Moonstruck Done Right

Look at these amazing chocolates from Moonstruck's "Oregon Distillers Collection" - what a great gift, IF you can steel yourself to give it away!

There's a new Grog in Town

Let me start by saying that the wife and I stopped in at Ye’Olde Grog Distillery on a lark.  These guys are seriously my kind of people. They like to drink and have fun, no PC BS -- just good ol’ boys drinking.

Like their website says: "Dedicated to good times and good friends". The distillery was founded by four friends who met in Alaska, including one chemical engineer. Nerd alert! If it's slow, take the tour; one corner of the distillery looks like a science lab.

The tasting room is in an industrial warehouse and has a nice beach (tiki) bar look to it. 

Don’t miss the art work or the adult snow cone.

Grog is a "specialty distilled spirit" -- not a rum, but certainly could replace it in many mixed cocktails.

Now for the serious side of this review, and the stuff you really want to know:  

Good Morning Glory has smooth notes of cinnamon, sarsaparilla and orange on the back side.  This is one smooth shooter, lots of fun to mix with almost anything. I really think it would go great with Dr. Pepper or Mr. Pibb -- or even a Sioux City sarsaparilla.  This specialty distilled spirit is 70 proof and drinks like it is 50 or 60 proof.

  

Dutch Harbor Breeze smells like sarsaparilla, coffee, oak and licorice. Tastes strongly of root beer and spices.  Add an ice cube and it gets very smooth and mellow.  Unlike the breeze in Dutch Harbor, Alaska, this one will warm you right up -- and coming in at 100 proof, it drinks like an 80 proof beverage.  If you mix Dutch Harbor with some Dr. Pepper or Barq’s Root Beer, you will never notice this breeze until it knocks you over. Their website warns: "At 100 proof, that bottle is packed full of stupid". Yes, that's Kacey licking a few drops off the kitchen counter.

 

Dog Watch:  This is a very smooth vodka and for the price you can’t beat it -- clean, smooth tasteless, odorless – the perfect mixer.  Since I do not usually drink vodka, not much I can say, but hell -- it is easily as good as my Sky and much better than other vodkas on the market.

If you happen to be in the St. Helens, Oregon area, stop by and do some sipping at Ye Olde Grog Shop; it is well worth the stop. Just follow the red signs. 

"If you're gonna be dumb,

Ya better be tough."

Healthy ? Living

Just got back from a trip to Costco. Love that place.

We're trying to eat healthier.


So we bought some fruit.



And some veggies.




And some chia seeds.


Instructions for the chia seeds say to put a tablespoon into your favorite drink, wait 15 minutes and consume.


My favorite drink is wine.


Is that a problem?

Avoiding the news

Tonight I'm sitting at the computer because there's a part of me that wants to avoid the news. Not that I don't already know about the bombs at the Boston marathon (I know, because a coworker was at the finish line when it happened; see his account in the Washington Post via the link above). But I don't really want to see the news.

We had a really nice weekend (not weather-wise, but fun activities), so I don't want to lose my good mood.

Saturday, we took a nice walk with the dogs.

Sunday, we went to Hood River since they were having their open studio tour of local artists.

Found these earrings by Kathy Watne. Enameled lily pads! How cute are these!?!

And this amazing painting by Karen Watson. I'd like to get lost walking along this turquoise water.

There must be something about having the initials "KW" in Hood River that breeds talent. 

We also did a couple tastings at two of our favorite wineries: Marchesi and Naked.

Also had a fine pizza at Double Mountain!

Tonight, I pulled from slot #1 in the red wine zone of our SubZero wine fridge. (Best estate sale find, evah!) Out came a bottle of Ty Caton cabernet sauvignon. Score!

The cab has a beautiful dark plum color. The nose is faintly warm and woody, with black cherry notes. On the tongue, I get more dark berries and oak, and wow -- is it ever velvety while it grabs the tongue. It departs with a minerality and strong tannins. Very long finish.

Appellation: Sonoma Valley. We are overdue for a visit to California. This will keep me happy in the meantime.

Average Tuesday Night Leftovers Made Extraordinary

Hubs made some beef brisket over the weekend since family was in town. (Always nice to have lots of leftovers for easy breakfast and sandwiches!) We decided to make some twice-baked potatoes with it for dinner tonight ~ cheesy goodness!

Then, since we'd (ok, I'd) finished the Cathedral Ridge Syrah last night, it was time to make a new selection.

Enter the Marchesi Vineyards'
Barbera ~ 2011 Achille

Beautiful plum color, with dark red fruits on the nose, including cherry. Sweet with nice acidity, grabs the tongue in a sneaky way.

From Marchesi's website: "We built this winery around this particular varietal. So far, this vintage has been the best expression of Barbera we have produced at Marchesi Vineyards. Lovely sweet fruit on the palate, nice acidity, smooth and has a great mouth feel.

Barbera is king in the Piemonte region of NW Italy. Here in Northern Oregon, we share the same latitude, climate and hours of daylight. Achille's Barbera is loaded with bright ripe cherry fruit, balanced by mouthwatering natural acidity to complement most food, especially duck, beef, or just about any meats that's been braised on it's own juices."


Huh ~ looks like we made the perfect choice to go with our beef brisket! Awesome dinner, delightful wine.


Harvest Notes:

Appellation: Columbia Valley / Harvest Date: October 2010
Varietal: 100% Barbera / Vineyard: Columbia Valley
Cases Produced: 138 / Alcohol: 13.5% / pH: 3.25


If you haven't been out to visit Marchesi, they're in Hood River. Small tasting room, but super-friendly.

Some Etsy Love

The sun is out here, but it's oh so chilly. Today's agenda includes some weeding before the yard gets out of control, but I'm going to wait for it to warm up a bit. In the meantime, I thought I'd share a few of my favorite finds from Etsians ~ you know, those purveyors of handmade and vintage goodies on Etsy.

I love this hand painted decanter from Petzoup featuring a Boston Terrier.

Wouldn't it make a great gift?

Their stuff is all custom: "We create really cool pet portraits from a photo of your pet. Using glass ornaments, old wooden window sashes, treat jars and glassware, petzoup will create a lasting memory of your favorite pal to be displayed in your home or office."



The hubs and I have been craving a trip someplace sunny and WARM, but we haven't been able to figure out the where, when, and how much (if any) we can afford. While I daydream about Sonoma, here's a lovely oil painting titled Pinot in a Row by Kim VanDerHoek.

"This was painted in Sonoma County, the heart of wine country in California. I literally pulled my car off highway 12 just north of Sonoma, set up my easel and went to work capturing this view. Painted in early spring, the grapes weren’t hanging from the vines yet but, I loved how the morning sun kissed the vines, background trees and created that wonderful shadow shape you see at the bottom of the canvas. In spite of the traffic whizzing by my back as I worked, this spot was a joy to paint."

Ok, I'll admit it. I've been a little grumpy lately. (See? Told you I needed a vacation!)

Perhaps the nice folks at Bella Jackson Studios have been there. They created this cute gift tag (could be used for a key chain, too) that spoke to me.




I thought these wine glasses from NEWaged were super-clever and adorable.


As Koni puts it: "Tea cup wine glasses made from a vintage cup and wine glass stem, a feminine take on the classic wine glass. Perfect for country homes and shabby chic decor. Super cute and fun wine glass teacups for your next romantic dinner for two!"

I'm just not sure how I'd hold such a glass, so for other loyalists, here's an elegant pair of stems in a more traditional pattern.

This pair is offered by VintageHand:

"The shape is reflective of many American glass makers, such as Cambridge, Heisey and Fostoria... Glasses of this style were popular in the first half of the 20th century."

Remember:

Life is too short to drink bad wine.