Twenty years ago ...

I was reminded on Facebook this AM that Nirvana's "Nevermind" came out 20 years ago.  In an instant, I was able to complete the mental math (because 33 minus 20 isn't exactly that difficult ...) and I realize that I was 13 years old and I remember getting a cassette dub of the album - "Nevermind" on one side and some of Pearl Jam's "Ten" on the other.

This album served as an antidote to some of the shenanigans of junior high.  It didn't matter that I wasn't popular, that my mom wouldn't let me wear ripped jeans like I really wanted to, that my friends were geeks like me and that the worst possible situation of all time was pissing off Miss Smith in German class, the music of the Seattle grunge scene went beyond the badassery of bands like Metallica. 

This morning, I've been going back and forth with an college classmate of mine who is in Norway.  His opinion?  Nevermind still sucks - never mind that it was an "awakening" of sorts in American music.  As for me - I remember the awe I felt the first time I heard "Smells Like Teen Spirit."  (Oh yes, I had that deodorant, my friends ...)  I remember the prickles that I had the first time I heard the posthumous release "You Know You're Right" (driving on Interstate 43, just right into Milwaukee ... not a good place to get distracted). 

If "Nevermind" is a shitty album, I embrace my bad taste with glee.  And my 13-year-old self approves.

Good wine article ...

I think I've obsessed a time or two on this blog regarding "A Discovery of Witches" by Deborah Harkness.  (Love, love, LOVE that book.)  And beyond the main character being a hunky vampire (no sparkles, thank you very much), said vampire is a huge wino. 

Perfection?  Perhaps ...

Anyway - the author is also a wine connoisseur (sounds better than wino) and has a blog called "Good Wine Under $20" that I have in my Google Reader.  Today's blog post was about whether to drink reserve wines or just stick with the regular bottling.  And I can appreciate a blogger who goes to the work of researching (i.e. - drinking good wine) in the name of writing a stellar wine article.

The ABC's of me!

One of my favorite frugality blogs featured this post the other day and I thought it would be a fun one to share.

A – Age.  I’m 33

B – Bed Size.  Queen.

C – Chore I dislike.  Dusting ... I have no clue why I don't like to dust, I just don't  I'd rather clean the bathroom.

D – Dogs.  I do not consider myself a dog person - when I was a kid growing up, we always had dogs and I always liked them, but I prefer the stubborn independence of my cat.

E – Essential start to my day.  Talking to said stubborn cat while I'm making lunch for my hubby and copious amounts of coffee.

F – Favorite Colors.  Blue, brown, green and gray.

G – Gold or silver?  Either.

H – Height.  I’m 5’8″.

I – Instruments I play(ed).  Little known fact ... I took several years worth of voice lessons in high school and college and had a vocal scholarship to college.  Having said that, I'm a fair-to-middlin' singer, the kind of voice that's really good for blending and not one to sing solos (which I am PERFECTLY fine with).  Throughout school I played clarinet until I was a junior in high school and I started playing bass clarinet.

J – Job title.  Proposal Manager.

K – Kids.  A four-legged bastard cat.

L – Live.  My husband and I have a house in southeast Minnesota.

M - Money tip I like best.  I'm stealing what Frugal Babe put in her post, because it's simple and good.  "Whatever you earn, spend less."

N – Never plan to…  Never say never ... :).

O – Overnight hospital stays.  Fifth-grade, getting my tonsils and adenoids out.

P - Pet Peeves.  Intolerance and shitty drivers.

Q - Quote from a movie.  "OK Ramblers, let's get rambling."  I'm sure my friend Deb knows what movie that's from.

R – Righty or lefty?  Righty

S - Siblings.  I have an older brother ... we are by no means best friends, but we're fiercely protective of one another and tolerate each other slightly.  I also have a cousin whom I consider to be the sister I was never gifted with.

T - Time I wake up.  My mind starts waking up before 6 a.m., I can usually put off getting up until about 7.

U – Underwear.  Yes please?

V - Vegetables I don’t like.  Raw carrots.

W – What makes me run late.  Me being me.

X – X-rays I’ve had.  Dental and from when I broke my arm in sixth-grade.

Y – Yummy food I make.  I've been known to make some good food from time to time.

Z – Zoo animals I like.  Zoos are stinky, I'm not a big zoo person.

Do you have a blog?  If you do, consider yourself tagged!

Vacation! (Otherwise known as "The beers I drank")

Ryan and I took a short trip up to Lake Superior over the weekend ... here's some highlights.  (Also known as the "beers I drank" because the Duluth/Superior area are blessed with a couple of great microbreweries.)

Thirsty Pagan Brewing was the first spot we hit after checking into our hotel. I found them on the Internet and was lured there with the promise of hand-crafted beers and gourmet pizza.  We were not disappointed with either promise.

This is the Burntwood Black.  I think I could drink this beer every day for the rest of my life. They even use it to make brownies.

Ryan had the North Coast Amber.

Rest assured though - our trip wasn't all beer tasting.  I caught a sunrise on Lake Superior en route to the Barkers Island Farmers Market.

Later, there were ships to be watched in Duluth in Canal Park.

I could watch ships all day ... there is something amazing about seeing a vessel that's about the size of a football field come into this tiny little canal and make its way towards the docks.

But also - there was more beer ... these pictures were taken at Fitger's Brewhouse.

This was my chocolate cherry stout. It was like dessert in a pint.

Ryan went with the El Nino Pale Ale. Very good, very hoppy.

In short, it was a great weekend.  Even if you can see the tan lines from around my sunglasses.

From the wine rack ... Hyatt Vineyards Cab-Merlot

My husband bought me a wine rack for my birthday in July - capable of holding 72 bottles of beautiful, beautiful vino.  I am never going to pretend to be a wine expert, but I am happy to drink what I love and tell others about my finds.

Pre-wine rack, I got an email from Groupon that featured a deal where you spend $25 and get a $75 gift card from Barclay's Wine.  Curious to try Groupon and pretty fond of wine, I figured this was a win-win for me.

And boy was it ... Barclay's has a limited selection, but it had enough red varietals to pique my interest.

The first wine I tried out of my Barclay's stash was Hyatt Vineyards Cab-Merlot - a non-vintage blend hailing from Yakima Valley, Washington.  And wow ... the bottle retails at $18, but given this is a fully-matured blend, I wouldn't blink at the cost.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Name: Hyatt Vineyards – Non-Vintage Cabernet Merlot

Year: Non-Vintage

Particulars: "This Non-Vintage Cabernet/Merlot marks a return to our original practice of assembling this easy-drinking introduction to Hyatt Vineyard's red wines from select lots of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot across several vintages. While the varietal components are 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, the Cabernet is 98% from the 2003 vintage and 2% from Reserve 2001; the Merlot is all 2002. Delicious blackberry flavors and clean, rich finish make this a great match for meats, tomato-based sauces and pure enjoyment." (From vineyard's website.)

Drank: August 2011

Where Purchased: Barclay’s Wine (as part of Groupon offer …). Normally $17.95/bottle (that's minus shipping and handling ... Barclay's has free shipping offers from time to time.)

Notes: This wine needed to breathe before consuming. After it had a chance to breathe, it was very rich, more of a darker flavor, very good.  Special occasion wine.

**Amended note:  On a whim and because I am operating the under the premise that if I find a wine that I like, I will try to find out information about said wine and determine whether I should acquire more of it, I sent an email to the contact information on the vineyard's website.  That afternoon, I had an email from their national sales manager.  This wine is ready to drink NOW and is fully developed.  And the depressing part?  The vineyard is discontinuing this wine, so once it's gone from Barclay's there is no more. 

Toasted Israeli Couscous Salad with Grilled Summer Vegetables

I've been working from home since the end of March.  And about a month ago, 100 degree temperatures in the Midwest had me, the cat and my laptop fleeing for the cooler temperatures of the basement.  It was there that I found myself watching Food Network while I was pounding out proposals.

Yeah - it wasn't the most productive couple of days of my life.

Regardless, I got some food inspiration from this exile, including this salad from Bobby Flay.

Toasted Israeli Couscous Salad with Grilled Summer Vegetables

This dish would be particularly good for a potluck - it is damn tasty and it makes a TON of salad. 

Cavitini

This is another one of my mother-in-law's recipes that gets requested when we head down to Dubuque for a weekend.

What's really awesome about this dish is that it makes a lot of food and it freezes really well.  Which made it a perfect choice when I was getting some casseroles together for my friends Sharon and Joe.  They are expecting their first baby in September and since I live five hours away, this is my way of "being there" when I can't actually be there.

Cavitini

1 lb. of rotini or small shell pasta
1 26 oz. container of pasta sauce (MIL uses Ragu, I used Hunts)
1 16 oz. can of pizza sauce
1 lb. hamburger
1 pkg. pepperoni
2 c. shredded Mozzarella cheese

Boil noodles according to package, leaving off about 2 minutes of cooking time, because this will continue to cook in the oven.  Brown and drain hamburger.  Cut pepperoni into pieces and add to the drained hamburger.  Mix the sauces into meat and add to drained pasta.  Transfer into a 8 x 11 pan and bake covered with foil at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.  When there are about 15 minutes left to cook, remove foil and top with cheese.

**If you decide to freeze, follow steps above and instead of baking, freeze.  Thaw out before you intend to cook and then cook according to directions.