Drinking my words...

Do you remember when I said that I don't like screw cap wine?  Yeah, well I guess that I should have learned not to speak in absolutes.  Whenever I do, it comes back to bite me.  Hard.  In the proverbial butt.   Like it did on Sunday. 

We are at the point in our move when we are trying to cram as much fun into the few days that we aren't packing, cleaning, and wrapping up our Massachusett's lives in a pretty little bow.  One of the most fun things is getting together with friends.  Good friends.  Good friends, that like good wine.  AKA Lisa and Mike.  We spent Sunday at their house.  The plan was: get together, let the kids play, make an easy dinner, drink wine, and chill.  Simple.

Just a quick stop at Trader Joe's, the mecca of all things fresh and delicious.  I went in for toilet paper...  I came out with vine ripe tomatoes, fresh mozzerella, organic basil, and artichokes... the size of a Candlepin bowling ball!  The plan had changed, and I needed to get to the wine store, STAT!

Sauvignon Blanc was what I had in mind.  First it was warm out, and we would be outside, so a nice, chilled white was an excellent idea.  Second, when I eat artichokes, I always want Sauvignon Blanc.  It goes back to this amazing dinner Tim and I had at a small bistro when we lived in Dallas.  We ate steamed artichokes and drank Cakebread Sauvignon Blanc.  It was sweet and romantic and a very, very good memory. 

I came out with the Rodney Strong Sauvignon Blanc, Charlotte's Home.  It was $11.99.  It had a screw cap.  I bought it on a whim.  I recently had the Rodney Strong Cabernet Sauvignon and liked it, and it was Charlotte's Home!  Close enough to my name to make it worth the gamble.

Maybe I should have played the lottery that day.  Wow!  It was delicious.  Light, citrusy (that's a technical term), and perfect under the shade of an umbrella while the kids played in the pool.  Now for those of you that have never steamed an artichoke.. DO IT!  I am including a recipe... trust me, it's easy.

Steamed Artichokes:

Fill the bottom of a large pot with a couple inches of water.  Toss in a lemon(cut in half), and a tbsp of Olive Oil.  Put in a steamer basket.  Take your artichokes, and cut the stem off to about 1/2 to 1 inch below the main part of the artichoke.  Steam for approximately 35 minutes, or until a fork pushed into the stem of the artichoke goes in easily!

Dip the leaves in a lemon aioli, or in a melted butter. 

I like to dip mine in melted butter cooked with a finely diced shallot, a dash of thyme, and a little dijon.  

Oh, and a nice Sauvignon Blanc!

            and this?

This is the sign of a good time!

Bittersweet

I planted the vegetable garden today. 

Three years ago on the Saturday before Mother's Day, my husband spent the entire day building my vegetable garden.  The garden is approximately 20 ft in length, and 5 ft in width, and raised about 6 inches from the rest of the yard.  It is bordered with beautiful natural stones that Tim harvested from an old wall in the woods.  Perfection.

Every year, on Mother's Day my youngest and I shop for the vegetables.  We always plant tomatoes, pumpkins, and jalapenos.  The rest is done on a whim.   Favorites of years past have been Cubanelles, eggplant, and spaghetti squash.  We always change it up, and have a good time while we shop!

The Goose and I plant it together, water it together, weed it together, harvest it together, and enjoy the amazing bounty it provides... together.  I love my garden because I believe in grow your own, but I also love my garden because of how we have grown.

This year is a little bittersweet.  As I have already said, we have sold our house and are moving to California.  In the process, I struggled with the vegetable garden.  Do I plant it?  Will they want it?  Is it too much trouble for a young family? 

Finally, I asked... 

And they did!

And while it is hard not to be here for the harvest, knowing that they will love it, is a gift!

Oh, and I made sure to take some pictures of my best helpers for the little boys!

The more things change, the more they stay the same!

In the last month (ish) I have quit my job, quit my other job, got my house ready for the market, put my house on the market, sold my house and am overseeing a renovation on my new house which is... 3000 miles away!  Can you say, Holy Crap Batman?!

My life is changing.  I am moving home to San Diego.  I have lived away since 1992, and while I have enjoyed each and every place that my life has taken me, I am very excited about ending up where I began!  HOME!

So for the next few months this blog may contain more than just wine and food goodies, because my life contains more than just wine and food!  ... Wait, did I just say that?  That must have been the crazy talking...  But seriously, I don't want to put this endeavor on hold while I sort through this exciting, wonderful, STRESSFUL time in my life.  So I will write about both.

This evening I will leave you with two great finds:

Sterling
Vintner's Collection
Meritage
2008
$12.99 (sounded more expensive than that, didn't it!)
It is  a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Malbec, and Cabernet Franc
It is delcious.  Full mouth feel, big, robust, bursting with flavor.  This would be a really delicious wine to pair with a steak on the grill, maybe a little asparagus... oh and mushroom risotto.  Definitely mushroom risotto!

Which leads me to item #2.  I went out last night with some of my very favorite neighborhood ladies.  We had amazing pedicures, and dinner after.  I think I found a new favorite polish color.  It is called Mrs. O'Leary's Barbecue by OPI. 

Just look how well it matches my wine!