Wild Wonderful West Virginia Trip – Fairmont and Morgantown

It’s been seven years since we visited my hometown of Fairmont, WV so we used the 80^th Birthday Party of my cousin’s wife (Ruth) as a good reason to go.  It’s a 450 mile and 7½ hour (plus stops) trip on interstate (I-40, I-81, I-77, I-79) and divided highway (US-19) for the entire trip so pretty easy driving.  This is our trip plan:

	2025 WV Trip
day	Leave	Arrive	Lodging	Activities	Food
1	Greenback, TN	Morgantown, WV	Hotel Morgan	Drive to WV	Colasessano's
2	Morgantown, WV	Fairmont, WV	Hotel Morgan	Ruth BD party	Bourbon Prime-breakfast
3	Morgantown, WV	Fairmont, WV	Hotel Morgan	Tour WVU, visit Dick & Ruth
4	Morgantown, WV	Fairmont, WV	Hotel Morgan	Tour Fairmont, Dick & Ruth
5	Morgantown, WV	White Sulfur Springs, WV	Greenbrier Resort	Drive to Greenbrier
6		White Sulfur Springs, WV	Greenbrier Resort	Bunker tour	Sam Sneads
7		White Sulfur Springs, WV	Greenbrier Resort	Croquet, Lewisburg shopping	The Forum
8	White Sulfur Springs, WV	Greenback, TN		Drive home

Trip to Italy Day 12 & 13 - So Long Siena and Kathy & Keith and Hello Montepulciano Wine Tasting

After spending most of the day in Siena and having lunch, Kathy and Keith hopped a bus for the Rome airport and Beverly, Rhett, and Beth came to the farmhouse.  With Bev and I still ailing, Beth and Rhett went into Castellina for supper at the I Grani di Squarchialupi (The Grains Of Squarchialupi) – a fresh pasta restaurant.  Their menu has the usual courses: Appetizers, pasta, main course with side dishes, and dessert and unless you are really hungry it's best to just share each course.

Tapoco For Lunch And A Couple Of Breakfast Meals

Our RV travel club didn’t hold a rally in June but a small group of us decided we would drive up US-129 (the Tail Of The Dragon) and have lunch at the Tapoco Lodge Tavern on June 15.  The 318 curves of The Dragon is 11 miles of hell for us old normal drivers and an absolute mecca for motorcyclists and sports car enthusiast.  This is a shot from the web of the back of the Tapoco Lodge showing the Tavern (umbrellas) and the Cheoah River .

Pineola, NC Rally – Trip days 2 & 3 - Blowing Rock

We awoke Sunday to a cool (42F), misty mountain morning and I could just imagine how nice it would be here on a hot July day at home.  Since the rally didn’t officially begin until 6pm today (three coaches had come in on Sat), we decided to just drive around the area a little before we had to cook our dish for this evening’s pot luck supper.  The trees are fully leafed out at home but they are several days behind here in high county.

Not Your Mama’s Grilled Cheese

I’ve never met a grilled cheese sandwich that I didn’t enjoy, even the most basic made with just a slice of American cheese and some mayo and I guess it’s because bread fried in butter taste pretty darned good by itself.   I’ve also had the other direction with a hamburger between two grilled cheeses...

Lunch On The Riverboat

Our Tennessee Travelers Chapter of FMCA (motorhome club) recently had a little summer get-together for a lunch cruise aboard the Star Of Knoxville riverboat - a 325 passenger paddle wheeler.  The boat headed downriver from downtown Knoxville for a two hour round trip cruise.  This is the docking area with the boat behind it, then out on the river.

I Don't Have To Remember

There has been a photo showing up on Facebook of a grilled cheese sandwich and a bowl of tomato soup with a caption regarding remembering this meal from our childhood, but I don't have remember that far back.  On a dreary and cold Monday after Valentines Day, Bev advised she wanted this meal for lunch and I let her know me too.

Unlike the versions from my childhood which were made with either American or Longhorn cheese, Bev made these with good cheddar and pepper jack and mine also got mayo, dill pickle, lettuce and onion.  The soup was the same as the childhood version - Campbell's Tomato made with milk.

The photo wasn't so hot, but the meal was very good and perfect for the weather.

Thanks for Stopping by Almost Heaven South.
Photos can be enlarged by clicking on them.
Larry
2/15/16 meals date

Marco - Great Mexican Food & Ultimate Dippy Eggs

Happy Thanksgiving To Everyone

While in Marco, we were invited to lunch by friends Meakin and Sam (My Carolina Kitchen) at their home in Fort Myers and while I had my camera, not a single shot was taken.  This is their first season in this home having moved from a condo and they are in the process of updating and getting it to their liking - something they actually enjoy doing.

They served up a delicious Mexican Chicken Soup using a recipe from Ina Garten served with toppings of tortilla chips, sour cream, cheese, and avocado.  Check out this link back to Sam’s blog for the recipe and photos.  Since I took no photos, I stole this one from Sam’s post.

The meal was served poolside on a nice Florida day and I now know for sure where to go in SW Florida for a great meal.  Thanks for a wonderful afternoon guys, it’s always so much fun to spend time with you.

Earlier in the week, Bev had bought some double yolked eggs from a farm stand while attending a crafts fair in Goodland and they were on the breakfast menu the next morning.  It took only a minute of thinking to decide that with four total yolks, they needed to be turned into sunny-side-up dippy eggs, sided with a pathetic little piece of leftover sausage (ignore it) and a slice of toasted rustic bread from the farmers market.

There was so much yolk I had to be careful not to run out of bread before egg - I'd like to know how many times I've had this meal in my lifetime - I'm sure it's a pretty big number.

Photos best if enlarged by clicking on them.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

Larry

11/18 – 11/19/13 meal dates

Lunch At Lake Lure

During our blogger party, we arranged to drive over to Lake Lure, NC while RVing in Franklin, NC to see Penny (Lake Lure Cottage Kitchen blog) and David’s place at Lake Lure - more to come on the RV trip.  For some reason, I thought Lake Lure was more in the flat part of NC, but found it to be just east of the Eastern Continental Divide and still very much in the mountains.

They have built themselves a great hideaway right on the lake and while Penny has shown the kitchen on her blog, I wanted you to see it from the outside.  Not too shabby, huh.

This really belongs to a man who earned his money the old fashioned way by inheriting it, and he also built these places for his kids.

Actually, their place is much better than these monstrosities as they have made themselves a cozy nest in which to enjoy retirement.  They began with a 600 Sq. ft. weekender in 1984, while living in Greensboro, NC. - it is now the lower floor guest quarters with 3 bedrooms and living area.

It has a screened porch, complete with two twin- bed sized swings built by David.  I asked Bev sit on one so you could see the size of them - talk about a place the do some serious laying around after a hard day of fishing or blogging.

Next they built a very nice one bedroom apartment to live in while they expanded the original structure and it is now a rental property for them.  To expand the main structure, they added a second story composed of a bedroom, living room, kitchen, baths, deck and screened porch.  This is the living room complete with custom built fireplace and book shelves.

Next is the hub of the cottage – the kitchen area and our hosts.  We all loved the area and especially the stone floor.

This is the screened porch from the deck (off the living room) and from the inside – it’s off the kitchen.

This is the view from the deck with a similar one from the porch.

We arrived at Lake Lure about 1 pm and after a house tour accompanied by Mimosa’s and Bloody Mary’s (excellent job David), they served us lunch which Penny had advised would be Sloppy Joe’s.  I was expecting sandwich’s and chips but they laid on a real spread of the sandwiches, baked beans, corn casserole, slaw, fresh fruit, and brownies.  It was all delicious and I hope they had another shift of eaters coming in to help with all of the food - they definitely know how to do lunch at Kafé Klett.

I didn’t take a single food shot and don’t know if Penny did or not, but trust me, it looked as good as it tasted.  After lunch we toured the lake on their pontoon boat - this is their place from the water complete with 2 stall boat house and my kind of lawn. 

During the ride, David gave us an interesting history of the development of the area.  It was built by a fellow in the late 1920’s with the intention of it becoming a big time resort for the rich and famous, complete with its own hydro-power.  For more history about the area, check out these sites: Link 1 & Link 2.  

After the boat ride and David towing some stranded boaters back to his dock for a jump-start, we headed back to Franklin.  Thanks for a great afternoon Penny and David at your Lake Lure Cottage and we’ll sure look forward to the next time.

Photos best if enlarged by clicking on them.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

Larry

6/4/2013 event date

A Good Burger Bun

I’ve said this several times but a good hamburger may well be Bev’s favorite food.  And she likes them loaded up with stuff plus a reasonably thick burger – not like the meatballs you see served by restaurants on TV though.

The problem has always been finding a bun that will stand up to the eating process and not fall apart or turn to mush.  Recently she and the SIL had their first burger at Fuddruckers and Bev said that not only was it a good burger but the bun held up.

As it turns out, their philosophy is “You don't put the World's Greatest Hamburger on the World's second greatest bun. Not if you want to remain the World's Greatest Hamburger™,” so they make their own buns and sell them separately.  Bev brought home a bag to see how they would do with one of her burgers.

She started with burgers that looked like they had to be at least half-pounders and after I grill them, the construction process began and included the cheese added while grilling, lettuce, onion, tomatoes (the good ones), jalapeno slices, mustard, mayo, and pickle slices (I had mine on the side to cut down on the height).  This is mine and I neatened it up a little prior to attacking it - I wish I'd measured it's height.

As you can see, the bun itself is pretty thick and not for those who are on a low-carb diet and to give it a good test, it wasn’t given the extra strength of toasting.  Neither the bun crust or inside were as soft as the typical store bought buns, which seem to just be regular bread dough baked in a different shape, but both were plenty soft enough.  I can’t say if it was the buns thickness, the dough they used, their baking process, or all of them, but the bun lasted until the very end, even though it had to be mauled to get my mouth around it.  These have just become our go-to burger buns.

A tip we learned a long time ago – never put the tomato against the bun as it will soak and weaken it, as will anything wet – ours always gets dry lettuce as the top layer and it's probably best to put the cheese against the bottom half or another piece of lettuce as a juicy burger will also do it in.

Photos best if enlarged by clicking on them.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

Larry

2/16/13 meal date

Clams Casino

Bev is not nearly the seafood fan that I am, so I’ve been eating my fill while she’s in Florida for two weeks.  When we had the shelled seafood meal, we used all but a dozen clams which I decided to make into clams casino. 

Since I’m usually ready to call it a day about mid-afternoon, I cooked them for lunch, yep you heard right, lunch, using a recipe from Allrecipes, mainly because it included bread crumbs.  With only 12 clams, I made half of the recipe shown below.

Clams Casino –  adapted from Allrecipes

Ingredients:

24 cherry stone clams

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

1/2 cup minced onion (I used scallions)

1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper (I used red & orange sweet peppers)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup dried bread crumbs

4 slices bacon (Benton’s of course)

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

2 teaspoons dried parsley

1/4 teaspoon paprika

2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:

1. In a small skillet, cook bacon until crisp over medium heat. Crumble pretty small and set aside. (I diced then fried earlier with the bacon for the salmon chowder)

2. Add 2 tablespoons oil and butter to the skillet, and place over medium heat. Add onion, pepper, and garlic and sauté until tender. Remove from heat, and cool.

3. In a medium bowl, combine bread crumbs, bacon, oregano, cheese, and sautéed vegetables (including the oil and butter in the pan).  Mix well.

4. Wash clams with a brush and open with a chefs knife by slicing through the middle.  I set them upright on a cutting board, positioned the knife between the two shells and sliced them open – easy peasy if the knife in on the crack (see note below).

 

5. Using a spoon, scrape under the meat in one shell to dislodge the meat and put it in the other shell half then twist the shells apart – careful not to get any of the hinge shell pieces in the meat.  Scape the meat loose in the remaining shell half.

6.  Fill clam shells with the bread crumb mixture, and place on baking sheet. Sprinkle with parsley and paprika. Drizzle with olive oil.  (I misread the recipe and just mixed the parsley and paprika in with the bread crumb mixture).

 

7. Bake at 450 degrees F for 7 minutes. Serve.

Note: Only shuck the raw clams if you're sure they are fresh, otherwise use the Allrecipes method to open - "After scrubbing, place on a baking sheet and heat in a preheated 350 degree F (175 degree C) oven for 1 to 2 minutes, or until clams open. Discard any that do not open. Remove meat from shells. Chop, and set aside."  I made them like my dad did and left the clam meat intact.  Whole clams can be a little rubbery but these were fine like this.

I rarely make an OMG good dish but this was one of them with one minor change - dump all of the liquid out of the clam or it can be too salty as a couple of mine were.  A chile (jalapeno, serrano, etc.) could have been used to replace some of the sweet pepper if a little heat is desired. 

 

I don’t remember having these since my folks left Jersey in the late 70’s, but I guarantee, it won’t be that long until the next batch.  Did I say I really liked these - what a lunch?

I'm now responding to your comments and hoping you will stop back by - photos best if enlarged by clicking on them.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

Larry

11/19/12 meal date

The Last Of The Christmas Prime Rib

If you read blogs and watch TV cooking shows like I do, you see lots of beef sandwiches – Italian beef, French dip, roast beef po boy, etc. and I decided to combine what I considered the best of several to use the last of our prime rib.

The French Dips I’ve seen (speaking about just sandwiches here) have the meat and perhaps cheese on them and they are dipped in warm jus by the eater.  For the Italian Beef, the meat is usually cooked in the simmering jus and the bread is often dunked in the juice by the cook.

I sliced the last of the prime rib as thin as I could with a knife and added it to simmering jus in a skillet. 

When the meat was warm, I split a roll and dunked it in the jus on all sides, then added shredded pepper jack to the bottom half, then piled on the meat, then more jus, then the bun top, then more jus on top – so there be some on the plate for further dipping as needed.

Needless to say, I ate it with a knife and fork and it was outstanding - nearly roll your eyes back in your head good (speaking of rolling your eyes back, I've researched Ageless Male and believe it probably doesn't work - in case this applies to any of you).  I might have added a little horseradish sauce if I’d had some made up, but hey, this was just lunch for me.

All photos can be enlarged by clicking on them.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

One year ago: What A Difference A Day Makes - It's Snow Time In Tennessee

Two years ago: Kentucky Hot Brown Scramble

Larry

01-07-2012 meal date

A Little BBQ Catering Gig

A few weeks ago, Wende (youngest daughter and only nearby kid) asked if I’d be interested in providing BBQ for a lunch for 30 at her work in Oak Ridge.  After a few discussions with her, I offered to provide all of the food, so long as it was picked up and I didn’t have to deliver it and the deal was sealed.

She advised this was a rib heavy group of eaters, so the meal was 7 slabs of baby back ribs, 8 lbs of pulled pork, 30 pieces of mixed chicken, 1 ½ gallons of mac & cheese, a gallon of ranch beans, and ¾ gallon of slaw (Bev's special recipe).

Since I got so pressed for time, I got just a couple of shots, so I considered not posting this but wanted to provide the bean recipe as they are easy and so good  - reconfirmed by these folks.  I wish I'd gotten a shot of the ribs as they were some of my best - moist, tasty, and pull off the bone tender (not fall off the bone, which is over-cooked).    This is the chicken and part of the pork as it was pulled.

Here’s the bean recipe and I’m not sure where I got it.

RANCH BEANS – Makes about 15 cups

1 lb.                 Hamburger

1/2 lb.            Bacon, diced

1/2 cup.          Onion, diced

1 med             Green pepper

28 oz can       “Bush’s” baked beans

16 oz can       Red beans

16 oz can       “Glory” butter beans, southern style seasoned

16 oz can       Black beans, drained and liquid replaced with water

10 oz can       Rotel

1/2 cup           Catsup

1/8 cup           Brown Sugar (packed)

2 Tbsp.           Vinegar

1 Tbsp.           Mustard

1 tsp.               Salt

1 ½ tsp           Chili powder

Brown hamburger, bacon, pepper and onion together, then drain fat. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Cook in slow cooker on high for 2 1/2 hours.

Unlike many similar dishes that get better with more cooking, this one does not and the flavor degrades.  Since the beans are all canned, all it needs is to be well warmed.  I’m confident the burger could be replaced with smoked meat, such as rib tips, with good results. 

According to Wende, the food got rave reviews and the company owner stuffed himself.  While BBQ can be reheated with good results, it’s still best right off the smoker and I wanted it to be special for this group, so I cooked the pork overnight and got up around 4am to get the other items going - ribs on at 6am.  Note to self after doing this – no more full catering jobs and no more lunch catering. 

As an aside, son Rhett is in Leavenworth,Ks for some Army training and called me from the original Arthur Bryant's to tell me he was eating ribs and thought mine were better.  Whether or not they are, I appreciated the call and it was a feel good, and it just so happened that I had already sent him two slabs via Bev that very morning - she went over to watch the grandkids.

All photos can be enlarged by clicking on them.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

One year ago:  Cajun White Bean And Ditalini Soup With Kale

Two years ago:  What Time Change

Larry

Chicken Salad Ala Roz

I love poultry salad, especially with smoked meat, and have been known to smoke a small turkey just to make some.  When Roz, over at La Bella Vita posted her recipe for Chicken Salad with Dried Cranberries and Grapes  two days before BBQ day, I immediately laid out another package of chicken breasts and thighs.  Check out her site for the recipe and great photos.

I’ve long enjoyed this version of chicken salad and, while still working, used to walk about a half mile to Kroger’s for lunch and have their salad bar.  I’d make the usual tossed salad then get some of this type of chicken salad for dessert.

It just so happened, we had some white seedless grapes and pecans on hand but no dried cranberries, so we used dried blueberries instead.  We also didn’t have any tomatoes so I just had mine on lettuce and Bev had a sandwich.

Thanks Roz for this definite keeper recipe.

Bev's off to Ft Bragg for two weeks (one more to go) to look after the grandkids and I wanted to show the epicurian delight I'm capable of whipping up for my buddy Joe and me. :-)

Fall comes to Almost Heaven South – header shot is from my driveway. 

All photos can be enlarged by clicking on them.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

One year ago: Tacos And Burritos

Two years ago: Life’s Sure Different With An Eleven Year Old Around

Larry