Very cute blog and a giveaway of a great dish

My friend Jerusalem (yes, her real name) has the cutest cottage style. She has a blog filled with photos that will amaze you with cute cleverness. And now, she has a giveaway of a great enameled cast iron deep baking dish. It is Emerillware. I have not used Emerillware, but I think enameled cast iron is the best. You get all the qualities of cast iron, plus the easier clean up of enamel. I grew up with Le Creuset; mom had a set in Flame, which I think was the only color in those days. Now there are many colors to choose from. I only have one piece, a very large red Dutch oven. This stuff is not cheap. I suspect the Emerillware isn't either, which is why we all should try to win one! And you should check out the blog for inspiration. It is darling.

Wishing Away Winter

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. I am not a fan of freezing weather. Of course, I am not a fan of blistering heat either. I would like for the temp to be between 60 and 80 degrees at all times. I guess I need to move to California, huh? Or I can just wait it out here in Dallas, which is what I shall do.

When spring comes, it's Arboretum concert time! They have added a new series this year. In addition to Cool Thursdays, they will host Twilight Tuesdays (which have nothing to do with vampires). Both series run from April through July. And then there will be a September/October series of concerts. Many were rained out last year. I hope this year will be better.

Even before the concerts start, Dallas Blooms begins March 6. This year's theme is Fiesta de las Flores. Dallas Blooms gets crazy crowded, so go right at 9 a.m. or at the very end of the day.

I love the Arboretum all times of the year. I get peaceful when I am there. It's hard to believe it is in the middle of a big city. White Rock Lake and the Arboretum are gems.

But I am not going when it is sub-Arctic. I am ready for winter to be over!

Sparklers

'tis the season for sparkling wine, though I think any day is a good day for sparkling wine. Here are some recent tastes.
Delicious - de Marques Gelida Cava 2005 Brut Exclusive Reserva from the Catalunya region of Spain. About $12-$15.
Not delicious - Nicolas Feuillatte Blue Label NV Champagne - Too sweet/fruity for me. About $30-$35.
Amazing / wish I could drink it regularly - Domaine Chandon 1999 Vintage Brut from the Carneros region of California. I think you can only get it from the winery's website. It's $45 and worth every penny.

Veritas Supper Club

Earlier this week, the first ever Veritas Supper Club was held. I enjoyed it so much. Chef Randall Copeland of Restaurant Ava in Rockwall prepared the food at Veritas. Since Veritas does not have a kitchen, he prepared all of it on portable burners. And the food was amazing. Veritas offered by the glass and bottle discounts for the event. I opted for BTG. I am not sure I have the menu exactly right, but it's pretty close. I could go on and on about each course, but let me just say that every single bite of everything was lick-your-plate delicious - so much so that I am going out to Rockwall for dinner Tuesday night. (And I rarely break the 635 bubble.)
First Course
Granny Smith apple and Prairie Breeze white cheddar fritter with Tassione Farms mixed greens, apple fennel salad and house made apple butter. Bradley recommended the Kung Fu Girl Riesling, which was a good match.
Second Course
Scallop with malted butternut squash, lardons, mushrooms - I think there was some black truffle and some brussels sprouts leaves going on here too. I can't eat scallops, so Chef made me a plate with all the other stuff and it was great. I paired my standby Louis Perdrier Brut.
Third Course
Pan seared beef tenderloin that was unbelievably tender. I cannot believe I can recall the sauce. I had a French red with the beef.
Fourth Course
Lemon Honey Cake with berries and ginger ice cream, paired with a tawny port. I think it was Taylor Fladgate 10 year old. (If I am going to start blogging again, I guess I need to pay better attention.)
It was really, ridiculously good. I am so glad to have attended the inaugural event and look forward to future ones. I also highly recommend Chef Copeland's food. I look forward to checking it out at Restaurant Ava.

Gratitude Attitude (Flip It)

"Accentuate the positive."

"Turn that frown upside down."

The past couple of days I have been trying to turn my negative thoughts into something positive. More specifically, I am trying to find something to be thankful for every time I want to complain. For example, I was bummed by all the laundry I needed to do yesterday. I hate doing laundry. So I focused on how wonderful my huge, fluffy towels are and how fortunate I am to have soft, high-thread-count sheets. I am thankful I have a washer and dryer and don't have to go to a laundromat. On a grander scale, I am thankful that I have plenty to wear and that I have constant access to electricity and clean running water. The laundry went so quickly and was much less unpleasant than usual.

"I have so many errands to run." (FLIP IT) "I am thankful I have a car."

"This brief is so long." (FLIP IT) "I am thankful my parents really focused me on reading as a child."

You get the idea.

I think this effort stems from a couple of different sources. I was inspired by JK's post on facebook and have begun posting something I am thankful for each day. I also think this desire to be focused on the positive goes back to some of the things I said in my earlier post about Freddy. I really want to remain inspired and intentional.

Right now I am thankful to be laying on the loveseat by an open window, using my wireless Internet with my kitty Casey by my side. I have got it good and I don't want to forget it.