Monday, August 11, 2008

The Cape Without Cod

To celebrate John's parent's 50th wedding anniversary, the whole family (all 20 or so of us) spent the week on the beach in South Yarmouth on Cape Cod.


Before heading down to the Cape, John and I took a detour into Central Square for lunch at Rangzen Tibetan Restaurant where we were joined by Emilie from The Conscious Kitchen and her husband. The four of us enjoyed a delicious lunch from the buffet and good conversation. After interviewing Emilie several months ago, it was so much fun to be able to meet with her in person!

Emilie must have heard my secret cries for a week without homemade cupcakes! It was so thoughtful of her to bake these and transport them by bike. They were devoured rather early in the week and I can now attest to the fact that her baked goods taste just as amazing as they look! Thanks Emilie!

On the way out of Boston, we stopped by Wheeler's Frozen Desserts to get a taste of their famous vegan ice cream. I had a scoop of peanut butter (my favorite) and Mexican chocolate. Still waiting for they day when they open up shop in my neighborhood...

While on the Cape, we didn't do much eating out, but one afternoon while shopping in Chatham, we stopped into the Anytime Cafe where they had a vegan wrap on their menu. Not the tastiest wrap I've ever had, but certainly edible.

A few cool pictures from the trip... an amazing orange full moon on our walk home from dinner one night. And a jellyfish from our dock at the mouth of the Bass River. John got stung one night while in the water (I was safe on land)!

Home for the week was a little cottage merely 50 feet from the water. When we first arrived, I was a bit skeptical as to how I would be able to cook anything in the miniature and dated kitchen, but it grew on me and I was able to turn out quite a few meals for myself and to share with the family. The stove/oven combo must have been straight out of the 1950's! But I managed to make things like tofu and asparagus stir fry, baked tempeh, roasted chickpeas, and a beautiful peach and blueberry crisp! The potato salad on the bottom right (please excuse the camera lens in the photo) is a family favorite put together by my father-in-law. John's family went out of their way to make sure I had plenty to eat :-)
The hydrangea must be the most popular flower on Cape Cod, because we saw them everywhere. I especially loved this heart-shaped one from my sister-in-law's garden. And I couldn't not post a photo of one of the gorgeous dahlias planted by my father-in-law.

One foggy afternoon we went on a whale watching trip to Stellwagen Bank, just northwest of the tip of Cape Cod. I was a bit skeptical that we would actually see anything, but we saw a number of minky whales, and had numerous sightings of humpback whales! One pair was a mother and baby (left photo). It was amazing to be so close to these majestic creatures.
We also trekked over to Chappaquidick Island, sight to the famous beach scenes from JAWS, to enjoy a final day in the sun. Lunch was picked up from Skinny's Fat Sandwiches (I got a pretty tasty tofu salad wrap) and I baked some chocolate chocolate chip pecan and peanut butter oatmeal cookies for dessert. It was a perfect beach day (the first photo in the post is from the beach on Chappy).

After returning to Boston for one night before heading home, we soothed our sun-soaked bodies with some of the new Purely Decadent coconut milk ice cream, cookie dough flavor. I am still sad I haven't been able to find this stuff in Houston.
So that wraps up my posts about my month of intense traveling and I should now be getting back to blogging about life in Houston!

40 comments:

Nicole said...

I love Cape Cod! It's so relaxing. You seemed to have eaten far better than I did when I was there! I did get a really great vegan wrap once, but I decided to bring it to the beach with me and sat too close to the water and it got soaked by a wave that decided to hit me and my towel. It was still fabulous, but really salty.

It looks like you had a nice time!

Green Eyes, Green Heart said...

I love the title of your post--clever!
And those cupcakes look delish!

jessy said...

i had no idea cape cod has so much awesomeness going on! all of the foods you enjoyed (bought & created) looked super stellar! glad you were able to crank out lots of yummies with the odd kitchen. that's so nice nice of john's family to make sure you had lots to eat, too. gotta love that!

the jellyfish = big + scary. and i looooove the pictures of the whales! i've never seen any in the ocean before and i hope some day i can!

thanks for sharing all the fun you had on your trip!

Lauren said...

Wow! Everything looks so yummy! And the other pictures are beautiful. I really really really want to try Wheelers Ice Cream! I am so jealous! I need to take a trip to the Cape soon!!

Ruby Red said...

Aren't you trendy! This is the first blog post I've seen where someone actually visited Wheeler's shop. I am so jealous everyone has tried Wheeler's but me! How does the coconut milk Purely Decadent compare? (Haven't tried that either, but I've been eyeing Purely Dec's new snickerdoodle flavor at my Whole Foods...)

Cape Cod flowers are so pretty! And so are your pictures of them.

You and your awesome vacations! How cool is it that you got to meet Emilie in person and try her legendary cupcakes?!

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

I ADORE visiting Cape Cod - what a wonderful location for John's parents' anniversary!!

Ahh, Emilie is such a sweet person, indeed!! So lovely that you two met :0)

That ice cream is soy-free AND gluten-free??? HELL YES!!! :0D

Cakespy said...

Wow, another delicious trip! The cupcakes and the ice cream are calling my name!!

Jes said...

Whales?! Vegan ice cream?! Wedding anniversaries?! What an amazing trip!

Jacqueline Meldrum said...

It must have been amazing seeing those whales close up. Wow!

Anonymous said...

Oh, try the mint chip Purely Decadent...it is incredible! Flaked chocolate has made it my very favorite-even more than the mint chip by Nada Moo...I no longer miss ice cream. Lovely blog!

Theresa said...

We used to go to Cape Cod every summer when I was growing up, so I know what you mean about the tiny kitchens in those rental cabins. All your food looks so good, especially those cupcakes and cookies!

Cody said...

Between this and your comment on my "wedlog"... I am now considering skipping Vermont all together and spending a little extra time in Massachusetts.

I've been trying to make a list of places to check out in the area, and I can't believe Wheeler's has escaped my radar. I've heard mention of it on other blogs, but living in the mid-west, I tend to gloss over details about fabulous places I'll likely never see. I forget that I could occasionally venture out...

SallyT said...

Hey, we had the same cook top (brand new) when I was a kid. It was well into the 60's!!

I thought I saw the coconut Purely Decadent at the Whole Foods on Kirby. I know they have the coconut yogurt...

Lisa (Show Me Vegan) said...

That sounds like a great getaway. Cooking away from home can be a challenge, but you came up with some tasty meals.

Liz Ranger (Bubble Tea for Dinner) said...

ooh, that trip looks delicious! and for some reason, of all the great things you posted about, I'm ALL over that purpleness left in the crisp pan. so pretty! and I bet it tastes pretty, too. :D

Anonymous said...

Look at all the food! I think I gained weight just looking, but YUM.

Also, I'm so jealous you saw humpback whales! What a wonderful experience that must have been, seeing her lead the way home :)

Animal-Friendly said...

I can't believe how much you've been traveling! Cape Cod looks beautiful and it must have been amazing to be so close to those whales.

How great to have those cupcakes brought to you by bike! They looks amazing and so does the Wheeler's vegan ice cream! Man....I'm just waiting until the day I can finally try that stuff.

Bianca said...

I can't believe she carried those lovely cakes on her bike. That's talent. And sadly, I can't find the cookie dough ice cream either. Wild Oats in Memphis carries all the coconut flavors expect cookie dough...bastards!

The Voracious Vegan said...

Another amazing post about your super cool travels. Although, I should have remembered not to read your blog while hungry....those pictures look good enough to eat!

Carrie™ said...

Ahhhhhh!! I can't believe another oven/stove combo! Sarah Kramer (of How It All Vegan fame) has one of those in her kitchen in Victoria, BC. Too funny!
The beach pictures look very relaxing and the whale photos are awesome. And who knew there were some decent veg options in Cape Cod. Looks like a great place for a holiday.

Anonymous said...

Great post! I love to hear about people's trips, especially when food highlights are provided.

The whale pics are amazing!

LK Sisters said...

You travel so much and seem to find some great tasty foods on your trips! We love trying new foods on our travels too.

Thank you for your very kind words - it means alot. We appreciate all of our "blogging" friends. And of course we will still be Texans at heart. May God bless you, Lisa and Krista

Alicia said...

can I be jealous of your travels and foods? because I am already...

Unknown said...

Ohh those cupcakes and cookies look delicious!!

Sounds like a fun family trip! I love the photos of the humpback whales! So beautiful.

I am so in love with Purely Decadent coconut milk ice creams; I really love the mint chip version, mmmm.

aTxVegn said...

Your vacation sounds so wonderful. I think I would like the whale watching more than the food eating.

Vegan Girl (Roni Seabury) said...

You get to travel so much and I think that is great! You are very lucky. And you family is so lucky that you cooked for them. I bet they were spoiled!

Anonymous said...

Oh, Wheeler's looks amazing.. I'm still dying to get there myself!

I'm glad to hear you had a good vacation and got to relax a bit. :)

Melisser; the Urban Housewife said...

I love that 50's stove, it's gorgeous! I'd love to be able to pop in to Wheeler's, yum!
It sounds like you had a great week. Glad to hear it!

J said...

Sounds like a fantastic trip! You and all of your traveling lately...how do you keep up?! :) I like the way you've chronicled your food. I really need to be braver about taking food photos in public!

Bert said...

Looks like you all had a splendid time: the beach, cookies, whales, ice cream, interesting vegan food, friends and family. Can't ask for more than that! Enjoy the rest of the summer.

the little one said...

Sounds like you had one amazing summer! Definitely well deserved!

The Vegan Snorkeler said...

Sounds like you had a great time! I love your sea creature photos!!!

ChocolateCoveredVegan said...

Emilie's homemade cupcakes look divine (as they always do on her blog). I'm so jealous. And the hydrangeas are beynd gorgeous.

By the way, did you ever make it to Dallas? (I think I remember you mentioning in an email that you had a trip planned.)

Jess said...

I so want to go to Cape Cod! Sounds like a wonderful trip. Awesome that you got to meet Emilie, too--and with cupcakes as a bonus! They look so delicious.

That Coconut Milk ice cream is my new favorite thing. The Vanilla Bean is hands-down the BEST vegan vanilla ice cream (maybe best vanilla ice cream, period) I've ever, EVER had. I said that about Temptation-brand in the past, but this beats it. Totally amazing!

Anonymous said...

Your photos are lovely - especially the moon. How cool you not only got to meet Emilie but she also brought you cuppers. I've got to find myself some of that ice cream!

Anonymous said...

I just loved all your great photos! It felt like I went for a little trip myself! And all the great animals, and the cupcakes, and the cookies...fun!

Anonymous said...

I think they have that coconut milk cookie dough ice cream @ the Whole Foods on Wilcrest! I'll check it out today and report back to you. :)

Emilie said...

Lunch was much fun--I'm glad we got to meet up while you were passing through. Anytime you're on your way to the Cape, let me know...there are like 18 more places that you should probably eat in the area. I think a margarita caliente and vegan PuPu platter are calling your name at Zuzu's.

tofufreak said...

This looks like so much fun. Cape Cod seems so veg-friendly from your pics!it's so nice that everyone made you veg-friendly foods :)

Anonymous said...

I just wanted to share that I was in Cape Cod recently and my husband and I stayed in a vegetarian B&B in South Dennis, just a few minutes from South Yarmouth. I believe the owner is vegan herself, and she was thrilled to be able to prepare vegan breakfasts for us. It's called the Shady Hollow Inn and it was beautiful!