Growing up in a landlocked state there was never much reason to learn how to swim and despite taking two summers of lessons I still wouldn’t consider myself a ‘swimmer’. Most pools I’ve been to have a solid less than 6-foot section and lakes filled with snow runoff are not the place you want to swim laps. Even with all that, I love the ocean. I love listening to the waves, the birds and the fresh smell of salt off the water.
On our honeymoon we took a kayak out from the resort and less than 10 minutes into the water I decided it wasn’t worth the risk of seasickness to go further. I love the ocean but the ocean doesn’t really love me.
When we starting planning a trip to Maui last year, I was excited to spend an entire week enjoying the froth of the waves. Despite swirling in my stomach thinking of going back out on the water, I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to get back out on the waves in a new way. I booked surfing lessons with Maui Surfer Girls for a few days into our trip.
Learning to swim has been an ongoing battle. As an adult, there are few reasons to be in a pool that’s too deep to stand but the first instruction on the Maui Surfer Girls website was that you needed to be able to confidently tread water.
Drew is a strong swimmer and was more than a bit concerned about what would happen if I lost my board in deep water. The first couple of days on the island, we waited until after the pool crowd had calmed down for my husband to refresh my memory how to tread water and breaststroke in the hotel pool. After a few lessons, he was semi-willingly was able to believe I wouldn’t drown if the ocean was rougher or deeper than we anticipated. I am sure I’m a better swimmer than I give myself credit, but having not spent a lot of time in the water I’ve never felt incredibly confident about it.
We headed out early on the morning of our lesson down the Lahaina coastline to Ukumehame Beach State Park. The waves were breaking against the beach every few minutes and a strong wind cooled off the warm air rising from the sand. These waves were moving faster than they had the days before, making it apparent that there would be little respite once I was out on the water.
Our instructor Kiki was set up at a picnic table alongside the surfboards our fellow surf students would use. Kiki lent us each a rash guard top to protect us from the waves and after an ample-dosing in reef friendly sunscreen we were ready to get on the boards.
On land, Kiki walked us through an ecology lesson explaining how the reefs surrounding the island of Maui provide the ample environment for waves suitable for surfing. In the area where would be surfing reefs are divided by channels that would allow us to ride back out into the ocean in between each run. These reefs also allow for a relatively predictable wave. Due to the proximity of the reef, it would be important when dismounting the board to stay on top of the water to prevent damaging the fragile reef underneath. Broken reef can take decades to repair.
Next, we learned how to find our stance and what would be necessary to “pop-up” once in the water. Going from laying flat across the board to a yoga upward dog to standing is difficult enough on land. After a few rounds of practicing it was time for us to head out into the water.
As a small group, we would take turns with Kiki assisting us while the rest would sit back in the channel until called forward. Already nervous about my uncertain swimming, the rapid-fire waves brought on from the wind left my heart in my chest as we paddled out for the first run.
After watching Drew nearly pop all the way up on his first wave, Kiki called me forward to head out and catch a wave of my own. Terrified and excited at the same time, I paddled as hard as I could out into the ocean. She braced my board against hers as we waited for the perfect wave.
Once the tips of the water started to move towards us, Kiki let me know she’d be helping me push forward and I paddled as fast as I could. Aided by a strong push from Kiki I was off in the water, racing the wave. Just as I arched my back and felt I could put my feet underneath I lost balance with too much weight to the backside of the board. I was pulling myself under and the wave was done.
Paddling my board out of the waves and back into the channel was exhausting but as I made it back towards where the rest of the class sat I looked over my left shoulder to see a large green sea turtle paddling right alongside me, almost cheering me on to get back out into the ocean. He was so close that if I wasn’t paying attention I would have brushed my fingers against his shell.
After three subsequent runs, I was exhausted and just the thought of fighting the waves back out into the ocean was more than I could take so I headed back to the sand to watch the last few runs by my classmates. I was never able to stand all the way up but I made it. I didn’t ever feel like I was in danger despite the rapid-fire nature of the waves and my limited swimming skills served me perfectly.
My arms burned from the exercise and the adrenaline from the waves filled my entire body. It was the perfect day on the ocean and I can’t wait to get back out and try again. Next time, I’ll stand up.
I like to consider myself a bit of a Denver brunch aficionado. No matter what time of day it is, if I haven’t had ‘breakfast’ I need breakfast foods. It’s just how I’m wired. When I heard that one of my all time fave Denver Resturants, Marcella’s was starting to serve brunch I knew I needed to check it out. I visited Marcella’s on a beautiful fall day and thanks to the wonderful weather we were having was able to enjoy brunch out on the patio overlooking the Denver skyline. When spring finally works it’s way back to Denver this is a MUST weekend spot.
Bottomless sangria served in a table side carafe start off the meal. Both red and white options are the perfect fresh and fruity start to a fantastic meal. Give me a couple of carafes and I could hang out on the patio all day!
First up on the menu is Zeppole. Served as a side, zeppole is the perfect brunch appetizer. You can think of zeppole as the doughnut’s cultured older sister. Deep fried dough is filled with lemon ricotta and served alongside chocolate dipping sauce to make this decadent side a meal within itself. One order is enough for several people at the table to share.
Moving on from appetizers there are entrees for every palate type. I’m more of a savory breakfast person so I loved the truffled eggs and breakfast pizza. Poached eggs are served on top of toasted ciabatta topped with a truffle sauce and oyster shitake mushrooms. This hearty dish is meal enough for two to split if you want to try a few of the items off the menu.
You may not normally associate pizza with breakfast but Marcella’s sunny side up egg breakfast pizza will change that perception forever. I could eat breakfast pizza everyday. Full of flavor this was my favorite item off the mornings selection.
Rounding out the savory selections Shrimp Polenta is a gluten-free option with a true Italian spin on breakfast. A poached egg is served on top of polenta with toasted garlic, tomato, and a parmesan cheese sauce. Intended for breakfast I could easily see this dish as a favorite on the dinner menu as well.
For those with a sweet tooth the Ricotta Crespelle will hit the spot. Each crepe is filled with sweet ricotta cheese and then topped with strawberries that have been soaked in Grand Marnier. This decadent dish is so much better than any pancakes you might normally associate with brunch.
As a Brunch lover I can happily say that Marcella’s menu is the perfect addition to the Denver dining lineup. Brunch is served on Sunday’s and as a bonus Marcella’s accepts reservations making it perfect for dining out when a group of friends are visiting Denver or just gathering with family here in town.
Denver’s Restaurant Week kicks off today (Feb. 22) and runs through March 3rd. If you haven’t visited Marcella’s yet this is the perfect opportunity! View the 2019 Marcella’s Restaurant Week Menu.
Disclaimer: I received a hosted meal to facilitate the writing of this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own and I received no other compensation.
With all the cold weather we’ve had recently there is nothing better than a hearty warm soup. Cooked in pressure cooker, Instant Pot Potato Soup is the perfect way to warm up the both the body and soul.
Instant Pot Potato Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/4 lb of diced bacon
- 1/2 cup onion
- 4 cups diced potatoes
- 4 cups chicken broth
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Shredded Cheese for topping
1.) Set your Instant pot to saute and toss in the bacon and onions. Cook until bacon is crispy and onions are translucent.
2.) Add the potatoes and chicken broth and set to cook with pressure for 10 minutes. Allow to cook and release naturally.
3.) Once pressure is fully released remove the lid and use a potato masher to mash the potatoes to your desired consistency. If you like your soup with more potato pieces leave it slightly less mashed.
4.) Turn the instant pot onto saute and allow the soup to reduce until it reached an appropriate consistency.
5.) Top with cheddar cheese and serve immediately.
[tasty-recipe id=”3138″]If you like reading recipes on the internet, you’ve probably found that most recipes have 400 words of backstory before you even get to the recipe. If you really like the recipe you might have to click through those 400 words 500 times to get to the actual recipe. When I look for recipes I find this really annoying so despite that everything I know about being a food blogger tells me I shouldn’t do this, Im going to move the stories to after the recipe, because the recipe is what is bringing you here.
If you want my stories and my rambling, it’ll still be here either after the recipe or in other content. Enjoy your instant pot cooking and let me know what you think of the recipe!
Interested in other recipes? Check out my recipe index to find more weeknight dinner recipes.
I graduated college with a degree in journalism in 2008. At that time my options for a job in journalism was non-existent. Online media had begun to shutter print publications and that was just the tip of the iceberg to where we would be today. Reeling off the news that over 1,000 journalists at Buzzfeed, Huffington Post and Gannett lost their jobs in the last week, with more to be laid off in the near future, it forces us to ask what this flooded market of job seekers is going to do to the industry as a whole.
In the freelance world it’s already a battle to find paying publications, let alone ones that are willing to pay enough to maintain a consistent income. One off articles here and there for $50, $175, $200 are not nearly enough to justify a full time job. As hundreds of people begin to battle for the limited full time opportunities remaining it’s likely more will land as freelancers, bringing decades of expertise and award winning bylines to an already scarce handful of decent paying freelance opportunities, in turn driving the remaining rates available even lower.
Just one year ago the local Denver daily laid off 1/3 their workforce, leaving small group of employees left to cover daily news for a community of over 2.8 million individuals. Today when you pick up a copy of The Post, most of the articles are syndicated from the Associated Press, losing coverage of local news and business nearly entirely. As a consumer, I have no problem paying for the paper if I had confidence there was going to be local, relevant news.
How can a barebones staff of 50 or so writers be responsible for producing enough content for an entire Daily newspaper? Their inboxes are flooded with press releases and calls for coverage from the local community but with only 24 hours in the day, most are left unanswered and who can blame them? This puts local businesses and non-profit organizations into a quandry. They need coverage and exposure but they can’t seem to obtain it without paying for advertising that we already know is being ignored.
As a nation built on the premise of free press, where are we supposed to get our news? Does free press in this era mean that the media are expected to literally work for free?
The result of dropping wages has forced many journalists to turn to payola, working brand mentions and SEO friendly backlinks into notable publications like Forbes or Fast Company in exchange for additional pay. If the ethics of journalism are thrown out the window, how do we know what or who to trust? Is there anything or anyone we can?
There is no solution in sight and the issue will only continue to be compounded over the coming months. Placing news behind a paywall has proven over and over again to be short term solution to a much bigger problem.
For decades before the internet, advertising was the backbone of the press, covering staff salaries, travel expenses and even buying products for the reporters to review them. Advertising is what subsidized the media, allowing for coverage free of both censorship and bias.
If we want to return to a world of effective and ethical journalism, as a society we need to help make advertising work again. Click on a banner ad, buy a product, tell a restaurant you saw them in a travel magazine. It sounds like an over simplified solution, but it’s not. We are in control of the free press and if we want truthful media coverage, written by skilled writers, we need to support the best ways to keep that press what it was intended to be, free.
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