Ranger Review: Arizona Edition, Part 2

This chronicle of our January trip to Arizona is long overdue...and the thing is...there's a Part 3...and maybe a 4...So, I'll do my best to be brief...but I just can't resist sharing...

We arrived in Flagstaff in the evening and checked into our hotel...a brand new Courtyard.  We decided to mention our rewards level and were lucky enough to get an upgrade to a suite.  It was sweet!  We had a large living room with a wet bar, couch, sitting area, and desk.  The bedroom was also large with plenty of room to spread out.  It was in the corner of the hotel, so we had nice, big windows...and even a little view of the San Francisco peaks.  Amy would have LOVED it! We were staying for three nights...just enough time to get Chris setttled in and to find our way around town before we headed to the Phoenix area for the last few days of our trip...and my flight home.

We quickly discovered Macy's, an eclectic coffee shop and cafe close to NAU's campus.  We went several times in the few days we were there to enjoy the food and mochas.  Chris returned for lunch after I left, too.  We find vegetarian restaurants so refreshing...probably the result of living in southern Oklahoma, where you can't find anything fresh or healthy within an hours drive!  Macy's rocks our world.  The coffee is delicious.  The food is divine.  One morning we shared a huge bowl of organic yogurt with homemade granola and fresh fruit with a huge mocha.  Another day we stopped by for lunch.

Chris' vegetarian BLT.

Homemade vegetarian chili.

Our cousin, Hannah, suggested that we try Brandy's Restaurant in Flagstaff, after hearing that my Uncle John saw a segment about it on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.  After a little research, we knew we couldn't miss it.  Brandy's is locally known for fresh and delicious food.  We were so glad that Hannah recommended it, though, because we never would have found it.  It's tucked in a strip mall on the north end of town.  Brandy's is a must if you are in Flagstaff.  It lives up to the hype.  In addition to breakfast, Brandy's serves lunch and dinner, which I am sure are amazing.

I might have eaten most of my eggs benedict, with avocado.  Heaven.

And a mocha.  Delicious.

Chris had a breakfast burrito, with hollandaise sauce. After commenting on its size, he ate it all.  Brandy's has that kind of effect on you.

Why have something healthy as your "side dish" when you can have a huge, fluffy pancake.  Yes, this came with the breakfast burrito.  So good!

After filling our bellies one morning at Brandy's we headed to Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument and Wupatki National Monument, which are located just north of Flagstaff.  I had been to both sites several years ago during work training.  But, I was most excited to share the experience with Chris and spend more time at both sites.  We spent our whole day between the two parks, which are connected by a park road.  It was a long, fun day.  The parks are part of the Flagstaff Area Monuments.  The third monument is Walnut Canyon, which we didn't have time to visit.  Next time...

As you leave Sunset Crater and head towards Wupatki, the landscape changes...

At Wupatki, you find yourself in the past...in amongst the dwellings of prehistoric civilizations.  Each "house" is beautiful and interesting.  We spent hours exploring and enjoying the beautiful structures and views of the high desert landscape.

Wukoki

Wupatki Pueblo

The "Citadel"

Lomaki and Box Canyon Pueblos

Annette's Cranberry Chicken

When I thought of what my wedding would be like, I always wanted to have my wedding shower guests share recipes with me.  As my mom was planning my wedding shower (along with the help of Erin and Stephanie, my sister-in-law Melissa, and my cousins Annette and Natalie), she asked Alissa at Mew Paper Arts to design the invitations, complete with a blank recipe card for guests to bring along with them to the shower.

Much to my delight, my guests arrived at my shower last August with recipe cards in tow!  The shower was at the Dish Restaurant in my hometown.  It was simple and perfect, just as I had always imagined it would be.

My cousin and godmother, Annette, made the trip all the way from Minnesota to share the special day with me.  I have always admired Annette.  She's beautiful, smart, and witty...and ridiculously stylish.  I hate to admit that I am terrible about keeping in touch.  Annette, however, has always sent cards and packages for my birthday and Christmas each year.  Every year I tell myself I will do better at keeping in touch...it's certainly not because I don't care.  We asked Annette to present our wedding rings at our ceremony last August.  We were so very glad to have her there that day.  She, by the way, looked smashing in a ivory, purple, and brown dress...a perfect compliment to our ivory and brown wedding.  

http://www.jakeholtphotography.com/

A while back, I tried one of the recipes that Annette brought to the shower.  I loved that she included a note that she had received the same recipe at her own shower. Annette's Cranberry Chicken is delicious!  We had it along with some whole wheat stuffing.  Next time I make this dish, I think I'll see how it is with little less butter when browning the chicken.  Cutting some out has really helped as Chris and I watch our weight. And, I think I'll try dredging the chicken in whole wheat flour, too.  But, I went all out and followed the recipe on its maiden voyage.  Yum! I hope you'll try this recipe, too.  It's comfort food at it's best. With a salad and side dish, it would be the perfect Sunday dinner!

Dredge the chicken in the flour mixture and brown in the skillet with butter.  As you can see, I cut the chicken into chunks rather than flattening it out.  We only had 3 breast halves, so I thought the pieces would strectch it out a bit. The chicken cooks up to a gorgeous golden brown.  Remove chicken from the skillet and set aside.

The cranberries, water, brown sugar, and nutmeg are next.  Combine them in your hot skillet and drool as you see it blend together.

After the cranberries burst and the sauce looks all bubbly and delicious, add the chicken back to the skillet, baste, then cover.  Let the chicken hang out and simmer for about 20 minutes, basting occasionally.  This is a great time to prepare your side dishes!  I took a shortcut and prepared my Stove Top Whole Wheat Stuffing.  It's pretty much against everything I stand for...you know, being processed and artificial and all, but it does pack some fiber and it's pretty darn tasty.

I put a few scoops of stuffing on our plates and layered the chicken on top.  Make sure to spoon on some extra cranberry sauce.  It was soooooo good!

Tofu Parmesan

This one's for you, Ranger Amy!  Tofu parmesan has quickly become a favorite in our little household.  I found it in the fabulous Eat, Shrink, and Be Merry cookbook.  Don't walk, run, to buy this book!  While you're at it, you should also buy Crazy Plates, too.  Both cookbooks were gifts from Erin and I have used them every week since receiving them.  You won't miss calories or fat one bit! I've made some modifications to the Tofu Parmesan to suit our tastes. Even meat eaters are sure to love it.  It's really easy and makes pretty good left overs.

Tofu Parmesan

Olive Oil Cooking Spray

 1 lb. extra firm tofu

1 cup whole wheat bread crumbs

1/4 c. + 2 tbs. freshly grated parmesan

1/2 tsp. each dried basil and dried oregano

1/4 tsp. each kosher salt and ground black pepper

1 egg

1 jar of your favorite sauce (or homemade sauce if you're feeling fancy)

1/2 c. freshly shredded mozzarella (ok, let's be honest, we don't measure the mozzarella)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Spray a baking sheet with olive oil spray and set aside.

Remove the tofu from the water and pat dry with paper towels. Cut the tofu into 8 equal slices.  Lay the slices out on paper towels to drain.

To prepare the breading, mix the breadcrumbs, seasoning, and 1/4 c. parmesan in a bowl or breading tray.

Break the egg into a bowl or tray.

To bread the tofu, pat it dry one last time and dip each slice first in the egg and then breadcrumb mixture.  Make sure both sides are completely coated.  Place breaded tofu slices on prepared baking sheet.  Spray the tops of the slices with the olive oil spray.  Bake for 8 minutes on each side (yes, that means 16 minutes total).  Remove from oven and leave oven on.

Prepare a casserole or deep baking pan by spraying it with olive oil spray and spreading a layer of sauce on the bottom.  We use our small, oval Rachel Ray pan (THANK YOU AMY!!).

Layer the slices of tofu on top of the sauce.  We usually have two layers of tofu slices.  Top with remaining pasta sauce, mozzarella, and parmesan.  Don't be shy with the cheese!  I also sprinkle some of my leftover breading crumbs on top.

Bake for about 15 minutes.  To brown the cheese, then turn the broiler on and broil for about 2-3 minutes until golden brown.  Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

We like to have our tofu parmesan with pasta.  I'd suggest preparing the pasta water while the tofu is baking.  We typically enjoy this dish with Barilla Whole Grain Angel Hair pasta.  Although, we recently had it with regular spaghetti.  Either way, it is just perfection!

Ranger Review: Arizona Edition, Part 1

As I mentioned in my previous post, Chris and I took a road trip to Arizona for him to get settled in to attend the Seasonal Law Enforcement Training Program at Northern Arizona University.  That didn't turn out quite like we had planned it.  But, we sure did have a good time in Arizona and we can't wait to go back!

We entered Arizona late in the afternoon.  We were on a mission to make it through Petrified Forest National Park before sunset.  Our turbo tour was fabulous...short, but fabulous.  The park is beautiful and it provided a great stop on the way to Flagstaff.

We have seen a lot of park entrance signs and they're often a highlight of our park visits...yes, just as exciting as the resources.  The Petrified Forest entrance sign didn't disappoint...

I was super excited when we pulled up at the Visitor Center...we were close to our passport stamp.  I was met with a huge Mission 66 complex.  VERY COOL.

The first views of the park itself were of the Painted Desert.  The contrast of the snow and the stone was just beautiful.

We stopped at the Painted Desert Inn, which has been designated a National Historic Landmark.  It was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps and functioned as a hotel for many years.  Today it is open for visitors to explore and it has a small gift shop staffed by a volunteer.  We had a quick look around and kept rolling...we were losing daylight pretty quickly.

We continued on...stopping at the waysides to have a look at the scenery...

We crossed over the former Route 66.

Interstate 40 is visible in the distance.  The park road crosses back under the interstate, to the south end of the park.

Let us pause to reflect on a questionable situation in today's National Parks.  Look closely folks...that's not one, not two, not three, but FOUR cats in that Chrysler.  Huh?

As interesting as that car was, we had to keep moving...we were losing daylight quickly.

The sun was setting...and the park was closing, so we had to go.

We could barely see...

We couldn't miss a stop at the south entrance sign...

And we made our way out of the park through the most badass exit ever...automatic, sliding gates...take that, petrified wood thieves!

Onward to Flagstaff...