just a little Easter getaway

(Yay, I have my cpu back!)  Thanks to my lovely, stubborn, and pig-headed cousin (those are terms of endearment) and his even more wonderful fiancée, my mother’s family escaped to Lake Arrowhead for the holiday weekend.  I hadn’t been there since I was eleven or twelve so it was a long overdue reunion.

The getaway came  at the perfect time, right after a chaotic week and what better to do than to sit around eat and celebrate.  Surprisingly, in a house filled with eighteen other people, I was able to find some quiet time for me to read and write and remarkably be left alone.

There was also numerous meals filled with good eats prepared by the cuzzies and moi!  Friday afternoon we winded into the San Bernardino mountains circumscribing a clear blue lake until we reached this six-bedroom number overlooking the very same lake.  Choice, non?

We arrived just in time to watch chicken enchiladas à la Sam the Cooking Guy get prepared by my cuzzie and cuzzie-to-be.  Note to everyone who wants to make this recipe: don’t fight about what kind of cheese that goes in it; just make sure you have enough cheese.

All of us ate together at a superbly rustic and manly table, which I can’t believe I didn’t get a real picture of.  This was the kind of weekend that after every meal (or during), someone asked how did you make this, what’s in this, or simply said, “This is really good!”

Now, when you’re on vacation, don’t you get to sleep in a little?  Nine, okay?  Guess not.  Despite the drunken debauchery of several middle-aged women keeping you up throughout the night, you’re still supposed to get up and cook everyone breakfast before seven in the morning.  Sigh!  After watching three pots of coffee get emptied, several complaints about it not being strong enough, I managed to get a decent cup for myself.  I had bought a loaf of the Mission’s cinnamon bread before leaving San Diego when I really had wanted to buy two.  I was lucky that one loaf turned out to be plenty along with bacon and waffles.  Turned out that while I still squeezed in a few minutes of sleep, my father had been unabashedly quipping about my blueberry topping.  So I made that too.  I was pretty impressed with how easily cooking for a group really was (but I’m sure having a big kitchen with an stove-top island helped). 

My version of a caprese salad also made an appearance, twice…in the same day. 

Justalittlepiece Caprese Salad Recipe:

~itty bitty tomatoes (like the cherry or grape variety; the smaller the better that way you don’t have to cut them; also assorted colors make for a fantastic presentation)

~marinated artichoke hearts (I get mine in the big jar from Costco)

~fresh basil chopped

~sea salt and fresh pepper to taste

~balsalmic vinegar and olive oil (Note: If you are using marinated artichokes, do not use any more olive oil.  However, if you forgoe the marinated artichokes than a little olive oil will do you just fine.)

~ Sliced, cubed, however you want it cut basically, mozzarella.  Just make sure that you buy fresh mozzarella still in the water–tastes SO much better!

~Toss it all together and you’re done.  So hard, right?

Yum!  The second appearance was paired with our tri-tip dinner, rosemary potatoes, squash that I failed to take a picture of and of course–wine!

 

 

The break in tradition was welcomed and relaxing.  Winding down off the mountain through the fog at a snails pace just makes me that much more anxious for a vacation.

Until next post.