PUT A POET TO WORK IN A VINEYARD!Soooooo Goode: watch my video & vote, please!
Here’s a screen shot of my application video for the position of Murphy-Goode Wine Country Lifestyle Correspondent!
Please click on the link above to watch the video on their site and to vote for me, please! Thank YOU!!
The small boy woke me as he climbed into our bed this morning too early. We snuggled, letting the Big Monkey sleep in, and then the boy and I decided to get up and make breakfast. He flipped through the Better Homes and Garden Junior Cookbook finding lots of recipes for breakfast treats that looked good to him then he dialed in that he was looking for good stuff for DAD!
Together we decided on and began to make “Masterpiece Muffins” with some variations–and they came out great! We served them on the deck outside under the umbrellas with sauteed mushrooms, scrambled eggs, creamy goat’s milk cheese, OJ, and Peet’s coffee. Mmmnnn good!
Here’s the recipe, more or less!
Streusel Topping: combine the following with a pastry blender or fork until crumbly
3 T flour (I used 1 each of wheat, almond and flax)
3 T brown sugar
2 T butter/margerine
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cloves (bonus!)
Muffins: Makes 1 dozen
preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Combine wet with wet and dry with dry then add wet to dry with a few quick strokes
2 C flour (I use 1/2 wheat, 1/2 almond and flax meal)
1/3 C sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
3/4 milk
1/4 oil or melted butter
1 ripe banana (BONUS!)
1/4 tsp nutmeg (BONUS!)
1-2 cups nutmeats & dried fruits (BONUS! I like walnuts & cranberries)
Divide batter in 12 buttered or papered muffin tins. Sprinkle each with 1 tsp streusel topping. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and tins to cool on racks. Approximately 200 calories each. Serve as is or split while warm and serve with butter and honey.
Oh, and you want to know what’s in the presents? The one from me includes a bottle of Lavender Ridge Rhone blend to go with a Rhone cookbook, some ylang, ylang soap, a foot scrub, a foot massage oil, shampoo and conditioner (yes, there’s a theme there!) The boy gave him a hand decorated mug: Bruce Springsteen and band on one side, our family on the other, a book about Bruce Springsteen and a book by Elizabeth Gilbert about the last man on earth.
Now it’s bedtime, and the Big Monkey is putting the small boy to bed in his new baseball jammies. His first tooth is loose. It seems only yesterday we celebrated our first Father’s day, while the boy was in my womb. And now he sings along with Bruce, can write the words on the cards he chooses, and can hit a t-ball with the best. I love being part of our family.
Happy Father’s Day everyone!
In the Pink Drink for Pre-Dad’s Day Celebration
Here’s MY SuperHero, sneaking in a nap between chapters of Melvin Beederman, Super Hero, one of their favorite chapter books to read and reread. And reread again. We couldn’t recommend Melvin more. The Dad comes highly recommended too.
For the Big Monkey, aka Dad to the Small Boy, catching some extra shut-eye is a favorite weekend pastime.
So is putting some sockeye salmon on the grill! 
Thank goodness for us! That’s another reason why he’s my Superhero–the man knows how to grill and grill it good!
Saturday night we went pink: pink salmon, pink sparking Codiniu pinot noir cava, pink beet salad with goat cheese and walnuts on greens from our garden, even a pink lobster! Plus some homemade basil-arugala pesto for some colorful contrast. The dry, pink sparkler made for a beautiful table as well as a festive occasion; bonus was it went well with the meal. What a treat! Yummy!
Now you can see why we’re celebrating Father’s Day all weekend!
Happy Father’s Day to all the dads! Today and every day! Cheers!
My campaign to be the Murphy-Goode Wine Country Lifestyle correspondent has required me to find, buy and drink Murphy-Goode wine. I know, I know, it’s a tough challenge, but I’m up for it!
When I first heard about the Murphy-Goode wine blogging job, I had just bought a bottle of 2005 Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon at my favorite wine store, Ventura Wine Company.
Say what you will for the advantages of on-line retailing, and the energy and enthusiasm of Gary Vaynerchuk, but I like going into a brick and mortar store.
I like feeling the heft of the bottle, fingering the labels, readng them over front and back. I love talking with Nick, the owner, or his daughter Nicole, and getting into conversations with other customers, exchanging tips and recipes. Read more…
Wine How To: Avoid Bad Corks and Avoid Bad Wine
As part of my campaign to be Murphy-Goode’s Wine Country Lifestyle Correspondent, (and just because it’s fun!!), I’m participating in a blog carnival over at Andy’s Goode Life Blog where she asks us to respond to one of these three questions. She’s hosting a contest to see which is the best answer, so please read, comment, and vote for me!
- When I drink red wine, I often get the dreaded “red wine teeth,” which is an embarrassing condition to have at a party when I intend on talking, smiling, or otherwise showing my newly wine-stained chompers. And is there any way to reduce this affliction without hampering my enjoyment of red?
- What are your tips to avoid “palate fatigue” when tasting so many wines in a session?
- Why smell the cork?
3. Why smell the cork? Well, if it smells bad, it’s gonna taste bad. When you pick it up to check it out, if it’s a crumbly mess, the wine’s gonna be too.
Truth is? Most wines are fine. And smelling and feeling the cork doesn’t tell you as much as that first taste of wine does, since sometimes a cork breaks but the wine is great. If you don’t like a wine, don’t drink it. Don’t be embarrassed. Send it back.
When I was at the Wine Bloggers Conference last October, Read more…
Wine How To: Avoid Palate Fatigue When Wine Tasting
When I applied for the “dream job” as Caretaker of the Great Barrier Reef I discovered a whole community of fellow applicants–warm, interesting people who share my interests. Same thing around this time as an applicant for the Murphy-Goode’s Wine Country Lifestyle Correspondent.
One of the cool people is Andy over at Andy’s Goode Life Blog where she’s hosting a blog carnival by asking us to respond to these three questions:
- When I drink red wine, I often get the dreaded “red wine teeth,” which is an embarrassing condition to have at a party when I intend on talking, smiling, or otherwise showing my newly wine-stained chompers. And is there any way to reduce this affliction without hampering my enjoyment of red?
- What are your tips to avoid “palate fatigue” when tasting so many wines in a session?
- Why smell the cork?
Since I discovered I had several stories I wanted to share, I chose to answer all three questions but in different posts since it was getting so long! So here’s my answer to #2.
2. How do I avoid palate fatigue? I smile at this question, thinking back to the Delicious Wine Tasting in Santa Monica earlier this month. I brought three friends with me, Helen and her partner Grant who both work in the hospitality industry and influence wine selection at the high end restaurants, and my friend David who I’ve learned to rely on for good notes, a delicate palate, and a willingness to drive f I don’t do enough spitting.
Helen does a local TV show called “Tidbits” and we were shooting a segment, so we had a camera and mic. We were interviewing and tasting. It was exhausting, partly because most of the people we were talking with were French and we’re not. Plus our French is awful but our curiousity great. The food had run out early on, right after we’d had something after our nearly 90 minute drive; I’d even heard an organizer make a snide remark about one of my friends “making a meal out of a bread bar.” So another 90 minutes later, when more bread and cheese arrived, we filled the tiny plates, chose different wines to see what happened with the food, and settled into some couches outside the room to compare notes and take a break.
This is where I answer the question, by the way. Read more…
Wine How To: Avoid Red Wine Teeth
So you might have gathered that I’m applying for another “dream job”–this time, instead of Caretaker of the Great Barrier Reef, I’m up for Murphy-Goode’s Wine Country Lifestyle Correspondent.
And just as many people told me I was perfect for the island reef job, so people are saying about the Murphy-Goode job: “Go for it! You’re perfect! You love wine, you’re a great storyteller, I love your blog!” (OK, they know me, they love me, they’re biased…what can I say?)
So, my 60 second video application awaits approval and processing (and it came out soooooo great! Whoo hoo!!). In the meantime, I’m headed for a carnival, a blog carnival that is, over at Andy’s Goode Life Blog where she asks us to respond to these three questions:
- When I drink red wine, I often get the dreaded “red wine teeth,” which is an embarrassing condition to have at a party when I intend on talking, smiling, or otherwise showing my newly wine-stained chompers. And is there any way to reduce this affliction without hampering my enjoyment of red?
- What are your tips to avoid “palate fatigue” when tasting so many wines in a session?
- Why smell the cork?
1. How to avoid the dreaded red wine teeth?
Ahh, the scurge of red wine drinkers, especially for those of us with a passion for reds like syrah or Petit Sirah.
At Doug Cook’s birthday party at the first Wine Blogger’s Conference in 2008, toward the end of a long day of tasting and drinking wine, we were all laughing at ourselves and each other, joyously celebrating our red teeth! It was a mark of a day and an evening well spent amongst new and old friends sharing some of our favorite wines.
Now, if you’re doing a photo shoot, that’s another story. It’s best not to drink much anyway if at all.
Brush well before and bring a toothbrush for when you’re done!
Eating while drinking will also reduce away some of the red wine stain.
Finally, if it’s a first date or a business dinner, and you’re worried about first impressions, choose to drink something white or a lighter red like a pinot noir or a beaujolais.
Go here to read tips on how to attend a wine tasting like a pro and avoid palate fatigue.
CIRQUE BERZERK performed some amazing stunts and put on quite a show at last year’s Lightning in a Bottle produced by the Dot Lab. They interacted with the crowd, including turning my son into a flying superhero. 
He flew really high–they were up on a stage in addition to stilts!
I’m in the picture too–that’s me in the red velvet pants, sparkly silver shirt, and tux jacket. It was really cold at night! And thanks Toni, for taking the photo!
This is NOT your typical lions or elephants circus, nor is it much like Cirque du Soleil, although that may be a closer match.
If anything, it’s more of a cross between vaudeville, Burning Man, and Soleil.
Last year, they set up in downtown LA in the “cornfield” and they return for three weeks of shows starting last night, June 18. Here’s the details.
State Historic Park, 1245 N. Spring St.
Shows Thurs 8:30PM, Fri & Sat 7:00PM & 10:00PM,
and Sun 5:00 & 8:00PM run thru July 4th weekend.
Buy Tickets Now at http://cirqueberzerk.inticketing.com/events
For more info: http://cirqueberzerk.com
In LA: Touch the Water Closes this Sunday
Poet and performance artist Pat Payne aka Corvus the Crow writes to remind that it’s the final week of ‘Touch the Water’ and it’s about sold out! There are also river tours given by the Friends of the LA River during the weeknight performances which begin at 7pm. More: http://www.cornerstonetheater.org/content/index.php
The show features a wonderful cast of singing and dancing animals, a crazy Frenchman, a live band and a Native American ghost. It’s mostly kid-friendly (the s-word is uttered a few times and there a murder is mentioned) and the costumes are really imaginative.
Wednesdays – Sundays @ 8pm
PAY WHAT YOU CAN
Rio de Los Angeles State Park – Bowtie Parcel
2800 Casitas Avenue, Los Angeles 90039
Touch the water. Come to the river this spring and let the magical waters of Los Angeles wash over you.Under the City of Angels runs a fierce river flowing from the mountains to the ocean. But do you know it’s there? Once an unpredictable and mighty stream, a bountiful life source subject to raging floods, the Los Angeles River has lived under a shroud of concrete for the past fifty years. Today, having been tamed and transformed into an industrial flood channel, the river is at the center of much debate. What happens when we change Nature? Should we free the river from her concrete corset and let Angelenos finally touch the water?
This play was created in collaboration with local river residents, engineers, biologists, environmentalists, activists, advocates and patrons who walk, fish, bike and ride horses on the Los Angeles River.
Part of Cornerstone’s ongoing Justice Cycle, a four-year series of plays exploring how laws shape and disrupt communities, Touch the Water takes on environmental justice as seen through the lens of the LA River and the people who live, work and play there.
art predator 