Discussion Points

I meant to sign on the other day and post about the dinner I was making for Thursday and some other pressing issues. However, work and life got in the way so I am just getting around to it now; it is Saturday morning. The so well-behaved children are playing at my feet. I have a cup of coffee. I am ready to talk.

1. I made beef stew the other day in a crock pot. I semi-thawed the meat on Wednesday night, then allowed it to sit overnight with lemon-pepper seasoning on it while it finished thawing in the fridge. I browned it on Thursday morning before combining it with the additional ingredients to simmer while I was at work. My big issue for this recipe is that I gave up wine for Lent. (I am not Catholic, but feel that a season of sacrifice is good for all.) This meat was begging to be browned in a nice, rich cabernet with onions. I am convinced that the addition of wine would have made a HUGE difference in my stew. All in all, it turned out fine. My parents came for dinner and everyone agreed it tasted good. It was a little too thin, though, and I realized that I did not add enough flour or cornstarch to make it thick and hearty.

2. This is a good time to discuss my love of wine. I am not an expert by any means, but have been tasting various wines for the better part of 10 years now and have developed some intense opinions. I started with white zinfandel like most people and have advanced to an intense love affair with dry reds. My favorite wine, however, is a lovely Chardonnay from Columbia Crest. It is the Chardonnay from their Grand Estate label and I cannot say enough about it. It is a fantastic golden color and leaves the mouth with a hint of butterscotch on the tongue. Incidentally, the merlot and cabernet from this label are also incredible; you can never go wrong with these wines.

3. Because Paco and my father love sports, I love sports by association. That being said, I prefer college level competition to the professionals - I believe there is much more passion and love with college athletes. As many of you know, it is time for March Madness. I always have a bracket and I always lose. This year, I wanted to warn any of you that are interested in picking teams for your own bracket: do not pick a team to win the whole thing simply because the team name sounds like a delicious cheese. I picked Gonzaga and they lost. I am officially out of the running.

We are going to a friends house for dinner tonight and I am responsible for dessert. Paco has requested Pecan Pie Cake. If I am feeling industrious, I will take a picture of the end result and post it within the next couple of days.

Happy Saturday!