Christmas Tree Cutting

We cut down our very own Christmas tree this year with Owen. It was loads of fun and I think more people should ditch the plastic and go for the green! The smell in the house is wonderful and screams Christmas when you walk in. The fake tree phenomenon has gotten out of hand and is terrible. With the senior citizens, I get the fake tree thing, but the rest of us should be going green with our Christmas trees. The trees are great for the environment; providing clean fresh are for us for 10 years while they grow, then we cut them down we plant new ones... how wonderful! Its a great tradition to start with children and a great way to help local farmers and the environment all at the same time.

2007 Prince Pirate: Merlot/Cab Franc

Aaron and I had tried the 2006 of this wine from the Opimian Society and loved it. We kept the name and purchased a case the following year, being 2007. The 2007 we received and tried a bottle and it is divine.
The nose is of dark fruits and fresh cut grass with a hint of wood and leather, possibly some cinnamon or nutmeg.
The taste is light and smooth with very mild tannins. It has a lush and jammy mouth feel. There is a wonderful explosion of fruit on the finish.
This wine can be drank with almost anything or nothing. I would avoid any peppery meals and overly sweet desserts since they would overpower the wine, but just about anything else would be a great pairing.
We rated the wine a 4.5/5 stars!

Priscutto wrapped Figs and goat cheese.

This Christmas we got together with some family and were in charge of bringing an appetizer. We did some digging and found a great recipe for Priscutto wrapped figs and goat cheese with a balsamic glaze. OMG, were they delicious. The recipe was very simple.

For the Balsamic Glaze:
50/50 sugar and balsamic vinegar (about 1/2c each) cooked down until smooth and sticky. (just thick enough to be sticky and not too drippy)

For the Stuffed Figs:
Rinse fresh figs. Cut slit in fig and stuff with 1/2 tsp or so of goat cheese. Then wrap stuffed figs with one slice of Priscutto each. Bake in a 350 degree oven until edges of Priscutto is crispy, approx. 10-15 minutes.

Serve with sauce for dipping or pour sauce over each fig.

Winter is here.

So we obviously haven't done anything outside in the gardens since there is snow on the ground but we do plan on purchasing some seeds to begin our seedlings in the basement. I did some research and think we will be ordering seeds from dominion seed house. They are a Canadian company and are tried and true since 1928. I know we are going to be starting planting once the seeds arrive and plan on ordering them within the next week or so. Since it is our first year we aren't wanted to do anything too crazy so I think we will be starting with some tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, spinach, other greens and some onions. Depending on space (if we get the side garden ready in the early spring) we would like to also have broccoli, asparagus, beets, carrots, potatoes and squash. Also, dare I even mention, if we get the garden up against the house ready in time (doubtful) we could even grow some fruits such as strawberries, blueberries, watermelons and other melons.
There will of course be the herb garden which we aren't sure where to put this year since Owen is taking over its old spot for some plants of his own to take care of (some fast growing veg/herbs).