Who Speaks Wine III

Un Toast! It's a joy to share a bottle of good wine with those who enjoy and appreciate it.

Cousins came over for our crawfish party on Saturday (5/29/10). My boy cousins enjoy drinking wines -- not that we know anything about them -- so I opened a 1981 French red along with two Californian so we can sample. The old French stole the show of course.

Can't remember how I ended up with it but it has been on the rack for a while. A quick google search revealed nothing. But what the heck, it's a 1981, pretty impressive enough for sake of conversation. Just think I haven't even graduated from high school in 1981. It was a life time ago.

How does it smell? How does it taste? The first pop released Gennie from the bottle after a long 30 years.... The aroma was wonderful but it tasted a little sour and bland at first. Let it breathe, I said, trying to sound like I knew what I was saying. And yes, the flavor did develop later. It became fuller and more layered. Like all good things, it takes time... Heck! how would you feel after being cooped up for almost 30 years?

Of course, we did the woos and ahhs as usual.

Talk about woos and ahhs... I have this bias about California wine. Somehow it has more wows and the ahhs than any other wines. To me, California wine is exciting and powerful from the first pop. (Is that speaking wine?) Who has time to wait it out???

Regardless where the wine is from, the important thing is sharing the moment with the ones you cherish. That's what it counts. Cheers to all!

Goodwill Hunting - II

AWESOME FINDS EVERYWHERE! The strange thing is I always find exactly what I'm looking for.

Perk Perk Away. I love coffee percolators. The sound of coffee perking along with coffee aroma building up are what we wake up to in the mornings. Do you know that coffee percolators are very sturdy appliances? Our house has probably only gone through two since my teenage years. The one we have now is almost 10 years old. Although it still perks away, I have been thinking of buying another one as a backup - JUST IN CASE. I figure I'll wait for the 20% off Bed and Beyond coupon. But, HA! Guess what I found last weekend? Yes, a almost brand new shiny percolator for $12.99 and it was still in its original box. Best of all: made in the USA! A hand written date on the warranty card showed that this baby was originally purchased in 1996. Wow, history too!

Look at Me!! As I happily toted the percolator around the store, I spotted another neato thing that RK has been looking for. A compact meat slicer in a box that looked like from the late 80s or early 90s. RK and I gave it a good look over: hmmm... dirty for sure, but all parts there... the blade still sharp... made in Germany, and most importantly, YES, it still works!! For $5.99, what's there to lose?

So both of us got our toys for the week. I cleaned up my percolator and it was beautiful. RK's meat slicer looked perfectly brand new after a good wash and it worked flawlessly.

Yes, Goodwill is a good place for treasure hunting. You find all sorts of stuff. How about a brand new Le Creuset Square Grill Pan for $9.99??? I just saw one in the store the other day for $90.00. I'm still scratching my head why a brand new top of the line cookware would be tucked away in bunch of old pots and pans. But, who is complaining?

Happy hunting, people!

A Chunk of 2010 is Gone

Ugh!  Can't believe it's April 30th.  1/3 of 2010 will soon be history.  Where did the time go?  Seems like everyone I know agrees that time flies and no one can explain why or how.

What's memorable in the first 1/3 of the year?  Rain.  It seems that it is has been raining forever.  Not  heavy rain but enough to keep the umbrella at hand -- since November 2009.  Oh well, we do need the water, so really can't complain.  But, for God sake, it's spring.  Why do we still have our coats, hats, scarves and boots?

It's has been fairely quiet.  All things considered, it's not a bad thing at all.  Let's keep it this way.

Goodwill Hunting

RK and I love checking out thrift shops on weekends - Goodwill in particular because they are quite a few around.

I like browsing in Goodwill because everything in the store has a story to tell. Whether it is a piece of clothing or a pair of shoes, you wonder whom have them belonged to... Were they worn to parties? To work? To school? What happened to their owners? Sometime I see a set of nice silverwares and can't help but to wonder what meals did they serve? Was happy time had by all?

Cool stuff can be found all over, you just have to have good eyes to spot them among the clutter and the dust. Remember the almost brand new all-clad frying pan I found in the pile of old pots and pans? I wondered if the person who tried frying egg in that all-clad pan has ever become good at it. That must have been an expensive experience...

It's a fun game of matching. Different things found in different stores on different days work perfectly together. Check out my tea cup set and the tray. How about the espresso maker and the milk frother? Just perfect!

Look at some of the other stuff I have found. Aren't they pretty? Most importantly, I'm giving them new stories to tell.

I found Riedel wine glasses in two different Goodwill stores. One set I got for $1.99/each and another for $2.99/each. The cool looking wine opener was brand new in a box tucked away in the back of one Goodwill. It was from Finland and it took me a while to figure out how to operate. It's much better than the Rabbit Ear. I swear!

This french press was in a box with two double layer coffee mugs. One shattered and the only perfect. I took them home and they live happily ever after.

I almost screamed when I saw this cake holder on one visit. I have been looking for one but I wasn't about to pay $25 for it at Williams-Sonoma. I got it for $2.99 and it was in perfect condition. Can't understand why people would throw it away? Don't they need it for cakes, muffins, cookies, bread.... Hello??

Found my beautiful enameled corianders at two different Goodwll. With good cleaning, they were as good as new.
How about my Japanese coffee cup and saucers? One and only!

Go goodwill hunting once in a while. Open your eyes and your heart and you will discover.

Simple Pleasure

Eggs, sugar and milk. Combine them and you get FLAN, a crowd pleaser.

I have a no-fail recipe for flan. OK... I did have to practice caramelizing the sugar and perfecting the baking time... As long as you have the 3 magic ingredients, you can make this awesome yummy dessert any time.

I posted some pictures of the flan I made last night on Facebook and it was a hit. Instead of me making it for everyone, I'll share the recipe with you (yes, you who read my blog).

Flan (Caramelized Custard)

• Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees
• 8-9 custard cups
• Caramelize sugar by melting 1/2 cup sugar in a sauce pan. (you will need to practice this step. You may end up burning it in the beginning.)
• Spoon into center of the custard cups
• Whisk 2 egg yolks and 3 whole eggs
• Add 1/2 cup sugar and 1/8 tsp salt
• Slowly pour in 3 cups hot milk and 2 tsp vanilla (make sure the milk is not super hot or you may end up scrambling the eggs)
• Divide it evenly among the custard cups (you may want to use a fine sieve to catch the foam and solids)
• Fill a roasting pan with 1 to 2 inch water
• Place custard cups in the pan (Check water level. It should cover half way up the cups)
• Bake for about 40-45 minutes or until custard is set
• Take out from pan and let cool
• Cover and chill
• To serve: Run a toothpick around the rim to loosen the custard; place a plate over cup and invert.

Voila! You have FLAN. Enjoy, people. :)