Cooking With Kyle simple cooking done well
WELCOME TO OUR GREAT OUTDOORS It’s Beautiful ~ Night and Day!
by james kyle snyder
The Soup & Taco, Etc. 813 Caroline St. Fredericksburg, VA
Day Tripper gray ghost vineyards by scott richards
Serving Traditional Mexican, Tex-Mex Food and Something More!! Tuesday to Saturday 11am-9pm Sunday 11am-6pm CORN & TOMATO SALAD What is “Simple Food Done Well” and why is it so important? I am going to use this article to give a quick perspective for both. Importance first. I have fond memories of this time of year: Penetrating thoughts of eating baby carrots right out of the garden, shucking a fresh ear of corn and gnawing the sweet milk out of the kernels, and peeling the thin skin off of new potatoes with my finger to enjoy the young spud’s unique taste remind me of how healthy and vibrant life can be. Earlier this January, I found myself tired, 6’6” tall, and 299 pounds. At a BMI of 34.5 I was the face of obesity. How did this happen? I was a Marine Corps Drill instructor; I was a swim instructor; I WAS healthy. Like many of us, I allowed life and its activities, all the noise that distracts us from the important things, to take control and made excuses for why I was the way I was: Too busy, cooking is too hard or too expensive to name a few. We have turned into a nation of “a pill for every ill.” Many doctors are not nutritionists. I needed to allow the words from the father of medicine, Hippocrates, “ Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food” guide my actions. I needed to get back to my roots my grandmother had instilled. Once I was ale to look in the mirror and take responsibility saying, “Kyle, you are obese” was I able to take the initial step toward recovery. Simple healthy food is part of that recovery. I was not alone. I have lost 45 pounds since then; 25 more pounds to go. At a health and wellness seminar in Florida in July 2013, I heard Blake Mallen state the following statistics: 70% of Americans are obese or overweight, 30% of our children are overweight with 17% being obese, childhood obesity has
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tripled in the last 30 years, for the first time ever, there are more obese people in the world than suffer from malnutrition. 2.8 million obese and overweight deaths occur every year, obesity impacts every organ system in the body and is considered more damaging than smoking or drinking. The AMA has designated obesity as a disease. Fear not. There is a solution within our own grasp. So what is Simple Food Done Well? In a nutshell, it is being conscious of what we eat and making sure that it is fresh, clean, healthy, and most importantly tasty! Here is one of my favorite recipes that is cheap, delicious, easy, and exemplifies the concept. It looks great too in this bowl from Trista Chapman at Sophia Street Studios! Shuck six ears of corn, wrap them in moist paper towels and place them in the microwave for five minutes. While the corn is cooking, dice 2 large beefsteak (or any “meaty” tomato). Make a dressing of 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon apple cider vinegar and a dash of salt and pepper (I will be writing an entire article of why making your own dressing is easier, cheaper, and better.) Cut the kernels off the stalk while still hot. In a large bowl, gently mix the corn and tomatoes. Slowly drizzle the dressing into the salad while folding the mixture together. Voila! Simple, healthy, and delicious! Kyle Snyder appeals to your palate and your other senses when it comes to good, simple, healthy eating.
Front porch fredericksburg
Phone: 540-899-0969 E-mail: soupntaco@yahoo.com
Home of great Food & great Art! 720 Littlepage Sunkenwelltavern.com
EAT WELL DRINK WELL LIVE WELL
The General Store
Restaurant
Since 1978
Italian/American Food Monday-Saturday 11 am-10 pm
371-4075 2018 College Ave. Fredericksburg
The Natural Path Holistic Health Center
~Nature’s Sunshine Products ~ Biological Terrain Assessment ~VoiceBio Analysis ~Aura Photography ~Body Cleanse Foot Detox We Carry Home Brewing Supplies ! Barbara Bergquist, CTN Board Certified Traditional Naturopath
891-6200
www.thenaturalpath.us
4413 Lafayette Blvd. Fredericksburg
The area along Route 211 in Amissville has always been somewhere the other side of Culpeper where you could get good apples if you did not feel like going all the way to Winchester. However, times do change and so has dear quaint Amissville. While apples still abound and its beauty has not changed, it has become the hub of several excellent vineyards, adding to the tourism and hospitality that has long been Virginia. Gray Ghost Vineyards, known for its quality and adherence to the Bordeaux styles, is situated between Warrenton and Culpeper amidst the rolling countryside. Founders and owners Al and Cheryl Kellert are a perfect fit for this area, exuding a passion for what they know and love: Virginia Wines. Named after Confederate Colonel John Mosby, “the Gray Ghost,” this rich piece of Virginia history now has wines that reflect a regional richness as well. Anyone who grew up in Virginia is familiar with its role in the Civil War and knows about Mosby’s Raiders and probably enacted out raids with playmates, arguing over who would get to be John Mosby, the Gray Ghost. A formidable disruption to the Federal supply lines in Northern VA, Mosby gained Lincoln’s notice when in 1863 he went into Fairfax Court House and captured a brigadier general, two captains and 30 enlisted men with 58 horses. This act inspired Lincoln to refer to Mosby as the Gray Ghost — “A general I can create with the stroke of a pen,” remarked Lincoln,” but I cannot make those 58 horses he took. He is a Gray Ghost.” Sitting on the patio outside the tasting room, the Kellerts immediately make one at ease with their unpretentious manner and quick wit. Al, a chemist, has for the past 19 years produced awardwinning wines while Cheryl, who worked as a journalist, oversees 13 acres containing 8800 vines. Al was a chemistry student at So. Illinois, when a professor introduced him
to making wine in 1969. Using what is now considered antique equipment, Al made his first wine, a blend of Tokay and Thompson Seedless. After marrying Cheryl, jobs led to the DC area. After research into wineries and forms of wine making, the Kellerts found and bought property: “We are the last of the old school,” commented Cheryl. “We started completely from scratch. We bought the land, planted the vines, built the winery, and opened up” to make wine, not for events and weddings. The Kellerts sold their grapes to Hartwood Winery in Stafford County and Linden Vineyards near Front Royal. After establishing their vineyard, they produced their first vintage in 1993. Ensuing years brought expansion and acquisition of more land. Winemaking is “Chemistry and Art,” and recently they have expanded to include an underground barrel room with comfort and warmth for tastings. Through all the windows, the vineyard is present. Using 100% estate grapes to produce 4,000 cases of wine that annually net 100 medals a year in competitions, Gray Ghost whites include their 2011 Reserve Chardonnay aged in new French oak for 15 months for a lovely fruit flavor combined with the smokiness of oak but neither overwhelming nor heavy – a great seafood pairing! The 2011 Petit Verdot, full bodied and aged in French oak for 18 months, is a must try. Dark fruits inhabit the taste as tannins enhance the finish. Imagine this with a nice beef, wild game or strong cheese. The 2012 vintage of their dessert wine, Adieu, released June 29 and 30, 2013, has already medaled 11 times, including four golds from San Diego International and Monterey International, as well as Finger Lakes International and Lone Star International. Past vintages were named “Best of the East” four consecutive years by Vineyard & Winery Management Magazine. The latest release is the 2011 Ranger Reserve, a blend of all five basic Bordeaux varieties containing 34% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot, 17% Cabernet Franc, 16% Malbec and 16% Petit Verdot. This particular wine has a silver medal from the 2013 Riverside International and a silver from the 2013 Tasters Guild International. Gray Ghost Winery is a Virginia winery around long enough to have some history —that pairs well with its historic namesake. Scott Richards owns Loch Haven Vineyards, is a member of VA Vineyards Association, blogs at fromthevine.wordpress.com, is a wine columnist for Front Porch and sports writer for The Caroline Progress.
front porch fredericksburg
August 2013
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