Already Daydreaming About Wine Country

You can't visit northern California and not spend at least one day in wine country!

Fortunately, Michael's good friend "Schieffer" works just north of Napa at a family-owned winery in Rutherford named Honig.  We've heard great things about this winery and are really looking forward to the V.I.P. tour and tasting.

Also, Ming-Cee and Pat will be getting married in Sonoma next May and so we must to stop by the wedding location at Larson Family Winery.  Michael and I haven't seen the place yet and it's our duty to taste the wine before the wedding, right?

And if we have time, we'd love to stop by Schramsberg again.  Our good friends Jen and Drew went wine tasting with us a couple years ago and this was my favorite.  Mmmm... sipping sparkling wine in the summertime is so refreshing and fun!  Can't wait!

Already Daydreaming About Mount Diablo

Mount Diablo State Park is another East Bay gem that I'd love to show Mom and Dad Merschat (and Michael) next week.  Although the air quality most days isn't clear enough (especially in the summer), Mt. Diablo has one of the largest viewsheds in the Western United States so you can see the Golden Gate on one side and the Sierra Nevadas on the other side.  Plus it's a short trip from our house and the drive or hike up the mountain is always fun to do.

One of the things I truly miss about California is the Valley Oak.  I love the way they speckle the hillsides and there definitely isn't a shortage of my favorite trees on Mt. Diablo.

If you want to see some great sunset photos and pictures of flora and fauna on Mt. Diablo, check out this guy's Flikr page.

I grew up thinking Mt. Diablo meant Devil's Mountain because it turns a deep red when the sun sets (that makes sense, right?).  But according to the Save Mt. Diablo website, I was mistaken:

Like many other isolated peaks, Mount Diablo is steeped in lore -- much of it involving the mountain's name. The reference to "diablo" or devil can be traced back to 1805, when Spanish military troops searched for runaway mission Indians. At a willow thicket near present-day Buchanan Field in Concord, the soldiers encountered a camp of Chupcan people and surrounded it. During that night, the Indians escaped unseen and unheard.

Angry and confused, the Spanish called the site, "Monte del Diablo", or "Thicket of the Devil". Later, English-speaking newcomers mistakenly assumed the word "monte" meant "mountain" and applied the title to the prominent nearby peak. A linguistic accident thus gave California its Devil Mountain.

Hmmm... so interesting!

Already Daydreaming About Tide Pools

One of my favorite field trips in elementary school was to the tide pools down near Half Moon Bay.  I hope we have enough time to take Mom and Dad Merschat (and Michael) to Fitzgerald Marine Reserve during low tide one day so they can explore all the neat anemones, urchins, crabs, star fish, and all the other neat things in the crevices of the rocky pools.

As the famous author and bay area resident John Steinbeck wrote in the The Log from the Sea of Cortez:
"It is advisable to look from the tide pool to the stars and then back to the tide pool again."

I think that really captures the beauty, diversity and intrinsic fascination people get when they walk along the tide pools.  I can't wait for vacation!!!

Already Daydreaming About Yosemite

At this time next week, we'll be on our way to Yosemite as part of our first (and I hope not our last) Farrell/Merschat joint family vacation!

Mom and Dad Merschat will be flying out Wednesday to stay with Mom and Dad Farrell and we'll be showing them San Francisco, Yosemite and Napa... with a smattering of other bay area points of interest.  Plus, Ming-Cee and Pat will be home for Father's Day too!!  Full House!

What I'm really excited about is the report of peak waterfall flows due to the snowmelt that started last week and will continue through July!  The waterfalls can be pretty dry by late June so we are very fortunate to have the snow cooperate with our vacation this year!

If you haven't noticed, I can't wait for vacation... but in the mean time, there's a lot of work to get done before I take off for a week.  Back to reality...

Quick and Easy Stuffed Pear in Puff Pastry

This is really quick and easy to make with ingredients you already have in your kitchen - that's why I decided to try it and it was SO worth it.

So here was the situation:
- Accidentally bought puff pastry 6 months ago and it's just been sitting in the freezer
- Forgot about the two pears in the crisper drawer from 2 weeks ago
- Needed to make dessert because our friend Steve was coming over for dinner and to watch Tennessee Rugby 7s

A google search later, I found this Greek recipe for Ahlathia me Sfoliata and it sounded delicious, quick and easy - Perfect!

INGREDIENTS
2 pre-cut 4 to 6 inch circles of puff pastry (or 1 sheet of frozen puff pastry) defrosted
1 pear
1 tablespoon of raisins (about 20-22 raisins)
1 tablespoon of brown sugar
1 tablespoon of melted butter
tiny amount (tip of a teaspoon) of ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon of brandy (we used burbon because that's what we had)
1/2 teaspoon of granulated sugar

DIRECTIONS
If using a sheet of puff pastry, unfold when fully defrosted to room temperature (about 20-30 mins), and cut two 4-to-6 inch circles out of the pastry using a bowl (or other tool) as a guide. The size of the circles isn't important - they just need to be large enough to leave a little rim of dough around the pear.

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).

Combine raisins, brown sugar, cinnamon, brandy, and melted butter in a small bowl and mix to combine completely until the liquid is fully absorbed. The filling will be moist and stick together nicely.

Peel pears and cut in half, lengthwise. Scoop out hard core and seeds, and fill the cavities with the filling. Pat filling in, and place each pear half on top of a pastry circle, centered, filling side down.

Score the tops of the pear halves in several places (to prevent their breaking open during baking), and, optionally, cut the edges of the pastry that extend out from the bottom for a decorative touch.  (You can use a knife or scissors to make little cuts into the pastry all the way around the pear).

Sprinkle a little granulated sugar over the top and bake on an ungreased cookie sheet at 350°F (175°C) for 15-25 minutes, until pastry is nicely browned (baking time will depend on individual ovens). The pastry will puff up (hence, the name) around the pear.

Serve immediately with vanilla ice cream and you won't regret it!

Our Balcony Garden: June Update

It's been about a month since we started our little balcony garden so I thought it was time for a little update!  The big experiment was the homemade, all-recycled materials self-irrigated planters for the tomatoes.  

BEFORE

AFTER

WOW!  Yes, I would call that a success!  The great thing about these DIY planters is that they don't dry out in between waterings.  The real test is the taste test... so I hope these babies spit out some delicious tomatoes.

Unfortunately, we lost our cucumber plant.  I was a little over zealous in my homemade organic aphid spray and killed the plant faster than the aphids did.  Oh well.  The zuchinni is doing fabulous and we even have a little baby squash popping out!

Another first time plant was the malabar spinach.  As you can see, it's doing really well ever since the summer heat started.  The vine grows a couple inches each day.  It's amazing!

We got our first batch of rasberries this week!  Delicious with vanilla ice cream... mmmmm...

Our herb jar is doing surprisingly well too!  The only thing struggling is the tarragon and we LOVE the eucalyptus herb.

Just look at the beautiful color in the leaves and the wonderful eucalyptus fragrance... one of my new favorites!

The lavender did better this year than last year and we've already seen lots of honey bees and hummingbirds take advantage of the pretty purple blossoms!

The strawberries are doing ok.  I think it may be too early to tell - this is another first-year experiment plant.  At least they're flowering - that's good, right?

And last but not least, our Big Mama aloe has been moved outside and has been re-potted.  She gave us five baby aloes this spring so let's hope for a few more baby aloes by the end of fall.

And that's it for now.  Let's hope the next garden update post is the taste test!

Truffle Tremor - A New Favorite

We were first introduced to Cypress Grove cheese when we feel in love with Humbolt Fog a few years ago.  It's always our go-to cheese for parties or potlucks because everyone loves it.  Over the years, we've also tried Purple Haze and just their regular chevre logs but Humbolt Fog has always been our favorite... but now there's competition!

So yesterday, we were checking out the new Whole Foods right across the street from Michael's office and as I was perusing the cheeses, the Truffle Tremor caught my eye.  We definitely spoiled our dinner last night... and it was worth it!  If you like creamy goat cheese with a light truffle flavor, you must try this cheese.  You won't regret it.