Hahn White Lie

There is a new beer released onto the market this summer called Hahn White and through some market research we became Hahn White Summer Ambassadors. The idea was that we would be given a carton of beer to share with friends at an Australia Day BBQ. We invited a few of our beer loving mates, including 2 soon to be citizens, over for an Australia Day Eve BBQ to show them some real Aussie hospitality! The beer, which is to be served with a slice of orange, was supposed to arrive last week, but despite being a no show, we planned a great menu with an orange theme to compliment the flavour. We prepared a dijon mustard, honey and orange juice marinated and BBQ'd butterflied lamb and pumpkin, feta sausages served with a beetroot, orange and feta salad. All we needed was the beer! Monday - nothing. Tuesday evening came around with a guarantee that the beer would arrive. We stocked up on ice so that when the courier delivered, it could go straight on ice in the esky to chill. By 8 o'clock we carried on without the star of the show, disappointed we didn't have the "matching beer" for our meal, but content nonetheless digging into the amply filled wine rack for an alternative tipple and enjoying a fabulous Australia Day lamb barbie with our mates, who had just about forgiven us for inviting them round on false pretences! No beer for Australia Day - "Un Australian!"

There is a new beer released onto the market this summer called Hahn White and through some market research we became Hahn White Summer Ambassadors. The idea was that we would be given a carton of beer to share with friends at an Australia Day BBQ. We invited a few of our beer loving mates, including 2 soon to be citizens, over for an Australia Day Eve BBQ to show them some real Aussie hospitality! The beer, which is to be served with a slice of orange, was supposed to arrive last week, but despite being a no show, we planned a great menu with an orange theme to compliment the flavour. We prepared a dijon mustard, honey and orange juice marinated and BBQ'd butterflied lamb and pumpkin, feta sausages served with a beetroot, orange and feta salad. All we needed was the beer! Monday - nothing. Tuesday evening came around with a guarantee that the beer would arrive. We stocked up on ice so that when the courier delivered, it could go straight on ice in the esky to chill. By 8 o'clock we carried on without the star of the show, disappointed we didn't have the "matching beer" for our meal, but content nonetheless digging into the amply filled wine rack for an alternative tipple and enjoying a fabulous Australia Day lamb barbie with our mates, who had just about forgiven us for inviting them round on false pretences! No beer for Australia Day - "Un Australian!"

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

A Barossa Inspired Meal

Rolled Barossa Chook Breast with Black Pig Prosciutto / Hühnchen Rollbraten mit Schinken 

I was very excited to hear about the Barossa's Table competition, running until the end of the month over at Barossa.com.  By submitting a post with a recipe or serving suggestion using an ingredient from the Barossa, plus a Barossa wine to match, you could win a week-long all expenses paid food and wine experience with some of the region's most famous chefs, winemakers and producers!  Pretty exciting stuff, right?  As soon as I read about it, I put my foodie thinking cap on and started planning my entry.

Here in Melbourne, we are pretty fortunate to have a number of specialist food stores, and even supermarkets, that stock Barossa produce.  As such, I think it would have been quite simple to buy a bunch of Barossa items, and just chuck them together in a slapdash meal.  And to be honest, if you did that, you'd probably still have something pretty good on your hands.  But I really wanted to make a meal that wasn't only delicious, but also reflected the Barossa's heritage.

So I did a little research, and I found out that the Barossa has a very strong German influence, thanks to German settlers who first arrived in 1840.  Not only does that mean they have German bakeries and restaurants there (yay!), but there is also a dialect of German called Barossadeutsch, which used to be common in South Australia.  How cool is that?!  As a student of the language, and lover of all types of German food, I found this extremely fascinating, and it doubled my desire to visit!

So it was a no-brainer to combine my competition entry with my love for German food!  After much deliberation, here is the meal I decided on... (with German translation below, just for fun).

A Barossa Inspired Meal for 2

Rolled Barossa Chook Breast with Black Pig Prosciutto

Glazed Carrots with Maggie Beer Vino Cotto

German-Style Fried Potatoes

Henschke Keyneton Euphonium 2007

Gooseberry Streuselkuchen with Maggie Beer Vanilla Bean and Elderflower Ice-Cream

Ein Festmahl von der Barossa Region

Hühnchen Rollbraten mit Schinken

Glasierte Karotten mit Vino Cotto

Bratkartoffeln

Henschke Keyneton Euphonium 2007

Stachelbeeren Streuselkuchen mit Vanille- und Holundereis

Let's have a look at the different parts of the meal, one by one.

The main dish (which you can see in the top picture of this post), was Hühnchen Rollbraten mit Schinken.  Or less exotically, rolled roast chicken breast stuffed with prosciutto.

Both the chicken and prosciutto are Saskia Beer products.  The Barossa Chook is free range, has a completely vegetarian diet and are allowed to grow for double the industry standard, which means the chickens have softer meat, more flavour, and more resilient skin.  The butcher I visited only sells the Barossa Chooks whole, and I only needed the breasts for my recipe, so I got him to remove them, and chop up the rest of the chook.  I've popped the remainder in the freezer for future meals.  (I'm especially looking forward to making soup with the bones!)

Barossa Chook breasts, The Black Pig prosciutto

The Black Pig proscuitto is made from free range, heritage breed Berkshire pork.  It comes in wafer thin slices, and has a lovely ratio of fat-to-meat.  Hehe, it was hard not to eat it straight out of the packet!

Ooh... pretty.

To make my Rollbraten, I pounded the breasts flat (skin-side down), layered the proscuitto on top, rolled them up carefully and secured them with kitchen twine.  Then, I browned them a hot pan, and finished them off in a medium-hot oven to cook through.

Layering, rolling and frying the chicken

German-style fried potatoes, or Bratkartoffeln, are my favourite way of eating one of my favourite foods.  You fry up some onions and bacon (I used the remainder of the Black Pig proscuitto - couldn't let it go to waste!), then add slices of par-boiled potatoes, and keep frying and turning until the potatoes are cooked through and crisp on the outside.

Bratkartoffeln

I thought that glasierte Karotten (glazed carrots) would be a great accompaniment, being a light and sweet counterpoint to the salty proscuitto-filled chicken and potatoes.  I briefly boiled a bunch of baby carrots in water with a little sugar, vegetable stock and olive oil.  To serve, I drizzled over thyme leaves, extra virgin olive oil and some Maggie Beer vino cotto.  If you haven't tried it before, vino cotto is like a reduced, syrupy balsamic vinegar.  It really highlighted the carrots' natural sweetness.

Glasierte Karotten mit Vino Cotto

With the meal, we drank a Henschke 2007 Keyneton Euphonium, which comes from the Barossa township of Keyneton.  I'm not a huge wine buff, but I chose this one because I know the winery (some of my parents' friends, older and much more knowledgeable than I, are obsessed with the Henschke Hill of Grace).  The Keyneton Euphonium is a nice blend of four different grapes, which, according to the friendly staff at the bottle-shop, would be heavy enough to stand up to our meal, without overpowering the flavours.  I was also quite happy it came in a half-bottle - perfect for two!

Wine

And that, my friends, was the meal!

I must admit, I was so happy with it!  I'd never made Rollbraten before, and I was so relieved that it turned out well.  Even though I think I may have slightly overcooked the chicken, it was still moist, with crispy skin, and the most incredible, intensely chickeny flavour.  I'm really glad I entered this competition, as I wouldn't have tried the Barossa Chook otherwise.  And it's dee-licious!  I'd love to try a classic roast chicken next time.

I did make a dessert too, although it was a good few hours after that filling dinner before we sat down to eat it!  I made gooseberry streuselkuchen - Stachelbeeren Streuselkuchen for those of you who like a bit of alliteration - a sweet and spicy yeasted dough, topped with gooseberries and a crunchy almondy crumble.  According to Maggie Beer, streuselkuchen is a staple of Barossa bakeries (even more reason why I want to go!)

I used Nigella Lawson's kuchen recipe, replacing her suggested fruits with gooseberries, and served it with a lusciously creamy scoop of Maggie Beer's vanilla bean and elderflower ice-cream.  I don't ordinarily like floral flavours in food (rosewater, elderflower, violet etc.), but there is something so perfect about the combination of gooseberries and elderflower.   Leftover streuselkuchen made a wonderful breakfast the next morning.


********

If you'd like to enter too, have a look at the Barossa's Table competition website, for instructions and T&C's. Nuffnang is also running a parallel Barossa competition for its bloggers, with the chance to win a weekend trip to the famous region!  (Instructions and T&C's are here).

Rolled Barossa Chook Breast with Black Pig Prosciutto / Hühnchen Rollbraten mit Schinken 

I was very excited to hear about the Barossa's Table competition, running until the end of the month over at Barossa.com.  By submitting a post with a recipe or serving suggestion using an ingredient from the Barossa, plus a Barossa wine to match, you could win a week-long all expenses paid food and wine experience with some of the region's most famous chefs, winemakers and producers!  Pretty exciting stuff, right?  As soon as I read about it, I put my foodie thinking cap on and started planning my entry.

Here in Melbourne, we are pretty fortunate to have a number of specialist food stores, and even supermarkets, that stock Barossa produce.  As such, I think it would have been quite simple to buy a bunch of Barossa items, and just chuck them together in a slapdash meal.  And to be honest, if you did that, you'd probably still have something pretty good on your hands.  But I really wanted to make a meal that wasn't only delicious, but also reflected the Barossa's heritage.

So I did a little research, and I found out that the Barossa has a very strong German influence, thanks to German settlers who first arrived in 1840.  Not only does that mean they have German bakeries and restaurants there (yay!), but there is also a dialect of German called Barossadeutsch, which used to be common in South Australia.  How cool is that?!  As a student of the language, and lover of all types of German food, I found this extremely fascinating, and it doubled my desire to visit!

So it was a no-brainer to combine my competition entry with my love for German food!  After much deliberation, here is the meal I decided on... (with German translation below, just for fun).

A Barossa Inspired Meal for 2

Rolled Barossa Chook Breast with Black Pig Prosciutto

Glazed Carrots with Maggie Beer Vino Cotto

German-Style Fried Potatoes

Henschke Keyneton Euphonium 2007

Gooseberry Streuselkuchen with Maggie Beer Vanilla Bean and Elderflower Ice-Cream

Ein Festmahl von der Barossa Region

Hühnchen Rollbraten mit Schinken

Glasierte Karotten mit Vino Cotto

Bratkartoffeln

Henschke Keyneton Euphonium 2007

Stachelbeeren Streuselkuchen mit Vanille- und Holundereis

Let's have a look at the different parts of the meal, one by one.

The main dish (which you can see in the top picture of this post), was Hühnchen Rollbraten mit Schinken.  Or less exotically, rolled roast chicken breast stuffed with prosciutto.

Both the chicken and prosciutto are Saskia Beer products.  The Barossa Chook is free range, has a completely vegetarian diet and are allowed to grow for double the industry standard, which means the chickens have softer meat, more flavour, and more resilient skin.  The butcher I visited only sells the Barossa Chooks whole, and I only needed the breasts for my recipe, so I got him to remove them, and chop up the rest of the chook.  I've popped the remainder in the freezer for future meals.  (I'm especially looking forward to making soup with the bones!)

Barossa Chook breasts, The Black Pig prosciutto

The Black Pig proscuitto is made from free range, heritage breed Berkshire pork.  It comes in wafer thin slices, and has a lovely ratio of fat-to-meat.  Hehe, it was hard not to eat it straight out of the packet!

Ooh... pretty.

To make my Rollbraten, I pounded the breasts flat (skin-side down), layered the proscuitto on top, rolled them up carefully and secured them with kitchen twine.  Then, I browned them a hot pan, and finished them off in a medium-hot oven to cook through.

Layering, rolling and frying the chicken

German-style fried potatoes, or Bratkartoffeln, are my favourite way of eating one of my favourite foods.  You fry up some onions and bacon (I used the remainder of the Black Pig proscuitto - couldn't let it go to waste!), then add slices of par-boiled potatoes, and keep frying and turning until the potatoes are cooked through and crisp on the outside.

Bratkartoffeln

I thought that glasierte Karotten (glazed carrots) would be a great accompaniment, being a light and sweet counterpoint to the salty proscuitto-filled chicken and potatoes.  I briefly boiled a bunch of baby carrots in water with a little sugar, vegetable stock and olive oil.  To serve, I drizzled over thyme leaves, extra virgin olive oil and some Maggie Beer vino cotto.  If you haven't tried it before, vino cotto is like a reduced, syrupy balsamic vinegar.  It really highlighted the carrots' natural sweetness.

Glasierte Karotten mit Vino Cotto

With the meal, we drank a Henschke 2007 Keyneton Euphonium, which comes from the Barossa township of Keyneton.  I'm not a huge wine buff, but I chose this one because I know the winery (some of my parents' friends, older and much more knowledgeable than I, are obsessed with the Henschke Hill of Grace).  The Keyneton Euphonium is a nice blend of four different grapes, which, according to the friendly staff at the bottle-shop, would be heavy enough to stand up to our meal, without overpowering the flavours.  I was also quite happy it came in a half-bottle - perfect for two!

Wine

And that, my friends, was the meal!

I must admit, I was so happy with it!  I'd never made Rollbraten before, and I was so relieved that it turned out well.  Even though I think I may have slightly overcooked the chicken, it was still moist, with crispy skin, and the most incredible, intensely chickeny flavour.  I'm really glad I entered this competition, as I wouldn't have tried the Barossa Chook otherwise.  And it's dee-licious!  I'd love to try a classic roast chicken next time.

I did make a dessert too, although it was a good few hours after that filling dinner before we sat down to eat it!  I made gooseberry streuselkuchen - Stachelbeeren Streuselkuchen for those of you who like a bit of alliteration - a sweet and spicy yeasted dough, topped with gooseberries and a crunchy almondy crumble.  According to Maggie Beer, streuselkuchen is a staple of Barossa bakeries (even more reason why I want to go!)

I used Nigella Lawson's kuchen recipe, replacing her suggested fruits with gooseberries, and served it with a lusciously creamy scoop of Maggie Beer's vanilla bean and elderflower ice-cream.  I don't ordinarily like floral flavours in food (rosewater, elderflower, violet etc.), but there is something so perfect about the combination of gooseberries and elderflower.   Leftover streuselkuchen made a wonderful breakfast the next morning.


********

If you'd like to enter too, have a look at the Barossa's Table competition website, for instructions and T&C's. Nuffnang is also running a parallel Barossa competition for its bloggers, with the chance to win a weekend trip to the famous region!  (Instructions and T&C's are here).

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Roast Pork Belly

Pork belly #1 of 2

Ooh... who wants crackling?

I love cooking roast pork for my friends.  It's easy (the butcher, and then the oven, do all the work), and everyone goes gaga for crackling.  So when we had 2 big parties for Christmas on the same day, I thought pork belly would be the perfect option.  (It's the ingredient of 2010, don't you know?)  It's also cheaper than my beloved pork shoulder, and easier to carve.

I was tossing up between 2 recipes - Donna Hay's sage-roasted pork belly (from her Seasons book), and Nigella's roast pork belly from Kitchen.  In the end, I chose Donna's recipe, with some slight adaptations, because the picture was amazing, and it produced a slab of crackly, piggy goodness, as opposed to the shredded pieces of pork from Nigella's recipe.  Another good thing about Donna's recipe was that it could be cooked the day before, with only a 30-minute quick blast in the oven to crisp it up before serving.  (Let's be clear, Donna's recipe didn't actually specify that - I just figured you'd be able to do it, similar to the poached-then-blasted method of Nigella's soft and crispy duck from How to Eat).

So, I bought 2 pork bellies, and got my butcher to score the rind.  The night before the party, I put them each in a tray with some unpeeled garlic cloves, and sprinkled sea salt liberally over the skin.  (Donna tells you to cook it skin-side down for the first part, but I couldn't see how that wouldn't give the crackling a sloppy kiss of death).

And into the oven they went, at 160C for 3 hours.  Whilst the oven was doing its thing, we, well, cleaned up the house and kept cooking and baking other things.  If you were making this in the normal run of things (i.e. not for an epic day of entertaining), you could sit and relax while it's cooking.

This is what they looked like after the 3 hours.  It's amazing how much it shrank.  I'm hoping that was fat melting off, and not just water!

So from there, I let them cool down and stashed them in the fridge, ready for the next day of parties.  For each party, I'd chuck a pork belly in the oven as people were arriving.  30 minutes at a hot-hot-hot temperature.  (Donna's recipe says 180C for 30 minutes, but again, I have no idea how the crackling would get crispy at such a low temperature.)  You're also supposed to add a bunch of sage to the pan for the final roast, but in the hustle-and-bustle of the day I completely forgot!  I might just have to make this again with the sage, just to compare the taste, you do understand.

Oooh...

Pork belly #2 of 2

Aaah...

It was so super-crispy!  Don't believe me? Check out this video we took!

More slicing...

If we hadn't have had guests, I would have totally had that slab all to myself!

And here it is, all chopped up siew yoke style so we could all have a piece.

Mmm.. I'm totally craving pork belly again!

Pork belly #1 of 2

Ooh... who wants crackling?

I love cooking roast pork for my friends.  It's easy (the butcher, and then the oven, do all the work), and everyone goes gaga for crackling.  So when we had 2 big parties for Christmas on the same day, I thought pork belly would be the perfect option.  (It's the ingredient of 2010, don't you know?)  It's also cheaper than my beloved pork shoulder, and easier to carve.

I was tossing up between 2 recipes - Donna Hay's sage-roasted pork belly (from her Seasons book), and Nigella's roast pork belly from Kitchen.  In the end, I chose Donna's recipe, with some slight adaptations, because the picture was amazing, and it produced a slab of crackly, piggy goodness, as opposed to the shredded pieces of pork from Nigella's recipe.  Another good thing about Donna's recipe was that it could be cooked the day before, with only a 30-minute quick blast in the oven to crisp it up before serving.  (Let's be clear, Donna's recipe didn't actually specify that - I just figured you'd be able to do it, similar to the poached-then-blasted method of Nigella's soft and crispy duck from How to Eat).

So, I bought 2 pork bellies, and got my butcher to score the rind.  The night before the party, I put them each in a tray with some unpeeled garlic cloves, and sprinkled sea salt liberally over the skin.  (Donna tells you to cook it skin-side down for the first part, but I couldn't see how that wouldn't give the crackling a sloppy kiss of death).

And into the oven they went, at 160C for 3 hours.  Whilst the oven was doing its thing, we, well, cleaned up the house and kept cooking and baking other things.  If you were making this in the normal run of things (i.e. not for an epic day of entertaining), you could sit and relax while it's cooking.

This is what they looked like after the 3 hours.  It's amazing how much it shrank.  I'm hoping that was fat melting off, and not just water!

So from there, I let them cool down and stashed them in the fridge, ready for the next day of parties.  For each party, I'd chuck a pork belly in the oven as people were arriving.  30 minutes at a hot-hot-hot temperature.  (Donna's recipe says 180C for 30 minutes, but again, I have no idea how the crackling would get crispy at such a low temperature.)  You're also supposed to add a bunch of sage to the pan for the final roast, but in the hustle-and-bustle of the day I completely forgot!  I might just have to make this again with the sage, just to compare the taste, you do understand.

Oooh...

Pork belly #2 of 2

Aaah...

It was so super-crispy!  Don't believe me? Check out this video we took!

More slicing...

If we hadn't have had guests, I would have totally had that slab all to myself!

And here it is, all chopped up siew yoke style so we could all have a piece.

Mmm.. I'm totally craving pork belly again!

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Print YOUR Blog in Book Form! (Works for Me Wednesday)

Several months ago, I mentioned a great company called Blog2Print.  They actually print your blog in book form.

Whether you are a food blogger, or a craft blogger, or a mommy blogger, or a home blogger....or even if you aren't, but you know a blogger.....this is such a cool idea!

When my book came in the mail, I opened it and saw cookies and baking projects that I had already forgotten about.  And I LOVE that kiddo will be able to look back on it someday...and maybe even try some of the recipes!


 
Blog2Print and I are teaming up for the Blissdom blog conference.  I leave for the conference in Nashville tomorrow (and guess who is my roomie!), but while I'm there.....

Blog2Print is offering one of you a $40 credit to print your own book!

To enter:

• go take a look at Blog2Print's site...and then leave a comment here telling why you would love to print your blog....or maybe you would print someone else's blog as a gift for them.

Extra entries (leave a separate comment for each):

• tweet it!Tweet
• follow Blog2Print on twitter

Blog2Print works for me!!!

{If you will be at Blissdom, please come say "hi!"  I'd love to meet you and I'll have my B2P book with me if you'd like to see one up close! And if you're not going, be sure to follow the fun on twitter using the #blissdom hashtag.}


{Drawing will be held Sunday, January 30th at noon, CST. Good luck!} giveaway now closed.

Several months ago, I mentioned a great company called Blog2Print.  They actually print your blog in book form.

Whether you are a food blogger, or a craft blogger, or a mommy blogger, or a home blogger....or even if you aren't, but you know a blogger.....this is such a cool idea!

When my book came in the mail, I opened it and saw cookies and baking projects that I had already forgotten about.  And I LOVE that kiddo will be able to look back on it someday...and maybe even try some of the recipes!


 
Blog2Print and I are teaming up for the Blissdom blog conference.  I leave for the conference in Nashville tomorrow (and guess who is my roomie!), but while I'm there.....

Blog2Print is offering one of you a $40 credit to print your own book!

To enter:

• go take a look at Blog2Print's site...and then leave a comment here telling why you would love to print your blog....or maybe you would print someone else's blog as a gift for them.

Extra entries (leave a separate comment for each):

• tweet it!Tweet
• follow Blog2Print on twitter

Blog2Print works for me!!!

{If you will be at Blissdom, please come say "hi!"  I'd love to meet you and I'll have my B2P book with me if you'd like to see one up close! And if you're not going, be sure to follow the fun on twitter using the #blissdom hashtag.}


{Drawing will be held Sunday, January 30th at noon, CST. Good luck!} giveaway now closed.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Tuesdays At The Table - Crispy Chorizo Stuffed Jalapeno Poppers

Happy Tuesday!  This weekend (Yes, I'm already looking forward to the weekend), I'm having my friends over for game night.  We meet once a month and all take turns hosting.  This will be the first time that most of them will see my home and since I can't disguise that the bought a money pit - my plan is to impress them with a new appetizer.  This is one that I can't wait to try out on them.

Crispy Chorizo Stuffed Jalapeno Poppers

10 jalapeno peppers (the bigger the better)
10 ounces colby jack or mozzarella cheese
8 ounces cooked hot Mexican chorizo
1 egg
1 cup bread crumbs
Olive oil for frying

Remove stems from the jalapeno peppers and remove innards through the top with a knife and very small spoon (or a corer if you have it).   Stuff each jalapeno with layers of chorizo and cheese.

In a shallow bowl, beat the egg.

Dip the stuffed jalapeno peppers into the egg, then coat with bread crumbs.

In a deep frying pan, add about 1 inch of oil and heat thoroughly.  Fry each breaded jalapeno popper about 3-5 minutes each side, or until golden brown.

What's cooking in your kitchen?

Happy Tuesday!  This weekend (Yes, I'm already looking forward to the weekend), I'm having my friends over for game night.  We meet once a month and all take turns hosting.  This will be the first time that most of them will see my home and since I can't disguise that the bought a money pit - my plan is to impress them with a new appetizer.  This is one that I can't wait to try out on them.

Crispy Chorizo Stuffed Jalapeno Poppers

10 jalapeno peppers (the bigger the better)
10 ounces colby jack or mozzarella cheese
8 ounces cooked hot Mexican chorizo
1 egg
1 cup bread crumbs
Olive oil for frying

Remove stems from the jalapeno peppers and remove innards through the top with a knife and very small spoon (or a corer if you have it).   Stuff each jalapeno with layers of chorizo and cheese.

In a shallow bowl, beat the egg.

Dip the stuffed jalapeno peppers into the egg, then coat with bread crumbs.

In a deep frying pan, add about 1 inch of oil and heat thoroughly.  Fry each breaded jalapeno popper about 3-5 minutes each side, or until golden brown.

What's cooking in your kitchen?

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

And the Golden Globe (cookie) Goes to . . .

.....Jim Parsons (Sheldon) from The Big Bang Theory.

Here's the story....a sweet girl, Lindsay, who I used to work with actually knows Jim.  Yep, I know people who know people. ;)

Turns out that Jim went to the same high school I did although, I'm sure, MANY moons after I graduated.

I've always said that nothing makes me more nervous than making a logo cookie, since I don't have one of those handy-dandy projectors.  Well, I've amended that....nothing makes me more nervous than making logo cookies for a Golden Globe WINNER.

 

{You know what?  Everything looks better with a little ribbon....even a shaky logo.}

Did you know that the Golden Globe award has a little "filmstrip" wrapped around it?  I didn't, either.  That's what those dots and squares are supposed to be. (I used a luster dust called Golden Charm here....I love the color!)

Bazinga!  That's Sheldon's catchphrase.

Congratulations on your Golden Globe, Jim!  You're doing Spring, Texas proud! :) 

.....Jim Parsons (Sheldon) from The Big Bang Theory.

Here's the story....a sweet girl, Lindsay, who I used to work with actually knows Jim.  Yep, I know people who know people. ;)

Turns out that Jim went to the same high school I did although, I'm sure, MANY moons after I graduated.

I've always said that nothing makes me more nervous than making a logo cookie, since I don't have one of those handy-dandy projectors.  Well, I've amended that....nothing makes me more nervous than making logo cookies for a Golden Globe WINNER.

 

{You know what?  Everything looks better with a little ribbon....even a shaky logo.}

Did you know that the Golden Globe award has a little "filmstrip" wrapped around it?  I didn't, either.  That's what those dots and squares are supposed to be. (I used a luster dust called Golden Charm here....I love the color!)

Bazinga!  That's Sheldon's catchphrase.

Congratulations on your Golden Globe, Jim!  You're doing Spring, Texas proud! :) 

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Review Of The Wine Expo

Today I went to the Boston Wine Expo.  What a fun time!  Wine, snacks, wine, girl time, wine, little freebies.  Did I mention WINE?!?!

There were some tried and true wines that I tasted - even though I knew I loved them.  Hello, Barefoot Wine!! I did get exposed to their Moscato Spumonte this time.  Darn, I love those little bubbles!

Then there were some newbies that I'll have to start looking for...

There was Chateau Ste Michelle Riesling.  It runs about $10-$12 a bottle and had a nice mellow fruity taste to it.  I really got a strong taste of pears to it.

Magner's Irish Cider, which came in traditional apple, and then in pear.  Both were yummy, though surprising (at least to me) to find at a wine expo.  A six pack will run you about $10.

Then Schmitt Sohne put out a new Riesling called Funf.  It's light, a bit sweet (though a dry version is out as well) and only runs at $7 a bottle.

Also, of note was Steen Chenin Blanc.  It's a South African wine that was a little green in color and tastes pineapple and citrus-y.  I apologize for not having a pricepoint on this one.

Another new experience for me was ice wine. This one was by Inniskillin, and essentially tasted like a slightly stronger apple cider.  Tasty...but not worth the $95 price tag.

Do you have any wines that I should try too?

Today I went to the Boston Wine Expo.  What a fun time!  Wine, snacks, wine, girl time, wine, little freebies.  Did I mention WINE?!?!

There were some tried and true wines that I tasted - even though I knew I loved them.  Hello, Barefoot Wine!! I did get exposed to their Moscato Spumonte this time.  Darn, I love those little bubbles!

Then there were some newbies that I'll have to start looking for...

There was Chateau Ste Michelle Riesling.  It runs about $10-$12 a bottle and had a nice mellow fruity taste to it.  I really got a strong taste of pears to it.

Magner's Irish Cider, which came in traditional apple, and then in pear.  Both were yummy, though surprising (at least to me) to find at a wine expo.  A six pack will run you about $10.

Then Schmitt Sohne put out a new Riesling called Funf.  It's light, a bit sweet (though a dry version is out as well) and only runs at $7 a bottle.

Also, of note was Steen Chenin Blanc.  It's a South African wine that was a little green in color and tastes pineapple and citrus-y.  I apologize for not having a pricepoint on this one.

Another new experience for me was ice wine. This one was by Inniskillin, and essentially tasted like a slightly stronger apple cider.  Tasty...but not worth the $95 price tag.

Do you have any wines that I should try too?

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