Valentine's Day - Wine and Chocolate Tasting

Earlier today we joined our friends Bill, Verona, Barbara and Paulette for a special wine and chocolate tasting at the Old Sugar Mill in Clarksburg. There are a variety of wineries inside and all were participating in this event.

We all agreed we liked the wine at The Heringer Winery. Their petite Syrah and Zinfandel were very good. The zin paired with blue cheese was stellar.

Their staff was also great. I do not remember our pourer's name, though I do remember she is a teacher at Franklin High School. We had a lot of fun with her.

If you go out there, do taste the wines at this winery. I do not believe you will be sorry.

Inside the Old Sugar Mill besides the different winery tasting rooms, there is an antique shop, fine art and a restaurant called the barrel room where they also have live music. (The restaurant is run by a catering copmpany.) We enjoyed the time there.

Afterwards we stopped and had lunch at The Freeport Bar and Grill which was good. All the women had the Dungeness crab and avocado salad. Bill had their famous pot roast and David the chicken fried steak. David and I would like to go back and have dinner some time. It was a very nice Valentine's Day celebration.

Wine Tasting, Gifts From the Kitchen, Cork 'n Fork

Friday night we attended a benefit wine tasting at Mc Connell Estate winery for the elementary school of friends of ours who's grandchildren attend. The tasting room is in Elk Grove and has been around for quite a while, though new to David and I. The owners have children who attend the school as well. It was limited to 30 people. Our friends Verona and Bill bought 7 tickets at the schools harvest festival a while back. We each paid them for the donation cost of the tickets we used. There were 6 wines for us to taste throughout the 2 hour event. There was a table of hot and cold appetizers as well. The tasting room was filled with unique Christmas decorations, wine related items and jewelry to purchase. It was a lovely start to the holiday season spent with good friends.

This morning I put together cookie mix in jars to complete my homemade food favors for the holiday party and as gifts. I was determined to stick with the spirit of using what I have already on hand, so I did chocolate chip cookie mix, chocolate and peanut butter chip cookie mix, mint chip cookie mix, chocolate/caramel swirl chip cookie mix and Christmas shapes and chocolate chip cookie mix. I used wide mouth quart canning jars that Eva (Grandma Hoekman) gave to me.

Holiday candy representing party prep I did this weekend as well.

Tonight was the Elk Grove Cork n Fork which was at The Brickhouse restaurant in old downtown Elk Grove. We have enjoyed this restaurant before with friends and we took Theresa and Shawn here for Theresa's birthday celebration. The woman on the far left is Norma, the president of the Newcomer's club and that's Helen to her right who is the 1st vice president.

The handsome smiling man on the right is Ed, Helen's husband. I promised I would take a picture of him facing the camera and smiling since he said I got the last shot of him with his head turned. (And I thought women were vain.)

The Dunlops. He has managed (or is that coached? I am so bad at this sport stuff) many major league baseball teams in his time. They are avid golfers in retirement.

Rosalyn and Ed. They have such a zest for life.

The group.

Who is this nice looking couple?

Group enjoyment.

That's pretty much my weekend other than other projects around the house. Tomorrow the grocery shopping begins for the holiday party at Sam's and Costco.

Bevi e Mangia

Drink and Eat...............

I have become a hummus addict. My neighbor Deborah shared hummus with me she made with fresh cooked garbanzo beans. I am usually not that fond of hummus, but this knocks my socks off. Lots of wonderful roasted garlic flavor and great texture. Thanks!

Enjoying a glass of Lancaster's 2005 Samantha's Savignon Blanc. A citrus explosion in my mouth!

Hheirloom cherry tomatoes I picked up at Dean and DeLuca's on Saturday while in Napa. Also picked up some Brillat Savarin triple cream Brie, ACME bread Herb Slab and some old fashioned black and white licorice pillows. Love that shop!

Yesterday I found a package of beef short ribs in the back of the freezer that had to be used right away. I decided to braise them with onions, garlic, carrots, crushed tomatoes, beer and Dijon mustard.

Sauteeing the onions.

Cooking all ingredients except short ribs for a minute or so to blend flavors before adding the ribs to the pot, covering and braising in the oven for 3 hours.

Boiling potatoes to make side dish.

Once potatoes were cooked drained, I added butter, 1% milk and prepared horseradish.

Whipping potatoes and added ingredients.

Dished and ready to serve. It was very good, but of course better served on a cool Fall or cold Winter evening.

Mangia! Mangia!

The Very Best Part of Our Day In The Alexander Valley

Our very good friends who we love dearly. We are so grateful to have them in our lives. Our hearts are filled with so many wonderful memories shared with them.

Paulette

Bill


Verona

Rose

Fran

Barbara (Don;t you just love her new haircut?!)

A Day In The Alexander Valley

It turned out to be a lovely day in the wine country and a wonderful time for club members at Lancaster Winery yesterday. The tasting stations were set up inside the wine cave which really was the perfct place to taste wine. We had to 2005 Sauvignon Blanc which most of us loved full of grapefruit and lemon on the palate. We also tasted the 2005 Sophia's Hillside Cuvee which was light for a cab blend. Could even eat this with poultry; nect came the 2005 Lancaster Estate Cabernet Sauvignon which was nice. Nothing beats the Nicole ito my papte though. I wrote about this wine in my 'Wine Cellar' post this past week. Sit on this one for at least to or three years and as long as ten.

Thw real treat at these are that they usually offer you barrel tastings and/or library wine tastings. They offered us both. We sipped the 2001, 2002 and 2003 vinatges of the Estate Cab. The 2002 was wonderful, and the 2003 was delightful as well.

Outside there were a variety of food stations. My favorite were the wonderful bite size wedges of pizza; one topped with caramelized onions, pear and blue cheese (talk about a pleasure diet), another with caramelized onions and olives and the third caramelized onions and prosciutto. Taste bids were dancing.

Shrimp salad served in paper cones. Refreshing on a warm day spent outdoors.

Enjoying the food and a sample of wine.

Below is the hamburger slider station served with freshly made shoestring potatoes. Also very good.

People enjoying themselves in the gorgeous winery surroundings.

A live band who played music all ages appreciated and some got out there and danced.

Nature is just amazing....look at thes e grapes....

Of course, they do hope you will place an order.

Below the winery owners home. I am sure it is beautiful inside and has breathtaking views, but it looks like reminescent of a cement fortress.
A very pleasant day, in a very pleasant place with very special friends.