Rose River Falls

A few weeks ago Stuart came up for a weekend visit.  Even though it was January, it was a wonderful 63 degrees outside!  We thought we'd take advantage of the beautiful Virginia mountains and take a hike in Shenandoah National Park.  There's so many trails it's really hard to pick one, but I got lucky and chose just the perfect hike for our day: Rose River Falls.  It was a moderately difficult 4.5 mile trek.  Probably on a regular day it would be easy to moderate, but this day the prior week's snow had not yet melted and for most of the hike we got to trudge through it!  All the while with the 60 degree sun shining on us.  It was perfect.  And not to mention we got to follow a nice babbling stream most of the way.  Here is the hike in pictures (prior to new fancy camera, mind you!)

View of ... Staunton maybe?

Not terribly snowy at the start of the trail.

Two handsome guys at the top of a little rock climbing

You have no idea how big of a deal this is!  Winston's been afraid of water since we got him. Big accomplishment!

One of my favorite parts of the trail.  This bridge also marked the beginning of the real snow as we were on the shady side of the mountain.

Cute, I know =)  Winston's not really into pausing for pictures.

It's easier to get around fallen trees when you can just walk underneath them.

Picture doesn't do this one justice!

Sometimes it was a little difficult to tell where the trail was.  When all else failed we looked for footprints

Look at this little guy - ready for Spring!

Mini-falls. There was a much bigger one but my picture of it was not so great.

More mini-falls

We were pooped at the end of the trail!  Hiking through the snow is a bit like walking through sand sometimes.  We had lunch on the trail but a hungry gal has always got room for ... a chili dog!

Kacie's Day Off - Granola and Auto-Repairs

Once upon a time when Stuart and I lived together and owned our own garage, we changed our own oil and did some of our own car maintenance   Of course when I say we, I mean I directed Stu's driving up the car ramps, and he actually got under the cars and did the dirty work while I talked his ear off.  Now that we don't have the luxury of doing it ourselves, we have to trust unknown mechanics to do it for us.  Now maybe it's because I'm a doctor and I believe in knowing all the facts and seeing things for myself, but it's pretty hard for me to trust someone telling me what needs to be done with my car.  I can't see it for myself, I know nothing about cars, and I know that I'm at a high likelihood of being taken advantage of.

Today, I was off.  And since I was 3,000 miles past my 75,000 mile check up (don't tell my dad!), I figured it was high time to suck it up and find an auto-mechanic.  So after some Google searching I happened on a place that looked promising.  I walked in the service department to the strong smell of grease and motor oil.  The guys behind the desk had stained fingernails and wrinkles around their mouths from years of cigarettes.  They were men of few words and bad grammar   I had a good feeling about this.  I handed over my keys and went to the waiting room where the wife of the owner greeted me with an internet password written on a Bounty napkin and offered me some fresh brewed coffee and a Hershey bar.  John Wayne posters plastered the dimly lit walls, and an American Flag hung high in the corner.  Turns out I had found a good place!  Even if they overcharged unbeknownst to me, at least I'm supporting some nice local people!  And before I left one of the mechanics cut his finger and I got to look at it.  No stitches required.

 My car repairs were a success, and so was this granola that I made!  Several months back I tried to make granola bars which were not quite so delicious.  They were a bit too chewy and I was afraid I would run the risk of pulling out my fillings if I ate them.  So I decided to attempt granola in its loose form this time.  Much better.  This is one of those things that if you have a well-stocked pantry, you can pretty much throw together at any time - and not in too much time at all!

After the granola was finished I decided to test it out on some non-fat Greek Yogurt with a lovely blood orange on the side.  Oh boy how I love blood oranges!  They're one of my favorite fruits.  First of all they're stunning.  I just love all the color mixture in the fruit and on the skin.  No two look alike.  They have few seeds, are pretty easy to cut, and are the perfect mixture of sweet and tart.

Homemade Loose Granola

1 egg white
3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1.5 cups chopped nuts (I used pecans)
1 cup coconut shavings
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup grapeseed oil (or vegetable)
1/4 cup flaxseeds (or sesame, or chia)
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1.5 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup dried fruit (I used cranberries, but apricots might be nice)
chocolate chips, if desired

Preheat oven to 300.  Combine all ingredients except the dried fruit and chocolate (if using).  Pour out on a baking sheet (covered in foil for no clean up!) and place in the oven.  Stir every 10 minutes, and bake until dry - about 40-50 minutes.  Let cool.  Afterward, stir in the fruit and chocolate chips.  Serve with milk as a cereal, or on top of granola, or just by itself!

Kacie's Day Off - Chicken Curry

Mise en Place

First of all, please let me announce that I have a NEW CAMERA!!!!!  I have been begging asking for a "starter" DSLR camera now for about as long as we've been married.  I gave up on it a few weeks ago, and low and behold Stuart surprised me with one as a Groundhog Day present!!

I went on a tear around the house in order to find the memory card for my old camera that was compatible with the new one.  I found it on my off day and just so happened to be cooking.  So my very first fancy-camera photos are of nothing else than one of my favorite things:  Food!

If it wasn't exciting enough about the camera, it just so happened that on my off day a brand-spankin' new giant Fresh Market opened up about 0.25 miles from my apartment.  I visited The FM when I lived in Mobile, but as my obsession  love for food hadn't fully developed I didn't really appreciate it for all it was worth.  Let me tell you friends, it's a food snob paradise!  They have everything good and delicious that you could ever imagine.  Fresh baked focaccia?  Check.  Talenti Gelato?  Check.  Blood oranges?  Check.  And as a bonus they will let you sample anything in the store you want!  So needless to say I spent 1.5 hours there and had a full breakfast before I rang up my purchases.

Hello, lovely organic carrots

Among other things, I decided to make chicken curry on my day off.  I generally try and make a few things that freeze well, because Lord knows I don't have time to cook during the week.  And my precious husband I fear will eat only Totino's pizzas if I don't keep his freezer stocked with healthy frozen meals.

Now, curry is pretty time consuming to make.  I don't mind standing over a pot for hours, but thanks to The FM, I found a jar of pre-made curry sauce that had no preservatives in it!  It also had coconut milk mixed into the sauce already (an important curry ingredient), so that was once less can I had to buy.  I considered it a success and went to work.

I don't profess to know much about Indian cooking, so I took that as a liberty to not really stick to a real recipe.  I basically just sauteed up some delicious fresh vegetables, added in some chicken, then the sauce, and then homemade chicken stock until I got the right consistency.  It really only took about 20 minutes of active cooking time.  Not too bad for a healthy meal!

Mardi was not as enthused over my FM purchases as I was

So there you have it.  I grabbed my happiest kitchen tool (below), turned up my iHome, and went to work peeling carrots and chopping onions.  Perhaps in another post I will share the secret I learned of how to properly chop onions/not cry.

Chicken Curry
EVOO
1 bell pepper
1 medium onion
1 lb carrots
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb chicken breasts
1 lb Yukon Gold potatoes (I find these to be the tastiest potatoes, and they hold up their shape when cooked)
1 jar curry sauce (or 1 jar curry paste + 1 can coconut milk)
chicken stock to desired consistency (I used about 1 cup)
Salt, to taste

Chop your veggies and chicken to desired size.  I prefer my veggies to be a bit on the large side so you know they're there.  Meanwhile, heat EVOO in a heavy-bottomed skillet or dutch oven. When hot, add the onion, pepper, and carrots.  Saute about 8 minutes, or until starting to soften.  Add in the garlic and continue stirring for about 1 minute, until fragrant but before it burns!  Then add the chicken and potatoes.

At this point I covered the pot and walked away for a bit.  This kind of had a steaming effect on the chicken. Another alternative would be to brown the chicken very first, the remove it from the pan and start on the veggies.  Probably good either way!  After the chicken whitens on the outside, add in the sauce and chicken stock.  Scrape up the brown bits on the bottom of the pan.  Simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Season to taste, and serve over rice!

A Tacky Affair

Stuart and I have had the tradition of hosting a Tacky Sweater/Deep Fried Everything party for the past three years.  I like to think it was the highlight of our medical school social calendar - but who knows!  Regardless, Stu and I decided to continue the tradition in Virginia this year.  It had to be somewhat hastily put together given my schedule and Stuart driving in from Pittsburgh, but I think it was a success!  If you couldn't be there with us, you can re-live the tackiness in photo form.


Toilet paper snowman

Door decor I'm sure the neighbors loved



Look at these two handsome guys!

First to be fried: oreos

Some of the tacky spread!  Cocktail weenies, totinos pizza, and garlic knots

Winston actually won the prize for best dressed! But he is quite humble and passed it on to Jess who was decked out in a denim vest.

Arpan and Lisa enjoying some fried goodness

Hayes and Catherine with fried string cheese.  How have we not thought to fry cheese at previous parties?!

Tacky guys

Tacky gals.

Chips-ahoy?  Yes, please!!!!!

The usual Arpan-orama photo.  

Hayes giving Winston some love

Let the dirty santa present swap begin!

Personal massager ... a hot item!

Dancing sumo wrestler

The coveted prize of the night - a Buddha head? Believe it or not this has now made its way to the hospital and is proudly displayed in one of our resident workrooms!

Adrian went home with the prize

Jess = best dressed

Me and Hayes!

Next year's Christmas card?  I think so!

Ho Ho Ho!  Until next year ...