Peru Trip - Day 3 & 4

We're still in Peru...continuing our trip and having lots of fun. Our third day here was spent mostly at home. It was my dad's birthday so we had a tasty lunch of Aji de Gallina (another of my favorites) and birthday cake. I didn't take any pictures of lunch, but I took some video clips...after our trip is all over, I'll make a good video.

birthday cake

For dinner, we went downtown. We treated Bill to a a real specialty. We had Salchipapas, which is french fries, hot dogs, and scrambled eggs all mixed up and served with condiments. Its a very popular dish and it was delicious. Of course, we had Inca Kola to wash it all down! While we were downtown, we also listened to a local band playing in the main plaza. There are always a lot of people out and about in the evenings here in Huanuco. It was a fun evening.

salchipapas

The next day we took an outing. We wanted to show Bill some different parts of the surrounding area and the wonders of Peru so we headed to Tingo Maria. We drove further inland and up the mountains. After passing thru the tunnel, we arrived on the other side, in the jungle. We drove from the mountain region of Peru to the jungle region. It was very cloudy and even rainy so it made the trip interesting.

mountains on the way

we were above the clouds some of the time

We went to a hotel/park area that had wildlife and other attractions. We enjoyed our own picnic lunch, sitting on the patio by the pool. They had a bunch of animals there and Bill had a lot of fun taking pictures of them. One animal in particular really liked him - a deer! The deer followed Bill around for a long time and kept trying to get friendly with him...but Bill refused. Then the deer just got mad and started attacking Bill. It was kind of funny, but I was worried the deer would attack me next so I didn't get out my video camera. The deer actually reared up on his back legs flailing his hooves in Bill's face. Finally the animal guy arrived and the deer ran off, but not before Bill got all muddy. It was definitely the excitement of the day!!

picnic lunch

vicious, attacking deer

After lunch, and after Bill recovered, we headed up the bumpy road to the bat cave. Actually, its not a bat cave, its a cave of small nocturnal birds, but there are a lot of bats too. We hiked up to the cave and enjoyed the new walkway that kept us off the floor of bat/bird poop!

bat cave

It was late when we finally returned to Huanuco after a fun day in Tingo Maria. It was very nice to have dinner ready and waiting for us. Dinner was a special treat just for Bill. Something that I haven't had for a while and probably won't have ever again. We had Picante de Cuy. Bill knew what it was and ate several pieces. (I'm not sure if I should tell you what cuy is, some people are shocked to hear we eat it! Cuy is guinea pig.) It was actually very good. The sauce with the rice and potatoes was super yummy. A very tasty treat to end our fun day!

Picante de Cuy

Peru Trip - Day 2

Our second day in Peru (really our third if you count the 30 minutes we were here on the first day...but I'm not counting them, so I'm saying second) we traveled. We left Lima, on the coast, and headed to Huanuco, in the Andes mountains, where my parents live. My dad drove and it usually takes about 7-8 hours. I'm not really sure how long it took this time because we stopped several times for pictures and food. But, it was a good trip - one I've made many, many times but will probably not make again (at least, not any time soon). Before we got out of town, we couldn't resist having some breakfast at Dunkin' Donuts. Well, maybe everyone else could resist, but I couldn't and I convinced them all! So, breakfast was not very Peruvian but very delicious just the same!

breakfast

After our nutritious breakfast, we headed up the hill...literally. Leaving from Lima towards Huanuco you climb very quickly from sea level on UP! We wound around in the mountains for several hours until we made it to Ticlio, the top. We always stop beside the tourist sign...it isn't really a tourist stop, but there is a sign. The claim to fame is that it is the highest standard-gage railroad in the world - a stop not included on very many tourist itineraries. We enjoyed the view and then went a little further for lunch. We stopped at El Tambo. Another one of my favorite restaurants in all of Peru. We've been stopping there for lunch between Lima and Huanuco for as long as I have been alive. I always get my favorite meal, Lomo Saltado and Inca Kola. El Tambo is a little restaurant on the side of the road that isn't very fancy, but it has some VERY good food and the prices are great.

lunch

Bill wanted to try something different so he picked things off the menu and asked for explanations. He finally settled on Escabeche de Pollo. He really enjoyed it and made some very dramatic comments about how great it was! My parents both had typical Peruvian soups: Caldo de Pollo and Sopa a la Criolla. I'd say everyone really enjoyed their meals, which is normal at El Tambo!

Escabeche de Pollo

Lomo Saltado

Caldo de Pollo

Sopa a la Criolla

We arrived in Huanuco after a long day on the road...but it was a good day. We had delicious food (again) and we stopped to take even more pictures. Bill got some great shots of the llamas and he will post those later, when he gets time to work on them. For dinner, we had Arroz con Pollo, but we were too distracted by the good food (again) and tired from the trip that we forgot to take pictures. You'll just have to trust me that it was super yummy!

Peru Trip - Day 1

We've been in Peru for 3 days now and time is flying. We're having lots of fun and we're not spending much time on the computer...which is why you haven't heard from me. But, I wanted to get some pictures posted and write an update before I forget all the exciting things and delicious meals we are enjoying! Most of our trip was scheduled around the meals that we plan to eat. There is a lot of good food to enjoy in Peru and I wanted Bill to experience as much as possible. So, my mom and I devised a schedule where we eat three meals a day (at least) and eat as many of the wonderful things available as possible. So far, we've eaten a LOT...but it has been very tasty. We have a lot more eating to do before we can leave Peru!

Our first full day in Peru we spent in Lima. We ate a relaxing breakfast at home before heading out to see the town. We didn't really see much because we had to take care of some business first. After that, it was time for lunch!

breakfast

For lunch, we wanted to have ceviche. We drove around looking for a restaurant that my brother recommended, but we couldn't find it. Instead, we found Punta Sal, overlooking the ocean. It was a very nice restaurant and we had some good food. Bill had his ceviche, which he really enjoyed, and he shared some jalea with my mom. I was more happy eating the cooked fish - I'm simple like that! It was a tasty meal!

Bill's ceviche

my fish

jalea

After lunch, we drove to the Quechua Markets (that's what we call the artisan souvenir place). They have all kinds of Peruvian stuff. We are planning to go back at the end of our trip, so this was just a preliminary visit. But, we managed to buy several good things and Bill took a lot of pictures. After our shopping, we went to dinner. Although none of us were very hungry, we had to eat dinner because we have a lot of meals to eat during our short time in Peru so we can't afford to skip any! For dinner, we went to Pardo's Chicken. One of my favorite restaurants in the whole country. We were so excited when the food came, that we forgot to take pictures. But, Bill had Pollo a la Brasa and I had Chicharron de Pollo. It was very good!

Pardo's Chicken menu

Our first day was a good one. We relaxed and ate...doesn't get much better than that. When Bill gets his pictures posted, you can see more of what we did, but for now I will just share the food pictures because everything is so yummy. I wish you were all here to enjoy the flavors with us!

Super Bowl Party

I'm normally a big fan of the Super Bowl and I enjoy a good Super Bowl party. But, this year, I'm wasn't that excited. First, I don't care that much about the teams playing. Who really cares about the Steelers and the Cardinals anyway? Second, because of the time difference, kickoff isn't until 12:30 AM. Its hard to stay up that late to watch a game when the teams don't really matter to me. But, what I didn't want to miss out on this year was the Super Bowl Party food. We didn't have a proper Super Bowl Party, but we did snack on some tasty treats. All kinds of finger foods and goodies. Of course, we weren't watching football, so I don't know if it counts, but it was good. I hope everyone else had a wonderful Super Bowl Party too!

Christmas

The Christmas season is my favorite time of year. There are so many traditions and everyone always seems to be in a good mood. And the best part of Christmas time, is Christmas day. But first, Christmas eve.

On Christmas eve, we went to church for the candlelight service and we sang Christmas carols in the piazza with our candles. It was so picturesque and I really enjoyed it. When we got home, we opened one present each. (We both got new holiday flannel pants to wear on Christmas morning.) We also made cinnamon rolls so they could be ready to pop in the oven on Christmas morning.

We had a wonderful Christmas day. I love waking up on Christmas morning and opening presents. In the old days, I was usually the first one up in the morning...that hasn't changed! But, we did sleep in a little bit, I wasn't about to wake up at 6:00 AM to open presents...I value my sleep more now than when I was a kid. We woke up and leisurely opened gifts before having cinnamon rolls for breakfast - at noon! Later in the evening, we had Christmas dinner. It was so very delicious. We were still full from breakfast, but we made room for ham, scalloped potatoes, peas, and cranberry sauce. So yummy!

Here are a few pictures of our very merry Christmas and our fabulous food. We hope that each of you had an equally joyous Christmas time!

our new flannel pants on Christmas eve

cinnamon rolls ready to bake on Christmas morning
our tree is so pretty with all the presents

I got all kinds of goodies from my sister and her family

Bill got a new scarf and he was Santa's helper

Bill's mom opens her stocking

Bill likes books!

a new Christmas tablecloth...we even used it for our dinner

after presents, we had freshly baked cinnamon rolls

They were so good and the smell was unbelievable

our Christmas dinner

Happy Birthday Rachael

Today was a wonderful day. The weather was horrible, but the day was great. The highlight of the day was going to a birthday party - Ray-ray invited us to share in her festivities. It was super duper fun. We had a wonderful meal (thanks Margaret) and we had a fun time hanging out and playing games. It really was the most fun I've had in a long time. And, since today is the last day of my "30 Days of Food" we ended with a really good meal. I didn't have to make it, which was nice, and it was amazingly delicious. We had Artichoke Dip and a Cheese Ball for appetizers, then we had Beef Tenderloin, Baked Potatoes, and Bruschetta. We also had birthday cake (made by Alex) that was a special cake for Rachael...it was a Tri-Force Cake (from Zelda) or something like that...I don't know about all that but I know it was tasty. The whole meal was YUMMY! I forgot my camera tonight - but I have a few pics to share thanks to Sarah.

It was a very fun birthday party. Thank you for inviting us, Rachael. We hope you have a wonderful year and maybe we can join you for another birthday again sometime.

I've reached the end of my food saga. I hope you have enjoyed seeing our tasty treats each night. I don't think I have the energy to keep posting every night, but I'll try to be regular. And, don't worry, we will continue to eat good food...although it might not be as pretty and we might occasionally resort to eating cereal for dinner. Right now, I'm looking forward to starting my Christmas baking, and I promise to share pictures of that too. I love Christmas cookies. Until then, Happy December!

Another Creative Use

Today was a full and busy day. We slept in, of course, because last night was our big pizza night and we were tired and full. So, our full and busy day didn't really start 'til about 11:00. But, then we were really busy. We ate a yummy breakfast, ordered some Christmas presents online, and then we began our fun...we got all our Christmas boxes out of the store room. Yup, that's right, we set up the Christmas tree! Very exciting! We put up the tree and put on all the ornament and got other various decorations out. We didn't put up the Christmas lights on the balcony because it was raining...but we'll do that tomorrow.

Next, we made dinner. I was creative yet again and we used more leftover ham. This time, I made scalloped potatoes and ham. I love ham (did I mention that yesterday?) and I really love potatoes so this was pretty much a perfect meal. It really was delicious and we will be eating it for a couple days. We even had some peas on the side for color and to be healthy.


After dinner, we rushed out to catch the bus so we could go bowling. A friend of ours was having a birthday bowling party so we couldn't miss it. It was a lot of fun - even if we aren't very good. Now our day is ending and we need to get some sleep because tomorrow is going to be an equally full and busy day!

Good night!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to one and all. I hope you all had a wonderful and delicious thanksgiving. Since most of my family is celebrating thanksgiving on a different day (yes, they have good reasons), I have to share my pictures of our feast today! We had 30 people for our big event and we had plenty of food...in fact, we had too much. But, that's expected on Thanksgiving! Of course, I ate way too much and I feel uncomfortably full, but it was totally worth it! I was only the co-host of this shindig, we had it at Bonnie's house, but I made a bunch of food. I was responsible for the ham, green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole, rolls, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, dressing, pumpkin pie, pecan pie and a pumpkin trifle. It was a lot of cooking - but it was fun and I enjoyed it. Here are some pictures of our delicious meal.

Our beautiful table

Ham

Sweet Potato Casserole

Green Bean Casserole

Fresh Baked Rolls (they were SO delicious)

Pumpkin Trifle (I've never made this before, but people liked it)

Pumpkin Pie (I had two pieces, they were small)

I am very thankful for the wonderful food we had today. I am also thankful for my family and friends - I am blessed to have each and every one of you in my life. I hope everyone remembers how much they have to be thankful for this year. Happy Thanksgiving!

And now...since it is technically tomorrow (yes, I stayed up late cleaning the kitchen), I can start the excitement. That's right, it is officially permissible to start preparing for (and celebrating) Christmas. I am now going to listen to my Christmas music and, this weekend, we are putting up our tree!!! I can't wait...I LOVE Christmas!

Almost Thanksgiving...

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. I can't wait. I'm already starting to cook. My friend and I are hosting a big Thanksgiving dinner for a some of our friends and neighbors. We should have about 30 people. I have a lot to make...pies, casseroles, potatoes, rolls, etc. I already have the rolls in the fridge (they're rising) and I've made a pumpkin & pecan pie. Tomorrow I've got lots to do, but first I'm going to sleep in. I love holidays. And I especially love holidays that involve eating.

Since I have been cooking all evening...I didn't focus a lot of time or energy on dinner tonight. (I'm already thinking about tomorrow!) I decided something lite would be good - in order to save room for turkey. We used our leftover rolls from earlier in the week and made mini-tuna sandwiches. We even had a pickle on the side. It was good.

I'm Full

I went to the Hard Rock Cafe for lunch today. Someone from work wanted to go there for their going-away lunch. Of course, I ate too much and tonight I was very full. That meant I did not feel like cooking. So, our dinner consisted of Taquitos and peas. Oh, and we also had some leftover rolls from last night with Apple Butter. Super yummy! I hope you had a yummy dinner too!

Cereal and Bread for Dinner

I wanted something sweet for dinner tonight - and I wanted something easy. I thought about having cereal for dinner - but since I don't have to actually make that, I had to think of something else. Obviously, I didn't look very far because I settled on Rice Cereal. A favorite childhood breakfast...yum! And, with a rice cooker, it was super easy. It was delicious and good...and sweet.

In addition to cereal for dinner tonight, I made bread. That's right - I used my new bread maker to make some dinner rolls. I'm supposed to make rolls for Thanksgiving and I wanted to practice. It was AMAZING! It was the first time I used my bread maker and I love it! I am going to make bread every day (well, maybe not every day - but often). The machine does all the work and I just rolled it and baked it. The smell of fresh baked bread is the smell of happiness! I can't wait to make more bread. I think our Thanksgiving bread will be great!