LIVING

GO WITH THE FLOW MUSIC AND BREW FEST

June 24, 12 noon till 8:00 PM (see ad page 31)

Fries Park

Anderson Street

Fries, VA – www.flowbrewfest.com

JULY

SMOKE ON THE MOUNTAIN

July 21-22

Downtown Galax

Galax, VA – smokeonthemountainva.com

FLOYDFEST

July 26-30

5826 Floyd Highway North

Check, VA – www.floydfest.com

AUGUST  ♬ ♭ ♫ W

REEVESTOCK

August 4-5

Elkin's Hidden Amphitheatre and The Reeves Theater

Elkin, NC – www.reevestock.com

THE 87TH OLD FIDDLER’S CONVENTION

August 7-12 (see ad page 20)

Felts Park

Galax, VA – www.oldfiddlersconvention.com

FRONT PORCH FEST

August 31–Sept. 3

677 Spirithaven Lane

Stuart, VA – www.frontporchfest.com/

EARL SCRUGGS MUSIC FESTIVAL

September 1–3

Tryon International Equestrian Center

25 International Boulevard

Mill Spring, NC – www.earlscruggsmusicfest.com

HAPPY VALLEY FIDDLERS CONVENTION

September 1–3

3590 NC-268 (Jones Farm)

Lenoir, NC – www.happyvalleyfiddlers.org

JOHN COLTRANE INTL JAZZ & BLUES FESTIVAL

September 2–3

High Point, NC – coltranejazzfest.com

BRISTOL RHYTHM & ROOTS REUNION

September 8–10

416 State Street

Bristol, TN – www.birthplaceofcountrymusic.org

NC FOLK FESTIVAL

September 8–10

200 N. Davie Street

Greensboro, NC – www.ncfolkfestival.com

with Rynn Hennings www.thehouseofelynryn.com

Glazed Black Cherry Almond Bread

Mixing the Batter for Black Cherry Almond Bread

When you add the dry ingredients to the batter – one of the last steps in this recipe – be sure not to over-stir it. Overstirring causes gluten to develop, making bread dense and chewy. And while that is desirable in some things like a pizza crust, it is not something you want in this bread. The texture of black cherry almond bread should be soft and tender. When you add the dry ingredients, stir to moisten the batter–and no more.

• Use fresh or thawed black cherries.

• Toss the sliced cherries in flour.

• The flour helps to keep the cherries from sinking to the bottom of the loaf.

• Mix the batter, but don’t overmix.

• Add the almonds and cherries to the batter.

• Stir the batter as little as possible to mix it.

Sour Cream in Black Cherry Almond Bread

This recipe uses sour cream to help keep the bread moist after baking. It is one of my favorite ingredients for cake mixes, sweet bread, and cornbread. However, always bring it to room temperature before adding it to baked goods because cold ingredients can affect the baking time.

Black Cherry Almond Bread

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Passive Time: 10 minutes

Servings: 9 one-inch slices

Black cherry almond bread, with fresh black cherries and almond glaze, is perfect for breakfast, snack time, or as dessert, and it would be a delicious addition to your picnic basket when attending music festivals.

The cherries add pops of color to the sliced bread, while sour cream and buttermilk provide a tender texture, and almond extract provides a sweet almond flavor. It also has crunchy almond pieces and is topped with a buttery sweet glaze poured on the finished loaf. Enjoy this bread either warm or at room temperature.

Prepare the Cherries for Black Cherry Almond Bread

You can use fresh or frozen, plain black cherries for this recipe. If using frozen cherries, let them thaw before adding them to the batter. Also, rough chop the cherries to make smaller pieces for eating. Fruit added to batters will sometimes sink to the bottom. You can help prevent this by tossing the cut fruit into flour. This coating helps keep the fruit afloat so that the cooked bread will have cherries from the top to the bottom of the loaf.

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 cup salted butter, softened

• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 2 teaspoons almond extract

• 2 large eggs

• 1/2 cup sour cream, room temperature

• 1/2 cup buttermilk, room temperature

• 1 heaping cup fresh black cherries, pitted (or frozen, thaw before using)

• 1/2 cup almonds, sliced or slivered

• 1 9x5-inch loaf pan

Ingredients for Almond Glaze

• 1/2 cup powdered sugar

• 1 tablespoon cream

• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract

• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1 tablespoon butter, melted

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease the pan with butter.

2. Mix the flour, salt, baking powder, and soda in a mediumsized bowl.

3. In a mixing bowl, beat the butter, sugars, vanilla, and almond extract until smooth and creamy. Blend in the eggs, one at a time. Stir in the sour cream. Add the flour mixture and buttermilk, alternating between them, ending with the flour.

4. Rough chop the cherries. Place them into a small bowl; sprinkle 1 tablespoon of flour over them and stir to coat all the cherries.

5. Stir the cherries and almonds into the batter. Stir just until they are incorporated. Do not overmix the batter.

6. Bake for 45-55 minutes or until the bread is brown and an inserted toothpick comes out clean or with crumbs. Check the bread after 35 minutes. If it is brown enough, place a sheet of aluminum foil sprayed with cooking spray over the top to prevent further browning. After baking, cool the bread in the pan for 10 minutes. Run a knife between the sides of the bread and the pan. Turn out on a cooling rack.

Directions for Almond Glaze

1. Place all of the ingredients into a bowl. Stir until smooth. If too thick, add more cream.

2. Drizzle over the cooled bread.

Sweet & Savory Tips

Dusting the chopped cherries with flour will keep them from sinking to the bottom of this sweet bread. For more great recipes and tips for entertaining, visit https:// www.thehouseofelynryn.com/

DO YOU KNOW THE MUFFIN MAN?

Do you know the muffin man, The muffin man, the muffin man? Do you know the muffin man, Who lives on Drury Lane?

This catchy tune was one of my favorite songs as a child. The muffin man and I had some things in common. Not only did I enjoy eating muffins, but my family lived on Drury Lane. It is always fun to have something personal in a song, and I loved living on Drury Lane like the muffin man.

The earliest known copy of this children’s rhyme was in a British manuscript published around 1820. Households at that time had many of their fresh foods, such as muffins, delivered door-to-door. How nice that would be! “Muffin men” sold muffins for tea from special carts on the street or balanced trays of English muffins on their heads while ringing bells to let customers know they were ready for business. People would often rush outside to meet the muffin man when they heard the bells ringing similar to what we do when we hear the music from an ice cream truck. Muffins popular then were more like today’s English muffins, not the much sweeter cupcake-shaped muffins we now enjoy.

The New Food Lover’s Companion (comprehensive definitions of nearly 6000 food, drink, and culinary terms – and one of my favorite resources) defines muffins as a small, cake-like bread that can be made with a variety of flours and often contains fruits or nuts. Most American-style muffins fall into the quick bread category using baking powder or baking soda to help them rise instead of yeast. Because muffins are made from a soft batter, they require a muffin pan to hold the shape before baking. Muffins can be sweet or savory and, though they were once used for breakfast or tea, are now also served with lunch and dinner.

I always enjoyed helping my mom in our Drury Lane kitchen, and muffins were some of the first things I made by myself. I still enjoy making muffins and they provide the perfect sweet treat after a meal. Without the extra sugar and calories from icing, muffins tend to be a healthier choice than most cakes or cupcakes.

Muffins freeze well so they are a good option for those cooking for one or two. Place the cooled muffins in a freezer bag or container and freeze until needed, or more often in my case, till you need a bite of something sweet. Making the batter into mini muffins is another option. Most regular muffin recipes will make double or sometimes close to triple the number of mini muffins. If you have a hard time stopping with one, mini muffins allow you to have two or three for the same nutritional value found in one regular size muffin. Often, store purchased muffins are so large, they really are more than one serving. Read the labels on store-bought items to know how many servings and the nutritional value you are actually consuming.

Banana muffins are a great way to use over-ripe bananas. This recipe includes a magic ingredient, mayonnaise. Mayonnaise replaces the milk, eggs, and oil called for in a traditional muffin recipe. With the recent egg shortage and increase in egg costs, this option leaves more eggs to be colored and enjoyed for your annual Easter egg hunt and festivities.

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

• 1 cup sugar (or a little less)

• ½ cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

• ½ cup nuts (optional)

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• ½ teaspoon salt

• ½ cup regular mayonnaise – not reduced fat

• 3 medium, ripe bananas, mashed

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees

2. In a bowl, combine flour, sugar, chocolate chips, nuts, baking soda, and salt.

3. Mix until well blended.

4. In another bowl, combine bananas and mayonnaise.

5. Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients just until moistened.

6. Fill greased or paper lined muffin cups ¾ full.

7. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes, until a wooden toothpick inserted into the muffin comes out clean.

8. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from the pan and place on a wire rack to cool.

Tips: The mini chocolate chips disperse throughout the batter more evenly than regular size chips, ensuring chocolate in almost every bite.

N.C. Department of Insurance

Mike Causey, Commissioner 855-408-1212 (toll free) • www.ncdoi.com

April Is

Alcohol Awareness Month

Alcohol is the most commonly used addictive substance in the United States.

Alcohol addiction and excessive alcohol misuse affects people of all ages, genders, and ethnicities.

If you or someone you know and love is a Medicare beneficiary, help is available.

Medicare covers an annual screening for all beneficiaries.

Main Street Market

For those that screen positive, Medicare covers up to four counseling interventions per year.

Ask your SHIIP counselor for more information.

Mount Airy Events

For more information, visit www. yadkinvalleync.com/mount-airy

SATURDAYS IN APRIL: WPAQ MERRYGO-ROUND at the Historic Earle Theatre, 142 N Main St, Mt Airy. 11:00 AM to 1:30 PM; Admission $8 (includes admission to Andy Griffith Museum) or Surry Arts Council Annual Pass. Call 336.786.7998 for details.

APRIL 1&2: RODGERS & HAMMERSTEIN’S CINDERELLA 7:00 PM (April 1) and 3:00 PM (April 2) at the Andy Griffith Playhouse, 218 Rockford St., Mount Airy, NC. Reserved Seat Tickets $20. The new Broadway adaptation of the classic musical that tells the heartfelt tale of the girl from the cinders who connects with her prince. For tickets, go to https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ rodgers-hammersteins-cinderellaSaturday-tickets-432855862537

APRIL 21: MOUNT AIRY FARMERS MARKET OPENS FOR THE SEASON!

Fridays 9:00 – 1:00 PM; 111 South Main Street, Mount Airy

APRIL 29: JUKEBOX REHAB 7:30 PM, part of the 2023 Summer Series at the Blackmon Amphitheatre, 231 Spring St, Mt Airy; Tickets $15* or Annual Pass

A WORLD TO EXPLORE, a vibrant community to come home to. A lifestyle that embraces true independence, friendships, culinary celebrations, and the safety of community. It’s time to enjoy retirement the way it’s meant to be.

DOBSON EVENTS For more information on Dobson, NC, visit yadkinvalleync.com/dobson

APRIL 1: VITTLES & VINES 11:00 AM. 286 Cabernet Ln, Dobson. Are you looking to take your wine knowledge to the next level?? Then join us in the NEW event series we’re calling “Follow the Vintage.” This 4-class series offers a deep dive into the art and science of winemaking, from the beginning of the vintage to the end. Each class includes a delicious food and wine pairing, as well as an interactive wine experience that relates to the topic of the class. For more information, visit https://www.sheltonvineyards.com/event/follow-the-vintage-viniculture-and-vittles

APRIL 14-15: DOBSON SPRING FOLLY This family-friendly festival features carnival rides, inflatables, and of course, vendors! This 2-day festival takes place every April; this year’s dates are April 14th and April 15th. For more information, visit https://dobson-nc.com/185/Spring-Folly

APRIL 1: MUSIC ON THE TERRACE - TYLER MILLARD 1:00 – 4:00 PM. 286 Cabernet Ln, Dobson. Music may be moved into Tasting Room based on the weather.

APRIL 2: MUSIC ON THE TERRACE - BROWN MOUNTAIN LIGHTNING BUGS 1:00 – 4:00 PM. 286 Cabernet Ln, Dobson. Music may be moved into Tasting Room based on the weather.

APRIL 9: MUSIC ON THE TERRACE - SCARLETT LEMONADE 1:00 – 4:00 PM. 286 Cabernet Ln, Dobson. Music may be moved into Tasting Room based on the weather.

APRIL 15: MUSIC ON THE TERRACE - REGGIE JOHNSON 1:00 – 4:00 PM. 286 Cabernet Ln, Dobson. Music may be moved into Tasting Room based on the weather.

APRIL 15: BRITISH CAR SHOW 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM. The Southeast's largest display of vintage British cars returns to our vineyards! Admission is FREE to the public! 286 Cabernet Lane, Dobson, NC

APRIL 16: MUSIC ON THE TERRACE - ROB MCHALE 1:00 – 4:00 PM. 286 Cabernet Ln, Dobson. Music may be moved into Tasting Room based on the weather.

APRIL 22: SURRY COUNTY FOOD TRUCK RODEO 11:00 AM – 7:00 PM. Join us for the inaugural Surry County Food Truck Rodeo! Located at Surry County Farmers Market, 903 Atkins Street, Dobson. Tables and chairs will be provided under the Farmers Market for folks that would like to eat at the event. Also be sure to stick around, from 5 PM until 7 PM, we will have live Rock & Roll music provided by local favorite, Runaway Train!

APRIL 22: MUSIC ON THE TERRACE - CRAIG VAUGHN 1:00 – 4:00 PM. 286 Cabernet Ln, Dobson. Music may be moved into Tasting Room based on the weather.

APRIL 22: SPRING FLING AT SHELTON VINEYARDS 11:00 AM - 6:00 PM. Get ready for the ultimate spring celebration! Join us for Spring Fling, a lively event featuring local craft vendors, delicious food trucks, and a full day of music on the terrace. We’re also bringing out the yard games, so get ready to challenge your friends to some friendly competition. Visit www.sheltonvineyards.com/event/spring-fling for more information.

APRIL 23: MUSIC ON THE TERRACE - SCARLETT LEMONADE 1:00 – 4:00 PM. 286 Cabernet Ln, Dobson. Music may be moved into Tasting Room based on the weather.

APRIL 29: MUSIC ON THE TERRACE - DOUG ALT 1:00 – 4:00 PM. 286 Cabernet Ln, Dobson. Music may be moved into Tasting Room based on the weather.

APRIL 30: MUSIC ON THE TERRACE - TYLER MILLARD 1:00 – 4:00 PM. 286 Cabernet Ln, Dobson. Music may be moved into Tasting Room based on the weather.

ELKIN EVENTS For more area info, visit https://www.exploreelkin.com/events