Indiana

Dining Outside the Home: Payne’s Restaurant in Gas City, Indiana 

Dining Outside the Home: Payne’s Restaurant in Gas City, Indiana! The fact that Payne’s Coffee and Custard is a mere stone’s throw from the childhood home of actor, James Dean, is more than coincidence. The owner, Stephen Payne, is a devoted fan of the iconic 1950s movie star. His British influence is apparent in the bistro’s specialties which include old-fashioned frozen custard (to die for), Indiana craft beers on tap, the best Fish ‘n Chips “this side of the pond”, and gooey Sticky Toffee Pudding. Ingredients are farm-to-table whenever possible. Make Payne’s Restaurant your next small town destination. 

James Dean: Heartthrob and Rebel in One

Raised by an aunt and uncle in a rural town of central Indiana, James Dean learned early on sometimes Life is not fair. Perhaps he had a Death Wish or, on the contrary, a zest for living on the edge. This sandy-haired dreamer who often wore a pouty grin attracted men and women like a moth to flame. His love of fast cars, specifically a Porsche 550 Spyder, ended in a head-on collision that catapulted him into eternal legendary stardom. After all, James Dean died at the age of 24 years old with only three major films under his belt: “East of Eden”, “Rebel Without a Cause”, and “Giant”. Today, In Fairmount, Indiana, his legacy lives on. Visitors from all over the world flock to the hometown of James B. Dean to walk in the footsteps where he lived. Buried in Park Cemetery, his lipstick-covered headstone is physical evidence adoring fans exist half a century later.

Dining Outside the Home: Ainsley’s Café and Harbor Bar in Brookville, Indiana!

Dining Outside the Home: Ainsley’s Café and Harbor Bar in Brookville, Indiana!  Get away from it all at a waterside retreat nestled in the rolling hills of southeast Indiana. Ainsley’s Café is a visually charming causal eatery snuggled against the shores of Brookville Lake at the fork of the Whitewater River. Dine al fresco on any one of the three-tiered decks for a bird’s-eye view of marina action, miles of lake activity, water sports, natural wildlife habitat, and challenging golf recreation. Whether it’s a stay-cation or the unofficial end-of-summer, any day is reason enough to make Ainsley’s Café and Harbor Bar an adventure destination. 

Dining Outside the Home: Carpenter Creek Cellars in Remington, Indiana

Dining Outside the Home: Carpenter Creek Cellars in Remington, Indiana! Carpenter Creek Cellars’ Music Fest is where you find children frolicking on the lawn, against a backdrop of adults sipping Strawberry Wine, guitar music filling the air, and the aromas of BBQ pork smoking on the grill. Life stands still against the rambling brook running along the fence-rowed vineyard in Jasper County, Indiana. 

Eating My Way Through the Alphabet; Letter I

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Home Cooking: Indiana Sweet Corn! With July on the horizon, already the taste buds begin yearning for that extra juicy sweet corn freshly picked straight from the farmer’s field. After all, it’s best eaten the day it’s picked. There’s no taste quite like it. Get connected to the Farmers Market in your area for the best produce. 
INDIANA SWEET CORN
Ingredients:

4 ears of Indiana sweet corn

Sea salt to taste

Butter for slathering
Instructions by Boiling:

Fill a stock pot with enough water to cover the corn. Bring it to a boil. Dissolve a tablespoon of salt in the water. Remove outer husk and silk from corn. Rinse corn. Carefully drop each ear into boiling water. Cover with lid and lower heat to medium. Cook 3-5 minutes. Remove with tongs and serve immediately with butter and sea salt. 
Instructions for Microwaving:

I cook one ear at a time when I’m only preparing a few ears for a meal. Leave corn in husk. With a sharp knife, cut off the pointed end of the corn cob. Rinse under running water. While the ear of corn is wet, wrap a paper towel around it. The water will moisten the paper towel. Place the ear of corn in the microwave and cook on 100% power for 2-3 minutes. The husk will trap and steam the corn. Watch! Remove from microwave and let sit for a couple minutes. Use the paper towel to carefully shuck the corn. The silks come off easily. 
Whichever method you choose, the reward is a taste of sugary-sweet Indiana heaven. Enjoy!

A Yellow Tulip Smile 

The Tulip Bed

“The May sun—whom
all things imitate—
that glues small leaves to
the wooden trees
shone from the sky
through blue gauze clouds
upon the ground. 
Under the leafy trees
where the suburban streets
lay crossed,
with houses on each corner,
tangled shadows had begun
to join
the roadway and the lawns. 
With excellent precision
the tulip bed
inside the iron fence
upreared its gaudy
yellow, white, and red,
rimmed round with grass,
reposedly.”
~ William Carlos Williams

The Hopeful Romantic Hyacinth

HYACINTH 

by Edna St. Vincent Millay

“I am in love with him
To whom a hyacinth is dearer
Than I shall ever be dear. 
On nights when the field-mice
Are abroad, he cannot sleep. 
He hears their narrow teeth 
At the bulbs of his hyacinths. 
But the gnawing at my heart…
He does not hear.”

Magnolias Are Petal Pink Perfection 

What beauty and magnificence has spread across the Indiana countryside. When the magnolia buds first appear, their cone-shape is quite appealing to wild animals. Sometimes the lower branches show evidence of being nibbled upon. As soon as the sweet flowers appear, the entire tree is a vision of crinoline resembling the hooped petticoat of a Southern belle. The petal pink flowers often mark the beginning of Summer. Without a doubt, magnolias are a symbol of perseverance!