Tag Archives: wine

Off the Hook on Lame Post Friday

Posted on February 23, 2019 by mohawkvalleygirl

I started to write a blog post while at work today. I had a good topic, about a theatre experience I am currently undergoing.  I guess that is now a Preview of Coming Attractions, because I never got beyond the first paragraph.  I wondered if it is because I am wired to have Lame Post Friday.  And here we are, back at my house, bra off, sweats on, glass of Chardonnay nearby, not my first glass, obviously (or perhaps not so obviously, but so it is), hoping to type in a few words to amuse or at least entertain.

The day at work passed with sometimes agonizing slowness.  I got some work done, but let us not dwell on that.  For one reason, this is not a work blog.  I sustained myself through the day with the knowledge that at some point I would get together with my friend, Kim.  She has been away, and I have missed her.

We did get together.  We tasted some wine at Valley Wine and Liquor (I must make a full post about that.  For one reason, I took a picture of the winemaker who was pouring the wines we tasted).  Then we went to Asteroga Ale House and Salvatore’s Pizzeria and Restuarant.  We had a fun time at both places.  We made plans to meet again tomorrow.

Oh what a dull post this is!  Where are my random observations and half-baked philosophy that usually enliven my Friday Lame Posts?  I don’t know.  However, I am over 200 words, which I consider respectable.  Perhaps tomorrow I can tell you the story of the chocolate cake.  Or we’ll talk about wine.  In any case, it will be Scattered Saturday or some such by then.  I’m going to let myself off the hook for today.  Happy Friday, everyone!

 

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I Should be Aged in Bourbon Barrels

Posted on January 13, 2019 by mohawkvalleygirl

It’s been a while since I did a post on a wine tasting, although I have been to a few. Today my husband, Steven, and I went to a nice one at Valley Wine and Liquor in Herkimer.  I took notes, so I will try to write a few words.  Full disclosure:  one reason I am doing it is that Lana, the lady pouring, said she was going to check out my blog (it came up in a conversation).

Beringer Wines were featured in the tasting.  I have tasted them and liked them before.  Additionally, the Facebook event promised dry wines, my favorite!  The tasting started at noon, and we made it there by one.  Lana was pouring for a lady but she happily included us in what she was pouring, Bourbon Barrel Chardonnay.  I tend to like Chardonnays that are aged in stainless not oak (I don’t really have that much wine knowledge, but I retained that tidbit after I discovered that I liked some Chardonnays way more than others), but this Bourbon Barrel stuff is something different. I liked it.

We went on to a Bourbon Barrel Red Blend, which I liked but was not particularly struck by.  I liked the Bourbon Barrel Cabernet Sauvignon better.  It was different from your usual Cab Sauv.  I say “Cab Sauv” not because I am trying to sound like a real oenophile (I pronounce it oh-nee-oh-file) but because I am too lazy to say all the syllables.  The Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon was even nicer.  I did not make a note of what that was aged in.

My favorite of the day was The Waymaker, a red blend from Pasa Robles.  It contained Malbec, Syrah and Petit Syrah.  We bought a bottle of that and may even save it for a special occasion.  No promises, though.

Lana noticed I was taking notes.  I said I always did.  Steven said it was because I have a blog (I told you in came up in a conversation).  Lana was pleased to hear this and said she had one too.  She made a note of mine.  I stupidly did not make a note of hers.  However, if she reads mine and hits “Like,”  I can easily find her.  Oh dear, now if she reads this she will feel obligated to hit “Like” even if she didn’t like it.  Oh well, maybe she will Like it.  I like to think I have a fairly likable blog.

Valley Wine and Liquor, located at 326 S. Caroline St. in Herkimer, NY, has tastings almost every weekend.  You can Like them on Facebook to keep informed.

 

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Wrist to Forehead Cinema?

Posted on January 7, 2019 by mohawkvalleygirl

Full disclosure:  I had some Mohawk Valley adventures on Saturday that I could have written about.  But I wanted to to a Sunday Cinema post so we started watching movies.  Unfortunately, we are only on the second movie of the day and I want to make my post before it gets any later (when one gets up for work at 3 a.m., it gets late early).

Tippi, watch out!

We started out with Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds, one of our favorites.  I won’t say it is a cinematographic masterpiece, but it is highly entertaining with excellent effects, especially for the time.  I’ve named a character Annie in my next murder mystery, after Annie Hayworth, the school teacher, because she is such a door mat.

That awkward moment…

We debated quite a bit during The Birds as to what we would watch next. I always like to have a connection between movies.  I thought of going from The Birds to Birdcage, but I wanted something darker. I thought of The Postman Always Rings Twice, which kind of has a connection because it features Hume Cronyn, who was married to Jessica Tandy, who is in The Birds.  Come to think of it, on that basis, we could have gone to Rope, which in addition to being written by Cronyn, is another Hitchcock movie.  But we have seen Postman and Rope recently.  Moreover, I like to drink champagne when I watch Rope, and I was drinking Barefoot Pinot Noir.  At last we settled on Sudden Fear.  It does not connect with The Birds, but it is film noir, which goes nicely with pinot noir.  Joan Crawford, there could be no possible objection.

As we watched Sudden Fear, we realized our television was getting quieter and quieter.  Sometimes it does that and we do not know why.  It goes back to a normal volume when we look at regular TV, so now we are looking at Snapped, my usual Sunday treat.  If you are wondering about my headline, well, it is Wrist to Forehead Sunday for a number of reasons.  As you have seen, I had some heartburnings selecting our second feature.  Additionally, I am somewhat mortified in trying to have a Sunday Cinema post on only two features.  Well, you’ll have these things when you read a silly blog like mine.  I hope to write about my Mohawk Valley adventures in coming days.  As always, I hope you’ll stay tuned.

I do loves me some Snapped.

 

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Wuss-out Winesday

Posted on December 20, 2018 by mohawkvalleygirl

Mohawk Valley Girl does not usually plug chain restaurants, preferring the distinctive, locally owned places (although she does talk about herself in the third person, don’t judge), but sometimes the chain place is a fun place to be on a Wednesday night.

But first, a housekeeping note, this is a kind of a Wuss-out Wednesday, because we were supposed to go to Karaoke at Asteroga Ale House in Herkimer tonight (um, in about three and a half hours, but I rather doubt we will change our minds at this point).  I messaged the people we were supposed to go with. One has to work, one has lost his voice, the third was totally into it and asked (showing a flattering knowledge of my blog): what is this, Wuss-out Wednesday?  We agreed to try again next Wednesday (and it will make a good blot post, I hope).

In the meantime, Steven and I needed to eat, and he had not taken anything out of the freezer.  He was willing to go anyplace I suggested, but I suddenly remembered: Winesday at Applebee’s!  The last time we went there (on a Wednesday to get half-price bottles of wine, not just to Applebee’s) was 2015 (we met with friends to discuss casting for Leading Ladies, the play I directed for Ilion Little Theatre)  (good God, has it been that long since I directed?).  I called to make sure the promotion was still in effect.  When the lady answered the phone mentioning “Wine Down Wednesday,” I rejoiced.

The other good thing about Applebee’s for my blogging purposes, is that they do embrace local connections. The walls are decorated with pictures of local sports teams and events.  So I feel it is Mohawk Valley Girl-ish enough to recommend Applebee’s in Herkimer, NY, as a good place to eat.

We had a bottle of LBD (Little Black Dress) Pinot Noir and an order of Neighborhood Nachos.  Yum on both counts.

And this is my blog post.  As a side note: tonight is my Friday, because I am off from now until January 2, 2019.  Woohoo!  Lots of Mohawk Valley Adventures to follow!  Or maybe I will just sit home watching true crime television shows or Christmas movies on DVD or video (yes, we’re old school).  As always, I hope you’ll stay tuned.

 

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Late, Lame, What a Shame

Posted on September 29, 2018 by mohawkvalleygirl

It is that moment on a Friday, when I want to just not worry about being a blogger and go to sleep.

I typed that last night, then I went to sleep.  Full disclosure:  Steven and I got together with our friend Kim.  We went to Happy Hour at Asteroga Ale House then to the VFW for another drink.  We’re not members of the VFW, but Kim knows some folks there.  I told them I was V but not FW.  We found out we could join the auxiliary, so we may do that.

The point is, wine makes me sleepy.  Still, it was a fun Friday night.  We used to go out every Friday night.  When we lived in Potsdam, NY, it was Happy Hour at Alger’s.  When we moved to Norwood, NY, we went to Jeremiah’s. Good times.  Actually, it is the epitome of the expression, the good old days — we weren’t good, we weren’t old, and they weren’t days, they were nights.

So here I am at five in the morning, typing in something, anything, so I can still feel I am a daily blogger.  Well, why not?  We make up rules for ourselves and can bend them to our will.  I call myself a daily blogger.  If I miss a day and make two the next, I say that counts. If one is pure foolishness, I say it still counts!  And if I want to call it Lame Post Friday early on a Saturday morning, I will.  I hope your weekend is beginning splendidly.

 

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I Need Some Nosteratu

Posted on June 16, 2018 by mohawkvalleygirl

The obligatory psycho eyes!

Hey, it’s Lame Post Friday! I have not shared monster pictures all week, so I thought I might indulge tonight.  I open with a monster of the human variety (using the term “human” loosely), the murderous Rhoda in The Bad Seed, as played by Patty McCormack in the 1956 movie. She is shown with her mother, played by Nancy Kelly, who does a good bit of scenery chewing herself.  Steven and I are watching the movie now.  I wanted something cheesy, familiar, and fun.

I did not mean to make a real movie blog post about The Bad Seed.  I merely mention it to set the scene, as it were.  It is the end of a long week, and I am tired.  I need some Nosferatu.

“Ah, fresh air!”

Here is the picture I always think looks as if it is in front of Little Falls Antique Center at Canal Place.  Just to give a little local flair.  For a little more local flair, I am sipping some Reisling from Merritt Winery in Forestville, NY.  I have not been there but have sampled the wine at tastings at Valley Wine and Liquor in Herkimer, NY.

I just flashed on Dracula, saying, “I never drink… wine”  (of course he pronounced it “vine”).  That is where the vampire and I differ.  Therefore I will close with a picture of Frankenstein, “Drink!  Good!”  Come to think of it, he may have been talking about gin.  Well, one must make do after all.

Tea is good, too.

This is Boris Karloff in 1931’s Frankenstein, on a break.  Just to complete the scene, we are now at the point in The Bad Seed where the characters are drinking gin and tonic.  Damn, that’s one of my favorites!  Well, wine is good, too.  Happy Friday, everyone!

 

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Wuss Out or Shout Out?

Posted on June 14, 2018 by mohawkvalleygirl

It is Wuss-out Wednesday, I’m afraid, but I hope to add a modicum of worthiness to the proceedings with a shout-out to a local business, the Miners’ Table in Herkimer, NY.

Steven and I first went to the Miners Table on a recent Sunday, and I hope to write an article about it for Mohawk Valley Living magazine.  In fact, I have started writing the article.  Full disclosure:  I could have finished writing the article without returning to the place, but I wanted to go out.  So did Steven.  So we went.

We sat at the bar, as we did before, and ordered drinks and an appetizer.   I wandered around the restaurant with my Tablet, taking a few pictures.  I will submit the pictures with the article.  I suppose I could also use them in this post, but, like I said, this is Wuss-out Wednesday.

It was a fun interlude for mid-week.  We chatted a little with the bartender. She said it was a great place to work, where they treat their employees well. I told Steven he should apply for a job.  The appetizer we got, Hammer and Chisel Nachos, was as substantial as a meal.  I understand most people order it as a four-person appetizer, but I think it would still be pretty substantial.  The wine was tasty too.

The Miners’ Table is located at the Herkimer Diamond Mines, 4579 State Rt. 28, Herkimer, NY, 315-891-3463.

 

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It’s Lame Post Friday and I Want Monsters!

Posted on June 9, 2018 by mohawkvalleygirl

OK, I typed in that headline, went to my Media Library, and said, “I can’t use that!” to every monster picture I saw.  What the hell, me?  Why don’t I just take a blogger’s sick day and drive on.  All I want to do is knit and watch true crime television anyways. And now I have to go turn the meatballs again.

There.  I was cooking with wine, and now I’m letting the bowties cook for another ten minutes.  I could do a cooking post, since I am getting a little creative, but, dammit, I’m in the mood for monsters.

 

OK, they haven’t made the monster yet, but what an atmospheric shot.

I do like a grey shot of a cemetery.  And just look at all those crooked gravestones.  I always heard that when a gravestone was tipped, it meant the soul that had been buried there walked. I say cool, although others may say it’s just erosion.  I try not to argue with such people.

I’m not sure what he’s doing, but he is definitely more ambitious than I am this evening.

Here’s the monster!  Yes, he is Frankenstein’s monster or The Monster, not Frankenstein.  I personally do not have a problem with anybody calling him Frankenstein, although I think “Frankie” is a little precious.  However, I am not the arbiter of these things.

Sometimes we all need a little help from a friend.

To round things out with three pictures, here is The Monster having a tea break.  Ah, tea.  Perhaps I will have a cup.  After my glass of wine. It is Friday, after all.

 

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Snapped, Wine, Who Cares If I’m Lame?

Posted on May 26, 2018 by mohawkvalleygirl

I read on Facebook that it is National Wine Day.  Of course, I believe very little of what I read on the internet. However, I decided to give Facebook the benefit of the doubt and poured myself a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon.  Ooh, do I love Cabernet Sauvignon!  After one sip, I returned to Facebook and typed in a status saying so.

Another thing I read on Facebook was a promo by Oxygen, sharing all these tweets from people saying how their Sundays involve wine and Snapped.  I was naturally inclined to believe this, since that is how many of my Sundays progress.  How pleasant to feel that I am not alone in my tastes!  Then I thought, why should Sunday have all the fun?  Snapped is on Oxygen as I type and sip.  Aaaahhh…. Friday.

Additionally, it is the Friday beginning a three-day weekend for me.  Alas, my dear husband works all three days, as I’m sure others do as well.  Please do not attempt to shame me.  I intend to enjoy my days off with a minimum of guilt.

I am, unfortunately, feeling a trifle guilty about my continued foolish posts.  Lame Post Friday, of course, is my beloved institution, but this has been a bad blogging week for me.  I thought briefly about making another Running Commentary post, since I went running again.  Yay me, running two days in a row! I DESERVE this delicious glass of wine!

In the meantime, one episode of Snapped is getting over and another about to begin.  I prefer to watch and knit over continuing my Lame Friday Post.  For another reason, foolish posts should at least be brief.  Happy Friday, everybody.

 

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Blame the Wine, Not the Fish

Posted on February 24, 2018 by mohawkvalleygirl

What could be lamer than making my Friday Lame Post on Saturday morning?  Sorry, folks.  I’m going to blame the full pours of wine at the Ilion Elks Lodge.  Steven and I went there for Fish Fry.  We went into the bar to get a glass of white wine to go with it.  The nice bartender filled those glasses to the brim!  And we had two apiece.  I came home and fell asleep on the couch.  In my defense… no, there is no defense.  I drank wine and fell asleep. I might as well cop to it.

We enjoyed a really delicious fish dinner.  I had broiled haddock with rice and Steven had broiled scallops with french fries. Both dinners came with cole slaw.  I wanted a baked potato, but they were out.  I told Steven that meant we must eat there on a subsequent Friday.   I guess I could just bake my own potato at home, but what fun is that?  For one reason, I can’t broil any fish to go with it.  I’ve never used the broiler in my oven.  I don’t even know if it works (ooh, that could be a future blog post: cooking on the broiler).

I am putting the finishing touches on Secrets at Suiter House, as we begin rehearsals tomorrow.  Perhaps I will write a blog post about it, without giving away any secrets, of course.

Ilion Elks Lodge is located at 8 West St., Ilion NY.  They serve their Fish Fry on Fridays during Lent.  For more information, you can call them at 315-894-1444.

 

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