Contemplating with Vivace

I found this wine at Trader Joe's. It's called Contadino Pinot Grigio Vivace 2008, it's a sparkling Pinot Grigio, and it's my new think about my life wine. It's light and refreshing and reminds me of fresh starts. In life it's hard to know what path or direction to go in sometimes. When I don't know which way to go, sometimes I do nothing. This for me keeps things safe. But doing nothing doesn't get anything done and before you know it...doing nothing can lead to years of nothing happening. This may not be the smartest thing to do, but it gives me time to think and reflect. Upon reflection while sipping this wine I realized sometimes doing nothing is alright and that each path I've taken lead me closer to me and the world around me. Each path is a path that lead to learning. While sipping this wine a few more reflections came to mind; when in doubt, don't, focus on the positive in everything, and when faced with decisions, sit back and sip on a great glass of wine. Sipping a great glass of wine can give you a new perspective on things. So I suppose I have been doing something after all.

Wine: Contadino Pinot Grigio Vivace 2008 - Trader Joe's $4.99

~ pair it with sauteed scallops and shrimp ~

Treasure Trove of Cookbooks and Recipes

I so credit Nigella Lawson for introducing me to the pleasures of food and cooking many years ago. Her prose and ease in the kitchen made me feel I could cook anything, and for that my family and I are grateful. My antique cabinet is filled with a treasure trove of cookbooks and special recipes that my family and I have enjoyed and will continue to enjoy. There is one seeming drawback, or so my husband thinks, I collect cookbooks. Sometimes I sneak them into the house and store them into my cabinet and pretend it's been there for years. I can't help it, I read them like novels. Not only do I collect cookbooks, but I have several of food magazines that come monthly, one less since Gourmet is no longer in existence. There is a good reason for all of this....food is good. Food coupled with wine is even better. Food, just as in wine, can take you to another place. You can eat what the Italians eat or what the French from southern France eat. I even have a cookbook that celebrates the tastes of San Francisco. Think about it, a trip to San Francisco without the cost of airfare....you can visit the world over with food 365 days a year. Visit I will continue to do. The very first Nigella Lawson recipe I made was her Aromatic Lamb Shank Stew. It was pretty ambitious of me at the time, but believe it or not this recipe paved the way for other ambitious endeavors in my life and allowed me to believe I could do anything. Try the recipe and pair it with a German Pinot Noir. After making this, you too will believe you can do anything.

Enjoy

every day moments, and simple pleasures

Champagne is one of life's greatest gifts. An unwanted discovery by Dom Perignon who couldn't figure out how to get those darn bubbles out. I guess, he, along with the helpful thoughts of Napoleon, decided, if you can't beat it, join it and celebrate with it! Celebrate they did. From royal class, to not so royal class; Champagne was regarded as the drink of celebrations. This new year's celebration my husband and I opened a bottle of Louis De Sacy Grand Cru Champagne. We've had it for 5 years. I felt it was time, after all what were we waiting for? This question triggered a revelation and another question, "why wait for anything"? Life was meant to be lived now, in the moment. We shouldn't keep simple pleasures in life waiting. There were many moments when we could have opened this Champagne, i.e. new job, a new business venture, new blog, and even, just because...we could have opened it just because. Everyday life is a celebration. So this year, for me, starts the beginning of celebrating and being mindful of simple pleasures and everyday moments. I won't always do it with grand cru Champagne...... great coffee sipped from my favorite Starbucks mug will do.