A Bohemian 70th Birthday in Asheville, NC

the rustic lobby with huge stone fireplace, antler lighting, and fine artwork

How do you celebrate a 70th birthday?  After all this doesn't happen every day and truthfully only once in a lifetime, if one is fortunate enough to live for seven decades!  I wanted to do something special for my husband, Mr. M. and P. (meat and potatoes man) for this occasion and really hit a winner that I just had to share with you.  Recently we earned a complimentary stay at one of Marriott's Autograph Collection hotels, including free valet service.  For the reservation dates that were available to select from and at a location that was within driving distance, we chose to stay at the majestic Tudor-styled Grand Bohemian Hotel in Asheville, North Carolina, just a short 2 hour drive from home.   

This is not your average hotel!  

If you are familiar with Asheville, North Carolina in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains, than you know that it is a very eclectic, Bohemian, artsy, pseudo-modern-hippy mountain city.  There are even bumper stickers that state "Help Keep Asheville Weird"!  Home to Vanderbilt's Biltmore Estate country mansion, Asheville is not only a travel destination, but a retirement dream for many people.

Six years ago an opportunity to live in the Tar Heel state crossed my path as I was offered a faculty position at UNC-Asheville.  But the cost of living and lack of fairly flat(ter) land compelled me to accept a position at USC in South Carolina instead.  We knew that we could always drive to Asheville to visit and avoid paying so much to live there and still have our acreage . . . which is fairly difficult to have in the mountains, unless you're wanting apple orchards.    

Since we've visited the Biltmore several times, that wasn't part of this weekend's plans . . . we just wanted to relax, dine out and to simply CHILL!  Mission accomplished in this very unusually, but beautifully decorated hotel.

This unique boutique hotel is a 4-star award recognized hotel for 2013 and is listed as one of the top 200 best U.S. hotels by Travel + Leisure.   This unorthodox hotel is also designated as one of the top U.S. luxury hotels by Conde Nast Traveler.  So Asheville's Grand Bohemian Hotel, at only 4 years old, is a highly regarded hotel to experience.

Now I'm not a big fan of the color purple and never have been.  But the funkiness and regality of purple just suits this place -- in small doses thank you very much!

the front registration desk where you are seated to check-in, instead of standing up!

To describe this hotel's old-world interiors as 'electic' is really an understatement.  The juxtaposition of 'rustic' with 'rich and luxurious' elements makes this space visually amazing:  velvet against stone, cut crystal next to preserved wildlife, crimson reds and rich purples combined with muted shades of brown, and added in are original pieces of fine artwork in every corner including the private spa treatment rooms!

If minimalism is your cup of tea, then this hotel is not going to tickle your pickle!

the subtle dark interior of the registration desk area

We almost felt as if we were in an old European castle or hunting lodge!

stone archways in the main lobby with glimmering crystal chandeliers

sculptures in stone and tile alcoves

bronze ceilings with antler chandeliers

a beautiful table cut out of what must have been a large piece of timber
flanked on both sides with original oil paintings

front entrance to lobby and art exhibit room

fine art eye candy is at every turn amidst Bavarian-inspired paneled walls
(many with price tags in the thousands of dollars)

detailed wood carvings, 

everything is embellished

wooden inlays on columns

an unusual interior of a fireside chair

the women's powder room -- notice the aged, dark mirrors!

and behind a red velvet curtain!

But our room is not ready for check-in until 4:00 

(one of the latest hotel check-in times that we've ever encountered!)

Sooooo . . . 

why not enjoy some hot apple cider concoctions in the cocktail lounge?

Still dark, but surrounded by warm red accents to further the Bohemian theme

After checking into our room with beautiful soft jazz playing

 and a bottle of red wine uncorked and waiting to be enjoyed, 

we unpack, sit back and just chill for a bit.  

Thank goodness, the guest rooms' decor was more soothing with grey-blues and tans to give one's eyes a break from the near-over-stimulation of the lobby!

for the most part, minimalism is the dominant theme in the guest rooms,

while still maintaining a 'woodsy', rustic with luxury tone

the vanity in the bathroom

this is the one decor element that I would love to have in my home:

a sculpted glass shower door with aged brass door handle in the shape of a piece of wood.

Simple and beautiful!

Burned-out velvet window treatments over wooden shutters for privacy.

Later in the evening, we headed down to the hotel eatery 

for dinner at the The Red Stag Grill that specializes in wild game 

such as elk, trout, bison, venison, duck,

and other interesting items on the menu.  

The restaurant was booked solid so I'm glad that I made reservations earlier!

Dining in this space literally felt as if you were transported back in time!

For my husband's birthday, we were seated in the small, intimate Black Forest Wine Room 

with only four tables for privacy and special attention.

It really lives up to it's description of "old hunting lodge combined with modern-chic sensibility."

The chandeliers were made of twigs, and the walls were filled with wine bottles,

artwork and a softly designed red glass background.

Inside the dark and romantic wine room,

 Bill reads the illuminated wine list.

I love this technology!

From the main menu,

I chose the Truffle-Glazed Chilean Sea Bass with Balsamic Reduction

Haricots Verts, Mashed Potatoes and Arugula

It was heavenly!

Of course, my husband ordered a filet and what else? 

 You guessed it . . . a baked potato.

Hey, he's a stable kind of guy!

Never orders fish and too traditional to order anything 'different'.

Opposites do indeed attract!

As I said, the lighting was very subdued in the wine room

and with the red glass-art walls and red candle vases,

it goes without saying that this photo is very tinted on the red-ish side.

It was the best I could do with my camera!

After our sublime Bo-Ho dinner, we head up to our room to watch a movie.

But the foodie experience continued the next morning for . . . 

breakfast in the Red Stag Grill's sumptuous main dining room . . . where more reds blend with soothing tan velvet;

in this room the lighting was enhanced with red-tinted twigs

and soft tan leather with tree limb chandeliers

Breakfast was simply excellent with perfectly prepared, fresh, free-range eggs,

I know that there are a lot of other runny egg yolk lovers reading this too!

and then a new treat:  the most outrageously rich and creamy blue cheese grits

and the most perfectly, golden-brown

farm-house style potatoes that I have ever tasted!

Even the open kitchen was beautiful!

Then it was off to the Poseidon Spa for a massage!

the art in the treatment rooms are part of the hotel owner's personal collection

which is rotated among the hotel locations monthly (the Kessler Collection Hotels)

hot stones with soothing music awaited my sore muscles from a nice work-out in the hotel's gym.  Ahhhh!

But that's not all!

On this particular weekend every year around Valentine's Day (we were surprised to learn), 

the hotel hosts a Heart and Soul showcase 

in the lobby where the work of a Canadian jewelry artist is featured.  

For her appearance, the hotel provided a complimentary array of tasty small bites for guests of her exhibit.

Mimosas awaiting and welcoming guests at the front door

(I had two, thank you!)

An assortment of savory and sweet canapés to delight the senses

A little apple tart, egg salad crostini, and open-faced chicken salad sammie

alongside my Mimosa (of course)

After leaving the lovely art-jewelry show (with a few trinkets)

it's time to hail our horse and buggy . . . er I mean, our car.

This way please, through the door to the valet

let's just sit a minute on this sculpted marble bench while the valet brings us our car

and exit the hotel past more statuary and red velvet curtains

Back to reality and work on Monday.

But what a fun and unusual lodging experience!

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Lemon Polenta Torta with Fruit Compote

'Lemon Polenta Torta' with powdered sugar sprinkled on top just as it is served in Italy!

Winter and lemons?  This combination just doesn't seem very logical to many of us.  Lemons are more commonly associated with the hot days of summer when we quench our thirst with icy, cold lemonade or lemon sherbet.  But in the warmer regions of the world, especially in the Mediterranean areas, and the U.S. states of Florida, California, Arizona and Texas, lemons are at their peak.  Lemons and all citrus fruits are a delicious and healthy part of winter, especially for cooking lighter in the kitchen.  The vitamin C in citrus proves their worth by helping us in the cold and flu season also, another timely advantage to citrus in winter!

In Italy, vibrant yellow lemons are harvested three times a year along the Amalfi coast!   The flavor of lemons is a family favorite in desserts, from torte' to pies to icey granite'.   We also love adding lemon juice with butter and garlic for an added sophistication to fish or chicken sizzling on the grill.  Vinaigrettes and vegetables jazz up with the help of lemons as well.

Baking and cooking with fresh, fragrant lemons infuse the air of any kitchen and home with their hypnotic perfume.  So during these grey days of winter, it's a perfect time to prepare something lemony!   The theme for this month's Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club is perfectly timed for the winter season and the 'holiday of amore' . . . "Pucker up with Lemons (for Valentine's Day!)" hosted by Val on her blog, "More Than Burnt Toast".  Following the recipe for the Lemon Polenta Torta, you'll see what the rest of the group prepared with links to their recipes.

My husband seriously raved about this cake!  "Superb . . . very, very wonderful!" were his exact words!  Both of us thought that this cake was even better served warm, plain and simple without the compote.  We favored it with just a little sprinkling of powdered sugar on top as is the customary way to serve it in Italy.  Below is a photo of my sweet cousin, Silvia in Italy, who prepared an incredibly delicious classic Italian torta for us during our visit in October.

Silvia cuts fresh slices of Italian torta for us just minutes after entering the home!

perfectly moist and flavored, with a generous dusting of powdered sugar on top!

Lemon Polenta Torta with Fruit Compote
(adapted from "Cooking Light")

For the cake:

Cooking spray and parchment paper
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/4 cup sugar (I added the extra 1/4 cup due to my addition of lemon juice, below)
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup reduced-fat buttermilk
1/4 cup olive oil (I did not use extra-virgin because the taste is so much stronger)
2 large eggs (I use jumbo eggs)
juice from 1/2 of a lemon, fresh-squeezed (preferably from Meyer lemons) (my addition that I highly recommend)
2 tsps. grated lemon rind

For the winter fruit compote:

1 cup unsweetened apple juice
1/2 cup fresh or dried cranberries
1 3/4 cups chopped red-skinned pear (about 2)
1/2 cup golden raisins (I eliminated since my husband doesn't like raisins)
2 tsps. fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp. sugar

To prepare the cake:

Preheat oven to 350°.
Coat an 8-inch round cake pan with cooking spray.
Line bottom of the pan with parchment paper.
Coat paper with cooking spray.
Set aside.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife.
Combine flour and all dry ingredients (except the lemon zest) in a large bowl, stirring well with a whisk.
Make a well in center of mixture.
Combine buttermilk, oil, eggs, lemon juice and lemon rind, stirring well with a whisk.
Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture, stirring until moist.
Pour batter into prepared pan.
Bake at 350° for 40 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
Cool in the pan 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pan.
Cool completely on wire rack.

To prepare the compote:

Combine apple juice and raisins in a small saucepan over medium-high heat; bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat, and cook until reduced to 2/3 cup (about 4 minutes).
Add cranberries to pan; cook 5 minutes.
Add pear to pan; cook 2 minutes or until tender.
Remove from heat; stir in lemon juice.
Top slices of the lemon torta with the fruit compote.

If 'lighter' lemon dessert recipes are something that you enjoy, than you might want to check out the following luscious lemon treats that I've prepared before.  Both of these cakes are loaded with lemon flavor and you'd never, ever know that they are lightened up!

Lemon with Limoncello Layer Cake

Lemon Raspberry Cheesecake

All of the recipes contributed to this month's "Lemon" theme can be found at:

Val (More Than Burnt Toast) made a delicious main dish of Lemon Ginger Fried Chicken
Sandi (Cooking at The Whistlestop Cafe) concocted a strong batch of Limoncello 
Jerry (Jerry's Thoughts, Musings, and Rants) prepared a Fennel Salad with Meyer Lemon
Susan (The Spice Garden) made a hearty winter Chicken Rice Avgolemono Soup with Dill 
Sarah (All Our Fingers In The Pie) put together a healthy salad of Tomatoes with Avocado and Preserved Lemons 

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Traditional Italian Black~Edged "Mourning Envelopes"

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"From dust we come, from dust we shall return" (Ecclesiastes 3:20)

Even though life is beautiful (la vita che bella) it is also brief and precious.  I have been away from my blog and all of my friends in the blogging community for almost one month due to a different and more important life focus:  the joy and the sorrow of celebrating a life in my family . . . the life of my father, who passed away one week ago today.

My father lived a full life of 92 years and influenced me in many things, including living life with gusto and with an appreciation for God, family, friends, work and food.

Nearly one month before my father's last weeks on earth, my mother asked me:  "Have you ever seen an 'envelope with black edges' that announces the death of someone in Italy?".  Upon our return from our trip to Italy in mid-October, my father's health began to severely decline and my mother began to speak to me about the rituals of death.

As an Italian-American, born and raised in the States, my answer was an obvious "No".  This was not and is not an American custom for funerals and the announcement of one's passing.  My mother proceeded to go to her bedroom and quietly returned with a box of funeral mourning cards that are delivered through the mail and/or presented to family and friends upon the visitation and funerals of their deceased loved ones.  Inside the box, my mother tenderly presented an envelope sent to her from Italy years ago . . . an envelope with black edges . . . within it was enclosed a 'mourning announcement' of the passing of one of our relatives in Italy.

As a crazed, searching-for-answers academic, as always I was curious about this now non-practiced European (not just Italian) tradition.  I felt compelled to research these mysterious, dark, black-edged envelopes considering the state of my father's diminishing health.

I suppose that this was one of my ways of accepting the inevitable . . . death . . . of a parent.

Unlike in the States, death and funeral proceedings are a BIG DEAL in Italy.  Those who have passed are continually honored and remembered, not just buried in the ground to visit only once a year on a national holiday.

When we first stepped into my relatives' home in Modena, Italy this past October, after receiving food (freshly sliced Prosciutto di Parma, Parmiggiano-Regiano, wine, and balsamico vinegar), we were immediately presented with photo albums full of death announcements and memorial cards, including the photos of the funerals of deceased relatives . . . and at the same time as birth announcements and life-time photos of family.

As a woman raised in American culture, I thought this to be very odd indeed.

But death is a revered part of life in Italy.  Funerals are very important life events!  The dead are remembered and honored throughout the year, not just on Memorial Day.

In Mexico, the "Day of the Dead" is celebrated with feasts to honor loved ones who have passed away.  The Japanese honor their deceased in "Obon Week".  And in Italy, the Feast of "All Souls Day" is celebrated immediately at the beginning of November, just after Americans celebrate the very commercialized day of Halloween.

When my parents and I visited Italy, our relatives not only showed the funeral cards of 'mourning', but also took us to the village cemetery to visit the graves of my relatives.  I also visited the grave of Luciano Pavarotti in Modena; interestingly, a common thing for visitors to do when in Modena . . . just 10 minutes from my relatives' home.  In Italy space is limited, so one is buried vertically in a mausoleum.  It felt strange to me, but I understand why . . . Italy is a small country (about the size of Florida, USA or a bit larger).  We in the States take for granted the size of our country, until we visit a land of such smaller size, such as Italy or England!

On a very humble plastic table cloth in the dining area,
my cousins display the mourning cards of those who have passed away.
The deceased are never forgotten and discussed just as joyfully
 as are the newborn babies when they enter our lives.

Oh, the cycle of life!

The next day my cousin Enrico kindly gave me a break from the insane driving
 of Italy and drove my parents and me up into the northern mountains
of Emilia-Romagna where my relatives were born.

climbing through the wooded, hillside terrain, 

up, up, up into the tallest mountain of Italy, Mount Simone . . . 

with verdant pastures in the foothills on a cloudy, drizzly day

past estates and tall, spiraling cypress trees . . . 

higher and higher . . . 

becoming ever more mountainous . . . 

with nothing flat anymore, only slippery slopes . . . 

to the point of only rock . . . 

and we arrive to the village of Magrignana where the deceased are buried . . . 

shielded with stone walls and iron gates . . . 

and small alcoves dedicated to the Blessed Virgin . . . 

before entering the final resting place of many of my relatives . . .

with beautiful iron artwork to commemorate those that have left us.

A tiny, yet lovely stone chapel sits on the mountainside . . . 

inviting one to peak inside a white iron gate door . . . 

to view an altar with pristine, crisp white linens to offer homage and a prayer.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

But a life worth living is a life deserving of celebration, 

with food that is lovingly prepared and shared . . . 

so we end our visit to the mountains 

in my father's family ristorante in the nearby town of Renno . . . 

where my paternal cousin greets us with delicious espressos, latte's and Italian pastries . . . 

before the lunch time opening . . . 

and embracing family that is rarely seen . . .

and we read about our food and restaurant business heritage that began in Italy . . . 

and as my father stands outside the old stone walls of this little family restaurant, he gives his final earthly good byes . . . 

to his family in Modena.

Dad, your parents climbed those unfriendly, 

yet beautiful mountains of Northern Italy

and you climbed the mountains of life within America.

You reached every one of your goals

and your legacy on this earth has left all of us inspired.

Thank you for an amazing trip to Italy, Dad . . . you made it again!  

Thank you for letting me be your 'taxi-driver' and to push your wheelchair along the ancient cobblestones.

I will remember it forever.

May you rest in peace in your ultimate home with our Lord!

Amore,

Roz 

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