Making the Menu

Bogota: Day 2 of the Colombia Adventure

Here we go again--another Colombian, who we did not know before our trip, who gave up a day to be our tour guide.

 

This time, the Colombian was the sister of CC's avocational Spanish teacher in Atlanta. He sent the teacher a message, merely asking her for suggestions of tourist spots, restaurants, etc. She volunteered HER sister, who lives in Bogota to take us touring. Sure, we thought. What person is going to volunteer to take strangers around to various spots, we asked ourselves? You guessed it, sister Laura-Bogota sent us an email and gave us a CHOICE of places and days we'd like to tour. Who are these people, we thought? We found out. It's another generous Colombian.

 

Laura arrived at our hotel at 8:30 AM, promptly, with a driver to take us the the Salt Cathedral (Catedral del Sal), one of the places we knew we wanted to go. Ironically, Laura had not been there before.

 

 

Our driver and guide, Laura, on the way to the Cathedral

 

The Salt Cathedral is about a 1 1/2 hours from Bogota. According to Michelin, the second structure in the cave (1995) was built above a former cathedral completed in 1951. Visitors are guided (in English for us) past a series of small chapels carved from salt which represent Stations of the Cross. It is a true cathedral. You've probably visited caves formed by rocks. This is one formed by salt.

 

Get ready for the experience of a lifetime!

 

As you make your way into the cathedral, you marvel at the magesty of the space and the carvings that you behold. It all takes your breath away and is well worth a visit. We were so lucky to have a tour guide who spoke English who gave us explanation of what we were seeing.

 

 

Remember: the carvings are from salt and one of the Stations of the Cross

 

 

You are looking at salt

 

If you want to try your hand at salt mining yourself, you can take a tour within a tour and go mining for salt. I chose to view the emeralds that were on display in the gift area and when that was over, I visited the First Aid station even though I wasn't sick. The guy is there to rescue any explorers feeling ill. He looked a little bored, so I stopped off to have my blood pressure taken and chat with him in my less- than-perfect Spanish. (It gave me, and probably others, comfort knowing he would render aid, if needed).

 

 

Here's one of the pseudo miners trying his luck. (I was glad I was at the first-aid station).

 

One the way back to Bogota, we stopped off at Chia at a one-of-a-kind restaurant named, Andreas. I've seen a lot of restaurants in many countries in the world, but Andreas has to be the most fun one I've ever been in. The guests were families, couples, singles and anyone who wants to have a good time (and good food, too). We were there right before Lent, so the celebration was up a notch.

 

 

You must try their signature cocktail as Laura is doing

 

 

If you can lift the 67 page menu, you must order some food. (And, the food was good, surprisingly enough)

 

The staff is always ready to dance--right in the middle of service

 

 

The servers in a little line-dance

 

If you think all the action was indoors, wait until you go outside for more of the same. Keep in mind, it's pouring rain by now.

 

 

The "girls" were looking for cute guys

 

 

We really could have joined in, but we needed some other clothes!

 

Needless to say, we ended our day on a high note with sounds of music dancing through our heads.

 

Next: Touring, Bogota, the city

Bogota: Day 1 of the Colombia Adventure

Ordinarily, a person (me) would not expect a friend of a friend to take a day off work, hire a translator and take you wherever you wanted to go. Colombia is not an ordinary country, nor are its natives. My friend of friend is a Colombian registered dietitian (Patricia) and friend of a Colombian who lives in NY (Lorena). Patricia and I had met once before. As my new Bogota friend, Patricia, took us on a unique adventure. It probably never occured to Patricia to back-out of the day--a Colombian would not do that.

 

Patricia's first stop was the city flower market with an array of plants and flowers, ready to go into any garden. It was lovely here, but we didn't linger since we wanted to get to the food.

 

 

The next stop was the city food market where saw, tasted and admired so many fresh fruits and vegetables that I had never seen, much less tasted. Along the way, Patricia, bought and instisted that we taste the fruits. The range of colors and characteristics were endless.

 

The seafood and fish were different from what I was used to and strange looking to me, not being familiar with the area.

 

 

 Mystery fish to me

 

 There were rows and rows of various potatoes which made my heart sing, being the potato-lover than I am.

 

 

Sacks and sacks of potatoes were everywhere.

 

The fruits and vegetables were a dietitian's dream. I wondered if all these wonderful fruits are the reason that I saw very few obese or even overweight Colombians? Was I in Paris? (where most everyone seems to be slim and trim). With the moderate climate and rain, fresh food is readily available. The overall market experience was a highlight of our trip.

 

 

 Color at its best

 

 

 

Our dear friend, Patricia, took us on other adventures. Here she is with a handsome stranger--a gringo I suspect.

 

The next post: Day Two of Bogota 

 

 

 

Celebrating a Birthday in a Tent--Who Me?

No one could believe it when I said I wanted to go Glamping for my birthday this year. First, they said "what the heck is Glamping?" Then, after I explained they said "you've got to be kidding. You? Glamping?Have you lost your mind?" You see, Glamping is a combination of camping with a glamorous touch. You don't arrive and then put up a tent, like I hear some folks do. You arrive, and are escorted your "tent" and taught how to operate the "equipment."

 

Full disclosure: I'm not a camper, never having slept outdoors in my life. In other words, I'm not much of an outdoor girl, but these tents and the outdoors were different from our Girl Scout days.

 

The tents are about 10 by 12 feet, with walls, floor, en suite bathroom with shower, heat, coffee pot, and if you're lucky, a cat to sleep at the foot of your bed. Oh, did I mention, also comfy twin beds.

 

 

Our tent

 

 

The front porch

 

Day One: Our arrival was on Friday afternoon with plenty of time to gather in the ceramics studio of our host, an artist. It's kinda the "living room" for campers. The cozy room was furnished with a large sofa, multiple chairs and a big table. Right out the door was a huge fire pit, for later in the evening. Lisa brought music and we all (6) brought food and beverages to tide us over until dinner time.

 

After the fire pit was revved up and we had a few adult beverages, we sat around the fire and told war stories. (All girls will understand what consistes of a "war story" and we're not talking!) The scene was just perfect with mountains in the background and a huge meadow before us. Rather than risk life and limb for dinner out we opted for a pizza delivered to us. To end the evening, I carried one of the resident cats "home" with Lisa and me and the beautiful gray girl slept at my feet the whole night, a perfect companion (and foot warmer).

 

 

By the fire, but mIssing two of the six

 

Day two: We woke up and Lisa and I were frozen like logs. All you could see were our heads sticking out from under the covers. Our heater had run out of propane during the night. We were told at "orientation" that we were to call immediately if such a thing happened. Within a few minutes, help arrived and we were toasty warm. After a huge breakfast, we visited Blue Ridge, GA, a lovely town in the north Georgia mountains a few miles away. It was a girl-shopper's paradise. (We all agreed that no man we knew could have lasted more than 5 minutes in this town.) It was a day of touching and searching for the perfect prize. I won it (as far as I was concerned).....a St John dressy jacket....at a much reduced price. We all agreed it was perfect.

 

The town of BR has some respectable restaurants. When I say that, I mean restaurants that have good food and don't gouge tourists (like so many towns I could name and won't). You won't believe this, but we all ordered the same entree. Yes, we were a compatiple bunch.

 

 

Elaine treated us to lunch in Blue Ridge. (From left to right, Lisa, Bobbi, Margaret, Elizabeth, Susan and Elaine).

 

The big birthday dinner came later that evening and bountiful it was. The meal, along with a perfectly decadent birthday cake, made by Elizabeth, kept us all on a chocolate high for many days following. Bobbi brought French champagne, so we were in heaven. Naturally they had put those candles on the cake that won't go out as I huffed and puffed until I had help from the audience.

 

 

Dinner and Cake with the Owner and Hostess of the Glamping Grounds supervising

 

 

 

Birthday Girl:

 

Elizabeth, The Thoughtful, gave me this tiara and a wand to go with it. I granted many wishes. After all, what are friends for? Another dear friend (Margaret) gave everyone t-shirts that said "Sensational Susie Sisterhood." It made me cry.

 

 

Love the t-shirts! We're on about the fourth course by this time.

 

Following dinner, we once again experienced the fire pit. This time, I was led into the dark by the hostess who commanded I make a wish and then I was to release a fire-filled Chinese-like lantern. Into the sky the lantern floated up and down over and over until it disappeared into the distance. What a perfect ending to a wonderful weekend with special friends.

 

What I have to do now is figure out another out-of-character celebration. Sky-diving, anyone?

 

Glamping? We were at the Martyn House in Elijay, Georgia. We filled 3 of the 4 tents.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Taste of Atlanta

What a glorious weekend for this stuff-your-face, cooking-demo, entertainment event. We live right next door to the the festival which causes some inconvenience on our part...especially the Friday night loud music, but enough about me.

 

Our passes entitled us to 10 food tickets each (you can buy more to extend your gluttony). The food samples are "charged" at 1, 2 and 3 tickets, so in order to stay within budget, you have to select carefully. The strategy is to get good "free" samples first. Luckily, a bite of smoked chicken was near the entrance, a first taste for me.

 

 

Set-up and before the masses arrived -- taken from our balcony.

 

 

Throngs of very hungry people arrived on Saturday. There was so much smoke from grills that you would have thought the place was on fire.

 

 

My first "paid" sample. It was a generous portion of grits with bacon, cheese and a poached egg from Rosebud restaurant.

 

 

Rosebud Restaurant, a chef-owned place.

 

 

Our next taste from Bocado.

 

 

Chef and owner, Todd Ginsberg of Bocado. The chef used leg of lamb, cooked and then ground for the chili. No wonder it was good.

 

 

How about a Puffy Taco? I chose chicken and ate it before I took a picture. Ooooppps.

 

 

Way, way too salty. Unfortunately, chefs often oversalt.

 

 

Aetna sponsored a healthy cooking contest. I didn't taste any of the food but I hope they didn't overdo the salt.

 

PS: Whole Foods offers less sodium, no sugar added prepared soups and other items in their stores. If you don't see them, I was told to ask. We tasted two flavors; both were good.

 

Family Fun in the NC Mountains

It had been a year plus since our trip to the Highlands, NC area. This time it was with our Dallas,Texas, family. Unless you've been living under a rock, you know what the weather has been in Dallas and other parts of Texas and Oklahoma this summer. Needless to say, CC's brother and wife were happy to be in 70 degree weather, as were we. They took full advantage of hiking in the mountains. I took full advantage of the huge deck, the rocking chairs, lush trees and birds enjoying the mountains with us.

 

The cabin and surroundings were so pleasant that we ate "in" every night. CC was the grill maestro and showed his Boy Scout skills at building a charcoal fire. (In the city we use a gas grill). Menu planning was somewhat limited. We grilled salmon the first night and enjoyed it with risotto that I had schlepped from home.

 

 

The grill master

 

 

 

Another night we had burgers.

 

 

Ready to be dressed.

 

 

These were the best tomatoes I've eaten since my father used to send them to me via UPS from his garden in Virginia. These came from Ingles supermarket in Clayton, GA. They were heirloom babies and were they good!

 

 

Our only meal out was at Wild Thymes Gourmet in Highlands. I had a Black Bean Burger with more tomatoes. I do love them. The salad was butter beans, onions and more tomatoes.

 

Eating, hiking, mountain air, chirping birds and family-togetherness made for a wonderful week.

Touring and Tasting: Baltimore and Wilmington DE Area

Last week, I had a terrific time in Wilmington, Delaware, area where I spoke at the Delaware Dietetic Association's annual meeting in Claymont. The hosts took me to dinner at a local spot, Sullivan's Steak House. I skipped the steak and ordered Sea Bass which was good except for the saltiness.

 

Sea Bass with Salty Broth (my name, not theirs)

 

I settled in on the train from Wilmington to Baltimore to meet a friend. (What a civilized way to travel.) Friend and I spent Friday in Annapolis (a short drive from Baltimore) taking tours and walking the "Yard" at the Naval Academy with a few food breaks in between.

 

 

Just so you know where you are, a few steps from downtown Annapolis.

 

 

Officers live here. Must be nice after being at sea for months on end. Many astronauts graduated from USNA but only one president. Do you know which one?

 

On to Baltimore!

 

Naturally, being in Baltimore, I ordered crab cakes every time I could. I do love blue crab.

 

Baltimore performed beautifully on Saturday with perfect weather after many days of rain. I had to go to one of my favorite dining spots, Miss Shirley's, (www.MissShirleysCafe.com) where the corporate chef is the daughter of my friend.

 

 

Corporate Chef, Brigitte Bledsoe

 

Yes, we had good treatment. Even if I didn't have connections, I'd be right there enjoying the food. Miss Shirley's does a good job and has many happy guests to prove it. I didn't see any frowns anywhere. The only person who frowned (once) was yours truly when they said they didn't have Diet Coke, but would go across the street to get me one. That's service! I was a big girl, didn't whine (too much) and drank the other diet drink. I had a yum-yum yummy BLT with Avocado and a side of Coleslaw. I skipped the grilled chicken that's usually added. Of course, I had a side of fries. My name is Susan Nicholson.

 

 

One darned good BLT with Avocado. Miss Shirley gives you thick slices of tomatoes and that makes me very happy. I hate wimpy slices of tomato.

 

 

My friend had a Soft Shell Crab and Fried Green Tomatoes (those tomatoes made me think about Georgia)....the crabs are in season right now, so hurry.

 

Before more food and drink, we walked off a few caloires at the American Visionary Art Museum. Go there when you're in Baltimore. There's no place like it.

 

 

American Visionary Art Museum's entrance (www.avam.org).

 

 

The current exhibit--"What makes us smile?" (and, smile you will)

 

Party Time!

 

We visited the Cat's Eye Pub (www.catseyepub.com) for blues, beer and good will. Those folks know how to have fun (and, drink beer)! I heard they have live music every night.

 

 

Having fun at the Cat's Eye Pub

 

 

View from my barstool at The Cat's Eye Pub in Fell's Point 

 

So, ends my wonderful weekend. I really love Baltimore and could live there except for that pesky winter weather. I'm not a good cold-weather person; that's why I left Virginia in the first place.

 

 

Healthy Kitchens/Healthy Lives in Napa: Part 2

The speakers at the Healthy Kitchens, Healthy Lives conference are an impressive group. I had the pleasure of meeting and speaking with many of them. One of these was Regina Benjamin, MD, MBA, the Surgeon General of the United States. I had the good fortune of meeting Dr Benjamin formally at a press conference and informally at the San Francisco airport. It's easy to see why she was selected to be the person to provide the best scientic information available on how to improve our health and the health of the nation. Besides her many distinguised qualifications, she's a very charming person.

 

 

Dr Benjamin at the press conference

 

Other presenters at the conference were Helen Delichatsios, MD, SM, a Clinician-Educator at Massachusetts General Hospital. One of her important roles is teaching nutrition to medical students for all four years of medical school.

 

David Eisenberg, MD, is the Bernard Osher Distinguished Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He is the engine behind the scientific parts of the conference. His credits are far too long to list but suffice it to say, Dr. Eisenberg puts on a mean cooking demonstration! He walks the talk.

 

Kathy McManus, MS, RD, LDN who is Director of the Department of Nutrition at Brigham and Woman's Hospital is a dietitian's dietitian. She has presented her research nationally and internationally. I always learn from her presentations. 

 

If Dr Eisenberg is the engine, Amy Myrdal Miller, MS, RD, is the oil that keeps the engine running smoothly. No doubt that she faces many challenges in putting this incredible conference together. She does it in a cool, calm and collected way.

 

Then, last but certainly not least, is Walter Willett, MD, DrPH, Chairman of the Department of Nutrition at Harvard School of Public Health and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Just to mention a few accomplishments, Dr. Willett has published more that 1200 scientific articles, a textbook and three books for consumers. Besides all of his many accomplishemnts, he's a really nice guy. Rumor has it that he even eats one doughnut a year.

 

The CIA hosted cookbook and scientific book authors at a book signing where Dr Willet and I shared a table. To show what a good sport he is, we swapped our books for a photograph at the book signing. (He sold more books than I did at the conference! I'm trying to get over that.)

 

Healthy Kitchens/Healthy Lives in Napa: Part 1

The Healthy Kitchens/Healthy Lives (HK/HL) conference is held in the spring at the Culinary Institute of American's (CIA) west coast campus, called Greystone, in the Napa Valley. Greystone along with the Harvard School of Medicine are the two sponsors of the conference. Greystone is in St Helena a town of about 5000. It's a unique conference in that it's a combination of science, cooking demos and hands-on cooking (taught by CIA chefs) experiences that show how to put the science into practical everyday cooking and eating. Lars Kronmark, CWP, led my class.

 

Outstanding chefs (Suvir Saran, Joyce Goldstein and Mark Furstenberg) do many of the cooking demos along with CIA chefs who join in for hands-on and other classes and tastings. The Harvard faculty is headed by David Eisenberg, MD and Walther Willett, MD. Amy M Miller, MSRD is the dietitian leader of the conference.

 

This year over 450 attended the conferece which included MD's, RD's, RN's and other health care providers with a keen interest in healthy cooking and eating for their patients and themselves. The conference has become so popular that it sells out in the fall for the spring event. This is the second conference I've attended, this year as a speaker. The presenters were honored at a dinner in the Board Room at Greystone. I was lucky to attend it.

 

 

The Board Room at Greystone

 

 

Halibut with Cannellini Beans

 

 

With a little dessert of Chocolate Cake and Sorbet

 

Two Days in Roanoke VA - Part 3 (The Event and Dinner)

One of the nicest things (for me) about writing a book and a newspaper column is meeting readers. Readers, like people in general, come in all ages, sizes, shapes and interests. The purpose of my trip to Roanoke was to meet some of these readers of my column and sign the 7-Day Menu Planner for Dummies book. I was a guest in the Roanoke Times booth at the Junior League's annual community bazaar designed to raise money for the area. (The RT is a major sponsor of the  bazaar.) And, books I did sign!

 

It was great fun to hear the tales of woe (and be able to offer a solution) to dinner-time stress. What to cook for dinner is the lament of so many. It was so simple to show these stressed souls a year's worth of menus with recipes and ideas so that they didn't have to think at all what to cook for dinner for that entire year. You should have seen the smiles of relief on their faces at this news. It was heart-warming.

 

All those hours I spent listening to my editor, who wanted my book to be the best it could be, were worth it. Thank you, Vicki.

 

 

Here's a future menu planner ready for the task. HInt: Do include kids in menu planning and cooking as soon as possible.

 

Roanoke has one of the oldest city markets around and I go there any chance I get. I would have filled the car with the wonderful produce we saw if we hadn't had other stops along the way back to Atlanta. It's easy to forget what really fresh food looks like unless you have a garden of your own (which we don't).

 

 

In the area of the market. Hint: Shop your own local markets for the freshest foods.

 

 

If only I could have brought it all home! One of life's disappointments. Hint: Eat a variety of colors and foods.

 

Woman cannot live by always cooking and eating at home. That's why restaurants were invented and I'm always happy to enjoy the cooking of others. We had an enjoyable meal at Blue 5 in downtown Roanoke. Kathy Lu, Features Editor and her husband, Tim, were our hosts.

 

 

The hosts at Blue 5. Hint: Eat out often, but not out of bags and boxes.

Two Days in Roanoke VA - Part 2 (Hostess with the Mostess)

Whenever we get the chance, we travel through Roanoke on I-81 on our way further north to New Market (where I grew up). The Shenandoah Valley is a beautiful place for a road trip. Stopping in the area and staying overnight with our friend, Sally Miller, is always a treat. Sally has led an amazing life (including 10 years in Australia) and is always full of stories. She claims to be working on her memoirs but spends so much time being a hostess to a world-wide collection of friends, that she has little time for writing. In the meantime, she paints when she gets a free minute. She's a volunteer with the refugee center there in the Roanoke area. These are just a few of her accomplishments.

 

Besides her charm, Sally (Miller) is a wonderful cook and spoils us unmercifully with her meals. 

 

 

A little frittata she whipped up for breakfast.

 

 

With a side of fruit to brighten the plate even more. No hungry mouths at Sally's house.