Wine Making

We have started this year's (next year's batch) of wine.  We are making the wine from juice this year and decided on choosing only two types this year!  Barbera (my favorite) and Muscatel (Moscato).  One red and one white.

Thomas bought the juice a couple of weeks ago and just this week, we poured it into the demi-johns.

These are the before and after photos.  We have five demi-johns (carboys) full.  It should last us through part of 2016, provided all goes well with it.

 This year's batch is still great - we had made Chianti, Barbera, and Muscatel, but we just weren't fans of the Chianti batch this year.  Maybe next year, we will try again!

Pittsburgh

I know I have said it many times, but I LOVE the city of Pittsburgh!

It really is so clean, pretty and full of things to do!

We took our biannual (every two years) trip a couple of weeks ago with Debby and Tony!   We have so much fun with them.   Pittsburgh crushed the Colts (which is a good thing in this household!).  Even though I do not like Ben, he had a fantastic game.

This year we did two things new.  We went to the Texas-Brazil Steak house.  It is an all you can eat smorgasbord of meats and salads and wonderful-ness.  I tried (almost) everything.  There were a few things that I didn't like, but mostly everything was wonderful.  They (waiters?) come around the restaurant with meat on these skewer-like things with huge knives and if you have a green disc in front of you (green means yes) then they come to your table and ask if you would like to try what they have on the skewer.  (Red disc means stop)  We had sirloin, lamb, chicken and pork and they were cooked all different ways.  Plus you start out with an all you can eat salad bar.  Honestly - this is heaven for my hubby.  For me it was wonderful, but I wish I hadn't had lunch!   Then maybe I could have eaten more?

We also went to the casino - It has been there for some years now, but I had never gone.  I only lost $14.00, so I guess that was good.  We went to the Strip District - vendors and stores and the best church (St. Stanislaus).  We also ate at PF Chang's and Buca Di Beppo.  Very good food at both!

 These are views from Station Square.  I wish my iphone took better pictures.

 Here we are at the game.  They have a great band in the Hall that we tend to watch each time we go!!

Foraging

My brother Chris went mushroom hunting again last week.  Whenever he finds an abundance, I become the bearer of wonderful mushrooms!!!

Last week, he got maitake mushrooms.  They grown in a large cluster, similar to the chicken of the woods (orange) variety that he sometimes gives me.  They were huge and I cooked them up with peppers and onions!  Hopefully this week, I plan on getting a couple of steaks to cook with the mushrooms, peppers and onions, but the price of beef (and everything else) has been so high!  Is it like that everywhere??

Halloween

I opted to go trick or treating with my sister and the trips this year.  Hubby had to work and I really didn't want to give out candy alone, so off we went!

We did my mom's neighborhood first - we like to visit with our old neighbors and they like to see the trips!!

Then we did my sister's neighborhood.  Her hubby stayed at the house and made a nice bonfire in the front yard and gave out candy.  We walked the streets to all of her neighbors!

It wasn't too cold and the rain held off until we got back to her house!   These are both friends and family pictures!!  Bruno loved being a werewolf and trying to bite people!!  Cassidy was a princess of course!  Brody was a vampire.  (Adrianna and Michaela (friends) were supergirl and a cowgirl) and Cristina was scary creature!!

My brother Chris, my niece Kailee and a friend of the family decided to do their yearly haunt.  They do a great job of decorating and usually bring multiple children to tears of fright each Halloween.  They were very good at it this year.....scaring both adults and children!!!   

Triplets Birthday

Would you believe the trips are almost seven!!

My sister likes to have their party early.  (usually in October and usually a costume party), because December 2nd is just too busy between Christmas and Thanksgiving!

This year we had it on November 1st at the local state park in a beautiful pavilion with a roaring fire and pumpkin decorating and Halloween/fall desserts and of course my crazy large family and friends!!

They decided to just have hamburgers and hotdogs and salads and desserts which makes it easy for everyone!   Unfortunately, the weather did NOT cooperate.  A cold wet wind and rain was in the forecast the whole day!  That cancelled the scavenger hunt that my other sister had planned, but it worked out okay!

Sunday

Although it has been a while since I posted, I plan on catching up on posts this weekend.  Tomorrow (Sunday), I plan on cooking all day.  It is my passion and I love to be able to create!

Pastichetta (Not sure of the exact spelling but to those of you who know what it is, you won't care!).  It is my grandmother's recipe and I made it once last month and it came out awesome....so I am doing it again.

Soup - because it is that time of the year.  For my last CSA, I got escarole and carrots and onions and I am throwing them in the pot with stock I had made a couple of months ago!!  

Stuffed cabbage - because the last two weeks of CSA, I got two heads of cabbage and my son and I can only eat so much cole slaw!  Although I do see pulled pork coming up this coming week!!

Stuffed peppers - because I need to get rid of stuff in the refrigerator!!  

Broccoli - I just need to cook it!  I have had it for almost a week and I refuse to let veggies go bad on my watch.

I have more ideas, but I think that is all I will be able to handle tomorrow.  I also have to do the weeks shopping and go to church and clean demi-johns with the hubby.

(More on cleaning demi-johns this week!)