It's a mile between Lexington and Dale (the heart of the strip), and we parked at one end by Northern Brewer (winemaking supplies), walked to Penzey's Spices and back, stopping for lunch at Cafe' Latte, an upscale but funky gourmet cateferia.
A salad sampler plate with Wheatberry Broccoli, Apricot Chicken, Japanese Crab. Yum. An orange/date dinner roll & lemon tart for dessert. Ah...
Then on to Penzey's. We'd been talking all summer about getting down there to see it, ever since B (of D&B, our old pastor & wife friends) suggested that a fledgling cook like me might find it an inspiring field trip. She was right!
I could have spent a lot more time there, just sniffing. :) As it was, I went home with some Turkish oregano, Greek mix, Ceylon ground cinnamon, and a 4-bottle herb box (Bavarian, Parisian, Pasta and all-purpose blends.) Now I have an excuse to get back into the kitchen! Like you really have to twist my arm...
On the way back, a stop at the winemaking supply house produced a pleasant discovery: they rent crushers, destemmers, presses. So I can handle a small harvest a few years from now without a huge investment in equipment. :) I'd love to keep my cost of homegrown wine at my usual approximate $3/bottle that it takes to make wine from purchased juice.
So, we had a leisurely 2 mile walk, a nice lunch and male-focused shopping (with, yes, a garden shop mixed in for fairness.) Lovely day. Now it can rain.
No comments:
Post a Comment