Monday, October 06, 2008

A Most Excellent Field Trip

A wee bit of time ago GB threw a surprise 50th birthday bash for me, and a bunch of my dearest friends gave me a gift certificate to The Silo. Yesterday, just a few days years later, I cashed in that gift certificate in grand style! Of course, not wanting to go alone, Mental P., jules and Miss P. went with me.
 (MPM & Miss P having a grand old time.)
What a time we had! We took part in an artisanal cheese and wine paring course. Must admit, the cheese part was a stretch for me, aka, Velveeta Girl. (I know my mother cannot believe she could possibly birth a child that thinks the cheese world begins and ends with Velveeta! She will be proud to know that yesterday her Velveeta Girl's cheese palate was immensely broadened!) Five cheeses paired with five wines. All were excellent, even though all the cheeses were smelly. (That's usually Velveeta Girl's cue to leave the room.) And Velveeta Girl loved all of them! WOW! That's a first! It was truly amazing to learn that certain cheeses pair well with certain wines. It really does make taste sense! Whoda thunk?

We were also treated to other wonderful bites of goodness. 
We watched as fresh ricotta was made (I'll never buy ricotta again - so easy to make and so delicious!). It was mixed with fresh herbs and served on endive. 

The grounds of this wonderful place were magnificent
(wish the gas pump had shown what the price was back then).  


Skitch and Ruth Henderson bought this place in the '70's and over the years have made it into a living museum. There's the culinary school, Skitch's museum, and an artist's program among other things - and all of this is in the middle of a land trust they've created...such a wonderful place to visit!

Of course, Mental P has written about this, beaten me to the punch, darn her! She even posted a photo of my mushrooms! Can you stand it?? And the pictures she's posted? Please do ignore them. Well, at least the ones of me - jules is kinda cute. That Mental! Always stealing my thunder!  Hmph!  

~~~
xoabb
expect anything!


18 comments:

  1. Those autumn leaves in your third photo are gorgeous.
    Don't you just love this time of the year?

    Bear((( )))

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  2. I'm so glad you all got a chance to do this, it sounds so great!

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  3. sounds like a wonderful time was had by all!
    Thank you for sharing it with those of us who wish we could be there in person! :)

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  4. Annie, thanks for letting us tag along. It really was a wonderful day!

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  5. Looks like you had a great time and it certainly looks like an interesting place. Happy belated birthday!

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  6. I think I have found a trip for Nurse N and I.

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  7. Ricotta mixed with fresh herbs and served on endive? Mmmm. Velveeta is good, but that sounds even better :). What a fun thing to do, and in such a gorgeous setting! I loved all of the pix, yours and Mental's...BWAHAHA!

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  8. the cheese and wine sound lovely. :)

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  9. Did you wander out to the big barn and see any of the 'rescued' barn cats they care for? I love that place when I visit my friends who have the house in Warren we go to The Silo to shop for gifts ... and into New Milford to shop .. and New Preston to shop .. and Litchfield to shop.. notice the pattern?

    :-Daryl

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  10. Happy belated 50th birthday. What a great present.

    Me? I'm a Cheez Whiz girl myself. Could suck it right out the can. Actually I've never met a cheese I didn't like. Same for wine.

    I told MPM to bring the new knowledge on the road and share the wealth. I'd love to know how to make homemade ricotta cheese as long as it doesn't involve cooking, measuring, attention to detail or cooking. On second thought, maybe I'll stick to watching someone else make it.

    What a great way to celebrate. Sounds like a wonderful time.

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  11. Thank you for visiting my blog. I didn't realize you were the Annie that Mental P is talking about. I actually have been by here before. It looks like you all had a very fun time. You should put up a blog about making ricotta. I would love to know how it is done.
    Happy late birthday.....50's are the best.

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  12. I am just in shock that my Tombstone Annie is really the Velveeta Girl in disguise!!

    Really, so glad you had such a great time. Looks like something I would LOVE to do!!!

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  13. Ha! It took me years to enjoy stinky cheese! Looks like a fabulous outing!!

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  14. Looks like a wonderful place to eat, and with wonderful friends. what more could a girl want. even if your thunder was stollen..lol
    You asked about the deer shedding its antlers, yes they shed, as do elk, white tail and moose, anything with antlers... catch you later

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  15. Well, happy birthday late! It looks like you had a wonderful time.

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  16. That looks like so much fun! But Velveeta? Really? Now I'll have to go out and get some. Slice myself a little and have it with a glass of merlot ... wait, does it go better with a chardonnay?

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  17. I'm loving Mental P's pictures, and this looks like a fabulous day. And I'm so proud you've found cheese besides Velvetta you liked! MY mother would wonder how she could have birthed anyone who DIDN'T like Velveeta!

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  18. http://hookedonwax.com/forum/topic.php?id=46103 http://www.muetter-empfehlen.de/bbpress/topic.php?id=13600 http://dudewheresmybash.com/forums/topic.php?id=62668

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Thank you for taking the time to leave a thought. It's appreciated! xoabb