Girl With A Glass

The simple things in life are the most memorable for me.  Hubby, Tulip and I took a day trip to Half Moon Bay one Sunday with no plans at all.  After walking the cute little downtown, we bought a little witch at the Half Moon Bay Feed & Fuel.  An old-fashioned barn-like store, it has live rabbits and other small creatures, pet supplies, tack, and Western clothes. The friendly man behind the counter gave Tulip free treats in a bag.

On the way out of town, we stopped by Caffino for some Pumpkin Lattes and then did a photo shoot at a wonderfully creative Pumpkin Patch. I was inspired to make a scarecrow.

On a whim, I gathered some old jeans, a Grateful Dead T-shirt, my old pink flannel shirt, a torn straw hat, custom boots courtesy of the Visalia Rockettes (circa my high school years), decomposing gloves from the garage, a little straw from the Pumpkin Patch, and a white pillow cover. I stuffed it with (a lot) of newspaper and propped it up with a stick.  It’s not Martha Stewart but 20 minutes later I was sipping a glass of wine and my Halloween decorating was done.

I wasn’t sure if he should be cute or scary, so I compromised and made a silly one.

Do you make small changes to your home seasonally? Today I will be putting the lightweight quilt into the closet and replacing it with the down comforter. Seasonal rituals change my environment and make me happy. And I don’t have to go shopping!

I love goat cheese! I’m a big supporter of local goats, however, if you can’t get local goat cheese, you might want to try Ile de France.  This cheese is creamy and easy-to-find at your local grocery store. They have lots of great recipes on their web site.  Here’s a recipe that I changed up to make it more colorful.

Endive Spears Stuffed with Herbed Goat Cheese

• 16-18 endive spears, washed and separated
• 2-4 ozs of goat cheese (depending on the size of the lettuce leaves)
• 1-3 tbls of cream
• 1 small ripe chopped tomato (seeds removed)
• handful of pine nuts
• 3 tbls of chopped fresh oregano, basil and parsley
• salt and pepper

Add the cream to the goat cheese and cream in a bowl.  You just want the cheese to be spreadable.  I found Il de France to be quite fresh and it really didn’t need a lot of cream.

Fill each endive spear about half-way.  Add chopped tomatoes to each endive and using your finger, poke the pine nuts around the tomatoes.

Arrange the spears on a decorative plate and sprinkle the herbs over the spears.  Add a little shake of salt and fresh ground pepper.

I brought this appetizer to my Bad Girls Book Club with a bottle of Albarei Albarino.

(Picture courtesy of Ildefrancecheese.com, with my recipe, your herbs will be scattered over the top making it more colorful.)

If you are in the San Francisco Bay Area, check out Wellington’s Wine Bar on the water in Sausalito. The wine list is refreshing; no old standards.  Enjoying the flight option, my friend, Ellie, and I tasted six wines while sitting on the deck overlooking the bay.  We were enamored by two of the six which is not bad odds.  You can also purchase a bottle of any wine to go.  They serve a cheese, crackers and olive plate…the cheeses were exceptional.

It is very unpretentious and the decor is comfortable and stylish.  Our server was very laid back, my guess is that the staff has been instructed to not bother people. Perhaps they are going for a home-away-from-home atmosphere.  It is unique.

Wellingtons is definitely on my list of best places to go in Southern Marin to relax with a friend over a glass of wine.

Here’s a fast & easy recipe and pairing…

Tuscan Lamb (knock off from bhg.com)

• 6-8 lamb rib chops (separated)
• 2-3 tbls olive oil for pan
• 4 cloves garlic (or more to taste)
• 1 drained can of Cannellini or white small beans
• 1 cup organic drained canned or fresh diced tomatoes
• 1 tbls balsamic vinegar
• A few pinches EACH dried rosemary, oregano & basil to taste (or use fresh)
• salt & pepper

1. In large skillet, cook chops in olive oil over medium heat for about 8 minutes (depending on thickness).  Add salt & pepper to chops to taste. Remove and keep warm.
2. Add chopped garlic to the drippings, cook and stir for 1 minute.
3. Add beans, tomatoes, spices and vinegar, simmer for 3 minutes.
4. Spoon bean mixture onto individual plates and arrange chops on top.

Hint: To keep meat warm, stack on a plate, cover with foil and place a hand towel over it.  This avoids accidently over-cooking meat in a warm oven.

Perfect Pairing

Sculpterra Syrah from Paso Robles. For other Syrah suggestions, search for it at the top of this page.

A friend recently enthused about blind tasting…how her prejudices based on price, vintage, terroir, and even varietal are swept away when she has nothing except the wine in front of her.

What if we selected a President like a blind tasting?  There would be no pictures (race), no vintage (age), no terroir (where they came from) and no price (wealth).  We’d have a (vertical) listing of what each candidate has said about each issue.  There would no reviews (pundits), just their own words. The wine doesn’t lie.

I imagine I would learn a lot from this blind tasting…with maybe a few surprises.

Do you have a Better Homes & Garden cookbook handed down from your mother or grandmother? BHG was founded in 1922 and is still one of the most popular magazines in America.

With all of the celebrity chefs, fabulous cuisine, and specialty recipes like Atkins, I was surprised to find myself continually drawn to bhg.com for dinner recipes.  I like to plan and shop for three dinners at a time. I get their daily recipe via email and direct them to their own folder.  When it’s time to get groceries, I glance at them and link through to their site.

Searching to use a certain ingredient (like lbs of summer tomatoes) or grill vs cold, ethnic dishes and entire meals is easy. You can virtually clip recipes to your recipe box, print them, and put them in folders.  (I organize them seasonally.)  You can write notes, delete them and make a shopping list with one click.

I have hesitated to recommend BHG because the site is over-the-top busy and filled with distracting pop-up ads.  However, I have found that the recipes and the search and organize tools are so great, I’m hooked.

If you have a favorite recipe or cookbook, I’d love to here about it.

Hubby did a photoshoot of Tulip and I in a farmer’s field.  We walk by it every day when we walk (run) with Tulip.  Acres of farm land are tucked away close to a suburban setting.  We are so lucky to have the best of all worlds. We planned it 30 minutes before sundown…the light was perfect.

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Whether we register as Democrat, Green, Independent, Libertarian or Republican, I believe that we all care deeply about our country and today’s issues of war, the cost of health care, race and class disparities, urban and rural challenges, environmental conflicts and America’s economic problems.

There are a lot of people, like myself, that want political conversations to stay at the highest level of integrity, respect and graciousness.  Ranting, arguing, participating in malicious gossip, personal attacks and all of that negativity leads to depression, anger, and personal upset and pulls people away from each other.

When it comes to politics, I have two important responsibilities…how I treat others’ with opposing views and showing up to vote.

To put it even more simply, I quote from a saying hanging in my entryway,

Keep it Simple, Love Everybody (Advice from the dog.)