We hosted some friends for a dinner party this Friday.  Given the weather, I’m glad they all lived very close! As I tend to forget these things I’m blogging the menu:

Appetizers:

• Rosemary/Lemon White Bean Dip
• Crostini
• Bias Cut Carrot Slices
• Maple Spiced Nuts  (I added a bit of cayenne as well.)

Dinner:

Beef Tenderloin with Roquefort Sauce.   From 150 Best American Recipes and oh so good.  We forgot to add the creme fraiche to the sauce but it was so good I’m not sure it’s worth it to add the creme fraiche.  I was nervous about cooking my first tenderloin and it turned out fabulous.  Jim did most of the actual cooking on this one - so I can say that without blushing.

Wild Rice Pilaf (Gourmet Cookbook - a fine basic pilaf.  Recipe said it served 8 and it would have served 12 easily)

Sauteed Red Kale with Pancetta (Adapated from Gourmet Cookbook Kale with Bacon)

For dessert we had Cranberry Poached Pears.  I took the advice of one of the reviewers and added a bare touch of ground cloves.  This was a nice, refreshing dessert after the rich tenderloin.  We garnished with a dollop of creme fraiche and chopped toasted filberts.  A sprig of mint would have have been nice.

Beth brought a great Casa la Postole Cabernet and I opened an ‘05 Caymus Cab.  The Caymus needed decanting and breathing and turned out fine after a few hours.   I preferred the la Postole but they were both great with the beef.

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Last month we managed to both be in town when Domaine Drouhin Oregon celebrated the release of their 2005 Laurène Pinot Noir.  Why is this important?  Because they celebrate with a balloon ride over the Willamette Valley!
We were the first to arrive, of course.

Beth, fresh from intensive Yoga training, was happy to show off her muscles:

Soon all seven (or was it nine?) balloons were launching.

We did a splash and dash in the  Willamette River.  I thought we’d just touch the water and rise up, but we actually floated in the river for several minutes.  We were amazed and impressed.  We had some wine to celebrate.

Airborne again, Beth continued to bliss out.

Jim’s favorite part may have been when I helped squish the balloon back into the bag.

We both pretty much liked the whole trip!  
 

If that wasn’t enough, we have a whole album of pictures.

Other notes:

• We (and the winemaker) recommend that if you have any ‘05 Laurène you cellar it several years.
• At the delicious breakfast they served after the balloon ride Jim tasted the multi-berry crisp and told me to learn how to make it.  A few weeks later I made one, he pronounced it one of the best things I’d ever made and told me never to make it again.

Ballooning with Wine

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I received the engine back from Loynings Engine Service earlier in the week and had a few friends from the Lotus Club come over the help drop in it place. All in all it took about an hour with another day or so work to get the various bit s reconnected.

The verdict on the engine was good. The only mistake I made on the first build was forgetting to put the plugs in the end of the camshafts. This caused the top of the engine to have too much oil resulting in the leaks and the flooding of the valve guides.

On the plus side, the engine should be strong at 137.5 hp on the Dyno

Dyno Chart

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Replicants

UniBrain is dedicated to small versions of things. From Railroads, to Minoxes, to Mammals, we are enchanted with the idea of better, faster, smaller.Replicants are a natural extension of that interest. Their plastic lives echo our own, or are a medium for our fantasies.The plastic princess

• Her official shrine
• My daily dose

Miss MarshallMiss Marshall is fairly new to our lab. But her presence adds a certain je ne sais quoi

• Her Studio
• Her Dressing Room
• Her little black book

This diorama was a birthday present from some imaginative friends. They commissioned the doll and created the rest themselves.

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