Je T'aime Paris

           Paris is on my mind. Paris is in my heart.

Not everyone knows this, and some are tired of hearing about it, but a long, long time ago in a land far, far away: I lived in France... just outside of Paris. I moved there in August of 2001... not even a full month before the attacks on 9/11. That day I was riding the bus home with the youngest boy I was taking care of, and a mother from his school started desperately trying to communicate to me what had happened (knowing that I was American). I hadn't started French classes yet and she didn't speak English (or Spanish~~the only foreign language I DID know at the time), so I got off the bus thinking her son had flown to New York on a big plane to see the Twin Towers. How wrong I was....

I arrived home to chaos in my 1/2 French, 1/2 American host household.... I learned the truth, and tried to comprehend the devastation. I tell you this because the following day held a moment of such complete and overwhelming solidarity, that I was brought to my knees:

An exact 24 hours after the towers fell, ALL of Paris stopped, and every church bell chimed. EVERY. SINGLE. ONE. All for us. We may believe that the French unequivocally can't stand us, but I tell you it's a facade. (Most of the time ;) ). 






It was beautiful... It was humbling.




And now I ask that we all take a moment of our time to show the same respect. I can't ask that we all stop together, but I can ask that you stop now. Stop to hope or pray. Or not pray. Or wish, or blow a dandelion, or whatever you do when you want to send your love. Send your love to Paris, and wish for a swift and strong recovery.


            Hope for peace for families of loved ones lost.
                   How about just hope for peace.  

Take a moment to stop and think about 
your loved ones. Call them maybe? Hug them if they are near. Know that life is precious, it is fleeting, and it is a gift.

               I am Love *Toni

I can doooooo it!!

I sit here and contemplate why we all doubt ourselves. Haven't we all proven time and again that we are strong? That although the world and its participants may try to keep us from living up to our full potential, we have continued to thrive... to stand tall... to persevere? Then why the self-doubt before a big leap? Humility will only get us so far. Confidence is key. Where to find it though....

I was unsuccessful at pulling the sword of course, but the picture was worth it ;)

So where DO I begin to find this elusive concept we call confidence? If you know me, it would appear that I oooooooze it, but that's FAKE people ;) (I belong in Hollywood) ~~ I'm talking about the real deal...the solid to the core, nothing can shake me, unstoppable force that is 

SELF-CONFIDENCE.

I *think* it starts from having faith that the compliments people pay you aren't just lip service. That you have surrounded yourself by people that genuinely care about you and your mental well-being. That your day to day affairs aren't in vain ~~~ you're fulfilling your warm-fuzzy side of life and keeping the happy/healthy heart meter good and full.... Then you take a peek inside. That's where the real work starts.

I know from personal experience that having done the aforementioned surrounding yourself with caring people is hard enough, but now it's time to care about ourselves..... to not ACTUALLY worry about what those lovies are thinking...  It matters what YOU (*me as I talk to myself) think about your decisions. Right? No matter how many people tell us that something is a good idea, it isn't until we BELIEVE those words that we take action.

Give this a listen...

Why all the waxing philosophic? Because I'm trying to take that leap of faith. I have been floating around in the real world, waiting tables for 17 years (soon to be 18--siiiigh), and have finally decided to take care of MY dreams. I moved to Oregon for a number of reasons, but the razon numero uno was that I was UNHAPPY.....And I knew that somehow wine would make it all better ;) (that seems like a DUH statement in itself, but it wasn't just the drinking it). It was LEARNING about it, TRYING new varietals, TALKING with like-minded people ABOUT this love that was going to make me happy. And it's finally time I stop chasing the dream and start making it a reality. 

But how do I know that I'm not just full of myself? How do I gain that tiny extra bump of self-belief to do more than hang my toes off the edge???

I read a book (fantastic read BTW: $100 Startup)...I asked family...  I asked my friends... I asked acquaintances... I asked my dog... They all said I'd be crazy not to pursue this avenue. *My dog figures anything that gets her more time with me must be a great idea*

.....so why is it still so hard? In a time and society where most kids are so full of themselves they don't bother with common courtesies, how is it that I (who have been a generous and contributing member of society for longer than they've been ALIVE) want to tiptoe around asking people to pay for my expertise. 


THERE it is. Money is stressful for most of us. Money is not easily won.... most of you reading this don't look forward to your next shift at work, or couldn't wait to retire. And here I come wanting you to give me some of that hard-earned money for me to have FUN. (?!?) This isn't just your average direct-sales company with a sure-thing product if you find the right audience. This is ME asking YOU to give me money because I think I know more about something than you do and I want to prove (to whom, I don't know) that I can teach you about it in a way that is fun for ALL of us. Weeeeeiiiiiiird. 

          But it sounds like a great idea for ME doesn't it?



I don't even think I've answered my initial question(s)..... where do we get this confidence, how do we use it, how do we KEEP it? But maybe I'll get a few more comments or shares (**bumps in confidence**) and that in itself will get me that much closer to my dream. So how about it people? How about we be kind to one another; help a friend find their passion; stop questioning our own passions, and make this world a better more fulfilling place to be a part of? 

I'm still in the baby stages here, but I promise to keep you all updated. Until then....

I am love. *Toni

Feast

Have you ever wanted to spend a gorgeous summer day eating perfectly paired food and sipping perfectly poured wine, all while getting to make new like-minded friends!? Duuuuuuhh!

Not only did I get to do all of those wonderful things, I got to educate people in the slightest of ways that will change the way they look at, smell, taste....EXPERIENCE wine. Thank you FEAST Portland and Dobbes Family Estate Winery for the possibility! 

(This is Paxton --- friend, co-worker, all around cool dude-man)

We've all seen the guy swirling the wine around ostentatiously then sticking his face FULL-ON into the glass, and thought: "OK buddy, we get it, you know wine, you smell fancy things and make greeeaaaat slurping noises before you (sometimes) swallow it..."

But guess what? If you like wine, you should be doing what he's doing..... You don't have to follow up with gargling and swishing and spitting and such, but a few healthy sniffs can change your entire perspective, and can enhance the flavor more than you'd ever imagined. Here's why:

When you swirl the wine around (with great fervor of course ;)), you're allowing oxygen to get into the wine....it likes to swim around in the glass and break the alcohol smells and tastes away from the flavor profile smells and tastes.

 So now that the oxygen has done its thing....the first time you smell the wine should help clear out the alcohol smell on your newly "decanted" wine.

The second time ---when 'that guy' starts to look pretentious...(we all SAW you smell it already dude)---is when you can really start to smell the fruits and juiciness---the true "nose" of the wine is coming out to play.

Number the third--where all the newcomers really start to feel silly because aren't you supposed to TASTE the wine eventually?!--- This time, give it a second, really clear your nasal palate, and SMELL the wine...now you are smelling the flavors you will taste :) ! 

(What a pleasure to work next to so many fantastic wineries--this was only the teensiest tiniest little bit of us out that day)

There is nothing sadder than a wine with a beautiful bouquet (the fancy word for the smell of a wine---I got tired of saying smell :) ) that is followed by a flat, characterless flavor. The reason all of us wine snobs swirl and sniff and swish (to get MORE oxygen into the wine) is to coax out the myriad different fruits and spices that the humble grape can "become". So let your nose prepare you for the fun flavors your mouth is about to partake in ~~ internal dialogues be damned!!

If you wanna hear more, come see me out at Dobbes on Saturdays-- about an hour from Portland, in Dundee, OR! Until next time, eat deliciously, drink opulently (though safely), and send me pictures of both!
I am Love *Toni

Broke and hungry--just needs bacon

So we just got back from vacation and have about $0.12 to our name ;) That meant lunch was feeling pretty grim for a food-fanatic. Then I remembered that the reason I started this thing you're reading was to try new  things/"dishes" (not the "washing them" kind though....HATE that ;) ). 

So I started taking a look at what I DO have in the kitchen (and apparently it's really good taste in pantry staples!)...and came up with a bomb-ass lunch for the ages (or at least for the week)-- on the CHEAP!

Try the pantry game next time you're feeling the hanger-pains (no, not hunger pangs for all of you grammar police), and who knows where your mouth will take you!!

Here goes:

Not pictured: Sundried tomatoes, dried and julienned (one of my salad staples)

Pictured: An INCREDIBLE boucheron from Cheese Bar here in Portland -- crumbly, creamy, tangy, nutty, INCOMPRABLE

Fresh basil pesto--little garlicky, little nutty, lot delicious

Eggs and milk (for the visually impaired ;) )

Little oil in the pan til it glistens, then tossed it all in together and let it set until it was almost an omlette--- I bet you can't wait for the cheese to melt!!! (It was worth the wait)

*working on the lighting situation in the kitchen...not always friendly to picturing scrambled eggs** ...mixed with pesto... ha! green eggs, no ham (or bacon as I prefer)! In case you couldn't tell from the headline, I really wished I'd had bacon to seal the deal. Next time I suppose!

Meanwhile I toasted my marbled rye (luckily I remembered to put it in the fridge before we left for vacation!), and buttered 'em up!

See how they scrambled...so fluffy, so delicious... **still slightly green ;) **

Woo hoooooo! Final product! Eat your hearts out dudes, this guy was fantastic! **And check out our supervintage supercool German plateware! Straight from Munich-- and a storage unit....

You know I had to have dessert too! I had a cinnamon/sugar mixture, and come on, you saw how little milk was left in that carton....everyone knows you just use that up or chug it!!

I went with fresh strawberries and using it up :)

Have a fantastic next meal everyone, your mouth will thank you!

I am love *Toni

It Begins

Here I am folks! Making my internet debut, and taking the culinary and wine worlds by storm! Trying to take the WORLD world by storm as well, but that's a little more expensive ;) I'm here to talk about food techniques that I know nothing about, make meals I've never attempted before, and find new flavor profiles in each vintage of Chateauneuf du Pape (hahaha!!---if you're not laughing at that part, you will after I tell you why it's funny!)---make sense yet? 

Each week I hope to try a new food, taste a new wine, master a new culinary technique, or just wax nostalgic on the worldwide culinary adventures I wish I was on. I can't promise you'll walk away from the computer knowing how to de-bone a fish or make the perfect souffle, but I can assure you it'll be a hoot while you're playing (following) along! I want to hear what you want to see....did you see a cooking show and wished you could make what was onscreen? I bet you I wished that same thing, so let me know, and I'll let you live vicariously through my learning process--- it's a win/win!

Share this with your friends, and message me your thoughts! **unless they're rude, then you can keep them to yourself ;) **

Let's get cooking! (And drinking, and travelling, and playing, and.....)

Crab suckin'!

Cuban feast in Miami-- Palacio de Jugos (if you don't speak Spanish, it might be hard, but it's WORTH IT)

Disney Margaritas! (I think they tasted better just cause we were at Disney...)

Me (rocking the CLASSIEST Minnie ears EVER), and the hubs at Magic Kingdom Disney World

Just a taste of some of Oregon's finest....I work in the tasting room at Dobbes Family Estate....if you're in the Pacific NW, come see me!!

Family beach day!!

Ummmm, did anyone say yummy fruit parfait?!

Fried lobster skewers, fresh oysters on the half shell, a no-filler crab cake and an incredible Nebiolo to wash it all down!

I did that! Seared steak, heirloom tomato sandwich with a quick-pickled cucumber salad! (I did not, however, cut the waffle fries)

Yeah, that's the look of satisfaction after some fresh seafood stew on the Intracoastal waterway Fort Lauderdale! (Pirates Republic Seafood house and bar....INCREDIBLE)

I bet you think that's soda....it's Not Your Father's Rootbeer....and it was DANGEROUSLY delicious. That's a 6% whallup in that there glass!


So that's a "taste" (ha! see what I did there!?) of what you'll be getting... So stick around and let's see what kind of trouble we can get into!!!

I am love---*Toni