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?!

Newton's MayFest

Saturday, May 16: It was a Newton day, starting with the

citywide yard sale. Held at Southside park, the leased spaces - all 102 - were sold out. I was there at 4:30am helping with traffic. When I left at 6:30am, most of the vendors were set up and ready.
Back to the inn for breakfast. Once my guests were served and rooms cleaned, I headed downtown. It was truly a southern experience. Bib overalls, cowboy hats, John Deere equipment on display, pig races, Nascar, Bar-b-que. Catch my drift!

Pictures tell the story..............

Hop Down

On April 18th, join the excitement of the 7th annual Hickory Hops Festival in downtown Hickory. Only a 10 minute drive from the inn, this event features microbreweries from across the state including our very own Olde Hickory Brewery. Live music will compliment the party that will begin at 1pm and wrap up at 7pm. For more information, visit their website: http://www.hickoryhops.com/


While doing research on this subject, I ran across a recipe that I'll try. I'll post it here and let you know how it turns out.

Soft Pretzels
4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 1/4 cups warm water (110 degrees F)
5 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil

1/2 cup baking soda
4 cups hot water
1/4 cup kosher salt, for topping

In a small bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.

In a large bowl, mix together flour, 1/2 cup sugar, and salt. Make a well in the center; add the oil and yeast mixture. Mix and form into a dough. If the mixture is dry, add 1 or 2 tablespoons of water. Knead the dough until smooth, about 7 to 8 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. In a large bowl, dissolve baking soda in hot water.

When risen, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a rope and twist into a pretzel shape. Once all the dough is all shaped, dip each pretzel into the baking soda solution and place on a greased baking sheet. Sprinkle with kosher salt.

Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes, until browned.

No Worries

As I was posting the cookbook section to this blog, I was reminded of my trip to New Zealand.

My friend Susie and I joined a tour that included a stay in a private home near Christchurch. Our host, Graem, picked us up in his 1960 Armstrong Siddeley Star Sapphire and drove us to his estate for the evening. This was a planned event on our itinerary, so luckily, I remembered to pack a hostess gift. As a token of my appreciation I gave them a North Carolina Bed & Breakfast Cookbook.

No worries. Sue and Graem didn't need it. Accomplished cooks in their own right, they served us the most wonderful dinner. Roasted lamb with root vegetables and broccoli. For dessert, Pavlova baked to perfection! It was the traditional New Zealand meal, one that I'll always remember on this cold winter night in August.

After returning home from the trip, I went to catch up on my emails. On it was a request for information from my previous hostess, Sue. She'd been reading the cookbook and found a recipe she liked, but had a question, "How much is a stick of butter?"

Isn't it funny how we take things like this for granted. It never occurred to me that a stick of butter wasn't a universal measurement.

Again, No Worries! I provided the needed information and hopefully averted a baking disaster. Below is the recipe in question. It appears on page 81:

Macadamia Nut French Toast

1 (16-ounce) loaf Italian Bread, cut into 1-inch thick slices

4 large egg, lightly beaten

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg plus extra, for garnish

2/3 cup orange juice

1/3 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 stick (1/2 cup!) plus 3 tablespoons butter, melted

1/2 cup copped macadamia nuts

Powdered sugar, for garnish

Maple syrup, for serving

Fit bread in a single layer in a lightly greased 9x13-inch baking pan. Mix eggs, sugar, nutmeg, orange juice, milk and vanilla; pour over bread. Cover and refrigerate overnight, turning bread once.

The next day, preheat oven to 400. Pour butter in a 15x10-inch jellyroll pan. Place bread in a single on top of butter. Bake for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with nuts and bake for 10 minutes more. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and nutmeg, if desired. Serve immediately with maple syrup.

Footnote: This cookbook is a great reference tool, as well. Not only is it a great cookbook, but a description of the featured inns accompany each recipe,

"Crash"

It happened at the inn. It was a scene out of the movie, "Crash", where cultures collide.

While sitting at my desk checking emails, I heard a loud BOOM! The house shook violently. Not knowing what happened, I jumped up and ran to the room where a group of ladies (median age: 85) were playing bridge. I thought someone had fallen, but when I entered the room, I found all of them looking out the front door. They were as startled as I was and though they didn't see what happened, they speculated that a wreck had occurred. There was no evidence of this except for a car that was stopped on the side of the road just across the street.

I went out to investigate. What I found astounded me. It didn't take long to figure it out. Lying in the front yard was the tire that had flown off the now disabled car that I saw on the side of the road. It (the tire) must've become airborne before it hit the house, because the point of impact just missed the front glass door by mere inches where, by the way, the ladies were sitting at the bridge table. No doubt they were shaken! As I inspected the house, I discovered a hole in the brick foundation. And looking back toward the street, I saw that the trajectory of the flying tire took out a spotlight and bush along the way.

Now, imagine the scene. The car was one of those early model 1970's Cadillac cars. Gold I think, with "spinner" hubcaps - lots of shiny chrome, sitting really low to the ground - and now with a missing tire, it was REALLY low. It took this guy a few minutes to get out of his car. In a swaggering stride, a young black male dressed in baggy shorts, sporting an oversized jersey and unlaced high-top tennis shoes emerged talking on his cell phone making wild gestures indicating his anger and fury. No Kidding!

Oh, the yelling and flailing arms were in overdrive. I'm sure this was a calculated move on his part, because when he sauntered toward me, his voice and gestures became more pronounced and agitated. When I asked him for his insurance card, he effectively ignored me. He was too busy on the phone to speak to me. Naturally, I overheard the convoluted conversation, and what I was able to understand (and what he wanted me to hear) was that the car belonged to the person on the other end of the phone. The tires had been replaced with tires that didn't fit the wheels. Of course, no one had told him. How could he have known that something like that could happen? Oh, he was playing the roll of victim, for my benefit. What he saw was a middle-aged woman, someone he could easily take advantage of, but since he chose to ignore me and my request, I chose to call the police from the cell phone I held in my hand. I, too had a weapon!

I waited for the law to arrive, and while I waited, this dude thought he'd just retrieve the tire and leave. I don't think he thought about how he'd leave. That car was going nowhere, but nonetheless, he got the tire and started rolling it back to his car. He was still on the phone, by the way.

Luckily, the police came quickly.

Much to my relief, police officer Dan took control of the situation, but not before this guy copped an attitude. As the policeman quizzed him about his license, registration and insurance, he continued his conversation on the phone. I guess he thought this strategy would somehow work for him. Youth or stupidity, maybe both were at work. Still, the suspect failed to produce the requested documents, so the officer told him to hang up the phone, then asked him his name. I could hardly believe my ears when this guy refused to give the cop the information. That's when officer Dan threatened jail, and that's when I decided to go inside.

After some straight talk from the officer to the suspect in question, the guy eventually cooperated, thank God. After all the paperwork was completed, the process to remove the vehicle was initiated, and a ride home was arranged.

The short of the long was that, as you might've guessed, this guy had no license or insurance. His claim was that the car belonged to his buddy, and his buddy had just cancelled the registration and insurance because he'd sold it to someone else. Yeah, right. I called the shot when I saw it. I'd be the one to lose, and in the end, I did. I had to pay for the repairs myself. A police report and charge did nothing to help my cause.

Anyway, with everything under control, the ladies resumed their bridge game.

I Scream, You Scream, We all Scream for ICE CREAM!

Ok, so I'm going to give this sweepsteaks thing a try. In today's paper there was an article calling for neighborhoods across America to enter a sweepsteaks for a chance to win an Edy's Ice Cream Party. YEAH! I'm all about ice cream! So, I went online to view the rules. To qualify, you must submit an essay of 350 words or less stating why your neighborhood should win. So far, here's what I've got.......


We have a great place for a party! Located in our neighborhood is a field begging for a game of soccer, kite flying, cookouts, and yes, ICE CREAM PARTIES! Located in a small town, our neighborhood is within walking distance of downtown where young families are moving in, while a number of seniors are living in the place they've called home for 50 years. It's a place where front proches are used and everybody know your name.


So far, that's 77 words. Obviously, I've got more work to do, but I'm reminded of the time several years ago when I was given the name of the regional editor of Southern Living Magazine. Armed with this information, I decided to put together a press packet to send, in hopes that maybe, just maybe he would read it. I knew it had to be compelling, so I put forth my best effort, complete with a dissertation and photos with circles and arrows, stating what each one meant (that's a line from Arlo Guthrie's Alice's Restaurant - my favorite Thanksgiving Day ballad). Well, lo and behold, after a few follow-up phone calls and polite emails, he agreed to entertain my request. I was so excited! His visit was lots of fun and the adventure taught me some things about Newton that even I didn't know about - and this is the town I grew up in! Anyway, the article of Newton, including the Trott House Inn, appeared in the November 2005 edition of Southern Living Magazine. This was the year the town celebrated its sesquicentennial, and Newton was buzzing with excitement when the publication hit the shelves!

I'm calling on my neighbors to weigh-in on this one. How would you complete this essay? An ice cream sundae is riding on it!

Do, Do, Do Lookin Out My Back Door

March came in like a lion! On March 1st, in the wee hours of the morning, five inches of snow fell. It was a heavy snow for this part of the country. On this day, the world stopped. As I sat by the fire to read the paper and enjoy my morning coffee, I marveled at how quiet it was. No school buses, no birds, no telephone calls, no guests - only the sound of the crackling fire could be heard. What joy. It's not often that I can sit back and relax in the quiet of the inn. My routine is usually to awaken before my guests stir, making sure that everything is ready for breakfast. I've learned over the years to celebrate both a full house and an empty house. So on this day, I celebrated being alone with my two dogs, Petunia and Rufus. Running an inn has its rewards and challenges. I decided that I would not do any laundry, cooking, checking the internet, painting, cleaning or anything that remotely resembled work. It's hard to resist these temptations when they're staring you in the face. Since innkeepers live and work in the same place, there's no escape!

I must say though, that after 10 years in the business, I'm still enjoying the adventure. I've met the most interesting people on this journey. You never know who's going to walk through the door. Several years ago, in the aftermath of a huge ice storm, I was visited by a local who'd lost power to his home and was in need of a place to stay. Upon meeting him, I knew immediately that he was a local celebrity. I was so captivated by him that I didn't notice his companion. After recovering my manners, I glanced at her and said, "But, you look familiar", and her reply was, "Kiss My Grits!" Now, for those of you who are old enough to recall the TV sitcom, Mel's Diner, you'll recognize the phrase. Her name was Flo (big hair) who played the part of a waitress on the show. Her real name is Polly Holiday. She still practices her craft and lives in Philadelphia. She spent the next two days with me, and the pleasure was all mine!

So many stories, so little time. I've got to get back to work. But before I go, I'll share with you a recipe to usher in Spring in hopes that March goes out like a lamb. No pun intended

Spring Lamb Chops

8 lamb chops

salt and pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil

flour

8 ounces mushrooms, sliced

6 green onions, sliced

4 medium cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon butter

1 cup beef broth

1/2 cup dry red wine

Sprinkle lamb chops with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Lightly coat chops with flour; place in hot skillet. Sear until well browned, turning once. Remove to a plate and set aside. Reduce heat to medium.

To the skillet add the mushrooms, green onions, garlic, and butter. Cook the vegetables, stirring, for 4 minutes. Add beef broth and red wine and simmer until reduced by about 1/3. Add lamb chops, cover skillet, and cook for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until lamb chops are done as desired.

Serves 4