Sunday, May 3, 2015

Linden Vineyards/Panzanella

It was early Sunday morning (10am is early in our house) on our last day of annual holiday and Ann and I were sitting in the sun room, drinking coffee, chatting, and chewing on what to do for our final act of vacation, when I received a text from Mike, "Scott and I are doing to go to Linden today. Would you all like to join us?"

Linden, Beautiful in all Seasons
Needless to say, Ann said yes in a nanosecond and 90 minutes later, Mike and his friend Scott rolled up to our house and Mike offered to drive. While we were texting, I mentioned that I was making a big panzanella for dinner, way more than we could possibly eat, and invited them to dinner after the winery.



Mike's Friend Scott



Jim's Wisteria is Ten Days ahead of Ours

World's Most Expensive Panzanella
I call this panzanella the world's most expensive because I was in sticker shock over how much things cost in a grocery store. I get into a grocery store once or twice a year and then only to pick up a specific item that just cannot be found elsewhere. The last time I actually shopped for ingredients for a dish in a grocery store, well, I just cannot remember the last time. It would have been well more than a decade ago.

We all pitched in making the panzanella when we got home. Ann made a dressing from balsamic vinegar, mustard, and olive oil in a big salad bowl. I sliced a loaf of multigrain bread into croutons and tossed them with olive oil, garlic, and herbs before putting them in the oven on a sheet tray under the broiler. The other items in the salad are salame, mozzarella cheese, grape tomatoes, thinly sliced red onions, and arugula.

Mike Brought Dessert
 We finished off the evening with fresh berries and pound cake that Mike had brought along.

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