The Joy of Baking-Part 1 (and Ganache Cookie Recipe)
Baking teaches patience, and that I must follow a process to achieve a specific result. And while there is an instant gratification component to it, no matter how much I perfect my baking skills, there are still variables which I can’t always control.
read moreLunch at The Enchantment Resort- an enchanting experience indeed
A sumptuous late lunch at the aptly named The Enchantment Resort in Sedona, Arizona and recipe for Slow Braised Short Ribs.
read moreArizona Wine Country- Who Knew?
After our Botanical Garden tour, it's back on the van for us, and we're headed to (yes, from the "who knew?" department!) the Arizona wine country, with a stop at a resort in Sedona for lunch. Some of our group is missing this morning- it was a very long day yesterday, and a very early morning. The Gardens were pleasant- quiet and densely packed with beautiful and exotic plants, although our guide, Emi, was a bit too perky for me so early in the morning. Okay, honestly- it's probably better if I'm left alone early in the morning, and maybe others should be warned to stay away. Emi told us that at a certain point, we'd stop seeing the saguaros, and we'd know we had passed the frost line. Frost line- that's right. Our guides through the wine country told us that, generally, the first thought people have about growing wine grapes in Arizona is that it's too hot, but the truth is, it's frost that poses potential problems. We're headed onto Highway 17 towards Flagstaff, and the high desert area. I keep an eye on the scene passing us, watching for the change in topography. So far, it's a pretty uninteresting landscape on the highway outside the van's window-fast food outlets, cheap motels, industrial parks. So I turn to poring over the wineries' press kits. About half an hour later, I look up to see that the landscape has changed somewhat. It's no longer the suburban, industrial scene- now we are on a two lane highway, a slightly mountainous road, but still lined with rocks and saguaros. 9:25 A.M.-another 40 minutes are so, and there are no more saguaros. It looks like an inland California highway now, with scrubby, mountainous brush. I estimate that we are about halfway there. By 9:45 the roads are beginning to take on a reddish tinge here and there, and we're approaching Fort Verde State Park. After a little initial confusion on the part of our driver, we exit on to a blue highway towards Cottonville, AZ, ending at our first stop, Page Springs Cellars in Cornville, AZ. Corey Turnbull, Page Springs Cellars' assistant winemaker, leads us from the tasting room, into the vineyards, and barrel cellars. The grapes are grown using sustainable and biodynamic practices, although not certified organic because of the burdensome process of being certified- something I hear a lot- on this trip, and back home from local farmers with whom I shop. The vineyards are situated along Oak Creek, a fact I learned when I returned home. I had been told to be sure to see Oak Creek when I made it to Sedona, but The Enchantment Resort where we had lunch in Sedona was situated in Boynton Canyon, not Oak Creek Canyon, so I was happy to learn I had, in fact, seen a part of it. The Page Springs Cellars wines all strive to express Arizona terroir, we're told, and use Rhone varietal grapes grown in Arizona- Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre, Petit Syrah– to produce food friendly wines. Corey Turnbull leading us through the vineyards Deck outside the tasting room with Oak Creek in the background Craig, the winery's PR rep, tells us more than once that these next two wineries on our tour, are the brainchild...
read moreCreate a Cool Cocktail for Your Party- My Best Sangria
This tasty Sangria is an addictive cool drink for the summer heat
read moreStarting off with an Early Morning Tour of the Desert Botanical Garden
An early morning visit to Phoenix’s Desert Botanical Garden
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