On the road and at home, it's always about food and fun!
Author: Jane Simon Ammeson
Jane Simon Ammeson is a freelance writer who specializes in travel, food and personalities. She writes frequently for The Times of Northwest Indiana, Mexico Connect, Long Weekends magazine, Edible Michiana, Lakeland Boating, Food Wine Travel magazine , Lee Publications, and the Herald Palladium where she writes a weekly food column. Her TouchScreenTravels include Indiana's Best. She also writes a weekly book review column for The Times of Northwest Indiana as well as food and travel, has authored 16 books including Lincoln Road Trip: The Back-road Guide to America's Favorite President, a winner of the Lowell Thomas Journalism Award in Travel Books, Third Place and also a Finalist for the 2019 Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Awards in the Travel category. Her latest books are America's Femme Fatale: The Story of Serial Killer Belle Gunness and Classic Restaurants of Northwest Indiana.
Her other books include How to Murder Your Wealthy Lovers and Get Away with It, A Jazz Age Murder in Northwest Indiana and Murders That Made Headlines: Crimes of Indiana, all historic true crime as well Hauntings of the Underground Railroad: Ghosts of the Midwest, Brown County, Indiana and East Chicago. Jane’s base camp is Stevensville, Michigan on the shores of Lake Michigan. Follow Jane at facebook.com/janesimonammeson; twitter.com/hpammeson; https://twitter.com/janeammeson1; twitter.com/travelfoodin, instagram.com/janeammeson/ and on her travel and food blog janeammeson.com and book blog: shelflife.blog/
With the tagline “Honoring the Best There Is,” The TASTE AWARDS are the premier awards celebrating the year’s best in Food, Fashion, Health, Travel, and Lifestyle programs in Film, Television, Online & Streaming Video, Podcasts, Radio and Photography.
New Award Added for Tik Tok Videos
14th Annual TASTE AWARDS Committee adds Special Awards Category for TikTok Videos
In recognition of the growing influence and reach of TikTok content and creators, the Awards Committee has announced a new special awards category this year specifically for videos that are on TikTok.
The category for Best TikTok Video is for content that specifically appears on TikTok, for topics including food, drink, fashion, travel, health or lifestyle.
Regular Submissions for the 14th Annual Awards are open through September 6th for content first released between October 2021 and October 2022.
Annual Awards
The Annual Awards have included appearances by stars, celebrities, producers and executives from networks and platforms such as the Food Network, the Style Network, Bravo, the Cooking Channel, Sony Pictures, DreamWorks, TLC, Discovery, Lifetime, E! Entertainment Television, PBS, APT, Create TV, NBC, ABC, the CW, HGTV, the Travel Channel, HD Net, Hulu, YouTube, Vimeo, Vice, LiveWell Network, Esquire Network, Bio/FYI Channel, iHeart Radio, HBO, MyxTV, Small Screen Network, StyleHaul, PTA, Zagat, Mode Media, WatchMojo, Amazon Prime, Netflix, Lifetime Network, Vox Media, Buzzfeed, Tastemade, and more.
Where else can you celebrate the birth–the first in more than a decade–of a new Orca calf, dine at a Roman restaurant, journey to islands accessible only by ferry, attend a re-enactment of the Pig War Crisis, try the latest IPA from the only brewery in the San Juan Islands, taste the newest sparkling wine in a limited release from an island winery, and listen to a podcast by the creator of San Juan Sea Salt? I can’t think of any place by the enchanting San Juan Islands,
The romantic sounds of the ferries beckon as make their way across the waters, carrying passengers from the mainland to Lopez, San Juan, and Orcas, three of the archipelago of 172 named islands and reefs in San Juan County. Located off the coast of Washington State, four ferry service the most populous Islands: San Juan Island home to Friday Harbor, the county seat Friday Harbor, Orcas Island, Lopez Island and Shaw Island. These three offer the majority of lodging and dining options and tourism activities.
A New K…K…Killer Whale
For the first time in more than a decade, there’s a new calf in the endangered orca group known as K Pod. Recently the Center for Whale Research (CWR) field biologist Mark Malleson and his colleagues confirmed that K20 ‘Spock’ was traveling with a new calf, after previously receiving video and photographs of a possible new calf earlier this year (April and June). These captured images of K20 with her new baby traveling in a tight group with other family members. K45 is the first calf born into K Pod since 2011 when K27 ‘Deadhead’ gave birth to K44 ‘Ripple’ (male). The mother, K20 (born 1986), is part of the K13 matriline and has two siblings, K27 ‘Deadhead’ (female, born 1994) and K34 ‘Cali’ (male, born 2001). Spock is also the mother to K38 ‘Comet’ (male, born in 2004).
On the Food and Restaurant Front
Aloha to the Orcas Hotel
Owner and Chef John Cox, with wife Julia Felder, have opened a new restaurant at the landmark Orcas Hotel. Norbu’s joins the classic Orcas Café with a Hawaiian-inspired menu featuring fresh, tropical flavors using the best ingredients, including tuna direct from the Honolulu Fish Auction and a wide selection of rare rums and spirits. Norbu’s is open for dinner service on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, as well as for a special Jazz Supper Club on Monday evening. For more information, contact John Cox orcascafe@gmail.com or visit www.orcashotel.com/eat-and-drink
Roman Orcas
Roses Bakery Cafe, in the old fire station building on Prune Alley, was a longtime Orcas Island landmark. It was sold in late 2021, and has been reimagined as Monti, a Roman-inspired restaurant, market, and wine shop. Monti, which is named for a neighborhood in Rome, uses both handmade and dry pasta and offers authentic antipasti, pasta dishes, pizza and more as well as desserts made in house by Brea Currey of Seabird Bakery. The menu features a few changes each week and is influenced by owner Erin Gainey’s deep attachment to Rome, where she lived for periods of time in her youth. Monti is open Friday through Tuesday from 5 to 10 p.m. Reservations can be made at www.montimontimonti.com.
New Chef for New Leaf
Chef Andrew Martin and his wife, executive pastry chef Amy Nack, have been visiting Orcas Island for fifteen years. While their son attended Camp Orkila every summer, Andrew and Amy explored the island, falling more in love with it every year. When the executive chef position opened up at New Leaf Café, despite the uncertainty of COVID, Chef Andrew leapt at the chance. At New Leaf, he’s putting a regional spin on his specialty of Northern Italian cuisine, balancing flavors and textures, and incorporating local ingredients for a delicious brunch menu. One new item is a much talked about Bacon, Lettuce and Avocado sandwich on hearth bread, served with a smoked tomato jam instead of sliced tomato which gives it a sweet savory bite. For more information, contact Ayn Gailey ayngailey@gmail.com or visit www.outlookinn.com/newleaf
Events & Exhibits
A Porcine Sesquicentennial
2022 marks the 150th anniversary of what is known as the “Pig War” crisis – a little-known international dispute that shaped Washington State and our country. To celebrate this anniversary, park rangers are bringing back Encampment in August – a weeklong series of reenactments, demonstrations, and other fun activities with more than 50 costumed historical interpreters who will give visitors an opportunity to travel back to the 1800s. Demonstrations that will bring history to life include loom work, metalworking, fur trade, and what life was like for members of the military and their families. In the fall, the park will hold a formal commemoration of the 150th Anniversary of the San Juan Boundary Dispute Resolution. For event updates, contact Cyrus Forman cyrus_forman@nps.gov or visit www.nps.gov/sajh/index.htm
Bison Antiquus
Bison grazed in the meadows of Orcas Island 16,000 years ago. Human beings harvested, butchered and ate bison meat in a meadow near Olga 14,000 years ago. Some of the most complete skeletal remains of prehistoric bison ever discovered were unearthed in 2003 in an excavation in Olga. Archeological staff identified a large male bison, with the head almost completely intact, a smaller male, and one other. A new installation featuring the bison presence and the significance of these particular bones will become part of the museum’s permanent exhibit. “This discover helps validate Indigenous tales of antiquity,” says Antoinette Botsford, exhibit chair. For more information, contact Nancy Stillger director@orcasmuseums.org or visit www.orcasmuseums.org/home.html
New Products, Services, & Shops
New Layer at San Juan Brewing Company
Kulshan and San Juan Island Brewing Companies have teamed up to bring beer lovers Marine Layer Cold IPA; a crisp and clean beer with fruit forward hop aromas, a touch of soft pine, and a maritime finish. Right in time to help San Juan Island Brewing celebrate their fifth anniversary, it’s the perfect refreshment when that cold fog bubble bursts and the glorious summer sun returns to the Salish Sea.
The Marine Layer joins a lineup of award-winning beers like the Bull Kelp ESB, Black Boar Porter, and Quarry No. 9 Pale Ale. For more information, contact Sean Aylward sean@sanjuanbrew.com
Sparkling Sea Rows
The future of the San Juan archipelago is bright and sparkling. Sparkling wine, that is. An extremely limited release, local fruit was hand-harvested and fermented with little intervention to express the terroir of the islands in Archipelago’s 2021 Sea Rows Blanc de Noir. Stunningly aromatic, Sea Rows is the latest in a lineup of pet-nats that push the boundaries in this, the fringe of all winemaking regions.
Thirty-six cases were produced and are due to be released July 31. Archipelago specializes in sparkling wines made in the petillant-naturel style, with minimal intervention. For more information: Marti McConnell archipelago.beverage@gmail.com
Ride a mini hovercraft, guide a blimp through sky hoops, and land an airplane on a flight simulator!
Arizona Science Center presents Going Places from Friday, September 2, 2022 – Monday, January 2, 2023. Fasten your seatbelts; Going Places – the Technology of Transport has arrived!
Created by the renowned Scitech in Perth, Australia, Going Places is an interactive science exhibition that explores the technology humans have developed for travel. If you have ever wanted to pilot an airship, ride on a hovercraft, or control traffic in a city, now is your big chance!
“This exhibition is packed with innovation,” said Guy Labine, The Hazel A. Hare President and CEO of Arizona Science Center. “It demonstrates the way mankind has developed new technology to overcome obstacles such as gravity and distance while providing great fun for children, parents, and students.”
Tom Zaller, President, and CEO of Imagine Exhibitions states, “Imagine Exhibitions is proud to partner with Scitech to bring Going Places to Arizona Science Center. Human modes of transportation have changed so much in just the past 150 years. It is exciting to present an exhibition that allows visitors to dive deep into these innovations, get behind the wheel (literally!), and speculate on where we will go in the next 150 years.”
Explore!
Explore how different modes of transportation have shaped society and get hands-on with a multitude of challenging interactives. Fly a plane, ride a hovercraft, race your friend on a recumbent bicycle, or learn to fly an airship! YOU are the driver in Going Places’ interactive exhibits—providing the chance to experience transportation in ways you never dreamed possible!
As well as exploring the technology that gets us around every day, visitors will also explore the way that travel has shaped the social fabric of our time. Visitors will even see new technology and get a glimpse of where our future is headed.
Exhibits and Kiosks
With 18 exhibits and eight information kiosks detailing the incredible technology pioneered by humans to make the farthest reaches of our planet accessible, Going Places is a wild ride!
This exhibition invites guests to observe, understand and use an incredible range of travel technology to see how it makes our lives easier and better. It also highlights how we’ve leveraged design and innovation to respond to Earth’s awesome size and natural processes, like gravity, wind, currents, waves, friction, and changing landscapes..
With so many hands-on exhibits, Going Places promises to be a wild ride.
Information
Going Places is open daily to the public from 10:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. for a limited engagement through January 2, 2023. Pricing for the exhibition is $6.95 for Members and $8.95 for Non-Members. General admission tickets are required. Children under 3 are always FREE. Tickets are available to purchase at Arizona Science Center and azscience.org
The mission of Arizona Science Center is to inspire, educate, and engage curious minds through science. The Center, located at 600 E. Washington Street in downtown Phoenix, features more than 300 hands-on exhibits, live demonstrations, a range of interactive online science content, the state-of-the-art Dorrance Planetarium, and the five-story Irene P. Flinn Giant Screen Theater, and exciting science programs for people of all ages. CREATE at Arizona Science Center®, adjacent to the main building, is a 6,500-square-foot community maker space that provides workshops, including 3D printing, laser cutting, woodworking, and sewing. Arizona Science Center offers programs for all ages, including CAMP INNOVATION, Teen programs, Professional Development and Learning for Educators, and so much more. To learn more or to reserve tickets, visit azscience.org or call 602.716.2000.
About Imagine Exhibitions
Imagine Exhibitions is currently producing over 40 unique exhibitions globally in museums, science centers, zoos, integrated resorts, and non-traditional venues, with millions of people around the world visiting our exhibitions each year. In addition to developing successful traveling exhibitions, Imagine Exhibitions designs, opens, and operates permanent installations and venues, and consults on building, expanding, and directing museums and attractions. With decades of diverse experience in the museum and entertainment industries, Imagine Exhibitions consistently develops exhibitions that educate and excite while exceeding attendance goals. For more information, visit ImagineExhibitions.com or find us on Facebook.
The Unicorn Cookie Cups Baking Kit by The Cookie Cups, which comes in a pretty pink box with pink cooking equipment and packaging inside, is the fun at-home baking experience for children three and up to do with a parent or older sibling. The 17-piece kit makes .24 mini size cookie cups and contains the following: 1 apron, 1 measuring cup, 1 silicone baking pan, 1 mini scoop, 24 mini cupcake liners, 1 unicorn horn mold, 1 unicorn plate, 1 whisk, flour, sugar, sweet Belgian chocolate chunks, white chocolate, pink sprinkle mix, pink powder, marshmallows, and vanilla frosting.
One of several kits from the designed to inspire young children there’s also kits for making pizza, pretzel making kit, and their Rainbow Ravioli Making Kit. The latter is an 18-piece set containing the following:
The Cookie Cups, a bakery that sells gourmet cookies in the shape of mini cupcake(s), was created and is owned by self-described serial-entrepreneur Nicole Pomije. The kits are, in ways, a magical way to learn to cook and have funny farm. After all, who doesn’t love unicorns and rainbow ravioli?
It offers new recipes for many of the fruits already available and soon to be: blueberries, grapes and apples as well as quinoa. I have several packages of Ancient Harvest’s Quinoa with Sea Salt, Quinoa & Brown Rice with Garlic, and Inca Red Quinoa so I was happy to find Tara Teaspoon’s Grape and Feta Quinoa recipe.
Bench offers complete meals in her new cookbook but also says that the menus are created so that home chefs can pick and choose singular recipes, just a few or all of them to create the meal they want. There are more than 120 recipes which are divided into four main sections: “Main Events,” “Serious Sides,” Breakfast and Brunch,” and “Baking and Sweets.”
“Bringing my cooking expertise to print and online articles taught me how to clearly share my recipes and knowledge with every kind of cook,” said Bench who also has a blog, tarateaspoon.com. “I know how to create recipes with easy steps so everyone at home can be successful in the kitchen.”
Waldorf Salad With Radicchio and Buttermilk Dressing
SERVES 6 TO 8
Makes ¾ Cups Dressing
Hands-On Time: 25 Minutes
Total Time: 30 Minutes
“Really, the resemblance to classic Waldorf salad is just the combo of apples, celery, and grapes—but I just love that one of my favorite salads heralded from New York City, where I live. I’m paying a little homage to its history,” writes Bench. “With shaved apple, flavorful radicchio, and a light, savory buttermilk dressing, this updated version of Waldorf salad is elegant and welcoming. I made a tangy buttermilk herb dressing and opted for delicious, candied pecans instead of walnuts.”
Candied Pecans
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
Pinch cayenne pepper
¾ cup (3 ounces) pecans
Buttermilk Dressing
½ cup buttermilk
¼ cup plain Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon chopped chives
1 tablespoon chopped parsley, plus more for garnish
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Pinch black pepper
Salad
1 small head or half a large head
radicchio (10 ounces)
1 apple, cored and cut in half
3 ribs celery, sliced on the bias
1 ½ cups California red grapes, sliced in half
For the pecans: Line a baking sheet with parchment and set aside. In a small skillet over medium heat, bring maple syrup and cayenne to a boil. Boil 1 minute, and then add pecans. Stir to coat and cook another 30 seconds. Turn onto lined baking sheet and separate nuts. Set aside and let cool completely. When cool, coarsely chop.
For the dressing: Whisk together all ingredients and set aside in the refrigerator.
For the salad: Break or chop radicchio into pieces. Use a mandoline or slicer to thinly slice apple. Arrange radicchio, apple, celery, and grapes in a bowl, then top with chopped pecans. You can toss with the dressing and extra parsley at this point, or you can serve the salad with the dressing and parsley on the side so guests can dress their own salad.
TARA’S TIP
Radicchio is a very strong, sometimes bitter leafy vegetable. I think it’s fantastic with tangy buttermilk and yogurt. But if you want a milder salad, opt for butter lettuce leaves.
Grape and Feta Quinoa
Serves: 6 To 8
Makes: 4 cups
Hands-on time: 15 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes
“This is my favorite grain salad with all the crunchy nuts, salty feta, herbs, and juicy grapes,” Bench wrote about this recipe.
1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
Pinch salt
1 cup (6 ounces) grapes, halved
2/3 cup (3 ounces) crumbled feta
1/3 cup (1 ounce) walnuts, toasted and broken up
1/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
DRESSING
Grated zest from 1 lemon
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 small clove garlic, minced
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
To cook quinoa, rinse in a fine mesh strainer until the water runs clear. Transfer to a medium saucepan with water and salt. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer, uncovered, until quinoa is tender and liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and cool.
While quinoa cooks, make dressing by whisking together all dressing ingredients. Set aside.
When quinoa is cool, add grapes, feta, walnuts, and parsley. Toss with dressing and serve. Quinoa can be refrigerated for up to a day.
Blueberry Bannock Scone
Makes: 8 servings, 1 (9-inch) scone
Hands-on time: 30 minutes
Total time: 1 hour
“Traditional Scottish Bannock cakes are baked on a griddle, but I make a simple one in the oven to serve the whole family. I’ve added wheat germ instead of whole wheat flour to give the quick bread a nutty but light texture, and finely chopped pecans add amazing flavor,” she wrote in the intro to this recipe. “I’ve stuffed my Bannock with blueberries, which takes an extra step to get them nestled in a layer, but it’s well worth it when you slice into a molten-berry middle! My biggest tip is to use a gentle hand and not overwork the dough.”
SCONE
1 ¼ cups (160 g) all-purpose flour, plus more for baking sheet
½ cup finely chopped pecans
½ cup wheat germ
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon fine salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
5 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
1/3 cup unsalted butter, cut up and chilled
½ cup buttermilk
2 large eggs, divided
1 ¼ cups fresh blueberries
1 teaspoon water
ICING
¾ cup confectioners’ sugar
2 to 3 tablespoons milk
For the scone: Heat oven to 400.F. Use the top of a bowl to draw an 8- or 9-inch circle on a piece of parchment paper as a guide. Set aside on a baking sheet.
In a large bowl, combine flour, pecans, wheat germ, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and 4 tablespoons sugar. Use a pastry blender to cut butter into flour mixture until mixture forms small crumbs with tiny bits of butter.
In another bowl, combine buttermilk and 1 egg. Add to flour mixture and stir until just moistened. Dough will seem wet and sticky but work it as little as possible.
Divide dough in half and use two spoons to dol lop half the dough around the circle marked on the prepared baking sheet. With floured hands, shape the dollops into one circle. Spread blueberries evenly over the scone, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon sugar.
Using spoons again, dollop remaining dough over blueberries, then with floured hands press together to make a top layer, covering the berries.
Beat remaining egg with water and brush some on top of the scone. Score into 8 wedges on top. Bake until scone is golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes.
For the icing: Stir together confectioners’ sugar and milk to make a thick icing. When scone is almost cool, drizzle with icing.
Spoon batter over blueberries, then gently press together to form the top of the scone, sealing the edges around the blueberries.
Apple Pudding Cake with Butter Sauce
Serves: 12 to 14
Hands-on time: 40 minutes
Total time: 2 hours, 55 minutes
“This rich cake, reminiscent of the dense steamed puddings my grandma used to make, is our family Christmas dessert—although we’ve been known to make it year-round, especially during peak apple season. It’s subtly spiced and full of the tart and sweet taste of apples, plus crunchy pecans. To make the cake even more special for the holidays, top with Apple Crisps.
“You may think adding the sauce is gilding the lily, as the cake on its own is delicious. But in my opinion, the sauce is essential and makes each bite of cake extra divine.”
Apple Pudding Cake
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup chopped pecans
½ teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon fine salt
4 cups grated apple, any variety, from 3 to 4 cored apples
½ cup unsalted butter, softened, plus more for pan
2 cups granulated sugar, plus more for pan
2 large eggs
Butter Sauce
¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter
3 cups granulated sugar
1 ½ cups (12-ounce can) evaporated milk
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
For the cake: Heat oven to 350.F. Brush a 10- or 12-cup Bundt pan generously with extra butter. Sprinkle pan with extra sugar, then tap out excess. Set pan aside.
Stir together flour, pecans, nutmeg, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In a food processor or with a box grater, shred apples with the skin on. You should have 4 cups grated apple.
In a mixer, cream together butter and sugar with the paddle attachment. Add eggs and beat until mixture is fluffy. Stir in apples (and any juice they produce) and flour mixture until completely combined. Spoon batter into prepared pan and smooth top.
Bake until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean and cake pulls slightly away from the sides of the pan, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Tent cake with foil for the last half hour of baking to prevent overbrowning.
Let cool on a wire rack, about 20 minutes, then invert onto a cooling rack to remove from pan. Let cool completely.
For the butter sauce: In a saucepan over medium-low heat, simmer all butter sauce ingredients, stirring, for 12 minutes. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Sauce will thicken as it cools. Serve the sauce warm over slices of cake or serve sauce on the side and let guests add a generous amount of warm sauce to each slice of cake.
Garnish with apple crisps, if desired.
NOTE The cake and sauce can be made a day in advance. Allow both to cool completely before storing. Cover cake with plastic wrap and store at room temperature. Refrigerate butter sauce and reheat in microwave or saucepan to serve.
TARA’S TIP
I make this cake in a fun tube pan for the wow factor at the holidays, but it bakes perfectly in a 9-by-13- inch cake pan. Bake about 35 minutes.
Apple Crisps
2 apples
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
Heat oven to 250.F. Thinly slice apples using a mandoline. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silpat liner.
Use a sieve to lightly dust both sides of each slice with confectioners’ sugar.
Bake one to two hours, turning apples over once during baking. To test doneness, remove one slice and let it cool. It will be crispy when cooled, and the apples will be done.
Remove from oven and quickly transfer apples to a wire rack and let cool.
The recipes above are courtesy of ‘”Delicious Gatherings: Recipes to Celebrate Together by Tara ‘Teaspoon’ Bench.” Photo by Ty Mecham.
Gathering the olives harvested on a small, multi-generation, organic-certified farm in Jaen Spain, Olivo Amigo is a premium extra virgin sustainably grown olive oil bottled in eco-friendly and attractive white bottles with stainless steel spouts for easy pouring. The olive oil currently available comes from olives pressed after being gathered during last year’s fall harvest in October.
Olivo Amigo comes in two flavors.
Joy, with its undertone of almond and peppery aftertaste that contrasts with citrus zest taste. Made with Picual olives, It’s an intense fruity green and has aromas of tomato and olive leaves with delicate touches of almond and artichoke. Well-balanced, Joy has traces of a medium-low bitterness and a touch of spice.
PERFECT FOR:
Salads, dressings, cheese, tomatoes, crudites, on top of pastas, drizzled on soups or veggie creams, bread, figs and datiles.
Vitality, with its nuances of fig and apple, is a complex well-balanced extra virgin olive oil with a medium-high green fruitiness. Made with Nevadillo olives, it has aromas of green grass and tomato and to taste has a very mild bitterness and a pleasant medium spice level. A complex, well-balanced oil,
PERFECT FOR:
Sauces, dips, warm stews, roasted veggies, meat, fish, potatoes, frying eggs, baking pastries or on top of ice cream.
Jaen ANDALUCIA SPAIN
Jaen Province: An Abundance of Olives
Located in north-eastern Andalucia, the name Jaen is Moorish for geen or jayyan meaning stopping post on a caravan route. With over 40 million olive trees (the most of any province in Spain), the economy of Jaen is based upon olive oil. The region is known for its wonderful olive oil , gastronomy, Renaissance architecture, mountains, and Castillo Santa Catalina, a Moorish fortress dating back to the 10th century.
The following recipes are courtesy of Olivo Amigo.
Olive Oil Cake
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/3 cups extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/4 cups whole milk
3 large eggs
1 1/2 tablespoons grated orange zest
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 cup Grand Marnier liqueur
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Apply olive oil or butter spray to a 9- inch cake pan that is 2 inches deep and line the bottom with parchment paper. If your cake pan is less than 2 inches deep, divide batter between two pans and check on them after 30 minutes.
Gather two bowls. First, mix your flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and baking powder with a whisk.
In another bowl, mix the olive oil, eggs, orange zest, orange juice, and Grand Marnier. Lastly, add dry ingredients and whisk them all together.
Pour the batter into the preheated pan and bake it for an hour until the top is golden and the cake tester comes out clean. Move the cake to a rack and let it rest for thirty minutes.
Run a knife around the pan and invert the cake onto the rack. Let it cool for two hours.
Vegetable Pasta Salad
8 ounces dried orzo pasta
1/2 head of cauliflower, cut into florets, about 2 cups
1 1/2 cup cubed butternut squash
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/2 cup Olivo Amigo Vitality olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon, about 1/4 cup
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon pepper, divided
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add pasta. Cook according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
Preheat oven to 400F. On a large baking sheet, add butternut squash cubes and cauliflower florets. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Bake for 25 minutes until crispy and charred. Remove from oven, set aside and allow to cool.
In a large bowl, add cooked orzo, roasted butternut squash, roasted cauliflower, raisins, parsley, Olivo Amigo Vitality olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.
Special guest blogger Kathy Witt, author of the soon to be released Cincinnati Scavenger:The Ultimate Search for Cincinnati’s Hidden Treasures, shared a new post.
Land of Oz offers spectacular views from its perch atop Beech Mountain. Photo: Kathy Witt
High atop Beech Mountain in North Carolina and hidden within the trees is the somewhere over the rainbow: the Land of Oz. It is as magical as the world L. Frank Baum created in his classic Oz book series that was brought to the screen in the 1939 Academy Award-winning movie. And it is where those looking for their heart’s desire find the Yellow Brick Road.
Professor Marvel has set up shop at the Land of Oz. Photo: Kathy Witt.
Play:
The Land of Oz opens only during its annual events, including Autumn in Oz (www.landofoznc.com/autumnatoz), a festival featuring an interactive theatrical experience, with performances by the beloved Scarecrow, Tin Woodman and Cowardly Lion and frights compliments of the Wicked Witch of the West and her band of Winged Monkeys.
The most famous pair of striped leggings in the world may be seen at the Beech Mountain History Museum. Photo: Kathy Witt
From the twister that rocks the Gale’s Kansas farmhouse to the Emerald City, visitors experience the story brought to life as the Yellow Brick Road unwinds through the site of the original 1970s theme park.
The Yellow Brick Road leads visitors to Munchkinland.
Autumn in Oz takes place over three weekends: September 9-11, 16-18 and 23-25, 2022. Admission tickets are $55 (www.showpass.com/o/land-of-oz-theme-park). Rounding out the fun are live performances, face painting, craft and memorabilia vendors and food and beverages for purchase. Add-on experiences: Scenic Lift Ride ($15), a round-trip chairlift ride to the park from Beech Mountain Ski Resort; and exclusive access to the Over the Rainbow Observation Deck ($6), for unparalleled views from the top of Beech Mountain on a site that has not been open to the public in more than 20 years.
“I’d turn back if I were you.” The Wicked Witch’s Castle at the Land of Oz. Photo: Kathy Witt
Stay:
The Klonteska Condominiums at 4 Seasons at Beech Mountain (www.beechgetaway.com) are homey and comfortable and have spectacular views of the mountains. Two-, three- and four-bedroom units feature private, covered balconies for taking in those views, plus gas-log fireplace, equipped kitchen and large whirlpool tub in the master bath. Located in downtown Beech Mountain, the condos are close to shops and restaurants, and a short and scenic drive to the Land of Oz.
Enjoy pizza, air hockey and more at Famous Brick Oven Pizzeria, located at the top of Beech Mountain. Photo: Kathy Witt
Eat: When it comes to restaurants, Beech Mountain is all about the local experience, from the always-bustling Famous Brick Oven Pizza with live music, arcade and air hockey to the cozy and iconic Alpen Restaurant & Bar, a traditional European inn.
Fred’s General Mercantile is a Beech Mountain staple and has been serving delicious food, groceries, and Beech Mountain apparel since 1979. Photo: Kathy Witt
Locals and visitors alike find Fred’s General Mercantile (www.fredsgeneral.com) irresistible and can while away a couple of pleasant hours browsing its shelves. The store was established by Fred Pfohl in 1979 when the original Land of Oz Theme Park was still open. Pfohl worked summers at Land of Oz while attending Appalachian State University. When he and his wife, Margie, decided to build the store, Jack Pentes, who designed the theme park, prepared the blueprints.
Glinda the Good Witch greets a visitor during Autumn in Oz. Photo: The Land of Oz
Visitors come to Fred’s for fresh produce, stuffed animals, clothing, hardware, ski gear rentals and more. They also come to enjoy made-to-order breakfasts – the Fred Muffin is a fan fave – at Fred’s Backside Deli, as well as hot and cold sandwiches, grilled burgers, soups, salads and other lunch fare and sweets including cakes, pies and cookies.
Treat:
The most famous pair of striped leggings in the world may be seen at the Beech Mountain History Museum. Photo: Kathy WittThe Scarecrow is a fan favorite during the Land of Oz’s Autumn in Oz event. Photo: The Land of Oz.
Before heading to Autumn in Oz, stop in at the free-admission Beech Mountain History Museum (www.facebook.com/BeechMountainHistoricalSociety), a true jewel of a museum operated by Beech Mountain Historical Society volunteers. Inside is a diorama of the original Land of Oz Theme Park along with related memorabilia and the volunteer guides love to share the Oz chapter of Beech Mountain history. Also here is the definitive backstory of the park – Tim Hollis’ photo-rich book, The Land of Oz. Museum hours during Autumn in Oz are 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Thursday-Sunday.
Read:
The perfect souvenir of your visit to the Land of Oz? Author Tim Hollis’s book, The Land of Oz, available at the Beech Mountain History Museum. Provided
Tim Hollis visited the Land of Oz on a rainy day in the summer of 1975, returned while working on his book, The Land of Oz, and then again for the book’s launch in 2016.
“The park is a unique opportunity to live through the plot of the movie,” he said.
Hollis also has a museum in his hometown of Dale, AL. Among the thousands of cartoon characters, board games, lunch boxes, Christmas and Halloween collectibles and more at the Tim Hollis Pop Culture Museum is “The Wizard of Oz” memorabilia: toys, games, coloring books, the 40 original Oz books written by Baum and his successors – even a smattering of park souvenirs. The free-admission museum is open by appointment only with 48-hour’s advance notice. Call 205-648-6110.
For more information, Autumn in Oz and Beech Mountain, visit Beech Mountain Visitors Center, www.beechmtn.com.
Fred’s Backside Deli’s Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie Recipe
Ingredients
9-inch pie crust
1/2 C sugar
1/2 C brown sugar
1/2 C flour
1 1/2 sticks of room temperature butter
2 eggs
1 C semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 C walnuts
Instructions
In a large bowl, combine the first six ingredients and then fold in 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips and 1 cup of walnuts.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and bake at 350-degrees until a toothpick comes out clean. (Fred’s motto is, “If you can smell it, it’s about done!”)
About Special Guest Blogger Kathy Witt
Kathy Witt is an award-winning travel and lifestyle writer who writes a monthly syndicated travel column for Tribune News Service, is a regular contributor to Kentucky Living, Georgia and Travel Goods magazines and RealFoodTraveler.com as well as other outlets like County. She is the author of several books, including Cincinnati Scavenger (Fall 2022) Secret Cincinnati andThe Secret of the Belles, Her book, Perfect Day Kentucky: Daily Itineraries for the Discerning Traveler, another travel-themed book, will be released in Fall 2023. Kathy is a member of SATW (Society of American Travel Writers), Authors Guild and the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.
From Grand Central Station in New York City, we traveled on the Metro-North Railroad (MNR) line that follows along the shores of the Hudson River to Tarrytown. It’s a longish walk from the depot to Phillipsburg Manor and so a stop at Muddy Water Coffee and Cafe at 52 Main Streetfor lattes and pastries was in order. The restaurant, located in historic downtown Tarrytown, is cozy and comfy with original tin ceilings, wood floors, and a small garden tucked away in the back. Then it was on to the manor and old gristmill dating back to 1850. A note to those that make the journey. Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow (yes, the Sleepy Hollow where the Headless Horseman rode) are built on steep hills and if you’re so inclined (and I was on the way back to the depot) Tarrytown Taxi is a cheap and easy alternative to getting around.
The manor, gristmill, and rebuilt millpond bridge are accessible at the Historic Hudson Valley (HVV) Visitor’s Center which is also where you catch the shuttle to Kykuit, the Rockefeller Mansion that rises above the Pocantico Hills overlooking miles of woodlands and then, in the distance, the Hudson River. Other tours include Washington Irving’s Sunnyside and the Union Church of Pocantico Hills.
For those who visited the mill and buy some of the grain ground there, HHV provides recipes including the following for Pumpkin Cornmeal Pancakes re-created from the travel accounts of Swedish botanist Peter Kalm, a Finnish explorer, botanist, naturalist, and agricultural economist, who journeyed to Colonial America in 1747 to bring seeds and plants that might be useful to agriculture. In his description of foods eaten by the Colonists, Kalm described a thick pancake “made by taking the mashed pumpkin and mixing it with Corn-meal after which it was…fried.” He found it “pleasing to my taste.” Further recipes are including from HHV for recipes from an article titled Cooking with Cornmeal Fresh from Philipsburg Manor’s Gristmill .
Pumpkin Cornmeal Pancakes
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup confectioner’s sugar, plus extra for the topping
1/2 teaspoon dried ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup canned pumpkin
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2½-3 cups milk
Butter for frying
Combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Combine eggs and pumpkin. Beat into the dry ingredients. Add the milk slowly to make a smooth batter.
Heat some butter in a frying pan and pour some of the batter in. Swirl the batter around to make an evenly thick pancake. Cook on both sides until brown.
Serve hot, dusted with confectioner’s sugar.
Light Corn Bread
1/4 cup sweet butter
1/3 cup light brown sugar
2 egg yolks, beaten
1¼ cups buttermilk
7/8 cup cornmeal
2 cups cake flour, sifted
1 tsp. salt
3 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 egg whites, beaten
Cream the butter and sugar until smooth. Add the egg yolks. Mix dry ingredients together in a separate bowl. Stir in the buttermilk and the mixed dry ingredients alternately. Fold in the stiffly beaten whites last. Bake in a greased, floured 8 by 11 by 1½-inch pan about 20 minutes at 375 degrees F.
Cornmeal Shortcake
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1½ cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups buttermilk
2 large eggs (lightly beaten)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease an 8″ baking pan and set aside.
In large mixing bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt; stir until well mixed. Add buttermilk, eggs, and shortening; mix until smooth (about 1 minute).Pour batter into pan. Bake 30 minutes (until lightly browned); toothpick inserted in center should come out clean.
Serving suggestion: Top with fruit and whipped cream.
My friend Phil Potempa writes these encyclopedia-sized cookbooks based upon growing up on a farm and his years—still counting—as a food and entertainment columnist, currently for the Chicago Tribune Media Co. Well, his latest, Back From the Farm: Family Recipes and Memories of a Lifetime Vol. 4, is no different. I didn’t weigh it but it’s hefty and thick with 576 pages. Chocked full of recipes, photos, and anecdotes, the book is a compilation of Phil’s food and entertainment columns that takes us from growing up on the family farm in La Pierre, Indiana to hanging out with celebrities and everything in between such as local baking contests, chef interviews, chili cook-offs, ethnic celebrations, and readers’ favorite recipes.
“There are a lot of ways to read these books,” Phil tells me, noting that some people tell him they go straight to the index and look up the celebrity names while others leaf through the book, stopping at recipes that look interesting and still others are intrigued by stories of Potempa’s farm relatives. After all, who could resist recipes with such names as “Granny Wojdula’s Nine-Day Sweet Pickles,” “Jim Nabors’ Mom’s Split Green Pea Soup,” “Bob Hope’s Favorite Chicken Hash,” or “Blondie Wappel’s Favorite Pink Champagne Cake,” which implies that Blondie must have had several recipes for cakes made with pink Champagne. Now that’s really drilling down on an ingredient.
San Pierre, for anyone—and that’s most of us—is a small dot on the map consisting of less than 200 people according to Wikipedia. It’s where the Potempa still spends time with his family (he also has a place in Chicago) and is the center of Indiana’s mint growing industry and where the North Judson Mint Festival is held every year. According to the National Agricultural Statistics Services third nationally for spearmint production and fourth for peppermint production. Much of their mint ends up as oil and is sold to Wrigley, Colgate Palmolive, and Proctor & Gamble for use in their products. In other words, when you brush your teeth with a spearmint flavored toothpaste it might have come from San Pierre which is some 50 miles away.
The two both shared a love of cooking and Diller helped Phil with his first From the Farm cookbook.
Describing her as his first celebrity interview, Potempa says that over the years when she was performing in Northwest Indiana or the Chicago area she would invite he and his family to attend her shows and then visit her backstage afterwards.
“She was really a friend, I’ve been to her home and it was so wonderful to see my cookbooks in her fire red kitchen,” says Potempa about one of his visits to her home in the tony Brentwood, California city near Los Angeles.
Strongbow Inn
Another fav story was told to him by his good friend Russ Adams, a 1978 graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in New York, who worked at the Strongbow Inn, a Valparaiso Restaurant that was started by Adams’s grandparents on the site of their turkey farm and for more than 75 years was a favorite stopping point for dinner no matter what time of year. Adams recalled when Los Angeles Dodgers Manager Tommy Lasorda came into the kitchen to see what was going on. He’d ordered a turkey sandwich and told Russ to “load it up! And make it like you’re making it for your brother.”
Russ also told him about the time his Grandma Bess was at the hostess stand sometime in the late 1950s and came face-to-face with a portly man waiting to be seated, who looked very much like Oscar winning actor Charles Laughton. When Bess mentioned how much he resembled the famous actor, he told her, in a very cold and stiff English accent: “Madam, THAT is because…I AM CHARLES LAUGHTON.”
Interestingly, Colonel Harlan Sanders, founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken, frequented the Strongbow Inn whenever he was in Northwest Indiana visiting his key local fast-food franchises says Potempa. Popcorn King Orville Redenbacher of the popcorn powerhouse ate there every year when he’d return home. In all, the restaurant served more than 250,000 pounds of turkey a year but one of the most requested recipes from the place that Phil received was for their Blue Cheese Dressing.
Phil wrote in one of his columns that he never expected to get the dressing recipe with its secret combination of ingredients because the Strongbow Inn restaurant used to bottle and sell their dressing in their lobby waiting area, displayed on a rack near a small freezer where a frozen version of their signature turkey pot-pies and gravy could also be purchased. But with its closing that changed and the recipe is below as are several others.
Phyllis Diller’s Chili
Serves six
1 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil
1 pound ground beef (chuck is good)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium bell pepper, chopped (see note)
10 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon Lawry’s Seasoning Salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon onion salt
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 or 3 dashes tabasco sauce or to taste
1 (28 oz) can chopped tomatoes
2 (15 oz) cans s & w kidney beans, undrained
Garnishing – if desired
1 white onion, chopped
2 cups mild cheddar cheese, shredded
In a large, heavy-bottomed pan, warm oil over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef, breaking it up, and cook, stirring occasionally, until beef is cooked through, about 10 minutes.
While the beef is cooking, peel and chop onion. Set aside. Core and chop bell pepper. Set aside. Peel and mince garlic cloves. Set aside.
Once the beef is cooked through, add the onions, bell pepper and garlic. Cook until vegetables are softened, about 3 or 4 minutes.
Stir in the seasonings and tomatoes. Reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer the chili until it begins to thicken slightly, about 20 to 30 minutes.
Stir in the kidney beans with their juices. Simmer an additional 10 minutes or until heated through.
Adjust to taste.
Peggy’s Easy Beef and Noodles Supper
2 tablespoons cooking oil
1 1/2 pounds cubed beef stew meat
2 quarts water (divided use)
1 large onion, chopped
2 cups sliced carrots
2 cups chopped celery
2 teaspoons mixed seasoning blend, like Mrs. Dash
6 teaspoons beef bouillon paste (or equivalent using cubes)
1 (16-ounce) bag of Amish egg noodles (grocery shelf variety, not frozen)
Heat oil in bottom of a large soup pot and lightly brown beef and onion. Add 1 quart of water and simmer for 1 hour. Add carrots and celery, beef base and seasoning blend and add remaining 1 quart of water and simmer 1/2 hour. Finally add dry noodles and cook according to instructions, about 1/2 hour. More water can be added as needed during cooking time.
Makes 10 servings.
Blondie Wappel’s Favorite Pink Champagne Cake
Makes 18 servings.
Cake:
1 (16.25-ounce) package white cake mix
1-1/4 cups pink champagne
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 egg whites
3 or 4 drops red food color
Pink Champagne Frosting:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter or margarine, softened
3-3/4 to 4 cups sifted powdered sugar
1/4 cup pink champagne
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 or 4 drops red food color
For the cake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together dry cake mix and champagne in a large bowl; add oil, egg whites and food color and beat with an electric mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes. Lightly grease and flour the bottom of a 13-inch by 9-inch shiny aluminum pan. Note: The baking temp has to be adjusted for glass, dark or nonstick pans or alter baking times and pan prep according to the directions on the cake mix package.
Pour cake batter into pan and spread evenly. Bake for 25 to 29 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Allow cake to cool completely before frosting.
To make frosting, cream butter with an electric mixer in a medium bowl and gradually add the rest of the frosting ingredients, beating at medium speed until the frosting is of a smooth consistency. Spread frosting evenly over cooled cake.
Decorate as desired, including possible garnish with pink and white sugar crystals.
Forbidden Apple Cake
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 sticks Imperial margarine, softened
2 cups sugar
3 eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
3 cups unpeeled apples, cored and diced (a firm, slightly tart baking apple is best)
1 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped (optional)
1 cup golden raisins (can be soaked in 1/2 cup good rum for one week for a “sinful” addition)
Powdered sugar for dusting.
Note: Seal rum-soaked raisins in a glass container at room temperature for one week, ahead of time. If using the rum version, omit cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray 10-inch bundt or tube pan with non-stick cooking spray. Beat oil with margarine. Add sugar, eggs and vanilla. Sift together flour, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add apples to flour mixture and stir a few times to coat. Add raisins and nuts, if using, to egg/oil mixture. Stir flour/apple mixture into egg/oil mixture until well blended. Pour into prepared pan. Bake 75 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean. Cool 30 minutes, invert onto cake plate. When completely cooled, dust with powdered sugar. Makes 10 slices.
Strongbow Inn Bleu Cheese and Garlic Dressing
Makes 5 cups
1 cup cider vinegar
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon oregano
4 cloves garlic, peeled
3 cups vegetable oil
Cheesecloth and string
1 cup crumbled bleu cheese
Prepare a piece of cheesecloth cut into a small square.
Combine salt, pepper, sugar, oregano and garlic, wrap in cheesecloth, fasten, and tie. Use a mallet or rolling pin to slightly pound the contents of the tied cheesecloth.
Place the cheesecloth bundle in a large quart-canning jar. Pour 1 cup of the cider vinegar over the spice bundle, seal jar and allow spices to steep overnight on kitchen counter.
Remove spice bundle, squeezing out excess liquid before discarding bundle.
Add three cups vegetable oil to vinegar mixture to fill jar and drop in the crumbled bleu cheese.
Store dressing in refrigerator and stir well before serving.
Philip Potempa can be reached at pmpotempa@comhs.org or mail your questions: From the Farm, PO Box 68, San Pierre, Ind. 46374.
This article originally appeared in the Herald Palladium.
Though I missed Be a Kid Again Day on July 8th–and you may have too, it’s never too late to connect with our inner child. And don’t we all need that considering not only our own busy lives but also what’s going on in the world. Sigh! It’s enough to make you want to crawl into bed and pull the covers over your head. But here’s another suggestion.
Why not head to Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, Alabama, two twin beach towns along the Gulf Coast known for their miles and miles of sugar-white sandy beaches and myriad water and land activities as well as great seafood and lots of you-can-only-find-it-here fun. Want examples?
Think prehistoric creatures that go beyond the big screen this summer. That’s right. It’s Jurassic Golf. But don’t worry. You don’t have to run from these creatures. Your only concern at this indoor, glow-in-the-dark miniature golf course is whether you can get finally get a hole-in-one,
Or further your education. That’s right. But this isn’t calculus. Instead it’s Sand Castle University, a program teaching “students” the very best ways to build sand castles. Yes, soon you’ll be the beach equivalent of Frank Lloyd Wright. Well, maybe not. But you’ll certainly have some Instagramable moments.
Those covers aren’t looking like such a great option anymore, are they?
Well, let’s do some more convincing. Building sandcastles and playing miniature golf with prehistoric relics calls for sustenance. And since calories don’t count on vacation (honest, trust me on this) check out The Yard Milkshake Bar for their creative mind-bending dessert concoctions served in jars.
The options at City Donut include their unique, made-from-scratch donuts with toppings like Nerds or Fruity Pebbles, or you can just go glazed–all are yummy.
Now that we’ve gotten dessert out of the way, sit down for dinner at LuLu’s, a family-friendly restaurant which not only has great coastal cuisine (including allergy-friendly dishes) but also features ropes courses (including the Mountain of Youth, a three-story climbing structure), an arcade, a seasonal caricature artist and live music. Oh and views of the water. Last time I was there I saw a dolphin pop up but he didn’t stop to say hi.
Fortified, stop at the Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo which offers up-close and personal animal encounters with kangaroos, lemurs and sloths. For kangaroos and lemurs, kids must be at least 3 years old to attend, but sloths will hang with guests of any age.
Thye’re definitely not hands-on or good for close encounters but the zoo recently brought in three new African lions (Daniel, Chadwick and Regina from the Pittsburgh Zoo) to assist in lion conservation efforts. Guests will be able to spot them as they’re introduced to the zoo’s resident lion, Nandi.
Nothing is more relaxing and rejuvenating than getting out in the fresh, coastal air. Hop on a bike at Gulf State Park and enjoy the 28 peaceful miles of the Backcountry Trail. The park offers a free bike-share program, so visitors can explore the nine different ecosystems that make up the park. Bikes in the park are designed for adults and bigger kids; if you have younger children, several local bike shops rent kids’ and tandem bikes. And if biking seems like too much effort, that’s okay. The park also offers more than three miles of public beach to the visitors who prefer to just sit on the sand and listen to the sound of crashing waves.
Looking for a day trip from the Gulf Shores? Consider Magnolia Springs, a true step back in time.
