This years Fall Festival is on October 16-18th, this is one of the best, if not the best festival held in the area. The festival is done each year by Keep Sevier Beautiful as a fundraiser and also as an awareness event for all to work to keep our precious Wears Valley and all areas clean and beautiful. This festival is located right off Wears Valley Road in the field behind the Tennessee State Bank.
There is great food, and tons of handmade crafts to choose from. There are also local vendors in case you are needing local services. As a matter of fact we will be at the festival this year! See you there! Hope to see you there!
1 Comment
We went camping last week and I made one of my favorite 10 minute meals- knock off bang-bang shrimp! I actually used to make the sauce myself but once I tried the boom-boom shrimp sauce from Walmart I don’t even bother doing that anymore! You can find it on the Asian food isle.
For two good adult servings I buy 1lb of any size shrimp. If they aren’t peeled and deveined you’ll have to do that yourself. Next bread them in cornstarch and fry them for a few minutes in vegetable oil until they’re done, that will depend on size you purchase. Drain them a few minutes and them toss them in the boom-boom sauce. Finely chop some iceberg lettuce and pour on top. I give a little extra squeeze of sauce on the lettuce also. Enjoy! This bread is so easy and only has 4 ingredients - takes 10 minutes to put together and then 8 hour or overnight rising time.
If your on vacation this is great because you can put it together before bed and bake it the next day whenever your ready. You will need one tool- a Dutch oven. Ingredients: 6 cups all purpose flour 3-4 tsp Kosher salt 1 tsp active dry yeast 3 cups lukewarm water 1. in a large bowl mix all ingredients until combined. 2. Cover bowl and let it rest at room temperature overnight or at least 8 hours. 3. Preheat oven to 450. Once it’s ready put in large Dutch oven with lid for 30 minutes. while it’s heating take dough out with floured hands and form into a ball and place on parchment paper or aluminum foil. 4. After the 30 minutes are up remove Dutch oven and put the dough inside on the parchment paper or foil. Cover and bake for 30 minutes, after 30 minutes remove lid and bake 10 more minutes. 5. Remove, let cool and slice and enjoy. This came out perfectly when I halved this recipe for just me and my husband. Bread is crusty on the outside and soft on the inside! Next time I am going to experiment by adding fresh rosemary from my herb garden.... There is an awesome local farm in Wears Valley that has u pick strawberries this time of year. It is off of Valley View Road right off of Wears Valley Road and all you need to do is follow the signs. We went recently and they also had fresh broccoli, carrots, onions and kale for sale. You can pick your own strawberries or buy some already picked for you!
We got a little bit of everything and made some delicious fried rice and a fresh strawberry pie. You can find them on Facebook to see what they have available or call them at 865-640-9002. We here at Cabin Keepers give them 5 stars! Want something homemade that’s not too difficult? My Mom’s Sour Creme Coffee Cake with pecans and cinnamon will be a great choice! It is moist, not too sweet and could be served for breakfast, an after dinner desert that’s not too heavy, or meeting with friends for coffee!
Cabin Keepers is always available to make a run to the supermarket before you arrive- and adjust your AC when we drop off your goodies! I love to whip up a quick batch of potato salad for a picnic in the Smoky Mountains, or a quick get together in the cabin with friends.
My recipe is really not a recipe but just a whip together I’ve done through the years. It is mighty tasty and I hope you enjoy it! Remember Cabin Keepers can make a quick trip to the grocery store for your must have items so you don’t have to waste time going once you arrive! Jen’s Quick Potato Salad 3 lb Potatoes- I like russet or small red potatoes 1 cup Hellman’s Mayo 3 boiled eggs 1/2 cup of chopped sweet viadalia onion salt & pepper to taste 3 drained tablespoons of deli relish (see below) 1/4 cup yellow mustard paprika for sprinkling Peel russet potatoes, if using red potatoes don’t bother. Boil potatoes and eggs together to save time- about 10 minutes in take out the eggs and check potatoes to see if they’re tender. If potatoes are done, drain and put in large bowl. Peel the eggs, I never chop my eggs I just squeeze them in my hand to make small pieces and toss them in the bowl. Chop onion in small pieces and add with all remaining ingredients except paprika. Mix and transfer to a pretty bowl and sprinkle with Paprika. serve warm or cold! note: I love this relish and use it almost exclusively. The springtime brings blooming wildflowers, Dogwoods, and fresh green leaves on all the varieties of trees. It’s a wonderful time of year to spend some relaxing time in your home in the mountains. Late spring is a fantastic time for seeing Mama and baby bears in Cade’s Cove. Early morning and late afternoon are the best.
Spring is also the time to keep a handle on those carpenter bees. These pests were a new one for us as we never saw many of these in Florida. But the damage that they bring when the woodpeckers start looking for their larva is incredible. After the first few years of trying bee traps and fixing damaged wood we called in Kirklands Pest Control in Sevierville to spray. They make three visits once the bees start showing up and honestly that has solved our problem. Kirklands can be reached at 865-366-3553. I have always been pleased with their service. Once we had a bear break into our hot tub and the serviceman saved it by turning it off after he found water shooting out when he was doing a termite inspection. Fantastic folks. ‘Don’t forget Cabin Keepers can meet any repairman or service people at your home whenever needed. Tips for making your cabin comfortable for friends and family to enjoy!There are many easy things that make your cabin a more comfortable place for your friends and family while they are visiting, both when you are there or they are visiting alone.
1. Get a small chalkboard or cute framed printable with your WIFI password and keep it on the counter in the kitchen or guest room. 2. Keep an ongoing printed personalized list of your favorite restaurants and activities that you want to share. I would keep this on the counter when I left along with an area map and any discount coupons that I might have picked up while I was out. If someone was coming for a birthday or anniversary I would purchase a gift card for my favorite spot, like Elvira’s in Wears Valley, and leave it out for them also. A copy of the free Smoky Mountain Park newsletter with the hiking maps and ongoing activities is a great information resource also as a lot of people are not familiar with the area. 3. Having some items stocked in the refrigerator is a nice treat. Coffee creme, eggs and bacon, some nice cheese and fresh crusty bread with a bottle of wine and fresh flowers make your loved ones feel super special. (This goes for your stay too!) Cabin Keepers can do a quick shopping trip to have everything ready for you or your guests. Who wants to go to the grocery store right when they arrive? 4. Invest in a nice foldable luggage rack for the guest bedroom closet. I got one for about 50.00 on Amazon, they are something we don’t always think about for our cabin but guests certainly appreciate having one available in their closet. 5. Make sure their is a nice bench or seat in the guest room. Something that we all need available for putting on our shoes, etc. 6. Buy a couple of fluffy white robes and keep them hanging in the guest closet, we all love a fresh yummy robe after a hot shower! Most guests don’t bring something like this along but love having one to lounge in while having coffee by the fireplace. After they leave Cabin Keepers can launder these along with the sheets for everything to be tidy and ready for the next stay. 7. Keep a cute large clear jar full of minis of shampoo, lotion, makeup wipes, etc. I would collect these from my hotel stays. I would also keep a few new inexpensive toothbrushes and mini toothpaste tubes for anyone who might have forgot to pack theirs. 8. Keep a friends and family guest book in your cabin. I always enjoyed reading about the fun things that happened when my friends or family visited. You would be amazed at the things they saw or did that you never knew about- bear sightings on your property for example! (True!) 9. Keep a list of local emergency # in the kitchen posted-emergency clinic, emergency vet, local hospital, best close pharmacy, these are great to have handy both for your guests and yourself. 10. Always encourage your guests to let you know if they have any problems with the cabin when they stay. We always told folks that things break, toilets may clog, we know things happen -just let us know so we can get it looked at. Cabin Keepers can run over in an emergency or take a look at any issues after your guest leave. Remember that Cabin Keepers can make a run over to your home when your guests leave to remove any garbage, check that all doors and windows are secured, and throw that load of sheets in the wash and remake the beds for you, as well as make a quick wipe down of the counters and run the vacuum. When you come back to your cabin you won’t have any chores to do or stinky forgotten garbage! |
Archives
September 2020
Categories |