Paradise Trip

The human pack took a short trip to Hawaii's island of Kaua'i in January to enjoy some sunshine and relax.  Kaua'i is so pretty and lush!  You can see from the pictures below how green it is.  We enjoyed hiking, golf, the beach, and some good food.  Pack member Jordi stayed behind and enjoyed play dates and evening strolls every day at the dog hotel.

{Hiking the 8 miles round trip Hanakapiai Falls trail, covered in mud}

Meringue Cookies

We made ice cream for New Years Eve and had a couple egg whites left over.  I don't like throwing away food, so I decided to whip up some meringue cookies, which are pretty much egg whites + sugar.  I used two recipes as guidance (this & this) and this is the end result:

Favorite Snack #2

... is crunchy and spicy chickpeas, a Romanian recipe my mom shared with me.  This snack has become a staple in our home, especially when we have guests over.  It's healthy and quick to make.   The batch I made today was devoured in 10 minutes, so next time I'll plan on making 2 batches. 

Ingredients:

1 can of chickpeas that is drained, rinsed, and dried really well with a paper towel

1 tablespoon curry powder

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon oregano

1 tablespoon garlic powder (you can use fresh garlic, you just have to grate it)

Spicy pepper - I used 1 Serrano pepper that I grated (jalapeño is also a good option)

Salt

Pinch of crushed red pepper (optional)

2-3 tablespoons of olive oil

2-3 tablespoons lemon juice

It's the Season to be Jolly

It's been a rough week for pack member Natalia as she's been really sick and pretty much in bed all week long.  Before getting so sick, the human pack managed to enjoy some winter festivities with a date day at one of our favorite restaurants inside the Ferry Building- Hog Island - and some ice skating at the Embarcadero.

Sunday Treats - Persimmon Crepes

The pack took a trip down to Southern California this week to spend time with family for Thanksgiving.  Jordi's gramda has a beautiful garden with tons of fruit, including persimmons.  Every time we visit, we come back with a bag full of fruit and vegetables, and this time was no different.  We brought back tons of persimmons and have been snacking on them all week.  While in LA, as I was Pinning away {which I love to do on vacation}, I came across this recipe for crepes with persimmons.  They sounded delicious so the human pack decided to make a batch.

{Persimmon tree in grandma's yard}

Escape from San Francisco

When the Pack wants a peaceful break from San Francisco, one of its favorite activities is a hike in the Marin Headlands.  The Marin Headlands are north of San Francisco across the bay.  It's a beautiful stretch of undeveloped (and federally protected) land with fresh air, great views, and more hiking trails than we can count--some of which allow Pack Member Jordi to play off-leash!

The trip starts with just a ho-hum ride over the Golden Gate Bridge.

{A trip across our country's most famous landmark...as seen through our dirty windshield}

Apple Pancakes

On Sunday morning we made a batch of apple pancakes that were super moist and tasty.  The human pack has never heard of apple pancakes before, so we were very excited to try this recipe.