Harry, We're Home!

It was 10 long days that I spent away from my fur baby and as soon as we touched down in Atlantic City (yes we flew from there, much cheaper!) we drove over to Harry's Uncle's house in Ventnor to pick up our baby.  Throughout our vacation, the boo asserted me that Harry too was on vacation.  Harry spent 10 days in a shore house full of dudes, running and digging on the beach.  When he saw us pull up I think he was in shock.  I'm not sure he realized he wasn't going to be hangin with the dudes the whole summer, but he was certainly happy to see us.  

At home we introduced Harry to his souvenir, Larry the Llama.  Of all the touristy stuff we brought home, this was the priciest compared to the bang for your buck.  They told me he was "alpaca" and although he is very soft, he's a stuffed animal and therefore Harry's new friend...which means if I don't pay attention he could be reduced to chunks of hair and stuffing. 



Harry was entranced by his new friend and got down to chewing very quickly.  Sooo I put Larry back up on the shelf after Harry spent some time with him to be brought out again when Harry is in a more chillax mood. 

For me, the most meaningful thing you can do when you go on vacation is bring your experience home.  Now our home is full of llamas (I bought a lot of statues), an "alpaca" blanket I bargained down to 50 soles, and I saved all my papers and tickets to make this crafty frame. 

Saved receipts and tickets + Modge Podge on a wooden frame = Unique & Cheap souvenir

Besides souvenirs, I brought home this yellow sauce that was insanely good called Huacatay.  It's a garlic infused sauce of goodness.  It's been topping my rice since we came home.  I even attempted to re-create some of the Peruvian remedies that we were served on our trek.  Below is my recreation of Celery Tea that I decided to make when making this delicious Sausage Lentil Stew and had leftover stalks of celery.  I made it by tossing in the celery stalks and adding boiling water.  It tasted the same as it did on the trek and is supposedly good for upset stomachs. 

Unfortunately, I can only drink so much Celery Tea and I made a bunch.  It doesn't keep that well, so it's good to drink when it's served and then toss it.  I didn't care so much since I wouldn't have used those celery leaves otherwise.

The boo and I also checked out Jose Garces' Peruvian fusion restuarant, Chifa, recently and were surprised at how the menu read just like the menus we read in Peru.  Chifa to Peruvians, is sometimes Chinese food or Malaysian food.  They use it generically to categorize any Asian food.  Garces took it back to the US and made it cost 10x more than what it cost to eat well in Peru.  We had Ahi de Gallina served wonton style, ceviche, and even a Pisco Sour, along with some other choice items.  It was a cool way to remember our vacation.

Being home with Harry means that we are snuggling together on the floor, on the couch, in my bed pretty much 24/7.  That's our new Peruvian blanket in the background there....I guess that could potentially be a Harry souvenir since we're bundled in it all the time.  It's so nice to be back home with my lovebug!