Thankful

It feels like the day after Thanksgiving. Leaves are coming down in waves. Hardly any cars are passing outside. A light rain gives us the perfect reason to lay around and do very little.

Yesterday was a wonderful, relaxed Thanksgiving. I spent the first part of the day working in the yard, playing with Hogan and enjoying the beautiful weather. We shared a meal with E's son and his fiance. Later, we ate more, drank wine and talked endlessly. I built a fire in the fire pit that we huddled around late into the night.

I'm thankful for so many things in my life: family, friends, a full refrigerator and an overflowing wine stash, among them.

In the spirit of thinning the collection, I opened this bottle yesterday:


Baron-Fuenté Rosé Dolorès NV Brut ($18, Cellar on Greene)

This is a blend of 60 percent chardonanny, 20 percent pinot noir and 20 percent pinot meunier. It's light and airy with flavors of strawberry and cherry and notes of toast and nuts -- just the thing to go with a brunch of prosciutto and goat cheese strata and broiled asparagus.

Cheers.

Health and Happiness

Sometimes I think about writing on a certain topic, and then I read something so interesting and profound on that very topic that I'm embarrassed by my disorganized thoughts. This is one of those times.

As we head into the Thanksgiving weekend, which (for the fortunate among us) will be filled with friends, family and gluttony, it's the perfect time to consider what's truly worthwhile in this life. The answer is different for everyone, but so many people never take the time to consider the question.

Everyone should read this fascinating article on health and happiness. You might even want to read it more than once, as I did. Share it with friends and family. Discuss it around the dinner table or in front of a roaring fire with a glass of wine in hand.

Here's wishing everyone a very Epicurean holiday weekend.

Cheers.

Fall and Football

The leaf pictured above is from a beautiful dogwood tree that sits just on the other side of our driveway. The unsavory person who owns that property once informed me that she planned to cut it down.

Thankfully, she was too cheap or lazy to actually do it. Every year it's one of the first trees to change color and announce the coming of fall.

I know, I know...my last post was in late July and it's almost halfway through October. A combination of things, including a temperamental MacBook, have kept me from posting. But I had to take a moment to write about the joy of a gorgeous fall weekend and college football.

Before I met E and discovered my inner New York Yankees fan, the only sport I cared about was college football. I'm a proud graduate of East Carolina University and a loyal Pirate fan. I also root for my adopted team, the University of South Carolina Gamecocks.

So, when the Gamecocks smash #1 ranked Alabama, the Pirates pull off a stunning comeback win against a tough Southern Miss team and the Yankees finish a sweep of their division series, I'm a happy boy. To celebrate, I've got a Boston butt roast slowly cooking on the grill, and I just opened a bottle of Bougrier Rosé d’Anjou ($9.99, Total Wine).

Most people think of rosé as a springtime wine, but I think it's perfect for fall. A warm, sunny fall day in the Carolinas after a winning Saturday for the Gamecocks/Pirates/Yankees and a cool glass of rosé on the porch? Well, it just doesn't get any better than that.

Cheers, y'all.

National Tequila Day

Although I don't normally post on Saturdays, I must make an exception for National Tequila Day. Right up there with Christmas, Labor Day and Boxing Day, National Tequila Day is a major holiday and worthy of serious contemplation...and drinking.

First up is a recent discovery, 100 percent agave, blanco tequila from Espolón. It's very good, inexpensive ($19.99, Green's) and wonderful for margaritas. Just as a reminder, margaritas are comprised of tequila, triple sec and lime juice. Please back away from the neon green mixer.

Holy frijoles, Batman. This is some serious tequila. My thanks to Jason Riddle at Solstice Kitchen and Wine Bar for introducing me to this elixir. It's hard to describe the flavor of good tequila. To me, it's somewhere between floral and vegetal. This tequila will never know the company of lime juice. We'll be sipping it straight or possibly on the rocks.

I was also impressed to see that this was bottle number 42,342 and the fine folks that made it were good enough to put their autograph on the bottle. Nice touch.


Maestro Dobel Diamond Tequila ($49.99, Green's)

When you're tasting delicious tequila and margaritas, it's important to have some tasty food nearby. On our morning trip to the All-Local Farmers' Market, I picked up some last-of-the-season beets (from some nice people whose name eludes me). I sliced and roasted them in olive oil, and then put them on crostini with Thai basil and goat cheese from Trail Ridge Farms in Aiken, S.C. Yum.

Trail Ridge is a new vendor at the market, and we'll be looking forward to seeing more of them.


I hope all of you are celebrating National Tequila Day in a responsible and reverent way. Hopefully, it will involve dancing on a table.

Two Glasses, Please

There was a long period in my life when I wondered if I’d ever get married again.

My first marriage ended about the time I turned 30. I navigated re-entry to the dating world with varying degrees of success. I met some great people and was even on the verge of settling down a couple times, but it never panned out.

When I met E, she was just coming off a difficult breakup. I was recently out of a relationship, and not looking for another. We bonded over a love of wine and sushi.

Our initial months of pseudo-dating were mostly spent having quiet dinners and talking endlessly. Neither one of us was looking for a relationship, so there was no pressure to do anything but enjoy each other’s company.

Somewhere along the line we fell in love with each other.

It’s been two years since we got married and more than six year since we went for sushi for the first time. I feel so fortunate to have someone so wonderful to share a home, meals, wine, Sunday mornings and all the other things that make life worthwhile.

Of course, we also share a house (that always needs something fixed), bills, chores, life’s setbacks and all the other things that make life trying. All of which are much easier when someone has your back.

We went from being fully-functioning, independent, single adults to sharing everything, which – as those of you who have traveled that path know – is not always easy. Somehow we were able blend our lives pretty effortlessly.

She gained dogs, a house and a pretty decent live-in cook. I gained some great furniture, a cat and an awesome stepson. And, we both gained someone who has our back.

Here’s to us.

Photo by Graeme Fouste

Sunday Ramblings

I landed my first job selling wine almost 15 years ago, based largely on the fact that I knew more about wine than my employer. He liked to tell people that he had 700 bottles of wine at home. Of course, he also confidently told people that “merlot is basically a blend.”

Sometimes you do what you have to do for a paycheck.

Anyway, one of my customers at that little wine shop turned into a friend and became my first wine mentor. He was exceedingly generous with his knowledge and – more importantly – his respectable stash of wines he’d been collecting since the late ‘70s. He taught me that any fool can buy good, expensive wine, but the real score is to find great, inexpensive wine.

I’ve been thinking about the importance of mentors lately, probably because I’m in need of one (or two) at the moment. Having people to learn from, to look up to and to gather good advice from is invaluable in life - whether you’re learning about wine or deciding (somewhat belatedly) what to do with your life.

Prior to my gig at the wine shop, I spent quite a few years working for a great guy who taught me more about life than he probably realizes. I was 19 or so when he hired me and I was 25 or so when we parted ways – a very significant span of years. He taught me a great deal – directly and indirectly. Perhaps the most important thing I learned was that no matter what life throws at you – it’ll be alright.

I can’t talk about the important people in my life without mentioning my parents, both of whom I’ve talked about here previously. But since it’s Father’s Day, I’m going to talk about my dad.

During my misspent youth, I’m sure my dad must have been tempted to lay the blame on my mom’s side of the family. He must have wondered if I listened to a word he said.

Well, I was listening…and ignoring his counsel as quickly as it was offered. I was young and thought I had all the answers. Much to his credit, however, he never gave up on me.

And thus my dad taught me about kindness and patience. While I’ll never live up to his standards on either, he gave me a goal to shoot for.

He also taught me to look for the answers to life’s questions in the pages of books – whether you need to fix the toilet or you need to find some meaning in your existence. I curse him (with love) every time I have to pack up my book collection for a move.

It would take too long to list all the things I learned or inherited from him, but among them are a passion for growing things, a thirst for knowledge, a fixation with learning to play a musical instrument, a love of foreign languages and a really open mind when it comes to food (bet he never would have guessed that when I was 15).

You can’t choose your parents, but you certainly can be thankful for the ones you have.

Happy Father’s Day, dad.

Here’s to you.

Bootlegging

Two words for you on this Friday:

Dogfish Head

E made a provision run to Charlotte today and came back with two six-packs of Dogfish Head 60-Minute IPA. Although DFH is available in S.C., it's (sadly) not available in Columbia. I'm also a little sad that Trader Joe's was out of the India Brown Ale.

However, I am quite happy to be sipping on a DFH 60.

Happy Friday, y'all.

New Life

These are the latest residents of our front porch. It's been a couple years since we hung ferns, and I had forgotten how the House Finches love to nest in them.

After weeks and weeks of heartbreaking images from the Gulf, I needed this picture of wildlife untainted by the misdeeds of humans. Although it's just a tiny dot on the planet, I'm glad that our home provides a safe haven for some new life.

Happy Sunday, everyone.

Beer Is Good

A friend recently showed up at my door with a six-pack of domestic, light beer in hand.

Now, I'm certain that he was well aware of my beverage stockpile, which includes a selection of some very fine malted beverages. His comment was, "I know you like that brown beer."

Guilty. However, if I were to appear at your home, and you handed me a cold Coors Light, I would accept with honest gratitude. My favorite beer is free beer.

I'll even admit to a certain fondness for regular, old Budweiser. It reminds me of a certain time and place in my life. I'm no more a beer snob than I am a wine snob.

If anything, coffee is the one beverage I refuse to compromise on. I'll go without instead.

As the weather quickly turns from warm to hot here in S.C., I'm craving a cold beer more often. And since "brown beer" isn't always what I want on a hot day, I need a good, lighter-style beer.

Oskar Blues Brewing Mama's Little Yella Pils, $10 (six 12 oz. cans), Green's

This is summer (or late spring) in a can – crisp, carbonated and low-octane (5.3% ABV) with flavors of lemon, grass, yeast and a touch of sweetness. If one can doesn't convince you...the second will.

Winging It

Let it never be said that E isn't a good sport when it comes to my cooking.

Yes, she does occasionally give me the "who farted?" look when I suggest a particular combination, but she goes along and usually ends up liking it. There have been only a couple times when she's given me the thumbs-down.

She's in Charleston tonight on business, so I'm cooking for one. It gives me a little more room to experiment, because I know that I'll be the only one eating if I screw it up.

I've been craving comfort food, especially food involving cheese and pasta. However, my blood is running a little thick with LDL these days.

With that in mind, here goes my stream of consciousness approach to creating some dinner.

My first urge is to make something akin to mac-n-cheese, but without E to call 911 when I go into cardiac arrest - that seems like a bad idea. Something I picked up from a recipe in the New York Times is to use a mix of tomato sauce and cheese to lighten it up a bit.

I chopped up a shallot and minced a couple cloves of garlic. I gave them a quick sauté in a medium sauce pan with some olive oil. I added a splash of red wine and a box (26.46 oz.) of Pomí chopped tomatoes (very good quality).

With a pot of water heating on the stove and the sauce simmering, I chopped up a mess of fresh oregano. I've got more than I could ever use this time of year, so I've been wanting to cook something that uses a bunch. Oregano is basically a very tasty weed.

I tossed a heaping 1/4 cup of chopped oregano into the simmering sauce. Once the sauce had thickened and the water was boiling, I added half a pound of elbow macaroni to the pot and added some cheese to the sauce.

I would have preferred to use goat cheese, but I had none. I did have a small chunk of Cream Havarti. Into the sauce went the Havarti and some Parmesan – about a 1/2 cup of each.

When the pasta was just before al dente, I drained it and tossed it with the sauce and a little salt and pepper to taste. The mixture went into an oiled 2-quart dish. The last step was to toss about a 1/3 cup of fresh bread crumbs (I keep some in the freezer for just such an occasion) with a tablespoon or so of olive oil and sprinkle the bread crumbs on top of the pasta.

After 35 minutes in the oven (uncovered), I let it sit for 10 minutes and plated some up on a bed of baby arugula, which needed to be used and gave some much-needed color.


The only thing missing was a glass of basic Italian red.

Stella Montepulciano d' Abruzzo 2008, $7.99, Green's

Sometimes Italian wine really delivers. This is one of those times – black cherry, licorice, smoke and a nice, dry finish – and a bargain to boot. Add a little Duke Ellington and you've got a respectable dinner for one.

Cheers, y'all.

What's It All About?

My recent posts have been all over the map – even by my usual standards. As I’ve returned to posting more often, one of things I’m struggling with is what this blog is about.

When I started writing Brim, I thought that my audience would be local and that I would write about wine with respect to my small corner of the world. I quickly realized my readers were from coming from all over the U.S. and even overseas. It wasn't what I expected, but I was thrilled all the same.

So I started writing for a more general audience of wine lovers. That went okay for a while.

Then my ADD kicked in. A quick look at my résumé reveals that I have difficulty focusing on any one thing for very long.

Writing exclusively about wine seems so limiting, so I started writing about my adventures in cooking – which led to some summer posts about gardening. And, it’s difficult for me to write anything without talking about my dogs.

I certainly couldn’t write about wine without writing about my wine drinking partner, E. On several occasions, she has pointed out that Brim has become a journal (albeit alcohol-centric) of our life.

I have to say that I admire some of my blogging colleagues who have found success blogging exclusively about wine. (I’m looking at you Sonadora and Dr. Debs.)

Brim has turned into an outlet for me to write something other than the corporate-speak I get paid to write. I’m grateful for the small group of loyal readers who have stuck with me. I like writing, and I miss it when I stop.

Going forward, my goal is to keep mixing it up.

I’ll write some short posts about wines I’m drinking and where to get them for my local readers, along with some other local, beverage/dining related stuff. I’ll also write some longer posts about my take on wine, beer, spirits, cooking and gardening. And I’ll write some completely random posts on other stuff that's on my mind, although I promise to avoid topics such as stupid politicians, bad drivers and celebrity gossip.

And I’ll keep writing about dogs.

Spring Wine

It's cooler than normal here in the Carolinas, but it still feels like white wine weather. When I get home from work, I want something simple and cool to sip on while I toss the ball for Hogan or put dinner together.

We don't drink lots of chardonnay, but I do like simple, clean chard without a bunch of oak-iness. I picked this up on our last wine run, and it fits the bill perfectly – flavors of fresh green apple and pear with crisp acidity. It's a great spring sip.

Elm Tree Chardonnay Mendoza 2008, $4.99, Green's

One of a Kind

Before I start, I’ll warn you that this post is not about wine, a little sad and very sentimental. If you’re not a dog lover, you can probably stop right here.

Early Tuesday morning, our dog, Peanut, passed away. We went from celebrating the birthday of one dog to mourning the loss of another. Having dogs (and other animals) in your life comes with the painful cost of having to say goodbye to them.

Peanut lived a fine and long life – 14 years and some change. We were fortunate to have enjoyed her presence in our lives. A dog like her only comes along once in a lifetime.

As a young dog, she was sleek, graceful and athletic, with boundless energy. A true renaissance woman, she conquered every task put before her: obedience training, agility training, protection training and (for the most part) anti-couch-jumping training.

At the same time, she taught me more about dog training than I ever taught her. I always said that any lack of ability on her part was my failure to explain things properly.

She aged like fine wine – becoming more complex, more interesting and more cherished with the passing years. We called her the grand dame of our household. When we were considering bringing a new puppy into our family several years ago, I knew there would never be a better teacher in the fine art of being a good dog.

A friend of mine describes wines as one-dimensional, two-dimensional or three-dimensional. Peanut was a three-dimensional dog. People who aren’t dog lovers might not believe a dog can have depth of character, but the rest of us know better.

Before she met me, E had never had a dog in her life. When Peanut met E, she instantly recognized her as another smart, strong, beautiful woman and took her on as one of her people. She showed E what it’s like to have a truly exceptional dog.

As I read back over the words I’ve written, they seem so hollow, so insufficient to express how much we loved her and how much she is missed. I suppose that’s because grief is intensely personal – whether it’s for an animal or a person.

I never felt like Peanut was a very dignified name for her. But that was her name when I adopted her as a six-month-old, and I could never bring myself to change it. She was just Peanut.

There will never be another like her.

Our Boy

I’m sitting here sipping a mimosa on a gloomy Sunday morning. We’re having a day of celebration in honor of Hogan’s third birthday.

It’s hard to believe he’s been with us for so long. We still refer to him as “the puppy” and he still frequently acts like one. But there are moments when he looks – and acts – very grown up.

His intentionally ridiculous official AKC name is Park Street’s Colonel Hogan – Park Street for where we live and Colonel Hogan for the TV character from Hogan’s Heroes. He’s a Frisbee-catching, ball-chasing, dog-wrasslin’ goofball. He’s also a fantastically loyal, loving dog and a best friend for our other dog, Peanut.

Hogan came to us because he had a heart murmur as a puppy, and a woman in Missouri who had claimed him decided she didn’t want him. I found out this week his heart murmur has gotten worse, which makes me worry about his future.

But today, he’s right here and happy as ever. It reminds me to enjoy the moment – as dogs are famously good at.

Here’s to you, Hogan. Good boy.


I love a sparkling wine that's cheap enough to make guilt-free mimosas and tasty enough to have a glass with lunch

Louis Perdrier Brut Rosé - $6.99, Green's

Stormy Weather

It’s Saturday afternoon, and there are some bad storms moving across the Southeast headed our way. To me, the sensible thing to do is to spend the afternoon in the kitchen.

One of my projects for the weekend was to make stock. Ever since I started making my own chicken stock, I just can’t go back to the canned. I also appreciate any cooking task that mainly involves watching a pot simmer and drinking wine.

Years ago I got hooked on cooking bone-in chicken breasts. The meat has so much more flavor and moisture compared to boneless breasts. I’ll cook off several at a time, pull the meat and freeze it for later. I toss the bones in a bag and freeze them too.

So when I need some stock, I throw the bones in a big pot of water with some chopped vegetables – a carrot, a couple stalks of celery, half a red onion – along with two or three bay leaves and a dozen or so peppercorns. Bring it all to a boil, skim off the foam and simmer for an hour or two. Drink wine as needed.

This afternoon I’m sipping on one of our finds from this morning’s wine shopping trip – Mas Carlot Rosé Costières de Nimês 2008.


Green’s is clearing out last year’s rosés, so it was only $6.99. It’s not as fresh as it was a year ago, but it’s still very tasty. The flavors of strawberry and cinnamon are nicely balanced with refreshing acidity and bit of tannin.

Here's the stock in progress.


Later, some of this will go into tonight's dinner – goat stew. More on that later.

Happy Saturday, y'all.

Happy Earth Day

It's nice that people are thinking more and more about preserving the health of the Earth and the earth - and not just on Earth Day. E and I try to maintain our little slice of the universe, which is a long and narrow lot in downtown Columbia, South Carolina.

We don't use any chemicals and practice highly sustainable landscaping, which means our yard is overgrown and unkempt. The upside is that it's a safe haven for birds, butterflies, bees, toads, #!&$@ squirrels and the occasional possum.

Here's a snapshot of one of our numerous shrubs currently in bloom. It's a 'Mount Saint Helens' deciduous azalea.


Cheers to Mother Nature.

Don't Fear The Riesling

Here's a nice little summer sipper that I picked up at World Market for the low, low price of $7.99. It's quite dry, but loaded with juicy peach and apricot flavors - the perfect match for spicy pulled-pork tacos.

Firestone Vineyard 'Discoveries' Riesling 2008

Long Time Gone

It's been a long time since I last posted, and I hope that this post ties into that theme. As with all my posts, you'll have to bear with me until I get there.

Once upon a time, I was a dog trainer and co-owner of a training, boarding and day care center for dogs. Let me make one thing clear - I make no claim to be an expert on dog behavior (no more than I've ever claimed to be a wine expert). Over the years, I've read extensively about teaching dogs, and talked to as many different dog trainers as I could find, but that wasn't my role in the business.

My friend and business partner, Drake Parker, provided the expertise in dog training. The business we created, Top Dog Academy, is still going strong and is now run by Drake and his wife, Angela, with the help of other trainers that have studied with the man I call the "Maharajah of Dog Training."

Drake and Angela came to visit E and I this weekend. It's been far too long since we last saw each other, but - as often happens between old friends - we picked up right where we left off. Just as I can talk your head off about wine, I can talk about dogs until the cows come home.

No visit to our home goes without some Southern hospitality, even if it's served up by a couple of reformed Yankees. Some of the highlights were E's lasagna, my Eastern N.C. style barbecue and homemade pimento cheese spread.

E's lasagna recipe is top-secret, so I can't reveal that here. My pointers on making crock-pot barbecue are in this post. I know it's heresy to the pit-cooked-whole-pig crowd, but it's awfully good all the same.

I have a bad habit of getting wrapped up in the day-to-day minutia of life, and losing touch with my friends - both online and offline. I need to be better, and that goes for this blog as well.

For some blog eye-candy, here are pictures of a couple highlights from the gift basket (put together by Jefferson's) that came with our guests.

Narcissus in clay pot from New Growth Designs

Emilio Moro Ribera del Duero 2006

Pimento Cheese for Spreading from the Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook

1 red bell pepper, roasted and peeled
8 ounces finely grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese
2 ounces softened cream cheese, cut into pieces
3 tablespoons mayonnaise (I suggest Duke's, if it's available where you live.)
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste

Dice roasted red pepper. Place diced pepper and any juices in medium bowl. Add cheddar, cream cheese and red pepper flakes. Blend ingredients with wooden spoon or rubber spatula. Season with salt and pepper.

It's not good for you, but it sure is good to you.

Cheers, y'all.

Dining Solo

E is off with her parents while her mom is in the hospital. Unfortunately, I can't be with her due to logistical issues.

Cooking for one makes me realize I've grown unaccustomed to it. While I'm happy not to be condemned to take-out or frozen dinners, cooking for myself is less than inspiring.

There have been times in my life when I did it without a second thought, but it's been a long time. The only upside is that I can experiment and not worry about being embarrassed by the results.

Tonight I found myself staring at the contents of the pantry searching for dinner ideas. I spotted a can of baby clams purchased many months ago with the intention of making a red clam sauce. It seemed like a perfect time to experiment and what resulted was a pretty good example of how to use what you have on hand.

I started with a couple cloves of garlic, which I always have. I minced the garlic, sauteed it for a minute or two in a healthy pour of olive oil and then added 1/2 cup of white wine and the juice of a lemon (which was on the verge of being a little too old).

Once the wine and lemon juice had been reduced by about half, I added a box of chopped Italian tomatoes (Pomi, 26.5 ounces). E spotted these at the grocery and the quality is great. I added the tomatoes and the drained clams (10 ounce can) to the pan. It would have been great to have some clam juice, but I couldn't bring myself to add the salty water the clams were packed in. Maybe next time.

While the sauce simmered, I chopped a mess of fresh basil (about 1/4 cup plus some extra) -- thanks to my good idea of planting a late season crop of flat-leaf basil. I just can't get enough of basil. I set the basil aside and put a big pot of salted water on to boil.

Once the water boiled, I dropped in some spaghetti noodles and added the basil to the sauce. Right before the noodles finished, I tasted the sauce and added salt and pepper to taste.

I plated up the pasta and garnished it with the extra basil. Here's the result.

When I'm by myself I tend not to break out new wines. I'd rather save those for when I have someone to talk about them with. So, I chose a lighter-style red we've enjoyed in the past.

Maison L. Tramier et Fils Roncier Pinot Noir NV ($8.99, Green's)

The Roncier is a very nice, simple drink of wine with flavors of cherry, dried herbs, earth and a hint of smoke. It was just the thing for a simple dinner of pasta.

I'm looking forward to making this dish again when I have some company.

The Sound of Silence

My apologies for the extended blog silence. I fall out of the habit of posting pretty quickly, and once I lose my momentum, it's all over.

Those of you who are bloggers know how much work it is. There are times when I can hardly wait to post, and there are times when it's about as appealing as cleaning up the kitchen. Of course, much like a kitchen full of dirty pots and pans, the untouched blog is always in the back of my mind, causing feelings of guilt and laziness.

On the other hand, there are times when I don't particularly want to take notes and pictures of what I'm cooking or drinking -- I just want to eat it or drink it. Then there are the times when what's on my plate or glass isn't really worth writing about.

I also still struggle with the feeling that, instead of blogging, I should be writing something I hope to get compensated for (although there are increasingly few opportunities for that). I admire those bloggers who have made it a paying endeavor. Good for you.

Not long ago I read something about the number of people who started blogs and have since abandoned them. It's not hard for me to understand why.

Passing the three year mark clearly has me thinking deep thoughts about the nature of blogging. I should probably quit over-thinking things and follow the advice of a tried-and-true Southernism:

Ain't nothin' to it, but to do it.