pattimw

cause it is fun to talk about. and I hope you didn't think my original post was in a "victorian" spirit. I don't think Americans drink enough wine, or enjoy it as much as they should. i like to think of it as more of food stuff than a means to get schnukkered. Even though the schnukkering seems to be a by-product of the enjoyment, on occasion.

My husband says I have to "drink him pretty"

ok, I just picked up Delicious (the AU version) and Australian Vogue Entertaining and Travel. I was very impressed by content and they just seem "meatier" than US food and cooking mags. I may have to suck up the subscription fee to the US.

chufi, great blog! I am enjoying this slice of (food) life in Amsterdam! What kind of cheese is that in your lunch?

great topic. I really enjoyed reading everyone's replies. May 12, 2001. Very simple - Cheese, fruit, and bread. Filet Mignon with a bordelaise sauce Grilled Asparagus Mashed potatoes (no vegetarians at our wedding) Wedding cake - chocolate with a chocolate espresso mousse filling, buttercream frosting (vanilla I think)

Monday Night- Pork tenderloin, seared in a saute pan, then sliced, with a red wine-mushroom broth reduction. Sauteed mushrooms. Roasted sweet potatoes with maple syrup Blanched, then sauteed brussell sprouts with garlic and bacon. Georges Dubeouf Beajolais Villages Tuesday- Butternut squash risotto with bacon and sage Brussel sprouts (I am on a kick with these) Mata Tua (Sp?) 2002 Pinot Noir, New Zealand Stilton with a port wine syrup and glazed walnuts.

We had the same dinner last night. Although I used regular bacon and shallots in the risotto. HUH!

When my father-in-law, who is now 82, had some ailment or the other, he was instructed by the doc not to have more than one glass of wine per night. That's rather like telling a bear not to s**t in the woods. Even with the best will in the world, it just wasn't going to happen. But we thought, for the sake of assisting him in his probity if nothing else, we'd help out: managed to find one of those over-sized Burgundy glasses that hold damn near a whole bottle, yes, in a single glass. So that's about what he had every night. Very good claret of course. Didn't hurt him one little bit...except for the tennis elbow he picked up from holding the heavy sucker... As for ourselves, we do try to have one night off wine every month or two. However I can't say we always manage it. ← That is such a great story Clearly, at 82, a glass (or bottle, however you want to call it) of wine a day has done him well.

I finally saw this yesterday! The scene where they are sitting on the hill, overlooking vineyards and picnicing (sp?) Although I will admit that I almost got a headache watching the amount of wine consumed. my favorite scene, though, is where Virginia Madsen's character talks about what she loves about wine. I thought it was poetic.

in fact, I think it is about time to go shopping for my monthly case. And who knew that wine was good for athletic performance? I am going to have to keep that in mind.....

I have found my consumption has increased exponentially to my salary. I am moving more toward the European way, usually buying wine when I grocery shop so each meal has its own wine. ←

Forgive me if this has already been covered, and please point me in the right direction if so - I did a search and nothing came up. How often do you drink wine? Every day? Or do you try to limit yourself to the weekends? Did members of your household share your habits? I personally drink wine more nights than not - I usually have a glass or two with dinner. I find it relaxing and an enjoyable way to end the day. And it makes the food taste much better. My DH usually usually drinks as well. This may all seem mundane and not very thought provoking, but most people I know do not drink wine regularly and are curious when I tell them I do. I think they think I am an alcoholic. I think American's drinking habits tend towards the extremes - too much or nothing. I wonder if this is changing with wine and food more in the public consciousness. Just curious what your personal preferences are, what you see around you - are we tending more towards the European way, with wine more as a beverage like water or juice as opposed to wine as a special occasion drink or a means to inebriation.

I have decided to limit my cooking mags each month to Australian Gourmet Traveller and Delicious. I am also considering subscribing to Fine Cooking but the seasonal issues irk me slightly. ← Thanks for that link, helenas! Looks like such a good mag...I checked out some of the recipe indices and those alone would make me want to subscribe, but at $50 USD, plus the freight, which I think was as much as the subscription is itself, phew! I am wondering if Borders might carry it, they carry Donna Hay and other British/Australian food pubs.

Chufi- I am dying over those tarts! Beautiful. Honey and orange glaze, huh? Very nice!!

Sunday breakfast was stuffed French toast - mascarpone cheese, blackcurrant jam sandwiched between two slices of baguette. thick cut bacon - ummmmm. so good, so crispy.

I love cereal! my favorite, right now, anyway, are those Peanut Butter Puffins (are they Barbara's?) Anyway, I find them at Trader Joe's and the health food section of the store. They scrape the roof of my mouth kind of like Cap'n Crunch did as a kid, but they are so good. especially the way it flavors the milk at the bottom of the bowl. Trader Joe's Banana Bread Crunch is also delicious.

I spend so much time at my desk that not only do I bring lunch, but snacks, too. One of my desk drawers is devoted to Trader Joe's treats. Lots of people i work with bring lunch and I am pretty religious about brown-bagging - it's cheaper, healthier, and almost always tastes better. I agree about the popcorn and fish, but I'll add another one - anything with a lot of curry in it. That tends not to smell good in an office.

Wha?????? Is this the only way to unload surplus wine?

Jinmyo - your menu sounds delicious - especially those baby back ribs! My mouth is watering.... Last night I seared chicken breasts, then finished them in the oven. Sauce was pan bits, shallot, oyster, shittake, and cremini mushrooms, white wine, and cream. Roasted red potatoes with herbes de provence mixed greens, vinaigrette. Napa Ridge 2002 Pinot Noir. Dessert? a fudge brownie with walnuts. it was soooo goood.

OMG - the salmon and gnocchi look amazing!! I just did the Good Cook club thing and Bouchon was one of my selections. So good to see how amazing it is!!

enjoying this blog very much! and as we are covered with 2 feet of snow, I am jealous of your locale..... what a cute dog - my golden retriever, Pete, gets much the same look on his face when I am cooking something he would like a taste of.

Dinner last night was: Butternut-Carrot soup (with lots of spices- cumin, paprika, turmeric, cayenne) Panini - mozzarella, sliced and roasted eggplant, roasted red peppers, basil leaves. Casa Lapostolle 2003 Sauvignon Blanc

percyn, that omelette looks heavenly! I made spaghettti's blueberry pancakes yesterday morning - they were delicious! high pancakes, nice and spongy for the maple syrup. They were definitely the prettiest pancakes I'd ever made. this morning, the old standby- homemade granola and yogurt.

I think you must be my long lost sister!!! That is my perfect meal! We call it whole paycheck and that is the champagne we keep on hand all the time. And I love pop corn with bubbles!! Fantastic! ← LOL, little ms. foodie! My husband had never been to a WF before (I call it Whole Paycheck too) this weekend and he was amazed- he has vowed to go back. He never understood when I would come home raving about it. Loved the Domaine Chandon - what a great wine for $15!!

Chufi - those lemon puddings look awesome!! We are (literally) snowed in here - big ol' blizzard is slamming Boston right now. I made some "little dishes" last night. A visit to whole paycheck resulted in a dozen oysters which we ate with cocktail sauce. They were really fantastic - sweet and briny at the same time. They really tasted like the sea, which may seem like a given, but these were exceptionally flavorful. We drank a Domaine Chandon Blanc de Noirs with it. We followed up with popcorn- wanted something else to go with the sparkling wine. I made tiny meatballs spiced with cumin, coriander, cayenne, rolled with parsley and garlic. Simple tomato sauce of canned tomatoes, white wine, garlic and onion. These never made it out of the pan they simmered in. Pizza with sun dried tomato tapenade, roasted eggplant, fontina and mozzarella. had some leftover Turnbull Syrah 2002, which was way too bold and oaky. I wish we'd had a Chianti or something lighter on hand. Salad of thinly sliced fennel, radishes, parsley, parmigiano, and prosciutto. Dressing of lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil. Dessert was from the February issue of Food and wine - the article about Ferran Adria. These Chocolate toasts were unreal. Toasted some baguette slices, then put a square of chocolate in the middle (i picked up some Scharffenberger at WF for this purpose) and under the broiler to melt the chocolate. A few drops of extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkling of sea salt. It was so simple, but so incredible. The oil gave the chocolate further depth while the salt enhanced the sweetness of the chocolate.