Sunday, February 20, 2011

Homeward Bound

The last major stop on our road trip was the Grand Canyon. Since it was on the way home (more or less) and Keizo only saw it for about 40 minutes before it was engulfed completely in clouds on our last trip, it seemed only right to stop by.

We had gorgeous weather...

...and like in Zion, a fantastic picnic lunch! The lunch at the Grand Canyon also featured leftovers from two dinners and the pancakes from the day before. Surprisingly, the pancakes were quite good cold. We finished off the leftovers, crackers, sliced cheese and avocados. The cooler was much lighter when we put it back in the trunk.


Yay! No clouds!

We walked a few miles along the rim taking in the sights before heading out of the park to catch one of the last showings of the day of the IMAX movie about the Grand Canyon. Then it was time to get in the car and head back to Scottsdale.

Our last stop of the trip was dinner in Flagstaff at a place called Bun Hugger's. It's right along the main road across from the Northern Arizona University campus. The menu focuses on hamburgers and fried accompaniments, but I enjoyed my greasy grilled cheese and cup of chili (maybe not the best choice for a car trip...)

Keizo tried their mushroom burger and fries, which I sampled. The service was not anything to write home about, but the food was a step above fast food.


On the Road Again

Our second and final morning in Zion found us back in the dinning room for another breakfast. While I enjoyed the omelette the day before, I really wanted to try their pancakes, since they looked really good on other diner's tables the day before.

First, some more delicious coffee.


And now the star of breakfast, the pancakes! Light and fluffy, Keizo and I could only manage one each. So the rest got boxed up and added to our picnic stash.


The reason we could only eat one each was that we were also working on some French toast. It was good, but not as yummy as the pancakes.


Lunch was a brief stop at Subway outside of Bryce Canyon National Park followed by a drive through viewing of the red rock spires. Then it was back on the road to Page, AZ where we would spend the night.

We arrived in Page around dinner time, and after a quick scan around town for a place to eat, we settled on a Mexican restaurant that advertised the best margaritas in town.

They also had delicious veggie fajitas (probably cooked in animal lard, but whatever, they were really good!)

Keizo ordered the mole enchiladas. He knew of mole from the TV show Ugly Betty, which we have watched together, and was excited to try it. The enchiladas were also very good.


And what trip to the restaurant with the best margaritas in town would be complete without a margarita? I ordered one, and when it came out, it was about half the size of my head! They were not listed on the menu, and I thought they could probably charge about $14 for it if they wanted. But when the bill came, it only cost half of that. We're not in Vegas anymore, Toto! It's also a good thing there are no locations of this restaurant closer to Scottsdale...I might become a regular.

Following dinner, we bedded down for the night at a Best Western where the friendly clerk gave us the AARP discount rate for the room. Fabulous!

Dinner among the rocks

That's the moon second night of our stay in Zion National Park. The photo is from our post-dinner walk...er, waddle...near the lodge.

After a day of hiking and taking in the awesome rock formations around us, it was very nice to sit down and have someone serve us dinner in the warm dinning room. Keizo started out with a local beer, served in a very nice Zion pint glass. He enjoyed the glass so much he bought one to take back Japan. I hope it fits in the cabinet.


Still feeling a tad nutrient deprived from the Vegas portion of the trip, we both added the salad bar to our entrees.


I chose salmon with creamy pesto pasta for dinner, which was delicious and enough to fill me up, let Keizo have 1/2 of what was left, and take the last 1/4 back to our room to put in the cooler!


Keizo ordered "Chipotle Chicken," but what he got was nothing like what I imagined when I tried my best to describe it to him. The chicken was pretty spicy without any smoky flavor to it. I don't think it was one of his favorites, but food has to be pretty bad for him to leave any behind. He did enjoy the wild rice and veggies though.


And for dessert we split a massive piece of caramel apple pie a la mode. Hence the waddling around the lodge and parking lot after dinner.


Zion--Picnic Paradise

I know I said that the Bellagio's gelato bar was our last stop in Vegas, but our last stop was actually Food 4 Less to pick up supplies for a "picnic" dinner after our arrival in Zion. The drive took a bit longer than expected and we didn't end up checking in to the Zion Lodge until around 11 PM. I didn't need too much of a dinner after that, but we did open up the bottle of chardonnay we purchased and snacked on some crackers before turning in.

The next morning, breakfast was included in the price of the room, so we headed to the dinning room to fuel up for the day. I had a nice cheesy omlette and Keizo had some bacon, sausage, eggs and hash browns, and we both enjoyed our first decent cups of coffee of the trip. We spent the rest of the morning sightseeing and doing a short hike.


We stopped for lunch on a bench overlooking a small stream and opened up the cooler to enjoy the first of several picnics over the next few days.

We had crackers with Swiss cheese and spreadable herb cheese, avocado, carrots & hummus, and grapes. And of course some chocolate to finish it off.

I really don't need anything too fancy to make me happy.

Eatin' it up in Vegas

Sunday was the final day of the Seven's tournament, so we spent most of the day back at the stadium. Thankfully we discovered more food options set up outside the bleachers, and split this delicious fry bread taco for lunch.


After watching the final Japan game of the day, we went back to the hotel for a little nap before heading out on the town. We caught the Cirque du Soleil Mystere show, and left hungry for something a bit more upscale than stadium food.

We ended up not far from Treasure Island; right across the street at First Food and Bar. While perusing the menu posted outside, Keizo noticed that they served lobster and was sold immediately. It turned out to be a great choice.

To start, we received a plate of soft pretzel rings on the house. It came with three dipping sauces: a sweet mustard, a dijon and one I can only describe as dijon butter.

Next, we ordered the salad sampler for some much needed vitamins. The plate featured four mini-salads; endives with grapes and blue cheese, a very garlicy caesar, Greek salad and a bacon topped wedge salad, pictured below.

For my main, I ordered the lobster roll. When it came to the table, it didn't look anything like any lobster roll I had ever seen before---way fancier! The taste matched the presentation, and I appreciated not having to fight a spiny crustacean for the tasty meat inside.


Keizo's main was the steamed lobster, served whole with a baked potato and some greens. It was his first lobster ever...and he did a very good job hollowing out the bright red shell. So good in fact, that he barely touched the potato, he was so full.

Sheer delight!

While First is probably a fairly standard Vegas dining establishment, lobster and a few drinks were a nice treat for us, and a far cry from the stadium swill we had been consuming.

*****

On Monday, with no more rugby to watch, we head out to explore the Strip with two goals in mind. One was to eat lunch at a buffet, and the
other was to visit M&M World. I am happy to report that we accomplished both.

We ate lunch at the buffet at the Luxor, for no other reason than we were there when we got hungry enough to tackle a buffet. Lunch was around $16 a person; which while sort of reflected in the quality of some of the food was reasonable enough that I didn't feel like I had to eat myself sick to get my money's worth.

My first plate: pasta, steamed fish, an enchilada, marinated vegetables and a tomato and cheese sandwich on a dinner roll. Can't fault them on the variety.


I actually enjoyed my second plate, exclusively from the salad bar better, but there is no photograph to share. There is also no photo of Keizo's first plate; but his second is definitely worth mentioning.

Turkey and mashed potatoes complete with gravy and cranberry sauce! I had a bite, and it was pretty good.

Of course there was also a dessert buffet, along with some very disappointing coffee. I enjoyed the left side of my plate more; the tiramisu was creamy and the raspberries were by far the best part of the tart. I should have taken more and just eaten the top.


Our last stop of the day was the Bellagio, which I must say I loved.


In true betsu bara fashion, we ordered some gelato, one scoop of cookies and cream and one scoop of mixed berry. It was some of the best gelato I have ever eaten, and a wonderful way to end our trip to Sin City before getting back to basics in Zion National Park.



Vegas 7's

Last Saturday, we packed up the car and headed northwest towards Las Vegas to cheer on Keizo's countrymen/teammate at the 2011 Las Vegas Sevens Rugby Tournament.

We arrived at the stadium in the late afternoon after a long drive and a stop at Hoover Dam, but with enough time to get our bearings and pick up some snacks before the Japan vs. USA game at 6:25.


Rugby and beer go together like peanut butter and jelly. We splurged on the $8 Landshark pints, and not thinking it wise to drink on an empty stomach got a plate of stadium nachos, with a rather unappealing plastic pouch of cheese sauce on top.

I'm thinking "Hurry up with the photo, I'm thirsty!"


Cheers! Let's go Japan!

A special surprise at the bottom of the cup! The cups were actually filled from the bottom, and the decal is a magnet. We only discovered this on the second day though...long after the supply of "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas" ones were gone, and they had moved on to UNLV Rebel ones. Oh well...I still think it makes a cool photo, and Keizo and I are now both the proud owners of UNLV Rebel magnets.

Friday, February 11, 2011

"Spanish Delight"

On Wednesday, we ate quesadillas and ready made sweet potato bisque from Trader Joe's for dinner after subjecting our abdominals to an hour long Pilates class. Unfortunately, this wasn't enough for Keizo, who made a second meal of ramen noodles after dinner. Not wanting to fail him again, I planned Thursday's dinner around his hearty appetite.

Enter Grammy Phelps' "Spanish Delight" casserole recipe. Not sure where the name came from, but it's been a family favorite for years. Easy and filling!!

The original recipe calls for ground beef, but I bought ground turkey instead, which was a fine substitute. After preparing the pasta and leaving it in the colander to drain, we put the turkey, garlic and onion in the pot we used for the pasta. When the meat was cooked, add a can of creamed corn and equal amount of canned tomato soup. Season with chili powder and a bit of salt and pepper. Mix the pasta back in you are ready to eat.

Serve topped with parmesan cheese...


...green salad and more garlic toast. I dressed my salad with a combination of a creamy caesar dressing with some drizzles of balsamic vinegar. Oh how I have missed balsamic vinegar!


Super Bowl Salad

Super Bowl Sunday was me and the guys (Keizo and my Dad) so you can probably guess who got left with the responsibility of making dinner. It's okay though...I met my annual quota of football viewing by watching the half time show and the last quarter, which are the most important parts anyway, right?

No Super Bowl "party" no matter how informal is complete without snacks and beer, so we got some ready made sushi, crackers and artichoke dip at the grocery store. We also picked up some red bell pepper and a red onion to make "Greek Tortellini Salad" for dinner.

After chopping the veggies and putting the frozen cheese tortellini in the pot to boil, I got started on the dressing. Olive oil, red wine vinegar, a splash of sherry and some red pepper flakes look so pretty combined in the measuring cup.


Combine pasta, veggies and feta cheese in large bowl and toss with dressing. If you plan ahead, the salad can be chilled, or if you are more like me, eat it right away.


Rounding out the meal were baby carrots with hummus and fresh garlic toast. Kept dinner on the lighter side after all those snacks.

Plus, there was Samoa Girl Scout cookie ice cream for dessert ;-)

Home of the Sandwich

Sandwiches are not originally from Scottsdale, Arizona, but they are one of my favorite things to eat at home. Keizo and I concocted some amazing sandwiches in our first 72 hours stateside.

First up: spinach, green peppers, sundried tomatoes and pepper jack. The rolls were toasted and the cheese melted. We added some hummus for moisture and a dollop of leftover potato salad on the side and headed to the patio for lunch. Ahhh the joys of winter in the desert!


The next day: Ham and cheese for Keizo, plain cheese for me on a crusty baguette from the grocery store (I am trying to return to my mostly vegetarian ways while I am home.) After the ham, Keizo's second favorite sandwich ingredient are sweet pickles. I tend to agree with him on this one. American pickles are so different from the zillions of Japanese varieties, it's hardly appropriate to call them by the same name, but there really isn't another word for salt cured vegetables.

Lunch is such a great meal.

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Pre-Departure Panic

Maybe you noticed in the last post that there seemed to be a lot of "cleaning out" going on; unearthing long forgotten ingredients from the back of the freezer and adding all sorts of vegetables to the nabe pot that might not usually make it in there. Very observant of you! With rugby finished and my tourist visa expiring in a few days, Keizo and I will be relocating to Arizona for a while, thus requiring us to eat like rabbits (i.e. lots and lots of fresh vegetables) in the days leading up to departure.

Hosting a going away party last Sunday hasn't made matters any easier. Most of the food served was from Costco, which made set up a breeze; however, even half a dozen rugby players are no match for Costco sized portions, meaning we had quite a few leftovers.

Exhibit A: The lettuce garnishing the antipasto tray. The tomatoes and meat slices were gone by the end of the night, but the olives and other greenery lingered on. Time for a salad!


A very large salad! The white bowl is the largest mixing bowl in the kitchen. It could easily hold a basketball, or in this case a head of lettuce, apples, red bell pepper, raisins and almond slices.

Exhibit B: Potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots and cabbage (actually not from Costco) turned into a delicious creamy soup made with some of the leftover sour cream (definitely from Costco...and still lingering in the fridge.) I was extremely pleased with how the soup turned out, considering there was no recipe and all of the ingredients were already in the kitchen and needing be used up.

Exhibit C: The only new ingredient we bought was a baguette so we could make some garlic toast. This did use up some of the shredded cheese from the fridge though.

Exhibit D: The complete meal. The garlic toast disappeared of course, but there is one serving of soup and a few helpings of salad left to eat today. Speaking of which...it's getting to be lunch time!

I already have some ideas for things to make in Arizona. Stay tuned...

East meets West

Since almost everything made on this blog is a mix of East and West, the title of this post really doesn't tell you anything about the contents.

Tuesday's fusion dinner was a kimchi nabe accompanied by some Mexican beer and finished with American-style ice cream for dessert.

We've been meaning to make kimchi nabe for a few weeks, since it would be an excellent way to use up some of the mochi that is still hibernating in the freezer. We picked up a packet of soup at the grocery store, chopped up a bunch of vegetables and added several varieties of meat from the freezer (chicken meat balls, bulgogi, and sausages.) Put everything in a pot and cover.


When it's ready to serve, use a ladle and chopsticks to transfer desired ingredients to your
individual bowl and top with a bit of shredded cheese. Cut the spice with some Corona.


When most of the meat and veggies have been eaten, add the starches to leftover broth. On Tuesday, this included a long frozen pack of udon noodles and some mochi. Keizo and I both decided that this was our favorite way to eat mochi so far; its gooey texture worked much better in soup than as a pizza crust.

We continued to clean out the freezer after dinner with some left over Baskin-Robbins ice cream cake from Shinya's going away party. Shinya is one of Keizo's teammates who after spending most of the season injured, is retiring from rugby and moving to Australia to be with his French girlfriend. (And I thought Keizo and I had a complicated long distance relationship, but at least there are only two countries involved--so far!)


Mmmmmm chocolate! The cake kept us fueled while we completed a surprisingly challenging, 500 piece, underwater themed jigsaw puzzle. I bought it at the dollar store at home before I left, and we estimated it took six hours (over two days) to finish. Six hours of entertainment for $1? That is a pretty good deal!