Cross-Country Road Trip

Just one bit of advice:  L.A. to New Hampshire in 4 days?  I do not recommend.  5 days would be better.  That being said, we still got to see some cool stuff and it didn't kill us, so that's good. 

We left Saturday morning.  Leslie and I met between our respective homes, which just happened to be by the Disney Concert Hall.  There was, of course, a bike race going on so all the streets were closed.  Somehow we found each other and got the hell out of dodge.  We drove across California and into Arizona. 

At our many fueling stops, we spotted some local interests:

We managed to make it to Albuquerque, NM the first night. We found some delish local eats the next morning-breakfast burritos with famous New Mexico green chiles!  So hot & so good.

The place was packed with pics of John Wayne.

Pointillism at it's finest.

I'm still regretting not buying this gem.  Then it was time to head toward our next destination: through Texas to Tulsa, Oklahoma!

Leslie in Texas! Howdy Y'all!

Miles of beautiful scenery showcasing American advertising.

Lalalala. Driving, driving, driving.

More local "flavor".

We made it through the night in Oklahoma, next up was through Missouri, Illinois, Indiana and stopping that night in Ohio.  We were determined to stop in St. Louis to check out the Gateway Arch.

The Arch from the side.

I have to tell you, I was blown away!  I am usually like a jaded teenager when it comes to tourist spots but this time I was more like an old person who loves everything.  It was the most amazing piece of architecture I have ever seen.  It was soooo cool! Seriously!

Ok, enough of that!

Well, maybe one more!

One of my favorite things was seeing the beautiful sunset every night.  Serious jesus rays people!

We saw lots of roadkill.  It was pretty stomach turning.  The worst.

The next day it was through Pennsylvania, New York, and FINALLY into New Hampshire. 

It took us forever to drive through upstate New York, but it was so gorgeous that I didn't mind at all.

We got into New Hampshire so late that I couldn't see any scenery.  We were up super early the next day to film the show, so the first thing I got to see was the studios next to the beautiful river in Manchester.  Not a bad way to start out life in New England!

So far, things have been good here.  It's a total 180 from L.A. and I am kinda annoyed that I have to drive 40 miles to go to Trader Joe's and Forever 21.  But if it works out, it's worth it.  I will definitely keep you posted on all the goings on and interesting things in this area. 

XOXO

Things I will miss about L.A.

1.  The SUN.

2.  My friends that I have made here.

3.  BevMo.

4.  The lax drinking laws/buying liquor at T. Joes.

5.  Taco trucks.

6.  Luckyscent.

7.  Palm trees.

8.  Yacht rock on the radio.

9.  All the shopping.  Second only to NY.

10.  Free illegal cable.

Things I won't miss:

1.  The crappy shower in my apt.

2.  The traffic.

That's all!

I love you L.A.!

XOXO

The Mission, Part 4- Stewed Lentils and Tomatoes

A few months ago, I decided to make this recipe from the Barefoot Contessa at Home cookbook because I had all the ingredients in my kitchen, and I was on a bit of lentil kick.  I love how Ina cops to this being a variant on a crunchy hippie recipe she found in a health food cookbook, but one that she loves anyway.  I promptly whipped it up and became converted too!  There is something about this dish that makes you feel all virtuous and supremely healthy, and it is a snap to make, the only part that takes any effort is waiting 40 minutes for it to cook!  The other great thing about this recipe is how variable it is.  When I made it today, I didn't have exactly the right spices, so I just added some cumin and coriander and a bay leaf, and it was delicious!  I also love to grate a little parmesan cheese over before serving, or stir in some creme fraiche or sour cream.  My favorite is to serve with an egg fried in lashings of butter and some toasted artisinal bread.  Yummy!

 

Stewed Lentils and Tomatoes

2 teaspoons good olive oil

2 cups large-diced yellow onions (2 onions)

2 cups large-diced carrots (3 to 4 carrots)

1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 gloves)

1 (28-ounce) can whole plum tomatoes*

1 cup French green lentils (7 ounces)

2 cups chicken stock

2 teaspoons mild curry powder

2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves

2 teaspoons kosher slat

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon good red wine vinegar

Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the onions and the carrots and cook over medium-low heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until the onions start to brown. Stir occasionally with a wooden spoon. Add the garlic and cook for one minute more.

Meanwhile, place the canned plum tomatoes, including the juice, in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse several times until the tomatoes are coarsely chopped*. Rinse and pick over the lentils to make sure there are no stones in the package.

Add the tomatoes, lentils, chicken broth, curry powder, thyme, salt and pepper to the pan. Raise the heat to bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer covered for about 40 minutes, until the lentils are tender. Check occasionally to be sure the liquid is still simmering. Remove from the heat and allow the lentils to sit covered for another 10 minutes. Add the vinegar,season to taste and serve hot.

* I got “quick-crushed,” a rough puree that allowed me to skip the nuisance-y food processor step.  Like many other dishes, this tasted even better the next day.

Photo Times

Strudes may be tired, but no one could ever get tired of Strudes! 

Went to Ketchup for Whitney's Bday!  Very cool.

The Bday gurl!  The red lighting made the pics all atmospheric.

In case you were wondering, this is what happens when your bored and poor.  And yes, drunk.

Did anyone see John Stewart interview the Pillsbury Dough Boy?  Talk about the two cutest things in the world, together at last!  I almost overloaded on squee but somehow didn't pass out and managed to take a picture.

I embroidered this '69 Dodge Charger for my Bro for his Bday.  I hope he likes it!

Derek sent me this awesome photo he took of some sidewalk chalkffiti.  As he so aptly put it "I didn't know Patty Duke was so hip with the kids these days".  I didn't either, but I am suspicious of their spelling skills!

I'm getting a little jealous of Strudes relationship with the Wizard.