Family Trip, More Food and Miscellaneous Too

...continuing with Laurie's sister Bonnie and Bonnie's husband Bill's week long visit.  Relax, browse, shop, sightseeing, food, and then repeat the cycle.  While we had several meals at our house, (creamy chicken over rice, pork roast and potatoes, plus grilled ribeye steaks with sauteed squash), all of our food photos were taken during restaurant dining excursions.

So, I'll start with food, then sightseeing, furniture shop browsing, a little more food and then a bit of nature's whimsey.  

Bonnie and Bill love dining at waterside...(who doesn't?!)...so Laurie and I ensured that we stopped by The Mudpuppy on Tellico Lake in Vonore Tennessee for a relaxing meal.

We actually started out with an appetizer, the Creamy Queso with Chips. ($11.00) It was OK.  Bonnie ordered a burger.  It was cooked as ordered and she remarked that the French fries were superior! ($17.00)

Laurie ordered the "Bacon me Crazy" Cheese 'Sammie'. ($14.75) Basically this is a grilled cheese sandwich that comes loaded with bacon...and we all know that  bacon makes everything better!  Laurie decided to try the onion rings as her side.

She loves bacon and she loves cheese and this creation was a hit.  She thought that the onion rings were very good too...

For my meal I ordered the Southern Style Fried Catfish. ($18.00) It came with a pile of those great French fries and some of The Mudpuppies signature Mudpuppies, aka hushpuppies.  The fish was nice but I do prefer fried pollack or a similar saltwater fish.  The French fries are the best!

If its upscale seafood, its what Bill would order!  His entree selection was the Grouper Pontchartrain, grouper smothered in Cajun cream sauce, then topped with grilled shrimp and served over rice pilaf and broccoli. ($28.00) Bill reported that it was a very enjoyable and satisfying entree.

To view The Mudpuppy's menu, just go to https://www.mudpuppyrestaurant.com/menu.  To learn more about the related Cherokee Outdoor Resort in Vonore Tennessee, go to https://cherokeeoutdoorresort.com/.  For more photos...there is much more to see other than food...you can check out my previous post at https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/5617317794624015781/8258884590672429200.

Hurricane Helene had done considerable damage on the Tennessee side of the Smoky Mountains.  Of course the storm had a truly disastrous impact in the mountainous area of North Carolina.

Bald River Falls is a major tourist attraction here in East Tennessee.  However, Helene dumped so much rain that the bridge right below the falls where Bald River feeds into the Tellico river was impacted and the road leading to the bridge and its viewing area was badly damaged.  Repairs and improvements were recently completed and the crowds were appreciative... 

Of course photos were necessary...and Laurie took this selfie of her sister Bonnie and herself.

FYI, before the flood vehicles and pedestrians/tourists shared the bridge, creating a bit of a hazard.  The re-engineered bridge provides a commodious space for tourists that is our of harms way...

Laurie and your truly will have lived here in East Tennessee for 16 years as of this coming August.  This was the first time that we'd visited the Smoky Mountains at a time when the Rhododendrons were actually blooming.  The banks of the Tellico River were loaded with blooms stretching on for miles!

On the home front, we are remodeling a former breezeway that the original owners had turned into an enclosed space complete with HVAC.  Laurie has been looking around for a pair of comfortable chairs for the new space when its done.  During Bonnie and Bill's visit we perused several furniture stores looking for pieces that might work with the library 'feel' that Laurie is trying to complete.  These chairs at a local consignment shop were very nice but not all that comfortable for me, plus Laurie likes a head rest...

On day while we were out on our furniture browsing trek, we determined that we needed a break from our toils.  So we stopped in at the Water into Wine Bistro and Lounge in Farragut Tennessee.  Our party indulged in a couple of adult beverages and we ordered a Cheese Board with meat, olives, hummus, jam and crostini.  There are never enough crostini with a charcuterie board so we ordered extra.  Not including the adult beverages, this cheese board with the contents shown above...plus a double order of more crostini...came to a total of $42.00.  Yikes!  Thanks for buying Bill!  

Laurie and Bonnie...the sisters are just a little more than a year apart in age...really have a good time when they spend time together!

Bonnie's husband Bill was having a good time at Water into Wine as well... This is Bill smiling!  What...no photo of yours truly?!  I managed to avoid the camera and I am also 'notorious' for not smiling.

Water into Wine Bistro and Lounge's website can be found at  https://waterintowineknoxville.com/.  

I thought that I'd end this post with a touch of nature.  Laurie captured this photo of an excited and stressed Killdeer in this rocky area near a medical office in Lenoir City Tennessee.  Excited because she had a clutch of eggs in the rocks and stressed because the 'feels like temperature' was hovering around 104F.  She was excited because she didn't want to leave the nest/eggs.  She was providing the necessary shade for her expected brood.  

FYI, Killdeer are a large member of the plover family that is found throughout North America and even into parts of South America.  It has a shrill, two-syllable call that sounds like someone saying 'kill deer'.  In 2024, the Killdeer was reclassified as a near-threatened species due to a significant population decrease.

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge it...

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

A "New" Local Restaurant and More...

...taking a break from my posts about last fall's road trip, this time its about a local restaurant we hadn't dined at previously as well as a couple of miscellaneous item. 

Although the Victory Bar and Grill opened last fall and it is only about 10 minutes from our home, if it wasn't for long time fellow blogger Larry at https://bigdudesramblings.blogspot.com/, we might not have noticed it for several more months.  Our powers of observation have apparently deteriorated.

The interior of the Victory Bar and Grill is in the warm and welcoming industrial sports bar 'look', perfect for a local hangout.  It was a bit early for dinner but the bar was busy.

The appetizer portion of the menu list 11 items diners or sports fans can order with their meals or just to nosh on during a sporting event.  I would have ordered the Buffalo Chicken Dip but it isn't something that Laurie is crazy about.  I also liked the idea of the Brisket Queso... I was fairly sure that she'd want the Fried Cheese Curds, but instead she went for her perennial favorite, the Fried Pickle Chips. ($9.00) They were quite nice, a cut above average. 

For Laurie's entree, she decided to go with a dinner salad.  There are 3 different dinner salads on the menu at Victory Bar and Grill.  She chose the Fried Chicken Tender Salad...Buffalo style. ($13.00) She really enjoyed her dinner...and thanks to all those pickle chips, she took part of the salad home.  She had it for dinner the following night. 

There are plenty of options to chose from at Victory Bar and Grill.  Buffalo Chicken Cheddar Mac 'n Cheese, 3 different steak options, wings with 12 sauces or rubs, flatbread pizza and then of course, there are the Signature Handhelds.  I chose the Fried Chicken Sandwich for my entree.  Basically, it consisted of fried chicken tenders on a nice brioche bun with cheddar cheese, a choice of sauce and the usual lettuce, pickles and tomato slice. ($12.00)  Instead of the usual French fries, I opted for the (healthier?) garlic baby potatoes.

My only issue with this entree was that the 'chicken tenders' were flat (pounded)or just too thin.  When I have a sandwich, I look forward to the protein or heart of the sandwich to kick it up a notch.  On the other hand, the garlic baby potatoes were a great side option and there were plenty of them.  I took some home to have for breakfast with a couple of eggs.

We will return soon.  I'm looking for a good place for wings...and I'll side them with more of those garlic baby potatoes.  Victory Bar and Grill is located at 1265 US Hwy 411 in Vonore Tennessee.  They are open daily for lunch and dinner.  Phone: 423-884-2319.  Website: https://victorybargrillvonore.com/.   

Moving on to spring and a bit of food at our house...

Despite up and down temperatures and the fact that this photo was taken a couple of weeks before spring actually arrive, our flowering quince and its companion forsythia have once again reassured us that warmer weather is coming.  As you can see, the forsythia is actually past it's prime blooming phase.

Even more importantly our favorite spring blooms are now in full force.  While many folks love the dogwood blooms above all else, although we too enjoy them, our favorites are the delicate blooms that the redbud trees produce.  They usually bloom before the dogwoods but we did have one spring a few years back when both bloomed at about the same time.  It was a wonderful sight indeed.

Laurie captured this photo of an eager homebuilder at work.  This male eastern towhee had patiently worked on a small bush to free up this vital ingredient for nest building and he was about to fly off to the site of he and his mate's new home.

Although to my eye, they resemble a robin, the eastern towhee is actually classified as a large New World sparrow.  They prefer breeding in brushy areas, nesting in low bushes or on the ground under shrubs.

Of course, I just 'have to' close this blog post with food photos!  We discovered that we could purchase pre-seasoned salmon on a cedar plank at our smallish local Food Lion grocery store.  There was enough salmon (very nice indeed) that I could reheat the leftovers (in butter of course), place it on a slice of buttered rye toast and then top it with a couple of easy over eggs.  It was a great breakfast!

There is a small local donut chain in our area and one location is in Lenoir City Tennessee.  It's owned/operated by a very nice couple from the Philippines who immigrated to the US many years ago.  This is their latest creation/addition to their great repertoire of sweets that customers have to chose from.  This beauty is a glazed croissant donut and it is now Laurie's favorite and my second most favorite...after their apple fritter.  This donut crossover is lighter than a typical glazed cake donut and it is just excellent!

Reviews on Google give Master Donuts in Lenoir City 4.8 stars out of 5 with 413 reviews.  TripAdvisor lists 80 reviews, with 76 reviews scoring very good or excellent.  Master Donuts is located at 507 East Broadway.  Phone: 865-816-6058.  

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them...

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

Staying Home...

Time for a change of pace!  Leaving our October 2024 road trip just for a bit, this time its all about things, food and happenings around our home in East Tennessee...truly bits and pieces.

Let me introduce you to "Gopher", our tailless squirrel and frequent visitor.  He/or she has been around for about 4 years at this point... With a typical life span of around 6 years but with exceptions up to 12 years, Gopher may be around for a while.  Without a tail, we're a bit surprised that he/she has survived this long.  Grey squirrel's tail assist in balance when moving through the trees and they also provide warmth in cold weather.  In cold weather squirrels just wrap their tails around them like a blanket while in their nests.  Will Gopher survive a protracted Artic blast?

FYI...In Europe and in Western Canada the Eastern Grey Squirrel is considered to be an Invasive Alien Species as it is displacing native species of squirrels. 

Around New Years Day, our neighbor Jane baked this lovely and delicious Rum Cake for us...and for other neighbors as well.  I'm usually not a 'cake guy' and some flavor enhanced cakes are too over the top intense for me.  However, we devoured all of this cake.  It kept well in the refrigerator and we found that whipped cream went well with it.  Not healthy but very tasty!

We do have a tendency to buy items that catch our eye, especially antique or collectible goodies.  Frequently they just sit around and look nice...but in this case Laurie's new/old cast iron corn bread fry pan was put to good...and satisfying use.

Laurie decided to make a chicken recipe she saw on-line that grabbed her attention.  It involved chicken thighs, garlic cloves, soy sauce, butter and brown sugar...served over rice.  I didn't think that I'd like it but the caramelized sauce with the chicken and rice resulted in a fine meal...and I had leftovers too!

Time for breakfast!

My breakfast creations are not as adventuresome or imaginative as Big Dude's at https://bigdudesramblings.blogspot.com/.  However, neither of us like to waste leftovers.  In this case I fried up some left over beef pot roast and cheesy potatoes, siding them with over-easy eggs and a slice of toast.  Excellent!

Another recent breakfast 'winner' was my combination of leftover breaded and seasoned Tilapia filets topped with over-easy eggs... While I indulge in my 'healthy' breakfasts, my better half 'enjoys' yogurt with granola.  Ugh!

One more breakfast just to avoid leftover waste... This time it was Guinness flavored Mac 'n Cheese with fried segments of leftover Klement's (Wisconsin) hotdogs.  This was a truly satisfying breakfast although it almost demanded a nap long after consuming it. 

Now for a bit of Mother Nature...

Laurie's Christmas cactus in her plant room, both pink and red, are doing their thing and looking good.  But, if you look out the window, you might note that something weatherwise was going on...

Shortly after taking the photo in the plant room, Laurie took this picture of our front yard looking across to neighbors Roger and Jane's home.  What is that white stuff coming down from the heavens?!

After the snow 'storm' passed, I took this photo of our front yard looking across at Roger and Jane's home.  We were snowed in!  Those who live a bit north would consider this a minor snowfall or inconvenience.  In East Tennessee it is a big deal.  At our stage and age, I can't shovel snow and Laurie shouldn't.  I know that the usual sequence is that it melts the following day or, at most, a couple days later.  

However, kudos to the strapping 18 year old entrepreneur who showed up at Jane and Roger's house and cleared their driveway and sidewalk.  His next job was clearing our driveway and sidewalk.  He'd cleared 6 driveways the previous night and after these 2 jobs, he had 10 more booked.  Some of the driveways were much longer than ours... I'm estimating that his prompt recognition of opportunity had to bring in over $1,000!  Not too bad...

Of course, our local birds are a bit like the residents...just not used to truly cold and snowy weather.  Mr. Robin looks confused...but I'm sure he was waiting for food bits to drop from our feeders.  As for the bluebirds, they were patiently waiting for Laurie to replace the ice in their birdbath with some hot water from the house...

This view from Laurie's 'plant room' shows our 2.5 inches of snow on the grill and railings and looking at the trees and bushes that sill remain after the building spree we've experienced in the last 2 - 3 years.

Early weather forecasts for our area claimed that we would have a warmer than normal winter.  Through January 16th, every day this month has recorded lower than normal high temperatures and lower than normal low temperatures...and we have an "Artic Blast" headed our way.

Now for a bit of retail humor...  

Laurie found this storefront photo on the Internet.  Love the name!  It actually is a store located in Berkeley California... This is our favorite kind of store...and that sign rivals the one we saw in front of an antique store in Georgia a few years back.  That one read "We Sell Dead People's Stuff".

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them...

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

Flowers, Food and Bugs

This post involves items for the home, related happenings, a bit of cooking and an insect invasion… One issue locally is will the rain ever stop?!  YTD we’ve had more rain than either Seattle Washington or London England…

This year Laurie decided to replace her old clay based planters.  They were falling apart.  She wanted something eye-catching and bright that would last for a while…hence these large yellow pots.  They are filled with a variety of colorful annuals and perennials.  Another advantage is that she found rolling bases for the planters so we can move them as needed due to the weather or just to clean the area around them.

She also bought a hanging planter…which we may not hang.  It is easier to take care of them and they dry out more slowly when they aren’t blowing in the wind.  This flowering plant is one of over 100 species of the genus Portulaca or Purslane.  Purslane is widely consumed as an edible plant although is some areas it is considered to be invasive.  These plants are eaten with great relish by chickens.

Laurie and I love a good sausage gravy over biscuits for breakfast.  In my case, over-easy eggs are a frequent accompaniment.  Good sausage gravy is hard to find in restaurants.  As I noted in an earlier post, Laurie noted a recipe that was published by the Pioneer Woman. The Pioneer Woman – Recipes, Country Life and Style, Entertainment.

In any case, we took Ree Drummond’s recipe and modified it…actually several times.  This time we wanted a double batch of sausage gravy so we doubled up on the sausage.  We prefer Jimmy Dean’s sausage and in this case we used a pound each of Jimmy Dean Hot and Jimmy Dean Regular pork sausage.  I cooked the sausage, breaking it up as I went.  When the sausage is ready, the recipe states that we shouldn’t drain the grease…and we don’t. 

This is the finished sausage gravy in a deep pan.  In the past we’ve made this recipe with all regular sausage, all hot sausage and with varying amounts of milk.  We’ve also made it with half and half milk.

In this instance, with a double batch, we used a half cup of flour, 4 cups of whole milk, a half cup of half and half milk and a bit of salt and pepper. 

Once the sausage is browned, we mixed in the flour, stirring it until the white color of the flour has been blended into the meat.  Then we added the milk, the pepper (leaving out the salt), and continued to cook on medium heat until the mixture began bubbling.  We turned the burner down to low and, stirring occasionally, the gravy thickened.  We poured the gravy into storage containers, freezing one for later and keeping the other one in the refrigerator until its use the following day.

This photo shows the breakfast we enjoyed the next day!  Excellent!  We’ve had good sausage gravy in restaurants a few times over our 45 years together but we’ve never had a better version anywhere else.  Off camera I did sprinkle my breakfast with Tabasco...

The Pioneer Woman specifically states that canned biscuits are not preferred with the gravy.  Actually she states “Never canned biscuits”.  She recommends Pillsbury Grands Frozen biscuits…and that’s what we used in this instance.  They worked well but Larry, aka “Big Dude”, at https://bigdudesramblings.blogspot.com/ had a better idea. 

He purchased a dozen biscuits from Bojangles, a fried chicken chain of fast food restaurants that is primarily located in the southeastern USA.  The company is expanding westward and they currently have over 820 locations.  A quick check on the internet revealed that Bojangles’ biscuits are the highest rated biscuits of any fast food restaurant chain.  To learn more about Bojangles, go to Order Fried Chicken Now | Bojangles.

We do have mac ‘n cheese from time to time.  It’s simple and filling, especially if I have a couple leftover hot dogs to add to it.  During a recent visit to our local Food Lion grocery store, I spotted a vastly different ‘take’ on mac ‘n cheese.  It is Guinness Cracked Black Pepper Mac n’ Cheese and it contains Cabot Farmers Reserve Cheese sauce and radiatore pasta.

This version of mac ‘n cheese definitely imparts that bold and malty flavor found in Guinness stout/beer.  The blend of the Cabot cheese and the malty Guinness flavor was actually quite enjoyable.  Laurie ate her mac ‘n cheese by itself but I accompanied mine with a leftover grilled bacon wrapped sweet Italian sausage.  It was an easy and satisfying meal and we will purchase this mac ‘n cheese outlier again!

FYI, I also found that there is a Guinness Black Truffle Mac ‘n Cheese…and many, many more Guinness related food items.  Learn more at guinness related food products - Search Shopping (bing.com).   

I do have a difficult time telling a hairy woodpecker from a downy woodpecker.  I think that this pair are hairy woodpeckers.  The adult was teaching is offspring how to eat…but from time to time the adult would still feed its fledged offspring.  Hmmm, human adults and teenagers…an interesting comparison.

FYI, hairy woodpeckers can be found all across North America…from Alaska to Newfoundland and as far south as Panama.

We were surprised that the woodpeckers would bother with the feeder giving the abundance of fresh insects available.  Perhaps they were overwhelmed by the millions of eatable insects and they wanted a change of diet.  See below…

Here in Loudon County and in at least 7 other counties here in East Tennessee, Brood XIX cicadas, (aka The Great Southern Brood) began emerging around the second week in May.  This brood has been biding its time and growing underground for the past 13 years.  While the south has annual cicadas as well, the periodic cicadas have those red eyes.  Annual cicadas have green bodies and black eyes.  The brood will be with us until about mid-June.  Laurie captured this photo from the internet.

Luckily we are not located in an area of the USA where the 17-year Brood XIII and the 13-year Brood XIX are emerging at the same time.  While we hear annual cicadas during evenings and at night, these Periodic cicadas make their noise in an effort to attract a mate during the day.  It is a hum…but not as high pitched as the annual cicadas in their personal effort to attract attention.  We also noted that the periodical cicadas seem to stop ‘humming’ when it rains.

As we surveyed our yard we wandered over to the edge of our lot which abuts a wooded lot.  That’s when we spotted these holes.  With only a bit of moss here and there it was easy to see hundreds of holes that our Brood XIX cicadas had emerged from.  It was a bit unnerving actually…

The process begins with mating.  Then the females start to lay eggs by making slits in twigs of woody plants using her knife-like ovipositor.  She lays about 2 dozen eggs in each slit and a single female can lay between 400 to 600 eggs.  The eggs hatch in 6 or 7 weeks.  The nymphs…which are white and ant-like in appearance, drop to the ground and bury in the soil to find suitable roots to feed on.  They suck the sap from the roots but they don’t seem to have a noticeable effect on the trees.

The nymphs burrow from 12 to 18 inches into the soil.  They begin to emerge when the soil beneath to ground reaches a temperature of 64F.  Once the nymphs dig their way up from under the ground, they molt and the adults emerge…taking flight up into the trees.  Note the exoskeletons by some of the cicada’s holes as well as the one shown on the brick wall.  That wall was littered with the remnants of the nymphs.

That’s all for now.  Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them…

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave