Take a vacation in your soup bowl

Back in 2012, Dave and I had the good fortune to take a trip to Italy for our 20th anniversary. It's probably not hard to believe that the food was tied with the scenery as the most amazing part of our trip. One dish in particular, that we enjoyed in Sorrento, was a simple Italian-style tomato basil soup. I'm sure everyone is familiar with this goodness, because a good tomato soup (with a grilled cheese of course) is quite popular here too. The biggest difference with the Italian version is that ingredients are fresh, and there is no cream. It is a bowl of goodness that is healthy and yummy and totally worth the time.

Since it's tomato time and my herb garden is overflowing (and I needed a lazy Sunday activity), I whipped up a batch this weekend and wanted to share.

Before you get started, the most important part of this recipe is to have a yummy beverage to enjoy while you're cooking. For summer, a good local Rosé did the trick for me. :)

Once you've got your beverage in hand, the next important step is good, fresh tomatoes and basil. I have found that Roma or Plum tomatoes work best for this recipe.

Here's what you're going to need:

For Step 1:

3 lbs. tomatoes

2-4 TBSP olive oil

1 TBSP salt

1 TBSP cracked black pepper

To get started, preheat your oven to 400 degrees, and slice the tomatoes (lengthwise) and put them on a shallow sheet pan or roasting dish. Sprinkle with the olive oil, salt and pepper and ensure all your halves are cut side up. Once the oven is ready, roast for 45 minutes (and enjoy the yummy smell!).

Okay, sip some more wine and peruse a nice magazine while you wait. Once the tomatoes are done roasting, put them on the stovetop to cool a bit, and work on the next step.

For Step 2:

1 shallot

6 gloves garlic

2 TBSP butter + 2 TBSP olive oil

1/2 TSP red pepper flakes

4 C basil

1 28 oz. can whole Roma Tomatoes in their juice 

1 TSP fresh thyme leaves

1/2 C leftover red wine from your fridge

1 QT chicken stock

Salt to taste

The most important part of this step is to get that nice, fresh basil ready to roll. You are going to need FOUR CUPS, which is a LOT of basil. If you are buying from the store, this is going to require several packages. Basil grows fast, so if you haven't already, consider planting it in a small pot at home. I cook a lot of Italian food, so I find I use it plenty, and for a small up front cost, it's a great investment (and makes the planting area smell so yummy too).

After you've got the basil ready to go, rough chop your garlic and shallot. You'll be processing the final product, so no need to fine chop anything.

Melt the butter in a pan, add the olive oil, and saute the shallot, garlic and red pepper flakes just until the shallot is turning brown on the edges. Once that's done, add the rest of the ingredients (except salt), plus your roasted tomatoes and all the juices in the pan. Bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat and simmer (uncovered) for 40 minutes.

    

Once the simmering is done, you are ready to process your soup. The options are a food mill or food processor. What to use will depend upon your preference for the consistency of the soup. For a chunkier soup, the mill is the way to go. I think the finest mill setting makes a yummy product. If you want the soup super smooth, the food processor is definitely your best bet. Just be prepared in either case to do the soup in batches, as you will have a lot of soup to process! A note on the salt. I prefer to wait until this step to add salt to taste. The stock is quite salty, so taste and add until you are happy with the end product. For me, this is typically only about 1 to 2 teaspoons.

Once you're done, it's time to eat! I prefer some fresh cracked pepper, shaved parmesan and a little basil garnish. Sit back, relax, and daydream about the beaches of Sorrento. You're almost there!

Tall Mountains and Warm Tushies

I'm thinking there aren't going to be many opportunities for blog posts that allow for the word "tushie" in the title, so I'm glad I've got your attention and maybe a smile. I'm not sure about everyone else out there, but with Summer officially upon us, my concentration level is all over the map, and my fantasies of travel and adventure are hitting the roof. Luckily, I recently had a wonderful adventure to kick off the season, and I thought I'd share. Besides, the old memory isn't what it used to be, so this blog is serving multiple purposes. 

My good friend Jen and I have had the pleasure of many fun girls' trips, both back when we were neighbors in TX, and since we both relocated. As we were discussing options for this year's trip, we were looking for a location where we could both fly direct and one that offered some outdoor fun. Enter Colorado Springs! Denver was a direct for both of us (a miracle out of Boise), and of course, Colorado has so much opportunity for outdoor activity, so it was a no-brainer to serve as the 2015 destination. After a few months of counting down, the time was finally upon us.

The Garden of the Gods resort was going to serve as home base for our five days, and upon checking in and finally finding our room (hey, some travel brain was involved), we were STUNNED by the beauty of our view off the back balcony. 

After pulling our jaws off the floor and settling in a bit, along with a walk around the area, we stopped by the "activity concierge" (jeez, how awesome is this place) to get some recommendations on an activity for the following day. Since the weather had been very rainy leading up to the trip, we weren't comfortable booking something in advance, so we had decided to wing it for this trip (for those who know us, aren't you proud?). The concierge quickly recommended the "The Incline." A tough, but do-able hike well-known in the area and something we'd be glad we did. He told us how to get there and park and the inside tips, and, after looking him in the eye and making him swear he thought we were enough in shape for this, it was done. Crossing fingers for weather, we dove into our first night's in-room dinner and vowed to make it happen. 

For anyone interested in the details of "The Incline," feel free to Google. All I can say is that we learned over breakfast that you could actually see The Incline from our view of Pike's Peak at the hotel. Oh crap, we saw it... a completely vertical "staircase" on the side of the mountain in front of Pike's Peak. 2000 ft. incline in less than a mile... oh, and something like 4000+ steps. Sure, we can do this. As we drove toward the town of Manitou Springs, where we'd park, we watched as the thing got bigger and scarier in size and scope. I cannot confirm nor deny whether phrases like "there's no shame in turning around if we change our mind" and "there's no tshirt at the end; we better take our time" occurred as we drove. After parking and getting winded JUST WALKING TO THE TRAILHEAD, we took this tentative pre-hike selfie.

As we got started on the lower section (not quite as steep), we were feeling pretty good. We weren't taking many breaks, and we weren't feeling the altitude (check and check). We also started realizing that we were ascending with the same groups of people (soon to be our Incline BFFs). The grade got worse and worse, and some sections were so steep (and steps so short) that they required crawling with your hands to avoid falling backward. Let's just say that I quickly appreciated the fact that I am not afraid of heights. Upon one of our breaks, we met Allie, who was heard saying "I'm hiking ahead of my sisters; they are in their 30s and 40s and way back there." Insert Brandi and Jen asking "say what little girl?" :) We soon welcomed Allie into our 40-something fold, and after reaching the halfway point (where there is an option to turn off the trail and go back down, known as Wimp Out Point), we decided (Allie included) to go for it. This while there were dark clouds and thunder building, but hey, we had made it this far, and we were not turning around. The second half was tough due to a "false summit" at the 2/3 point, but once we hit the last section, and could actually see the end (and the flag), there was no stopping us. I literally hung my head down and just counted the steps and wouldn't let myself look up again until I'd made it to the top. This was one of the tougher mental and physical challenges I've taken on, but wow, the finish was just as amazing. Sweeping views, celebrations, and a feeling that we'd conquered something listed as "extreme" for outdoor adventures. Also, I must clarify that Jen and I beat BOTH of the 20-somethings that had joined our group to the top.

                      

Due to pending weather, we kept our celebration short and headed down the Barr trail, which is a much gentler, although quite steep itself, 2.8-ish mile trail that also offered some great views and time to reflect on our feat, which ended with some cheese fries, nachos and margaritas in the lovely town of Manitou Springs. 

For those still reading, there were two other blog-worthy adventures still on tap, the first of which was a spa day trip to The Broadmoor. We had heard many great things about this place, and knew we had to at least spend the day here in their very well-known spa (even dudes all over Co Springs had been ooohing and ahhhhing when we mentioned this part of our itinerary). Okay, seriously. THEY WERE NOT WRONG. I am a spa-loving girl who has checked out spas everywhere, and this place was on my top 5, okay, probably top 3, list. 

After checking in and being given our WARM robes and slippers, we took a tour of the quiet areas. Let's see, there was an oxygen room replete with magazines and chairs to recover from any altitude sickness. There was a Mountain room that came complete with the comfiest loungers I've ever seen, warm, soft blankies, snacks and a view of the mountains. Oh, and a fireplace room that had a crackling cozy fire and all the comfy amenities also described above. We made our rounds checking pretty much everything out, but the Mountain room, hands down, became our home for most of the day.

We both had the most amazing massages while visiting the Broadmoor spa, as well as a truly memorable, decadent lunch in the French-themed tavern restaurant, but the HIGHLIGHT of this place.... wait for it, because I know you've been wondering, was the spa bathrooms. Drumroll to a ............ warm tushie. That's right folks. Those bathrooms had a heated toilet seat, as well as controls that rivaled anything we'd ever seen. 

If you don't get it, well then chances are you've never sat on one. :)

So, last but not least on the adventure front, was our train ride up to Pikes Peak, at 14k+ elevation. The train trip takes a little over an hour to go 8 miles up to the Summit House. We left Manitou Springs at about 75 degrees, and when we reached the Summit House, it was snowing! What a journey. They prepped us by scaring us into drinking lots of water, getting warm clothes and even some oxygen, but in the end, Jen and I faired well and didn't have any issues with the altitude change (which was over 6K feet for the journey).

I am the proud owner of some new, bear-themed hiking socks.

To celebrate our journey, I had the world-famous high altitude donuts (when in Rome, you know). Tasty, warm and worth the hype. (They really need these donuts at the top of The Incline, but I digress.)

As the chapter started to close on another girls' trip adventure, we happily reflected on all the fun. Co Springs turned out to be a perfect blend of relaxation, adventure, good food (they have Tex Mex y'all) and, as the most important ingredient, wonderful chats and good times with a cherished friend.

So, 2016 planning begins. Hey, Jen, I did just see something about a Jaws-themed shark diving vacation. :)

Why not today?

Before 2008, if I, or pretty much anyone I knew, was asked to list out my interests or qualities, "active" would not have been very high on the list. Well, honestly, it probably wouldn't be on the list at all. I spent a lot of time doing indoor activities, and, after a childhood of pretty much the same, the old hand-eye coordination wasn't much to start with, so it seemed like every time I tried to do a thing or two actively, I was pretty disappointed. Then, I finally decided that, for my health, that would change. More of that for another blog and another time. It's a good foundation for my subject today though.

As we are known to do here in the great Northwest, our weekend this go round included a beautiful hike in the mountains. Dave and I saw a hike posted late Friday evening that looked great and took us to one of our favorite areas, so we figured it was a great way to spend a Saturday, and we packed some lunches and signed up. Since we sometimes hike with a hiking club, it is always nice to meet others who enjoy the great outdoors and have their own stories of Idaho or the area or just interesting activities. Yesterday was no exception. As we were making our way up the mountain, we were carpooling with John. John is a recently-retired 65 year old cool dude who spends his time something like this: He skis and snowshoes in the Winter, he hikes and bikes in the Spring, he rafts in the Summer and golfs and hikes again in the Fall. He doesn't watch TV. He uses technology mostly to manage his Meetup activities, and he had an interesting saying that popped up throughout our conversation: Why NOT today?

Examples for use. I really wish I could be healthier. Why not (start) today? I really wish I could get outdoors more. Why not today? I really wish I could get a better job, a better living situation, a better _________. Why not today?

For John, this question was about being active, living life and getting the most he can out of every precious day. It's not rocket science, it's not something we haven't all heard a million times, but the more I do outside, actively in my own life, amongst 60, 70, and 80 year olds, the more this rings truer and truer for me. Compare that in your mind with the last time you maybe visited a friend or loved one in the hospital, in assisted living, or even in their home, where they might be confined because of poor health. Or, just think about someone you know who is stuck in some other way and cannot move toward happiness. 

I'm usually a "that's none of my business" kind of girl, but in this case, I couldn't help sharing some of John's wisdom. If I'm lucky enough to stay healthy through retirement, I plan on giving John's list a run for its' money.

Dusting off the old novel

Is this thing on? Tap, tap ...

So, wow, it's been a while. I had to uncover this blog from about two inches of virtual dust, as it has been forever since my last post (and thankfully forever since that bounce down the stairs that inspired it). I have transitioned from the "Idaho is wonderful" theme. (Yes, it still is, but that's a secret, so no more spreading it around.) Now I'd like to find some new angles and also have a nice little outlet for some quick writing to keep my chops up. And, that brings me to the purpose of today's post .... that unfinished novel.

As far back as I can remember, I have been fascinated with books. Trips to the library back in the day really made my day, and the smell, sights, feel and wonder of books captured me early and has held me forever. I chose literature as a major in college, and even though my dream of teaching it got sidelined by a larger desire to make a better living, I hope to return to that dream one day in my semi-retirement years. So, books = major thumbs up.

A few years ago when I was bored with very few hobbies, but finally over the hump of the crazy hours and demands of my early career, I started daydreaming about delving further into my love and actually writing my own novel. Of course, I knew nothing about this really (other than my joy of reading them), but hey, I had a brand new pink Netbook and a strong will (yeah, Netbooks really stuck around, didn't they?). I decided I needed a little push, so I signed up for a basic writing course with a friend from work, got a bunch of cool supplies and enjoyed several weeks of classroom sessions regarding the task of planning for and outlining my first novel. I even got to write a few beginning chapters and share them in class, which only further solidified that this new hobby was one that was long overdue. I was anxious to see where my characters would go and anxious to share a finished product with my friends and family. The class ended, life resumed, and, as usual other stuff took priority. Because my day job involves SO MUCH TIME on the computer, I also quickly realized that picking up my tiny Netbook after hours, even to do something I enjoyed, just wasn't on the top of my list.

A couple of Winters later, I upgraded to a full-size laptop, took to the coffee shops and got a few more chapters in, but then we decided to move across the country, and I got a whole bunch of new hobbies, and my writing took a nap, yet again. I did get to start this blog and some journaling, which kept the joy alive, but the novel wasn't really going anywhere.

Life has now settled once again. We're in our home, with major projects out of the way, and thanks to a few really cool experiences over the last year (like meeting Cheryl Strayed and doing a hiking/writing workshop), I am ready to roll again. Mill Park Publishing (right here in Eagle) hosts a writing retreat, and lucky for me, I get to spend a day this weekend writing by the river, taking some workshops and re-connecting to my goals. Also, I had the good fortune to meet another absolutely fabulous all-around person, and also talented writer, Amber, (Thank you awesome Boise Italian cooking class for bringing us together.) I have a friend with a passion even greater than mine, who is helping support me back into this journey and also be an awesome retreat buddy.

My new goal (cause hey, I'm a girl who likes goals) is to have the first draft of my novel complete by September, where I hope to use the next weekend retreat as an opportunity to get some feedback and start editing, proofing and hopefully self-publishing my work. If I just get one bound copy to put on my shelf and hold, smell and thumb through, I will have marked a huge item from my bucket list.

Wish me (and my poor main character Jamie) some luck as we head back out to the crazy world of thriller writing. Good luck as well to all of those coincidentally-named characters that will meeting their fates in the coming pages. Mooohahahahaha.

Apparently I don't bounce

Ahhhh, February. You came and went in a flash. You're supposed to be such a good month: Valentine's Day, my love's bday, family birthdays, the last of the Winter months before we start looking forward to Spring. Well, apparently our "luck" got recalibrated, or we moved into a house located on top of ancient burial grounds. I'm not sure which, and I'm scared to re-watch Poltergeist for research. Needless to say, as March is now upon us, I'm hoping for a reset.

So, problem number one for February: my Sydney. Even after the painful decision to put her through a second back surgery in November (right in the middle of moving) and a very successful, but long and exhaustive rehab program, we were faced with a third back injury in early February. It's been really devastating, as we chose no more surgeries and medical options only. Luckily, as I type this, we're on the upswing, and she is walking again and seemingly in no acute pain. This process has involved about 5 pills per day, carrying her everywhere she needs to go and petting and coaxing her through some tough first days. There's no doubt that this disease is a terrible curse for dachshunds. We can only hope for continued good news, as she rolls into these golden years. Here's what she thinks about the whole thing.

So apparently my devastation over Sydney being down yet again wasn't enough. On a random Monday morning (yes, a Monday), I took a fateful Three Stooges-esque tumble down our wooden stairs. This was while carrying Sydney. I'll cut to the good news that she was completely unharmed, and I am fine, except for a few lingering bumps and bruises. Well, actually, my massage therapist uttered yesterday, "Ummmm, you've still got a bunch of bruises back here; let's focus on your right side." So, I have a very relaxed right half of my body at the moment. But, I digress... The stairs of doom taught me a few lessons. 1) Must wear my rubber-soled slippers 2) Must death-grip the handrail 3) Must warn future visitors of the same. I fought the stairs, and the stairs won.

As Syd and I try to recuperate, we can only point the finger at Dave and Skittles, who seem to have gone unharmed (more research is required here I think). But, on that note, Dave did get to enjoy a good birthday. He got his long-awaited Traeger smoker, a nice dinner with friends, a guided fishing trip and even a day of skiing. He's getting to take a break from playing RN this weekend. Hope you're having fun love.

On one final note, I did get to enjoy one fun, new thing in February: a CSI class! Yes, for those who know me well, this will make total sense. I got to spend five weeks at the Ada Count Coroner's office learning about the entire process, including hands-on demonstrations and lots of case studies. Was it a precursor to "stairs gate" that the class before focused on Blunt Force Trauma? Ahhhh, who knows. Until next time.



Goodbye 2013: We'll miss you!

So, another year is coming to a close, and I'm sure you have seen that most of your social media posts, updates, etc. involve some talk of New Year's resolutions. Well, I'm no different, and this blog post is intended to address a couple of resolutions for me. First, my technology addiction. Despite the fact that I spent more years of my life somehow surviving without constant technical stimulation, I have fallen into the trap that most of us face where I find myself mindlessly on my phone and missing out on my actual life. To that end, I plan to curb social media in 2014. That balance is always tough, in that, when you live so far away from friends and family, Facebook and Instagram serve additional purposes. So, to that end, I plan to kick the blogging back up. For any friends and family who would like to stay in touch via this blog and/or email, please send me a note at brandirfox@hotmail.com, and I'll ensure I add you to my distribution list (and reach out via email to check in). Until I can get that list going, I'll post my blog links on Facebook to share, and folks can choose to check them out or not.

Second, I love writing, and I miss it. I am still trying to fit in finally finishing that novel, but since every time I pick it back up I basically re-write everything I've done, it's going slow. Blogging was a fun way to enjoy some quick wins on the writing front, and I hope to use it for more purposes than just its original theme. We'll see, but I like the idea and the fresh start in 2014.

Dave and I have many reasons to look back on 2013 fondly. We enjoyed our first year in our new home state and town, we took on several new activities, and we found a home we intend to be in until our golden years. Oh, and I also turned 40 somewhere in there. (No wonder I'm tired). Here's a little visual summary of our year. Happy New Year everyone, and here's to a peaceful 2014!