2016 Brothers Reunion - Tuesday and Wednesday

Tuesday morning we spent some time on the back deck over a cool cup of coffee.  It was getting nippy in the mornings.  We all took our time and got cleaned up before we left for some time in the interesting town of Murphys, about 20 minutes down the road.

We wandered through shops for a while and noticed how different it was on a Tuesday morning after the 4th of July.  The town was slowly coming to life and shops were opening up just after 10 AM.

 Along one of the stores in Murphys we saw an interesting historical display for the fraternal order: E Clampus Vitus.  It's a tongue in cheek society dedicated to storytelling and the preservation of the American West -- particularly the Mother Lode gold country in the Sierras.

There are some interesting personalities noted on the wall plaques.

After wandering around a bit, we walked across the street to our reservation for brunch at the Old Murphys Hotel.  We were able to get a table outside and it was a beautiful day.

Upstairs inside the old hotel, they are renovating a ballroom with new floors.

Down the halls, the rooms indicate where famous visitors stayed over the years.

After lunch we drove a couple of miles to the edge of town to get a tour of the Mercer Caverns.  Very interesting tour 16 stories below ground.

It was a bit crowded because they overbooked some folks for our 2:00 tour.  But we all managed to safely get down the cave and see the sights.

Its hard to imagine this was discovered using candle light.

It was truly amazing.

After our tour, we all went back to the cabin for some more eating and hanging out.

It was another great day together!

Thanks for joining us on the Roadrunner Chronicles!

Elena's Rabbit Dinner

Last weekend we were up in the Sierra's at Marty's cabin and his wife cooked a rabbit dinner.  Have you ever eaten rabbit?  I don't think I have.

I didn't realize it but, rabbit is fairly common and it is also a white meat.  I figured it might taste like a gamey chicken, but…

She could have made this all in one day but did it in two.  She got the meat from a favorite meat market and had to order it.  First, she browned the meat in olive oil and made sure it was all cooked.  Then she put it is a big pot and let it set overnight.

The next day, she separated portions into two pots, added chopped tomatoes, black olives and chicken broth.
I didn't get a picture, but she also cooked some polenta while the rabbit was warming up. Polenta is a form of corn meal, not unlike grits, although this dish had a darker yellow color and was a little coarser grain.

Next she added mushrooms and more broth and let it simmer for a while.

Then she served it on a bed of polenta and it was outstanding.  Chef Elena did it again.  It was a common dish for her while growing up in the Napa Valley and we got to experience the Italian way.

(If you look real close, you can see the rabbit is on top of the serving of polenta.)

It actually did taste a little like chicken and had no 'gamey' flavor whatsoever.  I guess that was because the rabbit was not a wild one, but rather farm raised and fed.

Another unique and delicious meal I'd recommend!