Peach Festival

Our home town before moving to Costa Rica was Lafayette. It’s about a 20 minutes drive East of Boulder. Every year they have two fun festivals; Oatmeal Festival in January and then Peach Festival in August. We were very excited to attend as we missed last year’s due to scoping out where we were going to move to in Costa Rica. This years was even bigger than two years ago. More art, food, games for kids, live music, and of course peaches!

It was a hot sunny afternoon so we drove with the windows down and listened to Jim’s new “Indie Mix.” (I love that he’s getting more into music I like. Hahaha.)

When we first started walking we were excited to see The Styria Bakery stand. Styria is the part of Austria where my sister-in-law and her husband got married just last month.

So many people! Our first stop was to get Jim some peach cobbler (which he shared a bite with me) and then walked around. We got there late in the day so many of the food vendors were running out of food so i missed out on falafel. Oh well.

They had rides for kids too, which they didn’t have a couple years ago. After walking up and down Public Road checking out all the options and comparing the prices of peaches I decided I needed some roasted corn. We got some and found a nice shady spot in the grass.

Jim put some spicy stuff on his.

I loaded up on pepper (or course) and a little salt.

Happy to have eaten such juicy sweet corn!

We went back to the peach vendor we liked and got a large sack of peaches (some of which we’ll eat right away) and others we’ll freeze before heading to my good friend Coleen’s wedding this week. The stand we chose was local and organic and also had the cutest shirts that said “Don’t squeeze the peaches.”

We then headed over to our friends Kate and Sita’s house. They bought a place in Lafayette just as we were moving back to CO. We now live in Kate’s old place in Boulder. I was SO excited to check out their garden. Kate built the beds!

They have all kinds of goodies growing including tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, carrots, beets, chard, and melon!

Kate and Jim used to work together at HP and are super fond of each other. Scratch that, we’re all fond of each other!

It was nice to relax, eat a little (I brought a veggie and bean quinoa pilaf), and chat with people. They have such nice friends and family.

While sitting there an old war plane flew overhead. I had such a fun time watching some boys at the party play together. Remember when it didn’t take much for us to be entertained, all we needed was to be outside? These boys reminded me of the simple joys of life and the never ending curiosity and wonder that’s inside us all.

Now, did you notice that I forgot to take photos of both the peach cobbler that Jim ate and the sack full of peaches we bought?! I know, it doesn’t seem like much of a Peach Festival without the photos, but trust me, peaches were the focal point.

Lovely Saturday Morning

Went out with a dozen friends last night and had a blast, but I was thrilled to come home and get back to reading some the the incredible books my sister Kylie sent me. She’s been collecting these since I was in Costa Rica, reading most, but decided that during her last couple semesters in school I’d have more time to read them. Check out all that she sent:

The only thing not pictured is a pink heart shaped Pez dispenser with “Dream” printed on it. I gave it to Jim as he loves Pez and I wanted him to feel included in the package receiving.

But seriously, look at all those goodies!!! I had already read most of Skinny Bitch and Food Rules, but I’m happy to get to read them again. (I already read Food Rules in the bath tub 2 days ago.) I’ve also been reading Ani Phyo’s book (which Kylie won in a blog giveaway!) and The Coconut Oil book. I’m coo coo for coconut in all it’s forms but I had no idea that coconut oil has helped so many fight yeast problems. This was awesome information for me as I am highly susceptible to yeast problems (which I’ve been able to keep under control only by diet and daily probiotics). All the other books I’m so excited to finally read, rather than just flip through in airports or bookstores. Also, I’m pumped to watch the documentary Food Fight. Kylie actually got to meet the maker, helped do some promotion for the L.A. premier, and got to attend the premier too. I’m loving how many documentaries on food have been coming out. Totally rad.

So after reading until my eyes started to close, I went to bed, sleeping in! This is such a luxury since I wake up at 5am Monday through Friday for my new job as the baker and sous chef for Gindi Cafe (which I love). OH! I also had my first catering gig for 12 people a couple weeks ago. It was such a success but I’ll tell you more about that another time. For now, let’s get to breakfast…

This was awesome! Gluten free oatmeal (cooked) with chia seeds, some coconut flour, and coconut butter. I then topped it with large flakes of coconut, walnuts, a dash of cinnamon and a splash of almond milk. So coconuty and SO GOOD! I also had a glass of Amazing Grass’ Original Amazing Meal blitzed with frozen bananas and almond milk. It was good, but I’m obsessed with their Chocolate flavor!

Next up, Lafayette’s Peach Festival!

Homemade Nutella!

I don’t know about you but Nutella is one of my favorite things ever. Unfortunately the brand Nutella has stuff in it I don’t want to be consuming. I’ve found other kinds, but I was curious if I could possibly make my own as I’ve made other nut butters. I tried and succeeded! Thick, Creamy, Rich, Spreadable, and Delicious!

I love it on tart green apples, but I also had some fun making Ants On A Log, using both black and fire ants! Aren’t they cute?! Goji berries are awesome by the way.

Yum! Jim found this to be a big hit too! He savored half of the plate with me.

The day after (I actually had some left) I used some as a topper/mix-in for Banana Mango Soft Serve for Jim and I. SO GOOD!

To make it I used a combination of hazelnuts (which I toasted for their incredible flavor), cocoa power, vanilla, and some finely blitzed dried sugar cane crystals. To make this raw next time I’ll be using raw hazelnuts, cacao powder, vanilla bean bits, and raw agave.

Seriously, if you haven’t tried making this and you love Nutella half as much as I do, you must make it. All you need is a food processor.

For Kylie with Love

So my sister Kylie (AKA Zippaloo or Zip) of All Things Food has been nagging strongly encouraging me to get back to blogging about food. Every time we talk or Skype I tell her about all the fun and tasty things I’ve made since we last spoke. She’s been requesting photos, recipes, etc. So here’s a few desserts I’ve made since moving into our new place…

Carrot Cake (free of animal products, gluten, and refined sugar)

Cashew Creme

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Cashews, soaked for 3+ hours then drained

7 dates, pits removed

1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

1/4 +1/8 your choice of nondairy milk (I used my homemade almond milk)

Tiny pinch of Sea Salt

Optional:

Spices like cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, etc.

Directions:

Blitz ingredients in food processor until creamy.

Note:

Keeps for a week in fridge.

Next up…..

Mmmmm Mango…

Raw “Cheesecake”

Ingredients:

Crust:

1 rounded cup Almonds

3 Dates, pits removed

Filling:

1 cup Cashews, soaked overnight then drained

Agave to your liking (I don’t like mine to be too sweet)

2 tablespoons Lemon Juice (If you make it too lemony you’ll end up with Lemon Bars like Kylie’s did.)

1 tablespoon Vanilla Extract

pinch of Salt

Directions:

Blitz Almonds to your desired consistency in a food processor then add dates and blitz again until it forms into a ball.

Press the crust into a bread pan, slightly oiled if you’d like (I used a little coconut oil). Put in freezer until you’re done with filling.

Blitz  all the filling ingredients in a food processor, blender, etc. until smooth. Taste and adjust sweetness and spice if adding. Layer the filling over the crust, smooth it out, then put in fridge until ready to eat. Cuts easily and is great with fresh fruit.

Note:

Keeps for a week in fridge.

And a very common dessert in the Ahern household…

Banana Soft Serve

It was just frozen bananas this time, but I love to add other fruit, nuts, cocoa, almond milk, spices, etc. Check out my next post for a delicious mix in I made.

P.S. Kylie, thanks for your encouragement to get back to blogging!

How Many Cars Did We Drive in Costa Rica?

Between arriving in Costa Rica on September 17th and leaving April 22nd we drove a few vehicles.

First was our Mitsubishi rental car…

Which needed it’s battery changed before we could take it off the rental car lot.

We had hoped to find a car within a week and although we did, there were many hoops to jump through before we could get it. Some of the hoops were getting in touch with the owner, how to pay for the car when our cashier’s check wasn’t accepted by the bank (Oh, Costa Rica), getting a few things fixed on the car, as well as having the right papers (everything is done through lawyers there) and getting it to pass the required inspections.

We didn’t want to keep our rental but needed a car. Thankfully our new friend Jason (who helped us find our place) lent us his car while he was away in California for ten days (at a cheaper price than the rental car). We drove our rental back to San Jose, stopping to eat at a Middle Eastern restaurant that we love, before returning it and taking a bus back to Jaco, where we got the car from Jason.

Like most cars in Costa Rica, Jason’s had it’s quirks. Of course it did not have any AC.  The windows would stick so you’d have to help them up and down. The driver’s window was so bad that you could break into the car just by pushing the window down from the outside. During a parade in Jaco one day Jason saw a guy walking down the road with flip flops, sunglasses, and a towel similar to his. The more he thought about it the more it was clear the guy had stolen his stuff out of his car. Luckily Jason just had to approach him and ask for his stuff back, but the guy had clearly seen him struggle with his broken window previously.

The greatest thing about Jason’s car was that we could fit a surfboard in it. It didn’t have racks to put the board on top, but it fit inside nicely. This allowed us to not only pick up the long board that Jim borrowed from a friend while he looked for one to purchase, but also allowed us to take it to and from Jaco when he’s surfed with friends there.

Jason got back to Costa Rica, but we were still in the process of waiting for everything to come together in order to buy our car and then the car had to get some things fixed immediately. Thankfully our friends Noah and Erik came into town and let us use their van when we needed to go into town. (They drove from Colorado to the tip of Argentina. To read about their adventures and see incredible pictures check out Noah’s blog or Erik’s.)

Then we had another rental while our car was in the shop with Eduardo (the first of a few times). Eduardo was hysterical, he was all about the fist bump and loved Coca Cola. I learned a lot about cars from him, which is funny because I don’t speak much Spanish and he doesn’t speak much English. Thank goodness for universal gestures/sign language.

Then we finally got Esteban, which Jim named and because of it refuses to name another car again. (You’ll understand why soon enough.) We we thankful to find a Toyota we could afford as cars are twice as expensive in Costa Rica as they are in the US because of an outrageously high importation tax. In full disclosure we had set aside about $5-6k for a car, but thought we were getting a deal on Esteban at a price of $2,600. Esteban was a 1987 4-runner (AKA old enough to drink).

Esteban has some “character” as my dad would put it. Here is the rusted wire hanger “antennae,” though the stereo didn’t work though.

The 1987 4-Runners only have two doors. The passenger-side door, as you can see, was missing the electrical needed for the window (meaning the driver had to open the window for the passenger every time) and the buttons.

The passenger-door also had two handles, just in case your sitting the the back seat and either no one is sitting in front of you (and you’re making the driver drive you around like a taxi driver) or the person who’s sitting in the passenger seat gets out and closes the door on you.

Esteban did have those sweet window visors which really helps us get air (we didn’t have AC) when it was raining.

The window on the back door started sliding down as we’d drive. This wasn’t always fixed by just pressing the window’s buttons or pulling over, opening and closing the door. It became unbearable when my mother-in-law came to visit, and it went down and stayed down while we were driving into town, with me sitting the the back. The exhaust was horrific. Thankfully she was willing to rent a car during her stay (and even let us hold onto it a few days longer) while Esteban went into the shop to see Eduardo for the second time. The issue was that the window wasn’t the original and had been replaced with one that had belonged to a whole different kind of car. Eduardo did his best to “fix” it.

The issue continued and we brought Esteban back to Eduardo and had him replace the back door with a whole “new” door of another 1987 4-Runner. Oh Costa Rica!

So Esteban was in decent working order for a bit. We drove to and from Jaco and to places for Jim to surf and me to walk for hours. Esteban then started to act up a bit. We’d be driving in the lower gears and the car would shut off, but we’d be able to just start the car again and we’d go on our way. We were going to take it into see Eduardo again, but then on the way into Jaco with a friend of mine it started making some funny noises, it did it’s usual shut off, the car started to smell, and it wouldn’t start back up. We hitchhiked back to the “village” Jim and I lived, found Jim on his way home from surfing and sent him with one of the keeper of the grounds of our community, Marcos, to go tow it to a mechanic Marcos and many of the people we knew recommended.

When we went back a few days later with our new friends and visitors from Boulder, Gwen and Joel (their car not shown) we were surprised to find Esteban’s guts all over the place.

Some were in the trunk.

Few were under the hood.

And more were  on the ground.

The repairs were cost prohibitive, so we made an agreement to sell the car to Dennis for a couple grand for parts, though he actually fixed it and sold the car to someone in San Jose.

So we needed to find another car (maybe even a long term rental) but in the meantime we got a short term rental car (read expensive). This little hatchback was great. We could fit Jim’s surf board inside and ride comfortably.

It was great until the bumper fell off. Seriously, it just fell the fuck off while we were driving in down the main drag in Jaco.

After creating a mini scene at the rental car place and Jim being all patient we got a replacement rental car.

We started looking for cars to buy or even rent long term. We took a trip with our friend Surfer Mike to the central valley to look at cars, but nothing was in our price range (which was low as we had already spent so much money on cars).  We also needed to get our money from Dennis for Esteban. We probably visited Dennis over two dozen times before we actually got the money. Oh Tico Time!

Here’s Jim cleaning out the last of our belongings out of Esteban, with the radiator in the cab.

While we were waiting (which you tend to do a lot of when trying to get things done in Costa Rica) we returned out rental and took a trip with our friend Raeann to Nosara. Here is a view out the back of her car as we drove through a river.

While in Nosara we rode in our hosts’ car a couple times (one of which we had to stop and fix a tire in the dark) and also rode in their golf cart.

When we got back we got a mini rental. Thank goodness Jim’s board fit on top.

Finally after months of car issues, we found a guy who was renting his car long term out of San Jose. We drove the mini car there and then we each drove back. I must say that learning to drive stick shift and feel confident driving around San Jose were the best things that came out of all of our car troubles. Here’s our long term rental:

Two things that needed to be done soon after getting our long term rental was get the breaks replaced, including the parking break, and take it for it’s emissions test. Dennis did the work on the breaks and during that time lent us his car. This is the type of car we probably should have gone for in the beginning, rather than be enchanted with the Toyota brand. We were warned about buying a car by the beach as the elements do a number on cars. As you know though, we didn’t listen. Next time! Neat thing about this car of Dennis’ is that the speedometer didn’t work.

Here are the worthless brake pads:

All in all our long term rental served us well. Just before leaving Jim found an email from just before we moved down to Costa Rica and it was to the owner of the long term rental about the same car. In the email it was for sale. If we had bought it, we would have saved thousands of dollars. Oh well!

Before driving the car back to San Jose to return it to the owner, we had the car washed. The young guy who did the bulk of the cleaning hit on me, in Spanish of course. I told him I was married and showed him my ring. When Jim showed up he asked his he was my father because of his beard. Cheeky kid.

Here’s an entertaining sign at the Lava Car Wash:

While I was waiting I noticed that another car there had the standard Jesus sticker on it:

While in San Jose, before we dropped off the long term rental to its owner (who was a real character) we picked up our last rental car of our stay:

So we drove a lot of cars. Four of which our visitors rented and we got to drive. Let’s see, that adds up to 18 cars we rode/drove in more than once (that I can count/remember). All of them were a financial investment because at the very least we paid for gas. This does not include cabs or buses we took either.

Clearly we learned some great lessons. Some of which are: Cars in Costa Rica cost more than in the U.S. due to outrageously high importation tax, don’t buy a car by the beach as they won’t last long due to the damage the elements have done to them, don’t be enchanted by brand names you know, don’t buy a car that is old enough to drink, don’t try to save money on a fix-er-up car, plan to spend $4k+ on a car, and if you have a bad feeling in your guy about the seller don’t buy from them. There are many more lessons, but I think I could go on for a while.

So when people say, “Seven months? But I thought you were going to stay longer?” My response is, “We thought so too.”

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