I’m back! Thanksgiving in North Carolina was wonderful….a little rainy, but generally sunny and warm, definitely wonderful!
My sister, Ann, made sure there was Eggnog Pie for me; Bruce, my brother-in-law, made sure there was plenty of Beef Barley Soup in the refrigerator so I could have a cup of warm broth when I’d eaten too much Eggnog Pie! They make quite a team.
One of the highlights of my trip was meeting Pancakes, my nephew’s Bulldog. She is such a character! I do believe Pancakes is a great name, but I also feel “Tank” would be appropriate. When David arrives at his parent’s house, as he opens the door to enter, he yell’s “INCOMING!” Pancakes can down an adult male before you can blink, this 4’11” woman didn’t have a chance! I received so many doggy kisses I know I am one of her favorite people.
Thanksgiving Day was spent with my niece, Lori, and her family. Her brother, Neal, and his two sons came from Denver and of course, brother, David, was there, minus Pancakes. The food was abundant, to say the least, but the company was outstanding. I was so lucky to have the opportunity to make the trip to Raleigh. Surrounded by the Wilkinson/Pote family on a holiday is truly magical.

Guess what comes next…. ….CHRISTMAS! Many people wake up in the middle of the night and get in line at their favorite stores for Black Friday. I am not that wild about shopping, except at gourmet grocery stores. No, the day after Thanksgiving is when I start planning the food and wine for dinners and parties. I make hundreds of lists and menus, which I usually misplace, so then I make some more.
What I am the most anxious to do is baking Christmas Cookies! I think Christmas Cookies are so important; after all, I was once a little girl.

During my research for blogging about Christmas Cookies, I found myself filled with Christmas memories. No, I know my sister and my brother will say I am embellishing again....to be honest, maybe a little. Both of them are sitting there shaking their heads wondering why they don't remember this, wondering how I can remember it. Simple, there are moments, however insignificant they are, they stay with us forever. This is one of those memories.
It was 1949, Columbia, Missouri.
The Johnston side of the family always celebrated on Christmas Eve and this particular Christmas, the celebration was to be held at my Uncle Frank’s and Aunt Ellen’s house. They had 6 children, Mom and Dad had the 3 of us. At the appointed hour, the family began arriving at their home, loaded down with gifts and food. As we entered the kitchen, I noticed a very large box sitting on the kitchen counter. It was a box from a department store, a large box they used to call a “suit box”. I can still see the edges of waxed paper sticking out the corners of the box; and because of that waxed paper, I knew the box had to have food of some sort tucked inside. What could it be? A box that huge could hold a lot of different foods! I was more excited to see what was inside that particular box than I was over all the beautifully wrapped gifts piled under the tree!
I begged to look inside, but was shooed out of the hot kitchen, out of the way of the turkey roasting and potato mashing! I’m sure you cannot imagine me being determined and sneaky, but I really wanted to know what was inside that box! So, I lurked, I skulked, I went furtively to the threshold of the kitchen, only to be banished to the garage to play ”Carom” with my cousins! I was on a mission! I had no time for games! My cousins didn’t seem to care about the box; their mission was to whack each other with pillows! They were so childish…didn’t they know there was a mystery at hand?
Back to the box….I had inhaled as many aromas as I could while lurking, hoping to detect a hint. That was my first inkling that turkey and onion laced cornbread dressing have aromas that wipe out all others. The box did not hold the turkey, it was in the oven. It did not contain the cornbread dressing….it was inside the 24 pound bird that was inside the oven! No one would put mashed potatoes or cranberry sauce in a box. The pumpkin pies were on the kitchen table, waiting for big dollops of whipped cream. I was slowly being driven over the edge!
Thank God! It was finally dinner time; let’s get this show on the road! I watched as bowls and platters were loaded with our Christmas Dinner…..but…nothing was removed from the box and put on the table! How come? Could it be just a box with waxed paper sticking out of it? The disappointment was overwhelming! My appetite was gone, my Christmas dinner was ruined!
Uncle Frank carved the turkey; the potatoes and gravy were passed followed by the best part, Cornbread Dressing. Next came the country green beans with big chunks of Boone County Ham. In all fairness I must say I am sure dinner was wonderful, I just don’t remember eating it.
My Mom and Aunt began clearing the table. Soon I heard my name being called from the kitchen. Aunt Ellen asked me to help her with the desserts. There sitting in the middle of the kitchen table was the box! “Go ahead and open it” she said . Suddenly I was afraid to, what if, after all my worrying about what was inside, I was disappointed? I didn’t think I could stand that!
Slowly I removed the lid, squeezing my eyes closed tightly. Suddenly there was the most heavenly aroma wafting through the kitchen….butter, sugar, vanilla…it had to be COOKIES!

I pushed aside the waxed paper! There before me was a huge box full of the most beautifully decorated sugar cookies I have ever seen! I was amazed at the decorations…icings of every color! Little silver dragees for the reindeer eyes. Multicolored nonpareils decorating the green iced trees. White coconut tucked around Santa’s chin. Aunt Ellen had worked late into the night, after my cousins had gone to bed, making these beautiful cookies, so beautiful that they brought tears to my eyes. It was then and there that I decided Christmas Food Memories are the best! So were Aunt Ellen’s Cookies!
I will never forget the Christmas of 1949.
Here is a great cookie recipe for cutout cookies to decorate. It is courtesy of Sub-Zero and Wolf
Soft Sour Cream Rolled Cookies
3 1/4 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 400°F. Sift flour, baking soda, nutmeg and salt together. In large mixing bowl, cream butter, sugar, egg and vanilla. Beat 2 minutes on medium power. Add sour cream. Reduce power to low. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Combine just till combined. On well-floured surface, roll half dough to 1/8-inch thickness. Using 3” cookie cutters, cut desired shapes into dough. Place cookies 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 5 to 7 minutes, or until edges are light golden brown. Repeat with remaining dough. Frost and decorate as desired. Make 5 to 6 dozen.

As for the icing for decorating the cookies, I don’t think you can beat good old buttercream. The one pound box of powdered sugar has a wonderful recipe printed on it. Make a lot, divide into bowls for coloring. If you want to make really special colors, visit a Wilton dealer. There you can also buy decorating tubes and disposable pastry bags. Wilton also has cookie cutters, idea books with patterns, baking sheets, etc.
Start a new tradition this year by baking sugar cookies and decorating them for your family. Find a giant box, line it with waxed paper, and then fill it with your works of art….I guarantee you, it will drive some little kid absolutely bonkers!

More cookie recipes to come....

To Brine or Not to Brine….That is the Question!

Around this time of year, the brining question pops up….”Does brining really make the turkey tastier and moister?” The simple answer is “Yes”. However, the brine you use can make or break your turkey.

With the wonderful world of www. , you can research until you are blue in the face, finding thousands of recipes and opinions, but until you try a recipe for yourself, you won’t know which is best. Can you imagine what it would be like to take your top 5 choices of recipes, buying 5 turkeys (and probably an extra 2 or 3 refrigerators to store them in), mixing gallons of different brining solutions, and finally roasting the 5 turkeys. It would be 1) time consuming; 2) EXPENSIVE; and most interesting, 3) what would you do with the leftovers?

No, I am afraid when it comes to brining a turkey for the first time, you have to put your top 5 choices in a hat, pull one out and hope for the best. That is, unless you have a dear friend or relative who has done all the research work for you! Hopefully, I am that friend.

I have indeed brined many turkeys and have used many different recipes or formulas. To be honest with you, I don’t even eat turkey (long boring story) but I do eat gravy! It turns out, brining helps add flavor and depth to your gravy. Just give me a plate of Grandmother Ogg’s Cornbread Dressing with at least a cup of gravy on top and I am one happy woman!

The first turkey I brined was with the help (?) of Arch, my late husband. Let me just say this….our marriage was much easier when we avoided being in the kitchen at the same time! That old saying “too many cooks spoils…..”, oh how true! Anyway, Arch wanted to try a brined turkey. This was probably 6 or 7 years ago, when brining your bird was “a new fad” kind of thing. Fixing a turkey has always brought out strange and new ways of preparation. Many years ago, “tenting” the turkey with foil was the thing to do. Then we had the brown paper bag idea. Next was frying the turkey, followed by “Turducken”, that strange idea of stuffing a de-boned turkey with a de-boned duck followed by a de-boned chicken. All of these methods are still popular and used today. Once you figure out a perfect way for YOU to fix a turkey, you will probably stick with that method for a few years. At least until the next “new fad” method comes along.

That said, back to our first brined turkey. In the beginning, the brines for turkeys were simple. The recipe called for a turkey, salt and water. Even a novice in the kitchen could pull that together! But when you have a chef and a one of the world’s greatest Man Cooks, in the same kitchen, the possibility of disaster is just around the corner! What is a Man Cook?....You know…a man who worships meat, eats lots of meat, reads hundreds of cookbooks about meats….a man with a grill! In Arch’s case, he truly was a wonderful cook. The way our marriage survived our kitchen encounters is simple….I cooked for 50 plus people, Arch cooked for 1 or 2 people. It worked.
The turkey was very good, not dry at all, and had a great flavor. But I thought the gravy was a bit salty, even though we rinsed the turkey well after removing it from the brine. We discussed our results over and over, never reaching any conclusion, other than next time we would try a different method. So the next turkey we cooked was like starting all over again. We read, we researched, we discussed..
No use going through the next 5 years of painful experimenting when I can jump to the end and share my great wealth of knowledge! These are my tips for brining.

1) You will need to decide on a large container that is nonreactive. I use a large, food safe sealable bag. Both Reynolds (Oven Roasting Bag for Turkeys) and Ziploc (XL Storage Bag) make very large food safe sealable bags that are great for brining. I prefer the Ziploc bags because they are stronger and less likely to be punctured. I place one of these bags in a large stock pot.
2)The next step is to put the turkey, still in its original wrapper, into the bag and then fill with water. Remove the turkey and then measure the water in the bag. Add 2 cups to that amount, you now know how many cups of water you need for the brine.
3) Cooking is kitchen chemistry…here it comes. You need 1 cup of table salt per gallon of water to get a proper brine. This works out to 1 tablespoon of salt per cup of water (16 cups in a gallon, 16 tablespoons in a cup). Make sure you are not using salt with iodine. Iodine will spoil the flavor.
4) One of the problems with our first brined turkey was there was no sugar in the brine. I find adding 1 cup of sugar to each gallon of water really makes a better turkey. Some people add maple syrup, which is pretty expensive, but I find regular sugar is fine.
5) At this point you can decide what other flavors you would like to use in your brine. I personally like to add fresh rosemary and thyme, but you can add your favorites instead. I buy a bag of fresh rosemary and one of fresh thyme and put all of it in the brine. (This was one of the points Arch and I disagreed on….he was a purist, thought it was almost un-American to add ”Italian” herbs to an American bird! I think they are great and I noticed he cleaned his plate like a good boy! Speaking of traditional American, using sage and black peppercorns is also a suggestion for additional flavor.
6) 3 days before you need to cook your turkey, in a large stock pot , bring the amount of water you determined your brine will need, to a boil, add the correct amount of salt and sugar to the water. Stir well to dissolve, remove from the heat, add the fresh herbs and set aside to return to room temperature. Once it is cooled, refrigerate. Your brine must be VERY COLD before you add your turkey! You do not want to add it to a warm brine or your turkey will be brought to a temperature where it will begin to spoil You want it COLD! Living in Kansas, the garage makes a wonderful large refrigerator in the winter! Keep the brine cold until the day before you will be roasting the turkey.
7) No more than 24 hours before you will be roasting your turkey, place the large Ziploc bag in a large container. Carefully pour the brine into the bag. Lower the turkey into the brine (I put neck down, maybe because it is easier to lower the bird by the legs…?) Make sure the bird is completely in brine by pressing out the air as you zip the bag.
8) Place in refrigerator if you have room. If not and it is cold in the garage (no more than 40 degrees) or in a cooler with ice packs all around. Brine the turkey for 1 hour per pound, but absolutely NOT for more than 24 hours!
9) Turkey Day is here! Remove the turkey from the brine. Place in kitchen sink and rinse extremely well, inside and out! When you think you have removed all of the salt, rinse it again! Now, at long last, you are ready to roast your turkey!
One thing to remember, do not salt the turkey or add salt to the stuffing! That is how I ruined my gravy!
So, to brine or not to brine?.......Happy Thanksgiving!

The Somerset Ridge Painters have been very busy! The Friends of the Overland Park Arts are sponsoring the Nutcracker Tea Party for children on Sunday, December 6th. It will be held at Ritz Charles. As part of the fund raising, they will be holding a silent auction. The Somerset Ridge Painters have donated a large painting we named

"A French Fantasy, Through an Open Window"

There were only four of us present for the group photo, l to r...Maria Johnson, Winnie Davis, Me and Ada Koch. Not present for the photo were JoAnne Carlton, Vicki Johnston and Audrey Benskin. We had a wonderful time being together, painting together!

Let's hope the painting raises a lot of money!

On Tuesday evening, I spent the evening at Girl's Night Out, held at ARTichokes....What Fun! Great Art, Great Friends, Great Food and Great Wine!

What more could the girls want!

I was so surprised to open the door and the first piece I saw was this beautiful fused glass piece by Rhoda Powers! Rhoda is a glass artist who has her studio in Parkville, Missouri, but has her work displayed many places around the Kansas City area. There are more of her pieces on display at Zest, a restaurant in the Mission Farms area, just down the walkway from ARTichokes. So, if you have a chance, check them out! Great Gifts!

My dear sister-in-law, artist Vicki Johnston is promoting a California artist, Marcia Munich, who makes beautiful jewelry. As Marcia's agent, Vicki arranged to show some of Marcia's pieces at Girl's Night Out.

Gentlemen, trust me.....wonderful Christmas Gift!

They will be on loan to ARTichokes for a few more weeks, so go shopping while you can!

Many other artists are represented at ARTichokes also.

Vicki Johnston and the jewelry of Marcia Munich


Seems like ages since I shared a recipe!

Several years ago, I wanted to come up with a new cranberry relish for Thanksgiving.
Hope you enjoy it!

Somerset Ridge Buffalo Red Cranberry Sauce

1/2 cup Somerset Ridge Buffalo Red Wine
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup sugar (1/3 to 2/3)
1 1/2 cups cranberries
3/4 cup seedless red grapes
1/2 teaspoon snipped fresh mint
1 Dash ground cloves

Combine wine , water, and sugar in a medium saucepan. Bring to boiling, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved. Add cranberries, grapes, and cloves; return to boiling. Reduce heat and cook, covered, for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Uncover and cook 10 minutes more, stirring occasionally.
To serve, stir in mint. Serve warm or chilled. Makes 6 (1/4-cup) servings.

Paris in the Rain

by Becky Pashia

Great new show at ARTichokes Gallery!

Once again, Becky Pashia and Megan Sutherland have given Kansas City a chance to enjoy fine works of art by hanging a show that includes many mediums by various artists. I've learned to expect beautiful shows from the two owners of ARTichokes. Their choices in artists, pieces and in hanging and installing the shows is always perfect!

Last Friday night was the opening event for the show that will hang from November 13, 2009 - February 6, 2010. As usual, the atmosphere was warm and fun. Having the opportunity to meet the artists is such an addition to the evening.

Please stop by soon to view the show. While you are there, make sure you see the new paintings of Becky Pashia. Delightful! Her new painting, Paris in the Rain is terrific!In the meantime, go to http://www.artichokeskc.com/ and see the list of artists showing.

On Saturday, I attended a cooking class at the Hen House Market at 135th and Metcalf in Overland Park, Kansas. It was taught by my good friend, Jasper Mirabile and Chef Mark Alan of Govenor's Mansion. Both chefs work closely with the folks at Hen House, and products from both Jasper and Mark are available at all of the Hen House locations.

Chef Jasper Mirabile is the Ambassador of Cheese for the state of Wisconsin. As part of his duties, Jasper teaches classes on how to cook with cheese. Yesterday's class included a total of 6 recipes and used a total of 14 cheeses!

The class was held by the fireplace there in the store, and it was welcome since we have had a cold and rainy weekend!

After several weeks of really great weather, today was cold and misty…truly a late autumn day here in the Midwest. My afternoon watching two of Kansas City’s finest chefs, was a great way to spend the afternoon. As part of the cooking classes at the Hen House, the two chefs whipped up a menu that featured cheese, cheese and more cheese! Jasper as the official Cheese Ambassador and travels around the country, explaining the joys of Wisconsin cheeses, while keeping the family restaurant, Jasper’s, operating beautifully here in Kansas City.
I met Mark Allen for the first time today, but had heard of him and his amazing sauces and seasonings. Check out his web page at http://www.chefmarkskitchen.com/.

The two Chefs divided the menu, each preparing part of the courses.
We started with Mark’s Brie Crostini with Apple Pecan Compote followed by
Jasper’s Cut Pasta “Old School”. It was magnificent! It is cooked pasta, tossed with a sauce of cream and 4 cheeses (Gruyere, Jasper’s Fresh Mozzarella, Romano and Gorgonzola. All of the cheeses were from Wisconsin, with the exception of the fresh mozzarella, made on the spot by Jasper.) Anyway, you must try it!
Jasper's Old School Pasta

serves 4 to 6
1 pound cut pasta, such as rigatoni or penne
½ cup grated Wisconsin Gruyere
½ cup fresh mozzarella
¼ cup grated Wisconsin Romano
¼ cup crumbled Wisconsin Gorgonzola
1 ½ cups heavy cream

a splash of white wine, may I suggest Somerset Ridge Chardonnay?
Freshly grated nutmeg, fresh sage leaves, and cracked pepper to taste

Cook pasta according to package directions. In a large sauté pan, bring the cream to a boil. Add all cheeses and stir until melted. Season with nutmeg, sage and pepper. Add drained pasta and toss until well coated. Serve on a heated platter.

Next came Mark’s Italian Meatballs with Roasted Red Pepper, Tomato, Bleu Cheese and Spinach. This is a recipe that calls for 6 ounces of one of Mark’s famous sauces, Roasted Red Pepper Aioli. It is available at Hen House and on line at Mark’s webpage.

Jasper made the next dish, an authentic Chicken Saltimbaco, chicken layered with prosciutto and cheese. It is fast and wonderful!

Our final course was a Fresh Pear and Pecorino Cheese Tart by Chef Mark Alan. My goodness, it was a perfect dessert! A moist lightly sweetened cake with thinly sliced pears baked right in the batter, then during the last few minutes of baking, topped with grated Pecorino! Pears are available now, don’t miss this one!

2 pounds fresh pears (Bosc or Anjou)
2 large eggs
¼ cup milk
1 cup sugar
1 ½ cup flour (remember to spoon the flour into the measuring cup, then levelit…do not scoop up the flour with the cup)
Pinch of salt
Butter for dotting top of tart
2 ounces shredded Pecorino cheese

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Heavily butter a 9” cake pan, then dust with dry bread crumbs.
Peel and core, then thinly slice the pears. Beat the eggs and milk in a bowl. Whisk in the sugar and salt. Mix in the flour to make a thick batter. Add the pears to the batter and stir gently. Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Dot the top with pieces of butter. Bake for 40 minutes and then sprinkle the top with the grated Pecorino. A nice touch is adding just a pinch of freshly cracked pepper to the cheese.Bake an additional 10 to 15 minutes, until the top is well browned. Let cool for 15 minutes before removing from the pan. Slice and serve warm. This is a perfect dessert to be served with a glass of Somerset Ridge Ambrosia Dessert Wine!

Come see us at the Winery soon....we are open all year round!

Wednesday - Saturday, 11:00 to 5:00; Sunday, 12:00 to 5:00.

Groups & Special Events by Appointment.

Wine Making, an Incredible Art

Any chance you have been watching the Public Television series called

“The Winemakers”? Twelve men and women are competing against one another by proving their knowledge of wine. They have to understand every aspect of, not only grape growing, but wine producing and wine sales. Over the course of six half-hour episodes, this real-life cast of characters will experience every aspect of the wine industry from the ground up — with one goal in mind —

to win the chance to launch their own wine brand.

I am not a big fan of reality television, but with my interest in the vineyard and winery, I find this show very helpful. It is rare that I actually know the answer or procedure that the contestants are tested on, but I’ve learned a lot!
Go to http://thewinemakers.tv/about to check their web page. Then come down to Somerset Ridge, my 2nd home, and experience the real thing!

My other 2nd home is ARTichokes Gallery and Studio, located in Mission Farms at 106th and Mission Road in Leawood, Kansas….Becky Pashia and Megan Sutherland have great plans for events at their Gallery. First, this Friday night will be the opening party for the new show. The shows are always so good, such a great mix of styles and mediums. Come by and enjoy a great evening and meeting the artists. That is Friday, November 13th from 6:00 to 8:00pm.
Their next exciting event will be Girls Night Out! Write this one on your calendar: ARTichokes, November 17th GIRLS NIGHT OUT 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm. It's a holiday shopping party at ARTichokes ~ come and play with us! Make sure you pickup a class schedule while you are there. Take the time to seek out the great instructors, they will be there. Let them tell you about their classes; their enthusiasm will make you want to paint!
Go to http://www.artichokeskc.com/ and read about all the events and see the paintings in a slide show. I hope I see you there!

How are your Holiday cooking plans coming along?

Have you ordered your Heritage Turkey for Thanksgiving? You need to reserve one soon if you want to have a bird that tastes like a real turkey!

Go to The Hen House here in the Kansas City area,

or visit http://www.reeseturkeys.com/ to order on line.

Wondering what size turkey you need? Try this formula: estimate that each guest will eat about 1.3 pounds, and then round up:
8 guests: 8 x 1.3 = 10.4. Your turkey should weigh at least 11 pounds.

13 guests: 13 x 1.3 = 16.9. So the bird should weigh at least 17 pounds.

The other formula for an easier Thanksgiving Dinner is:

a)Plan your menu early

b) Clean out your refrigerator (nobody enjoys this part, but it will make your life easier!)

and c) shop early!

Today I am going to share one of my favorite appetizer recipes with you.

With a big meal like Thanksgiving, it is nice to have your guests enjoy a glass of wine and a few excellent appetizers. You don't want to go overboard with them; no use spoiling everyone's appetite with fully tummys before they even get to the table!

Tomato Quiche Tartlets
2 2.1-ounce packages baked miniature phyllo dough shells (30 shells)
1/2 cup finely snipped dried tomato (not oil packed)
2 eggs, slightly beaten
3 tablespoons half-and-half
1-1/2 teaspoons snipped fresh basil
Dash salt
Dash ground black pepper
3/4 cup finely shredded Asiago cheese (3 ounces)

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Place phyllo dough shells on a baking sheet; set aside.
2. For filling, in a small bowl, combine dried tomato and enough boiling water to cover; let stand for 2 minutes. Drain well. In a medium bowl, combine eggs, half-and-half, basil, salt, and pepper. Stir in soaked dried tomato and cheese.
3. Spoon about 2 teaspoons of the filling into each phyllo shell. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until filling is slightly puffed and a small knife inserted into the centers of the tartlets comes out clean. Serve warm or cool. Makes 15 servings.
4. Make-Ahead Directions: Prepare and bake tartlets as directed; cool. Place tartlets in an airtight container. Cover and chill for up to 24 hours. Before serving, place tartlets on a baking sheet. Bake in a 300 degree F oven about 10 minutes or until heated through.

Impromptu Mini Art in the Vines
We were the few and proud….but we had a wonderful time! Sitting at Somerset Ridge, up in the vines, enjoying 70 degree weather, having some of the Flyboy Red Wine from the winery…what could be more perfect? I can tell you….receiving compliments from total strangers!

Let me start at the beginning….you readers know we had to cancel Art in the Vines in October due to dreadfully cold and wet weather. 31 artists were prepared to hang and install a wonderful show for the 1500 people expected to attend. our 2nd Art in the Vines. Three days before the October event, it became obvious that Mother Nature was not going to cooperate. We cancelled the event and bemoaned the fact that it looked like an early winter for the Midwest.

Every day since then has been glorious! When they heard the forecast for this last weekend, Cindy and Dennis Reynolds decided to see if we could pull together a few artists for a “mini show”. I must thank Kristin Goering, Maria Johnson, Vicki Johnston, Ana Welch, and Audrey Benskin for giving up there Sunday with the families to be in the vines with me!

With only 6 artists and there work, Cindy wanted us to use the vineyard just east of the winery building. I refer to this part of the vineyard as the “French vineyard” because it is where our old French vines, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, are grown. It is an easy walk up the gentle slope to the vines and totally visible from the veranda, where people gather to listen to live jazz and share a bottle of wine with friends.
As the music came drifting up on a breeze, we stood proudly by our art, eager to talk to our visitors and explain what the hell we were thinking when we painted that! Everyone was so kind and generous with their compliments, and trusts me, that is what an artist lives for! That, and of course, money from selling their work! We were so pleased to have so many pieces find new homes! Every artist is delighted when someone buys a piece of art, no matter who the artist is; but when 4 adult artists watch a junior artist, 12 year old Ana Welch, sell 4 pieces and get a commission for a 5th, the excitement is astounding! What happened yesterday for Ana will probably alter her life in a very positive way. When asked what she was going to do with all of that money, she was most definite. “I am going to save half of it and buy art supplies with the other half!” She could hardly wait to hit Hobby Lobby! She said she was going to kick into high gear for our next BIG show in June.
During the show, Maria Johnson, a well known Johnson County artist originally from Colombia, South America, worked on a painting of the view she had from her place in the vines. Maria worked in acrylics on a large canvas, painting in vibrant yellows and golds. The visitors loved watching her work as she discussed painting with them.
Kristin Goering worked on a small pastel while there, and Ana started a painting of the winery. Me….I talked to everyone who came up to the vineyard to see our work. It is always so fun to hear people’s comments about art and to discuss certain pieces with them. And yes, I did have to explain what the hell I was thinking when I painted “Hell Hath No Fury”.


Speaking of hell.....how about a red hot recipe! Since Turkey Day is approaching, try this one. My Dad probably would not approve; Dad felt all leftover turkey should be turned into "Turkey Hash" and served over leftover Cornbread Dressing....boy, was it heavenly!
But a fast spicy Paella is perfect in so many ways!

Spicy Turkey Paella Yield: Makes 6 servings
12 ounces spicy smoked sausage (such as linguiça, andouille, or hot links), cut into 1/2-inch slices
1/4 cup garlic-flavored olive oil
2 large yellow onions, chopped
1 large red bell pepper, chopped
2 cups long-grain white rice
1/4 teaspoon saffron, yes, go spend the money, you will be glad you did!
4 cups low-salt chicken broth
4 large plum tomatoes, quartered
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 1/2 cups cooked leftover turkey, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 cup frozen peas
Preheat oven to 350°F. Brown sausage in large skillet over medium-high heat, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
Heat olive oil in 6 1/2-quart pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook until golden, stirring often, about 12 minutes. Add bell pepper; cook 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in rice and saffron, then next 5 ingredients. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium; cover and cook 15 minutes. Add sausage, turkey, and peas to rice mixture. Bake paella 10 minutes and serve.

I actually made this for 24 people and made it in a large roasting pan. My paella pan is 16", but just wasn't big enough to handle 4 times the recipe. It turned out beautifully!
tip:If you can't find garlic-flavored olive oil, simply add a clove of minced garlic when you stir in the rice.

The weather is going to be absolutely beautiful this weekend, so several of the Somerset Ridge Artists are going to do an impromptu Art in the Vines on Sunday! There will be 6 of us, so please drive down, enjoy the wine, the view, the paintings and the weather! Oh....and the live jazz! And there will be Gourmet Picnic Bags for sale, so bring a blanket and spread out in the sunshine on the hillside and listen to the music, drink a little wine, eat a little gourmet picnic! We will be in the vines, more than willing to show you our paintings!
Please come!

Molly's Table in Paola, Kansas

As you have probably figured out by now, I love small towns, I love Mom and Pop businesses, I love to promote art. So, just to please myself, I contacted Donna Nagle, owner of a delightful little restaurant in Paola, Kansas, very close to the vineyard, and asked her if she would be willing to hang some pieces by the Somerset Ridge Artists. She was very pleased to show our work! The photo is of the paintings we delivered to Molly's Table. We had just unloaded our cars and it made for quite a photo!


The paintings are now hanging inside the restaurant and Donna and the Somerset Ridge Painters would be delighted if you drove down for lunch one day to enjoy a bowl of the best Chicken Tortilla Soup I have ever had and one of Donna's delightful sandwiches AND of course, check out the paintings!


The Somerset Ridge Artists started last spring by meeting in the vineyard every Wednesday morning to paint and photograph beautiful spots and the wonderful animals in Miami County. Naturally we would work up an appetite and we found Molly's Table in Paola!
You can find Molly's Table at 117 South Pearl in Paola. She closes at 2:00pm Mon through Saturday and is closed on Sundays.


Please visit soon!


The Somerset Ridge Painters are Audrey Benskin, Vicki Johnston, Maria Johnson, Ada Koch, Winnie Davis, JoAnne Carlton, and yours truly, Kay Tucker.

What a great weekend! I spent both Saturday and Sunday working at the winery, and had a wonderful time. Weekends are always busy, but when we introduce a new wine....IT IS PACKED! Friends, Family and Wine Lovers come in packs! They even come on horse back!

The new Tawny Port was a huge hit which doesn't surprise me because when Dennis Reynolds makes a wine, he makes magnificent wine!

To add to the excitement at the vineyard and winery, the weather here was unbelievable for November 1st! In the 70s! Gorgeous blue sky with a few whispy clouds, the kind they call "mare's tails". The vines have turned red and gold, the grass is still lush green. A perfect picture!

Now, let me explain to you what I did for 2 days.....I cooked Pierogies! Frank, the Pieroguy owner of KC's own Pierogies brought out his locally-hand made, organic delicacies. Frank was there in the tasting room to help with sauce ideas for each of the four varieties...potato & cheddar; potato, cheddar & bacon or mozzerella, Italian sausage & pepperoni and his newest, organic broccoli! (Did I mention that Donald Trump's chef ordered 12 dozen last week?!)

Yes. even Donald thinks these pierogies are the best!

I was in the kitchen cooking pierogies from noon til 5:00 closing time. I made wine and butter sauces for each variety, such as a Sage and Chardonnay sauce for the Original Potato and Cheddar, and a Ruby Red Wine and Basil Sauce for the Italian, then served them with a little homemade Italian Red Sauce. For the Potato, Cheddar and Bacon, I chose to make a sauce with our Oktoberfest Wine with Butter, Shallots from Somerset's garden and fresh Thyme. For the Broccoli I made a Ruby Red Wine sauce with Shallots.

These pierogies are so good, look perfect, and are so simple to prepare. You drop them frozen into boiling water. 6 minutes later they are floating and are ready to be sizzled in the wine reduction butter sauces. There were pierogy munchin' folks all over the veranda, the grassy hillsides and in the winery!.....Frank is the man! (And pretty darned cute at that!)

Yep....this was quite a weekend!