And then, it was September! And nevermind that it is nearly Halloween now, silly Kissers!
Oh, my dear Kissers...It is actually December. Late December. December 23, to be exact. January 14 20 here! Yes, of 2014! Happy New Year! I know I've declared that I can't work on our blog for the time being, but I found a small window to do a bit of upkeep and the majority of this post was already written. Let's see if I can take advantage of an unexpected window of free time and, as the rednecks say, "Get 'er dun!"
September brought us a new KTC format. It wasn't a weekend getaway, and it wasn't preparing dinner together. Rather, our oh-so-gallant duo Frank and Damian had planned an entire day filled with fun--and wine tastings--for us to enjoy together! Score!
Not only that, but we would be safely chauffeured around town from winery to winery by Frank himself, our self-appointed designated driver (DD). Double score!!
Our day began at Chateau Ste. Michelle. We met in the parking lot at 10am and headed in to the tasting room. Please allow me to point out that this bright-eyed hour for wine-tasting should clearly indicate to you that Today We Would Not Be Fooling Around.
We moseyed up to the tasting counter and let Lon take care of us, walking us through the mechanics of selecting our tasting options.
William had joined us for the day as well, to our collective delight.
Sebastian didn't let a little thing like age-restrictions for wine-drinking dampen his fun:
Fernando and Shawn enjoyed having their family portrait made...
We sipped, slurped and swished to our heart's delight. Rick had remembered his notebook. and Anne regaled us with tales of how tasting wine at this early hour was actually best. She explained that, as the day wore on, one's taste buds become fatigued along with the rest of one's body, and do their job less efficiently. Who knew?
After leaving the Chateau, we piled back into our chauffeured van to head to nearby Novelty Hill/Januik.
We arrived safe and sound (Thanks, DD!), and headed inside. This space was super cool, and I had never been there before.
We were greeted at Januik enthusiastically, and shown a cluster of merlot grapes, which were being crushed that very day - we couldn't believe our luck!
Our hosts invited us outside to watch the grapes being pressed. We went outside and saw crate after crate of grapes awaiting a turn:
We'd seen this before on a MUCH smaller scale. It was so interesting to see it scaled up!
Here's a video:
Sebastian was fascinated - he wanted to stay and watch more. Or maybe he hoped one of the employees would come around again with samples of the grapes for him to try!
Here are a few more action shots of the huge hopper and press:
See that big beige box at the upper right? That's one of those crates of grapes being lifted on a forklift to be dumped into the hopper.
We headed back in to get our tasting started with the lovely and knowledgeable Michelle. Here we are ooh'ing and aahh'ing over the options.
The wine tasting options at Januik were the most generous and varied of the day. As I recall, each $10 tasting fee includes a selection of 4 options to try - but from a list of a couple dozen!
We made our selections and enjoyed.
Contrary to appearances, no, Shawn is not falling asleep on Meg's shoulder. She's just enjoying a snuggle.
I was thrilled to realize that this is a one-stop place: They offer pizza! Wine and pizza. Together. On a sunny patio. We found a nice perch on said sunny patio and settled in to order some vittles and tasty beverages. Here they are now!
We chatted about a bit of everything. It was truly enjoyable to have longer-than-usual strings of unbroken conversation with our fellow Kissers, with no kitchen timer interruptions or imposed breaks due to panicked dashes to the smoking skillet on the stove. And converse, we did!
We discussed the ins and outs of fine marketing as exemplified by the waxing shop in Fremont, Wax On Spa. Have a look for yourself:
Greeting you at the front door (and providing a helpful open/closed status message) is this guy:
As we noshed and sipped, we talked about other things, too, of course...
We discussed options for our next KTC weekend escape, and kicked around options for interesting things to make/create.
One favorite was a gluten-free granola idea - our marketing ploy would be "Gluties" - like cooties, but for those observing a gluten-free diet!
We continued to bask in the late summer sun, sipping, swishing, and smiling.
Then, it was time to move on. Next up on our list was Efeste, We piled again into the van and departed for our next adventure.
We were ushered right in and sat at a large table, a smidgen behind our planned arrival time. We were not as warmly greeted here as we had been at Januik, but we weren't worried. It tickled us to see them using their open kitchen area for canning. Look at those late summer colors!
Again, we sipped our way through these guys' standard tasting, going from the light and fruity to the rich and robust Big Papa Cabernet.
We hung out a while longer, and enjoyed each other's company.
Sadly, in the midst of our last pour, we were unceremoniously (and rather apologetically) rushed out to accommodate a bachelorette party. Boo, Efeste. So whatevs. That made me feel a little cranky. BUT, our day wasn't over - we had a heckuva lot more wine to taste in Woodinville, and we needed a little sustenance of the non-fermented grape variety. So all-in-all, we decided that Efeste had actually done us a favor. We were off to the next stop: The Snoqualmie Ice Cream Factory. Yay! Before we could arrive, Sebastian reached his activity limit, and decided it was time for a snooze. He looks pretty cute all snuggled in like that.
Fernando stayed in the car with Sebastian and the rest of us piled into the cafe for a cold and creamy treat. (Don't worry, we ordered something for Fernando, too!).
We enjoyed the sun and enjoyed our ice cream...
Afterwards, we strolled the grounds of the mini-farm...
And then it was time for more wine tasting! We headed off to our final destination, Fidelitas. Again, we piled in and headed off. When we arrived, Fernando decided to stay in the car watching Sebas and resting a bit more, as he wasn't feeling his best. The rest of us headed in to Fidelitas and were attended by a cutie pie ex-Coast Guard guy from Texas.
We tried several really delicious wines there, including the Champoux Vineyard Merlot, and took several bottles home with us.
Pocketbooks a tad lighter, we were headed back out, but noticed the Mark Ryan tasting room just a few doors down. We decided to pop in for one last tasting. The Dissident Red quickly was proclaimed our all-day favorite. So nice!
We emerged into the September sun and returned to the van, voicing our collective desire to return soon to Woodinville for more wine tastings.
Our dear Designated Driver (Guess that makes him our DDD) Frank drove us back to the Chateau where we had all parked. We did a little unloading and re-seating (read: car-seating!) and Anne and Rick graciously invited the whole gang over to their house to help them eat down their current cheese supply. So....off we went!
Look at what a lovely time we had - cheese, wine, and Actual Real Conversation. It was fantastic! Many thanks to Anne and Rick for pulling out a last-minute invitation like that - it was so nice.
I, for one, would happily get behind a periodic KTC event during which we didn't actually cook anything. The point would be to bring a bottle of something and sit around noshing on some easy snacks or takeout - and while away the hours just catching up and visiting. All in favor? Stay tuned for October's update - coming (probably not very) soon!
OK folks - reporting here from Cabo San Lucas, where I'm sprawled out on the beach where I've been relaxing for hours, watching the sunset, margarita in hand and enjoying a leisurely page of the book I've been trying to finish for the past four months.
Also, I have a fabulous beach house I can sell you for super-cheap in beautiful downtown Tucson - just let me know if you're interested!
Har. Ahem.
Well, yes, we are in Cabo. And that is the gorgeous sunset here. Also, I have had my share of margaritas so far. I gotta tell you, though, that vacation is very different than it used to be now that our tiny travel champ Sebastian is also on board!
But that's the way the tortilla crumbles - and really, we have nothing to whine about: It is sunny and beautiful here, and we are enjoying some great family time without even thinking about work and what's piling up and the tasks which await us upon our return. Additional plus: cocktails! Talk about First-World Problems, amiright?
So without further ado (or any more gratuitous vacation photos), I bring you our March KTC event at Meg's, hosted by the Meg-Shawn-Fernando-Sebastian quartet. The plan for the evening was to keep things in the Indian food-ish vein, and Shawn and Meg met in a very high-tech, late-night, instant message forum (Thanks, Microsoft!) to discuss the details. They hashed out a few interesting options each had run across in her online travels, and made The Plan.
First, we would have snacks! Meg had made some fresh yogurt cheese, which was amazing, and she'd divvied it up into three different flavors. I think one was plain, one was cumin, and one was something else very helpful description, I know)...olive oil with a little salt and pepper maybe?
Then (and only second in this list because we Kissers are responsible adults (whee!) and don't libate on empty stomachs), the first order of business was to prepare a welcome cocktail: The Boozy Lassi. Doesn't it look pretty?
Shawn and Meg reasoned that this would be a fabulous idea. After all, everyone loves a welcome cocktail, right? AND neither of them had ever even heard of a lassi cocktail, so it sounded like an interesting opportunity to try something new.
Sadly, Frank and Damian weren't able to join us, having sneaked off somewhere for an early Spring getaway weekend, but the rest of the Kissers trickled in and began sipping on their Boozy Lassis. In spite of the initial squick factor upon hearing a description of our concoction (yogurt? with booze?), we decided that this cocktail recipe is a keeper: much tastier than anticipated, and surprisingly refreshing. Also, and more importantly, the Boozy Lassi is what we used to call in my high school days a "sneaker." That is, you sip on one and it's tasty and it seems so cute and innocuous, and then WHAM!! It sneaks up on you and makes you say or do something Really Stupid.
Fortunately, like I said above, we Kissers are all responsible adults, and none of us did anything all that stupid. I mean, Jessica proclaimed that after her 40-mile (right?) bike ride earlier that morning, she would be pretty much done with just the one cocktail. And, although I don't think it classifies as Really Stupid, in the company of a couple of Boozy Lassis, Rick did have some fun with the appetizers.
Here, Anne demonstrates the power of the Boozy Lassi to convert you into an actual supermodel. Stand aside, paparazzi! Click, click!
The afternoon's menu would consist of loose variations of the following recipes:
Joyce gets started on the lamb curry, which will need to cook for a while...
Jessica, Anne, Meg, and Sebastian look out the window at Meg's squirrels and chickens...
Three pounds of lamb looks sort of like this...
We chopped up some veggies, herbs, and spices to add to the soaked split peas for the fritters...
Closer? You betcha!
And prepared the lamb for its long, warm burbling.
Fresh tomatoes in March? Um, we used canned Marzanos instead. Easier, cheaper, less offensive, AND tastier too at this time of year!
We got the basmati rice a-cooking...
The Almond Chikki was spread out on sheet pans to cool....
Crushing the tomatoes by hand is always fun...
Joyce and Sebastian monkey around...
Fernando looks on, pleased to have both his hands free from the grip of sticky baby fingers for the first time in several hours...
Shawn had brought some Nora peppers, but they weren't yielding much flesh after being rehydrated... next time, consensus was to simply skip the peppers in this recipe.
Sebastian solemnly agrees...
Our curry begins to reduce!
We all chit-chatted between tasks...
Sebastian even squeezed in a short nap, tucked in under his mom's jacket...
No need to wait for dinner to enjoy these babies: The fritters were crispy on the outside and tender on the inside - very flavorful and yummy to eat!
Here they are again, closer...
And, the frying process. w00t!
Fernando expertly trims the cauliflower...
Meg's chickens came over to see what was happening in the kitchen...Here's Grace Hopper now!
Of course, these girls aren't just any dumb "chicks" (see what I did there?) - There is a method to their madness! Here's Joyce, demonstrating why the chickens' curiosity behooves them:
Fernando tackles the cruciferous veg...
We set a festive table...
Anne and Sebastian mugged for the camera...
Then something magical happened. Meg's music selection was a stunning compilation of amazing 1980s hits, and during a cooking-task lull, it somehow transported us all simultaneously back to the big-hair and layered sock days of our faraway youth. We were so infused with the spirit of The Eighties that an impromptu '80s dance party erupted--right in Meg's dining room!
Then, as suddenly as it began, the dance party ended, and we were back to our normal, 2013 selves, ready for a normal, 2013 sort-of-Indian dinner. We settled in at the table...
The titillating aroma of the sizzling lamb curry beckoned steamily, hot and redolent with succulence and spices... Of course, that sentence is also the opening line from my soon-to-be-published romance novel, "The Call of Cast Iron." What do you think? Will it cut the mustard?
We served up our plates and everything looked just a tasty as it smelled!
Curry? Me? What curry?
I can't at all remember why I took a photo of what appears to be an angry red finger...Anyone recall? I think it may have been weather-related or fishing-related...But it was important enough and/or entertaining enough for us to take TWO photos of it! Maybe if I didn't wait so long to publish the blog entries after each event, I might have a better memory....?
Another thing I can't quite remember is why Joyce was distributing candy canes. I do know that Shawn and Fernando managed to arrive home with one, and Fernando wouldn't permit Shawn to eat it, citing concerns about the unknown age of the candy cane (I'm sure he recalled that Shawn's grandma used to keep and display the same ones year after year after year!).
The Almond Chikki turned out great - essentially a buttery almond brittle.
So tasty, and wonderful with the accompanying salted caramel gelato from our friends at the Fainting Goat in Wallingford.
These two digested as they showed off their many similar characteristics...
We got things cleaned up before clearing out for the night. Washy-washy!
I want to thank you all again for your patience as I've played catch-up on blogging our events...I'm up-to-date now, thanks in no small part to our having skipped April's event. Hopefully, beginning in May, I'll be able to claim a more timely turnaround for our future blog posts!
Looking forward to seeing you all next Saturday, May 18--be there,or be square! Actually, I don't think we have determined where "there" will be yet...Last I heard, there was to be a potential duking-it-out between Chez Kello-bach and Chez F-and-D. Stay tuned...
Our group has been cooking together at least once a month for more than a decade. From French Laundry to homemade s'mores to flavors of Asia and pastry experiments, we love to cook (and eat!) it all!
We headed back in to get our tasting started with the lovely and knowledgeable Michelle. Here we are ooh'ing and aahh'ing over the options.
The wine tasting options at Januik were the most generous and varied of the day. As I recall, each $10 tasting fee includes a selection of 4 options to try - but from a list of a couple dozen!
Contrary to appearances, no, Shawn is not falling asleep on Meg's shoulder. She's just enjoying a snuggle.
I was thrilled to realize that this is a one-stop place: They offer pizza! Wine and pizza. Together. On a sunny patio. We found a nice perch on said sunny patio and settled in to order some vittles and tasty beverages. Here they are now!
.JPG)
Posts
