by Christine | My Garden
This was two years ago – an amazing amount of yummy Roma tomatoes in my Dad’s garden. July 2012.
Yesterday, I had the pleasure of eating the first ripe tomatoes of the season. It’s one of the reasons I like to buy cherry, or patio, tomatoes (not the same thing but they both ripen early).
I carried in two cherry tomatoes and gave one to my husband, and we munched. Tomato flavor burst over my tongue, titillated my taste buds, and met all my expectations. It was a total Tomato Mouthgasm. Summer is almost here, and I don’t have to buy tomatoes from the grocery store any more! Life is saWeet!
My next foray into tomatodom yesterday
What I’m looking forward to this summer! (This is the first bowlful from last summer.)
was tasting the first ripe Roma tomato from our bush. It was a tiny thing, but I split it into two and gave hubby the bigger half. Popped mine into my mouth. And all of a sudden, I was in Rome – I swear. And I could taste the garlic in the tomato. It had a flavor I’ve NEVER tasted in a Roma tomato, whether home grown or at the grocery store – but it had my mouth salivating for Italian food at six-something in the morning. Suddenly I understood why you should use Romas when making an Italian Gravy (or spaghetti sauce) or any Italian recipe that calls for tomatoes.
I guess you could say I had a tomato epiphany. I have seen the light when it comes to tomatoes, more so this week than any other. I am now eyeing the spot remaining, just big enough to take three more tomato plants. Romas, I think. And I’m pretty sure the hubby will agree with me.
)O(
Are you gardening this year? Let’s chat!
by Christine | Observations
Mother’s Day is just around the corner, and while I’m not suggesting to run out and buy her wine (I’m suspecting she’d prefer your company more than a bottle of wine), here are a couple that would go great with brunch or dinner, depending.
Would you describe life as a Cabernet, or a Chardonnay? Me, I rather prefer to think of life as an Adventure movie. With maybe a shot of whiskey for the heroine now and then, lol. Anyway, here are two wines that don’t break the pocketbook.
La Crema Sonoma Coast 2012 Chardonnay, Alcohol 13.5% by Volume; Regularly 19.99, on Sale for $11.99 at Vons
On the Label: “Cool climate vineyards. Artisan Winemaking. Exquisite Chardonnay.”
My Take: As far as labels go, I like this one. Just the facts and under 10 words. As for the wine? Smooth. Creamy, but not oaked; neither does it have a steely taste. This is a rare Chardonnay that hearkens back to the bigger, buttery, oaky Chards without being big, buttery, or oaky. It was fantastic with roasted chicken this week.
My Rating: ~ Very Drinkable ~ Normally, this is an $18 or $19 bottle of wine; so if you can get it on sale, do so. Perfect for a Mother’s Day picnic or lunch.
Guenoc Cabernet Sauvignon 2012 Est’d 1888; Contains less than 15% Guenoc Valley
Grapes. Alcohol 13.5% by Volume; Regularly 10.99, on Sale at Vons for $8.99
On the Label: “Cabernet Sauvignon is the noblest of grape varieties and Guenoc California Cabernet shows ‘respect’ by putting the fruit front and center. Classic red and black cherry are surrounded by cushiony tannins. The coronation is a whisper of vanilla oak on the finish…all hail king Cab!”
My Take: Um, really? “cushiony tannins”? This is another winemaker that needs a hand in their label copy. Less is more, people, unless you go over the top (like Smoking Loon, still my favorite label of all time). Once again I’m glad that I don’t read the back labels of wine bottles (unlike the back cover of books – those I DO read before I buy). Still and all, label aside, this was a tasty but not overly memorable wine.
My Rating: ~ Drinkable ~ and like I said, not overly memorable. Still, not every sip has to be swooning ecstasy, just like every kiss doesn’t need to be swooning ecstasy. Am I right?
~ Until the next time, cheers! ~
~oOo~
Demon Soul and Demon Hunt are available for the Kindle and Kobo! Have you fallen into the Caine Brothers’ world yet?
My Rating System: Undrinkable; Barely Drinkable; Drinkable; Very Drinkable; and the ever-popular “Stay Away! This is MY wine, you Slut!”
by Christine | Life, Observations
Sometimes the weather gets crazy. Like last week, when it was a bajillion degrees in So Cal. (Okay, in the 90s, but still.) Or this week, when the high will be below 70, even in the valleys. (WTF?) Whether it’s hot or cold, when I know the family will be together (a rarity lately), I tend to gravitate to comfort food. Below are two of my new comfort food favorites.
Photo from delectablz.com
My go-to comfort food tends to be some sort of roasted chicken. And I found a terrific recipe at delectablz – Roast Chicken on French Bread one day, when I was feeling the need to do something special for the family but, you know, not work TOO hard.
Well, yum! This recipe has you using a whole chicken that you butterfly, but I’ve also made it using chicken thighs and trust me, it tastes just as yummy. One of the stars of this dish is the caramelized onions that go on top of the sliced French bread. The chicken goes on top of that, and when it comes out of the oven (smelling marvelous, I might add), the bottom layer becomes nice and rich and a tad gooey. SO good. With this dish, I put a Pinot Noir with it – the richness and gooeyness of the bottom layer demanded a red wine. (Don’t make this dish off my description. Truly, I’m leaving stuff out, so you need to check out the recipe!)
Once you’ve made the Roast Chicken on French Bread recipe, you need to try another one – Roast Chicken Thighs on a Bed of Potatoes. A Simply Recipes recipe (I love that place, and get a lot of my recipes from there.) This is a totally delish dish. Chicken thighs tend to be my go-to part of the bird – not too big (as breasts can be), and definitely on the less expensive side, but with more meat than drumsticks (which are great when you have little kids to feed – they love eating with their fingers). The first time I made this recipe, I didn’t have shallots, so I didn’t use any onions, and it was still fabulous.
This recipe also sends wonderful, yummy smells all through the house as it cooks – the
Simply Recipes photo
garlic tucked in between the chicken thighs add a great taste, too. THIS is the recipe that I made a couple of weeks ago and, since the hubs was going to be late for dinner, I made a plate for him to warm up. He later told me it was the single most wonderful meal he’s ever had in his life, lol! (I think he was just tired and appreciated being remembered.) With this dish, and the one below, I paired a lovely Chardonnay with it and was very pleased.
Then, of course, when you want to recreate the recipes but can’t find them, you do what I did last night – you mix the two. I had potatoes, and onions, and even French bread, but I didn’t remember what else went on the French bread recipe, and I couldn’t find my printed copy, AND I couldn’t find it when I googled it! So I caramelized the yellow onions (completely forgetting, once again, the shallots) and put them on top of the potatoes, and then the chicken and garlic – and voila, a fabulous and new dish!
So do check out delectablz and Simply Recipes, and let me know what you think.
)O(
What are some of your go-to comfort food recipes? I’m always on the lookout for something new!
by Christine | Wine Friday
I’m running behind today, duckies, so I’m letting you in on a huge sale going on right now at Vons – Meridian wines are going for $4.99 a bottle (regular price $8.99).
I’ve had the “rich & velvety” Cabernet, the “soft & fruity” Merlot, and the “breezy & fresh” Chardonnay – all drinkable, and at a price that’s barely above the cost of a gallon of gas. It’s a new label, and may be a new marketing strategy. Definitely a new low price point, even at the $8.99, for Meridian.
The Chardonnay is a 2012, but neither the Merlot nor the Cabernet have a vintage on them.
My Rating ~ Drinkable ~ and perfect for summer get-togethers.
Go forth, and give it a try.
Two bottles of Meridian wine.
By the way, I couldn’t find a photo of this label anywhere, so I had to take a picture of the bottles in my house, hence the dirty tablecloth. Tra la!
