Another Indulgence.... Red Velvet Wine

A huge shout out to my good friend Jen H who, knowing about my quest for the perfect Red Velvet, discovered a Red Velvet Wine by Cupcake Vineyards, out of California.
And even better - found an awesome website that shows where it (and just about every other type of wine and spirit) is sold in Alberta!!!

Here is a description of the Cupcake Vineyard's Red Velvet wine from their website:
Red Velvet is a smooth creamy blend of Zinfandel, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. It's reminiscent of a blackberry chocolate cupcake with a mocha coulis.  Shows an incredible nose of chocolate, deep rich blackberries,  red fruits and a creamy mocha finish that is unmistakable in its intensity and length.

She picked us up a bottle, and because my husband is out of town tonight, we had an impromptu girls night... actually it was more of a girls late afternoon/early evening, because we had our kids with us, and needed to be responsible.
ANYWAYS...

The label says the wine pairs well with dark chocolate fondue, bacon cheeseburgers or sweet and spicy hoisin steaks... (talk about a mixed pallette)...So, because the sun was still shining at dinner time, and DESPITE the piles of snow that still blanket my back yard, I decided to fire up my bbq and comprimise on the label's recommendations by making some homemade Hoisin Hamburgers on wholewheat buns to accompany the vino.... 

We were a little wary of the wine at first, afraid that it might not live up to our expectations (much like my first impression of the Red Velvet Cupcake from a few posts back), but I'm so happy to report that I think I've found a new favourite red wine, perfect for summer (if it ever gets here).  The wine is light, but has a beautiful rich red colour.  It went wonderfully with our dinner, but I think I could easily nurse it on it's own too.... always a good sign :).

Thanks for searching it out Jen!!!!  Here's to keeping a stash of this new indulgence on hand - and continuing to discover new ones of course :)

That's all I've got to say about that for now.... maybe tomorrow I'll post my recipe for the Hoisin Hamburgers... they were delish too, if I may say so myself.

As Always,  Dayna 

14 day Countdown to 40 - Self-Indulgence #10

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMM a hug in a mug

London Fog

I'm such a tea-granny in my old age - but not for just any old red rose/tetley tea.  Nope,  I like variety in my mug, and generally speaking not of the sweet herbal kind.
In fact I'm such a tea-oholic that I was a member of the Natur'el Tea of the Month Club for a couple of years.  I have a little tea shrine in my kitchen cupboard that overflows with all kinds of tea, from all over the world - Mates from South America, Green, White and Black Teas from all over Asia, and Rooibos from South Africa... not to mention a few local blends made from prairie herbs like chamomile, rosehips and sage.

This morning, while out running errands, I stopped by a little gift shop in Nanton called "Because I Said So...".  The owner, Pam, not only carries a wonderful and eclectic selection of greeting cards and gifts, she also keeps the kettle on in a tiny wee coffee/tea corner. Her menu is small but perfect, so I indulged - and I must say, Pam makes a wicked London Fog!!!

London Fog is a tea latte, made from Earl Grey tea and vanilla, steeped in steaming hot milk.  It's very easy to make at home, using a just a simple food blender, if you don't have an expresso maker, or milk steamer.

MY RECIPE:
I make London Fog at home by heating a mug of 2% milk in the microwave or on the stove, then letting a bag of Earl Grey tea steep in it until the milk begins to turn tea-colour, and I can smell the tea.
Then I stir in either a bit of Torani vanilla syrup, OR vanilla flavouring with a bit of honey or sugar to taste and throw it all into my blender.  Blending it fast enough creates a lovely froth, very similar to steamed milk froth.
As soon as I'm done blending, I pour it right back into my mug, curl up in a sunbeam on the couch, and ENJOY!!!

Hopefully this is just the first of several self-indulgences today - I have some catching up to do :)

As always, Dayna

14 day Countdown to 40 - Self-Indulgence #8

PKNT Gold Carmenere
(PNKT is prounounced "Picante")

PKNT Gold Carmenere - a Fabulous new red wine

Last night I brought a bottle of PKNT Gold Carmenere to self-indulgence #7.  It is a wonderful Chilean red wine that I discovered while cruising the aisles at one of our local liquor stores.   This time, I didn't just choose by label - I was looking for something different that would go good with our indian feast, and that I hadn't tried before.  What a wonderful surprise I had when we opened the cork. 
I don't have the wine vocabulary to describe it "Properly", so here is a link to a blog I found that describes it better: PKNT CHILEAN WINE


I decided to research it a bit more for this posting and found that the Carmenere grape variety actually has a pretty interesting story.... According to Snooths.com:
Carmenère (aka. Cabarnelle, Carbouet, Carmenelle, Grande Carmenet, Grande Vidure) Carmenere is a rediscovered grape variety that’s beginning to make waves in California. Eclectic producers, such as Guenoc, are blending Carmenere with Bordeaux grapes such as Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot as part of traditional Meritage blends. Forgotten for over a century, Carmenere had become a viticultural dinosaur. But then Carmenere was found anew growing abundantly in Chile....  Read More....

This wine has a fabulous dark red colour, and a smooth but full body with hints of cherries, figs and vanilla. The wine pairs very well with spicy foods, and would probably be nice with strong cheeses too... hmmm I'll try that next time.

Meanwhile, stay tuned as I continue to indulge in counting-down to the end of my thirtys at the end of this week.

As Always, Dayna

14 day Countdown to 40 - Self-Indulgence #7 (UPDATED POST)

GOBLOOS!!!

When I was a little girl, living in Ottawa, we had some family friends who were from India.  Every now and then, we would go over to visit them for a playdate and dinner.  Unfortunately, I've only managed to hold on to a couple of bizzare memories of those dates:
1) I remember Monika and Susan had a really fun puzzle with unusual shapes mixed in with the traditional puzzle shapes (i.e. cats, stars, boats, people etc); and

Gobloos (aka gulab jamun, aka the BEST dessert ever!!!)

2) I remember gobloos... gobloos were what I called the little balls of fried dough soaked in sweet cardomom and rosewater syrup that Mrs. Chadha always served.
Anyways, we moved away when I was 9, and I never saw the Chadhas again - but I never forgot those gobloos.  It wasn't until many years later, while travelling in India, that I learned this isn't the correct name for the dish.  They are actually called Gulab Jamun.  (Imagine how cool I sounded asking if there were "gobloos" on the menu in every restaurant I went into for the first 3 weeks of my trip - the looks this crazy backpacker got were priceless!!!)

This evening, I went over to my friend Jen H's house with a couple of other girlfriends, for indulgence #7 - an indian feast and a movie.  When she was planning the evening, and asked what we should have on our menu, OF COURSE I had to include Gulab Jamuns.

Channa Masala

The rest of the meal was a combination of take-out (raita, butter chicken, chicken tikka masala and aloo gobi), store bought (Papaddum and Punjabi mix) and homemade (I've got my slow-cooker simmering up a bunch of channa masala as I write this).... all some of my favourite foods, rounded off with a bottle of PKNT Gold Carmenere but it's the Gobloos that finished off the meal perfectly in my mind....

After dinner we curled up with an appropriately themed girly movie - Bride and Prejudice.  It was a very light-hearted Hollywood-Bollywood crossover - probably not a movie I'd recommend to everybody, but a perfect compliment to a curry dinner girls night.

So I must say a BIG THANK YOU to Jen, Sandra and Annette, for the fabulous evening.  We had such a nice time that we talked about doing it again - next time experimenting with another type of international cuisine..... I think if we can get our acts together to dine like this on a regular basis we should call ourselves the "Nanton International Cuisine Epicure Girls" (N.I.C.E. Girls for short)... what do you think???

As Always, Dayna

P.S. The PKNT Gold Carmenere was so good, it has to qualify a self-indulgence (#8).... I"ll post about it separately....

14 day Countdown to 40 - Self-Indulgence #2

Cats Pee (and I don't mean weak tea)

CONFESSION TIME - I know it's so not right to judge a book (or anything else) by it's cover, but I'm a sucker for a good wine label.
A couple of years ago, on a trip home to Ontario, I was browsing the LCBO and came across a funny label that I just couldn't ignore - Cat's Pee on a Gooseberry Bush.  Justifying the purchase with the thought that a portion of the sale would go to support the OSPCA, I took the plunge.  Whether it's because the wine's name makes my inner 8 year old giggle, every time I see it,  or whether it's because the wine truly deserves my praise, I found a new favourite indulgence... it qualifies as a self-indulgence, because I'm the only person in my household who drinks wine.  (It's my self-indulgence #2, because conveniently I already had a bottle of it in my fridge and it was way too cold out today to head out looking for something new)

A crisp Sauvignon Blanc from Coopers Creek Vineyard in New Zealand, Cat's Pee on a Gooseberry Bush is a dry and light white wine that makes a perfect thirst quenching spritzer on a hot summer day (sigh - I MISS summer).  It also goes well with cheese, crackers, a comforter and a good book or movie.

I plan to spend this evening curled up with my family and a glass of self-indulgence, watching a movie that's m'eh (Inkheart - the movie has nothing on the book), but totally worth it for the cuddles and the Cat's Pee.

As Always, Dayna

Recipe for my magical vanilla matcha - a Saturday morning indulgence

I love tea - all makes and types of it (well - except most herbals, but if that makes me a tea-snob, so be it.)
Today, I want to make note of my matcha* magic.

A couple of years ago, I came across a little teashop in Banff that sold a wonderful matcha blend called: Vanilla Cloud Matcha, made by Domo** (www.domotea.com).  It's kind of like a Starbucks green tea latte, but a gazillion times better.  I fell in love, stocked up and indulged.  Unfortunately, my stash ran out, and when I went to replenish, I found out that it is indefinitely out of stock - SO, rather than go into withdrawal, I went to Chinatown.

There I found a big bag of plain powdered green tea, and started experimenting to find my own version of the Vanilla Cloud Matcha recipe that I could fall back on.  I succeeded satisfactorily, and the following "recipe" has become my Saturday morning treat; my Sunday Afternoon curled up with a good book escape; my early morning rushing off to work nutritious caffeine hit; and the "special tea" treat I make for my kids whenever I'm in a particularly good (and generous mood).

Dayna's Magical Vanilla Matcha (a hug-in-a-mug like no other):

 (note: I usually guesstimate quantities - so play around until you find proportions that are right for you)

1 Large Mug - that you can hug your hands around
1 T powdered milk
1/2 to 1 tsp powdered green tea (less tea = more creamy drink.... d'uh)
1 T white sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla flavour
Mix all of the above together with 1/4 cup boiling water in the bottom of your mug (this helps to dissolve the tea powder.)
Fill mug with hot milk (can use skim, 2%, homo, rice, almond or soy milk)
Top with a pinch of cinnamon.
ENJOY!!!

I actually make this recipe up in bulk quantities, so i can just go and grab a cup on a whim, without having to get out all the measuring spoons.

Optional: If you have a milk steamer, USE IT.  If not, you can put the whole concoction in a blender and whip it up before drinking it

Other Suggestions:
1) Replace the vanilla with cocoa powder to taste (Domo tea called this Chocolate Ecstasy).  This is a nice option, but personally I prefer my hot cocoa a little richer - as in pure 100% cocoa and a touch of sugar without any other flavour distractions.

In the inspired words of Dora's Backpack..... "yumyumyumyumyum delicioso!!!"

As Always, Dayna


* P.S. According to the wisdom of Wikipedia:  Matcha (抹茶^?, pronounced [mat.tɕa]^[1]) refers to finely-milled Japanese green tea. The cultural activity called the Japanese tea ceremony centers on the preparation, serving, and drinking of matcha. In modern times, matcha has also come to be used to flavour and dye foods such as mochi and soba noodles, green tea ice cream and a variety of wagashi (Japanese confectionery).

**P.P.S. Incidentally Domo Tea still makes delicious teas that you can order through their website.  They were recently featured on CBC's Dragon's Den: http://www.cbc.ca/dragonsden/pitches/domo-tea.html

Trying something new...

Well - here it is, 8:45am Tuesday - the day after Valentines Day.  A beautiful and surprisingly warm February morning.... gotta love chinooks - at least when they don't come with migraines!!

One kid is off to school, the other is home with a cold.... probably not bad enough to keep her away from school, but what the heck, she's only in kindergarten, and her grandparents (who are visiting from Ontario) will be leaving in a day or two, so consider this bonding time for them.

I can't really tell you why I've finally decided to start a personal blog - today of all days.  I've been thinking about it for some time, but never having been much of a journaller, I don't know if I'm really ready to commit to this medium, so we'll see how it goes.

I think I want to use this space to record whatever inspires me, or catches my attention at any given time.

I envision posting :
- recipes I discover (in my random quest to find the perfect red velvet anything.... for no other reason than I like how the name rolls off my tongue...RRRRrrrrred Velllllvvvett;
- links to places, videos, photos and podcasts that captivate me (I LOVE www.ted.com and CBC Radio Podcasts);
- crafts and other projects that I'm working on (or more realistically - adding to my list of things I wish to do whenever I find time);
- thoughts about movies I've seen (or want to see);
- books I've read (or am reading);
- music that I lose myself with;
- newly discovered (and old comfort) favourite foods and beverages (I'm an epicurean wannabe... mmmmm goatcheese);
- favourite things (that I would buy all my friends a la Oprah, should I ever win the lottery)
- other ways I'd spend my lottery jackpot winnings (if I ever bothered to regularly buy and check my tickets);
and,
- just general musings on life, the universe and everything... as I muddle along on this third planet from the sun.

..... so having said all that, let my blogging begin!!!