Why a $46 Campsite Beats the Four Seasons Hotel

We visited Mt. Shasta over the weekend and although some of the other spots we've stayed at were memorable, the view of the snow capped mountain top of Mt. Shasta from Lake Siskiyou is down right assaulting.  Imagine sipping your early morning coffee a few hundred feet outside your trailer and seeing this. 

If you're up for a seriously rugged experience, you can drive a little higher up in elevation from Lake Siskiyou (about 7 miles) and camp on Lake Castle. At this time of year, large chunks of ice were visible. There are no developed camp sites here, just pitch a tent and enjoy.

We treated ourselves to French Toast at Lily's, located on the main road.  I usually don't drink tap water but something about the glass left by our waitress looked refreshing.  It was the BEST tasting water ever.  Better than any bottled water and certainly better than any city water. Our server told us their water comes from the melted snow off the mountain.  She recommended we visit Waters Head where the melted snow meets the Sacramento River. 

And that is why a $46 a night campsite beats a $400 a night room at The Four Seasons. Some of the most beautiful vistas can only be found in our National and State Parks. 

Reduce your cooking time up to 70%

Last year I wrote about how to cook twice and get four meals.  Today I am going to discuss the miracle method of pressure cooking which reduces your cooking time as much as 70%!

Although pressure cookers have been around for decades, I did not discover them until a couple of months ago and I will never go back to using a crock pot or cooking a pot roast in an oven ever again.  This thing has literally given be more hours in a day.   I can not tell you how many times 5:00 has snuck up and slapped me in the face and asked, "What's for dinner?"

Pre Pressure Cooker, I would run through half a dozen recipes in my head only to dismiss all of them because there would be no way I could get to the store for ingredients, chop, brown and braise or roast in time to serve dinner at 6:30.  Either one of two things usually ensued 1) Delivery or  2) My infamous "Three Continents" which is just a fancy way of saying, whatever hodge podge items found in the fridge, freezer and panty thrown together. 

Post Pressure Cooker?  Well, I could fit in a marathon, that is if I ran.  Take today, I went to the store at 4:45 to pick up three pounds of pork shoulder and I was serving tender as butter goulash at 6:30.  Technically, it was ready at 6:10 but why raise expectations?!?  Look for yourself:

Browned and ready to go.

Eight minutes later.  EIGHT -  as in single digit.  
And yes, those are potatoes you see.

As you can see, I saved about 1.5 hours of slow simmering or 6 hours in a slow cooker.  Just like everything else, pressure cookers come in a range of price and sizes. I started out with a cheap TFal from Target for $37.00.  I have since upgraded to a $300 Kuhn Rikon.  Worth every penny. The Tfal one would have taken 35 mins for this recipe. Still a huge time saver for all intents and purposes.  Because of the material used in the Kuhn Rikon,  Eight minutes and BAM!, you're done. 

I recommend getting the next size up from the one you think you need.  You can always freeze a second portion for another night (perfect for camping!)  If you would like to learn more about pressure cookers, check out Ms. Vickie's site. 

Tomorrow? I am thinking of scheduling a massage.  You know, because I have all this extra time on my hands. Am hoping to try a cheesecake recipe soon. I will be sure to post the results.

2012 Resolutions

One of my New Year resolutions is to do more art. I first learned about these realistic looking dolls known as "Reborn Babies" on 20/20 a couple of years ago. They are hand painted by artists in the UK and sell for upwards of $2500.

I certainly was not going to spend that kind of money for a doll. So my "do more art" resolution became a challenge to paint one of these myself. Since I had absolutely no experience in doll making, I turned to the foremost authority on everything : The Internet. Armed with some How To videos from You Tube, I was optimistic.

I knew the key to realistic looking skin meant layering and baking each color in order for it to fully dry before going to the next. So I was emotionally prepared to spend 10-12 hours on that portion.

Baking in between each layer of paint 
(Pro tip: Don't leave disembodied doll parts in the oven if you don't want to freak out your house cleaner)

What I wasn't prepared for was spending SIX hours attaching hair. One night I was up until 4:30 in the morning working on just the hair.

Each strand is attached one at a time.

I am the type of person that needs to ride the momentum or will throw in the towel if I stop in the middle. Especially if it is a mundane task. I'd rather suffer all at once, than get slapped with an unpleasant chore over several days.

Here is Molly, the finished product.

Close up of the "blush" on knees and toes.

Also note the mottled skin on the limbs

It's hard to see, but there are little veins throughout to add another dimension.

The hardest ones to paint were the eye brows because they are front and center - no room for error!

Officially, there are eight layers of paint. However, it was more like 20 if you count the ones I messed up on and had to re-do. I don't fault those people for selling their dolls for $2500! I think I did a fine job for my first ever doll.

Here are a couple of dolls done by professionals for comparison.

Here are a couple of dolls done by professionals for comparison.

Oh! I almost forgot. I installed a mechanism in the body that when squeezed, "beats" like a heart. (The husband: "This just went from cute to creepy.") There is also a magnet in her head so you can attach a pacifier if desired. She weighs 6lbs and is 16" long.

Yes, I am aware this posting has nothing to do with camping. But it's too cold for that and a girl must occupy her time with other things!