The Beginning

I, like many home cooks, am in need of a challenge, a goal. I need something to keep my energy flowing and my eagerness to cook from falling to the wayside. No more Food Network and their celebrity "chefs". No more 30-minute meals. No more $10 dinners. You can kiss all things processed good-bye. No more store bought pre-packaged bland dinners. Bring on fresh produce. Bring on fresh poultry, meats and fish. Give me homemade chicken stock. Give me meals that take scores of patience and pampering. I need real food. That's what brings me here.

This will hopefully be the first of several cook-through blogs I am going to create. I am going to start with fairly simple challenge (Simple compared to Alinea At Home.) I had the good fortune to visit this restaurants winery a few years back. A good friend of ours had set up a tasting for us and we went knowing little about what to expect. We were greeted by a whimsical atmosphere and good vibes coming out of the stereo thanks to a little Dave Matthews Band. As we tasting the wonderful Cabernets, I picked up an unassuming cook book that was just sitting there staring back at me. I thought this would be a great gift for our friend who had set up this tasting as well as many others in the Napa Valley. We purchased the cookbook and 2 bottles of wine - a 2005 Estate Cabernet and a 2005 CADE Cuvee (CADE is a sister winery which opened in 2007 and is the epitome of green and sustainability.) One more thing, as we were paying, the gracious wine pourer took the estate cab and traded it out for one signed by the wine maker Tony Biagi (See Above). Very cool!

So this is where I am now, about to set out to cook through the PlumpJack Cookbook. There are over 70 recipes which includes breakfast, lunch and dinner; mains, sides and appetizers; and of course, desert. Since I wasn't able to dine at the PlumpJack Cafe, I will bring the PlumpJack Cafe to Texas.