Wine Together

This week Brooke & Dr. Deb paired a Cab Sav with steak 🥩… not a surprise to anyone… 😁 Terraced Gran Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon 2023 is bold, smooth, and ready to make friends with dinner.🍷🥩 In the glass on will find blackberry, cassis, and dark cherry… this is followed by hints of cedar, cocoa, and a touch of mint on the finish. The tannins are present but polished - the kind that remind y...

This week we explored Noirillon Assemblage de Cépages Rouges, a classic French-style red blend from a French-speaking region of Switzerland. The red blend creates a wine that is approachable, fruit-forward, and food friendly. On the nose one might notice aromas of ripe cherry, raspberry, and plum, along with subtle hints of black pepper and dried herbs. On the palate… one likely notices soft tanni...

This week we had Giulia Pinot Grigio delle Venezuela DOC 2024, a bright, classic expression of northern Italian Pinot Grigio. The delle Venezie DOC covers three major regions in northeastern Italy: Veneto, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, and Trentino. The DOC was established specifically to protect and standardize high quality Pinot Grigio production. When you see “delle Venezie” on the label it signals a...

From Vine to Stein 🍺 This week, we took a little detour from the vineyard… and headed straight to the beer hall!😁 Instead of wine, we poured Pilsner Urquell, the original pilsner - first brewed in Plzeñ, Czechia 🇨🇿 in 1842. Yes - the original Pilsner! Before Pilsner Urquell, most beers were dark and cloudy. When this clear, golden lager debuted it completely changed beer history. Most of the wor...

A red wine that needs a bit of a chill was not what we were expecting when we bought this at our local grocer for less than 7CHF, but it is one of our favorites in 2026!🍷😘 We paired this with pappardelle pasta and lamb - a rich, savory, and herby dinner - because this easily digestible meal lets the fruit and warmth of the wine shine without overpowering the dish. A match that felt (to us) cozy,...

This week we paired a Malbec with chicken … not the usual. We know that it is non-traditional to pair this red wine with chicken and rice, but the chimichurri‘s acidity makes this Malbec feel right at home. As Deb said, „you don’t have to do steak with Malbec.“ Brooke definitely chose well with the pairing this week.

Our first wine from Austria 🇦🇹 did not disappoint. We will definitely try more wines from this delightful country. Brooke cooked a perfectly crispy veal schnitzel and added mashed potatoes with a sweet mushroom gravy. It was a perfect comfort food meal for a cold winter night. ❄️❄️ The conversation about this food and wine pairing was fun and light-hearted as any conversation about food and wine s...

Another rich red wine 🍷 and delicious meal prepared by Brooke help guide this chat today! Bordeaux wines are often well served with a variety of meats and roasted veggies or a hearty stew in the winter… Brooke chose something in between. A French Chicken Marengo served over jasmine rice was the perfect addition to our chosen wine for the evening. We hope you will find inspiration to spend time wi...

In today‘s podcast Brooke and Deb chat about their experience with their wine choice for this week - Cune Rioja Reserva 2019. From the perspective of two women who simply enjoy sipping good wine 🍷… eating good food … and chatting about life’s adventures, this wine offers a warm and friendly moment for both of us. This week Brooke prepared a tapas with Manchego cheese and fresh tomatoes atop crisp...

With our special guest, Todd Lipman, Brooke and Deb get down to the business of planning and making resolutions for 2026. Brooke wants to find a paying job, Deb wants to get her health on track, and Todd just wants to make sure everyone is ok. We are grateful for the many years we have had as a family. It is one of the most important roles we have had in the past 31 years. So here we go… sending w...

Nothing says, „I love you“ much better than being present. In this episode we continue the theme of Charles Dickens‘ A Christmas Carol and talk about our own present day thoughts/plans for Christmas 2025. We are a quarter of the way through this century… we are living through parts of history which may not be remembered fondly, but we can do our part to make our own lives and the lives of those we...

Brooke and Deb are excited to share some of their favorite memories of their Christmas‘ past. We love this time of year and since moving abroad have learned so many different traditions which we will likely incorporate in the future. Some favorite movies mentioned: The Nutcracker The Wizard of Oz (Christmas Eve Eve) A Christmas Story TV Shows mentioned: The animated Christmas classics Ted Lasso Ch...

It’s time for Christmas Markets! The website where we found the dates: www.myswitzerland.com This is the Swiss tourism site. Our most important markets: Solothurn Zurich Basel Bern Biel Olten Of course our favorite is in Italy! 🇮🇹 Milan! Wonderful memories. 🤶🏻🎄

How do we know we are mature? A few notes: Taking responsibility for our actions Demonstrating emotional stability Demonstrating self-control Showing empathy Showing respect for others Possessing patience Being flexible Self-awareness Ability to maintain healthy boundaries Improving communication skills Being open-minded Being willing to admit mistakes Showing resilience in the face of adversity

The list Deb referenced is as follows: Be specific in your „thank you‘s“ Handwritten notes/letters Give compliments Acknowledge actions Help others Be kind Give a small gift Be a good listener Celebrate time together Celebrate them Show your support Be respectful Smile often We know it often is not intentional to not acknowledge your appreciation for others. However, if you recognize that you may...

Brooke and Deb chat today about Art. All forms of art are creative expressions from one’s passion (and perspective). Our family is loaded with Artists… Todd- creative in word expression and with drawing, painting… Justin- writer of poetry and lyrics Mason-writer of stories a d poetry Emilia- drawing, painting, pottery, photography and written expression Rinn- drawing, painting, photography and wri...

In this episode, Brooke and Deb share some of their favorite stuffed animals. 🧸 Brooke has too many to count and has no plans stop collecting any time soon!😁 What often begins as „one“ favorite over decades becomes „too hard to depart with.“ Deb has many „Teddy Bears“ that she cannot imagine living without. We are funny creatures, huh?🤔 We hope that you have something that brings you joy. We ap...

Brooke and Deb are joined by Rinn (Brooke’s brother/ Deb‘s son) to talk about and read ghost stories from their current local areas.

Today Brooke and Deb talk about mistakes… we all make them, but do we fix them in a way to keep our reputations a d relationships strong?  That is the key… Brooke stated that she hopes she is mature enough to reflect on whatever someone feels safe enough to share with her that could be seen as „a mistake.“ I think she is correct about that. We all need to continue to grow… continue to care… contin...

In this episode, Brooke and Todd discuss the beginning of the European 2025-26 football season!

Brooke and Deb do not dispute that facts are facts and do not change without proof. However, perspective is different and honesty with others often is clouded by that perspective. One thing we decided in the end is… if your honest observation differs from another’s… choose to leave it rather than try to win an unwinnable argument.  Mentions: Ted Lasso Caddyshack 30 Rock

Brooke and Deb share their own definitions and experiences of „the supernatural“ in this episode. Neither have experiences or fears around the subject, but both have a respect for anything that may or may not be possible. As mentioned in the show… we hope to at we can all learn to listen to the better angels which lie/live within us… because violence, hurtful words… these things never settle diffe...

Our guest for September is Julia Dietmar - CEO of Open Wardrobe. Open wardrobe is an app designed to help one fully organize and plan to utilize their personal wardrobe. From creating new outfits with what currently exists in one‘s closet to help with packing for travel, this app as well as the web version and its extension provides tools and tutorials for helping you digitize your current selecti...

In this episode, Brooke and Deb talk about HESO… the Solothurn Herbstmesse (much like a county fair in the US).  This year’s HESO runs September 19-29. We look forward to freshly made Berliners … much like a jelly-filled donut. 🍩  We promise to add photos from HESO to our Instagram page.  Documentaries mentioned: Sunderland ‘Til I Die Welcome to Wrexham YouTube Channels mentioned: Dr. Mike Legal...

Today Brooke and Deb talk about journaling. Both Brooke and Deb journal for personal reasons. Deb recently learned that one style of journaling that she does is called « junk journaling » … she is not crazy about the term, but loves to fill her books with momentos such as stickers, brochures, and pictures and that is exactly how she understands junk journaling looks. Also, Brooke has committed to...