Tropical Pink Dragonfruit Limeade

I've discovered a tropical paradise here in South Florida....Robert Is Here produce stand. Robert has one of those fun stories that I love sharing with my kids, stories of personal achievement. As Robert told me himself, it's a lesson on hard work, honesty and integrity. 

Robert and I talked...a lot!

Robert started his business at the tender age of six years old. He set up on a road to sell his father's cucumbers with a giant sign that said "Robert Is Here" and the name stuck, so the place is still called Robert Is Here. He soon progressed into hiring his neighbor to work for him when he was at school. Today, many years later, his business is still thriving with many friendly employees, loads of exotic fruits, fresh vegetables, and the MOST amazing milkshakes!! We came for the key lime milkshake, which was a perfect blend of sweet and tart - delicious, but we loved the mamey and the guanabana flavored milkshakes just as much, if not more. They were made with fresh fruit and they were delicious, creamy and vanilla with the fruit taste too - seriously good stuff. 

Sharing a mamey milkshake

We stopped at Robert's on our way to Key Largo, the northern most key and had such a delightful time, we stopped at Robert's again on the way home. We stocked up on avocados (and made guacamole three times while on vacay), the most delicious juicy Kitt mangoes that the staff was happy to slice up for us. They were so perfectly ripe that the juice dripped down our arms while eating them.

juicy mango!

We enjoyed longans (like lychee), key limes, jack fruit, tomatoes, and intriguingly named dragon fruit. 

Source: Tropical Fruit Nursery

Dragon fruit is strange looking from the outside, but the variety we had was beautiful fuchsia pink with small black seeds on the inside. I cut it in half and just scooped the fruit out with a spoon, much like an avocado.

Look at this beauty...

With this color, I knew I wanted to make something fresh to show it off. I figured it would make a beauitful drink and boy was I right. We had some limeade concentrate in the freezer which I mixed up and added the chopped dragon fruit. When stirred up, it all became this gorgeous pink color. It didn't change the flavor of the drink because the dragon fruit flavor is so mild, something like strawberries. I think this fruit would make an incredible mixed drink with natural coloring.

Tropical Pink Dragonfruit Limeade

1 can limeade concentrate

1/2 dragonfruit

Mix up limeade with water and stir in chopped dragonfruit. Let sit in fridge for at least 30 minutes to overnight. The color will deepen over time. Add tequila for an adult dragon-rita.

 

We tried it in orange juice too and it created a beautiful translucent coral color. A a little of the fruit goes a long way in coloring a drink so I had plenty of fruit to make different drinks.

Next time you are having a party and need a punch or fun drink to make, give dragon fruit a look. You won't be disappointed with this kinda color!!

Our Babymoon Getaway

 

Just recently my husband and I decided to plan a weekend getaway. We usually take a "babymoon" near the end of my pregnancy and leave the kids with my wonderful parents. We decided a weekend close by was in the budget and the agenda would be to "do nothing". Now this sorta goes against the grain for us movers and shakers, but these days I'm feeling like a little sitting around is just what I need. I searched around the internet and found the Overlook Inn on top of Fort Mountain in the North Georgia Mountains. We have been to Fort Mountain State Park way back when we were dating and liked the area. I figured it might be a little cooler and boy was I right. It was cool enough to enjoy being outside in the evening.

The Overlook is a bed and breakfast that also rents out cabins. We picked the BandB so I wouldn't have to cook or clean. While we were there, we checked out the cabins, they are down a really long gravel road, so pretty remote and very cute inside. The Inn was surprisingly right off the main road, but the traffic died down at night so it didn't bother us. Our room was the Moon Eye and it was quaint, comfortable and very clean. The bed was divine (and I'm like the princess and the pea when it comes to beds and sheets)! There were plenty of pillows to create my "pregnancy nest". The bathroom had wonderful soft towels and organic toiletries that smelled great. The BEST part of the room however, was the screened in private porch with rocking chairs and a hot tub! This is one of the main reasons I chose the Inn. The tub was way too hot for me to go in when it's set on their normal temp, but Neil, one of the staff members,  was so kind and helped us change the temperature so we could enjoy it for our weekend. It was heavenly to soak weightless in the tub with the katydids chirping around us in the evening.

 

One of the other main reasons we picked the Inn was due to their write up in a 2008 Southern Living issue which they advertised on their website. I was also excited about the descriptions of the elegant, gourmet 3-course southern breakfast, afternoon tea service, wine and cheese hour and candlelight dessert. I know - it's all about the food for me!! I have to say this is one area where I was disappointed. The breakfast the first morning was a muffin and granola for the first course, a broiled half peach for the second course, and a dry frittata, overcooked frozen sausage patty and huge croissant for the third course. The next morning was worse with the same first course, broiled grapefruit for the second, and pancakes that obviously had too much baking powder in them (only one guest actually ate them). Good ideas that fell flat when executed. Why not make use of the local fresh peaches and showcase their freshness? Why serve so many breads when one would do and spend the money on a little garnish for the plates like uh.... jam and butter. None was served with the croissant. Why not offerr creamy, softly scrambled eggs and dazzle us with a homemade coffee cake? Unfortunately the afternoon tea continued the pattern of lack of attention to detail.

There was a lovely tea pot set up with hot water and coffee for the non tea drinkers. Sadly the only kind of tea bags they offered was green tea - no black, no herbal. The only time I like hot green tea is when I'm eating sushi. So I settled for the bottled water they provided and partook of the only snack served at this "tea"...cookies. I figured the wine and cheese would be yummy. Wonderful Heather, who was very kind and helpful like the rest of the staff, offered to break out the sparkling cider in my current preggo condition.  I told her it wasn't necessary, but it was sure nice that she offered.  (As a side note: she's a talented writer with a gift for wit and you can pick up her books at the property's gift shop.) The wine and cheese turned out to be precut chunks of cheddar, colby jack and the like.  Nothing like what I expected. Even a wheel of brie would have been better than the Kraft package products that were used.

That evening there was an optional Fondue Night package that we did not try, so it might have been delicious. But I had splurged and gone to Whole Foods where I picked up some artisanal cheeses, sausage, crackers, huge greek olives, a loaf of fresh bread, gourmet chocolate and grapes. It was the perfect dinner as we sat on our porch and enjoyed our meal. A relaxing and quiet way to end our weekend together. The Inn was great for solitude and romance.

All and all we had a special time together which is exactly what we wanted. We got to talk and laugh and remember why we like each other so much.  Sometimes it's easy to remember you love each other, but the liking part is a little harder in the chaos of everyday living. To this day, I'm am so grateful to have found my husband and thankful that he chose me. He is my foundation and support and I dearly love him.

There's a What in My Attic?

The children were all nestled in their beds

with visions of swimming pools dancing in their heads,

when what did my husband and I hear??

Something making noise in the attic, not a squirrel, oh dear.

Brave husband of mine,

opened the attic door to aim his flashlight's shine

on a poor little brown bat,

he was just stuck in the stair slat.

Well MacGyver being the man of the hour

grabbed a towel to protect himself from the bat's flying power.

After securing the little lost thing

freed him into the night air so the bat could sing,

the praises of the man who saved him from the scary place,

and fly into the dark with all his sonar grace.

Bad poetry aside, this was an unusual distraction one night that I just had to share with you all. I wasn't sure what to do with the fuzzy little scared bat we discovered. I just knew I wanted to save it because bats are my soulmates when it comes to mosquito death and destruction. I believe all mosquitoes should be eliminated and they do their best to oblige! Thankfully being married to MacGyver has it privileges. He knew exactly what to do and I thought I'd pass it one to you.

Bats are the largest consumers of insects including: moths and beetles, mosquitoes, termites, flying ants, some will even eat scorpions and centipedes. Cave bats will eat about 3,000 mosquitoes per night. If you ever spot a bat, be sure to tell your kids how wonderful these animals really are. If you are lucky enough to get one in your house, be gentle and careful. They are very shy creatures and will bite to protect themselves. Wrap them in a large bath towel and set the towel down outside carefully unwrapping them. The bat will take off like a shot. At dusk you can spot them by their erratic flying patterns as they zoom around eating insects.

You can even build a bat house to attract these beneficial creatures to your house. See here for instructions on how to create your bat house. We have one up in our yard. We always get asked about our unusual "bird house".

If you'd like to see masses of bats in action, Alabama is a great place and close by. Check out this website for cave recommendations. It's incredible to see so many bats coming out of the cave at dusk. Your kids will love it! We went to the Blowing Wind cave one time and it was an amazing site. Like I said, anything that can take out 600 mosquitoes an hour is on my good list!

Coolidge Park In Chattanooga

Jump on I-75 north and head to Chattanooga. We haven't been to the aquarium in a long while (too expensive with three kids) but there is lots more to do in Chattanooga beyond the aquarium. We love going to Coolidge Park with it's free sprayground its great summer fun. Right next door is one of the oldest hand- carved wooden carousels. It's really beautiful and the kids have fun finding the flying fish and the eagle, much more beyond your typical horses. And get this...it's only 75 cents!

We used to go to Cheeseburger Cheeseburger for lunch where the kids could their get lunch in a car, but now we've recently discovered a place we like better- River Street Deli. They have delicious sandwiches and spreads. Their pimento cheese is not to be missed. My middle child is especially partial to their peanut butter, honey and banana sandwich (and somehow Daddy always seems to extract a bite or two).

If you want to make a whole day of your Chattanooga adventure, you can always add on a game at the minor league baseball park. The Chattanooga Lookouts play near downtown Chattanooga and seats can be purchased for as low as $2! How's that for a family fun adventure?

Creamy Barley Mushroom Risotto

Comfort food, we all have something that reminds us of a great meal or memory or just is a favorite. Maybe it's mashed potatoes, chicken pot pie, peach ice cream,  or even cinnamon rolls. My husband would say his is sushi, so I guess it really CAN be anything! This dish is my definition of comfort food with a creamy texture, earthy smell and the recipe contains cheese. I came up with this dish after my husband and I took a trip to Italy. I really LOVED Italy, everything about it was amazing. The people were friendly and kind (I was pregnant at the time and they really love pregnant women). The historic sites were...well what exactly can you say about the Roman Colosseum? All you can do when you see it is to stare in awe. Much of Italy is like that with art, culture, history, agriculture and it's people all fascinating. And then there is the food. Mama mia! We enjoyed every single meal we ate there (and that is saying a lot). The simple meals in quick cafes were fresh and delicious. The working class meal we ate when we had no idea what we were getting (no Italian on our part and no English on theirs). We just pointed to some other people's plates and an incredible hearty lunch was served. Each meal is a process (except breakfast which is simply espresso and bakery item to go) and was made to enjoy - to savor. The best meal we had was at Ristorante Rinaldi al Quirinale in Roma. We went for a special dinner and came away wanting to move to Italy just to be able to eat at this place more than once. I remember wishing I wasn't pregnant so I could fit more food into my squashed belly!

We walked into the place pretty early for the regular crowd. We were greeted at the door with a display case of the vegetables available for eating. If it's not in season, you ain't getting it. Dinner in Italy is meant to be five courses: the antipasti (appetizer), primo (1st course, usually pasta, soup or risotto), secondo (your meat or fish dish), ordered with contorni (vegetable dishes or salad) and ending with dolci (dessert) then coffee or an apertif. I have no idea how anyone can eat all of this - even though dinners last several hours, it's still a LOT of food. The funny part, the Italians are shocked and maybe even a little offended when you don't order everything. But we'd already learned our lesson at previous places and knew we couldn't order it all. I started my meal with the most amazing risotto dish I've ever had...creamy rice, mushrooms and smoked provolone cheese. It was divine and I have been in love with risotto ever since.

Back home, I often recreated that dish (with never quite the same amazing results). This time, I decided to branch out a little. Risotto is white starchy rice (see previous post on other rice types here), and I was looking to make it a little healthier. I decided to use pearl barley which is a grain I adore. You can find it with the other dried peas and beans in the grocery store. It stays firm but tender when cooked like pasta, not mushy like oatmeal or some other grains. It doesn't have a strong flavor on it's own, so it adapts well with other flavors. I knew I wanted to use wild mushrooms. This interesting company called Marx Foods sent me several samples of wild dried mushrooms (which keep in your pantry forever just waiting for the perfect use). One package ended up in a miso soup to be written about later, but the shiitakes I knew would be perfect in a risotto. This recipe is an adaption from a couple I found out on the web. I was really thrilled how it all turned out and the whole family loved it.

Ingredients
1 c pearl barley
2 c water
4 c beef or vegetable stock (I made mine with the water I re hydrated the mushrooms in)
1 tbsp olive oil

1 c finely chopped onion

2 oz rehydrated shiitake mushrooms
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp chopped fresh sage
1/3 c grated Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp butter
1/8 tsp pepper
extra sage and Parmesan for garnish

Combine barley and water in a bowl. Let stand for 2 hours; drain. Heat stock to a simmer in the microwave. In large pan, heat the oil, then add onion. Cook, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes on medium heat. Add mushrooms, salt, barley, warm stock, and sage to the pan. Bring to a boil over medium heat then reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes.  Stir occasionally. The liquid will be absorbed into the barley and create a creamy base. Remove from heat stir in cheese, butter, and pepper. Serve with a little sage and cheese on top.

The Marietta Greek Festival

Need fun plans for this weekend? Check out the Marietta Greek Festival. It's held at Hold Transfiguration Greek Orthodox Church off Trickum Road on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. They have a gift market, singing and dancing, an art area for the kids, but most important - they have Greek food!!! Spanakopia, souvlakia, tzatziki, gryos, stuffed grape leaves, greek salad, baklava, pastries, cookies and more. The food was definitely my favorite part. If you go to their website, you can get free admission after answering a couple of questions. http://www.mariettagreekfestival.org/

My favorite greek salad dressing recipe is below just to get you in the mood.  I love this dressing anytime of year, but when the tomatoes are ripe and fresh in the summer, it's over the top good.

Absolutely Fabulous Greek/House Dressing from allrecipes.com

1/2 cup olive oil
1 1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 1/4 tsp dried oregano
1 1/4 tsp dried basil
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp Dijon-style mustard
2/3 cup red wine vinegar

Put all ingredients into closed container (glass or plastic) and shake REALLY well.  Store in fridge. These measurements will be enough for about 10 salads.

Giveaway!! Doodlepak Entertainment for Kids

Congratulations to the Two Winners!!!

This contest is now closed.

I have found the solution! What's the problem you ask?...cranky kids waiting for the bank person to help you, brother or sister having to watch yet another soccer game, kids just bored in the car? Enter the Doodle Pak! A friend of mine started this company a while back and gave my kids these clever paks as presents. That was three years ago and my kids are still using them. Seems so basic, a pad of paper and crayons, but something about having their name on it and having it portable makes it really fun. We keep ours in the car and then take them when I know there is going to be a boring wait time for them. I've gotten artwork, love notes, shopping lists and other treasures from the kids on our Doodle Paks.  We'll take them places and play hangman or make our own connect the dots picuters. (They even sell grown up versions, that I keep in my car for notes or messages to friends and teachers.)

I really wanted to share this fun product with you, so they agreed to give away a personalize Pak to two lucky winners. You can have up to 4 chances to win! Please leave separate comments for EACH entry. All of them are easy…you ready?…

1. Simply leave a comment on this post
2. Subscribe to the Chapel Hill to Chickenville email list or fan Chickenville's Facebook page and let me know in the comments
3. Tweet this giveaway and leave me a comment so I know you tweeted
4. Head on over to the Doodlepak facebook page and fan then, then leave me another comment telling me you signed up

This giveaway will close Sunday May 23rd at midnight, The winners will be chosen by random.org and notified by email.

Natl Cornbread Festival

The National Cornbread Festival is such a fun event in South Pittsburg, TN (near Chattanooga). We enjoyed going last year and hopefully will go back again this year (April 24th and 25th). It's a typical fair with a cooking contest rolled in. Sponsored by Lodge Cast Iron, you can even take a tour of the factory to see cast iron being made. Totally cool. We managed to get a free cast iron skillet by using a special coupon at their "seconds" store in town. The kids loved trying all the different cornbread recipes in Cornbread Alley, some sweet (apple cornbread fritters) and some spicy (cheddar jalapeno). It's a small town feel with RC Cola and Moon Pies everywhere, but big time fun for the kids. Hope to see you there!

Romantic Weekend in a Yurt

Are you going "green" for 2010? You might want to check out the Cedar House Inn & Yurts in Dahlonega, GA. You can actually stay in a yurt. These yurts are made of canvas, the traditional ones you've seen on NatGeo in Mongolia are made from animal hides. They are meant to be very portable because the people are nomads. At Cedar House, you can stay in a yurt "out back" from the big house or stay at the Inn. Either way, breakfast is included and was wonderful! Super yummy.

It was a great Valentines adventure one year for us because it was private, out of the ordinary and cozy. I would not want to stay in the yurt during the summer because they get a little toasty even with air conditioning units, but it was perfect for a winter snuggle. Check 'em out next time you want a romantic getaway.

Traveling with Young Kids

So I suppose someday it will be very easy to take a road trip, you know when then can entertain themselves and I don't have to be involved in every decision. Until then, road tripping is tricky, but possible. When I came home from the beach, I was by myself with the three kids. Beyond the crutch DVD player (which yes, is wonderful on a long trip) I make sure each kid has a snack in a portable cup with a top and their own nalgene water bottle (which pretty much stays in the car). Course at the baby stage that my Little Sausage is in (he's 5 months old) snacks mean Mommy, but that's another story. They each have an old wipes box that they keep in the car filled with small toys. For long trips they can each pack a backpack with toys.


I go to the library and get a bag of 10 books (and keep the receipt so I know which books to return)and get a few new trinkets that I break out as the ride goes by. I also really like using a travel tray for the Banana Girl since her carseat doesn't have anywhere to sit anything. Super Bear in the back has a whole backseat to use as his tray.


For stops, we love Cracker Barrel, where they love exploring the store and rest stops to run around and potty all together in the family restrooms.

Chuck Wagon Cook Off

We went to a Festival this weekend. The Cowboy Festival and Chuck Wagon Cook Off at the Booth Western Museum in Cartersville, GA. The weather was pretty cold, but that just meant it wasn't crowed. We got to talk with the people who own, maintain, and compete with their authentic chuck wagons. I have no idea how those cooks did it back in the day. I've seen Lonesome Dove and I realize a good cook was worth their weight in gold, no two ways about it. The funny part is, I can't even make biscuits under the best circumstances and here they were turning out perfect, flaky biscuits, beans, stew, cobbler and more all in their dutch ovens. I'm ready to take on the challenge - let's go camping.