Forget about the Bridges of Madison County, the longest covered bridge in the United States is nearby in Nevada County.  This weekend my BFF and I took a day to go shopping in Nevada City and then headed to check out the covered bridge on a beautiful fall day. 



The Bridgeport bridge is located at South Yuba River State Park, a few miles off of Highway 20.  You can either go to Lincoln and take Highway toward Grass Valley or go to Grass Valley and head back toward Lincoln.  The park is closer to Grass Valley - 16 miles away.




In the 1860’s this bridge was constantly abustle day and night, with passenger and commercial traffic beating a path to the silver mines of Virginia City via the Henness Pass. Today at 229 feet, David Wood’s bridge is the longest single-span wooden covered bridge still in existence in the United States.

The bridge is in need of restoration funds and it's definitely a historical building worth saving.  Consider donating to the cause. 


This barn stored the horses and equipment along the Virginia Turnpike. "The Virginia Turnpike was a crucial link between the port in Marysville and the Henness Pass, which was passable more months per year due to its relatively low altitude."


If you are looking for a nice day trip to do with a bit of hiking or picnicking thrown in, then take a drive up to South Yuba River State Park








If I was stranded on a desert island and only given one type of food I could eat for the rest of my life, it would be Thai food. I love the flavors of the spices and fresh ingredients such as lemon grass, lime, peppers, and coconut milk. 

This is actually one of my go-to dishes that I can easily whip up when I'm too lazy to think of anything else to cook. I make sure to always have a can of coconut milk in the pantry.  The flavors of this are Thai, but putting potatoes and carrots into it is rather Western. 

Still, it's a hearty meal. One that is perfect as we start moving toward winter. It also seemed a good choice for me to use Tasteful Selections ruby red potatoes. They are the perfect size for this stew versus my usual method of chunking out a large potato.

Tasteful Selections supports a great charity, Katie's KropsKatie's Krops was started by a 9-year old Katie Stagliano (she's now 16). The mission of Katie's Krops is to start and maintain vegetable gardens of all sizes and donate the harvest to help feed people in need, as well as to assist and inspire others to do the same. Once a year, Katie's Krops hosts an annual grant cycle where youths, ages 9 to 16, apply to receive funding to start a Katie's Krops vegetable garden in their community.

 

From now through January, when you buy a specially marked package of Tasteful Selections potatoes, a portion of the profits will go to the non-profit to help maintain current 
Katie's Krops grantees and gardens and provide funding for a new grant cycle.

Tasteful Selections  potatoes can be found at Whole Foods, Nugget, Raley's, and Bel Air markets.

Thai Beef Stew

1/2 T vegetable oil
2-3 T Thai red curry paste
1 1/2 lbs of beef, in 1/2 inch cubes
2 cans of coconut milk
2 T fish sauce
2 T brown sugar
6 oz of pearl onions, peeled (peeling instructions)
1/2 package of Tasteful Selections Ruby Sensations Potatoes, cut in half
1 large carrot, sliced 1/4 inch slices

In a large saucepan, heat up vegetable oil on medium high heat.  Add curry paste and let sizzle for about a minute. Add beef. Stir and cook until beef is seared on all sides.

Pour in coconut milk, fish sauce, and brown sugar. Stir to blend. Add onions, potatoes, and carrots. Turn heat down to simmer and let cook for 20 minutes until vegetables are tender.  Serve.



Disclosure: Tasteful Selections sent me the potatoes and is paying for the recipe submissions. 

Here's a quick and easy recipe for those Sriracha lovers out there.  What I love about this recipe is that the Sriracha gets into all the crevices of the corn. Soooo good.

Sriracha Corn on the Cob

2 pieces, corn on the cob, shucked
1/2 cup of Sriracha
1/2 tablespoon of butter
Parmesan cheese (or your favorite cheese), shredded

Fill and preheat the SousVide Supreme water oven to 182F/83.5C

Take each corn cob and use a basting brush to coat the corn all over with Sriracha sauce.

Place coated cobs into a vacuum seal bag with the butter.  Vacuum and seal.

Submerge in the water bath and cook for 30-45 minutes.  Carefully remove from the water bath and remove the cobs from the bag.  Sprinkle the hot cobs with cheese. Serve hot. 

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From SousVide Supreme:
  • (1) SousVide Supreme Water Oven
  • (1) SousVide Supreme VS3000 Sealer (includes 12 pouches)
  • (4) boxes sous vide cooking pouches (100 pouches)
  • (1) box of two sous vide cooking pouch rolls (approx 40 - 60 pouches)
  • (2) sous vide cookbooks
    • Sous Vide for the Home Cook 
    • Sous Vide : The Cookbook
From Lone Mountain Wagyu:
  • (2) 100% Wagyu beef filet mignon steaks
  • (2) 100% Wagyu ribeye steaks
  • (2) pounds 100% Wagyu ground beef
  • (3) pounds 100% Wagyu brisket flat
  • (1) 100% Wagyu chuck roast
From Gunter Wilhelm Cutlery:
  • (6) steak knives
  • (1) Butcher's cleaver
  • (1) 7-inch Santuko knife

Disclosure: I was given a SousVide Supreme Demi and vacuum sealer in exchange for recipe development.