Home Again
Every Spring break, my parents, my sister's family, and my family gather at a state park either in north Louisiana or in south Arkansas. My sister and brother-in-law and their three kids drive in from Austin, Texas, while our parents come up from southeastern Louisiana. We try to pick a location equidistant from all of us, but invariably my sister winds up with the longest drive and D., E., and I wind up with the shortest. This year, we chose a spot only 3 hours from Jackson, beautiful Lake D'Arbonne:
Sunrise over Lake D'Arbonne
If the park hadn't been so nice (excellent tennis courts as well as a lovely lake) and the lodge we rented so large and well-appointed, my sister (M.A.) probably would have never let me live down my the fact that I drove 3 hours to her 8 hours. But I think we found a new favorite meeting spot. Everyone enjoyed playing tennis and canoeing, and M.A. and I found lots of opportunities for antiquing in the nearby towns.
As far as cooking goes, I didn't even try to come up with any new recipes, though we did have a few dishes that I've written about before. It's come to be a tradition that on the first night my mom brings lasagna for the whole group. She makes two versions, a cheese lasagna for the non-vegans and a tofu-ricotta version based on my favorite lasagna recipe. For dessert that night, I prepared a Pineapple Coffee Cake and, just to see how it tasted, added some coconut to the batter and sprinkled on top (it was good). The second night we roasted hot dogs (SmartDogs for us vegans) over the fire, but for the third night, I got out the pressure cooker I had brought with me and made Curried Split Pea Soup with Cauliflower.
The only other food of note was a veggie muffaletta that D. and I shared in Monjuni's restaurant in Ruston, La. It contained fried (sorry!) eggplant and artichokes as well as olive salad, and the bread was really good. I'm sure the fat and calorie count was through the roof, but hey--I was on vacation! I'm home now, so I'll try to get back to cooking up some good fat-free food to share with y'all soon.
Sunrise over Lake D'Arbonne
If the park hadn't been so nice (excellent tennis courts as well as a lovely lake) and the lodge we rented so large and well-appointed, my sister (M.A.) probably would have never let me live down my the fact that I drove 3 hours to her 8 hours. But I think we found a new favorite meeting spot. Everyone enjoyed playing tennis and canoeing, and M.A. and I found lots of opportunities for antiquing in the nearby towns.
As far as cooking goes, I didn't even try to come up with any new recipes, though we did have a few dishes that I've written about before. It's come to be a tradition that on the first night my mom brings lasagna for the whole group. She makes two versions, a cheese lasagna for the non-vegans and a tofu-ricotta version based on my favorite lasagna recipe. For dessert that night, I prepared a Pineapple Coffee Cake and, just to see how it tasted, added some coconut to the batter and sprinkled on top (it was good). The second night we roasted hot dogs (SmartDogs for us vegans) over the fire, but for the third night, I got out the pressure cooker I had brought with me and made Curried Split Pea Soup with Cauliflower.
The only other food of note was a veggie muffaletta that D. and I shared in Monjuni's restaurant in Ruston, La. It contained fried (sorry!) eggplant and artichokes as well as olive salad, and the bread was really good. I'm sure the fat and calorie count was through the roof, but hey--I was on vacation! I'm home now, so I'll try to get back to cooking up some good fat-free food to share with y'all soon.
posted by SusanV at 11:00 AM
12 Comments:
Beautiful photograph! [And the veggie muffaletta sounds delicious!]
:-)
That picture is gorgeous! It makes me want to be there right now to enjoy that lake. I'm glad that you had a fun break with your family (and that you were able to drive the shortest distance). It's so great that your family is willing to accomodate and cook you some vegan food (I'm jealous).
-Teresa
That picture is beautiful. Glad you're back. :-)
I love sky scapes, and your photo is so gorgeous that I'm jealous I didn't take it. I would love to visit that place sometime. I'm glad you had a nice vacation!
What a beautiful photo. Sounds like a great trip and a great place to stay!
I'm so glad you had a good vacation. I hope your sister knows she left Austin at a good time - it rained like crazy here for 3 days!
I made your Pineapple Coffee Cake earlier this week and seriously thought about sprinkling some coconut on top, but I had just done that to cupcakes days earlier, so I left your recipe unalduterated. I know it tasted great with the coconut. Welcome home.
That place looks great! Sounds like you had a wonderful spring break. =)
welcome home susan!
It's nice to see pictures from a part of the country where I haven't been yet. It sounds like you had a wonderful time!
:) amey
Oh my gosh! D'Arbonne! I grew up not far from there. But since we didn't fish, I never went often.
And I cannot believe you can get a veggie meal in Ruston! I mainly survived on french fried and orange juice while I was at school there.
That's so cool you all get together each spring :) Welcome back!
ya know, photographing food is one thing... but having the ability to excel in both is really a gift and a study. bravo.
LOL!!! What a small world, I grew up in a small town right on Lake D'arbonne. When I was little my great aunt would tell me stories of how the lake got it's name. That is a beautiful picture of the lake and makes me quite homesick. I am now in Utah with my little family, eating all your delicious recipes, and flying by the seat of my pants! LOL! Thanks so much for the memories and great food with photos that make us all just drool!
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