All My Cheesy Ladies

Oh my how long it's been my friends! First off, a very happy new year to all, I hope your holidays were as indulgent and relaxing as mine.

I am back from the left coast, I landed in the Ocean State on December 1 to the very welcome sight of my best friend's husby with my car ready to go for a few drinks and a bite to eat (Best Friend was to be picked up along the way in case you were wondering...with a much anticipated visit with my favorite child, their son Ryan, along the way).

Words cannot explain the feeling I felt when I landed back home after being gone for four months, it was that feeling of a blanket that is fuzzy and warm being wrapped around you. I have to say it was a mixed bag being out there for as long as I was. I lived in an amazing area (the Marina district), saw some amazing things, met some amazing people. Not a bad stint if you ask me. That being said, I realized more than ever a few things: a) I'm an east coast girl, not a west coast chick 2) Rhode Island may be the smallest state in the union, but in my opinion it's by far the best and f) nothing will make you appreciate home more than being gone for a long time.

Now, that's not to say my time out there was spent pining away for my beloved home...I made the most of it and really benefitted all around from it, personally, professionally...it was all good.

One of the best parts of SF?? The Cheese School...and I capitalize that because it's literally called that. Can you sing "Dreamweaver"??

Needless to say I had to explore and took a Cheeses of the Pacific Northwest class with a girlfriend from work. I won't bore you with all of the details, but for those of you who entertain, appreciate some cheese and wine from time to time, etc. will want to note the following that I learned:

-the really salty cheeses pair best with sparkling wines...impress your girlfriends by buying a nice bleu cheese and a reasonable bottle of Prosecco or Cava (cheaper than Champagne)

-semi hard cheeses tend to be the most red wine friendly cheeses--think cheddar if you're opening a bottle of that big California Cabernet tonight

-if you are a lover of Sauvignon Blanc (and I know a lot of you are, particularly in the summer) it pairs well with goat cheese, which is only produced in the Loire Valley in France. No mistake here the Loire Valley also puts out some of the world's best Sauvignon Blanc

And for all of my girls out there that like to do their Ladies Nights--12 Kung Fu Girl Riesling is a great wine for drinkers of all ages and phases and is extremely "cheese friendly".

Ladies (and gents)--I urge you to go out with just those few points of knowledge I've just bestowed upon you and revamp your cheese and wine nights...it's my gift to you from San Francisco :)

The best part about this blog? David is sitting right next to me typing out his own while we share a bottle of Pinot Noir...it's good to be home.

Cheers,

Tricia and Dave