Welp… The Grand Canyon was incredible.

I really wish we had a hidden camera on us while we were actually doing the camping part. Our reality show would have played out something like this: The camera would have panned around the North Rim Campground focusing in on all of the serious camping groups, families with airstream trailers, hikers with elaborate tents, etc… then that “idiots attempting to complete a seemingly simple task” background music would begin and it would zoom in on our little campsite – which consisted of a two-person tent held together by some tape – and Ryan and I trying to light a fire with a mini Duraflame log and some paper towels, swatting away insects, and drinking wine out of a box.

I guess we didn’t really think the whole camping thing through as much as we should have but we compiled a list of items that we will be SURE to bring next time:

- A tarp

- Tape

- Rope

- Pocket knife

- Wood

- Newspaper

- Mattress pad

- Lantern

Once we got through the first night of “sleep” atop the pile of rocks on which we decided to place our tent, we got up in the morning and got ready for a hike… to me this meant putting on the same clothes I would wear to a yoga class, filling up a bottle of water, and heading out. The hike ended up being over 10 miles but it was so damn worth it. You always hear about how spectacular the Grand Canyon is and how moving it is to actually see it and blah, blah, blah but for some reason I wasn’t expecting to be THAT impressed. I was. I mean, it is unbelievable. That first time I saw it my jaw just dropped. I was also kind of thrown off by the fact that anyone can go right to the edge of this thing, really anywhere they want along the rim, and accidentally plummet to their death. I think maybe I was expecting like railings or something? I don’t know.

Anyway, we got back from the 1,000 hour hike, passed out for a couple of hours and woke up to rain sprinkling on our tent. Give me inclement weather in a tent on night 2 of this trip and I would have been fine but thunderstorms on night 8 almost had us packed up and driving through the night to the West Coast.  Luckily, the rain eventually subsided and we started in on our dinner. You are CRAZY if you think we didn’t make Velveeta Shells and Cheese while camping. That’s right. You know my feelings on Mac and Cheese and it just had to happen. We also made an egg concoction consisting of onions, peppers, corn tortillas, and enough pepper jack cheese to kill a man. We were pretty damn proud of ourselves to be honest. Tell me to provide you with shelter for a night and I’ll give you a pop-up tent held together by medical tape. Tell me to make you dinner with a match and a box of Velveeta and you gotchyoself a meal.

So our final stop on this trip was what I consider to be a success. After 48 hours of not bathing (during which we completed a 10 mile hike and an 11 hour car ride) we decided against making any additional stops. The most human interaction I wanted at that point was telling the nice young lad at McDonald’s that I didn’t want ketchup on my cheeseburger.

Our final trip totals:

- 3,795 miles

- $628 in gas

- Hundreds of national treasures such as the Grand Canyon and Prairie Dog Town

- Approximately 27 meals

- 2 Subway Veggie Delites

- 0 cases of West Nile

ahhhhh… finally… the other coast

We are finally here in San Diego and I can’t imagine getting here in a better way than what we just did. I can’t wait to get settled and start to post about cooking again. I also can’t wait for our belongings to get here (sent over with a moving company) because I am currently sitting on an air mattress on our living room floor.

This concludes the 4th and final volume of Jenna and Ryan DO AMERICA. The complete box set will be available Spring 2013. Until next time  folks….

I wrote this on our way to the Grand Canyon on 8/30 but haven’t been able to publish on a count of my not having an internet connection until now…

Well we have officially been on the road for a week which is seriously hard to believe…  I think travelling through time zones and not really needing to know what day of the week it is has made me lose all concept of time. Right now, for instance, I just looked at the clock in our car that says 2:19pm. Then I looked at my computer clock that says 3:19pm. Then I pick up my phone which tells me the actual time of 1:19pm. It’s Thursday, August 30^th but really I only know that fact because my Google Calendar told me so this morning in an email. ANYWAYS, all of that was just to let you know that I’m skating the fine line between sane and off my rocker and you know what? I kind of like it.

So here are the stats as of now:

- 2,953 miles

- Just logged our 12^th, 13^th, and 14^th states at Four Corners (my big toe in Utah COUNTS)

- $475 in gas

- 14 packs of TUMS

- 3 sit-ups… collectively.

Santa Fe was AWESOME. I am so glad we decided to stay 2 nights because 1 just would not have been enough. Not that there were more than 4 other humans out after 8pm there but having the whole day yesterday was essential. We arrived late afternoon on Tuesday and went to The Bell Tower Bar for a good view of the sunset. We anticipated doing some drinking since we weren’t going to be locked in a car at all on Wednesday but once we ate wayyy too much Mexican at a place called Mucho Gusto (which was very good by the way) we were too delirious to be in public so we called it a night. Turns out sitting in a car for 5 days straight really takes a lot outta ya. So yesterday morning we went the “Treat Yo’self” route and took a little trip to a place called 10,000 Waves which is a Japanese spa and wellness center about 20 minutes from the downtown area of Santa Fe. They have these communal “baths” and saunas that are outdoors and meant for total relaxation which is certainly imminent once you come to terms with the fact that the whole ordeal is clothing optional. It was incredible. I’d like to find a place like this in San Diego that I can visit at least once a week where I am guaranteed not to know anyone… which shouldn’t be an issue considering the fact that I know approximately 2 people in Southern California.

So once we released all of those fast food and booze toxins at 10,000 Waves, it was time for more Mexican food. Café Pasqual’s came highly recommended so there we ordered the Huevos Rancheros and their breakfast version of a Chile Relleno and my GOD. They were AMAZING. The Huevos had two perfectly cooked eggs over melted cheese on top of an almost stew of black beans, green chiles, corn tortilla, happiness, and rainbows. The corn tortillas are by far the best I have ever had. They made me want to try to make them myself so expect that in a future post.

After waddling around the downtown area of Santa Fe as well as Canyon Road for the rest of the day, we went out to dinner at a place called Jambo Café that a very nude man at 10,000 Waves recommended to us. Jambo is African and Carribean cuisine which makes it pretty much one of kind in the area and it was great. I don’t know how we were even eating at that point and not only that but food with Moroccan and Jerk flavors? Come ON Jenna. I was playing with fire at that point and practically washing every bite down with a TUMS but it was worth it. If you ever find yourself at the Jambo Cafe do me a favor and order the Coconut Shrimp as an app… You will not regret it. After dinner came another attempt to experience the “night life” of Santa Fe but I get the feeling there really isn’t much of one. We ended up being approximately 1/4^th of the crowd at a bar for a few drinks then we called it a night.

So Santa Fe was another great stop and I will definitely be going back (and staying at 10,000 Waves so all I will need to pack is a pair of flip flops).

“May Peace Prevail on Earth” at 10,000 Waves

The drive from Santa Fe to the Grand Canyon has been, well, long. We just stopped at Four Corners which was not exactly what I expected but I got a fantastic shot of my sausage fingers sprawling over 4 different states all at once, and an equally awkward pic of Ryan laying down on the monument… so that was pretty cool. What you don’t see in the photos is that we are surrounded by a crowd of at least 30 tourists waiting to do the exact same thing.

Onward to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon now! I’m sure that Ryan and I attempting to camp/hike/be outdoorsy will be hysterical so stay tuned…

Well folks, we have had an EVENTFUL couple of days since leaving Memphis. We are currently en route to Santa Fe, NM after a night in Dallas, TX and a night in Lubbock, TX. As I type this we are on our 2,471^st mile of travel through 12 states, have spent $400 on gas, and have made it into Part 3 of the Hungry Games book we bought on iTunes (the closest I would ever get to winning something like the Hunger Games would be if we happened to break down on this completely desolate road we are on and Ryan tried to eat the chocolate chip cookies we have stashed in the backseat).

So let’s talk about our stop in Dallas. We actually stayed just north of the city in McKinney, TX with Kendall and Jeff who are commonly referred to as Ryan’s alternate set of parents. We seriously could not have asked for a better night in the Dallas area because of these two. Here’s why:

1)      They greeted us with cheese.

2)      They like wine more than we do.

3)      They did a Blackened Cajun Catfish Fry in their backyard for us – picture filets dipped in melted butter, covered in a homemade Cajun rub and then cooked in cast iron skillets on their grill then topped with a white gravy-ish shrimp sauce. It was unreal.

4)      Once we were a few bottles of wine deep we got a really great account of all of the neighborhood gossip which would give a Real Housewives episode a run for its money.

5)      Two words – Pecan. Pie.

So thank you to Kendall and Jeff because that night was a definite highlight of our trip thus far.

After we left McKinney (with a HUGE bag of homemade chocolate chip cookies – THANK YOU KENDALL!) we decided that we would go through Lubbock, TX for the night then swing through Roswell, NM on the way to Santa Fe. Ryan’s to-do list was a nice big steak while in the state of Texas so we went to a place called Triple J’s in Lubbock which was a little underwhelming. The REAL excitement in Lubbock was our trip to a little enchanted place called Prairie Dog Town. That’s right. Prairie Dogs. It was a sectioned-off area in a park that is the home to what has got to be hundreds of the little guys. As far is sight-seeing is concerned, this type of attraction is right in my wheelhouse.

A couple hours after our departure from Lubbock this morning we did a quick stop in Roswell, NM which if you didn’t already know is the Dairy Capital of The USA. Who knew!? Here I thought I was going to have a close encounter of at least the first kind (there are three different kinds of close encounters, but you probably wouldn’t know that since you didn’t just spend the last hour at a UFO Museum) but unfortunately there are no sightings or abductions for me to report… yet. I did manage to pick up a few GEMS of postcards and get a talkin’ to about UV Radiation that is being used by the US Government to cloud our minds while they cover up UFO crash sites and the like. So I would count our last stop as a success.

Honestly, the drive through this part of the country has been almost more enjoyable than the drive through the mountains in the North Carolina/Tennessee area only because it is so incredible how little there is out here. Whoever said that the drive through Texas is a whole lot of nothing clearly has never driven through New Mexico. I think because Texas was so flat you don’t really notice how far the road goes on ahead of you because you can’t really see where it ends. New Mexico is hilly so when we get to the top of hill, all you see in front of you is empty road and just an expansive empty land around it. It is pretty crazy and these pics barely do it justice. Being practically the only car on the road for the last 1000 miles has just been a constant reminder that we are actually on a road trip across the country… well that and the fact that my backside has been asleep for 5 days.

A two day adventure in Sante Fe, NM is up next followed by another two days of camping at the Grand Canyon which should be very interesting. Until next time…

“What you take from here is map less.”

So it’s been awhile since my last post and for this I sincerely apologize. I know how much reading this blog means to you and your everyday life. Frankly, I don’t know how you have survived this summer with only a couple of my hilarious and incredibly interesting posts to read… But (somehow) you have made it through and here we are. So why have I been such a slacker in the blogging department? Well, it certainly hasn’t been because of a lack of eating, that’s for sure. The real reason is because I have been insanely busy planning our MOVE ACROSS AMERICA. That’s right. Ryan and I have quit our jobs, packed up, and are currently en route to San Diego, CA. Please don’t ask me why unless you consider “because we felt like it” a valid answer.

Sun setting as we drive into Memphis

We are taking about 8 days to get out there and since the majority of our sight-seeing is most likely going to be visiting places that can be seen on an episode of Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, I decided I’m going to blog about our ROAD TRIP!

Biscuits from the Tupelo Honey Cafe in Asheville, NC

Here’s our planned route:

8/23: Boston – DC

8/24: DC – Asheville, NC

8/25: Asheville – Memphis, TN

8/26: Memphis – Dallas, TX

8/27: Dallas – Amarillo? (This is tentative, depending on how rampant the West Nile virus is at this point because that WOULD happen to me)

8/28-8/30: Santa Fe, NM

8/30-9/1: Grand Canyon, AZ

After 9/1 (if he hasn’t murdered me and disposed of my body somewhere in Arkansas or New Mexico or the like) we’ll either head right to San Diego or maybe stop in LA… or dare I say… Vegas?

We are currently driving from Memphis, TN to Dallas, TX which should be about 8 hours but since I insist on drinking approximately 100 bottles of water every time we get in the car and thus need a restroom every 100 miles it will probably be more like 9. So far we have driven about 1500 miles through 9 states, spent about $237 on gas, and eaten about 93,839,993 calories collectively.

Sun setting as we drove into Asheville

Some of the more notable meals include the cheesesteak and roast pork sandwiches we had at Carmen’s – a deli we came across in a LOVELY little town called Bellmawr off the highway in NJ on day one. Dinner at Cava on 8^th St. in DC. Lunch at the Tupelo Honey Café in Asheville, NC, and Ribs and Brisket at Rendezvous in Memphis, TN (We unfortunately did no “Walking in Memphis” in our time there, we opted to take a Trolley after the hotel bellhop asked if we had a weapon to defend ourselves when we told him we were walking to the restaurant).

   Carmen’s Roast Pork, Broccoli Rabe, and Provolone – Consumed in the car in a Walgreen’s parking lot because that’s how we roll.

So now off to Texas… I think I see a giant steak in our future. Any suggestions on where to stop are welcomed, as are job offers in San Diego and tips on how to keep yourself entertained for 3,300 miles of highway.

I really can’t believe I have yet to incorporate brie into one of my recipes posted here. My deepest apologies. It is one of my all time favorites… not just in the cheese category… in every category. There are very adorable puppies in this world that I don’t like as much as I like this cheese. If this cheese shows up at a social event that I attend, it is safe to say that I am giving it more attention than any of the humans in the room. I could go on. But I won’t. Because I’d like to continue to be invited to said social events.

Anyway, I was looking for some sort of inspiration on Pinterest yesterday – when I do this, I know it will end in one of two ways: Jenna becoming inspired to run a marathon and give up carbs for life, or Jenna heading home and cooking/eating anything with massive amounts of  melted cheese on it. You can see where this is headed.

So here we are, Portobello mushroom caps “stuffed” with a very simple saute of arugula and walnuts, then topped off with a giant slab of brie cheese. It really doesn’t get much better.

BRIE AND ARUGULA STUFFED PORTOBELLO MUSHROOMS

Ingredients

3 Portobello mushroom caps

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 shallot, minced

1 clove garlic, minced

4 cups arugula

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 cup seasoned breadcrumbs

3 thick slices brie, room temperature

1 teaspoon lemon juice

lemon zest

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Wipe down mushroom caps with a damp towel.

3. Place them stem side down in a baking dish and bake for 8-10 minutes, remove from oven and set aside.

4. In a saute pan, cook the shallot and garlic in the olive oil over medium-low heat until they start to caramelize.

5. Add finely chopped walnuts, bread crumbs, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt/pepper cook for a few more minutes stirring frequently.

6. Place arugula in the pan on top of the walnut mixture and mix around until wilted and incorporated.

7. Flip Portobello caps so the stem side is up and pile some of the arugula mixture on each.

8. Bake in oven for another 8-10 minutes.

9. Remove from oven and top with THICK slice of brie.

10. Serve immediately!

I have come to realize that Cape Cod is its own little world, which I would assume is why so many people flock here to get away. When I was little, if we were going “over the bridge,” God only knew where we were headed… “Off-Cape” could have meant Boston or China. Growing up “on-cape” was… well… different. I remember going to summer camp with kids who weren’t from the Cape and having to field questions such as, “Wait, so… you actually LIVE here?? Like, permanently??” and “You’re from the VILLAGE of Centerville?? Do you live in a Teepee??” Kids say the darndest things. It was only when I left for college in South Carolina that I realized not everyone uses the word “wicked” in front of the word “fun”… or that using a Dunkin Donuts as a point of reference when giving directions just isn’t possible in some places.

I still can’t get enough of the Cape in the Summer though. I’m so lucky that my parents let me freeload at this age because otherwise I’m sure I couldn’t afford it. Fourth of July is one of those holidays that I would feel really uncomfortable spending anywhere other than on the Cape. Watching fireworks over the ocean from a beach is pretty much the best. So for my official RED, WHITE, and BLUE recipe I decided to take the Blueberry Muffin recipe that I grew up on (my mom will forever make them better than I do but I gave it a shot…) and add raspberries and white chocolate to it. Get it… RED, WHITE, BLUE.

RASPBERRY, WHITE CHOCOLATE, BLUEBERRY MUFFINS

Ingredients

1/2 cup shortening or butter

2 large eggs

1 cup sugar plus a little more for sprinkling

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup raspberries washed and dried

1 cup blueberries washed and dried

2/3 cup white chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. Grease muffin tin (top and in each cup)

3. Cream together shortening (or butter), sugar, vanilla, and eggs, adding one egg at a time

4. Sift together dry ingredients in separate bowl

5. Add dry ingredients and milk to shortening mixture alternating between the two until all is fully incorporated

6. Gently fold in blueberries, raspberries, and white chocolate chips

7. Fill each muffin cup about 3/4 of the way full with the muffin batter

8. Sprinkle each muffin with sugar before baking

9. Bake for approximately 20-30 minutes, depending on the muffin tin size, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean

10. Serve warm with LOTSA BUTTAH (in the words of my muthah)

Happy 4th!

I love using holidays like the 4th of July as an excuse to obsess over creating new recipes to bring to events (or to eat alone in your apartment while listening to the faint sound of fireworks in the distance). For anyone in search of a quick and easy salad to bring to that 4th of July cookout next week… Look no further my friends. This salad is fast, easy, delicious, and comes out so damn pretty! Make the dressing in a small container so you can dress it right before it’s served and I promise it will be a hit.

I’m sure this won’t be the last Independence Day recipe you see from me this year. I’ve been Googling things like “Patriotic foods” and “red, white, and blue things I can eat” for at least a week. Stay tuned!

ZUCCHINI RIBBON SUMMER SALAD

Ingredients

For the Salad:

1 summer squash

1 zucchini

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

2 cups arugula

1 1/2 cups of corn kernels

2-3 scallions, chopped

6-7 heaping tablespoons ricotta cheese

For the Dressing:

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 small shallot, grated or finely minced

dried basil, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, sea salt, pepper to taste

Directions

1. With a vegetable peeler, peel long strips of the summer squash and zucchini into a large bowl.

2. Add the rest of the vegetables for the salad and toss.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients for the dressing adjusting the seasonings as needed.

4. Keep refrigerated separately until ready to serve. When ready to serve, toss the dressing with the salad to evenly coat and transfer to serving dish and top with dollops of ricotta cheese as desired.

The below photo is of me, my mother, and my little brother in front of one of my all-time favorite places on the Cape, Four Seas Ice Cream. I have been going to Four Seas in the summer since before I can remember and I really don’t think I will ever find an ice cream place that does it for me more than this one. Over the years they have added to their flavor and toppings menu a little but other than that they really haven’t changed much, which I appreciate. My favorite part of this photo is my little brother just shoving that ice cream into his face with reckless abandon. My least favorite part of this photo is my mother’s choice of shirt that day… but you know what? It was the 90′s… can you blame her? It’s not like I’m doing much better with my bangs and denim dress.

I digress.

For my first installment of Piece of Cape I decided to pay homage to my favorite ice cream shop (ever) by trying my hand at some of my own homemade ice cream. I knew I wanted to make Brown Sugar Ice Cream because before seeing this recipe I really had never heard of it. I also knew that I did not have an ice cream maker to use so I began my obsessing research and found that David Lebovitz could show me the way. As he always does. Thank you David. Ice cream without an ice cream machine… who knew!?

Well I could not have been happier with the way this ice cream turned out. It was SO GOOD. It almost had a hint of mocha flavor for some reason (consequently, Mocha Chip from Four Seas happens to be my go-to). Another gold star for me!

BROWN SUGAR ICE CREAM

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups whole milk

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1 cup packed dark brown sugar

6 large egg yolks

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

BIG pinch of sea salt

Directions

1. Bring milk and cream to a simmer in a medium saucepan, stirring frequently so as to not scorch the milk on the bottom of the pan.

2. Whisk brown sugar, egg yolks, vanilla, and salt together in a bowl until smooth.

3. Pour a small amount of simmering cream mixture (maybe a 1/2 cup) into the sugar and egg mixture and whisk until incorporated.4. Continue this process of adding a small amounts of the cream mixture into the sugar and egg mixture until both are mixed together. (See how to Temper an Egg)5. Return mixture to saucepan over medium heat (do not boil) and stir constantly until a custard is formed.6. Pour into freezer proof pan (I used a 9×11″ metal baking pan to speed up the freezing process) and place in freezer.7. Every 45 minutes or so, remove from freezer and whisk vigorously to smooth any chunks that are crystallizing, then return to freezer. The idea here is to “churn” some air into the ice cream and break up those frozen pieces around the edges so your end product is smooth and creamy.8. After about 3 hours of this you should have your ice cream! Transfer it into your storage container and there you have it!

Cape Cod Bay

I’ve decided that I’m going to start a little series of blog posts over the next few months that celebrates some culinary traditions from my neck of the woods… Good ol’ New England! I mean, what better time to explore some geographically specific tastes and classics of this area than the Summer?! Expect to see my version of recipes that set this salty little chunk of the U.S. apart from the rest… Clam Chowder, Boston Cream Pie, Cape Codders, Lobster anything, the possibilities are endless… I might even include some of  my favorite places to eat and drink!

I shall call this series, Piece of Cape – clever name eh? I thought so too.

Narragansett, RI

Have a suggestion for a dish or even a particular food that will always remind you of somewhere in New England? Let me know! Comment below, write me an email, or tweet me @PieceofCaking …

**A note about suggestions: I probably will not be making Boston Baked Beans, I’m sorry. They are one of those things that I just don’t get involved with…  Mainly because of  this scene from Dennis the Menace and the fact that my water retention rates are wayyy too high to be toying around with that much sodium.**

Stay tuned for  future installments of Piece of Cape!

City of Boston from Boston Harbor

This dish was definitely an experiment. I have been seeing parsnips everywhere lately and you know what? I wanted in. (This is a very good example of when I type something out and realize that I am not normal. Why can’t I want in on denim shirts or paddle boarding or something hip like that? No, I want in on the parsnip craze. ugggh.) Anyway, My first thought was that I wanted to do a parsnip puree, inspired by a recent meal I ate with my dad out on the Cape which was awesome… but then I got lazy, didn’t really want to do anything that involved a blender and turned it into an easy “hash” with hard-boiled eggs cooked right in it! It came out really well and this recipe makes a good bit of it. So come on everyone! Get in on the parsnip craze with this parsnip and leek hash. (Who have I become??)

PARSNIP AND LEEK HASH

Ingredients

5-6 parsnips

1 large or 2 medium leeks

3 hard-boiled eggs, chopped

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

dash cinnamon

salt/pepper to taste

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Directions

1. Using a vegetable peeler, peel the parsnips into strips down to the core of each.

2. Slice the leeks thin (cross-wise, to make rounds).

3. In a medium bowl, mix all of the ingredients except for the vegetable oil together until everything is distributed evenly.

4. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Once the skillet heats up, add the vegetable oil.

5. Add the parsnip and leek mixture to the pan, stir and flip it until it is cooked through and browned.

I ate mine with some hard-boiled egg that was chilled. It was a great combo of warm and cool and the flavors were great!