"Fatherhood is pretending the present you love most is soap-on-a-rope." - Bill Cosby

Since I ended the Blue Print cleanse two weeks ago, I've been pretty dedicated to maintaining a fruit and vegetable centric diet.  One night I found a delicious recipe for black bean veggie burgers, and jazzed it up a bit by adding some chipotle mayo (just mix chipotle powder into the mayo to taste), and another night we made eggplant, roasted red pepper, broccoli rabe, and mozzarella sandwiches.  Both meals we coupled with some delicious kale chips.

All that being said, the wheels really came off this weekend.  First a couple of other associates and myself took some of the summer clerks to Aunt Berta's Kitchen to lunch on Friday.  I had the roasted turkey wings with mac and cheese and okra.  Coupled with the complimentary corn bread, you practically had to roll us out of there.  Then, Saturday night my mother-on-law made a feast for father's day including ribs, baked beans, mac and cheese, corn bread, and cole slaw.

The rib recipe, which came from a cooking class that my mother-in-law took a few years ago, has become a summertime staple.  I would definitely recommend giving it a try:

Brined and Slow-Cooked Baby Back Ribs
6 servings

6-8 pounds baby back ribs
3 quarts water, divided
1 cup kosher salt
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 tbs peppercorns

My favorite BBQ Sauce
1 tbs vegetable or canola oil
1 large red onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2-3 chipotle chiles in adobo, mashed to a paste
1 1/2 cups ketchup
3/4 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup molasses
1 tbs yellow mustard
2 tsp Worcester sauce
1 tbs salt, divided
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 tsp lemon juice

1. Brine the ribs: bring 2 cups of water to a boil.  Add the salt and sugar, and stir to dissolve.  Remove from the heat and add the remaining water and peppercorns.  When completely cool, add the ribs and set aside to bring for about 1 1/2-2 hours.  While the ribs are brining, make the BBQ sauce.

2. Heat an 8-in saute pan over medium heat.  Add the oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan.  Add the onion and garlic and sweat over medium-low heat until translucent.  Add the chipotle paste and stir to blend.

3.  Add the ketchup, brown sugar, molasses, mustard adn Worcestershire.  Bring to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar.  Reduce the heat to low and simmer the mixture for 15-20 minutes.  Add 2 tsp of salt, the pepper and lemon juice, taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary.  *BBQ sauce may be refrigerated for one week.

4.  Cook the ribs: heat the oven to 300 degrees.  Line 2 jelly roll pans with heavy duty aluminum foil.  Remove the ribs from the bring, rinse well and pat dry with paper towels.  Place the ribs on the pans and cook for about 1 hour, then spread with the BBQ sauce.  Increase the oven temperature to 325 degrees.  Cook for another hour or until tender.  Serve immediately offering additional BBQ sauce on the side.

I would also recommend trying this spin on the classic baked mac and cheese that we had:

Baked Mac and Cheese
6 servings
1 1/2 cups elbow macaroni
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 pound american cheese (chopped)
1/4 onion (chopped)
1/4 green pepper (chopped)
salt and pepper
1 egg

1. Cook macaroni according to directions - add all ingredients and mix well (you can add ham too - about one pound).

2. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to one hour - until browning on top.

For dessert we had a mocha chocolate icebox cake from the Barefoot Contessa's "How Easy is That" cookbook (p.206).

Whew.  It was a delicious, food-filled weekend and although I feel like a complete blivet, hopefully its nothing a few trips to the gym and a large green salad or two can't cure.

"If we're not willing to settle for junk living, we certainly shouldn't settle for junk food." - Sally Edwards

I have been considering the Blue Print juice cleanse for a few weeks now.  I've heard all kinds of wonderful things - it energizes and refreshes you, it "resets" your tastebuds, it gets you on the right track for a healthier lifestyle, etc. - but I've been on the fence due to the cost as much as the torture that seems to go hand in hand with consuming only liquids for three days straight.  That being said, after the gluttonous extravaganza that was our vacation I decided that there's no time like the present.

In preparation I tried to follow BluePrint's suggestion and ween myself off dairy, protein and caffeine.  This was made somewhat easier by some raw food blogs I found with helpful recipes for veggie/fruit packed meals, especially those espousing the values of the green shake.  It sounds gross, but, for the most part I liked starting my day with a green shake.

On day 1, I blended 2 cups spinach, 1 banana, 7 large strawberries, and 2 cups water.  The texture was somewhat grassy, but, it was pretty tasty.  The spinach has little to no taste so it just comes across as a muted strawberry/banana "shake."

On day 2, I blended 2 cups spinach, 2 small pears, a cup of blueberries, a handful of mint, and 2 cups water.  Aside from the texture issue, it was really good (I'm also a sucker for anything blueberry, pear, or mint so this was essentially my personal powerhouse of flavors).

I do not have as many great things about the shake on day 3.  I blended 2 cups spinach, 7 strawberries, 1 cup of blueberries, a handful of mint, and 2 cups water.  Unfortunately the berries and spinach, without another meatier fruit to balance out the textures, ended up having the most disgusting consistency.  I choked it back, but, it was difficult.

While the raw food blogs made my choice of fruit and veggie conscious preparatory food choices easier, the preparation took a real toll on me physically as I went through major withdrawal (I am assuming the withdrawal was primarily from caffeine, but I wonder if it could be from fatty, salty, delicious food too).  I had a slight headache days 1 and 2 of preparing, but, by day 3 I slipped into a full-on migraine.  I was pretty much incapacitated, and despite sleeping for almost 13 hours between day 3 of prep and day 1 of the cleanse, I still woke up on day 1 of the cleanse with a headache and feeling slightly nauseous.

Despite not feeling so hot, I started day 1 of the cleanse with a glass of hot water with lemon (per Blue Print's suggestion) and dove right into my juices.  Juice #1, the green juice, is horrible.  I seriously cannot emphasize how horrible this stuff is.  It tastes like salty, cucumbery, pickle juice.  Luckily Juice #2, the P.A.M. (pineapple, apple, and mint), is delicious.  Unluckily Juice #3 is a reprieve of the green juice.

By the time I finished Juice #3 I was incredibly nauseous and had another massive headache.  I was feeling a tad better after some advil and the yummy cayenne lemonade of Juice #4, until I cracked open Juice #5.  This beet juice concoction is just as gag worthy as the green juice.  All I could think the entire time I was forcing it back is "how am I going to drink this for two more days."  By the end of the day I was terrified of Juice #6.  Thankfully it tasted mostly like an eggnog-like shake, albeit with a sandy texture.

So, at the end of day 1 of the cleanse I had determined that the majority of the juices are terrible, and that I felt, on the whole, terrible.  That being said, while I did crave tasting something delicious and sitting down to enjoy a meal, I was never actually hungry the entire day (although it could be that I was just full of liquid as I followed every 16 ounce juice with at least a 12 ounce cup of water and sometimes multiple waters and/or mugs of hot herbal tea per Blue Print's instruction).

Day 2 was much better in that I was not at all nauseous and my headache was gone.  On the other hand, since I already knew what the juices would taste like I spent a good portion of my day dreading the green and beet juices - and they were even more cringe-worthy the second time around.  I tried putting them over ice but that just made it worse, psychologically speaking, as 16 ounces spans to 2 and a half glasses when you add ice.  I ended up plugging my nose and chugging, chasing each chug with a sip of hot lemon water.

At the end of day 2 I no longer felt hung over and I was only hungry for the hour or so after working out because I came home to B and his Thai takeout.

Day 3 I was feeling pretty good, I'd lost 5 pounds, and my skin was looking great.  On the downside the green and beet juices were even more terrible the third time around, and for the first time I was truly hungry for most of the day (I think it was mostly due to having started my day at 6am instead of 10am).

And now the million dollar question, would I do it again?  Probably not, unless I go on a serious bender or somehow get invited to next year's Oscars and need to lose 5 pounds fast, if for no other reason than I shudder at even the thought of ever having to drink those green and beet juices again.  That said, I am glad I did it because I do feel totally detoxed and like I've been re-wired to think about my foods from a 20% meat, 80% fruit and veggie platform.  We'll see how long it lasts...

"Tip the world over on its side and everything loose will land in Los Angeles." - Frank Lloyd Wright

For the third and final leg of our trip we started out bright and early for a drive down the Pacific Coast highway from Monterey to Los Angeles.

Among many beautiful sights, we saw Bixby Bridge...

The lighthouse at Point Sur State Historic Park...

 And more beautiful coastlines.

At one point we stopped for coffee at a random general store in the mountains and the shop keep informed us that Route 1 was closed ahead and drew us a wonderfully helpful detour map.  While talking, he mentioned a waterfall in the Julia Pfieffer Burns State Park.  He said it was an easy walk so we decided to take his advice.

So glad we did (adorably someone had written "will you marry me" to their girlfriend in the sand... we didn't see the couple, just the question left in the sand below, but we thought that was pretty good)

 Our detour wound us up into the mountains so we had a fantastic aerial view of Route 1.

 

Toward the end of our detour, we drove through an army base.  The terrain seemed like something out of Jurassic Park.

Although we missed Hearst Castle due to the detour, we did get to check out Big Sur and randomly stopped for a pretty good Mexican meal in Grover Beach.

All along the sights were beautiful, but not exactly what I had expected of southern California.  That is until we reached Santa Barbara.  It was the California of my imagination for sure.

When we finally got to LA our hotel in West Hollywood was amazing, and we had a great dinner at Koi.  We started with the edamame and the spicy crunchy yellowtail tar tar.  The tar tar was exceptional.  For dinner we split the baked crab hand roll, the spicy rock shrimp tempura hand roll, the dragon roll, and a spicy tuna roll.  With the exception of the baked crab hand roll, which was relatively bland, everything was delicious (I decided not to tag us as complete tourists with pictures of each course).

After dinner, exhausted from a full day of driving, we went back to our hotel and crashed.  The next morning we met with another set of B's high school friends for brunch at R+D Kitchen in Santa Monica.  B had the burger and I had the omlett (with goat cheese, spinach, and mushrooms).  Both were amazing and we split a side of delicious shoestring fries.

After lunch we said our goodbyes and headed off to take in the touristy "must sees" - Rodeo Drive, the Hollywood sign (from afar), Venice Beach, Pinkberry (hello delicious), and the Chinese Theater.

[Samuel L. Jackson!]

Although the driving and the red eye were the most relaxing we really had a fantastic vacation. 

"Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it." Greg Anderson

So, after enjoying a few days in San Francisco last week, we headed to Hertz to pick up our convertible for a cruise down the Pacific coast highway.  Although we were slightly derailed by the fact that we had to trade in the sleek little convertible we'd rented for a Chevy sedan due to our oversized luggage (whoopsies), the switch turned out to be a good thing because it rained/drizzled almost every day of our trip.  After securing our new whip, we were ready to head off down the coast for Monterey. 

 [B handled the driving]

 [breathtaking views the whole way]

[just a little rain...]

Our first official stop was Half Moon Bay to see Mavericks, a famous surf break.  Although the misty weather made for some really picturesque scenery:

There weren't many waves to speak of:

Our next stop was Santa Cruz.  Before hitting the boardwalk, we had lunch at Tacos Moreno.  We got the name from one of our guidebooks as a must-see hole in the wall Mexican joint.  B had the pork burrito.

Served with beans, cabbage, onion, cilantro, and salsa (no rice), B found it one of the best burritos he'd ever had (for a Mexican food aficionado like himself, that's really saying something).  I thought it was good, but no match for my quesadilla al pastor.

Served simply with jack cheese and perfectly cooked pork al pastor, I was in cheesy, meaty heaven.

After lunch we went to the boardwalk for some people watching, arcade games (I beat B in air hockey, Galaga and Pac Man!), and a slush puppy before heading off to our final destination.

[the streets of Santa Cruz]

 

[one of the many beautiful cliffside viewpoints on the way to Monterey]

After arriving in Monterey, we relaxed a bit before heading out to explore.

 [Monterey Bay]

Our hotel was in between Cannery Row and Fisherman's Wharf, so we decided to walk over to the Wharf for dinner and drinks.  The Wharf was as touristy and kitschy as it comes, one clam chowder hawking sea-food joint after another, so we decided to do an appetizer-laden bar crawl in lieu of a sit-down meal.  Our first stop was for oysters.

Nestled in a fog of dry-ice, these size-five jumbo oysters were actually pretty good (though 2 was more than enough for me).  Our next stop was for loaded potato skins.

These babies were more like twice-baked potatoes, and after we finished the plate we were out of room for additional "hopping", but they were really darn good.

The next day we walked through the Cannery Row area to have brunch at First Awakening.

 [Cannery Row]

 [an homage to John Steinbeck ]

Hidden in a strip mall, First Awakening doesn't look like much from the outside.  That being said, it hasn't won best breakfast place in Monterey every year since 2006 for nothing.  I had the "bluegerm" pancake (blueberry wheat germ) with a side of sausage, and B had the "Buenos Dias Tortillas."

The pancake was fantastic.  I absolutely love anything blueberry, and the wheat germ gave the pancake an interesting flaky quality that did not interfere with the pancake's moist fluffiness.

The "Buenos Dias Tortillas," scrambled eggs, mushrooms, onion, and homemade chorizo wrapped in a flour tortilla and covered with jack and cheddar cheeses, diced tomato, sour cream, and chives, was similarly amazing - we finished every bite!

After brunch we strolled back to the hotel for our our spa appointments then B explored a couple area record stores before showering and dressing for dinner.  On our way to dinner we stopped by a cute antique mall and ended up picking up an adorable old-school salt and pepper set and then we rode the 17-mile drive around Pebble Beach.

After the 17 mile ride we walked around downtown Carmel for a bit before traveling to Bernardus Lodge in Carmel Valley for dinner.

While we waited for our dinner we had cocktails at Wickets.  The place was adorable and my cocktail in particular, a sea cucumber (cucumber, rum, tequila, lime, and mint), was fantastic.

Next we headed to Marinus for dinner.  When we were seated in our lovely corner booth we were met with a bite-sized gruyere cheese ball, then a delicious little amuse bouche of a bite-sized veggie spring roll sitting in yuzu soy sauce.  It was a fresh, tasty palate cleanser before our first courses.  I had the ham, which was thinly sliced, laced with fat, and served with almonds, frisee, and drizzle balsamic.  It was just a simple dish, but it was fantastic.  B had the trotters (aka pigs feet).  They were deep fried and served on top of slightly pickled cucumber with a dijon mustard.  If you could get past what they are, they were actually quite good.

For the entree I had the foie gras.  It was perfectly seared and served with 2 slices of duck and a marinated strawberry.  Wonderful in its simplicity, this was probably the best plate of food I have ever had.  B got the ribeye with rosemary.  Although it paled in comparison to my dinner, it was fantastic in its own right.

We finished with a progressive cheese plate - a California cheddar served with almonds, followed by an Italian goat/sheep milk cheese served with honey, and finished with a blue cheese served with apples.  Each was better than the next.

Although I didn't take any pictures of our fantastic food (B was getting a little sick of the flash at every step of each meal), I did get one shot of the restaurant from our table:

If you find yourself in Carmel Valley California, you must have dinner at Marinus.  We unanimously agreed this was one of the best, if not the best, fine dining experience we've had in our lives.

The next morning we got up early to head on our way down the Pacific coast highway to LA.  Stay tuned....