WSJ Wine Club Review

Earlier this year I bought a present from Barnes & Nobles online, and had it shipped to my house. When it arrived, it came with coupons, including one for the WSJ Wine Club. The intro offer available online is $69.99 + $19.99 shipping for the intro 12 bottle case, plus a bottle opening kit. The intro offer I got through B&N was $69.99 + $19.99 shipping for the intro 12 bottle case, plus 3 bottles of Chianti.

I figured that even if I didn't love the wine, that averaged out to less than $6/bottle, so why not try? We're not wine snobs, although we do have opinions, and our normal wine is somewhere in the $6-10 range. By joining the club you're signed up for future cases at about 40% more cost than the intro ($149.99, plus shipping), but we figure that we can always cancel. Plus, our wine rack was running low, and it meant we wouldn't have to go to the liquor store.

What did we think?

Packaging & Shipping: The wine came earlier than the quoted time frame, and was very well packed. No bottles broke, and there was plenty of information about the program and each of the wines in the box.

Variety: We opted for the mixed starter case, which had a nice split of red & white, and a decent spread of locations around the world.

2 bottles Collexione di Paolo Chianti 2013, 1 bottle Stonewall Sauvignon Blanc 2013, 2 bottles J Opi Malbec 2013, 1 bottle J-P Moueix Bordeaux 2010, 2 bottles Sonoma Vineyards Chardonnay 2012, 1 bottle the Inaugural R Collection by Raymond Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon 2013, 2 bottles Las Barracas Gran Riserva Tempranillo Cabernet Sauvignon 2006, 1 bottle Principe Strozzi Vernaccia di San Gimignano 2012, 2 bottles Ca Vescovo Pinto Grigio 2013, 1 bottle Morin Pere et Fils Chardonnay 2012

I was a little disappointed to get 3 bottles of Chardonnay, as it's not generally my thing, but that's not a dealbreaker for me.

Quality: So far we've tried 4 bottles, and had somewhat split opinions.

Sonoma Vineyards Chardonnay 2012: I did not expect to like this wine. I generally don't like Chardonnays (too oaky) or Californian wines (too minerally). I thought that this one was surprisingly mild and unobjectionable. It did not seem to be oaked, and did not have a strong mineral flavor. In terms of a basic white wine to eat with fish, I'd drink it without objection. My husband, on the other hand, called it "repulsive" but finished his glass. Not quite sure how to interpret that.

Stonewall Sauvignon Blanc 2013: I usually like sauvignon blanc- it's light, refreshing, and citrusy. This bottle was no exception. It was easy to drink and got good reviews from everyone who tried it.

Las Barracas Gran Riserva Tempranillo Cabernet Sauvignon 2006: I usually love Tempranillo- they're spicy, dry, and have a fair bit of depth for a (generally) cheaper red option. This one fell flat. It was spicy and dry, but lacked character. I wouldn't turn down a glass, but I don't think I'd buy it again. Everyone who tried it agreed- not bad, but not repeatable.

Collexione di Paolo Chianti 2013: I generally like Chianti- it's usually a safe bet when looking for something spicy, bold, and somewhat dry. Again, this one fell flat. It was actually less notable than the Tempranillo. It wasn't actually bad, but I wouldn't buy it again.

Verdict: We will be cancelling our order. It might be worth doing if you stick to the whites- of what we've tried so far, those are the better ones. But for less than the discounted $6 price, I could get a bottle of LaGranja tempranilo/garnacha blend from Trader Joes, and know that I'm getting a tasty red.

Cooking Challenge: Week 2 Review & Week 3 Recipes

As a reminder, I look at a couple of factors when deterimining whether or not to keep a recipe:
* is it really good? (ok doesn't make the cut)
* was it worth the time and effort of cooking it?
* is it healthy enough that I can serve it without feeling like I need to warn people about an imminent heart attack?
* were any of the ingredients cost prohibitive?
You may have noticed that most of the recipes I've stockpiled over the years are from Cooking Light- I find that they generally do a good job of balancing these concerns and producing tasty meals.

Recipe 1: Szechuan Pork, from Cooking Light June 2008
This was tasty, and filling. It was a little finicky with cooking the pasta separately, but not horribly so. I would definitely recommend cutting the pork thinly if you do this- I ended up having to cooking things quite a bit longer than it called for, although it was still ready in less than an hour (including prep time).

Recipe 2: Grilled Zucchini with Sea Salt, from Cooking Light September 2011
This was a very simple, very tasty recipe. Honestly, you don't really need a recipe for this- slice your zucchini, cook it in a hot pan with some oil, and put salt & pepper on. I will absolutely be making this again, but I doubt I'll refer to the recipe to do it.

Recipe 3: Cheesy Meatloaf Minis, from Cooking Light November 2012
This was my first foray into meatloaf, and I was pretty impressed. It did involve pre-cooking some onion and garlic, and there were a decent number of mix-ins, but nothing too unusual (we had everything except the cheese and ground beef in our cupboards already). I would recommend using a milder cheddar- we used a sharp one and it got a little strong in the bites with cheese. But this is absolutely a keeper.

Week 3 Recipes:

Recipe 1: Simple Clam Chowder, from Cooking Light January 2008
Recipe 2: Chicken Cacciatore, from Cooking Light October 2009
Recipe 3: Roasted Butternut Squash and Shallot Soup, from Cooking Light November 2008

Winter Workouts

I've really enjoyed running this year, but am having a harder time getting outside now that it's getting cold and dark by the time I get home. I switched to biking for the past few weeks, but anything below 40 degrees and I can't handle the wind.

This has all gotten me thinking about what I'm going to do to stay in shape over the winter. I've tried just going to the gym, but I get bored without something to distract me (tv and reading materials aren't enough). I also work harder if I have an instructor to push me on what to do next (I'm very good at sitting out the hard part of exercise DVDs).

In the past, I've gone rollerblading at an indoor rink, which was fantastic exercise and a lot of fun when they played good music. Unfortunately, it depends on finding a good spot, and our local stadium where it happens was torn down to build a new one. BUT, as of today, the new stadium should be open for skating in 725 days!

image from Star Tribune

Last winter I took barre classes, which were also great exercise, but more expensive. It's a workout based on ballet classes, but with more focus on the exercise aspect than the dance one. I really liked these for toning, but didn't feel like I got as much of a cardio workout as I'd like, and I'd rather integrate both into one bout of exercise. I'd love to find a studio that offers them in combination with other classes, but haven't seen one in my area.

image from Bloomberg News

 

I haven't been to spinning class since college, but am considering signing up for a gym membership where they offer some. Back in college I loved what a great cardio workout it was, and how the instructors targeted all sorts of muscles while keeping it fun with up-tempo music.

image from Visit Cook County

My husband and I have also talked about trying cross-country skiing, but I'm not sure I'm willing to commit to the cost of supplies and time outside. Same goes for ice skating- it's a fun way to get outside, but I dislike cold enough that it's not ideal for a regular activity.

What do you do to stay fit during the winter?

Book Review: The Terrible And Wonderful Reasons Why I Run Long Distances

 

Title: The Terrible And Wonderful Reasons Why I Run Long Distances (links to order here, or through your local bookseller or library)
Author: Matthew Inman

Short Review: Spot on and funny.

Long(er) Review: I've read The Oatmeal on and off for a while now- two summers ago I found the incredibly funny comic the terrible and wonderful reasons why I run long distances. At the time, my husband was training for to run his first marathon, and I had just gotten into running more than 3 miles at a time. We both thought the comic was hilarious and very apt. After my husband ran the Twin Cities Marathon, we thought it even more so, from the descriptions of runners on the course to the mental gymnastics people go through while running.

We were both pretty excited when this book came out- I bought a copy of it as a surprise, and it went over really well. Some of the content is repeated from the website, but there are additional parts sprinkled in throughout, and the overall book is really nicely put together. Jokes from this book have worked their way into our daily conversation, and I'm still trying to decide where to use the stickers. Maybe on a jersey to run in a Beat the Blerch event?

If you know anyone who runs, or who lives with someone who runs, this would make a fantastic holiday present (and if you're wondering how I reconcile this with my desire not to give clutter, this is your warning that while I clean my bookshelves regularly, I don't consider books clutter at all).

*All opinions in this review are my own. I was not compensated for providing my opinions or provided with this book to review. *

Wednesday Favorites: Jewelry & Accessories

I'm on a jewelry and accessories (especially scarves) kick, and thought I'd share some of my recent favorites with you in case you are on the lookout. I am certainly not in need of more jewelry or scarves, but I tend to feel like variety here helps me keep a simpler wardrobe, so I indulge myself and browse somewhat regularly.

I love the whimsy that comes from my elephant ring. I think the same could be said about this fox ring.

Or this snake ring. I love the idea of another whimsical ring to wear with gold-tone jewelry.

I love a nice delicate earring, and always gravitate toward simple flower designs.

I also love the details in these gold-tone earrings, but would probably leave the fragrance part out- it's just not my thing.



I've really enjoyed my infinity scarves, and still really like this one that I found on Etsy. I'm a huge sucker for navy right now though, so it's not surprising.

Realistically, I wear so much navy that a navy scarf wouldn't provide much contrast. I also really like this BeckSöndergaard scarf from Fab. I just bought two scarves from our local art museum by this company and they're beautiful, really soft, and have a nice amount of volume.

Any any of you in the market for new accessories? What are you gravitating toward lately?

Decluttering: Holiday Shopping

With Halloween behind us, it's time to start thinking about the holidays (especially for families that exchange gifts with extended groups over Thanksgiving). I don't know about you, but once I started to work toward a more minimal lifestyle, I realized that I didn't want to contribute to clutter for anyone else. And as a person who LOVES to give presents, that's been a challenge for me. Here are a couple of strategies I've found to reduce the likelihood of giving someone something that will just end up taking up space:

Time: Give yourself time to plan what each person gets so that it can be really tailored to their interests. I like to make a list of everyone we're giving gifts to, and put my ideas down next to them to make sure I've thought it all through. If they're young, ask a parent what they'd really love (or what the parent would love them to get). If they're middle-aged or older, consider offering to give them actual time to help with whatever project they want around the house. We've given gardening help and painting help, and both have been very well recieved.

Be strategic with presents: Give the gift of experiences or consumables! Neither will end up as clutter, and studies show that people get more joy out of experiences than they do out of things. Feel like it's less exciting without a "thing" to unwrap? Package the tickets with a small, consumable article that references the gift (chocolate is always a good bet). Need ideas? All of the following take up minimal physical space but can be fantastic gifts:

    Classes. Music, cooking, dance, art. Check out your local cooking stores or community education postings for creative ideas.
    Memberships. Zoo, science museum, art museum, history museum, children’s museum, etc.
    Subscriptions. It's fun to get things in the mail- just make sure it's something they're interested in, so that you're not creating more clutter.
    Events. Tickets to a movie, art exhibit, play, concert or sports event.
    Activities. Mini golf, apple picking, bowling, wine tasting, skating rink, etc.
    Gift Cards. The ultimate in consumable, choose a store that they love and can access easily (or has a strong web-presence).
    E-reader. Are they a voracious reader? Get them the e-reader they've been requesting and help them set up an account with their local library.
    Snacks or Food. Something special that they wouldn't buy for themselves. We've done specialty cheeses, fancy spice sets (Penzey's spice sets are fantastic) and lots of interesting chocolates.

Wrapping Supplies: Most of us have a stockpile of lightly used gift bags. Put them to use! Don't worry about running out, or if the bag is pretty enough. If it's not good enough to use now, it should get tossed.

If you've managed to sort your way through the assortment, buy neutral colored wrapping paper or bags, and colorful ribbon. You can use the same white, silver or kraft colored paper or bags for weddings, baby showers, birthdays and holidays- just change out your accent ribbon and they're appropriate. No need to keep an assortment of papers and bags around- a box of ribbons will take up much less space!

Cooking Challenge: Week 1 Review & Week 2 Recipes

I try not to keep all of the recipes I've tried- there are so many recipes to try that I figure it's really only worth keeping very good recipes. When I'm determining if a recipe is worth keeping, I look at a couple of factors:
     * is it really good? (ok doesn't make the cut)
     * was it worth the time and effort of cooking it?
     * is it healthy enough that I can serve it without feeling like I need to warn people about an imminent heart attack?
     * were any of the ingredients cost prohibitive?

Recipe 1: Chicken Larb, from Cooking Light January 2011
This was a very easy recipe, with dinner on the table in less than half an hour. We substituted lettuce leaves for cabbage, because the cabbages at the store were bigger than we'd use up, and used pre-ground chicken (because we don't have a food processor), but otherwise followed the recipe. I though it was tasty, but compared to Thai food from a restaurant I felt like it was missing a strong savory flavor. I'd cook this again, but probably would add some fish sauce or more salt to the chicken, to see if I could up the flavor.

Recipe 2: Southwest Shrimp & Corn Chowder, from Cooking Light April 2009
We couldn't find canned corn that had peppers in it, so we used plain canned corn. I also substituted fresh red potatoes for the hash brown ones because I didn't think we'd use the rest of the bag. The change made this take a little longer to cook, but it was still fairly easy and tasty. It definitely has a southwest flavor to it, which was a nice way to update chowder. I would cook this again, but would do it on a day when I have a bit more time to spend in the kitchen- it took about an hour with the additional chopping a cooking time for the potatoes.

Recipe 3: Mediterranean-Style Poached Eggs, from Cooking Light April 2004
This is a version of shakshuka, which is an easy dish where eggs are poached in a tomato sauce mixture. I generally like it, but I wasn't impressed with this one- it just felt like there were too many different things going on (artichokes! cumin! olives!). I don't think I'd make this version again- I'll stick with my favorite version.

Bonus Recipes:

Thai Curried Butternut Squash Soup:
This was probably my favorite recipe of the week- it's delicious and super easy (other than cutting up the butternut squash). Rather than wait 4 hours for the crockpot, we cooked this on the stove. Absolutely going to make this again, and I expect the portions in our freezer to disappear pretty quickly.

Pumpkin bread recipe from the Kathleen's Bake Shop Cookbook:
Delicious and gingerbread-y. Exactly what you'd expect from a pumpkin bread. This continues the string of fantastic recipes from this cookbook. Definitely not a health food though, so bake it for a crowd or you'll eat too much!

Chili (adapted from Cooking Light's Three-Bean Vegetarian Chili)
2 lbs ground beef
2 red bell peppers 
1 chopped onion 
4 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons crushed red pepper

2 teaspoons paprika

1/2 teaspoon salt

8  garlic cloves, thinly sliced 

2 cups organic vegetable broth (decrease this amount if you like a thicker chili) 

1 1/2 cups (1/2-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash 

1 (28-ounce) can no-salt-added tomatoes, undrained and chopped 

1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained

1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

1 (15-ounce) can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained  

1. Preheat broiler.

2. Cut bell peppers in half lengthwise. Remove and discard seeds and membranes. Place pepper halves, skin sides up, on a foil-lined baking sheet. Broil 15 minutes or until blackened. Place pepper halves in a paper bag; seal. Let stand 15 minutes. Peel and chop peppers.
3. Heat a Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add beef to pan, cook until brown. Transfer to crock pot, leaving residual juice and fat in dutch oven. Add onion to pan; cook 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in cumin and next 4 ingredients (through garlic); cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add bell peppers, broth, squash, and tomatoes; bring to a simmer. Transfer to crock pot.
4. Add beans to crock pot; cook on low for 8 hours.
5. Sprinkle with green onions or cheese, serve.

Verdict: This chili was a little labor intensive, but was very tasty and is full of healthy veggies and protein. It's probably not the platonic ideal of chili, but it's the best I've found so far for the amount of work and calories involved.

Week 2 Recipes:

Recipe 1: Szechuan Pork, from Cooking Light June 2008
Recipe 2: Grilled Zucchini with Sea Salt, from Cooking Light September 2011
Recipe 3: Cheesy Meatloaf Minis, from Cooking Light November 2012