Imagine Alaska

Several weeks ago I planned to write about our August trip to Alaska. I even had photos to show; however, the "photos" are still stuck in my digital camera. There is something wrong with the memory card and I can't access or print the photos. You will just have to use your imagination as I describe the trip.

The purpose of said trip was to attend our nephew Liam's wedding in the Anchorage Temple, see many family members, and get a small taste of a very small part of Alaska. We planned the trip with Cary (Lance's brother) and his wife, Caren. It was a short trip--we were there a mere 2 and 1/2 days--but so well worth going.

We knew Cary and Caren were staying in the same hotel as we were, but since we arrived past midnight, we weren't sure which room was theirs. We discovered they were staying right next door to us when the fire alarm awakened us the next morning. The Dimond Center Hotel was a great place to say (and, no, I didn't misspell Dimond) in spite of the fire alarm one morning and a kitchen and main-floor bathroom flood the following morning. (You know you're in Alaska when you see the hotel staff hurriedly shoveling the water out the door with SNOW shovels!)

The first day there was devoted to everything related to the wedding and visiting with relatives. The temple was a short distance from our hotel, and the ceremony was short, meaningful and sweet. Between the temple ceremony and the ring ceremony and reception, we grabbed a bite to eat, and drove to Eagle River with Laurel (Lance's sister and mother of the groom) and Mick (our brother-in-law and father of the groom) to visit Uncle Johnny, Aunt Vicki and cousin Scott. Since we had never before been to Alaska, we had never seen where Uncle Johnny and family has lived for many years. And, since Mick and Laurel lived in Alaska for many years, have 9 children, and have made infrequent visits to the lower 48, we haven't met all of their children (2 to be exact). Spencer, the 23-year-old, is one we'd only seen once prior to our trip. He was the only child to accompany his parents to Alaska. (We'll have to meet the other two never-before-seen children some other time.)

We were excited that the 30 days of constant rain ended the day before we arrived. It rained a bit at the end of the outdoor reception, but we didn't mind one little bit.

The following day was our "act like a tourist" day. Cary, Caren and Lance and I piled in our shared rental car and followed Mick and Laurel to a wildlife center. I am very attracted to moose, bears and bison, so I had a great time there. Mick and Laurel left us to attend to other social engagements. The four of us continued on our way to Portage Bay and the Byron Glacier. The weather was still cooperative, but things got a bit chilly and windy at some points. We went to Whittier--a town accessible only by boat or a 2.5 mile one-way tunnel through the mountain. Cars go in one direction for certain times each hour, and then go the other way at the other times. It was an interesting, little fishing village.

We planned to eat dinner at the Seven Glaciers Restaurant atop a mountain in Girdwood. We didn't mind that there were no reservations left because the entree prices started at $75. Cary and Caren insisted on treating us to dinner, and I would have been very uncomfortable had we been able to eat there. (We settled for a Mexican restaurant in Anchorage later that evening.) We still took the tram to the top of the mountain to see the gorgeous scenery and watch hand gliders take off and glide over the valley. It was on this little adventure that we became well acquainted with some of Alaska's pesky insects--mosquitos and other annoying pests.

Our last morning was spent at Mick's parents' house watching the newlyweds open their wedding gifts. Liam and Sierra are a cute couple, and we enjoyed spending some time with them and familiarizing ourselves with our new niece. Around noon, we left for the airport. We had a quick lunch, said our good-byes to Cary and Caren and then waited a couple of hours for our flight to depart.

We had a really great time. Lance and I loved spending most of our waking hours with Cary and Caren, whom we see so infrequently. I think the four of us would like to take another trip together in the near future.

(A Few of) My Favorite Gluten-free Things

A little more than three years ago, I became gluten-free out of necessity. (I'm supposed to be casein-free as well, and I'm working on that.) Since then, I've had many opportunities to try different products, recipes, bakeries, stores, cookbooks, blogs, etc. with mixed success. I love sharing my discoveries with others who are also gluten-free. Here are some of my favorite gluten-free things.

*Bread: Udi's (Hands down this is the BEST bread on the market. I'm sure there are others out there that are comparable in taste, but I haven't found them yet. Most other GF breads are just plain yucky!)
*Bagels: Udi's
*GF Blogs: http://www.glutenfreegirl.blogspot/ and http://www.glutenfreemommy.com/
*Chocolate chip cookies: 36-hour recipe from the glutenfreegirl blog (I make deliveries to my "customers" when I make these cookies; they're that good! One gourmet cook friend said these cookies are better than ANY gluten-containing cookies he's ever had. Even my 16-year-old nephew loves them.)
*Other cookies: Chocolate Truffle Cookies (I adapted this from a gluten-containing recipe. These cookies are simply divine!)
*Bakery: Sweet Cakes on Park Lane in Kirkland (BEST cupcakes and chocolate ganache-topped caramel shortbread.)
*Chain restaurant GF menu: Outback Steakhouse and PF Changs
*Cookbook: Pretty much any written by Bette Hagman--especially "The Gluten-Free Gourmet"
*Magazine: "Living Well"
*Cake mix: 365 Organics Chocolate Mousse Cake (Unfortunately, very unfortunately, that company doesn't make that cake any more.)
*Pre-packaged GF mixes and flours: Any from King Arthur Flour Company (except I'm not fond of their pancake mix), Bob's Red Mill (try the Raspberry Oat Bars recipe on the back of the GF oat flour package and the Oatmeal Pancake recipe on the back of the regular oat flour package)
*Brownies: my homemade ones adapted from the Baker's Unsweetened Chocolate box (inside) or the King Arthur Flour Company pre-packaged ones.
*Pancakes: my homemade buttermilk ones adapted from the aforementioned Bette Hagman cookbook.
*Donuts: Kinnickknick's Cinnamon Sugar Donuts
*Pizza rusts: Udi's
*Pizza chain: Romio's (Their garlic bread is fabulous, too.)

I will add more to the list in an upcoming post when I get around to it. Feel free to ask me any questions. Thank you for your attention.