A Jeanne in the Kitchen

The Blue Ridge Mountains are a sub-group of mountains from the Appalachian Mountain Range and extends for 550 miles. They go through Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Georgia. The Blue Ridge Mountains are noted for having a bluish color when seen from a distance. Trees put the “blue” in Blue Ridge, from the isoprene released into the atmosphere. This contributes to the characteristic haze on the mountains and their distinctive blue color. We started our Blue Ridge adventure in North Carolina and continued through a lot of Virginia.

The Blue Ridge Mountains are also home to the highest mountain west of the Mississippi, at 6,684 feet above sea level. I laugh at this though, because we are at 5,480 feet and we are just at the base of the foothills. Some of our mountains are over 14,000 feet. We call them the 14ers. I think we have 54 that are over 14,000 feet high here in Colorado. But as I mentioned in my post yesterday, these mountains are just as impressive and beautiful as ours, only in different ways. The Driving Adventures Begin – The Blue Ridge Mountains

We are standing at the gravesite of Elisha Mitchell, the scientist and mountain lover who set out to prove this peak was the highest point west of the Mississippi River. He is forever looking out over his beloved Blue Ridge Mountains.

This is the view from afar, but up close, there were plenty of beautiful, colorful flowers and flowering trees all around too. Some of the flowers and trees are the same ones we have here, but there were many others that were very different.

These trees were so fragrant and beautiful, particularly those that were in full bloom.

For this portion of the trip, we drove through North Carolina through the Blue Ridge Mountains and into Virginia. Coming back, we followed the coastal route, but more on that later. We literally covered the whole state, and what a beautiful state it is too. I would go back again in a heartbeat.

Stay safe and stay well Everyone. ‘Til next time.

As I mentioned in my post First Stop – Charlotte, North Carolina we drove all over North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia. (We left just in the nick of time too. Had we stayed just one day later, we would have been in a real bind. We left the day before the pipeline hack that left much of the country, including the states we were visiting, with very limited gas supplies.) After a stopping at Parker-Binns Winery and dining at Dat’s Cajun Cafe in Hendersonville, More Stops on Day One we were ready to let our driving adventures begin. We decided to take the scenic route and drove across North Carolina along the Blue Ridge Parkway that runs through the Blue Ridge Mountains. WOW! It was a gorgeous route. Even though I live in mountain country, (we have our beautiful Rocky Mountains) the Blue Ridge Mountains are totally different and offer a completely different kind of beauty and charm than the mountains we have here at home. But before embarking upon the Blue Ridge Parkway, we stopped at this beautiful water fall.

Driving along the ridge.

This is the view we had for most of our journey from North Carolina into Virginia. Isn’t it gorgeous?

We even got lucky enough to see a momma bear and her cub out enjoying their day too.

This is momma making sure all is well for her cub to come out.

He was a little shy and was busy playing in the woods, being a typical kid.

The bears all over are just now coming out of hibernation, and they love their dandelions. The dandelions are a good food source for them, especially after just coming out of hibernation, plus they also get them a little intoxicated as well. We learned this from our travels across the Yukon from Alaska into Canada quite a few years ago.

This is just the first of our adventures too. I have plenty more. Stay tuned.

Stay well and stay safe Everyone. ‘Til next time.

After leaving Parker-Binns Winery First Stop – Charlotte, North Carolina, we still had more driving to do and stops to make before calling it a day. We continued to drive for about 2 more hours before stopping in Hendersonville for dinner.

Hendersonville is in the heart of small town America, located 22 miles south of Asheville. It is a beautiful little town bustling with restaurants, street performers, fun and beautiful murals and artwork, colorful flowers and local, one-of-a-kind shops, as well as a Civil War museum. Hendersonville is on the list of the 100 Best Small Towns in America and also rated as one of the best places in the country to retire.

After taking a stroll through town, we found a cute little Cajun restaurant for dinner. We dined Cajun style at Dat’s Cajun Cafe.

The symbol of the fleur-de-lis is a legend in itself – a lasting emblem of royalty, power, honor, grandeur, faith and unity. It is written that an angel descended from heaven with the Holy Ampulla in the shape of a fleur-de-lis when King Clovis of France was proclaimed. It thus signified the French kings’ direct link to God, and has symbolized the crown of France for 1000 years. The fleur-de-lis is still used all over New Orleans today, in honor of its French connection and history.

The owners are originally from New Orleans and brought the Cajun flavors and fun of New Orleans to Hendersonville.

Larry ordered the etouffe and I ordered the shrimp Creole. Both were amazing and very filling. We also got some of the breaded shrimp and a salad that we split between us, because you know, we just didn’t have nearly enough food. NOT! We didn’t finish what we had, but it was all so good and tasty, and we just had to try as much as we could. Sad to say, we did not leave any room for dessert. Maybe next time.

The chef and one of the owners said he learned how to cook while out on the shrimp boats with the fishermen. I’d say he learned his lessons very well indeed. Everything was fantastically delicious.

Dat’s Cajun Cafe is located about a block off the main street, at 133 East 4th Avenue. They are closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, but are open Wed-Fri from 11-9, on Saturdays from 11-10 and Sundays from 11-7. You can always call them to see what’s cookin’ too at (828) 595-9811.

Next time you are in Hendersonville, definitely stop by and say “Hi Y’all”. You will feel like you are in New Orleans, right in the middle of the French Quarter and off of Bourbon Street.

I’m back! Did you miss me? As promised, I have lots of good stuff for you from my recent trip to North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia. I had been to Virginia before, but I had never seen as much of it as I did on this trip. I had never been to either North Carolina or West Virginia before this trip, but I have now, and that brings my total of states visited to about 43 out of our 50, that we call The United States of America.

All three of the states are so beautiful and so rich with history. We covered A LOT of ground too. We drove somewhere between 1500-2000 miles over the course of our trip. It was a bit too aggressive though for only a week’s stay, and not as relaxing as I would have liked it to be, but we did see an awful lot of beautiful parts of the country.

We started our trip in Charlotte, North Carolina. North Carolina is one of the 13 original colonies founded in the United States, dating back to 1587, when it was the first English settlement in the new world. Charlotte has a rich history steeped in the discovery of gold and the pride of Scots-Irish settlers. 

Charlotte is known as the queen city. There are about 30 cities in the United States that are nicknamed “the Queen City,” named after Queen Charlotte Sophia of Mecklenburg-Strelitz in Germany. At the time of Charlotte’s founding all the way back in 1768, there was a large group of people in this area called “loyalists,” who were colonists who didn’t necessarily want to separate and remained loyal to the British Crown. These transplants had settled in this area since it was the intersection of two Native American trading paths. Very quickly there were enough colonists, that they needed to build a courthouse and name the town.

In an attempt to stay in “Mad King” George III’s good graces, and keep a continuous supply of money, men, food, and more coming, the founders named the town “Charlotte Town” after his brand new wife, Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. 

We landed in Charlotte around 3:00 PM and hit the ground running; or should I say driving. After driving for about 2 hours, our first stop was the Parker-Binns Vineyard & Winery, located in the Tryon Foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Mill Spring.

The Parker-Binns Vineyard & Winery was breathtaking! It is a family owned and operated winery that sits on 40 acres of land, with 12+ acres of vineyards, that is owned and operated by 4 generations of the Lillberg family – grandma and grandpa, mom, grandson, and now great- grandson too. The winery was built by grandpa in 2008, and both grandpa and grandma still live on the property today.

The grounds for the Parker-Binns Vineyard & Winery are a beautiful venue for any outdoor wedding or celebration, or even if you just want to sit back, relax and enjoy both the wines and the view.

They even had live entertainment for our listening pleasure. The singers, particularly the female singer, had great voices and were very skilled guitar, banjo and mandolin players as well.

The wooden carousel animals are grandma’s personal animals that she grew up with and decided to add to the winery for a bit of fun and character. These are on the outside patio, but you can sit anywhere you like. There is even a fire pit or two if you would prefer to sit there instead.

The inside of the winery is filled with just as much personality as the outside.

As beautiful and spunky as both the interior and exterior are, the main focus is of course on the wines and ciders. Larry is not a wine drinker, but he does like his ciders. And we all know, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my wines. We both enjoyed a glass of liquid sunshine as well as our gorgeous settings and friendly, Southern hospitality before hitting the road once again to our final destination for the day.

Parker-Binns also offers gourmet foods that are also prepared with love and fresh ingredients from the farm to go with your wines.

Parker-Binns Vineyard & Winery is located at 2275 Whiteside Road
Mill Spring, NC 28756 or you can reach them either by phone or online at (828) 894-0154 info@ParkerBinnsVineyard.com, from Wed- Friday 12-6 or Sat-Sun from 12-7. But “the best way to speak with [them] is to just come by the vineyard!  Come for the wine, stay for the view. Forget about everything else!”

I am “Leaving On A Jet Plane” once again, though I do know when I will be back again. We will only be gone for a little over a week. (Don’t worry, I ALWAYS have someone staying at the house to take care of all the kids when we are gone). We are leaving for the East Coast tomorrow, to celebrate our nephew’s nuptials and to explore the East Coast. Our nephew got married last year, but because of COVID, they put off their big celebration until this year. They are big Star Wars fans, and got married on May 4th, so their reception will also be May 4th – May the 4th be with you. Their celebration will be in West Virginia, but we are flying into Charlotte, North Carolina and will be doing a driving tour all around, seeing as much of the area as we can. One of Larry’s sisters and her family live in Maryland (it is her eldest son that got married).

I will not be posting while we are gone, but you all know I will have a lot of fun and interesting things to share once I get back. So ….. Stay tuned. Don’t touch that dial. 🙂

My egrets are back for the season now, and they are looking just as good and elegant and graceful as ever. Maybe it is just me, but I think the egrets are just such elegant, graceful, beautiful birds. I love seeing them, especially when they are wading around in the reeds.

Sometimes the egrets like to hang out with the pelicans, but most of the time, they are pretty solitary and are perfectly happy being by themselves, doing their own thing.

There is beauty in everything, everywhere. Don’t ever get to busy to take it all in. Look around and you’ll be surprised how much beauty is all around you, if you just allow yourself to see it.

I must have been a Spaniard in another life, though I have no Spanish or Latin blood in my DNA at all. I say this because I seem to always be drawn to all things Spanish, especially its food and music. I love all the passion that goes into everything Spanish.

I wasn’t intentionally looking for a Spanish sauce to go with my cod the other day. I was just looking for a good flavorful sauce that would compliment my fish. But lo and behold, once again, I was drawn to a Spanish sauce that was the perfect choice. I chose a romesco sauce.

Romesco sauce originated in a city called Tarragona, in Catalonia, in the 1400’s. Tarragona is in the northeastern-most region of Spain that touches France. Tarragona is a port city, and the fishermen there made romesco sauce to liven up the day’s catches. The basic ingredients are tomatoes, nuts and garlic, but just like anything you can spice it up and change it around however you like. There is never just one way to make something, especially something that has been around for hundreds of years. There are always going to be many different and delicious variations. It is made with simple, everyday ingredients but it livens up anything it is served with.

I used cod this time around because this is what I had, but the sauce is good over any white fish or anything else for that matter. Romesco is a rustic, ruddy-hued, all-purpose sauce from Catalonia that is served with fish, poultry, meats and vegetables, and in stews.

Spanish Romesco Sauce

3-4 ripe tomatoes

1 TBSP garlic

2 dried ancho chilies

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1/2 cup water

5 TBSP red wine vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil

1-2 slices dried bread or about 1/4 cup breadcrumbs

1/4 cup almond slivers and/or hazelnuts

1 tsp paprika

salt & pepper to taste

fresh parsley

Combine the water, red pepper flakes, 3 TBSP of the vinegar and the dried chilies in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cover then let it cook for about 10 minutes. Once it has cooked, turn off the heat and just allow it to steep for at least 30 minutes. Then slice open the chilies and remove the seeds.

You can roast your tomatoes, or not. The choice is yours. This particular time, I did not roast my tomatoes because I used some tomatoes that were a little to soft to roast this time around. As always, I like to mix and match my tomatoes too. I just think it adds more layers to the flavor.

Once the chilies are done and the seeds have been removed, place them and all the rest of the ingredients into the food processor and pulse everything together until you have a thick sauce.

Allow the sauce to sit for at least an hour so all the flavors can blend in together before serving, then use it on whatever you like.

I served it over cod. This time I pan-fried my cod. I coated it in flour and salt & pepper then fried it up to a golden, crispy perfection.

Once my fish was done, it was time to serve everything up. I served it over pasta with some green beans and mushrooms, warmed bread and an olive oil dipping sauce, with a light chardonnay on the side. I topped it with a little Parmigiano cheese, chopped parsley and some toasted almonds. !Delicioso!

Stay safe and stay well Everyone. ‘Til next time.

We are already seeing so many of our great big, beautiful pelicans and it is still very early into the season as well. You don’t realize just how big they are until you see them up close and/or with their wings spanned, like when they are in flight or coming in for the landing. I always love seeing the pelicans on the ponds. Yesterday, there was a big group of them all swimming around together. I think we counted 16 all grouped together.

Sometimes they are swimming as an inclusive group and other times, they are swimming around with friends too. Lately, there have been a couple of cormorants joining them for a swim.

When they have had their swim some will take off for other ponds and places unknown.

While others will stay to enjoy a leisurely day.

I just love it when the pelicans come to play. They can stay all day, and come everyday.

The other day, we got together with Julia and Bruce for lunch. As much as Julia and I both love to cook, every now and then we like to take a break from our own kitchens to see what’s cooking in other kitchens as well. And we love trying new ethnic and exotic foods too. This time we decided to go Polish, and we chose to go to Cracovia Polish American Restaurant and Bar, in Westminster, Colorado. It had been a very long time since I was last there, and Larry had never been at all. The food was even better than I remembered. It was AWESOME and amazing and quite a spectacular feast!!!!!

At first, we were the only ones in the restaurant, which means we were really taken care of well. It didn’t take long though before more people started coming in.

Cracovia boasts of offering almost 100 types of vodka, and counting. Obviously, I did NOT try all of those varieties, but I did have to try at least a couple. I mean after all, when in Poland, do as the Polish do, right?!

Our server Melissa was so fun and so friendly, and one of the vodkas offered was called Melissa Vodka, so in her honor, that was one of the vodkas I tried, along with the Huckleberry vodka. Both were good, but I really liked the Huckleberry vodka a lot. I only had a tiny smidgeon of each though. They came to me in ice-chilled shot glasses.

However, I did enjoy a full glass of the Polish Kiss which was made with lavender vodka and had lavender sugar rimmed around the glass. Again, when in Poland ….. This was very tasty.

We kind of went a little overboard when it came to ordering the food, and I think we literally got to sample most of the menu. All of it was totally scrumptious too! We even got to meet and visit with Chef Jutta. She was a lot of fun.

OMG!!!!!!!! Everything was so good, and the food just kept on coming. When I say we feasted, believe me we FEASTED. For as much food as there was, we didn’t leave much behind at all. We must have been really, really hungry. 🙂

Everything is made in-house, using recipes passed down many generations. We started off with the sausage sampler platter that came with a spicy homemade mustard on a sizzling platter.

The sausage sampler platter was the first of many dishes that were brought to the table. Now mind you, we all SPLIT everything, and only had little bits of everything, but a lot of little bits still adds up to A LOT OF FOOD.

Everything came with either soup or salad. There was a pickle soup, the traditional beet soup and the house salad that was topped with cucumber and Mandarin orange slices.

These were followed by the pierogi samplers, with both fried and poached pierogis, and cabbage rolls, again, both fried and poached. They came with plain beets, horseradish beets, a chilled sour cream and dill dip, sour cream, bacon, mushroom gravy and tomato sauce.

We didn’t stop there. Oh no, no, no. There was still a lot more food yet to come our way. Next came the goulash pancake with mashed potatoes. And we ate everything Melissa placed in front of us too.

And then came a grilled meat and rib platter and a fruit drink that was a palette cleanser and more mustard sauce.

And last but not least, a delicious custard filled donut. We barely had room enough to split it four ways, but we did. We just had to try it. It was the perfect ending to a perfect lunch.

Melissa kept offering the back room for us so we could stretch out and “sleep it all off”. We were very tempted to take her up on her offer too. I think we all needed to be rolled out in wheelbarrows. We were SOOOOO full, but as I said, everything was absolutely DELICIOUS! Bruce and Julia said they did not eat anything else for the rest of the day, and the only thing we had, and it was much, much later, was popcorn.

“Cracovia Restaurant & Bar is a family-owned and operated restaurant that prides itself on being the most authentic Polish-American restaurant in Colorado. [They} use only the finest ingredients in [their] kitchen and ensure each dish has the warmth of a traditional home-cooked meal.  The owners are the executive chefs, immigrating from Poland about 27 years ago and bringing with them over 20 years of cooking experience. [They] have been recognized by Urbanspoon’s Best of Denver, Yellow Scene, The Denver Post, The Best of Yelp, Westword and other publications. [They] have also been labeled Best Polish Restaurant Denver, as well as Best Polish Restaurant in Colorado!”

“Cracovia Restaurant opened in September of 2008 at the peak of the recession, in hopes of uniting the Polish community that is dispersed through out the metro area. Owners Lester and Maria Rodzen escaped from Communist Poland in the 80’s in hopes for a better life. Shortly after, they started their own business in real estate. After the fall of the housing market, it was time to return back to what they knew. They started the first Polish newspaper in Denver called Echa Kolorado. Soon after, they began to envision a place where people from the community could come enjoy great food, strong drinks, live music, and talk about their polish roots. It didn’t take long to put the plan into action. In less than one year, the front doors of Cracovia Restaurant opened!”

“The name Cracovia is derived from the second largest city in Poland. Krakow, is a culturally vibrant metropolis, where Lester & Maria first met. Specifically, Cracovia means that something is “of the essence of Krakow”. If you should ever visit the beautiful city, you will find an abundance of hotels and restaurants with a similar name”.

A big HUGE thank you to Melissa, Chef Jutta, and Cracovia for welcoming us into your “home” and for treating us like royalty. It was such a fun lunch and you all made it very special as well.

Cracovia Polish Restaurant and Bar is located at 8121 West 94th Avenue, Westminster, Colorado 80021. You can call them at (303) 484-9388 or visit them online at http://www.CracoviaRestaurant.com. When you go, bring your appetites, your sense of fun and adventure and good friends or family to help share the meal. We ordered the variety sampler platters, and you can see how much food we got. Everything was FANTASTIC! We will definitely be going back again very soon.

This is the last of my posts about Idaho. These pictures are from my last day there. Scott and Traci took us into Downtown Caldwell. They live in Caldwell too, but more towards the rural area. What a beautiful, charming place. I could easily live here.

There was everything from beautiful, artistic sculptures, paintings and bridges,

to a fun, musical playground for both kids and adults to enjoy,

to a little vineyard showcasing the types of grapes grown in the area.

Swiffer enjoyed his day downtown too.

There were also colorful displays of Caldwell’s history all over as well.

On the way back to Scott and Traci’s house, this is what we saw. We passed the dairy farm and even saw some goats too. This is definitely living the good life in small town Americana.

Bye-bye Idaho. I had such a fun time touring all around, seeing your sights and visiting with my great, long-time friends Scott, Traci and Karen. I will definitely be back for more.

This beautiful sculpture hangs in the Boise airport.