Have a Hauntingly Bootiful Weekend; Here's the Weekly Menu

We celebrated our Halloween earlier this week with a Pirate Bite Food and Wine Pairing Dinner.   It was a great time with good friends. 

I won't be serving anything quite this fancy for dinner this week but I do have some fun meals to share with you.....

Enjoying the last Grilled Steaks of the Season with a Glass of Duckhorn Merlot #MerlotMe

 Hard to believe that October is already over.  Soon we will be going into a New Year.  God willing it will be a year with less turmoil, strife and devestation than 2020.  

Not that there haven't been any bright spots in 2020, but in this household most of those bright spots were born of mishaps.  My husband is alive, walking and expecting a full recovery after a very serious accident.  That is a great miracle.  An even greater miracle is that our Angel Face who was with him in the accident didn't suffer a scratch.

Our children are all back to work and doing well financially after having been displaced during the onset of the pandemic.  The Teen is doing well in school this year albeit distance learning.  And while some of my family and friends contracted COVID19, I didn't lose anyone to it.  We did, however, lose several friends and family members who passed away for various reasons.

Good things happened as a result of the qaurantining too.  We spent a lot of time working around the yard, enlarging our deck and adding a patio.  This meant when the world reopened we were able to easily social distance and spend time with family and friends. 

I also got a lot of reading in, I built some puzzles and I spent a wonderful summer in the pool.  We went on lots of hikes in the spring and are back to hiking again now that the weather has cooled and the mosquitos have disappeared.  And we grilled.....

This month was spent celebrating #MerlotMe.  That is sure to brighten up anyone's life.  I was given several bottles for tasting purposes from various wineries and have been writing about my tastings all month long. 

This last tasting is a Merlot from Duckhorn.  We opened this bottle on an Indian Summer day when we were grilling up some steaks.  I had saved this bottle just for an evening like this, when Frank and I had a night alone and were able to relax and catch up over a nice dinner and a nice bottle of wine.  

I'm very familiar with Duckhorn wine and love their product.  While I did get this bottle as a sponsor gift and I appreciate it very much, all opinions are 100% true and my own.  I purchase their Decoy quite often for an everyday wine and have purchased the Duckhorn when having dinner parties and want to serve something special.  

I hope you have enjoyed celebrating #MerlotMe with me this month.  I have enjoyed sharing my tastings with you.  If you missed any of them you can find them at Wooohoooo It's #MerlotMe month and Good Friends, Good Food, Good Wine, Good Times x 5.

Arrrrgh Matey....It's a Pirate Bite Wine and Food Pairing

We had such a great time last night with our friends Bob and Cathy.  If you are regular readers you might remember that Bob and Cathy live in Houghton Lake about a 3 hour drive north of us.  We join them several times a year for wine and food pairing dinners held at Springbrook Inn in the neighboring town of Prudenville.

Savory Zucchini Muffins #MuffinMonday

These savory muffins are chock full of zucchini, cheese and flecks of oregano.  They are a perfect pairing for whatever is being served for dinner.

Welcome to Muffin Monday.......

Classic Glorified Chicken #OurFamilyTable

 This dish immediately transported me back to my childhood.  It is easy and delicious. Chicken pieces, drizzled in butter and baked, topped with cream of mushroom soup and baked a little longer until you have tender, juicy chicken and a wonderful gravy for your mashed potatoes.

We are sharing Vintage Recipes today over with the From Our Dinner Table Group......

The Weekly Menu leading up to All Hallows Eve

October is coming to a close.  Next Saturday we will be celebrating Halloween COVID19 style.  It won't be too different for us.  We live in the country and never get any beggars to our house.

Courtesy of Google Images.

Slow Cooker Chicken Chili #ChiliCookOff

This chicken chili chock full of southwestern flavors is easy as can be.  Just place everything into your slow cooker and walk away.  When you are ready for dinner it takes only a moment to cut up the chicken and add the creamy cheesy surprise that makes this dish so amazing.

The Festive Foodies are having a Chili Cook Off today.......