Coachella Music Festival

 

Coachella was by far one of the best experiences I've had. Highlights of the weekend: Swedish House Mafia, Radiohead, Calvin Harris & Rhianna, the entire Dre and Snoop set including Eminem and TUPAC!!!! Ahh Coachella, you were amazing.

 

 Camping wasn't nearly as difficult as I thought it would be.  Setting up wasn't to hard and after that it was really a piece of cake.  I think going with veteran campers was a huge help, and made it a great experience.  We barbequed, napped, and just hung out for a good portion of the weekend.  Having showers at the campgrounds was great and the porter-potties were gross, as expected, but they cleaned them out a few times a day.

The weather was very unexpected.  It rained the first day, which has never happened at Coachella before, and I wasn't completely prepared for that, but it worked out.  Saturday was warm with a cold and windy night, and Sunday was your standard hot Coachella weather.

Coachella itself was amazing.  They had all kinds of food stands and trucks to eat at, and most the food was really good.  Water was pretty cheap thankfully, and they had refilling stations if you didn't want to pay the $2 for a new bottle.  H&M has a genius marketing team and had a building where they gave free water, toiletries, and an air-conditioned lounging area.  So we stopped there at least once a day.

The artists were amazing to watch and the stage designs, pyrotechnics, etc were fantastic!  David Guetta and Kaskade definitely should've been on the main stage or outdoor stage, but they were awesome.  Swedish House Mafia and Radio head were shows of a lifetime and I'm so glad I got to see them.  And then there was Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg to close the weekend and celebrate 20 years of performing together... Their set was beyond words, they pulled out every stop, from bringing on 50 cent, Wiz Khalifa, and other guest performers to doing a tribute to Nate Dogg, bringing out Eminem, and raising Tupac from the dead.  The crowd went wild and there was never a dull moment.

Adventure 11: Camping & Coachella

I'm so excited for Coachella!!!! The line-up is amazing especially with rumors that Eminem is going to show and while yes, I am a bit worried about camping, it should be a great experience, and thankfully my friend who went last year is giving me advice about what to bring.  Other than clothes, toiletries, and food, I'm bringing a tent, easy-up canopy, tent fan, sleeping bags, bed sheet, air mattress w/ pump, foldable chairs, tarp, blow up pool, lots and lots and lots of water, a folding table, solar lights, towels, and a cooler. 

We're headed out Thursday and have Monday off of work so I can have a recovery/unpacking/laundry day.  I'm so glad they have showers at the camp site.  It's going to be an awesome weekend!

Ropa Vieja Results

B+!

The Ropa Vieja turned out great. It shredded effortlessly and went really well with rice and biscuits.  The olives and brine did make it bitter, so if you don't like that just leave it out.  My boyfriend hated the olive taste and didn't eat much, but I liked it.  If I make any changes next time, I might just add the olives but leave out the juice.  The meat was tender and I liked the flavor the onion and peppers gave it.  This one is worth doing again :)

Adventure 9: Ropa Vieja

I got this recipe from my grandma's Food Network magazine and really wanted to try it.  I'll serve this over rice.

Ingredients: 
15-ounce can crushed tomatoes
3 tbsp ketchup
1tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 cloves mined garlic
1.5 tsp ground cumin
1 jalapeno pepper, thinly sliced (with seeds)
3/4 tsp kosher salt
2 lbs skirt steak
2 bell peppers (1 red, 1 green)
1 onion, thinly sliced
3 tbsp chopped pimiento-stuffed green olives and 1 tbsp brine

Directions: 
Mix tomatoes, ketchup, vinegar, garlic, cumin, jalapeno, and salt tin the slow cooker.  Then add steak, bell peppers, and onion.  Toss to coat and cook on low for 8 hours.  Add olives and brine when read to serve.