First Glass and Fettucine

The first thing that Al and I ever owned jointly together was a 'First Glass' VC card.  For those that don't know, First Glass is a wine shop on Huron St, Takapuna run by the legendary Kingsley Wood, and about 11 years ago we started going to his Wednesday night wine tastings.  Basically it's a sample of 12 wines for $15 and all the cheese and bread you can eat, attended by an average of about 60-80 people.  When Al first came along, I'm pretty sure it was the cheese that got his attention, but now he's developing a really good palate.  (Don't tell Kingsley but we weren't even officially going out at the time we had our first VC card.  It was before he sent out his newsletters by email and we thought we'd save some money and share a copy! 2 months later we were an item - see what a good wine shop can do!)

Last night's tasting was with the folks from Pernod Ricard. They showed some of their new Latitude wines from Stoneleigh, but my favourite wine of the night was the Church Road Cuve Series Merlot 2008.  It is consistently one of my favourite New Zealand merlots - nice fruit, not too jammy and it has recently won a gold at the NZ International wine show and a trophy at the Royal Easter Show.  I will have to remember Phil Bothwell's method for distinguishing Merlot at a blind tasting - if it tastes fruity but you can't quite pick the fruit, it's likely to be a merlot.  The way he described cabernet franc was kind of rude, so I'll leave it at that! Let's just say his Irish humour was a good accompaniment to the wine!

Afterwards, we went to a local Italian restaurant called Botticelli which we haven't been to in ages - we used to go there all the time when we first started our Wednesday tastings and for some reason, it fell off our list.  There is only one thing we ever get, which is the entree sized 'Fettucine al caposante e salmone' or Fettucine with Scallops and Salmon.  It is exactly as good as we both remembered it the last time we were there - they do it so well. The pasta is fresh (not made on the premises but by Pasta Nostra who sometimes sell at the Takapuna markets) and it is accompanied by a creamy, lemony sauce with capers and spinach and of course the seafood.  Lip smacking good.  To be frank, I have no idea what else is good on the menu, nor do I care.  This, to me, is as good as a pasta dish gets and I can't look past it (sort of like when duck is on the menu!).  Not sure my photo really does it justice, but it's from my blackberry.  I will have to improve my photography I guess, as I venture on the blog universe.

little and friday cafe, Takapuna, Auckland, New Zealand

My sister Sabina and I catch up most weekends to go to one of Auckland's many farmers markets, but today was a bit wet so we caught up at one of my new favourite little cafes instead - little and friday, a cute little out of the way cafe on the North Shore (43 Everslea Rd, Belmont).  We had the scrummiest quiche Lorainne there plus the usual coffee - great way to start a Sunday.  They also have by far the best doughnuts in New Zealand.  These are seriously worth taking a special trip for!

We had a great time taking snapshots and I'm sure Sab will be a regular blogger partner in crime (the first picture is hers!)

Idea of the day: Cinnamint Water

 I really like the eclectic decor at little and friday. It's an inspired, white washed space with lots of cool kitch. Check out this good idea for table water - mint and cinnamon - served up in old milk bottles.  It tasted surprisingly nice!

I'll have to remember this for the summer bbq's which are coming up shortly.

Check out these doughnuts. They are full of chantilly cream and jam and the crust is just the right level of crispy decadence to make your taste buds wish it was Sunday more often.

Of course I brought one back for Al.....

He generally looks forward to a 'pain au raisin' pastry from the Takapuna Market, but I don't think he will complain about this as an alternative!

Getting Started

Hello all for the first time.
Ok, I have been talking about starting a blog for months (and quite a bit today) and tonight was inspired by my favourite food blog, smittenkitchen.com, to finally put my thoughts into the universe on my favourite things: food, wine, travel and the other pleasures that make my life worth living. Why not create a space to share all things enjoyable and decadent?
There are so many possible names for a blog, but I have settled on 'good life' as this blog will hopefully be an ode to just plain enjoying ourselves and doing the things we love.
Al is watching New Zealand vs France play in the Rugby World Cup and I am drinking a nice glass of Ozzie Shiraz while typing this in. Everyone is happy!

So here's the recipe that got my started - red wine chocolate cake - simple yet delicious.  It appealed to me because it seemed like an interesting twist to a basic recipe that would transform it into something just a little different (and it also contains red wine!).  Check out the recipe at the following link: http://smittenkitchen.com/2011/09/red-wine-chocolate-cake/#more-7855. 

THE INSPIRATION:

A few months ago my good friend 'Mehran from Chicago' said "you should start a blog" because I recommended bucketloads of New Zealand wines for him, and he said he'd use me as his personal wine consultant any day - I think he liked my recommendations. He also liked my cooking so how could I not love this guy! He was only in New Zealand for about 8 months, but was a great friend to meet and he certainly left his mark on dineout.co.nz with his many colourful restaurant reviews. Thanks Mehran, you planted the seed.
So here are a few of my blog inspirations:
FOOD AND WINE NIGHTS:
I spend an inordinately large amount of time around various kitchen tables with great friends eating the multitude of interesting courses we've cooked up and drinking way too much wine to go with it.  There's nothing I like more than sharing a great meal with family and friends and having a good time.  Also, Lab Night at Pinot Plus in Takapuna is a gathering to behold, organised by my good friends Jo and Elle.  The next one will be the 1 year anniversary of our monthly get togethers. And of course First Glass deserves an honorable mention because that fueled the wine habit in the first place.
 BAD HABITS:
I have in excess of 200 cookbooks, a gazillion cooking magazines, and most cooking utensils available to cook kind (except sharp knives - a story for another day), and enjoy unwinding from my busy corporate life by being creative in the kitchen.
TRAVEL:
Lots of our travel of late includes Wine and Food and I generally can't wait for the next wine adventure with Mark and Cath - the last one was to South Australia which of course is the heart of many of the world's great wines. I've also been a keen traveller since the age of 7 when I went overseas for the first time.  We live in New Zealand, with family in Canada, USA, and Germany, and I have left my heart in most continents around the world.
DISTANCE: Most of my family lives overseas. My sister joined me in New Zealand and its so great to have her here, but I thought this would be a good way to keep in touch with everyone else.  Most times when I catch up with my mom on Skype, we are sharing recipes and ideas so this will hopefully enrich those conversations. 

So, here we go, I hope this is an enjoyable experience for us all!
Evelyn