“I’m pretty sure I could bike that faster,” John stated, after discovering that it would take us 7 hours by bus to go approximately 50 miles.  30 minutes into our bus ride to Sagada, he was singing a different tune.  The roads were absurdly windy, taking us up narrow dirt roads with incredibly steep hills.  It was a smidge terrifying, but at least the ride came with stunning views of the rice terraces that the Philippines is famous for.  And he definitely could not have biked it faster – far too hilly :)

In Sagada we spent a little time hiking around, enjoying mountain views and fresh air.

And then, for some odd reason, we decided that spelunking sounded kinda fun.  There was a 2 hour version and a 4 hour version, but being the hard-core people that we are, we opted for the 4 hour version (what else were we going to do with our day?)

Even as our van pulled away to take us on this caving adventure, all we knew about what we were about to do is that it involved a cave and would take 4 hours.  Seriously.  If I had known more, I probably wouldn’t have done it.  The adventure involved crawling through tiny spaces, being lowered down ropes (with no safety equipment whatsoever), climbing up slippery rocks, wading through underground pools of mineral water, and serious rock climbing.

The rocks were incredibly slippery, and I did 90% of it barefoot, wearing only my bikini bottoms and a t-shirt.  And honestly most of the time I was sliding down rocks on my butt because I was terrified of loosing my balance and falling 20 feet.  Only when we got through the harrowing trip did we realize that the 2 hour version only involved walking up and down a somewhat steep set of stairs to visit a few of the underground pools.

We definitely did it the hard way, and I must say we scored loads of badass points for doing so.  I have no photos of the inside of the caves, seeing as we were too wet and wobbly to stop for photo ops.  But you can see the outside of the caves, and the light at the end of the tunnel as we began to ascend.

After surviving that caving adventure, we enjoyed a more relaxed afternoon (including another cheap massage for John), and allowed our bodies time to heal.  Unfortunately, healing would become the theme of our last week on vacation, but we wouldn’t discover that until we reached San Fernando…More tomorrow :)

These are my favorite holiday cookies.  Partially because they perfectly blend peanut butter and chocolate, and partially because they look like little space ships.

My sister and I like to put two Hershey’s kisses on one cookie and pretend it is a little ship with two passengers.

“Pilot to Co-Pilot, we are clear for landing on the cookie plate!”

Yes, we are a little crazy.  But in a fun kind of way.

I think every family has a recipe for these cookies (they must have been on the back of a Hershey’s bag in the 80s or something.)  Just in case you are the one sad panda that doesn’t have a recipe for them, here is my family’s version.

I highly suggest you make at least one with two Hershey’s kisses in it.  Whether you make it talk or not is up to you.

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
extra sugar for rolling
Hershey’s kisses
(If at high altitude, add 1-2 teaspoons of water so dough isn’t so crumbly)

Directions

Cream butter and peanut butter with sugars.  Add eggs and vanilla and beat until smooth.  Add dry ingredients and mix well.

Roll into small balls and roll in sugar.  Place on baking pan and bake at 375 degrees for 6-8 minutes.

Remove from the oven and press and Hershey’s kiss into the center of each cookie.  Return to oven for 2-4 minutes until slightly golden.

Year of the Noodle:  Week 50

I have recently become addicted to Words With Friends on my iPhone.

Yes, I know I’m about two years late to the party.  I don’t care.

My sister keeps kicking my butt.  The other day she played “queued” on a double letter tile and a triple word score.  It was like 76 points.  How do you compete with that?

I wish I knew more two letter words.  And seven letter words.  You know what is a seven letter word?  Stuffed.  As in stuffed shells.  Pasta filled with sun-dried tomatoes, cheese and tofu, then covered in tasty tomato and pepper sauce.

Tofu?  That’s right.  It turns out well and has less fat.  But if you have a fear of tofu, you can substitute ricotta.

That’s another seven letter word.  If only I ever got the right letters, this recipe would have me totally set.

At least I always have qi to fall back on.  Except I taught that to my sister and now she uses it against me.  Sigh.  Oh well, she can’t get the Q every time.

Ingredients

Stuffing:

1/4 cup boiling water
6 sun-dried tomatoes
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 (14-ounce) package reduced-fat firm tofu
1 egg, lightly beaten
18 cooked jumbo pasta shells

Sauce:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 3/4 cups chopped onion (about 1 large)
1 cup chopped green bell pepper (about 1 medium)
1 cup chopped red bell pepper (about 1 medium)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup red wine
2 tablespoons no-salt-added tomato paste
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 (28-ounce) can organic crushed tomatoes
2 tablespoons grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°.
To prepare stuffing, combine 1/4 cup boiling water and sun-dried tomatoes in a small bowl; let stand 20 minutes or until tomatoes soften. Drain and finely chop. Combine tomatoes, mozzarella, and next 6 ingredients (through egg) in a food processor; process until smooth. Spoon 2 tablespoons stuffing into each shell. Set stuffed shells aside.
To prepare sauce, heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell peppers, and garlic; sauté 6 minutes or until tender. Place onion mixture in a bowl.  Add wine; cook until wine is reduced to 2 tablespoons (about 3 minutes). Stir in onion mixture, tomato paste, and next 5 ingredients (through tomatoes); bring to a simmer. Cook 25 minutes or until slightly thick.
Spread 2 cups sauce over bottom of an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange stuffed shells in a single layer in pan; top with remaining sauce. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over sauce. Bake at 350° for 40 minutes or until bubbly.
Source: Cooking Light (slightly adapted)

The holiday rush has hit Tracy Carolyn Photography.

Several people this week have emailed wanting digital files for their holiday cards, DVDs from old sessions, and parent albums from their weddings.  I wish I could fulfill all of these requests (unfortunately holiday album deadlines were weeks ago), but I’m trying my best.

This means a lot of time sitting at my computer.  Not a lot of time to cook.  A great time to make snacks.

So I made starfish crackers.  A more adult version of the goldfish cracker.  No cheddar cheese, preservatives, or food coloring.  Instead, these guys are packed with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and fresh herbs.

My stars were a little thick, making them feel a little more like savory pie dough treats than crackers.  They definitely have a pastry feel, so be sure to roll yours very thin.  Then serve them by themselves or with a little dip at your next party.

I’ll bring you another cracker recipe soon.  Expect it to be healthier.  (These do have quite a bit of butter.)  Probably once I’ve fulfilled all of my holiday requests.

Back to work!

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour, more as needed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup finely grated fresh Parmesan cheese
3 sprigs of rosemary (with the herb removed from the stem)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup cream or half-and-half, more as needed
Coarse salt, pepper, sesame or poppy seeds or whatever you like for sprinkling (optional).

Directions

Heat oven to 400°F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly dust with flour.

Put flour, salt, cheese, rosemary and butter in bowl of a food processor. Pulse until flour and butter are combined. Add about 1/4 cup cream or half-and-half and let machine run for a bit until a dough forms. If it does not come together, add more liquid a teaspoon at a time, until mixture holds together but is not sticky.

Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface until 1/4-inch thick or even thinner, adding flour as needed. From here, form them into individual crackers (I chose a start cookie cutter) and bake them 1/2 inch apart on your baking sheet.  Stab all over with a fork and sprinkle with salt or any other toppings you are using.

Bake until moderately browned, about 12 minutes. Cool on a rack; serve warm or at room temperature or store in a tin for a few days.

Note: These get a little soft when stored in a container. If you are baking them less than a day in advance, it is Ok to leave them uncovered to maintain their best texture.

Source: Adapted from Smitten Kitchen via The Baker Chick