Mark and Melissa invited us over for a casual dinner.
Nothing fancy. Not a wine tasting competition. I was skeptical about this. I
know this group . . . We brought a bottle of wine I thought would pair with
Chili and Cornbread. Dan and Denise brought a wine from Mexico. Of course Mark
and Melissa already had a bottle open.
The theme was to be “Pumpkin Carving”. Each of us brought a
pumpkin, except Dan and Denise shared one. The table was waiting for us with a
big bowl for carving and scooping tools, and one for pumpkin guts. Melissa had
a stack of templates to choose from.
It was so nice to sit together chatting, carving, and
sipping. We truly enjoy each other’s company, and that doesn’t mean
conversation is always light. At times, like recently, we have some pretty
heavy stuff on our minds, but it is still so good. I highly recommend having a
group of “Through-thick-and thin” friends. Its old fashioned, but it shouldn’t
be.
So Joe picked a traditional pumpkin design. I did the cat
face. Dan surprised me by taking on the task of carving, he chose a bat. Mark
did a strange looking face. It sorta looked like a happy Frankenstein.
Melissa
chose an amazingly intricate design of a tree with Happy Thanksgiving written above it. I couldn’t believe how fast
she did it. She must have been in training. Denise coached us all and kept us
entertained through the whole thing.
Finally we turned our attention to the homemade chili and
the best cornbread I’ve ever had in my whole life. I took a picture of the
tattered, stained recipe for you. He said he doubles the glaze. It was
delicious.
I brought an old stand-by, Apothic Red. It’s an inexpensive
blend and packed with flavor. I thought it would pair with the flavors of
chili. Mark and Mel had a couple of bottles open, CG Di Arie Proprietor’s Blend
and Berghold Syrah Voignier, so we got to sip at a variety. Dan and Denise had
been in Mexico recently in the wine country. A region of boutique wineries has flourished
near Rosarito Beach. This one tasted like a dessert wine, it had such a strong blackberry/current flavor.
Even when they try to be casual it turns out wonderful!
