My Favorite Coffee Mug

Here in New Hampshire we're still experiencing temps in the 30's-low 40's during the day. There's still snow on the ground in my area, but the chippies have been seen emerging from their wintering dens for nearly a week now. The red squirrels are seemingly more active and acting more territorial, and there were five species of woodpeckers evident at my feeders the day before yesterday. I love that the Spring Equinox is only a month away. Check out my 'Spring Equinox' page for fun, inspiring ways to celebrate spring foods.

Two weeks from today...
...I will awaken in a bed somewhere out Amador County, CA - old vine zin country! Eight of us are renting a house, with 6 in another, and touring 30+ wineries for three days straight, maybe even four. I'm hoping to convince some of them to leave me "home" for a day so I can cook up this menu (14pp):

APPETIZERS **serve with 2006 West Vineyard zinfandel and 2006 Bray barbera
~antipasti: locally produced organic salami, Pecorino & provolone cheeses, calamari in vinaigrette, grilled marinated asparagus and fennel, olives, breadsticks & smkd almonds
*marinate/grill veggies and calamari in-house (vinaigrette = lemon, wine, mustard, evoo)
need: 10-12 small squid, 3 bunches asparagus, 3-4 heads fennel, fresh red chili, lemon, evoo; purchase meats/cheeses/breadsticks/olives


~grilled flatbread w/ garlicky evoo, mozzarella, arugula, tomato and local organic prosciutto
*buy dough; dress arugula w/ lemon, evoo, s&p
need: garlic, 3 balls dough, 2lbs mozz, bunch arugula, 3-4 tomatoes, 1/2lb prosciutto


DINNER **serve with 2007 Dobra syrah and 2006 Grandpere zinfandel
~pappardelle w/ slow-braised leeks and crispy porcini pangrattato (a rich bread crumb topping)
*crumb topping made here at Bay Shore, rest in-house in Drytown
need (there): either 2lbs fresh lasagne sheets or pkgd pappardelle; 8 lg leeks; prosciutto; butter; garlic; thyme; white wine; chicken stock; parmesan; (here): dried porcini mushrooms and ciabatta bread

~roasted local organic chicken w/ roasted potatoes & carrots, sautéed greens
*all in-house;
need fresh rosemary & thyme, lemons, 4 lbs potato, 4 lbs carrots, 3-4 bunches cavolo nero (black kale fronds) or Swiss chard, butter

DESSERT **serve with local port?
~whatever looks killer while out shopping: berries, stone fruits... bring my vanilla beans?

Having absolutley no idea what the appliance/tool inventory is like in our rented kitchen, other than I know there'll be a few pots and pans, this menu should be pretty easy to pull off with one good knife, one pair of tongs, and one small whisk.

The bummer is, I'm flying for the first time in many years and I know things have changed a bit in terms of weapon-like gadgets in your luggage. I really don't want to check anything, so I'll just have to hope for the best in that there's one good knife out there!

:~)