Wine, Beer and Christmas

Well Christmas has come and gone...Although for us it's coming again this weekend. On New Year's Day Joe and I will be celebrating with his kids. I really can't wait for that. They were supposed to come on Christmas but plans changed. 

I got lots of good presents on Christmas. My 2 favorites are a Houdini Corkscrew and a case of Blue Moon Harvest Ale. I'm pretty sure Joe liked his gifts too.

On Christmas Eve I drank Cook's Champagne. There was some left so I had a mimosa on Christmas morning. I took a Strawberry Arbor Mist to my sister-in-law for her hostess gift. I also took a bottle of Fish Eye Cabernet Sauvignon to share and have with dinner. When we got home I opened a bottle of Barefoot Pinot Noir because I had to try out my new corkscrew. On Sunday, along with some snacks, I served Barb some Riesling and myself some Barefoot Moscato Spumante Champagne. Last night I made chili so decided to have some beer. I haven't decided, yet, on wine or beer for tonight. We're having Chinese food and then the Eagles play the Vikings at 8. 

Today I bought champagne and wine for New Year's. I stuck with what I know I like. I bought the Cook's and Barefoot Champagne and some Cabernet Sauvignon.

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and has a Happy and Healthy New Year!

A Pre-Christmas blog

I've been busy. I've also been drinking mostly boxed wines. That is why haven't been blogging.


I'm almost ready for Christmas. I have some last minute shopping to do...with wine for Christmas on that list.
I also want to buy my sister-in-law a hostess gift. I'm going to do that shopping on Wednesday, after my lunch date with Dana.

My husband and I are having Liver & Onions on Christmas Eve. I might buy a sparkling wine for that night since it a nice night to add fanciness to.
On Christmas we are busy, but it's a good busy. We get to see everyone.
I'm so overly excited to see my husband's face when he opens his gifts. This whole Christmas season has me happy. The movies, the music and the decorations.
First we'll open our gifts here. Then head to my sister-in-law's for dinner at 1, opening of our Secret Santa gifts and a nice afternoon of visiting. I know what kind of wine I am taking to Theresa, but won't divulge the name as she may read this. I'll probably take a white wine to share, most likely a Pinot Grigio or a Riesling. I like white wine with saltier food like ham. After that we are headed home to spend the evening with Joe's kids. We'll open gifts, eat chocolate fondue, watch football and relax.
That Sunday we are celebrating with Barb and Vinny. I'm having hummus, crackers, cheese and veggies with dip. Again I'm think sparkling wine. Football, gifts and fun.

Fat Cat

Today I bought a bottle of Fat Cat Pinot Noir. I'm making one of my favorite dinners, Chicken Parmesan and spaghetti.
I knew I wanted a red wine. This was on sale for $8.99.
It's very rich in berry smell and flavor. It's a bit dry and it has a long length. That means the taste lingers on your tongue for a while after swallowing. I enjoyed this wine. It's great with pasta but I'd also serve it with a pot roast or steak.

I got called Ma'am today. Twice.
I was wandering around looking at the wines and an older man beside me said " May I help you, Ma'am?" I didn't even think he was talking to me but he was. I said "No thanks. I'm just looking."
I found what I wanted plus some Christmas gifts and walked to the register. A different man says "Hello, Ma'am How are you today?"  I didn't get carded. I wonder why?
I look no different today. Short girl with no make up, jeans and Ugg-ly boots on.
Oh well for years I complained when I got carded, now I'm disappointed I didn't. Must be something about turning 30 in the year to come.

Last Night's Dinner

Last night we had fondue for dinner. 3 courses.
First we did meat in hot oil. It was messy! The oil splattered everywhere. It was tasty though.
Next we did Swiss cheese dip with bread. It was awesomely delicious.
The best part was dessert. Melted chocolate with strawberries, bananas and rice krispy treats as dippers.
I got all of the recipes out of the booklet that came with the fondue pot. Everything was easy to make and inexpensive too.

The kids, Joe and I will certainly be doing chocolate fondue on Christmas. I can hardly wait!

Fondue

Girl's night in was good, as usual. We drank wine, exchanged gifts, ate food and laughed a lot! I love those ladies.

Dana, my Secret Santa,  got me a Fondue Pot. Joe and I are trying it out tonight. I need to add dry white wine to the cheese sauce and that will be the Riesling that was never opened Friday night. I only need a half a cup, so I'll be able to drink some with dinner.

Today I went shopping for the things I need to make the fondue dips. I bought oil and meat, cheese and bread, and chocolate with strawberries, bananas, rice krispy treats for dipping. I'm so excited.

Christmas GNI

Tonight is girl's night in. Today I've been cleaning. I did my wine buying and my Secret Santa shopping. I bought Sutter Home Riesling, Little Black Dress Cabernet Sauvignon & Corbett Canyon Pinot Noir.
As for the gift I can't say yet.

Little Black Dress is the only one I haven't tried. But it seems fitting for girl's night.
We all love Riesling it's an oldie but a goodie. Dana introduced us to Riesling by buying Clean Slate.So sometimes, picking wine by how cool the bottle looks you can find some great wine.
Pinot Noir goes the best with cheese and we always have cheese at girl's night. We each bring something to share. I hope Cheyanne brings hummus again. I bought Ginger Snaps and Cranberry Apple Tea.

We did Secret Santa last year and it worked out perfectly. That made us decide to do it again. Someone husband picks names and sends them to each of us. It may seem a little early for Christmas gifts but we wanna make sure we see each other before the 25th.

Red Wine Sauce

I made a red wine sauce for chicken tonight. I used Cabernet Sauvignon because that's what I have in a box.  I didn't use a recipe though. My first try was milk and wine and it was purple. Then I rethought the milk and wine combo. So I made it the way I make my gravy. I poured some wine in a pan with a bit of chicken stock and added Wondra quick-mixing flour. I stirred it until it bubbled and reduced a bit then poured it over the chicken. The chicken was cooked and had caramelized onions on top. I put in back in the oven while I mashed potatoes. It thickened up perfectly and tasted really good. It was even good on the potatoes. Now I'm drinking some of the Cabernet and waiting for the Eagles game to come on.

My interview today, from my point of view, could not have gone better. I filled out the application and said "I didn't see a spot on there but I was referred by Laurie." The lady said "Oh she told me all about you! Let me interview you now."  She asked me a bunch of questions and wrote down my answers. My answer to one question made her draw a smiley face next to it. Then she gave me a tour. So many cute kids and friendly staff. I got to see Laurie! The last time I saw her was 2 years ago, under sadder conditions. As is usually the case for PV alumni it was at a classmates funeral. 

Speaking of that, a 1997 Pleasant Valley alumni died this passed Friday. He is survived by 2 very young sons and a beautiful wife. Rest in Peace Jason. May God Bless your family.

Quick Update

...I got lost on the way to fill out an application at that daycare. I just couldn't find the place. Turns out I thought it was in one spot and it's in another. I texted my friend and I'm going in tomorrow...

Jobs?

A friend of mine from high school works at a daycare. She texted me last night and asked if I'm still looking for a job. Someone they hired didn't work out. She mentioned me and her boss said I should come in to apply. I might even have an interview today. It's for an afternoon position in the 2 year old room. I still have all my clearances. I just need to send away for copies of them. I'm going at 10 and I'm getting nervous.

I talked to another friend who wants a cleaning lady. I'm going to go look at her house on Friday. I need to see it to know how much to charge. Not quite sure what I'm looking for but I don't want to over charge her. I already clean my husband's office. His boss pays me what he paid the last cleaning lady. So I never had to tell anyone what I "charge" or what my rates are.

Arrogant Frog

Today I was planning on finishing up my Christmas decorating. The only thing I did on Friday evening was the tree. I have boxes of stuff in the living room and it's kinda in the way. I also wanted to clean. I got side tracked from all that to make my Care.com profile. Care.com is a website you can put up a profile and parents can find you for babysitting and nanny jobs.. They also have elderly care and pet sitting. I signed up and filled out all of the information. By the time I finished it was 2 o'clock. I had to do some laundry and dishes then run to the store. I stopped at the liquor store for wine. I bought 2 bottles. One is Pinot Noir and one is Cranberry Blush. We had Cranberry Blush on Thanksgiving and I wanted more.
Now I'm cooking dinner. Sausage in tomato basil sauce over spaghetti. I feel like I say it in every blog but I love red wine with anything that has a red sauce.

I bought Arrogant Frog Lily Pad Noir. It's one I've noticed before because of the cute label and name. Today it was on sale so I bought it. It was $9.99. It's a 2009 French wine.This wine tastes like juicy berries. I like how it makes the sides of my tongue feel, almost tingly It has a nice peppery taste too. The bottle says to serve it with grilled meats and soft cheeses and I couldn't agree more.

Maybe tonight while the CMA Country Christmas is on I'll get some decorating done. 

Leftover Wine

Thanksgiving really turned out great. Everyone was happy when dinner was done. Besides the huge turkey we had mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, broccoli, stuffing, gravy, cranberry salad, rolls and salad.

Dessert was pumpkin pie, apple  pie, cherry cheesecake, pumpkin roll all with ice cream or cool whip.
I already told you about the wines I bought. I'm finishing the Pinot Noir tonight. Some of my guests just didn't like wine or opted for beer instead. I'm fine with all of that. I'm just not use to the leftover wine. Although I'm fine with that too!

Today my step-daughters went shopping at 6 am...crazy gals! Joe had to work. Josh and Joe, Emily's fiance, went to race go-carts. I made turkey soup and turkey pot pie. Froze the rest of it except for some for sandwiches for the next few days.

Tonight the twins are going to the casino. Joe, Josh & Joe are going to Railroad Earth at the Sherman Theater. I just took out all the Christmas decorations. I'll spend a quiet night working on the tree and maybe wrapping presents.

Tradition

I've found myself doing lot of things today that weren't on my list. Looking back they probably should have been. I ran out quick for things to make Turkey Frame Soup on Friday. I cleaned and refilled my ice trays. I cleaned the outside of the fridge and crock pot (I'll be using it to keep my mashed potatoes warm). I cleaned the lampshades. Febrezed the guest room.
Now I'm working on my list. I have all our throw blankets in the wash and next up is the rest of the clothes. I don't wanna have to do any laundry until at least Friday.
I'm stressing out a little so I decided to have a cup of coffee and relax for at least 20 minutes. After this back to the cleaning. Actually I'm almost done. I need to vacuum and clean the bathroom. I'm not worried about the kitchen floor today because I'll be in there all day tomorrow. I will give it a quick sweep though, dog hair gets everywhere. I'll make the Jello cheesecake and try to find room for it in the fridge. Tomorrow I'm making 2 pumpkin pies and an apple pie.

All our out of town (sleeping over) guests will be here by tomorrow. We order in pizza for dinner. It's just easier and it has become a Williams Thanksgiving Eve tradition. Speaking of tradition my favorite movie will be on tomorrow night. The Wizard of Oz. I love to watch it the night before the holiday or at least have it on the background while the family plays a game. Apples to Apples is our new family favorite.

I'm looking forward to Thursday. I'm trying to remember that it doesn't have to be perfect to be wonderful.

Thanksgiving Wine

I went out to a few stores today. I bought everything I need for Thursday (Friday and Saturday too). The easiest store to go to was the liquor store.. Everyone there is happy. Maybe it's because we all drink.
I knew what I wanted to buy. I wanted wines that go with everything. I decided on Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. I didn't want to spend a lot. You don't have to go broke buying tasty wines.

I got to the Chardonnay aisle and found one from Chile. It's actually a brand I've never tried but at $7.99 for a 1.5 liter bottle I was sold. I've honestly never had a Chardonnay I didn't like. A good Pinot Noir is Redwood Creek. Lucky for me it was on sale too. Again, $7.99 for a 1.5 liter bottle. I like to serve both a red and white or at least have the options for my guests. On the way out of the store I saw Sorrenti's Cranberry Blush. It was $8.99, it's made in the area, so I don't mind the price. It's perfect for Thanksgiving. I thought my friends would like it.

Making a List

Today is football day. Red Zone all day then the Eagles game at 8:30. I have a pot roast in the crock pot and it smells amazing in here.While I'm sitting here I'm making a list of what I need to do before Thursday. At this point it's still daunting...

I need to make a list and shop for the rest of the food we need. I need to buy the wines I'll be serving. I want to do that tomorrow so I can blog about them before Thanksgiving. Mostly I'll be sticking to what I know I like, hoping my guests enjoy it also. I'd like to buy a centerpiece. Clean the burners and oven. Wash all my potholders. Windex all mirrors, windows and pictures on the walls. I need to clean the small appliances in the kitchen and the counters too. I need to put the guest bedroom back together. I know I have tablecloths but I don't know where they are so I guess I'll be looking for them. I plan on dressing up a bit this year so I need to decide (or maybe buy) what I'll be wearing and pick out shoes. I need to paint my nails but that I'll do Thursday after the turkey goes in the oven. On Wednesday I'll be baking pies and making the green bean casserole. Also on Wednesday I'll be febrezing the carpeted floors and the furniture. Thursday morning I'll be doing some light cleaning. I'll be asking Joe for help, to get done quicker. We'll need to vacuum, clean the glass coffee table, spruce up the bathroom, sweep and mop the kitchen. We'll need to move the table from the den to the dining room. I bought 4 folding chairs the other day. We bought new plates for this year too.

Apparently I'm going all out. I just hope I can make everyone happy. Including me !

Yellow Tail

Tonight I'm drinking a 2009 Yellow Tail Shiraz-Cabernet. It's the first "mixed" wine I've had. By mixed I mean it's 80% Shiraz and 20% Cabernet. It's really good. The label says it tastes like rich plum, blackcurrants and raspberry but I don't know what blackcurrants taste like. To me it's a bit spicy with a cherry-raspberry taste. I'd like this one with steak. Steak fajita's would be great with it. Again, it's good with pizza but most red wines are.

Yellow tail is a great brand to buy if you're looking to try a different wine. This bottle was $5.99 on sale, down from $7.99. It's inexpensive but in no way cheap.

Clean Slate

Tonight I'm drinking Clean Slate. It's a 2009 Riesling from Mosel, Germany. It's fruity and crisp which makes it light. The peach flavor makes it taste sweet but the tangier lime taste keeps it from being too sweet. I like serving this wine with cheese and honeydew. As far as dinner I'd pair it with any poultry dish. That makes it a good Thanksgiving wine.

It's Friday and I was supposed to have a girl's night. We postponed it because a few friends couldn't make it. Therefore, I planned nothing for dinner, again. So sandwiches and salad it is. We have turkey and this wine will go well with it.

Gearing up for Thanksgiving

It's time to take my 20 pound turkey out of the freezer and put it into the fridge to thaw. I'll take this opportunity to clean the fridge and the freezer. As I sat down last night and wrote out the food I have, I was concerned about not having enough. So I called my sister-in-law, Theresa, about it and I need to buy more. I read her my menu and her advise was make more potatoes and corn. She's use to feeding large crowds. She's the oldest daughter with 2 brothers and 3 sisters all with kids of their own. She sure does know about cooking a lot of food on holidays. And she's good at it! Everyone is always full, happy and loved at her house.

I'm up to 10 people coming on Thanksgiving, including me and Joe. Now I worry about seating. I'm thinking of buying a card table with folding chairs to accommodate everyone. This isn't the first time I've worried about not having enough chairs. So I don't think it would hurt to have one. I don't think they are expensive in fact I bet Target has them on sale.Plus I hate to have my guests sit on plastic patio chairs.

After I clean the fridge, I'm going to clean the bathroom. Wash the walls & light fixtures, scrub the tub, sink and toilet, swiffer the floors and in between the radiator grooves then scrub the floor. This way next week I'll only need to spend a half hour or so cleaning it, getting it ready for guests.  

I asked my husband to go Christmas shopping with me tonight. I didn't hear a yes. I might just go this afternoon. That way I can buy the rest of his gifts. Either way I'm hoping to get a good chunk of my shopping done. Then, like I said yesterday, I'll be coming home to wrap them. I'll put on some Christmas music, pour some hot tea or wine, depending on the time, and hopefully get a lot of wrapping done.

Chicken Spinachi

Tonight's pizza was fantastic. It had an alfredo sauce and was still awesome with the Cabernet from last night. It was a pizza from a gourmet pizza shop in East Stroudsburg. We order the Chicken Spinachi, one of the specialty pizza that I had a coupon for. It's one of the best I've ever had. It had chicken, spinach and red onions with an alfredo sauce, mozzarella and parmesan cheeses. The breadsticks were good too.
It's a half hour until the Bears-Dolphins kickoff. I'm still sipping wine and watching my husband play video games.

re-runs already?

Today I took a friend to have a growth removed from his foot. It wasn't a big deal. By not a big deal I mean it didn't cause him pain, it wasn't cancerous and was easily removable. Of course I can say it wasn't a big deal because it wasn't me or my surgery. Anyway the actual procedure took the doctor 25 minutes. We were there waiting for longer than that. Our drive to Allentown was longer than that. So he's fine. At home most likely with his foot propped while listened to The Rads and sipping on whatever he likes over the rocks.

I was gone all day and I didn't make dinner...not in the crockpot and not when I got home. Tonight's wine will be the rest of the bottle from last night...wait, what? re-runs already?! I just wanna get in my pj's, order a pizza and watch football.

I'm hoping to do a little more Christmas shopping tomorrow. The stores are starting to get crowded and not everyone is in the Christmas spirit. When I get home I'll wrap some presents but the cards are done. While I wrap them I'll be drinking an old favorite, Clean Slate. It's a Riesling from Germany.

Corbett Canyon Cabernet Sauvignon

Tonight for dinner I made veal parmesan & spaghetti along with a salad. So I needed a wine that goes well with tomato sauce. I decided on Cabernet Sauvignon. I love this wine.  It's one of my favorites. So I went to the store knowing what kind of wine I wanted, which is always a good start. If I don't, I could be in there for quite a long time. Even chatting with Frank, a man who works there, is always helpful. I decided that since I had just spent money on Christmas I would try an inexpensive wine. I left, happily, with a bottle of Corbett Canyon Cabernet Sauvignon. It was on sale for $7.99 for a 1.5 liter bottle.

I opened it and had a few sips while making dinner so I know it's good on it's own, as most are. And it went well with dinner too. It has a nice nutty flavor and a nice hint of cherry. It's a full bodied, dry wine. I'd pair it with any Italian food (especially one with a red sauce) ,a steak or just some pizza. It's also great with cheese. I prefer a sharp cheddar with this wine. I also prefer to drink it at room temp and I can't say that for all red wines.

More than Wine?

I've up since 5, by no choice of my own. I just hate laying in bed not able to sleep. So I got up, made some coffee and started reading blogs. I found lots of interesting ones. Some short posts, many long posts and some really funny posts. I realized my blog can be about any and all things I love: knitting, being a housewife, cooking and, of course, wine. They say write what you know. So I guess I will....

Today my plans are to finish up my Christmas cards. I have our dining room table all set up with everything I need to do them. That way when nothing is going on, I can just sit down and write out a few. It really has worked for me. I will be mailing them out December 1st which is always my goal.
When I'm done with those I'll clean off the table and start deep cleaning that room. Besides having my besties over on Friday, we have friends and relatives coming and staying for Thanksgiving. Which means I also need to clean up our guest room and hide some Christmas presents.
I'm going to wash the sheets on the guest bed and wash all the curtains in the house. I may buy new blinds because at $3 with only 8 blinds needed I can save myself a bunch of time...and headache. While I'm out shopping I will get wrapping paper. I may even pick up a few small gifts. I have to go to the post office to send out 'care packages' to a couple of wonderful  ladies. I need to pick up a few things at the grocery store. While I'm there, not making a full trip, I'm going to pick up some things I need for Thanksgiving. And of course a bottle of wine for later.

47 Pound Rooster

Tonight I tried Rex-Goliath, Giant 47 Pound Rooster, a Shiraz from California. 
I made a ground turkey meatloaf, mashed red potatoes, green beans and gravy. This wine is good with most meals because it is hearty, not too dry and not overwhelming. I like how the peppery-ness of it mixes well with the berry taste. And I also enjoy the subtle cherry flavor. This one is good with almost any meat dish and is perfect by itself.
I rate this wine a 4 out of 5. It's not too dry and certainly not sweet. A nice red table wine for any meal.
Here's a link to the story of Rex. http://www.rexgoliath.com/rexgoliath/page/history.jsp

Wine Gal on a Mission

I just decided that since I buy different wines each time I go to the store, I'll start a blog about it. Rating the wines, determining what food they well with or what cheese/snack. Hopefully this will help you and your girl's night's along.