Simply the best kind of refreshing first course for summertime. If you haven’t got good, ripe tomatoes or watermelon yet, save this to make in a month or two.

A post from Carolyn. So, a couple of weeks ago I hosted a small fund-raising event at my home. It’s the third time or fourth time we’ve had a wine tasting fund-raiser on my patio. I think we skipped a year, 2020, when we were all housebound from Covid lockdowns. About 10 of my dear PEO sisters bid on attending the event this year. The money all goes to philanthropies to help young women get an education; and we who host pay for the food or activities and the bid money goes to the philanthropies.

I had two co-hostesses, Linda and Lois, and they made most of the food. I made sangria (recipe coming up) and I also made another batch of the tres leches cake I posted a few weeks ago. The one made with pineapple, coconut milk, rum, etc. I made some asparagus appetizers, then we had some Spanish meatballs, and also a baguette slice appetizer. All those recipes coming up soon.

The weather was okay – maybe we should be happy it wasn’t blisteringly hot as that would have been miserable. It was about 70, and we sat outside the whole time. I’d figured out the menu some months ago and decided to go with a Spanish wine and tapas theme. After having the sangria (from Spanish rose cava), we moved on to an appetizer, then we served this lovely gazpacho. I love gazpacho. I found a great website just chock full of tapas recipes, called Spanish Sabores. Most of the recipes came from that website, however all of them had a few modifications so I feel quite comfortable posting them. If you’re ever wanting to do a tapas night, do go to that website for ideas. The couple who post are just the cutest!

So, this recipe. I told Lois to buy really good tomatoes, and to find a ripe watermelon. That’s not always easy, and this was in May, so it’s possible neither would be great, but I sent Lois to my favorite independent grocery store where I can rely, always, on their good produce. She talked to the produce guy and he helped her pick out the best. When in doubt, buy Roma tomatoes as they generally have good flavor year-around.

The gazpacho is so easy to make – whiz up most of the ingredients in a blender, put it through a fine-mesh sieve (or not, if you want more texture) and then add the watermelon and mint, then taste for seasoning. After Lois made it, I tasted it and decided it needed a tiny bit more salt, a bit of sugar (because I could taste the bitterness of the green bell pepper) and then I added some balsamic vinegar. A tetch. Really just a tetch. Oh, perfection. In this soup, you really can taste the tomatoes, the watermelon, the bell pepper. The other ingredients just add layers of flavor.

What’s GOOD: so fresh, and refreshing. Easy to make. Do taste it at the end to add salt, maybe, or a bit of sugar, or the balsamic vinegar (very little). You can make it ahead, too.

What’s NOT: only that you need to seek out and find really ripe (tasty) produce to go into it. Don’t compromise on that or the soup won’t be great.

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With great interest I read an article in Food & Wine magazine. About Kewpie brand Japanese mayonnaise, and why it’s an integral part of making this egg salad sandwich. And no, that’s not a lettuce leaf peeping out on the left, it’s the green measuring cup I used for the mayo. LOL.

A post from Carolyn. I have way too many recipes waiting to post – I must have 7-8 waiting to be written up and now this one. Ever since I handed over my gavel in PEO to a new president, I’ve had a lot more time on my hands. Good time. Time to read, to wind down the pile of magazines I have sitting in my family room, and time to cook. So, as I leafed through an issue of the magazine I stopped at this one, about a particular style of egg salad, from a 7-Eleven stores in Japan. The writer was on a mission of sorts – he’d spent some years in Japan and frequented a nearby store and often bought sandwiches there. He didn’t realize how much he loved them until he wasn’t living in Japan anymore. So he set about trying to recreate the sandwich.

I’m such a sucker for those kinds of stories, they just pull me in. I do love egg salad sandwiches and rarely eat them (since I try not to eat bread). I had some soft potato bread in the freezer. No, I didn’t have any of the specialty Japanese milk bread (although I have a local bakery that makes it and I love it), but the potato bread would suffice. But first, I had to find the Kewpie mayo. I could have taken a drive to a local Asian market about 7-8 miles away, but with the price of gasoline these days I opted to get it on amazon.

What’s different about this mayo? Well, having taken a little tiny taste of it, I’d say it’s a bit more acidic – maybe vinegar or more lemon juice. Since I WILL be making this egg salad mixture again in the future, I have some more Kewpie mayo to use. The recipe calls for 1/4 cup, so this little bottle will keep me stocked for several iterations. This recipe supposedly makes enough for ONE sandwich. Gee whiz. Five eggs (well, yolks plus half the whites) in one sandwich? I think it makes enough for two, and since I’ll be making them in half-sandwich portions from now on, I might make 2/3 of a recipe next time, so with three eggs. Or heck, make the full recipe and you’ll have enough for a couple of leftover servings.

Start off with some hard boiled eggs. I do mine in the instant pot, as I’ve mentioned here before, the 2-10-2 method (2 minutes on high pressure, 10 to cool down inside the Instant Pot, then 2 minutes in an ice bath). Keeping the eggs moist when you store them is also a key to success, to keep that membrane inside sort of wet – makes for easier peeling. I keep mine in a refrigerator container with a paper towel inside that stays very damp. Anyway, separate the eggs. All the yolks go in a bowl. The whites, well, you’ll only use half of them. And they need to be chopped up VERY fine. Mine weren’t done near finely enough, as you can see with the egg salad kind of seeping out of the sandwich up top.

Then to the yolks you add the mayo, salt, pepper and a little bit of sugar. Yes, sugar. It’s an important ingredient – the author said he knew his copycat recipe wasn’t quite right until someone suggested he add some sugar. That did it – he felt this recipe was spot on. One of the tricks to this is letting it rest in the frig for an hour. I didn’t have time to do that, and I think the mixture needs that resting time to firm up. Mine was too loose. After firming up you add in two teaspoons of heavy cream. Yes, really. Then the bread is spread with a thin film of butter, and the egg salad added. Close the sandwich carefully and also very gently slice with a serrated knife, cutting the sandwich in half. I’m just saying this sandwich for one, will serve two.

What’s GOOD: loved every mouthful of this sandwich, even though it oozed. It has a very smooth texture, nothing to distract you (like pickle relish or celery or onion, or even celery seed that I might ordinarily add). I LOVED this. And yes, I’ll be making it again. I might even try it when I next make deviled eggs. Do seek out the Kewpie mayo, though.

What’s NOT: only that you do need Kewpie mayo to make it authentically. And a nice, soft (not sweet) bread. Ideally the Japanese milk bread. Next time I will go buy some of the milk bread.

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Have you learned to trust Ina Garten’s recipes?

A post from Carolyn. If you haven’t, you should trust Ina’s recipes. I’ve not ever thought of making a grand statement about Ina’s recipes, but here goes: I’ve never made an Ina Garten recipe that hasn’t been spot-on. She’s a genius in the kitchen. And almost never are her recipes difficult or laborious. Some are expensive since she uses nothing but the best ingredients like pounds of fresh crab right off the boat, or beef tenderloin, or imported cheeses. But many of her recipes are simple. Easy. And many use ordinary ingredients.

So speaking of lemon bars here . . . have you ever eaten some that were not quite up to snuff? I sure have. And I’ve made them too, and not been happy with the results. I mean – they were okay, but not exceptional. These – this recipe – goes into the exceptional category. Just the right amount of sweet to tart, and just the right amount of lemon filling to the sugary topping. And the right amount of crust too.

One time, years ago, I was making a recipe for an appetizer. Don’t even remember what it was, but it was a loosey-goosey kind of recipe – a little this and a little of that. Oh, I remember, it’s on my blog already, they’re called Ginger Picks. It required a little square of ham, a fresh piece of pear and a little nub of crystallized ginger. In making them, I needed to taste it to see if the flavors worked. They did, but I figured out that you needed a piece of ham in a just-so size, a piece of pear in a just-so size, and a piece of crystallized ginger in a just-right size. In order to be perfect, each needed to be a very particular size, otherwise it didn’t work. Hence the same with these lemon bars. They need to have each part – crust – filling – topping be just right.

What’s GOOD: that they’re perfect. Just the right amount of tart to sweet, filling to crust, all in one bite. Make these.

What’s NOT: really, nothing at all. Ina Garten is a wizard.

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Oh my, oh my. Do I love popovers. 

A post from Carolyn. I wish there was an ode, or a poem to the gloriousness of popovers. Alas, I didn’t find any, and I’m not going to write one! You know, of course, that the batter that makes popovers is nearly identical to what’s used to make Yorkshire pudding. A eggy, thin batter (eggs, flour, salt, milk and butter – that’s all that’s in them). Yorkshire pudding traditionally is made in the pan after a big beef roast is removed from the oven to rest, most of the drippings are poured off, then the batter is poured in and it’s baked for 30-40 minutes. A wedge or square of it would be served alongside a big hunk of juicy beef roast.

Years and years ago (we’re talking the late 60s), when I was about 25-26 my then husband and my parents (who were visiting from San Diego) and I drove to British Columbia (I was living in Washington at the time) to visit my dad’s cousins who hailed from a tiny farming community there. I think they raised wheat or soy beans, but don’t quote me. They lived in a very old farmhouse, and Sunday dinner was served at about 2pm. The ladies of the house had been bustling in the kitchen for hours (not enough room for more than 2 people) and finally dinner was served at the huge dining table. Yorkshire pudding was portioned out beside the slice of roast, along with big roasted potatoes (probably also cooked in the pan with the roast). Beyond that I have no recollection of what we ate. Probably a vegetable and dessert. But it was the Yorkshire pudding that captivated me. I wanted to know all about it. They’d mixed it up by hand earlier in a big crockery bowl and let the mixture rest at room temp before it was poured into the large roasting pan of beef drippings (grease). Beyond that I knew nothing.

Years later, after I moved to Orange County, CA in the 70s (where I still live) when my mother visited, she and I used to go shopping at a department store, Bullock’s, and they served popovers with the lunch entrees in their restaurant. Loved them. You know and have heard about that Proust-ian moment when you bite into something and it transports you back in time, when memories of the past flood through your brain. With Proust it was madeleines, that lovely little soft French cookie. I was taken back to that day when I’d had Yorkshire pudding. Then I began researching it as best I could. No internet in those days. I bought a popover pan (see above, although the one I had then was not nonstick). I don’t think nonstick existed back then. Over the years I had difficulty with that pan and eventually gave it away because it just was not reliable about the popovers sticking, even though I buttered them well. I didn’t replace it. I THINK my mistake was putting it in the dishwasher. I’ve read since that popover pans should not be put in the dishwasher – even this new nonstick one. Probably because the strong/harsh detergent will eventually damage the nonstick surface. Lesson learned.

More years went by, and then I went on this last trip and had popovers at Kaynes in Nashville. They were absolutely sensational. Again, I was transported – this time not to the Yorkshire pudding days – but to friends my DH and I made in England, and Pamela had made a roast beef and she made popovers. When I got back home from this trip to Nashville, though, I went online to amazon and bought la new Bellemain nonstick popover pan. And since then I’ve been on a mission to make popovers that make me happy. There are lots of nonstick popover pans on amazon – the Bellemain one merely had lots more good reviews. Just don’t ever put it in the dishwasher.

With my new popover pan in hand, my first recipe iteration was from America’s Test Kitchen. It was the traditional 1 cup flour, 1 cup milk, 2 eggs, a pinch of salt and a tablespoon of melted butter. I made them, and they were okay. Certainly acceptable, but not up to the eggy, rich popover I had at Kaynes. I began researching more recipes and wanting them to be more eggy (so more eggs in ratio). And wanted a richer taste, so I assumed maybe a little more melted butter would be a good addition. My second iteration hit the mark – maybe not quite as rich as Kaynes’, but it’s close. In researching this blog post I came across yet another recipe, purported to be from Cook’s Illustrated that uses even less flour, and a lower oven temp, so I think I’ll need to give that one a try too. I also have a recipe for chocolate popovers – obviously it’s a dessert! I’ll make those one of these days.

This recipe, from King Arthur Flour uses more eggs, less milk and flour, and 3 tablespoons of melted butter. You’re to use warm milk and eggs that have warmed to room temp (or let set in hot water for 10 minutes before cracking them open). They suggest mixing in a bowl with a whisk, but I used the blender, and then just let the batter sit with the lid on, for an hour. This gives time for the batter to lose bubbles that have formed in the mixing. Some recipes insist popover batter needs to rest at room temp for an hour. This particular one did not, but I didn’t think it would hurt. I halved the recipe below as my popover pan has six wells.

RECOMENDATIONS: There are any number of recommendations from seasoned cooks and chefs about making popovers. Warm milk, warmed eggs, let the batter sit for an hour, hydrate the flour (needed), heat the popover pan in the hot oven before pouring in the batter, and cardinal of all, NEVER open the oven door during the baking, or they’ll deflate. Also if your oven is smaller, place the popovers on the lowest shelf possible, leave some space, then slide a cookie sheet on a higher shelf (helps to prevent over-browning).

When you make them, prepare only as many as you think you’ll eat. Although you can eat them warmed up (microwave 10 seconds, turn them over and microwave another 4-6 seconds), they’re just not the same. Reheating in the oven will over-heat/bake that lovely eggy interior.

This recipe calls for  using a muffin tin, but I used the popover pan using the same instructions.

What’s GOOD: that they’re so tender, very eggy and golden, gloriously brown on the outside. So easy to pop out of the pan if you have a nonstick popover pan. And remember what I did in Nashville? Julian recommended we have some cheese (he ordered a cheese platter for the table) with little torn pieces of warm popover. Oh my. So good.

What’s NOT: nothing, really – they’re not that hard to make, even for people who think they are. Mix by hand or in the blender. Either one works well.

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A really delicious dip to serve about 8-10-12 or so. Similar to many recipes out there, but there are a couple of things different about this one.

A post from Carolyn. If you go online and hunt for seven layer dip, you’ll find hundreds of recipes. Literally hundreds. It’s certainly popular and well deserved, since it’s so delicious. Haven’t we all made seven layer dip for decades? I sure have. There are a few things that are different about this one – the bean layer requires some cooking (and mashing) with some good flavorings added in, and there’s a corn layer to this one.

I started with a recipe on the ‘net, and changed it by adding the kind of canned corn that contains peppers (Fiesta, Mexicorn type) instead of either fresh corn or ordinary canned corn. I also added more ground cumin. The first layer in the 9×9 pan was the beans (see photo at left) – black beans in this case, and they’re drained well, then added to some of the green onions and garlic sautéed with some EVOO. Some cumin is added too. The beans are mashed (either with a fork or a potato masher) and some water is added – they need to be spreadable (i.e., not too dry). Finally, they’re smeared into the dish.

Then a layer (not much) of sour cream is added. There’s some shredded cheddar cheese, the guacamole you’ve made, some more cheese, the can of corn, then lastly you add the freshly made salsa. I used fresh Roma tomatoes, which were nicely ripe. I didn’t peel them, but they were chopped finely and I removed the center part with most of the seeds. Lime juice gives accent to the salsa and guacamole, ground cumin adds piquancy to both the beans and the guacamole, and garlic is added to the beans and guac. The salsa should be drained (of liquid that generates from the tomatoes) before it’s spread on the top.

I made this 24 hours ahead, letting those flavors meld a bit, then served it with a lot of crispy tortilla chips. I buy a brand of tortilla chips that are actually freshly fried (Las Golondrinos) available at a few of my local stores. If you can, seek out a place that makes home made chips – they’re so much better! Just before serving I sprinkled a bit of salt on the top of the tomatoes – use your own judgment after tasting it.

What’s GOOD: all those good, fresh flavors – the beans, cheese, guac, corn and salsa. Altogether delish. There is no heat to this dip – you could add some chili powder if you prefer. Loved that I could make it ahead.

What’s NOT: nothing at all, except you need to start a few hours ahead.

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This last post about my trip is a combo of all three cities (Denver, Nashville & Pittsburgh) – pictures I didn’t upload previously.

A post from Carolyn. The mural above was on the outside of the donut distillery I mentioned in my last post. Such a quirky combination, donuts and bourbon. Can’t say that it’s going to become a “thing” in my life, that’s for sure!

There at left I’m in Boulder – at the adorable shop I just love there, Peppercorn. Squinting into the hazy sunshine. It was cold in Boulder, raining mostly. Love that store.

So, those pretty tulips were in a barrel along one of the side streets in Boulder. So lovely, although it was raining, so I didn’t stick around to admire them further.

Sue and Lynn, my friends that I stayed with, love Peppercorn too. Even Lynn who isn’t much of a cook, particularly, enjoys browsing in Peppercorn. We didn’t get to stay as long as I’d wanted because we had to get to the airport for me to catch the next leg of the trip. And I may have mentioned, since I was a “ride-along” on this trip, someone made it real clear to me – if Julian says we need to be “here” at a certain time, we’d best be there, on time. As it turned out, the plane was late arriving to pick us up, so we could have browsed further in Peppercorn. Next time.

These are more photos from Nashville, the day we went out to The Grande Olde Opry. All of my time was spent walking around in the Opryland hotel nearby, with the magnificent atriums.

At left is the river in the third atrium. At right a shot one of the glass canopies. Did I mention the hotel as 2888 rooms? Astounding number!

It was a little bit humid in the atriums – and it wasn’t a humid day, so I can’t imagine what it would feel like on a hot, summer day when the humidity outside is 90%.

Next we move on to Pittsburgh. The flight was about an hour, if that, and so smooth. When you fly at 45,000 feet altitude, the air is so smooth. The only time we experienced any turbulence (and it was minimal) was as we went down to under 20,000 feet, going through the various weather layers. The pilots did a great job of avoiding any weather.

We stayed downtown at the Fairmont. Lovely hotel, lobby shown at right. We were only IN Pittsburgh for one night. My plan had been to visit the Frick Museum, but when we landed and got into town, all of us went to lunch (photo below right) at a great pizza restaurant a couple of blocks away from the hotel. We had a lot of really interesting food besides pizza, plus a couple of bottles of wine were consumed too (I passed on wine, just so you know). By the time we got back to the hotel it was nearly 3pm, and I just felt like resting. That was a mistake as the next morning it was pouring rain, and our flight time had been moved up by about 2 hours, so I was fearful of not being at the right place at the right time. So I didn’t get to visit the Frick.

But the evening before I did go out to dinner with the other couple on the trip, Patti & Bruce. We took a Lyft ride to the Monterey Bay Fish Grotto. At left you can see the beautiful Pittsburgh skyline from the restaurant, atop Mt. Washington. There’s a funicular that runs up and down the hill, and I’d hoped to do that while we were there, but I ran out of time. I did take a picture, however, of a picture (so this photo is not mine, below) from Mt. Washington, showing the pretty skyline, and the conjoining of the Allegheny and the Monongahela Rivers, as they become the Ohio.

That is such a beautiful picture. When we were up at the restaurant it was just at sunset, so I took a bunch of photos as the sun went down. I’m just giving you the one (above left) when it was nearly dark.

There’s also a very interesting sculpture up there showing George Washington and an Indian chief as they met there back in the day.

The next morning we asked for a late checkout, which helped. I didn’t want to go traipsing around the city trying to find breakfast, so I made do with a few snacks I had in my room, along with a cup of coffee. Off we went to the airport and boarded yet another plane for our return flight to California. It was 5+ hours, and Julian had arranged for a variety of food, again, and wine, of course. It was another smooth, seamless flight to Santa Maria and we landed at about 5:00 pm. Back at Julian and Janice’s house we sat outside on their lovely patio and everyone else enjoyed wine, yes, more wine. Me? I asked for a Diet Coke. My body was simply saying “no more wine.” And I’m not much of a drinker anyway, but I’d had some nearly every day of the trip.

At left there, a photo as we flew over the Rockies, going west.

Some of the food ordered for the flight was brought back and we had salads mostly. Something we’d not had much of on the whole trip. Even though we had crossed 3 time zones, I was tired and went to bed early.

The next morning Patti, Bruce and I headed back home to Orange County, which took about 3 1/2 hours. We encountered awful traffic; it’s becoming a standard thing going through Los Angeles. The photo at right is from their back yard, looking at the Santa Ynez mountains.

Once I got home, I found a lovely bouquet of flowers waiting for me for Mother’s Day. From my son, his wife and my grandson. Great way to end my trip. One of my other grandsons, Logan, his wife Mary and their two children, Sarah and Lucas, were visiting. So I got to see them a bit before they left the next day to go back to Northern California. Taylor, my granddaughter, the one who is still in nursing school here, the one living with me, Logan’s sister, was here, so she entertained them some. She was off school for a week, so got to spend lots of time with them.

What I was, was exhausted. From not enough sleep any night on the trip, and definitely on overload with food. For nearly 2 weeks I’ve had veggie and fruit smoothies for dinner, trying to cleanse my body a little bit. I’m so glad I went on this trip – it was so fun. Great friends (some new) and visiting many new places. Even at 80, I haven’t lost my love of travel, although I do it a bit differently now. I stay in nicer places (and maybe go for shorter periods).

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A post from Sara: I’ve always been a huge fan of chocolate and peanut butter. And when you use chewy brownies and melted peanut butter? Well, simply fantastic. I made these little jewels to ship to my kids in school in the South. It packages and ships well enough. I do put each in its own cupcake paper so they don’t stick. Then I boxed them up in aluminum 8×8 throw away containers with lids before packaging in a shipping box.

I used my go-to recipe for chewy, dense brownies. They’ve been posted here on the blog before. After pouring the batter into 9×13 pan, melt 1/2 cup peanut butter. I use a glass measuring cup and heat it gently in the microwave so it’s easy to pour onto the brownie batter. Then use a knife and swirl peanut butter into brownie batter for a marble effect. (See photo at left)

Bake according to directions. Once cooled, frost with a basic peanut butter frosting recipe.

I use a Betty Crocker recipe, and once frosted you need to place the pan in the freezer for a few hours. Then I cut out the shape I wanted using a cookie cutter. Since it was Easter, I chose egg shapes. You freeze again for at least 30 mins. Then use a chocolate glaze made with dark chocolate chips and a smidge of margarine. Using your hands, each one is dipped into the chocolate and set on a rack to dry, then sprinkled with decoration before the chocolate sets.

What’s GOOD: I was really surprised at how easy and professional they looked. They were a huge hit as every bit of leftovers pieces (photo above right) were consumed at Easter. I guess everyone loves peanut butter and brownies as much as I do! The number of servings is based on cookie cutter size. In this case the batch made about 32. Would make a great gift in an Easter Basket.

What’s NOT: it takes a bit of time to make the various layers, but altogether they’re very easy to make. Allow for freezing time in between.

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An easy, easy dinner for two. Sheetpan suppers are just the best!

A post from Carolyn.  I’d bought some fresh chicken sausages (with jalapeno in them) and was contemplating what I’d do with them, and since I also had asparagus, zucchini and sweet potatoes, a recipe was born. Many years ago I started buying a seasoning packet from Urban Accents. They had (and still do have) several varieties, but my favorite is the one for vegetables. You can buy their packets on amazon. See photo at right. The one I used was the middle one with Parmesan in it. Each bag or box of these has several smaller packets inside – I used one packet for the sheet pan’s worth of food. You could use pork sausages in this rendition too – Italian would be perfect. I was trying to go a more healthy route with the chicken.

I have a chart I downloaded from the ‘net about how long it takes to roast just about every kind of vegetable. The sweet potatoes would take the longest. And the sausages too. I tossed them with some EVOO and they went into a 425°F oven. After 20 minutes, I took out the pan and added the zucchini, also oiled with EVOO and sprinkled with seasoning. It went back in the oven for another 10-15 minutes, then I added the oiled asparagus and the rest of the seasoning and baked again for another 10 minutes – I checked the veggies and they needed another 5 minutes and everything was done. It might depend on how thick the asparagus was, and how thickly you cut the zucchini.

If you wanted something to serve with the sausages – try a variety of mustards (hot, sweet, stone ground) or some salsa, or marinara sauce, or mix up a little bit of sour cream with a little speck of horseradish in it. What can I tell you? This was so easy to make and it was SO delicious.

What’s GOOD: how easy it was to put together on the sheetpan and it cooked in less than an hour. All the veggies were perfectly cooked – crisp tender veggies- and the sausage just right. Love the Urban Accents seasoning to put on it all. Do buy some if you don’t already have it in your pantry (amazon link above).

What’s NOT: only that you need to have some of that seasoning on hand. I always do have it.

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The second installment of my trip pictures, this one focusing on Nashville. Above is a “selfie spot” so designated with a sign in one of the atriums at the Opry Hotel.

A post from Carolyn. Once we landed in Nashville, we took a van to downtown, to a lovely hotel, the Thompson, in The Gulch. The Gulch got its name from its roots as a busy railroad yard dating to before the Civil War, which included a roundhouse (where rail cars were repaired), a coal yard and a paint shop in subsequent years. Nashville (downtown) is a little bit hilly, so it would seem logical it would be a good place for a railroad yard. Now it’s a bustling and thriving part of downtown Nashville, filled with shops, restaurants and hotels.

That’s one of the water features, in the third atrium at the Grande Olde Opry Hotel. 

One of the days there several of us went out to the Grand Olde Opry. It was interesting to hear the history about the Opry. The Opry music venue used to be in the heart of town, then it moved a bit further (a few blocks, really) to an old church. The neighborhood didn’t like the noise, so they moved further away, and now they’re about 15+ miles out of town. where they’ve built a very impressive auditorium and a huge, HUGE hotel. Since I’m not into country music, the others went on a tour of the Opry itself, and Dylan and I walked over to the hotel, about 1/2 mile away on a marked walking path. We took our time meandering through the hotel atriums, pausing here and there to take pictures. There are stores and food in various places in the atriums also.

The hotel, The Gaylord Opryland Hotel has 2888 rooms. Beyond imagination. If you can picture three sort-of elongated ovals, and each oval has a huge fully glassed-in atrium, 4-5 stories high. And of course, room windows face into the atriums. Each atrium was different. The third one, probably the largest, actually has a river flowing around inside it and you can take rides on a boat around the island in the center. Each atrium has wide catwalks so you can see everything from a bird’s eye view. I took dozens and dozens of photos there, but I thought two to show you were sufficient.

Our first night in Nashville all of us gathered for a very special dinner at a steak restaurant just down the street from the hotel, Kayne Prime. We had a delicious dinner there with several bottles of wine enjoyed by all. I had a wagyu filet mignon. Kayne’s is similar to Morton’s, in that you order a cut of meat, and nothing comes with it – you have to order sides. We had several, but the highlight of the meal – to me – were the popovers, which were served piping hot several times over the course of our meal.

Before we sat down, however, we waited in the bar area and I asked the waiter – – so, I’m not really a connoisseur of bourbon, though I like it, so which one should I try? He said, I have just the one. That’s it above right. Served in a highball glass with a very large, clear ice cube in it. Belle Meade. So very smooth and easy to drink. I nursed it all through dinner. I liked it so much I went to Total Wine the other day and bought a bottle of Belle Meade, Reserve. I don’t know if I had the reserve, or the regular, so I splurged and bought reserve. There, on the left are the corks from the bottles of wine we enjoyed. The Illumination Quintessa (a white) was delightful.  So was the Crown  Point (red), and the BV (red), and the last one (also a red) I can’t remember what it was (I’d had enough wine at that point). Julian ordered a cheese platter at the end, and I thoroughly enjoyed a few bites – WITH some torn pieces of popover to go with them. Oh my goodness, was that special. I liked it so much I bought a new popover pan the other day, a nonstick one, so maybe I can make them occasionally. I used to have a popover pan, but it was not a nonstick and I had numerous problems with it over the years so I’d given it away. I read with my new one, not to put it in the dishwasher as it might remove the nonstick surface. Seems illogical, but several amazon customers commented on it.

The other day we were in Nashville I went on a food tour. I’d signed up for it online several weeks before the trip. It was great fun. We met at a central location (I took a Lyft to and from my hotel) and 13 of us piled into a big van and off we went. First we stopped at a place called the donut distillery. Huh, we all said? It’s a thing in Nashville. The distillery and brewery combo serves home made donuts (one of them with a whiskey glaze – see the right hand donut in the photo – my favorite). In the daytime, more mornings, I’d guess, they make donuts. And then as the day moves on, it’s more of a brew pub and bar with food (donuts notwithstanding). Back into the van and we stopped at Christie’s Cookie Co. It’s distinction is that they make the famous cookie given away at Doubletree Hotels. We trooped through the storefront and could choose a cookie. I tried the TCB (triple chocolate blondie).

We passed by the high school where Oprah graduated, stopped at the downtown Farmer’s Market and had some pulled pork on grits. Also stopped at Martin’s BBQ, so they said, it’s the #1 barbecue joint in Nashville. We tried a rib, some brisket with various types of barbecue sauces, and some hush puppies. After this trip, I’ve decided I’m not much of a fan of hush puppies. If any place should make them well, it would be in the south, right? I had them several times, and never really warmed-up to them (too dry).

Once back at our starting point, we were served teeny-tiny little glasses of moonshine and bourbon. The straight moonshine (left) was gosh-awful. I don’t know how anybody could drink that stuff. The next one was a Apple Pie Moonshine. Hey what, you say? Yes, well, it’s moonshine they’ve added some kind of sweetener to and apple pie spices. It was quite nice (I bought a little bottle of it). The next one was a not-very-aged bourbon. Ehh. Then the far right was a specialty liqueur sold at the little distillery where the tour originates – it’s a take on Kahlua, they call it Mo Cocoa Joe. It was nice, but I have Kahlua in my liquor cabinet already.

The drink I liked the best (which they served us after our tasting above), is pictured below right. A drink called a bushwacker. It’s a rum-based drink (so nothing whatsoever to do with bourbon and moonshine distilleries in Tennessee). It’s a frozen blender drink with a bunch of different things in it.

It’s refreshing – I liked it enough that I went onto Google to look for a recipe:

Bushwacker: 2 ounces dark rum, 1 ounce coffee liqueur (such as Kahlúa), 1 ounce dark creme de cacao, 2 ounces whole milk, 1 ounce cream of coconut (such as Coco Lopez), garnish: nutmeg, freshly grated.

I have yet to make one since I got home, but there’s one in my future sometime. Definitely a hit on a warm day and it was one that day in Nashville. If any of you have gotten this far in the reading, congratulations! I’ll continue the Nashville saga in another post.

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Probably I’ll break up the photos from this trip into sections as I’m going to post plenty of pictures, and you’ll get bored with them all.

I’m lucky enough to have a distant relative (through my daughter-in-law Karen) who needed to take a business trip. Julian decided to take a private plane and not go commercial, and he invited 5 others of  us to go along to his business destinations. At left, here I was, ready to go when a couple, Patti & Bruce, that I’ve known for some years also, who live near me, and were also invited on the trip. They came by to pick me up as we wended our way north (by car) to Santa Ynez (central coast wine country here in California). We drove there the day before our flight, spent the night with Julian and his family, then we were up early the next morning to catch the first leg, Santa Maria to Denver.

So there’s a story to tell about the glass of wine at left. Julian enjoys good wine. That’s a bit of an understatement, really. He enjoys fine wine. I took two bottles with me from my DH’s cellar, two reds. One got poured down the drain (over the hill, even though it had been a good bottle at one time) and the other one was nice enough, from 2005. When Julian flies, he likes to drink from crystal glasses, so he lugs along a special padded case with his heavy, Irish crystal glasses. That was the view from my seat, with fine red wine as we headed toward Denver. This was by far the best glass of wine we had on the trip, a Stag’s Leap 2017 Fay. Julian shared it with all of us.

As it happens, I have good friends, Sue & Lynn (top right), who live in Denver. There are a number of Sue’s recipes here on my blog, and my DH Dave and I visited them (and I have driven there myself in 2015 a year after Dave passed away) where they live in Morrison, a hilly town about 15 miles SW of Denver. We took off from Santa Maria and flew 2 hours to a regional airport a bit NW of downtown Denver, in Broomfield. Sue and Lynn drove their car out on the tarmac and met us at the plane. As it happened Lynn knew Patti from their business careers. Small world! At right is a picture of Dylan, another one of the guests on the trip, as we were getting ready to board.

They took me back to their home, and I spent 2 days and 2 nights with them. We went out to dinner to a Czech restaurant in Morrison, Cafe Prague. What a great meal we enjoyed there – I’d go back there anytime! Sue and I both had chicken schnitzel. The next day I went to church with them, then we took a lovely drive up into the mountains. Later Sue prepared a fabulous dinner with lemon chicken. I have the recipe and will need to make it and take pictures to post. The next morning we drove up to Boulder, a special trip there, for us to go shopping at Peppercorn, an independent kitchenware store there. If you’re a cook, you have to go there if you’re ever in Boulder. This was my third visit to that store. And yes, I bought something, a gift. I didn’t buy anything for myself. If I’d had more time, there’s no question I would have found some things to buy. We only had 45 minutes and I barely made it around all the aisles in that period of time.

After Boulder, they delivered me back to the airport in Broomfield, to head to Nashville. We enjoyed a beautiful smoked salmon platter, among other things, on the flight. And did I mention wine? Yes, more wine.

This trip was quite a thrill. The flights were so quiet and peaceful, as we flew at 45,000 feet altitude, always. No bumps. The pilots avoided all the weather events going on far below us.

More in a day or two when I’ve downloaded more of the photos.

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