Stacey has started teaching English from home full-time now. With this being the first week she hasn’t gotten her routine in place yet but she has decided that she likes it and that it suits her constitution. I also like seeing her for more than fifteen minutes a day.

I have been running the kitchen at a barbecue restaurant that features properly prepared, slow smoked barbecue classics and live blues four nights a week. The work is fun and challenging, and having a live soundtrack for a portion of my day is a real treat.

I realize that it has been a while since either of us have posted a blog entry and that many of our followers have stoped checking the site; however, a recent road trip to Maine has reignited my fire to share my thoughts of food, and life.  So I will be starting a new blog, called The Maine Course.  It will reflect the adventures I encounter in my travels around my home state.  Stacey and I will continue to post on this site  when we travel, probably in the months of January, February, or March.  Currently though, untill we find the money tree, The Maine Course will contain our exploits.  Hope to see you there!

By the way, thank you for following along on our journey.  We enjoyed all our visits and hope we can extend a warm welcome to you anytime you want to visit us.  We will continue to update the blog, though less frequently, and keep you posted on the chance encounters we stumble upon.

Stay close for lists and inventories of our trip!

• Memphis—Charles Vergos’ Rendezvous came highly recommended to us, and it’s easy to see why.  In business since 1948, they serve over 7,000 customers on an average Saturday night, and we were two of these customers.  The food was good (especially the beans) and the people were friendly, including regulars Paula and Bill, who chatted us up and wished us well.
• St. Louis—We had barbeque for dinner the first night, then for breakfast/lunch the next day.  First up: Super Smokers BBQ, with fall-off-the-bone ribs and sweet potato fries.  Second: Pappy’s Smokehouse, which paired quite well with a glass of Chambourcin wine.
• Kansas City—Arthur Bryant’s Barbeque was the messiest by far, with a tangy sauce and fantastically wrapped in butcher paper.  Jack Stack’s Barbeque at the Freight House was classy, featuring a cozy fireplace, gooey baked beans, cheesy corn bake, lamb ribs, and a chicken kabob with cheese; this was a perfect way to spend a stormy afternoon.

Trail Three: Missouri Wine Country—Before Prohibition, Missouri was second only to California in wine production.   They have gradually restored their industry and, if our opinion means anything, have something good going on.  We investigated two different wine regions:

• Route du Vin—Vance Winery (not quite on the route, but close enough for this purpose), Sand Creek Vineyard, and Twin Oaks Vineyard and Winery made the day’s cut.  Tasty new grapes we discovered: Vignoles, Chambourcin, and Norton.
• Hermann Wine Trail—We visited Oak Glenn Winery, Stone Hill Winery, and Adam Puchta Winery.  After our tastings, we decided that Missouri is definitely worth a summer’s vacation, replete with meandering rivers, delicious barbeque, and drinkable wines.

Well, we’re almost at the end of our road trip, but not our journey.  Our next entry features…a BLIZZARD!

Trail One: Bourbon Country—A two-day drive through Connecticut, New York (stopping to see the Balmville House where Galen’s mom grew up), Pennsylvania, Maryland, and West Virginia (wild & wonderful!) eventually landed us in Lexington, Kentucky, our home base for doing some bourbon exploration.  We were able to check out two distilleries: Woodford Reserve and Heaven Hill.  Still wanting a bit more to whet his appetite, Galen ordered a tasting of three bourbons at Horse & Barrel Pub.  End of the day’s determination: Galen likes Bourbon.

Second Aunt: A Homestead Tucked Away in the Hills Near Decatur, Tennessee—With a shorter drive on the agenda from Lexington to the Homestead, we decided to make a brief stop in Knoxville, Tennessee.  We discovered cool, old buildings and warehouses and a hip downtown scene where we ate a late lunch.  Back on the road, we began our drive to the Homestead, home of Pam (Galen’s aunt…yes, another one!), Ron, and baby Mya.  Our two-night stay here was relaxing (well, almost…keep reading for our adventure) as we took in their 150-acre community, played with 16-month old Mya, and awoke to snow on the second morning.  Thank you so much for opening your home to us, Pam and Ron!

A Camper—Pam and Ron have a camper (sans truck) that makes a perfect home for guests.  That is, until we showed up.  As we began to settle in for the first night in the camper, Stacey was setting up the bed in the front.  Just as she was about to crawl in her sleeping bag, there was a bit of some rocking from side to side, then began the fall.  Looking back on it, she realized that she could pinpoint the exact moment when the supports gave way.  However, there wasn’t much she could do.  As the camper began falling, Galen tried in vain to move his weight back.  Stacey, convinced it was an earthquake, thought we were sliding down a hill towards impending doom and death.  Once the rocking and rolling stopped, we assessed bodily damage and climbed out of the camper.  A bit shaky, we went inside and took Ron up on that beer he offered us previously and, needless to say, we did not sleep in the camper that night (nor the next!).  Although it was a bit nerve-wracking, we survived unharmed (the worst damage was our Mr. Goodbar tin, which suffered a serious dent!) and got a good story out of it.  Don’t worry, Pam and Ron, this experience will not keep us from visiting again.

Here ends part one of this gripping saga.  More to come shortly!

Tuesday—We arrived at Tim (Galen’s uncle) and Stephanie’s house just in time for a quiet dinner.

Wednesday—This was a full day in the kitchen preparing food for the next three days for 18 people: three pies, three soups, and other miscellaneous tasks in preparation of the weekend’s feasts.  That evening, as the masses arrived, catching up, conversations, games, and singing ensued.

Thursday—In need of a little exercise and respite, we adventured into the state park next door for a fun little mountain bike ride.  It was a beautiful and tiring ride due to the out of shape nature of our road tripping bodies.  Afterwards, we went a-traipsing along the stream behind Tim and Steph’s house in search of elusive beaver dams and memories (as a kid, Galen used to explore this area with his cousin and brother).  Then, we headed over (we were staying at a cabin down the road from The Inn at Wolfe Hollow) for the evening’s festivities.  After jumping in and helping Stephanie in the kitchen, the traditional Thanksgiving fare was ready.  Each person gathered around the table for dinner, which would not be complete without singing “Amazing Grace” and making several toasts.  After dinner, the crowd moseyed on outside by the fire for some Remy Martin, the pond jump (Galen went in twice!), singing, and fireworks.  There was an impressive array of pyrotechnics that lit up the sky.  While things were getting animalistic outside due to the Remy and acts of barbarism, a few of us went inside to civilize things a little by listening to Miles Davis and warming ourselves by the fire as the young cousins discussed the philosophies of life, the arts, and your mom jokes.

Friday—Cookin’ time.  With much help from Stacey, Stephanie, and his mom and dad, Galen went to work on a multi-coursed extravaganza.  Though there was some resistance from the crowd, Galen won them over with his technique.  It was a meal to be remembered for years to come (see Memorable Meals page).  The annual Charades game was next (though this year it was an offshoot called Salad Bowl), which includes three rounds of competitive guessing and pantomiming.  The outlaws (Stacey, Mike, and Stephanie #2) wisely chose to sit this one out with a preference of coffee and conversation over bickering and yelling.  Though Galen had initially wanted to sit out, at the last minute, he decided he wanted to play.  Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately?), it was too late; teams had already be painstakingly selected.  However, Galen’s timekeeping (and moderating) skills were put to use and helped create the most peaceful game in years.

Saturday—After breakfast, everyone steadily departed, and, before we knew it, the place was as quiet as when we arrived.  We headed back to our secluded cabin and enjoyed one of the most leisurely and peaceful days of our entire trip.  The stream gurgled out the back door, the fire crackled in the wood stove, and the light slowly faded as we read, watched a movie, and took a nap.  A more perfect afternoon couldn’t have been had.  That evening, we joined Tim and Steph for leftovers and a showing of Angels and Demons.  It’s accurate to say that we were all exhausted and a night of zoning out was exactly what the doctor ordered.

Sunday—We sadly bid goodbye to Tim and Steph and to our little cabin in the woods (we would have towed it along behind us, if we could).  For the first time on our trip we actually felt sad leaving.

Next up: The final leg.

Acadia National Park pictures are currently stuck on the camera while the cable lies in storage in Seattle.  They will be forthcoming as soon as we figure out how get them to come forth. Please forgive us.

• 3 yellow onions, large dice
• 5 carrots, large dice
• 4 stalks celery, large dice
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 1 pumpkin, roasted and skinned
• 1 cup apple cider
• 1 quart heavy cream
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 6 whole cloves
• 1 tsp. nutmeg
• 1 tsp. allspice
• 1 tsp. cayenne
• 1 tbsp. cumin
• 2 sticks of cinnamon
• 5-6 bay leaves
• Salt, to taste

Sauté onions, carrots, celery, and garlic in a large pot under medium heat until onions are translucent.  Add roasted pumpkin and sauté for two minutes.  Add cider and cook for one minute.  Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 15 minutes.  Puree soup.  Strain and simmer until ready to serve.

For the sage focaccia:

• 1 cup warm water
• ½ packet yeast
• ½ tbsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. salt
• 5 counts of olive oil
• 1 bunch of sage leaves, chopped
• 3 cups flour (approx.)

In a large mixing bowl, stir together water, yeast, and sugar.  Allow to bloom for 10 minutes.  Using a dough hook on a heavy duty mixer (a KitchenAid is perfect!), add salt, sage, and olive oil.  Then add flour, mixing until the dough does not stick to the bowl.  Fold dough into a ball and place in a oiled bowl; cover and set bowl in a warm place to rise for 40 minutes, or until dough doubles in size.

Preheat oven to 400.  Generously grease a 9×9 pan.  Stretch dough to fit pan and dimple top with fingertips.  Let rise for an additional 30 minutes.  Brush with oil and sprinkle with sea salt.  Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until crust reaches your perfect idea of crispness! 

For the toasted cumin sour cream:

• 2 tbsp. cumin seed, toasted and ground finely
• 1cup sour cream

Mix thoroughly.  Dollop creamy goodness on top of soup and enjoy with a piece of focaccia.