Visiting the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone (St. Helena) makes me happy.  I love the old stone building and knowing that there are aspiring chefs on the 3rd floor while I dine in the restaurant.  I like the service, the decor, the reasonable wine mark ups and the artsy, interesting food.

When it was announced that the 17th annual Napa Valley Mustard Festival’s kick off party was going to be held at CIA, I immediately bought tickets.  I’ll be posting lots of pictures this week. Bobby and I had a fantastic time, but my absolute favorite part?  Eating in the chef’s kitchen.

Napa’s famous restaurants (Bouchon, Brix, etc) served small bites in the wine tasting room, but we headed straight for the kitchen.  Guests picked up a plate and went through a double-sided buffet flanked by chefs standing next to their stoves offering osso buco, polenta, mustard greens, Italian wedding soup, breaded shrimp with fruit dipping sauce, blood red orange salad, cioppino and more.  We sat family style at a long table in the middle of the kitchen.  For me, it was a once in a lifetime experience.  There are plenty of parties where I can walk around balancing a plate of small bites while drinking wine, but the opportunity to eat in the CIA kitchen…priceless!

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When I  lived in San Francisco years ago, French restaurants were popular with the guys I dated.  I found the food to be strange and fattening.  One place only had souffles on the menu, one was ubër-elegant with an overload of  waiters fluttering about, and another was way too romantic for a first date.  Frankly, I preferred Italian food at the time…I lived in North Beach & loved all the neighborhood restaurants. (I still know more about Italian wine than French.)

When I moved to Marin and starting cooking (for the first time in my life), I put a laptop in my kitchen to find recipes and inspiration. One of my favorite sites is Kim’s Easy French Food all the elegance…none of the fuss. I learn little tidbits about the French way of eating & discover new recipes. Her monthly emails remind me to check it out, which I appreciate!

PS: The picture is Kim’s logo. And..she just told me that she lived in North Beach at one time too! Such a small world…

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This holiday season has been topsy-turvy. Our Thanksgiving vacation was cut short by a call from the Sheriff notifying us that our house was burglarized.  Time usually spent decorating the house & making travel plans went to meetings with law enforcement stopping by daily to collect more evidence.  Then there was time spent viewing found items, discussions with the D.A. and buying new security systems.  We had no time to think about Christmas until December 20th.

I keep thinking about Little House on the Prairie, when people were working to survive and truly didn’t have extra time.  On Christmas Eve, the kids would wait anxiously for Pa to tell them it was time to go pick out a tree.  Pa would chop down a beauty, it was only 4′ tall because the cabin was small, but it seemed huge to the kids. They decorated with simple homemade ornaments and cranberry strings, laughed together and then went off to bed, thinking about whether it would snow on Christmas Day more than about presents.

We made our annual family trek to McGovern’s Christmas Tree farm on the 20th.  Even the visit was different this year.  I’ve always chosen a flocked tree because it’s a beautiful background to display decorations. Mr. McGovern is getting on in years, so he decided not to flock any trees.  Bobby thought I’d be disappointed but no, for whatever reason this year, I love the idea of a green tree.

With other stuff already scheduled, we have a tentative date to decorate the tree on the 23rd.  As my Mom says, change is good. And, a great opportunity to remember the true meaning of Christmas.

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I have a friend from New York City who started a tradition of “soup” nights at his flat. Everyone was so busy, had so many plans, places to go, people to see, (you get the picture) that traditional dinner parties sported revolving doors.  All Arthur wanted was to have people sit down and enjoy meaningful conversation & each other’s company.  Soup nights at Arthur’s are one of my fondest memories.  We would sit down around 8pm and we would leave after 3am–time disappeared as we easily shared short stories from our lives.

When I sit down for Thanksgiving this year with my parents & my husband, we’ll enjoy the food & wine, but it will be a backdrop for storytelling.  A short story has lots of details that allow the listener to “see” the experience.  It’s a lost art in some circles.  Storytelling creates an atmosphere of discovery, brings laughter, and infuses our imagination.  Just watch a young child being read a story.

I’m looking forward to encouraging story telling & laughter.  An added bonus is that those pesky differences of opinion that pop up regarding current events, politics, etc., don’t come up; because we have more important things to talk about.

*This is a page from a scrapbook I made for my Dad. (Photos from their China trip.) There’s always plenty of stories to tell!

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Slowing down at the holidays seems like an oxymoron, but actually, I think it’s more congruent with the holiday spirit than all the rushing around we do in the modern age.

Have you noticed that the characters in the best old holiday movies seem to move in slow motion?  They have all the time in the world — to bake, sing carols around the piano, take the family out to chop down the Christmas tree, make gifts for charity, etc.

The only way I can make this my reality it to decide it is my reality. Of course, I have a new book to promote, a busy business to run, and a family to care for, so how do I slow down?  Here’s some tips:

• Take time off from work whenever possible.  This is the slow season for many people so take advantage of it.  Look at your sick, vacation and personal days and use them.  Choose not to let it stress you out.  Take a few half days if that’s easiest.  It will feel really good to leave work at lunch and take the afternoon off!
• Do the things that make you happy.  Learn to smile graciously and say, sorry, can’t do it (when you don’t want to do something).
• Cancel if necessary.  If you have a conflict, you have a conflict.  Be nice, but learn to take care of your needs first. (Don’t waste time feeling guilty!)
• Tell people you’ll get back to them after the New Year if you have no time/interest in spending holiday time doing whatever they want you to do.
• Decide exactly how you want to spend your time and stay true to yourself.

If you are looking for me this holiday season,  I’ll be in my kitchen baking, decorating the house, going out for drinks, lunch & dinner with friends, making gifts and shopping, cuddling with Hubby with movies and popcorn, and going to holiday parties. Cheers!

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These crushers are ubiquitous in wine regions.  I wish I had one for my yard.  This is a beautiful display in front of one of my favorite Pinot Noir producers in Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma.

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Stores have Christmas decorations up and it’s not even mid-November.  In my memory, this has got to be the earliest holiday shopping season ever.  But, why not? I love the holidays because of the celebratory energy and fun traditions.  Here’s some of my traditions:

• Each year, Hubby & I take turns trimming the Christmas tree. It’s a competition.  We brag about the tree to our guests, solicit compliments and take pictures so we remember who’s winning over the years.
• We buy our tree from a local Scandinavian family that’s been in the biz since Father Christmas was invented.
• Our holiday beverage is hot apple spiced tea with Tuaca.
• We go out for an Irish coffee–a lot.
• We enjoy an over-the-top holiday dinner at a favorite restaurant a week before Christmas.
• Window shopping in Union Square in San Francisco.
• Lots of photo shoots.
• I only watch Hallmark, Family channel, feel-good movies & I turn off the news!

Feliz Navidad!

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Halloween is unusually quiet at my house.  Parents don’t want to walk up our hill,  so the children stop a block or two below us.  When I first moved here from the city, Bobby told me that kids don’t come to our door.  I couldn’t believe it.  I moved to the ‘burbs and no kids at Halloween!

Forever optimistic, I still buy candy and have it ready in a wooden pumpkin by the door.  I hang a small witch in the entry.  She is attached to my wind chimes, so when she moves in the breeze, little bells go off.

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My favorite time to hang out at wineries is the fall and winter months.  I get excited when I see the first seasonal decorations following the hot summer season. During the fall, the vineyards and landscape are changing colors, the air is crisp and cool and the wine never gets hot in the car.

In the winter months, the vineyards are dormant and the landscape is shades of grey. This is the time to go indoors to tasting rooms that have couches, artwork, and friendly staff.  There’s no other type of shopping that encourages me to sit around, sip and talk wine.

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From September through October, the vineyards change color.  It is awesome to look at and a great photo opportunity.  Look a little closer and you’ll see some interesting details about the grapes. The perfectly round “clean” grapes taste nice, but the “dimpled” grapes (they have a wet spot on them) are much sweeter.  When a grape dimples, it has more sugar in it.  Last of all, do you see the “raisins”?  Pop one in your mouth and guess what, it tastes like a raisin! A winemaker may want the variety on this bunch, it’s what makes wine interesting.

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