Sunrise over the backyard this morning.

I know I haven’t posted much over the weekend. Well, okay, not at all. Black Lynne was in residence but I think she’s left now. For those of you who know me personally, you’ll understand. Sometimes there is just a black cloud over my head and no matter how much I try and shake it off, its persistence is maddening. If I dodge left, it follows; dodging right has the same effect. Sometimes it comes with rain, thunder, and even lightning. Thankfully this time there was only a touch of rain.

Perhaps I can blame it on the wind. (Or maybe I should just admit I’m a moody little bugger.)  But I do believe it has something to do with the barometric pressure of which I seem to be closely aligned with. It seems magnified being this close to sea level. The dogs feel it too and get very jumpy. We had a big blow overnight on Friday night into the day on Saturday. The wind woke me up out of a sound sleep. It barreled through the trees with a steady freight train roar, the gusts shaking the house. It woke up the old ghost in the attic, forcing it to walk the floorboards above me. (Not really sure what causes this phenomenon to occur but it happens whenever the wind is really bad, and believe me it sounds like someone is walking in the attic. Creepy.) Phantom tree branches scraped against the house like gnarly fingers on a chalk board. We lost power several times during the day on Saturday but at least we didn’t lose any big trees. Our neighbor across the street lost a big one that came down over the road. We lost a few small ones that got uprooted, and lots of large branches all over the front yard, but thankfully nothing major. Our flag blew right off the flag pole and ended up in the neighbor’s yard across the street: undamaged I might add. I HATE wind.

The wind did cooperate on Sunday and settled down so that we could put up the outside Christmas lights and decorations. All went well except for one small thing. Rick was hanging wreaths above the four downstairs windows and I was holding the ladder for him. When I looked up I caught a blur of motion before I felt something hit my chin hard. ouch! A large flashlight had fallen out of his pocket and found me on its way down. I have a small bruise and a somewhat tender chin—nothing big. I’m just glad it hit me there instead of in the eye or on the nose. But, the outside of the house looks nice and festive!

The wind did knock plenty of pine cones out of our tree which seems to have an overly large supply this year. I picked them all up and saved them for lighting fires in the wood stove. Look at how many!

Bella got her sutures out on Friday, but the vet still insists that we not let her out with the other dogs and to curtail her activity level. I asked the vet if she’d like to come home with us and help out with that. Honestly, Bella is feeling so good it’s a constant struggle to not let her run. The vet was adamant, however, so we will continue to follow instructions for another two weeks. Bella can’t wait to be free again to do as she’d like and I can’t wait for my freedom again either.

Yesterday I boiled down the turkey carcass and made turkey pot pie with the last of the turkey. It was the perfect day for it since it was rainy and grey out. Yum! I love turkey or chicken pot pies made with broth from scratch. The only frozen ingredient is the peas, otherwise I use only fresh carrots, celery, and onions with a biscuit dough topping (also from scratch).  I made extra filling so I could have it to freeze for another meal later on. Rick declared it the best ever but I just think he forgets from year to year how good it is.

I finished one slipper (double sole and all) and started on the next one. I had to remind myself how to roll the cuff and use the same technique to attach the second sole! (Letty, I promise to do a post on this!)

I have most of my Christmas shopping done already. This is the first year I can remember that I’ve been so far ahead of the game. I have to admit that I did most of it online—just too easy!

Johnny gets his winter gear on tomorrow. Off with the mowing deck and on with the snow blower! The snow poles are up on the driveway, so now we just have to wait for the white stuff to start falling from the sky. Fingers crossed.

I think that about catches up all that’s happening around here. More to come soon! Thanks for stopping by!

Greetings fellow readers! As I look out on this day I see gloomy skies, fog and drizzle. As the day wears on the fog gets thicker and thicker. It’s so dark outside! I am keeping cozy by the fire with plenty to do however. My pumpkin pie is in the oven baking, filling the house with a wonderful aroma, the cranberry sauce is done (in my Mom’s crystal bowl).

With a few of the Thanksgiving tasks taken care of I’ll be settling down now in front of the fire to have a mini marathon of my favorite Christmas movies. Have you seen any of these?

They never fail to jump start my holiday mood. Since Thanksgiving is so late this year, I need all the help I can get. Why is it that I don’t ever really start thinking about Christmas until Thanksgiving? I wish they would insert another month in-between. That would be much more to my liking. That way you’d have plenty of time to gear up for the holiday season. Yikes! Christmas is in just a few short weeks!

I’ll also be working on these while watching the movies: Rick’s slippers. Don’t worry, I know they look big enough to be clown shoes but they get thrown in the washer and felted down to a normal size. Cozy and warm, and my favorite pattern of all to knit! (More on that later.)

I might even get to start this:

I need a thriller right about now!

Hope your holiday is cozy and packed full of all the things you love!

Warning! Wine Overload Ahead!

Keuka (pronounced Kook-a) Lake was definitely our favorite of the lakes we visited. It had a cozy, homey feel to it, mostly due to its narrowness and thickly wooded hillsides. Keuka is shaped like a slightly crooked Y with long narrow fingers. To the Seneca natives that lived in the region long before the white man arrived on the scene, Keuka meant “canoe landing.” The early settlers tried to change the name to Crooked Lake but it didn’t stick. Many places around the lake still reference “Crooked Lake” in their names. Whatever you call it, it’s just plain beautiful.  We started on the west side of the lake and worked our way south.

Small vacation (and permanent) homes lined the lake’s shore. Most had boat docks, and some had decks that literally hung out over the water.

We left the highway that hugged the shore and headed straight up (literally) the hill toward the wineries. The thick woods gave way to bits of meadow and rows of vines.

A few clusters of grapes were still clinging to the vines.

Some land did double duty and a few hay bales shared space with the vines.

Our first stop was Dr. Konstantin Frank, known for their award winning wines and champagne. Their tasting room overlooks the lake. Too bad it doesn’t have a better view.

The person pouring the various wines at our tasting was very knowledgeable. I don’t know exactly what you would call such a person. Certainly not a “pourer”; perhaps as husband Rick suggested “a tasting consultant”? The tasting varied from winery to winery too. Some charged a fee of $2.00 per person or $5.00 per person. Some were complimentary. Usually you could taste up to five wines, but if they saw you were serious about wine and not just there for the buzz, they generally tended to pour you a few extras. Dr. Frank’s happened to be one of those places where the tasting was complimentary. I think they had the best wines. Glenora’s were good too (we think their reds were overall the best of those we tasted), but Dr. Frank’s wines were more complex. There are also one of only two wineries to grow the Rkatsiteli grape variety, one of the oldest varieties known to man, from Russia and Georgia. Very intriguing taste.

We asked our “tasting consultant” about places for lunch and mentioned that we were heading down to Bully Hill Winery next for a tasting. She wrinkled up her nose and gave a shake of her head regarding their wines, but told us that their restaurant was excellent. She turned out to be right on both counts.

After Dr. Frank’s we continued on top of the hillside to this view of the lake.

Bully Hill’s location and view of the lake is nothing short of stupendous! Lunch was delightful and the best meal we had. A Maryland Blue Crab cake nestled on top of a grilled portabello mushroom with a side cucumber salad. Yum! We did the tasting and found the contrast between upscale, classy Dr. Frank’s wine discussion and the comedic, canned spiel of the man behind the tasting counter at Bully Hill (I refuse to call him a tasting consultant!) about as black and white as you could get. Okay, he was funny, I’ll give him that. Well, funny almost to the point of being crass. Especially when he pulled out the souvenir underwear for sale in their gift shops and told a few borderline jokes about them. And, oh yes, they glow in the dark ladies and gents! They charged us $5.00 for this “show.” The wines, you ask? How can I put this kindly. Don’t bother. When he poured a sample of their Banty Red and we checked out its “nose” I just looked at Rick and tried not to laugh. When it hit my mouth all I tasted was grape juice. Pure and simple; not even fermented. What was left in my glass went not-so-discretely into the not-worth-finishing-bucket. ugh. They do have a sense of humor about it all and their labels are artistic and very creative. Needless to say, we walked out without buying any wine. No underwear either. I did, however, buy my sister a Christmas gift there and now I bet she can’t wait! (hehehe)

On to Pleasant Valley Wine Company where we just missed the tour. This is the oldest winery in the Finger Lakes region. Established in 1860, the winery proudly displays the designation U.S. Bonded Winery No. 1 and has eight remarkable stone buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places. But having missed the tour we didn’t see all the stone buildings but we had a “private” tasting since no one else was around. The tasting room is located in a old stone building (naturally) with a small wine museum. It was dark and castle-y feeling. When we walked up to the large bar for some reason I was reminded of the scene in the movie The Shining where Jack Nicholas walks up to the bar and the “ghost” bartender grins. I don’t know why. Maybe it was the lighting because the “tasting consultant” was certainly not scary. He was very nice and we learned (through the course of asking what the winters were like) that he had grown up in Hammondsport, moved to Dallas, TX and only recently moved “back home” and was hoping to “nurture his inner chef” by opening up a restaurant.

Pleasant Valley is known for their champagnes under the Great Western label. One we tasted we didn’t like very well, but the other was very good. We didn’t taste any wines (no charge for the tasting) except for dessert wine. Now, mind you, neither one of us is a sweet wine drinker but he thought we might like his suggestions of Keuka Blue and Chocolate Lab. All I can say is wow. Keuka Blue is port based, but with a slight blueberry flavor. Oh my. Then came Chocolate Lab (with a cute chocolate lab puppy face on the label), which is a concord grape wine with natural chocolate flavor. Oh. My. Goodness times three. I know it sounds strange having concord grape wine (all I can think of is the Mogan David wines—yuck) combined with chocolate, but you just have to taste it!  Then he went on to pour a splash of their late harvest Strawberry Zinfandel wine in Rick’s Chocolate Lab, and a splash of their late harvest Blackberry Merlot wine into mine. Swoon. Like I said, we are not sweet wine drinkers but this was a delicious combination!! Suffice it to say that we fell for it. Yes, we did purchase a few bottles at this establishment. From here we headed up the eastern shore of Keuka Lake.

Our last stop on our list was the McGregor Vineyard and Winery. We had read about their Black Russian Red wine made from two grape varieties (Saperavi and Sereksiya Charni) that are typically grown in Eastern Europe. McGregor’s is the only winery in North America to produce this wine, so we had to try it. Tastings are done seated at rustic tables and cost $5.00 per person. They do bring you a little plate of “goodies” to pair with your wine. They say it’s to bring out the flavors in the wine but frankly I think it’s because they want you to buy those very same goodies for sale in their gift shop. Anyway, I’m getting off the point. Once seated the winery dogs came to pay a visit. Chester, the Portuguese Water Dog, was quite the beggar. Little Max of the Heinz 57 variety liked to lay under the tables and snooze. We tasted a few whites that simply did not have the complexity or body to them that Dr. Frank’s had. McGregor’s also grows the same Rkatsiteli grape that Dr. Frank’s does only they blend it. We didn’t think it was as good either. Ditto on their Pinot Noirs. Just not enough there. The Black Russian Red was the last to be tasted and finally, something that did not disappoint. Very impressive. We only bought one bottle (the Black Russian Red) and it was the most expensive bottle we purchased on the whole trip.

On our way back I snapped these two photos from the car. I had been seeing this particular architecture in several towns and was curious about the style. Victorian? but not classically so. The squareness of the houses coupled with the cupolas on top are curious to me. (Oh boy. Coupled with cupolas? I must be punch drunk from all this writing.) What were the cupolas intended to be? I think these were in Seneca Falls, but it wasn’t the only town that featured them.

And that, dear readers, concludes our trip to the Finger Lakes. I hope you enjoyed the ride! Sorry for such a long post about nothing much but wine, but I wanted to get it all done in one blog post. As it is it took me most of the day in fits and starts! I’m so cross-eyed now I can’t see, so if you find any spelling errors please forgive me. I’m hitting the “publish” button.

Next I’ll be sharing the last of New Jersey’s fall colors (well, one main color really—magenta pink) with you.

Here I am today at the Cavern Cascade at Watkin’s Glen State Park at the southern end of Seneca Lake. We hiked one mile up this glacier carved canyon and I have some very cool photos to share. I just haven’t had much time to either comment on your blogs or write my own.

We tasted some wine today. Some good. Some too acidic for our palettes. Let’s just say that at one vineyard, Glenora Winery,  we bought 14 bottles of wine to the four bottles of wine we ended up buying at Fox Run.

Sorry to be so short, but time is limited. I will be posting more once we’re home. Promise.

Here are the nuts that keep falling out of the trees. I don’t know what they are but this is the first year we’ve had them. Acorns, yes, usually tons of them, but these I have no clue. They don’t actually have an edible nut inside from what I can tell. Take a look and tell me if you recognize them. The green ones are freshly fallen.

I am not joking when I tell you I can hear them hitting the across-the-street-neighbors’ deck—even in the middle of the night. It can’t be acorns; they are too small to make that much noise when they hit. It’s very bizarre! We’ve lived here for three years and never had them, or at least not to this degree that they are constantly plonking down and threatening concussion if they hit you on the head. Very curious ...

That was the nut half of this post, now on to the recipe!

Last week’s distribution from our CSA included acorn squash. We made Rosemary-Scented Risotto in Acorn Squash Cups the night before last with one of them. It was delicious! Such a nice autumn dish. I just love any kind of squash.

The squash cooks in the oven for 45 minutes while you make the risotto.

Don’t be afraid of making the risotto. It’s easy! All it asks is just a hand to stir it and for you to pay attention to it. The recipe (if you follow the link) does not call for this ingredient but we think it’s important in a risotto. Vermouth.

And no, not for drinking, for adding to the rice as it’s first liquid to soak up. I think Julia Child was famous for tippling her Vermouth, wasn’t she? I prefer a nice crisp glass of Chardonnay by my side while I tend the risotto. Anyway, Vermouth is paramount in my opinion if you’re going to make a good risotto. Pour it on and let it soak it all up before starting to add your broth. Just stir and add more broth as it gets incorporated. Repeat until rice is done. When I am making the risotto I slip another splash or two of Vermouth into the broth about ten minutes before I think the rice will be done. Rick doesn’t, but I do. So I wonder why he always thinks my risotto tastes better than his? Was it that splash of Vermouth or was it just because someone else made it?

Ladle the risotto into your cooked squash halves and enjoy! We’ll be making this again soon.