Wine drinking and jamming

Is there anything better than a fresh hot cup a' joe in the early morning, or a hot fragrant cup o' tea in the afternoon ( with shortbread and curd of course!)
I don't know if it's better, but a glass of wine or two at the end of a long day is, I think, one of the finer things in life. Ahh ! Snuggling into the corner of my sectional couch that is the chaise part, so I can kick off my sneakers put my feet up...sigh.. lean back and enjoy a glass of good, yet moderately priced wine..let's not go crazy here.

Usually this moment of  peace is fleeting, my reverie broken by one of a million questions asked of a Mom in a day, and  I hear, " Mom, what's for dinner?" or " Mom can I get a ride to..."  the first of these two queries usually sends me into my grumpy place. Since I cook frequently and in large amounts for Mclaren's, it is not often that I look forward to cooking again at home. " I have no idea!", "I haven't thought about it." or my favorite, "I don't know, what are you making? " are my frequent quips in reply to the nagging question. The cooking for 45 minutes and consuming on the fly in 5 has grown old, as I have grown old.

But more and more I find that I really enjoy creating new products and combinations for McLaren's.
 Last night I created my second series of wine jams, best served with cheese or used as a sauce base or a glaze for meats, poultry or fish  -red vs white-. The aroma of the warm wine, paired with Raspberries and  Marion berries was enticing. The process, different than cooking for a busy crowd, gives as much as it demands. Each wine, Cabernet, Merlot, Chardonnay, etc seem to call for a different fruit, a pinch of spice, a dash of that and voila! Warm, robust, not too sweet (and definitely adult) flavors bloom, filling the hot kitchen with great plumes of fragrant steam.
Then, quickly! To the jars, to the jars!...... Don't boil off the alcohol, what ever you do..... racing like a crazed eccentric, with tongs and ladle in hand, sealing and twisting, sealing and twisting, until at last, they are subdued, submerged in their hot tub - forced to contain their flavor and fragrance...trapped  away from the sunshine and sweet rain that began their journey so many months ago.

So what began in a vineyard, tended with care, bottled with pride, has now taken on one more transformation. Soon I hope, to be part and parcel of celebrations, meals and intimate moments, not soon forgotten.
I wonder what my next transformation will be? I hope not to grandmother, too soon, I still have some ripening to do!

Take the time to have a cup o' something with someone you care about this week!
Andrea