Exploring the simple pleasures in life.
After many years of effort, I have found that the key to true happiness comes with learning to enjoy the simple pleasures in life. It’s in the awesome feeling that you have when the garden is full of beautiful banana peppers. It comes from spending time with the people you love and sharing fantastic adventures with them. This Uncomplicated Life is my way of sharing my journey into finding and enjoying the simple pleasures.
Beach Pub Review
Last week we watched an episode of Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives that featured Beach Pub in Virginia Beach. We decided to check it out while we were in the area yesterday.
Embracing My Age
Embracing my age doesn't seem that bad these days. My first step is to stop dying my hair...maybe.
A Relaxing and Fun Weekend
December is such a hectic time of year. The holidays create their own chaos, work gets very busy, and there is not enough time for rest and relaxation. With all the hub-bub, there is a temptation to skip our monthly camping weekend. Instead of not going, we opted to plan a close to home, relaxing trip this time.
Can Can Brasserie Review
I enjoyed looking around as the restaurant is in a very old building and had exquisite architecture, right down to the high tank toilets in the restroom.
The Diner Review
The diner offers breakfast all day, as well as a lunch menu. It surprised me to see they offer breakfast poutine.
Carytown Burgers & Fries Review
On our way to our latest adventure, we stopped at Carytown Burgers & Fries in Henrico, VA. It is a small restaurant, with only five tables and a counter in the window with five stools. Excited to find poutine on the menu, we also ordered two burgers, The Dude and The Kojak. I asked if they would cook the burgers medium-rare as many places will not, and was happy to find out that they would. We picked our drinks and sat at the counter to wait for our food. The burgers were quickly delivered, but instead of medium-rare, both were well done. The Kojak had bacon, a fried egg, American cheese and The Works (mayo, mustard, pickles, onions, lettuce, and tomato). The Dude, served on Texas Toast, had bacon, cheddar, BBQ sauce, onion straws, lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise. I added some A-1 sauce to kick the flavor up a notch. Both burgers had a nice flavor but were not exceptional. I enjoyed the poutine. The fries, with a beef onion gravy and cheese curds, still had some crispness. The gravy was nothing special, but the cheese curds were delicious. The burgers were filling so I boxed half of the poutine and enjoyed it [...]
An Evening of Lights
Last weekend we went to Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens in Richmond, VA with our friend, Matthew, to enjoy their holiday light display. A million lights, beautifully displayed, transformed the gardens into a wonderland.
Bottoms Up Pizza Review
We recently went on an excursion in Richmond, VA. While we were there we stopped at Bottoms Up Pizza for dinner. We were there on a Sunday evening and chose to sit at a table near the bar. The atmosphere was wonderful, with a jazz band playing on the other side of the bar. I liked the factory feel, with brick walls and exposed air ducts near the ceiling. We had been outside and it was a chilly night, so I warmed up with Morgan's Peppermint Patty Hot Chocolate. The yummy drink, with a bit of Rumplemintz, crème de cocoa and topped with thick whipped cream, tasted just like a Peppermint Patty. In getting back to my Keto diet, I chose a Bottoms Up Loaded Portabella Mushroom Pizza (without the green peppers, of course). The three portabella mushrooms, topped with Italian sausage, ground beef, ham, pepperoni, onion, mushrooms, and black olives, were delicious. I definitely had the pizza experience, all the flavor of pizza, but without the carbohydrates that I want to avoid. I did not miss the crust at all. Chris ordered a Karen Combo Pocket. Similar to a calzone, with mozzarella, ricotta, spinach, Italian sausage, onions, and 24-hour baked tomatoes (he added those), the pocket was addicting. [...]
Cranberry Sauce
Ever since I was a little girl, my absolute favorite part of a turkey dinner has always been the cranberry sauce. I can remember that luscious cranberry goo that came out of the can, with the lines from the can molded into the jellied goodness. As I matured, I eventually made a stab at making homemade cranberry sauce. I found a recipe in Consumer Reports, which was pretty simple. I just combined cranberries with water and sugar, cooked them down, and then strained the berries to get the gel. Eventually, I stopped straining the mixture and found that I actually preferred the texture in the sauce made from whole berries. I have made this cranberry sauce for the last 15 years. This year, I found a new recipe to experiment with and, as it turns out, I like it even better than my tried and true. Cranberry Sauce 1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice, I was able to squeeze this much out of one large navel orange 1/4 cup 100% cranberry juice, not cocktail 1 cup honey, I like to use raw, unfiltered 1 pound fresh cranberries, about 4 cups I washed the cranberries, getting rid of any soft or wrinkled ones. Next, I combined the orange [...]
Awesome Sausage, Apple, and Cranberry Stuffing
For most of my life, my stuffing experience has been Stove Top. I always thought it was good. When I started on my journey to learn to cook, I decided that boxed stuffing had to go. Over the years, I have followed a few different stuffing recipes, before finding my favorite (so far). Awesome Sausage, Apple, and Cranberry Stuffing 1 1/2 cups cubed whole wheat bread 3 3/4 cups cubed white bread 1 pound ground sausage 1 cup chopped onion 3/4 cup chopped celery 2 1/2 teaspoons dried sage 1 1/2 teaspoons dried rosemary 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme 1 Golden Delicious apple, cored and chopped 3/4 dried cranberries 1/3 cup minced fresh parsley 1 cooked turkey liver, finely chopped 3/4 cup turkey stock 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted I started by preheating the oven to 350 degrees. While the oven was heating, I cubed the bread and spread the cubes out in a single layer on a baking sheet. I baked the bread cubes in the oven for about six minutes (until they were evenly toasted). I took them out of the oven and put them in a large bowl. I cooked the sausage and onions in a large skillet on [...]
Roast Turkey with the Best Gravy
For the entirety of our relationship, we have always had to work on Thanksgiving. The boys have always been invited to various feasts over the years, and we usually end up grabbing Wawa Turkey Bowls after work. The restaurant that we work at now closes for Thanksgiving and they were kind enough to give us a 21-pound bird for our celebration. Brine 1 (14 to 16 pound) fresh turkey 1 cup kosher salt 1/2 cup light brown sugar 1 gallon vegetable stock 1 tablespoon black peppercorns 1 1/2 teaspoons allspice berries 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped crystallized ginger 1 gallon heavily iced water If you have a frozen turkey you will need to allow time for it to thaw completely before you start to brine (two to three days, depending on the size). I started the brine on Wednesday morning. In a stockpot, I combined the vegetable stock (I didn't plan far enough ahead to make my own, so used boxed), salt, brown sugar, peppercorns, allspice berries, and crystallized ginger over medium-high heat. I whisked the mixture a few times as I brought it to a boil, allowing the sugar and salt to thoroughly dissolve. I removed the pot from the heat and allowed it to cool before refrigerating [...]
Go-Karts, Mushrooms, and Birds
Last summer a three-story go-kart track opened in Fredericksburg, VA. We decided to check it out on our latest journey. After a lovely breakfast at Mason Dixon Cafe, we went to Fun Land of Fredericksburg to play. We bought our tickets online while at the restaurant, saving $3 for each ticket. I debated whether to spend the extra $10 to include video gameplay. We went for it and were very happy with our choice. It was a cold day so it was not at all crowded. We started with a game of putt-putt, fun despite the fact that both of us played horribly. After the game, we went back inside to warm up. It was fun playing video games together. The beauty of the all-day pass was that we could continue playing until we beat the game. We made a great team. Obviously Chris was much better at the games than me, but I held my own. After we warmed up, we headed back out into the cold to the go-kart track. The track was a lot of fun. The go-karts were fast and the track wound around and up three stories before winding back down again. I was a little [...]
Willaby’s Cafe Review
On our way back home from our trip to Westmoreland State Park, we stopped at Willaby's Cafe in White Stone, VA for lunch. The restaurant, situated on the Rappahannock River next to the bridge, offers a wonderful view of the river and bridge. I can only imagine the spectacular sunsets you would see looking out over the water. The photos of gorgeous sunsets displayed on tv screens in the restaurant proved my imagination correct. The restroom walls, covered in vintage 1920's newspaper and Saturday Evening Post ads, were charming. In the dining room, they use oyster cans as lampshades. We sat in a booth by the window. Unfortunately, the table was extremely wobbly. Our server, Reva, was competent and friendly. I always ask for a cocktail menu because I enjoy sampling "specialty" drinks. Willaby's Cafe's cocktail menu features five drinks. I ordered one and started looking at the menu. After a few minutes, Reva returned to tell me that they were out of the liquor for my cocktail. I picked another. Unfortunately, they did not have the ingredients for that cocktail either. She brought my third choice, Mermaid Water. The drink is a blend of Captain Morgan, Malibu, Blue Curaçao, and pineapple juice. It had a very pineapple [...]