A Winelover's Wanderings

Saturday 5-20-06

After checking into our room, we walked just a block down the lakefront from Albergo Lenno to have a glass of wine outside while we waited for the restaurants to open at 7 pm.

The one we chose was recommended by our hotel, Albergo Plinio Ristorante, just a block from our hotel. We sat outside under kind of an arbor covering the dining area. Even though it was raining off and on, we were protected. Kind of neat.

Tanya was our waitress, and she had just come back from three months in the US to learn better English. She stayed with relatives in Hanford, close to Fresno CA. She was a hoot!

No antipasti tonight - soup for both of us - a minestrone for Bill and asparagus for me - both great. We also agreed on an entree - veal. Bill had his in a wine sauce, and mine was in a lemon sauce.

Two sides - one house vegetables and one order of french fries. Every restaurant here seems to serve french fries as their potato choice - very good too, not greasy at all. American restaurants could take lessons.

For dessert we had a cheese plate with three large hunks of local cheeses. They were so big we took about half home to eat on our balcony the next night. House red wine and water - total cost 66E.

We even had a little ducky friend join us from the nearby lake.

Surprise! Surprise! About 11 pm or so we heard noise outside our room and opened the drapes to some spectacular fireworks out on the water! Wow! Have to check that out tomorrow!

Sunday 5-21-06

After the fireworks last night, this morning we had a band play right in front of our balcony. Don't know what that was all about either!

Breakfast is included in the room rate of 170E - it was fine - meats and cheese, a really good muslix-style cereal (cornflakes too), juices, croissants and the ever-present expresso and cappuccino.

It turned out to be a Two-Villa Day! Yes, we visited Villa del Balbianello in Lenno and then the much larger Villa Carlotta in Tremezzo (one town north).

We took a small motor boat taxi down the coast to Villa del Barbianello. It was supposed to be a walkable trip, but I am really glad we did the water taxi - it was only 5E each round trip.

Villa del Barbianello belonged to a succession of owners since it was originally built as a monastery in the 13th century. The last owner was an Italian explorer (Mt. Everest and other foreign lands), Guido Monzino, who bought and renovated the villa from 1974-1988. The house remained exactly as he left it, with lots of artifacts from his many expeditions, and the grounds are gorgeous. He died at age 60 in 1988 and willed the villa to the FAI, a non-profit organization, which maintains it.

We had a guided tour thru the buildings and spent a lot of time walking around the grounds. It was fabulous! Our very favorite villa of the trip!

This is where Guido Monzino's remains are interred:

Oh! And we found out about the mysterious fireworks last night. A private party by NY stockbrokers was held at Villa Balbianello, and they sponsored the fireworks. It was a huge display, for half an hour or more - must have cost them a bundle!

I just came across a great blog report on a visit to Villa del Balbianello on Dutch Baby.

Sunday 5-21-06

After our tour of Villa del Balbianello, we took the motorboat back to Lenno and had a gelato break before we headed to Tremezzo to try to find the local Asparagus Festival and tour Villa Carlotta. Never found the Asparagus Festival, but Villa Carlotta was right on the lakefront. Huge beautiful grounds.

Walked a couple of blocks tonight to have an early dinner (7 pm is early by Italian standards). It was called Trattoria S. Stefano and again was a recommendation from our hotel.

Primi - Bill had tortellini with asparagus, and I had tagioolini with gorgonzola and melon. Interesting combination. For secondi, we both ordered the local whitefish, mine grilled and Bill's sauteed. Vegetables were grilled eggplant, zucchini, bell peppers and mixed salad for Bill.

We both had dessert (Bill usually doesn't) - He had creme brulee, and I had baba with limoncello. With a bottle of local wine and water, the total cost 63E.

Monday 5-22-06

Our plan for the day was to get a day-long ferry pass for the mid-section of Lake Como and see as much as we could of Bellagio and Varenna. Started a little late, so we only got to Bellagio. We did tour Giardini di Villa Melzi, a beautiful waterfront property and thoroughly enjoyed it. The grounds comprise a number of acres and are maintained impeccably. The property also includes a small chapel where some of the original occupants (friends of Napoleon) are interred, a small museum and the villa itself, which was not open to the public. The grounds were the highlight though.

This week AnnieNC Churches in Venice picked the recipe:

I found this recipe on the Internet years ago and I’ve made it many times (and never the same way twice). It’s more like a Thai or Vietnamese soup than a Chinese one (it’s not thickened with cornstarch).

I’m posting the original recipe plus some variations (I like to add more vegetables than the recipe calls for). Basically once you get the broth right, you can add whatever you like.

Hot and Sour Soup

Ingredients:

Two 13-3/4 ounce cans low-salt chicken broth
Three slices of fresh ginger root

2 tablespoons tamari or dark soy sauce
1/4 cup of rice wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon hot chili oil (more or less)
1/2 teaspoon dark sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon white pepper

1/2 cup bamboo shoots
1/2 cup of firm tofu, diced into small squares

one egg lightly beaten

Garnish

1 or 2 scallions, including greens, diced
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

Instructions:

Bring the chicken stock and the fresh ginger root to a slow boil for two or three minutes.

Remove the ginger slices and discard. Turn the heat down slightly.

Add the rest of the liquid ingredients, the sugar, and the white pepper. Simmer for about five minutes and then taste to make sure it’s hot and/or sour enough. Adjust as needed.

Add the bamboo shoots and the tofu. Stir gently.

Bring the soup to a slow boil again and quickly add in the lightly beaten egg while stirring. Remove the pot from the heat immediately and continue to stir to break up the egg pieces. Garnish and Serve.

VARIATIONS

I always leave the egg out.

Sometimes I use Pacific brand Mushroom broth or Vegetable broth instead.

I use low sodium Tamari (brand: San-J)

Sometimes I use Sriracha hot sauce instead of the hot chili oil.

Other things I might add:

Garlic
Fresh baby spinach leaves or other green leafy thing
Sliced mushrooms
Water chestnuts
A can of stir-fry vegetables with baby corn
Mung bean sprouts
Snow pea pods

I also left the egg out like Annie does - I made the decision to do that after I took the first picture. I added garlic and mushrooms and water chestnuts. The soup went together quickly and easily. It turned out really well, and we both liked it, especially Bill (he's more into hot foods than I am). Thank you, Annie, for a very interesting soup!

I've got my ingredients ready:

Hot & Sour Soup ready to go!

Monday 5-22-06

After visiting Villa Melzi in Bellagio, we took a gelato-caffe-wine break to wait for the ferry back to Lenno from Bellagio. Sat at a table outside on the lakefront and watched the boats (and the world) go by.

On our way back to Lenno, we saw some beautiful scenery.

We're back at the ferry station in Lenno:

Back to Albergo Plinio for dinner, where we met Tanya on our first night. She helped us pick a local Lakes wine, Valtelina Superiore, called Inferno, 1998 Balgera. Also each had a glass of Prosecco before dinner.

Primi for me was tortolini with spinach and ricotta, with sage and butter. Bill's was spaghetti with pesto. His was good but mine was outstanding! For his entree, Bill chose a fillet with green peppercorn sauce, and I picked breaded local perch with risotto. An order of french fries too. No dolci tonight - we were just too stuffed. Total bill was 63E.

You may be wondering about all of the food descriptions I have been giving. Guess I am my Mother's daughter - we don't eat to live - we live to eat!

We have had good internet access so far on our trip, but that may be changing when we get to Tuscany. Here is where I checked my emails on the lobby computer at Albergo Lenno.

Tuesday 5-23-06

This was a day I would like to forget! It began early. We had to take the 8:25 ferry to the train station in Como to catch the 10:12 train to Milan and Chiusi. Train was 20 minutes late, so we missed our connection in Milan. After standing in line to exchange our tickets (one of those take-a-number and we'll call you), we got 1 p.m. tickets to Bologna and then to Chiusi. Oh great! One additional time of getting our luggage off and on the trains (they only stop for about 5 minutes at the small stations). Let me tell you, I plan to pack lighter the next time!

Made it to Chiusi at about 6 p.m. with an hour to spare before the Hertz office closed. Rented a cute little Renault Modus 5-speed, which means I will be doing the driving. Diesel too - I made a note of that fact!

So we started driving. I was determined to get to our agriturismo apartment before dark. The Italian road signs are so different from ours - it was very confusing since this was our first time driving in Italy. We stopped numerous times to ask for directions (all given in rapid Italian), so it wasn't a lot of help.

Our guardian angels must have been watching over us because we finally did get there - and before dark too! Bill was feeling sick (must have been my driving), so we walked up the road to eat before we even unpacked the car. Good dinner - good night's sleep!

Wednesday 5-24-06

We awoke to a cloudy sky and took our time getting ready - after all, we had no set plans, and the countryside where we were staying is just gorgeous. But, I am getting a little bit ahead of myself - first, let me tell you where we stayed, La Crociona Agriturismo, just outside Montalcino.

Several people on the Slow Travel website had stayed there and really spoke highly of it, so I made reservations for a week there. Here is a review from Slow Travel.

Looking at the aerial photo on their website, our cozy little "house" is up at the top of the photo, set away from the other buildings. This gave us a lot of really peaceful time in a gorgeous setting.

We stayed in the bottom portion of the building, and a really nice couple from Atlanta stayed above us. We met them later in our stay and really hit it off with them. They were lots of fun!

Here are some photos of the living room area and the little kitchen. I didn't photograph the bedroom or bathroom, but they were roomy and very clean.

We sat outside every evening having wine and munchies.

And Bill even made friends with the resident kitty. And this kitty looked so much like our dearly departed Morris (who also really loved Bill), it was a special treat to have a furry friend there.

Even our little car had a carport. A very comfy place to stay!

Wednesday 5-24-06

After leisurely getting started on that first morning, we drove into Montalcino to look around and get groceries. Such a cute little town but, wow - how many wine shops does one town need? I know this is Brunello Country and all, so I guess the demand is there.

It rained on and off, so there were not too many people on the street. We found a darling little restaurant in the middle of town and had a lovely long lunch.

Got provisions at the Coop and headed back to our apartment because we were to have a tour of the new winery on the property and winetasting.

Roberto, one of the owners, took us thru the not-quite-finished winery building of Croce Di Mezzo.

It was huge, going down several levels. I think he said their current wine production was 1,000 cases, but this facility looked like it could handle many times that amount. I am sure they probably make more than 1,000 cases by now.

Even though we had a large lunch, Bill wanted a little more to eat, so we walked back down the road to the little restaurant we went to last night. It is called Osteria La Crocina, but I will write more about that in a later episode.

Thursday 5-25-06

Not a cloud in the sky this morning - a beautiful day! We were supposed to meet a Slow Travel messageboard friend in Montalcino - she actually lives in Palm Desert, about an hour from us. Yes, that's right - this was my FIRST Slow Travel GTG and it was with PALMA!

Palma and I had talked by phone a couple of times that day, and we met in the shopping area of Montalcino. Palma was with a couple of other gals, one was Ida - Vico Girl on Slow Travel. They were experiencing a couple of little travel glitches (non-working ATM card and misplaced wallet), but we decided to all have lunch closeby. We chose Grappolo Blu because of its stellar reputation, and it did not disappoint!

For some reason, I did not write down what we ate, but everything was delicious. And the chatting just went on and on. In my forgetful state of mind, I also forgot to take photos of lunch, so Palma graciously sent me a couple that she had taken.

We had a dinner invitation from Fiorella, the grand dame of our agriturismo for an authentic home-cooked Tuscan dinner, and we couldn't pass that up even though it meant eating two big meals in one day.

There were 24 of us at dinner - 8 German cyclists, a family of 4 English-speaking Germans, and the rest Americans. We just ate and ate and ate! And drank too - wine was included. We made friends with a couple from Atlanta who were staying on the 2nd floor of our little building. They were lots of fun!

When I looked at that last photo, I wondered why Bill had his dark glasses on whether it was day or night. Then I remembered that they were his new Prada glasses from Florence, and he was SO proud of them! Of course, it could have been all that wine too!

Friday 5-26-06

I have a friend who works in the wine industry on the Central Coast, and her boss travels regularly to Italy. He gave my friend a list of restaurant recommendations for Tuscany, and I brought a copy of it on our trip. One restaurant, Poggio Antico was just a few miles from where we were staying, so that was our destination for today.

We arrived there at 11:00, but they did not open for lunch until 12:30, so we sat in the shade in the parking area and I read while Bill took a little snooze. It was well worth waiting for!

We were seated outside on a shaded verandah by hostess Sharon, who turned out to be the daughter of the owner/chef, Roberto Minnetti.

Three different prix fixe menus were available, but being the gluttons that we are, we chose the largest one. This was our menu:

Menu a degustazione

This menu - 66E -- Other menus for 48E and 36E

Poggio Antico also makes wine, and we chose a 2000 Brunello. I found out later that it got a 93 in Wine Spectator, so I guess we made a good choice.

Everything was wonderful! I particularly liked the liver pate course, and Bill thought the lamb course was outstanding. Was it pricey? Yes, but we would go back again in a minute.

We relaxed when we got back "home" and just had cheese and crackers from our fridge (and wine, of course) - sat outside overlooking the vineyards.

Another beautiful day in Paradise!

I am a few days late in posting my report on making this soup, but better late than never, right?

The soup choice this week went to Kaydee of The Trail's Our Thing and here is what she said about the recipe:

Slow Soupers #21: Gulaschsuppe

We really enjoy spending time in the area around Munich and Salzburg, and one of the reasons is this wonderful goulash soup. It seems to be on the menu of almost ever restaurant, and I envision it simmering in a big pot on the kitchen stove, each cook with their own variation of the recipe. This is usually all we need for lunch, along with a roll or piece of bread. For dinner it makes a great first course.

This recipe is from The New German Cookbook by Jean Anderson and Hedy Wurz. I've made the soup a couple of times from different recipes, and this one seems to be the best starting place.

Makes 6-8 servings.

Ingredients:

2 pounds boneless beef chuck, cut into bite-sized cubes (a little more doesn't hurt)
3 tablespooons butter
2 medium-size yellow onions, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 large garlic clove, peeled and minced
2 tablespoons Hungarian sweet rose paprika
1 teaspoon dried thyme
4 cups cold water
2 cups rich beef broth (homemade or canned)
2 medium-size potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-sized cubes
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Variations: You could add small strips of green pepper and/or a can of tomatoes. To make it spicier, add some red pepper flakes. This cookbook's recipe also has an option for green beans, but I don't remember ever seeing this. (And I've had a LOT of gulaschsuppe!)

About that Hungarian sweet paprika... I got mine at a gourmet food store. I found this discussion on the internet concerning the spice.

This recipe makes 6-8 servings. It is really better made the day before and reheated. (Skim the fat off the top before re-heating.)

Instructions:

- Brown the beef in two tablespoons of the butter in a large heavy kettle over high heat. Transfer the beef to a bowl using a slotted spoon.

- Add the rest of the butter to the kettle, then the onions (and green pepper if added), and saute for about five minutes. Add the garlic near the end.

- Return the beef tot he kettle, add the paprika and thyme, and cook together over moderate heat for 1-2 minutes, stirring often.

- Add the water and broth, bring to a boil, adjust the heat to simmer, cover and cook 45 minutes.

- Add the potatoes. Re-cover and simmer 45 minutes longer, until beef and potatoes are tender. Stir in the tomato paste, salt and pepper, heat through, and adjust the seasonings if neeeded.

I've had the soup made a few times with ground beef instead of the beef cubes, but all the recipes I've seen use the cubes of beef chuck or stew beef.

And although this sounds like a hearty winter soup, it is good all year long!

We had the soup for dinner tonight, and it was hearty and tasty. I think I would add less water next time to enhance the broth's flavor. I also may use partly hot paprika next time.

Thanks, Kathy - it was a good choice!

PS - Here is the second day photo - it looks a lot better, not nearly so greasy!

Saturday 5-27-06

We are off to Montepulciano today. Tried to follow the highway signs, but we made a lot of wrong turns, so it took awhile to get there. Found a free parking lot at the north edge of town (1 hour only) and walked thru town.

My friend's boss knows Italy well and really knows good food and wine! So, our goal was to visit another restaurant on his list, Ristorante Le Logge del Vignola. We did find it, but it was closed. Couldn't figure out why because we were there during their posted business hours. Oh well!

Instead, we sat outside at Pozzo di Pulcinella and had a nice lunch, with lots of people-watching.

It took us awhile to get back to Montalcino, but oh the beautiful countryside we saw!

Just snacked for dinner again. We are really comfortable in our little apartment!

Sunday 5-28-06

This was our last full day in Montalcino. We slept in, so we weren't ready to get going until almost noon. We had walked to Fattoria dei Barbi earlier in the week, but today we drove right down the road to the winery, one of the original producers of brunello in Tuscany.

We did a tasting of their wines and olive oils and tried to have lunch there on the terrace. Nope! We should have made reservations - they were fully booked.

The grounds were beautiful, though, so we enjoyed walking around and exploring.

We then headed up to Montalcino to find a bite to eat. Believe it or not, we are getting pretty good at finding our way around the area - we even picked the right exit off the roundabout to get back home. Lots of shops were closed because it was Sunday.

Sunday 5-28-06

This was the last night in our apartment, so you can guess where we had dinner. Yep, our old favorite right down the road, La Crocina. We had vowed to eat Bistecca Fiorentina while we were in Italy, so that is what we picked. They had a minimum cut of 30 oz, so we shared that with their really good French fries and a great tiramisu for dessert. Alvaro, our waiter, helped us pick a brunello to go with it - 2000 Montecarbello.

All I can say is yum!

Right in the same building as the restaurant was Piombaia, which was kind of a wine shop. Bill made friends with Vittorio there, so I thought a farewell photo was appropriate.

Another moving day - yuck!

But we stayed in our little apartment until about noon. We had decided to spend the last night before our flight in Rome instead of trying to get there from Tuscany on the train.

So, we drove back to Chiusi to return our rental car and take the train back to Rome. A train ride from hell! I had reserved seats (not in first class though), but the train was pretty full and two guys were sitting in our seats. They refused to move, and Bill couldn't find any conductor to change the situation.

Bill found an empty seat, but our luggage was still right inside the car that we had entered on (next to the bathroom, of course). I was afraid to just leave it there, and there was no room to put it anywhere else, so I stayed there during the entire trip to Rome. Lots of fun.

But we made it and went back to our favorite Hotel Diana to spend the night. Went up to the rooftop terrace, of course, to see our bartender friend, Marco.

Off to the airport in the morning - the last night in Italy is always sad . . .

Tuesday 5-30-06

Our plane left Rome on time for Chicago, and the flight was fine. There was a little bad weather as we landed in Chicago, but nothing terrible. After our two-hour layover in Chicago, we were a little bit late in boarding the plane. But, that is when the big wait began. Although there wasn't any rain at the Chicago airport, there apparently were bad weather warnings all around the area because they weren't letting ANY planes take off.

I am not kidding - we were in a line of at least 30 planes waiting patiently for permission to take off. And this lasted a couple of hours.

So, of course, when we got to San Francisco, we had missed our connecting flight to Palm Springs. We were put on a 7 a.m. flight, and then the question was: what good is it to get a hotel room at midnight if we were only going to get three or four hours sleep before we had to get back to the airport for our early morning flight? We decided not to do that and spent the night at the airport. You cannot imagine how different SFO looks in the middle of the night when it is completely deserted except for a few stragglers like us just waiting for morning to come. It was kind of surreal.

But, we probably wouldn't have slept anyway because we talked to our house/petsitter when we arrived in San Francisco to let him know that we wouldn't be getting home that night and learned that one of our goatboys had died while we were gone. He was sick when we left, but the vet had been by to see him several times to give him shots. I guess he took a bad turn one day, and the petsitter had the vet come over to put him down.

Then there was the dilemma of what to do with his remains. He was a pretty big goat (kind of like a pony), and it was going to cost a couple hundred dollars to have someone come and pick him up, so the petsitter got some guys to help him and dug a very big hole on our property to bury him in. I felt sorry for our petsitter, having to deal with that and make those decisions.

Wednesday 5-31-06

When the morning dawned at San Francisco Airport, we were first in line to check in for our flight back to Palm Springs. Arrived there at 9-something.

For those of you who have never flown into or out of Palm Springs, it is a nice, small, manageable airport. I love flying out of there rather than Ontario or (God forbid) LAX. It is really picturesque to fly into, especially on a clear day.

So, we were really glad to see the familiar landscape of the desert as we landed.

Even though it was a bittersweet homecoming, we were glad to be home. Italy was spectacular, though, and we have a lot of wonderful memories.

Ida (Vico Girl on Slow Travel) had the pleasure of choosing the last soup of the season. This is what she said:

Here's my recipe which I have been making since 1982. The recipe is from "The Best of Bon Appetit Cookbook" the 1982 edition. I love this soup...but I will warn you it is pretty rich. Hope you all like it.

Cream of Artichoke Soup

Makes 4 to 6 servings:

Ingredients:

3 T butter
4 T Minced Shallots
1.5 T Flour
3.5 C Chicken Stock
3 1-lb cans of Artichokes (drained)
1 C Half & Half (I have tried fat-free Half & Half and it was ok)
Salt & Pepper

Instructions:

Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat, allowing it to brown just lightly. Add shallots and saute briefly till softened. Stir in flour and cook 2 to 3 minutes.

Heat stock or chicken broth in a 2 qt. saucepan. Add flour mixture, stirring constantly. Cook over medium heat until slightly thickened, about 3 to 5 minutes.

Puree artichokes in food processor or blender. Add thickened chicken stock and Half & Half. Blend thoroughly, about 30 seconds.

Season with Salt & Pepper. Serve Hot or Cold. I serve it hot.

It can be made ahead, refrigerated, and reheated to serve.

When I shopped for the canned artichokes, I nearly backed out of making the soup at all because they were $4.50 a can! Luckily, I found some on sale for $2.99 a can, so that was a little bit better. This was our very last soup (for this year, anyway), so I wanted to follow thru and finish the soup series.

We had it for dinner, along with next week's salad with blood oranges. I like soup and salad dinners! Thanks, Ida - It was delicious!

I topped the soup with some tarragon sprigs. They tasted pretty good in the soup.

Like all of my Slow Souper compadres, I have really, really enjoyed participating in the soup-making series. I have learned a lot from the experience, and the camaraderie has been great! Now, on to the salads next Sunday!

Today marks the 10th anniversary of the Columbine shooting tragedy. I remember that day like it was yesterday - such a senseless atrocious thing to happen to young people with their whole lives ahead of them. Many similar tragedies have happened since then, but I still remember this one.

Wikipedia gives the details.

All of the programs on TV yesterday emphasized the Columbine survivors and how they have moved forward with their lives. I am really glad of that, and I hope with all my heart that it is true. Here is a story of a few of them: Columbine students strive 10 years after massacre.

I guess certain dates just strike a chord with us - April 20th is important to me because it is my birthday.

Stay tuned for tomorrow's episode - another much different April 20th remembrance.

Yesterday's post was about the Columbine tragedy that happened on April 20th 10 years ago. Today's post is about a different kind of April 20th - Santa Cruz 420, to be exact.

I have probably led a sheltered life because until about five years ago, I had never heard of the celebration that happened every 4/20 at 4:20 p.m. on campuses around the country (and the world). And this has been going on since the early 70's!

Here is Wikipedia's history of the event.

University of Colorado at Boulder has huge crowds every year - 10,000 last year, it was reported.

At the top of the Wikipedia page is this photo titled "Santa Cruz 4/20 celebration at Porter Meadow on UCSC campus in 2007".

It's funny they should show this particular photo for this particular year because that was the year I decided to attend! Yes, it was my 65th birthday, and I wanted to go to this infamous event at least once.

It was quite incredible, actually. I expected a couple hundred people walking down from the campus buildings into Porter Meadow. But the people kept coming and coming, like little ants from all over. I think it was something like 5,000 people there! All very orderly. Only one police officer spotted, just watching the crowd.

And promptly at 4:20 p.m., they all lit up. A huge cloud of smoke wafted over the meadow. We were kind of on the outskirts of the crowd and out of the smokey area. Being the oldest people there, no one offered to share any of their stash with us. Oh well!

It was truly amazing, and I am so glad to have gone.

Here is a report on yesterday's event in Santa Cruz. Although the school administration tried to put a damper on things, it seems to have gone on as usual. After all, it IS a tradition!

Continuing on from yesterday's post about Santa Cruz, today I want to talk about a Santa Cruz winery - Bonny Doon.

This is Randall Grahm, who started Bonny Doon in 1983. The Snooth.com website says:

Based in Santa Cruz, the heartland of New Age thinking and dreaming, Bonny Doon Vineyard has a not so surprising history of idealism and innovation. Founded in 1983 by Randall Grahm, Bonny Doon is known for strikingly original wines made from “lesser” known grape varieties, the so-called vinous Ugly Ducklings. Originally focused on pinot noir, Bonny Doon Vineyard made its mark on the vinous world with its pioneering work with Rhône varieties and innovative production techniques. Since the adoption of Biodynamic® farming practices in 2004, Bonny Doon Vineyard wines evince a deeper sense of place, complexity, varietal expression and a noticeable sense of organization.

An even better recap of Grahm's career with Bonny Doon is this article on TribLIVE website Here's an excerpt:

Creative label art and pun-laden wine names became synonymous with Grahm's unique brand of salesmanship and outsize humor. He never took himself too seriously, but he embraced any gambit to sell quality wines at good value.

The labels are indeed very creative! All kinds of colors and images. I would buy the wine just for the wonderful labels! Take a look at this row of bottles and all of the colorful labels:

And the wines are unusual - Rhone style, some with grapes you have probably never heard of. Personally, I like trying unusual types of wines

Another excerpt:

Grahm also earned a well-deserved reputation for irreverence toward the sacred cows of the uptight, pretentious wine establishment. With tongue planted firmly in cheek, he penned "Periodic Transmissions From the Mothership" in hilariously esoteric and satirical newsletters now collected on the Web site.

The Bonny Doon newsletters have always been witty and off-the-wall and absolutely hilarious. Take a look on their website for some examples.

I received a gift of two bottles of Bonny Doon wine recently - 2007 Ca' Del Solo Orange Muscat and 2005 Bonny Doon Syrah Le Pousseur. Both very tasty. And look at the beautiful labels:

PS - I had a comment from Cubbies, one of our Slow Travel members who told me that the New York Times had just published an article about Randall Grahm.

Like a lot of you, I started planning this 2009 trip to Italy the minute we returned from the last trip in 2006. In my head, of course, because I didn't dare tell Bill I was ready to travel again to the same country we had just returned from.

Bill is of the opinion that people should travel to places they haven't been before. I believe that, to a certain extent, but when there is a place that you completely fall in love with, you want to return there. And, besides, I wanted to go to a different region of Italy, so it WAS a new location for us.

And that different region was Piedmont! And the ultimate destination there was Baur Bed & Breakfast!

Photo by Karen Mickleson

Several of our Slow Travel bloggers have visited Baur B&B and written glowing reports - particularly Palma and Jerry. They raved so much that I knew we had to visit there. So, this became the centerpiece of our trip planning.

Baur B&B was planning huge renovations during 2009 and, originally, was not planning on opening to guests at all. But, lucky for us, the plans changed slightly, and they decided to open for late summer and early fall months. Our dates were in September, so the trip was ON! This was the first (and most important) reservation that we confirmed. Yeah!

After confirming our reservations at Baur Bed & Breakfast, the next task was to find airline flights. I had saved up points on my American Express card for several years, I now had enough points for us to fly business class to Milan. But, having the points and getting the reservations is (as we all know) two different things.

So, I haunted the Continental website (where I could book either Continental or Delta flights) well before the date where I could actually book a flight. I wanted to get a feel for what was available.

When you live on the West Coast, traveling to Europe is an all-day proposition. I am really envious of East Coast travelers who can make a quick trip to London or Paris or Rome for a weekend. How great that must be!

Anyway, my goal was to try to get flights from the West Coast with only one layover. AND I didn't want to fly out of LAX - Ontario is the closest major airport to where we live and much easier to get in and out of.

It turned out that the only itinerary with only one layover was on Delta from ONT to ATL and ATL to MXP. So, after checking every day (several times) for availability, I booked the tickets online. No confirmation, though, so I called Continental to see what the problem was. Long story short, it took several calls, but I got business class tickets on Delta for the outgoing flight but could only get coach seats on Continental on the way home.

That's OK, though, because on the way home, I don't care that much - the vacation is over and I will be depressed anyway, so we might as well sit in coach!

So, flights are booked - Leaving September 2nd and returning home September 22nd. I can't wait!

Now that airline flights are booked, other hotel reservations can be made. Here is the itinerary I have figured out:

9/2/09 - Fly ONT to MXP - Arrive on 9/3
9/3/09 - Two days in Milan before heading to Lake Como
9/5/09 - Four days in Lake Como
9/9/09 - Pick up car in Milan and drive to Torino for two days
9/11/09 - Drive to Acqui Terme for 10 days at Baur B&B
9/21/09 - Drive back to Milan to spend last night
9/22/09 - Fly home MXP - ONT

Milan

We haven't explored Milan before - just passed thru the train station on the way to Lake Como in 2006. So, we will take a couple of days to get over our jet-lag and check out the city.

I looked at a lot of hotels online and came up with Hotel Lancaster near Cadorna station. It is a smaller hotel (which I like) and near public transportation into the central part of the city, but only a 15-minute walk. 189E a night and it now seems to be completely booked for our dates, so I am glad I made an early reservation.

Lake Como

We loved Albergo Lenno when we visited Lake Como in 2006, so we decided to stay there again. It's located right behind the ferry station in Lenno, which is a nice quiet little town. We loved it there! 180E a night for a room with a balcony overlooking the lake.

Torino

We've never been to Torino either, so we are looking forward to our stay there. Several Slow Travel posters have raved about Hotel Victoria - I thought that was a good recommendation, so I booked two nights there. 190E a night plus 22E for parking (we are picking up a car at the Milan train station and driving to Torino).

Piedmont - Acqui Terme

Next, of course, is our 10-day stay at Baur Bed & Breakfast in Acqui Terme. We will drive there from Torino and will do daytrips to many of the surrounding towns. I am SO looking forward to that, especially Diana's out-of-this-world breakfasts!

Milan Again

Back to Milan again for our last night in Italy before flying home. I wanted to stay close to the airport to make sure we didn't miss our flight. I checked out several possibilities online and decided on First Hotel Malpensa. Got an online bargain rate of 99E, which I thought was great.

So, the lodging is all booked - on to other research!

Eden of Wanderings and Wonderings had the honor of choosing the first salad for our Sunday Salad Samplers group. She says she was inspired!

The salad that I made was inspired by Palma and Jerry's creation using blood oranges, so I could call this Palma and Jerry Salad... or Foraging the City because it involved my hunting for my main ingredient... Blood Oranges.

I did not have any recipes, so here goes what came to my mind -

Palma & Jerry Salad w/Blood Oranges

Ingredients:

Some greens - use your favorite or a combination of favorite greens

Blood Oranges - at least two or three if they are small

Berries - I used yellow and red raspberries when available

Dried Cranberries - because I had some and love them

Crumbled cheese - like Feta

Roasted candied pecans

Croutons, if you wish

Instructions:

Eden's really simple put together method:

(I found out that slicing the blood oranges and then peeling them with a knife going around the circumference of the slice was much easier than peeling and segmenting them. This will take the most time, so start with preparing the blood oranges.)

On your salad plate or your serving bowl, start with a bed of greens. continue by assembling the ingredients on top.

Just before serving, you can add the cheese and your favorite salad dressing. I had croutons on the side but no one used them.

I made the salad a few days ago. Bill provided the greens straight from his garden. Aren't they pretty?

Then came the berries - raspberries, blackberries, and dried cranberries. It looks like I kind of overdid the berries, so maybe a little less next time. I wish I had gotten some orange cranberries from Trader Joe's because they would have been perfect with this.

Then came the blood oranges, but they proved to be a little problem. I sliced them first as Eden suggested, but then when I tried to peel them, they wouldn't stay together and came apart in segments. So, my segmented blood oranges didn't look as pretty as they should have, but they still tasted good.

The rest of the ingredients are ready to go - avocado, a little Maui onion, toasted sliced almonds, gorgonzola cheese, and the blood oranges, of course.

It turned out to be a beautiful and colorful salad, and delicious too. This one is a keeper!

A group of us on Slow Travel are doing monthly cheesemaking, and this was the March assignment. So, I am doing double cheese duty this week because our April assignment is on Wednesday! But, just like you can't be too thin or too rich, there is no such thing as too much cheese!

30-Minute Mozzarella
from Home Cheese Making by Ricki Carroll

Yield: 3/4 to 1 pound.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 level teaspoons citric acid dissolved in 1/2 cup cool water
1 gallon pasturized whole milk
1/8 - 1/4 teaspoon lipase powder,dissolved in 1/4 cup cool water and allowed to sit for 20 minutes, for a stronger flavor, optional
1/4 teaspoon liquid rennet(or 1/4 rennet tablet) diluted in 1/4 cup cool, unchlorinated water
1 teaspoon cheese salt(optional)

Instructions:

1. While stirring add the citric acid solution to the milk at 55 degrees F and mix thoroughly. (If using lipase, add it now.)
Note: You may use skim milk, but the yield will be lower and the cheese will be drier.If you use lipase, you may have to add a bit more rennet, as lipase makes the cheese softer.

2. Heat the milk to 90 degrees F over medium/low heat. (The milk will start to curdle.)

3. Gently stir in the diluted rennet with an up and down motion, while heating the milk to between 100-105 degrees. Turn off the heat. The curds should be pulling away from the sides of the pot; they are ready to scoop out (approximately 3 to 5 munutes for this.)

4. The curds will look like thick yogurt and have a bit of a shine to them, and the whey will be clear. If the whey is still milky white, wait a few more minutes.

5. Scoop out the curds with a slotted spoon and put into a 2-quart microwavable bowl. Press the curds gently with your hands, pouring off as much whey as possible. Reserve the whey.

6. Microwave the curds on HIGH for 1 minute. Drain off all excess whey. Gently fold the cheese over and over (as in kneading bread) with your hand or spoon. This distributes the heat evenly throughout the cheese, which will not stretch until it is too hot to touch (145 degrees inside the curd).

7. Microwave two more times for 35 seconds each; add salt to taste after the second time. After each heating, knead again to distribute the heat.

8. Knead quickly until it is smooth and elastic. When the cheese stretches like taffy, it is done. If the curds break instead of stretch, they are too cool and need to be reheated.

9. When the cheese is smooth and shiny, roll it into small balls and eat while warm. Or place them in a bowl of ice water for 1/2 hour to bring the inside temperature down rapidly; this will produce a consistent smooth texture throughout the cheese. Although best eaten fresh, if you must wait, cover and store in the refrigerator.

My first try at making cheese was not too successful. The cheese didn't ever firm enough to form it into a mozzarella ball. It had more the consistency of ricotta, which the book said could be because the milk I used was not the right kind.

Although it didn't turn out as expected, we did enjoy the mozzarella (aka ricotta) cheese on pizza with pesto, grilled chicken, halved cherry tomatoes, and cashews on a Boboli thin crust (no, I wasn't ambitious enough to make my own crust).

Yesterday I wrote about our cheesemaking group on Slow Travel and said "there is no such thing as too much cheese". We will find out if that is true in September when we are in Piedmont.

On the last weekend of our stay at Baur Bed & Breakfast, a bi-annual event is being held in the nearby town of Bra, the Slow Food CHEESE! festival.

I haven't found the schedule for the 2009 event yet, but here is lots of information for the last CHEESE! festival in 2007.

Wikipedia has a page on the Slow Food movement and its history.

Here are some photos from the brochure for the 2007 event:

This was the second monthly cheese made by our little Slow Travel cheesemaking group. It turned out to be pretty easy - so easy even a rookie cheesemaker (like me) could make it.

Now my biggest problem is which recipe to choose for my very first ricotta! I am thinking of just adding some fresh herbs and eating it au natural.

Whole-Milk Ricotta

Yield: 1 1/2 - 2 pounds.

Ingredients:

1 gallon whole milk
1 teaspoon citric acid dissolved in 1/4 cup cool water
1 teaspoon cheese salt (optional)
1-2 tablespoons heavy cream (optional)

Instructions:

1. Add the citric acid solution and salt into the milk and mix thoroughly.

2. In a large pot, directly heat the milk to 185 to 195 degress F (do not boil). Stir often to prevent scorching.

3. As soon as the curds and whey separate (make sure there is no milky whey), turn off the heat. Allow to set, undisturbed, for 10 minutes.

4. Line a colander with butter muslin. Carefully ladle the curds into the colander. Tie the corners of the muslin into a knot and hang the bag to drain for 20-30 minutes, or until the cheese has reached the desired consistency. The cheese is ready to eat immediately. For a creamier consistency, add the cream at the end and mix thoroughly.

5. Store in a covered container in the refrigerator for 1-2 weeks.

I am starting to sound like a broken record - off to Paso Robles to have another yard sale and clean out my folks' house.

But, there is light at the end of the tunnel because this time we are going to finally sell the furniture and completely clear out the house so we can paint and put it up for sale.

Hopefully, the car will sell too.

My sister and I have been at this for several years - our Mom died in August 2005 and our Dad a year later. So, we are anxious to finish the project, but we are sad too because it is truly the end of an era.

I hope to be able to blog from there, but if I don't, I will check in when I get home next Tuesday.