As I said, on our Whistler trip the boys went biking and the girls went shopping. I actually wanted to do the Monkey-do obstacle course in the tree tops, but I was out-voted 3:1. Which I understand - I do a lot more shopping than they do (in fact I had done quite a bit of shopping the week before), and often it feels like work to me, but shopping is something my girls rarely do so it is a holiday novelty thing for them.
Even in stores that didn't carry Chloe's size she always managed to find a hat or sunglasses to consider.
Carmen tried a few things on but what she really wanted was the 2010 Winter Olympics mascot stuffies. Chloe also chose toys and between Carmen's stuffies and Chloe's bow and arrows (with suction tips that stuck to the interior of the car windows nicely, thank-you) it was a fun drive home. (How often is the drive home from a holiday any fun at all?)
We girls swam both before and after we shopped.
Whereas the boys only swam after the rain shut down the chair lifts up the mountain.
We did a quick trip into Vancouver and went to the aquarium there. I have to say I like the Newport Aquarium in Oregon a little better, but I did love this exhibit. They had maps for each of the tanks in this section of the aquarium showing which inlet along the coast of British Columbia was represented there. It was fascinating that though geographically close, each inlet has such a unique population and ecosystem.
And what's a holiday without food? The eating was spectacular. We went for sushi, naturally. Ken gets the shakes if he goes too long without it. The bakery in the village made amazing crepes. I wish I would have photographed my frittata with sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, and feta that I had for breakfast at La Bocca. I'm sure I enjoyed it as much as Ken's Pacific Eggs Benedict (smoked salmon instead of back-bacon). Jaclyn ordered a 'hot' Caesar Salad, which would be easy to duplicate with hot bacon slices, freshly sauteed homemade croutons, and a grilled lemon on the side. Pretty much we dropped $130 at almost every meal. Good thing it was only a 4 day holiday, and that 4th day was fast food all the way home so more like $40/meal.
My favourite dinner was a pasta dish at La Bocca, which reminded me of this recipe I used to make from "In the Kitchen With Rosie" (Oprah's former personal chef). I'm happy to remember an old favourite:
Penne with Chicken and Sun-dried Tomatoes (slightly adapted from the original)
1/4 c sun-dried tomatoes
1/2 c boiling water
6 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast
1/4 c white grape juice
1 T Italian seasoning
3 T chopped shallot
1 1/4 cups chopped mushrooms
1/2 cup fresh peas or frozen peas, thawed
8 ounces dried penne
olive oil
1 T butter
5 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 T flour
12 ounces evaporated skim milk
1/8 t ground nutmeg
1/8 t crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 c chopped fresh basil
5 medium black olives, thinly sliced
fresh parmesan cheese
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Put the sun-dried tomatoes in a bowl, add the boiling water, and set the bowl aside for the tomatoes to reconstitute.
Fill a large pot with water and bring it to a boil while proceeding with the recipe.
Combine the chicken and grape juice in a shallow baking dish. Sprinkle the Italian seasoning on top. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the meat is no longer pink and the juices run clear. Remove and shred the chicken, reserving the cooking juices.
Drain the sun-dried tomatoes and slice them thinly.
Saute the shallots, mushrooms in olive oil. Add the reserved cooking juices from the chicken as well as the peas and sliced sun-dried tomatoes. Simmer until the liquid has been absorbed and the vegetables are wilted. Remove the pan from the heat and cover it to keep the vegetables warm.
Add the penne to the water in the large pot, which by now should be at full boil. Cook 8 to 12 minutes.
While the pasta is cooking, make the sauce. Melt butter in small, heavy saucepan. Toss in the garlic and flour, then whisk in the evaporated milk. Add the nutmeg and red pepper flakes. Whisking continually simmer for 5 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in the basil.
Drain the cooked pasta and transfer to a serving bowl. Add the chicken, vegetables, and sauce. Toss and garnish with sliced olives and fresh parmesan cheese.
1/2 c boiling water
6 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast
1/4 c white grape juice
1 T Italian seasoning
3 T chopped shallot
1 1/4 cups chopped mushrooms
1/2 cup fresh peas or frozen peas, thawed
8 ounces dried penne
olive oil
1 T butter
5 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 T flour
12 ounces evaporated skim milk
1/8 t ground nutmeg
1/8 t crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 c chopped fresh basil
5 medium black olives, thinly sliced
fresh parmesan cheese
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Put the sun-dried tomatoes in a bowl, add the boiling water, and set the bowl aside for the tomatoes to reconstitute.
Fill a large pot with water and bring it to a boil while proceeding with the recipe.
Combine the chicken and grape juice in a shallow baking dish. Sprinkle the Italian seasoning on top. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the meat is no longer pink and the juices run clear. Remove and shred the chicken, reserving the cooking juices.
Drain the sun-dried tomatoes and slice them thinly.
Saute the shallots, mushrooms in olive oil. Add the reserved cooking juices from the chicken as well as the peas and sliced sun-dried tomatoes. Simmer until the liquid has been absorbed and the vegetables are wilted. Remove the pan from the heat and cover it to keep the vegetables warm.
Add the penne to the water in the large pot, which by now should be at full boil. Cook 8 to 12 minutes.
While the pasta is cooking, make the sauce. Melt butter in small, heavy saucepan. Toss in the garlic and flour, then whisk in the evaporated milk. Add the nutmeg and red pepper flakes. Whisking continually simmer for 5 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in the basil.
Drain the cooked pasta and transfer to a serving bowl. Add the chicken, vegetables, and sauce. Toss and garnish with sliced olives and fresh parmesan cheese.
3 comments:
Yea for more Whistler pictures. It looks like the girls were anticipating a cold pool when they jumped in. I'm waiting for rice to be finished for dinner, and so your food comments are totally making my stomach growl. And hooray for a new recipe!
Oh my goodness, $130 at every meal?!!
I love the top picture of Chloe, her attitude comes through loud and clear.
I love reading about your family vacations. Thanks for the recipe. I can tell I need to put a bit more effort into some of our meals. Thank you for the example.
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