Love Silver Coin and Big Jet Plane, but the videos are so-so.
Stumbled on this and L-O-V-E it:
Just a snapshot of a dessert cappucino at A-16. M-m good.
Day 5 of 7 drive in to work…will be rocking out to Feist.
Love this song and the video…
This is what got it all started…found posted on houseofbliss.blogspot.com:
Wow! Reservation recommended.
This trip to Cambria was different than the last. The weather was awful. Wind. Rain coming down sideways. Cold. I did not take any pics. Plus, my lens got all mucked up. Just call me “Pig-Pen.”
I napped. Rob attempted to view the web. We jumped outside for the brief 5 or 10 minutes of sunshine.
Highlight was dinner at Madeline’s in Cambria. Our waiter, Cody, was friendly and fun. We both started dinner with the wild mushroom soup. Yum. We enjoyed a bottle of 2009 Brochelle Zinfandel. The wine was delicious…and the label is simply classy and gorgeous. For dinner, Rob had the gumbo. I enjoyed a special of sand dabs with a walnut and sundried tomato pesto. I highly recommend this restaurant if you are in the area. Without a reservation, forget it.
So proud of myself for finally adhering to the Weight Watcher’s plan for approximately 10 days. The scale reflected my discipline, too. Woot!
Unfortunately, I wasted no time reversing that success…
Friday night we attended the Lone Madrone/Ken Volk Zinfest Dinner. My favorite appetizer was the chorizo empanada chimichurri which was served with the 2009 Ken Volk Vineyards Bella Colina Tempranillo.
After being seated, we heard from the winemakers, Neil Collins (Lone Madrone) and Ken Volk. They were quite entertaining and informative. The dinner began with citrus cured salmon and heirloom beets, goat cheese brulee, quail egg, and fennel marmalade. This was one of my most favorite dishes of the evening. I love beets! This dish was served with the 2010 Lone Madrone Zin Blanco and the 2010 Ken Volk Vineyards Verdelho. I loved the Verdelho, an heirloom wine.
The next course consisted of dry aged moulard duck breast with red cabbage confit, yukon gold gnocci, and banyuls-cherry glace. This dish was served with the 2006 Lone Madrone Nebbiolo and the 2009 Ken Volk Vineyards Enz Pinot Noir. Being one of “those” that has food texture issues (and tastebuds that lean towards vegetarian dishes), I had some difficulty with this dish. I enjoyed the cabbage and tried a bite of the duck, but that was pretty much it. Rob thought the duck was scrumptious. I preferred the Nebbiolo, so much so that I purchased a bottle. Rob, preferred the Enz Pinot Noir.
The next course consisted of pomegranate braised lamb tagine with toasted (Israeli) couscous, red currants, and castlevetrano olives. Since I think sheep and lambs are cute (big fan of Shaun the Sheep), I had a tough time here, too. The dish was savory and delicious though. It was served with the 2007 Lone Madrone Bailey Ranch Zinfandel, a complex zin and the 2009 Ken Volk Vineyards Enz Zinfandel. We are (recently) familiar with the Bailey Ranch Zinfandel and it was delicious, as expected. The Enz Zinfandel was also spectacular and we made sure we procured a bottle of it to enjoy later.
Lastly, dessert consisted of a trio of savory and sweet. There was raw milk manchego and quince gelle, l’amuse 5 year gouda and blueberry torte (fantastic!!!), and shrophsire blue and hazlenut brittle. Dessert was served with 2008 Lone Madrone Old Hat (a favorite since Superbowl Sunday) and the 2008 Ken Volk Vineyards Late Harvest Merlot.
Chef Jeffrey C. Scott was responsible for the wonderful dishes of food…and those dishes paired so well with the wines. A quick google search resulted in an interesting find….Chef Jeffrey C. Scott was once the Chef de Cuisine at the Playboy Mansion. Okay…weird.
No pics of the food…as that would have been rude. So, sharing a video of Shaun the Sheep.
Points! Points! Points!
Photo taken by Rob approx 1 year ago. Love this action shot.
Lost my post. Do-over.
Do you have any unfinished projects that nag at your brain? Usually, if there is one…there are more (kind-of like mice).
I have been working on a table runner made of old ties for awhile now. Maybe someday I will finish. We could really use a new table runner. And, I would sure love to get rid of all the loose ends associated with the old tie scraps.
Stumbled on this today….and of course, Rob was already familiar. Good grief Charlie Brown!
Maybe I need to do this before/at work?
When I first saw this phrase, I fell in love instantly. Over time, unfortunately I started to grow weary of it. The phrase was everywhere and overdone (sorry…but much like Adele). Too much of a good thing…is not a good thing.
Rob shared this with me AND was it ever refreshing!!! I hope to go to England and Barter Books…real soon. Looks fantastic.
If you have not done so already and you love great food and fabulous photography, may I suggest checking out the Spring 2012 issue of Sweet Paul Mag. There is a blog and back issues, too!
With the desire to eat delicious and satisfying meals that do not wipe out my entire (Weight Watchers) point allotment for a day, I set out on the world wide web to find some new recipes.
First recipe made was point-friendly and delicious…so delicious that Rob even went back for seconds. Yay! Success! Basically, I followed this roasted red pepper soup recipe as posted on Skinnytaste. Modifications made to the recipe due to what I had on hand included: 1) used five peppers (2 red, 2 orange, and 1 yellow); 2) substituted Neufchatel cream cheese for fat free sour cream; 3) threw in some red pepper flakes; and, 4) substituted some dried basil and some Penzey’s Italian Seasoning Mix for the Herbs de Provence.
Also…alcohol packs 7 cal/gm, nearly as much as fat (which is 9 cal/gm). Ouch. Easy to blow it on the points goal with a glass of wine (we don’t do 3 oz pours around here). Plus, the alcohol negatively impacts my willpower and focus…resulting in a poor decision and more points.
Given up on the Visalus shakes. Can’t do it without my fingers and toes going deathly white, numb, and uncomfortable (thanks Raynaud’s).
Weight Watchers it is. I am “only” ten pounds up from where I should be…but on this small frame ten pounds is too much. Today, counting points, was a RUDE awakening. Despite exercise, no butter at breakfast, and no sweets…I think I am over my point allotment for the day. Yes, “I think” not ” I know.” I feel better that way.
Stumbled on a new food/recipe website today. Disregard the oatmeal leek soup recipe. Definitely not appealing in my book. Otherwise, it looks like we will become close friends for the next couple of months, if not longer.
My own grandmother (less than 100 lbs and approximately 93 yrs of age) had to comment on the state of my derriere today. Thanks, I did not need that. At least I have cushion for my next fall.
Another exercise in futility came to fruition today. The iPhone 3GS I ordered from apple.com showed up on my doorstep. Yay! Right?! I am somewhat desperate as I dropped my Palm Pixi in water (long story short) and it has not operated properly since. I am not due for an upgrade until late June(!!!). Simple, stupid me. I thought I could just pay for an iPhone (of any series) and update my plan with Verizon. Wrong. Soooo wrong. Needless to say, but the iPhone that arrived on my doorstep today at about 2 p.m. was boxed and sealed for return by about 4 p.m. The countdown to my upgrade begins…
