Chittenango Falls, NY

We got two inches of rain today,  and the areas north of us got at least 4 inches, leaving creeks and streams bankful. Knowing it wouldn't be fun outdoors, we made our semi-annual trip to Trader Joe's to stock up on goodies we cannot get locally.  We followed that with a trip to Nina's in  Chittenango, NY.  Nina's has been our favorite restaurant since the '80s, and although when they sold their restaurant in town they sold the recipes, the food in the new Nina's is not as good.   Perhaps it is a change in ingredients or perhaps they have tweaked the recipes, but it does not compare.  .  .  So we make a semi-annual trip to the original owner's new place in Chittenango, NY.

The fall foliage was magnificent in the Syracuse area.  A wonderful mix of oranges, yellows, reds, rusts, and browns.  Even though it was rainy or overcast, the colors were superb.
After leaving Chittenango, we passed the falls.

Wow!  (If the video does not work, it can be seen at:  https://youtu.be/kYXziXW0cO4)



This was not our first trip to the falls.  In 2002, on a beastly hot day, we made the trip,

Chittenango Falls

State Park,
New York
July 22, 2002 We are off on another adventure - a day trip.
The adventure began at Wegmans where we stocked up on olives, bread, cheese, and pate'.
We took a different route home from Syracuse, going toward Utica on Route 5, and then south on route 13 toward Cazenovia.  We were considering picnicking at Lorenzo House in Cazenovia, when a lovely waterfall appeared on the right, shortly followed by a sign to Chittenango Falls State Park.
Decision made...

We paid the $5 parking fee and carried our goodies to the picnic tables.
There was a map of the area showing the path to the falls.  A brochure provides information:
"Stop first near the top of the falls where the 167' waterfall cascades over a series of limestone terraces."
We did, and were impressed.

One of my colleagues had mentioned what a great walk it was to see the falls from various viewpoints.
We neglected to remember that it was one of the young colleagues.
At this point, we were obviously not thinking clearly - 167 foot drop means lots more than 167 steps down, and of course, what goes down must come up unless you want to sleep in the falls.
~
"A scenic, but rugged, trail leads to the bridge at the bottom of the gorge.  Halfway down is a resting bench from which there is a "camera-perfect" view of the falls."

~
 "Continue down this trail, noting the great variety of interesting ferns, wildflowers and shrubs which grow along the steps and ledges."
"From the bridge (at the bottom) enjoy the spectacular view of the falls in one direction and the view of scenic Chittenango Creek in the other."

It was beginning to be difficult to enjoy the view because we were so distracted trying to remember if it was Ruthann or Linda who suggested this adventure.
It had also begun to hit home that the way up was not likely to be easier than the way down.
Perhaps it was not clever to try this adventure at 95 degrees with 70% humidity.
Actually, it was great fun, as you can tell from the smile (or is it grimace?) at the end of the hike.

I think it was Linda...

Published 7/22/02

Quite a bit different after a heavy autumn rain in 2016.

Last of the Red Tomatoes

Today's dinner used the last of the red tomatoes.

We still have a half-dozen Dorothy's Green, but this is the end of the Cherokee Purple.  The rest we have lost to blight.  When blight first appeared, we were afraid we would have no tomatoes at all, since the tomatoes were tiny and still green, so we are tickled to get any!  Let alone more than a month of all-you-can-eat.

Raw tomato sauce:
chopped tomato
garlic
black pepper
oil
parsley
basil
Marinate for a few hours or refrigerate.

Barilla "Linguini Fini" pasta
garlic
oil
butter

Shrimp marinated in
soy sauce
olive oil
grated ginger
grated garlic
siracha sauce
Then quickly sautéed in butter and oil.

First JV Football Game

We enjoyed our first JV football game.

Handsome #99 getting ready to play.

A lot of the game is waiting.

Here we go.

FX is on the far left. 

Block 'em!

A beautiful day for a football game.  Alas, Brockport did not win.  But we did get to see him play.

First Tomatoes of 2016

The first to ripen are the Cherokee Purple.
This is a tiny one - sitting on a bread plate.  The large ones weigh as much as 2 pounds!!!

The flesh is firm with the liquid exactly as you remember as a child.  It's a tart, flavorful tomato.  Makes amazing BLTs.

Tonight we're having it with English Bacon from Balson Butchers.  We make an order once a year.  It comes in a freezer pack with dry ice.  The bacon is packaged in 8 ounce portions.  It's a real treat.  Tonight D enjoyed the bacon, tomatoes, and baked beans.

In the spring, D started three types of tomato - San Marzano, Cherokee Purple, and Dorothea's Green.  The Green is my favorite tomato ever (but Cherokee Purple is a close rival!)

This is a fully ripe tomato.  Delicious!

We are now in a race with Late Blight to see how many tomatoes we can before they are destroyed by blight.  The middle of the green tomato had blight.  Just cut away the bad parts, and do not compost the rot.  (Septic system loves it.)

Tomorrow's project is freezing if it's hot or canning if it's cool.  I have about five gallons of tomatoes to process.  Lots of gorgeous basil and fresh garlic and parsley to add to the pot.

A fine time will be had by all!

Robins 2016

A robin nest has appeared on the front porch.

There are four eggs.

Now there are babies.

Makes it a challenge for Mom when we and dog go in and out!

Alfredo

D found that we had missed a bulb of garlic during the fall harvest.  It was trying to regrow in a clump, and not where we wanted it!  After the clump was dug, it was clear that the cloves were mushy and not useful in the kitchen, but the leaves were tender with a mild garlic flavor.

What to do?

I chopped the leaves and put in a skillet with butter and olive oil.

Added cream.

Then freshly grated Locatelli cheese.

Tossed in tortellini (I like Rana brand).

It was really quick and easy.

Plus, I had more than enough garlic, so I refrigerated the oil/butter/garlic mix.

The next week, we were ready to go again.

This time it is Rana sausage ravioli.

 Delicious.

There is still enough garlic mix for one more meal. . .  We'll see when Rana pasta goes on sale.

Hummus and Tabbouleh

Today is a miserable, rainy, blustery day.  No good planning an outdoor experience, so off we went to find a new place.  We went to Utica, NY, to go to our favorite Chinese restaurant, Sunny Asian Restaurant.    Alas, they are not open on Monday or they were closed for a private party.  Now it's experiment time!

We drove around for a bit and found an area with several restaurants.  We decided to try Hummus and Tabbouleh.  Hummus and Tabbouleh, 675 Bleecker Street, Utica, NY 13501

We were early for lunch and were the only patrons.  

This is not a type of food familiar to us, so we just guessed at what we might like

 .

One choice we made was the fish with tahini.

There is a little pile of chopped tomato and a generous sprinkle of parsley.

The flavors and textures were interesting.

I think it was dried fish, though, and it was quite salty.

Delicious, but salty.

It came with a thin pocket-type bread.

D chose Okra.

 It is an interesting mix of rice, okra, lamb, soft tomatoes, garlic, tomato sauce.

 The flavor is flowery.  It was really good.

After dinner, our server brought Arabic Tea and poured it into these small glasses.

She also provided a sugar bowl.

The tea was super hot and very strong.  

An excellent end to a fine meal.

I read in a review that this restaurant is owned by an Iraqi who had been an interpreter in Bagdad after his country was invaded in 2003.  He became a US citizen two months before we went to lunch.  Nice.  I hope other people discover this interesting place.  It deserves to be patronized.  We look forward to returning.