Yesterday, I spent most of my day at the vineyard.It was such a beautiful day! Around every table on the veranda and out in the yard were groups of laughing friends and happy families, all there to enjoy each other and the vineyard. My job is to make the cheese and meat plates that we sell. They are such a bargain! Warm bread, Boursin cheese, fresh fruit, assorted olives and some crackers! I picked some of the beautiful red and purple leaves from the Cabernet vines and used them on the plate also.

As if sitting outside with a bottle of your favorite wine and a great plate of food isn't enough, add to the mix live jazz! Steve Gray is a very talented jazz guitarist and his music truly floats over the vineyard! I could sit out there with a few good friends, a bottle of wine and be a happy woman for hours!

This beautiful autumn weather definitely makes me want to cook. I've been thinking soups and stews! I love cold weather cooking, but early in the fall, I start thinking about chili and soup and rich meaty stews. When Buffalo Red Wine was released at Somerset Ridge Vineyard, I knew I had to create a buffalo chili using our new wine. I've always wanted to throw a big chili supper at the vineyard, but there never seems to be enough time! I hope you give this a try.

Somerset Ridge Buffalo Red Indian Summer Chili

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 3/4 pounds ground buffalo
1/3 cup dark chili powder
2 1/4 tablespoons seasoning salt
1 1/2 tablespoons cumin
1/8 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons hot sauce, medium to extra-spicy (1 to 3)
1 1/2 large onions, quartered
3 large peppers
1 1/2 cups Somerset Ridge Buffalo Red Wine
3 cans diced tomatoes (14-ounce)undrained
3/4 cup smoky barbecue sauce
3 cans pinto beans, washed and drained, optional

1. Heat a pot over medium to medium high heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil, 3 turns of the pan, and the meat. Season the meat with: chili powder, grill seasoning, cumin, Worcestershire and hot sauce. Break up the meat with the back of a wooden spoon into small crumbles as it cooks.
2. Chop the onion, reserving 1/4 of it for topping the chili. Brown meat 5 minutes, then add onions and chopped bell peppers and cook 10 minutes more. Add wine and deglaze the pan, scraping up the drippings and cooking off the alcohol. Add tomato sauce and barbecue sauce and bring to a bubble. Let chili simmer until the meat is tender, about 2 hours. Adjust seasonings and heat level to your taste. Remove from heat and serve with one or more of the following toppings:
Shredded Cheeses: smoked white sharp cheddar, such as Cabot brand, pepper jack, chipotle Cheddar, 5 peppercorn Cheddar, Monterey jack
Sliced canned jalapenos, drained
Salsas
Sour cream
Chopped raw onion
Chopped green olives and pimentos
For Chili-Mac, cook and drain 1 pound pasta, mix well
Chopped cilantro leaves
Diced tomatoes
Defrosted frozen corn or leftover corn on the cob, scraped from cob

When I wrote about Arch and his favorite steamed clams using Leinenkugel Beer, I remembered a wonderful beefy casserole recipe I pulled from Leinenkugel's webpage http://www.leinie.com/

They call it

1888 Bock Casserole

(By Tom Martin, Eau Galle, WI)
½ lb. (about 8 slices) lean bacon, cubed
1 ½-2 lb. venison or beef steak, cubed
1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons flour
1 - 12 oz. bottle Leinenkugel's 1888 Bock® (Leinenkugel's Creamy Dark can also be used.)
1 can (4-oz.) Mushrooms, pieces & stems
1 lb. (6-8 bunches) green onions, diced (green stalks too)
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 Tablespoon sweet basil leaves, chopped
1 Tablespoon parsley flakes, chopped
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 can (14.5-oz.) beef broth
1 Tablespoon wine or cider vinegar
Mashed potatoes, egg noodles or rice
Preparation Time:20 minutes. Cooking Time: 3 hours Serves: 4 Fry bacon. Set bacon aside in deep casserole pan. Add olive oil to bacon grease. Sauté venison or beef in oil mixture until browned. Remove venison or beef from oil mixture and place in casserole pan.
Turn the heat on oil mixture to very low to make the roux. Add the butter to the pan and melt. Place flour and 1/3-cup of Leinenkugel's 1888 Bock in a small jar that can be capped. Shake until mixture is smooth. Gradually add flour mixture to oil mixture to make a roux. Then gradually stir in the remainder of Leinenkugel's 1888 Bock.
Place mushrooms, green onions in the deep casserole dish with the meat, and season with the salt, pepper, basil, parsley, and garlic. Sprinkle the sugar on top.
Pour the roux over all the ingredients in the casserole dish. Add beef broth.
Cover the casserole and place in the oven. Cook for 3 hours at 300°F. Check occasionally. Stir once every hour. If the casserole seems too dry, you can add more beer or beef broth.
Remove casserole from oven and mix in the vinegar. Serve over mashed potatoes or egg noodles

It is time to bring out the Dutch oven, the stock pot, but not the old crockpot. I'm not a huge fan of the crock pot, but there are times when they come in handy. I use mine to keep foods warm for serving rather than cooking . The time required to cook in a crockpot usually blends the flavors into one big pot of mush, everyting tasting the same. There is no variety of flavors....I like to taste all of the flavors, sometimes individually, sometimes together. I figure that is what forks and spoons are for. I can take a bite of one thing, or I can "double load" my fork and taste 2 things at one time! I am a slow foods kind of gal, but the crockpot is too slow for me! Must be my "on the line" experience in restaurants.

Don't Forget! October 11th! 1:00pm to 5:00pm

Somerset Ridge Vineyard and Winery

ART IN THE VINES!

Kansas City's finest artists!

Somerset Ridge Vineyard's finest wines!

Oktoberfest Celebration!

Music and Food!

Arch Tucker, my favorite German! I am planning the food for our Oktoberfest event at the vineyard on October 11th. When I start thinking about German food, dear sweet Arch is right there telling me what to fix! He did love German food! So, in his honor I will share a favorite recipe of his. Before we were married, Arch was a bachelor for 13 years. He learned to cook for one, but his favorite recipes were those he collected as he was stationed around the world. He did 2 tours in Germany, and loved it.
Hope you enjoy

Arch’s Steamed Clams with Bacon and Beer
4 slices bacon, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
3 pounds small clams, scrubbed well
1 cup German style beer (Arch loved Leinenkugel and Warsteiner…actually, Arch never met a beer he didn’t love!)

Fry the bacon in a medium pot until soft and golden, about 4 minutes. Add the onion and garlic and continue cooking until the bacon is nicely browned and onion is tender, about an additional 4 minutes.
Stir in the clams and add the beer. Cover the pot and steam the clams for 6 to 7 minutes, until they open. Discard any clams that do not open.
Stir gently to mix with the bacon, garlic and onion. Serve immediately. Serves 4
Serve with a salad and hot crunchy bread….Ah-h-h-h, delightful!


Jackson Pollock

Decoding Jackson Pollock
Did the Abstract Expressionist hide his name amid the swirls and torrents of a legendary 1943 mural? An art historian makes the case for a signature gesture
By Henry Adams
Smithsonian magazine, October 2009
It was my wife, Marianne Berardi, who first saw the letters.
We were looking at a reproduction of Jackson Pollock's breakthrough work, Mural, an 8-by 20-foot canvas bursting with physical energy that, in 1943, was unlike anything seen before.
The critic Clement Greenberg, Pollock's principal champion, said he took one look at the painting and realized that "Jackson was the greatest painter this country has produced." A Museum of Modern Art curator, the late Kirk Varnedoe, said Mural established Jackson Pollock as the world's premier modern painter.
I was researching a book about Pollock's lifelong relationship with his mentor, Thomas Hart Benton, the famed regionalist and muralist, when I sat puzzling over a reproduction of Mural after breakfast one morning with Marianne, herself an art historian. She suddenly said she could make out the letters S-O-N in blackish paint in the upper right area of the mural. Then she realized JACKSON ran across the entire top. And finally she saw POLLOCK below that.
The characters are unorthodox, even ambiguous, and largely hidden. But, she pointed out, it could hardly be random coincidence to find just those letters in that sequence.
I was flabbergasted. It's not every day that you see something new in one of the 20th century's most important artworks.
I'm now convinced that Pollock wrote his name in large letters on the canvas—indeed, arranged the whole painting around his name. As far as I can tell, no one has previously made this assertion. Nor is there evidence that Pollock himself, who was loath to talk about his art and left behind few written records, ever mentioned this coded gesture.
I've shared my theory with several Pollock experts. They've had mixed reactions, from "no way" to "far-fetched" to "maybe."
"It's feasible," says Sue Taylor, an art historian at Portland State University, who has studied Pollock's 1942 canvas Stenographic Figure, which includes written symbols. "Pollock would often begin with some sort of figurative device to which he would then respond—and eventually bury under layers of paint. Letters and numbers, moreover, frequently appear in works of the early 1940s."
It may not be possible to answer the question definitively unless scientists use X-ray scanning or some other method to trace which pigments were put down first. At the moment there are no plans to do such an analysis.
If my theory holds up, it has many implications. Mural, commissioned by the collector Peggy Guggenheim for her New York City apartment, is the stuff of legend. Owned by the University of Iowa since Guggenheim donated it in 1948, the painting is said to be worth $140 million. (A later Jackson Pollock painting, Number 5, 1948, reportedly sold in 2006 for $140 million—the highest price ever paid for a work of art.) Mural is so central to the Pollock mystique that in the 2000 movie Pollock, the artist (played by Ed Harris), having stared perplexedly at a giant empty canvas for months, executes Mural in a single session the night before it's due to be delivered. That (standard) version of events, originally advanced by Pollock's wife, the artist Lee Krasner, reinforces the image of Pollock as an anguished, spontaneous genius. But the art critic Francis V. O'Connor has debunked the story, saying Pollock probably executed Mural during the summer of 1943, not in one night in late December.
Pollock's possibly writing his name in Mural testifies to an overlooked feature of his works: they have a structure, contrary to the popular notion that they could be done by any 5-year-old with a knack for splatters. In my view, Pollock organized the painting around his name according to a compositional system—vertical markings that serve as the loci of rhythmic spirals—borrowed directly from his mentor, Benton.
Pollock had studied under Benton for two years and once told a friend that he wanted Mural to be comparable to a Benton work, though he didn't have the technical ability to make a great realistic mural and needed to do something different.
I have found no evidence that Pollock wrote his name in such fashion on any other canvas. In a way, that makes sense. To Pollock, I think, Mural announced that he was replacing Benton, a father figure whom he once described as "the foremost American painter today." It was Pollock's way of making a name for himself.
Henry Adams is the author of Tom and Jack: The Intertwined Lives of Thomas Hart Benton and Jackson Pollock, to be published in November by Bloomsbury Press.
Find this article at: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/Decoding-Jackson-Pollock.html?utm_source=dedicated09252009&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=JacksonPollock

Art in the Vines is just 2 weeks from this weekend! Oktoberfest means Wine! Food! Music! Art!
There are 30 artists bringing their works for you to enjoy, so join us in the vines of Somerset Ridge Vineyard and Winery on Sunday, October 11, 2009 from 12:00 noon to 5:00pm.
Stroll through the vines with a glass of wine, enjoy the art, the beautiful vineyard, great friends.
Willie Kirst will be strolling through the vineyard also, playing wonderful Oktoberfest music on his accordion. There will be German Food. It is going to be a great day!
For directions to the winery, go to www.somersetridge.com
See you there!

While at my class reunion, I had a request to blog another Ogg Family Farm story! I decided it had to be one about LouEmma Ogg, better known as Granny.

She was a little over 4 feet tall, and chuckled about being a smidgen over 4 feet wide; she was what her friends and neighbors called a “pistol”. She could hitch a mule to the buckboard, ring the necks of two chickens at one time and bake a biscuit as light as a feather. She had "backbone" many men would gladly trade their wives for. She didn’t know a stranger, she never feared another human being. To the folks in Ray County, she was known as Granny, the wealthy widow of Napoleon Boneparte Ogg. The wealthy part was a stretch, the widow part was true.
There are many Granny stories around the town of Richmond, Missouri. The one she chuckled about the most was her Jesse James encounter. After hitching Old Nell to the wagon, Granny headed into town for supplies, including some canning jars. The garden was still spitting out bushels of big, red, juicy tomatoes! She and her 4 sons would be happy having those tomatoes during the coming winter. On her way into town she had to cross over the little one lane bridge, spanning the tiny creek that also wandered through the Ogg farm. As she approached the bridge, the sound of horses on the run interrupted the quite countryside. She, at the north end, stopped before starting across. The men on the south side, reigned in their horses and came to a complete halt. The leader of the men, removed his hat, and with a sweeping gesture,invited Granny to proceed across the bridge. Once across, she realized she was thanking the infamous Jesse James and his gang. She had laughed often of her first impression of the outlaw. In her mind he was “such a polite young man”. Jesse wished Granny a good day and once again he and his men took off at a fast gallop. Granny adjusted her little bonnet and promptly backed her horse and wagon back onto the bridge. There she sat as the sheriff and his posse came lickety-split around the bend .
Pulling up short, horses breathing heavily, the sheriff made a very costly mistake.
“Move that damned old nag off the bridge!”
Granny had known the sheriff since he was a boy, and she didn't like him refering to Nell as a nag, but she decided this was one fight she didn't want, considering she had just helped Jesse James escape! Without saying another word, Granny gently and ever so slowly, coaxed old Nell on across the bridge. Thankfully, the sheriff never asked her if she had seen the James Gang.
Once in town, Granny discovered the Jesse and the boys had just robbed the Richmond Bank of the townspeople’s money, including Granny’s.

Granny became a widow at the age of 35. She was the mother of 4 boys, the oldest being my Grandfather, William Clyde Ogg. She struggled to raise her boys and keep the farm profitable. She made sure there were fish in the pond, chickens in the hen house and pigs in the pen. Her garden was a thing of beauty, exploding with vegetables of bright reds, greens and yellows. She kept the cows happy, who in turn kept Granny happy with milk so creamy it would make you swoon. The smoke house was bulging with hams and sausage, bacon and chops. Old Nell, of the Jesse James incident, pulled the plow through the fields and gave the boys rides into town. The barn was alive with cats of every size, there to keep the mice away from the grain. The yard was home to 2 old dogs, both black as night, both ready to run through the tall grassy fields with the boys. Granny was in control of it all. She was definitely the boss, all 4 feet of her!

When the boys were grown, Granny returned to the place of her birth, Pennsylvania. Upon her return, Granny married Agnew Sampson, a gentleman from the East. The marriage ended with the death of Agnew ; once again, Granny was alone, once again a widow. The only difference, now she was known as Granny Sampson.

Together, my grandfather and great grandmother ran the farm. Clyde, as he was called, was a livestock man, buying and selling throughout Ray County. When he discovered he had fallen in love with Minnie Florence Joiner, he told his mother he was getting married.
Clyde brought Florence home to the farm, where Granny started teaching Florence how to be a farmer’s wife and a farmhand. In no time at all, my Grandmother could hitch a horse to the wagon, wring the necks of two chickens simultaneously, and bake biscuits that were fit for the angels. Granny was a fine teacher.
There is a little chair in my Mom’s apartment. It is a tiny little thing, almost looks like it was made for a child. Its hand carved wood frame, its beautifully upholstered seat and back, were made especially for Granny. I love to sit in the chair, rocking gently, imagining Granny “sitting for a spell”, resting for just a few moments before it was time to return to the kitchen to fry chicken for her boys.

One of the family heirlooms that I own now, is the cast iron chicken fryer. It is a 5” deep, 12” diameter lidded skillet that I adore. Can you imagine the how many chickens died at the hands of those two Ogg women and ended up in that skillet!

Granny’s Buttermilk Chicken
3 1/2 pound broiler-fryer chicken, cut up
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
oil for frying (in reality, it was pure lard, rendered right there on the farm, during the hog killing process)
GRAVY:
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1 1/2 cups water
salt and pepper to taste
Place chicken in a large shallow dish. Pour buttermilk over; cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. Combine the flour, salt and pepper in a large resealable plastic bag. Drain chicken pieces; add to flour mixture, one at a time, and shake to coat. Shake off excess; let stand on waxed paper for 15 minutes before frying.
Heat 1/8 to 1/4 in. of oil in a large skillet ( in my cast iron chicken fryer, I use approximately 2” of oil.) fry chicken until browned on all sides. Cover and simmer, turning occasionally, for 40-45 minutes, or until juices run clear and chicken is tender. Uncover and cook 5 minutes longer. Remove chicken; drain on paper towels and keep warm.
Drain all but 1/4 cup drippings from skillet; stir in flour until blended. Gradually add milk, then 1-1/2 cups water. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Add remaining water if needed. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with chicken.
Thank You, Granny!

It was a great evening….fabulous food by the Master himself, Jasper Mirabile, along with the finest Port by that amazing winemaker, Dennis Reynolds of Somerset Ridge! What more could you ask for!

Right! The latest cookbook

by Jasper Mirabile!

Autographed, no less!
The dining room was packed, it was completely sold out. The menu was wonderful, a true Mirabile event.
Jasper spoke of his father, mother and brothers with much love and admiration. He praised his darling wife, Lisa, for putting up with his writing late into the night.
Congratulations, JJ, you are and always will be a big hit!

Jasper Mirabile's new cookbook

I am so looking forward to Monday night! Jasper's new cookbook is being released at a special dinner at his restaurant! I am so anxious to get my copy of his cookbook! Jasper and I cooked our Pig 101 dinner months ago, but it will always be one of my favorite memories. His new cookbook will be available at his restaurant after tomorrow.

I asked Jasper for a quote for my blog,

"I wrote the cookbook to share Jasper's with my family and friends...we have so many stories to tell and so many recipes to pass along...I am very proud of the ending of the cookbook "On The Cannoli Trail" which took place with my Slow Food Convivium last October.
"Bere Mangiare Bene", our motto at Jasper's...Drink & Eat Well

His "On the Cannoli Trail" was delightful. Jasper and his nephew, 3 J (Jasper the 3rd) would jump off the bus on our tour around Sicily, and hit every restaurant that served Cannoli! I don't know how they climbed back on board some days! They ate a lot of Cannoli! Jasper wrote a wonderful article about his quest for the perfect cannoli.

Another exciting happening Monday night, will be the release of Somerset Ridge Vineyard's new Tawny Port! Jasper has designed a special dessert to be served with our new Port! I am sure the evening is going to be another one to remember! I will give you a report on the cookbook as soon as I have a chance to read it.

In the meantime, here is one of my favorite recipes from Jasper's last cookbook. It happens to be Jasper's favorite!

Rigatoni all Caruso, a traditional dish of Naples

serves 2

3 tablespoons julienne onions

5 to 6 large sliced mushrooms
8 to 10 large chicken livers

1 oz cream sherry

8 oz Jasper's Tomato Sauce, available at local grocery stores and Marco Polo's Deli

2 oz olive oil

12 oz rigatoni, cooked

Saute the onions until golden; add the mushrooms. Cook for about 4 minutes, until tender. Add the chicken livers and cook until done. Add the tomato sauce and sherry. Simmer for 3 minutes. Pour over cooked rigatoni.

Autumn in the Midwest

It’s fun to shuffle your feet through the red and gold, kicking up a whirl of leaves as you stroll along the path. The sound as they dance down the lane is a true sign of autumn, my favorite time of year.
As a child, it meant diving into piles of dry crackling leaves under the ancient maple tree in the front yard and biting into a crunchy juicy apple. As a teen it meant football games and homecoming festivities, pep club sweaters and hot chocolate. In college…change the hot chocolate to beer!

We all have strong memories of autumn. We remember Indian summers from our youth, when fall gave us beautiful sunny, Cerulean Blue days with a herringbone pattern of wild geese overhead. In early October you could watch the vibrant red trees tipped in gold reluctantly releasing their leaves into the cool breeze. By November, the red and gold had turned to shades of Sienna and Umber, as the leaves were ripped from their stems by bitter cold winds.
The summer aromas of meats sizzling on the grill and salads of homegrown tomatoes and bell peppers were replaced with an those of rich beefy stew, hearty potato casserole heavily laced with onion and cream, and of course, that number one “grab you by the heart” aroma, homemade bread.
It is sad but true, so many of us eat on the run, grab something on the way home from work. Our lives, in general, simply do not allow us the time to make homemade yeast breads. I know the bakeries do a wonderful job of baking rich, crunchy loaves, but they don’t come with aroma for the kitchen!
Quick breads might be your answer, or maybe a refrigerator dough, either your own or one made by that pudgy little doughboy. I’d like to suggest batter breads. If you have a few bread recipes, both quick and batter, you can have hot, homemade breads to whet the appetite as autumn meals enter our daily diets
Batter breads are made just like your quick breads, with two differences. First, yeast is used instead of baking powder or baking soda, and second, the batter is beaten for several minutes so the gluten has time to form to hold the carbon dioxide made by the yeast. Make sure you don’t let the breads rise too long, or the structure will collapse. Follow the instructions carefully. If you have ever baked a cake or made muffins, you can make these breads! I should also add, batter breads very often use herbs and spices to enhance the flavor.
Batter breads are tender despite the relatively lengthy beating because when the yeast grows and develops it creates acids and alcohols that help tenderize the bread. The texture of batter bread is more open than kneaded yeast breads, and they will usually have a rougher top, more like a quick bread. As for time, yes they do require a rising period, but it is generally a shorter time than that for traditional yeast breads.

Here is a Quick Bread…

Orange Whole Wheat Bread
2 cups sifted all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
3 ½ teaspoon baking powder (that is 1 tablespoon plus ½ teaspoon)
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup whole wheat flour
¾ cup Grape Nuts, a cereal
1 egg
4teaspoons grated orange rind
¾ cup orange juice
¾ cup milk
¼ cup melted butter

Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Stir in the whole wheat flour and cereal. Beat eggs lightly in a small bowl. Stir in rind, juice, milk and butter. Pour over dry ingredients and stir just until evenly moist. Spoon into a greased 9”x5”x3” loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

A Batter Bread

Herb Onion Rolls
2 packages dry instant yeast
1/3 cup non-fat dry milk
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon salt
1 small onion, minced
1 teaspoon dried basil, crumbled
1 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
½ teaspoon dried tarragon, crumbled
¼ cup olive oil
1 cup very warm milk (120-130 degrees)
1 cup very warm water (120-130 degrees)
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 ½ cup unbleached flour

Combine yeast, dry milk, honey, salt, seasonings and oil in a large bowl. Stir in warm milk and water. Beat until blended, about 30 seconds. Blend the flours in a bowl, then add 2 cups of blended flour mixture to the yeast mixture. Beat at medium speed for 2 minutes. Stir in 1 cup of flour mixture, beat 1 minute. Beat in remaining flour mixture by hand until heavy and sticky, If too stiff, add 2 tablespoons of oil with the last of flour.
Fill 18 well greased muffin tins, using a wet spoon. Push dough down into cups, smoothing the tops slightly. Cover and let rise for 20 minutes.
Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.

Did you know today is Constitution Day? Take time and read it. Commit yourself to supporting it. Be a proud smart American! Our form of

government is under attack. Click here, or cut and paste into your browse and read it today. http://www.midnightbeach.com/jon/US-Constitution.htm#1

The Footprints on my Path

I’ve often wondered who I would choose if I were suddenly given that bizarre opportunity to invite 3 people from history to dine with me. My dilemma would not be who, but rather how to keep the guest list to 3! I know my list should include Abraham Lincoln, maybe Winston Churchill, and of course, as a chef, I would choose Julia Child.
What a conversation that would be. But a far more interesting conversation would be one between my maternal Great Grandfather Napoleon Boneparte Ogg (pictured), my paternal Great Grandmother Ella Estes Johnston, and my maternal Grandfather, William Clyde Ogg, because he died when I was a baby. I'd love to get ot know him.

So why do I choose my great grandparents rather than say Henry the Eighth, Marilyn Monroe and Catherine the Great? It is simple. If given this one chance, I’d want to make the most of it. I can read about famous and historical people, but I have hundreds of questions to ask my ancestors! Questions I’ve tried to find the answers to for years. Marilyn simply does not know who was the first Estes to leave Northern Italy and what path he took to finally arrive in America.

I have always believed my choices, my destiny, the direction of my path is not something completely up to me. I’m not saying my bad decisions are someone else’s fault; no, they are completely on me! I am saying some of my decisions were made because of family, because of the way I was raised. My love of family, my respect for my parents and my grandparents have had a strong influence on my choices. In all honesty, those influences have been ignored by me on more than one occasion, sadly resulting in bad choices! You know that old saying “live and learn”? I am still learning!

I’m sure I’d be a great candidate for a time machine trip back to the 1200s, just as I am sure a trip to the moon is not my cup of tea. I’d like to visit Aberdeenshire, Scotland to look up some of the Ogg clan. Do you know they say the Oggs are one of the oldest clans in Scotland? There is evidence they were there during cave dwelling time, thus the name Ogg….a simple guttural sound. I have researched the Oggs and have traced the family back to the 1200s, but apparently I’ve only scratched the surface.

Ironically, the Johnston clan also comes from the Aberdeenshire area in Northern Scotland. It is completely possible the Oggs and the Johnstons were neighbors! Maybe an Ogg and a Johnston married hundreds of years before my Mom, Virginia Ogg, married my Dad, Tom Johnston! Gee, that is kind of scary!

After my time machine visit to Scotland, I’d dial in Northern Italy, around Lake Como. This is where my biggest question lies. All I know is an Estes left Lake Como and an Estes eventually ended up in Virginia. Who, How, When? That is where Ella Estes comes in to play at my dinner table. Maybe, just maybe, her father might have told her who that ancestor was. Was it his Grandfather? Great Grandfather? I may never know, but I love knowing I have ancestors from Lake Como! I am an Italian!

All of these magnificent people, the Oggs, the Johnstons, the Esteses have left footprints on my path. Big male footprints, little petite female footprints. Sure, my path moves forward, but I’d love to follow those footprints back in time and find out what they were like, who they really were.

Now, what would I serve at my dinner?

Traditional Haggis!
Here is a recipe dating from 1856.Scotland

500g dry oatmeal

225g chopped mutton suet

225g lamb or venison liver, boiled and minced

225ml stock sheep pluck (heart, liver, lungs, windpipe), boiled and minced

1 small chopped onion

½ tsp cayenne pepper

½ tsp allspice

½ tsp salt

½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 cleaned sheep or lamb's stomach bag

1. Toast oatmeal slowly and evenly under the grill until crisp.
2. Mix all the remaining ingredients (except for the stomach bag) together.
3. Pack the mixture into the stomach bag to just over half full, press out the air and sew up securely with kitchen string.
4. Prick the haggis all over with a large pin to prevent it bursting. You can wrap it with foil if the stomach appears weak in places. Drop into a large pot of cold water, bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer gently for about 3 hours.
5. Serve with clapshot. (Play your cards right and I just might share my recipe for clapshot with you! It’s a combination of mashed potatoes and turnips! YUM!)

I bet you are wondering why there aren’t Scottish restaurants on every corner!

My new favorite quote: "It is terrible to contemplate how few politicians are hanged." -- English writer G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936)

Harvest at Somerset Ridge

In three weeks, our amazing volunteer "pickers" have harvested all of the beautiful grapes from the vines! We picked, partied, dined and wined. Cindy and Dennis and their team made sure everyone had a good time. We served lunch to 80 people each day under a tent down between the water's edge and the vineyard.

I do love Harvest at Somerset Ridge!

What a weekend! I'm exhausted, but happy as a clam. The 50 year reunion of the Wyandotte High School Class of 1959 went beautifully! I saw people I had not seen since graduation day! My Goodness...we are certainly a young handsome group!

The committee had as much fun as the others, and let me tell you, that is rare. We are usually putting out fires, not literally of course, thank God, handeling disorderly classmates who have partied too much, trying to find more ice, more beer for Bill, and such. Not this time, it all went off without a hitch. The Hilton Garden Inn in Kansas City, Kansas did a wonderful job.

This photo was taken on Friday evening. Not bad for a bunch of old broads, eh? We had a similar photo taken in 1959. We all had longer hair and pearls! Wish the other members of Our Gang could have joined us this time. I just wonder how I got to be the shortest one!

AH-h-h-h-h-h-h......at last.....peace and quiet. Harvest is over, the class reunion is over, the cookbook is over. I wonder what's next?

Oktoberfest Art in the Vines!

The Art in the Vines show during our Oktoberfest celebration is my first priority. We have doubled the number of artists for this show! The date is Sunday, October 11th, opens at 12 noon and closes at 5:00pm. Cindy and Dennis Reynolds, owners of Somerset Ridge Vineyard and Winery, have a great day planned for you, so don't miss it! It should be a wonderful Midwest autumn day, lots of room for everyone, lots of art, wine, food and fun! And the Oktoberfest music of Willie Kirst as he strolls through the vineyard! In his Lederhosen!

I must be honest, I haven't painted much lately. With the reunion, harvest at vineyard, cookbook projects and catering, I simply haven't had the time or energy. I will be painting for the next month, so I should have some new work at the show.

The artists we have lined up are all local. Somerset Ridge is all about supporting local products and artisans. When they decided to let me organize an art show, that was the first thing they asked for.... local artists! In a town with the Plaza Art Show that brings artists from everywhere but Kansas City, Art in the Vines is a wonderful opportunity for the amazingly talented artists from right here. And it is such a fun day! Wandering through the art down in the vines with a glass of wine is a great way to spend an afternoon!

Speaking of Oktoberfest, do you cook a special meal for your family with all of the great foods and recipes from Germany? Arch was German and very partial to beer and brats! He loved German Potato Salad, Red Cabbage, Sauerkraut, Apple Strudel....he loved it all! But I think most of all, Arch loved Wild Boar! While he was stationed in Germany, he found the boar to be one of his favorites. When he returned to the states, no wild boar. Over the years, he developed a recipe for what he called Mock Wild Boar. This takes 3 weeks to make! He would start it around December 1st and during the week of Christmas, we were all treated to a feast fit for King Ludvig himself!

Arch and I cooked it one year for a harvest event and it was a big hit. Earlier this year, Jasper Mirabile and I cooked a "Pig 101" dinner at his restaurant and we included Arch's Wild Boar. I am thinking I am just about ready to share this, up till now, well gaurded recipe. Arch would be 83 on October 25th, so I will continue to think this through, and possibly give you his recipe on his birthday. Maybe......

But for now, how about a recipe from one of my fellow Wyandotte graduates who submitted this recipe for our reunion cookbook. Thank you Larry Johnson!

Larry said this recipe came from his wife's family, who immigrated to Russia from Germany during the reign of Catherine the Great. when the Russian Revolution occured in 1918, they left Russia and came to America, settling in McCook, Nebraska. This recipe originated in the Volga Valley in Russia.

Sauerbraten

Beef Pot Roast, allowing 1/2 pound per person

6 carrots

6 stalks celery

2 green bell peppers

1 large box of raisins

1/2 box crushed ginger snaps

2 bay leaves

2 quarts cider vinegar

3/4 cup dark molasses

flour

butter

salt to taste

Three days prior to the dinner, buy a nice pot roast and trim off the fat. Place the roast in a non-reactive pot large enough to submerge the roast in cider vinegar.

Peel the carrots, chop the clery and green peppers. Add the vegetables and bay leaves to the roast and vinegar. Salt to taste. Cover the pot and refrigerate for 3 days, turning the roast in liquid at least once a day.

On the day of the meal, about 3 hours prior to serving, remove the roast from the refrigerator, saving the vegetables and vinegar. Rub the roast with flour. In a large pan, melt the butter over medium-high heat. when hot, add meat and sear on all sides over high heat for 3 to 4 minutes per side.

Turn heat down to medium-low, pour in the marinaded vegetables and add enough of the vinegar to come 1/4th the way up pot. Simmer about 2 1/2 hours. Roast should be ready to fall apart. Remove roast from liquid, keep warm under foil.

Crush half a box of ginger snaps and add to liquid in pot. Next add 3/4 cup molasses and a large box of raisins. Turn up the heat and let mixture boil until it is the consistency of thick gravy. If it is too thick, thin with more vinegar marinade.

Carve the roast and pour the gravy over the sliced meat. Serve with the vegetables.

Thanks again, Larry! Great addition to our cookbook.

This is it! 50th class reunion for the

Wyandotte High School Class of 1959! I am amazed it has been 50 years, yet there are days.....you know the ones. Knees hurt, eyes won't cooperate, can't remember what you were looking for in the open refrigerator before you! I doubt very much if any of us old Bulldogs will feel those failures this weekend. We will dance to the rock'n roll, we will do the twist, sing the lyrics to all the songs we loved back then. We will eat too much, probably a few will drink too much. We will wonder who the hell is that at the next table, we will wish we were in jeans and flip flops. We will make it to the ladies room a few times to make sure the hair still looks okay, lipstick has not crept up the lines that didn't use to be around our lips. The guys will wonder if anyone noticed the lack of hair and the abundance of waistline. But around midnight on Saturday night, we will smile and hug our friends, we will make promises to keep in touch now that we have been reunited. We will say goodbye as if we may never see them again..... for in reality....we probably won't. Therefore, I am going to make the most of this weekend!

The cookbook that Jack Smithson and I started compiling almost 2 years ago will be unveiled during the reunion. Actually, there won't be any unveiling....each class member who attends the reunion will receive a gift bag when they arrive. One of the gifts will be a copy of the cookbook! I am so amazed at the response we received when we put out the call for recipes and family histories. Its a BIG cookbook!

One of the recipes submitted was for Snickerdoodles, a recipe from way back then! What highschool kid didn't love to come home to the aroma of freshly baked cookies? We are all still that kid....Cookies are still a favorite.

Snickerdoodles
Dorothy Faerber Smith
Dorothy says: "This recipe makes about 7 dozen cookies."
3 cups sugar
3/4 cup ground cinnamon
2 sticks butter
1/2 pound lard
3 cups sugar
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
5 1/3 cups flour
4 teaspoons cream of tartar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Pour first 3 cups of sugar in a large plastic bag, add the cinnamon. Secure bag and shake vigorously, then empty into a medium bowl. Set aside.
With an electric mixer, mix butter, lard, 3 cups sugar, eggs and vanilla. Cream well.
Add the dry ingredients, mix well.
Take a handful of the dough with floured hands and roll into a small log; next pick off enough dough to form ball a little larger than a walnut and drop into the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Repeat forming balls until you have 5 or 6, then roll them around in the sugar. shake them off then place on a lightly greased cookie sheet. You will have room for about a dozen per cookie sheet.
Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Take off sheet and cool on rack.

Snickerdoodles, Toll House, Gingerbread, the oldies are definitely goodies! Even an old woman from the Class of 1959!

Today I attended my first creative writing class. I figure if you people are going to read what I write, I'd better try to write well. The class is taught by Mary-Lane Kamberg and it is held at ARTichokes, my favorite place.

The class was wonderful. We dived right in, actually had two writing assignments, 1 for the opening of an article on Hot Air Baloons, the 2nd for the opening on Mashed Potatoes. Fun! I truly can hardly wait for the next class!

I have homework....haven't had homework in years. Will I have enough self control and drive to get it done? Time will tell.

It is an interesting assignment. Write an opening to an article about a coffee shop. Let me say this.....I’m a Hot Tea kind of woman….nothing fancy, nothing green, just plain old tea. Do I drink coffee? Sure, late at night , in a piano bar listening to jazz, I drink Bailey’s and coffee. Does that count?
Sending me into a Starbucks is like sending me to a different planet. But I faced my assignment with an open mind. All I can say is, I’m glad I took my open wallet. Holy Cow! The prices! To make it worse, I didn’t even know what it was I spent $6.00 on!
How was I to know Caffé Misto was coffee with steamed milk. Talk about STEAMED! Why doesn’t it cost $2.00 instead of $6.00? After all…its coffee with steamed milk. I can buy coffee with Bailey’s Irish Cream for $4.50!
I will say this much for them, their Caramel Apple Spice is delicious, particularly if you have a piece of Pumpkin Loaf with it!
I do have one question….why is a small beverage called a “Tall”?
Yes, I definitely do not come from the Planet Starbucks.
Tomorrow I’m landing on Planet It’s a Grind. I’ll send a report back. Over and out.




Pumpkin loaf....mmmmm, sounds delicious.



Pumpkin Date Nut Loaf makes 2 loaves


1 cup butter, melted
4 eggs
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can pumpkin
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 3/4 cups flour
1 cup chopped nuts
1 cup chopped dates, dusted with flour
(Starbucks didn't have nuts or dates....mine is better!)


Melt butter. Add eggs and pumpkin. Beat thoroughly. Add sugars, baking soda and powder, and spices. Beat thoroughly until all lumps are removed. Add flour. Beat thoroughly. Add nuts and dates, mix. Spoon into 2 greased bread pans. Bake for 1 hour at 350ºF. Test with toothpick to ensure loaves are ready.

Harvest Weekend #2….
Today there were 80 people at Somerset Ridge Vineyard, all eager to help with harvest. There were thousands of clusters of grapes waiting to be picked. The weather started off pretty foggy, then it turned hazy, finally….beautiful. Perfect for a day in the vines!

We picked some of our red grapes varietals, Chancellor and Chambourcin. And we ate a French lunch! The menu was Alsatian Onion Tart; a Salad of Greens, Apples, Dried Cherries and Pecans with a Maple Syrup infused dressing; Fresh Vegetables from the Somerset Ridge Garden drizzled with a Vinaigrette of Shallots, also grown there in the vineyard. For dessert I made our special Vineyard Bars, a rich bar cookie of brown sugar, apples and raisins with pecans.
Dennis served Flyboy Red and Buffalo Red wines. It appeared everyone had a great time.

I haven’t given out very many recipes lately….and let’s face it, that is why most of you read my blog.
I think couscous is a very interesting food. It looks like a grain, but actually is a pasta. It is precooked and takes just minutes to prepare. Couscous is traditionally served under a stew, but
can also be eaten alone, flavored or plain, warm or cold, as a dessert or side dish. Last week I served an Orange Scented Couscous with our Harvest luncheon. I also make a more savory couscous with Kalamata olives, lemon and mint. I hope you give it a try.
Golden Couscous with Olives, Lemon and Fresh Herbs
1/2 cup margarine
2 cups chopped onions
6 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
2 1/4 cups low-salt chicken broth
1 cup pitted, halved brine-cured black olives
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1/3 cup chopped fresh mint
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 cups uncooked couscous (about 14 oz)

Melt margarine in large pot over medium-low heat. Add onions; stir to coat. Cover pot and cook onons until very tender but not brown, stirring occasionally, about 35 minutes. Mix in ginger and turmeric. Add broth, olives, basil, mint and lemon juice. Bring to simmer. Mix in couscous. Cover pot, turn off heat and let stand until couscous is tender and all liquid is absorbed about 12 minutes. Fluff couscous with fork. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Mound couscous in bowl and serve with your favorite stew.
Serves 8
My next class on How toWrite an Heirloom Cookbook starts this coming Thursday at ARTichokes. That box of recipes you have been collecting for years will make a wonderful cookbook, complete with family stories and photos. Call Artichokes today, 913-322-9481, to reserve your spot in the class.

ART IN THE VINES 2

Oktober

ArtFest

I am up to my eyeballs in Harvest at the vineyard…but my other life is still going on! I am organizing the artists for the next art show at the vineyard! It is going to be so cool! The 2nd Art in the Vines, our OktoberArtFest, is on Sunday, October 11, 2009. At 12 noon, the vineyard will open to the public with a new and exciting art show! All the artists are local. We have paintings, sculpture, floral art, jewelry, and wearable art. We will have music celebrating Oktoberfest with food to match! What more could you want? OH! OF COURSE…..WINE! Please join us for a wonderful afternoon. Mid-October is always beautiful here in Kansas; bright sunshine, cool breezes. Grab your friends and come out for a glorious day!

We will be featuring the art of:

Amy Thomas….jeweler
Maria Johnson….painter
Winnie Davis….painter
Wanda Bellamy…painter
Vicki Johnston ..painter
Ellen Sweeney…painter
Rich Hayek…. pastels
Brownie Hayek… floral
Claudia True… painter

Mike Driggs…sculptor
Ada Koch…painter
Kristin Howard…painter
JoAnne Carlton…painter
Ana Welch… junior painter
Tony Forner….junior jeweler
Venita Routh…painter
Becky Pashia…painter
Nancy Beaver…painter
And a few more that I am waiting confirmation on.
Don’t miss it!

The beautiful vineyard of Somerset Ridge is going to be overflowing with art work and artists! Stop by the winery first, buy a bottle of wine, then come up into the vineyard and spend the afternoon strolling through the art while drinking your wine!

Willie Kirst will be playing fun Oktoberfest music and there will be food for sale, making for a perfect picnic in the vines!

Don't forget...October 11th!

Harvest at Somerset Ridge

Harvest is well underway at the vineyard. On Sunday, over 80 volunteer pickers arrived around 8:45 to begin picking our 3 white varietals, Traminette, Chardonnay and Chardonel. This week we got 1100 gallons of juice! There is going to be some wonderful white wines next year!

Harvesting the grapes has become a fun event at the vineyard. Many of our pickers have been coming for at least one event per harvest season for 5 or 6 years. They are great supporters of Somerset Ridge wines and events. To make the day even more fun, at the end of the picking, a gourmet lunch and wine are served under tents right beside the vines and the water. Sunday's menu was Mediterranean in flavor, and was served with the winery's Flyboy Red and Buffalo Red wines.

Next week, we harvest some of the red varietals, and the menu will be French. If you have a reservation to come and pick, I will see you there.

If you don't have a reservation, I'm sorry, we are completely booked.

Go to http://www.somersetridge.com/ to sign up for the vineyards newsletter. Next year you will have an opportunity to make a reservation. Just remember, this year the newsletter went out, via email to all those registered as friends of the vineyard , and within 2 hours, all reservations were filled and it was closed. The response is wonderful!

Thank you supporters of Somerset Ridge Vineyard and Winery!

The Old Grinter Place on the Kaw

I grew up in Kansas City, Kansas, a true melting pot, blending European cultures with good old Midwest simplicity. As a young child, I was exposed to the cuisines of many countries as well as their traditions. I have to admit, however, it was our very own foods and traditions that I loved. Good old American food, farm cooking, locally grown foods, that is where my memories come from! Wyandotte County, Kansas gave me a major love of food and some great memories.
One memory I have from the 60s is of a restaurant called The Grinter Place.
Moses Grinter, the first permanent white settler in Wyandotte County, was sent in 1831 by the United States Govemment to establish a ferry across the Kanza (Kaw) River. This ferry crossing was to serve as a military link between Fort Leavenworth and Fort Scott. The first ferry on the Kaw was called the Military Ferry The name was changed to Delaware Crossing and Secondine Landing, and finally was named Grinter's Ferry. Travelers crossing on the ferry paid $.50 per person and $2.00 per wagon to cross. Grinter settled near the ferry, married Anna Marshall, a Delaware Indian, and raised a family of ten children. The Grinter family first lived in a log house, but in 1857 Moses Grinter began building the stately brick house, located at K-32 Highway and South 78th Street, which is recorded in the Library of Congress as the oldest house in Wyandotte County.
From 1855 to 1860 Moses Grinter operated a trading post, a business that sold about one hundred sixty types of goods (clothing, powder and bullets, perfume, sugar, and scissors, among other things) to the Delawares in exchange for cash and furs. The Grinters also farmed, raised poultry and livestock, and planted an apple orchard on their farmstead. During the Civil War one of their sons served in the Fifteenth Kansas Calvary.
Moses Grinter died in 1878, and upon the death of Annie in 1905 their son-in-law and daughter, Reverend Henry C. and Martha V. Grinter Kirby, moved into the residence. Henry and Martha's daughter sold the residence and land in 1950 to a family who owned and operated a chicken-dinner restaurant on the site until the mid-1960s. Through the assistance of the Junior League of Kansas City, Kansas and the Grinter Place Friends, the State of Kansas acquired the site in 1971 and now administers the former Grinter residence as a state historic site.
Having graduated from Wyandotte High School in Kansas City, Kansas in 1959, I remember the fried chicken restaurant so well. It was set up in the old barn, used lots of red and white checked tablecloths, served drinks in Mason Jars. The fried chicken was wonderful, served family style. But what I remember the most was the cornmeal pancakes with apple jelly! They kept bringing them to the table as long as you were still eating.
Annie Grinter probably never made cornmeal pancakes and the restaurant is long gone, but the memory of the pancakes lives on. Here is my version. Try them next time you serve fried chicken or pork chops. A great combination! Just imagine, hot, crispy on the outside, brushed with melted butter and served with homemade apple jelly!
Cornmeal Pancakes
2 cups boiling water
1 cup cornmeal
1 tablespoon sugar (optional)
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
3 tablespoons oil
1 cup flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup milk
Pour boiling water over cornmeal. Add sugar and salt. Let cool. Stir in beaten eggs and oil. In separate bowl mix flour and baking powder. Add to cornmeal alternately with the milk. Beat until smooth. Cook on hot griddle. Serve with apple jelly or maple syrup.