Happy Trails For Us: My Reluctant Blog

The chocolate tea was the beginning of our ending for this wonderful cruise. Actually the seas were getting a bit rocky, and some of that chocolate was getting a bit queasy so we returned to the suite for pre-dinner packing. I had forgotten the part about cruising where your bags need to be outside for pickup the night before, so there was some madcap discussion as to what to wear to dinner, what to put out to wear the next day, toiletries to pack, toilietries to save for morning, etc. We were taking the train from our last port Seward to the airport in Anchorage, so we would not see our bags until the airport; they were going by truck.

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Continue reading "All Good Things Must Come to That Proverbial End" »

Nancyhol, this one is for you.

Several times while at sea, and I think that these were on our all day sailings, we were offered a special tea in one of the lounges; just another glamorous way to entertain us. We skipped the Viennese tea, but I noticed that on our last tea, there was going to be a Chocolate Tea. No matter that we had already had a leisurely breakfast, and a formal lunch (tho we did walk a mile on the walking track), I thought we should check this out. I took a book and my knitting and found us some good seats in the Horizon Lounge perhaps a half hour before tea time. I was there early enough to watch the staff arranging the tea buffet and the chocolate humpback whale caught my eye. I returned to our suite for my camera, because while I had kept the camera out of the dining room, I knew this was a real photo opportunity. And since I got the pictures just ahead of their identifying labels, I cannot tell you what each photo is, just let me say it was a lovely mid-afternoon feast. And the tea was good, too. And yes, we did have one delicious multi-course dinner for our last hurrah a few hours later.

Continue reading "A Chocolate Tea at Sea" »

Ah, my week for the recipe - back in March, when we were deciding to move onto salads after our wonderful months with soups, I was just about to start searching through my summer favorites (orzo, caprese, etc.) when my April issue of Bon Appetit arrived. On the cover of the magazine, on a pale yellow background, was this 'burst of spring' plate of salad. And that was my inspiration for Salad Samplers.

Grilled Chicken Salad with Tarragon Pesto

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

1/4 cup (packed) fresh tarragon leaves plus 2 teaspoons chopped
1/4 cup (packed) fresh Italian parsley leaves
4 tablespoons pine nuts, divided
5 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, divided
2 teaspoons chopped shallot
6 tablespoons (or more) olive oil, divided, plus additional for brushing
4 boneless chicken breast halves
4 1/2-inch-thick slices country-style French or sourdough bread
1 5-ounce package mixed baby greens
1 cup thinly sliced radishes (from 1 large bunch)
1 cup thinly sliced Japanese cucumbers (about 1 1/2)

Continue reading "Salad Samplers #10 (6/28) - Grilled Chicken Salad with Tarragon Pesto" »

On our last day at sea, we are going to cruise the Hubbard Glacier, and the party was to start in the Observation Lounge at 7 am. I told David that since I was rising early with the sun, I would go up there and save him a seat. As the night before had been rather rocky, I was not sure if I could do this, but after a dramamine took hold, I was in bed fairly early.

Perhaps too early, since I woke, looked at the clock, saw it was 6 ish and thought I would get up and take a shower. After the shower, I looked harder at the clock and saw it was only 4:30, yes, 4:30 am, and there I was ready for the day. Sigh - closed the curtain and went back for a nap.

So, a little information about this glacier, from our cruise ship notes, Passages:

Continue reading "Hubbard Glacier" »

Sitka was to be our last port day; again we arrived very early in the morning, but in this shallow port, we could not pull up to the dock, but dropped anchor in the harbor and used tenders to get into town.

Historically, the Sitka culture is a blend of Tlingit Indian, Russian and American. The Tlingit were there first, of course, and lived undisturbed until 1799 when the Russian explorers arrived and built a fort a few miles to the north. They came to gather and trade furs. The Russian Orthodox church established then is still a focal point of Sitka today. When in 1867 the United States purchased Alaska from the Russians for $7.2 million, the transfer ceremony occurred in Sitka.

From our cruise notes, " Sitka is one of the world's finest places to view wildlife. The surrounding waters provide important feeding grounds for many species of whale. Sea otters, sea lions and other marine wildlife are abundant in the area."

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