ArcaMax

Vacation Highlights

I promised I’d write about the highlights of my vacation. Some of the things I rate as “highlights” might surprise you. (I guess you are getting to know the real me.)

The first highlight I have to share is the weather. I know I have no control over the weather, and if it had rained the entire time it would not have spoiled my vacation, nevertheless, I have to talk about the weather. Each day the high was somewhere between 65 and 70 degrees. Sunny and mild. Puffy clouds and blue skies. For me, it doesn’t get any better than that. I swear I will spend my retirement years roaming the globe in search of a day with a high of 70 degrees.

Some people think I’m nuts. Those are the people who love 85 degree weather. I’m miserable when it goes above 80 degrees. I think it has something to do with my Irish heritage. I hate heat. So to go on a 10-day vacation and have my kind of perfect weather every day was a real treat.

Having no TV was a real treat too. I’m one of those people who likes to “check out” on vacation. I don’t read a paper on vacation. I don’t do more than listen to the highlights of the news while I am driving. I don’t watch sports on TV unless I step into a sports bar and have a burger at the bar. I try to just immerse myself in where I am and who I am with. My husband is the one who brought it up first on this vacation. We walked into our hotel room and he announced that he was not going to turn on the TV. That’s just one of the reasons I love that man as much as I do.

The Blue Ridge Parkway comes in at highlight #3. There was one time when I was 18 years old that I drove through the Appalachian mountains on my way to visit my sister in Virginia Beach. I was late though, so I just cut through the mountains. Didn’t even take notice. This time we spent time just cruising along the mountain ridges just to stop and take in the views. They really do have that blue ridge haze. I loved that.

Highlight #4 is Monticello. I told you all before I left that I have an architectural “bucket list”. There are a number of famous buildings and sites I want to see before I am too old to travel. Monticello was on that list. I have read over the years about all the important things Thomas Jefferson accomplished while at Monticello, beginning with designing it and supervision the building of it. Thomas Jefferson acted as his own architect. That’s an amazing feat in itself. The list of things he accomplished beyond his presidency is too long to list here. I’ll have to just encourage you to go there and learn for yourself. I learned so much while there I was just fascinated. I was so enchanted that I bought a CD series called “Jefferson’s Secrets”. We listened to the CD’s on a 500-plus mile drive from one bucket list location to the next one. In over 500 miles we only completed three of the CDs. There are 12. I have a lot more learning to do.

Next up is The Biltmore. The largest residence ever built in the US. They say you should set aside eight hours to tour this place. I think they are right. Set in the hills outside Asheville, North Carolina, it is a sight to behold. Just learning about what an average day was like for a guest there is a mouthful. Imagine dinner every night in formal wear. The men were required to wear a white tails tuxedo and the women ball gowns. Many American families come to the dinner table dressed in sweat pants. Just imagine dinner every night like it’s your wedding night. As a food writer, this is a dream.

I was all excited to hear the Biltmore Flower Show was opening while we were in town. We went to the Biltmore the day after the show began. Sad thing is we discovered they had a 20-minute hail storm just a few days before. The tulips were wiped out. In fact, anything with a petal was trashed. We found the gardeners tilling under the mess and starting over with the planting. That was sad but there was still plenty to see. The grounds cover thousands of acres. The bus ride from the parking lot to the main house entrance is about 10 minutes long, and that’s before you even begin your tour.

Asheville and Charlottesville were highlights too. Both towns are quaint without being overly touristy. They both have plenty of creative places to eat. No food chains necessary. The shopping is high quality and there are plenty of little galleries.

We had a grand time. The whole vacation was a highlight.

Open Face Chicken Mole Sandwiches

Serves 4

You can have bread in a low-carb life. It’s just a matter of how much. When I order a hamburger I let them bring the bun now. I take off the top. I eat part of the bottom. Sometimes I bite the little crunchy parts of the edges. I NEVER eat the whole bun. So with this sandwich you can do much the same. Eat some of the bread. Use low-carb bread if you can find it. Just don’t make a sandwich that you can hold in your hand. No one needs to eat that way. Be civilized and sit with a fork and a knife and eat your food with enjoyment.

This makes a really nice Mexican mole. It’s authentic. It has a lot of ingredients but don’t let that intimidate you. It’s really very easy to make.

4 chicken breast halves, cooked. I poach mine in water for 15 minutes or until there is no pink left. Then shred the breasts by pulling the meat apart with two forks. Reserve the meat to add to the sauce later.
1 dried ancho chili, seeds removed and minced. This adds the distinctive smoky flavor.
3 Tbl of olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, minced
Grated sea salt
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, minced (find these in a can in the Mexican section. Reserve the rest for a spicy omelet or other dish)
2.5 ounces of 70 percent cacao chocolate, minced. (chocolate is a must in mole)
1/4 tsp of cinnamon
1/8 tsp of cloves 2 cloves of garlic (2 tsp). Jar garlic will work fine
2.5 cups of organic chicken stock or broth
1, 15 oz can of diced tomatoes
1 tsp of almond flavoring
1/4 cup of raisins
1 Tbl of sesame seeds
4 pieces of low carb bread
Butter or ghee

In a large sauté pan or soup pot, add the olive oil, and the onion with a grate of sea salt. Saute until soft. About five minutes. Add the ancho chili bits and the chipotle. Cook until fragrant. Just a minute. Add the chocolate, cinnamon, cloves and garlic. Stir until chocolate is melted and mixed in. Add the stock, tomatoes, almond flavoring, raisins and sesame seeds. Gently simmer for 20 minutes to blend and intensify all the flavors. Stir frequently. (At this point, most often the sauce would be blended. I leave it chunky. I like to taste bits of the raisins and tomatoes. We have raisins so seldom they really jump out).

Add your shredded chicken and warm the whole mess.

Take your bread pieces and toast them on both sides. Slather on some butter or ghee. (The butter or ghee will slow down the glycemic uptake on the bread and help you digest it in a more healthy manner. Your blood sugar won’t spike this way).

Pile on the meat and eat.

Serving options. I always serve this with a nice thick slice of cantaloupe. This gives me a counter point to the spicy meat with the cold cantaloupe.

You can also put a bit (a quarter cup max) of a deli coleslaw on top. This is referred to as serving it "southern style". The cold coleslaw is great on top of the spicy chicken mole mixture.

Another option is to top the sandwich with some shredded cheese.

Enjoy!
Cheers,
Zola