Pumpkins & Gourds. It’s Fall Y’ALL and an Au Gratin Recipe

It’s Fall and absolutely gorgeous in the Napa Valley. My husband Ken and I have spent the last couple of weekends up in St. Helena and Calistoga with friends. We only take day trips to avoid the expense of staying the night. Since Ken doesn’t drink, he can drive us safely home the same day. We love the wine country this time of year.

October has been crazy busy getting the garden in shape for the winter. The chickens are always needing a new kind of medicine or something in addition to the normal feed they get. Mabel, one of my original chickens, hasn’t been well for five months, and it’s concerning. We’ve tried all the remedies that have been suggested by my chicken experts, but none of these has brought her back to laying eggs again, The last time I brought a sick chicken to the avian hospital, it cost me over $400.00, two long car drives to Oakley and she still had to be put down. That wasn’t a fun experience because the vet technician wasn’t able to do the deed, and neither was her coworker. I finally had to leave the building, and let them figure it out without me. I’m pretty sure, most farmers cull their own sick chickens, but neither Ken nor I could manage that.

So taking a day trip to Napa is just what we needed to relax. 

Great day for a hike at Bothe Napa State Park with friends

Our friends Marie and Ron joined us last month for a fun filled day of experiencing what St Helena offers. We started out having a bite at Stanly Ranch. If you haven’t been there yet, you must go. The fairly new property is stunning with beds of Fall vegetables, fields of just trimmed lavender, a spa, a coffee house with various special pastries and desserts, and of course the restaurant “Bear” where they serve breakfast, lunch or dinner. Angele the bartender is usually greeting us as we take a seat at her counter. She makes the best palomino gin cocktails, and will make sure you are taken care of. Ken and I shared the burger and a salad instead of the French Fries. Marie and Ron enjoyed their meals as well and we were off to our next destination. I can’t forget to mention they had a pumpkin decorating class in session by the new chicken coop. How fun!

Ken and I love to hike and so do our friends, so we drove to Bothe State Park in St Helena. There is a $10.00 entrance fee to park and two fairly easy walking paths along a creek. I’ve gone there after the rains this time of year and seen tiny frogs crossing the path which is a thrill for me. It’s beautiful there and especially nice to be outside this time of year. 

Me, my husband Ken, and friends Marie and Ron at Bear Restaurant Stanly Ranch Napa Valley

Close by a little further North is Brasswood Bar & Kitchen. Marie had been there before and was familiar with this wonderful place. I love that they have a bakery on site, a very nice wine cellar, delicious red wines, a women’s boutique and restaurant. I find sitting at the bar exhilarating being able to watch the bartenders in action twisting oranges, making shrubs with herbs and adding teeny tiny pansies to their drinks. 

Brasswood’s Chocolate mousse cake for Marie’s birthday

We shared a couple of appetizers and were swayed into ordering their house made mozzarella and heirloom tomato salad. Ron devoured his soup, and the kitchen prepared two beautiful desserts (a butterscotch panna cotta with creme fraiche and a rosemary hazelnut cookie, and a dome of chocolate mousse) to celebrate my girlfriend’s birthday. The presentation was spectacular and service was outstanding. I love sharing moments like these and making the day extra special.

Butterscotch Panna Cotta served at Brasswood Bar and Kitchen in St Helena

The Acacia House was next on the agenda, although rarely do I have an agenda. I just keep tabs on my guests and think of where they might enjoy going next. When we arrived, we stepped up to the quaint restored Georgian Farmhouse front porch and walked in. It was a perfect time to drop in since it was in between lunch and dinner time, so there wasn’t a need for a reservation. The three of us had a splash or two of wine and an appetizer or two. Their food is outstanding here and they are generous about giving us an “extra” item from the menu for free, since I’m a food blogger.  We then walked the property exploring what the grounds had to offer. The open outdoor cabana is officially open. This is a fun new addition to the already gorgeous property.

Last but not least, we ventured into a Michelin rated Philip Tessier’s Press Restaurant. I’d never eaten here before and was excited to try it. We didn’t have reservations so we walked up and took seats at the bar. I brought a nice bottle of cabernet from home and they were able to pour it for us for $40.00. Already I felt a little taken back by the cost of opening a bottle of wine, but I didn’t care. It’s still the more economical way of drinking wine at a fancy restaurant. What we didn’t appreciate was being given two menus. One was an autumn tasting menu for $175.00 where the chef chooses the menu for the day. The other menu had a four course menu which you could choose from for each of the courses. This would cost $150.00 per person. Since we had been eating and drinking all day, we weren’t especially hungry. And it was rude of the bartender to not give us an additional option for over 20 minutes. None of us wanted an explosion of food. Eventually, Ken asked if we had any other options to order from a la cart. Each of us picked one item to share between us. It was perfect. I had the matsutake mushroom dish. The mushrooms were raw which was a little off putting, but the broth was fantastic. We also tasted the melon dish since pistachio sounded yummy with it. But this dish  was underwhelming. It’s extra fancy food that is served in a special way. It’s just not that good and I don’t think I will be dining with them again. I know we are in the Napa Valley, but we weren’t expecting the food to be so bougie. 

My beautiful friend Marie and her husband Ron in front of sunflowers in the town of Yountville, California

Overall, I’m overjoyed that my friends Marie and Ron made  time to spend the day with us. We are all about making memories and having experiences when celebrating a birthday. Here’s another blog with photos from Marie and Ron’s son’s wedding and a cake recipe.

Thanks for joining me today and reading my blog. I hope I’ve inspired you to try a new restaurant or take a hike in Napa. Comment below if you have any questions  or want to share where you like to go when in the wine country.

Here is a yummy potato recipe that you must try. I sometimes substitute chicken, vegetable or beef broth for the heavy cream. It’s good either way. I love making these cheesy casserole dishes when I entertain a lot of people. You can dress it up by sprinkling with chopped garlic chives from the garden.

POTATO ONION AU GRATIN

• 6 -10 medium Yukon gold potatoes, sliced thin
• 1/2 large Sweet Onion sliced thin 
• ½ pound Gruyere cheese, grated
• 1 1/2 Cups whipping cream
• 3/4 Cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• 1 tsp Kosher Salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. In a 13X9 baking dish, spray with Pam. Layer the sliced potatoes, onion and Gruyere cheese.  Top with Parmesan cheese and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Carefully add whipping cream around the sides.  

Bake at 400 degrees F. covered with foil for 30 minutes.  Then bake 30 minutes more uncovered.  Serve warm.

Teri