Vin Doux, Round 2

So, guess what I got for my birthday this year???  You may recall my earlier post expounding on the many unforgettable virtues of a particular wine that I had recently made the acquaintance of…Vin Doux.  Well, I must have been a very good wife this year, because I was well rewarded with not one….but TWO bottles of this beloved vintage!!  Lucky, lucky me :)  It is one year later than that which I fell in love with, a 2010, instead of a 2009, but, I am very much looking forward to just the right occasion or day to splurge on this baby. 

 Here is what Mr. Parker has said about the vintage:

Robert Parker - 90 points
"The 2010 Muscat 'Vin Doux,' a signature wine for the island, is reviewed from 750ml; it also comes in a 375ml size. This is often one of my favorite value choices from Greece. It hits another homer this year, mingling richness, sweetness and acidity into a beautiful whole. Simply a pleasure to drink, this is very well priced and utterly delicious. I think these can age, although their character will change as they do, but it is really hard to resist right now. Drink now-2020. "

And information from the vintner:

Region: Samos, Aegean Islands, Greece
Grape(s): Muscat

"An AOC wine made from extra ripe Moschato grapes. At harvest, the grape juice has a minimum sugar level of 221gr/lt. To balance the sweetness, the must is enriched before the onset of fermentation. The wine is matured in stainless steel temperature controlled tanks. A small quantity of wine receives oak barrel aging as well. The wine is golden in color with a harmonious bouquet of honey, apricot and honeysuckle. On the palate, it is soft, sweet and supple with medium body and moderate acidity. The finish is medium to long."

http://www.samoswine.gr/uk/10.html

PERFECTION!!!

How to Make a Bamboo Trellis

This all sounds very organized, but it’s really like second nature, and you won’t even realize you are following steps, at least I didn’t when I decided to recount what it was that I did to make my trellis.  Sure, it's not perfect, but its functional and sturdy!

• First, you need access to materials…check, bamboo grows in patches down here that spread by sending up new shoots in random parts of people’s yards. 
• Take measurements-how much space do you want to cover.
• Next, you need a plan…I felt like a schoolgirl drawing with my plastic ruler on some lined notebook paper I found.

• Get your materials together, for a trellis 7 feet high and 4 feet wide, I used:

            (4) Length pieces, about 7 feet long

            (4) Metal stakes, at least 5 inches long

            (4) Cross pieces, about 5 feet long

            Twine/outdoor string

            2 nails

• Lay the pieces out on the ground
• Weave the cross pieces in front of and behind (alternating) the length pieces
• Adjust the cross pieces to leave an even amount of space between them, I went with 16 inches
• Tie in place at meeting points, wrapping both around each piece and cross-wise each direction for greater stability, test for slippage
• Bring two length pieces together near their top and secure by tying
• Pound outside stakes into ground at desired location
• Set the trellis up and tie bottoms to outer stakes
• Pound inside stakes and tie the same
• Mark contact points of the top ties
• Pound one nail each at that point into the surface it will lean against
• Secure by tying the top at cross point to the nail on each side

Fin!

Step back and enjoy your creation, weave you plants through or plant something anew.

*This trellis is baby anole approved :)

Savory Yam Soup

This is something that I love making.  I love it for its simplicity.  I love it for its ease, and I love it for its earthy, light, savory taste.  If you have a food processor, this recipe goes pretty fast, and the soup is great if you keep it in the fridge for up to three days.  So grab a crusty French loaf and dive in (shhh, its very healthy too! And you’ll never notice that it’s low sodium).

Ingredients:

1 med-large yam

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 T onion, chopped

1 T olive oil

2-2 ½ C chicken broth

1/2 t garlic powder

1/4 t ground thyme

1/4 t ground black pepper (or more, to taste)

Method:

Boil/Bake/Microwave the yam until tender all the way through, I prefer to cut mine into 1” thick slices and boil with the skin on, but whichever way works best for you, just so it is tender, and a fork slides in as easy as if it were going into butter

Remove skins when cool enough to handle

In a medium saucepan/pot, bring olive oil to a med heat

Reduce to low heat, add onion and garlic, sauté for about 5 minutes, until tender

Transfer yam pieces, onion and garlic to food processor and pulse to combine

Add approximately 1 C chicken broth, and process until smooth, adding more broth if necessary

Scrape yam mixture into medium saucepan/pot

Raise heat to medium, add remaining chicken broth along with garlic powder, ground thyme and black pepper

Stir and simmer for at least 10 minutes

Serve and enjoy!

*If you don’t have a food processor, mash the yam, and stir the broth in with a fork to evenly distribute.  You’ll also need to chop the onion and garlic very fine before sautéing, and sauté for less time.

Pasta with Chicken, Cream Cheese, Red Pepper and Parmesan

This is one of those easy dishes that doesn’t take long to whip together, and makes great leftovers for lunch the following day.  I like it because it lets me incorporate a great trinity: cream cheese, red pepper and parmesan, something I discovered while making finger food for Christmas Eve one year, and it’s a staple for the holiday ever since-I’ll share it with you this holiday too. 

You may think that I am stuck on farfale noodles, I have to tell you, that just isn’t the case, it’s mere coincidence that several of my later recipes have included them, but I’m nearing the end of the box soon.  This recipe can be made with spaghetti noodles for that matter, but tossing the “sauce” and evenly coating the noodles would be more of a challenge, trust me, I’ve tried.  So, here it is, another farfale recipe, but I was pleased with it, and think if you made it you would be too.  This makes enough for two, with maybe a bit leftover for lunch the next day (for one!).

Ingredients:

1 chicken breast, boneless, skinless, cut into small bite-sized pieces (about 1/2 inch cubed)

3/4 C frozen peas

1/2 C parmesan cheese, grated

4 oz cream cheese (yes, 1/3 less fat variety works just as well)

1/3 C roasted red pepper, chopped

2 t olive oil

3/4 T dried parsley

1/2 t ground black pepper

1 2/3 C farfale noodles (about), uncooked

• In a medium sauce/boiling pan, bring water to a boil and cook farfale noodles as directed, usually about 11 minutes              
• In a large skillet, heat olive oil, and cook chicken pieces turning over halfway through (when chicken turns white up the sides of the pieces)
• Season meat with 1/4 t black pepper
• Set aside chicken when cooked through (test a piece)
• Rinse and wipe skillet if you have any burnt residue
• Add frozen peas, cream cheese, red pepper to skillet
• While cream cheese softens, gently work it around to coat other ingredients
• Add chicken, parsley, grated parmesan cheese, stirring to coat
• Add noodles, one third at a time, coating, and the remaining 1/4 t of black pepper

Serve and enjoy!

Simple, Moist Banana Bread

Who amongst us does not like a nice thick slice of banana bread every now and then?  Well, here is an easy and fast recipe to make it happen for you!  Perfect for breakfast or coffee break.  Moist and scrumptious....

Ingredients:

1 3/4 C flour

1 t baking soda

1/2 t cinnamon

1/4 t nutmeg

1/4 t salt

2 eggs

1/2 C vegetable oil

1 1/2 C mashed bananas (from about 3)

1/4 C plain yogurt

1 t vanilla

1/2 C packed brown sugar

1/2 C + 2 T sugar

1/2 C finely chopped nuts, pecans recommended

Method:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees                             
• Butter and flour a 9 inch loaf baking pan
• Peel and mash bananas, stir in vanilla extract
• Chop or process nuts to desired consistency
• In a large mixing bowl, combine sugars and egg, mix with hand mixer
• Add yogurt and oil
• Add baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, mix
• Add flour and mix well
• Pour into baking pan

Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees.

Delicious!!

Great take in to work treat too!

The Great Swatch Debate

If there are indeed actual people looking at this blog at any point, and not just some automated searches generated by random webpages across the globe, here is your chance to weigh in....

I'm trying to decide on which upholstery to go with for the settee project, and have it narrowed down to the following three swatches.  Background: the room it is going to be in has main colors of green and white, with gold accents.

Number One

Concern: Love the neutral look, in case I decide to change the main colors of the room later on, but am concerned about it getting washed out next to white.


Number 2

Concern:  Just a shade darker than the green in the room, fine for accent, and the almost white design brightens it up and lightens it up, however, I'm concerned about locking into green forever.


Number 3

Concern: This green is a very good match, and the gold cross-hatching is nice too, my concern is that the pattern might be too small, and looking at the bench covered in this might be overwhelming.  Also, the additional locked in to green concern.

So, there you have it, I've eliminated dozens, have it down to three, and would appreciate your feedback, let me know what you think, which do you vote for? (and perhaps why?)

The Cellar, Then and Now: Sauternes

Sauternes is a French sweet wine from the Sauternais region of the Graves section in Bordeaux. Sauternes is made from Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc, and Muscadelle that have been affected by Botrytis cinerea, also known as noble rot. This causes the grapes to become partially raisined, resulting in concentrated and distinctively flavored wines.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sauternes_%28wine%29

After we married, over six years ago, we were turned on to Sauternes by a friend of ours, and we will forevermore be grateful for this.  In fact, for our first (or second, we can’t recall for sure) anniversary we indulged in this beautiful bottle:

2005 Chateau Villefranche Sauternes

Rating for France-Bordeaux-Sauternes: 96 (good year)

Winery: Henri Guinabert et Fils

Type: Sweet

From: SAUTERNES, France

Variety: Semillon , Sauvignon Blanc , Muscadelle

The winery is in Villefranche Chateau Benoit Guinabert, Chateau Villefranche, 33720 Barsac, France.  It is highly ranked. One of the oldest estates in Sauternes, located on the plateau of Haut-Barsac, near the Ciron. The vineyards (Sémillon, Sauvignon and Muscadelle) has a wide variety of soils with a predominance of clay and limestone.

I remember it had a wonderful finish.

In the cellar now…and looking forward to:

Chateau Rabaud-Promis Premiere Cru Classe Sauternes 2001

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: 90-92 points

Wine Spectator: 95 points

This is a big, sweet, honeyed Sauternes with loads of fruit, but not a great deal of complexity. Light gold-colored and full-bodied, with plenty of pineapple, honeysuckle, and marmalade notes as well as a hint of caramel, there is a lot going on in this young but promising 2001. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2020.

We are holding on to this one until our 10th anniversary!

Read more: http://www.snooth.com/wine/chateau-rabaud-promis-1er-cru-classe-sauternes-2001/#ixzz21ZJh5nbp