A Gourmet Night
~Thursday, October 14, 2021~
Day 487
It’s a gorgeous day in Vermont with the high’s in the low 70’s. It’s hard to imagine this place having such brutal winters. In fact, one local told us today that there have been winters where the temps can drop to 0 and never rise above that for an entire month. That’s 32 degrees below freezing temps people. As beautiful as Vermont is, especially the Middlebury and Stowe areas that we’ve visited so far, I just don’t think Vermont could be in the running. Transplanting from California’s mild climate would just be too much of an adjustment.
The Leicester River that flows through the campground is right behind us and is just rippin’. Our site is above it, so no danger of flooding here, but can see how some of the campgrounds below would. The water is flowing just under the small bridge that crosses from the upper to the lower campground. I think the sign that reads, “bridge tends to flood” says it all, don’t you think? But the campsites by the river are gorgeous, with plenty of space between. Even the one right next to us is a show stopper. Just enough trees, plenty of privacy and right above the creek. Should have checked that one out when we got here. I’m sure they wouldn’t have minded if we moved over one site. But you can really tell when this place is in full summer mode, it would be just amazing. In fact, today I overheard a traveler asking about booking for next summer and overheard the owner say there’s already a waiting list. It’s probably one of those places where the same families are repeat customers, and have their spot year after year. The huge lake across the road, at the foot of Mt. Moosalamoo is absolutely lovely for fishing, kayaking, boating, canoeing or just hanging out at the sandy beach. The campground offers canoe/kayak rentals, a well-stocked camp store (when it’s open), and cafe/pub. Lake Dunmore is full of Bass, Catfish, Northern Pike and Salmon to name a few.
We had a few errands today, so drove into Middlebury to pick up propane, a few items at the automotive store, grocery shopping, and purchased a few birthday gifts with a last stop at the UPS store for boxes to ship it all. Need to get those October birthday gifts off in time (it’s always been a big birthday month for us).
Since I haven’t cooked an involved meal in a while, (yes, it is sooo nice having a husband who loves to cook) I was itching to get back in the kitchen, albeit 70 square feet. But no matter the size, it’s manageable as long as we have the ingredients and the hardware. Tonight’s epicurean delight…General Tso Chicken (a version of Orange Chicken…..but way better). This is when I cave and become a 1 night meat eater. There are a lot of recipes out there for this dish, but nothing beats this one. The sauce is to die for. Every time I make it, I think of our son Shane since it’s one of his favorites! The most involved part in preparing the dinner is the vegetable fried rice because of the amount of chopped veges in it. I replaced the white rice with Jasmine Brown Rice (a healthier version) and for the chicken dish, I used 6 chipotles in adobo sauce instead of 6 green chiles (a more intense smoky flavor). I must have used every dish in the kitchen, but what else is new? Three hours later, with a disastrous kitchen but fabulous food before us, we savored. Jeff loooooved it!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. You know where to find me if you’re interested in the recipe. Bon Appetit!
Post dinner, we tuned into the final game (via radio streaming) of the first playoff series between the Dodgers and the Giants. It’s considered to be the biggest game between these two rivalries in the history of the ballpark (tonight they played in S.F.). But it wasn’t meant to be for the Giants this year. With a 0 to 0 score most of the game, the Giants lost in a very strange way. It was tied by the 5th inning, when both teams scored. In the final inning, there was a check swing, late call strike, and just like that, the season was over. 2 to 1. But, in the end, they both had incredible seasons, so hats off to both teams. It just goes to show, with both teams winning over 100 games a piece, just how hard it is to get to the top and stay there. Our team should be proud though. Congratulations to the Dodgers ⚾️.