This was a crazy busy weekend. We had a birthday dinner to attend with some great friends on Saturday evening and then Gary & I hosted a brunch with two other couples that turned into an all-day affair on Sunday. I am not sure how I was able to accomplish that given that the Saturday birthday was still going strong when we left at 1:30 am (home at 2:00 am). At which point I had to clean the kitchen from doing brunch prep work until 20 minutes before the earlier departure time and make the custard for the breakfast casserole so it…
4 CommentsStrong Coffee to Red Wine Posts
A couple of weeks ago, when I came downstairs for my morning coffee, there was a note that Gary left for me. All it said was, “The coffee tastes nasty!” It was a good thing that I was standing right by the sink because it immediately came back out of my mouth. So I ran to my computer and searched, “why does coffee taste bitter.” It was clear that everyone knew something to which I never really paid much attention, cleaning my drip coffee maker. Conventional wisdom said to use equal parts water and distilled vinegar, fill the reservoir and…
2 Comments
Wow, looking at the title of this post it definitely has a European vibe. Raclette from France/Switzerland, Fish & Chips from the UK, an Italian wine from a California winemaker, and finally dreams of living in Italy. I am not going to dilly dally, let’s get right to it. What one minute, did I say Raclette? Well, I sure did, so let’s start there with an incredible dinner. Goat.Sheep.Cow.North hosts Special Raclette Dinners Before my decision to give much less attention to Facebook, I saw a post from my friends at goat.sheep.cow.north about a Sunday afternoon Raclette Dinner. Now if you are unfamiliar with…
Leave a Comment
Last night was another one of those nights when Gary had a late lunch which means no dinner for him. This means I need to figure out what I want for dinner which I hate. It is always so much easier to make whatever Gary is craving. But he wasn’t craving anything, so I was on my own. This is how that works. I stare in the fridge forever. If I were a child, my parents would be screaming at me to close the door. But I can’t as my mind is racing. What can I make from this hodgepodge of…
3 Comments
Can We Simply Enjoy The Wine? Ever since I started blogging eating at restaurants or drinking a bottle of wine with Gary has become “a thing.” Don’t start eating until I get pictures is now the understood, unwritten rule when dining out. Be sure to give me your notes is the rule when drinking a new bottle of wine. While we always enjoy the wine, sometimes I see that pouty look on Gary’s face, and I know he just wants to enjoy what we are eating or drinking without the need to analyze. I have to admit; sometimes I feel…
3 Comments
This post was planned way before I got hooked on the Great British Baking Show. So I need to come clean right away. I did not make my crust; I bought it at Whole Foods back in December. But I did make the fillings for these hand pies, and I am quite pleased with the result. But before we get to the hand pies, we have to talk about the date paste because that is what started this entire post. What to do with all these Dates A while back I bought a huge bag of dates at Costco.…
Leave a Comment
Unless you are an Italophile, I am guessing that the title of this post has you a bit stumped. Don’t be too hard on yourself, when I was approached to try a couple of wines from Salice Salentino made from the Negroamaro grape, I was stumped as well. What? Where? Huh? Like most of you, when I think of Italy, I think of Rome, Venice, Florence/Tuscany. The Amalfi Coast, if you are a romantic, and perhaps Milan, if you a fashionista. Lately, you can add Calabria to the mix after being bombarded by the Kelly Ripa, Ancestry.com commercial that ran every five…
Leave a Comment
January is always a mix of end of the year to-dos and new year ponderings. As such, my life lately has been a hotbed of busy. We have already done our taxes; thanks to the best tax guy in town, if not the world, Steven @ The Clem Collaborative. I have cleaned the studio and will do it again this weekend as it takes several passes to get it right. At some point in the next two weeks, I have got to tackle the piles of papers that I keep acquiring. No matter how hard I try to not make…
4 Comments
Two Lesser Known Wine Regions in France One of the things that I love about wine blogging is that it forces me outside of my familiar. Before writing Strong Coffee, I drank pretty much just one varietal. I would drink that varietal from different countries and different regions, but it was always the same grape. In the last two years, I have opened my eyes to wines of every color (I tried a blue wine once. Yes, blue, real blue; it did not go well.), and style. From countries that I had no idea made such great wines. And the…
2 Comments
Well, the family Christmas tree at my sister’s house came down yesterday which officially marks the end of the holidays for me. Holy cow, our celebrations were so much fun. I am so blessed to have such a wonderful family and many fantastic friends that put a smile on my face and joy in my heart. Looking back over the past year has reminded me of the highlights of a great year. Looking Back: 2018 Highlights Somm School at Edmund’s Oast Exchange Last Spring I went to Somm School at Edmund’s Oast Exchange. This entry level class was the perfect way…
1 Comment