L.'Authentique - seriously???

Ok, so at the suggestion of the manager at the new Trader Joe's down the street, I tried this wine. I can't remember if it was $4 or $5, but whatever. Its a red table wine from France. Really bold, a little on the sweet side for a French wine. I thought it was ok on the first day. Today is the 3rd day it was open (vacuumed in the fridge) and when I tasted it today it was even sweeter. Very cherry. Verrrry bold. Then my mom tells me that French table wines are traditionally cut with water. WHAT? I've never heard of such a crazy thing, but I'm totally willing to try it. So I do. IT WAS FANTASTIC!!! I have no idea if this would work with another wine, but it made this glass refreshing. I really enjoyed drinking it with my salad and avocado egg rolls from cheesecake (it was such a takeout night tonight). Who knew??

Chicken Kabobs & Rice Pilaf... Yum!

Last night called for a barbecue. A perfect night for it, truly - warm, breezy, lovely. I got pre-made chicken kabobs, with green and red peppers, and red onion... I drenched them in my own mixture:

White Wine & olive oil, crushed garlic clove, sprig rosemary from rosemary bush by the front door. (drink rest of bottle with mineral water while barbecuing. :)

Perry was watching a baseball game. The girls were playing on their swing set - I only had to run out and push a time or two. Bliss.

The rice took about 20 minutes - truly, I'd prefer steamed white rice for next time. A fave of my mom & dad's, we really could do without the extra work.

I broiled a few slices of La Brea olive bread along with, and next time will make sure to toss a few mushrooms on the grill for some added flavor.

My FAVORITE summer time barbecue... Didn't even require extra sauce, which for Perry is a HUGE vote in my favor.

The girls ate dino chicken. THEY CHOSE DINO CHICKEN over grilled. *sigh*

At least they ate the veggies. ;-)

Do Cheap Wine Reviews Fit Here?

So I purchased this bottle of zin from Trader Joes on a total whim because it had a cool label and it was only $4.99. Unfortunately it was pretty bad and gave me a terrible headache the next morning to boot. So I started thinking, wouldn't it be great if there was a site that reviewed cheap wines from places like Trader Joes and Costco? I found a ton of them. The problem is the reviews are long winded and confusing. I think it would be more fun if we had our own personal reviews (like one from Ashley about the Costco wine she currently loves).

Now what do I do with 3/4 of a bottle of bad zin?