Travels Archives - 2 Cats and Chloe

Halloween Camping!

Can you believe it is November First?! Where in the world has this year gone folks? (Don’t get me wrong, my current situation is not ideal, so I’m okay with time flying by right now - but a good friend, who is about 60 years older than me, once told me to not wish time away because you will never get it back… That being said, SLOW DOWN TIME! JUST HURRY UP THE HOUSE BUILDING PROCESS!)

For the last three-ish weeks we had one of my cousins in town from Switzerland. I’m pretty positive we did more local touristy things in the last three weeks than we have done in the last three years. It was great. But exhausting. I feel like I have so much catch-up to do, yet I am lost at where to start.

So here I am, blogging. Because what better way is there to avoid real life chores, other than the obvious, netflix or cheesy christmas Hallmark movie binging??

Last week my husband and I packed up Jellybean, our Shasta camper, and hit the road. We planned on taking the pups along, but unfortunately, we had to attend my grandmother-in-law’s funeral. And I am pretty positive the dogs would not have been welcomed. Chloe went to stay with our old neighbors in Newport News and Olivia went to play with her Gran-daddy in Chesapeake. (Truth be told, Chloe needs breaks from Olivia from time to time!)

Friday morning we rolled out of the camper, put on our funeral clothes and hit the road before the sun was up. Thankfully we did not run into any fellow campers because we were extremely overdressed for camping. Fun fact, traveling through the state of Virginia in the fall is one of the prettiest times to see our state. However, being pregnant while traveling through rolling hills laying in the midst of freshly manured farms is enough to make a girl vomit. I spent a portion of our ride inhaling scents from our chipotle lunch.

Did I mention we saw the sunrise and the sunset while on the road? While it was an emotional day for everyone, seeing God’s artwork all around us was a great reminder of the joy that surrounds us daily.

We arrived at the campground after dark, only to find our friends and family already there, with dinner and a campfire waiting for us. While our dinner was good, the dinner that really smelled great was wafting from the site across the way from us… I think my mom was so tired of her pregnant daughter craving whatever it was that they were cooking that she went across the way (at 10pm) and offered them breakfast bacon for a bowl of their stew. #ThanksMom

Saturday started with breakfast over the fire… a paleo brekkie of bacon, bacon and some more bacon. Oh, and eggs with gluten-free pancakes for everyone else.

We all hit the road and did our own things for the day. The boys went go-carting. I dropped the ladies off at a wine festival and then went on my merry little way to look for maternity clothes. (I finally decided I should not walk around with unbuttoned pants anymore…)

Believe it or not, the picture above was their sobber-selfie.

When shopping, drinking and carting wrapped up - we worked on the fire, the paleo dinner, the halloween decor and the football streaming.

Have you ever made tin-foil dinners? These are the absolute best dinners for camping. Easy to pack ahead of time - simply bring tin foil, olive oil, meats, veggies and spices, then let everyone make their own dinner foil ball of food! Toss the ball over the coals for about 20 minutes and then enjoy! We had steak, chicken, peppers, potatoes (pre-poached in the microwave since they take a long time), onions, garlic and tomatoes. This dinner is always a hit! I promise you and your family will love it too!

The coolest part of this festive Halloween camping trip was when all of the kids and adults dressed up in costumes and went from camper to camper, trick-or-treating. I kept my costume simple and was a “Pumpkin Smuggler” with #BabyMagotes.

All in all, it was a great weekend with the family and friends. Three campsites, tons of candy and lots of laughs. Such a fun way to spend the holiday. I cannot wait until Magotes arrives and we can continue camping traditions with the next generation!

What did you do for Halloween? Did you dress up or go to a party? Better yet, did you enjoy the smell of a campfire and roasted marshmallows?

Wordless Wednesday: Gatlinburg, TN

by Susan

Years ago, when I first started blogging, I took part in one of those P52 challenges. It was a really fun way to focus on my photography and link up with new people. As a way to “get back to my blogging roots” I thought it would be fun to partake in Blogland’s “Wordless Wednesday.” If a picture is worth 1000 words, then it should serve well as a blogpost right?

This picture was taken this past weekend on the Mother/Daughter Roadtrip. I snapped this from the top of a chairlift in Gatlinburg, Tennessee just after sunset.

Question: Have you ever been to Gatlinburg, TN?

Today I’m linking up with these blogs!

Celebrate Southern Linkup Change Up!

by Susan

Hi y’all! I hope you had a great weekend! Mine was pretty darn amazing! My mom and I left Virginia at 5am on Saturday morning for a 7.5 hour drive to Knoxville, TN. It was one of the easiest and prettiest drives I’ve been on in a long time. When we got to Knoxville we went straight to our appointment… to pick up my new baby!

We left Knoxville and visited Gatlinburg… drank some moonshine, did a little camping, then headed onward towards Asheville, NC. Y’all… talk about celebrating southern! We celebrated it all!

More on that trip a little later though! I need to keep today short and sweet because I currently look like this and need a shower worse than Charlie Brown’s good friend Pigpen:

A little bit of business though before I hop in the shower and then go play house in my new camper… The Celebrate Southern Linkup is under-going a few changes. Beginning NEXT WEEK the Monday linkup will be going live at 6AM rather than 8PM on Mondays. We are also going to take a more fashion-forward twist with it… that’s shocking coming from me right?! Don’t fret! All of us lifestyle, foodie, home decor and DIY bloggers will be celebrating all-things-southern-inspired on Thursdays with our Celebrate Southern: The Soiree linkup. Same concept, just more focused on home and entertaining! So hooray for another party! (And if you fit into the “lifestyle” sector of blogland - let me know! We are going to be looking for folks to be co-hosts of our Soiree!)

So y’all know the drill! Join J and myself in our fun-filled Monday linkup. I will be back later this week with all the deets on my new baby, our mother/daughter road trip and of course the moonshine.

Did you listen to the last episode of the Celebrate Southern Podcast about rocking a full time job AND working a successful blog? You can catch up here!

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When in Switzerland: Eat Swiss Raclette Cheese

by Susan

Okay so I’m not a complete month behind schedule yet, so it’s all good right? I wish I could say that I’ve just been sitting around, busy eating Swiss chocolate. Instead I’ve been so slammed playing catch-up on life that I have not had five minutes to even reminisce over the pictures from my Swiss trip, never mind editing and posting them! But I’m finally getting there guys!

While Swiss fondu is awesome, in my personal opinion, the country should be know for a very different, cheesy dinner. To ease you into my love of all-things-Swiss, I decided to start with my favorite meal: Swiss Raclette.

2 cats & chloe: Swiss Holiday Vacation Dinner

A couple days into our trip, my mom and I were invite to dinner at my cousin’s house. Chris and his wife Mari, along with their little one, were beyond hospitable. I love how a simple dinner in Europe is always an event. Here in America, I think we often get so wrapped up in our schedules and chores that we miss the “event” that a simple meal can become.

Now before you click away from this post, based on the picture above, let me assure you - while it looks like the craziest dish you would ever eat - this meal is ranked in my Top 5. Some of you may be thinking “eh, no biggie…” but as a foodie, to be ranked in the top 5 of my all time favorite dishes - this is HUGE.

So first off, what exactly is Raclette? Swiss Raclette is one of the many amazing cheeses that Switzerland shared with the world. It is a magical cheese that doesn’t taste very good UNTIL it is melted. I’ve been begging my family for this dish for every visit since I was a kid. It’s a cheese that is traditionally eaten during the colder months, however, if given the opportunity, I would eat it every single day. Too bad it’s not so magical that it won’t make you fat…

Now like I said, eating Raclette is more of an event than just a simple dinner. Everyone gets their own little dish for melting cheese. The griddle sits in the middle of the table so everyone can reach it. You put some cheese on your own personal “cheese pan” and then let the magic happen on the griddle.

2 cats & chloe: Swiss Raclette Server

While the Raclette Cheese is busy melting into the full delicious potential it truly has… you are busy prepping your plate with the most random goodies that pair with this meal: New Potatoes, Pineapple, “Eyeball” Pearl Onions, Pickles, Baby Corn and Sun Dried Tomatoes. I’m sure this sounds like a meal only a pregnant woman would love, but I swear to you, it is absolutely amazing.

Oh, and don’t forget about the bacon and sausage that are cooking on the top of the griddle! NOM!

Swiss Raclette griddle

Once your cheese is melted, you simply pour it over all of your “toppings,” sprinkle it with some seasoning, and enjoy! I love using paprika and an orange pepper on my dinner.

Just typing this post makes me want to go eat Raclette! Unfortunately this Swiss cheese can be difficult to find sometime in the US. I’m sure it’s much easier in larger cities… but where I live, when I see it, I buy it all up. Trader Joes sells Raclette during the winter months. And I’ve found that Sam’s Club has been having it in stock more and more frequently.

If you are interested in giving this a Swiss dinner a shot, it is not necessary, but it’s best to have a Raclette Griddle. Target actually sells three different Raclette Griddles that are all decently priced: The classic Swissmar Griddle (I have this one), A Raclette Griddle with a Granite Top (perfect for meats and veggies on top!) and then a Hamilton Beach option that is half the price but only feeds only 6.

I would LOVE to trade mine in for the griddle with the granite top… If only I could justify it!

Don’t have the griddle but want to give this cheese a shot? Put everything on a plate, lay your slices of Raclette on top, pop that plate in the microwave and let the magic happen in a mere minute! (But I promise you, once you try it, you will be dreaming of adding this guy to your kitchen.)

Oh, one more fun fact that I learned about Raclette on my vacation: It is a naturally lactose free cheese! Um HELLO… is this not the perfect cheese?! So basically, this dish is paleo. You’ve got lactose free cheese, potatoes, pineapple, veggies and meat. This meal plus a couple glasses of red wine is basically my happy place.

Have you ever had Raclette Cheese before? What other crazy food combinations have surprised you?

SWS - I’m in Switzerland!

by Susan

Okay, we are going to keep this one short and sweet because I’m in Switzerland spending some quality time with my family! (And probably eating some cheese and chocolate!) You can follow along on IG with the hashtag #SuzAndRuthGoToSwitzerland Longest hashtag ever right?!

So today, since I’m on holiday in Europe… if you could pick one European city or country, where would you go?

Meet My Sponsors: Sarah for Say Hello, Dagmara from Glamista Home, and Jenn from What You Make It

Normally I’d ramble a bit about my answer, but I think it’s pretty obvious since I’m sitting here in Switzerland after flying from DC to Amsterdam to Zurich in a whirl-wind, snowy flight! So now it’s your turn! Where would you go??

Halloween Camping!

Wordless Wednesday: Gatlinburg, TN

Celebrate Southern Linkup Change Up!

When in Switzerland: Eat Swiss Raclette Cheese

SWS - I’m in Switzerland!

Meet My Sponsors: Sarah for Say Hello, Dagmara from Glamista Home, and Jenn from What You Make It

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