Flower For The Table
Jun10

Flower For The Table

Add flavor, nutrition and beauty to your food by Mary Stickely-Godinez Ahhh, dinner is served. It begins with a luscious salad with mixed greens, onions, cucumbers, tomatoes, flower petals, croutons … wait … flower petals? Yes, flowers can add wonderful flavor, nutrition, and a unique appearance to your dining experiences. There are quite a few flowers that are edible. Dianthus, Centaurea, Marigolds and Nasturtiums are beautiful sprinkled as a multicolored confetti on salads or other foods as a garnish. Or make a beautiful lavender colored vinaigrette using chive blossoms. One of my favorite appetizers is to stuff squash blooms with a mild cheese mixture. I use ricotta, with a little bit of cream cheese, blended with finely minced fresh herbs of your choice. My favorite is a blend of dill, chives, and thyme. I fill the inside of the blossom, tie the petals together, dip it into a tempura batter and deep fry it until golden brown. Chicken salad stuffed into a fresh daylily blossom makes a beautiful light luncheon or brunch entree. Use the onion flowers instead of diced onions in tuna salad for a colorful alternative. Daylily buds are also incredible stir-fried with chicken. Use rose or dandelion jam and butter that has been flavored using herbal flowers. Roses or violets are delightful in baked deserts like cake. Lavender blossom sugar cookies are the perfect light sweet at a meal’s end. And finally you can wash down the meal with tea made from Hibiscus, Jasmine or Sage flowers. Flowers provide nutrients like Vitamins A, B, C and E. Many provide antioxidants, and may also contain potassium, iron, sulfur or calcium. Flavors may be spicy, sweet, floral, licorice, pungent or peppery. When choosing flowers, first be sure the flower is edible. Although many are fine, there are also quite a few that are poisonous. Carefully taste a petal to be sure you like the flavor before using it. Some flavors can be quite strong and very unique. Also, when you first start eating a new flower, eat small amounts at a time until you know how this flower will affect your digestion. In addition, make sure you know the source of the flowers you are using. Pick them fresh for use and don’t pick from roadsides as these are subject to high levels of pollutants. Florist stocks often have been sprayed with pesticides which should also be avoided. Remove the sexual parts of the flowers, like the anthers, as these are often distasteful. And last, taste different colors of the same species of plant. Many flavors differ according to color. I know it sounds like lots of rules....

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Kimberly’s Pumps & Pearls
Jun10

Kimberly’s Pumps & Pearls

For women plagued with an obsession for fine footwear, Kimberly’s Pumps and Pearls was the place to be in April. Valley Homes and Style Magazine was one of several sponsors for the annual Kimberly’s Pumps and Pearls party at The George Washington Hotel Ballroom in Winchester, Va. The women-only event was part of the Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival and featured a “Pumps Parade” which gave guests an opportunity to show off their bedazzled feet, dancing (another opportunity to kick up their heels), refreshment and door...

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Palace in the Wilderness – Bedford Springs Resort
Jun10

Palace in the Wilderness – Bedford Springs Resort

Historic Pennsylvania landmark undergoes an amazing renovation. by Jeanne Mozier The opportunity to sleep with history is almost irresistible to 21st century travelers, especially when the historic hotel has amenities that meet their high expectations for contemporary luxury. Centuries-old Bedford Springs Resort, nestled on 2,200 acres in nearby southern Pennsylvania, fits the bill perfectly. Turn off the highway and travel a narrow entry road that was once a stagecoach toll road from the town. It tracks Shober’s Run, spring-fed and prized as a trout stream. Around the final bend, the vista of a many-windowed, low-rising white hotel unfurls. Even the most sophisticated traveler can barely suppress a gasp of pleasure. Once the Summer White House of Pennsylvanian James Buchanan, Bedford Springs Resort even has a charming small town a couple miles down the curving road. The attractive streets of Bedford are lined with prosperous shops, trendy restaurants and businesses ranging from plumbers, chocolates and quilts to an Art Deco gas station and a 200-year-old inn. Bells ring regularly. A coverlet museum is on the walking edge of town and a 1925 giant coffeepot sits at the entrance of meticulous fairgrounds. Within a few miles, resort guests can explore everything from the living history of Old Bedford Village to caverns to the Flight 93 9/11 Memorial to nine covered bridges. Development of Bedford Springs Resort followed a familiar pattern for historic spas strung along the eastern edge of the Appalachians. Native tribes used the waters and colonials soon followed. Seeing the need to lodge those who came for health cures, Dr. John Anderson began the resort in 1796. By 1804, there was a cluster of warm and cold water bathhouses and the first lodging house was built. The railroad arrived in 1872 launching a major expansion and building boom. An early golf course was added in 1895 and continues to provide a major attraction. As the 20th century closed, so did the resort. It then achieved the dubious status of “endangered landmark.” A group of investors stepped in spending $120 million to renovate the resort to original plans. Part of that investment included balancing the historic facade with a new spa wing. The bonus? They discovered the Eternal Spring bringing the resort’s total number of springs to eight. Water remains a hallmark of Bedford Springs. Where once there was a “serpentine circuit” of the seven original springs, marked in the 19th century by fanciful pavilions and springhouses, now it’s a rustic hiking trail. The footbridge to the centerpiece Magnesia Springs is transformed to an engineered bridge. Walking sticks were traditionally kept at springhouses for use in navigating the springs circuit....

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BARBEQUE
Jun10

BARBEQUE

by Maggie Wolff Peterson There’s barbecue, and then there’s barbecue. There’s a world of cuisine between burgers on a patio grill and the complicated, brined, marinated, herb-rubbed, secret-sauced, slowcooked, smoked delights that come from America’s top pit masters. But it’s all good. There is something compelling about a fire, tended and contained, over which meat cooks. The urge to make and cook with fire is primal. And it smells great. Warm weather invites outdoor cooking, whether enjoyed at home or at a roadside stand. Barbecue masters have vied for decades to declare their ribs, chicken, pork or pit beef as the best. National events attract traveling teams to compete against each other for prizes and honor. In Winchester, the Hogging It Up Barbecue and Music Festival is in its second season. What differentiates this event, running from June 27 to 29 at Clearbrook Park, is that not only do pit masters prepare their best for judging and tasting, but they offer mini-clinics on their techniques. Event organizer Wayne Shafer “has dedicated his life to barbecue,” says his wife, Cindy. And although he keeps some of his tricks a secret, he’s willing to share “how to trim your ribs, how to barbecue your chuck. Things the public can do at home,” she says. Of the more than 400 championship barbecue festivals each year in the U.S., “there are only two where the competitors talk, and they’re ours,” Cindy Shafer says. “At other competitions, they come, they cook and they leave.” So, what are the secrets that Wayne Shafer knows? “Barbecue is up to your own imagination, your own technique,” he says. Some people swear by Coca Cola as the secret to a great barbecue sauce. Others prefer a vinegar kick. Some pitmasters invest hundreds of thousands of dollars in their rolling smokers. Some backyard chefs get a great result from a converted trashcan. “As long as it tastes good,” Shafer says. Brian Pellatt, chef at Bonnie Blue restaurant in Winchester, oversees the production of barbecue by the gallon. Smokers outside the restaurant run nearly continuously, consuming cords of wood and perfuming the air with a savory scent. Pork and chicken is sold by the platter or pint. Kielbasa is also smoked in-house. Pellatt says one secret to great barbecue is brining. In a one-to-one ratio, measure sugar and salt, then add enough water to cover the pork, chicken or even turkey you plan to cook. Brining isn’t great for beef, Pellatt says. Allowing the meat to soak in brine for up to three days before cooking “really adds moisture to it, that when it does smoke, it’s tender and juicy.”...

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Through the Front Door
Jun10

Through the Front Door

by Lisa Bartell of Wisteria Cove photos by RAZ Imports Happy Hues of Summer The warm sunny days of summer are upon us. The landscape is profusely dotted with the vibrant colors of nature that make us feel happy and alive. Let’s capture this abundant sunshine of color, and bring it into your home. You can achieve this by using a summer color pallet of reds, yellows, oranges, fuchsia and chartreuse. These colors give off a certain emotions when viewed. Rich reds evoke feelings of love and passion and make you feel confident. Orange — a mixture of red and yellow — gives you feelings of joy and happiness and is actually known to increase oxygen to the brain when viewed. Yellow is energizing and cheerful. Pinks and fuchsias make you feel almost childlike and affectionate. Chartreuse, a vibrant green, is the color of rebirth, making you feel fresh and alive. By using some of these wonderful colors that are stimulating to the senses, will surely bring the happiness of summer into your home. The kitchen The kitchen is where people tend to gather and connect through eating and conversation. There are many quick and inexpensive changes you can make to this space to make it feel like summer. Add a few brightly potted flowering plants to a windowsill. Take down your window curtain and replace it with a summer valance to let the sunshine in. Change out your ordinary dishes to a colorful set. Your kitchen table will look fresh and alive with a nice summer print tablecloth. Try replacing your utensil holder with a watering can, big enough to hold all your wooden spoons and ladles. Nothing says summer more than fruit and veggies; use these themes for framed or canvas prints. Replace your traditional dining chairs with cool patio chairs. An easy, breezy summer bedroom Get rid of heavy bedspreads and draperies and replace them with a lightweight comforter set and airy shears for your windows. Add fresh flowers or silks to a vase on your dresser. Beautiful summer pillows placed on the bed and plenty of garden and vacation periodicals on the bedside table add to your summer reading pleasure. Use floral and fruity scented candles to create summer aromas. Crack open your windows and let the sounds of nature put you to slumber. If you live in the city, play a cd of a babbling brook or soft waves of the ocean crashing onto the shore to drown out the sounds of the city, soothing you to sleep. Summer greatness The great room is another gathering place in the home. Most great rooms have...

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