and hippest,) things about Grand Marais is the general hippie vibe -- local, organic restaurants, a county co-op, and tons of art galleries featuring local artists! We browsed through several galleries, dodging in and out of the raindrops, and warmed up a little bit. We ended up finding several collages in one of the galleries by Dan's best friend's brother, Mike Sweere. It was sort of surreal -- we had been to an opening of Mike's earlier this year, and Dan and I both paused at his collages at the same time, doing a double-take. We were really excited, once we figured out where we had seen something like them before!

After we grew tired of gallery-hopping, we decided lunch was in order. (One-and-a-half donuts can only get a person so far, eh?) We scored a window table at the Gunflint Tavern, where we've eaten before, and were excited to patronize again. Dan ordered a cup of coffee and a reuben and I ordered a mug of soy chai (no extra charge for the soymilk!) and a bowl of their veggie chili, which came garnished with cheese, sour cream, guacamole, red onion, and blue corn tortilla chips. YUM! The chili was hearty, flavorful, and just spicy enough -- just the thing to warm up with on a cold afternoon.

Unfortunately, I completely forgot to take pictures of our food. But, any restaurant displaying Tibetan prayer flags over their entrance just HAS to be good, right??


After lunch, it was time to head south . . . we had to walk off our lunch, right?

MON 26 MAY: Temperance River

Heading south, we had wanted to return to Cascade River, where we had stopped during our North Shore adventure last fall. However, we decided the weather (cold, extremely rainy, and very windy,) merited a change of plans. We decided to drive a little further south in the hopes that the rain would let up and the temperatures would climb, if even only a few degrees.

In lieu of Cascade River, we stopped at Temperance River, where neither Dan nor I had visited before. (Although it was still very cold, the rain had let up significantly by this time.) The north shore seems to be peppered with all of these little rivers, full of rapids and falls, than empty into Lake Superior! One of our first views of the river:

Check out that water!

Comingling with the Lake:

Although we tried desperately to hike some of the trails along the rocky clifs of the river, we kept hitting obstacles -- many of the trails were closed due to guardrails in disrepair. So, we decided to climb down, and hike along the beach instead.

Check out those waves! (Think it was a little windy?)



After I grew tired of taking pictures of waves, I turned around to say something to Dan . . . and didn't see him. He had wandered off a little bit, but I located him quickly:

We reconvened for an attempted self-portrait:

Do we look cold? We were freezing! We hopped back into the car, cranked the heater, and continued south, with a snack stop in mind.

MON 26 MAY: Betty's Pies

We stopped at Betty's Pies, which is located along Hwy 61 just north of Two Harbors.

We had heard great things about Betty's Pies, and decided to try it out, at least for a snack. We ordered coffee and a slice of pie apiece, (blueberry for me, key lime for Dan -- his all-time favorite,) and waited patiently. A few moments later, our pie arrived:

I hate to be so blunt, but we were sorely disappointed. Dan's pie looked sort of revolting, and not like any key lime pie either one of us had ever tried. It sort of reminded me of those fluffy green-jello salads you used to see at potlucks when you were a kid -- the kind with crushed pineapple and multi-colored mini-marshmallows? Dan said that was kind of what it tasted like . . . ick. My blueberry was okay -- a little overly sweet, and not nearly as good as the slice of strawberry-rhubarb I had had at the Angry Trout the night before. (I did split my slice with Dan, however, since his was so awful!)

In the end, despite the lousy pie, the coffee was very good.

We paid, and decided to officially cross Betty's Pies OFF our north shore mental list of places to visit. (Sheesh! Why is this place such a legend??) Heading south, we had one more hike planned before the conclusion of our trip.

MON 26 MAY: Jay Cooke State Park

Our last stop of the weekend was at Jay Cooke State Park, south of Duluth just off I-35, which surrounds the Saint Louis River. (We visited this park last year, too.) Although the weather continued to be lousy, (i.e., cold and drizzly,) we tried not to let it stop us! We donned our boots and rain jackets and tried for one last hike.

The first thing you do once you pass through the building and into the park is walk across a large, slightly wobbly bridge, which is named the "swinging bridge." The rocks along the banks of the river are jutty and covered with lichen and scrubby plants:

As you walk out on to the swinging bridge, breathtaking views of the rapids are everywhere!

After we crossed the bridge, we decided to wander upriver for a piece. Dan had to stop and skip stones, of course.

These exposed cedar roots are so gnarly!

After wandering upriver, we picked our way uphill to look for a less muddy, less challenging trail. We paused once more to check out the view of the river, before heading in. (You can make out the swinging bridge in the far distance in this photo.)

For the last hike of our trip, we followed this beautiful, simple trail through the woods, until we looped back to the swinging bridge. It was peaceful and quiet, sopping wet, but an easy hike -- just what we needed to close our trip. Thoreau would have been proud.


After passing back over the Saint Louis river on the swinging bridge, we packed into the car and headed for home. We were sad our vacation was over, but are looking forward to this coming weekend's day-long bike trip!! (AND, I'm looking forward to my birthday celebration, too!)

Also, now that we have the State Park sticker on Dan's car, that will give us that much more of an excuse to get out there and explore! We're thinking ahead to camping and day-hike trips this summer and into the fall. Who knows where we'll end up next?

I heart macro, plus a guessing game

Soooo . . . I discovered how to use the macro function on my camera this weekend! It's fun, and I thought I'd use all of the Macro photos I took this weekend to play a little guessing game!! Here's the question:

Where did Dan and Catherine go last weekend?
(UPDATE: I am asking for a specific place, not an activity, like camping.)
(We didn't go camping, by the way.)

Two hints:

1. We spent less than $500, which included tranportation, lodging, food, and adventures, for the two of us to take a 3-day vacation.

2. Macro photos:
















(P.S. Don't tell if you already knew our weekend plans!)

Comments welcome! I'll post later in the week with the answer!

(AND, I'll offer a mystery prize for the first correct guess!)

leaning tower of (vegan) muffins!

I made banana muffins to take on our trip this weekend:

I've been having better luck with vegan muffins lately. I find adding about a tablespoon of vinegar to the wet ingredients dramatically improves their "loft" and nice, fluffy tops.

Dan and I are brave -- very brave. We're going to venture outside the Twin Cities metro area this weekend, even though it's Memorial Day weekend and everyone and their next-door neighbor will be heading out of town, too. (We're hoping the traffic will be easier early Saturday morning??)

Stay tuned for pictures!

another busy weekend!

Saturday morning, I got up bright and early because I had to go down to the vet to buy more cat food -- after that urinary tract infection Oliver had late last fall, he's been on prescription food ever since. Since the vet is only open until noon on Saturdays, I had to hightail it. Dan offered me the car, but I decided to ride my bike -- since the vet is only 2 1/2 miles away, I thought I'd save the gas and save the environment a little bit, too. After my quick errand, I was hungry! Brunch Saturday:

Scrambled eggs this week instead of poached, (covered with salsa, of course,) hashbrowns, kale, and grapefruit. This brunch never seems to get old for us!!

After brunch, we took the light rail down to Minnehaha Park to check out the falls. We've been to the Falls before, but I wanted to figure out how to get there on the train. (We're taking the kids on a field trip to the Falls this week, and I wanted to make sure I knew exactly how to get to the park from the light rail stop.) When we arrived at the Falls, Dan and I discovered we were both hungry again -- so we had lunch at Sea Salt, located in Minnehaha Park. I was worried, since the restaurant is known for their seafood, but lo and behold, there was not one but TWO veggie options on the menu! I debated between the walnut burger and veggie tacos for a long time, and eventually settled on the tacos. Delish! Corn tortillas, black beans, fresh salsa, loads of cilantro, and a spicy corn relish, too. Yum! We finished our meal with an ice cream cone apiece and a quick walk down to the falls before hopping back on the train home.

When we arrived home, Dan's phone was practically ringing off the hook -- his best friend, Ryan, was calling to see what time we would be able to meet up with him and his fiancee, Savaneary, to drive down to the Buddhist temple. Yes, the Buddhist temple! Savaneary is Cambodian, and they had invited us to join them for the Cambodian New Year celebration!! We had a wonderful time checking out the temple, eating Cambodian food (oh, how do I love bubble tea!!) and just hanging out, although it was quite cold and a little bit stormy at times. Pictures at the temple:









We arrived home much later than we had anticipated Saturday night, but we had a wonderful evening!

This morning, I began my day with another quick trip to the Minneapolis Farmer's Market, accompanied by Courtney. Guess what I found??

Yes indeed, folks, the first local, pesticide- and herbicide-free rhubarb and asparagus to be had! Woo! I decided to wash, chop, and freeze the rhubarb for later use, but put the asparagus to good use for dinner tonight:

Sweet and Sour Tofu over brown rice, with a side of roasted asparagus, of course.
And what would Sunday dinner be without a stellar dessert??

Blueberry and cranberry cobbler, (both local, but frozen,) with a scoop of vanilla Haagen Daz. (Not our usual ice cream of choice, but Dan ran to the corner store to pick it up while I was cooking -- to quote Dan, "it's not great, but at least it doesn't have corn syrup!" Man after my own heart.)

And, I'll close the weekend with a recipe, because even though my cobbler wasn't quite vegan, it would easily veganize. Recipe:

Combine:
4 cups fruit (chopped/sliced if you use apples, peaches, etc.)
3 to 6 tablespoons sugar, depending on how sweet/ripe your fruit is
1 1/2 teaspoons flour (unless you use berries, then up the flour to 1 tablespoon)
pinch salt

Pour the fruit mixture into a greased 8- or 9-inch pan.

Combine:
3 3/4 ounces (about 1/2 plus 1/3 cups) flour (I used white whole wheat)
2 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
CUT IN:
3 tablespoons Earth Balance
STIR IN:
6 tablespoons plain yogurt or soy yogurt

Drop the dough on to the fruit by rounded tablespoonfulls. Sprinkle the dough with a ltitle additional sugar if desired. Bake the cobbler at 350 degrees Farenheight for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the topping is browned and the fruit is bubbly all the way through. Cool slightly before serving -- serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.

yay . . . CHOCOLATE!

A couple of weeks ago, Julie had a little contest on her blog, asking for recipes that would be suitable for her month-long Eat to Live challenge. While I didn't know much about Eat to Live, I read up and offered her my recipe for Sloppy Lentils. She said she'd choose the best recipe, and the winner would receive a package of delicious chocolate goodies in the mail, since she can't have chocolate on Eat to Live. She decided to draw names from a hat instead, since all the recipes sounded fabulous to her, and I won!! My chocolate package arrived today -- thanks, Julie!! Lookit:

Julie wrote me a nice note, and included some chocolate-covered pretzels, and two Trader Joe's dark chocolate bars -- one pure dark chocolate, and one with a dark chocolate truffle center.

Dan and I enjoyed part of the truffle bar with our picnic supper tonight -- I packed up some Greek-inspired pasta salad (about the same one I always make, and it's always good!), crackers, (homemade) hummus, apples, the chocolate, a big Nalgene full of water, and a blanket, and we set out for Lake of the Isles. After supper, we ditched our picnic stuff in the car, walked around the lake, and stopped at Sebastian Joe's for blueberry sorbet on the way home.

I'm SO glad it's finally spring!

Mamba Picante!

I made cookies today, too, and used a couple of the food items I brought back from Haiti -- delicious, potent vanilla extract, and "Mamba Picante," or, spicy Hatian peanut butter. (It sounds weird . . . but it's SOOOO good! Really spices up a regular PBJ, for lack of a better way to say it.) I made vegan kitchen sink cookies, and they ROCK.



Beat together:
3/4 cup peanut butter (Mamba Picante if available!)
1/2 cup Earth Balance, softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup milk of your choice
1 1/2 teaspoons Ener-G egg replacer
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine, then beat into wet ingredients:
1 cup spelt flour
3/4 cup quick oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Fold in:
1/2 cup fair trade dark chocolate chips
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup unsweetened flake coconut

Drop by rounded teaspoonfulls onto parchment lined cookie sheets and squish flat with the tines of a fork twice, like regular peanut butter cookies. Bake at 375 degrees Farenheight for 7 to 8 minutes. (If you have a crappy apartment oven like me, don't forget to rotate that cookie sheet halfway through, to prevent the ones in the back from getting overdone.) Cool on a wire rack, and enjoy!

I'm thinking you could achieve the same spicy peanut butter effect by stirring 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne in with the dry ingredients, if you haven't been to Haiti recently. :)

the muffin lady

Lately, I can't seem to get enough muffins -- I'm going to become the muffin lady, I fear. I baked again this weekend, of course! Vegan Apple Cinnamon Streusel Muffins:

I loosely based this recipe on the Betty Crocker Blueberry Streusel Muffin Recipe. Here's what I did:

Combine:
1/4 cup white whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Cut in:
2 tablespoons softened Earth Balance
Reserve.

Whisk together:
1 cup almond milk
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons Ener-G egg replacer
1/4 cup Earth Balance, melted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
When the above is well combined, stir in:
1 cup shredded apple (no need to peel)

Combine, then stir into wet ingredients:
2 cups white whole wheat flour
1/3 cup natural granulated sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Divide batter evenly between twelve lined muffin cups. Top each muffin with about a teaspoon of the reserved streusel topping. (You can lightly press the streusel topping into the batter if it doesn't stick all that well.) Bake at 400 degrees Farenheight for about 23 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.

Enjoy!

dinner last night

Since it was Friday night last night, I decided to make a more "special" dinner for Dan and myself, requiring a little extra cooking, but nothing too out of the ordinary. I had a recipe for "Beet-Top Crustless Quiche" from Vegetarian Times in the pile to try. I had sauteed the beet-tops earlier in the week, and was ready to make the quiche . . . after I made a whole-wheat crust, of course. :) I also roasted a 1.18 pound bunch of asparagus for a side dish. (The 1.18 pounds becomes more important later.) Photo:


And, Dan's second helping. I quote, "will you take a picture of this and put it on your blog?"

He described his sriracha art as a throwback to his younger days, when he thought anarchy was cool. Silly Dan.

After two servings of quiche for Dan and one for me, and the entire batch of asparagus, I guess we were ready for dessert. (Yes, the two of us ate over a pound of asparagus! So much for leftovers.) I made a quick raspberry-peach ice cream sauce:

We dumped the sauce over local vanilla ice cream, and went to town while we watched On a Clear Day.

It was a nice, relaxing Friday night! And of course, I saved the dishes for today. :)

P.S. Courtesy of wikipedia:

Asparagus
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy 20 kcal 90 kJ
Carbohydrates 3.88 g
- Sugars 1.88 g
- Dietary fiber 2.1 g
Fat 0.12 g
Protein 2.20 g
Thiamin (Vit. B1) 0.143 mg 11%
Riboflavin (Vit. B2) 0.141 mg 9%
Niacin (Vit. B3) 0.978 mg 7%
Pantothenic acid (B5) 0.274 mg 5%
Vitamin B6 0.091 mg 7%
Folate (Vit. B9) 52 μg 13%
Vitamin C 5.6 mg 9%
Calcium 24 mg 2%
Iron 2.14 mg 17%
Magnesium 14 mg 4%
Phosphorus 52 mg 7%
Potassium 202 mg 4%
Zinc 0.54 mg 5%
Manganese 0.158 mg

(Woo! Look at all that iron!)