Wow, I am worn out from traveling...can't wait for the Badlands. Excellent descriptions and pictures. I think the huckleberry ice-cream cone and the blueberry sour would be a mainstay.
Thanks so much, Sally! Both were pretty knockout good! Don’t mean to wear anyone out. We’re a bit spent, but game for more. Next up: a very cool working ranch in the Badlands. (I think I might have to change the name to the Goodlands! 🤗)
Jeff thanks you, Amie! Clearly you’ve got company in the “mainly vegetarian but eats bacon on vacation” cohort. Makes sense to me. Thanks for commenting.
Thanks for taking me on your trip with you, Ruth. I've had a blast so far, but you and I really need to be eating all those foods that you dreamt about.
Seriously though, I enjoy living vicariously through your writing and can't wait to see where I go next. :)
Thanks, Gayla! It’s great having you along! It’s been an entertaining and enlightening journey. I’m realizing anew how vast, diverse and fascinating this country is--from its geology to its people to its cuisine. I just need another year to cover it all!
Wow. The Monument Valley restaurant view was epic. Such a bummer about the frozen veggies! I recently took a think week where I cooked and created a lot, including fesenjoon, Persian pomegranate stew! While not quite the summer food, felt more appropriate for fall or winter, it was delicious.
The Persian stew does sound delicious. I’m definitely going to look up a recipe for that when we get home again. I like the idea of a “think week” when you do some creative cooking. Some dishes—like stews—are classics that can be made whenever you crave them. Thanks so very much for your comments, Julia!
Of course there has been grilled cheese, though somewhat less than usual! Jeff had one on homemade marble rye in Moab. I’m sure there will be more on our homeward journey.
Also, a commentary on your best burger, presuming the pic below that paragraph is the object in question. I'd have thought the cheese was American but you said it's vegan, not vegetarian so I have to presume it's fake cheese. Daiya or something like that. The irregularity of the burger and the fact you said it was so good leads me to guess the meat is probably just Impossible Burger meat - which does taste and act an awful lot like real beef. If they were avoiding a bean based patty it could also have been created with tempeh, a pretty common meat-like substitute. Other than that I just see red onions, a standard bun and what looks like a black bean relish on top. Come over my house and I'll make you something just as tasty. I'll even whip you up some onion rings that'll put those to shame - it'll be an excuse for me to do some deep frying!
Food is just fuel in the tank? That's quoting papa rat from Ratatouille! Although it's true, I more often think of Doc Brown with his Mr. Fusion modification to the Delorean. Basically anything you throw in will power our bodies. Kind of remarkable.
I didn’t think food as fuel was entirely original. Your film references are sending me scrambling. Now I’ll have to rewatch both movies--but that won’t be an unpleasant chore. Thanks for the comment, Crowden.
I've watched that movie SO many times. How can any foodie not love it? I've been in the French Laundry as well (Thomas Keller was the primary consultant for haute cuisine kitchens for Pixar). Similar to my youthful European adventures although this time I was politely escorted out rather than thrown out on my ear ...
I really did love Ratatouille, Crowden, but obviously need to rewatch it--and make some ratatouille. I’ve been to Napa but, alas, never visited the French Laundry (okay, you can revoke my foodie credentials now!). On top of your other immense talents, I now find out you’re a great cook! Marvels never cease! I’d definitely like to try those onion rings. What’s your secret? I do believe my burger was a black bean burger, not an Impossible burger, but now I’m not so sure. Well, I can definitely see some veggie burger tests lie in my future.
During covid I couldn't get fresh wide rice noodles for Pad Kee Mao. So I taught myself to make them. Yum! Too bad pics aren't allowed or I'd include one. Maybe I need to put on into a substack post. And speaking of veggie food, or actually what I call "fake food" - the manmade fake Italian sausages are actually good - smothered in peppers and onions with a healthy helping of Satz sauce, they're a great substitute for the real thing.
Spectacular photo of Monument Valley from the hotel dining room! Jeff's time lapse of the breakfast buffet and the story of the veggie burger made me smile. I hope you are coping with the extreme heat that I have been reading about. Thank you for sharing your adventures in such fun detail, Ruth.
Thanks for commenting, Vicki! It’s cooler here in Colorado, with the vivid green mountainsides and blue skies adding to the effect. The wildflowers are in bloom too. You would have a lot to paint!
I find it unusual that my screen saver popped up today of the Badlands. 😊
Happy coincidence!
I am drooling! 😋 oh, Ruth, what a trip! And the view of Monument Valley is amazing!
Loved all the pictures (and Jeff’s hat) bring on the Badlands! (And, pie 🥧 ❤️)
Coming right up, Jolene! The Badlands are amazing! 🥧 🤠 😊
Can’t wait!
Wow, I am worn out from traveling...can't wait for the Badlands. Excellent descriptions and pictures. I think the huckleberry ice-cream cone and the blueberry sour would be a mainstay.
Thanks so much, Sally! Both were pretty knockout good! Don’t mean to wear anyone out. We’re a bit spent, but game for more. Next up: a very cool working ranch in the Badlands. (I think I might have to change the name to the Goodlands! 🤗)
Loved Jeff’s time-lapse breakfast video! And just so you know, I’m (mainly) a vegetarian but allow for a “vacation bacon” loophole.
Jeff thanks you, Amie! Clearly you’ve got company in the “mainly vegetarian but eats bacon on vacation” cohort. Makes sense to me. Thanks for commenting.
Thanks for taking me on your trip with you, Ruth. I've had a blast so far, but you and I really need to be eating all those foods that you dreamt about.
Seriously though, I enjoy living vicariously through your writing and can't wait to see where I go next. :)
Thanks, Gayla! It’s great having you along! It’s been an entertaining and enlightening journey. I’m realizing anew how vast, diverse and fascinating this country is--from its geology to its people to its cuisine. I just need another year to cover it all!
Wow. The Monument Valley restaurant view was epic. Such a bummer about the frozen veggies! I recently took a think week where I cooked and created a lot, including fesenjoon, Persian pomegranate stew! While not quite the summer food, felt more appropriate for fall or winter, it was delicious.
The Persian stew does sound delicious. I’m definitely going to look up a recipe for that when we get home again. I like the idea of a “think week” when you do some creative cooking. Some dishes—like stews—are classics that can be made whenever you crave them. Thanks so very much for your comments, Julia!
I can't believe it. Not one grilled cheese? Love reading about your adventures.
Of course there has been grilled cheese, though somewhat less than usual! Jeff had one on homemade marble rye in Moab. I’m sure there will be more on our homeward journey.
Also, a commentary on your best burger, presuming the pic below that paragraph is the object in question. I'd have thought the cheese was American but you said it's vegan, not vegetarian so I have to presume it's fake cheese. Daiya or something like that. The irregularity of the burger and the fact you said it was so good leads me to guess the meat is probably just Impossible Burger meat - which does taste and act an awful lot like real beef. If they were avoiding a bean based patty it could also have been created with tempeh, a pretty common meat-like substitute. Other than that I just see red onions, a standard bun and what looks like a black bean relish on top. Come over my house and I'll make you something just as tasty. I'll even whip you up some onion rings that'll put those to shame - it'll be an excuse for me to do some deep frying!
Food is just fuel in the tank? That's quoting papa rat from Ratatouille! Although it's true, I more often think of Doc Brown with his Mr. Fusion modification to the Delorean. Basically anything you throw in will power our bodies. Kind of remarkable.
I didn’t think food as fuel was entirely original. Your film references are sending me scrambling. Now I’ll have to rewatch both movies--but that won’t be an unpleasant chore. Thanks for the comment, Crowden.
I've watched that movie SO many times. How can any foodie not love it? I've been in the French Laundry as well (Thomas Keller was the primary consultant for haute cuisine kitchens for Pixar). Similar to my youthful European adventures although this time I was politely escorted out rather than thrown out on my ear ...
I really did love Ratatouille, Crowden, but obviously need to rewatch it--and make some ratatouille. I’ve been to Napa but, alas, never visited the French Laundry (okay, you can revoke my foodie credentials now!). On top of your other immense talents, I now find out you’re a great cook! Marvels never cease! I’d definitely like to try those onion rings. What’s your secret? I do believe my burger was a black bean burger, not an Impossible burger, but now I’m not so sure. Well, I can definitely see some veggie burger tests lie in my future.
During covid I couldn't get fresh wide rice noodles for Pad Kee Mao. So I taught myself to make them. Yum! Too bad pics aren't allowed or I'd include one. Maybe I need to put on into a substack post. And speaking of veggie food, or actually what I call "fake food" - the manmade fake Italian sausages are actually good - smothered in peppers and onions with a healthy helping of Satz sauce, they're a great substitute for the real thing.
Oh my, you do make me hungry!
I’m your Huckleberry!
I’m not a huge fan of burgers but I love the look of that huckleberry ice cream and the hot springs look fantastic.
I’d say the sights do far have surpassed the food, but ice cream is never a bad choice, especially in hot weather.
I love ice cream. Especially fruity ones. I’ve never had a huckleberry but I imagine they are a delicious
It’s really quite good—bits of jammy berries mixed into the cream and such a tantalizing lilac hue. I’m craving another cone as I write this!
Spectacular photo of Monument Valley from the hotel dining room! Jeff's time lapse of the breakfast buffet and the story of the veggie burger made me smile. I hope you are coping with the extreme heat that I have been reading about. Thank you for sharing your adventures in such fun detail, Ruth.
Thanks for commenting, Vicki! It’s cooler here in Colorado, with the vivid green mountainsides and blue skies adding to the effect. The wildflowers are in bloom too. You would have a lot to paint!