Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

It’s happened again, that arbitrary day we call “January 1” of whatever year.  I have begun the great cleaning out of my office, as well as my closets and dressers and kitchen cupboards. Found my raspberry beret, which had gone missing, as well as some colored pencils and a small bag of electronics that I travel with, so that was a good thing.

I have let blogging slide, for whatever reason; but it is past time to get back into gear. There are wines that need discussing, and books, and recipes…oh yes, recipes!

And there’s a freebie going on, in case you haven’t read anything I’ve written yet (except this here blog)…but just until January 4th, so grab it while you can!

15820634_845400775599764_2033665108_o

Three Times More Lucky, Sizzling Stories of Menage and More, from Louisa Bacio, Erzabet Bishop, Kim Carmichael, Sascha Illyvich, Solera Winters, and me. Get it here…

But for today, I just want to say Happy New Year. There’s a lot of life to live…may your 2017 hold love, and strength, growth and change for you…in the very best ways possible.

And have a sip of champagne for me, will you?

champagne

 

Two Musts for a New Year’s Eve Party

Two Musts for a New Year’s Eve Party

If you’re going to a New Year’s Eve party this year, be a sweetie and bring two important things that every hostess needs. First, a yummy appetizer that doesn’t need reheating; second, a couple bottles (one champagne, one not champagne).

The Appetizer

This is one of the easiest, tastiest, and most surprising appetizers that I’ve ever run across. I was introduced to it via my good friend Kristin Reeves. Some day I must do a post about her, because she introduced me to so many tasteful, joyful, easy and luscious things that she’s truly made her mark on my life, even though we’ve lived across the continent from each other for over 20 years. I had this dish as a part of an impromptu afternoon snack, with white wine and…well, that’s a story for another day.

Lox, Cream Cheese, and Onion Spirals  Ingredients: Lox, cream cheese, onion, 8-inch soft flour tortillas.   Take four ounces of good quality lox (found in 3 or 4 ounce packages near the butcher case in the grocery store) and add to your mixing bowl. Add an 8 ounce block of cream cheese (not the pre-whipped stuff). Cut a good sized onion in half, and chop half of it finely. Add to the bowl. (If you have small onions, use the whole thing.)

Turn your mixer on low; mix until well-blended, stopping to scrape the beater at least once. When it’s done, the lox and onion will be well-incorporated into the cream cheese.

Take out a flour tortilla; spread about a third of the cream cheese mixture over the tortilla. Roll up tightly and place in a large ziplock baggie. Repeat with the rest of the mixture and two more tortillas. (I had some left over; made a lovely snack on crackers.) Put the rolls into the refrigerator and let rest for an hour.

Prior to the party, cut the rolls into 1/2 inch thick pieces and lay them flat on a plate that you don’t mind leaving at the party (I usually pick up a festive one at the dollar store). The rolls will show bits of salmon and onion and look very festive. Wrap the plate with plastic wrap, and add a festive note on it describing what is in the dish (for those who may be allergic or sensitive). Voila – you’ve made your hostess very happy!

As for the bottles… if you like champagne, bring the bottle you prefer. That way when the

Mumm Napa Valley

Mumm Napa Valley

 time comes, you’ll have the one  you like to sip on as the year turns over. If you don’t have a champagne that you prefer, do yourself and your hostess a favor and stay in the $10 to $20 dollar range; there are a lot of more expensive bottles on sale right now that will make you look like a hero. For “brand names”, I like Domaine Chandon, Mumm Napa Valley, and Korbel. As I don’t like sweet champagnes, I go for the ones that say “Brut”. For an explanation on levels of sugar in champagnes, go to this post here.

Trader Joe's Sparkling White Chardonnay Grape Juice

Trader Joe’s Sparkling White Chardonnay Grape Juice

For the non-alcoholic sparkler, my sons really liked Trader Joe’s Sparkling White Chardonnay Grape Juice, and I must admit it was very tasty. Not overly sweet, but just sweet enough, and with a nice sparkle to it. As a matter of fact, I need to hustle over there and grab a couple bottles for New Year’s Eve…

What are your plans for the New Year? We’re most likely staying home and enjoying family. Whatever you do, do it with gusto and love, and you can’t go wrong.

Okay, so there you go. I hope you have a wonderful New Year’s Eve, and may 2014 be your best year yet! Sending love and hugs, from my home to yours.

)O(

Sparklers for New Year’s Eve, Part Deux

Sparklers for New Year’s Eve, Part Deux

Last year, I wrote an exhaustive post on Champagnes and Sparkling wines that I can’t hope to beat. If you’d like a peek, go here.

Surprisingly, there were sparkling wines that I didn’t mention in that review but that were mentioned in the comments. Today I bring two of those to your attention (plus a couple more, lol!).

Gruet Blanc de Noirs Methode Champenoise American Sparkling Wine Albuquerque, New Mexico Alcohol 12% by Volume – on sale for $14.99 at BevMo!

A delightful, non-vintage sparkling wine (or maybe that was just Christmas Eve? lol…), the Gruet should certainly be on your go-to list. It is on par with the Domaine Chandon Blanc de Noirs, though I have to admit I prefer the Domaine’s pretty pink color. The Gruet didn’t have a pink tinge to it (which is expected when you see Blanc de Noirs on the label). Bottled from the Pinot Noir grape, most blanc de noirs sparkling wines have that pretty color – this one did not, even though their website cites a “a fine salmon color”. The only drawback I can see to this wine is that my local grocery store doesn’t carry it, which means you may have to hunt for it.

Another new favorite of mine is Domaine Carneros by Taittenger, 2007 & 2008 Brut   Methode Champenoise – Napa Valley, California Alcohol 12% by Volume, on sale at Vons for $19.99 .

We had the 2007 on Christmas morning, and I will definitely be buying another bottle of it.

Lovely neighbors also brought us over a bottle of the 2008 as a Christmas present, so we’ll probably be popping it on New Year’s Eve. Another upscale bottle with a good price to it. Definitely impressive!

For fun bubbles, to share with a younger crowd perhaps (that might not be quite so judgmental),  try Yellowglen’s Pink and Yellow sparkling wines, from Australia. I’ve picked up both of these from BevMo! over the years, and have found them thoroughly enjoyable. (Especially terrific in the summer when you want something fun and festive – but equally at home for a big New Year’s Eve party.)

I taste tested these a couple of years ago at BevMo! – they are running $6.99 on a Club Bev membership (which is free), normally double that. The bottles are fun and festive, the wine is lively and the bubbles fairly small. All in all, a good value for the money.

I am surprised (and pleased) that there are so many different sparkling wines that I have yet to taste!  Which one is your favorite to ring in the New Year with?

On a sober-er note, please go visit Natalie Hartford’s blog today, where she shares with us the proper way to be a responsible hostess with Holiday Mocktails. They sound delicious, and I’m eager to try them! Plus MADD has come out with non-alcoholic cocktails that she said were terrific – give it a look see.

May you say goodbye to 2012 with no regrets, and look to 2013 with an open and eager mind, heart, and spirit. Thanks so much for being a part of my life this year!

~ Until the next time, cheers – and remember to drink responsibly! ~

Demon Soul, Blood Dreams and Demon Hunt are all available for the Kindle! Have you fallen into the Caine Brothers’ world yet?


Knowing My Place

Knowing My Place

Most of the time, I know my place. I love my place – it’s got hubby in it, and my kids, my cat, my relatives, my friends, a terrific garden and a comfy bed to snuggle into at night. It’s also got stuffed animals that like to greet me when I come home from a writer’s conference.

My welcome home from Desert Dreams – stuffed animals guarding an ice bucket with a bottle of champagne. Isn’t my hubby the sweetest?

But it’s taken me some time to get to this place. I stumbled across what I thought was a brand-new journal book and took it along to a new playwright’s workshop I take on Monday nights. Imagine my surprise when I opened it up and found notes from a scam possible job opportunity, back in May of 2010.

I read through my notes (which were substantial – I believe I went to a week’s worth of “training”). There was a lot of leadership stuff in there – really good leadership stuff, I might add, which I will re-read again. Plus there was a lot of manipulation stuff in there, too; which bugged me at the time. But it took actually trying to sell this stuff before I realized that this job was not for me, no matter how much money I could make doing it.

Which got me to thinking about another job I had, spanning four months, not many months before I checked into the scam other possible job opportunity. That was a real job, with a real paycheck and real expense reports and real work. I was good at it, too. By the fourth month, I knew what I was doing, I could handle the work with my eyes shut and hands tied behind my back, and I was absolutely and positively miserable. Part of the misery was some family issues that were happening, and I was far away from home each day. So when I quit – and that, in fact, has been the only job I have quit – I did so as politely as I could, telling them that I was needed at home and this job wasn’t the right fit for me. They tried to keep me but I held firm. More money wouldn’t have done it (and boy was I underpaid). I spent the next two weeks getting everything in order, making sure the people who were taking my accounts knew what was going on in each area, copying my boss on all the details. I didn’t want to be badmouthed about my work when I left, and I wanted to make sure that if I ever HAD to, I could go back.

I have thought about these two jobs quite a bit in the last few days. I knew I could have handled them both, but there comes a time when you should just back away. Just because you CAN do a job doesn’t mean you SHOULD do it. Not at the expense of your own personal health and happiness, or how your mood affects your family.

Writing is a job. Luckily, I can and should and do write, and even though it can be difficult at times I never feel like I’m wearing ill-fitting clothes. I never feel out of place. I am never insanely miserable.

Writing, I’m happy to say, is my “place”. (So is my current day job, which I’m lucky to have and I’m grateful that it’s a good fit for my personality.)

Desert Dreams Booksigning

At Desert Dreams Booksigning, with a part of the Arizona contingent of the Ashworth clan. One of the good writing days! (The one that voids warranties is Young Son.)

I’m thinking young people today are trying to find their own “place” almost too quickly, thereby abandoning part of the journey to self discovery for “place”. Later, they wonder why they’re unhappy. Maybe choosing your “place” too young is a bad thing?

Or maybe not enough people are lucky enough to find their “place” early in life? I don’t know. But heck, I’m happy where I am.

I guess you could say I’m in my happy place, lol, every time I sit down to write or go to the day job. Yes, I count myself lucky!

I also know that I’m a strong, intelligent woman and I’m friends with other strong, intelligent women (and men). Amidst all the change and upheaval and births and deaths and angst and incredible happiness and terrible storms, it helps to remember we are all human. What divides is is minor compared to what should unite us. We are strong and breakable; we all live, love, laugh, cry, eat, sleep, dream, bleed and die, and the earth is our “place”. Right now, it’s the only earth we’ve got.

I guess I’ve said enough. I’ve got dinner to make and more words to write. Peace out, people – and remember to be gentle with each other, even when we may disagree. Hugs!

~ Until the next time, cheers – and remember to drink responsibly! ~

Demon Soul, Blood Dreams and Demon Hunt are all available for the Kindle! Have you fallen into the Caine Brothers’ world yet?


Sparklers for the New Year

Sparklers for the New Year

I’m talking sparkling wine, of course. Not those sparkly fire-works things that are totally illegal in my neighborhood. (But if you’ve got ’em, outside at midnight on New Year’s is the perfect time to use ’em! Not that I’ve ever done such a thing…ahem.)

Sparkling wine, champagne, prosecco – this is, to me, the perfect wine. You can serve it to your sweetie with breakfast in bed; order it with a celebratory lunch, or woo your significant other with it prior to a romantic dinner for two. It’s also great with cheese and crackers as you sit on the beach.  I am a sparklingwineaholic and I’m not ashamed of it!

To get us started, let me run down the order of driest to sweetest in the sparkling wine lingo. Ready?

Rating Sugar content
(grams per litre)
Brut Nature (no added sugar) 0–3
Extra Brut 0–6
Brut 0–12
Extra Dry, Extra Sec, Extra seco 12–17
Dry, Sec, Seco 17–32
Demi-Sec, Semi-seco 32–50
Doux, Sweet, Dulce 50+

Thank you,  Wikipedia !  (I will say, I don’t know if I’ve ever drunk an “Extra Brut” sparkling wine – though I have had a Natural.) So, Dry = sweet. I can’t handle sweet sparklers any more – Asti Spumante is not my thing, but lots of people like it. Most of the wines below fall in the “brut” category.

There ARE sparkling wines out there under ten dollars and over the years, I’ve tasted them all. Well, almost all. But I’m bringing you my favorites first, those that haven’t seen a ten dollar price tag in years – if ever.

I mentioned one of my favorites, Etoile by Chandon, last week and you can find that post here. Go all the way to the bottom of the post, and you’ll see the gorgeous bottle. Last week, the hubby found it at BevMo for under $20 – but don’t expect to find it for that price for very long. Their lesser-priced sparklers, Domaine Chandon Brut and the Brut Rose are very good – and contrary to my faulty memory last week, usually go for $11.99 at Vons on sale. Not a bad price at all!

I’ll squeeze Piper Sonoma Brut in here, as it’s in this same price range between $11.99 and $14.99 on sale, depending on who’s doing the pricing at Vons that day. (Just kidding…) Also a great value, terrific flavor, a real nice sipping sparkler.

Another tasty favorite is by the Mumm’s brand. Mumm’s Cuvee Napa with the dark blue label is another go-to bottle for me This usually goes for $14.99 at Vons on sale – when I can find it for lower, I grab two bottles, just in case. Right now, I believe it’s at $13.99. Mumm’s also has another, black label champagne that runs the same price but it’s just a little different.

Going pricier, and unfortunately no longer available, is the French  Moet & Chandon’s White Star non-vintage champagne. It ran around $50 full price a year or so ago, but you could usually find it in the $30’s price range (and I remember when it was really expensive at $25 a bottle). This wine won all sorts of awards, and in 2010 M&C pulled the plug on it. You can’t find it anywhere, it’s not being made, and those people who have a case stowed away in their wine cellar aren’t talking – and they’re not selling, either.  A real disappointment.

There’s a reason Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Yellow Label  is a favorite of mine. It was one of the last Christmas gifts my brother Scott gave me. Plus, it’s tasty! Another non-vintage champagne from a terrific house. This wine is found in wine shops – maybe your grocery store around New Year’s eve. You can also find this at BevMo for about $35 – it’s got a traditional, French yeastiness to it (or, maybe that’s just me) that I really like. On the splurgy side, but hey – the bubbles are REALLY small. If you want to spend the big bucks to impress that special someone who’ll know you spent the money (I’m talking between $120-$150 per bottle), then you want to go for the Veuve Clicquot Grande Dame 1998 vintage.  I had the 1996 vintage  – and it was superb.

Others that I’ve had that are on the pricier side of things: Roederer Estate Brut, about $25Schramsberg Blanc de Blanc, $36.  Piper Heidsieck Brut Cuvee, $45. These are all straight prices found on the internet, no discounts or sales. If you look about, I’m sure you’ll find them for less.

On the less expensive side of things, I do appreciate Korbel Brut. The low man on the totem pole is often under $10; if you go for Korbel Natural (with the green label, instead of the white label), it goes up a bit to around $14.99 and can be considered on a par with Piper Sonoma. But this is the sparkling wine without any sugar added (see table, above).  BAREFOOT  also puts out a decent sparkling wine, and it’s around $8.99. I’ve had it, I liked it, and I will buy it again, but it’s not my all-time favorite.

ONES TO STAY AWAY FROM: (And please remember, this is just my opinion!)  Cooks , $5.99. Frexienet (the black bottle), $7.99. ANYTHING under $4. These wines tend to be sweeter than the others and have big bubbles, both of which will give you a huge headache the next day (or maybe that same night). They might be okay if you’re using them for mixed cocktails; but still, buyer beware.

I speak with full knowledge of both these wines. Way back at the dawn of time, when I was  young and unemployed, my best friend Tammy and I would sit and drink Cooks or Frexienet and eat french bread pizza and watch General Hospital (this was the Luke and Laura wedding year). I have put money into those bottles, and loved them well at the time. Now, however, I like to think my palate has grown more sophisticated and as such, I can’t – literally, can’t – drink these wines.  (They’re really too sweet.) This doesn’t mean that you can’t drink them and enjoy – as I am sure many people do! They definitely fill a niche in the market.

So, there you go. I’ve given you a lot of different sparkling wines (and a couple Champagnes) to think about for your New Year’s celebration. Here’s another handy tip – keep a few bottles of Sparkling Cider around, for those designated drivers or those who don’t drink who may want something more exciting than cola. It comes in a lot of different flavors, not just apple; and as the commercial says, it’s festive! (Plus most places have a deal on it right now.)

Whatever you choose to do this New Year’s Eve, whether it be to curl up with your new Kindle Fire or to party hearty in Las Vegas, may you have a safe and joyous New Year’s Eve.  Cheers – and remember to drink responsibly!

~   ~   ~

The opinions above are mine and mine alone, based on years and years of taste-testing Champagnes and Sparkling Wines. If YOUR favorite sparkling beverage wasn’t listed here, feel free to send me a bottle and I’ll be happy to give it my thorough attention – and an honest review.