Bo’s Barbeque and Captain Vineyards Wine Tasting

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It’s been a while since I’ve posted but I’ve been a bit more tired easily and not motivated but am trying to make up for lost time…

Tonight we were invited to Captain Vineyards in Moraga for a wine tasting. We participated in harvesting their grapes last October so now it was time to have our first taste of the wine.

Since we were heading out to the East Bay, we decided to stop by Bo’s Barbeque for dinner. We had eaten there one other time and remembered that their BBQ was pretty good and they have a delicious selection of beer.

We ordered the 3 item combo which includes ribs, brisket, and links. Everything had a good smokey flavor except that the brisket was a bit dry. I think they gave us the end pieces so they were a bit tough like jerky but still tasty.

The meal includes 2 plates of salad with some fruity vinaigrette, sweet potato, bread, potato salad, and BBQ sauce.

After our dinner, we headed to The Captains for their wine tasting. I had a few sips and the wines seem well on their way to become delicious. Right now they seem still very fruity and haven’t taken much of the flavor from the oak barrels yet but they were still lovely. The barrels themselves were beautiful, see how red they are in the middle.

We also got a preview of their new wine label.

The Captains are a great couple. They’ve taught us a lot about making wine and allowed us to have these unique experiences which we otherwise wouldn’t have an opportunity to experience. It’s amazing how much they’ve accomplished in a short period of time and I hope we can continue to support them in whatever way we can.


Captain Vineyards
1969 Joseph Drive
Moraga, CA 94556

Bo’s Barbeque
3422 Mt. Diablo Blvd
Lafayette, CA 94549
(925) 283-7133

Southern Flax Seed Cookies

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From my favorite cookie cookbook (Big, Soft, Chewy Cookies by Jill Van Cleave), I altered the recipe for Southern Sesame Seed Cookies to make it healthier and to be able to use ingredients I had readily available at home.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup sesame seeds (substituted toasted flax seeds – available at Trader Joe’s)
6 Tbsp (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar (cut this to 1/2 cup)
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup all-purpose flour (used whole wheat flour)
1/8 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350 F
2. If using sesame seeds toast them in dry skillet over medium-low heat, stirring until golden brown, about 5 minutes, set aside to cool.
3. In mixing bowl, cream butter and brown sugar until smooth. Add egg and vanilla and blend.
4. In separate bowl, mix flour, toasted sesame seeds (or readily available toasted flax seeds), baking powder, and salt. Add to creamed mixture.
5. Scoop 1 rounded tablespoon of dough and drop onto lightly greased or nonstick cookie sheets, spacing 2 inches apart.
6. Bake until cookies are browned on the edges and feel firm to the touch, about 10 minutes (mine took about 15-20 minutes to reach this stage). Using a spatula, transfer cookies to a rack and let cool.

Makes about 20 cookies.

Store cookies in an airtight jar or tin at room temperature for up to three days.

Instead of being a chewy cookie, mine turned out more like “crisps”. They did have some “chew” to them, probably due to the brown sugar but I liked the crispy edges and the flavor of the toasted flax seeds. I haven’t done a blood glucose test after eating these yet since I’ve only allowed myself to munch on a crumb or two as a snack but the sugar and flour split between 20 cookies seems a small amount.

Healthy Banana Bread … An Attempt

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Original recipe was for Sour Cream Banana Bread

I altered the recipe to make it more diabetic friendly but I first must say, my husband didn’t like it at all. I find it edible but not delicious so will have to make some tweaks to it to see if I can make it better. It has a very nutty flavor because I used almond flour (available at Trader Joe’s) and quite a bit of walnuts.

It barely alters my blood glucose but is quite filling so works well for one of my daily snacks.

Wet Ingredients (mix first):
1/4 cup Splenda
1/2 cup applesauce
1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 cup mashed bananas (about 2 large ripe bananas)
1/2 cup lowfat yogurt
1 tsp vanilla extract

Dry ingredients (mix in a separate bowl):
1 cup almond flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup toasted, chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 F. Use non-stick spray on mini muffin pan or large loaf pan. Mix together wet ingredients until well blended. Mix dry ingredients together in separate bowl then add to wet ingredients. Mix just until dry ingredients are incorporated, do not over mix. If using a muffin pan or mini loaf pan, bake about 15 to 20 minutes (until cake tester comes out clean). If baking large loaf, probably will be 35 to 40 minutes (use a cake tester).

I made some with or without nuts and I made muffins as well. Beware, bread will stick to muffin liners, so not advisable to bake this way. Next attempt will include more bananas for flavor and probably more oil (instead of mostly applesauce). I was surprised I could taste the Splenda aftertaste so I may need to try a different sweetener.

Burke Williams Spa and Jody Maroni’s

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I spent a relaxing morning at the Burke Williams Spa. For Christmas, Ron presented me a package of pregnancy massages and this was my first visit. I’ve had one previous massage while pregnant at La Biang Thai where they have you lie on your side. At Burke Williams, they have a special pillow that has a cut-out in the center for your chest and belly and you are supported by your shoulders and thighs. It was so comfortable! I miss being able to sleep on my stomach… I wish I could get one of those pillows for home!

Included with the pregnancy massage is a complimentary milk bath. It’s a private bath with or without jacuzzi jets and they supply you with cucumbers for your eyes, an ice cold towel, ice cold water to drink, and a platter of fresh cut fruits. It was lovely, I almost fell alseep. The tub is the perfect size for me too so that I’m not in danger of drowning if I slip down too far. I’m looking forward to my next few sessions before baby makes his appearance.

Ron met me for lunch so we just went downstairs to the food court of Westfield. We ended up at Jody Maroni’s which is a sausage sandwich place. It’s in the corner on the Bloomingdale’s side.

I ordered the Kobe Beef Hot Dog… just thought it sounded interesting. It is served on an onion roll. I missed bread… I didn’t allow myself to eat the whole thing though. I couldn’t really tell it was Kobe Beef, just tasted like regular beef so I don’t think I’d pay the extra cost the next time around.

Ron ordered the chicken pomegranate sausage with garlic fries. The sausage is served with grilled onions and peppers. A bit sweet and spicy.

After my morning massage I had a lot more energy, I did four loads of laundry, cleaned up the house, baked, and did some sewing. It was a nice way to end the long weekend.

Green Tea and Chocolate Madeleines

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I attempted to make healthy madeleines for our NYE dinner dessert but they didn’t quite turn out as I would’ve liked. But thought I’d share my experiment.

I purchased the green tea (matcha) powder from Lupicia, which is around $15 for 100 grams, so that I could try this green tea madeleine recipe found here. I won’t post what I did (unless someone really wants to know) until I tweak it a bit to make it more acceptable. The cookies turned out a bit dry and not quite enough green tea flavor.

I originally was going to make lavender madeleines but then changed them to chocolate using dark chocolate cocoa powder. These also turned out a bit dry, perhaps due to overbaking. Using agave nectar, you’re supposed to bake a bit longer but I think I may have overdone it and dried out the cake.

In these recipes I tried using whole wheat flour and agave sweetener to make them healthier but I will continue to experiment and hopefully come out with a better tasting madeleine.