Day 209: Zinfandel!!!

One New Year's Eve, millions of years ago, when my friends and I were in our early 20s - when Jagermeister was much more likely than wine to be the drink of choice, we all went out for a "nice" dinner.  We decided to order a bottle of wine but really, none of us had any idea how to go about that.  Then, my friend Lori chimed in..."I always drink white Zinfandel when I go out". 

At the time, we all found that declaration hilarious - and nearly 15 years later, we still laugh about that moment.  And, I now think of Lori nearly every time I drink Zinfandel - RED, not white - but still...  We are still close friends and I love that that goofy memory.

This weekend marks ZAP's annual Zinfandel Festival at Fort Mason here in San Francisco.  We attended this amazing event 2 years ago and had a fantastic time.  Last year we missed it due to a wedding and this year we'll miss it due to our upcoming vacation.  But, we managed to squeeze in one of the pre-event events - tonight's Good Eats and Zinfandel Pairing evening.  50 Zinfandel producers were in attendance, each paired with a bit of food from a restaurant or a caterer.  

We ate all kinds of things tonight:  pulled pork on a tortilla chip, braised beef over polenta, Irish cheddar cheese, braised wild boar, chicken salad with blue cheese and almonds, cupcakes, and on and on and on!  Check out the website to see what food was paired with which wines.

We left feeling stuffed, but happy.  And it's not a minor detail that tonight marked five years since my first date with my husband.  It was great to recognize that anniversary with a special event like the ZAP festival.  We've enjoyed a lot of wine together over the past 5 years, and expect to enjoy LOTS more in years to come!

Day 176: There's Always Good Food at Sarah's House

We love our friend Sarah.  And we love her mad cooking skills!!  

Tonight was Sarah's holiday party and her spread did not disappoint.  Her dining room table was full of tasty treats:  a variety of tiny and crispy phyllo cups were filled with wild mushrooms, smoked salmon & creme fraiche, or avocado, pinto beans, and tomatoes.  Herbed goat cheese and warm and creamy crab and artichoke dip were accompanied by toasted sliced of baguette.  A cheese plate.  Asparagus wrapped with supple and salty prosciutto.  Marinated artichoke hearts, boccachini, olive tapenade.  Mugs full of sweet savory butternut squash soup.  Everything was delish - and trust me, I tried it all!!

I must also make mention of the special holiday cocktails that Sarah's brother whipped up.  Other than homemade cinnamon simple syrup, I have no idea what was in these things - but they smelled and tasted like the holidays and I had not problem sucking them down!

The best part, though, was the company.  Sarah and I have been friends for almost 15 years and it was wonderful to be able to share the holidays with her.  Hopefully, she felt the same because I want to continue to be invited to her parties!!

Day 159: Facebook Party!

I am a Facebook addict.  I'm not revealing any big secret here for those of you who know me.  And luckily, because I work in the advertising world, I sometimes get some inside access to cool things like the Facebook holiday party, which we attended tonight.

The party wasn't nearly as much fun as Facebook itself, but the food was pretty good.  From the buffet, I enjoyed lots of crudite with guacamole as a dip, tiny little one-bit sushi, sweet and smoky mini-meatballs, and cheese.  It was pretty easy to stick with my diet at the party - I just ignored the little quesadilla bites, the crackers, and the bread and kept the sushi rice to a minimum.  

I also skipped the yummy looking dessert buffet and tried not too drool too much all over the goodies that my husband took.  The chocolate chip cookies looked like they were to die for and the brownie, sugar cookies, and cheesecake bites didn't look half bad either.  However, I managed to resist (after a mini bite of my hubby's brownie) and came home and had sugar-free Jell-O instead.  

This was our first party of the season but we look forward to much more celebrating, eating, and wine drinking over the coming weeks!  Happy holidays!