What's on your Friday Menu?

I really want to try that- I'm going to have to pick up some more Kodiak pancake mix. I don't think I've seen Birch Bender here.

Good morning, everybody!

My youngest got his driving permit yesterday. He actually asked to go out driving, but Marilyn suggested that he wait until after the Fourth of July weekend is over. My older son is taking his driver's test this morning, hopefully he will pass.

We don't have much planned for the weekend other than the normal Friday evening happy hour, gym and household tasks. This week's happy hour theme is Tuscany - We are going to open a bottle of Sassacai that has been kicking around and a dessert wine from Montepulciano. We got some blue cheese to go with the sweet dessert wine.

QOTD: Milk. Do you think anybody will pick white?

The only pictures i got this week were from my colonoscopy, LOL. These are from Tuscany two years ago.

Breakfast: Sausage and cottage cheese

Lunch: lamb

Snack: nuts

Dinner: wine and cheese

Have a great day, all!

Love these! My SILs and I wanted to go there in September but obviously it won't happen this year.

You would love the sunshine, Liz.

That wine cellar, wow! Great pictures!

Are those pics from the Palio in Siena?

Also, can I defend my countrymen's honor and object to the pairing of the Montepulciano wine with blue cheese? At least choose Gorgonzola. I'm not for yucky cheese but if you are going that route don't do blue cheese but gorgonzola!

I'd suggest Pecorino di Pienza

Pecorino di Pienza is a traditional Italian variety of Pecorino produced in Pienza in the province of Siena. The cheese is made from sheep's milk and comes in a few versions - some are young, some covered in straw, some rubbed with ash, and some are pressed with tomatoes.

The young version is semi-ripened and colored with tomato juice on the rind, while the aged version has a black rind. The cheese is not spicy as other Pecorino types because veal rennet is used instead of kid goat rennet. Pecorino di Pienta is aged for 30 days, when it's still fresh and soft, ideal for melting of grilling, while the other versions are aged from 2 to 5 months.
The flavors are best described as sweet and complex.

The pictures are from top to bottom: the House we rented, basement of a wine shop in Montepulciano, Montepulciano Basilica, Palio, Palio, and the house again.

I guess we blundered a little on the cheese, it is French. The wine is Montemecurio 1990, which is our wedding year. When we drink the dessert wines we usually go for a very salty cheese to cut the sweetness of the wine.

We definitely ate Pecorino every day we were there. And fresh apricots from the garden.

wow - gorgeous pictures!!

DH and I got photos of our colonoscopies, too. I don't know what people are supposed to do with these - post them on Facebook? Although I guess they must be of interest to some....

Can't see putting them in the scrapbook...

LOL!!