A Different Wine to Please a lot of Different People

For wine lovers out there, people looking for a different wine to serve with a special dinner, or someone who is looking to try something new, I have a wine for you. Borealis (2009) is a blend of organic white grapes from the Northern Whites Willamette Valley in Oregon, produced and bottled by Montinore Estate. When you open this bottle you will experience the beautiful flavors of Montinore Estate's cool-climate grapes, and it is delicious. The North Willamentte Valley i known for its fresh and bright white wines, and this wine in particular will not disappoint you. The grapes and the percentages it is consisted of are; 45% Muller-Thuragau, 24% Gewurztraminer, 18% Pinot Gris, and 13% Riesling. It is described as having a "shimmering array of aroma and flavor followed by a crisp an almost-dry finish." It is tropical, aromatic and it is even organic! Borealis can be pared with all different types of food, from pasta and seafood to meat and turkey dinners, making it a versatile bottle of wine. This is my friend Jessie's favorite bottle of wine and she swears by it, and so do I. It has an average price of $11 to $14 dollars, and can be found at some local liquor stores and specialty wine shops. Enjoy!

Easy Italian

I discovered this recipe when I was studying in Ascoli Piceno Italy this past summer. I love it not only because it is simple and easy to make, but it is delicious and can be made with many different ingredients and variations. I thought of this recipe because I love zucchini. I eat it all the time at school and when I am cooking for myself because it cooks fast and doesn't go bad as fast as other vegetables. And it was convenient that during the summer, zucchini's are a main crop in Italy and were priced fairly cheap. So it was a match made in heaven. Feel free to add or omit anything from the recipe to make it how you would enjoy it!

Tablespoon of olive oil
One zucchini
One medium sized yellow onion
Tablespoon of garlic
One tomato diced
Half a cup of cooked chicken cut in cubes
1/4 a cup of jarred pesto (You could also use marinara sauce)
1 1/2 cups of dried whole wheat pasta (I use penne but any pasta will do)
Salt and Pepper to taste


Boil water for pasta and cook according to box instructions. Heat the olive oil and add the onion and garlic. Cook until onions are translucent. Add the zucchini and tomatoes and cook for 3 minutes so they cook thoroughly. Season with salt and pepper. Add cooked chicken and heat for another minute so flavors can be absorbed. Add pasta and pesto and cook together until everything is heated through, about two minutes. Serve with bread and a salad.

Trolley's?

This was one of my favorite articles I wrote while interning for the York County Coast Star. When I first received the assignment I was not extremely enthusiastic about driving another long hour and a half away to go to a Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport Maine. But as it turns out it was one of the most interesting places I explored during my 3 month long internship. It was a cold day right after Thanksgiving break and the clouds had inhabited the sky making me more tired that usual. When I arrived my GPS was "re-calculating" to the point where I shut the damn thing off. The museum was shut down for the season, but I was heading back to the restoration building to learn about a particular trolley that had recently been towed into the shop to begin its "make-over". As I followed the dirt road into the back of museum grounds I felt as if I was entering the twilight zone. It was filled with old trains, trolley's, two story buses, old cars and so much more, and to top it off there were no humans in sight. Now when I made it to the restoration shop, the only reassurance I had that there was going to be human life within its wall was the presence of a few up-to-date cars outside. When I entered the large warehouse filled with machinery that I had no knowledge of and parts stacked to the ceiling for the trolley's restoration needs. I was then greeted by Douglas, the restoration shop owner, who spent over an hour and a half with me showing me, with pride and knowledge, everything he could possibly share about trolley's and most importantly the Lexington Trolley. He also showed me a trolley that ran through my home town of Londonderry N.H., in the early 1900's. Well enjoy the story, and remember sometimes you discover interesting things in what doesn't seem like a very interesting place.

http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20101223-NEWS-12230339

-Samantha

The first post

I wasn't sure what to put as my first post here, because I'm still unsure at what purpose this blog will serve. I believe it will be a montage of miscellaneous information about me, about other people and perhaps about life. It will be a combination of my love for life, poetry, food and the people in my life who make a difference. So, enjoy.

Breathing

"Sometimes breathing doesn’t really give you air
To open up your lungs and take it in
It doesn't always give you the freshness
That you crave for a relief

It’s nothing like the sting of salted ocean air
Against your bare cheek
As you let each grain of sand move gently
Between the wrinkles of your fingers

It’s not like the first kiss that surprises you
Even when you’re the first to move in
And your uneven lips touch
And nothing so unsymmetrical, felt so perfect

Its nothing like the feeling of a raindrop
Hitting your nose and rolling down to your lips
And you don’t mind getting caught in
Something that can safely cover you

And when everyday your searching for the
Things you see in the movies and your dreams
But you can’t always see the things in front of you
That could make your whole world stop in it’s tracks

When the days become difficult
That’s the time when you can make the most out of life
Living for the moments that steal your words
And make your mind race a mile a minute

If life was exempt from pain
There would be no way for anyone to learn
No regrets, no tears, and no way to know
What could ever be real, while learning what real is

Sometimes it’s easier for us to believe what is obtainable
People and places that carry the qualities we want to see
Because the ones we truly need for ourselves
Are too difficult for us to open up too and let inside

I want to close my eyes and see my dreams unfold
To know that something I want so desperately
Will come my way, as long as I know
That someday I will deserve it."

-Samantha Doucette