Everything Pumpkin!

I had them before Starbucks!! ... and mine are way better, they actually have FLAVOR. Okay, so Garrett's work was having a baked goodies day with a fall theme. We came up with pumpkin cupcakes filled with cream cheese, then delicately slathered with a pumpkin cream cheese frosting. It's 5:30 the night before goodie day. We head to the grocery store to get a few necessary ingredients including (especially!) pumpkin. I search high and low, and then find a small sign that apologizes "there is a pumpkin shortage due to the seasons poor yield and they will temporarily be out of canned pumpkin". WHAT?? NO!! Options... sweet potato? Butternut squash? Okay, I can work with that. Garrett veto's that immediately, he's the new guy in town and wants to make a good impression. He's not buying that a sweet potato cupcake will taste good, and he reminds me he's committed to pumpkin. Fine. We find a reasonably small pumpkin (yes a whole, real pumpkin) and head home. I get dinner rolling, and then set out to cook the pumpkin so I can puree it, cool it and then bake with it. A few hours and several glasses of wine later, it all worked out. Here is the picture of the cupcakes (at about midnight!) cooling to be frosted. They turned out to be fantastic and beautiful, and worth the adventure. It's surprising how little pumpkin puree a big hunk of pumpkin actually yields when all is said and done. No worries though folks, apparently the canned stuff is back on the shelves :)

Pancake

The gluten free harvest pancake.. Summer came and went with a blink and now we slide back into the warm, substantial meals for shorter days and cooler temps. It's football time again, and that means FOOD! Yes, I know that is an odd translation, but where do many women spend their time during football season? The kitchen!

On fall Sundays we like to indulge and relax. Maybe a little walk for fresh air and to get the blood moving, but no real exercise. Then.. bring on the food. Whatever craving existed during the week is wholly satisfied on a Sunday.

We started with the pancakes and eggs. The pancakes were made with cranberries, pecans, walnuts and bananas (wasn't ready to let summer go entirely!) with a Cabernet syrup. The spices were warm spices such as nutmeg, allspice and ginger. The pancakes are easy to put together and you can play with the ingredients based on what is in your pantry or fridge. The eggs, were more savory to compliment the sweetness of the pancakes and they had fresh rosemary, thyme and basil, granulated garlic and mineral salt for base flavor. I then added for substance chévre, spinach, olives and tomatoes.

This is a very satisfying way to begin an indulgent Sunday.
After a few hours to digest, we moved on to snack buffet of cheeses, cured meats, pickled goodies and olives. This preps us for the main feature - a whole roasted turkey. Made with mirepoix, fresh herbs, olive oil, tons of garlic, a splash of white and red wines, and butternut squash.
This was enjoyed with a glass of Frey organic red table wine. No desert necessary :) Our Sunday buffets have ranged from all apps to leg of lamb to Indian...

A common thread in all of my cooking is frugality. My Grandparents instilled that in me.

In everything I cook I try to stretch it, and you are already cooking. Make the most of your time and money! Cook in bulk and then "recycle" the food. Turkey.. you can make it Thanksgiving style with all of the fixings, curried, stew, soup, sandwiches, terrine, salad, with herbs de provence, the list goes on and on. Being Creative is fun!

Upside Down Pineapple Cake

When the first warm days come, the sun shines a little longer, the animals are a little louder and I start craving light, fresh and zesty things. These are the first signs of spring and I get really excited for change. Goodbye big sweaters, hello cute dresses!

This is a Gluten free pineapple upside down cake, inspired by one of the first spring days. With spring in mind I added fresh ginger, vanilla and frozen blueberries from the previous summer. It was soo tasty! The benefit of this is that in the early spring, it goes from warm to FREEZING over night. This cake fits the bill perfectly. Warm outside? Serve it room temperature with a mint sprig and whipped cream. Cold out there? Heat it up and serve it with vanilla ice cream. This cake is so easy to make and the base recipe can be changed for any season. Very versatile and enjoyable!

The Farm Life

Ahh, life on the farm! This will be a long post to catch up, Internet on the farm was not an option. We escaped from California just in time to make it to Garrett's Aunt's farm for the spring planting season.

Let me start at the beginning. Garrett made the concession to appease my desire to leave California. It was hot, crowded and expensive. Don't get me wrong, California is splendid - it is after all home to so many things I love. Wine country, a year-round assortment of fresh fruits and veggies equating to the eternal farmers market, surfing and snow in the same day.. the amenities go on and on.

Nature was calling and it was Oregon or bust! Making the drive north, we spent 17 hours going from warm and dry to wet and snow. What were we in for? Our celebratory arrival dinner was consumed in a Thai restaurant in Eugene. The food was great, on a hot scale of one to ten, it was a 100! We survived our burning meal initiation to arrive in the dark at our new home. We awoke happily surprised to a day of bright sun the next morning (we heard nasty rumors that it didn't shine in Oregon!) and the farm sprawling out before us.

The next few months were spent in the glorious, fresh outdoors. The days were consumed by Chores such as shoveling sledge, weeding, churning up the soil, cleaning the chicken coups, the cow stall manure, composting, weeding and planting - and did I mention weeding and moving manure?? It was spectacular to see the fruits of our labor (literally!) grow from the ground. It really teaches you the value of food and work. There are few feelings of contentment that rival the end of a solid days farm work. The shower, the wine and the meal are momentous. Every morsel tastes better than the last, and your body just kind of folds into wherever it lands. The items harvested and enjoyed at the meal have distinct layers of flavor that are unparalleled. The concentration of flavor begs to be savored. The amount of work that goes in, and then the yield you get are eye opening. It also reinforces the fact (in my humble opinion) that there is absolutely nothing that tastes better than fresh produce. Every time you go to the farmers market or a local farm stand, know that every penny you pay is well worth it. Eat fresh and eat local! We were privileged to do so while living in the coziest cottage. It sat on the Tualatin river where we would relax on our back porch enjoying a glass of wine watching the snowy egrets nest across the way.

Our experience was fantastic! The cows - well, they're cows. The chickens were cute! They made an adorable noise, they actually cooed. It was so funny - when one would lay an egg, the entire flock would have a party! They would cluck and coo and let everyone know someone laid an egg! Who would have ever thought I would consider chickens being cute? I love horses and had the opportunity to ride, train and win one over with carrots. I miss Marty - future posts will show Mr. Marty.

Finally, I will elaborate on our wine and food experiences. Every night was spent conjuring up some tasty farm inspired meal. We were located 10 minutes from a Whole Paycheck, er I meant Whole Foods. They had everything you could dream of that you couldn't find elsewhere. Our meager income was spent on meals such as local fresh goodies from the farmers market. Smoked Salmon, wild mushrooms made into "Risotto", sans dairy and gluten with a nice side of oh so tender baby kale, that was Garrett's favorite. There were the local wines from Oregon that are truly amazing as well as our adventures in Bordeaux. On that note, I will sign off and go from there on future posts.

Happy New Year!

Hey everybody, 

I want to introduce myself to all of you bloggers out there! I'm Garrett, the other wino responsible for updating you on our most recent wine tastings, culinary experiments, and travels. I'm 25 years old and have a passion for the arts, food + wine, and sports. I speak Spanish fluently and ran a marathon back in 2007. My favorite color is blue. 

Jennifer and I decided to take a vacation for new years. We roadtripped from San Diego along the coast up to San Francisco, then up to Napa. It was an amazing trip. A veritable journey to the holy land. Look for posts in the next few days telling you all about it. 

This is me enjoying the new year at the ZD winery in Napa.    

Cheers to a happy and peaceful trip around the sun!

Full bodied with a round finish, 

Garrett