Air Fryer Grilled Cheese

10-Minute Air Fryer Grilled Cheese has a super crispy exterior with gooey, melty cheese inside and is simple enough for the kids to make. I promise there’s no going back once you try making grilled cheese in the air fryer! This Air Fryer Grilled Cheese is so easy to make and turns out golden and toasty.

Source: Air Fryer Grilled Cheese

Lunch and Dinner at The Base

The Base at Blueridge
11669 Lee Highway
Sperryville, VA 22740
(540) 987-5083
https://www.distinguishedengagements.com/

American | $$

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On Rt. 211 just before you enter Shenandoah National Park.

20230812_133121Last St. Patty’s Day friends invited us to join them for a pop up dinner at The Base. The five course dinner presented by Executive Chef Ryan Baisden was excellent. Chef used local ingredients paired with cocktails, beers, and wines from the area.

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There were about 40 dinners with us and service was flawless.

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A Boxty Shepard’s Pie Bite with a Potato Chip Garnish. The crunch of the chip was just what it needed.

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Soda Bread with Crispy Corned Beef, Goat Cheese, and microgreens.

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Pub Salad – Butter Lettuce, Pickled Green Beans, Sliced Beets, Sliced Red Onions, Boiled Eggs, Sharp Cheddar Sticks with a Tarragon Dressing.

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Bangers Away – Quail Egg, Beans, Sautéed Mushrooms, Sliced Tomato, Bacon, Toast, Potatoes, and Link Sausage.

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Braised Lamb Shank – Fried Cabbage with Juniper Berries and Bacon Potato Scones

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Blackberry Fool and Shortbread – Layers of Blackberry Compote and Pastry Cream with Shortbread Crunch.

Shortly after our wonderful pop-up dinner The Base opened for casual dinning with farm-to-table breakfast and lunches Wed–Sat 9:00 am–4:00 pm.  We decided to try the breakfast last week. We weren’t disappointed.

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My wife ordered the fresh vegetable soup she really enjoyed.

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She ordered the Chicken Salad sandwich on a Croissant she said was wonderful.

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Having made the trek in from the parking lot I felt I earned the Hiker’s Platter – Sausage, two Eggs, Potatoes, and Toast. My eggs were perfect. The potatoes were just how you want them, crispy on the outside soft on the inside. The sausage had a wonderful flavor.

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My wife’s apple pie was tasty with a caramelized topping.

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I love Chocolate so the frozen mousse pie was the ticket. For some reason when our waitress mentioned frozen my brain couldn’t focus and I was surprised how frozen it was. On our next visit I think I will order this first to get it out of the freezer before we start eating.

If you are looking for a nice drive in the county head west on Rt 211 toward Luray. The Base is just before you enter the  Shenandoah National Park. Owner Theresa Ruffo-Swanson has done a great job of finding the right mix of menu, local ingredients, and talented staff. All ingredients are high quality and fresh. Service was excellent and the noise level was low. They had a guy playing guitar and 70s pop music. An odd choice since most of the customers and staff had not been born when these songs were on the radio.

We are already looking for time to visit Sperryville and The Base again soon.

Instant Pot Most Cooked Foods & Dishes: Reader’s Poll

Instant Pot Eats explores the most popular dishes and foods that home cooks make in their Instant Pots. They conducted a reader’s poll on social media and identified the top 10 list, along with some runner-ups.

Source: Instant Pot Most Cooked Foods & Dishes: Reader’s Poll

How To Grill Corn on The Cobb

Grilling corn is an easy, classic summer side dish. Here are two ways to grill delicious corn on the cob! With these step-by-step instructions, you’ll get perfectly charred and flavorful grilled corn.

Source: How To Grill Corn on The Cobb

A Great Deal on a Digital Kitchen Scale

I have been using this digital scale for over a  year without issues. It’s compact and lightweight. The tare button subtracts container weight to zero out the scale, so you only measure ingredients. For $11.39 Prime, it’s a great deal.

Royal Spice Indian Restaurant

Royal Spice
219 East Main St.
Front Royal, VA 22630
(540) 252-2288
www.royalspiceva.com

Indian | $$

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The restaurant is well-lit and comfortable in downtown Front Royal, VA.

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The chicken Momos served with a chili tomato sauce were excellent.

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The Garlic Naan was served warm and was perfect.

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I ordered the Butter Chicken for my entrée. This dish had a wonderful flavor with tender chicken.

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My wife ordered the Tikka Masala with chicken cooked in a tomato onion sauce. She really enjoyed her dish. It was tasty and not overly spicy.

Owner/Chef Janardan Sijapati has done an excellent job bringing authentic Nepalese and Indian food to the Shenandoah Valley. If you are in the area, it’s worth stopping in.

This $26 Kitchen Thermometer Is a Dupe for Our Favorite at a Quarter of the Price

If you don’t want to shell out $99 for a Thermapen One, this cheaper alternative gets the job done too. You can find it at Amazon here.

Source: This $26 Kitchen Thermometer Is a Dupe for Our Favorite at a Quarter of the Price

World-renowned restaurant Noma to close, citing ‘unsustainable’ model

Noma in Copenhagen was considered the world’s best restaurant, but its painstaking and labor-intensive model was unsustainable.

Source: World-renowned restaurant Noma to close, citing ‘unsustainable’ model