Best Lemonade

The secret to this lemonade recipe is to use simple syrup, made by boiling together sugar and water, then cooling. The sugar is completely dissolved and blends beautifully with the tart lemon.

1 cup water
1 cup sugar
Juice from 4-6 lemons
4 cups cold water
6 servings

Blend 1 cup water and 1 cup sugar will in small saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently, until sugar dissolves completely. Let cool and refrigerate. (This is the simple syrup.)

Mix the simple syrup well with the juice from 4-6 lemons (strained or not, as you like) and stir well. Add 4 cups cold water and mix. Try using sparkling water for some fizz! Pour into thermos or large jug, adding thin lemon slices if you’d like.

Make extra lemonade and freeze in ice cube trays for cubes that won’t dilute your drink as they melt.

Cheese Stuffed Burgers

These burgers are easy to make as long as you follow a few rules. Make the patties thin, press the edges together well, don’t press down on the burgers as they cook, and turn them only once on the grill.

2 pounds 85% ground chuck
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
3/4 cup shredded Havarti cheese
1/2 cup shredded Provolone cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
6 onion buns, split and toasted
1/3 cup Miracle Whip salad dressing
1/3 cup mild Dijon sandwich spread
2 avocados, peeled and sliced
6 servings

Sprinkle seasoned salt over the ground chuck and divide into six equal parts. Divide each part into 2 balls. On waxed paper, flatten the balls into 1/3-inch thick rounds, making sure there are no holes in the rounds.

In small bowl, combine all of the cheeses ad toss to mix. Divide cheese mixture among half of the beef rounds. Top with remain rounds. Press edges to seal.

Prepare and preheat grill. Refrigerate burgers while the grill is heating. Grill burgers over medium coals, turning just once, for 8-11 minutes until well done.

Assemble burgers by spreading bottoms of buns with Miracle Whip. Add burgers, Dijon spread, and avocados, then tops of buns. Serve immediately.

Grilled Hash Brown Potatoes

Grilled hash brown potatoes is a great way to cook a side dish on the grill. The potatoes turn out crispy and tender, with a slight smoky flavor. Yum!

1 (19-ounce) package refrigerated shredded has brown potatoes
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
4-6 servings

Tear off a long strip of heavy-duty foil and place on work surface. Add potatoes, olive oil, salt, and cheese; mix well.

Fold the short ends of the foil over the potatoes and fold, making a double seal. Then seal the sides of the foil package. Leave some room for heat expansion.

Grill the package over medium coals for 14-20 minutes, rearranging and turning the package over twice, until the potatoes are hot, with crispy browned areas. Open the package carefully, turn into serving bowl, and serve.

Blueberry Pie

The addition of the jam to the filling to this recipe adds pectin and body so you can avoid using cornstarch. It also adds a richer flavor to the blueberries. Allow the pie to cool for at least a couple of hours (if you can stand the wait) or even overnight. The filling will be more “together” that way.

Crust:
1 stick unsalted butter, chilled and cubed, plus 1 tablespoon for pan
5 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling dough
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 cup shortening, chilled and cubed
1/2 to 2/3 cup, plus 2 tablespoons ice water
Special equipment: 1 (9-inch) pie tin

Filling:
5 cups blueberries, discard any small or overly soft berries
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, sifted
1/2 stick unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
1 cup granulated sugar
1 pinch kosher salt
1 lemon, zested and juiced
12 to 14 ounces good quality blueberry jam

Glaze:
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
1 orange, juiced

Vanilla ice cream, for serving

Coat the pie tin with 1 tablespoon of butter. Clear and clean off a large, flat surface. Lightly flour the area.

Crust:
Combine the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor and pulse to combine. Pulse in the shortening and 1 stick of the butter. Add some of the ice water and continue to mix until it looks like wet sand. Scrape down the sides of the bowl before adding more water and pulse again until it just comes together into a ball.

Put the dough on the floured surface and roll it into a ball. Cut in half. Reserve the second half. Using a rolling pin, roll out the first half, until it’s at least 4 to 5 inches wider than the 9-inch pie tin, about 1/4-inch thick. Gently roll the dough onto your floured rolling pin and lay the dough into the pie tin. Press it into the bottom and the sides of the tin. Cook’s Note: don’t dock the crust because the filling is liquidy and will cause the crust to stick to the pie tin. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Roll the second half of the dough larger than the pie tin for the top of the pie. Gingerly lay it on a baking sheet and refrigerate it until filling is ready.

Filling:
In a large bowl, combine the blueberries, flour, butter, sugar, salt, lemon zest and juice. Mix to blend. Stir in the jam and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Remove the pie pan from the refrigerator and pour in the filling.

Remove the top crust from the refrigerator and “fold” it onto the rolling pin. Lay the dough over the top of the pie. Trim the overlapping edges to a 1 1/2-inch overhang. Tuck the edges of the top crust under the edges of the bottom crust, this eliminates the need for an egg wash. Pinch the top to make the edges fluted and sealed all around the pie. Use a pastry cutter or small knife to cut an opening in the center of the top crust.

Put the pie in the center of the oven and bake, undisturbed, for 15 minutes. Lower the heat to 350 degrees F and bake for an additional 30 minutes.

While the pie is baking, combine the sugar, water and orange juice in a small saucepan over low heat. Simmer gently to reduce by about half and coats the back of a spoon.

Open the oven door and slide the rack out slightly. Pour the mixture over the pie and into the opening in the top of the crust. Lower the oven temperature to 325 degrees F and cook for an additional 10 minutes.

Remove the pie from the oven and allow it to cool completely before slicing. Serve alongside a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Yield: 1 (9-inch) pie, 8 to 10 servings

Package rates from $500 per night. Includes lodging accommodations for two, one dinner for two and wine on arrival. 2-night minimum stay. Or pay for 3 nights and the 4th night is free! Call Helen Cook at 904-321-2210 or her mail her at info@nclakehouse.com to make your reservation.

Offer valid May 1 – May 31, 2010 for double occupancy. Subject to availability. Not to be combined with other offers (Add friends? Call for special group rate).

The last Saturday in March is always the season opener for Cherokee’s Trout Season. This year’s season opener in  Cherokee was reported one of the best ever seen and every angler that I came into contact with shared the same sentiments. The waters  have been stocked with more fish, and bigger fish, than any previous year. Fisheries Manager Robert Blankenship has really breathed a new life into the fishery in Cherokee. Get to Cherokee and see for yourself what you have been missing. You’ll be presently surprised. If yo haven’t tried it yet, the Catch and Release Fly Fishing Only section offers some of the most exciting fly fishing in the country. Landing and releasing trout over 20 inches is a common occurrence.

The Nantahala River above the powerhouse is fishing great right now. Lots of Rainbows and Brown trout are being caught there, and the water levels have become more “angler friendly” as of late. Expect good hatches of Quill Gordons and March Browns mid morning and throughout the afternoon.

The Delayed Harvest section of the Tuckasegee River is fishing well right now. The fish are plentiful and scattered out, so finding a good spot to fish is pretty easy. The water levels still play an important part if you’re planning on wading. Generation schedules have been hard to pinpoint, and have seemingly not followed the posted generation schedule on Duke’s website. So if you’re wading here keep an eye on the water levels.

The streams in Great Smoky Mountains National Park are warming up and the fish are just starting to take a dry fly. No need to get on the water early, wait until the sun warms things up a bit and plan on spending the afternoon and early evening fishing sporadic hatches of Quill Gordons, March Browns, Tan Caddis, and Blue Quills. Dredge a black or golden Stone Fly nymph through riffles and runs and you’ll be rewarded nicely.

To fish in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, you must have either a valid North Carolina or Tennessee fishing license. No license is required to fish in Cherokee Reservation waters, however a tribal permit is required. The cost is $7 per day with a creel limit of ten.

You can purchase a basic North Carolina license for a period of one day, three days or one year. The one-day cost for a resident is $5 (one year is $15); for a non-resident is $10, two days $15, one year $30. If you plan to fish for trout outside the National Park, an additional “trout stamp” is required at a cost of $10. Some of the trout streams are strictly catch-and-release.

Fishing licenses are sold on-line through the North Carolina Department of Natural Resources or may be purchased at Signal Ridge Marina on Hwy 107 across the lake from our luxury lake lodge.

My favorite recipe for cooking fresh caught trout is below. (When I have a “hankering” for fresh trout and no time to prepare it myself, I head over to Happ’s Place Restaurant where chef Kathy serves some of the best trout I’ve ever tasted. Happ’s is located in Glenville on Highway 107 about 7 miles from our vacation rental home. Call ahead for reservations especially on the weekends. 828-743-2266.)

Good things come in threes – three course trout dinners at nearby Happ’s Place Restaurant (delicious!), the Three Stooges, three card poker, winning a trifecta. Well, this Spring, three is also your lucky number: Reserve a three-night getaway with us at Lakeside Cottage at the Point or the Lakehouse at Katie Camp, and stay for a complimentary fourth night. Now, that’s a score – or in this case, a three-goal hat trick.

This offer applies exclusively to new reservations. Check-in date must be within April 1 – May 31, 2010.

 To reserve your spring getaway contact Helen directly at 904-321-2210 or ask for her at 800-500-9625.

Writers and actors have always found the North Carolina mountains inspiring. Author Thomas Wolfe made his home in Asheville, while Historic Hendersonville and Flat Rock were home to poet Carl Sandburg. Here too is where you’ll find the Flat Rock Playhouse: State Theatre of North Carolina, offering a full season of professional theater from April to October and classes year-round.

Cullowhee’s Western Carolina University has a new $30,000,000 Fine and Performing Arts Center bringing a variety of performances from the award-winning jazz of T.S. Monk and Alvin Ailey’s American Dance Theatre to Garrison Keillor’s A Prairie Home companion and Shakespeare to the mountains.

Not far from the Lakehouse is the traditional southern resort town of Highlands. Here you’ll find the Old Edwards Inn and Spa, a great place to pamper yourself and unwind. Nearby Asheville also has a number of luxurious spas including the historic Grove Park Inn Resort & Spa.

So, whether it’s immersing yourself in Appalachian culture, luxuriating in a world-class spa, or just enjoying the view, you’re sure to find an escape to the North Carolina mountains will take you to new heights. Our luxury mountain lake lodge is the perfect place for exploring the mountains in 2010.

In the spring, you can hike the Appalachian Trail, or find a wealth of hiking, biking and horseback riding trails  in the Pisgah National Forest or the Nantahala National Forest and at Cashiers area riding stables -  Arrowmont, Whitewater Equestrian Center or Sapphire Valley.

Nearby attractions abound, from the renowned Biltmore Estate to Pack Place Education, Arts & Science Center which houses five of Asheville’s premier attractions, including the Colburn Earth Science Museum and the Asheville Art Museum.

Waterfalls, porting the names Cullasaja, Sliding Rock, Silver Run, Whitewater, Turtleback, Rainbow, Mingo and Juneywhank, abound in Jackson County earning it the moniker “land of falling waters”. Pack a lunch and picnic at the falls.

So, whether it’s traveling scenic roads and byways, hiking the AT  marveling at the magnificence of a real-life castle or picnicking beside a waterfall, you’re sure to find an escape to the North Carolina Mountains will take you to new heights. Our luxury mountain lake lodge  is the perfect base for exploring the mountains in 2010.

Situated on over 200 feet of Lake Glenville shore, our five bedroom house comfortably sleeps ten adults. The grounds cover more than two acres, and the lake is your backyard. When you feel the need for a little alone time, head out in canoe, kayak or sailboat for a few hours; you’ll return refreshed and ready to engage with your fellow vacationers.

Invite grandparents, parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, and cousins. There is enough room here to accommodate a small family reunion. The kitchen is spacious, well-laid out, and prepared to meet your cooking needs. The kids might enjoy a game in the nook while the adults share an aperitif around the massive fireplace. The deck is an inviting space for anyone who needs a little air, and the expansive lawn simply cries out for a game of croquet or boules.

Spend a weekend or a week at Lake Glenville, in our Cashiers Lodging. Bring your family. It will be a trip you will all remember, fondly, for the rest of your lives. Why wait another year for that much-delayed family get-together you’ve all been talking about for years? Grab  your calendar and your phone and schedule it now.

Imagine Your Family Rocking in These Chairs

Just one of the beautiful bedrooms at our Lakehouse

When you spend your North Carolina lake vacation at our impressive five-bedroom Lake House on Lake Glenville, your family and friends will create memories that last a lifetime. You will enjoy all the amenities you have come to expect in a luxury vacation rental in our Smoky Mountain Cabin. Tucked away in a very desirable, gated second-home community on a gently sloping, two acre lot with 225 feet of shoreline and private boat dock, our mountain lake rental home is ideal for hosting family and friends. The well appointed two-level home offers an open floor plan for entertaining, 5 bedrooms, 4 full baths, a second gathering area on the terrace level and wrap-around porches – the perfect spot to enjoy excellent views of the lake.