Baking (and being domestic) in Yuma, Vol 5

Wanted to make a "thank you" for a big kindness of one of the nurses at work, and so decided tiramisu would be a good recipe (he said to make my best!)  I also wanted to make roasted veggies, boil my remaining eggs, and try again for the gluten-free banana bars.  Now I'm pooped!

 Tofu to go with the veggies-garam masala is delicious!

Putting the Yuma sunshine to work-green mint tea tomorrow!

 Mascarpone and egg yolks...I hear it is tasty....

So it is waayyy too hot in my apartment to make whipped cream.  I froze my sauce pan to mix in and beat the cream in my doorway.  If they didn't already think I was crazy, I'm sure my neighbors are really talking now!

 Assemblage and finished products.  The round one is gluten-free (just sans lady fingers)

Farm-fresh eggs from my boss' chickens.  They're so pretty--some brown, some blue/green.

I'll keep you posted how the latest gluten-free banana bars turned out.  Fingers crossed!

What a great day!

Telegraph at sunrise

Two days off and got to go to Telegraph this morning with my friend, Robert, from the hospital.  Not much is greener than before, but Robert showed me an additional path where we could see more of the surrounding farms/mountains.  Really pretty!

He walked the whole time holding the strings of his backpack.  I, on the other hand, had my arms out for balance.  Show off!

Sunrise!

 The fields to the east of Yuma

My flowers are looking a little dead,

but this little one was pretty!

 Not surprising that I kept taking the more difficult path...

I also went to Martha's Gardens, a date farm close to the pass.  If anyone wants fresh dates, just let me know-delicious!

Side note: I'm trying to figure out how to change the formats on the blog so that the pictures aren't just in a column.  Kind of boring!  xoxo

Great morning!

Hi everybody!  Back to work today after 6 wonderful days off.  I hope you all have a great Friday!  Life is good :-)

Joshua Tree National Park

It was suggested that I go to Joshua Tree, since it is only about 3 hours away.  With gas prices how they are, I decided to combine my trip to Costco with some amazing hiking.  It was a bit chilly for my liking, so I'll definitely want to go back when it is warmer (and less desolate-everything was hibernating!)  Was able to warm up with some pho in the village, though, which helped!

 Apparently not the face of a drug runner...got through border patrol without difficulty.

Belly has been a bit off, so I decided to treat it to a little snack.

 I though this was the trail....apparently not.  The grand tradition of me not knowing where I'm going continues...

These dead-looking plants make a really low, hollow sound when the big stalks hit the trunks.  Pretty neat.

 The vastness is indescribable.  It felt like no one had ever seen this place before.  SUPER windy...had me very sure where my hands and feet were!  I was headed down a steep embankment with not much of anything on the other side!  No worries-my cell phone was on "track" and I had told 3 rangers exactly where I was going!

Joshua tree!

For some reason, this reminds me of a desert Christmas tree...dunno.

 For people who are directionally challenged, they have made sure to notate which trails are marked.  I stuck with those....

Sunshine in Joshua Trees

 Hard to capture just how huge these rocks are.  They are named "Jumbo Rocks" for a reason.

 I didn't get to claim the farthest distance traveled today!

My feet-firmly planted thanks to my hiking boots!

Home for a.....?

 Skull rock doesn't look like much up close (perhaps where Monet got the idea), but you can see it if you stand back!

This big guy (about 3" long!) wanted to come back with me and was hanging on for dear life, but I told him he wasn't allowed to cross the border into Arizona.  They won't even let an apple cross!

I went back into the park after dark to look at the stars.  Unfortunately, the moon was pretty bright and hid some, but I still got to see a few really great shooting stars.  Also, I got stopped by a large park ranger who said I should proceed down the road out of the park with caution..."there is something on the side of the road".  The something was an airplane!  Holey moley!  I wanted to take a picture, but he didn't look amused.  Pretty incredible.

Special thanks to the following people:
Reece, for suggesting this trip and pushing me to seek new horizons
My parents, for trusting that I'm not a complete fool on my own
Mike, for suggesting a few extras for my car (pocket knife, flashlight, etc) to make me safer
Michael, the park ranger I met, for suggesting a hike that I could do in a few hours that would show me some great sights in the park

Baking (not really) in Yuma, Vol 4

In answer to Melissa's question, the strawberry chia jam is really tasty, after some tweeks! I'm finding my belly really is responding better to as natural food as I can get, and this is pretty great. Next time I'll put the strawberries in first, as the ground chia got a little stuck under the blades of my new tiny (perfect for the tiny apartment) food processor.

 First I grind about 1/4 C chia seeds in my coffee/spice grinder

This is Herman, my new tiny friend.

A packet of True Lemon (dehydrated lemon juice) and about 1C-1 1/4C thawed frozen strawberries

 Go Herman, go!

The chia will gel up more overnight in the fridge, making the perfect jam consistency.  The original recipe didn't grind the chia and instead had you soak them for 20 minutes.  This also makes them gel, but the seeds themselves stay whole, and I'm not a fan of really seedy jam.  Try it!  Totally tasty and fresh.  I orginally put a bit of stevia in, but don't really think it needs the sweetness.  Enjoy!