Mmm, That's Good

Yes, I'm talking about the dinner I made last night. Other than the smoky lounge-like atmosphere that resulted from my adventures in cooking, the short ribs were surprising edible. Russ proclaimed them "the best you've ever made," which is not saying much. Christina contributed to the dinner (unintentionally) by stopping by for a quick hello and bringing with her the best chocolate and cherry cookies Russ or I have ever had. Since she offered, I took four (and two more for me -- don't tell Russell) and that turned out to be our dessert. Perfect-o.

I must brag just a teeny bit about my wine choices. I went to Cost Plus, which is my favorite place to shop for wine, because they have a great selection and it's laid out very well. Their prices are also excellent. But it's not as overwhelming as, say BevMo. Because we were having short ribs with a maple-rosemary glaze, I figured that we needed a really heavy red wine, which had me browsing the Zinfindels and Cabernets. I ended up with one of my favorite Zins ever, an old vine Zin from Bogle. It's so juicy, with a hint of vanilla, that it was the perfect compliment. And it's a very reasonable price for such a good bottle of wine, at $8.99.

I took a chance on a second bottle of wine and it was only because we were so darn curious about it that we opened it at all last night. We just had to taste a wine called Wrongo Dongo. The back label is covered with silly blurbs like "You can't go wrongo" and "Dongo to a party without this wine," and yet it's a Spanish wine. Christina surmised that the label had to be written by an English speaker and I agree. I can't imagine any self-respecting Spanaird breaking out with such stupid puns. Puns aside, though, the description of the wine was what sold me, assuring me that it was heavy enough to go with red meats, but fruity enough for less intense dishes. I didn't believe them, but since it was a very reasonable $7.99, I thought, hey, why not? Worst case scenario, we give it to Tanya before she goes in for "treatment." Just kidding, PETA.

Anyway, from the small taste Russ and I had, we loved this wine. It was just what the label said it would be, heavily fruity yet without the spiciness that would've made it too big for a meat other than beef. So there are two freebies for all you wine connoisseurs out there.

Future plans, you ask? Jon has bravely offered to try my cooking...at least, he thinks. So Jon, anytime you and Lisa are ready, come on over to Chateau Le Sarah.