Taste of Oregon

Blake and I tried a new Pinot Gris last night from a winery in the Willamette Valley called WillaKenzie Estate. I did not know much about Pinot Gris, and was in the mood to experiment. We both really enjoyed it. This type of wine is typically produced in France and Italy, but now some winemakers in the United States are putting forth some serious effort into growing and producing Pinot Gris. It sounds as though many winemakers in Oregon are steering away from Chardonnay, and toward Pinot Gris. http://www.willakenzie.com/ Yesterday at the co-op, and in my quest to find a nice bottle of wine, I found something else from Oregon that I have been searching for (for several months now, actually). Rogue brewery makes a Hazelnut Brown Nectar beer that is to die for. I had it once in Coeur d' Alene at one of our favorite restaurants called Capones. (Excellent place for a pizza and beer!! *sigh*) Anyway, I have been searching for it ever since, but could never find it until now!!

Winter Weather Blahs

Detailed Local Forecast
Tonight: Snow this evening will transition to snow showers late. Some rain or sleet may mix in. Low 32F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph. About one inch of snow expected.
Tomorrow: Variable clouds with snow showers or flurries. High 39F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 60%.
Tomorrow night: Rain and snow in the evening. A snow shower or two late - otherwise, mostly cloudy. Low 34F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precip 50%.
Saturday: Cloudy. High 43F. Winds light and variable.
Sunday: Mix of rain and snow showers. Highs in the low 40s and lows in the mid 30s.
Monday: Windy, periods of snow. Highs in the mid 30s with temperatures nearly steady overnite.

Need I say more?

The Apartment Dweller's Garden

Due to the fact that we weren't sure when we would be moving, I figured I may just scratch the idea of having a garden this year. I decided that maybe it would be best to just wait until next spring. Then, I decided to just go for it. I went out and got some "seed incubators" for the unbelievable amount of seeds that I have purchased. Did you realize each seed packet contains like 257 seeds? Hmmm... I didn't. So, when I came home with 4 seed packets of Foxglove, Blake was like "Um, honey? I guess you REALLY like foxglove. Because, we're going to have around 2,000 Foxglove plants!!" Ooops!! Well, I seem to have a problem of overdoing with alot of things, so gardening might as well be one of them, too! Anyway, I have started some seeds for Broccoli, Cauliflower, tomatoes, peppers, foxglove, cosmos, and a couple other flower varieties. Two days later, you can already see some progress. As I was planting, I couldn't help but be amazed that a seed the size of a grain of sand can grow into a beautiful flowering plant, or a plant full of delicious vegetables to be eaten and enjoyed. Blake and I are definitely looking forward to enjoying the fruits of our labor.

French Martinis

Blake and I went out to dinner for his birthday last night. Happy Birthday, Blake!! We discovered a great restaurant in Burlington called Taste. http://www.tasteofburlington.com/ We had the best dinner out since we have moved here. And, I discovered a tasty new martini, the French Martini. Mmmm... to make a French Martini of your own, you will need the following:

2 oz vodka

1/2 oz Chambord

2 1/2 oz pineapple juice

I need to get busy making Blake's chocolate birthday cake. I have a great Vegan Chocolate Cake recipe that is quick and delicious. Especially with the peanut butter frosting!!

Peep Show

Happy Easter... may you have lots of peeps in your basket.

Peeps Fun Facts:

1. It would take over 172 million peeps bunnies end-to-end to circle the moon.

2. The amount of Peeps chicks and bunnies eaten at Easter could more than circle Earth's circumference. That's alot of marshmallow!!!

3. In the early 1950's, it took 27 hours to make one Peeps chick. Today it takes 6 minutes.

4. Over 70 million peeps chicks lined up beak-to-tail are needed to reach from New York City to Los Angeles.

5. Peeps chicks and bunnies come in 5 colors. Yellow chicks are the most popular, followed by pink, lavender, blue and white.

6. Loyal Peeps fans eat them fresh, frozen, stale, and even on pizza!! Ewww.... http://www.marshmallowpeeps.com/ http://www.peepresearch.org/

Blake the Pancake Master

There's nothing better after a long hard day at work than coming home to a fresh batch of Blake's pancakes. The man makes the best tasting pancakes I've ever had in my life. He puts all kinds of good-for-ya ingredients in them like whole wheat flour, wheat germ, and flax seed... He's made some awesome blueberry walnut, pumpkin and banana walnut pancakes which were to die for. And his no-frills batches are always delicious...they'll make your mouth water before you can say "maple syrup". Even better, this time of year we can get some freshly made maple syrup to pour on top. Mmm!!

My First 10K

The town of Saint Albans, Vermont is hosting the annual Vermont Maple Festival at the end of this month. There is an arts and crafts show, lots of food, music, and of course lots of maple syrup. There is also an annual Sap Run, a run which benefits the Run For Jim Foundation. This program helps provide financial support for families in need who have a terminally ill family member. I have never done any kind of a run whatsoever, but it is something that I have always wanted to do, and I am really looking forward to it. I have been running at the gym for the past several months, and to my surprise, really enjoy it. So, since hearing about it, I have been working my way towards this 10K run. It should be great! http://www.vtmaplefestival.org/index.html