Gluten-free Dining

Well, traveling with a food allergy is challenging, especially in areas where wheat-based foods are a staple. A gluten allergy* is something that Joshua has lived with for over ten years, and something we've gotten used to accommodating whenever we're on the road together. I was a little nervous about how to discuss his food allergy with servers - especially in a different language. We've had a few near-misses in the US, so accuracy was vital.

*a gluten allergy (Celiac disease) is classified differently than a gluten intolerance, but the treatment is the same: avoid foods with the protein "gluten" from wheat, rye, and barley, and "heirloom" wheats, like kamut, spelt, and farro. This includes many processed ingredients, too, such as malted grains

Fortunately, there are loads of bloggers who have dealt with international travel and a food allergy, and I found a few great resources quickly. A few recorded their experiences dining in other cities, and a few offered tips and a gluten-free restaurant card created by Celiac Travel to provide to servers when first sitting down at a table. I printed several cards in different languages before we left, but you can just have the pdf open on your smart phone to show the server, too.

Matt from Wheatless Wanderlust has certainly become an expert resource for me, and I judged his credibility by reviewing his write-up of Seattle. He caught all the major brands.

It also turns out that a simple search of "gluten free" or "gluten-free restaurants" on Google Maps reveals several gluten-free businesses in an area. I created a new tag for food businesses and restaurants to avoid mixing the flags up with museums and sites. I think I'll also create a new flag for gluten-free businesses versus ones that might be flagship businesses for local foods.

In Budapest, we found a few blog posts that listed out restaurants, and we traveled to a few of them, especially when they were en route to a destination. Something we have noticed is that cafes open later than one would expect, with the earliest opening time at 7am. No, we're not hitting up the businesses earlier than that, but coming from the US where S-bux opens at 5am or 6am in some places, it was a little surprising.

There were a few times at 9am we would walk to a cafe to find that they're not ready for business. Still others we visited didn't seem organized or prepared to serve a customer. Finally, some others didn't seem to have as many items, though the time of day didn't suggest that they had sold out. So, when you're planning your breakfast occasions, double check their operating hours.

Our winners, for explicitly gluten-free items

Zagreb - Vis a Vis - gluten free palacinka (crepe-like)
Zagreb - Melt - gluten free bread for avocado toast
Budapest - Manioka - best flaky croissant since Coffee & A Specialty Bakery in Seattle
Budapest - Coli Bisztro - gluten free grocery and bakery, serving coffee, pancakes, sandwiches, pastries, and pizza
Budapest - Free - gluten-free bakery, bottled beer, pizza

S/he gets around

We purchased Eurail Passes through Rail Europe, a company associated with Rick Steves. He’s a resident of Washington, as it turns out, and he’s also the go-to resource for travel information with books, a radio show, and multiple websites. His organization has made travel seem easier for so many would-be tourists. A multitude of other blogs and travel sites also exist, so we’ve been doing a lot of word searching and clicking links.


The Eurail pass was easy to obtain, and I did my research using two main sites plus a really effective and helpful blog writeup. The blog writer, Matt, gives a good comparison between rates of buying a multi-use pass or purchasing tickets for the trains separately. If you’re going to travel aggressively – several cities in a short period – it’s a good savings. There are a few pages on Rick Steves’ website that helps estimate the costs of the tickets, and the Eurail website also lets you build a 5-city itinerary, so you can quickly see how much the itinerary could cost. The passes came in the mail quickly – within a week. You can purchase the passes up to a year in advance, so the sooner you accomplish it, the better.




We spent a lot of time trying to figure out which cities to visit. Most of the cities I wanted to see were the capitols, but you don’t have to. I chatted with friends who have done considerably more travel, and one suggested choosing areas with UNESCO World Heritage sites. Others have said you could pick virtually any city or region and spend quality time there and get a feel for the culture without blazing through a checklist. Still others enjoyed hitting the major sites. It really depends on your personal travel style.

Okay, well, all of my recent travel has been for business, and I have knocked out foodie Eater and culture Time-Out recommendations for the cities I’ve gone to. I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was just another ‘grammer out to get the shot. Josh is also not one to follow the checklists, even if a few listed items are of interest. So, the approach was to list the sites to visit and then decide where to go after seeing whether a route can be planned to get to them.


We came up with a list of cities based on familiarity, personal interest, and fame. It was sorta like trying to plan a trip to see the US and naming the cities you had heard of: New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco. If your city wasn’t listed, you’re probably thinking, “wow, you’re missing a great city and culture of the US.” That’s how I felt when were choosing the cities. We just named the capitols and maybe a famous food, wine, or climbing area. Then the fear arose of whether we were missing an incredible gem. We talked through the list of cities with some friends and family, and they all agreed that the list is hard to pare. My parents also insisted that going into Switzerland would be more suited to our interests in mountains and lakes.


So, our final city list:

Zagreb
Budapest
Prague
Munich
Kuessnacht (Lucerne)
Lausanne
Marseilles
Barcelona
Lisbon
Fountainebleau
Paris

Food Lover's Guide to Seattle

I interned for Keren Brown last spring, and I learned so much about PR and marketing. Keren had just published Food Lover's Guide to Seattle, a comprehensive guide to foodie spots, like bakeries, restaurants, grocers, markets, and events in Seattle.

It's divided out by area, so if you're new to Seattle, you'll find this book absolutely invaluable. There are explanations to the neighborhoods, which then serve as the chapter titles in the book. Even better, the book starts with a list of the coffee shops in Seattle; this is essential information for the intrepid - but not yet awake - tourist of Seattle.

One thing especially unique about this guidebook is that Keren includes information like recommendations of foods to experience when you visit that business. All of my favorites were listed: Staple & Fancy, Molly Moon's, Quinn's, Long Provincial, Kukuruza, and Macrina Bakery. There were even a few that were new to me (not actually that hard to do): Gorgeous George's, Kisaku, Blackboard Bistro, and Thai Curry Simple.

It's definitely a book to give to a foodie friend who is curious about exploring the city through the eyes of a really well-informed foodie, Keren. After a quick perusal on a social media site we all know and use daily, I found that friends still message Keren and ask her for advice about places to visit.

The other element that I have liked about this book is that it's not pretentious, like some guide books could seem. I say that, because I've looked at guidebooks for various cities. I have usually had to resort to blog searches for local recommendations to restaurants, shops, and sights in those cities. Fortunately, when you come to Seattle, you can just pick up this book and follow it around.

I recommend picking up the book a few weeks before arriving in Seattle. Based on the schedule you have, choose the neighborhoods you want to visit and then plan your meals based on the restaurants you find in the book. Each chapter is arranged by category, like "Made Here" for bakeries and local favorites. There are also "Food Lover's Faves," which provide a list of businesses that I'm sure you'll love as much as I do.

I spent most of the time going "Oh, that's a good one!" I hope you get this book and get to visit the Sattle that I love.

*Even though I interned for Keren, I was actually given this book as a Christmas gift by a friend who also sent me Ferran Adria's The Family Meal. Thanks, Santa!

J&K on the Road

We’ve talked a lot about traveling to Europe. I always intended to do a semester abroad, but my ROTC scholarship schedule had made it seem unreachable. Josh had traveled to Portugal and Spain for a summer to teach English, but we never got further than the U.K. together. Years go by, and we picked up jobs and made smaller or priority trips.


Josh and I have been traveling before, but this is the first time we’ve signed up for a planned vacation. We don’t normally do package trips, but we were invited to join the adventure after a schedule opening left some friends without travel clients for two weeks.


Our friends, Shawn Frederick and Anne Gayer, recently founded the Adriatic Academy, after deciding that they would love to share their home-away-from home Croatia with friends. We met them during our trip through the Grand Canyon. We stayed in touch and through various subsequent visits in the LA area, we found common ground in our love for outdoors and travel.


This year, we’ve crossed a few milestones, including paying off our school loans and downsizing. When the school year ended, we both decided to leave our jobs and travel while we had the means, the time, and the least obligations. We’re finally traveling Europe, starting with the Adriatic Academy in Croatia, and will be wending (or winding) our way west to Portugal.

Seattle Restaurant Recommendations 2017

Whenever friends or friends-of-friends come to town, they usually send me a note asking where they should dine. I send them this list - written for a friend a few months ago and shared about a dozen times thru text. Here it is, finally, on a blog. Note that it's been 11 months since I wrote on this blog, and my first post is bossing you around :)

I'll share what we have been up to in travel and housing... and how we did it!

But first... the list.

In no particular order or preference. Some I've personally visited, some are just known to be really good. Dine well. Tip better. 

Disagree? Want to add someone to the list? Let me know in the comments below.

Typos are from text. Ignore.

- Matt’s in the Market – new American

- Radiator Whiskey – whiskey!

- Mamnoon – middle east inspired

- Adana – modern Japanese, pre fixe

- Ba Bar – Vietnamese French

- Scout – kickass new American with a killer pastry chef – Eric Rivera’s wife

- Art of the Table – new American

- Kedai Mekan – Malaysian

- Elliott’s – oysters

- Westward – good for a crowd; drive

- The Whale Wins – French inspired farm to table, 2013/14 Best Chef for the NW

- Sitka and Spruce – farm to table

- Quinn’s – new American high class pub

- Little Uncle – Thai street

- Bastile – French

- Le Pichet – French

- Thai Toms – thai

- Marche – Bainbridge – Chef instructor from my culinary program; former Canlis chef

- Hitchcock – Bainbridge

- Nue Seattle – modern Asian fusion – Balud!

- LloydMartin – new American

- Trove – Korean fusion

- Sun Liquor – the vodka on my shelf, burgers & bar food

- Oola – the other vodka on my shelf

- Woodinville Whiskey – the whiskey on my shelf

- Salare – Ravenna – drive. Chef Edouardo Jordan just got the 2016 F&W Best New Chef for the NW – fusion of his heritage southern, African, European, carribbean

- Jack’s BBQ – legit TX BBQ – drive

- Chan – Korean

- Tsukushinbo – traditional Japanese sushi

- Shiro’s/Sushi Kashiba – the chef who worked for Jiro dreams of sushi

- Maneki’s – one of the oldest Japanese retaurants in Seattle

- Canlis – finest dining restaurant in Seattle; reservations and a sports jacket

- Cactus – latin American; mini chain
- Adana - modern Japanese. Chef Shota competed on the Food Network Iron Chef Gauntlet this year

Where in the World are Joshua and Kimberly

Figuring that we should probably tell the world that we're alive (but really that's what social media is for... or frankly, the phone) and realizing that it has been over 1 year since I last posted, I thought I'd submit this introduction to what the crazy Schaub's are up to.

In November 2015, Joshua returned from his trek in China, and Kimberly met him in Hong Kong for Thanksgiving. Then we returned to Yuba City, CA, and began our lives in the North Valley. Kimberly commuted to Richvale, and Joshua commuted to Sacramento - roughly 45 minutes north or south, respectively.

In September 2016, Kimberly accepted an offer by Bulletproof 360 to join their R&D team, and we left Yuba City on Josh's birthday (Sep 30). One really cool factor about the company is that the employees live all over the West Coast and work online and do video conferencing daily to hold meetings, execute projects, and conduct R&D. To the latter, you might be surprised, but as we don't own most of our facilities, we work with strategic partner businesses who create and produce products to our formulas and parameters. With Kimberly's experience in contract manufacturing, this is a great role for her.

Lundberg Family Farms was a wonderful company to work for, and Kimberly was involved in some of the innovative projects that will launch to the market soon. One major personal growth was learning the project management process (we used Stage Gate) in directing the development of an international collaboration with Thai organic rice farmers and an agricultural co-operative that helps to market their crops. The products were launched into stores in the summer, and you can find them at national Whole Foods stores and other grocers. The other projects Kimberly worked on will launch next year, so that announcement will still have to wait.

Josh worked for the Roseville REI for the year, and he also joined the Touchstone climbing gym in the area. Kimberly and Joshua climbed there as often as we could, and we did some limited outdoor climbing as well.

Instead of returning right away to Seattle, since our condo was being leased, we decided to rent homes/apartments in different cities, in a combination trial and tour of the west coast, mostly California. We decided to rent our friend's condo in Tahoe for a few weeks in October. Then we decided to tour Utah and Arizona on the Grand Circle, visiting national and state parks.

After the tour, we stayed in SoCal for Thanksgiving through Christmas, visiting with some friends and attending some meetings. For Christmas week, we rented a house in Cayucas, up the central coast of California, with Kimberly's family. Then we decided to return to Los Angeles and rent a place in Inglewood for a few weeks so that we could do a few more meetings in the area. We connected with a few more friends, and Kimberly attended a few more meetings.

Now Kimberly and Joshua are heading to Tahoe for a few more weeks - back to the friend's condo, for which we have gotten a great deal.

So, that's the summary. Soon to come: The Schaub Grand Tour

Podcast 1: Pre-Trip Interview with Josh

Josh and I completed our move to Yuba City, CA, and then Josh readied for his first trek to western China. He partnered with a buddy from REI, Josiah, and Josh, Josiah, and Josiah's wife Hillary are trekking in China!

He left on Oct 15, and 21 hours later, he arrived in Hong Kong to stay for one night at my family's dear friends - "uncle" and "aunt" to me - before meeting up with the others and heading to China.

In our first attempt to podcast together, we recorded this interview in which I asked Josh questions about his upcoming trip and what he did to plan for it. You'll hear a shameless plug for REI and getting equipment there. Enjoy!

The thumbnail is a picture that Josh took during his trip. It looks like the beginning of a video, but it's just a picture.

New Adventures in California

Well, here we go again. Kimberly and Joshua are on the move!

Kimberly has taken a job as a product development manager at Lundberg Family Farms, a farming company based in Northern California that specializes in organic rice and rice products.

For the past year, Kimberly has been traveling back and forth between Seattle and Sacramento. She would get back to Seattle at least monthly, because there were business trips to different parts of the nation, and it was as convenient to fly through Seattle as it would have been to travel through San Francisco.

Joshua has been working at REI for the past several years, and over the past year, he has been working to transfer to Sacramento's REI store. He will be transferring to the Roseville store.

In addition to the moving adventure, Joshua and Kimberly are going to spend a little bit of time in Asia.

Joshua is heading out on a trek to China on October 16. Kimberly will join him in HK for Thanksgiving. We're really looking forward to it!

SAM Remix Fri June 7

**I love supporting events from the Seattle Art Museum, even when I can't attend. This upcoming event announcement is directly from their website.** http://www.seattleartmuseum.org/calendar/eventDetail.asp?eventID=19012    SAM Performs   SAM Remix August 27, 2010 8 pm–midnight Olympic Sculpture Park Illuminate the park after dark: first 50 in neon get in free. Tickets: SAM members $12, nonmembers $15, students w/ID $12. This event is open to guests age 18 and over only. Here are details to assist you in your evening planning: - The entrance to SAM Remix at the Olympic Sculpture Park is at the corner of Western Avenue and Broad Street at 2901 Western Avenue. All guests with print-at-home, Will Call and blue Remix tickets should check in here. - Please bring your ID and SAM membership card (if applicable) for Will Call and print-at-home tickets. Drink wristbands for guests 21+ will be distributed just beyond the event entrance. - The Olympic Sculpture Park garage will be closed. Parking is available on the street and in lots adjacent to the park. - We will party rain or shine! Be sure to dress for the weather, as most activities and beverage tents will be located outside, throughout the park. - SAM Members: Present your membership card and photo ID at the Member Table to pick up your drink wristband, one complimentary drink coupon and member lanyard for entrance to the “Members Lawn”. Complimentary beverage is redeemable in the “Members Lawn” bar only located in the Gates Amphitheater. - Sorry, no pets will be permitted at SAM Remix (with the exception of service animals). - There will be beverage areas in the PACCAR Pavilion as well as two tent areas throughout the park. Please keep the park clean and keep all beverages in the fenced-in areas. See new installations and celebrate summer at the Olympic Sculpture Park. Experience art, performances, talks, dancing and more at this late-night creative explosion!EVENT SCHEDULE 8:15 PM Seattle Percussion Collective provides a sunset soundtrack in front of Richard Serra’s "Wake" 9:00 PM Houston-based artist Trenton Doyle Hancock discusses his brand new installation for the PACCAR Pavilion 9:15 PM Truckasauras rocks the party with an explosive lo-fi live set. 9:15 PM Susie Lee presents a dance, music, and digital drawing project 10 PM Writer Amber Flame responds to the work of Trenton Doyle Hancock 10:30 PM The band Library Science rouses the senses with aural and visual delights * Enjoy SunTzu Sound’s cosmic blend of urban cultures and organic rhythms. * Collaborate with visual artist Mandy Greer using recycled materials * Dance under the stars to the global beats of DJ Manpreet and R.I. Productions of I Heart Shiva. * Contribute to a massive collaborative comic drawing with the Bureau of Drawers * Try this spontaneous one-line poetry form derived by Allen Ginsberg from haiku * My Favorite Things Tours with artists Jenny Heishman and Jesse Higman, writer Michael Dylan Welch, Seattle Weekly's Victoria Ellison, art critic Jen Graves, The Stranger's Pick Lucas Deon Spivey and others. SAM members enjoy priority access at Remix, ticket presale and more. Not a member? Join SAM today. SAM is proud to have American Institute of Architects Seattle, Arcade, Artist Trust, The Bernard Apartments, Bumbershoot: Seattle's Music & Arts Festival, I Heart Shiva, Jack Straw Productions, Out for Sustainability, Pacific Science Center, Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF), Seattle Works, Sustainable Belltown, Sustainable Seattle, Sustainable Style Foundation, University of Washington School of Law's Advocates for the Arts (AFTA), and Washington Rare Plant Care and Conservation as our August SAM Remix cohosts Members: $12.00 Adults: $15.00 Students: $12.00

Memorial Day

Memorial Day comes and goes each year, and most of us observe it by having a three-day weekend packed with events, BBQs/burger burns, sporting events, and other fun activities. We might take some time to observe flags flown at half-staff or pause on the PBS broadcast of the Memorial Day Concert from Washington. But that's usually it.

As the years pass from the brief time I was in the Air Force, the more nostalgic I feel. I watch "my" Airmen as they gain rank, adding stripes and fancy titles, and "my" NCOs as they prepare to hang up their uniforms for the last time. I celebrate marriages and births and grieve losses with them, and I try to focus on the reasons that I trained to be a leader and officer rather than the reasons that developed for deciding not to stay in.

2012 and 2013 have been pivotal years for Josh and me, and we are starting to feel like we're back on track of plan A, though I admit that it's more like Plan A.99.b. or something like that - it almost resembles plan A, since we are living in a city, near one of our families, and we're doing jobs that we have both studied, albeit after our undergrad years.

In other ways, we have also mourned some losses this year, losing some of our connections to the oldest generations in our families. My dear grandmother, my dad's mom, passed away at Thanksgiving time. Josh's grandfather, his mom's dad, passed in January. Both of the grandparents were foundations in our families, and we feel their losses strongly at family gatherings and in our weekend habits.

This Memorial Day, we remember the path that we took to get to the points we're at -- not to say that we've arrived but to acknowledge what as occurred in order to have the opportunity to sit and blog about it. We remember the friends and family with whom we were close when we lived close by, and we thank you for the time that we overlapped.

I hope you're with friends and loved ones this time, and if you're not, I encourage you to seek ways to build close relationships with those who are around you. You might surprise yourself, like we have in every place we've lived, by the kindred spirits you find who are walking similar paths to yours, even if briefly.

Happy Memorial Day.

Thank you to the men and women who put on uniforms, thank you to their families, and thank you to the citizens that have supported them. Remember, you're never in this totally alone.

Wondering about the Schaubs?

Well, much as we would have enjoyed staying at the Bed and Breakfast longer, we did come home.

I went to Chicago with the Modernist Cuisine team and cooked a fancy meal at Charlie Trotter's Restaurant for his final few weeks.  My contract expired at Modernist Cuisine, and I changed jobs at the end of August.  Read more on my food blog, Peas on Moss.

Josh has started working with New York Life as an financial services professional and is really rising to the challenge. He has been studying for a few exams and meeting with clients.  The financial industry is new - and we're so impressed by all the training that New York Life provides their new team members - but the art of counseling, seeing clients, and maintaining a client base isn't especially new to Josh. The topic is a little less emotional than perhaps his other MFT work, but financial stability and future planning are vital in healthy relationships. It's easy for me to see how well financial preparedness contributes to family relationship health.

We've been spending time with family and friends and even took a family-friends vacation to Las Vegas, courtesy of Brittany's airline connection and Spencer and Aminda's time share.  This time we left all the kids home and enjoyed a three-couple weekend.  We went dancing and dining, and it was really fun. The girls bought fancy dresses for the dancing, and we all went out in style.

This year was my second year as president of the Seattle Waves Pepperdine Alumni Association. We had our fourth annual Seafair Celebration, and this time we reserved a yacht for alumni that sailed to Lake Washington to watch the Blue Angels fly directly above us. That was pretty cool.

She thinks cousin Everest is nuts

We celebrated Josh's birthday at cousin Tracey's house. Tracey and Pete's daughter Grace is three, and she's so cute. It was a luau themed party, so Grace went around greeting guests and giving them little flower leis or shell necklaces. She also hula danced with me just a little.  She's growing up so fast! Our nephew Everest grows taller every day and develops some new (pesky) talent, like opening doors.  It has been a joy to watch him as he explores the world.

Our friends' kids are growing up so fast.  We are loving being aunt and uncle to so many of them. We've welcomed two more baby boys into our Pepperdine alumni circle, and we had a beautiful niece born to Brittany's sister at the beginning of September.

Lots of transition and change at the Schaub's with jobs, and it's been a little topsy turvy adjusting to new schedules, deadlines, and tasks. We moved to some apartments in the International District of Seattle -- at the south end of the city next to Safeco and Century Link Fields. I love it, because we live right above a well-stocked and well-known Asian grocery store. It's so convenient!

More later.

Anniversary and a little bit of Japan

Seven. That's the title of a ridiculously good but scary movie...or it's the number of years Josh and I have been married. Ever since our honeymoon, we have visited a different bed and breakfast to celebrate our marriage. This year we went to probably one of the best ones yet. 


We visited Fuurin-Oka on Bainbridge Island. It's just a thirty minute ferry ride from downtown Seattle to downtown Bainbridge and a quick 15 minute drive up the highway. It feels remote and exclusive, but it's welcoming and enjoyable. 


Fuurin-Oka is a Japanese-style bed and breakfast, but the bed was actually a floor futon, complete with buckwheat pillows. The "Futon and Breakfast" featured a separate cabin, similar to that of our honeymoon B&B, The Markham House on Vancouver Island. It was a small cabin, comprised mostly of a main room with an adjoining sunroom, shower room and large vanity bathroom, and a kitchenette, and it was perfect. 


The entire cabin smelled of fresh, clean, dry bamboo and sunlight, if sunlight could be smelled. The innkeepers were new to innkeeping, but the quality of the cabin and the creativity of the breakfasts belied their inexperience.  The rooms were perfectly cleaned, and the innkeepers had even left us an anniversary card and two little mochi (rice dumplings with filling). 


Since Josh is allergic to gluten, it's always a little scary to inquire of breakfast options that are sure to cause the innkeeper some small amount of inconvenience. Renee, the innkeeper, did a marvelous job, and her response to our dietary requests was a dream. "Your gluten-free needs will certainly be accommodated, " she emailed, and then she proceeded to explain which foods she would use and which ones she would avoid in order to keep the meal safe. AWESOME. 


The futons were a little unusual, but Josh and I were comfortable with camping and floor sleeping, so that wasn't the hard part. I think the most difficult part of futon assembly was pressing the beds together and trying to keep them together. When I was folding up the futons the next day, I noticed that Josh's pillow had crept to the center of the bed (that's normal) but that there was a three-inch gap between our two futons. Hehe. Good thing we were so close to the floor. For the sleep-deprived spouses: It's a great way to sleep if you don't want to cuddle.  Ahem. 

Back to the actual futons. The bed set included a foam pad; which was about 4 1/2 inches thick, plenty plush enough to support us from the bamboo mat-lined floor; the actual futon, which was more like a cushion layer; a top quilt later; and plenty of sheets and blankets. The buckwheat and American style pillows were a bit flat for my taste, but we had brought along our foam contoured pillows, so that was an easy fix. We had to assemble them ourselves, so I would count it as "real camping," but they came together easily, so it was no inconvenience. I was so inspired by the futons, that I even struck up a conversation about switching to futons in our studio. Or not..see paragraph above. 


The breakfasts are always something I anticipate when going to B&B's. This one definitely stole the show.  At Fuurin-Oka, guests can choose from a Northwest themed breakfast, using ingredients procured locally and some even grown on their own property, including the chicken eggs. Guests can also choose a Japanese-style breakfast. Since we stayed two nights, we chose one of each.


The Japanese breakfast was splendid and generous. It came with two different sushi rolls, two ball-shaped rice rolls, house-made miso soup, and fresh fruit. The rolls were tightly compressed, showing that Renee had practiced a good bit to get those right. I was really impressed, because if anyone has tried my sushi, then one knows that I struggle with getting the roll tight enough while maintaining a cylindrical shape.  That breakfast set us up for a day of Bainbridge Island wandering, and we weren't even hungry for a while.


The next morning's breakfast was also just as generous and creative. Thick, gluten-free blueberry pancakes cascaded on their plates, and little egg cups with Canadian bacon and pesto provided the protein. Fresh, sweet kiwi fruit, fresh berries, and Greek style yogurt rounded out the full meal. There was so much food I didn't actually finish! There's a first for me!






The final feature of the cabin that sealed the deal was the shower room. It was lined with cedar (we think) panels, which absorbed the shower's moisture and released a "just-rained" freshness. The soaking tub or "ofuro" was splendid. It was stone, large enough for two people, and sized perfectly. We filled the tub with hot water, enjoyed a night-soak, and then covered it with the foam lid and left it through the night. We started our morning with a warm soak in the tub again. Yep, sure did! It was a really great way to wake up, and it let us use the water more efficiently and sustainably. 


I don't usually wax eloquent about places we stay, especially since I post so infrequently on our family blog. This one, however, merited some extra coverage. If you come to Washington and want to stay in a B&B that is far enough from the city to get some fresh air but not so far that you're driving for a while, then Bainbridge could be your spot, and this could be a great option for you. 


If you go:


Fuurin-Oka

12580 Vista Drive Northeast  Bainbridge Island, WA 98110 (360) 319-5083 http://www.fuurin-oka.com/

Goodbye 2011, Hello 2012

Well, hello friend and reader! It's been uh...six months...since I wrote here. I hope most of you have known to read my food writing blog, Peas On Moss. If not, you should check it out too.

Anyway, 2011 was quite a year.

In January, Josh and I traveled to Hong Kong and volunteered at Mother's Choice. We had a chance to discover my roots and to learn something about the Cantonese culture. It was great fun.

I resumed classes at the end of March and completed the second quarter of the culinary arts program. I also picked up a full time job cooking at Stopsky's Delicatessen, a Jewish restaurant on Mercer Island. Josh resumed working at REI, and he also started working for my dad's business, World Touch Media, in shipping and client management.

I also took an expenses-paid trip to visit the Green Giant Valley in Minnesota and got to connect with family while I was there. Here's a pro shot of my trip and then here's my family. 

When the fall started, I cut my hours back at the restaurant, and I entered 3rd quarter. This is where students are actually responsible for feeding the public (yah, yikes!). We ran a bistro and served traditional dishes, like trout meuniere and steak frites.  That quarter ended the second week of December.

Because I was dedicating myself to school, I had cut back my hours at Stopsky's, and I gave up my shifts there. My chef was very understanding about my availability but needed someone who could cover more hours. At the same time of becoming unemployed, an alumna of the culinary program helped me get into Tom Douglas Restaurants for their holiday catering. I was able to pick up a few shifts at the beginning of December.

I have recently been hired as a culinary research assistant at a lab doing recipe research in Bellevue, WA. I am actually going to be taking time off of school to work, because it's a temporary job working on a (top secret) specific project. It's pretty fun, but it has a steep learning curve. I haven't had to be so precise in my knife skills or scaling (using a scale to measure rather than volume measures) in a long time (since nutrition and chemistry labs). I plan to resume classes once the contract ends.

Josh transferred within REI from the clothing department to Ski and Kayak. Obviously, since it's December, the department is focusing on skiing and snow boarding. He's got his eyes set on a specific set of ski boots and hopes to get some ski trips in this year. We also celebrated Josh's thirtieth birthday this year. In anticipation of turning 30, Josh and close friends conquered Mt. Rainier. Not too shabby!

Josh has continued taking on more responsibilities with World Touch Media. The business has been busy this year, and I'm excited that he gets to work with my dad and brother. It's funny to hear their voices over skype talking about work though!  I hope Josh gets to travel with the company someday, but for now, it's a great organization and has a lot going on. 

We welcomed our first nephew into the Schaub family this year, and he's adorable. No, we won't be adding to the collection in 2012, but Everest has certainly been a wonderful blessing to all the family.

We spent Christmas in Seattle this year, and we were so happy to have cousins from California come up. We had a great time with family this year.  Here's a shot of our little cousin/niece. I am going to turn her into a chef yet! 

I hope you have also had a great year and joyful holiday season. Here's to a strong end to the year and a great start to next year! 

Hehe

Gluten-free Mountaineering up Mt. Rainier

Josh and several friends are climbing Mt. Rainier this summer. Mountaineering is about training your body for the physical demands you'll put on it and for providing it with the nutrients it needs to meet those demands. Because of my nutrition background and burgeoning culinary expertise, it was an interesting challenge for me to determine how many calories he needs, but it became more interesting because we had to design a mountaineering diet that was both light weight and gluten-free.

Most of the recommendations we've found for setting up a menu for backpacking include packing foods like oatmeal, bagels, or dehydrated meals like "beef stroganoff" or "chicken alfredo." Some sites also recommended consuming sports bars, energy bites, oatmeal, or crackers. These all make sense, because they're light weight and high in calories. On the other hand, they're off the menu for those with food allergies, particularly to those with gluten allergies. So, for us, we had to start from scratch. The other challenge is that since I've been working and taking classes full time, I haven't had time to dehydrate meals like I've done before. So, we had to plan his menu around the items that could all be purchased.

The first step in determining the menu for his gluten-free backpacking trip was to determine how many calories he would need. We estimated that he would need about 3000 calories per day, and over a four-day period, he would need about 12,000 calories total. This is based on the calorie needs calculator that can be found on the USDA website, ChooseMyPlate.gov.  We input his weight, height, and activity level, and it gives an estimate of the number of calories he would use up. Once we figured that out, then we started looking at dehydrated food options that were available at REI, because Josh works there.

After determining his caloric needs, we decided on a menu plan for Josh. He doesn't like to have a full stomach when he exercises or hikes, so we determined that he would eat just two full meals per day - at breakfast and at dinner. For lunch, he would eat a high energy bar and plan on snacking through the day. Because he needs about 3000 calories, I wanted to get him to eat as close to 1000 calories per meal and then to consume about 1000 calories in snacks. To do so, he has to eat two servings per meal, or the whole package of each dehydrated meal packet.

Breakfast - 600-900 calories
Lunch - 400 -600 calories
Dinner - 600-900 calories
Snacks - 900-1000 calories

Breakfast was challenging, because Josh can't eat oatmeal. You may think, well, there's always cream of rice. That's true. There are gluten-free hot cereals, but Josh doesn't particularly care for them. So, we opted for a gluten-free granola that we purchased from Whole Foods. We were remarkably impressed by the selection of gluten-free granola cereals at Whole Foods, which included Udis, Bakery on Main, Glutenfreeda, and Enjoy Life. There were also great flavors, such as peanut butter, cranberry orange, and chocolate. Josh selected Flax4Life's Hawaiian Pineapple, Coconut, and Mango. In addition to eating granola, Josh is also going to drink hot chocolate. This is to make up for the warming effects that enjoying a bowl of oatmeal would have.

1 cup granola - 420 calories
1/2 cup milk (rehydrated powdered milk) - 40 calories
hot chocolate - 130 calories

For lunch and snacks, Josh is going to eat several servings of
trail mix (700 calories per cup)
Clif Shot Bloks (200 calories per package)
Clif Shot Roks (270 calories)
Luna protein bars (190 alories)
Accel-gel (100 calories)
ready-to-eat salmon in pouches (234 calories)

I also regularly make protein cookies for Josh (containing vanilla whey protein, approximately 100 calories each), and he is taking a few of those, too.

We had to carefully read the labels, because there are hidden sources of gluten. Since there are varying levels of sensitivity to gluten and wheat, you should carefully investigate what foods are safe. One really good source for information about celiac disease is the University of Chicago website.

Dinner was also going to be interesting, because the hikers are relying on dehydrated meals. Well, fortunately, following a gluten-free diet isn't as foreign as it used to be, and there are now more foods available on the market. We were glad to see that there are even dehydrated meals made without wheat, though most of them are not certified gluten-free, unless you order them online. At REI, there were a few meals available, most of which were Natural High brand. Backpacker's Pantry had a few items too. The particular challenge was that even if the food itself wasn't a wheat food, such as a pasta, soy sauce and vegetable protein were often included in the ingredients. As a result, we couldn't choose them. We did find a few items: Himalyan lentils and rice, honey lime chicken, BBQ chicken and rice, and Louisiana beans and rice. These items are relatively low in calories - about 600 for the entire package - but they would be enough and probably be pretty filling, given the fiber. One challenge in using packaged dehydrated meals is that the sodium content is extremely high. It was pretty difficult to compensate for that, so we did our best to choose flavors that didn't have as much sodium but were still wheat and gluten-free.

Josh and his team should be pretty well set up for meals. It will be interesting to see how they do. The food weighed just over 5 lbs, and Josh divided them into resealable bags according to how he would use them. He plans on unpacking most of the food at the base camp, in favor of simply carrying the snacks when the team attempts the summit.

Hobnobs

Kim and Josh went to World Market the other day. 

Kim, noticing a package of Hobnobs on the shelf: "Oh great! They sell Hobnobs here! Now I can eat them as much as I want, and I won't have to ration them!" Kim thought that she could only buy those delectable bites in the UK, and her mother-in-law even picked some up for her when she was in Canada. 

Josh, looking at Kim's profile, one eyebrow raised: "Nope, you should still ration them." 

from World Market