More Travel Adventures

 I've previously posted a summary of our ten-year family vacation plan, and our amazing 2019 family trip to Switzerland and Italy Here I'll share some more recent treks.

2020

The pandemic started in March, forcing us to cancel several highly-anticipated travel plans. Our daughter had a college capstone internship lined up in Ireland just before graduating, and we were going to travel there in the Spring to see her. Her internship was cancelled, and we had to cancel the trip, as well. We also had to cancel a trip (including a cruise) to Norway and Sweden we had planned with Andy's parents to see ancestral family sites. We were grateful for our camper, and enjoyed a couple of 1-week camping excursions. 

2021

This year started with a sense of promise- we were getting vaccinated and were very close to rebooking the Scandinavian cruise. Then came the Delta variant, and international travel was again off the table. However, we were able to enjoy several really great domestic adventures, including some camping weekends in our new camper.

In February, Andy facilitated a virtual SOCRA conference from St Augustine FL and I worked from our hotel room. From there, we flew to Fort Lauderdale where we rented a car and visited the Everglades, stayed a night on Islamorada, then on to a couple nights in Key West. Highlights including taking a float plane to Dry Tortugas National Park and cheering the sunset.

In April, we took a spring break trip with our son. We flew into Pensacola, stayed 3 nights in Fort Walton (sunset tiki boat cruise in Destin), 2 nights in Gulf Shores (jet ski excursion), and 2 nights in New Orleans. We took a culinary walking tour and cooking class in NOLA, and gumbo has now become one of Will's favorite things to cook.

In July, we had a great time reuniting with friends in California. We spent a night at the Asilomar in Pacific Grove, then 3 nights at Pismo beach, enjoying wineries, dune buggies and walks on the beach.

In September, we drove to Madison to attend a "make-up" 2020 college graduation for Meg, then drove on to Chicago so we could fly to Dallas the next morning. We rented a car, driving a loop through:

• Dallas- The JFK museum was closed when we were there, but we went to the top of the Reunion tower, and ate great Tex Mex
• Fort Worth- Stockyards, Andy bought boots
• Memphis- BBQ, Graceland, Stax Museum, dinner and blues at BB King's on Beale St, Civil Rights Museum, watching the sunset with a cocktail at the top of the Bass Pro Pyramid
• Little Rock-Esse Purse Museum and Main Street
• Hot Springs- National Park, observation tower and a spa experience at Quapaw
• OK City-Fort Smith, National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, OK City National Memorial & Museum, art museum, Bricktown
• Chicago-Oriental Institute Museum, Second City Comedy show

We took the Amtrak (sleeper room) from Dallas to Chicago, then drove home. On this trip, we checked off Arkansas and Oklahoma from our state lists. 

In November, I checked off two bucket-list items by running a half marathon in Disney World and enjoying the Epcot Wine and Dine festival, after originally been registered for 2020. We stayed in the Port Orleans Riverside resort. I had to get on the bus for the race at 2:45 AM, for a 5 AM race start time (my heat started at 5:30), but it really was a blast as far as half marathons go. We then spent 3 wonderful days in the parks, including the new Star Wars area in Hollywood Studios.

Chicago-Style Pizza

This summer I introduced Will to his first stuffed pizza from Giordano's. It was love at first bite. Andy and I still pine for the stuffed spinach and garlic pizza we'd get at the downtown Edwardo's (long closed) in our early 20s. 

Giordano's and Edwardo's are examples of stuffed pizzas, with an added layer of crust near the top. Deep dish pizza, such as Uno's, don't have the top crust and generally have more sauce and less cheese than stuffed.

Giordano's take out pizza

We own a 14" deep dish pizza pan, as well as a 12" cast iron skillet, both options for this.

Pan areas for recipe conversions:

9" pan= 64" area

12" pan= 113" area

14" pan= 154" area

There are a number of published recipes to try. 

Giordano's has published their recipe, intended for two 9" pans.

The Chicago Tribune published what is considered a classic deep dish spinach recipe in 1988

I made the King Arthur Flour recipe years ago and remember it was good. It's designed for a 14" pan.

Sally's Baking Addiction recipe is designed for two deep-dish 9" cake pans/cast iron skillets, but comments indicate the full dough recipe can be done in a 12" skillet by adding 10-15 min to the bake time. I decided to make the two 9" versions, one with pepperoni and sausage, and one with spinach and garlic. The crust has a couple of steps to it, but it did come out delicious. The sauce was also good, involving a 30 minute simmer.

When we were in Chicago this fall we tried the pizza pot pie at Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder. It was a glorious mess- a kind of individual deep dish pizza.

How We're Trying to Combat Climate Change

We've pursued and invested in a number of ways aimed at decreasing our carbon footprint. Not long after we moved in about 15 years ago, we had a home window and energy inspection. Our windows were deemed very good, our attic insulation was poor, so we put that near the front of the list of improvements. We immediately got a programmable thermostat, lower-flow shower heads, and converted our bulbs to LED. We joined the Xcel Savers Switch program (remote AC cycling).We also joined the Xcel Windsource program years ago, so we've been paying a slight surcharge that goes towards investing in wind energy projects (we got some of this surcharge refunded in the last two years as Xcel collected more than they needed) so all of our purchased electricity comes from wind. We've both been driving hybrid vehicles for a number of years- I typically achieve MPG in the 40s. We hope the next cars we buy will be electric.

We've also tried to be intentional about upgrading and improving efficiency:

New and more efficient gas fireplace installed 2007

Additional insulation blown into the attic in 2008 

New Samsung HE washer and dryer 2010

Kitchen remodel 2011, more efficient dishwasher and fridge

In 2017, we installed solar panels on our roof

In 2019 we replaced all four toilets to lower flow models

We had motion-activated exterior lights installed outside early on so we wouldn't need to keep the lights on, and also replaced the fixtures of our six exterior lights so they would accept LED bulbs in 2021

HVAC

In Dec 2020, we had both a new HE Carrier furnace and AC installed by Bloomington Heating (furnace model 59TP6B, 96.2% efficient and AC model 24ACC6 16.0SEER/13.0EER). The installed cost for both was $9,970, and we qualified for a $400 rebate from Centerpoint and $550 in rebates from Xcel so a final cost of $9,020. Compared to our old system, we noted lower gas bills in the first winter on the furnace, but we REALLY noticed a difference in cost and performance during the summer. The new AC does a great job of keeping the air dryer, in addition to cool, which increased the comfort, and also means we no longer needed to run the dehumidifier in the basement (another energy savings). The new AC is also so much quieter, which is a really pleasant change. 

We've had a programmable thermostat for a number of years, and in the winter we set the day temp to 68 and the night temp to about 60. When I'm working from home near the window this can feel cool, so I wear layers. We regularly adjust the temp when we will be away from home for more than a day or two.

Water heater

Our water heater was 18 years old, and starting to be spotty, so we knew it was time to replace it. This triggered several weeks of research. I'd learned about electric hybrid heat pump water heaters, and it sounded like a great idea. Unfortunately, it would involve an electrician running a high voltage line (and punching a hole in the wall to do it) from our electric panel to the utility room, and the total cost for a Rheem PROPH50-T2-RH375-30 was estimated at $4380 (including $700 for the electrical). As I looked into the performance on the model, I learned that newer models were having a real issue with being significantly outside of spec (50 db) for noise level (given a new supplier on key parts like the blower) and that many buyers were very very unhappy. If we lived in the South and the water heater was in the garage, it wouldn't matter, but since this was just adjacent to a living area, it was back to the drawing board. I started to explore higher efficiency gas models. The pickings were a bit slimmer, but I optimized as much as I could, choosing a Rheem PRO+G40-40N RH62 with an energy factor of .66, for the much lower price of $1895 installed (including an extra anode rod to extend life), which was installed Dec 2021.

Organics Recycling

The city of Bloomington is starting a new organics pick up program in March 2022, for $5.50/month for a 30 gallon cart. We're all signed up to start with the program is it launches.

Induction Range

In April 2024 we purchased a GE profile induction range from Warners' Stellian to replace our gas range ($3400, including delivery, capping gas line and removal of old range). I replaced our 35 year-old copper-bottom Revere Ware with a new 7-piece set of stainless All Clad D3 Everyday cookware ($436 with tax).

New All Clad, on the old range

Frittatas in Two Sizes

Have it your way frittata- 10" skillet

Serves 4

2 Tbsp oil or butter

8 eggs

1 clove garlic minced

3 Tbsp parmesan cheese

3 oz additional cheese, grated or crumbled (optional)

salt, pepper, chopped fresh herbs

2-3 c filling ingredients, including mushrooms, peppers, onions, spinach, zucchini, broccoli, asparagus, sausage, bacon, ham, chopped tomato, cooked potato cubes, etc. You can also use frozen veggies that have been cooked and drained, as well.

Heat oven to 400. Heat oil in 10" cast iron skillet. Add filling ingredients and sauté or steam sauté until lightly browned, 6-8 min, then add minced garlic and cook 1 min longer. Meanwhile beat eggs, cheeses and seasonings. Pour eggs over filling and cook over medium heat, without stirring, until it begins to set around the edges, about 1 min. Transfer skillet to the oven and bake until puffed, about 10-12 min. 

Two-person frittata in 6" skillet

4 eggs, beaten

1 c chopped vegetables

1/2 c cooked chopped meat

1/2 c shredded cheddar cheese (optional)

salt, pepper, herbs

Prepare as standard. Bake time at 375 will be about 15 min.

Making Sausage

Andy took a sausage-making class at Kitchen Window in Oct. 2012, and since then he makes sausage a few times a year, including for Christmas many years. 

The first family sausage-making event, Christmas Eve 2012

Equipment and supplies:

• A hand-cranked 5 lb sausage stuffer purchased on eBay. Andy originally bought the stuffer attachment for the KitchenAid, but it didn't work well at all so he returned it
• Electric knife (if needed for large portions of meat)
• The grinder attachment for our KitchenAid mixer
• Food scale
• Vacuum food sealer and bags
• Collagen casings (we usually buy the 32 mm size by Lem available at Fleet Farm)
• Complete Sausage Cookbook by Bruce Aidells
• Pork fat ("picnic trim") purchased at a butcher shop, can be kept frozen until needed
• High melt-point cheese cubes, if called for, available at some butcher shops
• Many of the recipes call for plenty of spices and garlic, so make sure you have enough on hand

General process:

1. Prepare the ingredients, including weighing and grinding the meat(s) as needed
2. Fry up a small test patty to check on seasoning levels
3. Place sausage mixture in the stuffer. Place a collagen sleeve on the stuffing tube and start stuffing, periodically twisting off individual links. This is better done as a two-person job
4. Vacuum seal and freeze sausages as needed

Favorite recipes:

Chicken and Apple Sausages

Recipe from Kitchen Window

Note: Dried apples can be expensive, so I've dried them myself in the oven at about 175F on convection for about 6 hours. For this recipe, I've dried 4 apples on 2 racks on baking sheets and had just the right amount. 

1 c apple cider, reduced over med heat to 1/4 c (note- we'll often omit this)

3 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs 

1/2 lb pork fat

2 oz candied ginger, minced

3 oz dried apple

5 tsp kosher salt

2 tsp black pepper (smoked, if available)

2 tsp dried sage

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1/8 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp nutmeg

Coarsely grind the chicken, pork fat and candied ginger, then mix in the remaining ingredients.

Andy will also make bratwurst recipes, especially in the spring. The Hunter and Michigan Farmer sausages in The Complete Sausage Cookbook are other favorites. He's also made lamb and venison sausages.

2013,With Max and Rochelle, using lamb from their farm

"Sausage Fest" party with the DeMasters and Larsons, 2013. The guys made sausage while the ladies drank brandy old fashioneds

May 2018

May 2018

Christmas 2018

May 2020

May 2020

May 2020

May 2020

Nov 2021