A Jeanne in the Kitchen

When we are traveling, we have no choice but to eat out and so often we come across some really fun and interesting restaurants and ideas. I try my best NOT to go to chains when traveling, because I love experiencing all the different foods and flavors from abroad. Our first night in Virginia we dined in Roanoke at a place called Food Fanatics Kitchen. Yet again, it was another tasty decision and we thoroughly enjoyed our meal.

This particular Food Fanatics Kitchen is a Roanoke Neighborhood Restaurant serving rustic Italian Cuisine with a twist offers a daily changing menu or grilled meats and fish, wood-oven pizzas and house-made pasta. But the concept of Food Fanatics goes way beyond just this one location. It is a movement of food people and culinary experts who share their love of food to inspire business success across the country. Places like this are popping up all over. Currently, there are 54 Food Fanatic Chefs working their culinary magic around the United States, and the numbers are quickly growing too. It all begins with the culinary leadership of our chefs. Every day, their passion for innovation shines through as they develop new recipes and applications, infusing the latest trends into their creations to provide you with the recipes for success. “Try these food recipes and menu ideas sourced from our culinary teams, Scoop and Food Fanatics Magazines to refresh or put a new twist on your own offerings. Our chefs’ ever-evolving, always on-trend ideas can help breathe new life into your menu.” Interestingly enough, many moons ago, this is how I started out too, long before it became an ever-growing trend in the restaurant and culinary industry. Who knew I was a trend setter way back then? I still love to cook this way today too. In fact, it is actually my favorite way to cook. 🙂

There were inside and outside dining options.

We love dining al fresco, and it was such a beautiful evening, that of course we chose to dine outside.

Because we like to try so many different foods, we often share meals or get an appetizer and a meal to share between us. We started with curried scallops and paired it with the chicken tikka pizza. Great combination! I love all three – pizza, Indian foods and curry, but I had never thought of combining pizza and Indian food together before. We LOVED it!!!!! I will have to make some chicken tikka pizza here at home home of these days.

The pizza was cooked in the wood fired oven.

All the food was fantastic. We loved every bite of it. Thank you for introducing us to these fabulous combinations. 🙂 What an absolute treat.

As I said, this is one of many such restaurants. This particular location was in Roanoke, Virginia, located at 551 Marshall Avenue, SW. You can call them to see what’s cooking at (540) 204-4767 or visit the Food Fanatics website for more ideas and locations at http://www.foodfanaticskitchen.com.

After our delicious lunch at Switzerland Cafe Little Switzerland we continued along the Blue Ridge Pathway for another hundred or so miles, which took us into Virginia. Virginia is another beautiful Colonial state, abundant with a rich and colorful history. In 1607 the London Company established the first permanent English colony in the New World in the Colony of Virginia. The colony was nicknamed “Old Dominion”. The nickname was earned by the loyalty of Virginia to the Royalist cause during the English Civil War and afterward, during the English Commonwealth. Virginia’s state legislature was established in 1619 and is the oldest continuous law-making body in North America.

At first, the scenery from North Carolina into Virginia is not that different. But as we continued, we started noticing more and more subtle changes along the way.

We even saw a few deer in the woods.

This is one of many old and historic bridges we came across.

When we needed a potty break, we stopped at this old historic mill.

Isn’t this just an idyllic scene? It is so peaceful and serene.

From here, we kept driving until we reach our hotel for the night. We are still heading towards West Virginia, where our nephew and his bride held their nuptials.

The driving tour continues. …

All that driving through the Blue Ridge Mountains gave us an appetite. We stopped in this cute, little quaint town called Little Switzerland, population 46, known as the jewel of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Don’t let the small size of the town fool you though.  It embodies what western NC is all about and promotes the region and all that it has to offer. Little Switzerland is off mile marker 334 and is about an hour away from Asheville, NC. If you are a motorcycle fan and/or rider, there is the Diamondback trail that goes along for about 12 miles of the Blue Ridge Parkway and ends in Little Switzerland. The area is also a hiker’s haven with plenty of back trails just waiting to be discovered.

We stopped and ate at the The Little Switzerland Cafe. It was packed, and for very good reason too. The food was fresh, delicious and made in house. They also have a little shop adjacent to the restaurant, for your shopping pleasures while you wait to be seated. The shop is filled with unique items and local artwork.

Since we were in bear country, it was only fitting to have a picture of a black bear in the restaurant too.

We did not get to sit at this table, but I just had to take a picture of it it. I heard it was reserved for a special customer.

If you wanted to wait outside, there were some interesting “farm animals” to look at too.

This is the ONLY kind of snake I like.

And now the food. Larry was hungry for some good Southern style BBQ, and he definitely got some here. He ordered the pulled pork plate, which was overflowing with goodness. I had a little bit too and it was DELICIOUS! It came with baked beans, cornbread, coleslaw and he ordered 2 kinds of BBQ sauce to go with it as well.

I wasn’t all that hungry, and I am trying my darnedest to lose weight (a lot of weight), so I ordered something a bit lighter, though it was every bit as delicious. I ordered the chicken salad made with apricots and almonds with fruit on the side and a strawberry lemonade to help wet my whistle. Some fresh, homemade bread was on the side too. I could have easily eaten the whole loaf of bread. Everything was so good and fresh.

Switzerland Cafe and General Store is located where highway 226A and the Blue Ridge Parkway meet in Little Switzerland, NC. The restaurant offers a wide array of “delectable sandwiches, soups, desserts, pastries, specialty items, coffees and imported cheeses.” You can contact them either by phone at (828) 765-5289 or on the web at either info@swizterlandcafe.com or http://www.switzerlandcafe.com. Either way, next time you find yourself driving along either 226A or the Blue Ridge Pathway, it is well worth it to stop in to the Switzerland Cafe and General Store for a bite to eat and some fun things to purchase as well. We thoroughly enjoyed every bite.

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.