Wednesday, October 31, 2012

OCTOBER

  HAPPY HALLOWEEN

I have started up again.

It is fall here, with ice on the birdbath in the morning. Still is was a sunny day.
Until the freeze this last weekend, the Côte D'Or was living up to its golden reputation. It was splendid.
Cabotte de Couchey

Golden Vines- church tower of Fixey


The grape harvest this year, I am sure you have been waiting for this news ;). It was a strange season, with lots of rain early in the season, then dry dry dry. Here locally, it was said that the grapes were sweet, but not a lot of juice. Also locally (on the Côte de Nuit), many vignerons lost about half of their crop (grapes dried up on the vines). So for those vignerons who sort the grapes carefully, the wine should be good, the the price high since there will be a very limited quantity. More later on the subject at the end of November when the first reports start to arrive.

Been in the woods walking and gathering mushrooms. Trying to learn a little about mushrooms, but it is a vast subject. Starting with the basics. A person in my Flora and Fauna group has been a member of the mycology group in Dijon for 15 years, and is leading us on a few forays and helping to identify our finds.
What a collection!

Did not adjust the color...I will have to ask MT if they were any good

Also for the Flora and Fauna group, we took a great hike near Fleurey-sur-Ouche. Wrote up the report of this hike ( well actually MT wrote up the report, I added photos), however it is in French. If you want to look anyway at the photos, here is the connection.
Sentier de Fleurey: HERE     You have to scroll down, first page is blank for whatever reason!!

Our english friend came for a visit. As usual, we tasted some wine. She drives from england via the ferry of course, so she can take wine back for herself and friends. There was an exhibit in Nuits Saint Georges about the scents found in white and red wines. So we tried our noses out, just like everyone else.
Put your nose up to the opening and smell...umm red fruit, very fragrant

We went our for dinner our last night, at a little restaurant not too far, and I ordered the Lasagna Coq au Vin...oh my, it was wonderful. It had the pasta, with the Coq au Vin chicken in between and then the reduce (and thick) sauce all around. Was it ever good.
It was a delightful evening out.
Also while she was here, it was the fall concert time. Each fall we have the "Musique of Chambertin", several concerts in the villages around Gevrey. We went to a brass band concert. It was in a small church, and luckily we were in the front ( I was told the sound got lost at the back of the church). It was superb. Have to work on re-creating that one.

While walking around with Chris, also did some window shopping. Just thought I would toss in these photos.
Sweet tooth??

Or more a cheese person?
Keith and I did get away, just the two of us. We visited a friend of Keith's, former colleague from the bike tours. He lives in the north west region of Italy, Piedmont. What a beautiful place! We needed that little get away.
View from the bedroom 

One of the neighboring hill tops

Of course there are hills...Pied = foot and Mont = Mountains. Yikes, up and down the little narrow roads! We had taken a train and then rented a car so we could get around. On the return trip, we found out that we were on a BUS, not the train! But it was not bad. Can not walk around like you can in a train, but the route was beautiful, up and over a section of the Alps. And it was about 20 minutes shorter by bus (only one stop in the 4 hour trip while the train stops more often and has a short layover at Chambrey). It is not that far as the crow files, about 300 miles, but it is the route through the mountains that is the challenge  Preferred the bus over the car, but the roads were wide since the trip followed the major highway (toll roads).

Have to add another photo. Found Saint Rita in an Italian Church. My mother's name was Rita, but I never knew that there was a Saint Rita...guess the Italians did.

Keith and I took a little stroll around Gevrey one day. A knew sculpture was added in front of the Chateau. The château had been given to the monks of Cluny, so the commissioned statue is a monk. But the other guy!!

The owner of the château had died this year, and the château has been sold. Such an uproar here. It was sold to a Chinese man. Our heritage sold to a Chinese man!! Chris heard it reported on the London news! However at this point he has hired a local architect firm and is going to have the château restored. This is a long and slow process. The architect gave a tour of the château on the "Weekend of Heritage". I went ( went to the 8am tour because I thought it was the best chance to get in since it was early, and I was right...people were turned away at the later tours-only about 30 per tour). It was very interesting, I had had a previous tour concerning the history, but this was a tour explaining all of the architectural changes through the centuries (château was started in the 11th century).
We also passed a vineyard.


This last week we had our chimney taken out and a Jotul woodstove put in. The woodstove is great and it really heats the house well. However, the wall behind the chimney was ruined. They ( the contractors putting in the woodstove) thought we probably had a leak in the stovepipe that allowed moisture and some soot to escape...it was the moisture that ruined the wall. So while we are thinking about our options, here it what it look like right now.

Our floor tile is white, with some grey, new stove is ivory...so we have looked at tile so far (which is I think we will end up...but what color?). Keith wants to look at stone too.
Any ideas from out there? And here we thought we could just paint it the burgundy color to match what we had!!!

This next Tuesday is Election Tuesday. Most of you know that I am more to the left and this year as 4 years ago I am supporting Obama. I have voted already. I will not get on a soap box, you have all made your decisions already. In one week we will know.

That is all for this month.

RECIPE of the MONTH

Beef Roll-ups or Italian Steak rolls
This started as a healthy recipe I found, and then adjusted a little! Oops, I added some calories. A little futzy to make, but very good.

INGREDIENTS
1 small zucchini grated
1 onion chopped
1 red pepper chopped fine
1 carrot grated
1 one or 2 garlic cloves
6 small mushrooms chopped fine

1/4 cup parmesan cheese
2 Tablespoons of chopped parsley


6 tenderized beef round steak ( I used a thin beef cut from here, then marinaded it in yoghurt for about 1 hour , pounded it out with a meat hammer to get a bigger surface and a thin 1/4 inch piece of beef)
      [about 2 pounds]
1 16 oz spaghetti sauce
 4 oz of unsmoked bacon chopped fine
6 teaspoons tapenade


PREPARATIONS
1. Mix zucchini, red pepper, onion, carrot garlic, mushrooms, cheese and parsley (first 8 ingredients). Season with salt and pepper.
2. Lay out a piece of beef and "butter" with a teaspoon of tapenade
3. Take some of the vegetable mixture -about 1/4 cup- and place at one end and roll up the meat around the filling. Tie the roll with two pieces of string. Continue until all six have been rolled.
3. Saute the bacon lightly, just warm up-do not fry
4. Put the bacon in the bottom of a casserole dish.
5. Place the beef rolls on top
7 Pour the spaghetti sauce over the top.
8. Cover and cook in the oven for 2 hours at 275°.
Check midway to be sure that there is enough moisture. Do not add unless absolutely necessary. When finished the tomato sauce should have reduced and thickened into a rich sauce.

Family


A pause for reflection
Dennis in the back, Vicki on the left, Cecile on the right, and Baby Susie in front

To live in hearts we leave behind , Is not to die.


Blackbird Queen....always
Vicki Ann Veeser Shay