Daddy's Girl

Having a family business isn't always easy. The line between employer/employee, father/daughter is often muddled. We're doing our best over here, though, and this picture sure does warm my heart on this chilly fall morning.

Quick Paint

We hosted a quick paint this year as part of the Plein Aire event in Ste. Genevieve, and this is our favorite local artist, Chuck Drost doing what he does best. Brilliant.

From Bog to Bottle!

Me with the hip boots on in the cranberry bog

Tamarack Tree

wild swans on a flooded part of the marsh

This is how they get the cranberries out of the water, this conveyor belt carries them to a truck, and the truck is like a sieve that lets the water out and keeps the berries



two different types of cranberries in one bog

Dad and I took our annual trip to Wisconsin to buy cranberries from Mary Brazeau Brown and her Glacial Lake Cranberry Marsh. This year the weather was a balmy 64 degrees. As always, I took many pictures.

Wine and Food Pairing at Chef's Stop in Festus

Thursday October 22, 2009

Our holiday entertaining menu will be presented by Personal Chef Debbi Gordon and will feature updated appetizers for spontaneous get-togethers. Bite size bliss begins here!

Mini Caesar Salads: chopped and served in mini cups;
Cranberry-Mustard Pork Tenderloin: Pork Tenderloin baked w/whole cranberry sauce, Dijon mustard, thin sliced and served on mini buns or cocktail croissants;
Sun-dried Tomato/Basil Polenta "Pizzas": Seasoned Polenta rounds baked w/a sun-dried tomato & basil pesto, then topped w/shaved Parmesan cheese;
Cocoa Marshmallow Puffs: Chocolate Marshmallows baked in a Crescent Roll...this is truly a one-bite bliss!

Wine pairing will be provided by Sainte Genevieve Winery! Sainte Genevieve Winery Another stop along the Route du Vin!

Cost: $30.00 per person 3 easy ways to register: call 636-937-3333; register on line at Chef's Stop , or register in person at Chef’s Stop

Bolduc Braised Short Ribs

3-4 pounds bone in beef short ribs
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 pound parsnips, peeled and cut into chunks
4 medium carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
1 medium onion, peeled and cubed
1 garlic bulb, peeled and sectioned
1 Tablespoon flour
1 bottle Sainte Genevieve Winery Bolduc
1 14 ounce can reduced sodium beef broth
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 Tablespoons chopped fresh thyme

Season short ribs with salt and pepper. Working in batches in a large pot, cook ribs in oil on medium high heat until well browned. Remove from pot and set aside. Add parsnips, carrots, onion and garlic; cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes. Stir in flour and cool one minute more. Add wine, broth and Dijon to pot, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. Return short ribs to the pot. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer over low heat, covered but with the lid cracked, for 2 hours. Remove cover and simmer over medium high heat for 30 minutes. Season to taste with thyme, salt and pepper. Serve over soft polenta or mashed potatoes. Makes 4 servings.


Recipe courtesy of my sister in law, Amanda, one of the best cooks I know. Yum-O!

Pears

Cecilia helped Dad this morning weigh some local pears.

Art!

Julie Wiegand to Conduct Painting Workshop on October 1 in Ste Genevieve

This year, the Ste Genevieve Art Guild has invited Julie Wiegand, a gallery artist at Gateway Gallery in Clayton, to conduct it's annual autumn workshop on October 1. Past invitees have included Billyo O'Donnell, Thom Buttner and Michael Anderson.

Growing up in what was once the "small town of Chesterfield, Missouri," Wiegand writes, her "youth was spent discovering nature, art, music and sports." Today, with her art studio in a one room schoolhouse in Berger, Missouri, Wiegand states, "A large percentage of my oils are painted en plein air and I truly enjoy this challenging and rewarding work. Many of my plein air subjects then become larger studio works. There is true joy for me in capturing a mood with light and color." Julie Wiegand is also a partner in an impressive artist cooperative known as the Gateway Gallery on Forsyth Boulevard in Clayton, Missouri.

The workshop will be held on Thursday, October 1, 2009. Many of the participating artists will meet between 8:00 and 8:45 AM for coffee and juice at Studio de Michel on North Main Street before heading out to the workshop location, the Moses Austin house and grounds, located at South Main and Gabouri Streets. About fifteen artists will be seen carrying their painting supplies, portable chairs and easels in backpacks, shoulder bags or rolling carts. The workshop location, in case of rain, will be announced on that day.

At 9 AM, Wiegand will begin the workshop with a short lecture and painting demonstration in oils. Artists of varying experience, from beginner to professional, will then begin their own paintings, in their chosen medium, under the close instruction of Wiegand. After a short lunch break, the workshop will continue until 4 PM culminating in a group critique. Some artists will then break for a short supper and then head out to begin their first painting for the Art Rendevous plein air competition, before the daylight fades.

There are a few seats left for the workshop. Artists wanting to learn how to paint outdoors are invited to attend. The public is invited to stop by and observe what happens at a plein air painting workshop. Once in awhile, an eager visitor or art collector will buy a wet painting off an artist's easel.

The Art Rendevous plein air event and competition will continue through Thursday, October 8 at 2PM and will culminate with a reception, auction and awards ceremony at 188 North Main Street at 6PM. The public is invited. The weekend of October 9 to 11 is filled with other art events such as the Autumn Daze Art Festival, Art Rendevous and the Promenade des Arts held downtown in various locations including the Lion's Club Park and the "Mammy" Shaw House.

Comedy Showcase

Don't delay, get your tickets now!

Bad on So Many Levels

This is me, circa 1986. What was I thinking? I clearly wasn't. Like my side ponytail, or my huge glasses, or the sunglasses around my neck (how did I wear those?)or the photo taker's fingertip? How about those old whiskey barrels, have to blame that one on Dad. Nevermind the blatant underage drinking, the best (or worst) is the plastic cup.

New Labels

Here is what our new grape labels look like. I have been showing you the full color fruit wine labels as they come along, and now we have this label that will go on all the wines we make out of grapes. So far we have the Concord and LaRose Rose ready. Once again, Chuck did an amazing job on the picture. These new labels are just now hitting the shelf. Let me know when and where you are seeing them.

A Better Perspective

I thought the picture I posted yesterday was pretty cool, until I saw this picture on Diane Wilson's facebook page. It's evident that she's the professional photographer. Check out more of her pictures, and just all sorts of good info on her shop at Center for the Arts. Brilliant.

Tour of Missouri

"Linus, You've Got a Loose Sprocket"

It's funny (not really) how quickly this scene...















can turn into this scene.


First day of picking grapes this year, and something has to go wrong. That wonderful harvester, the one I could write a poem to, is the same one I could kick in the shin on days like today. I don't know how to fix it, and I don't think Larry, Moe or Curly do either, but they are trying. I was clearly no help when one of the guys said, "Linus, you've got a loose sprocket," and I gave a little giggle. I can't help it that I think of The Jetsons and Spacely's Sprockets everytime I hear that word. They all gave me a dirty look when I snickered, so I excused myself back up to the winery to make better use of my time, like blog. =)

I hope we have better luck tomorrow.

Cat On A Hot Tin Roof

Asleep On The Job

The Living is Easy

This is a picture of Lynn Rose Terry and Friends playing Summertime under the grape arbor at Jour de Fete. With the warm breeze, a glass of sangria, delightful music, Cecilia dancing around me and Charlotte asleep in my arms, I was the happiest woman around.

Buying Local Blackberries

Last week we bought homegrown blackberries and started fermenting them. We put an ad in the paper, and gardeners pick their blackberries, freeze them, and then we pick a day and everyone gets their berries weighed and we start the fermentation and they go home with a check. The first picture is Dad looking at the scale full of blackberries, and the second picture is Melvin Roth's pick up truck full of frozen blackberries he and his wife picked this year. We think these local berries make the best tasting blackberry wine around.

Unwelcome Guests

We have two hornet's nests on the property and we haven't quite figured out how to get rid of them yet. They need to find a new home soon, preferrably before harvest because all those sweet grapes attract so many bees. Any suggestions?

Nice Article

Here's a link to a nice article printed over the weekend in the St. Louis Post Dispatch. Come to Ste. Genevieve this fall, you won't be disappointed.

After Hours

Our tasting room has a wonderfully large front porch and last Saturday evening we sat under the arbor with our good friends Sara and Chuck and their kids and watched Jour de Fete close up shop for the night. This is Cecilia and Char (short for Charles) peeking over the railing of our big front porch.