My Other Non-Food-and-Wine Blog

We recently started a new blog at work: THE PAGETURN. Well, the full name is actually THE PAGETURN: AN INSIDE LOOK AT BOOKS. It's specific to teachers and librarians, highlighting the books and authors that resonate with that market. It's super-new - we started it in July - so come over, say hi, and welcome us to the kidlitosphere!

When we started the blog, we knew we'd be blogging every weekday and, I have to admit, I was concerned that blogging everyday at work would steal away the last bit of energy and mojo I had left for this blog. Which hasn't been much in recent months.

But I'm so happy that I've been proven wrong. Instead, blogging every day at THE PAGETURN has reminded how much I love doing this, how much I love writing every day, and I feel all sorts of new energy for Pinot and Prose.

Eat, drink, and say hi to me at THE PAGETURN!

Ode to Naan

This is my latest favorite recipe: White Bean and Pancetta Flatbread from Food and Wine (April 2010). It is Damn Good, which was unexpected because I thought it might be too dry. Somehow it works, though. I attribute it to the perfect ratio of melting cheese to beans. Take a look:

I used the exceptional naan that I get from my local market, but this same naan is available at Whole Foods (I usually use the plain naan). Barring that, you can try using a pita. (Check out my well-documented love of naan here and here)

Now, on a weekday, I would pair this with greens and a vinaigrette for simplicity. But I made this on a weekend so I went fancier and paired this with the Mesclun Salad with Fried Shallots and Blue Cheese, also from Food and Wine (April 2010):

Both were incredibly simple and, lest you think that you can't make something like this, I followed the recipe to a T. Just follow the instructions and you'll be fine!

So as I typed that - "just follow the instructions and you'll be fine" - I was quite suddenly reminded of 6th grade. We had an assignment where we each had to stand in front of the class and teach everyone how to do something step-by-step, like teach everyone origami...or how to play guitar...or something. Up until now, I had completely forgotten that I taught the class how to make brownies. (How portentous!) I mean, it's a recipe. You don't get more step-by-step than that! So if you're thinking that you can't make the sort of food I make here, just channel your inner sixth grader, follow the instructions...

Eat, drink, and you'll be fine.

Cake and Marriage

When I got married 13 years ago yesterday, I was a sweet young thang:

Back then, I only ate white food. It wasn't a conscious prejudice...I was just ridiculously picky and would experience a self-induced gag reflex over anything green. So I don't think I would have gone for this back then:

Yep, that's a CHEESE CAKE. A tiered stack of cheese wheels. Be still my beating heart. My wiser, smarter palette swoons over this one:

Wouldn't that be so perfect for an autumn wedding? My lack of a sweet tooth has been well-documented on this blog so this is right up my alley. It also reminds me how much can change over the years, how much richer and fuller our lives can become.

Eat, drink, and a toast to another 13 years of marriage!

Thanks to A Cup of Jo for the link. See The Cheese Shed for more goooorgeous photos.

Buying Wine

Most of you probably already know this...but I adore wine. I drink it every night with dinner (and usually a glass after dinner too). On the weekends, I'll even have a single glass with lunch. When I have dinner parties, we've been known to go through two bottles (or three, depending on the company). So, with the exception of Adam's passion for beer, it's safe to say that ours is a wine-drinking household.

But here's the thing: I don't really have a collection. I usually buy a couple bottles a week from Fresh Direct and sometimes I'll trek over to The Wine Room of Forest Hills, which is one of my favorite places to buy wine. If we're really low, we'll get a ZipCar and drive over to Jersey to the Total Wine. Even then, sometimes I'll buy two bottles of something I know I like but, mostly, I buy a lot of single bottles.

The idea is that I want one of everything so I always have something great to drink with dinner. I rely heavily on What to Drink with What You Eat by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg, and few things frustrate me more than when they make a strong recommendation and I don't even have anything close. So I try to diversify when I buy wine.

Recently, though, I ran into a problem. I fell in love with a Rose that I bought at Total Wine a couple months ago. Here it is:

It was so well-balanced and refreshing. It was floral and herbal, but it also managed to be dry and grounded. I adored it.

But now what? I only bought one bottle. In Jersey. Wait until I go back? But then it'll be October or November and they most likely won't have the crazy-awesome selection of Rose. Go online? But then do I order six bottles? Go for the full case? Do I love it that much?

I also had a similar dilemma with Cubanisimo wines recently. As you'll recall from my previous post, I really love their Rose and their Pinot Noir. So I went to the Cubanisimo website to look into buying a couple bottles. It made sense to buy at least 6 bottles because of their discount. But my grand total was going to be $120+...and I couldn't bring myself to click the "Buy" button. I mean, $20 for a bottle is no big deal. But dropping more than a hundred? There's a mental hurdle that I can't seem to get over.

I've done a lot of wine reading (The Battle for Wine and Love...Red, White, and Drunk All Over...Educating Peter...The Wine Guy...these are some of my faves) and I don't feel any less confused on this issue. Does it make more sense to buy a half-case or full-case of something I love? But then I risk a lack of space and funds to have a wider selection. Or does it make better sense to diversify to make sure I always have the perfect wine-food pairing on hand? Have any thoughts on this issue?

Eat, drink, and when in doubt drink bubbly...

We interrupt this program...

Well, this sucks. I finally feel like everything has calmed down post-ALA and post-summer-without-Bug...and my USB drive decides that it doesn't want to download any of my photos. Oy.

So, while I figure out what is going on, please dream about the fabulous wine and food photos coming up. They're heaven.

But you don't think I'm fixing the problem, do you? Of course not. This is the moment where I play the heroine, bat my eyes, and say, "ADAM! FIX THIS!" So while he's working on the issue, I'm watching my brand-new Absolutely Fabulous box set. And I must leave you with this:



Eat, drink, and look forward to the next time I see the Soul Twin.


Note: Again, for those that don't read me regularly, the Soul Twin is my best friend. And for better or for worse, this is kind of us.

The Wild Pair*

I apologize for the total absence of blog posts lately. I could give you all kinds of stories about being super busy and "oh my god, my life is so crazy"...but that's not really the case. The truth is that Adam and I have been without Bug for THREE WEEKS. You parents understand. THREE WEEKS. So I've been spending time with Adam - eating, drinking, dating, laughing, catching up on TV shows, watching Alice in Wonderland, visiting with friends. Blogging really took a backseat to getting in touch with Adam again and, while I missed blogging, I'm unapologetic about spending that time away.

But I'm back and excited to be. I really want to tell you about a wonderful restaurant we ate at while visiting my in-laws in Oregon: Wild Pear.

I can't imagine any of you will find your way to Salem, Oregon but, if you do, I can't recommend Wild Pear enough. The ingredients are local and seasonal, and the mood of the restaurant is cozy and relaxed. I started by ordering the Cubanisimo Rosado:

Last year on our annual trip to Oregon, the Cubanisimo Pinot Noir was recommended to me and I loved it. Clearly, I am now a Cubanisimo fan.

I ordered the Lobster and Seafood Melt:

Served on foccacia, it was topped with dill havarti, tomatoes, red onion, and a creamy dill dressing. It was actually a little too dill-y for my tastes...but I should have known better. Dill cheese AND dill dressing? I read that and ordered it anyway. My loss.

Adam had the French Dip and it was excellent - almost like a Philly cheesesteak - French dip hybrid:

The sweet potato fries were even better. And how adorable is that bucket?

But the major coup was had by MC, my mother-in-law; she ordered the Chicken Hazelnut Salad Sandwich:

Chicken, hazelnuts, dried cranberries, red onions...and that creamy dill dressing. What is it this place and dill? Nevertheless, it didn't take over the sandwich. The balance here was perfect - it was sweet, nutty, and earthy. Thanks to the onion, it even bit back a little. So hands down to MC. She won the Best Orderer this day - a fine, fine competitor.

As we were getting ready to leave the restaurant, our server says to us, "Funny that you ordered the Cubanisimo...the winemaker is sitting right over there." He pointed to a rather pretty woman sitting by herself, drinking a glass of wine and reading. Naturally MC and Adam urged me to give her one of my Pinot and Prose business cards...but I just couldn't. Totally chickened out. She had an air of celebrity about her (seriously, I really love Cubanisimo's wines) and I got too stargazy...

After lunch, we walked around downtown Salem a bit where I discovered Cherry Redd (careful with the link, this may not be work appropriate for some of you). Bought myself these fab shoes:

After all that walking and shoe-trying-on, it was time for dessert so we stopped at Napolean's Creperie and Gelato. Everyone ordered gelato, of course, but I was hearing the siren call of the espresso affogato.

It was creamy and rich. Which I deserved because I worked very hard earlier. You know, trying on shoes and eating.

Eat, drink, and always give out your business card.

* Yes, I realize I spelled "pair" differently - it was a play on the fact that Adam and I have been child-free for three weeks. Get it? We're the Wild Pair. But my post here is about Wild Pear. Clever, right? Right?

The Day Pinot Was Replaced by Porter

As most of you know, Adam is a beer guy. And he's getting more and more obsessed every day to the point where I'm certain he's going to start homebrewing in our bathtub, thanks to Sam Calagione (the head of all things Dogfish Head) putting ideas into his head. Or he's going to leave me for Sam.*

Adam is also notoriously difficult to shop for and, as such, our families have bombarded him with beer and its various accoutrements for birthdays and holidays. This includes magazine subscriptions. So Adam is reading the latest Beer Traveler and there's a list of the 150 perfect places to drink a beer. One of them is Henry's 12th Street Tavern in Portland (it's #25). So we go there for lunch a couple days ago.


The beer list was insane. Here's a glimpse:


Even I found lots that I wanted to try. Like this Laurelwood Organic Tree Hugger Porter (Portland, OR):


I also tried a sample of the Oakshire Amber (Eugene, OR), which I loved - it was unique and complex in its flavor.

But the STAR of the whole experience? The gorgonzola fries:


I could use all kinds of flowery language and purple prose to describe them but I just can't. Crispness: perfect. Seasoning: perfect. Amount of gorgonzola: perfect. We had one plate of these among five of us, but we could just had two plates and called that our lunch. Next time, no doubt.

The dessert wasn't half-bad either:


That's the creme "brewlee" sampler. They use Widmer Hefeweizen to make the one so there's lots of clove and ginger and spice in it. The chocolate one uses Black Bear XX chocolate stout (of course) and it's so rich that one bite will suffice. Shortbread finishes it out.

Our hope is that Henry's is going to become a tradition - it was fantastic.

Eat, drink, and be open-minded about beer.

Note: The server told us that the waffle fries used in the gorgonzola fries are not housemade but that the fries that came with the burger were. The waffle fries were better by leaps and bounds. The house fries were lukewarm and rather soggy. Stick with the gorgonzola appetizer.

*While visiting the Dogfish Head Brewpub recently, Adam actually met Sam Calagione's son who isn't much older than our Bug. Adam is thinking of arranging their marriage...

Lutz Family Vacation: the Second Leg

So we've left Hawaii and we're in Oregon now. And it's post-ALA. So let me take this moment to thank you all for hanging in there - I know I've been MIA in a big way. I've missed blogging here very much and, even now, I'm only able to because Adam finally sat my arse down in front of his laptop and made me. He got tired of my whining about the blog, for sure. I report to you all from a lounge chair in the shade with a glass of King Estate Pinot Gris next to me - I could so get used to blogging like this...

The food has been phenomenal, as you can imagine, and the reading exceptional. I made it a point to bring NO children's/YA books on this trip because I just so needed a cold turkey break from all the coming of age and angst. So I started off with Fifth Avenue, 5 AM: Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at Tiffany's, and the Dawn of the Modern Woman by Sam Wasson (HarperStudio, 2010). I'm a die-hard Audrey Hepburn fan* and this was the PERFECT book for vacation reading. You know when you have those fantastic symbiotic moments when you read a book that so perfectly fits with your mood and your life-place? That was this one for me. And a nice outcome of this book is that the bibliography/notes are exceptional - I added about 5 more books to my to-read list after I finished.

Then, at the recommendation of my dear friend Amy Cray, I read Bad Mother: A Chronicle of Maternal Crimes, Minor Calamities, and Occasional Moments of Grace by Ayelet Waldman (better known as the author who told the world that she loved her husband more than her children and received a hailstorm of crap for it). Again, right book, right moment. It was funny and fresh, and it was so honest that there were moments where I wondered where Waldman's mind was when she decided to commit some of her thoughts and experiences to the page. Naturally, though, it made for a more compelling and authentic read and I loved every minute of it.

I started 97 Orchard: An Edible History of Five Immigrant Families in One New York Tenement by Jane Ziegelman. It started off interesting enough...but while on my layover in San Francisco I was called away...by another book...

Marcelo in the Real World? How did that get in my bag?! I wasn't going to bring a kids' book! But I finally, finally snagged a copy of this at ALA and decided that I needed to jump on the bandwagon. I grumbled at first - I felt like Francisco X. Stork's story starts off slow. Not by any fault of the writing but because, as the reader, you're inside Marcelo's head so it takes a bit to understand the rhythms and nuances of his autistic thought patterns (at least it did for this reader).

But then it takes off and soars. Halfway through the story, I wasn't paying attention to a single word Adam was saying to me and it took several "Hello? Helllooooo, Laura!"s before Adam could get me to even look at him. A beautiful, gorgeous, lush read. And I would occasionally close the book, just to gaze at the cover. One of my favorite covers of last year, for certain. I didn't anticipate reading this one on my vacation but, boy, am I glad I did!

Now back to 97 Orchard!

Eat, drink, and embrace summer reading!


* Funny story: at IRA in Chicago back in April, we took a number of our authors to dinner. A colleague of mine and a well-known author/illustrator got into an in-depth and passionate discussion of all things Marilyn Monroe. I mean, they're fans. As a avid classic movie viewer, I piped up with this gem: "Marilyn is okay and all, but I'm SUCH a fan of all things Audrey." They looked at me like I had sprouted goat horns, wrinkled their noses, and kept talking about their favorite gal. In hindsight, I realize my gaffe: all classic film stars are not equal. I should have known better. Luckily, later on, the discussion shifted to Cary Grant and we all agreed and gushed about his class and his beauty.

NOTE: I know I've made a tradition of doing conference recaps and I will certainly recap ALA Annual. However, being on vacation right now, I'm not in a good life-place to do a postmortem. Once I'm back in NYC, I'll whip one right up though. So stay tuned...