Hickory Hops Festival Today!

Today Only! Master brewers and microbrewers from all across the region will be in downtown Hickory today. Beer and music - what could be better? For Christmas, I went to the Old Hickory Tap Room to purchase some locally brewed beer for all of the guys on my list. I had no idea that one beer could make a small person drunk. Be warned, they're BIG bottles! When I was presented with a menu, I was very confused. There were dozens of beers on the list. I got a microlesson on microbeers! In the end, I bought a special Christmas ale. It's an ale brewed with honey and spice. What attracted me most though, was the label. The Olde Hickory Brewery does a wonderful job of labeling, and I could just feel the love! Below is what a sidebar on the label says: "We believe our Christmas Ale is the perfect beer for a merry season. Brewed from fond childhood memories of fresh baked cakes and cookies, Christmas Ale is made with Local Honey, Fresh Grated Ginger, Cinnamon Stick and Fresh Orange Zest together with the finest two row barley, pure water, hops, and love. This special Holiday beer is best enjoyed in the company of family and friends." This beer would complete my family celebration! But, I digress. On this occasion, I feel sure that the Olde Hickory Brewery will have us dazzled by some special Spring concoction, so if you go to the Festival, pay close attention to the labels and please post some of the interesting beers that you find!

Bon Appetit

This is a Third Rock from the Sun story.

Summer Vacation 1993. The kids were out of school, and being the responsible, prudent, and perfect parent that I am, I felt it was important for Laura and Charles to continue reading and writing. So, every day, the kids and I brainstormed different "fun" activities to keep them engaged. They read books, wrote reports (yuck)-you know, the usual stuff. Laura quickly tired of all of these "fun" activities, and it became my challenge to think of something different.

One day, I suggested that she write a recipe. as an incentive, I said that after she wrote it, we would attempt to make it. She liked that idea. It would be a short assignment, and she could go on to more fun and exciting things.

To my surprise, she took the assignment quite seriously and soon produced a recipe that really was reasonable. It was called Sweet Bread and included all the necessary ingredients for a successful product. It had eggs, flour, milk, spices, shortening and sugar. At 10 years old, I was most impressed! A chip off the old block!

Well, I had to put my money where my mouth was, so we went right to work preparing the recipe. As we began to mix the ingredients, we'd add a little more or less of each ingredient as we went along if we thought it didn't look right and noted the changes on the card accordingly. When it looked right, we put in in the pan and slapped it in the oven. as it baked, we watched as it rose just like it was supposed to. When it turned golden brown on the top, we opened the oven door and gave it a jiggle. It didn't jiggle, so we decided it was done. We took it out of the oven, noted the time and waited for it to cool. We would celebrate at the evening meal. Everyone would have a slice, whether they liked it or not.

What a surprise it was to discover that it was really good - really! Dad was proud.

Tom was so proud, in fact, that during one of his business trips, he had the uncanny pleasure of being seated next to the editor of Bon Appetit magazine and told the guy about his gifted daughter's original recipe. The story impressed the editor, and he encouraged Tom to send the recipe to him.

Well, one thing led to another, and after forwarding the recipe to the test kitchen, the recipe actually appeared in the October 1995 issue!

It just goes to show, you never know where one small thing might lead.

Six Degrees of Separation

This is such an interesting business....you never know who you might meet that in your wildest dreams, you can't imagine that you would share connections. Because of my line of work, I've met countless strangers....or so I thought.

One of my recent guests came down to breakfast a little exasperated. She told me that she'd had to help her son who had been in an auto accident the day before. A deer hit his pickup truck, but thankfully, her son was OK. As we talked she said, "You won't believe what my son does for a living."

My curiosity beckoned a response, "What does your son do for a living?"

She said, "He's a professional fisherman."

I don't pretend to know much about fishing, but I was genuinely curious, so I asked the next question. Where does he do this?"

Her reply, "Lake Norman, but he used to have a TV show."

Now I was truly engaged. I said, "What's his name?"

She said, "Ty Mathis."

That name rang a bell. My brother, Andy, loves to fish and has a house on Lake Norman. Several years ago, as we were celebrating his 40th birthday at his lake house, a truck pulled into the driveway - one that Andy recognized. He turned to me and said, "Get your camera and come with me."

I saw my duty and I done it.

I had no idea what I was about to see, but Andy knew more than he was willing to reveal. That's his MO. He loves the element of surprise. As the excitement rose, out hopped this guy who was all excited about what he had in the back of his pickup truck. My brother knew what it was, but I didn't. Andy told me to get ready as he introduced his friend Ty. Not wanting to prolong the suspense, this guy, Ty, walked to the back of the truck and proceeded to pull out two HUGE fish, fish he'd caught in Lake Norman.

What a horrifying thought to know I'd been in the same water with these monsters! These fish were enormous! It wasn't natural.

Well, I got the picture to prove it, and I framed it. It now sits in one of my guest rooms - The Lodge, naturally.

So, I told my guest that she should go into the lodge to see the picture I had on display. Could it possibly be her son?

The answer, "YES!"

He's the one on the right.

Answer: The Joy of Cooking

True story. 1986. Neighbors and friends had gathered for a night of food, fun, wine and games. Have you ever played the game Trivial Pursuit? I've always enjoyed it but was never very good at it. It's a test of one's abilit to recall trivia stored in the deep recesses of the mind. Categories of the game range from sports to history. Anyway, to play the game, participants are divided into teams. I was never one of the first chosen. I don't clog my brain with worthless trivia, and I'd developed a reputation for buckling under pressure, so no one really wanted me. Surprised? But, on this particular evening, as we played the game, the question was asked of our team, "What is the name of the book written by Irma Rombauer and Marion Rombauer Becker?" Everyone was stumped but me. I was thrilled to know the answer! Do you?

This begs the question: Did I choose this carreer, or did it choose me?

Don't Try This at Home!

But, if you're a hiker, there are some great trails around to explore. South Mountains State Park comes to mind. Now that the drought has abated, the waterfalls should be spectacular. Check out their website: www.ncparks.gov/visit/parks/somo/main.php. It's a 20 minute drive from the inn. Also, don't miss Redbone Willy's Trading Company on the way. You might need some supplies, i.e. water, walking sticks......but the clothing is what I go for. It's a destination in-and-of itself!

Catawba County has some awesome parks with miles of hiking trails. Only a 10 minute drive from here, Baker's Mountain can be a little on the rigorous side but also offers a more relaxing walk to the peak that overlooks the metropolis of Hickory. You choose. www.catawbacountync.gov/depts/parks/bakmain.asp.

Riverbend Park is a new addition to the Catawba County Parks system. It features trails along the Catawba River. Fishing and wildlife abound! www.catawbacountync.gov/depts/parks/rbndmain.asp

And you wonder where this photo came from? It was an accident. While shooting pictures of Mayfest in downtown Newton, I captured this on film. I just had to find a way to use it!

This is an excerpt from my cookbook, The Family Petree Cookbook, Stories of Food and Fun Spanning 50 years.





It might've been one of Dad's last hunting expeditions. We were living in Newton then. When Daddy got home, he took his bucket of birds to the back porch and left them there - out in the open for any person, animal or thing to discover. Well our cat, Kitty Puss, found those birds before they even had a chance to get cold. Within minutes of his discovery, bird feathers littered our yard, and carcasses were strewn everywhere. We were horrified! Maybe that's why we haven't had Braised Partridge lately.





Braised Quail

6 small quail

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup chicken stock or wine

1/4 cup flour

Salt

Pepper

In a large skillet, melt butter and add the birds. Saute until lightly browned. Remove the birds from the pan. Add the flour and stir until blended. Add chicken stock. Cook and stir until smooth. Add the birds back to the pan. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cover and simmer for an additional 15-20 minutes.


Serves 3


The following recipe pares nicely with the Quail and gravy

Baked Rice

1 cup rice

1/2 cup butter (1 stick)

1 can beef consomme

1 can french onion soup

Combine all ingredients in a baking dish. Bake uncovered for 45-50 minutes at 350.

On the Market

What a day it was! Last week, the inn was the setting for a movie called, "On the Market." All I knew was that it was a romantic comedy. The inn was chosen for several reasons. It was perfect for the wedding scene they envisioned, since the mother of the bride was an innkeeper and the wedding was to take place at her inn. They also thought it would be a good opportunity to use the dining room for a scene they'd do in a restaurant. As the day got underway, my curiosity got the best of me. Some of the scenes were pretty funny, so naturally, I wanted to know the storyline.

It's a story about a series of bad dates. Now I've had my share of bad dates, but I can't say I had any experiences like the ones they created. One guy had herpes on his lip with an open lesion who was constantly trying to steal a kiss. Another guy had a thing about wearing pantyhose. Does that make him a cross-dresser? And, bad date number three was a self-absorbed doctor who was so preoccupied with the phone and his own importance, that he failed to see the rolling eyes that his actions provoked.

As I sat with the crew members who were feeding me these storyline details, one of them casually brought up a recent experience he'd had with a girl he'd met on e-Harmony. It seems that the girl of interest owns a funeral home in a city in the western part of the state, and this guy lives on the eastern side. Anyway, they were trying to figure out how they might meet.

She said that she had to pick up a body - yes, a dead human - in a nearby city, and the she could stop by his place. He assumed that she'd stop on the way, but much to his surprise and shock, she stopped on the way back. Now I KNOW that you KNOW what THAT meant. There was a dead body in the back of her van when she arrived. Was she going to go out with this guy and leave the dead body there for someone to steal, or were they going to drive the van to their dinner destination? Either way, it was a bad deal/date. We laughed so hard, I don't recall what choice he made, but I will tell you that when he asked her who would look after the dead guy, she replied, "Nobody, he's dead."

The production crew and actors filmed countless takes during the day of many different scenes involving what I thought were the worst/funniest dates imaginable. And this guy endured 10 hours of filming before he told anyone HIS story. As a matter-of-fact, I don't think he'd told anyone on this Earth about it until that moment. There were so many opportunities during the day to springboard into his tale, but did he? No, and I think I know why. To him, it wasn't funny, but the telling of it made it so.

Now, is truth stranger than fiction, or what?!