Santa Ynez Valley Guest Currrent Issue Articles

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Wooden Spoon

By Elaine Revelle

This issue’s “visit” is focusing on the Valley.

Each spring the Santa Ynez Valley turns green, lush and beautiful; it’s the right time and place for viewing a vast variety of wildflowers.
A photographer’s delight, each year provides Technicolor vistas from nature’s never ending palette and two, three or even four hours on winding roads are well spent.
For instance: The loop over Figueroa Mountain Road takes up the better part of three hours. If you stop along the way for a picnic lunch, it’s an easy four. That’s my favorite route. From Chinese houses, buttercups, shooting stars, chocolate lilies to spectacular yuccas and displays of lupine, each turn in the road can be breathtaking.

Probably the best direction for this ride is to take Figueroa Mountain Road off Highway 154 in Los Olivos. It’s a true loop and you will eventually end up on Happy Canyon Road and from there just keep going ahead to get back to 154.
Another worthwhile jaunt is out Paradise Road, across the river to Upper Oso Campground. From there you can walk the fire road for an easy hike. Last year, just across from our picnic area, we found a patch of wind peonies in full bloom.

Although small and easy to miss, the blooms are quite spectacular—keep your eye out for them.
If you don’t have much time, but still want to commune with nature, take Old Highway 154 either from Paradise Road or the cut-off just east of the San Marcos Golf Course. It’s a left-hand turn and you will see a token warning that the road is “not maintained.”

Don’t worry, it’s always driveable. This will take you under the spectacular Cold Spring Bridge (well worth seeing anytime) past the tavern of the same name and back up to Highway 154. From there, take special note of the fragrant yellow wall lining both sides of the road, it’s Spanish Broom.
These are just three of the many rides to be taken during the spring months. April, May and June abound with wildflowers and every few weeks there is another wave of color.
To do it right, you really should make several trips. I like to space them about three weeks apart, the variety is astounding. From tiny alpine flowers that you have to get on your knees to enjoy, to the spectacular Lord’s Candles (yuccas) and acres of lupine and poppies. I’m itching to get in the car and get going.When we do go, we usually take a lunch and make a day of it. Fried chicken or sandwiches of any kind, salad, dessert, something to drink and beautiful scenery—al fresco dining at its best!

If you don’t have time to fry the chicken or make sandwiches, take a trip to the delis at El Rancho Marketplace or Los Olivos Grocery, or go to Epicurean Picnic and pick up an assortment of delicious delicacies. But, on the other hand, do try out the following recipes, they will round out your meal, both are easy to fix and keep well when you go “on the road.” For picnics you need non-messy desserts, finger food actually, and something that travels well.

The following are perfect. A wonderfully rich, moist cake and the salad, WOW!, a tasty cold noodle one that will suit any palate. Both will round out any picnic. The recipe calls for the cake to be baked in a tube pan, a bundt pan works well, but here is a tip. Use a Teflon lined pan and for extra security in cake removal use a vegetable spray for extra non-stick insurance.

Even with a Teflon lining and the spray this cake tends to cling to the sides. Solution: let the cake cool slightly (15 minutes) in the pan, loosen the edges and it will slip out easily. By the way, this cake calls for a lot of sugar, add that to what’s in the vanilla wafers and the sweetened coconut and you can understand its tendency to stick, so do take the extra precautions when you bake it. Also, there is no need to add any frosting or icing—don’t gild the lily.
VANILLA WAFER CAKE 2 sticks butter or margarine, melted 2 cups sugar 6 eggs 1 7-oz. can Angel Flake coconut, sweetened 1 cup chopped pecans (or walnuts, if you prefer) 1 11-oz. box vanilla wafers, crushed 1/2 cup milk	Cream melted butter and sugar together, add eggs, one at a time and beat thoroughly between each. Add crushed wafers, coconut, and nuts alternately with milk. Bake in tube pan at 325 degrees for one hour and 30 minutes. Cool in pan.
Now, I know that there are a lot of versions of the following salad. I probably have had four or five given to me and finally came up with this one. It’s a combination of them all and always gets raves. Since this salad doesn’t contain mayonnaise, refrigeration is not a factor and that makes it perfect for a picnic.
SUMI SALAD 3 packages Top Ramen noodles, any flavor (I prefer chicken) 1 small head cabbage 1 bunch green onions (about eight) 2 ribs celery 2 cloves garlic 1 carrot, grated fine 1/2 cup peanut oil 1/4 cup sesame oil 6 tablespoons rice vinegar 1/2 to 1 teaspoon Asian chili paste or to taste juice of one lime 5 tablespoons sugar salt and pepper to taste 1 box sesame seeds 8 ounces slivered almonds or roasted peanuts 1/2 cup chopped cilantro hot pepper oil, optional	Cook Top Ramen Noodles just short of recommended cooking time. Remove, drain well and toss with just one of the seasoning packages. (Hint: reserve other two packets and add to stews, soups, etc.) Finely shred cabbage. Slice onions and celery into thin slivers, mix with cabbage and noodles and set aside. Mince garlic and add to salad. Make dressing with peanut oil, sesame oil, rice vinegar, chili paste, lime juice, sugar, salt and pepper and toss with cabbage mixture. Chill for at least two hours or overnight. Add sesame seeds, nuts and cilantro just before serving. Pass the hot pepper oil, stand back and wait for the compliments while you’re enjoying the wildflowers.