Layer Cake Shiraz 2008

Mocha, dark chocolate, and creme brulee! MMMMM…..

Thank you husband,

XO,

L

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On Friday, Nancy and I had plans to make mud pies in her back yard (commonly known as gardening to most adults…) but since it was about 40 degrees and raining we decided to stay in and watch a double feature while we ate yummy sandwiches instead. 500 Days of Summer (which I’ve now seen 5 times…can’t seem to get enough of it! Zooey Deschanel is so absolutely gorgeous in this film! And her outfits…I could go on and on…) and What Happens in Vegas which makes me laugh so hard my sides hurt.

On Friday night we drove to the Apple Valley Ruby Tuesday’s (I had the little appetizer fish tacos which were wonderful…) to celebrate my best friend Jana’s graduation from college (this was for her Master’s Degree! I’m so proud of her!) Her husband orchestrated a surprise party which is always fun, except I almost told her 200 times before the actual event because we talk on the phone almost every day. I shouldn’t be allowed to talk on the phone before such an event

On Saturday we drove to White Bear Lake to see our dear friends Heather and Tom and their boys. The hours flew by! Great conversation and a lovely dinner at Jake’s City Grille in Maplewood. I had the crispy coconut chicken salad….mmmmmm…. Thanks guys!

Sunday-Mother’s Day- I believe the ingredients for a beautiful Mother’s Day are:

Receiving a dozen of my favorite roses…

Waking up to breakfast in bed~ raspberry French toast, scrambled eggs and English Breakfast tea in a real tea cup. I spent a leisurely morning writing, reading my favorite blogs, finishing a vintage romance novel

by Rumer Godden called The Peacock Spring. It was full of beautiful imagery, and I loved that I could tell it was written in 1975. Reading it felt a bit like time travel.

and listening to Good Charlotte

We went to see Iron Man 2 which was every bit as good as the first one. Robert Downy Jr. was amazing and funny, and the scenes with Scarlett Johansson were smokin’ hot! The movie also had a pretty awesome soundtrack, ACDC fans will approve.

How to spend the rest of the evening? I think we’ll sit on the deck and soak in some of the gorgeous sunshine, grill steaks, and sip a crisp, cool galss of

Man Vintners Sauvignon Blanc

Description: Blast of fruit and bit of zing. This is a take-me-along-to-the-picnic wine. Serve chilled.

How did you spend your Mother’s Day weekend?

~Melissa

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The other night you walked up to the corner market with me to buy ingredients for Pasta Puttanesca. You carried the heavy bags home like a true gentleman. You talked to me, poured wine, and made me laugh while I cooked…and as usual you took beautiful pictures for me so I could record our experience on my blog and in the scrapbook at a later date. You make our date nights so special. I love you!

Some of the ingredients for the aphrodisiac dish…

Trattoria Favilla

My grandma Darling’s maiden name is Favilla. She’s a real Italian lady! She makes spaghetti sauce that would knock your socks off! I thought it would be fun to pretend we were in Favilla Italy (an actual place in Italy where I am in some way or another related to all of the residents. Can’t wait to visit some day.) I also thought it would be fun to write our menu on our Trattoria board and put it on the porch so we could imagine ourselves at a little restaurant in Italy!

Our kitty cat Alice checks the menu…mmmmm…fish pasta! She approves!

The Wine

Of course we had to have genuine Italian Chianti with our meal. This one is particularly good with bold flavors of black currant, violets, Bing cherries and leather. Perfect with pasta and red sauce or grilled beef.

Pasta Puttanesca!

4 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 Tablespoon real butter

5 garlic cloves, minced

2 cans clams, drained

2 cans flat anchovies, drained

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

20 Kalamata olives

1 (3.5 oz) jar capers

1 (32 oz) can Muir Glenn fire roasted tomatoes, diced

freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped

1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped

1 onion, chopped fine

1 jar marinated artichoke hearts

5 large portobello mushrooms

In a large, heavy skillet, over medium heat, add 2 of the Tablespoons of olive oil, garlic, anchovies and crushed pepper. Saute mixture until anchovies melt into the oil and completely dissolve, and garlic is tender. (About 3 minutes) Add olives, capers, tomatoes, black pepper, parsley, and basil. Bring sauce to a low boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 8-10 minutes.

In a separate skillet, heat the other 2 Tablespoons of olive oil. Saute the finely chopped onion until golden. Add the butter and heat until melted. Add the chopped Portobellos, and heat until slightly golden and tender. Add the artichoke hearts and clams and heat through. Combine the onion mixture with the tomato mixture and toss with linguini that has been cooked until ‘al dente.’ Serve with Parmigiano Reggiano and crusty Italian bread and butter.

Don’t forget the romantic candle light!

How do you celebrate your marriage or significant relationship? What do you do on date night?

XO

~Melissa

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Zeal Sauvignon Blanc 2008

“A book of verses underneath the bough, A jug of wine, a loaf of bread-and thou.” ~Edward Fitzgerald

I love the description on this wine’s bottle… We enjoyed glasses of this out on the deck one sunny evening last week. Very refreshing, perfect for summer.

Zeal (n. enthusiastic devotion, passion) the Sauvignon Blancs from New Zealand are unlike those from anywhere else in the world. Wildly rich, super ripe, exotically flavoured, these wines turn even the most tame wine drinker into a passionately devoted Sauvignon Blanc fan. From Marlborough, New Zealand’s most prestigious viticultural region, comes this intense and racy Sauvignon Blanc.

Flavors of gooseberries, passion fruit, and guava.

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We visit Falconer Vineyards several times a year… Especially during the warm months, for romantic ‘wine picnics.’ Sometimes we pack an elaborate picnic basket with brie, lavender honey, baguette, honey crisp apples, tart red grapes, anjou pears, oven roasted garlic artisan bread, marinated olives, and dark chocolate. Other times we stop at the local Sub House and get our favorite sandwiches made to order. (The number 11 is my personal favorite…maple glazed turkey, cheddar cheese, avocado, sprouts, banana peppers and onions on their fabulous crusty, white bread.)

The setting at the vineyard is gorgeous. We like to sit at the gazebo picnic table, but if that one’s taken (which it often is) we have a second favorite table that is set in the shade and has a beautiful view of the vineyard…rows and rows of gnarled grapevines in a sea of green.

On top of the amazing location, Falconer Vineyards has won awards for their wines. Their Frontenac Port won the first Governor’s Cup at the Minnesota State Fair in the first annual International Cold Climate Competition. Our personal favorites include: Frontenac Vineyard’s Chardonnay, and Frontenac Vineyard’s Marechal Foch.

If you happen to be traveling to Red Wing, stop in at Falconer Vineyards for a wine tasting!

Cheers!

~Melissa

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Jeff and I treat ourselves to a couple new wines every month and have our own little wine tasting. This month we tried an especially nice malbec, so I thought I’d share.

Don Miguel Gascon Malbec 2008

Aromas of blackberry, blueberry, cherry and plum. Dark chocolate mocha on the palate. Soft tannins on the finish. Slightly dry, but a very drinkable malbec.

~Melissa

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What a beautiful day in the Mississippi river valley! We started the day with a morning hike on the gorgeous Cannon Valley Trail . After lunch we decided to have a little bonfire in our back yard.

While sipping glasses of Inkberry Shiraz-Cabernet we noticed the many grapevines taking over our still dormant rose bushes, trees, and garage. I asked Gracie to help me make grapevine wreaths, something I hadn’t done in years. This got me thinking about an article I had read some time ago about the nuances that grapevines can impart to grilled fare. A lightbulb lit over my head. Wouldn’t it be nice to make up little baskets of grapevine wreaths for friends who frequently grill? A fun addition to a Christmas or birthday gift basket, or even a nice hostess gift when you’re invited to a summer party. You could add a pretty tag explaining their use and even describe the meats that would benefit most from the addition of grapevines.

GRAPEVINES – Tart. Provides a lot of smoke. Rich and fruity. Good with poultry, red meats, game and lamb.

Wine Tasting Notes: Inkberry Shiraz-Cabernet 2008

The ripe grapes take on notes of fresh cracked black peppercorn, leahter, black cherries, and plum on the palate. Voluptuous buttery vanilla mouthfeel.

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Check out their blog at:

LayerCakeWine

XO,

Melissa

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“When wine enlivens the heart, may friendship surround the table.” ~Oliver Wendell Holmes

We’ve had a few lovely days off and have spent them in our quaint little town of Red Wing. We’ve been out enjoying the gorgeous weather…How about you? What have you been up to?

Tonight, on our last night of ‘staycation,’ Jeff is making a new recipe for crawfish bisque. We decided to try a bottle of Starborough Sauvignon Blanc 2008 to compliment this dish. There is something wonderfully similar about the flavors of fish and Sauvignon Blanc that make them the perfect pairing. The light, French grape shares the subtle fruit and mineral nuances of fish (especially oysters on the half shell…try it sometime!) A match made in heaven!

Wine Description:

Refreshing gooseberry, grapefruit, and guava with the surprise of sugar snap peas and mustard seed at the finish.

Cheers!

~Melissa

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“Drink to me only with thine eyes,
And I will pledge with mine;
Or leave a kiss within the cup
And I’ll not ask for wine.
The thirst that from the soul doth rise
Doth ask a drink divine;
But might I of Jove’s nectar sup,
I would not change for thine.”

~Ben Johnson

Bonny Doon’s Framboise Fleur-Book of Love

Raspberries, raspberries and more raspberries. Framboise Fleur is actually made from three different kinds of raspberries!

This would be a perfect dessert wine to pair with cheesecake, or a rich, dense flourless chocolate torte.

Francis Ford Coppola’s Sofia Blanc de Blancs

A fruity, fresh blend of pinot blanc, sauvignon blanc and muscat.

Crisp flavors of tart apples, pears, citrus and honeysuckle.

A wonderful dessert wine to pair with orange spongecake, lemon meringue pie, creme caramel, or vanilla flan.

Enjoy! xoxoxo

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