Friday, February 28, 2014

....we can have lots of good fun that is funny.

I wanted to show off the handmade Valentine's day card I made for Husband. For those who don't recognize it, just know it is referring to Adventure Time:
FRONT
INSIDE

I, also, completed a project for my 30 before 30 list! My Clothespin Patriotic Flag Wreath!




I know I still need to add stars, but I am not sure how I want to make those. If I just paint them on or get stickers and then varnish the heck out of each clothes pin.

Not much to say as there were still many many left overs from last week. 

I am pretty much just waiting in anticipation for my Bro Bro, "Tsumi", "Thing 1", and "Thing 2" to arrive from Japan! I don't get to see them super often. Last time I saw Tsumi was a year ago Feburary in Hawaii and she was recently pregnant with Thing 2, who I will be meeting tomorrow. Bro-Bro and Thing 1 were in my wedding so I saw them in June. I am jumping out of my skin I am so excited to see them and get to know a nearly 4 year old version of Thing 1 and a nearly 5 month old Thing 2. 

Squee!

So many cookies to be made!


Until the next project...


**Today's title comes from The Cat In The Hat by Doctor Seuss: I know it is wet and the sun is not sunny, but we can have lots of good fun that is funny.**


Thursday, February 27, 2014

Thirsty Thursdays Series: Mmm. Quaffable.

Not everyone likes wine. I understand this. I do like wine. A bunch. I like the subtly of smells and tastes. While I am not totally sure of all the differences, I can say that I know what type of wine I am in the mood for when the server comes round the table for drink orders or when I am at the grocery store. I have a rudimentary knowledge of the stuff.

Then there is my Husband. He knows there are wines he hasn't liked and he knows there are wines he has enjoyed with a meal or on their own. Unfortunately, his taste buds are not trained yet to be discerning in the way of what each of these wines were different or alike.

We both look forward to the day that we can go to France and enjoy the wine, location, and atmosphere. Despite this mutual dream, we both know very little about what qualities in a glass of wine we enjoy most.

Hence the reason my desire to learn about wines specifically with him.

So, as is my MO, I started planning. I know he likes both red and white, though normally goes for a red over a white. So I started gathering basic information about what make a good, dry, sweet, full bodied, etc Red. realizing the sheer number of wines we might be having to go through and that Husband and I are trying our darnedest to stay in the black, I decided to take a page out of Papa G's book and make it a $10 or less wine club. A bottle for tasting must be $10 or less (not including CRV) and we would invite other friends who like wine to join in as well as bring bottles.

I came up with a tasting chart in hopes to make our future tastings a bit easier as well as being able to reap some knowledge from the mouth adventure. The chart doesn't show up very well on this format, but hopefully it will give you an idea of what sort of information we can gather from it.

WINE NAME

WINE TYPE

VINTAGE

PRODUCER

GRAPES

REGION

PURCHASED

PRICE

Companions

Food

SIGHT




NOTES
PTS
Clarity
Cloudy (less)
Hazy
Clear
Brilliant (more)

/5
Depth of Color
Watery/Thin (less)
Pale
Med/Deep
Dark/Rich (more)

/5
Color

WHITE - Yellow
Gold Brown
Green Tinge
Pale Yellow
RED - Purple
Red/Purple
Red
Red-Brown


Vicosity – liquid
Thin
Normal
Heavy
Syrupy

/5
SMELL






Aroma

Herbal
Nutty
Fruit
Mineral
Spice
Earthy
Floral
Icky

/5
Bouquet
Dumb/Pale/Closed
Simple/Pleasant
Deep/ Dark
Powerful/Dynamic

/5
Smell Intensity
Light (less)
Mild
Prevalent
Pronounced (more)

/5
TASTE






Acidity
(like a lemon)
Flat
No Bite
Fresh
Crisp
Tart
Tangy
Sour
Vinegar

/10
Sweetness
Dry
Off-Dry
Semi-Sweet
Very Sweet

/5
TASTE
Descriptors
Balanced
Chewy
Complex
Concentrated
Crispy
Deep
Delicate
Dull
Firm
Flabby
Harsh
Hint
Intense
Intriguing
Jammy
Piercing
Simple
Soft
Structured
FRUITY
Berrylike
Blackberry
Black Currant
Blueberry
Raspberry
Strawberry
Cherry – Black/Red
Plum – Prune
Gooseberries
Citrus
Grapefruit
Lemon/Lime
Stone/Tropical
Apple
Apricot
Mango
Melon
Peach
Pear
Pineapple
FLOWERY
Violet
Rose
Orange Blossom
Jasmine
Lily
Geranium
Orchid

HERBAL
Hay
Mint
Rosemary
Thyme

SPICY
Black Pepper
Licorice
Cinnamon
Clove
NUTTY
Almond
Coffee
Hazelnut
Walnut

EARTHY
Dry leaves
Cut grass
Moldy
Mushroom

ICKY
Barnyard
Dirty Diaper
Boiled Egg
Gas
Alcohol
Flinty
Vinegar
OTHER
Buttery
Oaky
Mineral
Vanilla
Cedar
Tobacco
Chocolate
Leather
Butterscotch
Olive
Bitter
Hot - alcohol
Sour
Sharp
Sugary
Salty
Velvety






















/10
Complexity
Simple
Interesting
Exciting
Dynamic

/5
Balance
Unbalanced
Good
Very Well
Perfect

/10
Body
Light
Medium
Heavy
Huge

/5
AFTERTHOUGHTS






Finish
None
Short
Medium
Long (10 secs +)

/5
Drinkability
Never Again
Maybe
Yes
Can’t wait

/10
Value
Waste of money
Eh…
Decent
I love a value!

/10
Overall



/100

The points of this chart have nothing to do with the regular style of PTS for wine. it is simple to figure out the most drinkable/yummiest wine. This chart is definitely to get an idea of what type of wine we both enjoy, as well as our friends, which will make future wine including events much easier.

While pulling all this information together, I though back to a Chardonnay I really enjoyed at the Disneyland Resort. Unfortunately, I have no recollection of the Vineyard except that is was in California and it was the oakiest/butteriest wine my mouth has ever felt.

Thus the search for the best Oaky Buttery Chardonnay for the right price quest began. I have pulled together a list of wineries that might be able to replicate that fateful day by searching the words California/Oak/Butter/Chardonnay in the magic maker,Google.
Bernardus
Blue Fin
Bogle  
Butterfield Station 
Cakebread  
Chateau St. Michelle  
Edna Valley Vineyard  
Fetzer 
Geyser Peak 
J Lohr 
Kendall-Jackson 
La Crema 
Meridian 
Rombauer 
Smoking Loon
Sonoma Cutrer 
Stags’ Leap 
Stonestreet
Toad Hollow 
Toasted Head 
Turning Leaf
Wente

While I know it wasn't Turning Leaf or Blue Fin due to cost and availability in restaurants, I figured those both claim to have the desired Oak/Butter flavor for a most modest price.

Thus I have now begun my new series: Thirsty Thursdays.

**Today's title, appropriately, comes from the movie Sideways:
Stephanie (at Kalyra Winery, to Miles, who has just sampled the estate chardonnay she poured for him): "So what do you think?"
Miles: "Mmm. Quaffable. But, uh, far from transcendent."
Jack: "I like it. Tastes great."**

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother.

The events of this day 15 years ago caused me the worst pain I have ever endured. I do not fancy that will I ever be fully healed of the heartache that was wrought. Though I can say with confidence that it gets a little easier with each passing year.



Today marks the 15th anniversary of my Mother's death. Today will continue to shape and change me. It will always have a home in my heart as a day my life changed.

It must be remembered that also on days other than this one, my life has been changed. Both for the better and worse. Everyday is a struggle. Each day a challenge. Each new day will change you and make you into a new person.

So remember the especially rough days, the ones you don't think you can bear, but you must keep in mind who you were before and how you have come out on the other side.



**Today's title come from the heart of Abraham Lincoln: All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother.**

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

I can't stay away from Chinese food.

I have been on an Asian kick lately. Between the Curry and Pad Thai, of course a perfect version of a Panda Express favorite hit my radar. Here is the link to the original post.
http://addapinch.com/cooking/2014/01/07/skinny-orange-chicken-recipe/#axzz2pfHUD34V

While Panda Express deep fries the HECK out of their chicken and then puts so much sugar in the sauce it just tastes sweet, it isn't hard to love it and crave it. So I decided that this healthy version was worth a try as I love me the orange flavored chicken.

Skinny Orange Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 tablespoon coconut oil
¼ – ½ cup chicken stock
¼ cup honey or maple syrup
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon orange zest
½ cup fresh orange juice
1½ teaspoons Sriracha sauce
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
1 pinch red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon sesame seeds for garnish, optional
Instructions
Melt coconut oil in medium skillet over medium heat. Add in chicken pieces and cook until cooked through and browned, about 8-10 minutes. Remove from skillet and set aside.
While chicken is cooking, stir together chicken stock, honey or maple syrup, garlic, orange zest, orange juice, coconut aminos, Sriracha sauce and red pepper flakes. Pour into heated skillet once chicken has been removed and reduce to low heat. Cook, stirring often, until sauce has been reduced and coats the back of a wooden spoon. Remove from heat and pour over chicken.
To serve, spoon chicken over a bed of broccoli and then spoon on additional sauce. Top with sesame seeds, if desired.

As this recipe is for the Paleo followers out there and I am not Paleo, the coconut ingredients were not readily available in my pantry. I substituted the to coconut aminos with soy sauce as directed by Robyn, the young lade who wrote the recipe originally. Also, I used fresh ginger as I had it on hand.

This turned out well enough. I ended up just making the sauce and my friend down the road made the rest of the meal. The sauce was a bit to liquid, for my taste, but I figure that if I make the sauce and then allow the chicken to cook a little in it the flavor will stick nicely.


Here is the batch we made at my friend's house!

Also, I think I will add snap peas and water chestnuts as well as green pepper... cuz I can.

Here is what was made for Husband the other night to make his tummy happy. The Green Bell Pepper makes a huge difference!

Until the next meal...

**Today's title comes from Snowboard Olympian Shaun White, reading in full: I can't stay away from Chinese food. I really love the stuff.**

Monday, February 24, 2014

What did you do with THAT, leave it in your snood?

Dapper Day at Disney!!!



For more info, check out their site:http://dapperday.com/

Fancy dress, fancy make up, fancy....hair....poop. I have the worst trouble doing the back of my own hair. So I thought for my most dapperest of outfits, inspired by the classic theme park Mickey outfit, I would make my life a bit easier by making a SNOOD.

What is a snood you ask? Here is what Wiki says:
A snood (rhymes with 'food', not 'wood') is historically a type of European female headgear, or in modern times a tubular neck scarf. In the most common form the headgear resembles a close-fitting hood worn over the back of the head. A tighter-mesh band may cover the forehead or crown, then run behind the ears and under the nape of the neck. In modern times, snoods have been popular for many years with European footballers like Gianluigi Buffon and Sam Goodman (an industrial squad player - usually at fullback - in the lower Icelandic leagues). A sack of sorts dangles from this band, covering and containing the fall of long hair gathered at the back. A snood sometimes was made of solid fabric, but more often of loosely knitted yarn or other net-like material. Historically (and in some cultures still in use today) a small bag—netted, tatted, knitted, crocheted, or knotted—of fine thread, enclosed a bob of long hair on the back of the head or held it close to the nape.

This was my first time to finish an attempt to follow a crochet pattern. While I didn't end up doing the pattern completely correctly, it turned out really well! Here is the pattern I followed: http://www.freevintagecrochet.com/hat-patterns/star195/fish-net-snood-pattern

For the outfit proper, I was thinking classic theme park Mickey.

Mickey Mouse welcomes guests to Walt Disney World. Guests can be part of the "Disney Difference" by following theme-park etiquette.


I bought a red A-line skirt as well as the white top from the thrift store for $6 total (which has buttoned POCKETS!). I made a pearl collar statement necklace from a dress that no longer fit me to be my most awesome of collars. I already had the ruffle socks, black cardigan, and the saddle shoes. Plus a pair of my Mother's gloves, a cocktail ring from a friend of mine, and my yellow snood and ta-dah. MICKEY! Not Minnie like more people were thinking.

My Husband for the win as he was on board with this "go in the style of a classic character".  As he is an exceedingly tall man, I suggested he dress in the style of Goofy to go with my vision of Mickey.



He got some bright blue pants and an orange shirt to go with his black vest, brown shoes, and green tie. The only thing missing is a hat in the Goofy, but that is not a huge disappointment considering one of his current flat caps will work out just fine.

Here we are:


Until the next trip to Disney!


**Today's title comes from the wonderful holiday classic, White Christmas.
Phil Davis: [Buying train tickets] Uh, I don't seem to have any cash.
Bob Wallace: What did you do with THAT, leave it in your snood?**