Big Daily Blend

November is a big month at The Peanut Patch in Yuma, Arizona. It’s Thanksgiving and Gratitude Month, it’s Peanut Butter Lovers Month, and the store is celebrating 29 years. In this shared episode of Big Blend Radio’s "The Peanut Patch" Podcast, Donna George talks about the little thank-you gifts that mean the most, from fudge and peanut brittle for a hospital nurse to treat bags for delivery drivers and airport workers.
Donna explains why fresh-roasted, fresh-ground peanut butter is a whole different thing from the store-bought jar. We talk peanuts and peanut butter as road trip food (dog treats too), plus Yuma’s holiday events, including the light parade and the Colorado River Crossing Balloon Festival. We also share four recipes from Donna’s digital recipe magazine: Country-Style Peanut Butter Cookies, Peanut Butter Crispy Bars, Peanut Butter Bars and a Frozen Peanut Butter Brittle Pie. Along the way you’ll get host-gift ideas, from Medjool dates to fudge to a set of three jars tied with a bow.
The Peanut Patch anniversary celebration is Saturday, November 21, with classic cars, vendors and free samples.
LINKS & RESOURCES:- Shop The Peanut Patch: https://thepeanutpatch.com - Listen to The Peanut Patch Podcast: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/the-peanut-patch  - Recipes from The Peanut Patch digital magazine: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/p/recipes-from-the-peanut-patch - Subscribe to Big Blend Radio on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BigBlendRadio 

Snow is already falling in places in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, the lights are going up in Visalia, and Exeter is getting ready for Santa. On this shared episode of Big Blend Radio's "California’s Sequoia Country" Podcast with the Sequoia Tourism Council, producer Lisa D. Smith talks with Holly Streit of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, Suzanne Bianco of Visit Visalia, and Shannon Schroth of Experience Exeter. 
You’ll hear about:- Winter in the parks: layers, road conditions, tire chains and ranger-led snowshoe programs in Grant Grove and at the Giant Forest Museum- The Pear Lake Winter Hut with Sequoia Parks Conservancy, with reservations expected to open November 12- Visalia’s 80th Candy Cane Lane Parade on November 30 and the holiday market at Kaweah Oaks Preserve, December 4-6- Exeter’s Christmas Thursdays (December 3, 10 and 17), Santa at the farmers market November 18, and chamber gift certificates- The North Pole Market at the International Agri-Center in Tulare on December 12- Sequoia Parks Conservancy’s 25% off shop sale through December 31, the Christmas Bird Count on December 19, and the Trek to the Nation’s Christmas Tree on December 13- Cozy holiday weekends: cocoa, cookies, soup, gingerbread houses and a good book
LINKS & TRAVEL RESOURCES:- Explore the region: https://www.discoverthesequoias.com - Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks: https://www.nps.gov/seki - Visit Visalia: https://www.visitvisalia.com - Visalia Holiday Guide: https://www.visitvisalia.com/articles/visalia-holiday-guide - Visalia Winter Weekend Getaway: https://www.visitvisalia.com/articles/visalia-winter-weekend-getaway - Experience Exeter, Exeter Chamber of Commerce: https://exeterchamber.com - Sequoia Parks Conservancy (shop sale 25% off through Dec 31): https://www.sequoiaparksconservancy.org  

Heading into the holidays with a bottle on your list and no idea what to buy? 
On this shared episode of Big Blend Radio's "Wine Time with Peggy" Podcast, Peggy Fiandaca, co-owner of LDV Winery in Arizona, shares easy, thoughtful ways to gift wine, even if you don't drink it, and what to bring to Thanksgiving dinner. Plus: new 2019 Grenache and 2019 Signature Petite Sirah releases, why bottle glass color matters, wines for a vegan Thanksgiving, and Peggy's Sweet & Spicy Carrots.
LINKS & RESOURCES- Get the recipe: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/p/sweet-spicy-carrots-recipe - LDV Winery: https://ldvwinery.com - Wine Time with Peggy Podcast: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/wine-time-with-peggy - Wine & Bites Digital Podcast & Recipe Magazine: https://online.fliphtml5.com/yhwzg/fmlb/ 

Asheville’s music scene is so much more than fiddles and bluegrass. On this shared episode of Big Blend Radio’s “Adventures in Asheville” Podcast, producer Lisa D. Smith joins cohosts Steve and Karen Wilson (“Mr. and Mrs. Wild”), owners of The Lion & The Rose Bed & Breakfast in Asheville’s Montford Historic District, for a lively tour of where to hear live music in the Blue Ridge Mountains and why plenty of people plan a whole music week around it.
Along the way they share:
🎸 Where to catch a show: The Grey Eagle, Asheville’s longest-running live music venue, where you can stand right up at the stage; The Orange Peel and its great acoustics; Asheville Music Hall and The One Stop; Thomas Wolfe Auditorium; and the underground rooms Third Room, Eulogy and Revival.
🍺 Breweries with music: Burial, Wicked Weed Funkatorium, One World West, Highland Brewing’s meadow stage, and shows at Sierra Nevada, in a city that’s earned the name Beer City USA.
🎤 Famous Asheville names: Roberta Flack, Jermaine Dupri, Luke Combs, Warren Haynes, David Holt, Marcus King, Balsam Range and Bob Moog, plus a look at the Moogseum.
🎄 Plan ahead: Warren Haynes’ Christmas Jam on December 12 with Greta Van Fleet, The War on Drugs, Gov’t Mule, JJ Grey & Mofro and more, Billy Strings’ five nights in February, and Christmas at the Biltmore.
🎨 The Orange Peel’s story: from roller rink to auto parts warehouse to famed music hall, and the Lionel Richie mural by Gus Cutty.
💿 Vinyl, listening rooms and street music: Records in the RAD, the Joyful Noise listening lounge, Montford Porchfest, Hillbilly Jam, busking and the Friday-night drum circle.
Whether you love blues, bluegrass, funk, jazz, hip hop or symphony, this episode is packed with ideas for planning your own Asheville music getaway.
LINKS & RESOURCES:🧩 Piece together the online jigsaw puzzle of the Grey Eagle mural, and see the photos and venue links: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/p/asheville-music-scene 🛏 Stay at The Lion & The Rose Bed & Breakfast: https://www.lion-rose.com/ 🎤 More from Steve and Karen, their “Beyond the Stage” series: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/t/beyond-the-stage 🎧 Adventures in Asheville Podcast: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/adventures-in-asheville 📖 Digital Podcast Magazine: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/p/adventures-in-asheville-magazine 

Join host Lisa D. Smith and co-host Johnny Schaefer, an award-winning singer-songwriter, who joins us every first Sunday of the month, for Songs for Positive Change on Big Blend Radio’s "American Jukebox," part of our America 250 celebration. Autumn is a season of change, and these songs remind us that change is inevitable, that ordinary people have real power, and that it all starts with love.
We spotlight Nina Simone, Tracy Chapman, Blind Melon, Patti Smith, Aloe Blacc, the late Joey Stuckey, and Johnny’s own “Love Shines On,” plus a special interview with Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Melissa Manchester about her song “‘Til We Remember Who We Are.”
🎵 Hear the episode with every song, and enjoy both playlists, and check out all the links mentioned: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/p/american-jukebox-songs-for-positive-change 🎙️ Keep up with Johnny Schaefer: https://hearjohnny.com/ 🎙️ Listen to all of our American Jukebox episodes:  https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/t/american-jukebox 

Have you ever scrolled past a gorgeous old stone house in Italy and thought, “I could live like that”? Our guest Debbie Levitt did more than dream. An American who now lives full-time on the island of Sardinia, Debbie is an Italian citizen who calls herself the Italian Inpat: an immigrant who came to Italy and found home, not an American who left.
In this candid conversation on Big Blend Radio, Debbie shares what it really takes to make the move. She talks about how two days added to a 2017 vacation turned into a self-employment visa, five suitcases and a new life, and why she kept her move easy to undo for the first two years.
You’ll hear about:- The difference between an “expat” and an “inpat”- The visa paths Debbie mentions, from self-employment to investment, retirement and digital nomad visas- Why citizenship takes years, and what Debbie understands about recent changes to citizenship by ancestry- Paperwork stories, including the flight to Rome to swear she is really herself- Why a geometra (a local surveyor) belongs on your team before you buy, and how zoning can surprise you- The truth about one-euro houses: distressed properties, hidden costs and villages with no grocery store- The residence permit (permesso di soggiorno) wait- Everyday life in rural Sardinia, from the village butcher to the driving school saga
Today closes out Italian American Heritage Month, and we’re marking it with the real story of moving to Italy.
Debbie shares her personal experience and general information. This is not legal or immigration advice, so check current rules with an immigration attorney or official sources.
Links:- Debbie Levitt, Italian Inpat (the first call is free): https://ItalianInpat.com - Follow Big Blend Radio on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BigBlendRadio 

October is Blindness Awareness Month and Emotional Wellness Month, and this conversation fits both. Director and filmmaker Gina LeVay Goldstein joins Big Blend Radio to talk about "Blind AF," the award-winning documentary following blind Paralympian, Army veteran and world-record holder Shawn Cheshire on a 60-day, 3,600-mile solo bike ride across America.
Shawn lost her sight to a brain injury in 2009 while working as a paramedic, and the film goes far beyond the miles. Gina explains how she met Shawn in 2015, how the story grew from an endurance ride into a film about trauma, healing and reclaiming your authentic self, and why trauma “tells no time.” She also talks about the filmmaking, the team behind it, and the moment on the road when a stranger reminded Shawn that blindness isn’t a disability, it’s a difference.
Among others, Gina thanks executive producer Jeff Zimbalist, editor Michael Culyba, and cinematographers Cristobal de Alba and Benjamin Soto of Zenith Adventure Media.
"Blind AF" premiered at the Bentonville Film Festival, won Best of Fest at the 2025 Sedona International Film Festival, and is now streaming on Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Tubi and Documentary+.
LINKS & RESOURCES:Watch the film: https://www.blindafdoc.com Meet the team: https://blindafdoc.com/the-team Shawn Cheshire: https://www.shawncheshire.org Big Blend Media House: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com 

Pittsburgh has long carried a reputation as a gritty steel-mill town with not much to see or do. Travel writer Debbie Stone grew up in Chicago hearing exactly that, but she kept hearing whispers that the city had changed, so she went to see for herself. On this shared episode of Big Blend Radio's "Global Adventures" Podcast, Debbie shares the museums, art and views that changed her mind.
Debbie takes us through the Heinz History Center, where six floors cover everything from Pittsburgh's inventions to the Mister Rogers' Neighborhood puppets, the story behind Heinz's 57 varieties and an eleven-foot ketchup bottle. Then it's the seven-story Andy Warhol Museum and his famous silver wig, the Mattress Factory's site-specific installations, and the colorful public art of Randyland. Debbie also explains why Pittsburgh is the city of bridges, shares tips for getting around, and visits the Fort Pitt Museum and Point State Park. She rides the historic Duquesne Incline up Mount Washington, cruises the three rivers with Gateway Clipper, and stays at the Drury Plaza Hotel, a historic Federal Reserve Bank building.
RESOURCE LINKS:- Read Debbie's article and see her photos: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/p/pittsburgh-buzz-worthy-museums-attractions - Plan your Pittsburgh visit: https://www.visitpittsburgh.com - More from Debbie Stone: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/p/debbie-stone-travel-writer - Global Adventures Podcast: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/global-adventures-debbie-stone - Global Adventures Digital Podcast Magazine: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/p/global-adventures-travel-magazine 
New episodes of Big Blend Radio's Global Adventures Podcast with Debbie Stone air every 4th Tuesday at 7pm ET.