Happy Birthday to .....

We get a lot of people celebrating birthdays both at the B&B and at our tastings. Today I had the pleasure of toasting to Sandy who was accompanied by Lisa, her best friend of 15 years. These two gals traveled up Hwy 1 yesterday from L.A. and except for a precarious adventure in a dune bug are having a marvelous time. We shared lunch and a bottle of wine while Lush Limo driver, Nick, catered to all of us.

Tomorrow Jill is treating her boyfriend Ozzie to a weekend get-away in the B&B to celebrate the day he was born. For some reason, I get more excited when our guests are celebrating a special occasion. I often try to do something a bit more special when there is a birthday or anniversary and would love some suggestions of that extra touch.

Last week Marva and 13 of her closest friends where here picnicking and wine tasting. As you can see, she is the one in the pink boa and rhinestone tiara. They were a hoot. I think there are a few pink feathers still floating around.

We also often get bachelorette parties. A lot of wineries dread this but so far, we have only had the best groups. The last group to stop actually bought a wine club membership for the bride and groom as a wedding gift which I thought was a great idea. Stay tuned...maybe I will get some good pix and stories from this group.

The World's Best Neighbor

Try again...technical difficulties.

Friday morning I see 4 turkey vultures preening in the sun on the fence posts surrounding my pool. Upon closer investigation, I realize that there are a lot of vultures perched in the trees along the creek bank. I glance down the ravine and I see her. In the middle of the creek bed is a dead deer.

Great, now what am I supposed to do? I have a full weekend of B&B guests and poolside wine tastings. I can only imagine what it is going to smell like in about 24 hours....not to mention the ugly bird display....and their droppings. Dave is not home until late and so he's not much help. I am a city girl. I don't know what to do about large dead animals. So I call Eldon.

Eldon Bergman is my neighbor and I have never met anyone quite like Eldon. He is well into his 70's and has been a tracker all his life. He has tracked everything from mountain lions to wild pigs to turkeys from Alaska to Mexico. Boy, does this fellow have stories! His Mennonite ancestors have lived here for over 150 years and he knows a lot about a lot of things country.

I called him hoping to learn what county agency one calls in situations like this. I did reach some unnamed county employee who said if I am not in the city it is my responsibility to bury it away from a water source. I am really perplexed how to retrieve a dead deer from a STEEP ravine and figure out how to dig a hole large enough if I am successful at pulling this poor dead doe from Jack Creek.

Just as I was preparing for a wine tasting for two guests from the nicest boutique hotel in town, Eldon drives his beloved pickup truck down the drive. When I point out the problem, Eldon ponders a bit and then asks if I have some rope. He explains his idea. He will change into his rubber boots which he conveniently has stored in the bed of his truck, tie the rope around the deer's neck, pull her by hand up the STEEP bank and then tie her to the bumper of said truck. He then will relocate the carcass up the road a piece somewhere where the vultures can enjoy their feast without disturbing anyone but the maybe the coyotes who might want their piece of the action.

Again keep in mind, dear amiable Eldon is well in his 70's, has been telling me how sore he is from the previous day's turkey guiding and is absolutely insisting on helping this poor naive city girl. I tell him Dave will be home and could do it tomorrow but there was absolutely no stopping him because this is what neighbor's do in these parts.

No sooner did I retrieve the rope than my wine tasters arrive so Eldon was off dragging the deer up the bank. Faster than I could pour through our 5 wines, dear old Eldon tooted his horn and was off dragging the doe down the road. He came back a short while later with his "official" explanation based on examining the body.

He surmises that the doe was attacked by a mountain lion based on the puncture marks on her head and neck. He thinks the injured doe leaped down the ravine, broke her neck and tumbled into the water. There was evidence of the cat near the bank but there was too much water in the creek to claim his prize. I don't really like the idea of mountain lions this close to the house but Eldon claims they are all over the country side.

How does one thank someone who goes above and beyond reason just because it's neighborly? If he drank I would have given him a case of wine, but he doesn't. So instead, I baked a pie and took it over to his place today with an inscription reading "the world's best neighbor." He had the expected "aw shucks, it was nothing" attitude but it really was an act of kindness and generousity that is impossible to repay.

Hans, Harry and Strudel

Ok, I have died and gone to heaven. If ever you are in the San Diego area you must visit Harry at Hans and Harry's in Bonita. (www.hans-harry.com) We first met Harry when he and his wife Maureen where in Paso Robles wine tasting. They came to the house and we introduced Per Cazo Cellars to them. He said if we were ever in the area, he wanted to introduce us to his partner and their bakery. Well, Dave will NEVER turn down an invitation to a bakery so of course we called and made an appointment.

This place reminds one of the consummate European bakery where you walk in and immediately start to drool. The bakery cases are filled with scrumptious treats that you know your cardiologist would scold you for even eating half. It was like a one room, sensory overload, Willy Wonka style pastry experience. Harry ushered us to the back where we witnessed some of his 25 employees fast at work creating their masterpieces. He said the bakery goes through 500 pounds of sugar a week. I don't even want to know how much butter. Harry also explained that this business has proven recession proof. When people feel down, they turn to sugar. They may not be able to afford to go to dinner but a breakfast treat is just the splurge one can swing. Harry treated us to the goodies of our choice and the beautiful large strudel that we took with us to enjoy with our friends we were visiting for lunch.

We met Hans who was busy in the office and promises to visit on his next trip to Paso Robles. Harry related a story about Hans who one would say is one lucky guy. After years of hard work, Hans and his wife planned a big European vacation. On the first week of the trip they were in Ireland golfing. Hans was complaining of a headache so severe he was going to abandon his tee time. That's when his wife new it was serious. They visited the ER where X-rays revealed a large aneurysm. Fortunately for Hans, on staff at this hospital was one of the two specialist equipped to treat a serious neurological problem. They returned to San Diego with a huge sense of relief and the realization that they had it pretty good so maybe they don't need to conquer the entire bakery empire. They scaled back their wedding cake business and now focus on the retail side of the operations and go home feeling both satisfied and successful. Instead of slow down to smell the roses, their philosophy is slow down and enjoy a piece of strudel. I'll have coffee with mine.

Limoncello only 80 days away

My friend Vivian dropped off nearly a bushel of lemons last week as the result of my mentioning my recipe for limoncello. This may be the only thing I like better than wine. I first had limoncello in Telluride at our favorite Italian restaurant, Rustico. Ever since then I have never turned down a chance to have the frozen Italian liqueur.

I couldn't find my recipe so I turned to Google to the rescue. After studying several versions I settled on a recipe by Deborah Horn. Her label is Limoncello di Casa Piazzetta which is somewhere in Italy which lends great credibility in my opinion. Since I had so many lemons, I thought I would have my own experiment. I have three alternate versions and am eager to see which yields the smoothest, sweetest limoncello. I have three gallon Ball jars with varying amounts of Everclear/Vodka. One is 100% Everclear, the 151% proof grain alcohol. #2 is half Everclear and half Vodka and #3 is 3 parts Everclear to 1 part Vodka. I carefully peeled only the yellow skin with no white pith and placed the equivalent of 15 lemons in each jar. I want to try one other version as soon as I can find one more gallon jar. I am going to try straight Vodka as I still have plenty of lemons left.

I have to wait 80 days for the final product so stay tuned....

Here is the basic recipe:

Deborah's Limoncello Recipe


Limoncello is a liqueur made from lemons. In Italy, it is usually served after dinner. You will find locally made Limoncello in Sorrento (near the Amalfi coast) and in Liguria. Both of these areas grow the lemons used to create the Limoncello. If you want to have the taste of Italy at home, try this recipe to make your own.

Please note that this is a very detailed recipe for those who have never tackled liqueur making before. Many Limoncello recipes are much simpler and faster.
Ingredients list

* One Bottle (750 ml) Everclear (95% alcohol 190 Proof)
* One Bottle (750 ml) good but not necessarily premium vodka (40% alcohol 80 Proof)
* 15 large thick skinned bright yellow lemons (without scars or flaws in the skin if possible.)
* 750 ml (about 3 cups) filtered tap water or distilled water (not mineral water)
* 4 cups pure cane white sugar (this will give thin syrup consistency; if you prefer a thicker syrup, experiment with increasing your sugar by 1-2 cups)

Tools list

* A very clean and dry gallon glass jar (the kind you make sun tea in is perfect)
* Large supplies of unbleached cone coffee filters; half of them #2 size and half of them #4 size
* 22 clean, 100 ml. bottles that seal tightly. I found mine at Cost Plus/World Market. They are clear glass with narrow necks. The ceramic looking white hard plastic stoppers have orange rubber gaskets and built in metal hasps to hold the stopper tight. They cost $1.99 each. If you would like to try to get the exact same bottle, the label says World Market "Spain" K1 and the UPC code is 2056 8498.)
* One large gallon sized glass (pyrex style) pitcher
* One cup sized metric measuring cup
* One punch ladle
* Two funnels with inch mouths. One should have a bowl capacity to fit the #4 coffee filter, the other to fit the #2 coffee filter.

Step One
Day 1

* Pour the bottle of Everclear and the bottle of vodka into the gallon jar.
* Try to use organic lemons or make sure that lemons are cleaned to remove all pesticides, dirt, and fertilizer chemicals. Dry the lemons. Use a potato peeler to peel just the yellow part of the skin off the lemons. Make sure you have NO white pith on the back of the peels, because this causes bitterness in the finished liqueur. Try to make the peel pieces as large as possible, because this will make the straining process easier.
* Put the lemon peels in the gallon jar and stir gently.
* Cover tightly and put away in a cool (not cold) dark place for alcohol to extract oils from peels, creating an infusion.

Days 8, 22, & 36

* Gently stir lemon peels to refresh exposure to alcohol. Return to cool, dark place.

Day 43

* Gently stir lemon peels.
* Scoop out one of the larger peels and test flexibility. If peel breaks like a potato chip, you will move on to the next step. If peel is still flexible enough to bend without breaking, return to cool dark place and try again in another week.

Step Two
Day 1

* Dissolve sugar in water and bring to boil over high heat. Boil for 5 minutes.
* Set syrup aside to cool. It must be room temp before adding to infusion.
* Use a slotted spoon to gently scoop lemon peels from the infusion and discard. To avoid creating small pieces that will make straining more difficult, try not to break peels as you remove them.
* Using the larger funnel, the ladle, and #4 coffee filters, slowly strain infusion through filters into large pitcher. This is a messy process. The filters will clog quickly and you will use many of them.
* Rinse and dry gallon jar.
* Repeat straining process, transferring infusion from pitcher to original gallon jar by straining again through #4 coffee filters.
* Return filtered infusion to jar and add COOLED syrup.
* Return to cool dry place for 40 days to begin mellowing process that combines alcohol infusion with syrup to create Limoncello.

Day 40

Note: If you moisten the filters before the straining, you will not waste liqueur by soaking it into the filter.

* Begin filtering Limoncello. Use punch ladle to pour a small amount into a filter-lined funnel held over the small measuring cup.
* Fill measuring cup to an even ml level. (100, 200, 300, etc.)
* Using smaller funnel and #2 sized filters, filter one last time into individual 100-ml bottles. You have now filtered the liqueur a total of 4 times.
* Seal bottles VERY tightly. Remember, if you are using different bottles and are sealing them by corking -- corks breathe. So consider dipping the neck several times in melted wax after corking.
* Label and/or tag bottles.
* Return to cool dark place for storage.

Branding Your Limoncello

Your Limoncello is now ready to enjoy. However, the longer it sits and "ages" the smoother it becomes.

I start my batches in the spring/summer when the lemons are at their best. Then I give it as gifts at Christmas time. Since Limoncello is a favorite warm weather treat it will have aged an entire year by the time most people drink it. VERY smooth and delicious!

The 100ml size bottles make ideal gifts. You should label the bottles with some basic information and a disclaimer (You don't want to be arrested by ATF as a Bootlegger).

I label my bottles and add a decorative tag. The label I created for my bottles is printed on clear Avery shipping labels (#5165) and has a picture of our house in Umbria.
The Label

The label says:
Limoncello di Casa Piazzetta
A homemade Lemon Liqueur Gift To You From Deborah Horn
The Tag

Here is what I put on my tags:
Serving suggestion:
As an after dinner drink, serve one ounce in a small chilled aperitif glass.
As a refreshing dessert, pour an ounce over a large scoop of shaved ice and garnish with a lemon twist.
Limoncello is best when served directly from the freezer.
Ingredients: beverage alcohol; distilled water; pure cane sugar, & lemon oil infused from the peel of fresh lemons.
100 ml -- 45% alcohol by volume
This liqueur is homemade for private use only. Not intended to be sold or served commercially.

Remember the song, "Here's to good friends, tonight is kind of special"

This weekend's guests at Creekside B&B came all the way from Tampa Bay, Florida for their first visit to the Central Coast. Randy and Cathryn are very wine savvy folks who made the most of their trip exploring all the favorites - great wineries, Hearst Castle,the elephant seal rookery and San Luis Obispo. Few visitors have done the research these two had to ensure a well planned trip.

Joining them for the weekend were old friends of Randy's, Ann and Dean. They live in L.A. but have mid-western roots from Minnesota, Iowa and even have a cabin at Gull Lake. Taking advantage of the beautiful weather, we all sat around the fire pit by the barn for wine tasting and got better acquainted. I probably sound like a broken record, but this is the best part of owning a B&B. We cross paths with the most interesting people who have great stories, interesting jobs and a common love of discovering new wines.

Of course, we also had terrific wine tasting guests. A group of wine lovers who have all worked together over the years found us on the internet and arranged a private tasting. Thankfully, they loved the wines, joined the wine club and promised to return soon. Weekends are our busiest times but we have had a few groups throughout the week. Today a fun foursome came celebrating a "big" birthday. Joni, Sharon, Charlene and Susy have been friends since they were 13. Suffice to say it has been awhile since they were teenagers but how wonderful to have friendships that are measured in decades. It's equally wonderful just getting the chance to make new friends and I look forward to the next time we can share a glass of wine together.

A ZINfully Wonderful Weekend

Dave and I hosted Per Cazo Cellars' first Zin Fest weekend. Mother Nature could not have provide a more perfect weekend. Sunny blue skies, balmy breezes and comfortable temperatures set the stage as we readied the pool deck for wine tasting. We really didn't know what to expect. Based on our experience at last October's Harvest Fest wine weekend, we anticipated being fairly busy. We enlisted the help of dear friends Cel and Vivian, had Jamie on hand tidying up once the B&B guests left for their adventures and we were prepared for whoever would wander down the driveway.

We didn't have the crowds we presumed but the folks who did visit were absolutely wonderful. It was a real mix of young and old, locals and visitors from other locals but unanimously, they loved the wine and they loved the Zin Balls. Audrilee, a Creekside Wine Club member, shared her recipe for a meatball in a spicy,wine sauce with me. Since I had several requests for the recipe, I thought I would share it as well.

1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 onion, chopped
8 cloves fresh garlic
1 jalapeno pepper (I used 1/3 bag frozen peppers and chopped them in a mini-processor)
1 bell pepper
1 cup catsup
1 cup cider vinegar
1 cup barbeque sauce (I used my favorite, Sweet Baby Ray)
pinch of cumin
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 cup Per Cazo Cellars' ZinG wine
2 lbs. frozen meatballs (or your own if you prefer)

In a large sauce pan, sauté onion, garlic and peppers in olive oil until soft. Add remaining ingredients, except meatballs and simmer for about an hour stirring occasionally. Can be made in advance up to 3 days.

Place frozen meatballs in a large deep baking dish, cover with sauce and bake at 350 degrees for at least 30 minutes. (This too can be made in advance)

I reheated them in a crock pot where they stayed at a safe temperature for hours.

We also served polenta crostini that were simple polenta rounds, grilled and half were topped with carmelized onions and a small dollop of Cambrozola cheese and the other half with red pepper/artichoke tapenade. The other favorite were the walnut halves topped with goat cheese and a sliver of spiced dried mangos. Those paired with the white Tres Blanc especially well.

Next Wine Fest is over the weekend of May 21. Not sure what the menu will be but please mark your calendars now and plan to stop by. We promise a great time!

"To grin like a Cheshire Cat" Moon

The night sky featured a magnificent sliver of moon perfectly positioned like a wily smile. Having just seen Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland, I could not help compare it to the grin of the Cheshire Cat. This made me gaze up to the heavens in awe as the stars displayed their own glory. Beholding the nightly celestial display is one of my favorite things about living in Paso Robles.

It's been a very busy week and I love it when moments like this cause me to stop in my tracks and give thanks that I am lucky enough to live here. I was in L.A. with my daughter Kelley as she interviewed for a position as a NBC Page. We had a quick two day adventure then she reluctantly returned to college for the final stretch of Senior year and I rushed back to Paso to begin preparations for this weekend's Zin Fest.

Zin Fest is one of three big wine weekends held in the area. We are expecting a busy wine tasting weekend and are expanding the food pairings to include Zin balls, meatballs with a great wine sauce, polenta crostini with carmelized onions, walnuts with goat cheese and spiced mango along with a great assortment of cheese. If you are in the area, please stop by. We anticipate great weather and will be set up around the pool.

The Creekside B&B guests are all arriving on Friday. I already met the Creekside Room guests who are bringing their dog and the upstairs guests sound delightful. We will try to make it a memorable experience for all. I always insist they take some time for stargazing!