I hope that everyone has an amazing 4th of July. I just returned for our annual family trip to Montana. Tolan's best friend Nikki and her parents have a ranch there & we had an unbelievable time. We took Miles and his best friend Kyle, and Hayden went on his first airplane ride.
The "Candy Bar Ranch" was filled with things to do including their own carnival with rides, bumper cars, laser tag, and games. There was a huge bocce tournament, a bingo night, and on the 4th of July - Lionel Ritchie performed after dinner, followed by a fireworks show like I have never seen. The boys said that it was their best Fourth of July ever...
The five of us discovered a great hotel in town called The Lodge at Whitefish Lake. If you ever are looking to plan a great family vacation, this is the place to do it. They have family friendly condos right on Whitefish Lake. We rented a boat and I spent hours pulling Miles & Kyle around the lake on an inner tube. The restaurant at the hotel has a great menu with something for everyone. Tolan loved the caesar salad, and it had a really interesting twist - fried capers added on top. The boys sampled everything on the kids menu, and gave it a thumbs up. Local huckleberry's are a delicacy in Montana, so look for them to be added to everything from the morning muffins at the coffee shop to the daiquiris!
Whitefish is a really fun town to visit with interesting shops and other great local restaurants. We love:
The Bulldog - for spicy buffalo style chicken fingers & sweet potato fries
Buffalo's - for some of the best biscuits and gravy
The Boat Club - the scallops, caesar salad, and the virgin Huckleberry Daiquiri's for kids.
Visit the hotel site for more information:
www.lodgeatwhitefishlake.com
We are home enjoying the nice weather in Mill Valley, and I just took the boys to see Ratatouille. We have friends coming in to stay with us this weekend, and we are going to have a ratatouille themed dinner party. In honor of the movie, I am including one of my favorite recipes for ratatouille and including some photos from our recent trip.
- Tyler
THE ULTIMATE RATATOUILLE
Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence
Yield: serves 4-6
1/3 cup plus 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound smallish Italian eggplants, cut into 1-inch cubes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound zucchini, cut crosswise into 1-inch sections
3 anchovy fillets, finely minced
2 onions, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Leaves from 1/2 bunch of fresh basil, coarsely chopped
Leaves from 4 fresh thyme sprigs
2 pints cherry tomatoes
1 dried chile
splash of balsamic vinegar
Line a large platter with paper towels. Heat 1/3 cup olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the eggplant, season generously with salt and pepper, and let that cook down for 10 to 12 minutes, until the eggplant is nice and soft and wilted. Move the eggplant out of the pan and onto the platter to drain. Next stop, zucchini: cook it the same way in ¼ cup oil, then add it to the platter with the eggplant.
Add another 1/4 cup olive oil to the pan, then the anchovies, onions, garlic and herbs. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes, until the onions get nice and caramelized. Add the tomatoes and cook that down for 10 to 12 minutes, until pulpy. Return the eggplant and zucchini to the pan, crack open the chile, and add that, too. Season with salt and pepper and let the ratatouille cook slowly for about 20 minutes, until the mixture is soft, mushy and juicy; you want all the flavors to come together. Stir in the vinegar and let cool to room temperature.
1. Thank you for sharing your talent! I love to learn and watch you. I'm 42 years old, and I'm just starting to really enjoy to cook. I'm always looking for new ideas. And, when I find something I like ... I love to share with family and friends.
Thank you again for your time & your passion!
Patty at 8:50PM on Jul 15th 2007