This is what greeted me when I arrived at my Mom’s house the other day. I traveled about 25 minutes, first on surface streets and then on a State Route and finally an Interstate. To say I was traveling a … Continue reading
We had good friends over for dinner last night and I usually like to end the meal with Limoncello, especially if I’ve indulged a bit. The reason for that is that Limoncello is considered a digestif as well as an aperitif – the idea is that it aids in digestion. We had the most amazing organic pizza, so yeah, I indulged! As I was serving the Limoncello I saw that we’re down to our last 1/2 bottle and I realized it’s time to make more. Well, lucky for me my sister Melissa/Foodie for Two, just posted on this very topic – check it out here! I love her specialty bottle and the handmade tags…..why didn’t I think of that!
foodiefortwo.wordpress.com
The recipe she uses is from Joanne Weir and has been in our family for years. The really cool part is Joanne herself read Melissa’s post and liked it enough to comment on it – Whoo Hoo Melissa!
foodiefortwo.wordpress.com
As fate would have it, Joanne loves wine as much as she loves food. I found a post on her blog titled “how my love affair began“……See there is a Love Affair tie in. In her post Joanne tells a wonderful story of how she came to experience French wine in the most unusual way. My jaw dropped as I read the wine list; lucky lady! She also offers Culinary Journeys where you get to experience hands on cooking classes, day trips and local accommodations with her. Hubs and I are planning a trip to Italy next year and the Tuscany region is one of our destinations – this could be a perfect match!
So be sure to visit Melissa’s blog for the Limoncello recipe and while you’re there check out the Julia Child Remixed video in celebration of what would be her 100th Birthday.
Here’s what I have waiting for me!
Before I go, I have to share something silly with you…I don’t eat at Jack in the Box, but Hubs is watching a football game as I am writing – this came on almost every time there was a commercial! Here’s to Swavory and NoNookie…..
Cheers to you……..Cheryl
To say I’ve been a bit stressed lately is an understatement and when I’m stressed, I get sick, which has happened several times in the past two weeks. The disclaimer here is, that it wasn’t my fault – it was more likely that someone at Scholtzsky’s didn’t wash their hands after using the restroom and then made my sandwich. Since my Mom got sick as well and we split the sandwich I’m going to stick with that story…….After I made it through that I decided to soldier on and stuff my stress and when that happens my back decides it’s not gonna let me do anything. I couldn’t sit, stand, walk or even find a comfortable position to lie down. After 3 days of misery I called the ever so amazing Dr. Chris and let him work magic on my spine. I feel better but have to ask “Why did I wait so long to see him??!!”
The whole sickness drama continued in a different vein, but I won’t bore you with that. I will tell you, I did what anyone practicing avoidance would do, I stopped at my favorite grocery store for a glass of wine before picking up a few things for dinner.
Best.Decision.Ever!
One of my favorite wine stewards was working and here’s what he recommended:
Made.My.Day!
All of my stress melted away as I found myself totally enamored by this 2007 Rocket Science blend of 67% Syrah, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 3% Tannat, 1% Camenere and 1% Petit Verdot. I’ll admit I wasn’t that familiar with Tannat, so here you go….it’s a blending grape which originated in France and Uruguay and it’s used to soften the astringency of a Cab and make it more approachable. This definitely needs to be decanted or at least let it open up in the glass. Given that I didn’t have a lot of time to burn, I gave it a few good swirls and dove right in. I found the nose and the palate to have a heady mix of dark raspberries and blueberries and the medium bodied weight was nicely balanced with smooth cocoa tannins that just went on and on. Each sip revealed another new layer of juicy flavor that had me sorry to see the glass empty. I’m confident it would stand up to a manly steak with mushrooms, but it was nuanced in such a way that I really enjoyed this without food. At $10 a glass it was a worthy splurge; my grocery retailer offers it for $50 a bottle and from what I understand its in short supply. If you can find it buy it, and then hide it!
Caldwell Vineyard is the maker of this blessed juice and Marbue Marke, Rocket Science winemaker since 2007, is responsible for my adoration of this wonderful vino. Owner John Caldwell, has been instrumental in creating an awareness in Napa Valley of how French grape clones affect wine quality. It seems that John is a bit of a rebel….he smuggled French clonal material from Canada to the U.S. and got caught. What happened next became part of wine history and put the Coombsville AVA on the wine making map. The Caldwell website has a great article from The World of Fine Wine titled “Clones, Cops and Cabernet” that tells the whole story.
Taking a cue from the Rocket Science tagline, here is Thomas Dolby’s She Blinded Me With Science….Ahhh, this takes me back to 80’s with big hair and neon colors. I love the sound of his voice and although this song is from 1982, his album Aliens Ate My Buick, from the late 80’s, is one of my favorites. Check out Hot Sauce – it’s quite sassy or should I say hot and spicy!
Because I grew up with the original Star Trek, William Shatner has been on my radar most of my life. Here’s another take on Blinded Me With Science from his point of view….
If you get a chance visit the beautiful Northern California wine country (where we hope to be living very soon!), check out the Caldwell Vineyard. Tastings are by appointment only and are done in their the wine cave…I haven’t been there yet but the reviews are fabulous.
Until next time, Cheers to you!
Good luck pig….
My Love Affair With The Vine 