Another Hike and a New Dish

~Friday, January 28, 2022~

Day 593

What is up with this wind? They got as high as 25 mph with gusts up to 45 mph. Crazy!! Of course, I just had to find out what it was all about. Evidently, the wind is being caused by a cold front that is passing through Southern Arizona. This would definitely not be a good day to be towing a trailer. 🤪

While Jeff took off for an 8-mile desert hike, I stayed back to whip up an intriguing chicken sandwich dish that I found on Instagram. Since it was an involved dish, I started my prep at 3:00. There were 6 different components. The pickled peppers (sliced peppers soaked in Apple Cider Vinegar and peppercorns), the pesto, preparing an oven roasted chicken (which I rarely do), an Onion Arugula Salad with an onion/lemon/garlic dressing, garlic chili mayonnaise (a concoction of roasted jalapenos and roasted garlic in mayo) on a toasted baguette, broiled with a slice of Provolone cheese. The verdict……a 10. The chicken turned out oh so tender, and the sandwich had tons of flavor. It was worth the 3 hours of prep, and I can't say I’ve ever taken that long to make a “sandwich”. Our paired beverage was a Raspberry Mint Mojito (only 100 calories) with muddled raspberries and mint leaves. A little coconut seltzer water, fresh lime juice and a shot of vodka on ice, and our thirst was quenched. We’re really cutting back our sugar intake as of late, once we realized just how much of this stuff is in our regular, routine margaritas……a whopping 400 calories. We’re also scaling libations down to weekends only. I’m hoping I’ll have shed 10 pounds in no time (with a lot more to go), just by cutting out the sugary drinks.

Jeff’s hike earlier in the day took him from our RV park (there are over 50 trails behind us) to the Prospector Trail around Golden Gate Mountain. Once there, there’s a trail to the Gate’s Pass Trail in Tucson Mountain Park. Very little elevation gain, but a good cardio workout with beautiful desert scenery to boot.

He was forced to take a few pictures of landmarks along the way with the trails poorly marked. Not including Sadie on this little outing was a good decision since the trail grew increasingly rougher with jagged rocks (not good for those doggie paws). After 4 hours, he didn’t run into a single soul on the trail, so of course he missed me! 🤣❤️