Vegan breakfast

I still have my week-end with the Vegans running around in my head. They stayed with me (in the bed and breakfast) for four days, along with several diabetics who were here for the Civil Air Patrol Conference. They were not all in the same room, of course. In fact they didn't know each other until they started eating breakfast together.

Anyhow, my problem was how to find a way to accommodate they dietary needs in an efficient manner. One obvious solution is to feed them at different times...which, as it turned out, worked for the first couple of days. The diabetics wanted an early (7:00 am) continental breakfast 'cause they had early morning meetings at the conference. The Vegans wanted to eat at 9:00 ...they were here for a little R&R.

And so, the diabetics were easy...just avoid real sugary things, they said. I could do that. Not the Vegans, that's another story. These people were not Vegetarians, which aren't too hard to cook for, they are Vegans and there is a big difference. Besides not eating meat or fish or fowl, they do not eat eggs, milk products (butter, cheese, and yogurt) or honey. But they do eat a lot of tofu. And vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds, and grains.

So, I hopped on the internet to review the Vegan diet and a few of their recipes. Then I decided to just make up my own. First thing to do was to run to the store and get a couple of essential Vegan items: a brick of firm Tofu, Almond milk (I could have also used Rice milk), Soy Yogurt, and Vegan butter spread made from I don't know what. It's on the package down in the kitchen. I don't think I even read the list of ingredients, but I trusted that it would be okay as it was a brand that my Vegan guests used themselves.

When I got home, I drained the brick of Tofu by pressing it in between two very heavy cutting boards for 20 minutes. Then, I cut the brick in half. I would use half the first day and half the third day. Vegan pancakes would be served on the second day and Vegan French Toast on the fourth day.

Curried Tofu with spinach and  tomato

For their first breakfast, I sauteed sliced mushrooms in olive oil with fresh garlic the way Julia Childs suggests: "...very hot oil...flame high...spread mushrooms out flat in pan and saute both side until brown. Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground pepper while cooking." Done!  Next, I added chopped onion, green pepper, and ribbons of fresh Basel from my herb garden and continued to saute...loving every minute of it I might add. You have to love cooking to own a B&B. Or have a partner or employee who does.

The final step was to add the Tofu. I crumbled it into the pan and continued cooking. if you add Tumeric to the pan (a yellow spice) the Tofu would look just like scrambled eggs. I didn't have any and wasn't about to go out and buy some. It's expensive and I probably would have another Vegan guest for a year.

For their first  breakfast, I scrambled the Tofu, but for the one on the third day I cubed it and added Spinach, Tomatoes, and Curry.  I served it with rounds of sweet potato baked in brown sugar, Vegan butter, and cinnamon. For fruit, I sliced fresh peaches into footed dessert dishes and tossed in some dried cranberries. Then poured a warm clear simple syrup over the top to mingle the flavors. It was delicious and they loved it


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One way to take a summer vacation in a sagging economy

This year, all of us are going to have to come up with some creative ideas for summer travel. The economy is still in a slump, but the kids are out of school, they've worked hard all year and, hopefully have gotten passing grades! They really deserve a break. One of the most painless ways for folks to take the kids along on vacation is to take a car trip. You can stop along the way, they sleep in the back seat, play video games, and listen to music with ear-phones on. They can eat snacks and drink beverages in the car and even take fido along. Most dogs love to travel with the family. And, it's a lot cheaper than air flight.

There are many cities in the US that make good central locations for a week-end or week-long getaway and Louisville, Kentucky is one of them.  The choices in accommodations are better than ever. You can spend the day in a nearby state park offering a beautiful woodland setting, or on a farm, or spulunking at Mammoth Cave.  All are great places for kids. Worn out from sight-seeing but happy, you can return to your central location in Louisville and relax in one of Louisville’s beautiful bed and breakfasts.

Bed and Breakfasts are ideal for combining what a city has to offer with the surrounding area. You can situate yourself in a beautiful Inn for a week and take day trips to small villages, farms, lake, beaches or whatever you like. A city like Louisville, in Kentucky, is perfect. It has all of the above, plus outstanding restaurants, museums, theater and many attractions. There are a whole host of events and festivals going on all summer, from the Shakespeare Festivals in Old Louisville's Central Park to My Old Kentucky home pageants to the Kentucky State Fair.

Another advantage to staying in Louisville is that it is very accessible from many other states; such as Illinois Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Tennessee, Iowa and Arkansas, etc. The innerstate highway system is amazing and easily leads right into downtown Louisville. Another advantage is that Louisville has aproximately 18-20 amazing bed and breakfasts,  most centrally located.


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Ajo Blanco: White Gaspacho Soup

 Ajo blanco, a version of gazpacho, is made with almonds instead of tomatoes. It's garlicky and creamy without adding cream, making it an ideal for those of you looking for low-fat recipes and for vegans. I found this recipe on the internet and it seemed a perfect dish for summer. It's very popular in the Spanish coastal town of Malaga. 

 Ingredients

• 3 cups cubed, crustless rustic bread
• 4 cloves garlic peeled
• 1 cup blanched whole almonds
• 1 tbsp. sherry vinegar
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 1/2 cups cold water
• 1 cup sliced seedless grapes 
• salt to taste 

Instructions

1. • 1
     Place the bread cubes in a medium sized bowl, and cover with water (approximately 4 cups) until the bread cubes are fully immersed. Allow to soak for 10 minutes.
   • 2
     Place the blanched almonds and the peeled garlic cloves in the food processor and process until finely ground--approximately 2 minutes.
   • 3
     Squeeze the water out of the soaked bread cubes, and add the bread to the food processor. With the food processor still running, gradually add the extra virgin olive oil, sherry vinegar and the cold water until the mixture becomes smooth and creamy.
   • 4
     Season the soup with salt to your liking. Pour the gazpacho into individual serving bowls and garnish with the sliced seedless grapes.

• If grapes are unavailable, the gazpacho can be garnished with coarsely chopped green apples instead.
• The white gazpacho can be made ahead and kept in a sealed container in the refrigerator until serving time.

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Cruising on the river

Belle of Louisville

Father’s Day Lunch Cruise June 19

Boarding 1:30pm, Cruising 2-4pm

June 29 Battle of the Belles Race

Boarding 4:45pm, Cruising 5:40-8pm

Sightseeing/Lunch Cruises

June 5, 12, 26 KY Bluegrass Band

Boarding 1:30pm, Cruising 2-4pm

June 3, 4, 10, 11, 17, 18, 24, 25,

Boarding 11:30am, Cruising 12-2pm

Sightseeing/Dinner Cruises

June 16, 23, 24, 30

Boarding 6:30pm, Cruising 7-9pm

Spirit of Jefferson

Moonlight Cruise June 3

Boarding 10:30pm, Cruising 11pm-1am

Harbor History Cruises

June 4, 7, 11, 14, 18, 21, 25, 28

Boarding 2:30pm, Cruising 3-4pm

Sightseeing/Lunch Cruises

June 1, 2, 9, 16, 23, 30

Boarding 11:30am, Cruising 12-2pm

Sightseeing/Dinner Cruises

June 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 14,

15, 17, 18, 20, 21, 22, 25, 28

Boarding 6:30pm, Cruising 7-9pm

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Film Festival in Louisville, KY

The Flyover Film Festival is the signature event of the Louisville Film Society. This four-day celebration of film in Louisville will be moving around the city, showcasing our amazing network of film-friendly venues as well as our locally grown talent, and begins June 9 . . . that's today!

For films and festival passes, click here.

Wanna go for free? Tell us your favorite movie with a Louisville connection and we’ll give away a pair of passes to this weekend’s festival. Click here to post your comment.

Another Louisville?
In the independent film Another Earth, which stars Louisville native William Mapother, another earth is discovered in outer space . . . and it’s populated with duplicates of us. Which means, of course, there’s another 20,000 Friends of Lou out there. On the night of the discovery, an ambitious young student and an accomplished composer cross paths in a tragic accident. If you wonder how cool the other Louisville might be, here’s a link to the movie trailer.

Watch Out, Hollywood and Bollywood, Here Comes . . . Louiswood?
Ok, maybe not yet. But how cool is it that there are some stars in town for a film shoot? Tan Lines is a movie about Owen "Game Set" Match. He’s one of the top tennis pros in town, employed by the prestigious Fountain Club, with gimp knees and tan lines that make women swoon. Sounds like Happy Gilmore with a tennis racquet.

Click here to see a summary of the movie on set in Louisville from producer Gill Holland.

What’s a movie without its stars? Here are some people you might recognize who are in town this month for the film:

• Josh Hopkins of Cougar Town.
• Cameron Monaghan of Showtime’s Shameless.
• Alexie Gilmore of Surfer Dude.
• Billy Magnussen and Dash Mihok of The Day After Tomorrow.
• Kevin Sussman of The Big Bang Theory and Ugly Betty.
• Guillermo Diaz of Weeds and Mercy.
• Sam McMurray of Raising Arizona and The Tracey Ullman Show.

It’s a Wrap
Although being a Friend of Lou makes you a star in our books, what about hanging out with some?

Ten lucky Friends of Lou will get:

• A signed Festival poster by William Mapother.
• A CD from a sonaBLAST! Records artist.
• To be an extra in the film Tan Line. Filming will be in Louisville on the afternoon / evening of June 20.

To enter, sign up 10 Friends of Lou. Tell your Facebook friends. Tweet to your peeps. Make sure you tell them to enter your name in the field “Name of person who sent you.” The 10 winners will be contacted next week with the details. Here’s the link to send these soon-to-be FOLs: http://www.friendoflou.com/become-a-friend.

And may the best Friend of Lou win.

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Time to plan your summer vacation

Aleksander House BandB

Louisville, Kentucky is a great place to stop by on your summer vacation. Or you can just use it as a destination, stay in a beautiful bed and breakfast and travel through the state from there. We have so many different things to do here in the summer, from wonderful outdoor festivals to Bourbon and wine trails to gorgeous state parks to charming little towns and interesting history. For information on what there is to do, you can go to  Louisville Visitor's Center or the Old Louisville Visititor's Center.

Take a tour through streets lined with seven major kinds of architecture and more stained glass than in any other city in the United States. Enjoy our fantastic local restaurants, sample our Bourbon, Derby pie, and Hot Brown sandwiches. Check out Churchill Downs where they hold the Kentucky Derby and take a short trip to Mammoth Cave. There is so much more to do. Come and see for yourself.

Here, at our bed and breakfast, we have several suites which will accommodate families. If you'ld like to get away by yourselves, out guestrooms are spacious and comfortable. Check out our website.



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Abbey Road on the River: Louisville KY: May 26-30, 2011

BEETLE FEST

article by Gary Jacob

When it comes to The Beatles, we are always marking one milestone or another. When you are the most popular artists in the history of the world, people tend to study every day you lived and analyze every word you said. Historians and fans spend years rediscovering your photographs, videos, letters,and postcards.

Yet, there are certain milestones when the entire planet pauses to reflect. Saturday, Oct. 09 marks John Lennon's 70th Birthday, and Dec. 08 marks the 30th time we have to stop and miss him more. This young man, with so many ideas to share, so many faces to photograph, so many songs to sing was left to the ages by a bullet. Frustrating and senseless; we all share an inner pain that never quite goes away. Just Give Me Some Truth.

What is it about these lads that transcends time, crosses generations, and ignites so much universal Love? History simply does not have an art form that parallels this phenomenon. Almost 50 years after the media inserted them in every newspaper and on every radio & tv in every home, they are still on every radio & tv station and in every newspaper, plus now also, on your game device, computer, phone, ipod........and still in every home.

Another milestone, though hardly as significant, is that, Abbey Road On The River is marking its 10th year as the biggest Beatles Music Festival in the world. In 2010 over 40,000 Beatles fans came to Louisville, over Memorial Day weekend and to Washington D.C. over Labor Day weekend to help us celebrate the four lads we all love so much. They arrive with strollers and baby slings and some use walkers or canes, but one way or another, everyone is dancing. They attend from 40 states and 10 countries. When thirteen year old boys dance with their mothers, and dads & daughters and fathers & sons take to the stage to sing and play this amazing music together, you know you are experiencing something very good, very healthy, and very uplifting.

Fans who first attended our event in Cleveland in 2002 alone, now come every year to meet and dance with new best friends they made at AROTR. We have created a family out of our deep love, respect, and affection for John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. We love and honor Yoko, Linda, Olivia, and Barbara. We treat as our family Pete, Julian, Sean, Dhani, Heather, James, Stella, Mary, Beatrice, Zak, Jason, and Lee. And always open our hearts and doors to Cynthia, Patti, and HM too. Equally, we love these amazing bands who travel from all over the world to entertain us and amaze us with their talent and inspiring friendships.

We love them all, the boys and girls from Liverpool; without who, these last 10 years would not be possible.

We invite you to join us as we start our 2nd decade of peace, love, and rock and roll and experience the two summer weekends Beatles fans mark their year by.

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