Chateau Fouzilhon Coteaux du Languedoc (2008)

It’s Tuesday night and we just worked a bit on the Friday Wall Street Journal crossword puzzle. We are almost finished so we will have to wait for Friday to get our new puzzle. It’s fun to do puzzles with Tom because he is so smart!

So, it’s snowing in Michigan and I am glad to have made it home safely. I heard from two people that there was a fatal crash on M-14, which is a highway that I pass but don’t have to drive  on my commute. The roads were very slick tonight.

For dinner, I am making a penne pasta dish with pesto, tomatoes, onions and — I know this will sound strange — but, leftover meatloaf.  I had about a half of a meatloaf in the refrigerator and rather than reheat it I decided to crumble it in a tomato sauce; it should take a lot like meatballs. I added some penne pasta to cook right in the sauce. I am going to steam some spinach and make a salad, as well.

We had a martini and now are having a glass of this Languedoc. A lovely French wine — not particularly fruity, but full of flavors like bramble, a touch of blueberries, oak and spice.  Fairly complex, this wine offers grippy tannins and a strong finish. Tom is making happy faces with his wine so I know he is loving it; so am I. A great choice for a snowy, cozy night in Michigan.

Domaine Roueire Cabernet Sauvignon (2007)

It is a hot August Saturday night in Michigan. We have our fans on and are resisting turning on the air conditioner. . .because why should we not enjoy this heat? It won’t last long! We had a typical Saturday. I started my day with a 10-mile run with my two running partners. Tom worked hard in the yard. Then, I spent the afternoon doing planning for a new course I will be teaching this fall. It is slow work, but having the run behind me helped me to sit still and make progress.  I will work on it again tomorrow.

We started our cocktail hour with an icy-cold gin & tonic. That was followed with this wine from the Languedoc region in France. The wine is very dark ruby with a black fruit nose. I love the taste . . .grass, smoky bacon and blackberries with silky tannins and a long finish. Complex and delicious. A real keeper! So glad we have a couple more bottles on the shelf.

For dinner tonight, I tried an unusal new recipe. Knowing it would be hot, I assembled a meal in the crock pot. I am cooking a turkey breast in a mixture of cranberries, orange juice, onion soup mix, celery, a pinch of salt and pepper. I have no idea how this will taste. I have heard it is quite delicious; we shall see. It smells good. I am going to serve this with a baked sweet potato and sliced melon. We shall see.