Valentines and Roses and Fireworks
I cannot remember the last time I completely relaxed on a vacation or holiday. Yes, we take them but almost always with a purpose. This time we spent a week in Mexico at a resort on the Pacific Ocean. We have been here three times now and are feeling somewhat familiar with it all. We joined our friends of almost 48years, Tom and Rosemary, as we have in the past. To make a long story short, we met in the delivery and recovery area of the hospital in Wilmington, Delaware where we gave birth to our first babies. The girls were born two hours apart. We were roommates for three or four days. It was such a wonderful happy time and we have continued to add happy memories together over the following years. We traveled together to England where we rented a flat from a Polo buddy of Prince Charles, we’ve been to weddings in Mexico, Houston, Santa Fe and more. We follow each other’s lives and all the moves we have made including a year they were in Seoul Korea. We rejoice with each other on the arrival of grandchildren. We don’t look any different than when we met. A bold statement but I feel just as I did 48 years ago whenever we are together. We laugh together in that way that old comfortable friends can. Rosemary had a stress fracture in her foot so we slowed down our lives. Yes we played some golf, yes we went to the beach but we spent more time sitting by the pool and voraciously reading vacation reads and we relaxed. I let go of the drive to get up and walk several miles each morning and just did a couple of walks but really more short walks between the pool, the suite, the restaurants as my focus was in movement over the day and not in distance.
Food that Delights the Eye and the Palate
Even dietary focus was changed to light and easy. No worries about what I ate just enough to never be hungry. The food was exceptional in the evenings. We chose different spots throughout the area with the highlight being the Valentine’s Dinner at Pedregal. Rosemary and I even came home with roses. It was a many course meal but each course was a piece of art as well as a treat for the tastebuds.
Golf and a Surprise
We have played golf at The Desert Course and enjoyed it so made arrangements to play again on this trip. Rosemary doesn’t play golf anymore but John and Tom and I do and we enjoy playing together. Another friend from Dataw joined us two years ago so we asked him to join us again. He announced that he would be delighted to do so if we would join him on the beach for lunch and a surprise. We arrived to find another couple, Josie and Bill, who have been friends of ours since the early 80’s when we lived in Hartford. They now live on Dataw as well which has been a real joy for us. Maybe they are stalking us???? We had no idea they were in Mexico so you can imagine my total surprise when there they were sitting at the table on the beach. I love this kind of surprise.
Fur Crowd on Vacation Too
Our fur crowd have had their own vacation and from the looks of things have had a ball. Wyke may never want to come home after a week of playing with his best buddies. The kittens were spoiled by Alyssa. It really goes a long way to making our holiday a good one when we know these guys are well taken care of in our absence. Thank you to Brian and Alyssa.
Have Extra Ripe Bananas? Try this one.
Healthy Blender Banana Muffins (Dairy-Free, Flourless)
courtesy of Kristine’s Kitchen
Ingredients:
3 ripe medium bananas
2 cups old fashioned oats*
2 eggs
¼ cup almond milk*
¼ cup honey or pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup dairy free chocolate chips, I used mini*
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a muffin tin with cooking spray (I use coconut oil spray), or set 12 silicone muffin cups on a baking sheet.
Place bananas, old fashioned oats, eggs, almond milk, honey or pure maple syrup, baking soda and vanilla in a blender. Blend until well combined but not completely smooth. You still want to see some small pieces of oats in the batter.
Add the chocolate chips and blend for a few seconds to mix them in.
Divide the batter evenly between 12 muffins cups. I pour the batter directly from my blender, using a small rubber spatula to catch the drips between muffin cups.
Bake for 15-17 minutes, until a tester inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes and then carefully transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling. A mini spatula helps to remove the muffins without scratching your muffin tin.
Muffins freeze well. Freeze in a zip-top bag for up to 3 months.
