I Spent The Day Baking

I haven't written much about cooking in the past couple of months, mostly because I haven't been cooking that much. Whenever I start a new job, I come home exhausted mostly just from learning it. This new job I have has taken a lot out of me because there has been so much to learn and it is very fast paced out there on the entrance station. A lot of people want to see the Grand Canyon. And, this week, I had one day that I had to be at work at 5:30 a.m. and one when I had to be there at 6:30 a.m. Although I love my job, I am not so good with early morning wake up times.


We have been grabbing this or that when we can, eating a lot of quick to fix dishes, salads, and the old standby of scrambled eggs or pancakes for dinner. So, since I was off today, I decided to do some baking so that this week we will have a little more variety in our meals.


I mixed up a batch of those good cheese-garlic biscuits using my Pamela's Baking Mix. All I will have to do now every night this week is pop a few in the oven and bake for 22 minutes. These are really good and go with just about everything.



I had several bananas that were already turned black, so I peeled them and mashed them up and made some banana muffins. These were also made with Pamela's Baking Mix. I put in some almond extract and some Chinese Five Spice Powder, too. MMMMM. These will be good for breakfast with some peanut butter.



I decided to make some bread while I was at it. This loaf of bread turned out not so good, so I am not telling the recipe I used. It will do for breadsticks or garlic bread, though, so I'm not chunking it in the trash can. It's not THAT bad, but it ain't that good, either.



And since I had some strawberries and cherries in the fridge that needed to be used up, I wanted to make something I could use as the base for Strawberry Shortcake. I found a very good, easy recipe online at RecipeZaar. The write up about this shortcake on their website said it tastes like the wheat based spongecakes you can buy at the store, and they do! This is the first time since I started cooking gluten free that I made a cake and the batter actually looked like cake batter. See:

Here is the recipe:

1/2 cup butter
1 cup confectioners sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup cornstarch
1 1/4 tsp baking powder

Cream the butter and sugar, add the eggs and vanilla and beat until light and fluffy. Add the cornstarch and baking powder a little at a time, mix until well blended. Fill greased muffin tins half full and bake for 15 minutes at 375 degrees. I baked mine for 22 minutes because they were still too sticky on top after 15 minutes. (But that could be my little RV oven).

The recipe says to grease muffin tins and fill them half full. I did, and they grew up over the edge of the muffin tins and dripped down into the guts of the oven, so we had that burny smell in the trailer. Also, they stuck somewhat in the muffin tins, so next time I will use those little cupcake papers, but let me tell you, they are really GOOD! I will definitely be making these again.

The Road To Zion

Back on May 10, FabGrandpa and I and one of our co-workers, went to St. George, Utah to buy some boots, which we are all required to wear on the job. The drive over there is amazing, if only because it looks so different from Georgia, my home state. You go through views of Vermillion Cliffs, huge geological formations such as I had never seen before. I took a gazillion pictures, and it was really hard to choose just a few to show you here.

After driving for about 80 miles or so through views like that, you come to Hurricane, Utah. A little green valley in the midst of the desert. Here is a view of Hurricane from the mountain road:
This little shop is on the side of the road in "downtown" Hurricane. I know I will be stopping there someday soon:

After we did our shopping in St. George, we decided to take the road through Zion National Park on the way home. Or, Sally, our co-worker, badgered Jim into going that way. I stayed out of the discussion, because 1. I wanted to go, and 2. I knew from Jim's remarks that he did not want to go that way, but Sally doesn't know him well enough to have recognized it. Anyway, we went that way, and in the end, Jim told Sally, "Thanks for making me take this road."


On the way to Zion, we passed this river. There was no sign or anything telling us the name of it, but it was nice to look at:

This the town that is right outside of Zion National Park, to th west of it. I think it was called Springdale. I like that the shops are all lined up, and unless you look really hard, you can't tell where the roofs end and the rocks begin.

It i so hard to imagine these rocks being eroded by water and wind. They look so chisled, so clean cut in places, that it looks like sculptors did this. These pictures don't really convey the true beauty of the area.


I just can't come up with the right words to describe this area. This cliff, with its huge boulder like rocks, made our truck look tiny.


Look closely near the center of this picture, near the bottom, right above the trees. You will see an opening in the rock. We thought at first it was a cave, but it is actually a window in the tunnel that goes through this mountain.

On the other side of the tunnel, we saw some mountain sheep. We got out and walked down a short trail to get pictures of them. The pictures did not come out that good, so I can't share them with you, so you'll just have to believe me that I saw them.

After driving through this fabulous national park, we stopped in Kanab, Utah to buy groceries. I felt like it was rather odd to see all this wonderful scenery, then just hop into the grocery store to buy milk, eggs, and butter. But, I guess that is how it is for people who have lived here all their lives, who drive to work down that road.

In Case You Haven't Noticed

I have new pictures of all of the Fab Children and Fab Grandchildren . Sarah's mom finally sent me her birthday pic from this year. So, here she is, with all her cute-ness:

She is growing up way too fast, and getting prettier by the day.

Meanwhile, my daughter-in-love, Sarah, sent me the cutest pics of Michael and Owen. They were at the park , where Owen had his first "taste" of grass. Those two boys are too cute, don't you think?

I absolutely love this pic of Owen and Michael.

And Spencer is learning to swim. Here he is in his goggles, floating in the pool:

This one was taken on the first day of school, back in August. He is with his Mommy, my daughter, Emily. She was on her way to her first day of school as a teacher. She made it through the entire year, and can't wait to go back this fall.

And here is my son, Seth, still in the Air Force after 13 years. Doesn't he look handsome in his uniform? He is in the Communications Squadron at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland. He is the Dad to Sarah, Owen and Michael.

My step-daughter, Becky, went to Italy for 10 days . I couldn't find a pic of just her, so here she is with the tour group. She is the one in orange in the middle of the back row:

And here she is on the deck of her condo in Atlanta. Isn't she just beautiful? She may be my step-daughter, but I love her like she is my own.

And last of all, here is my Fab Daughter, Becca. She just got back from Kansas where she and her boyfriend went to attend a wedding. The first day they were there, there was a tornado and the back window of their rental car was shattered by hail!!! She has naturally curly hair. She went to the beauty shop a couple of weeks ago and got her hair colored and straightened. She looks like a different person:Thanks for letting me brag about my Fab Family!

Mary's Gone Crackers

A few weeks ago, the gals over at the Celiac Chicks blog made a post saying that the first 100 readers who emailed Mary's Gone Crackers would receive some free products from them. I sent off my email requesting my free crackers, and forgot about it. To my surprise, this week I received a little box of goodness in the mail.

There were three little sample bags of Mary's Gone Crackers Stick & Twigs, and a coupon good for a free regular size package of any of their products. The flavors I received were the Chipotle Tomato, the Curry, and the Sea Salt. I shared the bag of Chipotle Tomato with one of my co-workers who is not gluten intolerant, and she loved them, too.


While I was reading the back of the bag of the Sea Salt flavor, I noticed that there was a $1.00 off coupon on the back of that bag. When I got home, I looked to see if there was a $1.00 coupon on the Curry flavor, and there was. I can not believe that I threw the Chipotle Tomato bag away!!!


Coupon or no coupon, as soon as I find a store where I can buy these, I'm going to get some. They are really good, and taste a lot like pretzels, but without the gluten. I have really missed pretzels since I eliminated gluten from my diet. Now if someone would just make a cracker that tastes like Cheez-Its, I'd be in cracker heaven.

Hiking The Uncle Jim Trail

On June 9, Jim and I and our neighbor across the street went for a hike on the Uncle Jim Trail. The Uncle Jim is a 5 mile loop, that starts out at the North Kaibab Trailhead. The North Kaibab is the trail that goes down into the canyon. It goes across to the South Rim, where you meet up with the Bright Angel Trail and up to the top of the South Rim. The Uncle Jim Trail takes you through the forest out onto the North Rim, where you can get a fabulous view of the winding North Kaibab Trail. This first picture is the beginning of the Uncle Jim Trail.




One thing I did not like about the Uncle Jim Trail is that you have to share the trail with the mule rides, so you can just guess what it LOOKED like and what it SMELLED like. (can you say peee yewwww!!!) But after about a mile or so, the mule rides turn left and follow the Ken Patrick Trail and the Uncle Jim Trail turn right, so it did improve after that. Here is FabGrandpa standing at the intersection of the Ken Patrick and the Uncle Jim Trails.

I was ready for this hike, or so I thought, because I brought plenty of water and snacks, and it was ONLY 5 miles, right? But, we were surprised by the ravenous mosquitos. They came out after two o'clock, and wouldn't let us rest. We couldn't sit down or take a break at all, because if we did, the vicious little b#$@%r&* were relentless. I learned on THIS hike that I should pack some bug repellent wipes or spray in my backpack. Oh, and another thing I learned is that your hiking partner needs to take their own backpack. Here is the backpackless Jim hiking along on the Uncle Jim Trail:




This view of the canyon is from the Uncle Jim Trail, along the top of the ridge from the first "up" om the trail. You come out of the forest to the edge and see this :

At the top of the trail, near the edge of the canyon, is a lovely field of lupine. They were growing everywhere up there, all in a beautiful blue bloom:

Jim and Gary went all the way to the edge. I was a little afraid, so I didn't go down there. Don't they look like they are observing their kingdom?
If you click on the picture below, you will be able to see the winding North Kaibab Trail, down in the canyon below. You would not believe how many people hike down that trail to get to the bottom of the canyon. And can you believe those shear rock walls? It is an awesome view that just boggles my mind about how this area was formed.



It seems like everywhere I go on the North Rim, I wind up taking pictures of Humphrey's Peak. The mountain in the distance in this pic is 70 miles away, in Flagstaff. It still has a snowcap. When we were on our way up here we camped at a campground on the other side of that mountain.


Here is a picture of my elbow after the mosquitos got through with it. I am still itching over a week later. I will definitely have some bug stuff next time I go hiking!

And, I know this is not an attractive picture, but I wanted to show you that my feet are ok. No blisters, no sores, no cracks. Just fat feet. Oh, and I have to tell you, I have lost 17 pounds since I got here in April, so this hiking stuff is beginning to pay off. Yay me!

Where I Have Been

I know everyone is wondering what happened to me. Several of my friends have emailed and asked if I was still recuperating from my hike. Well, the truth is that my computer died. It just sort of sighed, made a weird whirring noise, and clicked itself off. FabGrandpa and I had to go to St. George, Utah, about 125 miles away, to the Best Buy store there, to get a new one.

We got pretty lucky on the price. For $459 plus tax I now have a brand new Sony Vaio laptop. It is pretty and new and shiny, but it has taken me a while to get used to using Windows Vista. I mean, it took me a couple of days to just figure out how to save a file with Vista. I am no dummy, but why does Bill Gates and Microsoft have to completely change how things work and look? I feel like it is an un-necessary aggravation to have to stop everything and learn how to use things all over again.

So, in the past couple of weeks since I hiked the Widforss Trail, we have been pretty busy: working, hiking, having fun, and I have not been able to tell you about any of it.

I will post tomorrow with some pictures of our hike on the Uncle Jim Trail. That one was only five miles, so I was not so worn out as I was on the other one. We also went to Nevada, and spent the night in Mesquite. I have some beautiful pictures of the trip over there, and IF I can find them, I will post some of them on here too.

I was able to coax the old computer to life long enough to save all my files to CD’s but there were sooooo many pictures that there are 10 CD’s of backed up files. I can’t find a thing. So, between learning how to use Vista, and the frustration of not being able to find things, and still having to load programs on the new computer, it is taking a little longer than I want to get back into the swing of things. Arrgghhh! Computers! I love to hate them!

Hiking The Widforss Trail

One day every two weeks I have a “project day” on my schedule. Yesterday was my first project day. I chose to go on the Widforss Trail hike, to familiarize myself with it so I can tell guests about it. Now, my supervisor told me I did not have to go the entire way, that I could turn back at any time. But, no, I chose to go the entire 5 miles out to Widforss Point, which meant it was a 10-mile hike there and back.

(The first incline on the Widforss Trail)

For one thing, not many people get a chance to take this hike. Not many people get to see the view from Widforss Point. And I wanted to be one of those people. But, I have a confession to make. It was one of the most stupid things I have ever done. I put myself in danger, because I am not in good enough shape to take that hike.

(The first glimpse of the Transept Canyon from the Widforss Trail)

The Widforss Trail is a 5 miles one way, 10 mile round trip, trail that takes you from meadow through forest and along the edge of the Transept Canyon, up and down hills, ending at Widforss Point with a panoramic view of Bright Angel Canyon and Oza Butte.

I learned a lot from my project day, about hiking in general and about myself. Here are a few of the things I learned:

(A view of the forest from the Widforss Trail)

1. Take more water than you think you will need. I did not take enough water, and that fact became apparent on the trip back. It was very embarrassing for me, to be in my uniform out on the trail, and have to ask other hikers if they had extra water. I will repeat this point, both for your sake and for mine: Take more water than you think you will need.

(A real balancing act on the Widforss Trail)

2. Take more food than you think you will need. You use an awful lot of energy when you hike 10 miles, no matter what shape you are in. I had an apple, some applesauce, some cookies, some beef jerky, and some Fritos. I ate every bit of it, and needed more. I should have had at least twice what I took.

3. Know when to turn back. I should have listened to my legs, to my entire body. I should not have let my heart and pride be in charge. They could well have killed me. Yes, that does sound rather dramatic, but it is very true.

4. Walk slower, and rest more often. Don’t go out there trying to prove a point. I wanted to succeed, and in my desire to succeed, took on more than I should have for the shape I am in. Twice I had to lie down on the ground and sleep for half an hour because my feet would just not go another step. And in those times, I was terrified that I wouldn’t make it.

(Deer on the Widforss Trail)

5. I learned that I can walk 10 miles in one day, but that I should not have, and that it was a terribly stupid thing for me to do.

(The end of Transept Canyon on the Widforss Trail)

Now that all that was said, I have to say that I was greatly rewarded for my efforts. I saw some really awesome views.

I met some very nice people on the trail. I ate my meager lunch with a hiker from Alaska. I saw a flock of western tanagers, swooping down into the canyon, and perching in the trees to put on a fabulous bird fashion show of yellow and red just for me.

I had my picture taken by a stately ponderosa pine that is more than 13 feet in circumference.

And I sat on a rock and soaked in the view from the end of the trail.

Most of all, I made it back out, much the wiser for the experience.

Today, on my day off, I am taking it pretty easy. My feet hurt, and I have a blister on the bottom of one of them. My legs hurt, all the way up to my hips. I am unusually thirsty, so I am drinking more water than usual. And I am hungry. I have already eaten breakfast, but I am still hungry. And, I am very thankful that I was able to make it out of the Widforss Trail.