Love at First Bite at Murietta’s Well Livermore

Marie and Ana lounging at Murietta’s Well Livermore

Took a day trip to #Livermore two weeks ago to discover the food and wine of Wente at Murrieta’s Well with my friend Ana. We met my niece Marie there for fun, libations and plenty of yummy appetizers. After our tummies were full, and Marie graciously paid the bill while I wasn’t looking,  Ana and I toured downtown Livermore and Marie went back to work handling all of Wente’s marketing.

 

I’m lucky enough to be related to the sweetest niece of the century. Goodness knows I have plenty of nieces, 9 in fact. But Marie is always spoiling me by inviting me to Wente Winery and Murrieta’s Well Estate located at the heart of the Livermore Valley. She is always gracious with her time by taking a longer lunch to entertain me and my guests. We are treated royally because everything at Wente is a Five Star experience.

 

Their wines are spectacular and something you should familiarize yourself with.The grounds are elegant and no nonsense offering picturesque views of the vineyards. Outdoor summer concerts are a thing and something you and your loved ones would enjoy. Here’s a You Tube clip of our day together.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WArO49Uw_tY

 

We ordered their Cheese and Charcuterie Board that came with three different cheeses, sesame crisps, salami, prosciutto, dried fruit and spicy almonds. And I fell in love with their Market Fresh Board which was loaded with a roasted cauliflower curry hummus,carrots, jicama, olives, pita bread and fresh berries. Practically everything was gone by the time we were done with our tastings. We tasted a flight of Sauvignon Blanc, Tempranillo, a 2016 Merlot, and a woodsy black cherry Cabernet Sauvignon just to name a few.

Ana standing in front of a mural of Livermore

The town of Livermore is quaint and bizarrely whimsical. We walked into In Between Stitches a sewing store and got plenty of quilt making ideas. Next we checked out Board & Brush Creative Studio since they were having their grand opening. There’s tons of fun to be had making crafts with your friends for your home and garden.

 

Of course we walked by plenty of places to eat, but we didn’t dare drink more and we certainly weren’t hungry. There was plenty of time to check out the Livermore Outlets on the way home. Ana wanted to buy some Ghirardelli Chocolate for her family in Florida, but it took us forever to locate the shop. Eventually, I always find my way into a chocolate shop. Go figure.

 

So if you are thinking of getting out of the house and taking a drive, check out Livermore California. And don’t forget to make time for your loved ones. If you are lucky like me, you can enjoy your family while checking out new places in the Bay Area. Much gratitude goes out to my niece Marie, for being as sweet as can be and spoiling your auntie. It doesn’t go unnoticed.

 

Thanks for reading my blog. Take a moment and subscribe so you can read more of my food and wine adventures. Or leave a comment below and tell me your favorite place that I need to try out next time. Meanwhile, have a Happy Turkey Day. If you want to see my last post on St Helena read this.

 

Teri:)

 

 

 

 

Eat, Pray, Love During this time of Thanksgiving

Here we are in November and Thanksgiving is almost upon us. Yet, there have been two devastating wildfires: #WoosleyFire in Southern California and Butte County #CampFire wildfires in Northern California that have kept everyone scrambling to get to safety. I’m sad for the families that have lost their homes and loved ones and pray they get the help they need.  It’s times like these that I’m extra grateful for my family.

 

I was lucky enough to spend Tuesday last week with my Mom, her husband Tom, and their renter Ana in St. Helena. I was happy to drive them to the wine country and show them around for a few nibbles and sips of wine. Ana, originally from Croatia has been working as a traveling nurse at a nearby hospital. She will only be here for a few months and wants to see as much as possible. My Mom and Tom and I were available to spoil her, and since it was her birthday we made the day extra special.

Great day on patio of Trinchero Winery

 

First we drove to Trinchero Family Estates in St. Helena. The property is decked out with the finest rock walls, luxurious textiles and sprawling vineyards. The view from their patio where there is bocce ball and a huge copper fire pit is nothing short of breath taking. Of course, they served plenty of wine to Tom and Ana while we strolled the meticulous grounds.

Mom and me at Trinchero Estate

Lunch came next at the famous Rutherford Grill down the street. If you like good food, and excellent service you won’t want to go anywhere else. Plenty of warm out of the oven focaccia with their fruity herbed olive oil, olives, peppers, roasted almonds and cheese is always ordered as a starter. I’m a huge fan of their French dip, but was a little disappointed when we learned they don’t serve a complimentary birthday dessert. I’m going to keep that in mind next time there is a birthday to celebrate and we are choosing a restaurant. 😦

Next was Grgich Hills where we were hoping Ana could chat with the Croatian family. Unfortunately they weren’t on the property 😦 so we moved on. The town of St. Helena was calling us and we didn’t want to miss out on spending as much time there as we could.

 

My Mom found a cute linen shop where they embroider personalized items for purchase. My Mom and I come from a long line of seamstresses on the Portuguese side and she was mesmerized by this place. Of course we had to stop at WoodHouse Chocolate since we needed a little something sweet for the birthday girl. They had artful displays of chocolate turkeys and pumpkins to get us thinking of the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. But a tried and true dark chocolate espresso truffle was all I needed to get on with the day. Tom bought Mom and Ana English toffee with almonds another favorite of mine. Here’s my recipe.

Our family journey ended with a stop at Lucy’s Bar at the Bardessono Restaurant in Yountville. I love sitting out in their heated fireside patio where we can enjoy another cocktail, or in my case a hot chocolate with whipped cream since I was driving. My guests loved every second of it and especially enjoyed walking through the town of Yountville and not forgetting to get a pastry at Bouchon. Being a food and travel blogger has been fun and rewarding and especially memorable having time with my Mom. She has been ill for the past five years, but is doing extremely well.

During this Thanksgiving holiday, I’m especially grateful that my Mom and Tom are well enough to travel with me to places like St Helena and Yountville. I hope you are enjoying your loved ones too. I’m keeping those who have lost their homes and family members in the fires in my prayers. If you have it in your hearts to donate to the Disaster Relief efforts within the Red Cross, anything you can give is helpful. Or here is the latest article on ways to help. And thank you to @tylerflorence for feeding those in need. Here is a preview of his latest movie Uncrushable on last years’ wildfire in the Wine Country.

Thanks for reading my blog. I’m happy to share my recipes and excursions with you. Follow me by subscribing and you will automatically receive my next blog posts in your email.  

Well, it is almost Thanksgiving. I have so much to be grateful for. It is wonderful to spend time with friends and family on this joyous occasion. I first ate this recipe when I attended Thanksgiving at my sister Julie’s house @ 10 years ago. Her wonderful sister in law Mary Ann brought this dish to share and my family won’t ever be having another Thanksgiving holiday without it.
Your family will LOVE it too!

Sweet Potato Casserole

 

3 C. Mashed sweet potatoes( roast in oven for 1 hour@350 degrees or boil)

 

1/3 C. Brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

 

1/3 C. Skim milk

 

2 T. Margarine/ butter

 

1 tsp vanilla

 

½ tsp Kosher salt

 

2 egg whites (Whipped until frothy)

 

Topping

 

½ C. Packed brown sugar

 

¼ C flour

 

2 Tbsp chilled butter

 

1/3 C. Pecans chopped

1/2  teaspoon cinnamon

 

 Prepare by  whipping egg whites until stiff. Then take the first six ingredients and mix thoroughly in stand mixer. Fold egg whites into sweet potato mixture and spread evenly in a 13X9 glass dish.

Make the topping by putting all of the ingredients into a cuisinart and blend, or cut ingredients w a pastry blender by hand. Sprinkle topping over sweet potatoes evenly.

 

350 degrees for 30 min

Serves @ 6 people.

 

Teri