It's been a bit over a year since the finishing strip of moulding was applied across the top of the original range hood in our remodeled kitchen. And we could not be happier with the function of all of the elements. The highlights for me are the 48" Wolf Rangetop with its centerpiece Wok Burner, a Magic Corner II spice rack and a Create Good Sinks ledge workstation. My husband is equally delighted with his Rev-a-Shelf KitchenAid cabinet lift and 30" Wolf Wall Oven. The kitchen is definitely the center of life in our home, and we designed this kitchen around cooking with friends.
The Farm & Forage Dinners at Lost Creek Farm are truly an unforgettable experience. After bumping and jostling down a narrow gravel road, you emerge into another world -- a gracious warm-white farmhouse, lit by the angled rays of the setting sun that transform into strings of fairy lights. Chef Mike Costello and Chef Amy Dawson and staff work their magic for a seamlessly perfect evening filled with easy-going camaraderie, cultural education, and a series of creatively interpreted dishes based in local traditions and heritage flavors. Not only is each dish delicious, but also each story and each bite form interwoven connections that build in a culinary crescendo before descending gently for a perfect, lightly sweet landing. We are already strategizing our return next year...
1880's farmhouse with cider making to the left |
Lou's ravioli : roasted chicken : turnips several ways : brown butter |
We discovered Lost Creek Farm through happy serendipity. We happen to be good friends with a couple whose daughter moved to West Virginia. She discovered Lost Creek Farm after conversations with her patients often involved reminiscing about treasured culinary traditions and worrying about their loss. While exploring this topic further by googling West Virginia heritage foods, she came across Lost Creek Farm.
Easy Green Chile Stuffed Poblano Peppers: Low-carb, Gluten-free and Highly Adaptable
October 06, 2022
This easy stuffed poblano pepper is robustly satisfying, flavored with green enchilada sauce and shredded cheese. The recipe is straightforward and highly adaptable, based on what vegetables are fresh and in season. It is equally good enjoyed as a vegetarian meal or stuffed with your choice of ground meats. No tortillas needed for that great enchilada flavor, and it plates up beautifully for company.
A farmers market bounty is transformed into poblanos stuffed with pork, corn, chopped poblano, tomatillo, shallots & garlic with a fresh tomatillo salsa instead of the top layer of cheese. |
Stuffed poblanos with turkey, tomato, chopped poblano, garlic and onion. Topped with a browned, bubbly layer of mozzarella and garnished with cilantro and dill blossoms |
I discovered this wonderful recipe from Kalyn's Kitchen for Cheesy Stuffed Poblanos with Ground Turkey back in 2016, when I was doing the South Beach 2-week low-carb insulin-reset diet. It was so hearty and satisfying, that I find myself making variations of this recipe over the years using ingredients that I have on-hand. The dish does not require precise measurements, but regardless of variations, it always comes out beautiful and delicious. In fact, you don't even need to have poblanos or ground turkey to have an impressive, easy and satisfying meal.
The basics
To make a variation of this delicious dish, you just have to have a few ingredients on on hand, namely, some sort of stuffable pepper, mushrooms or meat for the filling, and enchilada sauce.
Peppers
While the original recipe called for two large and one small poblano chile, I have made this with four poblanos or five poblanos, orange or yellow bell peppers, Hatch chiles or a combination of different chiles.
Poblanos and Orange Bell Peppers stuffed with cremini mushrooms, hatch chile, shallots, the rest of the bell pepper and a mix of pizza cheese blend and sharp cheddar for delicious vegetarian version. |
When using poblanos, at least one chile is chopped up to add to the filling. When using bell pepper, I cut the pepper vertically to get two nice, cup shaped pieces from each pepper, and then chop up the remaining parts of the pepper to use in the filling.
A farmers market bounty with fresh poblanos, tomatillos, cilantro and scallion being washed. |
There is nothing quite like biting into hot, golden-brown burnished buns filled with succulent, salty and mildly sweet chunks of Chinese barbecue pork. A perfect marriage of Western-influenced yeasty milk bread and traditional Cantonese roast pork, we seek out this inexpensive, hand-held meal whenever we visit a Chinatown -- whether in LA, Boston, Vancouver, San Francisco, New York or D.C. Imagine our delight when we first tried making these at home and they came out beautiful and totally delicious! Over the years, we have compared several dough recipes and developed a pork-zucchini version for a more balanced hand-held meal.
Perhaps nothing is as emblematic of a perfect East-West fusion as the Chinese Bakery. Traditional Chinese homes did not have ovens, which utilize a great deal of fuel. As a result, people would go to the bakery to pick up roasted meats. Alongside the whole roasted ducks and chickens are the red-tinted slabs of Chinese barbecued pork, or char siu 叉燒, which literally means fork-roasted. The sauce permeates and roasts into the meat, leaving a finger-friendly, dry surface and tender, flavorful interior. Char siu can be enjoyed straight from the broiler or grill, and it forms the starting ingredient for a wide variety of delicious dishes. It is often enjoyed as a hand-held snack enveloped in a white, fluffy steamed bun -- a filling staple of push cart dim sum tea parlors called char siu bao 叉燒包.
Sunrise over the Grand Canyon is truly spectacular! Silhouettes of thrones and temples highlighted against a rose-orange sky give way as distant canyon walls bloom into color when illuminated by shafts of morning light. As the show brightened into day, we strolled into the El Tovar Dining Room. After enjoying breakfast, my sisters set out to Montezuma Castle on the way to the airport, while my husband and I hiked deeper into the canyon. We wrapped up our last day in the Grand Canyon with a tour of even more dramatic vistas stretching west to Hermit's Rest.
Bright Angel Trail |
On our last day at the Grand Canyon, we planned to watch the sunrise at 6:05 am, noting that first light was predicted to occur at 5:39 am. Since we were staying so close to the park entrance, we figured we would be fine departing our hotel by 5:15. Although we forgot to factor in time to catch the Red Bus, luck and a bit of early morning running favored us, and we got to Hopi Point in time for a fantastic sunrise! Today was a splendid day for viewing different shades of earthy reds.
Following our Rim-to-River introduction to the Grand Canyon, played out over the first two days, we returned for a deeper look at its fascinating geology, natural history, and art-inspiring viewpoints along the South Rim. The Trail of Time allowed us to venture back in time (or further down into the canyon) to touch 1.75 billion year old rocks. After a fantastic steak lunch at the Big E Steakhouse, we resumed our driving tour of scenic viewpoints capped by a beautiful Grandview Trail sunset.
Trail of Time with the ever-present Raven |
From upper part of Grandview Trail |
Peeking at O'Neill Butte from right side of Mather Point |
We enjoyed a leisurely day exploring the South Rim in greater depth. Instead of continuing our driving tour where we left off at Moran Point, we decided to visit the popular Mather Point before it got too crowded. Shortly before 10 am, it was still easy to find parking in the main Visitor's Parking Lot. As we strolled along the Rim Trail, we paid more attention to the plants, animals and birds of the Grand Canyon, as well as taking a closer look at rock layers and key geological features in the National Park.
Summary and Quick Links
Part 1: Dining and Sunset on the Rim. Sedona, Oak Creek Canyon, Lunch at El Tovar, a toe dip below the rim, Desert View, Navajo Point, Sunset at Lipan Point, Dinner at Plaza Bonita
Part 2: Rafting the Colorado. Rafting from Diamond Creek to Pearce Landing with Hualapai River Runners, Dinner at Diamond Creek Restaurant in Peach Springs
Part 3: The Trail of Time & Grandview Point. Mather Point, Yavapai Museum, Walking Back in Time, Big E Steakhouse, Moran Point, the protection of Ravens, a Grandview Trail Sunset
Part 4: Sunrise, Hiking down & Hermit Road. Hopi Point, Powell Point, an El Tovar breakfast, hiking Bright Angel Trail, Montezuma Castle, The Abyss, hiking Hermit Trail, Pima Point, Mohave Point