Elanso

Here are the last few scenes from my trip back to Mississippi.

Celebrating the holidays twice really gives cause for guilt about calorie overload. When we had the fried turkey, my mom made all my favorites: macaroni and cheese, broccoli rice, asparagus casserole, and cornbread stuffing. You know—comfort food—full of butter, cheese, and mama’s love. As if there weren’t enough rich goodies on the table, I opened the bottle of 2005 Domenico Chardonnay from my friend Mike, who works there. I met him when we were at two different wineries in the Santa Cruz Mountains (Thomas Fogarty for me, Picchetti for him), so it was nice to revisit the area through another producer. Plus, I love what those mountains do to Chard. This one was oaky enough to stand up to the richness of the food, but with the telltale minerality and the crisp apple and pear. Pretty tasty, so I might need to follow through on my promise to visit San Carlos, where the winery is located.

Of course, I had to cook a few times,as my mom demanded I make good on the fancy cookin’ she’d been hearing about. I tried to anyway, with one night of mushroom risotto and beer and cheddar soup with broccoli tempura. To go with the risotto, the 2003 Navarro Pinot Noir, which showed strawberry, cherry, smoke, spice, and mushrooms. And with the soup, a late disgorged bottling from Domaine Carneros. No notes. Nor do I have notes on the 2002 Thomas Fogarty Cabernet or the 2004 Bonfire Vineyards Barbera, but I can say they both went very nicely with my flank steak sandwiches dressed with rosemary mushrooms and carmelized onions and the caesar salad with blue cheese crumbles. And ok, I’m also guilty of making some not-so-healthy food, but I had to flash my culinary skills. 

From spending time with my family, to the wine, to a visit to the biggest sporting and camping goods store I’ve ever seen and my favorite art gallery in the world, and to the two miniature dachsunds I miss so much…it was a fantastic trip home. I only hope it won’t be another year before I get to go again.

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