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Sleepless in Bluffton

Life Behind Bars

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Old Town Bluffton has maintained its reputation as a sleepy little village even as the maelstrom of annexation and development has raged around it in recent years. Recently though, a mini-boom in the restaurant and bar scene is keeping Old Town up at night. On May River Road stalwart favorites like Pepper’s Porch and the May River Grill remain popular, while The Promenade offers a growing set of options all within a few steps of one another.

The Wines of Provence

Drink Globally
Well, there I was. Stuck in Ribera del Duero and no way to get to Provence. I was in danger of missing my deadline. It suddenly occurred to me that maybe I could buy a car. As luck would have it, I found a real beauty in one of the villages for only 50 bucks (actually euros). Just wait until you see it. This car was placed in service when Dwight Eisenhower was President; but it works and the vineyard worker that I bought it from said it is still under warranty.
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Patricia & Vince

Everyday Gourmet
(In loving memory of Patricia DuPree Baker, February 11, 1936 – March 23, 2011. Reprinted from September 2009.) When visiting family and friends in North Carolina last week, I had the opportunity to see the new movie, “Julie and Julia” with my mother, the woman responsible for nurturing my love of cooking. While I savored the time with Mama, the movie almost hit too close to home for me! It made me remember Coq Au Vin (also known in our house as Purple Panic Chicken) spilled in the oven and across the kitchen floor. I had flashbacks of Vince suffering through some of my kitchen experiments (that weren't suitable for serving, much less eating) while diplomatically explaining to me that the dish was “good, but just not my taste.”
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Bacchus Country

Drink Globally

Bacchus Country

We travel just a short way from where we were two weeks ago to an area called Ribera del Duero. Close to Rioja, but separated from Rioja by some flat terrain and the Duero River, Ribera del Duero is a Spanish DENOMINACION de ORIGEN (DO) located in the autonomous community of Castile y Leon. The most famous vineyards in the area surround Penafiel and Roa de Duero to the west where the regional regulatory council or the REGULADOR (remember him from two weeks ago?) for the denominacion is based. Ribera del Duero is also home to the world-famous and highly-prized Vega Sicilia and Tinto Pesquera wines. These wines introduce us to wines made from 100% Tempranillo Grapes.

Pleasures of Potluck

Everyday Gourmet
Potluck dinners are a great way to get together with friends and enjoy some tasty dishes! Whenever the impulse to host a casual party strikes, you can call up your friends, tell them you're organizing a potluck, and ask them to bring along one dish to share with the rest of the group. Although the term “potluck” suggests a random assortment of dishes, it's likely to turn out better if you do a little bit of organizing. If you don't want to risk the chance that everyone will bring only desserts, begin by assigning your guests a specific course to bring along.
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Three Reds of Rioja

Drink Globally

Spain has long been the leader in Europe in regards to “acreage planted under vine,” however, quantity did not always mean quality. Until the mid 1980’s Spanish wine was mediocre at best. Mediocrity was the name of the game until progress came along in the form of investment and technology. Here again, as mentioned before, wise investors realized the marvelous potential that existed in Spanish wine and so a great deal of money went into modernizing wineries, formulating sophisticated marketing plans, and far reaching distribution.