Pointing the way

Another oddity that warmed my heart. I love things slightly askew and Mr. Tree seemed like he was pointing the way towards "something". I love that he still had a previous bloom of leaves on the end of his one viable limb.


I loved this gate. It had two gargoyle's on either side. Front Royal is truly beautiful.

Anniversary at home: (BEARNAISE SAUCE)

Kevin had Younglife this past Monday night so it was a "Score!" for an evening alone for an Anniversary dinner (our 18th). I had thought I would grill lobster tail but ended up substituting with grilled shelled shrimp that I had marinated in olive oil, Old bay, and Lemon Pepper for thirty minutes in the fridge. I was going to make homemade Bearnaise sauce from my antique store find cookbook, The Cordon Bleu Cookbook, for the Filet Mignon but had limited resources, namely, tarragon vinegar. I've saved a neat glass bottle, washed it in hot soapy water, and am making my own tarragon vinegar tomorrow from my own herb supply. The baked potatoes were twice baked and the filling was comprised of wasabi, chedder cheese, real bacon, and sour cream. The veggies were roasted in the oven at 375 degress until most of the juices sloshing around at the bottom of the pan were cooked off. An enjoyable and relatively easy dinner for two. There were ample leftovers and I was able to fix a plate for Kevin later. A few days later I diced up the remaining filet mignon (minus the bacon), 6 or so shrimp, the roasted veggies and tossed them together in a medium bowl. I found a recipe for spinach pancakes and thought that the mixture would be good served over them and covered in a parmesan-chedder sauce. It worked out great. Two meals out of one.

I'm anxious to make homemade bearnaise sauce so when the tarragon vinegar is ready I'm making it. Here's a version from The Cordon Bleu Cookbook (page 137):

Bearnaise Sauce:

Ingredients:

2 egg yolks

1 tablespoon tarragon vinegar

2 tablespoons cream

salt, to taste

cayenne pepper, to taste

4 tablespoons fat (butter)

2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs

1 tablespoon chopped fresh garlic (I'm subbing shallot instead which is more traditional)

Directions:

1. Put in a bowl egg yolks, vinegar, cream, salt, and cayenne pepper.

2. Put the bowl in a pan of hot water over a slow fire; beat until the sauce begins to thicken.

3. Add, bit by bit, the butter, herbs, and garlic. Whisk well to incorporate. Season to taste and serve warm.

I've researched different bearnaise recipes for the "chopped herbs" portion of the recipe. I'm assuming it would be some chopped fresh tarragon. It's going to be what I'll use. On the other hand I found some more different ways to prepare the sauce as well. I'll probably try this one too.

Some more fabulousity

The rear view of Killahevlin Bed and Breakfast

Bob hit it out of the park, yet again, for a wonderful wedding anniversary. Eighteen happy years full of growth, excitement, and friendship. I'm lucky to have him. He made reservations at my most favorite place in the world, Killahevlin Bed and Breakfast. Owned and operated by Tom and Kathy it is located in beautiful Front Royal Virginia. Bob had booked the Blue Room, in the main building, two years ago and we never forgot the experience. This time he booked the Raspberry Room. It's the room featured on the front page of the link above. A beautiful large room, I never wanted to leave it. We become friendly with few other couples who were staying at Killahevlin to take advantage of the weather-friendly hiking trails that are in the area that weekend. Two couples, specifically, came to re-visit their favorite restaurant Apt. 2G. Bob and I, regretfully, did not have an opportunity to eat there but it's only one more reason to come back to Killahevlin once more. We ate, instead, at the bistro underneath, and affliliated with, the restaurant Apt. 2G. Called Element, it is owned and operated by a duel-chef married couple. This was a great late afternoon lunch break and was, luckily, filling after wine tasting for three hours earlier.

The Host and I at Element (aren't we fabulous!?)

We stumbled upon a book signing at the book store across the street from Element. Bob and I had the pleasure of meeting Lynne Johnson Lewis who is an author, poet, and humorist. She pleasantly signed two books for me, Cousin Birdlegs, and we visited and laughed with each other for about 30 minutes.

Some scenes from the car. The weather was unseasonably warm and the temperature actually peaked in the upper 70's on Saturday. The massive rain storm that was projected to come right for us was kind enough to skip around the area. It was a convertable-top down kind of day. Bob and I hated every minute of it.

Bob and I met many wonderful people that weekend. From seeing Tom again to meeting Phillip at The Wine and Duck we had a rich variety of people to eat and laugh with. The new wine and cheese shop on Main Street, Vino E Formaggio, provided entertainment in the form of Tory and Dennis. Light hearted friends whose carefree manner belies the fact that these men love their jobs and have a deep knowledge of wines and cheese. Bob and I had a lovely evening in our suite eating the delicious spoils from the store in the form of a creamy blue cheese, fresh sausage, and a delicious red that Dennis picked for us himself. Later, we enjoyed drinks and an appetizer, The Capri which was delicious, at the Lucky Star Lounge after leaving the cheese shop. The atmosphere was younger and the Oyster shooters that the lovely staff provided were sweet, spicy, and outstanding. Dennis sauntered over clutching his prized bottle of Mead and poked around a little with the owner and some of the wait staff. One can certainly assume that this is a friendly and close little town.

The best memories are of morning's in Killahevlin's dining room which was a pleasure. Tom, minus Kathy who just had a total knee replacement the Monday before, tended to each table professionally and with friendly charm. The chatter between tables livened the mood and the food was without fault. Breakfast, the owners relaxed charm, and the setting is enough to lull me back time and time again and to recommend Killahevlin to anyone who's willing to listen.

Leftover bonanza: (RICH CHEESE CRUST)

I can't take it anymore. I am officially finished with the meat from our party. I am sick. Do you hear me. Sick of ham. The beef wasn't so bad and actually we finished the last of it in a beef pie. I wish I knew how to make decent "gravy" out of stock. I mean, I really wish I knew how. Nothing ruins a pot pie worse than a yucky gravy for the top. And we slather our pie's in gravy. I usually never have roast drippings when I have leftover meat. The gravy I made for the beef pie came from an experiment using au jus mix and beef stock. It was mediocre. I think I'm going to just reduce the stock next time and leave out the au jus. I added 2 tablespoons of tomato paste and about an 1/2 cup of red wine to the mix. I'm nixing the wine next time too. I thickened the broth with a slurry of corn starch and water. I think that's where it went really wrong. Now that I've researched gravy I see where it really went wrong. Corn starch is great in other areas but not as a gravy thickener. It's sorta a "blah" or "raw" taste to me. But it's what I've always known and I'm breaking that habit now. Here's a way I think I'm going to try next time (from cooks.com):

Melt butter in a saucepan then add flour. Blend together until no lumps are visible. Add salt and pepper. Cook and stir over medium heat for 5-10 minutes or until mixture starts to brown. Turn heat to low and slowly add warmed broth, stirring constantly. (note: use equal parts butter and flour).

The crust recipe was for a single crust. I borrowed the recipe from a new/old cookbook I found while going through an antique shop in Flint Hill Virginia. A great place by the way. Okay. So, I found a recipe for Chicken Pie in my The Cordon Blue Cookbook and loved the idea of a cheese crust for my beef pie. It's a rich crust with 3 egg yolks.

Rich Cheese Crust

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

4 tablespoons fat (Crisco)

3 egg yolks

2 tablespoons water

3 tablespoons grated sharp cheese ( I love Cracker Barrel extra sharp)

1/2 teaspoon smoky paprika

Directions:

1. Put flour on a large board, make a well in the center and put in the fat, egg yolks, water, grated cheese, paprika, and a pinch of salt.

2. Work the center ingredients into a smooth paste, and gradually move the side walls of the flour well in towards the center into a crumbly dough.

3. Gather the dough into a ball as well as you can without manipulating the dough excessively. Wrap the dough into plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. You'll be pleasantly surprised how the flour in the dough will be hydrated and pull together most of the loose bits.

4. After 30 minutes pull the dough from the refrigerator and remove from the wrap. On a floured board roll out "not too thin" and enough to cover the top of the pie nicely.

5. Trim the pie, brush with beaten egg, and bake as called for in the recipe.

This time last week.....boo hoo

This was our breakfast last Saturday. Or, the beginning of our breakfast at Killahevlin in Front Royal Virginia. Tom, one half of the hosting team of Tom and Kathy, began our morning meal with vanilla custard filled tartlets, fresh berries, a melon ball sized scoop of homemade strawberry ice cream, and finished with a drizzle of strawberry sauce. Bob finished his meal with homemade whole wheat apple spiced pancakes and sausage. I had the sausage with 4 minutes eggs over whole grain toast. Just delicious! Tom was a beautiful host and accomodated my selfish request for the four minute eggs. Lucky us had our breakfast before the power went out. Tom definately had his hands full that morning.

Here's a freaky view from the front porch through the leaded window into the parlor.

Stained glass off of the back dining area.

On our way out to the parking area. Charlotte was busy the night before.

Tom outdid (is that a word?) himself Sunday morning. I mean OUTDID himself. This, my friends, is Killahevlin-style Eggs Benedict. Tom made a waffle which consisted of cheese and herbs. It was orgasmic. I love Eggs Benedict but this by far was the best I've EVER had. Tom was so accomodating and served everyone, which consisted of five couples, fresh hot breakfast. We started with poached pears which were delicious. These, apparently, were Kathy's speciality. As we found out the night before though, Kathy is laid up in the the Plum Cottage Suite (being tended to by Tom) recovering from a total knee replacement. We all wish her well. Bob and I had a beautiful weekend and WILL be back again!

Germ factory: (CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP)

My nose is so sore from blowing it that I've considered just letting it drip for a little while but that would be gross! I don't have much confidence in the Puffs tissues I bought either. I thought about twisting up some pieces of tissue and shoving them up each side of my nose but Kevin has a friend over and I don't want to look like I belong in the psych ward of the 12 monkeys. My nostrils sting! I guess I shouldn't be talking about such things around pictures of food but my nose feels like my soup looks. The soup was delicious though.

I looked for an official Chicken Tortilla Soup recipe and found many different variations. It could also be made vegetarian too but I think that would mess up the title wouldn't it? I like the fact that, eventually, I could embellish it with more ingredients like hominy or squash. I may try that in the future.

Chicken Tortilla Soup:

Ingredients:

1 24 oz. jar Thick and Chunky Southwest Salsa (I like it with corn bits and peppers)
1 7 oz. can diced green chili's, undrained
1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
2-3 cups cooked shredded chicken
2 cups chicken broth
1 tbs. smoked chipotle tabasco sauce
1/2 cup shredded chedder cheese
crushed tortilla chips

Directions:

1. Place the shredded chicken in a large wide pot. Cover with the chicken broth (it takes more or less to cover).

2. Add the remaining ingredients, except cheese and chips, and simmer until reduced and thickened a bit (about 1-2 hours).

3. Add cheese and chips after spooning into serving bowls.

I like this recipe because it's relatively fast and easy. It's really a no-brainer and can be made in the afternoon and simmer unattended until the kiddies get home from school. And, when you have a clogged nose it's great for getting things moving.

My rosemary nights: (LEMON/ROSEMARY MARTINI)

Since I had some free time this evening I was going through some old drafts of previous recipe experiments. I thought this sounded pretty good and decided to post it now. Bob and I had a trip to the Outer Banks this past July and we found this great martini bar that served a lemon and rosemary martini, amongst many other delicious ones. This is my version of that drink. Since I have an enormous amount of rosemary in the garden I felt I could experiment with the rosemary sugar water for forever. It took me a while, and A LOT of taste tasting, before I think the drink is close to the original. It would be shame not to try it since I did go out on a limb and pretty much got wasted getting the right blend. (I STILL can't smell vodka right now!)

Lemon/Rosemary martini:

Rosemary sugar syrup:
Ingredients:
3/4 cup fresh rosemary leaves, tightly packed
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp. Splenda
1 1/4 cups water

The Martini:
2 ozs. rosemary sugar syrup
4 ounces Grey Goose le citrus-infused vodka
2 ozs. lemon juice or lemon fruit nectar

Directions:

Rosemary sugar syrup: (This is listed first due to the chilling time)

1. In a food processor or blender combine rosemary and 2 tablespoons of the Splenda. Process for a 20-30 seconds to only bruise the rosemary (it’s OK if it isn’t chopped). Smell the wonderful aroma.

2. In a medium saucepan combine the remaining Splenda, water, and rosemary mixture. Heat just to boiling, stirring to dissolve the Splenda. Simmer on low for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and let stand for 30 minutes. Strain once then strain again through a coffe filter, discard solids, and thoroughly chill the syrup (about an hour). It is not a thick syrup. It IS flavorful though.

The Martini:

1. Pour the vodka, rosemary sugar syrup and lemon juice into a shaker 3/4 full of ice. Shake well.
2. Retrieve your martini glass and strain. Get a little crazy and garnish with a rosemary sprig if you choose.

*I looked for "lemon nectar" in the grocery store. Aside from all the other nectars available, this one wasn't. I looked up the definition of nectar which states (Webster's New World Dictionary of Culinary Arts), refers to nectar in the United States as "undiluted fruit juice or a mixture of fruit juices," So I took two lemons, cut down the sides, removed the peel and the white pith, cut and separated the sections out, removed the seeds, and blended in the blender. I then strained (one time) the juice and waahlaah. Nectar. I'm assuming. It's worth the trouble. Make extra because the drink tastes better with nectar instead of just pure lemon juice.

The end of the season

This morning it was 38 degrees. There was frost covering everything and I felt a sudden panic that my basil was in terrible terrible danger (which it was). I had picked the vegetables in the picture a few days before and thought it was best to document the last of the garden bounty since Mr. Frost had decided to visit and was apt to come back again soon. I feel little pangs of guilt that I didn't do more with the garden this year, but to satisfy myself, I say I didn't do too bad either. I managed a batch of pesto and dried a TON of parsley before I ripped it up.

I have a shitty cold that continues to keep me from having a restful sleep. I'm definately a nose breather when comes to nestling down for the night and it's hard to keep one nostril open so I can zonk out. It switches sides too. I'll wake up at 3am and have to get the OTHER nostril unclogged so I can breathe. At least Bob doesn't have to suffer with me right now.

I tell myself I should have posted my chicken tortilla soup recipe but I didn't take a picture of it. It was the perfect solution for my crappy cold. Easy too. I have leftovers so I'll post it tomorrow.

I decided that I'm going to give Bread Baking Babes a whirl this month too. I saw a post on Lucullian Delights about Challah bread so I thought, why not. I've been eyeballing their posts for a little while now and think I can work up the courage to participate. There's no way I'm in the same league as these talented ladies but I'm going to give it a try! Tomorrow I'm popping over to Sara's page (she's the host this month) for the recipe and instructions. Anyone else game to try with me?