It’s obvious that I love food. And I do like to cook, on occasion. But the art of baking is just not my strong suit. It could be due to the fact that I’m working with a 1950s GE oven that doesn’t exactly heat evenly, or it could just be the time involved with baking that I don’t have the patience for. In any case, this morning I rolled up my sleeves, put on my apron (not really) and whipped up some breakfast… Blueberry Muffins, using a boxed mix.
Now the reason I’m excited about this, is because I found a mix that seems not only healthy, but let’s me put my own spin on the recipe (which I often do anyway). The secret ingredient is “Krusteaz Organic Whole Grain Muffin Mix” – sounds perfect, right? And it is! A plain, health-conscious batter that you can doctor up any way you like & call it your very own. All it takes is 2 eggs, a little oil & some milk (and you can even substitute the oil with applesauce if you’re really on the wagon). Then you simply add whatever you like… fruit, nuts, etc., and voila… you’ve created your very own specialty muffin. By the way, if I have to crack eggs & measure ingredients, that’s certainly baking to me.
So this morning, we happen to have an overabundance of fresh-picked blueberries from a farm share that we belong to (www.honeybrookorganicfarm.com) which spawned this whole endeavor. We decided to add a little organic, unsweetened coconut to the mix for fun… and the result? Some of the best damn muffins I’ve ever had. That I “baked” myself. 🙂
The park features a wave pool, lazy river, 2 splash parks (one for bigger kids & one for little tikes), and 4 water slides of varying intensity. There are plenty of shady spots with lounge chairs to set up camp and although you can’t bring in your own food, “Larry’s Giant Subs” offers a fairly diverse, reasonably priced menu. There are also several snack shacks, lockers, showers & changing areas plus a decent Surf/Gift Shop for anything you may have forgotten.
Taking a baby on an airplane seems to be the thing parents fear most when traveling. What happens if they cry? Or they don’t sleep? What about their ears? I faced all of these fears on my son’s first flight to Florida when he was just over 2 months old, but I went for it & with a little bit of prep, everything went smoothly.
After sampling the Chimichurri Style Seitan Sticks, the Crispy Baked Tempeh Buffalo Wings & the Loaded Nachos (which were amazing), I decided to play it safe and get the “Pad Thai” for my entrée. I have to say that I enjoyed it more than my usual “Thai” Pad Thai. It wasn’t as spicy as I usually like, but it was loaded with vegetables (carrots, cabbage, celery & broccoli) and the peanut tamarind sauce was delicious. Topped with toasted peanuts & beautiful, fresh sprouts, I tried not to feel too guilty about the huge mound of stir-fried rice noodles I also consumed.
I had a hard time narrowing it down, but finally decided on the “Pico de Huevos” – a version of the Mexican dish, huevos rancheros, that sounded delicious. The perfectly poached eggs were served on a grilled cornbread muffin & topped with a chipotle hollandaise sauce. Add chorizo, pico de gallo & sliced avocado to create an amazing combination of flavors and textures. And the side of “spuds” were a pure bonus… who doesn’t enjoy a crisp pile of salted chips? Meemom’s is a definite winner, although I have to add that it took over 30 minutes for our food to arrive and like I mentioned, there is oftentimes a substantial wait. Hopefully you can time it right & enjoy this great breakfast & lunch eatery.
On this night, however, we were drawn into 
We started with the Antipasta – a full board of Italian meats, cheeses, bread, olives and roasted peppers. I was in heaven. Next, we went with the “Agrodolce” salad – a delicious blend of baby lettuce, arugula, radicchio, roasted beets & goat cheese with a balsamic vinaigrette – delish. And finally we succumbed to the pizza… the classic Margherita which we jazzed up with some spicy Italian sausage – perfecto! Add a few beers and the meal was complete – I cannot wait to go back!!!
Trips and Tastes 