Romantic Meal with Aurora Luminous

 Hubby and I enjoyed a quiet evening and an opportunity to prepare a meal together. 

Hubby grilled some Ahi Tuna, a few skewers of shrimp  with a light Cajun seasoning.

I melted some butter at low heat in a cast iron pan, added chopped garlic, fresh parsley and a little salt & pepper. I simmer it, stirring constantly to keep it from burning. Browning is good tho. I added some small scallops and stirred until the scallops were nicely coated and warm. 

I baked some refrigerator biscuits but added my own touch. Sprinkled garlic salt, garlic powder, parsley and Parmesan cheese on top before baking.

In another cast iron pan, I melted butter with some Herbs de Provence. I added some fresh green beans and chopped water chestnuts. After tossing a couple ice cubes into the pan, I covered it and continued cooking on medium for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

While we prepared the me, we enjoyed some wine from Aurora Cellers. This small boutique style winery with old fashion charm is located in the Leelanau Peninsula in northern Michigan. The winery exudes romance as it hosts weddings on site. 

The wine I chose to accompany our light fare was a bottle of Luminous, and 2019 Gold Medal winner in a Michigan Wine Competition. Luminous is a crisp refreshing blend of 25% Riesling (my favorite), 35% Seyval, 25% Vignoles, and 15% Pinot Gris. When I drank the wine alone, it seemed to need something. That something was food. The fish and shrimp had a little spice. The wine danced across my tongue with light citrus notes cooling the heat. LOVE IT! A buttery finish was perfect compliment to the skillet dishes. 

I highly recommend Luminous from Aurora Cellers to accentuate a lightly spicy grilled seafood. 

This wine is available in most retail markets.

Romantic Dinner for Two

 What better way to wind-down from the week than a nice meal on Friday night. Preparing a meal together is good for a couple. It's a chance to talk, tease, laugh and kiss. According to some studies, cooking is one of the top activities couples can do together to strengthen their relationship. Cooking together is a soothing experience. It's great to relieve stress; think chatting and chopping. Using your hands to create the meal, maybe even sipping wine or sharing a beer, can easily turn into a sensual experience. Take a moment to hand feed a sample to your honey and follow it with a kiss.

A man who cooks is hot.

When you set a timer for pasta or veggies, use the opportunity to discuss something important or have a make out session. When the timer dings, the moment is paused.

Preparing a meal at our house is a family affair. We've always included our sons and each one enjoys cooking as much as he enjoys eating. Over the years we've included friends and girlfriends to take part of the fun. 

With eldest son now married, he and his new wife join us once a week for a meal. They often talk about meals they've prepared together.

Son #2 lives 3 hours away. He and his girl will go to market together then prepare the meal.

Son #3 is still underfoot, and tolerates our PDA during meal prep. However, occasionally hubby and I enjoy an evening alone.

The key to enjoy meal prep is keeping it fun, busy and communication is important. If you and your honey don't see eye-to-eye in meal prep you need to  communicate, compromise,or simply take turns in the kitchen.

Check out the article Couples Who Cook Together Stay Together, Says Science.

Check out this article on cooking together by Jillian Kramer 

#Thursday13 - Remembering Summer With Friends

 

As the summer comes to a  close, what do you remember? 

Putting aside all the Covid crap, think of things that made you laugh, things that made you feel good.

I think of our Girl's Weekend. We traveled to Amy's cottage on Lake Huron over by Tawas.

Who needs an ocean when we have Great Lakes!

Here are some of my favorite photos from the weekend.

Be sure to check out some more amazing THURSDAY 13  lists HERE

1.

Girls at the beach.

2. 

No salt, no sharks, no problem when it comes to relaxing.

3. 

Nightly sunsets spent with friends is good for the soul.

4. 

Historic Alabaster Bible Church

5. 

Amy's brother enjoyed sampling Tammie's Better Than Sex cake.

6. 

Kendra stole a few beers from a secret outdoor fridge at her her brother-in-law's cottage. 
How many beers so far, Kendra?

7. 

Cooling breeze, therapeutic waves, and good friends = a perfect day
We flipped a middle finger at Covid, menopause and stress.

8. 

I love Deb's smile. It says it all.

9. 

We added to the collection before we left.

10. 

Picking and nibbling on wild berries.

11. 

Sad to see some old trees with years and years of carved names slated to be taken down.
How many kisses were stolen in the shadows of the green canopy?

12. 

An evening stroll with the dogs along the lake's edge.
Erosion was evident along this shoreline.

13. 

Gotta love a Michigan sunset.

A Little Afternoon Delight from Crow Magic

A busy day? Take a few minutes (or hours) grab a cup of tea,  a book and curl up on a cozy seat. Join me on the porch if you wish. I won't interrupt since I'm reading too. 

Here's a little snippet from my book Crow's Magic.

Birds chattering pulled her from sleep. She wiggled under the cozy comforter to steal one more moment of utter bliss before rubbing her face to wake up. Pushing flyaway hair past her ears, Lucy opened her eyes and stretched. Arriving late the night before, she’d unpacked then gone straight to bed. Her best friend had convinced her to try Madame Eve’s 1Night Stand, and now miles from home, she lay in the Rose Cabin on Cherry Lane, a private but exquisite cottage at the Castillo Resort in the Poconos Mountains.

She took a deep breath and rose to the beauty of a new day and the possibilities of the coming evening. Sunlight dappled the floors of her cabin. Finding the long terry robe the resort supplied, she pulled it on then pulled back the cream-colored curtains to allow the morning radiance to enter and spread its cheerfulness. The delicate scent from the white roses in a vase on the nightstand mingled with the pine and cedar cabin. She picked up a card next to the flowers.

Lucy,
May you discover the magical power of the mountains and their crystal clear waters.
May the life force of the woods stir your soul.
May you learn from the spirit of the crow.
Tecumseh will help you fly if you believe in him.
Madame Eve

He had only one name. Not Bob, or Roger, but Tecumseh, and without doubt, Native American. Names held power and his name sounded powerful. What kind of person had the name Tecumseh? Was he a real man, a shaman or a spirit?

“Enough worrying about tonight, time to enjoy the day.” She adjusted the sheets of the Queen Ann bed and smoothed the antique quilt bright with turquoise and shades of fuchsia. An impressive painting of a floral meadow and a large tree near a lake hung on the wall and she made a mental note to explore outside to discover if the meadow was local. She gazed at the bed, wondering what the night would bring and shuddered with anticipation.

Crow Magic Blurb:

Lucy Richards is tired of being timid around men. Hoping to overcome her fears and feel like a real woman, she turns to Madame Eve to find a man who will fulfill that goal. Eve arranges a one-night stand with a handsome Shawnee shaman who will teach Lucy to use her womanly power and take her to unimaginable heights.

Shape shifter Seth Crowe is a Keeper of the Spiritual Law who carries souls from darkness to light, and enjoys using his body to accomplish his magic.

Tucked away in the Castillo Poconos Resort, Seth helps Lucy find spiritual and sexual freedom, never dreaming he might find his own mate in the bargain.

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Romance Tip - Enjoy the Hummers... Birds That Is

Living in the woods has provided my family with hours of enjoyment watching wildlife. We have feeding stations (store bought bird feeders as well as simple platforms made from stumps) placed in the yard. We have glass hummingbird feeders hanging on the front porch as well as on our back deck. I can't grow many flowers so I try to select a few hummers and butterflies enjoy.

Hubby and I enjoy quiet moments sipping wine and watching our neighborhood humming birds visit a feeder which is only a few feet from where we sit. Once in a while a couple females get scrappy and poor hubby has to duck out of fear of getting flown into by one of the tiny creatures. (He likes wearing red t-shirts... perhaps it makes them amorous.)

ROMANCE TIP:

Grab your honey and visit your local hardware or home store and pick up a brightly colored humming bird feeder. Together in the kitchen brew up a batch of Hummingbird food. Find a spot in your yard where you can hang the feeder and sit to enjoy some quiet time together. Early morning while enjoying your coffee or in the evening sharing a bottle of wine is the best time for simple romance while bird watching.

Below is some tips on food and care of your feeder. 

Food
    In nature, hummingbirds eat flower nectar for energy and bugs for protein.  Flower nectar is 21% to 23% sucrose - regular table sugar - so it is very easy and inexpensive to make.  Here is the recipe for making hummingbird nectar:

1. Mix 4 parts water to 1 part table sugar in a pan.  For example, use 1 cup sugar to 4 cups water.  Do not use honey, Jell-O or brown sugar.   Especially do not use artificial sweeteners.  Putting hummingbirds on a diet will kill them.  They burn prodigious amounts of energy for their size and need real sugar.  Do not use red food coloring.  It is unnecessary and can harm the little hummers even in low concentrations because they eat so much nectar.  If your feeder isn't red, tie a red ribbon on it as described in the Feeders section, above.  Do not add anything else that you might think of.  Just sugar and water, that's all.
2. Bring to a boil then remove from the heat.  Stir it while it is heating until all of the sugar is dissolved.  Don't boil it for long because that will change the ratio as water is boiled off.  The reason for boiling is not to make syrup, but to drive out the chlorine in the water and to kill mold and yeast spores that might be in the sugar.  This will help make the nectar last longer both in the feeder and in your refrigerator. 
3. Cover and allow to cool before using or pouring into the storage bottle.  We recommend making a large batch of nectar and storing it in the refrigerator in a 2 liter soda bottle (washed thoroughly first.)  This makes refilling the feeder so easy that you won't mind doing it every few days.

Cleanliness
    Sugar water is a very rich growth medium.  Yeasts like to eat it causing fermentation which can harm hummingbirds.  Mold and bacteria grow in it and can also harm the birds.  That is why it is important to keep the feeder clean and the nectar fresh.  You must change the nectar frequently to avoid these contaminants.    In cooler temperatures we recommend changing it every seven days.  If the temperatures are getting above 70 degrees, follow this chart:

High temperatures		Change nectar after
71-75		6 days
76-80		5 days
81-84		4 days
85-88		3 days
89-92		2 days
93+		change daily