Wenatchee Wineries - 2013

Great Friends * Delicious Wine *Beautiful Scenery

That sums up our summer of 2013  winery tour vacation!  Nothing is better than relaxing with friends, sipping wine and looking out at beautiful scenery surrounded by the sounds of birds and the smells of blossoms in the air.

If you've been to Wenatchee you know there are a lot of wineries in the area!!  However, many of them are indoor tasting rooms without views, some are in industrial areas or in warehouses, as we discovered last year.  This year we knew we wanted to just sit back, relax outdoors with our friends in a "winery" sitting, while being able to bring our own cheese, meats and chocolates and stay for awhile.  Below are three of our favorite wineries that are worth a visit.

Silvara Vineyard

This one is my favorite, and the first winery we go to every year.  Sitting on a hill top looking over the Wenatchee River and the valley beyond. The view here is the best!  A beautiful lodge-style tasting room - with plenty of room to cozy up to the fireplace in the cooler months.  Or sit outdoors under a shady umbrella and enjoy the view. 

Silvara Winery - Leavenworth, WA

Enjoying the view at Silvara Winery

Silvara Winery - Lodge Style Tasting Room

Silvara Winery is located at 77 Stage Road in Leavenworth.  Visit their website for hours, details and view their photo gallery.

Icicle Ridge Winery

Off the beaten path and along the Wenatchee River you'll find Icicle Ridge Winery, a log-cabin style tasting room with great views of the pear orchard and a large pond.  This is one of our stops every year for its relaxing atmosphere and laid back country feel.  

Icicle Ridge Winery - Peshastin, WA

Log Cabin Style Tasting Room

Icicle Ridge is located at 8977 North Road in Peshastin.  Visit their website for more information, photos and more.

Saint Laurent Winery

This is a must go to winery in Malaga, just outside of Wenatchee.  Excellent wine, large grape vineyard, ponds and they have games to play on the lawn!!  

It is with a sad heart I tell you the owners are closing this winery on September 1, 2013.  I understand they sold the name to a business in Seattle, it is my hope they will re-open this tasting room, so keep checking back at their website - or here, if I hear anything I will update this post!! 

Saint Laurent Winery - Malaga, WA

Tasting Room - Lawn for games!

BEST WINE

Beautiful Grounds at Saint Laurent Winery

Ponds

Saint Laurent is currently located at 4147 Hamlin Road in Malaga.  Keep checking their website for more information regarding their pending retirement. 

Do you have a favorite winery in the Wenatchee area?  Comment & share!!  Hope you enjoy your next Wenatchee Winery Tour!! 

Healthy Popsicles - Sugar, Dairy and Dye Free

We have been looking EVERYWHERE for a completely healthy Popsicle with out fake sugar, refined sugar, dairy, preservatives and dyes. I have to tell you, they DON'T exist, commercially anyway.

 I bought the healthiest all fruit (strawberry) Popsicle that I could find in the Health section of Fred Meyer.  I then let my boy only eat only 1/2 at a time, which is not satisfying at all - poor little guy.  The problem is they were not a "perfect" solution so then I bought this handy little Popsicle mold at my local Fred Meyer store.  I decided I would chop up one of the Strawberry Popsicle and divide it among the four molds adding home made lemon aid over the top, below is the result.

Strawberry - Lemon Aid Popsicle

1 Box of Healthy Choice All Fruit Popsicle

2 lemons (squeezed)

2 cups filtered water

1 scoop pure Stevia

Chop up one All Fruit Popsicle, place the pieces in Popsicle mold.  

Mix together lemon juice, water and stevia. -taste and adjust

according to your personal preferences- 

Pour this mixture over the chopped fruit Popsicle.  

Freeze.  Enjoy.

As an alternative to purchasing All Fruit Popsicle, 

the next time I made these I chopped up frozen strawberry's

and then followed the same instructions.

Someone in my car group told me I could add yogurt for an even different flavor - and look!!  I have such smart friends :).  I have tried this style with both goat yogurt and coconut yogurt.   

Fresh Fruit and Yogurt Popsicle

Goat yogurt (or coconut yogurt)

**Fresh Blackberry's (or other fresh fruit)

1 scoop Stevia

In a blender, mix together your fresh fruit, 

Stevia and about 1/4 cup of your choice yogurt.

Place a spoon full of Yogurt into each

Popsicle mold, then pour a small amount of

blended fruit, alternate those two ingredients until

the molds are full.  Freeze.  Enjoy.

Thanks for joining us.  Please send me your home made, healthy Popsicle recipes!!

**I realized today, this photo and recipe was with Blackberry's not strawberry's although any fresh fruit will work.

Jalapeno Mayonnaise

Char's Jalapeno Mayo

 Jalapeno Mayo

1 cup mayonnaise

2 jalapenos (seeded)

1/2 bunch cilantro

Juice from a slice of lime

2 teaspoons Agave (honey or rice syrup will work also)

1 tbls mixture of cumin, chili powder and oregano

dash of salt

I  put everything in the blender and blend till smooth (mixture will be green and slightly runny.)  This is great on sandwiches, scrambled eggs or as a dip.  If you make this, please share what you like it on!!

Enjoy!!

Gluten Free All Purpose Flour Mix - the secrets

Charlotte & Kyle, 2012 Crystal Lodge -  Mt. Rainer

When we first found out that my son and I could not eat Wheat or Gluten (honestly at first I wondered how we would live)  I thought all I had to do was convert my favorite recipes by simply exchanging wheat flour for rice flour, boy was I wrong!!  You cannot simply take your favorite bread recipe and exchange gluten free flour for regular white flour.  Gluten is exactly what is "sounds" like...GLUE.  Without it bread turns out like crackers.  With the price of gluten free mixes, its not cheap to make mistakes and toss it in the garbage.

So I turned to the internet for gluten free recipes.  That wasn't much better, considering some people like to publish without TASTING!!   Oh, I better insert here that we are not just gluten free, we are also dairy, soy, and sugar free!!  Which adds more failure to our list!!

I couldn't just give up, after all I have to feed my family.  Not just "feed" them bland food, but offer food that is beautiful to look at and taste equally delicious.  Foods that we miss like pizza, cookies, cake, etc..

Solved!!  I am going to share with you the flour combination that will produce perfect, delicious breads. 

• 6 cups rice flour (white is good, brown is healthier)
• 3 cups tapioca flour
• 1 1/2 cups potato starch
• 1 tbl salt
• 2 tbl xanthum gum

Whisk all ingredients together, transfer to an airtight storage container.  This is my alternative "All Purpose Flour" and is used anytime I upload a recipe that calls for Chars flour mix.


NOTE:  I  know some of you cant have Tapioca and Potato flour/starch so here is an alternative mixture.  BTW, if I know YOU  are coming over I will replace the above combination with the below combo instead :)

• 2 cups arrowroot powder
• 1 cup millet flour
• 1/2 cup brown rice flour
• 1/2 cup corn starch
• 4 tsp xanthan gum

ENJOY!!

Dont Perch On My Birdhouse!

The Nesting Box - Charlotte Sherman

I've been making birdhouses for over 18 years, I've taken many Ornithology classes over the years and have participated in The Cornell Lab of Ornithology's "Project Feeder Watch."

One of the very first lessons I learned is NEVER put a perch on a birdhouse!!  Only predator birds use the perch.... WARNING:  The following paragraph contains graphic information:

           They steal and eat the eggs, or they steal the babies, carry 
           them to a puddle and drown and eat them.

 So next point is to consider the entrance hole size.  Most native song birds use a 1-1/2" diameter opening and it keeps out more aggressive non-native birds like house sparrows and starlings. Some birds can use an even smaller opening. It's good to know which species you want to attract, then research the minimum opening size the species requires.

Birds need a certain amount of floor space inside the house so the hatchlings have room to grow. For smaller songbirds like wrens, chickadees, titmice and nuthatches, 4" x 4" is usually fine. Larger birds need more floor space. The height of the entrance is also important, it should be between 4 and 5 inches.  

Each house should be checked for ventilation, proper drainage, the use of non-toxic materials and be able to open them for once a year cleaning. 

One year I was doing an Art Show in Arizona, another vendor was there selling birdhouses, she had perches, no way to clean them out AND she thought it was "cute" to paint the inside!!!  As people stopped and asked me why mine didn't have perches - I had a huge crowd around me - I noticed several people checking their bags and returning birdhouses to the other vendor....I however, sold out all my inventory. 

Log Cabin Birdhouse

Today the only birdhouses that I continue to make are the cabin style’s. I make them to be used outdoors, however almost everyone displays them in their home.  They are ventilated, and have removable screws either on the side or bottom for easy clean out.

• Log Cabin, approx 9x9, $ 165.00 plus shipping/handling
• Rock Cabin, approx 9x9, $165.00 plus shipping/handling
• Lighthouse, approx 7x18, $145 plus shipping/handling
• Shingle Cabin, approx 7x9,$105.00 plus shipping/handling

Rock Cabin - Birdhouse

Shingle Cabin - Birdhouse

Charlotte & Stew Sherman - Thanks for visiting my page today

Apple Pie - or is it?

The other day my son told me he wanted Apple Pie.  It was such a sad moment because  I feel so badly that there are so many foods he cant have and apples are one of them.  In that moment of looking into his big eyes I said "ok, I'll make you an apple pie" ---WHAT!!??  How was I going to do that?

Years ago I remembered a friend of mine (Lori Standifird) had made a mock apple pie from zucchini, at the time I wondered why would anyone do that.  So I went to work, I found my favorite apple pie recipe and made some adjustments to it.  The following recipe is gluten, wheat, sugar and apple free.

Kyle's Mock Apple Pie

1 box Gluten Free Pantry - perfect pie crust

5 zucchini's (less if they are big)

2 tbls lemon juice

1 pinch salt

1 1/4 cups Coconut Secret Crystals (brown sugar replacement)

2 tsp cinnamon 

1 1/2 tsp cream of tartar

1 pinch Stevia

1 pinch nutmeg

3 tbls all-purpose glueten free flour

coconut oil (for dots of butter replacement)

First follow the manufactures instructions to make 2 pie crusts, put in the frig as you prepare the rest of this recipe.

Peel the zucchini, cut into quarters lenghwise, then remove the seeds (I used a grapefruit spoon to remove the seeds), then cut into bite size "apple" looking pieces.  Toss them with the lemon juice and salt.  Next you'll saute them in a frying pan till tender-crisp.

In a seperate bowl, mix together the coconut crystals, cinnamon, cream of tartar, nutmeg and flour.  Add this mixture to the cooked zucchini and mix well.  It will be a little runny at this point, but its ok.

Prepare your 9inch pie crust and add the zucchini mixture.  Dot with coconut oil and place the upper crust on top - I dont like that much crust, so I "dot" the top of my pie with crust.  

Bake at 400 degrees F for 40 minutes or until it appears to be golden brown.

Kyle's Mock Apple Pie - 6/5/13

While it was cooking my whole house smelled just like apple pie!!  I placed the cooked pie on a wire rack and allowed it to cool slightly.  Once it cooled for five minutes I took a small bite....OMG its DELISH!!!  Lets see what Kyle thinks after school.....

Approved!!

Kyle gave it the thumbs up!!  Shhhhh, no one tell  him its not REAL apples!  After my husband had been home for a few minutes, he noticed the pie on the counter and sliced himself up a piece.  I told him it was a new recipe and I asked if he liked it.  He said he "likes my other recipe better, but this one is pretty good."  About a half hour later I told him the little secret, he didn't believe me!!

IDEA:  Top warm pie with Rice Cream (Ice Cream replacement) and its a complete treat!  

Enjoy

Twin Falls Hike

Looking for a day hike?  Twin Falls

South Fork Snoqualime River

Seattle area is expected to be 68 and sunny this weekend, if you are looking for a cool get away, take a look at Twin Falls.

You start off along the South Fork of the Snoqualime river on a wide path, the trail passes through moss-laden forest along the shores of the river for about a mile.  This part of the hike is very easy and has plenty of places to stop, take pictures, let the dog run or the children explore!

Trail starts off wide and easy

At about a mile the trail leaves the shores of the river and you begin to climb up hill.  There are a few switchbacks, as we walked along this on Saturday my husband and I both thought it has the look and feel of walking in the Olympic Peninsula rain forest, with absolutely stunning old growth trees, boulders and lush forest growth.

It was lightly raining, humid and muddy

You finally reach the (first) top of the hill where there are two big benches to rest and get a glimpse at the 150-foot lower fall.  From here you experience very narrow trails and steep switchbacks as you ascend and descend.

Overlook of the lower falls, 150-foot waterfall

Eventually you come to a wooden staircase to your right, this leads to an overlook of the lower falls.  After you climb back out of there you'll continue for another 1/2 mile or so to the bridge where you can now see the upper fall on your left and on your right you will see the water just before it plummets down the lower fall.  You can continue on to the end of the trail for other vantage points of the upper falls.

Upper Fall - view from bridge

Things you need to know:

• Bring your camera, its beautiful
• You need a Discover Pass (or you can purchase a day pass at the trail head)
• The hike is 3 miles round trip
• This hike is open year around
• Dogs on a leash (scoop poop)
• Kid friendly - we saw ALL ages on this hike

rain, humidity and hair...not a good mix - for me!  Look at him, he looks GREAT!!

 While you are so close, get a coffee at the Snoqualime Falls gift shop!!

Snoqualime Falls

Glass Etching - by Charlotte Sherman

flower & swallow framed mirror and hummingbird

This is my favorite medium!!

Glass is so versatile…..ya, really. You can single layer etch it, or multi layer carve into it. You can paint it to look like stained glass, paint with oil, or paint with ink, all have a very different effect.
You can add gold leafing and jewels for a sophisticated antique-style look. And, my newest addition, you can chip it —- NO, I don't mean “chip” like break it, I mean glue chipping, it has the look of random fern-like designs so it is great for privacy windows. Then you can combine all or some of these to make an even more attractive, stunning piece of art.

I mostly use a diamond hand tool for all the etching I do, however for large designs a sand blaster helps save my hand. I DO NOT use store bought stencils, which means I draw my own designs then cut my own stencil, if needed.

I also don't use chemicals or lasers, everything I do is by hand!! So no two are exactly alike.
Usually I will have hummingbird or flower designs framed and ready to ship so check with me, otherwise I prefer custom orders. I have etched lettering and logos for store fronts, bars and restaurants and of course for homes.

framed mirror etching

Need ideas on what needs to be etched in your home? ok….your bathroom mirror, shower door, bath window, kitchen window, kitchen cabinet doors, your favorite party dish, your entryway, outdoor address plaque, rear window of your vehicle, wall hat rack, sky lights…. oh, ANY GLASS SURFACE anywhere at your home or office. Well technically I can also “etch” on rock, tile, and wood. So that makes an endless list of items!!

I can also copy and replace your broken antique heirloom glass. Many Victorian home owners have real antique glass etched doors. All it takes is a strong wind or simply shutting too hard to crack and break these. What I can do is create a drawing of the design and transfer it to a new piece of tempered glass that you can have installed into the door frame.

No job is too small or large, so ask.

Thanks,
Charlotte
 

11x14 frame Etched over dark matting, opening fits 5x7 photo

 11x14 framed Etched over dark matting, opening fits 5x7 photo - this one does not have the matting behind it

Custom etch on mirror cabinet

Pineapple Salsa

One of my favorite foods is traditional spicy salsa!

However, I've been told for years that I should not eat tomatoes - there are many reasons, ranging from the fact that they absorb lead and other toxins in our environment, to the fact that I have an intolerance to them - but only recently I stopped eating them.

In my search to find a replacement, I've tried Mango and Peach salsas - neither one tasted that great to me.  So then I turned to a fresh salsa with green chiles, jalapenos, onion and cilantro, often adding avocado.  This is a very good alternative, especially with chips, yum!

Today I want to share one of my new favorite salsas with you, Pineapple Salsa!

Ingredients:

• 1 pineapple
• 1/2 small purple onion
• 3 cloves of garlic
• Jalapeno -  mild = 1/2; medium = 1 - 1 1/2;  hot = 2 or more
• 1 bunch cilantro
• Dash of Salt

I actually buy a whole pineapple already sliced from the produce department, then chop it into bite size pieces.  I cut the cilantro next and add it on top of the pineapple.  All the rest gets diced into small bites and mixed in with together, salt is added on top and mixed again.

This salsa is great with grilled chicken soft tacos, on Mexican scrambled eggs or ..... experiment :)

Enjoy!!

Vintage Blue Bird Earrings

My favorite design 

This is from a vintage series of cards from the Victorian Era.  They have a blue hue swallow with red & pink roses around its neck.  Blue has never been on of my favorite colors, but this design is so lovely, if you like the Victorian look and they look amazingly nice with blue jeans.

All earrings are $30 plus shipping and handling

most orders can be shipped in 7 days.

charswildart@usa.com

Indicate if you want clear, blue or custom color glass beads

Sterling Silver wire

Matching Necklace Available also

• Choker: 14-16 inches $30
• Princess: 17-19 inches $35
• Matinee: 20-24 inches $40
• Charm only: $20

Lake Martha Retreat

     My husband and I had been talking about getting away for the weekend for a couple weeks.  Considering how unpredictable the weather is in April, we have a hard time deciding where to go.  I searched craigslist everyday for a week and found tons of great places and awesome deals, in fact I found too many!  I couldn't decide which place so I turned over the decision to my husband.

     We knew we wanted a place that was no more than an hour from our house, water front and a HOT TUB!!  If your not familiar with our area, an hour radius from here gives us a anywhere from the Pacific Ocean beaches, Mt. Rainer to more of a drier climate of Eastern Washington.

     Stew ended up deciding on a lake front rental house just outside of Marysville where we could also enjoy the beaches of Puget Sound.

Picture Gallery

view from the house

to the left - hot tub

Entry looking toward the garage and main road

Kyle, from upper deck looking down

from the dock looking at the house

My boys on the lake

Up stairs sitting room, fire place

Kyle

The boats

Our family

Puget Sound, just 5 minutes from rental house

Puget Sound near Marysville

Lots of driftwood

Beach

Beach, tide is coming in

The beach is on a cliff, it is always falling down

Huge tree

      Stew grew up around this area so he knew the beach to take us to that would not have many people at it - walking along this stretch of beach was my favorite part of the trip!  We even ran into old friends of his at the local grocery store.  THANKS HONEY for a great vacation!!

     If you are interested in renting this house, here is the link to their website.  Their ad says it sleeps 6, that is true, however there is only 1 bathroom that is next to the bedroom upstairs.  I'm mentioning that because I would not want to "share" that bathroom, its not very private feeling, there is a second door that does not close all the way.  I suggest just a couple, with or without their children, stay here.  

     The other issue is the hot tub.  They must have a maximum temperature set to 104, because it never got "hot" just warm like a bath, kinda disappointing especially considering the weather was a little chilly and their ad specifically said "enjoy the Hot Tub that is nice and Hot!" (#fail) 

     This home is very clean, cozy and beautiful.  We enjoyed seeing deer and eagles, beautiful scenic drive and a quiet, relaxing vacation.  We enjoyed our stay and hope to return.

craigslist ad - helps to find it

 Treat yourself to a relaxing getaway to unwind and enjoy the Hot Tub that is nice and Hot!
Private full waterfront home with a New Hot Tub. The fishing, and waterfront views from this home are worth a stay. This cozy getaway is close in with a beautiful scenic drive and is located on one of the most peaceful and quiet lakes in this area. Here on Lake Martha, you will give yourself that much needed quiet time, read a book, or watch a movie.
Super clean, and quiet lakefront home, and there is NO JET SKIING, OR WATER SKIING on this beautiful lake, Electric motors only... If your up for just unwinding after a long drive, sit on the deck and watch the Eagles fish right off the Lake, and cozy up to the nice wood burning fireplace. In warmer months, swimming is great!
We so enjoy this lake for being a safe and fun place to be out on the water with the kids and NO worries of Jet Skis or Fast Motor Boats wizzing by! Go out on a relaxing paddle boat tour of the lake, or a row boat is available for anyone who wants a little cardio workout!
View from just about every room in the house. Build a fire on the beach or you can fish right off the dock and there is YEAR ROUND FISHING!
Neighbors appreciate quiet after 10:00 P.M. > R.V. PARKING is available in gravel parking area > NO R.V. Hook-ups available. R.V. Parking Space is 43 ft. L Ã--Ã--13 13ft. 9 in. Wide.