We are the oddities in this story
+ Small Luxuries, Mexican Adobo Chicken, and Matcha Shortbread Cookies
Welcome to Let’s Get Lost! I’m Rebecca, a recipe developer, food photographer, passionate people watcher, and chaser of new experiences. You might know me from my recipe websites, Of Batter and Dough and A Little and A Lot.
My husband and I are nomads without a home base but with many modes of transportation, namely an RV, a motorcycle, and a sailboat. I write recipes and stories for curious people who believe experiences are more important than things and who want more adventure.
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We are the oddities in this story
A couple of years ago, Steve and I saw the movie Here in a theater in Saint Louis. If you look up the ratings, you’ll notice that it generated extremely polarized reactions. Most of the reviews are either 5 stars or 1 star. People either love it or they hate it, and most people hate it.
We loved it. In fact, as we sat glued to our seats in the theater watching the credits roll, I said, “I don’t think I can be married to you if you didn’t like that movie.”
Steve says that what I actually said was not that dramatic, so maybe I restrained myself. But, that’s how dramatic I felt.
It was like the movie’s creators had reached inside my head and made the film from what they found there. (There’s a commentary there about how many people would be bored to tears with what they found inside my head, but that can wait for another day.)
For those of you who haven’t seen it, the entire movie is shot from one camera angle. It’s a story told in a nonlinear fashion, covering a single plot of land and its inhabitants over thousands of years. As a viewer, it gives you the feeling of being a fly on the wall… a fly that gets to bear witness to centuries of history that play out on a tiny pinprick of earth. It somehow made me feel that our lives were both huge and tiny at the same time. That what we do here matters enormously and also, not at all.
Many years ago, when we were moving out of the first house we ever lived in, I stood in the middle of the living room and said, “Isn’t it incredible how much of our life happened in this small space?”
This is the story of every home: so much life happens within its walls, often in a space that covers no more than a few hundred square feet. And not only our life, but the lives of the people who lived there before us and the lives of those who will move in after we are gone.
The most monumental moments and the most mundane, intimate discussions, grand celebrations, pivotal decisions, quiet reflections, and all the normal day-to-day things that make up our entire lives… so much of it happens in tiny little plots of land, enclosed by a roof and a few walls.
I spent a little over 2 weeks in Europe last month and this was the kind of thing that was on my mind for the entire trip. We don’t have history in the US like they do in Europe. It’s not that ancient history doesn’t exist on these lands, it’s that most of it is gone. Erased. Out with the old, in with the new.
In the US, we marvel at the antiquity of buildings that are more than 100 years old but in Belgium we stayed in a building from the 14th century and walked on cobblestone streets through castles and churches that were raised in the Middle Ages.
In Paris we learned the history of the Louvre, how it was originally constructed as a fortress in the 12th century. We walked below the museum’s main floors through the excavated remains of the 12th-century moat and the base of the original, medieval fortress tower. Our tour guide pointed out markings from stonemasons who signed their work with symbols. One of those medieval stonemasons marked his work with hearts.
In Amsterdam we visited ancient seaside villages that are a mix of old and new, but in which much of the new is contained within the walls of the old. We toured a castle built in 1280 and the home of Anne Frank which isn’t very old but contains more than its fair share of weighty moments.
Every step I took was one moment in the millions of moments that happened in that space, my experience added to the layers of history contained in buildings built by people who couldn’t have begun to imagine the reality of our modern age.
I thought about the generations that will come later. I wondered if, hundreds of years from now, there will be someone who will wonder about me.
Last month marked 6 years that Steve and I have been living in an RV with no home base. We are, obviously, not the kind of people who like to stay in one place.
I’m not sure why we’re like this… we don’t come from nomadic families. Quite the opposite. Our families are rooted, established in their communities, with very few family members in many generations venturing far from where they were born. There’s beauty in that - the stability of staying put. It exists in most people. We are the oddities in this story.
Ironically, it’s the people who stay that capture my interest and my imagination. It’s their stories that I long to hear and their lives that play out inside my head when I am captured by abandoned buildings, old grave markers, and light pouring out from windows at night before whoever lives inside thinks to close the shade. It’s their stories, real and imagined, that make me want to keep wandering, my curiosity pressing me to see what’s around the next corner, and the one after that, and the one after that.
In Europe we traveled to Paris, then to Bruges, then to Amsterdam. Steve came home before me while I stayed to spend a week with one of my favorite people. I returned on a Thursday to San Diego, on Saturday we traveled to Phoenix, on Sunday we traveled to Santa Fe, and 5 days after that, we drove to Michigan. Some parts of the journey were hard. All of it makes me want to keep moving.
A few photos from Europe
#1-3: Paris! The Louvre was SO MUCH BIGGER than I realized. Until this trip, I was really only familiar with the iconic glass pyramid at the center and holymoly, there’s a lot more to it than that. Our travel companions at one of the many beautiful cafes in which we stopped to have pastries and coffee. One of the thousands of photos we took with the Eiffel tower in the background.
#4-6: Bruges! Steve and I fell in love with Bruges, Belgium almost immediately. It feels plucked straight from the pages of a fairytale. Also, there are a crazy number of chocolate shops, every single one more beautiful and enticing than the last.
#7-9: Amsterdam! Canals, bridges, and SO MANY bicycles. We had a blast on a canal boat tour and Char, my fearless travel companion, jumped at the chance to steer the boat. Tulip season in the Netherlands is worth the hype.
Small Luxuries
So here’s the thing about Steve and I: We’ve happily lived in a 400 square foot RV for the past 6 years. We’ve taken our home on wheels all over the country and parked ourselves in some pretty remote places. Steve’s outfitted our rig to be self-sustaining, meaning we can plant ourselves in the middle of nowhere and still have power and running water.
But we’re not into roughing it. We’re not real campers. I know real campers. And we are not them. We like comfortable spaces filled with creature comforts. The spaces just don’t have to be large and the creature comforts are selective.
So, in the next several issues I’ll be sharing with you some of our favorite things. The things we use every day, the things we love, the things that brighten up a normal day and make our RV feel like home. The little luxuries that make me feel grounded, cozy, and completely at home.
Do you have any recommendations for small luxuries you can’t live without?
Click the comment icon at the top or the bottom of this issue and share them with me!
Pique
In December of last year I received an email from the Partnership Manager at Pique. They wondered if I might like to try out a few of their products and if I liked them, share about them in this newsletter.
I’ve worked with brands to create recipes… brands like Bob’s Red Mill who make ingredients you’ll find in my kitchen all the time. But this was different. I was intrigued, but also skeptical. Still, I thought, what do I have to lose?
Pique promptly sent me their Radiant Skin Duo, a combo of Matcha and Electrolyte powder that promises to “help improve the overall health and appearance of your skin by protecting it from damage, strengthening its barrier function, and deeply hydrating it.”
I mean… ok. That sounds good.
I started mixing the electrolyte powder into the water I guzzle every morning and making myself cups of matcha in the afternoon. I went through ALL of the product they sent me, a month’s worth, and felt a little bit panicky. So, I ordered more. And that’s when I knew I was absolutely going to tell you about it because here we are in May and I am still drinking my electrolytes in the morning and matcha in the afternoon.
I even took the electrolyte packets with me to Europe. I miscounted and ran out two days before the end of the trip and was bereft. Ok. I’m exaggerating. But, I did pout for a little while.
So here’s the full disclosure and absolute transparency: Pique sent me free product and is paying me to write about their products. AND, I’m now one of their most loyal customers and would tell you about their products even if they weren’t (we don’t have to tell them that).
Here’s the other thing I want to tell you about their products: they aren’t cheap.
In fact, when I went to replenish my supply, I had a serious moment of contemplation. A little conversation with myself about what’s really important to me and if these products made my list of “small luxuries”.
And then I clicked the button to place the order and have done so every month since. I have not regretted it.
Here’s what I love: the electrolyte powder makes me feel good almost immediately. I am not exaggerating. I mix one of the little packets into a glass of water and chug it while the coffee brews.
We all know that electrolytes are essential to our overall health and wellbeing. I used to keep a few Liquid I.V. packets in the tea drawer for those times when we went for a long hike or spent a hot day on the lake and felt dehydrated. BUT we had to feel a little bit desperate to chug that stuff down because …. have you tried it? It tastes terrible. And honestly, it didn’t make me feel that great.
Another reminder that you get what you pay for.
The Pique electrolyte powder tastes great. So great that I actually crave it. It makes me feel hydrated, awake, and (god, I’m sorry this is so dramatic), alive. It’s true. I don’t know how else to say it.
AND, I’ve seen an actual, genuine improvement in how my skin looks. Pique said the Radiant Skin Duo would promote plump, radiant, and resilient skin, and I’ll be damned, it actually does.
So, there you have it. An electrolyte powder that tastes good, makes you feel good, and makes your skin look good. I’m hooked.
Over the next few issues, I’ll be sharing some recipes with you for how I’ve been using their Matcha powder, starting with the recipe for Matcha shortbread below.
Here’s where to try Pique out for yourself. You’ll even get 20% off and some free gifts!
This Week’s Menu
Mexican Adobo Chicken, Crispy Fried Potatoes, Homemade Tortillas, and Matcha Shortbread Cookies with Lemon Icing
Mexican Adobo Chicken
Last weekend, we moved our home on wheels across the country to Michigan where we’ll stay through the summer. Our first day here was gorgeous - sunny and warm enough to open the windows and sit out on the back deck to watch the sunset. Since then, it’s been on the chilly side and, after a few months in San Diego, we pulled the space heaters and extra blankets back out of storage.
I can’t complain because after a ridiculously dry winter, Colorado got hit with the biggest snowstorm of the season this week. And that’s how May is for many of us around the country… warm days with open windows and nights cold enough to keep the furnace on. So, I’m craving the kind of meals that still feel a bit warm and comforting, but also bright and fresh, and with the promise of sunlight.
That’s what this is.
Crispy Fried Potatoes
I LOVE the combination of Mexican Adobo Chicken and Crispy Fried Potatoes, especially when there’s a homemade tortilla nearby to sop up all the extra sauce. 😋
The secret to perfect fried potatoes that are crispy on the outside and soft and creamy on the inside is to boil them in saltwater briefly before frying them in butter and oil.
If you start with raw potatoes and try to fry them, you’ll end up with potatoes that are burned on the outside and crunchy on the inside. That’s because it takes much longer for the inside of potatoes to cook than the outside.
The key is to boil them first in salt water. This gives the inside of the potatoes time to get all nice and tender and seasons them from the inside out.
Potatoes are like sponges - they soak up a lot of water. If you season the water with plenty of salt, the potatoes will absorb the salt water. This means your potatoes will be seasoned all the way through, not just on the outside.
Another reason to cook potatoes in heavily salted water is that the salt will allow the water to boil at a hotter temperature. This will cook the starch in the potatoes more thoroughly and give the inside of the potatoes a creamier texture.
Homemade Flour Tortillas
If you’ve been around here for a while, you know how much I love these… soft, buttery, and about a thousand times better than anything you can buy.
Also, I need to tell you that most people are surprised at how easy homemade tortillas are to make. If you’ve made them you know.
And this is where I offer you a warning: Try them once and you’ll never go back to the pre-made packaged kind.
By the way, the same thing applies to homemade corn tortillas - they are better than the pre-packaged variety and even easier to make than flour tortillas.
Matcha Shortbread Cookies
These matcha shortbread cookies are buttery, tender, and full of bright citrus flavor. Made with high-quality matcha powder, they have the perfect balance of earthy, sweet, and tart and a delicate texture that makes them hard to stop eating. If you’re looking for an easy spring cookie recipe that feels a little elegant and a little unexpected, these citrusy matcha shortbread cookies check all the boxes.
Also, isn’t that bright green color just gorgeous????
It’s VERY important to use high quality, culinary-grade matcha powder in these cookies. The matcha flavor really comes through here, so the better the quality of the matcha, the better the flavor of the cookies. Just like wine, if it doesn’t taste good enough to drink, don’t add it to your food.
I used Pique Life Sun Goddess Matcha Powder. It’s made from 100% organic ceremonial grade matcha from Japan and the flavor is potent, clean, and better than any other brand I’ve tried.
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