We are in between seasons, I think, as we don’t seem to be able to sustain warm temperatures for any long span of time. In addition we are now in between homes. By that I mean that we are beginning the transition from our southern lives to take on the months that we reside north of the border. The next four weeks will be packing up and finishing up projects as we get this home ready for its summer tenant and we try to wrap our heads around going through spring again. The deer are moulting here and look rather odd. They seem to rub off their winter coats against the trees. We saw one that looked like he had a Mohawk hair cut.

Changing Furniture

Part of the transition included changing the dining room table for a different style one. Always on Dataw someone is moving and selling furniture they don’t want to take with them and usually at a very good price. I found one that seemed to fit the bill perfectly but needed to do something with the old one that actually came with the house. My good friend Ashleigh said she wanted it for her niece and would come and get it. Now she lives in Knoxville, Tennessee which is not exactly around the corner so it was somewhat problematic – but wait. We were actually going to Sewannee Tennessee to meet family and we could combine the trip with a stop in Asheville and lunch in Knoxville and deliver the table and chairs. It took three very clever people to figure out the puzzle of fitting all the pieces in my car and many tries but finally we did it. The chairs had to be stacked in a particular order, really, or they just wouldn’t fit. We left it packed in the car all week because we weren’t sure we could duplicate it if we took it out of the car.

A Fun Week

It was a great week for many reasons. One being that we had our daughter Margot and her wife and dog with us all week. Margot and I played golf five of the seven days they were there which was lots of fun. A couple of birdies and an eagle made it really fun and insured we would be back again. Margot got her birdie on the same par 5 that I miraculously got an eagle. We love that hole! John and Hadley joined us when they could. I got in my training walks and on the days I didn’t train, Margot and I went out and walked the beach with the dogs. We all loved it. The last day we went we spent two hours out there and were thrilled to have a dolphin and her baby feeding right along the shore as we walked a mile and a half one way and then turned around and went back the way we came and they turned around and came with us. We were so lucky to see this wonderful phenomenon so close to us.

Guests Of All Kinds Visiting

Not only did we entertain our human guests by inviting friends to join us for a meal but we also invited some fur guests as well. Our friend, Woody, has a new pup Eli who is an enchanting four month old, very chill, golden retriever. They came for a visit and had a great time playing in our side yard. Additionally, a black lab who is a trained guide dog for a neighbor’s blind son, was on a walk for exercise and was invited to join the party. She loved it and the others all loved her. Since she is a working dog her play time is very restricted so we were pleased to have her stop by. The humans enjoyed adult beverages while supervising.

Fascinating Restaurant

As mentioned above we had the table in the back of my car and we scheduled a meetup for lunch with Ash and her niece at a place called Water into Wine. Along with an amazing array of wines, some interesting beers (Chocolate Jesus), they had quite a selection of healthy small plates. Yes, John tried the beer and yes it did have an essence of chocolate and coffee. If you are ever in the Knoxville area give this place a try. Candace Viox is the owner and her story is a good one and what she has accomplished is really worth trying out.

Visiting at Sewanee

We are on another road trip to see where our grandson, Jack, will be spending the next four years at The University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee. The weather made a drastic change here yesterday from being in the high 70’s to a bitter 32 this morning. Hence the jackets. Jack, his mother and sister flew in this morning very early. We went to Chapel on campus while waiting for them but didn’t tour around preferring to wait for their arrival to get our tour. I think that mum really knows her way around campus but Jack did manage to get us to the lacrosse game which was won by the good guys in overtime. We can certainly understand why Jack fell in love with this place. He is never happier than when he is outdoors in the woods or a canoe. This is just the right size with a strong emphasis on the outdoors and the environment. The buildings are beautiful and reminiscent of New England but with southern warmth.

Perfect cheesy butternut squash gratin

While visiting with us Hadley created a wonderfully delicious side dish to accompany superb steaks that we got from our local market. She modified it from the original which is from Adore Foods. We found it just perfect, hope you do too.

Course Side Dish Author Adore Foods

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium onion thinly sliced
• 4 fresh sage leaves. (Hadley substituted fresh thyme)
• 150 ml heavy cream
• 150 ml chicken stock (milk and cream instead of chicken stock)
• 2 lb/1kg butternut squash peeled, seeds removed, quartered and thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup Gruyere cheese grated
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese grated

Instructions

1. Add butter and olive oil to a large skillet and heat them over medium heat. Add sliced onion and sauté for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden.
2. Meanwhile, in a medium sized saucepan, combine heavy cream and chicken stock and add sage leaves too. Place saucepan on medium heat and heat the mixture for 5 minutes. Don’t allow to start boiling! Remove from heat and set aside to cool for 5 minutes, then remove sage leaves. Season with salt and pepper
3. Preheat oven to 350F/180C. In a baking dish, layer butternut slices, add sautéed onions, 1/2 of Gruyere cheese and 1/2 of Parmesan cheese and the infused cream and stock mixture. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes.
4. Uncover the dish, increase the heat to 400F/ 200C and cook for a further 20 minutes until golden. Remove from oven and allow to cool a bit before serving.