@JimmyJamesSRT Buongiorno Fritatta, a #DoggieAstrology Coffee w/a nod to @jamieoliver @sandrashm

spoiled rotten.  4 hour body frittata made in about 15 minutes by my husband James (@JimmyJamesSRT).  along with some great coffee in my Aquarius Doggie Astrology Coffee Mug (our catahoula Pierre’s sun sign).

honestly, I put all dishes up against what I am very lucky to be served all the time in our (JimmyJames’) kitchen because he is amazing, is a locavore at heart and we are spoiled by living in Sonoma County (land of the farmer market and many places where some of the best product in the world is created, farmed and grown ala “Organic-land”).

JimmyJames Buongiorno Fritatta - 1/4 bag o’ sautéed spinach, 1 can of cannellini beans, 2.5 chicken italian sausage & 6 eggs.  couple decent shakes of Tuscan Italian seasoning. cut sausage, saute spinach in EVOO, drain beans, whisk eggs – dump all in a bowl with the eggs, put in a frying pan and bake till done (about 25 minutes) – top off with some red sauce upon removing from oven.  optional sprinkles of parm on top.  serves 4-6.  Coffee:  make your favorite flavor and pour into a DoggieAstrology.com cup, simple…

My husband is a mix of Sandra Lee’s Semi-Homemade and Jamie Oliver’s Naked Chef - he can look in our pantry and refrigerator (like he did this morning) and knock it out of the park.  Few insider tips:  Sausages were cooked in sauce in a slow cooker a few days ago – so both sauce & sausages were super flavorful.  If you don’t have a crock pot - go buy one they make everything taste better.  Also:  cook up a few items for the week and you will then have them to put in a myriad of dishes. (sausages in sauce, taco or turkey meat, spinach or green in bacon, sautéed root veg.)  Also on a fritatta, don’t open the oven or move it till its done.

mangia, mangia.

cheers!

also if you don’t know about Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution - you should check it out.

Bocce & Great Zin In The Neighborhood – @Gratonridge

Had a ton of visitors to the house over the last two weeks and we explored a bunch of lovely family owned wineries within a few miles of the house.  One of our favorites:

Graton Ridge – http://gratonridge.com/  We had a lovely tasting at Graton Ridge – Barbara was so sweet and their Pinot Noir and Zinfandels were wonderful.  They have a gorgeous picnic area and bocce court.  I cannot wait to bring friends and come back soon. 

If you are in the area, do go say hello!

Technorati Tag – SCHPZ3C6RDVK

Dry Creek Day

The first crisp autumnal Saturday arrived here in Sonoma County and I love a drive around the neighborhood.  Twas a perfect day to pop up to Dry Creek to sip some vino.    So… we grabbed the in-laws and headed up to West Dry Creek Road and visited three lovely wineries.

The turnoff to Pretty Preston

Preston Vineyards - 9282 W Dry Creek Rd – Beautiful gardens & picnic area, organic vegetables for sale, cute cats, $10 tasting fee waived if you buy, bocce court – and tasty affordable wine.  Preston only distributes in California and is a favorite among locals.

Tried the 2008 Carignane & 2008 Zinfandel – both fantastic.  They specialize in Rhone varietal blends and for locals on Sundays they fill a jug with 4 bottles of wine for $32.  Great place! 

Quivera Winery - 4900 West Dry Creek Road - Impeccably landscaped picnic area, biodynamic farming and 93 acres of estate vines and huge organic vegetable garden.  Quivera wines

Getting a Taste

 have been a go-to for me for a while for executive dinners and events.  They have a great price point and many clients already know the name.  

We took home the 2007 Anderson Ranch Zin, which I love.  We drank a bottle of this later with bratwurst, sauerkraut and potato salad – Yum!!  We also liked the 2009 Fig Tree Vineyard, Sauvignon Blanc, which was refreshing with a hint of fruit (would be great with Thai food, sushi or some fresh veggies & dip).

 

Last was Teldeschi Winery - 3555 Dry Creek Rd – Maybe one of the best views in Dry Creek and Dan the winemaker is hilarious and the wine is terrific.  Zinfandel, Petite Syrah are best here and the tasting room is simple and utilitarian.  Dan pours from funky bottles and has a lovely sense of humor.  We took home the Home Ranch Zin.

Dry Creek Wineries tend to be family run, multi-generational, perfect for picnics, and Zinfandel territory so they are right up my alley.  Healdsburg, CA anchors the wineries of Dry Creek and is a great place to visit.

Here’s to another lovely day in California

Duskie Estes for Next Iron Chef – Zazu Rules!!

My husband and I love Zazu Restaurant & Farm.  We have been coming to Zazu since moving to Sebastopol four years ago.  It’s the place we go for special occasions (birthdays, anniversaries, celebrations, and Maven Team Holiday Dinners) as well as those “I don’t want to cook nights” where we know we’ll have something amazing.  It has become a bit of a thing with our family and friends (well, you haven’t taken US to Zazu yet)…

Roadhouse Rules!!! Zazu

Zazu specializes in farm to table cooking (Americana and Northern Italian influence) – their farm/gardens are  vast and lovely. Husband and wife team, Duskie Estes and John Stewart are sweet people who are passionate and innovative in the kitchen.   Duskie creates fun, savory, tablesmacking fare on a regular basis.  Her husband, John is a superb cook and salumist making his own cured meats and Black Pig bacon.  John studied with Armandino Batali (yes, Mario’s Dad) – if you haven’t been to Armandino’s place Salumi downtown Seattle in Pioneer Square, you are missing out.  Its small and quirky but good lord the sammies are yummy.

Those of us locals and some out of towners who are part of the Zazu fan club came out in droves on October 3 to support and celebrate Duskie’s first appearance on The Next Iron Chef

Duskie and team served 3 courses for dinner with paired wines (dishes she cooked on the episode) and hosted an viewing party both inside and in their gorgeous garden outside the restaurant.

-Suckling Pig Surf and Turf – Tomales Bay Clams, Coconut Milk, Lime, Ginger – delicious, savory sweet local dish.

-Sonoma Lamb Meatball Sandwich – Bellweather farms yogurt + mint chutney – AWESOME, no wonder she won!!!

-That’s That – Chocolate Dipped Oatmeal Cookie + Flying Goat Cheese Espresso Gelato “Sandwich” – crunchy, sweet and full of flavor.

100% of the proceeds for the viewing went to the Ceres Project, an organization that delivers meals to people with cancer and other serious illnesses in Sonoma County, prepared by high school students – check out what they are doing – www.ceresproject.org

Everyone pitched in to make this night lovely:

The zazu team (staff & cooks) donated their time

Hafner Winery donated their wines

My Guy Hitech (Tommy) donating all the viewing gear and time!

Thank you to Duskie, John, Hafner Winery, My Guy HiTech and the lovely team at Zazu for another great night at our favorite neighborhood restaurant.  We feel so lucky to live in such a beautiful place with friends that are passionate, inspiring and going after their dreams.

We hope you are the Next Iron Chef AND win fan favorite.  You have our votes!!

Maven fans – tune in and vote vote vote – Duskie kicks ass!!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/the-next-iron-chef-fan-vote/package/index.html

Cheers!

Heather

Check out the pics from the night….

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