Heroes’ Square, Budapest

Brad in Heroes’ Square in front of the Millennial Column.

Budapest Parliament Building on the Danube

Vegan Cuts

Jenni signed us up to get alerts from Vegan Cuts. They have some awesome deals on vegan  products and are a great resource if you live in an area where where vegan products are hard to come by. We’ve ordered Nacheez (Gluten Free and Soy-Free) Nacho Sauce, MuLondon Moisturizer, and Brownie Bites from Twin Cakes Bakery through them. Great brownies. 

Vegan Cuts is looking to partner with companies with Vegan products to sell. So, give them a shout if you have a product to sell. Shop Vegan!

Pasta salad

You can’t go wrong with pasta salad. I’ve been making this for the kids to take in their lunches, with varying degrees of success. But I like it. It’s an easy thing to knock together on a Sunday afternoon and tasty to eat cold. I don’t have any hard and fast rules for putting it together. But don’t forget to salt the water when you’re boiling your pasta.

Salad

1 lb Tri-Color Farfalle Pasta (or as much as you want to eat)

8 – 10 grape tomatoes quartered

½ chopped cucumber

½ cup kalamata olives chopped

1 handful of pine nuts toasted

¼ cup of parsley

2 tbs of fresh basil

¼ cup of feta cheese (optional)

Dressing

4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

7 tablespoons olive oil

Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Bring a pot of water to boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente. Combine the tomatoes, olives and cucumber in a bowl. When the pasta is cooked add it to the bowl, mix. Then add the dressing and sprinkle with pine nuts, parsley, basil and feta.

Mariefred – Sweden

Hummus

Whether you’re looking to create an eye catching dip for entertaining, or you just need a quick easy snack; hummus is easy to make and good for you too. These days you can buy pre-packaged hummus from most supermarkets or get it fresh from your local deli. I think it’s worth the 10 minutes it takes to whip it up on your own. You can’t really make it incorrectly. I make ours with tahini, but you could use the reserved water from your chickpeas if you aren’t a fan.

1 can of chick peas (garbanzo beans) drained

2 cloves of garlic

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/3 cup tahini

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

Combine the above ingredients in a food processor and blend until creamy. Sprinkle with paprika, parsley or basil, drizzle with olive oil and serve.

Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead

We recently watched the movie/documentary, Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead in which Aussie filmmaker, Joe Cross documents his journey across the United States while performing a 60 day juice fast. The film was an inspiring demonstration of how you can heal the human body with fruits and vegetables, a seriously powerful juicer, and a healthy amount of resolve. Whether you want to reboot your body or rededicate yourself to eating healthy, it’s worth watching. The movie resonated more with Jenni than with me, inspiring her to try a juice fast of her own. But you can’t argue with Joe’s results nor with the number of people he’s inspired.

We picked up a Breville juicer like the one in the film, and Jenni used it to perform a three day ‘Long Weekend Reboot.’ She found it challenging and exhausting what with the kids running around and me doing my usual amount of weekend cooking. But she felt great after the third day and is going to try another one. 

The film is available on Netflix and Hulu.

Off Peak Travel – Bermuda

Jenni and I just returned from our second trip to Bermuda. We found a great deal through Groupon, the ubiquitous coupon company. What would’ve been an out of reach vacation during Bermuda’s high season turned out to be just right for February. Sure the winds were blowing and the beaches were empty, and maybe there was just a hint of the Shining at our nearly abandoned resort, but we were on a first name basis with the staff and the pool was all ours. “Table for two, Mr. Benson?” “Why yes, Augustine, that would be lovely.” To be honest it turned out to be one of the best travel experiences that we’ve had.

  

Though traveling in the off season can have its ups and downs, if you’re looking for savings and you don’t mind a few inconveniences, it can’t be beat. Bermuda, might be cool in the winter, but it certainly isn’t cold by Midwestern USA standards.

We were 2 of only 15 guests staying at the sprawling Cambridge Beaches Resort and Spa. The staff did a great job making us feel welcome and provided us with topnotch and personalized service. When we checked in we were told our room had been upgraded to an ocean view suite. Though a breakfast buffet had been included in our deal, with so few guests, we were told we could order from the menu at no charge. They also seemed more than happy to have the kitchen create vegetarian meals for us.

Besides the lucky fringe benefits we received from the resort, the best part of our trip was having time to talk to Bermudians. On our way down to catch the bus to Dockyard a nice couple picked us up and gave us a lift. After asking us where we were from, the woman told us she was heading to Chicago for a conference in a couple weeks. She asked me what the weather would be like. She was afraid it would be too cold. I recommended she purchase a coat. Then while waiting to catch the ferry to Hamilton, Jenni and I hung out in the visitor’s center talking to the woman who worked there. She was a friendly, part time gospel singer when she wasn’t selling souvenirs. She shared a whole slew of information about island life and a healthy amount of gossip as well. And it was like that time and time again. 

Though this was just a short getaway; we had a great time relaxing in Bermuda. We putted on our lonely putting-green, took afternoon tea, walked down the low walled lanes of Somerset village, and meandered around Hamilton to our heart’s content. We also took advantage of the Cambridge Beaches Spa and had our share of rum swizzles beneath the clouds. It was a nice off-peak break.

Highlights: juice n’ beans – vegetarian restaurant in Hamilton. The Frog and Onion Pub – Pub grub in Dockyard. Fort Scaur, one of Bermuda’s many forts, along the Railway Trail.
Resources: Moon Guide: Bermuda, Rosemary Jones

Bermuda

Jenni and I took off for a quick visit to Bermuda in February. The trip wasn’t about seeing everything and being on the go. This one was more about taking some time, relaxing, and wandering around. We confined most of our trip to Somerset Island in Sandys Parish, but we made it down to Dockyard a couple times and caught the ferry into Hamilton for bite to eat at Juice ‘n Beans cafe and the Hog Penny Pub. Not much happening in Bermuda in February, so its a great opportunity for off-peak deals. More on that later. Meanwhile enjoy some nice photos of the ocean.

Bermuda has a rocky coast, with a 280 mile square-mile reef platform. Home to hundreds of shipwrecks over the centuries, it’s no wonder Bermuda was ‘discovered’ by shipwrecked English colonists. The water was a bit too chilly for me this time, but I was brave enough to snorkel the last time I was here, November 2009.

It’s funny to hear the sound of the surf crashing on the beach punctuated by roosters crowing first thing in the morning. But you get used to it.

The Clocktower building in the Royal Naval Dockyard. Once part of the islands’ defenses Dockyard contains shops, a cinema, museums and restaurants and the popular Dolphin Quest interactive experience.

Pastel cottages at Cambridge Beaches Resort and Spa

I spent a morning walking a paved section of the 22 mile long Railway Trail.

Another shot of Bermuda’s rocky shoreline and the reef beyond.

Stephen Fry in America

It’s hard to imagine a more English, Englishman traveling across the United States. Prince Charles, Hugh Grant, the late Noel Coward? In this series from 2010, writer and comedian Stephen Fry crisscrosses America in a London black cab dispensing his inimitable wit as he travels through state after state. Some of the states get a bit of short shrift. Nevertheless it’s funny to see the US through the eyes of a Briton. I wish he’d brought Hugh Laurie along with him. Maybe next time. Free streaming from Netflix.