Sunday Funday

Today my family and I did something that I love to do.

Yep, we went to the winery!

One of my favorite things to do is to go wine tasting, and today Beau, Little Man, my parents and my cousin Natalie took a little drive to Saude Creek Vineyards in Lanexa, Virginia. Then we proceeded to taste. Then do a little more in depth tasting. (Hee hee)

Did you know that Virginia boasts some very nice wineries? (Around 210 of them!) My mom claims that Virginia is the third largest wine producing state. I did some very quick fact checking, and I can't find any support for that particular claim*, but I can find support that it is the fifth largest behind California (obviously), Washington, New York, and Oregon. (Who knew New York produced so much wine?) I found this particular document to be interesting. You know, if you like doc.gov files.

*In no way am I calling my mom a liar. She's not. I just can't find anywhere that proves she's right. She probably is, though. She's my mom.

Anyway, back to our fantastic Sunday.

Saude Creek is a relatively young winery. The grounds are absolutely stunning, and the wine was pretty dang good. We all agreed on the Vidal Blanc for our afternoon bottle after we completed our tasting of seven wines. I'm not typically a huge fan of white wine, but this Vidal Blanc was a smooth off-dry wine. The cheat sheet said it has grapefruit and peach characteristics, but I've never had a very discerning palate. It can identify good, and that seems to work just fine for me.

 

 

Isn't that a lovely building? The porch on the right wraps all the way around and there are all kinds of places for guests to picnic with a bottle or two.

 

Unfortunately, the weather today was not conducive for outdoor picnics, but since the tasting room is roomy and warm that was fine with us.

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I'm loving that fireplace. There were rumors that they were going to light a nice fire in it, but it didn't happen while we were there.





That's my family on the left. Our table was pretty busy. Let's just say we don't mess around when it comes to wine tastings.

I packed my trusty picnic basket with cheese, crackers, pretzels, dipping sauce, and fruit. Mom added veggies and dip, and Natalie stopped at a DC wine and cheese shop on her way down and picked up some cheese and crackers. Beau noticed the BBQ table set up in the corner of the tasting room, so he picked up a plate of pulled pork from The Scottish Pig. (Two thumbs up for the hot vinegar based sauce, btw...)

Even though it was chilly out, I stepped outside for a glimpse of the grounds. They are beautiful! I totally want to come curl up in one of these 15 Adirondack chairs when this fire pit is burning.

 

 

From the balcony, over the vineyards and trees you can see the Pamunkey River. It's just a glimpse, but it sure is nice. And imagine how beautiful this view is going to be a little later this month when the trees turn. Isn't fall the best?

 



The vines at the winery are still pretty young, and I imagine they will fill out a little more in the next few years (and are probably much fuller in the spring and summer...). Thin or lush, I love the sight of rows and rows of vines off in the distance.

I mean, more rows means more wine, right?

 

Speaking of the wine, I want to give a shout-out to my favorite wine of the day, the Cabernet Franc. Now, nine times out of ten, if there is a Cab. Franc on the tasting menu it's going to be among one of my favorites. At Saude Creek, it was my absolute favorite. My inept palate could even pick up on the slight peppery flavor and maybe a little bit of the black cherries (but totally missed the currents and violet nuances...geesh). I like a bold red that assaults the senses--in a good way--and this one was assaulty and nice. There really is no way to make sense of that. Never should assault (or a made-up form of the word) and nice be in the same sentence, and yet I went there. If you're a red drinker hopefully you get what I mean.

 

Someone does, right?

 

Or am I just weird?

 

Generally speaking, dessert wines are not my bag, baby. I pretty much feel like syrupy sweet should be reserved for the dessert itself. With that said, I am a fan of Chambourcin (and whomever wrote that definition). Saude Creek's Chambourcin was quite lovely paired with the provided M&M. I have to admit, it isn't the best Chambourcin I've had, but that might be because I usually sip it with dark chocolate. Perhaps the M&M didn't do the wine the justice that a nice Ghirardelli Dark 60% Cacao square would have done. (Yummy...)

 

I guess I know what I'm packing in my trusty picnic basket the next time we venture out that way!

 

By the way, Little Man was a total trooper. He slept for a good portion of the time, and then hung out with us at the table, being loved on from all directions. Not a tear was shed, and not one moment was spent being crabby. I was impressed that the winery is super kid friendly. Apparently in the summer kids are often playing on the vast lawn. How cool and utterly un-stuffy is that?  

 

So, after a fantastic day at the winery with my fam, we went back to my parents' house for some dinner. Mom capped an already terrific day off with a twelve (out of four) star dinner.

 

 

She totally just whipped together a pot of Cioppino.

 

How spoiled are we?

 

How'd you spend your Sunday funday? I hope it was as memorable as mine.

 

 

 



I'll Drink to That

While I was poking around the Internet (thank you, StumbleUpon) I found this little gem of a site.

Its one function is to select a beverage based on the music you are listening to. For example, if you are listening to The Offspring, you should be drinking PBR with an olive (presumably the 40 ounce version). Mozart, a bottle of red wine, garnished with a cherry. Florence and the Machine also calls for red wine, but with a pineapple garnish. Obviously.

Is garnishing beer and wine a thing? I mean I almost understand garnishing Madonna's vodka with pickled carrot sticks (?), but why is Michael Buble's Merlot free of adornment, yet Frank Sinatra's needs a maraschino cherry?

I guess I have a thing or two to learn. Or three: look up Bob Marley. Is that for real?? I'll keep looking for my soundtrack for champagne and strawberries.

(Photo taken by Velo Steve and found on Flickr.)

Do you pair music with drinks? Do you know where to find pickled carrots? Ever sip Merlot with fruit?

Movie Night

So, since I don't have cable and was feeling too lazy to leave the house this evening, I decided to watch a movie instead of watching the big game. I'm not good at watching movies. I tend to fall asleep. Twice I've fallen asleep to this particular movie.

I'm not very discerning about which movies I'll sleep through. I sleep through Academy Award winning films and Razzie award winning flicks. They're all the same to me when I'm tired.

Tonight, though I decided I'd really like to stay awake for this. In part because the first time I slept through this I was really bummed. I'd really wanted to see it. Also, every time the title comes up in conversation, beau insists that I've seen it. He forgets about my narcolepsy.

So, tonight, five months pregnant (and five months from my last glass of wine) I watched Bottle Shock.

It was very good. It also made me proud to be a California girl. A California girl who drinks California wines. (Um, but not exclusively. I actually will drink wine from anywhere. Did you know Virginia has some very good wineries?)

I must admit, Bottle Shock would have been better with a glass or two of wine, but I guess I'll just have to wait another five months for that pleasure.

Perhaps I'll have to watch it again when I can enjoy a glass.

(Images both from IMDB.)

My favorite quote from the film was this: "'Wine is sunlight, held together by water.' The poetic wisdom of the Italian physicist, philosopher, and stargazer, Galileo Galilei. It all begins with the soil, the vine, the grape. The smell of the vineyard - like inhaling birth. It awakens some ancestral, some primordial... anyway, some deeply imprinted, and probably subconscious place in my soul." - Steven Spurrier Bottle Shock

What's the last good movie you've seen? Anyone else out there get movie induced narcolepsy?

Top Five, For Sure

I have a really, really hard time picking favorites. I can't ever be certain enough to put the Amy's Favorite label on anything. Because what if it isn't in, say, a few days. What if I read a book that tops Jane Eyre (tough, I know), or bests Breakfast At Tiffany's (unlikely, Audrey, unlikely), or makes me swoon more than John Mayer (Gravity? One heck of a sexy song). You get it.

All of these things, in my humble, unschooled, slightly unrefined opinion, are great. But are they the best? I dunno. Quite often the rating of "All Time Favorite Forever" is completely dependent upon my mood. And my mood changes all the time. Just ask beau.

We live in a world of complete overstimulation. We have choices galore. Many of those choices are pretty darned fantastic. Can you blame me for being a little wishy-washy? (The only acceptable answer, of course, is "NO.")

Food, too, makes for an equally diverse and difficult genre from which to find my favorite. In fact, in all categories I choose to rebel against the favorite label. Instead I gravitate toward the land of "top five" lists. Sometimes they morph to "top seven" or "top 12" lists. I suppose it is annoying, but who cares? Who cares what my favorite movie is? Who gives any sort of thought to what I really, really, really love more than anything else, bestest forever?

Answer: No one. Not one single, solitary person. That includes me. I don't even give a fiddlers fart.

What is your point, Amy? Well, my point is that last night beau and I went to one of my favorite restaurants/wine bars with some wonderful friends/former neighbors who have taken military orders to Italy. It was what will probably be one of the last times we will get to see them. (Until we arrive at at their romantic Italian villa loaded down with bags enough to overextend our welcome...)

We dined at Sonoma Wine Bar & Bistro in Town Center in Virginia Beach. As is common when we go there, we had a wonderful time. It is really hard not to. Well, actually, my dear friend Angela had a terrible blind date there, but that shouldn't count. It wasn't Sonoma's fault he was drunk and arrogant. And that was years ago so it really shouldn't count.

Again, I digress. Perhaps I should let the images of the evening do (most of) the rest of the talking. I didn't have my camera with me (cardinal sin, I know) so my cruddy not-an-iPhone had to do the documentation.

For the main course Todd and I had Filet Tenderloin stuffed with roasted garlic Camembert, rosemary roasted potatoes, sautéed asparagus and a raspberry balsamic drizzle. .

Beau had Pasta Sonoma: Shrimp and scallops sautéed with fire roasted red peppers, zucchini, olives, tomatoes and tossed with feta cheese and penne in a garlic beurre Blanc sauce.

Bonnie opted for the Almond Scallops with grilled banana and spinach couscous and a white chocolate mushroom.

Needless to say, we were all very pleased with our choices. We stuffed ourselves, then made room for some of the most divine desserts. I went for the seasonal creme brulee. The season is chocolate. my favorite season of all...

 John had chocolate cake with caramel drizzle.

Bonnie and Todd had what might have been a chocolate turtle. I can't remember I was thrown off by the clear sugar legs it was standing atop. Cuh-razee.

Dessert was a momentary work of art. Then all of a sudden it was gone. I don't know exactly how that happened.

Because dinner was at a wine bar we had to have wine. We opted for an Italian wine in honor of their way-too-close departure. I loved it and will be seeking out more bottles for the wine cooler.

I was really bummed I didn't take pictures of us at dinner. In order to make up for that oversight, beau and I will have to go to Italy to take a fun group shot. 

We had such an amazing time with our friends (at a favorite restaurant). I'm sad to see them go, but I know they are moving on to the next adventure. Their two adorable children with already Italian names will thrive in a bilingual school, will see the world and will eat some amazing grub. Come to think of it, it might not be too late for them to adopt me... 

So, what's your favorite favorite? Are you as all over as I am?

(The clear, professional looking photos at the top of the post came directly from Sonoma's website.)

Tea Tin for Teacher

A few days ago I expressed my love for Teavana here. Now that I am back to school, I will be drinking Teavana tea like it is going out of style. (It isn't. If I had my way it would NEVER go out of style.) I honestly think I consume four or five very large mugs of tea throughout the day. It helps that our little school coffee shop has an urn of hot water just for me! (OK, it isn't just for me, but it could be.)

When you buy your tea at Teavana, the very helpful and knowledgeable sales people will ask if you have an air tight tin in which to store your new purchase. They will then try to sell you a canister that ranges from $4.50 to $34.95. If you are like me and you purchase multiple flavors to add to the multiple flavors you already have at home, even those $4.50 tins add up. And I'm completely ignoring the fact that the less expensive tin is so not cute or decorative and thus not really an option. So, what do you do?

I always contemplate getting a tin or two to add to what I have. (I already have four from the wonderful Starter Kit beau got me for my birthday.) I always reconsider when the helpful salesperson tells me my total. I always worry beau would divorce** me if he actually heard that number, so adding to it never seems like a good idea.

As I was trying to get the unfinished kitchen in order and organized before I went back to school, I came across this tea tin with one tea bag inside.

This tea tin with one bag inside is air tight. Like the ones that are available at Teavana. But this one, my dear friends, is free. In my excitement I dumped the one tea bag into the trash. (I know, waste is bad. But I don't like Pumpkin and that same one bag of tea has been in the cabinet since before I started dating beau a year and a half ago. It was time to go even though it was in an air tight tin and probably still fresh.)

I peeled the label off and found a canister that looked much like the plain Jane $4.50 canisters (minus the logo, of course).

I could have just washed that badboy and had an industrial looking canister. But who wants that when you've got fabric and a hot glue gun?

I cut a piece of fabric left over from my little bench refinishing project (here).

Then I ironed a fold along the upper and lower edges to get rid of those fly-away threads and get a nice straight line.  Because I don't have the fabric for the curtains I hope to make (fingers crossed that I can learn to sew), this project is a rough draft. This fabric won't match the finished kitchen, so it'll have to be redone when I find the perfect fabrics. When I do that I'll use Therm O Web's HeatnBond to make the ironed fold stay permanently. Just imagine I did that here.

No, I did not iron directly on the granite. (Though I don't think it would matter.) The towel I ironed on clashed with the fabric and was just too ugly to be photographed. We all have bad days.

Next, I used my trusty hot glue gun to glue the edge of the fabric to the canister, wrapped the fabric around and glued the other edge (with a fold for a perfect seam) to the starting point. I also suggest a few dots of glue along the top and bottom of the canister to keep the edges against the canister.

Here's what I got.

Teavana puts removable labels on the bags of tea you buy, so I removed it from the bag and added it to the top of my now custom canister.

Now, when I am bleary eyed at the crack of dawn, my caffeine savior will be easy to find, fresh AND pretty. Whoo hoo. Who wouldn't want this scene to get the morning rolling?

My totally, 100% free project took me less than ten minutes, was easy enough for even me to do, and is completely functional. When I decide on my fabric for kitchen curtains, I'm going to redo this canister and all of the starter kit canisters. You can look for me in Martha Stewart Magazine*** then.

**No, we are not married. Don't worry moms, we'll let you know in a way other than a blog post. Perhaps even before the fact so you can, you know, witness the blessed event****.

*** That is a blatant lie. I will not be featured in Martha Stewart's magazine. Probably ever. Especially now that I have admitted to being a liar. Sigh.

**** In no way am I suggesting that said blessed event is right around the corner, so stop rolling your eyes, beau.

What was your easiest DIY project so far? Curtains, perhaps? Do share!

James River Cellars Harvest Festival

After such a cruddy week, today's wine festival was a nice change! Mom and I were chauffeured to James River Cellars by the ever patient Perry. He dropped us off and went to fisherman's Mecca Bass Pro Shops. As per usual with Perry at the helm, we were way early. The nice people at James River didn't mind. They let us in and Mom and I snagged a pretty sweet table. Here was our view of the little setup.

The folks in the bottom photo are hard core wine festival people. I aspire to be them some day. Notice the picnic basket the guy in the middle has. And the lady to the far left has a collapsible wooden wine table. These are the subtle markers of wine festival experts.

Mom and I aren't novices, though. We had a pretty sweet little setup going on at our table.

We did forget to bring chocolate, so we aren't as pro as we'd like to be. Our setup was so jealousy-inducing that we had visitors who wanted to share our table. (OK, OK, they wanted the seats at the end of the table, but I'm sure our setup was attractive to them, too.) They had four dogs with them. This was my favorite one. He climbed up in my lap to say hi.

I don't think he was a fan of the paparazzi snapping shots, and I didn't want to be the weirdo who was taking a gazillion photos of a stranger's dog, so I only got a few awkward ones of him. This is my favorite. He was coming to say hi to me.



I had a Boxer when I was little. This guy reminded me of Bo, sweet tempered and with that big ol' noggin. They are awesome dogs and now I want one. I always want dogs when I see them. Babies, diamonds and chocolate, too.

Our awesome table was right next to the band. I'd never heard of Rockfish Willie before today, but I really loved their folksy sound. The link will take you to a site that has samples of their music. I highly recommend them. I'll be adding their Kurt Stemhagen's The Rockfish Willie Sessions to my playlist immediately.

My mom hates to have her picture taken, but I snapped this candid one that I think is just super cute. Look how sassy she is in her shades. She was being very mom-like and cutting me a slice of apple. You can tell she's handling a knife by that sheer concentration.

After we sampled wines from the four vineyards there, we took a tour of the James River Cellars and got to see their steel barrels. They were full to the brim with whites that had been picked and pressed before Mean Irene could destroy the grapes.

 We also did a vertical taste of their Chambourcins from 2002 to 2006. It was the first vertical taste mom and I had ever done. I think it might have been more educational if we hadn't already consumed the better part of a bottle of 2010 Reserve Chardonnay. Oops.

We also got to taste some Chardonel grapes that had just been picked the day before. They tasted like grapes. Cool.

All in all, it was a winetastic afternoon. Perry came to pick us up and take us home and was not at all judgmental of our drunken state. He makes a most fantastic DD!

I ended up taking what might have been a three hour nap on the comfy couch in the front room. While I was doing that filets and corn on the cob magically got grilled and these guys showed up to join us for dinner.

They were obviously welcomed with open arms mouths. I had a claw, which was yummy, but messy. If you know me at all, you know that I'm not a fan of dismembering my dinner or getting messy while eating. The claw was a nice taste, but enough to sufficiently gross me out. (Cracking shells, flying pieces, ripping the body apart, that mysterious oozy "mustard" that is most decidedly not mustard...that's all enough to make me pass when crustaceans are on the menu.)

All in all, despite earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, broken cars, and not enough time in the week, life is pretty darn fantastic. It is amazing what great company, wine and food can do to my spirit.



How are you guys spending this last official weekend of summer?

Literal and Figurative Tea Heaven

If you know me at all you know that generally speaking, if I have a beverage in hand (and it is before 5:00 p.m.) the odds are really good that I have either hot or iced tea.

When this store opened at a nearby mall, I was ready to do back flips!

It really is like a little spot of tea heaven. (See what I did there? Spot of tea...spot of tea heaven. Hee hee.)

Sorry.

Anyway, back to sanity.

They have items like this:

I love it. And it "features a Japanese goldfish or 'yamabuki,' whose color reflects the richness of pure gold. Because of this, the fish symbolizes wealth, fidelity and prosperity." (Thanks Teavana.com) I love it even more. (Because who doesn't love anything that symbolizes wealth, fidelity and prosperity?)

It would be pretty in any kitchen, huh? Function and aesthetics all in one. Double bonus.

Also if you know me, you know I am pretty plain. In fact, Plain Jane turned into Amy Jane, which is my nickname. I love plain English Breakfast tea. Can't get any more boring than that. Teavana has a delicious English Breakfast tea. You could probably buy stock in it and retire rich since I drink so much of it. (P.S. Rumor has it that Teavana is soon to be traded publicly. )

Despite my desire to embrace all things boring and plain, the shop has made me venture out into the vast and scary world of flavored tea. I know, I know, I'm brave. Here are two of my favorites:

Peachberry  Jasmine Sutra Green Tea. Mmmmm. Peaches and jasmine. Together. In a steamy tea concoction. Brilliant.

Fruta Bomba Green Tea. The name just sounds like it has to be a party. (Or it'll get La Bomba stuck in your head for days...)

I still drink all of my tea unsweetened, so don't think I've gone totally crazy here...

Been to Teavana? If not, I highly recommend it.

On a semi-related note, today I went back to being an English teacher. I am a living caricature of an English teacher. Mug of tea? Check. Hair in bun secured with pencil? Check. Plastic, dark rimmed glasses? Check. Soon I'll be wearing long floral skirts and calling everyone "Dear."

Or not.

What's your favorite Teavana tea flavor? Not tried it yet? Go here, click on the tea types at the top of the tea and then click on the images for descriptions so you can pick the tea you most want to try. What is it?

Minor Oversight

Ok, so I know this little space is called Croquet & Cocktails and I have yet to address anything cocktail related. What am I thinking? Well, clearly I'm not.

Problem solved with today's post. Whew.

While I'm not a big drinker, I do appreciate a well mixed cocktail (Mmmm, mojito, please), can tolerate a watered-down light beer and adore a nice glass of wine. Mostly I enjoy the community and comraderie that is associated with cocktails. Often, events are more fun with beverages of the alcoholic nature involved. Don't believe me? Bust out the croquet mallets and wickets, whip up a pitcher of mojitos and play on, playa. That's exactly what happened over the Fourth of July weekend when Beau and I visited his family in Cape Cod. And you know what? We had so much fun. I don't think we ever finished a game of croquet, but we did laugh in excess. None of us were ever drunk, so please don't get the wrong idea about my meaning here. I'm certainly not suggesting it takes alcohol to have fun. Moreso, I think people are more prepared to have fun when drinks are around. Make sense?

When Beau's sweet mom suggested croquet and cocktails on the south lawn at four I knew that 1) I had found the title of the blog I planned to start and 2) nothing but good could come from such a proposition. I was right.

While a nice, cold, minty, sweet, lime-infused beverage is not on the menu tonight, I did want to share what is currently my most exciting splurge.

I'm a member of a wine club! Every three months I get six bottles of wine from Food & Wine Magazine's wine club. They send me two whites and four reds. In the package are tasing notes and recepies for pairing. Generally speaking the wine is from vineyards I've never heard of, or sometimes there are even varietals that are new to me.

The wines are chosen by F&W editors and the recepies developed in the magazine.  A few weeks before my bundle of joy package of wine is sent, I get an email. From that day forward I think about what kins of wine will be in the shipment. Will there be a white I love? (I tend to be a lover of red and a once-in-a-while sipper of white.) Will there be a red that knocks my socks off? Will I ever be able to find another bottle if I do fall in love? So many questions. It is a wonder that I get anything done in those long, agoniazing days I wait.

Needless to say, I've been satisfied with each and every bottle. I do, however, get so excited about driniking the wine that I have yet to prepare the dish that was designed to compliment the wine. I need to make a point of doing that soon. I'll report back as soon as I do. (Don't hold your breath for it. Construction on the kitchen will start verrrrryyyyyy sooon and I'll be 100% kitchenless for goodness knows how long.)

Interested in splurging on this relatively affordable wine club? Click here. If that's not your bag, but you want to hear about some of their selections,  I might just write about a bottle every once in a while.

Note: I am posting about this wine club of my own accord. In no way am I associated with or being compensated by Food & Wine or the wine club. A girl could dream though, right?

So tell me, what is your splurge? Got any great, but affordable wine suggestions?