Wow, life has certainly been hectic I haven’t had a chance to write. The wine and food webcast was a success and I am happy to say that I did not burn anything. The pairings were exceptional if I do say so myself. The Pinot Blanc from Alsace really brought out the sweetness in the butternut squash soup. The soup was fabulous and it was so easy to make; it’s definitely a keeper. The second course was a portobello mushroom stuffed with avocado and goat’s cheese; Another excellent and super easy recipe. I might even try it on the BBQ and turn it into a veggie burger. The wine pairing was a pleasant surprise. LE MERIDIANE from Italy was the perfect compliment to the portobello mushroom; I enjoyed every bite. Our main course was herb crusted rack of lamb with beats and garlic mashed potatoes; everything was mouth-watering. I chose a California Syrah to match the bold flavours of the lamb and the potatoes and it held up very nicely. The following day we BBQ’d chicken and basted it with a chocolate chile sauce and paired it with the left over Syrah. The chocolate in the sauce, really brought out the mocha in the Syrah…Very nice. Dessert was fabulous; it was a new twist on a classic dessert. I made a chocolate pear tart, but I replaced the pear brandy with a Vidal Ice wine; needless to say, we finished the bottle of ice wine. All in all the webcast went great; I can’t wait for the next one.