Serving Up 31 Days again this year

This year I am going to be doing food posts of many varieties and then, at the end of the month, I want your opinions!  I want to know which kinds of food blogging you have enjoyed best of all so that I can shape future blogging to include things you guys want to see here.  

I hope you stay tuned for a month of foodie fun!  

Always feel free to chat with me in the comments below about all things food.

The Leaning Pear

I have been meaning to go to this restaurant called The Leaning Pear for several years.  

We take a trip to Wimberley every year and I have been seeing the sign as we passed up on River Road and wondering... 

I finally saw another blogger (Sara at Walk Slowly, Live Wildly) write about their experience there and I knew... I MUST try it.

This is the lovely sign you will see as you start your drive down River Road in Wimberley, Texas.

It is a small bistro type establishment tucked just off the Main Street and River Road intersection

  and is among clusters of small home type businesses in the area.

I just found out that in a little over a week they will be moving into a NEW LARGER FACILITY and expanding their hours.  Take a look at their website for updates on all of this

There is a menu posted just outside the door as you go in.  It is a simple menu that is made with as many seasonal and local ingredients as they can get their hands on.  The owner is a great chef and he and his wife have chosen to focus on local flavors and ingredients.  That part is also very appealing to me.

The decor is simple and inviting.  It keeps the pear theme throughout the indoor and outdoor dining areas.  It was hopping from the minute we walked in.  It opens at 11:00 am and quickly fills up with locals and travelers alike.  It is certainly not a chick place because there were plenty of men who did not blink an eye at dining at such an establishment.  I am suspicious that the BBLT was a real draw.  (Bacon, Brie, Lettuce, Tomato on Sourdough)

The service and kitchen areas were fronted with a rustic tin roof material.  I loved the rustic atmosphere of the place.

This is a shot from my seat to the outdoor patio area and bar.

There were two types of soup on the menu for the day... a chilled Tomatillo soup and a warm sweet potato spiced soup.  My Mom got the sweet potato and Em and I got the Tomatillo.  I tried both... they were FABULOUS!

I chose the Leaning Pear House Salad... with mixed greens, candied pecans, fresh pears and goat cheese all from local vendors.

Em got the BBLT!  YUM!!! 

We opted out of dessert that day but they certainly had a lovely chocolate cake that was pretty enticing.  Not a great picture but there is that cake atop the rustic service shield.

This post would not be complete without mentioning the fabulous wait staff!  We had a waitress named Hailey and she was so professional, friendly, helpful and prompt in her service.  She made everything even more lovely than it already was.

I will go back!  If you are in the area... check it out. They have lunch served everyday except Tuesdays and they are open for dinner on weekends.

More Hill Country Travels

Bella Vista Ranch

This little ranch is tucked nicely into the Wimberley, Texas community.  They grow olive trees in an orchard and a small vegetable and flower garden.  They also have a grape vineyard.

See those little olives?

They produce fresh first press virgin olive oil and infuse it with a variety of herbs and garlic.  They also produce balsamic vinegar varieties, bath and body products, jellies, jams, etc...

They sell trees, too.

This particular shot is a bed of asparagus plants they were growing along the fence area.

A lovely hibiscus plant...

As you go into the tasting area they will let you try the different infused oils and such.  They have a nice fragrance and a little bite at the end which is a bit peppery.

Here is one of their product shelves.

Their soaps are pretty pricey but they are lovely!  They have three wonderful fragrances and they are so nice to your skin.  I wish I knew how to make soap!  I may have to learn this skill soon.

Here is a shot of the vineyard.

Another shot of the vineyard.

My little tree that I brought home... now we will be babying it until next March and then it goes into the ground.  They are drought resistant, self pollinating and grow well in the sandy soil of the desert.

I brought a little treasure home with me, too...

If you get to Wimberley I highly recommend that make a trip out to this orchard and vineyard for one of their tours and sample the oil and wine.

Check out the website link at the top for more details and pictures of this lovely place.

What a cook does on her days off...

In my house she works in the kitchen... LOL

Today I...

*   made yogurt

 It is now covered and sitting atop my refrigerator to keep it warmer.

*   made Amish Bread

*   cooked two kinds of beans... black and navy... for dishes later in the week.

*   Roast a chicken for dinner with sides (straying from the menu because Dan brought chickens home yesterday)

*   Made a VERY healthy and delicious lunch for myself from the site SparkPeople.com

Spinach, orange wedges, Feta Cheese, Homemade Croutons, grilled chicken and a homemade orange vinaigrette.  It was delicious and very filling.

*   Bake off some granola to go with my yogurt

*   Clean the kitchen and do two loads of dishes

*   Feeding the sourdough starter and loving my new containers for sourdough and for yogurt.

Foodie treats...

Some goodies I picked up at World Market on Tuesday... love some treats for me and my family.

I made some strawberries and cream muffins for breakfast on Tuesday. I used my basic muffin recipe and then subbed some whipping cream for milk and added chopped fresh strawberries. They were delightful!

I also made some blueberry/peach cobbler this week.

My fascination with food...

I cannot help myself. There is just something in me that would rather read cookbooks than fiction. It started at a very early age for me I suppose. Maybe it was watching my grandmother pour all the love she had into a pot of black-eyed peas or homemade biscuits or those fabulous pies she used to make just for our family when we would visit. Maybe it was the comfort foods that just made life seem tolerable when nothing seemed to go right. It could have been the way my Mama and I would watch Julia Child on a Saturday morning on PBS or the way my Daddy would make the most plain and simple foods melt in your mouth with just the right ingredients and herbs and spices. Food has been a HUGE part of who I am for my entire life.

I remember baking with my Mama and my Meemaw as a little girl. It was hard to get into the kitchen with my Daddy because he was such a perfectionist but when I went away to college and began my own food and cooking journey he was ALWAYS the one I called for instruction. I called when I needed to make a roast or cook a brisket. I called when I was making vegetable soup and potato soup. I called for just the right way to cook squash and carrots and any other vegetable I remember eating as a child.

It was not always pretty.... I remember as a newly wedded wife burning spam! LOL My precious husband ate whatever I put in front of him and never complained one bit. If something was really good, though, he would say that it needed practice and wink. I knew that meant it was a hit and I should hang onto that recipe to use again and again. He still says that, btw, but now it is just about every meal. He is truly encouraging and precious! He tells me that if I had a bed in the kitchen I would NEVER leave it!!! He is probably right... ;)

I can honestly say that I am a cookbook addict. It is true... with over 200 cookbooks and counting my shelves are buckling under the weight. LOL See?...

I am also the recipient of a few foodie magazines, too...
* Gourmet
* Vegetarian Times
* ACF Culinary Journal and Student Journals
* and Cook's Illustrated which is a gift from my Mama every year.... I love her!

With all of these cookbooks you better believe that I have Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking Volumes 1 and 2... thank you very much! ;) (this is my copy... 13th printing the year I was born so my copy is as old as ME! lol )


I started reading Julie and Julia today, too.... (this is my copy, btw)


and I now have a hankerin' for some good old fashioned Potage Parmentier (Onion and Potato Soup). I think of all the foods my Daddy made for me that is the most wonderful... he made it for us after we had been ill with just about anything... there was something very healing in it and to this day I crave it after a bought with whatever virus has plagued our home. I have not been sick lately but I might just need a bowl of comfort just because. I will try Julia's recipe this time... in the spirit of the book I am reading and in preparation for that movie coming on August 7th.

I will share if I do... :)

Basil in the Ratatouille???

We are eating peasant food again... Ratatouille is such a favorite of ours. I cannot eat it, however, without not only thinking of the movie but remembering one of my MOST FAVORITE British comedies of all time... John Cleese is a comic genius!


You put BASIL in the RATATOUILLE???

MUST.HAVE.THIS!!!!!!!

After a very long diatribe on my main blog about how I need to get rid of more stuff I find this today...

A game for foodies - it is going on my wishlist for Christmas!!! LOL