Arizona for Christmas

I spent the holidays in Arizona with my parents and grandma.  It was a great long weekend full of eating and enjoying the desert.  Highlights from the trip:

• An evening lumenaria tour of the Desert Botanical Gardens with live Christmas music performed throughout the garden.
• Watching LeBron James single-handedly destroy the Phoenix Suns with Uncle Phil and family.
• Mom's birthday dinner of shrimp cocktails, lobster tail and fettuccine alfredo.  We paired the meal with two very different bottles of chardonnay.  Both were Californian, but one used no oak and the other was from Sonoma and tasted quite similar to Nickel and Nickel.

Mom's birthday dinner

•  Our trip to Sedona

Sliding Rock

Sedona

• Time with Grandma and my sister's big news.
• Pullano's pizza and wings with Grandma.

The worst part of the whole weekend was the flight home.  Due to weather issues around the country, my flight home was four hours delayed making me one tired customer  at work on Tuesday. Merry Christmas, everyone.

Thanksgiving Tippy Style

Mom and the menu

This year is a smaller gathering than in years. That didn’t stop the Tippy’s from preparing our annual feast, although slightly scaled back because we didn’t have quite as many mouths to feed. Unfortunately, I didn’t make it back to Central Oregon until late on Wednesday night. While I missed the pie baking and the other pre-Thanksgiving preparations, which are some of my favorite parts of the day, it was nice to make it home in one hour rather than the 7-8 hours it would have taken to drive from Seattle. Avoiding the pre-turkey day traffic was worth missing the pre-turkey day festivities.

On to the food… our turkey preparation was pretty typical—roasted with a sage and vegetable stuffing. We did coat the turkey with a sage butter to crisp the skin a little bit. A little bit of white wine was added to the roasting pan with 2 hours remaining in the roast. Dad’s theory is that will leave some good drippings behind for making the gravy.



Rolling out the rolls



Another traditional part of the Tippy family thanksgiving is heavenly roll. These crescent rolls are absolutely delicious and really easy to make. In the past, my neighbor and I have raced to see who can eat the most. Since we’re not celebrating with their family this year, I’m able temper my roll consumption and save a few for leftovers.

We also made my cranberry chutney, mom’s green beans and hazelnuts, sweet potatoes and mashed potatoes for some other dishes. One notable exception from this year’s menu was the marshmallow fruit salad. Luckily, I had most of the week to accept the absence of my favorite Thanksgiving dish and there wasn’t too much trauma at the dinner table tonight.



Amazing "Heavenly Rolls"





Lunch



Wedged into all of this food prep was a walk around the snow covered neighborhood and lunch. It was nice to get out of the house and stroll around the neighborhood. Dad was obsessed with showing me where the neighborhood’s deer herd has been sleeping and where they go after he chases them from our rose garden and vineyard. It was also nice to see the freshly snow covered Cascades. For lunch we had a nice little spread of olives, cheese, dips, and shrimp paired with an Oregon Pinot Gris.

Dinner was fantastic. While there were fewer dishes to try and fit on the plate my dad and I had very little trouble filling our plates with our favorites. We paired the meal with a bottle of Columbia Crest Reisling and a Maragas', the winery just north of Redmond, Legal Zin Reserve NV. The Zinfendel was fantastic. The four years the wine spent in the barrel added a good dose of oak to the big fruit that created a great balance. The notes of chocolate, cherry, butter and smoke on the palate complemented the turkey, stuffing and cranberry chutney.  Delicious.



The Tippy Thanksgiving Table



Less than an hour after dinner was finished, my dad wanted to have dessert. He baked a pumpkin and an apple pie. While they were delicious, I am far too full to give them the complete attention and appreciation they deserve. I guess that is what tomorrow’s leftover meal is for, right?

Happy Thanksgiving!



Dad and his pie



Winter hits Seattle

I love snow. Snow is one of the reasons I go and play in the mountains. It seems like the snow has followed me back down the mountain after Sunday's snow shoe trip. Yesterday morning I woke up to a skiff of snow on the grass and some snow gently falling. The trip into work went as normal, except for the chill in the air. The snow continued to fall as the day went on. Eventually, the snow started sticking to the ground. And that is when normal, calm Seattle turned into snopocolypse/snomagedeon Seattle.

People started leaving work early. Worse case scenarios circulated amongst remaining staff. Outside, cars were sliding around on flat streets. People get nutty.

I left the office around 4. I got home at 7:30. At one point it took an hour to travel 5 blocks. Downtown Seattle was snarled in grid lock all because of a little snow and a highway closure. Luckily, I had a very friendly seat mate to keep me entertained.

Actually, I'm lucky I even had a seat at all. One guy without a seat fainted. I gave him some water, another person gave him some food and we opened a window. And with that, he seemed to be ok. All and all, I'm surprised there wasn't more excitement or mutiny on the bus.

After the bus ride I stopped into the grocery store to pick up some dinner. The store had two other customers. It was a little bizarre. I was welcomed at home with a warm meal of roasted root vegetables and quinoa my roommate made for me. Despite the long day, I still love the snow.

First snow expedition of the 2010-11 season

Today, I made my first trip of the year to play in the snow along with PAW, CWH, KEC, and LS.

It was fantastic. We took a few hour snowshoe near Steven's Pass. There was about 2.5 feet of snow on the road where we parked the car. As the day progressed, we gained quite a bit of elevation and the snow fell harder. By the end of the day, around four new inches of fresh snow had fallen.

It was fantastic to spend time in snow. It was also a nice reminder of the fun I have on the back country during the winter. Today was also a good opportunity to practice some of navigation skills I learned a few weeks ago and the avalanche awareness skills I learned in courses during the past week.

Once we made it back to the car and crossed the pass, we

stopped for a beer at Sky River Pub and Eatery.

It was a wonderful dive bar we will definitely be visiting again.

I'm really excited for the next several months of fun in the snow.

Some Tippy made wine gets some media hype

The local Redmond newspaper has a nice story about my dad's wine. http://redmondspokesman.blogspot.com/2010/11/toast-glass-of-rockchuck-red.html

Alright, Dad!

Seafood Fest

All and all this Seafood Fest was a success.

We started the afternoon/evening of eating around 1pm with oysters paired with a sparkling wine, a Cremant de Bourgogne- Albert Bichot Brut Reserve NV. This wasn't as yeasty as I thought it was going to be. I would have appreciated a little bit more fruit in this sparkler. The oysters were great. My favorites were the Hamma Hama, Kumomoto, and Snow Creek.

We also had a light white wine from Santorini with the oyster course. Thalassitis- Santorini 2008. You could taste the volcanic soils and stress from the sun in the wine. While this wine was good, it wasn't as good as the wines sitting on a patio, watching the sunset in Santorini with my sister in 2007. Perhaps my memory has inflated the experience after 3 years, but after looking at old pictures, I'm pretty sure all wine tastes better in Greece.

Domaine Jo Pithon- Savennieres, Chenin Blanc 2006 La Croix Picot

Following the oysters was another appetizer course consisting of Monkfish Liver. In the past we've done monkfish liver, wasabi roe and ponzu sauce. This time around, the prep was a little more French with Creme Fraiche and lemon reduction. I'm glad we did some experimenting.

Now it is time for our first main course. My roommate prepared Gambas al Ajillo- shrimp, garlic, sherry, and dried red pepper. It was delicious. The sauce tasted simple but the flavor was quite experssive. I caught everyone sucking their fingers clean after each shrimp. The shrimp was paired with "Tio Pepe" sherry and a White Gran Rioja- "2000 Vina Gravonia". On the nose of the white Rioja there was wax, oak, nut, and walnut. On the pallet there was pecans, sharp granny smith apples and allspice. There was something that made this taste like an aged white, even though I've never had one before. The finish was carmeley and toasted. Such an interesting wine!

Next was my course. I decided to cook Provencal Fish Stew with a recipe from Alice Waters. The stew was made with a halibut stock and had pieces of halibut cheeks, rainbow trout and mussles flavored with lots of fennel bulb, saffron, thyme. The stew was paired with a White Cotes du Rhone and a Washington white Rhone Blend. The stew was delicious. The broth was outstanding but I may argue anything tastes delicious with halibut fin in it.

Unfortunately, both wines were a bit disappointing. "Tour de L'Isle 2007", had a nose of mildewy milk carton. Later, there was a more appealing peach and gravel. On the pallet, there was pear and old box (not corked, just box.) All and all, it wasn't all that expressive and generally under-whelming.

The other wine paired with my stew was a WA Syncline Subduction White 2009. The nose= Hawaiian punch. In your face with intensity. Later, there was cooked peach. The pallet was intense with fruit, Hawaiian punch, pear and pineapple. Over time the candy quality of the wine dissipated and pear and toasted oak became more evident.

Next was CWH's dish. He prepped seared scallops, crimini mushrooms and parsnip puree. The Scallops were great and the parsnip puree was outstanding, but CWH says that may be partly attributed to the amount of fancy butter added. The dish was made all the more special with a glass of "Nickle & Nickel Searby Vineyard 2005 Russian River Valley Chardonnay". The nose can be described by pear and cinnamon. It was very complex. The pallet was bright with acidity, vanilla, coconut, toasted marshmallow. While these tasting notes are dominated by characteristics that I traditionally do not like about California Chards because they are easily over done, this wine tastes like what all the other California Chards are trying to be. There was tremendous balance; a pleasing body, acidity, oak balance. And it was a great accent to the sea scallops, crimini mushroom sauce and parsnip puree.

We then took an intermission to watch the Sounders game. During the game we drank a Alsace "Domaine Zind Humbrecht Pinot Gris". Unfortunately, the game was so terrible I didn't take tasting notes from the wine tasting.

Shortly after the Sounders season came to an end, PAW served his grandmother's Cioppino paired with Damilano Barbera d'Asti 2008. The nose of the wine didn't have not too much to it. I guess there was some red fruit and violet. On the pallet, I picked up raspberry, vanilla, oak. Overall there was good body and acid in the wine to hold up to the tomato sauce in the cioppino. Overall, this was a good pairing.

Our final course was Salmon, mashed potatoes and spinach. This dish was paired with a "Coeur de Terre 2006 Pinot Noir Kenelle's Block Reserve"- There was dark fruit, cola and a subtle herb on the nose. The pallet was complex. I picked up nutmeg, moss, and cherry on one layer. Then there was some sort of cola, Dr pepper thing going on. Next there was some sweet soil, tobacco and mushroom. It has the depth and body of an Eola Hills, OR Pinot Noir, but nose and the gentile nuances from Dundee Hills. Overall, a terrific wine and probably my favorite of the evening.

I would like to say after 7 courses, 10 bottles of wine and a bottle of sherry that Gluttonous Feast III- Seafood Fest was quite the success. I think that we'll take a few months off to recover from all the food and reconvene for Fowl Feast.

Gluttonous Feast III: A preview

Every so often, some friends and I get together to cook some good food. We usually try to get good, fresh and seasonal ingredients and try to pair it with quality wine.

A little less often, we out do ourselves. We've determined these occasions gluttonous feasts. The first was when PAW was gifted a 1983 Napa Cab and a 1989 Barolo. It was only fitting to pair those wines with fine cuisine, so we made foie gras raviolis with black truffle sauce, escargot spring rolls and a stuffed rabbit. While one of the wines was well passed its prime (and probably better fit for vinegar or cooking), we had a fantastic experience preparing food we would never try otherwise.

Last spring, five of us took another try at the gluttonous feast. The theme of this occasion was "the cute feast" where we prepared all things cute. Our menu included rabbit, duck, lamb, veal and elk. To match our food we eventually shared 11 bottles of wine. Some of the wine highlights for me were a '93 Kiona Merlot with the duck and a '99 Argyle blanc de blanc with strawberries.

Well, today is gluttonous feast 3- seafood. Today's event is going to stretch our cooking and pairing skills, as fewer of us prepare fish that often and my knowledge of white wines (and those to pair with seafood) is more limited.

With that said, it's time for me to head to Pike Place Market for my fish and the Ballard farmer's market for my produce and then the fun will begin.  I think we'll begin with oysters and champagne, have a few courses, take an intermission for the Sounders game and then close the feast out with more seafood and pie. Stay tuned for what five guys can whip up.      

Lord's Acre Day

After finding myself in Central Oregon for two weekends in a row, under not the most celebratory circumstances, I took yesterday as a chance to enjoy the area. My parents and I headed to Powell Butte, OR for the 53rd annual Lord's Acre Day. Back in the 40's, the Powell Butte Community Church asked it's congregation members to donate the proceeds from one acre of their property to the church. The church would then use the gifts to operate. If you could raise one cow on an acre, you gave the church one cow. If you could raise three sheep, you gave the church three sheep. You get the idea.

Today, this event has evolved into a once a year craft bazaar/bake sale/BBQ/butcher shop. My dad and I waited in line to buy cuts of meat from the gifted livestock. I ended up with some short ribs, oxtail and a few pounds of pork breakfast sausage. I also bought a pie.

Around noon, the BBQ starts. Church members begin roasting the meat and potatoes the night before by lighting wood on fire in large pits to get the coals going and then burying the beef, ham, lamb, and potatoes. The results were great smokey BBQed meats.

Winter has begun!

There is snow in the mountains. A few adventurous souls are scouting out the slopes.

Good news, it is still snowing! Yes, you read that correctly. It has snowed 1-3 feet about 4,000 ft. with 41 inches of accumulation at the Paradise parking lot at Mt. Rainier.

Meanwhile, CWH and I are beginning our ski mountaineering education. Last night we spent two and a half hours playing with maps and compasses at the Mountaineers Clubhouse down on Sandpoint Way. It was amazing to see how many people were there to improve their outdoor skills.

LAMB JAM!

The day is finally here. The second annual greatest day of the year. Lamb Jam. This is the day where I gorge myself on lamb and fine Washington wine. What could be better? Look forward to a recap of the event later- so long as my stomach doesn't rupture from too much delicious lamb. I love ewe.

Here is a recap from last year's event. http://www.thecookbookchronicles.com/blog/?p=2605

A day in Napa Valley

After spending 3 nights in Yosemite, it was time for PAW and I to taste some wine. We thought we would take advantage of being in Napa on a weekday in the fall to experience some smaller wineries and get a good, personal experience.

Our first tasting stop of the day was at Dutch Henry in Calistoga. We tasted through there available pours. Unfortunately, I lost my little notebook I kept my tasting notes in, so I will have to rely on my memory for my post. We tasted the Sauvigon Blanc, Zinfendel, Argos, Syrah, 2002 Cab Sauv, and 2004 Cab Sauv. Some highlights of our tasting here included the Argos (right bank Bordeaux style). I enjoyed the integration between the Merlot and Cab Franc on this wine. There was an earthy mineral essence with a gentle red fruit pallet to this wine. The 2002 Cab Sauv was really good- This wine has all the characteristics of an aged Bordeaux. The nose smelt of sweet cherries, tobacco and dust. It was really reminiscent of wines made from fruit in Red Mountain in Washington. 2004 Cab Sauv- If this isn’t the younger, stronger, more energetic brother to the 2002, I don’t know what is. The nose was darker, deeper yet more closed. The pallet had intense dark fruit and spice. Almost a light tar. The tannins were strong. The finish was complex. Initially there was a wet stone component, gripping the front of my tongue, then, finer tannins and other spices kept me thinking about the wine for quite some time.

Our next stop was at Ladera. PAW planned to do the estate tour where we would learn about the vineyard, winery and caves. Along the way we tasted some cool wines including a barrel tasting.

Sauv Blanc- nearly clear in color. High in acid. Tangy palette

We also tasted a blend of the two estates, Napa Valley Cabernet. This was good but not as good as the reserve wines made from the individual parts.

2006 Howell Mountain Cab- This was my favorite of the wines Ladera made. It was darker and more earthy than the Lone Canyon Cab. The Lone Canyon had more ripe, red fruit and tasted more like a good, traditional Napa Cab.

Viader was our next stop. This property has a beautiful view. PAW and I took a seat at a table outside in the shade on the balcony. We were overlooking the valley far below and didn't mind that the temperature was pushing 95 degrees. Wines that stood out there were the Dare label Cab Sauv. It was a good wine typical of many of the other Cabs we had tried throughout the day. It was a steal at the $25 a bottle when sold as part of the six pack. The "V"Viader-wine is the wine that put Viader on the map. This 54% Petiet Verdot, 46% Cab Sauv was a solid wine. At the price point, I would find it difficult to justify the purchase. I’m sure glad I was able to taste this wine.

Our final stop of the day was at Alpha Omega. This stop encompassed what I pictured and expected when planning my tasting trip to Napa. The property and tasting room was beautiful. The tasting bar was large with 4 or 5 well informed attendants pouring for visitors. It was a good tasting but a diminished because of the quality of the previous tasting experiences. Sometimes it is nice to be away from the crowds.

We thought that we would thank our hosts by preparing them a nice home-cooked meal. Besides, it was nice to cook after eating on the road for a week. I love cooking. Despite the temperature now approaching 100 degrees, something autumnal was in order; it was mid-October after all. We made a pear and spinach salad with herb-crusted baked goat cheese for our starter. The salad was paired with my favorite Sauv Blanc of the day- Ladera 2009 Sauv Blanc.

While I went to work on the salad, PAW took care of business by rolling out homemade ravioli sheets. We baked some butternut squash and mixed it with gorgonzola for the filling. The ravioli were then topped with caramelized onion-apple-toasted walnut-burnt butter sauce. This pasta was designed to pair with a 2008 Andrew Will Merlot brought down from Seattle. I think it is safe to say that everyone enjoyed the meal. They were quite appreciative of a nice meal after their spin class and there was no way they would let us do dishes. There is always next time.

Yosemite- California Adventure

PAW took off Sunday from Lafayette, CA with our friend JN and headed towards the mountains. We didn't think we were going to get on the road until Monday morning because of the logistics involved with getting from Palo Alto, up to Layfayette, packed and on the road the morning after a wedding- but somehow we managed. And I'm sure glad we did because Yosemite is a long way from the Bay Area.

We camped at a Forest Service campground, just outside the park entrance. By the time we got our permits, breakfast food and drove to the trail head, it was already 10:30am. So much for an early start on the trail. We left one car where we planned to end our trip and took the other to Tuolumne Meadows (8,600ft). Our first stop was Cathedral Lake, 4.5 miles down the trail. We made pretty good time, although PAW and I could feel the elevation as we climbed up the hill. After a quick lunch and setting up camp at upper Cathedral Lake (9,700ft), we took an afternoon hike up the peak to our SW, Tresidder Peak. We nearly summited around 10,600ft and had beautiful views of the park, including down the Tenya Canyon towards Half-Dome.

After a short bit of time admiring the panoramic views, we decided to race down the hill to beat the quickly advancing thunder clouds. None of us wanted to be stuck on top of some wet, slippery granite trying to get back to camp. We were about 5 minutes from camp when the rain started. After an hour long storm of wind, rain and hail we were rewarded with a beautiful double rainbow- right in front of Cathedral Peak.

In the morning, I got out of the tent before the sun came up over the ridge. There was a thick layer of frost covering the grass and trees. The sky was clear. The air was still. Not a noise could be heard. And the lake was calm. I took a few minutes to soak in the peacefulness of the forest before it woke up for the day. This was a great opportunity to recharge from the previous weeks- the hustle and bustle of work and preparing for the trip. It was a pause from the wedding the weekend before and the wedding in the weekend to come. Just as I completed a little meditation, my camping com-padres emerged from their tent.


Later that morning found PAW and I saying our farewells to JN. He had to make it back to Oakland for his flight back to the east coast that afternoon.


JN was the last person we saw on the middle day of our hike. PAW and I wandered further south towards Sunrise High Sierra Camp and then crossed the ridge over towards the Sunrise Lakes. It was a short mileage day, so we were able to hike at a leisurely pace, enjoy our surrounding and still set up camp at a reasonable time. It was a great day- probably about 70-75 degrees, not a cloud in the sky and not another hiker to be seen.

We thought we'd cap the afternoon with a little dip in the lake. While it had snowed a week before at the lake at 9,500ft and it being mid-October, the lake was AS COLD as I might have thought. PAW and I swam over to a little granite island with a few trees on it. I've never seen PAW swim so fast. I think it is because his body lacks the insulation that I have.




PAW and I thought it would be nice to prepare our dinner and eat it while watching the sun set over Tenya Canyon and Half Dome, so we got to cooking our potato soup with vegetables and chicken. I'm not sure if we cooked much faster than we anticipated or we majorly misjudged the time of sunset, but we finished dinner and the sun was still high in the evening sky. At least this mistake gave us some time to clean up before sunset. We were rewarded with a beautiful pink and orange sunset. Then, we went back to camp and had a sip of whiskey.


The next morning we woke up early and hit the trail.  We made it back to the car around 9am and began our drive to Yosemite Valley.  After our visit to the high country, the Valley was a little disappointing.  Don’t get me wrong, Half Dome, Yosemite Falls and the valley itself are beautiful.  They are just so much more populated, developed and finite than the grand panoramas, solitude, and wilderness the high country provided.  We spent about 45 minutes in the valley before we decided we would like to get on the road, eat an In and Out burger and get to Napa for some wine tasting.
Highlights of Yosemite:

• The granite formations in Yosemite are very different to the geology of Oregon and Washington forests. There are large sheets of granite and knolls lead to much different.
• Solitude.
• The smell of pine forests on a warm afternoon.
  

Car contents to make a successful roadtrip

Two suits
Two pairs of dress shoes
Two backpacks
Two bear cans
Two pairs of well worn hiking boots
A couple of sleeping bags and pads
One tent
One case of Napa wine
One cooler full of fruit
Several poulds of dirty laundry
Two Seattle dudes with beards and glasses

California Adventure- October 2010

While at NM's wedding, the groom and I made a bet about who was the next couple to get married. We put a bottle of brunello on the line. JN is my bet. NM put his money on PS. I can't wait to enjoy my new wine.

Apple and Beet Tarts

Last night CWH, MTS and I made a little fall treat- an Apple and Beet Tart. MTS made her amazing pie crust. It is so flakey and delicious. I harvested beets from a friend's garden down in Hood River and picked up some Granny Smith apples from the orchards in Parkdale, OR.

After we rolled out the crust, we grated a layer of sharp cheddar cheese on the bottom. Then we cut the apple and beet into thin slices. The slices were then fanned across the cheese layer.

We topped the beets and apples with caramelized onions and a dusting of cheddar. The tarts were beautiful and delightfully tasty.


We also had a little bit of fun for our friend's birthday.