Weekend at the Finger Lakes

Haluaaa there! :)) We just got back from a mini-vacation in Ithaca. Ithaca is home to the famous Cornell University and is also scenic-ly positioned at the tip of Lake Cayuga, the largest of the Finger Lakes. The area has a bunch of things to do - hiking in the many state parks, visiting wineries, taking a dip in nature's swimming holes, exploring downtown Ithaca, and many museums...

The ecological balance of the region apparently creates a very fertile ground for grape vines and there are many wineries lining the coast of the lake, more so on the east side of Cayuga. We passed on the wine trail as we don't take much to wine and there were so many other things to do anyway. We have been on a wine trail once, last year at Nigara (on the Canadian side), but did not find it much appealing. We even got a bottle of fine ice wine, we like ice wine -it's sweet!. And, it has not been opened yet - since July 2007!

Anyway, with two days to discover the area, we were more interested in the nature and culinary parts. We left on a bright, sunny Friday morning and reached Ithaca in good time. Our first stop was lunch at Ithaca Bakery. It is located in downtown Ithaca and seems very popular with college students and residents alike. We had a satisfying lunch of chilled gazpacho soup, sandwiches topped off with lemon mousse. They are much like a deli and carry a variety of interesting breads and cheeses which passed my husband's refined tasting tests :). All in all, a good lunch spot.

By this time, the sun was over our heads and sizzling up the place. We judged it best to spend the heat of the afternoon indoors. So we headed about 45 minutes West to the Corning Museum of Glass (CMOG) . It is definitely worth a visit. They offer workshops where you can make your own glass art such as flowers, Christmas ornaments, paper weights etc. for a reasonable price. If you are keen on taking one of these, I would advise you to book ahead. We made a rather last minute booking and were just lucky to get a couple of spots. The delay cost us the indoor, air conditioned class and we ended up outside - though it was not so bad, the class area had a roof and sides :)...

Anyway, the glass flower workshop was well worth the 22 dollars and was a great experience. Best of all, they ship our creations home (for a fee of course)! I can't wait for them to arrive.. they are going to occupy the pride of place in our living room.. :)))) After that we roamed the museum and studio. The studio was great - there were pieces created by the staff, instructors and students and some of them were just fantastic! There is also a museum store but we did not find many articles created by CMOG on sale there.

We headed back to Ithaca and the Robert H Treman state park. It is a really small park - smaller than even Central Park! It was evening by the time we got there and the oppressive heat had gone by. We parked with a fee of $7 and started on the gorge trail. It was beautiful!! There were not many people here, esp so late in the day - I'd imagine more crowds in the morning/afternoon.

One can only marvel at the work of nature. The gorge was rather deep and extensive. It was formed several thousand years ago by receding glaciers and the river. The impact was stunning! Although the falls is tall - 115 ft - its volume is not huge. We stepped off the trail in order to get closer to the falls. It was lovely - with the evening glow and just the two of us in the deep gorge with the sound of the falling water - all in all a peaceful and serene portrait. Sitting inside that gorge, we not only felt the power of nature but also how small we were relative to our surroundings. It is a wonderful, calming experience.

As dusk fell, we headed to the Pine Creek campground, 5 minutes from the park to pitch our tent and crash for the night. Camping is a good option on such trips filled with activity - Its cheap ($28 a night), functional and rustic leaving one with the feeling of being with nature. The campground was run by an old family who apparently retire from the office at 5 pm!! So we had to wait to check in - they had to be called back from their home!.

Dinner that night was at Madeline's - a fusion Asian restaurant in downtown Ithaca. They served good food priced at NYC levels - the rack of lamb is definitely recommended. After an overdose of dessert, we headed back to our camp for an uneventful and peaceful night.

Next day, after packing up and cleaning, we headed to the Carriage House Cafe for brunch. This place had come well recommended by other travellers to Ithaca. It is located on East State Street, a cobblestone street, amongst what seemed to be grad student housing. The ambiance was impressive but the fare was way below par. My "Almond frangipane french toast" portion was just 1 slice! Husband's "Kendall brook smoked salmon, goat cheese with chives, baguette, candied fig" came as 3 slices of toast, a scoop of goat cheese and 3 swirls of sliced salmon - all separate!!!! Come to think of it, there wasn't any candied fig in that!!!! I would definitely not recommend this place!

Well anyway, putting that behind us, we headed to downtown Ithaca and took a walk of the area starting with the visitor center. It is a quaint area with some good shops and one can spend an hour or so here. There are quite a few pottery and art stores for the interested. We then decided on a boat tour and headed to the lake with that intention. Unfortunately, the tour was sold out and we lost out on the opportunity. We did get a view of the lake from there :).

The launch area was also the location for the weekly farmer's market and we walked through the stalls gazing at the incredibly fresh produce, plants from nurseries, local art and of course food stands. We bought a rosemary plant (to replace the one that browned on me :( ) and some snacks for the journey back.

Heading back into town, we covered the Taugannock Falls and Buttermilk Falls parks. The former is on the west coast of Cayuga and is reached by a very scenic drive along the lake. The falls themselves are very impressive. We did not do the hike here but caught the wonder from a distance which nevertheless gave a perspective of the sheer force of the falls - 215 feet of it plunging through a rock amphitheater of 400 feet! In comparison, the Buttermilk falls was a much dwarfed version and not over-whelming at all. However, it does offer a swimming area which many families were taking advantage of :).

When you are in Ithaca, the one must-do is to have an Ice Cream Sundae - after all, it is the birthplace for this wonderful creation of man!! :)) Check out Purity Ice Cream - they have a nice, outdoor shaded courtyard to enjoy their lovely flavors in and they whip up a very good banana split!! :))

Well, after that cool stop, we headed back to the city and made pretty good time too! :) I would definitely go back there and maybe with a larger group next time - imagine it'd be more fun - after all, it is college town!!

Dance Dance Dance by Haruki Murakami

I recently ventured into the literary world of Haruki Murakami. I kept hearing about "Kafka on the shore" from friends' iRead posts on Facebook, displayed on Barnes & Noble windows and finally, as a sealing wax, Amazon suggested the author to me based on my book-buying pattern. Now, with so many signs around me, I decided that I must take the bait. So, I researched a bit on the author and googled up his most popular titles.

I usually choose to own any book that catches my fancy (and hence Amazon's earnest endeavors to snare more of my attention!). But, this time, I decided to try the NY public library first, to see if this flavor suited me. As it would happen, all the popular titles I had looked up, were out for circulation, and I ended up picking up a little known (to me!) book named "Dance Dance Dance".. Well, my first impression on reading the blurb was frankly not the best - it looked to be a cheap thriller or a B rated sci-fi movie complete with sex crimes and hallucinations...

Nevertheless, I persisted and am glad I did :)..As the saying goes.. Don't judge a book by its cover.. it rings very true for this one.. The book was a pleasurable read ... the story is nothing fancy but the style and delivery was fresh...It's a whimsical theatre of philosophy delivered with just a touch of humor.. A tune that carries one along through the entire book making it a pleasurable read while lending a lightness to the subject itself.

To someone, who has not read any of Murakami's books, the titles seem a bit .. well, different.. I mean "Wind-up bird chronicle", "Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World" etc.. are really windows into what to expect in the book.. atleast not literally...!

The book's title, in this case, is actually metaphorical.. The book is just about Life... about dancing your way through everything in life and the need to carry on (dance) despite everything in the hope of a better tomorrow.. for if you give up.. there will be no tomorrow.. so dance you must!

The story is centred around an ordinary Japanese man, who has an ordinary job. The circumstances of the book are rooted in this man's past which undeniably have an influence on the future.. But, the influence lingers only so long as he chooses it..The location is a certain Dolphin Hotel, which itself goes through a dramatic in the four years that connect his past to his future. As much as the hotel has changed, it still retains a "connection" to its past. In similar fashion, this man's future, which he comes to seek at the hotel again, is undeniably linked to his past....

The book is a parody of the trials and tribulations that this man goes through as tries to overcome obstacles, unties the knots of his past in an attempt to glimpse into the future which he hopes will be for the better. Throughout his quest, the memories of his past play the beacon leading him on to new experiences while giving him direction. At any point when he loses perspective or is confused, the past works as a reference point for unravelling present mysteries..Along the way, he meets different people made of different fabrics and learns something about himself and life from these encounters...

Throughout the book, he communes with himself to help him unravel a certain complexity in his life, unexpected or unexplained circumstances and most important of all, What he must do to carry on..Murakami patterns these self-analyses and ruminations as science fiction. Yet, his parallels are closer to reality.. more so for the whimsy in them...Who amongst us has not imagined carrying on conversations with a worthy, all-knowing pedagogue - a fictitious person completely generated in the privacy of one's mind..

Continuing in the vein of illustrative metaphors, Murakami introduces a term in the book that is really allegorical when you come to think of it - "shovelling snow". He uses it to describe the work that most of the characters do. Consequently, it relates to what most of us do through for most of our lives. :) It well describes the mundane nature of work and life that we go through for our sustenance, to keep us going, for we must indeed. There is nothing spectacular or genius in these things but they are necessary and integral to our life and for the hope of something better... if only tomorrow!!!

The story has a bit of everything - mystery, romance, abstraction, symbolism, originality and commonness. But most of all, what propels the reader and the story along is the undercurrent of satire.. which thankfully isn't lost in the translation!! :))

All in all, I would definitely recommend this book and am looking forward to more of the author's delicacies! Amazon, here I come for Kafka... :))

Pink as the bing on your cherry.... ;-))

OK!!! I suppose I have to accept that summer isn't going away soon :(.. Its HOOOT outside!! Everyday is a new heat record and my electricity bill is setting a new high with the a/c costs. I just stepped out to buy some essential onions and potatoes from the deli opposite my house. And I came back hot and sticky... Make no mistake - this was anything but the sexy variety of sticky or hot!!

On days like these, cooking is not the most pleasant activity, even if you otherwise find it therapeutic,like me!...Sweating over a hot stove on a sweltering day makes me snappish.. These are days for cooling foods like tons of fruit and cold cured meat sandwiches with tons of fresh mozzarella :)... or if you want a little more gourmet - cold soups...

I love soups.. I mean they are there for you through heat and snow! In the winter, I used to look forward to a nice steaming cup of hearty soup from Hale and Hearty for lunch. Fortunately for me, the store was located at the base of my then office building.. So I did not even have to be exposed to the chilling forces of nature for long, to get my meal. Anyway, after a bowl of the steaming (Oh and was it hot!) concoction, I always felt nice and toasty warm inside. Of course, it also expedited the need for an afternoon siesta... followed by yet another hot cup..of chocolate this time..hehe..

In the summer months, one can turn to similar comfort from hearty soups like Gazpacho or more interestingly fruit soups! :)) There are variety of soups one can make from apples, pears, melons and my personal favorite - Cherries. Oh yes, these lusciously red babies make love at first sight!

Okey, by now you guys are probably wondering where Aerosmith fits into my rant about summer and soups :)).. Alright alright.. I'll give it up - the cherry soup is PINK!!! - its like red but not quite :DD.. hehe .. sorry, couldn't help it :DD

Anyway, the cherry soup has its roots in Hungary where it goes by the name hideg meggyleves - hideg meaning "cold", meggy meaning "sour-cherries" and leves means "soup". It was traditionally served as an appetizer or dessert course on hot summer nights. I don't get fresh sour cherries here, so I just use the nice, ripe, sweet ones from the supermarket.. That extra dash of sweetness really works well with the dish :)

I have made the soup many times and it never disappoints. Its light, cool, sweet and refreshing - just the thing you feel like coming back to after a long day that puts back some life in you - like a sweet kiss from your lover ;-)). The soup fits many occasions too - for days like today when you need that extra dose of cheeky pink refreshment, special occasions when you want to set a romantic mood (After all, Pink is the color of Passion as Steven Tyler bawls!) or for a casual dinner party to impress your significant other's parents, or your own gourmet dinner hang out with friends.

And its a quick one to make too. It takes about 20 minutes from start to finish and there isn't much labor involved either. So I make it in the morning, leave it cool and as lunch time rolls in, its ready to be slurped away. The soup is definitely on the sweeter side, which in itself is energizing (I have a sweet tooth). But if its too sweet for your taste as an appetizer, then it sure is a cool way to end the meal! :)

So, stay cool with the fruits. And I think everything is going to be all right... No matter ..... :))

Hungarian Cherry Soup

1 cup fresh cherries pitted - the darker they are, the pinker the soup looks
2.5 cups water
1/4 cup sugar

1 T all purpose flour
1/4 tp salt
1/3 cup sour cream

Put the cherries in a pan with the water and sugar and poach on medium-low heat for about 15 minutes. Cherries are done when they start floating to the top. Meanwhile, blend the flour and sour cream in a bowl until smooth. Then add in salt and sugar. The flour is used to thicken fruit soups and the pinch of salt brings out flavor in a cold soup.

Once the cherries are done, remove the pan from heat. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the poaching liquid for garnishing. Stir another 2 tablespoons of the liquid to the flour-cream mixture and pour it back onto the cherries.

Return the pan to heat and bring the mixture to a boil. Lower the heat and let it simmer for 5 to 6 minutes. Let cool to room temperature and then pop in fridge till 15 minutes before serving time. Serve the soup with the reserved liquid swirled in.

A refreshing tryst with Shenandoah....

We had been debating for a while between spending the July 4 weekend in the city with the hope of finding it emptier or taking leave of the city as is always my usual choice :). On the one hand, there were a few things that we have been intending to do within the city for a while now - the river cruise, walking across the Brooklyn bridge, take a culinary vacation into the boroughs...so on...On the other, flight prices have been creeping up rather too fast for my taste!

So, I thought long and hard and fell upon the brilliant idea! What, but a lovely long weekend nestled amongst the lush green lands of the Shenandoah National Park :))). Okey! Now that's decided. Then began the search for campgrounds. Oh! I haven't told you, have I?! We got a whole set of camping equipment for the two of us - 2-person tent from Wenzel, Swissgear Zero degree sleeping bags, single burner stove, foam pads and the lanterns. All from good ol' Amazon :)). ( I love the Prime membership.. tons of stuff on free 2-day shipping!)

Anyway, as usual I was late in my search and all the campgrounds within the park premises were fully booked. Then, I remembered that I had once stayed at a KOA campground at Littleton, NH and that was a lovely place. The KOA campgrounds operate on a family-run, franchise model and the set-up is pretty similar on all sites - they have trailer parks, tenting sites and log cabins. So I looked up the nearest KOA - the Harrisonburg KOA located about 25 miles SW of the middle of the park - and booked us into a nice little tent site amongst the tall oaks at $26 a night.

Tip: if you are a more-than-once-a-year camper and like your KOA experience, it is a good idea to invest in a KOA value card which gives a 10% discount on each rental and also accumulates points towards free stays.

Alright! We had the location, camp site and the equipment and the car to transport us. Come July 3rd, we were all set to leave the hustle of the city to the peaceful tranquil (so we thought!! ) of the forest. After a excruciating one hour stop-start drive across the city to the Lincoln tunnel, we finally left the city at 1:30 pm on our way to VA. It is an interesting drive - we passed through 5 states - NJ, PA, MA, WV and VA. After a pit-stop for lunch at a family inn in one of the exits off I-81 S, we reached the campground at around 6:30 pm.

We checked in and set up our little tent. We had a pretty good size site, the tent sites were pretty well spaced out and ground was flat and perfect for sleeping on. Set-up did not take much time especially with a bit of help (hammer provided voluntarily!) from our friendly neighbours with a strong Southern accent. I did not know then that you get you hear that twang even in VA! Anyway, they proved to be very nice people through the stay and definitely friends in need (explanation to follow) !! :))

When done, we checked out the facilities. It is a family campground - so there was a pool, children's play area, horse-shoe game zone and even a media hut!! Movies are screened every evening at 7 or 8 pm for a night picnic. And, as we found out, this hut was a nice, dry place to park ourselves during downpours sipping a cup of chocolate! :). Anyway, after an eyeful of the sights, we raided the camp store for some supplies and firewood and were informed at the counter about the spectacular restrooms with marble counters (The restrooms are very good..I should know! I am very very picky about them. They were always clean, well aired..no marble though, only look-alike :) )

Back at the site, we got ready to cook dinner and hubby set about starting the fire.. I had packed chicken marinated in Indian spices for grilling over the fire..The fire had some teething problems but finally decided to give in and worked up to a good blaze. After some s'mores for dessert, we were all set to turn in. The night passed almost uneventfully. A good-sized Mexican group had checked in late in the evening and they decided to party loud late into the night. That did not bother us that much but did others and they were asked to vacate the next morning..Oh well! Can't say I minded :).

The next day, July 4, dawned cloudy and ominous - thunder storms were expected. We put on our brave face, packed all perishables into the car and set off for the forest. I had marked out some short hikes along the Skyline Drive and we proceeded to the Thorton Gap entrance and then South on the Drive. When we first saw the forest, the lushness took our breath away! The whole area was GREEN!! the ground was covered with vines too which made it soooo rich looking.

Btw, we later found out that this much greenness is actually not good. Apparently, the vines and lower plants are not native to the region. For example, a species of long stem grass took root when it came into the country as Japanese packaging material and never left. It grows everywhere you see. To compound the issue, since these plants are foreign to the region, they do not have natural bio-checks (like beetles and weeds) on the growth while the oaks which are from the region do. So these new flora can grow unchecked and choke the native plants.

In the meantime, the overflowing greenness does become the forest (Sorry conservationists!). So, back to the drive. There are many outlook points along the 100-mile drive that starts are the Front Royal in the North to the Rock Fish Gap at the Southern tip. Our first hike-stop was at mile 41 for a 1.5 mile - one hour hike to the Stony Point summit.

On our way up, we stopped at the Little Stony Point (0.7 miles up), which is a little stony escarpment with phenomenal views. That was the only clear view we got that day! Yet, the best part of the hike was yet to come. As we continued on to the summit, the skies opened up, slowly at first then with much more force. We got to the summit to a foggy view but the way back held many pleasant surprises. As we walked back, we came upon a young deer grazing on the leaves and he even let us gaze at him and admire his powerful flanks before he trotted majestically across the path and into the thicket. After that tryst with nature, we had the pleasure of walking through the clouds, my first ever! :)).. By the time we were back at the parking lot, we were drenched, but it felt good, like being cleansed! :))

That was about all we got to do in the park that day. The skies opened up for a torrential downpour, which lasted about an hour, most of which time we waited it out in the shelter of the car. All the time, we had a single question in our minds - Will our tent have survived the onslaught????

Sooo, we drove back as quickly as we could. But, we did stop along the way at Pack's Frozen Custard stand for a yummy banana split with black current and banana ice cream and tons of whipped cream. Why not?!, the skies had cleared up by then and what had to happen to the tent, already had! Besides, its ICE CREAAAAMMM!! :)) So, we had a dose of cool from the place every day for the rest of the stay. Definitely recommend the place!

Anyway, we eventually got back after a lunch at Hardee's (nice burgers!!) and grocery stop at the Walmart. The tent, thank God, was still where we had left it, with only few drops of water inside and some dampness!! :))).. More importantly, we were at the receiving end of our neighbor's goodwill again! They had placed our fire wood and chairs under the picnic table and covered it with an extra tarp they had brought! I was a bit embarassed that we couldn't repay their kindness with much more than gratitude... :O

By this time, it was evening anyway and the skies still looked ominous. So, we hung around the above mentioned movie-hut. Soon enough, it started to rain again. That meant, no sausages for dinner :) So, we went into downtown Luray for a meal of sandwiches at the Southern Kitchen. The turkey was fine but the fried country ham was too salty to eat!!

We stayed on after to watch the fireworks in honor of the day. The night had taken a dry break and it was a pretty show for 5 minutes! Although, I must admit, I have seen way better display of fireworks back home during Diwali... those were the times....We would go up to the terrace after dinner and watch our neighbors light up the fancy night crackers for everyone's benefit!:))

It poured through that night but we were quite dry inside our tent. The little fellow was holding up well. Saturday, we breakfasted on chorizo sausages and left for the park and the rest of the drive. Our major stop today was the Dark Hollow Falls trail, a moderate hike of about 30 minutes to the falls. The falls wasn't spectacular but the hike was good.

After that we continued on catching some lovely views from the overlooks, through foggy roads and perfectly romantic setting, and lazy walks in the Big Meadows socialising with some not-so-shy deer. We were lucky to get a good look at the 2-3 months old deer with their spotted hides and white tails. They looked soo delicate as they grazed staying close to their protective mothers....

We were back at the camp site for a quiet, clear evening and more sausages. After a peaceful night, we woke up to clear skies and our day of departure. We packed up and headed for a breakfast of pancakes and sausages offered by the camp owners at $2.50 a head! :)).. Good stuff.. (They also had an unlimited icecream special for $2, the previous night that we unf. missed! :( ).

Waving a good bye to the camp, we headed to the Luray Caverns, a 10 mile drive from the camp. For $19, we got an hour's tour of the awe-inspiring stalactites and stalagmites. These caverns were discovered in 1878. We gaped at the 47 foot splendor of a column, the tallest in the region, some pure white calcite formations, some budding hangers, the fantastic Dream Lake that reflected the formations on the ceiling for a breath-taking memory and ofcourse, the interesting formations such as the Fried Eggs :). These natural wonders that we behold today took multiple centuries to form and one is but left to wonder at their patient beauty!!

The trip left us with memories enough for the long, non-stop, 5 hour drive we did back to city. We came back happy, refreshed and rejuvenated! It is an awesome place and I hear Shenandoah looks even better in full Fall glory! We are definitely going back!!

Caramel and fruit in the belly of the cake

Question: What is the easiest way to make a simple cake into a rich, melt-in-mouth wonder??



Answer: Make a caramel base for the cake and then turn it over after baking for a rich topping!!!





Simple eh?! :)).. That's exactly what I did with my pineapple upside down cake. And to make it even simpler, I used the yellow cake mix from Pillsbury. By the way, a little note of the ready made cake mixes - I have tried the Betty Crocker range and the Duncan Hines too, but I find Pillsbury the best. The cake comes out fluffy and well done every time! Dependable - that's what I like in my cake mixes! :D.. else how is it any better than me making my own batter with a little less of this and more of that ??!! :))


Anyway, back to the current cake, I made a nice base of caramel from light brown sugar (brown sugar adds a richer color to the caramel while not being too stickily sweet) and butter. Oh yes! Butter! We are making it rich aren't we?! :))


As the cake bakes, the caramel seeps into the cake adding flavor and making it really nice and moist. And not only that, the baking sugar crusts the pineapples in the cake to a nice texture! When I turned over the cake, it had a lovely deep golden coating.



Every bite was filled with a lovely smooth flavor and I am going back for more!!! ;-))





Pineapple Upside-down Cake with Caramel Frosting


Topping
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup light or dark brown sugar
1 can of sliced pineapples


Cake
2/3 packet Pillsbury moist yellow cake mix



Melt the butter in a heavy bottomed pan. Mix in the brown sugar and stir continuously till it mixes in completely and the mixture bubbles. This will take around 4-5 minutes. Pour the caramel into a 10 inch buttered baking pan. Line the pineapple slices on the caramel. Let cool for 5 minutes.


Meanwhile, make the cake mixture according t0 the instructions on the box. Pour the mixture over the caramel and fruit slices. Set to bake until cake passes the toothpick test.


Let the cake rest for 15-20 minutes and then turn it over onto a cake dish. At this point, it will be hard to keep your hands off the cake, but let it cool to almost room temperature and serve.