Back to Life/Back to Reality

All vaxxed up, and ready to once again eat in public with friends! When our pals Jeff and Jess Goldsmith texted and suggested we meet up for a meal... well, it still feels a bit unusual in these COVID times. They found a new place for us to try -- Summer Canteen, a Thai fusion restaurant in Toluca Lake, and we agreed that a smaller, less busy restaurant with outdoor seating was the way to go for our first outing.

And yes, it was a treat. We pulled off our masks, ate, drank, talked and had a glorious time catching up with friends. The light at the end of the tunnel is approaching. Get your vax!

All Vaxxed Up

Before they put a hold on the Johnson & Johnson, we managed to get the one-jab at Glendale High School. Walgreen's administered the vaccine, but here's the bummer: Instead of giving us the CDC vaccination card that everyone else seems to have gotten and are proudly showing off, we have thin, photocopied sheets of paper from Walgreen's. Do they look official? No! If we didn't get the actual CDC vaccination card, are we really vaccinated?

We were mostly lucky with the aftermath: Maria got a headache, and our arms were sore for days after. But no serious side effects. Here's to a slow return to normalcy!
 

Quarantine Baking: Beignets Bring New Orleans to LA

 

Here's the deal: I used to go to New Orleans for work conventions all the time. I'd inevitably buy a box of Cafe Du Monde beignet mix, with the goal of re-creating those delicious beignets I'd scarf down on the Cafe Du Monde patio.

I never did. Those boxes would eventually expire and wind up in the trash.

But this is the pandemic, and there's time now to do crazy things like deep frying dough balls in your kitchen. So when I received a mailer with Cafe Du Monde beignet mix and chicory coffee, I thought I'd do it for reals this time.

(Coincidentally, I was back in New Orleans last January and got this Cafe Du Monde alligator for the Blogger Kid 2.0 — but I didn't bring home the mix this time, knowing better. This mix and coffee came with a mailer for Showtime's "Your Honor.")

Look at this! Deep frying beignets!

Look at this! Rolling beignets in powdered sugar!

Delicious. Almost like being in New Orleans. Almost.

Social Distance Road Trip: Playing in the Snow on the Angeles Crest Highway

 

Regular readers of this blog know that we like to marvel at how close we live to the snow in Los Angeles. I'm not talking driving all the way to Big Bear; during the winter months and after a lot of rain, the snow is a quick drive up the Angeles Crest Highway (the 2), above La Canada-Flintridge. And after the holiday rains, we knew we wanted to get up there to play.

So we grabbed the sleds and headed up in late December. The good news: The snow was at low elevations, which meant we started seeing it on the side of the road just 15 minutes after leaving home in Glendale. The bad news is the 2 is closed at Mt. Wilson, which means there is no ability to drive higher and play in the really deep snow. Instead, this would have to do, and luckily we found a side-of-the-road spot with enough snow and enough space to go sledding.

Clearly, we weren't the only ones to have this idea. The Angeles Crest was crowded with cars, especially where the highway is closed right at Mt. Wilson. We somehow found a spot with no other people.

I'm assuming the snow is all gone now, especially with our warm days recently. Here's hoping more rain comes and we can return in the next few months!

Social Distance Road Trip: Oak Glen and Apple Country

 

On Thanksgiving weekend we decided to take a day trip, and my first thought was to see some fall leaves. Oak Glen came on my radar, and it turns out that's where Riley's Farm — which Evan visited for a field trip in elementary school — is located. (It also turns out that Riley's Farm is owned by awful people, and I'd advise to steer clear.) We had just missed apple picking season, but that was fine, I was just looking for an adventure.

What was open, however, was the Southern California Montane Botanic Garden. It was free, and a chance to walk around nature and see some fall colors. Located at The Wildlands Conservancy's Oak Glen Preserve, it's right off of the road at 39611 Oak Glen Road, and there's plenty of parking.

Opened in 2014, it's quite a nice oasis showcasing the ecology of the San Bernardino mountains. Per the Conservancy, the Oak Glen Preserve "encompasses 220 acres of wild lands that include oak woodland, conifer forest, chaparral, grasslands, wetlands, springs, ponds and two year-round streams with riparian habitat corridors. Divided into venues, the plant species in these diverse habitats are identified with unique, descriptive botanical markers. Since the Garden opened, twelve new venues have been installed—the newest of which are Hummingbird Hill, Falling Waters, and The Artist’s Palette—and more than 100 native plant species have been marked." More pics below:

Before making it to the garden, we grabbed food at the nearby Angus McGurdy's for tri-tip sandwiches and tri-tip french fries. Then we found some picnic tables near the garden to enjoy.

The restaurant was at Parrish Ranch, which also featured antique stores, a gallery (witness the masked David Bowie above) and... llamas.

Driving back, we came across Wilshire's store and restaurant. And although we missed apple picking season, we did pick up a nice apple pizza for dessert.

Oak Glen is about a 90 minute drive, and a fun way to see a very different part of Southern California.

Quarantine Cocktail: The Flight Attendant Amnesia Edition

 

HBO Max's new series "The Flight Attendant" stars Kaley Cuoco as a flight attendant who has a rendezvous with a passenger at his hotel room — but then wakes up the next day and finds him dead. What happened? She has no idea. And that's the inspiration for this appropriately named drink, the "Amnesia."

Ingredients include vodka, amaro, and Oubliette mix. The recipe below: