Starting the New Year

Well, by the time this post goes live, the new year will be well-started.I will have celebrated, wrapped, baked, dined, sipped, shared, decorated, undecorated (no, probably not), and smiled a whole lot.

So, what does the new year bring for me (besides a few months of very cold weather!)?

In 2015 I will continue the freelance work I've started with WKAR (my former employer) working on activities related to an upcoming PBS mini-series called "Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies." We'll be hosting a screening and panel for this important and fascinating program and I'm looking forward to (and enjoying) all the contacts I will be making and have already made. Then comes another project called "Talking Money." Or "Thinking Money." I'd better figure that one out before I dig in too deeply!

I've finished the first two books of 2015 and hope to top last year's reading list with more titles (although I will have to say -- 2014 had a lot of pages!) Both of these books -- "Lost Cat" and "Parisian Cats" had wonderful illustrations and such charm, it was hard to turn the last page!

Yes, I will be back on the spinning bike at the gym. I find I really enjoy bikes that are anchored to the floor! I am still dealing with some painful tendonitis in my arms -- a reaction to the medication I took when I was sick in December, so we'll take the gym gently. The doc warned me about the potential for tendon rupture. That and the eliptical are my gym friends till it's warm enough again to be outside!

I am signed up for art workshops and more workshops at Southern Exposure in the spring! Yay! So, there will be plenty more posts on that wonderful spot.

 

I'm looking forward to getting a little bit "colorful" and play in paint and glue again!

I'm am eager to try lots of new recipes from my cookbook and recipe collection. (This photo is my friend Jane's collection -- huge and vintage!)

And, look for more posts on the Cork Poppers with our wine tasting recommendations!

I'm planning on clocking in some movie time (especially with the pre-Oscar nominations!) and have already seen and fallen in love with "Into the Woods." But then, it's Sondheim -- not everyone's cup of tea, but more than certainly, mine. Look for a post on that very soon!

This year the basement (or at least the stuff going to charity) will be done. I'm so tired of hating to go down there!

There are art projects to finish and new ones to start, poetry to write, photos to edit, more photos to take. There are places to go and friends to play with, flowers to smell, treats to bake!

I've tried hard to focus on a guiding word for the year. Last year I chose "Now." And, for the most part, I held pretty well to it (except for the dreaded dungeon). This year I have been back and forth between several. Quiet. Balance. Gentle. They've all been in the running.

Or maybe it should be "Time." Finding the time to do it all...

No matter what, Lizzie and I will be around to see what the new year brings. (Right now, she's hoping it will bring her dinner. Soon.)

Cork Poppers Go Southern Hemisphere with Chile, Argentina, New Zealand

I'm not sure what happened with our last Cork Poppers gig -- usually we are so organized. Wine from France or Northern Italy or a specific type. This year we'd planned to go with Aussie-New Zealand wines. But then Chile and Argentina were added to the mix, so we enjoyed the wines of the Southern Hemisphere!

Of course, my first stop is always the cheese tray. The array of cheeses, combined with Rick's baguette's (barely out of the oven!) is always the best way to start the day!

As always, everyone brought a favorite to present. And as always, most were red! But we started with the white that Dick and Cheryl brought and for me (and I think many of us) it was a taste revelation!

It was Nautilus 2013 Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough, new Zealand.If you want to talk about a fabulous aroma, this is it! "I could wear this as perfume," I said, while others called it "Yummy," "Clean and fresh" and lots of "I love it!" Cheryl found it to have a wonderful finish.Dick's notes mentioned a review where it stated that "This is a wine that holds little back and grabs a hold -- kind of like the naughty girl in high school you know you shouldn't like but you couldn't stop thinking about her."

The only downside is that at $17, it probably isn't going to be your everyday bottle of wine. (It has a relatively short cellaring potential, too -- if you are lucky enough to find a bottle of the 2013, note that it should be enjoyed before mid-2015.)

The Bodega Norton Reserva Malbec 2011 brought by Barb and Mike was a 100 percent Malbec from Mendoza at the base of the Andes. This, too, was popular. with our red-loving Poppers who agreed it would be delicious any time! Aged for 12 months in old barrels, it smelled delicious and at $14 was reasonably priced.

Rick and I brought a Malbec, too -- Ruta 22 Malbec, 2012, from Patagonia, Argentina. When I picked this up, the wine guy I spoke with was very enthused about Patagonia, both as a travel destination and as a wine region. Our tasters agreed on the wine -- "Smooth, like a baby's butt," one noted.

Here's a detail I learned about Malbec. It was originally a French grape, always used as a blend in Bordeaux wines. When immigrants brought it to Argentina, the adopted it and found that in the fertile Mendoza region it thrived and became the signature grape of the region. The climate of Patagonia is very dry and has great climate swings, so grapes grown there must be sturdy and consequently produce very concentrated juice. The 2012 was considered a terrific vintage year (cellar through mid-2015 or possibly beyond.) It was $10.49.

My notes get a little sloppy here (we did this the first week in November and only the three above had typed up notes.) Clayton and Anne offered Root:1, a 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon from the Colchaugua Valley in Chile. We all agreed that it was very tasty and one commenter noted, "I'd buy that again.

The retail on this wine is $16 but they bought it on sale for $12 -- and that's a point worth noting. Most stores have regular wine sales and it's an especially good time to buy a wine that might cost a little more than you would usually buy -- and maybe more than one bottle.

Next was a Castillero del Diablo 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile, offered by Pat. It had wonderful cherry and red-fruit overtones. (Or is it undertones?). It would be excellent with red meat, chocolate or a hearty stew. Retail: $11.99 (purchased for (9.99 on sale).

Pat also brought a Trapiche Pinot Noir 2013 from Argentina. I'm not big on Pinots but thought this was quite nice. It comes from the fifth largest distributor of wine in the world. Again, a sale wine -- again, $9.99 for an $11.99 retail.

With a November 1 date, the decorations were still decidedly fall -- like Pat's "Phantom of the Opera" pumpkin! She also had some trick-or-treating games.

And then there was dinner! I think the Cork Poppers like the dinner as much (or maybe even more) than the wine! A beautiful table setting is a wonderful way to start a feast!

And  then there is the food itself -- ham, scallopped potatoes, a delicious salad and carrot cupcakes.


Yes, we were happy!

Our next Cork Poppers is at the end of January and I won't wait so long to write the notes! Look for more on both red and white Bordeaux wines soon!

Happy New Year!

I send you all greetings for a safe and wonderful new year. May it be filled with joy, creativity, friendship, love, treats, treasures, happiness and growth.

The Marmelade Gypsy will be back in a few days with the "word of the new year," favorite books of 2014 and more! Meanwhile...

Happy New Year!

(Thanks to Lorraine -- whose posts often include freebies of vintage postcards! I love these two images!)

Let There Be Light!

Our holidays aren't really over for quite some time yet, with friend gatherings slated for the upcoming week or two!

 

But there was plenty of light going on in our world on Christmas!

There was the candlelight on the table as we enjoyed our traditional Christmas Eve feast.



The diabolical light in the eyes as Kevin trounced us in Scrabble. (Rick and I remember when we had to help him with the letters when he was just a kid. Now he's a grown up kid and I wished he was helping me!) Yes, there are a couple of entries here we find questionable -- but I don't think it would have mattered.



There was the light of the grill flames when Kevin grilled wings with the new sauces he and Molly gave Rick for Christmas. (And mighty tasty, too!)



There was a lot of light in the kitchen as we turned them up to be able to do the best frosted cookies. Frosting cookies on Christmas Eve is our tradition, one we've been doing since both boys were small.

 

This year we seemed to have a record number of cookies! Yes, lots taken to friend gatherings -- better their hips than mine (though I had my share!)

 

There's always light in our eyes when Rick makes bread! This time he was making it to send north when the boys and Molly left to do the holidays with their mom.

Let there be light in the eyes when opening the Christmas presents....

 

....and playing with them out later!

 

Yes, our eyes light up with the traditional breakfast, complete with toasts! (Versus toast.)



We do the obligatory family portraits....

But nothing makes our eyes light up like the fortuitous appearance of the meter reader just as we were taking photos. Finally, one with all of us!

It's time for the kids to leave, as we say goodbye and watch their tail lights as they go down the street. A wonderful holiday filled with joy! But there is one missing from all this!

In case you wonder where Lizzie was, she comfortably having her hours of sleep at her own house. But never fear -- she, too, had her holiday gifts and loved them!

There are more celebrations to have, of course. Leftovers in which to indulge, new gifts to play with, lunches and dinners with friends, post-holiday shopping and yes, thank you notes to write.

But first, let's have a cookie!