Enjoying a Hearty Breakfast for Dinner

On February 24, 2021February 24, 2021 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Recipes3 Comments

We have mentioned several times that we don’t often eat in the morning, but that doesn’t mean that we don’t enjoy eating foods that are typically served for breakfast. We have cooked several different styles of breakfast for dinner over the years and are sharing a few of them here. As you can tell, when we do have breakfast for dinner, it tends to be a little more decadent and heavy than perhaps what we would eat if we had it in the morning. One of the things that we enjoy about making breakfast for dinner as the meals are usually easy to make and don’t typically take a lot of ingredients. They also tend to be meals made from items that we already have in our refrigerator or pantry.

Croissant French Toast with Caramelized Apples

Croissant French Toast – This is a slightly upscale take on French toast with caramelized apples. It is absolutely delicious and could even be done as a dessert as well as a breakfast or dinner.

Classic English Breakfast – One of the things that we enjoy eating wherever we travel is a classic English or Irish breakfast. It is a unique combination of eggs, beans, sausage, ham, mushrooms, blood pudding, and tomatoes.

Breakfast Skillet – These are typically a combination of fried potatoes, eggs, cheese, and often a variety of vegetables. These can be modified to fit almost any style of food, but our version is Spanish in style.

Shrimp Frittata Just Before Putting It in the Oven

Shrimp Frittata – Frittatas are a wonderful way to take a variety of leftovers and turn them into something special. We used shrimp, which certainly made this more of a dinner than a traditional breakfast, but it was wonderful.

Poblano Pepper Scramble – Similar to a frittatas and omelettes, scrambles are another great way to add whatever fresh items you have on hand. They can also be modified to represent various parts of the world or country. This was definitely a Southwestern style scramble with use of the poblano peppers.

Regardless of what style of breakfast you like to have it is probably true that it can be converted to a hearty dinner. These are just a few of the ones that we have made and we certainly enjoyed them all. Do you ever have breakfast for dinner?

Reginald’s Tower in Waterford, Ireland

On February 23, 2021February 23, 2021 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Ireland1 Comment

When visiting Waterford in Ireland, one of the sites to visit other than the House of Waterford Crystal Factory and shops is Reginald’s Tower. It is a Viking museum as well as providing wonderful views of the port. It was a rainy day during our day trip from Dublin to visit Waterford and touring the tower gave us an opportunity to get out of the damp cold. Reginald’s Tower is Waterford’s landmark monument and has been in continuous use for over 800 years, making it Ireland’s oldest civic building. The tower was built by the Vikings in 914 and was the cornerstone of the triangular shaped settlement. For hundreds of years, the tower served as a fortification to protect the city of Waterford and today it serves as a museum to commemorate the history of the Vikings in ancient Ireland.

Historic Reginald’s Tower and Statue of Thomas Francis Meagher

The historic structure now stands alone, but originally there would have been walls on either side of the tower adding to its fortifications. The full-size replica of a Viking ship outside of the tower is certainly quite striking and definitely lets you know what the museum is all about. The port of Waterford is Ireland’s oldest harbor and an important part of the history of the region. There is also a statue of Thomas Francis Meagher outside of the tower, which is a tribute to one of the founders of the Irish Confederation that adopted what is the national, tricolor flag of Ireland featuring the green, white, and orange stripes. There are also plenty of restaurants in the area featuring wonderful seafood and traditional Irish dishes.

What the Viking Settlement Would Have Looked Like

Why a Costa Rica Adventure is What We All Need Post-Pandemic?

On February 22, 2021February 22, 2021 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Central America10 Comments

Today we are featuring a post from our friends at POC (Pacuare Outdoor Center) who provide guided adventures in the amazing country of Costa Rica.

With a year of being locked up and spending more time on our couches and opening our refrigerators than any other time in our lives, the one thing we all want to do is travel! Costa Rica is a close and comfortable destination to get us back into our groove. Costa Rica is a country that has grown over the last 30 years with a model of ecotourism and adventure for all levels.

Location

First, Costa Rica is far enough away but at the same time close enough to be a big trip but nothing too crazy. In most hub airports, you will get direct flights into San Jose (SJO) or Liberia Airport (LIR). The flight times from NY are slightly under 5 hours, and the best part is if you are flying from North America, you will not have a drastic time-zone change. Even those who have traveled a lot need to get back into our rhythm at the right place, and taking our first trip in a similar time-zone will have its benefits.

The People

The second is the people. There are fewer countries on the planet that you will find to be as friendly and inviting as the Costa Ricans. While some of us might be experts on cultures and immersing ourselves in other countries, we have to remember we have been sitting on our couches for a year. As mentioned above, we want to make things easy for us, and traveling around Costa Rica is like being in a country that everyone is your friend. It’s a great place to get our international social skills back in tune.

Adventure

Finally, this is probably the most important reason why we think Costa Rica is what everyone needs post-pandemic. Costa Rica is pretty much all open-air, no matter where you go. Visiting Costa Rica is about getting outside and enjoying the natural wonders it has to offer. Along with its natural beauties, Costa Rica is a top adventure destination for many different sports like rafting, SUP, canyoneering, MTB, hiking to volcanoes, and the list goes on.

We lost a year of jolting our mind into the “awe-moments” we refer to when traveling. We need a few good awe-moments on our first trip back, and adding some adventure to the itinerary is a great way to make it happen. Costa Rica offers adventures for all different levels, from those looking for a high adventure to a more relaxed birding tour and everything in between.

Your local adventure experts in Costa Rica are Pacuare Outdoor Center. This is a team of adventure and nature-loving guides that operate set date adventure for small groups throughout the year. You can also customize your own tours, and they will design a package tailored to you and the type of adventure you are looking for.

So there you have it. Your post-pandemic cure for 12 months of not traveling. If you are looking to not change time-zones but still want a big trip then Costa Rica is not too far but located just far enough. Also, we have never been locked up for 12 months before so our social skills might be slightly out of tune in which case the easy option is to travel to the overly-friendly country of Costa Rica, and finally, it’s probably time to get active and involve some adventure in your itineraries and Costa Rica is filled with options for everyone.