Salsa-less Quesadillas

Posted on February 14, 2014 by Kym Zest

What I cooked this week. Inspiration or comedy, you pick.

I started this cooking week with Cilantro Chicken. Will was so delighted he bloated himself on it. Then ate it’s leftovers the next afternoon.  He continued to eat all the leftovers for the rest of the week.

Last weeks mild failure of White Winter Pasta turned into just bean goo pasta.  The leftovers were even dry bean goo.  I added more olive oil and ate it for lunch anyway.  Bluck, bigger fail.

Quesadillas were up next.  I started making these years ago when Will was craving Taco Bell.  I think my vegetarian ones are way better. Continue reading →

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Rain, tears, and tea on the Gunflint.

Posted on February 10, 2014 by Kym Zest

The day started with a headwind. After so much portaging the day before we had been looking forward to longer stretches of paddling. A strong south wind made it slow going and quickly sapped the relief right out of it. With achy bodies we pushed on.

By late morning we had made it to the pine protected southwest shore of Gunflint Lake. We ate lunch just out of view of Gunflint Lodge (established 1927, it’s for sale now). It was probably best that I didn’t know about it’s spa, massage, and restaurant.

Apparently it had a special Honeymoon package.

Gunflint Lodge. If we had only been good quitters our story would have ended here. Apparently it had a special Honeymoon package.

Paddling past cozy cabins and luxuries such as hot showers, cold beer, and toilet paper took some grit. The sense that we had come so far and were so close to the end made our resolve tougher. We bore down for the nearly seven miles of lake ahead of us. It began to rain. The rain turned to sleet. The wind picked up. Continue reading →

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My week in food: mild failure

Posted on February 7, 2014 by Kym Zest

I can’t compete with all the beautiful food blogs out there. I don’t even want to. But food and cooking is an integral part of my life. It’s not an afterthought. It’s not a chore that endlessly repeats and is pleasant only when someone else does it. That’s how I feel about cleaning.

Once a week I plan some cooking.  Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn’t.  Instead of trying to highlight one great dish every now and then; I’m going to share what I made even if it’s not a success.  Maybe you’ll get ideas for your own meals.  Or maybe you’ll get inspired to search for a recipe.  Maybe you’ll just enjoy my ongoing attempt to amuse myself with food.

This week I was feeling vegetarian.
I made two experimental dishes. Continue reading →

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Bluckville in Portage Hell

Posted on January 29, 2014 by Kym Zest

Imagine a honeymoon in the pristine north woods. Deep clear lakes ringed with low sweeping cedars, majestic white pines, and dancing gold aspens. Secluded, peaceful and potentially very romantic. Which I suppose it was until day 13 and 183 miles in. Replace the deep clear lakes with low mucky water and rocks. Replace the green and gold forest under a blue sky with burnt stubs under a grey sky.
Honeymoon Continue reading →

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laugh away snot

Posted on January 20, 2014 by Kym Zest

I’m feeling better.  My brain is no longer filled with snot.  This is really important because I have too many things to do.  All last week I struggled to think straight.  Mentally processing my to do list felt like the page was covered in mucus.  The clients I stuck it out for got a trainer who couldn’t seem to count 20 reps.

The fog started to lift just in time for one of my hardest coaching tasks.  Sunday I lead the Five Hour Spin class that I cheerfully re-named the Cozy Winter Century.  Now people are misled just long enough for me to try to convince them this is the best endurance and  training they’ll get this winter.  For me it’s a mental marathon of focus.   Both brain and lung power were in short supply.

So just as I was thrilled to have enough energy to write up another installment of the Honeymoon Adventure, or perhaps my latest yoga thoughts, or what to train for this summer… I got sucked into the blogosphere.  Which is exactly the cure for ending this cold.  I laughed, and snickered, and wiped away tears and felt good for reading other people’s stories.

I’ll share the two I loved the most. Continue reading →

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Meat in bread

Posted on January 14, 2014 by Kym Zest
Just one page of my neurotic planning.

Just one page of my neurotic planning.

I’ve completely failed to even attempt to make a cheese soufflé. Learning to make a soufflé has been on my mind since Thanksgiving and it just isn’t going to happen. Not now anyway. I’ve decided to put it off until spring. Because now is the time for heartier things. There is a reason that nordic climates live on fat and starch. Just stepping outside burns twice as many calories as normal. Will and I have also been sick in and all I can think about is comfort foods.  Meat in bread and all its variations is heavenly. December 2011 I hosted a dinner just to celebrate that. Continue reading →

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Gift of Rest

Posted on January 2, 2014 by Kym Zest

I’ve been very good at being completely unproductive. It’s taken some discipline to be this undisciplined. For the last week I have done almost nothing. I haven’t even done some things I though I’d want to do, including blogging. Also neglected was attempting a cheese soufflé. I am determined not to feel guilty.

Will and I’s Christmas present to each other was originally to go on vacation. No unwrapable presents, just time off together. As Christmas neared we were feeling especially tight on money and decided to make it a staycation.  Our mutual gift was to stay home between Christmas to New Years.  We couldn’t quite resist giving each other gifts.  Neither were wrapped so I think it counts. Continue reading →

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To the bars!

Posted on December 18, 2013 by Kym Zest

We woke up determined to move. To hell with the weather radio. We were going to paddle. Dawn was chilly but beautiful.
Honeymoon Frosty mornings in the woods have a funny rhythm.   Continue reading →

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Wind and Snow

Posted on December 11, 2013 by Kym Zest

Two days. We got stuck on a little spit of land with tiny trees and shrubs and a leaky tent for two days. After nine beautiful days of paddling through Voyagers National Park and into the BWCA we got the first winter weather of the season.

In preparation for sleet I made myself plastic bag mittens.

In preparation for sleet I made myself plastic bag mittens.

Continue reading →

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My cooking life

Posted on December 4, 2013 by Kym Zest

Learning how to follow a recipe was pretty easy.  Learning why recipes work and how to modify one was more complicated. Learning to make cooking a regular part of my lifestyle was way harder. Like completing one race is an achievement, but staying fit is a lifestyle. Like every other worthwhile, meaningful, sustainable change, it took years.  This is my current system.

cook preferably with either a mug of Malbec, a gimlet, or martini

cook preferably with either a mug of Malbec, a gimlet, or martini

Continue reading →

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