All Aboard the Solstice and Maui, Day 1

After spending some wonderful days in Honolulu, it was time for the real vacation to begin! Bear in mind, I had almost been on vacation for 5 days at this point, but whatever. Details!

Honolulu is an interesting city in terms of transportation. I guess they want everyone there to feel like they are rich and famous...because not only can you hail a taxi when you need to go somewhere, but can hail a LIMO taxi. And you can also call them to come pick you up and it costs the same (or less) than a regular cab. At least it did with the coupon we pulled out of a flyer we got at the hotel. So of course we took a limousine to the port where our cruise ship was waiting.

Climbing into the limo....

They see me rollin, they hatin.

Getting aboard a cruise ship is always a bit of a pain. There are long lines, lots of waiting, grumpy old people...but when you travel with Chris and Kent (who are frequent cruise club members) you get to forego a lot of the waiting. We hooked up with Monique and were aboard in the ship in only about an hour. But then we got some surprising news.

Turns out on the cruise ship before us, when the ship was around Australia, there was an outbreak of the Norovirus--every cruisers nightmare. For those not in the know Aunt Nora (as we like to call her) is an easily transmittal virus that causes severe gastrointestinal problems. You know, diarrhea, vomiting, all that lovely stuff. It's basically the bane of a cruiser's existence since it's spread by touching something someone who was infected touched (like a banister or door). Seriously people, WASH YOUR DAMN HANDS. Gross. The good news is only a handful of people were affected.

There are strict regulations regarding what happens after a Norovirus outbreak, and in the case of Celebrity it means the entire ship had to be disinfected. Which means even once we got on the ship we weren't allowed in our rooms for several hours since the crew was taking extra precautions with the disinfecting. It also meant that throughout the cruise we were required to use hand sanitizer at the entrance to every restaurant, were not allowed to serve ourselves at the buffet (which is actually really annoying and caused traffic jams), and were not allowed to use menus at the bars.

Poor little rich people, right?

We decided to pass the time waiting for them to clean the ship at the martini bar. As you do.

But all of the precautions worked because there was no Aunt Nora on our cruise, hurray! Aside from a few inconveniences (described above) there was no issue with the virus at all. Which meant we could focus on all the fun we were going to have....like at our first port of call, Maui!

We were visiting some of the islands twice during our cruise, and Maui was one of them. Our first day there, Monique and I had booked a tour through the cruiseline that would take us up to the Haleakala crater and then down through some of Maui's rainforests. But first! Some interesting and informative background!

Maui is the second largest of the Hawaiian islands with the third highest population of the islands.
Native Hawaiian tradition gives the origin of the island's name in the legend of Hawaiʻiloa, the Polynesian navigator credited with discovery of the Hawaiian Islands. According to that legend, Hawaiʻiloa named the island of Maui after his son, who in turn was named for the demigod Māui. The earlier name of Maui was ʻIhikapalaumaewa. I think we can all agree that the change was for the best.

And now! Science! From wiki, "Maui's diverse landscapes are the result of a unique combination of geology, topography, and climate. Each volcanic cone in the chain of the Hawaiian Islands is built of dark, iron-rich/quartz-poor rocks, which poured out of thousands of vents as highly fluid lava, over a period of millions of years. Several of the volcanoes were close enough to each other that lava flows on their flanks overlapped one another, merging into a single island. Maui is such a "volcanic doublet," formed from two shield volcanoes that overlapped one another to form an isthmus between them."

I don't know about you, but I think volcanoes and lava are like, the coolest thing ever. It must be from all those science projects of building volcanoes. Or maybe that Tommy Lee Jones about the volcano in LA. Either way, volcanoes are bitchin.

So bright and early, Monique and I loaded up into a bus at the port town of Lahaina and headed out for a volcanic adventure. Per usual, it was a bit of drive--it took about 2 hours to climb the winding Haleakalā Highway which leads to the top of the crater. The highway is a series of switchbacks that travels up almost 10,000 feet to the Haleakalā National Park.

Some background on the volcano: Haleakalā (house of the sun), or the East Maui Volcano, is a massive shield volcano that forms more than 75% of the Hawaiian Island of Maui. The tallest peak of Haleakalā, at 10,023 feet (3,055 m).  From the summit, you look down into a massive depression 7 miles across, 2 miles wide, and nearly 2,600 feet deep. The surrounding walls are steep and the interior mostly barren-looking with a scattering of volcanic cones.

Basically, it looks like an alien planet, think Star Trek. It's shocking after seeing so much lush greenery, to encounter such a barren rocky terrain. It's also very cold and windy. But worth it to just stand there and look out from the edge of the world. We were even higher than the clouds and could see them rolling in through the valley of the depression. It's definitely something I won't ever forget.

After wandering around the volcano for a while (and posing for a series of goody pictures......)

Oh, come on. You knew it was going to happen.

....we loaded back onto the bus and headed to an adorable ramshackle little town for lunch at an "Italian" place. I use the parentheses because, honestly, it wasn't too authentic. But we still had some good eats and got to window shop at the little tourist trap shops. And after THAT we got back on the bus (of course) and drove to a botanical garden on the rainforesty side of the island. There were some amazing plants and trees whose names I never learned. But! Beautiful greenery! It was like Jurassic Park up in that place. In fact, the soundtrack might have been running in my brain on a constant loop through my entire trip...might have. Yeah, right. Of course it did!

Thus endeth Maui Day 1.....coming up next time, a helicopter adventure on the Big Island! Also, we kind of sort of accidentally hitchhike with a pair of stoners.

Palm trees!

Eerie and beautiful tree.

Like Jurassic Park, amirite?

Red hibiscus (the yellow version is the Hawaiian state flower)

Cooooooool.

Clouds rolling in.

Cajun Chicken Pasta (on the lighter side)

I love Alfredo sauce. So cheesy. So creamy. It's a perfect companion to pasta dishes, but with my lactose intolerance and dieting, alfredo sauce is a huge giant no-no. But I still miss creamy pasta dishes, so I have been scouring the internet for some alternatives. Sure, I'm never going to be able to recreate the original exactly, but you can't go wrong with a good substitute.

I had such good luck with the blueberry wheat pancakes from SkinnyTaste, I decided to see if she had any creamy pasta sauce recipes. Success! (enter Cajun Chicken Pasta on the Lighter Side, stage left).

This dish has everything delicious: pasta, a creamy sauce, some kick from the cajun seasoning, and protein from the chicken. It's not too difficult (everything cooks in one pan) but I'd rate it as moderate in difficulty since it requires a lot of prep work with the chopping of the veggies, browning of the chicken, and making a slurry (a blended mixture of liquids and solids).

Per usual, I made some changes to the basic recipe. It called for using light cream cheese, but only 3 tablespoons. I couldn't see buying a whole container of the stuff for three measly tablespoons, so I substituted four of the Laughing Cow light spreadable cheese wedges (only 35 calories each!). They're recommended by Hungry Girl and make a really excellent snack along with some low calorie crackers. I also have a pan big enough to cook all the chicken at once, even though the recipe calls for browning it in two batches. Finally, I left out the scallions and mushrooms (yech!), but added some extra tomatoes since I used canned diced tomatoes to save myself some chopping time.

But as you can see, it still turned out awesome!

 I just wanted to stand there and eat it straight out of the pan. 

A few tips if you decide to make it: this is a low calorie sauce, so it's not going to be as thick as a regular alfredo sauce. It will do in a pinch, but don't go in expecting it to be the same. I would recommend leaving it in the pan for about 5 minutes when you are done, it thickens up quickly. Or you could throw in a tablespoon or two of cornstarch and see how that works out. Also, don't be afraid of the cajun seasoning! I think next time, I might even add some hot sauce or chilis to make it even spicier.

I served with my usual spinach salad and Safeway Kitchens cranberry and nut salad topper. You get a pretty large serving with this one (1 1/2 cups) and it makes five servings. Perfect for lunches!

Total calorie count as pictured: 388. Pretty good for a pasta meal!

SkinnyTaste's Cajun Chicken Pasta on the Lighter Side

Servings: 5 • Serving Size: 1 1/2 cups • Old Points: 6 pts • Points+: 8 pts
Calories: 323.8 • Fat: 6.2 g • Protein: 25.9 g • Carb: 44.1 g • Fiber: 6.3 g • Sugar:3.2 g
Sodium: 126.5 mg (without salt)  

Ingredients:

8 ounces uncooked linguine
1 pound chicken breast strips
1-2 tsp Cajun seasoning (or to taste)
1 tbsp olive oil 1 medium red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 medium yellow bell pepper
Thinly sliced 8 oz fresh mushrooms
Sliced 1/2 red onion
Sliced 3 cloves garlic
Minced 2 medium tomatoes
Diced 1 cup fat free low sodium chicken broth
1/3 cup skim milk
1 tbsp flour
3 tbsp light cream cheese
Fresh cracked pepper
2 scallions chopped
Salt to taste
Smart Balance cooking spray

Directions:

Prep all your vegetables. In a small blender make a slurry by combining milk, flour and cream cheese. Set aside. Season chicken generously with Cajun seasoning, garlic powder and salt.

Prepare pasta in salted water according to package directions.

Heat a large heavy nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; spray with cooking spray and add half of the chicken. Sauté 5 to 6 minutes or until done, set aside on a plate and repeat with the remaining chicken. Set aside. Add olive oil to the skillet and reduce to medium; add bell peppers, onions, and garlic to skillet, sauté 3-4 minutes. Add mushrooms and tomatoes and sauté 3-4 more minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Season with 1/4 tsp salt, garlic powder and fresh cracked pepper to taste. Reduce heat to medium-low; add chicken broth and pour in slurry stirring about 2 minutes. Return chicken to skillet; adjust salt and Cajun seasoning to taste, cook another minute or two until hot, then add linguine; toss well to coat. Top with chopped scallions and enjoy!

Honolulu!

Finally, after a truly horrendous travel day, I woke up to my first Hawaii morning! The boys and I didn't really have anything planned for our first day, so we decided to just wander around Waikiki.

This part of Honolulu gets a bad rap for being really touristy, but this does tend to have some benefits. For one, there are lots of shops around so if you forget to pack something (like enough underwear), you have shopping options (thank you Ross, dress for less). Also, there are great restaurants, easy access to the beach, and lots of crazy people you can watch walk around. 

Oh, and 10 million t-shirt shops. Seriously, do tourists really buy that many t-shirts??

After a lazy day of wandering around and working off our jet lag, the next day we got moving with a tour to Pear Harbor. As I am sure you know, on December 7, 1941, the Japanese attacked the US naval fleet on the island of Oahu, with devastating results at Pearl Harbor. It was also the impetus for America entering into the WWII conflict. That was pretty much the extent of my knowledge prior to visiting the memorial and museum.

I'm a history buff, but never really got into military history. Having said that, the exhibits and presentation at Pearl Harbor were super interesting and taught me a lot about the Pearl Harbor attacks that I never knew. There was a video (I love a video!) showing the timeline and details of the Japanese plan--which frankly, was bloody brilliant. Luckily for us our aircraft carriers were out at sea or the twentieth century might have gone real differently. I was also fascinated to hear about all the mistakes the US made prior to the attacks; such as underestimating the Japanese capabilities, ignoring radar indications of the attack, and a lack of cooperation between the Army and Navy.

After spending some time learning about the history of where we were visiting, we boarded a ferry that took us across the water from the museum to the USS Arizona memorial. The 184 foot memorial is built over the wreckage of the Arizona, which was never disturbed as a way of respecting the people who perished inside. I found some really interesting information about the memorial on the national park service website, where its architect, Alfred Preis, said of the design, "Wherein the structure sags in the center but stands strong and vigorous at the ends, expresses initial defeat and ultimate victory....The overall effect is one of serenity. Overtones of sadness have been omitted to permit the individual to contemplate his own personal responses...his innermost feelings."

I was surprised by how moving the experience of visiting Pearl Harbor was, though in retrospect, I shouldn't have been surprised. There are few places that are so symbolic of American perseverance, and until the September 11 attacks in New York City, it was the bloodiest foreign attack on US soil. The museum and memorials not only represent (but literally are) the final resting place of thousands of American soldiers and is a lesson for all of us of the cost of freedom. On Facebook, I posted that while visiting Pearl Harbor I learned a lot and felt a lot. And it's absolutely true. 

After Pearl Harbor, our tour wound it's way through Honolulu giving us a peek at some of the more interesting sights, including the old royal palace. I confess to also being ignorant of Hawaii's history, both and after it's addition to the US in 1959. I had known it was once ruled by a royal family, but knowing something and seeing tangible evidence of it are not the same thing.

Our last day in Honolulu, Chris and I tackled the famous Diamond Head crater hike. Diamond Head is a volcanic tuff cone that looms over Honolulu. Parts of it are closed to the public since the US government has several antenna on it (....or SO THEY SAY), but there is a very popular hiking trail that climbs 560 feet and includes several hundred stairs. Yes, stairs. My ancient enemy! The entire trail is only about 1.5 miles roundtrip, and I would only put it at moderate difficulty. There's no rock scrambling or anything like that, but it does get steep in places.

View of Diamond Head from the air (thanks, Wiki!).

Allow me to fill you in on the typical Maggie hiking script:

(at the bottom of the trail)
Me: We have to go up THAT? I don't know about this, I don't know if I can make it. Look how steep it is! I really don't know if I am going to be able to make it up to the top.

(at the top of the trail)
Me: THIS IS AMAZING.

(at the bottom of the trail again)
Me: You know that really wasn't that bad! I am proud of myself for making it, I don't know why I didn't think I would be able to!

(throughout the entire hike, internally)
Chris: Dear God, of course you can do it, now shut up and hike faster.

So that's pretty much how it went. The stairs were a giant pain in the ass though.

After the hike (which took up an entire morning thanks to the bus ride and mile walk to get to the actual base of the trail--they don't tell you that in the guidebooks), I spent the rest of my last day in Honolulu lazing around the hotel and pool. The next day was cruise day!

Coming up next: We get on the Celebrity Solstice and learn about the norovirus. Stay tuned!

 Me, Kent, and Chris on the beach at Waikiki!

 Hula dancers in the outdoor performance area next to our hotel!

 The USS Arizona memorial.

 Inside the remembrance room on the USS Arizona memorial. On the wall are inscribed the names of all who perished in the Pearl Harbor attack. 

 Oil still continues to seep up from the USS Arizona into the ocean.

 Inside the USS Arizona memorial.

 The Hawaiian royal palace in downtown Honolulu.

 The view from the top of Diamond Head!

Looking towards Honolulu from the top of Diamond Head!

Healthy Weeknight Dinner: Skillet Citrus Chicken Tenders

By now, you are probably aware of my continuing quest to discover recipes that meet the Maggie cooking light trifecta:

1) Delicious

2) Low calorie

3) Will actually make me feel full.

And if it's an easy recipe that can be prepared in 30 minutes or less, than hallelujah! Life doesn't get much better. Because when I get home from a long day at the office (or walk into the kitchen from a long day working at the dining room table), the last thing I want to do is cook something that takes an hour. Mostly because by dinnertime I am starving and can't wait that long to eat without munching on chips or some other kind of thing that is really bad for me.

Fortunately, I found a new recipe that meets all FOUR criteria! It's from the Cook's Country magazine, issued by America's Test Kitchen (ATK), which you might be familiar with from their PBS cooking show. The great thing about ATK is they constantly experiment to find the best version of a dish and include a full description of the what, why, and how they arrived at the final recipe. They issue a magazine every two months chock full of gems. Unfortunately, most of them don't need the "low calorie" criteria of the cooking light trifecta, but there's always one or two that make the cut.

And tonight's winner was Cook's Country Skillet Citrus Chicken Tenders. It doesn't require too many ingredients, cooks up in about 20 minutes total, and is really yummy. The flavor is similar to a chicken piccata, but way less salty (no capers) and a little less bright since it uses orange and lemon instead of just lemon. It has 370 calories per serving, and here's the best part, a serving is pretty large at 4 tenders.

I served it with green beans and a romaine and spinach salad.

As pictured, the total meal is only 460 calories. That includes the chicken, green beans, and a salad with a tablespoon of light balsamic dressing and a serving of Safeway's nuts and cranberries salad topper (located in the produce section next to the bagged lettuce--it really makes salads more interesting). 

This one is definitely a keeper, and the chicken is also going to reheat really well for lunches.  If you aren't as calorie conscious as me, it would also be excellent over rice. Enjoy!

Skillet Citrus Chicken Tenders

From Cook's Country

April/May 2013

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:

Sautéing the chicken in two batches ensures that it will brown, not steam.

Serves 4

If you can’t find chicken tenderloins, slice boneless, skinless chicken breasts lengthwise into ¾-inch-thick strips.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 pounds chicken tenderloins, trimmed
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon grated orange zest plus 1/4 cup juice
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest plus 3 tablespoons juice
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
  
  

INSTRUCTIONS

• 1. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Cook half of chicken until golden brown and cooked through, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to plate and tent with aluminum foil. Repeat with remaining 1 tablespoon oil and remaining chicken.
  
  
• 2. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in now-empty skillet. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute. Stir in broth, orange juice, and lemon juice and bring to simmer, scraping up any browned bits. Cook until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Off heat, whisk in parsley, remaining 2 tablespoons butter, orange zest, and lemon zest. Stir in browned chicken. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.

Cooking notes from Maggie: I wasn't able to find a 2 lb. package of chicken tenderloins, so I used a 1.5 lb. package and fudged the recipe using smaller amounts. It still turned out amazing, and it just made three servings instead of four and I didn't have to cook the chicken in two batches. I also saved some time by using bottled minced garlic and dried parsley. I'm a working girl, I don't have time for all those fresh ingredients! Oh, and it also took me about twice as long to cook the chicken as the recipe calls for, about 4 minutes per side. Still from start to finish, the recipe only took about 20 minutes!

No pictures of grass skirts, I promise.

I'm back! Did you miss me? My extended vacation to Hawaii and Southern California is over, but I had some amazing experiences that are going to last forever. Helicopters, snorkeling, rain forests, new friends, old friends...I have tons of stories to share with you all. So many, in fact, that I'm not even sure where to start.

How about at the beginning? I left bright and early on a Saturday and began my trip with a weekend in Los Angeles visiting my brother, sister-in-law, and nephew. I was only there for two days, but we packed so much into my time there, it felt like it's own trip all on it's own. We hit the ground running on Saturday afternoon, heading to the LA Book Festival and the Children's Stage to see James' (and let's be honest, mine too) favorite children's music singer perform, Justin Roberts. I like to think of him as the Jonathan Coulton of kid's music--his songs are catchy, clever, and funny.

James at the Book Festival. He has on a crown and a Star Trek onesie. This kid is definitely related to me.

We also had a bit of a party Saturday night with two of my friends from LA, Patrick and Brian, and one of Bill's friends from work. Delicious Thai food was consumed, movies were watched, it was all very fun. Sunday I got to spend some quality time hanging out with Bill and James, and we went for a walk with James' new tricycle. His feet don't quite touch the pedals yet, but the bike has a handle on the back for Dad-assisted propulsion and steering. What will they think of next??

I had to make Sunday an early night since my flight to Honolulu was scheduled to leave LAX at 6 the next morning. Please note that I said scheduled. Because let's just say that actually getting to Hawaii was a bit of an...issue.

Long story short (too late), I got a call at midnight from my airline telling me that there had been a change to my flight due to the sequester and the lack of air traffic controllers. I was put on a bus at LAX (at 5:30 in the morning) and driven an hour to the airport at Ontatio, California where my flight had been rerouted. We ended up getting into the air about two hours late and I missed my connecting flight in Seattle. I was rebooked on a later flight...but that meant I had 6 hours to spend hanging out at Sea-Tac Airport. Awesome.
By this point I was exhausted and utterly spent, so I used some miles and upgraded myself to first class for my new flight to Honolulu. I deserve it and it was awesome. I finally got to Hawaii there, had some trouble with the car service I had arranged (of course), but finally made it to the hotel where Kent greeted me with a smile and a lei. I fell into bed for some well-deserved rest, and we began our Hawaii adventure the next morning!

Coming up next: Honolulu, Pearl Harbor, and hiking up Diamond Head crater. Fun times!

Aunt Maggie will hug you. WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT.

Pancake Breakfast

I love pancakes for breakfast. I mean, they're full of delicious things like flour, eggs, and oil...and are topped with sticky sweet syrup. What's not to like? Well, now that I'm seriously counting calories and trying to eat healthier, pancakes have become a no no. But I don't really like taking no for an answer so I've been scouring the web for diet-friendly pancake recipes.

This morning I found a real winner from the blog, Skinny Taste. In the words of the author, these pancakes are "healthy, low fat, whole wheat pancakes that are light and fluffy." They're a cinch to make, and I had all the ingredients in my kitchen so it didn't require any special trips to the store. And best of all, they have more protein and fiber than your average pancake so left me feeling full. 

Feeling full is like the Holy Grail of dieting. I don't even really care if things taste all that great anymore--I just want to feel full! Luckily, these pancakes had a great rich flavor thanks to the cinnamon, vanilla, and wheat flour. 

As pictured, this entire breakfast was only 337 calories! 3 pancakes, a cup of sliced strawberries, and 1/4 cup of sugar free pancake syrup (I like Maple Grove Farms--available at Safeway). 

Here's the recipe; the author's serving size is 2 pancakes (171 calories), but see above re: feeling full. I just have to have a little more. Thank goodness these pancakes are low calorie enough for me to splurge on an extra pancake

Happy breakfast!

Whole Wheat Pancakes from Skinny Taste 

Servings: 7 (14 pancakes total)  Size: 2 pancakes  • Old Points: 3 pts • Points+: 4 pts
Calories: 171.7 • Fat: 2.1 g • Carbs: 31.5 g • Fiber: 4.9 g • Protein: 8.9 g • Sugar:2.5 g
Sodium: 561.4 g 

Ingredients:

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 4 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups + 2 tbsp fat free milk
• 2 tsp vanilla
• cooking spray

Directions:

Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl. Add wet ingredients to the mixing bowl and mix well with a spoon until there are no more dry spots; don't over-mix.

Heat a large skillet on medium heat. Lightly spray oil to coat and pour 1/4 cup of pancake batter. When the pancake starts to bubble, you may add fruit if you wish. When the bubbles settle and the edges begin to set, flip the pancakes. Repeat with the remainder of the batter. 

Note from Maggie: I cooked the pancakes on each side for about a minute--but I like them brown and crispy. You would be fine with cooking them 45-50 seconds per side. 

Aloha, bitches!

It's no secret that I am embarking on a fairly epic Hawaii vacation tomorrow...but a lot of people have been asking exactly where I am going. Ask no more, gentle readers, because here will you find my full itinerary. Now YOU can follow along with my adventures or just be really really jealous. In any event, you'll know where I am supposed to be in the event of disaster. So here's the full rundown:

April 20-April 22: quick weekend visit in LA to visit my brother, sister-in-law and nephew, including a stop at the LA bookfestival. 

April 22-April 26: hanging out in Honolulu (Waikiki) with Chris and Kent.

April 26-May 6: On board the Celebrity Solstice for our 11 night cruise! 

Date	Port/City	Activity	Arrival	Departure
Day 1	Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii
Day 2	Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii	Docked		11:59 PM
Day 3	Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii	Tendered	8:00 AM	5:00 PM
Day 4	Hilo, Hawaii	Docked	8:00 AM	6:00 PM
Day 4	Mount Kilauea - Evening Sail	Cruising	11:59 PM
Day 5	Kailua Kona, Hawaii	Tendered	8:00 AM	6:00 PM
Day 6	Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii	Tendered	8:00 AM	5:00 PM
Day 7	At Sea
Day 8	At Sea
Day 9	At Sea
Day 10	At Sea
Day 11	At Sea
Day 12	Ensenada, Mexico		12:00 AM

Not bad, eh? 

After the boat drops us off in Mexico, we're having a car drive us right up to San Diego to visit Carly from May 6-May 10. And then after that, it's time to head home. 

I'll do my best to check in on Facebook from time to time to post pictures and let people know that I am still alive. I'll make sure to avoid pirates, falling coconuts, acid burns from pineapples, and all other manner of hazards. But most importantly, I'll make sure to have fun!

Lemon-Lime Cupcakes or....Maggie's 7 Up Yours Cupcakes

What to do with a bag of left over limes? A few weeks ago, I hosted an epic Game of Thrones Season 2 rewatch featuring a signature cocktail with lime garnish. Silly me, but it turns out most people aren't interested in drinking cocktails at 11 o'clock in the morning (losers). Which means I ended up with a bag full of limes and no immediate use for them.

What's a girl to do? Make cupcakes, duh.

So I thought, it's Spring, what could be more refreshing than some lime-flavored cupcakes? A quick google search revealed the perfect recipe--usually I make cupcakes from scratch but with a three week vacation on the horizon my time is really limited, so I decided to use a box mix as a base.

The recipe calls for a box of white cake mix, but that's too boring. Also, I had a box of lemon cake mix on hand so my lime cupcakes turned into lemon-lime cupcakes. Yum!

Maggie's 7 Up Yours Cupcakes 

1 box (18.25 oz) lemon cake mix

3/4 cup key lime juice (about 5 limes)

1/4 cup water

1/3 cup canola or vegetable oil

3 whole eggs

1 tsp. lime zest

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, blend all the ingredients until the cake mix is moistened. Then beat the mixture for two minutes with a mixer on low speed or with a wire whisk. Evenly divide the cake batter among paper baking liners (about 2/3 full). Bake in the oven for 18 to 22 minutes. Frost with your favorite icing--I would recommend something light (like a whipped frosting) since these come out very citrusy. Not overwhelming, but it makes for a really tart cupcake.

Camping!

I tend toward the more high maintenance side of the spectrum. I like heating, air conditioning, real bathrooms, hot water, elevators, television, good food....basically, I'm your typical American in that I often get a bit entitled. But that doesn't mean I'm not willing to rough it when the situation calls for it. Though I bet many of you would find that surprising.

In fact, when I was younger, my Dad, brother and I were quite the campers. We would drive to Michigan and Minnesota several times a year to visit my Grandmother, Grandfather, and Aunt, and stop at campsites along the way.  In Minnesota we would also stay at Grandma's cabin, which had no electricity and no running water (hellooooooooo, outhouse!). We had one of those pop-up campers, and while it wasn't the roomiest or most comfortable place to stay, it kept us off the ground and provided some modicum of protection from the swarms of bloodthirsty mosquitoes.

Home, sweet pop-up camper, home.

But with age comes laziness, and it's been probably 20 years or so since I went camping. It's not like I was turning down offers to go camping, it just never seemed to come up. I guess most of my friends aren't exactly the roughing it types either. So when my friends, Scott and Lis (also known as the parents of Max the beagle) invited me to go camping down at the site owned by Scott's Mom and Stepdad, I was excited to get back to nature.

My only hesitation was when I learned that we would be sleeping in tents. And using a port-a-potty. "Whatever," I thought. "I'll be fine! I'm a grown ass woman and the fun will more than make up for any discomfort." I borrowed a large tent from Chris, put my air mattress in the car, and loaded myself up with blankets and my sleeping bag (more than 20 years old) since it would be cold at night, and thought I was prepared.


I was not prepared.

Because when I say it was cold at night, I mean it was cold. Frigid. Below freezing. Probably 30 degrees or so. I thought I would be ok since I wasn't actually sleeping on the ground....but I didn't have the fancy wool camping socks that other people seemed to have. Or the actual nice sleeping bag that traps in the heat. What I did have was frozen toes and the three hours of sleep I managed to snatch in between shivering bouts. Thank god I remembered to take my fuzzy hat or I would have been super screwed.

But the cold night was just a blip on the otherwise awesome weekend. I could only spend one night down at the campsite due to obligations on Saturday night, but we still managed to pack a whole lot of fun into that trip. I drove down with Jon and Lis on Friday afternoon to Nelson County (about an hour south of Charlottesville) and despite the traffic, we had a fun time on the road. We stopped at a brewery to fill up some growlers, and arrived around 6 in the evening. Just enough time to set up our tents, meet some new friends, and head out to dinner at the excellent Wild Wolf Brewing Company restaurant. Pork BBQ for all! (drool).

And there's a beirgarten in the back!

The rest of the night was spent gathered around the campfire chatting, exchanging jokes, telling scary stories, gazing at the stars, and in general connecting with one another in that special way that can only be done around the fire. The next morning we did more of the same around the coffeepot and decided to go for a hike up in the hills. Despite some drama involving Scott's Stepdad's dogs (who decided to wander off for a spell), we enjoyed the sunshine and the exercise.

Sadly, after lunch it was time for me to get back on the road and head up to NOVA, but just in that short time I made a bunch of new friends (of the human and dog variety) and gained affection for an area of Virginia I had never visited.

It turns out camping is just like falling off a log--and I'll probably get around to doing that next time we go. But next time I think I will wait until the temperature gets above 40 degrees or so at night. If nothing else, just for the sake of my poor little toes.

 Lunchtime at the campsite!

 Crossing the suspension bridge with Scott, Lis, and Jon and heading for the hiking trail.

And of course, Max the beagle came along.