Take this scenario. It’s 7:15 on a Thursday evening. You’re racing to the grocery store to pick up a few things for dinner after work. You’re almost over budget for groceries again this month and even though you know organic milk is the best choice, regular skim is half the price. You like to think of yourself as health conscious and you try to make the best food choices for your family. What do you grab?
Do you like wine?
Do you like food?
Do you moan with unbridled euphoria when you take a bite of cheese with truffle honey and then immediately after, sip a luscious California Merlot?
As Thanksgiving is only a few days away and Christmas is right around the corner, I thought I would share with you all today some of my personal secrets to staying in shape and on track throughout the holiday season. True, it’s much easier right now to indulge in both good food and drink, and sometimes those indulgences are very, very worth it. However, when it comes to grazing at the office party dessert table or mindlessly sucking down another cosmo while chatting with coworkers, the indulgence is usually not worth the extra jean size or post-party bloat. Here some tips from me to you on how I beat the winter weight gain.
I receive countless emails asking me what my favorite cookbooks are. Now, since I’m actually writing my own, I’m pausing to review that list a little more carefully and want to take this time to share with you all some of my favorite go-to’s. Cookbooks are classic and, to me, have so much more meaning than just something you flip open when looking for a new chicken recipe. Good cookbooks have stained pages and inky notes remembering anniversaries, birthdays and memorable meals. Page ends are worn and flipped and book jackets are lost. A good cookbook is like a really good friend, and can keep you company for hours when you have nothing but your stove and a set of knives to work with.
So, without anything further, here is my list of the best of the best in no particular order. I love each one of these so incredibly much and recommend them above all other.
The past three days I’ve felt like I’ve been living a foodie’s dream as we have welcomed Chef Kevin Gillespie and Eli Kirshtein, Top Chef contestants, to the wine country, Murphy-Goode style. Turns out Hardy Wallace, the Murphy-Goode Wine Country Lifestyle Correspondent, has some friends in high places and Eli and Kevin brought a little bit of the South to Northern California as they whirled into town this past Sunday. There were chicken wings, sweet potato fries, foie gras and of course, zinfandel, as we showed them a good time in our little town.
To start off the week, on Sunday we celebrated the chefs arrival with a reception at the Murphy-Goode tasting room, followed by a classy barbecue dinner for ten up on the Terra a Lago vineyard in Alexander Valley. The executive chefs for Kendall-Jackson, Chefs Ryan and Eric, prepared a fabulous meal of roast pork and we dined in style. I couldn’t believe how genuine and down to earth the guys were. We chatted and laughed about butter and bacon and shared crazy culinary school tales….all while sipping on Fume, Zinfandel and homemade grappa of course.
I'm a 20-something freelance writer and food blogger. I have a joint degree in English and creative writing and also a culinary degree from Le Cordon Bleu. I love to travel, read, write and whip up healthy creations in the kitchen!
See my profile »| Followers: | 88 |
| Contributor Since: | May 2009 |
| Location: | Northern California |
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