Check out my racist guest blog for Pioneer Theatre Company‘s production of Find and Sign!

http://www.pioneertheatre.org/blog/2012/01/a-racist-view-of-find-and-sign.html

Stereotype each cast member in their music tastes, judge them by their looks – just as I did and then, go watch the world premiere of Wendy MacLeod‘s new play, Find and Sign before it ends January 28, 2012.

This year, for Christmas, I had this crazy notion in October (yep, definitely October as I sat on the van floor while we drove South drinking tea in the middle of the night looking for a spot to camp – Dirty Devil adventure) to create special blends of tea for office giving and then some others. But as my mind likes to do, my thoughts rambled on… What if they don’t take caffeine? What if they only like herbal? What if they don’t drink tea at all?

HOT CHOCOLATE! Why not do a custom blended tea in addition to hot chocolate? Well, boy did I ever think I was a creative genius when I thought of hot chocolate on a stick… but no. I googled it and found many, many sites on the topic. Apparently, Oprah named it as one of her favorite things! *If anyone can discover something ingenious, it’s Oprah.

Although I thought of this idea in October, maybe having it evolved in November… Of course, I did not start working on it until December – last minute, no doubt. So, I wanted simple, easy and quick. Here’s what I did…

Michael’s – bought a Wilton Brownie Pop Mold and lollipop sticks

Grocer – bought bags of bittersweet chocolate, milk chocolate, white chocolate, butterscotch morsels, Andes mint chocolates, candy canes and festive sprinkles!

Ikea – spoons

In a makeshift double boiler (or pot with bowl over the top, in my case), I took the chocolate and melted it down slowly to temper it. I think I did a heat setting of about 3… low.

As morsels melt, I added a bit more – depending on how big of a batch I wanted to make. When they have melted into a shiny gloss, it’s about time to move them into the mold.

Feel free to add sprinkles to the bottom of the mold.

Or you could also add marshmallows…

Then carefully fill the mold with the chocolate (about just over half-way).

Temper other chocolates for various flavors…. and even add different ingredients to change it up more. For instance, here is bittersweet chocolate and butterscotch morsels.

More combination-al ideas…

• Chocolate with cinnamon
• Chocolate with almond flavoring
• Chocolate with Kahlua flavoring (there’s something about chocolate, chemically, that doesn’t like alcohol – it’ll mesh together and get awkwardly chunky when mixed)
• White chocolate with mints
• Chocolate with Andes mint chocolates
• Chocolate with pepper
• Chocolate with cherries or other fruits

Need more ideas? Go to the hot chocolate shelf and see what Stephen’s has available. That might get the mill running…

After the mold has been filled, wait for it to set just a bit – a few minutes depending on how chilly it is in the house. Then center in lollipop sticks, spoons or candy canes.

If you insert in the stick too quickly, just position other items around it to help keep it steady and balanced… like I did with this spoon!

Sprinkle toppings on top, if you desire, for flair and so you know what type of chocolate it is that you created.

Wait fort he chocolate to completely set and… Voila!

Melt one stick into a steaming cup of milk for instant real hot chocolate.

Have improvements? Comments? Suggestions? Lemme hear them.

Okay, so I’m not really sure where you can buy Meiko’s new EP, I’m In Love. It just came out! I received mine through her pledgemusic.com campaign. And her album, The Bright Side, does not seem to be set for release until Spring 2012. So, enjoy the video below! WAIT!!

Beware – it is catchy.

Okay, you’ve been warned. Continue to hit play.

Lalalalalalalalalalala… lalalalala.. lalala.

And while you try and get the lalas out of your head, here’s a bit of assistance. Maybe. Perhaps?

Spinning in the 6-disc player:

1. Lenka - Two
2. Meiko – composite CD of Meiko and I’m in Love EP
3. Sandi Thom – The Pink and the Lily
4. Missy Higgins – The Sound of White
5. Gloriana – Gloriana
6. Uh Huh Her – Nocturnes

Lalalalalalalalalalala… lalalalala.. lalala.

Still have it stuck in your head like I do? And apparently other fans? Well, here’s another suggestion… straight from Meiko herself.

Another thing that rocks about Meiko? She has a hilarious blog. It’s like a floating bubble that all of a sudden pops with hilarity – but in a blog post. Check it out if you ever need a giggle! http://www.meikomusic.com

Lalalalalalalalalalala… lalalalala.. lalala.

Winter squash croquette. Burst in your mouth goodness… usually the way a Forage meal starts off (usually as in… the two times I’ve been there now, ha!).

Soft scrambled egg with maple syrup and sherry cream…

You gotta dig deep for the goodies. Take a full bite, goodies and all. Yum.

Okay, I’m horrible because I can’t remember the outer coating, but the inside is kuri, Japanese chestnuts – roasted.

This dish was probably my favorite – kohlrabi with a buttermilk… whey? (I want to say) dressing. Also topped with cheese curds, capers and watercress.

Freshly baked bread from Chef Bowman Brown and a smoked butter with sea salt.

Smoked tuna with yuzu (those dots), truffle, creme fraiche and I want to say… shallots? Wild onion? Something from that family…

Wild sturgeon – sooooo melty with soy caramel, mashed celery root and puffed rice.

Potato foam with caviar and puffed rice.

Lamb from nearby Eden, Utah. I’ll admit, I don’t really like lamb – it’s a flavor that I have just not acquired. However, this wasn’t bad; it still had a slight lamb flavor. Garnished with winter greens and… I can’t remember but yummy bacon-bit-looking things.

Sparkling yoghurt with yummy crisp wafers and uhmm… delicious red thingys?

There’s also a berry special surprise in the middle! I ate mine too quickly but I made Michael pause for me so I could take a photo of his middles.

Apple chips and apple dots with celeriac and marjoram. Yum, yum.

Pistachio parfait-ish thing. Luscious and creamy.

Then to finish it off… a hard chocolate caramel candy with a homemade apricot marshmallow.

I believe this term would be appropriate here: nom, nom, nom.

Check out my guest blog for Pioneer Theatre Company‘s production of Annie!

http://www.pioneertheatre.org/blog/2011/12/a-hard-knock-life-to-easy-street.html

It’s got some fantastic (and funny) stories from the cast about how they struggled to the Pioneer Theatre Company “Easy Street” stage.

Uh Huh Her toured out to Salt Lake City again this year – charitably this time. You may have seen those “I love boobies” bracelets and other swaggy gear – all that and more was much-a-present at the Urban Lounge, October 30, 2011 for the Keep A Breast tour with UHH and featuring Jarrod Gorbel.

Oh, I’m sure it never hurts to do a bit of cross-promotion since UHH just released an album as well – Nocturnes.

Opening Act: Jarrod Gorbel with Andrea Babinski.

Best part of Jarrod’s act? He called the audience out on their incessant, distracting, very loud talking while he and Dre played. Who would’ve thought that you’d come to a concert to listen to the music instead of just chat with your friends? Go. Jarrod.

Headlining Band – UHH with sporatic Halloween getups.

If you look past the blur, you can see a dagger in Leisha‘s boot.

It goes with her viking helmet.

It was passed around at bit…

But I think eventually costuming got too warm…

Eventually it was just plain clothes.

There was also a lot of hard-rockin’ going on that contributed to the excess heat – I’m sure.

Until UHH comes around again…

http://jarrodgorbelmusic.com/home/

This is probably one of my favorite hikes so far – Angel Slot Canyon near the Dirty Devil area. Fairly easy (but may first be intimidating) rappels that are juicy beefy! True slot canyon squeezes that require some technical maneuvering… Oh and hey, it’s not too long! It’s another 3-4 hour, or in our case… 5-6 hour hike that’s less than 3-4 miles round trip.

Drive down to the trail head by heading towards Hanksville, Utah. On Highway 95, take the road marked “Angel Trail.” You will be taking dirt roads at this point so it may be preferable to have a high clearance car, especially if the road is washed out! We did see a Honda Civic at the end of the trail, so don’t be discouraged if you don’t have a monster truck. More specific directions and GPS coordinates can be found at this minislot guide or at Climb Utah. Spot for the visitor’s registry at the trail head.

You’ll be approaching from high ground. Follow through the fenced area to where you’ll see a post.

Follow the trail downwards into the canyon.

You’ll follow the wash off to the right which outlines the trail until you approach the first rappel.

This first one is 70 feet. Careful that some of the ledges may give out – a lot of them seem to be thinning out. You’ll tie onto a large boulder for an anchor.

Watch the lip off that first step; it’s a bit tricky (but not too difficult) to find your comfort zone as you rappel down.

Then enjoy the ride! The scenery is just plain… majestic. The rappel is fairly straight-forward after the start – right up against a wall.

After you get down, continue to follow the canyon.

You’ll hit some down-climbing along the way. Then shortly, you’ll come upon the next rappel.

You’ll anchor via a lengthy webbing tied to a large boulder.

Oh wait. Maybe it was here where the ledge is thin… Okay, be careful here too! There’s a funny lip here as well. It’s easy to see the footing if you sneak a peek around the corner before your descent.

Woohooo!

After this rappel, the canyon starts to narrow.

Here, we had a bit of squeezing and braced down-climbing. Fun stuff! It was a bit difficult to grab the camera out here at times because of how narrow the spots were… but I’ll let what photos I did take do the “talking”…

There’s a roped down-climb that you can basically brace yourself down to the bottom. It’s gets skinny to the point where you’re almost trying to skinny out of the chute. No real need for rappelling as we found out…

There’s another rappel towards the end before the canyon opens up… Tight quarters so one at a time here!

At one of these tight rappels (maybe two of them, come to think of it), we took off our shoes and rolled up our pants as there was still leftover wetness from the Friday rain.

It was shoes off for us until we reached the last and final rappel… The canyon opens up and you follow the path down to where you’ll see a large beefy rappel that turns to an overhang a little bit before the middle section.

Unfortunately, the anchor was washed out and we were too out of it to build another one… that was completely safe and tested. Rather, we stopped, had lunch then gathered up for our hike back.

Follow the easiest trail back towards the trail head. It’s fairly straight forward, but most directions point east and north.

Find the weakness in the route ahead and take heed. You’ll know you are on the right path when you hit familiar territory.

Fall approaches with rain and cool weather. We found one last hurrah at Dirty Devil – near Hanksville, Utah (and the Robber’s Roost and North Wash canyoneering area).

Our first canyon – Angel Cove! The site is south of Hanksville, off some dirt paths. GPS is greatly helpful out here where dirt roads are king. There are only a few signs and people are fairly scarce in these neck of the… dessert. Here’s a handy route for reference: trimbleoutdoors.com.

This trail comes in two flavors: Angel Cove and Angel Cove, South Fork. We stuck to the main trail as it was getting late.

Start off the hike by descending into the canyon. There’s a small area atop where you may be able to park just off the dirt road. If others are there ahead of you, they may have camped out that spot. No worries – just find a spot where your car will fit off the road and you’re good.

The canyon starts off low, but always stunning.

We took the hike the day after we had rain (and snow). So there were a few muddy puddles and about waist-deep wading. It got about as high as my armpits since I’m so short though…

You’ll see the first rappel shortly after walking down the canyon. It’s a short 35-footer that may possibly be down-climbed depending on your level. There is a rope with knots for those climbing back up (or to aid your down-climb attempt). Do not remove it nor the ones upcoming or you pretty much just screw all hikers climbing the other way!

Our rope got muddy… dropped right into the puddle. Yay…

Walk a bit further down and you’ll come onto the next rappel shortly. A small 15-footer, this one can also be down-climbed.

This canyon is pretty straight forward after you get in. There aren’t many forks off the path, aside from the South Fork route, unless you stray far away.

As you get deeper into the canyon, it becomes narrower and deeper.

You’ll hit another short rappel – just like the ones before. This rappel will get tighter towards the bottom, which may allow for easier down-climbing… The boys chose to down-climb this one while holding onto the existing handline.

This is where it’ll become noticeably more narrow. A few tricky spots will require some trouble-shooting and quick feet – all super fun to get through.

This is also where it got quite muddy and wet for us. We stripped to the undies so we had warm clothes to cover up later. Hence, the absence of photos in this section. *oh my*

Some exciting, narrow canyon hiking later… you’ll exit the canyon overseeing Dirty Devil river to where the last, big rappel awaits you.

This last rappel is about 90 feet down. WAHOOOO! Make sure you are properly anchored in! Lots and lots of solid rocks…

The start of it may be a bit awkward because of the breaks in the rappel wall. Gently ease to a comfortable spot and remember to watch the webbing – I slipped and killed a giant spider when the webbing moved on me. It was pretty gross – guts everywhere on my shoe and on the rock wall!

A bit of overhang at the bottom… so fun!

Feel free to gather your rope or retrieve it on the climb back up. You’ll basically be following the easiest route back over to the car. It’s a bit of a maze – use the GPS coordinates or try and follow the cairns.

You’ll eventually see a rock formation that resembles two towers forming a window. You’ll want to head towards this formation and walk out the left of it.

Follow a faint path over the hill and you’ll eventually come to more familiar pastures. A more even brushy surface will lead you back to the car and dirt path you started from…

This route took us about 5-6 hours to complete, under 3 miles round trip. It normally takes about 3-4 hours according to several websites. We did undress and dress a few times down to the skivvies because of the wading and mud-walking. And… I like to take photos… We figured, our time to complete trails are usually double to what the internet reports back… I’m cool with it, though. Yeah. Cool… cool? Okay, not thinking about it anymore… Great fun! Enjoy.

The Lake Mary – Grizzly Gulch hike is beautifully scenic hike that will take you through three to four ski resorts. It passes through several lakes, Mary included, and takes you through the old abandoned mines of the Grizzly Gulch trail.

This hike starts at the top of Alta, where you’ll drive to the Catherine Pass Trailhead. It ends just outside the Alta ranger post, at the Twin Lakes Pass Trailhead. Grab a buddy car to shuttle this section – it’s just over a mile and fairly flat or… Throughout the summer months, Alta has a free shuttle system that will drop you back at Catherine Pass Trailhead. Being the smart, sharp person that I am, I left my key in Lisa’s car and even though we had two cars for a shuttle, ended up hitching to Catherine instead! *do’h!*

The trail starts off with a bit of a climb and a few switchbacks. You’ll climb about 820 feet, according to UtahTrails.com. After a mile or so, you’ll hit Catherine’s Pass. Take a few steps forward and you’ll see a sign showing the way to Brighton…

And also Lake Catherine just below.

Follow the path the Brighton and shortly, you’ll find yourself approaching the Brighton Lakes. If you’ve hiked the Brighton Lakes trail from the Brighton Resort, it should all look very familiar.

First you’ll Lake Martha. Then as you continue on, Lake Mary won’t be far along.

Lake Mary is one of my favorite Lakes in Utah. It’s always a majestic bright blue that sparkles in the sunshine. Oh hey, no swimming or pets in the water please! I drink that water… the Cottonwoods are protected watersheds because they feed our water system.

After you pass Lake Mary, you’ll start to head down-trail. You’ll hit a sign that gives you a detour to Dog Lake, another small pretty alpine lake. Go the opposite direction towards the Twin Lakes. If you start to hit a downhill that allows you to see the Brighton Ski Resort too clearly, you’ve gone too far. You should see this wood cabin thing as you approach the correct path.

Yes, we totally went almost to the start of Brighton and added a good amount to our hike day. We did see moose though! Meese?

Follow the path towards the Twin Lakes. You’ll be cutting from Big Cottonwood Canyon to Little Cottonwood Canyon and over to Snowbird Resort.

The path may be difficult to follow with all the traffic that has roamed around the area. But follow your inner navigational gut towards Little Cottonwood Canyon – we ended up going up past the cabin to find a path just over the ridge. You’ll eventually hit a rock quarry.

If you don’t see a path right away, look upwards to find a clearing. There is a small path that will lead you out to the other side. The path will take you up a couple of switchbacks and up the hill where over the ridge you’ll come to the Twin Lakes.

As you approach the Twin Lakes, veer right around the dam and to the other side of the lake. The Twin Lakes are a gorgeous spot for lunch *ahem*.

Feel free to walk around the Twin Lakes. However, keep in mind that the path you’ll want to take is closer to the dam. A small utility building marks the beginning of the path. Take that path at a fair climb going up along the Twin Lakes.

Keep walking; you’re almost there! Take a look to your side if you need a breather – great views!

Follow the skinny path along the ridge where you’ll eventually end up on a jeep path. Keep an eye out for a skinny path on your left that leads over the ridge – you’ll take this towards Alta.

Follow the path down and you’ll hit Grizzly Gulch – old mining country! You’ll know you’re on the right path when you start to see light and telephone poles.

Follow the trail out and you’ll end up right near the Alta ranger post!

From here, shuttle back to your car, walk back to your car, wait for the Alta shuttle to take you to your car or hitchhike back to your car. And. Done!

Labor Day Monday, we rented a couple of duckies, inflatable kayaks, and went with Red River Adventures down the Moab Daily.

After a failed effort to run the river the day before, we made reservations before hiking around Arches National Park and arranged a trip down in duckies.

We packed up the campsite early morning and headed down to Red River Adventures for our river run.

Geared up with Keens, water bottle, shades, suntan and a cooler of beer (but not enough beer), we took an informative 45 minute ride along the Colorado River to Hittle Bottom. The guides point out fun facts along the ride – Yogi Bear rock, Fisher Towers, etc. I just want to sleep but it’s too sunny and exciting; it was really early.

At Hittle Bottom, the guides unload but not before pointing out the Google Earth-able restrooms – no ceilings! Awkward.

It’s September, so the river flow is fairly slow and the rapids aren’t grand. It was perfect for beginner kayakers like ourselves. Although we did not plain ahead and drank most of the beer before our river trip (damn the Utah liquor laws! and our not thinking ahead!), a calm river still makes for good drinking time.

And even goofing around.

Or just plain relaxin’ in the river.

The rapids, what remained of them, at least, were minimal. Although, normally this run is a class II or III.

We tried to make it seem exciting. In photos, at least. Except… Anthony and I did fall out during a rapid because we hit a it sideways. Through the entire run, I sat in back while he held up the front – we probably should have switched to balance out the kayak, but that’s no fun, right!?

Just a bit over mid-way, we broke for lunch. Wraps a la the Red River crew.

Lots of cairns there.

Then more fun on the river.

A bit of Whip It, river style…

Enjoy the scenery…

And before we knew it, we were at Takeout Beach. Beer gone. Day well into the afternoon.

Another 45 minute shuttle ride back to Red River Adventures and it was close to 4:00pm. A quick shop along Main Street (y’ know, to catch those Labor Day sales) and a quick snack at Zax Pizzeria, then we were on the road back to Salt Lake.