Sonoma Grown Fork To Table Food at Folktable with Good Friends

I’m here at my gym since my power is out at my house. We are experiencing another Atmospheric River in Northern California with high winds and torrential rains. I’ve been sick for a week with who knows what? Headache, ridiculous sore throat, constant wet cough and achy body are just a few of the symptoms. As you might remember, I had covid in January. This last test was negative, but I sure feel like crap.

I’d love to run away and escape to the wine country, but I don’t drink while I’m sick. I guess I will write about our special day in Sonoma last February with our friends Elaine and Craig Cowie. The weekend began with me cooking a feast on Saturday evening when the Cowies were about to arrive for their first overnight at Smyth Family Farm. They moved to Eldorado Hills three years ago, and now we have to plan outings and sleepovers to make sure we stay in touch. 

Ray, Linda, Craig, Elaine, Ken and me posing for a rare photo many years ago.

Our friendship began 30 years ago, after we moved to our second house on Rosewood Dr in Concord. The Cowies lived across the street and we would frequently have dinner together. Our children Curtis and their son Andon would play basketball and baseball in front of our houses. Eventually, their daughter Leslie and our son Andrew would play at the park or in our backyard. She was a little older and was very sweet with Andrew. Mutual friends Ray and Kinds Faulkenberry would join us for weekend meals. Ray and Linda had two kids named Wes and Meg. We even attended weddings with these families over the years. Ray was our son Curtis’ Taekwondo teacher, and Linda and Elaine met in College at Chico many years before. We were excited to have new friends and we raised our kids together. 

Elaine Cowie, Linda Faulkenberry and me pausing for a quick photo

Elaine is quite the planner, so we had scheduled this overnight date months before. It was nice to have the six of us together again for a roasted chicken dinner. We had many courses including a minestrone soup, green salad with beets, pistachios and goat cheese, and of course a decadent carrot cake with cream cheese frosting for dessert. It was a lovely evening and we are grateful for long lasting friendships.

Elaine and Craig had graciously hosted us at their home in Eldorado Hills in July of 2020, and took us wine tasting at Amador County’s Shenandoah Valley the next day. We tasted at Iron Hub Winery and Vineyard. The tastings are only $10.00 each and are free if you buy a bottle of wine. It was a beautiful day. 

The Pink Tejana Cocktail served at Stanly Ranch Napa Valley.

This time, it was our turn. We began at the bar at Stanly Ranch in Napa for a cocktail and tasted their sourdough bread. We had a huge quiche and sausage and fruit breakfast before we left our home, but you have to try their bread with nasturtium butter. This place is not to be missed and is right off highway 29. Elaine imbibed in their fancy Pink Tejana Cocktail made with lavender, infused gin, rosemary and pomegranate, lillet rose and lemon garnish. It was very pretty, almost too pretty to drink.

Next we stopped at Hansons of Sonoma Distillery which makes flavored vodkas out of grapes.Our friends tried the sampler to make sure they didn’t miss out on the vodka tasting experience. I had the espresso martini. Of course I had to buy a couple of bottles to take home- the seasonal pink grapefruit vodka for me and the habanero vodka for Elaine and Craig. There isn’t food offered here unless the pizza oven is in service on the patio. The weather wasn’t great that day, so we stayed inside and practically had the place to ourselves. Too bad more people don’t know about this precious gem of Sonoma. It’s good stuff.

My husband Ken, me, Elaine and Craig Cowie celebrating our friendship at Folktable restaurant Sonoma

My husband and our designated driver Ken, drove us to Cornerstone, a wine country marketplace. This place has changed over the years, but we were pleasantly surprised with what we stumbled upon. Folktable Restaurant looked casual and inviting. It was busy, and there was a line, but we ventured in. To my surprise, I was greeted by Chef Casey Thompson from Top Chef! I was in awe, since I have loved watching her for many years. She was running the place like a pro and graciously made a table available for the four of us. She was also meeting with someone who is interested in making that area the new “OxBow of Sonoma.” Wouldn’t that be awesome?

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We ordered the Avocado Hummus with Pumpkin Seed Pesto, the Wild Rice Salad with Quinoa, Lentils,Roasted Squash, Candied Pecans, and a Citrus-Feta Vinaigrette, and the Dungeness Crab Roll with Drawn Butter, Spicy Giardiniera, Cabbage, Trout Roe and House Chips. The waiter agreed to let us bring in our own wine and glasses (which I always have a few of in my trunk just in case). We shared the fresh farm to fork seasonally inspired cuisine and thoroughly enjoyed it. They gave us the best food and the price was right. The hospitality was top notch and I can’t wait to go back.

Next, with our tummies all full and our bodies nourished we walked into Ram’s Gate Winery. They were closing for a private event unfortunately, but we were able to walk around and see the beautiful grounds and property. Here is the blog I wrote when I first discovered Ram’s Gate Winery in July of 2017 when taking our Spanish Exchange Family to the wine country.

Our last stop and quite possibly the best glass of the day was spent at Buena Vista Winery in Sonoma. Founded in 1857,  California’s first premium winery had been reinvented by Jean Charles Boisset and the Boisset Family Estates.The place is breathtaking and the wine is superb. Our friend Craig purchased a special bottle of zinfandel, and the three of us polished it off while visiting with the locals at the bar. 

We drove our friends to Costco in Fairfield where we dropped their car off. It made their commute back to Eldorado Hills a little easier. It was a great day exploring Sonoma and experiencing the good food and wine of the region. We are so lucky to live in the Bay Area where we can skip over to the wine country at the last minute. We love it there. Life there seems a little quieter and slower, which we can all use these days.

Here is the last photo taken in February when we all had dinner together.

Elaine, Craig, Ray and Linda getting a quick pic after dinner at Smyth Family Farm.

Many thanks for reading along and finding a little joy in my blog. I sure love sharing my recipes and stories with you.

Have you been anywhere special lately? Be sure to leave a comment below and tell us.

Teri

 

Sunday Fun Day with Good Friends Wine Tasting in the Shenandoah Valley

   It’s Tuesday. These days I rarely know which day it is. My husband and I spent last weekend in Eldorado Hills and Amador County’s Shenandoah Valley with our friends the Cowies and Castiglione’s.  It was refreshing to have social time again especially with some of my favorite people. It was nice to introduce good friends to our other good friends who happen to live in the same town. In today’s blog I will reflect on our weekend away and tell you what I’ve been up to lately.

 

The last four months have been interesting. Every day, I wake up, check on the latest news, water my vegetable garden, check email, have my coffee and a bit of breakfast, and do whatever chores are needed to get done. I’m not currently working, but I have worked harder in the past four months than I ever have. It seems there is always more laundry, more cleaning,  flour to mill and bread to bake, fresh pasta to make, pies to bake, or a new cookie or Rice Krispie treat recipe to try. 

Two of the masks I made for friends to protect themselves from Covid19

Covid masks made for the little people in my life

I’ve also made a dozen or more masks for family members, using up material I have had for years. It is rewarding to up cycle many fabrics that I’ve saved, knowing I could find a way to use them eventually.

My strawberry plant blossoms. Just one of the many plants I am growing in my victory garden

Just a few of my baby seedlings poking up through the soil

I’ve started an enormous vegetable garden, growing many varieties mostly from seed months ago. Not knowing whether we would have access to fresh fruit and vegetables, because of Covid 19, I decided to grow a victory garden. I’ve had edible gardens in the past, but never like this one. It is rewarding  checking on the size and color of the tomatoes and picking them off the vine when ripe. Many of them don’t make it into the bowl, but get popped right into my mouth. So tasty.

Many varieties of flowers from my March garden in Walnut Creek. Photos taken by a friend Linda Kwong

So when our friends Elaine and Craig Cowie invited us to their new home in Eldorado Hills, we jumped at the idea. They have postponed the visit at least three times, because the Bay Area has been on lock down. My husband and I have been good about not going out unless we wear a mask, and we social distance if we see one of our friends or family. We felt safe about going North since there aren’t as many cases of Covid there. The population is less, and it’s not as crowded there.

 

 

We have known the Cowies for over 30 years. We met them after moving to our second house in Concord California. They lived directly across the street, so we had many dinner parties with them.  Also included into the mix were the Faulkenberry’s.  The Cowies and Faulkenberry’s  have been friends since college at Chico State. Our son Curtis took Taekwondo classes from Ray Faulkenberry when Curtis was in elementary school and we’ve loved them ever since.

 

Every year, the three families  have stayed connected taking turns having dinner together, even after we moved to Walnut Creek. We’ve had great times together watching our kids grow up, attending weddings and sharing meals over the years. We were happy to finally meet again, this time at the Cowies new home in El Dorado Hills. They moved there in February, after selling their home in Concord, to live closer to their daughter Leslie, son in law Kyle and two precious grand kids.

Two couples enjoying the day at Iron Hub Winery and Vineyard.

Leaving the chores, the garden and kitty cat behind, Ken and I happily drove North and were graciously greeted by Elaine and Craig when we arrived. We unpacked the car with all the goodies and clothes and enjoyed the tour of their new home. I was excited to learn their floor plan was similar to our other friends the Castiglione’s, our friends from our current Walnut Creek neighborhood who have also recently relocated to  Eldorado Hills. Kayla and I have been in the same book club for over 20 years. I was happy to set up a day for the two couples to meet. We decided to get the six of us together on Sunday while wine tasting. Unfortunately, the Faulkenberry’s couldn’t stay overnight and join us having to get home to their puppies and cats.

 

We relaxed by the pool on Saturday while snacking on chips and mango salsa, fresh fruit skewers and pinot grigio. When the Faulkenberry’s showed up, I visited with their daughter Meg, who is a writer and social media expert. She wrote a book called Summer Rain. She had all kinds of great tips about how I should use Twitter to share my blog and many more new websites to check out like Blue Host, Hootsuite Wattpad, Booksie, 750words.com, Quotev.com and who to follow on Tik Tok. She should be teaching classes on these social media tools.

The weather was warm and yet there was a nice breeze which kept us cool. Elaine and Craig made fish tacos for dinner which we gobbled down and I made two apricot dishes for dessert. The first dessert was an apricot pie. I picked these ripe and juicy Patterson apricots from a farm in Tracy a couple of weeks ago. I also made two gluten free apricot turnovers with Teff flour and Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Flour. These were special. I had heard about the Teff flour from The Sourdough Podcast, so when I stumbled across it at Lunardi’s Grocery Store I quickly swept it into my cart. I had a little sticker shock when I got to the register. It was over $7.00 for a small bag, but was worth the price. It is high in fiber, high in protein, has more calcium than any other grain and is the only ancient grain containing Vitamin C. Teff flour has a subtle hazelnut earthy taste, is cultivated in Eastern Africa and is found in Ethiopian flatbread called injera. I enjoyed these hand pies more than the apricot pie made with all purpose flour.

 

After the Faulkenberry’s left Saturday night, we got on our “jammies ” or pajamas and watched a couple of episodes of Schitt’s Creek on Netflix. Ken and I had never seen it before, so it was nice to find a new funny night time splurge. I haven’t laughed that hard in years. It was so fun. 

 

Before bed I assembled my Overnight Baked French Toast recipe and placed it in the fridge. I make it with two loaves of cinnamon bread,  cut it into thick slices and pour a custard over the top to soak overnight. In the morning, you spread on a brown sugar,  butter and maple syrup mixture on top of the soaked bread and bake in the oven for one hour. I made a fresh blueberry sauce ahead of time, before we left for our trip.  I served the sauce along with maple syrup on the baked French Toast. I was introduced to this recipe from my friend Carolyn Regan. She made it when we went on a St Mary’s religious retreat in Guerneville many years ago. It is the perfect breakfast served with Italian sausage or bacon.

 

Sunday morning, Ken finished off preparing the breakfast and baked the French Toast while I stayed in bed a little longer. Most people know I love to sleep. At 9 AM, we ate breakfast and got ready to drive to the wineries. My husband Ken drove since he doesn’t drink. It was a gorgeous day and it was nice to drive through the countryside.

 

Ken and I outside at Iron Hub Winery

Our first stop was Iron Hub Winery and Vineyard. The views here were simply spectacular. They only charge $10.00 for a tasting and if you buy a bottle of wine, they give you a tasting for free. The pours were tiny, but we tried two whites and four reds. There was hardly anyone there with the exception of one other family of three tasting at the end of the outside bar.

We had an appointment at Cooper Vineyards at 12:15 and met up with our friends Kayla and John Castiglione. The six of us sat outside in a shaded patio where we shared stories and drank more delicious wine. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a photo of all of us this time. We will have to go back again the six of us.  The Cowies are members there, so our wine tastings were free. That’s a bonus. The 2017 Barbera Riserva was the group favorite and the server generously gave us another pour.

Cooper Vineyards tasting room and patio

Safety Instructions everyone must read and attend to while wine tasting at Cooper vineyards

The last place we ventured into was Jeff Runquist Winery where John and Kayla were members. We enjoyed the beautiful and welcoming tasting room, especially the fresh wild flowers of black eyed Susan, clarkia, yarrow, daisies and queen Anne’s lace in vases in every corner. We tried their Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc,  Petite Sirah, Zinfandel, Barbera, and Petit Verdot. At the end of the tasting, we said goodbye to John and Kayla and sat outside for a quick picnic before driving back to El Dorado Hills. It was lovely and the perfect day with friends. It was nice to see John and Kayla exchange numbers with Elaine and Craig. Especially since they are practically neighbors, living less than 10 minutes from one another.

 

We had hoped to check out the Amador Flower Farm in Plymouth, but it was getting late and we still had to drive back to the Bay Area. The weekend couldn’t have gone any better. We thanked Elaine and Craig for the generous hospitality and good food, packed up our things, cleaned and changed the sheets and were off. Our drive home was uneventful and I had plenty of time to get home and water the garden before dark. It’s nice to know our friends won’t be lonely since they now have a new couple (The Castiglione’s) to play golf with or have dinner with. Here is the blog from our day in Sonoma in February 2023.

Today, I’m back to my cleaning, cooking, gardening, baking and writing. It’s good to be home, back to my meowing kitty and small homestead. I’m grateful for friends, their generosity and love. We have so much to be grateful for, even during a pandemic.

Stay healthy. Thanks for reading and following my blog. I promise to add a recipe next time I write.

One last photo to bless you with. This photo was taken at Ben Runquist Winery’s tasting room

 

 

Ray, Linda, Craig, Elaine, Ken and me posing for a rare photo many years ago.

 

Tastes Like Vacation in Carneros and Biscotti

Grapes just picked at Heirs of my Dream Winery Sonoma

 

Took a vacation day trip out to the Sonoma area last week. I’ve been wanting to check out the new Hanson Distillery along Hwy 12 in the Carneros Valley for some time. I’ve been passing this place and dying to go in, but I usually have my Dad in the car and he doesn’t want to stop at these places. While out and about, I also had the pleasure of walking around Homewood Winery, Troika Wines, and Ceja Vineyards. Of course I took advantage of checking out Domaine Carneros,  Napa’s Stanly Lane Smokehouse Deli, their pumpkin farm next door, and Starmont Winery and Vineyards.

 

Today’s drive was spontaneous and last minute. Never enough time to schedule a pal to go along with me, so I decided to go by myself. It’s so much fun to explore these hidden gems especially this time of year. The colors are changing on the vines, the weather is cooler, and there is a crisp breeze which makes me want to drive to the wine country.

First was a tour of Heirs of my dream Winery by Ellie. She showed me around the quaint property letting me get a glimpse into her world. I was attracted to this property because I heard a man singing loudly while cleaning out wine barrels. This property is perfect for weddings and parties. Have I mentioned it is brand new? Their website is barely up, but they are doing exciting things.

 

Gorgeous venue.

 

Krzystof and Hanson’s vodka

 

Next was a mango, habanero vodka cocktail at Hanson’s Distillery carefully prepared by a Polish guy named Krzystof. I learned all about the Hanson family who are passionate about vodka and originally from Marin. They are the first non-GMO distillery in the US and make their vodka from grapes. They have many flavors: cucumber, ginger, mandarin, habanero, and limited varieties of espresso and boysenberry. The drink was delicious, a bit spicy too because of the habanero vodka and their Tajin Clasico Chili Lime Seasoning rimmed glass. The espresso had a bold rich flavor with notes of chocolate. The property is adorned with a pond and gorgeous romantic trees. It’s quite an experience if you are looking for a fun getaway.

 

On the same estate was Ceja Vineyards, but they were closed. Troika Wines were right next door and were offering tastings, but I had to decline since I was at my limit after drinking the cocktail. Across the road was Homewood Winery, but I chose to move on.

I’ve always wondered what the enormous breathtaking beautiful chateau was that is along Hwy 12 on the hill, and was pleasantly surprised to find Domaine Carneros. Reservations were required, but I was happy enough to walk around the premises. It seemed a bit stuffy for my taste, but I’m sure well worth the tasting if you are looking for sparkling wine and pinot noir.

Fancy Pumpkins in wheel barrow

On the way back to Hwy 29 on the left was Stanly Lane Smokehouse Deli and I was getting plenty hungry by then. The family run business owned by Wilcoxson’s are best known for their authentic pit smoked meats. Pulled pork, chicken, tri tip and brisket sandwiches are served just to name a few. I didn’t stay, since I was intrigued by their pumpkin farm adjacent to the restaurant. I’m quite the farmer, and appreciate what goes into growing these crops. This atmosphere is family friendly and a must see for locals and travelers alike.

My last stop in the Carneros Valley was paying a visit to the 50 acres of  Starmont Winery and historic Stanly Ranch. Gargantuan eucalyptus trees grace the property which draw you in and make you want to see more. It was quiet yet inviting and a nice place to spend a couple of hours. Since I was driving, I didn’t partake in their tastings, but will go back someday.

I enjoyed my day trip to the Carneros Valley. The habanero vodka cocktail is something I’d like to make for friends in the future. I will probably make one of my famous cheese platters to go with them as well. Included will be my pineapple pepper jelly from my homegrown organic serrano peppers. I also enjoy my blenheim apricot jam to accompany the brie and blue cheese.

So I hope I’ve inspired you to make a trip to the Carneros Valley with a few friends or loved ones. I know I will be finding my way back there soon also. But until then, here is my recipe for ginger, apricot, pistachio biscotti. They are chewy, not like an ordinary biscotti and a real treat.

Candied Ginger Apricot Pistachio Biscotti

 

Ingredients:

2 C All Purpose Flour

1 C Granulated Sugar

1 tsp Baking Powder

3 eggs

2 T Sambuca (an Italian Licorice flavored liquor)

2 T Grand Marnier

1 tsp Vanilla

1 tsp Anise Extract

1 C whole Pistachios

1 T fresh Orange Zest

1/2 t  Saltverk Licorice Salt (found in iceland) or substitute 1/2 t Kosher

½ C chopped Crystalized Ginger

¾ C Mariani Dried Apricots

 

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees and line baking sheet w parchment paper or a silpat.

Mix flour, sugar, baking powder together in a large size bowl. In another bowl whisk eggs, both liqueurs, vanilla, anise, orange zest and salt.

Add egg mixture to flour mixture and stir until combined. Fold in pistachios, ginger and apricots.

Divide dough in half and transfer onto parchment paper into two 2.5 inch wide logs with floured hands.

Bake until golden in color, firm and dry about 20 minutes.

Remove from pan and slice loaf on a diagonal into ¼ in to ½ in thick slices. Arrange cookies cut side down onto a sheet pan and bake again for about 8 to 10 minutes.

Enjoy! Do you have a favorite biscotti recipe? This is one I’ve adapted from a culinary class taken at Diablo Valley College’s pastry program.

And here is a terrific recipe for scones dipped in dark chocolate.