Sounds like a wonderful time Annie! Certainly a lot more relaxing and fun than going to work... :) I don't know if I'd spend $90 a bottle for wine, but I'd go for a taste for a couple dollars. Thanks for sharing the pictures of your day!

Bri

Certainly is a shame your stomach started not feeling too good since you went to some very nice places. I am jealous of the raclette, haven't had it in ages. Thanks for sharing.

Traverse City is a fun day (or two or three). I hope to get there myself. I also like to go to Sutton's Bay and Leland and Northport and.... since I'm only an hour away you would think I'd get there more often. I avoid it in July though.

We sell the raclette chesse, when we can get it. Got some in last week and it was gone in a couple of days, heard we might not get another shipment until November :((

Nancy

What a great day. Too bad your tummy was upset.

I think my favourite wine would have been the Ice Wine too.

Annie, I can understand why you didn't like that Tortilla soup. It didn't look like any Tortilla soup I've had. For me a good tortilla soup should be chicken broth based. Not look like tomato soup. Don't be afraid to try it again somewhere else where they make it differently.

Ann

Sounds like a wonderful day. I love it when DH has a day off work and we play while the kids are in school. Mostly at cooking/foodie things! We just got back from a day or two in Paso Robles, wine country, but only had time to stop at ONE winery, sniff. I'm with you, ABC - Anything But Chardonnay, LOL.

I've never tried Raclette. On my list now, if it doesn't have animal rennet!

You can FREEZE cheese? New thread!

I agree with AnnT. That is NOT what I envision as 'chicken tortilla soup'. Many variations - chicken soup with (usually leftover) chicken meat, veggies (carrots, onion, celery, zucchini, roasted corn, diced mild green chilis) with lime juice, chili powder, cumin, cilantro, and of course strips of fried tortilla or tortilla chips. Avocado if you like. Maybe a bit of chopped tomato. Don't give up based on this one bad example. New thread!

Thanks for the tour Annie! Hopefully the Traverse City Chamber of Commerce sends you keys to the city.

I'll bet Elery's beer was made with a bit of black patent malt. The grain is actually burned until it is crispy black with a shine to it. Bock beer is probably the most common beer to feature that flavor. I've tasted it in other darks styles but it is not common.

: )
lyra

Annie, looks & sounds like a very fun day. I would have enjoyed the cherries best! That soup looks to me like what I've had in Mexico called Sopa De Tortilla (Tortilla Soup). But, it has no chicken in it although made with a chicken broth base. It's basically, a Mexican version of tomato soup.

Here's my recipe for Sopa De Pollo. I 'think' this might be more what you were expecting?

SOPA DE POLLO

8 Corn Tortillas (don't use fresh...they need to be 2-3 days old or allowed to air dry overnight), cut into wedges, fried, & salted. Or, just use store tortilla chips.

4 Chicken Breasts, with skin & bone
8 Cups Chicken Broth
1 Onion, peeled & quartered
3 Cloves Garlic, peeled, & coarsely chopped
6 Peppercorns
1/2 Teaspoon Dried Thyme
1 Tablespoon Oil
Half an onion, chopped
2 Jalapenos, seeded & chopped
2 Tomatoes, squeeze the seeds & juice out then roughly chop
1 Teaspoon Salt
6 Limes
1/2 Cup Fresh Cilantro, chopped
2 Avacados

In a large soup pot, place the chicken breasts, broth, the quartered onion, garlic, peppercorns, & thyme. Bring to almost a boil, reduce heat, cover, & simmer for 20 minutes. Allow the chicken to cool IN THE BROTH.

Remove the chicken from the pot. Discard the skin & bones. Shred the meat. Strain the broth into a separate bowl.

In the soup pot, heat the tablespoon of oil & saute the chopped onion & chilies over medium heat. Add the juice of 3 or 4 of the limes PLUS a squeezed lime half. Simmer 20 minutes.

Removed the lime half from the soup pot & add the shredded chicken. Simmer another 10 minutes. Stir in the cilantro.

Reheat the tortilla chips in the oven for 3-4 minutes until hot.

Cut the avocados in half, seed, peel, & cut into slices. Cut the remaining limes into wedges.

Ladle the soup into serving bowls & drop hot tortilla wedges into each bowl. Float a couple avocado slices & lime slices in each bowl.

This feeds about 6 as a main course meal. I serve it with fresh flour tortillas if it's the main dish but normally I use this soup as an appetizer. It's light, colorful, & soothing.

/tricia

Hey Ms. Annie, ya brought back a lot of memories. I used to live about 10 min. from there! Back when I was a young adventurer and worked on a schooner. And then two years ago I went to Black Star Farms on an MSU employee junket. It was AMAZING. We got dinner there too. And a night in some hotel on the beach. But I was so beat from the whole day trip all around the state touring every kind of agricultural endeavor imaginable, I was whipped. Ice wine is the new big thing with PA wines too. I don't drink enough wine to make it worth buying a bottle. Maybe someday I'll get back into a social life and can make cakes and drink wine! They both go bad on me now before me myself can finish them.

That looks like a really fun day, Annie!

Sorry you weren't feeling the best, tho. Would have been more fun if you could have enjoyed your meal!

Thanks for sharing!

Linda

Oooh, I love that raclette. The only time I had it was at your house Annie.
Sorry you did not feel well. That's not fair to take a day off work and then get ucky.

That sounds like a perfect day Annie, except for the upset tummy. I think I would also like that Raclette cheese!
So nice that the two of you took the time off to go somewhere together and enjoy an interesting day out.

SharonCb

Jessica, be careful with the raclette. There are two types, the "fresh" type that's only aged a couple of months and the "aged" type that's aged for, well, a lot longer. The "aged" stuff is so bad, LOL. We bought some at the Fresh Market once, thinking it was the same as Black Star Farms. Um. Nope.

Elery says that if he ever had the inclination to taste what came out of the sewer, he's sure it would taste like the aged raclette, LOL. The "fresh" stuff is nicely creamy and mild.

Freeze cheese? Sure you can. Some it it freezes better than others. Mozzarella freezes great. Cheddar gets a little crumbly but it you don't want to slice it it's all good (use it in soups, on nachos, etc.). It's better in texture if you thaw in the refrigerator instead of at room temperature.

The upset stomach, I think that was my own fault. A couple of cups of that extremely acidic coffee, add a couple of wine tastings, all on an empty stomach. I shoulda known better.

Michael, I'm waiting for the keys to the city now, LOL. I just love my state...

Lpink, if/when you come back "home" we could tour the wineries together. We sure won't cost them much, LOL.

Ann T, I might try tortilla soup again, but I'll sure ask what's in it next time! I wasn't really "expecting" any type, because I've not had it before, but that just wasn't something I liked at all.

coconut, I've seen you here on Cooking a couple of times now. Welcome to the Cooking Forum!

Annie