Wine Picnic

To celebrate my husband's birthday, we're heading to the wine country with our friends for a day of complete California indulgence.  We have a total of 12 close friends joining us, including two from out of town, which is a nice, big group for a birthday celebration.  I'm now tasked with the planning - including the transportation, itinerary, and food selection.  I'm sure my mom will help me with the last item, and possibly even help with the "party favors"?  I'm getting excited about the planning, so let's get started!

The Plan:

Head to Sonoma via a private mini-bus and get there by 11 am when most wineries open.  Based on reviews, logistics, and personal preference, I've decided on the following three to four wineries to visit:

     Roche, Cline, Gundlach Bundschu Winery (picnic), and if we have time, Bartholomew Park Winery

The Gundlach Bundschu Winery will be our lunch stop.  The winery is a great spot for picnicking with its extensive grounds and numerous picnic tables (both covered and uncovered).  The best part about Sonoma is how open they are to picnics on their grounds (Healdsburg is good about this too).  I haven't found many wineries in Napa that allow picnics, so Sonoma was our best bet for a group picnic that didn't require a completely structured "wine tour".  I'll be packing the private mini-bus with picnic baskets and all the picnicking essentials.  On my list of things to remember (because I always manage to forget something): utensils, plastic wine glasses (though some wineries will allow you to take their "real" glasses outside), wine opener, plates, cutting board and knives, napkins, blankets, plastic tarp for under blankets (in case it's damp), moist towelettes, bottled waters and a garbage bag for clean-up.

The Food:

Assortment of Grapes

Cheeses galore (brie, blue, gouda, etc.)

Various breads (french, sourdough, walnut, ciabatta, etc.)  I'm guessing 4-5 loaves

Dijon Mustard

Curried Rice & Artichoke Salad (recipe follows menu)

Roasted Red Peppers and Portabella Mushrooms (for our veggie friends)

Sliced Ham and Turkey

Chocolate Chip Cookies (my husband's fav)

Curried Rice & Artichoke Salad:

4 c. chicken stock (I'm using vegetable stock for our vegetarian guests)

2 c. uncooked long grain white rice

3 6-oz. jars oil-marinated artichoke hearts

5 green onions, chopped

1 large green pepeer, diced

3 large celery stalks, diced

1/4 c. chopped fresh parsley

Reserved artichoke marinade

1 tsp. curry powder

1 1/2 c. mayonnaise

salt and pepper to taste

Bring stock to boil, stir in rice, and return to boil.  Lower heat, cover, and simmer for 20 min. or til liquid is absorbed and rice is tender.  Cool.  Drain artichokes, reserving marinade, and chop.  Add to rice with onions, green pepper, celery and parsley.  Combine reserved marinade with curry, mayonnaise and s & p.  Toss with rice and mix thoroughly.  Refrigerate until ready to serve... (pack within the ice of the picnic cooler).

The menu is a good mix of store-bought items (fruit, meats and cheeses) and a few homemade dishes (curried rice salad, roasted pepper, and chocolate chip cookies).  I don't think it's necessary to make everything from scratch, especially when you're not hosting in your own home, but I do find it's nice to make it a little more personal with some homemade dishes mixed in.  This should be manageable for a working girl like me!

The itinerary is done, and all that's left is the party favors.  I wanted to do something creative as a "thank you" to our friends for helping us celebrate in Sonoma.  Since being creative is my mom's specialty, particularly when it has to do with wine, I've asked for her help in constructing some gift bags.  And in return, there could be a nice bottle of Sonoma Pinot Noir in her future.

“Killer” and “Bloody” in a Recipe Title?

Not sure that sounds right but I appreciate that my daughter’s husband, Drew, thought the “Bloody Mary Shrimp” should be called “Killer Bloody Mary Shrimp”. So I’ll settle on the title, “Bloody Mary Shrimp Shooters” (but that’s because Meg liked the way it was served).

Back to the Godfather she’s referring to…Preston. There’s only one. Witness his toast at her rehearsal dinner a year ago when he told the guests that when he was asked to be a godfather, he wasn’t sure what that meant…………(pause)………..so he rented the movie! (Talk about a Bloody Mary).

This recipe makes quite a bit so it’s a good way to stretch the “shrimp” budget.

Bloody Mary Shrimp Shooters

1 lb. medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 ½ cups thinly sliced celery
1 cup thinly sliced green onions
½ cup ketchup (yes, folks, I said ketchup in this)
¼ cup vodka
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
1-2 Tbl. horseradish, depending on taste
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
½ tsp. Tabasco

In large saucepan, bring 2 quarts of water with 2 Tbl. salt to boil. Add shrimp and cook a scant 1-3 min, just til they turn pink. DON’T OVERCOOK. Drain and cool to room temp, about 30 min. Cut shrimp into thirds and transfer to large bowl with celery and green onion.

Whisk together remaining ingredients, along with ¼ tsp. pepper and ¾ tsp. salt, or to taste. Just before serving, stir sauce into shrimp mixture. Spoon into tall shot glasses and arrange in a glass bowl filled with crushed ice.

(For you do-it-ahead cooks…shrimp can be cooked and tossed with veggies 4 hours ahead, then chilled in sealed bag. Bring to room temp, about 30 min. before tossing with sauce. Sauce can be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered.)

This did make a good complement to Meg’s Havarti en croute, and was a nice way to treat our favorite guest before dinner out. He was so full and content with the evening that Meg asked him if he’d like to stay over, which he did. I guess she made him an offer he couldn’t refuse.

The Godfather

The year is starting out on a happy note - especially since my Godfather is coming to town. Though he's just passing through for one night, we're hoping to show him such a good time that he decides his whole family should move from the cold east coast to the sunny west. We've been deprived of his crazy, unpredictable behavior for far too long. Enough is enough; it's time to bring the Godfather back to California.

I wanted to enjoy his company completely, so I didn't want to get bogged down in the kitchen, taking drink orders, serving the dinner, etc. My mom and I decided that we would do some pre-dinner entertaining at my house (because he hadn't seen the new home), then head out for a nice dinner at a local hot spot.

The menu was simple - she makes one app, and I make another. Two appetizers, some marinated olives (as per usual) and some chardonnay was plenty for my husband and I, my parents, and my Godfather. I opted for a simple cheese dish, a Havarti en Croute recipe from one of my mom's old cookbooks. I usually do this type of thing with brie, but this sounded different with the Havarti dill so I thought I'd give it a shot (note: this needs to chill for one hour prior to baking):

Havarti en Croute
2 frozen Pepperidge Farm pastry shells
7 ounces Havarti cheese with dill
1 egg, lightly beaten
Apples (optional)
French bread

Slightly thaw pastry shells. Lightly flour cutting board and roll pastry into an 8" circle. Put cheese in the center of pastry. Bring edges together over the top of the cheese and pinch to seal pastry. Please on an ungreased baking sheet, brush with egg, and chill for 1 hour. Preheat oven to 375. Brush again with egg and bake for 15-20 minutes (until golden brown). Serve with apple slices and slices of French bread.
Source: The Lafayette Collection
















The Havarti was a big success, at least that's what I determined from the constant "this is delicious, Meg" from the group. Since it was a crowd pleaser, and really easy to make, this would be another "keeper" in my recipe box. Mom brought another winner - Bloody Mary Shrimp (which should really be called "Killer Bloody Mary Shrimp" according to my husband). I'll let her share the details on that one...plus her oh-so-clever way of serving it. Damn, how does she think of those things?

I have to say, I’m now a big fan of the pre-dinner or post-dinner hosting idea. It allows you to invite people into your home for a sampling of your creativity, and yet not have to deal with the stress and clean up of full-on entertaining. Genius. I think my Godfather thoroughly enjoyed himself too. And I didn't miss a single funny thing he said all night. Mission accomplished.