a veg life

22 November 2015 Ubud, Bali, Indonesia  Sunday morning  began with a delicious curry for breakfast, prepared by Wayan's mother. Rick had asked if we could see some gamelan music and we headed off to a traditional Balinese dance show.  Our cheesy tourist photo, that they printed on some sort of a plate and tried to get us to buy.  The outdoor stage  The gamelan ensemble  Each village here has a specialty product that they produce. In Mas, where we are staying, wood carving is the handicraft of choice. In fact, the workshop where Wayan and his father work was started by his grandfather. After the dance show, we stopped to look at a Batik workshop, where we purchased some fabrics and scarves (I have some pillow covers to make!).  Then, it was off to a famous temple in the area where we were able to try some gamelan ourselves! We also went on a tour to a local coffee and chocolate farm. Agro tourism is big here, and luwak coffee is the most expensive in th...

Saturday 21 November 2015 Taipei, Taiwan and Ubud, Bali, Indonesia  Our first flight from LA arrived in Taiwan around 6am. Our connection to Bali was delayed, but we were able to hang out in a lounge and eat some breakfast before our next flight.  After arriving in Denpasar on Saturday evening, our first stop was our Airbnb, the Amrit B&B in the town of Mas, about 10 minutes from downtown Ubud the property is beautiful, home to a wood carving workshop and bed and breakfast with 4 rooms. Our host Wayan is friendly and accommodating, and we enjoyed talking with him about his life in Bali.  Looking out from the building where our room is.    The gardens in the compound are beautiful! Our Balinese home: The breakfast area: Inside our building: The family/community temple is just outside our window  Our balcony overlooks rice paddies  We decided to go into town for dinner, and walk around a bit to get the lay of the land. We at at Tutmak, a cafe I ...

19 November 2015 LAX to TSA to DSP Well, we're breaking our radio silence.....it's time for a trip! Sorry it's been so quiet on the blog front lately. October is always crazy for teachers and before we even realized it, Thanksgiving is here! The Barclays are heading to Bali for the week--we leave late tonight and will arrive Saturday. Not a great time change when going, but we'll make it up when we get back!  We'll be spending 7 nights in Ubud, exploring and eating, and sharing our experiences! Can't wait to see a new part of the world! -E&R

(posted by Emily)  It's that time of year again! The official kick off to the holiday season is right around the corner, and it's time to bring back all of those special recipes we only see during the next month or so. Rick and I are both looking forward to a trip to Chicago for Thanksgiving, and I've been mentally planning what we are going to eat for the holiday. Here are ten great veg recipes for Thanksgiving, some of which have inspired our menu this year! Top Ten: Recipes for Thanksgiving 1) Stuffed Acorn Squash . This recipe has been a staple for me ever since my first vegetarian Thanksgiving. I do the stuffing a little differently, with wild rice, celery, cranberries, and onion, but either way it is delicious! via 2) Horseradish Mashed Potatoes . I haven't made these, but I've absolutely been looking for a good excuse to do so! Not sure if we'll end up with these on the table or my truffle smashed potatoes, but either way we'll be happy!  ...