Cooking
I don't know about you, but I'm already sick of Thanksgiving! Sick of hearing about it anyway. Oh sure, it's still my favorite holiday, but this year the plethora of magazines, cookbooks and even blogs all focused on the topic lead to my feeling as stuffed full as a you-know-what. So instead of food, I'm going to focus on two other themes for Thanksgiving, feeling thankful and something to drink.
Last week my world seemed to revolve around the food bank. In an article in the New York Times I was quoted mentioning my volunteer work at the San Francisco Food Bank. Then on Thursday I celebrated the release of Beaujolais Nouveau at the very same food bank, which received a generous donation from Georges Deboeuf to coincide with the event.
It seems popular to beat up on Beaujolais Nouveau these days. But I am not here to spill Beaujolais Nouveau but to drink it. I am a fan of the wine, I enjoy the seasonality of it and how accessible it is. It's refreshing and fruity. It's fun, not sophisticated or complex, and that's fine by me. It is great with appetizers, especially cheese, and it's dark red berry flavors pair with turkey much like cranberries do.
Beaujolais Nouveau is the first wine of the season to be released and marks the end of the harvest when wine producers typically hold parties to celebrate. Those celebrations have grown and now everyone celebrates with the catch phrase "Le Beaujolais Nouveau est arrive!"
While Thanksgiving is also about celebrating a successful harvest and sharing with friends and family, it is also a time to be thankful. I can't think of a better way to pay tribute to the holiday than by spending time volunteering at or making a donation to a local Food Bank. Having a hand in feeding people REALLY makes you feel thankful. Tomorrow when Thanksgiving rolls around, Lee and I will bring a bottle of Beaujolais Nouveau to my parents house to enjoy and celebrate with, as we always do. And in the following weeks I'll be back at the Food Bank again doing what I can to help end hunger in the Bay Area.
FOOD
- Last Minute Thanksgiving Tips
Thanksgiving cocktail Ruby Sparkler Recipes from the archive Chutney Cheese Puffs Brussels Aprouts with Brown Butter and Hazelnuts Brussels Sprouts Slaw with Apple & Walnuts Grapefruit Radicchio Salad Savory Roasted Pears Curried Butternut...
- Last Minute Thanksgiving Help!
Uh oh! Are you still looking for help? Recipes? Ideas? Help is on the way. Here are some resources: Turkey help! Turkey Talk-Line 1-800-BUTTERBALL (288-8372) open from 6 am until 6 pm CST What wines go with turkey? Beaujolais Nouveau Pinot Noir Cotes...
- Recent Drinks Of Note
Martini & Rossi Prosecco IGT, Italy When I covered Champagne in my wine class, one of my students asked why you don’t see crown caps — the toothed metal hats you see on beer bottles — on sparkling wine. (You do, incidentally, if...
- Beaujolais Blanc
I mentioned Beaujolais Blanc in my last post. I've asked around a bit, and few people, even wine geeks, have heard of it, so I thought I'd research it a bit more. When most Americans think of the wines from the Beaujolais region, just south...
- Wine Bits
The new vintage of Beaujolais Nouveau is out. Here's Wine Spectator's coverage. This is a big event every year, though one suspects it has more to do with the marketing abilities rather than the wine. Don't get me wrong, Beaujolais is a very...
Cooking
Giving Thanks
I don't know about you, but I'm already sick of Thanksgiving! Sick of hearing about it anyway. Oh sure, it's still my favorite holiday, but this year the plethora of magazines, cookbooks and even blogs all focused on the topic lead to my feeling as stuffed full as a you-know-what. So instead of food, I'm going to focus on two other themes for Thanksgiving, feeling thankful and something to drink.
Last week my world seemed to revolve around the food bank. In an article in the New York Times I was quoted mentioning my volunteer work at the San Francisco Food Bank. Then on Thursday I celebrated the release of Beaujolais Nouveau at the very same food bank, which received a generous donation from Georges Deboeuf to coincide with the event.
It seems popular to beat up on Beaujolais Nouveau these days. But I am not here to spill Beaujolais Nouveau but to drink it. I am a fan of the wine, I enjoy the seasonality of it and how accessible it is. It's refreshing and fruity. It's fun, not sophisticated or complex, and that's fine by me. It is great with appetizers, especially cheese, and it's dark red berry flavors pair with turkey much like cranberries do.
Beaujolais Nouveau is the first wine of the season to be released and marks the end of the harvest when wine producers typically hold parties to celebrate. Those celebrations have grown and now everyone celebrates with the catch phrase "Le Beaujolais Nouveau est arrive!"
While Thanksgiving is also about celebrating a successful harvest and sharing with friends and family, it is also a time to be thankful. I can't think of a better way to pay tribute to the holiday than by spending time volunteering at or making a donation to a local Food Bank. Having a hand in feeding people REALLY makes you feel thankful. Tomorrow when Thanksgiving rolls around, Lee and I will bring a bottle of Beaujolais Nouveau to my parents house to enjoy and celebrate with, as we always do. And in the following weeks I'll be back at the Food Bank again doing what I can to help end hunger in the Bay Area.
| READ MORE Over at Bay Area Bites are my reviews of a handful of entertaining books, Easy Entertaining, Party Confidential, I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence |
FOOD
- Last Minute Thanksgiving Tips
Thanksgiving cocktail Ruby Sparkler Recipes from the archive Chutney Cheese Puffs Brussels Aprouts with Brown Butter and Hazelnuts Brussels Sprouts Slaw with Apple & Walnuts Grapefruit Radicchio Salad Savory Roasted Pears Curried Butternut...
- Last Minute Thanksgiving Help!
Uh oh! Are you still looking for help? Recipes? Ideas? Help is on the way. Here are some resources: Turkey help! Turkey Talk-Line 1-800-BUTTERBALL (288-8372) open from 6 am until 6 pm CST What wines go with turkey? Beaujolais Nouveau Pinot Noir Cotes...
- Recent Drinks Of Note
Martini & Rossi Prosecco IGT, Italy When I covered Champagne in my wine class, one of my students asked why you don’t see crown caps — the toothed metal hats you see on beer bottles — on sparkling wine. (You do, incidentally, if...
- Beaujolais Blanc
I mentioned Beaujolais Blanc in my last post. I've asked around a bit, and few people, even wine geeks, have heard of it, so I thought I'd research it a bit more. When most Americans think of the wines from the Beaujolais region, just south...
- Wine Bits
The new vintage of Beaujolais Nouveau is out. Here's Wine Spectator's coverage. This is a big event every year, though one suspects it has more to do with the marketing abilities rather than the wine. Don't get me wrong, Beaujolais is a very...