On this holiday that is completely centered on the idea of being thankful for the things each of us have in our lives, we’re meant to stop and take a moment to remember those things. I even believe that most of our traditions, no matter who you are, include a purposeful pause at the holiday table to each take a turn to share what it is that we’re truly thankful for.
This Thanksgiving, I have never been so much to be thankful for. Everyday of my life, having had the opportunity to live in this amazing place, I am reminded of how fortunate I am to simply be living here.
I can’t imagine a place where people are more passionate about food and wine, and about sharing that passion with each other, more than they are here in Sonoma. I love that without leaving the Plaza you can find the most spectacular clay cooking vessels at Bram, or unearth that totally obscure kitchen gadget you didn’t know you needed at the Sign of the Bear, pop into the Eldorado Kitchen for a perfect cocktail and an even more perfect snack of mind-blowing truffle fries, strike up a hour-long conversation with a bar-mate at the Swiss Hotel concerning the intricacies of game bird cookery, or forage for a vast array of wild edibles, from window box rosemary to parking lot persimmons.
I am so thankful that in Sonoma, I am able to be a member of a cookbook club, a sparkling wine tasting club, and a gleaning club, and can tag along on a hunting expedition, a morning of mushroom foraging or partake in a charcuterie class all in one day!
I thank the food Gods everyday that I now live in Sonoma. I wish you all the happiest, healthiest and most delicious of Thanksgivings and hope that you feel as thankful in your everyday life as I!
What I am sipping now: The Higgins
This is easily the most delicious liquor drink I have ever had the pleasure of putting to my lips. The Higgins is a perfect late autumn cocktail, an addictive combination of warming spices and tart acidity. It tastes of the islands, of cinnamon, of the bygone days of exploration and adventure, of cavorting around the Caribbean. The Higgins is a brilliant combination of my favorite Italian vermouth, Carpano Antica Formula, and sweet honey, and dark rum, which will keep me toasty all the long, cold, wintery evenings to come.
The Higgins Cocktail
Recipe thanks to Workshop Kitchen + Bar, Palm Springs
Makes one cocktail
- 1 oz. Amber rum
- 1 oz. Carpano Antica Formula
- (find it locally at Sonoma Market and Whole Foods)
- 1 oz. Fresh squeezed orange juice
- .5 oz. Honey-cinnamon syrup
- (2:1 honey to water infused with cinnamon sticks)
- .5 oz. White whiskey
Shake well, pour over very cold, large ice cubes, and garnish with a wide ribbon of orange zest.
In season: Crabs!
The beginning of Northern California’s dungeness crab season, is easily one of the happiest days of my Sonoma year. I cannot think of a more cozy evening then covering the dining table in newspaper, popping a bottle of bubbly, melting a stick of butter and digging into a big dungeness crab. No side dishes are necessary for the exception of an oversized Castroville artichoke (why not something else to dip in the butter?) simply steamed, and preferably, a Meyer lemon. I always let the charming guys at Sonoma Market’s fish counter choose the perfect crab for me. Now, where’ my bib?
Twenty – more – yummy reasons to be thankful for Sonoma
Thanksgiving. I immediately think of how grateful I am for my many amazing friends and my big, wonderful family. Even though I am thankful everyday for my cozy home and my little white Mini, I remind myself to be extra thankful for these things this time of year. I ponder this year’s experiences and people that have come and gone from my life – whether they were good or bad, hateful or loving, crazy or sane — and I am thankful at least for the lessons I have learned. Here are 20 of the yummiest reasons why:
1. Velvety, perfectly prepared lattes and swoon-inducing pastries — including gluten free choices — from Crisp Bake Shop.
2. The girl and the fig’s ever-changing, but always to-die-for, duck confit.
3. Heavenly bourbon cocktails in the most atmospheric of settings at Rossi’s.
4. My much-needed Southern food addiction filled at least weekly, thank you to the Fremont Diner.
5. Not only insanely delicious corn and flour tortillas made right in front of your eyes at our own little tortilla factory, but now being able to tuck into the areas most gorgeous little tacos and chile-slicked, belly warming bowls of Posole at Jalisco.
6. The delicate, tender, beautiful Paul’s Produce lettuces, you will never, ever eat grocery store lettuces again.
7. Mike the [bejkr] and his heavenly breads.
8. Any of the super skillfully prepared, gloriously presented, wood oven roasted seasonal vegetables from Glen Ellen Star.
9. Bacon waffle. Seriously. At the Sunflower Caffe. While you’re there, you might as well sip on a Monster Mimosa.
10. Sipping perfect Blue Bottle lattes surrounded by local gourmet goodies at Sonoma’s Best.
11. Complete and total happiness on a plate, when the monstrous Wolfe Ranch quail are on the menu at Cafe La Haye.
12. All the deliciousness of Napa being just right over the hill.
13. The awfully obliging, and cute, meat and seafood counter guys at Sonoma Market.
14. The Patch. Particularly their gorgeous heirloom tomatoes. Oh! And their beans. And peppers. And red onions. All right, every beautiful piece of produce from the Patch.
15. The most unlikely spot to find some of Sonoma’s most incredibly fresh, seasonal fare: Murphy’s Irish Pub.
16. Rainy nights tucked into the ridiculously cozy banquette at the Taste of the Himalayas sharing little copper pots of spicy Tikka Masala and cold, crisp glasses of Gundlach Bundschu Gewurz.
17. The olive oily, yeasty, lemony, herby goodness of Della Fattoria’s Meyer lemon rosemary bread. Well, heck, any of Della Fattoria’s crazy-good breads.
18. The best kept secret breakfast in town, the “happy dance” inducing, hangover curing, chilaquiles, soft scrambled eggs, and avocado at El Molino Central.
19. Not only local wine and beer, but now local Bourbon, Hooker’s House, thanks to Sonoma’s booziest, cutest, couple: Amy and Fred Groth.
20. Sonoma’s modest group of passionate small farms and the tireless group that farm them.
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