Savoring Idaho

Savor Idaho 2012

Boy, this girl loves food! And wine! I wish I could convey my passion for these things to every person I meet. Not surprisingly, I love nothing more than watching what happens when Foodies unite! Unless it's watching Wine Lovers unite. Luckily I had a wonderful opportunity to see both this past weekend at Savor Idaho, Idaho's Premiere Wine and Food Event.

  In its fourth year, and held at the beautiful Idaho Botanical Garden, Savor Idaho is put on by the Idaho Grape Growers and the Wine Producers Commission. The event allows consumers a wonderful opportunity to "savor" the best of Idaho wines and local foods. This year's event featured twenty eight wineries and seventeen restaurants or catering companies, all with plenty of delicious samples.


It turns out that as part of my wonderful life, I am blessed to know some wonderful Idaho winemakers who were kind enough to ask me to help pour some of their award winning wine at this great event. I met these fun folks (who rock climb all over the world when they're not making wine) a few years ago when I wrote a magazine article about their winery. So pour I did - for 900 plus vino lovers over the course of the afternoon. It was so much fun to be able to chat with enthusiastic people about such extraordinary wines. Next time... I'm pretty sure... I won't wear high heels.

ICW's Winemaker Mike McClure

Indian Creek Winery is well known for being the only winery in the Snake River Valley Appellation that's been consistently growing and producing Pinot Noir since the 1980's. Their 2008 Pinot Noir has won medals (beating out many of Oregon's famous Pinot Noirs) in the Northwest Region and their 2010 White Pinot Noir is equally as popular with the wine lovers. We also poured Indian Creek Winery's 2011 Pinot Noir Dry Rose. It is ... frankly, my new favorite summer wine.

If you're a food and wine lover and you like to spend lovely afternoons in a phenomenal garden, I highly recommend trying to get a ticket for next year's event. Meanwhile, if you're interested in finding out more about Idaho's Wine Country I would suggest getting your feet wet by taking a tour of some of our great local vineyards and wineries. Whether you're visiting the area - or if you perhaps didn't know that there was wine country thirty miles from your front door - I know you'll enjoy getting out and meeting some wonderful people who take wine making seriously. My friend George at Idaho Winery Tours would love to show you around.

Who knows, you may even see me out there. I'll be the girl with the big smile and the glass of wine who wants to talk  to you about what you've been eating.

Lost And Found

Boy, life can get overwhelming can't it? It turns out that life can suck the exuberance right out of a girl leaving a gaping hole that is then filled with a fairly blankety blank attitude, along with a fine mist of sarcasm. Not that life is bad, or has been bad, just... as I mentioned... a bit overwhelming.

Picture yourself in a job where you really aren't doing what you're meant to be doing. Somewhere where you (perhaps) hyperventilate all day. You go there, because for a brief period of time you forget that you have choices in life.

Finally, you release yourself from the situation in order to not die and wait for the expected results. You know, as in...breathing again and well, living. They don't come. You continue to wait, babying yourself along with plenty of rest and some nice self talk about how you're going to reclaim your life and your aforementioned Exuberance with a capital E. Still... nothing. Confusion sets in. Really? You expected to feel better the moment you walked out of the stressful place that did not feed your soul because it was too busy sucking it out. Did I mention the possibility of being covered by a fine mist of sarcasm?

Finally, after you've actually acknowledged that something might be seriously wrong with you, the breathing finally kicks in, the babying begins to take effect and you are on your way back to your former exuberant state.  You take some pretty pictures, you read some good books, you cook some delicious food, you tell someone a clever story that gets a laugh. And you hit your yoga mat and breathe like you've never breathed before, gasping a bit with thankfulness that you are beginning to feel like yourself again. And... finally... you write.

Foodies Unite!

I love food! A certain amount of my time has been dedicated to talking and writing about food and what it means to me. These conversations are sure to take place when I am with members of my family or fellow foodies. Posting observations or obsessions about what I am cooking or craving on any given day, or what yummy, fresh ingredient I picked up at the market or picked from the garden, has become the norm. I'm always amazed at the number of people who respond to these food posts. It seems a lot of my friends are food and/or wine lovers. I love that! I do! Thinking about it makes me happy... and, actually, a wee bit hungry.

Recently I made some new friends who love food as much as I do. Their kitchen is definitely the heart of their home, and when I'm there, which is often, everything seems to revolve around what we are cooking. Time spent with them looks a little like this. Cook, eat, share a bottle of wine, talk, go to bed, get up, drink coffee, make breakfast together, eat, drink, talk about what we will cook next, discuss who gets the hammock, take a nap and then cook again and eat some more. It doesn't get much better than that.

I realized recently that the creative energy that is present in this relationship is what stimulates our appetites and is also a huge part of our fondness for each other. When inspired,foodie types get together you can expect some excellent meals, inventive new recipe ideas and stunning food photos. This creative energy is what happens when "Foodies Unite."

Great Expectations

I love making new friends! Meeting people and getting to know them, in most cases, is a joy and a delight. I find it interesting that fellow artists and gardeners and other creative types come practically knocking on my door on a regular basis. Amongst my newest group of friends that I have become acquainted with in recent months are a book editor, an attorney, a photographer, a couple of graphic artists, a chef, and ... wait for it.... a lovely fellow who leads wine tours. I'm not sure what I've done to deserve these new friends, but I am grateful to have them anyway.

My new friend, whom I call George, because ... well, that's his name ... was kind enough to take me on a winery tour this past weekend. What great fun we had! We are blessed to live in a region of the country that is making some wonderful wine. I've had the privilege of writing about Idaho wine in the past, and am constantly amazed at the talent of some of the local winemakers. Wine lovers are starting to realize that Idaho has a growing region like no other. Idaho wines are winning awards and the region has officially become more recognizable since 2007 when the Snake River Valley was named Idaho's first appellation. I truly expect great things to happen in the future of Idaho wine making.

Winemaker Ron Bitner of Bitner Vineyards and George Condit from Idaho Winery Tours

We had a wonderful day. The winery tour included about ten local wineries where in most cases, we had a few samples and some nice conversation with the winery folks. We also had a wonderful lunch at The Orchard House, a quaint and charming restaurant located in the heart of Idaho wine country. They serve excellent food with a smile, and lunch with them is always included on a winery tour with George.

Sherri McCoy and Kris Thompson of The Orchard House

If you've never had the pleasure of drinking Idaho wines, or you are looking to expand your experience, a tour with Idaho Winery Tours is a recommended way to try a variety of wines with friends, without worrying about who gets to be the designated driver. It's also a wonderful opportunity for photographers. The Idaho wine country is lovely and a great place to break out the camera.

Who knows? You might even make some new friends...

A Bibliophile's Delight

I learned to read when I was four, and have had my nose in a book ever since. I rarely read these days for simple enjoyment. I usually read to learn something new or reinforce something I thought I already knew. But, I enjoy research immensely, so technically I am reading for enjoyment. As a child if I asked my parents a question about...well, anything...I was told to "go look it up." Our house was a bit like a library in that there were a lot of encyclopedias and other reference books available. We read them for fun because we didn't have a television. I still cite the Merriam-Webster Dictionary and the World Book Encyclopedia as two of my favorite books. I also enjoy gardening reference books where I can look up the Latin names of plants. For some reason this gives me a special thrill, as does reading cookbooks...

When I read a book I attempt to absorb every word. For a long time I didn't realize that everyone else doesn't read the entire book. I'm talking the inside of the book jacket, the copyright page, the address of the publisher...everything.

I made my weekly trip to the library yesterday and wanted to share my reading list with you. I'm not necessarily recommending these books, because I haven't read them yet, but this is what I picked up.

A Short History of the Honey Bee
Humans, Flowers, and Bees in the Eternal Chase for Honey
by E. Readicker-Henderson
Also on my reading list:
An Omelette and a Glass of Wine by Elizabeth David
In Search of Bacchus-Wanderings in the Wonderful World of Wine Tourism by George M. Taber
South Wind Through the Kitchen by Elizabeth David

Let Them Eat Soup!

Yesterday had all the classic makings of a "pot of soup day." First of all it was Sunday. Also, it was downright chilly outside.... My friends, whom I fondly refer to as the Baron and Baroness had agreed to eat my proposed pot of soup if I made it. So I did, and it was a joyful thing. Making a pot of soup is like therapy, not that I need any therapy...

The rhythmic chopping of the vegetables becomes a relaxing thing, and is somehow soothing. I stand over the pot in order to peer at it just one more time. It's like watching a baby sleeping in its crib. It's that satisfying. It's also a great diversion from researching the article I was supposed to be working on. Sometimes we need diversions.

So I made this soup. It turned out good considering I didn't have a recipe. There used to be a recipe and a name to this soup. Somewhere it is scribbled on a brown paper lunch sack, given to me by a friend who somehow wrangled it out of the deli/lunch counter where it was originally made. I have no idea where the recipe has landed so I did what I do most days when I am in the kitchen...I winged it, or if you prefer, I adapted it. Soup is perhaps the easiest possible food to adapt a recipe for. It's not like adapting a cake recipe. That's just asking for trouble...

So, it was a lovely soup made with Italian sausage, potatoes, carrots, and red beans, white beans in a beautiful broth flavored with some fresh sage and thyme from the garden. It would fall into the category of hearty Tuscan-style soup.

It turned out pretty good. The Baroness made a loaf of homemade bread to go with it. That turned out quite well too. We all liked it. I believe the Baron even went back for seconds...