Hey there! 
I'm Rachel, a small-town girl from Oklahoma. I just came back to the U.S. after living in Japan for the past four years. I love all things food related, and am particularly interested in nutritional, whole-food cooking from scratch. Join me in my culinary adventures, my domestic doings, and the story of my life, one day at a time.
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I don’t normally go jogging/running.
In fact, I haven’t gone jogging in years. I have good reason though.
Years ago, I took up jogging, and after a few months of jogging regularly, I got patellar tendonitis in both knees and had to do six months of physical therapy before I could bend my knees/walk up stairs/crouch without pain.
Basically I just have bad knees. It’s a genetics thing. They grind, crack, pop, and make a whole lot of unpleasant noises. The only way I can keep from having problems with them (i.e. pain) is keeping my legs as strong as possible. If I have the proper leg muscle to support my knees, I’m good. If I don’t, pain will follow. Talk about motivation for working out, huh?
This is why I don’t jog. My knees can’t handle the high impact of it. Instead I swim laps (best exercise for anyone with joint problems), bike, and do other things besides jogging.
The other day, however, I decided to go to the track with Hisa, who was going to jog. He can jog. I can’t. I was going to walk. Well, actually I was going to rollerblade. I found my old rollerblades while packing things, and decided to give them a whirl. I used to love rollerblading when I was in high school. Unfortunately, the track had a “no rollerblades” sign, so I walked instead.
I found it frustrating to walk while everyone else was jogging around me, so despite years of not jogging and having a fear of injuring my knees again, I jogged.
Not a normal jog though. I remember a while back my brother (who also has bad knees, but not quite as bad as mine) told me he jogs on the balls of his feet. It sounds strange, I know. But most of the impact ends up going to your calf muscles instead of your knees. I decided to give it a try, so I jogged several laps on the balls of my feet. Let me just say, it’s hard. Harder than jogging like normal. I got a fairly decent workout without any pain from my knees though, so I was pleased.
Until yesterday and today. The muscles in my calves, ankles, and feet are so sore…. you have no idea. When I got up this morning it hurt to walk. Not in an injured way, just in an extreme muscle sore kind of way. I can’t believe the small number of laps I did made me this sore. For someone who considers themselves to be in pretty good shape, it’s like a slap in the face. I suppose it’s just certain muscles I don’t use as much in my other workouts.
I may have to try this again just because it made me so sore.
Or maybe I’ll just stick with swimming laps…
I love lemon poppy seed muffins.
I hadn’t had them in years until I made these, but I was just craving the lemon poppy seed muffins from my high school days. Of course, the lemon poppy seed muffins from my high school days were those packaged mixes that you just had to add milk to then bake. Hmm, yeah.
This time around, I wanted to make homemade lemon poppy seed muffins, and they did not disappoint. They had a wonderful lemony flavor, were sweet but not too sweet, and were generally wonderful.
Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
(makes about 12 muffins)
- 1 1/2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
- 1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 2 Tbsp. poppy seeds
- 1/2 c. (1 stick) butter, room temp.
- 3/4 c. sucanat or sugar
- 2 large eggs
- zest of 1 lemon
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 c. buttermilk
- Pre-heat oven to 350° F. Grease or spray a 12 cup muffin pan, or line with muffin liners.
- In a medium bowl, mix together flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and poppy seeds.
- In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together (use a mixer if necessary).
- Beat in eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add lemon zest and vanilla, and mix well.
- Add 1 cup of buttermilk and mix well. Gradually add in flour mixture.
- Add remaining buttermilk, and mix well. (feel free to add a little more if mix is too dry)
- Divide muffin batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling them about 3/4 full.
- Bake about 20 minutes, or until golden brown, and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool on a wire rack or serve immediately.
Here’s part III about our vacation!
Day five, Hisa and I went over to Arches National Park (pretty much a 10 minute drive from my grandparents’ house), and hiked up to Delicate Arch. It’s one of the most famous arches in the park. The hike is not easy though. I found it easier this time around, however, than when I last made it a few years ago. I like to think it’s because I’m in better shape now, but it’s probably because I had become acclimated to the elevation after being in the mountains for a few days already.
We also hiked to Fiery Furnace and Sand Dune Arch, before heading back to my grandparents’ house for lunch.
In the afternoon, we went to town and walked around looking at all the shops until the evening.
Hisa and me right before beginning the climb to Delicate Rock.
Mid-climb up the slick rock.
Nice view.
Hisa in front of Delicate Arch. It was so windy up here!
A closer view of Delicate Arch.
Yet another view.
There’s a little side trail from the Delicate Arch trail that leads to these petroglyphs (ancient rock carvings). I thought they were pretty cool.
Fiery Furnace!
And he says I’m over dramatic!
View of Arches National Park and the Le Sal Mountains in the background.
On the way to Sand Dune Arch…
Some nice man offered to take our picture for us. :)
It was very sandy on the way to Sand Dune Arch…which is why it’s called Sand Dune Arch.
Where’s the temple with the holy grail?! I know it’s around here somewhere! Indy?!
Sand Dune Arch
I love little hidy holes in the rocks. I’m just cool like that.
I found another little crevice/cave up behind Sand Dune Arch, so naturally, I had to climb up in it. :)
Then Hisa had to climb up in it.
Wheeeeere’s Hisa?
Wheeee! Another little cave thingy!
Hisa took this pic as we were leaving the area. This was an amazing place.
More fin-like rocks in the park.
Day six, my grandparents, Hisa, and I all drove up into the La Sal Mountains where we had a picnic for lunch. It’s always really beautiful up there, but at early May, it was still pretty chilly! No snow fortunately, but the wind was cold.
After finishing lunch, we headed back down the mountain, and back to the house. My grandparents both wanted to rest for awhile, so Hisa and I went to town to check out this coffee and gelato shop. They roast their own coffee, and who can say no to gelato, right? So we had coffee and gelato, then headed back to the house.
Grandpa, Grandma, and Hisa
Me, Grandpa, and Grandma
The Quaking Aspen trees (my grandparents call them “quakies”).
It’s always so beautiful in the mountains there!
Day seven, we left Moab, and began the long trip home. We drove all day, stopping at Gunnison for lunch where I had an awesome breakfast burrito (I know, a breakfast burrito for lunch is weird, but I don’t care!), and spent the night again in Colorado Springs.
Day eight (last Monday), we drove all day from Colorado Springs all the way back to Oklahoma. We left around 8:30 in the morning, and we got back to my parents’ house around 7:45pm. It was a loooong drive, and after spending about 5 days driving in the mountains, driving through Kansas was so incredibly boring. I know North Eastern Oklahoma is not much of an improvement, but there was some slight variance in the terrain, and honestly, by that point we were so glad to be back in Oklahoma and almost home, that we didn’t care.
Last Tuesday, we had to go to the city (yes, we refer to it only as “The City” out in these parts) to return our rental car and run some errands.
Since getting back from out trip, Hisa and I have been packing like crazy!
My parents are going to be moving the first week of June, so Hisa and I have been helping them pack, since they’re both so busy with work.
This week, Hisa and I are going to Houston, because Hisa has two job interviews (fingers crossed!), so we’re trying to get as much packing done as possible while we’re here. It’s kind of the final countdown as it were, since there’s only a few weeks left until they move, so things are busy here!
That being said, I probably won’t have as many posts in the coming weeks, but I’ll still post when I can! And hopefully I’ll also have some Houston/Austin trip pictures when we get back!
Did everyone have a good Mother’s Day? We did! I made my mom’s requested meal for lunch: garlic rosemary roasted chicken, roasted fingerling potatoes, sautéed green beans with almonds, fresh bread, and for dessert, my homemade brownies and ice cream.
Mother’s Day Lunch
Hisa, Mom, and Dad (and Momo, mid-lick)
After lunch, we went to the movies and saw Dark Shadows. I’ve never seen the old TV show, but I loved this movie! If you appreciate dark humor and/or like Tim Burton’s style, I think you’ll like this movie. I fall into both of those categories, so I loved the movie, lol.
In the evening, Hisa and I went jogging, and then we just got back in time to watch the new episode of Sherlock. If you haven’t seen the show, it’s awesome. I’m a huge Sherlock Holmes fan (I’ve read all the stories by Doyle, watched every episode of the series staring Jeremy Brett from the 80′s, seen the movies, etc.), and I love this new adaptation. In case you don’t know, Sherlock is the story of Sherlock Holmes and Watson, but set in modern London. It’s great. Go watch it.
This week, I don’t have much of a menu plan, as Hisa and I will be driving down to Houston on Wednesday for a couple of job interviews. On our way back, we’re going to stop by Austin and see my brothers, and then head back to Oklahoma on Monday. It’s like another vacation! Well, a vacation with job interviews, lol.
Menu Plan Monday:
Mon: Thai peanut noodles and asian sesame salad
Tues: Grilled vegetable and pesto sandwiches on ciabatta rolls
Wed – Sun: (Out of town)
On to part II of our trip!
On the third day of our trip, we left Colorado Springs and drove the scenic route through the mountains to Durango. We got there in the early evening, so we walked around their historic little streets (very cool), checked out the narrow gauge railway, then had dinner at a Mexican restaurant followed by frozen yogurt at a little shop on main street.
On our way to Durango, driving through the mountains.
We stopped in Salida for lunch at a little restaurant we found. They served an awesome veggie sandwich and Greek salad! The bread, vegetables, everything was so fresh! It was lovely.
Crossing Wolf Creek Pass in the mountains. I was surprised at how much snow there still was. I kept telling Hisa that it looked like somewhere I bear might suddenly appear, but fortunately, we didn’t see any bears.
Over Wolf Creek Pass, but still in the mountains, getting close to Durango.
Finally in Durango! This is the Narrow Gauge Railroad station. It was actually closed by the time we got there, so I just took a picture of the station.
Main Street! Another cute little street with lots of shops and restaurants. There was even a band on one street corner playing bluegrass music. It seemed so fitting!
We had dinner at this great little Mexican restaurant. I’m always amazed at how different New Mexico/Colorado Mexican food is from Oklahoma/Texas Mexican food. I think New Mexico/Colorado Mexican food uses more chiles and is usually spicier in my experience. Both are wonderful though!
Here, I got a sopapilla (a kind of Mexican fry bread) stuffed with chicken, onions, and spices, and covered with melted cheese. I got both the red and green chile sauces on the side so I could try them both. Amazing.
After dinner, we walked to a frozen yogurt place on Main Street and got frozen yogurt. It was one of those self-serve frozen yogurt places. I’ve heard of them, but I’d never been to one myself until now. It was so cool. They had about 7 or 8 different flavors of frozen yogurt, and then an entire buffet of toppings that we got to help ourselves to. Like most buffets, it was quite easy to lose our heads, but if you can’t lose your head on vacation, when can you, eh? :D
The fourth day of our trip, we drove to Mesa Verde, where we saw the cliff dwellings. If you’ve never been there, it’s really cool. Some of the cliff dwellings, you can go look at by yourself, but the really cool ones, you have to go with a ranger on a tour. We went on a tour to see Cliff Palace, the biggest cliff dwelling in North America. It was really an amazing place.
The view of Cliff Palace before we hiked down into it.
Me in front of Cliff Palace.
Here’s the view of the canyon. The cliff dwellings were located on the inside walls of the canyon where the rock had been washed away into a semi-cave like area.
Cliff Palace! If you don’t know, the cliff dwellings in Mesa Verde National Park were built by the Anasazi Indians when they lived in the area, around 600 – 1300 A.D. They planted crops on the tops of the mesas, and then created these dwellings in the sides of the canyon walls. We were told they were the most peaceful of all the Indian tribes, being farmers and traders.
It’s amazing how extensive this place was. I can’t imagine how long it took the Anasazi to build it. For a long time it was a mystery why they left, but it’s been discovered that they migrated down south to New Mexico and Arizona probably due to drought.
After finishing our tour of Cliff Palace, we were hungry, so we went to one of the park’s food/gift shop places, and got some Indian Tacos.
Mmmmm, I love Indian Tacos. ♥
After lunch, we explored some more of the cliff dwellings that were open for people to walk around themselves.
This Kiva (a circular room used for religious ceremonies and also cultural use) people could actually climb down into. When I was really little, my family came to Mesa Verde for vacation and saw the cliff dwellings. The only thing I really remember from that trip was not being able to climb down into this Kiva. My brothers got to climb down in it with my dad, but I was too little at the time… Well, I waited 20 years, but I finally got to climb down into the dang Kiva!
It was cool. :)
Prof. Ueki: Now, if you look over here at Kiva #6…
After hiking to some of the other dwellings, we drove around to viewpoints of even more cliff dwellings.
Here’s the view of Cliff Palace from the other side of the canyon. They told us that Cliff Palace is the largest cliff dwelling in North America. If you ever get the chance to stop by Mesa Verde, you really should. It’s totally worth it. Also, try to go on one of the tours to Cliff Palace. The ranger’s explanation of the place, the Anasazi, and their lives is fascinating.
We ended up leaving the park around 3pm, and then drove on to Moab, Utah, where my grandparents live. We got there in the evening and then had dinner with my grandma and grandpa.
Tomorrow, I’ll post about the rest of our trip in Utah. Check back soon!
Well, Hisa and I made it back from our vacation to Colorado and Utah Monday night!
I know what you’re probably thinking.
Wait, you went on vacation?
Yeah…sorry about that. It was sort kind of a spur of the moment thing.
And by spur of the moment, I mean the idea was only even came up about a week before we left.
The thing is, in August, my whole family is planning on visiting my grandparents in Utah. They did it last year, but of course Hisa and I couldn’t go because we were in Japan. I haven’t seen my grandparents in several years, and Hisa has only ever met them briefly once, so we really wanted to go see them.
The problem is, Hisa will probably (hopefully!) start work within the next couple of months, and he probably won’t be able to take a week’s vacation right after he starts working to go see my grandparents. So we may not be able to go with everyone in August. We’re not sure at this point.
Hisa had the idea that he and I just take a road trip up there and see them now, stopping along some fun sightseeing places along the way.
I love it when he has these kinds of ideas.
So, after some planning and discussing, we decided to go for it, and take a week long trip.
We spent the first day driving to Colorado Springs.
If you’ve ever driven through Northeastern Oklahoma, Kansas, and/or Eastern Colorado, you’ll know that this is an incredibly boring drive. Nothing to see.
The second day, we went to the top of Pikes Peak via the Pike’s Peak Cog Railway in the morning; and visited the Miramont Castle Museum, toured the Historic Manitou Springs, and checked out the Broadmoor hotel in the afternoon.
Here’s the station where we boarded the cog railway to take us to the top of Pikes Peak. It was already a little chilly at this point!
Heading to the top of Pikes Peak…
I think the conductor said we passed through three different climate zones as we climbed. By this point we were above the tree line as you can tell. The whole area was so beautiful.
I took this right before we got off the train. It was cold! Beautiful, but cold!
A nice man offered to take our picture for us. That’s his finger in the corner. A lasting momento so we won’t forget him.
Notice all the ice.
They make these special high elevation donuts at the store/restaurant at the peak. They can only be made above 13,000 feet, so we got one to try out. It was yummy. It was also nice to sit down, because after walking around for a few minutes, I was so light-headed from the high altitude.
The temperature at the peak while we were there was 22 degrees F with a wind chill of 12 degrees F. That wind was bitter man. It hurt my teeth to smile!
See that lake in the distance? It’s frozen. :)
After getting back from Pikes Peak, we found a Polish restaurant at the nearby Historic Manitou Springs. I had the cabbage rolls which came with potato dumplings and a cucumber salad. So. Good. Seriously, I think these were the best cabbage rolls I’ve ever had.
Hisa had the pierogi (a kind of stuffed dumpling) with various fillings. These were also really really good!
“Are you done taking pictures so I can eat now?”
The Miramont Castle Museum. A huge Victorian mansion built by a French Catholic priest. Very cool.
The dining room. Everything was antique and accurate to the period. Even the wall paper.
My favorite room in the house. The kitchen! This was the coal burning stove. It has a kettle, fry pan, iron, waffle iron, pan for baking potatoes, and a large granite stone for placing in one’s bed to make it warm.
Everyone needs a suit of armor and a smoking jacket in their library/study.
Here I am in front of the grand staircase. It was amazing how huge this house was. It had four floors, and I don’t know how many rooms. This staircase was of course only for the priest, his mother, and their guests. There was a separate (tiny and narrow) staircase for the servants, who lived in tiny rooms on the fourth floor.
The bathroom.
The priest’s mother’s room. Very big. There was actually a separate room room that was originally supposed to be her room, but her 13-foot four poster bed wouldn’t fit in it, so they had to build a bigger bedroom, and made the smaller room her designated dressing room.
After leaving the Miramont Castle, we headed back to the Historic Manitou Springs, pictured here. We looked around at all the shops, which was fun.
Afterwards we went to see the Broadmoor Hotel. We didn’t stay here, because it’s pretty expensive, but we’d heard a lot about it, so we wanted to go check it out. Rather than just a hotel, it’s more like a miniature city. They have a large number of buildings, they’re own little lake (which you can see in this pic), a few gold courses, shops, etc. It was a really pretty place, and fun just walking around, even though we didn’t stay there.
After leaving, we went back to our hotel for a little bit, then headed out to have dinner.
Tomorrow, I’ll post part II of our trip. :)
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