Cassie Bustamante

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Romantic At Home Date with Beaujolais Wine

November 16, 2016 by Cassie 22 Comments

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I don’t talk about Chris much on the blog except for the few projects we’ve done together as well as the interviews I’ve subjected him to (here and here). The truth is that he works long hours and most of the projects and design choices around here happen by my hand. We also are polar opposites when it comes to schedules… he’s a night owl and I am an early bird.  Even though I don’t see him as often as I would like, he is a loving husband and father, and when he is home, he’s invested in our family and life together. While I do most of the house care-taking, he tends to the garden from Spring to Fall, tilling, planting, weeding. (I’ve always taken care of the harvesting and eating though! πŸ˜‰ ) This year, I became more involved, and as the season came to an end, I decided to do something special to thank him for his hard work.  Of course, sometimes it’s hard to find time to squeeze in a night out, so I decided to create a romantic at home date for us with dinner on the porch using items from the last of our harvest complemented with Duboeuf Beaujolais wines. (This post is sponsored by Quintessential wines who also provided me with wine to sample and display.  All photos and opinions are my own)Beaujolais Nouveau At Home Date nightBecause I wanted to celebrate the end of our own growing season, I planned a simple light meal using the last of our garden’s goods. At the end of the season we always have green tomatoes that won’t finish turning.  We harvest these before the first freeze so that we can use them for grilling, roasting, or, everyone’s favorite, fried green tomatoes.  For this supper, I put a “fancy” spin on the classic grilled cheese and tomato soup meal.  I crafted my own recipe and made roasted green tomato, green pepper, and garlic soup.  We’d had a few peppers that were not going to color either, so I decided to throw them on the roasting pan as well.
Roasted Green Tomato Soup, Grilled Pesto Mozzarella, and BeaujolaisFor the sandwich, I used a rustic artisan bread, fresh mozzarella, and lemon-basil pesto I made from the last harvest of our lemon basil.  (Helpful note: We always have fresh mozzarella on hand because Emmy’s become addicted; Costco is a wonderful place to buy it for a great price!)  As you can see, I kept this meal very simple, no fanciful garnishes and no fuss.  We were simply taking time to enjoy an evening together, no frills needed.Grilled Pesto & Mozzarella SandwichBeaujolais wine was the perfect complement for this meal and a natural choice.  It is made from manually harvested Gamay grapes, which are low in tannins (which is good for someone like me who can sometimes get tannin-induced headaches).  The vines the grapes come from are over 20 years old! If you aren’t familiar with Beaujolais Nouveau it is the first wine of the harvest, produced and intended for immediate (as opposed to aged) consumption.  It’s available to consumers on the third Thursday of November, so it’s always perfect timing in our country for those Thanksgiving meals.  I became familiar with it a few years ago when a francophile friend of mine through a Beaujolais party.At Home Date Night DinnerThis wine is a lighter bodied red wine, and has a mild fruity taste, but isn’t too sweet. (I am not a sweet wine drinker!) It’s best served slightly chilled, and since we had a cooler weekend, I just set mine out on the porch for a couple hours before our dinner date.  Emmy was happy to help me set the scene as the wine chilled.  I put out a bottle of Beaujolais Nouveau 2016, as well as a Beaujolais Villages 2015.Table Set for Romantic Evening at homeWhile the tomatoes were roasting in the oven, I had Chris go ahead and open a bottle so we could enjoy before we ate dinner; he selected the Beaujolais Nouveau 2016. The light body of this wine makes it a great wine to sip lightly as an appetizer drink.
Opening BeaujolaisThis year has been full of challenges for us, but I think every year has its fair share of struggles.  The difference that I see as we have gotten older is that we work through these times together, and our marriage is in the happiest place that it’s been.  Even though we don’t have a lot of time or money, we make time and find ways to spend together and remind each other that we care about our relationship.  Sometimes it’s gardening or watching a movie, and sometimes it’s relaxing in my favorite seat in the house, the hammock.Hanging out on hammock with beaujolaisYou don’t need a lot to create a romantic evening date at home with your special someone… this meal was simple to make and inexpensive, complemented with Beaujolais wine which is flavorful and light, and also extremely affordable.
Romantic Evening Porch Dinner At HomeTomorrow, November 17th is the third Thursday in November, and that means the Beaujolais Nouveau 2017 will be available, just in time for Thanksgiving! Or perhaps just in time for you to have a simple celebration with those that you love.At Home Date nightIn our busy day and age, remember to take the time to nurture your relationships and set aside special time for the people you love.  Before I go, I don’t want you to think it’s all sunshine and roses over here… we’re a normal married couple!  So here’s a little outtake for you.  I was doing something that annoyed him (I can’t remember what because I do lots of things that annoy him!), but as you can see by my face, I thought I was funny.  His face tells another story.  That’s a pretty typical scene around here, too!!!beaujolais outtake

Cheers to you and yours!

PS- Thanks to those who have responded already to my survey.  If you haven’t yet, I would love your feedback.  Click here to take it. Thank you!

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Filed Under: Porch, tablescape, Thanksgiving

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Comments

  1. Pam Bustamante says

    November 16, 2016 at 7:41 am

    This makes me smile so “big”. Makes me Happy, Happy, Happy.!!!!!

    Reply
    • Cassie says

      November 16, 2016 at 11:43 am

      glad to hear it! πŸ™‚

      Reply
  2. Shelley | Crazy Wonderful says

    November 16, 2016 at 8:02 am

    Love the date night in. That’s about all we can get around to over here. That soup sounds amazing! All I do in annoy my husband. We call it my specialty ;D

    Reply
    • Cassie says

      November 16, 2016 at 11:32 am

      haha! then we have that in common! πŸ™‚

      Reply
  3. Emy says

    November 16, 2016 at 8:28 am

    You guys are so cute!
    Ps. Love those glasses!

    Reply
    • Cassie says

      November 16, 2016 at 11:31 am

      thank you, emy! i got these glasses because they are thick and recycled and i tend to break delicate wine glasses. truth.

      Reply
  4. Sarah says

    November 16, 2016 at 10:10 am

    Love this! Looks like a fun evening with awesome wine!!!!

    Reply
    • Cassie says

      November 16, 2016 at 11:30 am

      thank you so much, sarah! it was a fun night!

      Reply
  5. Brynne | The Gathered Home says

    November 16, 2016 at 10:13 am

    You guys are so adorable! That soup looks amazing – you will have to give me the recipe so I can recreate this awesome dinner! Is it too early for a glass of wine today? πŸ˜‰

    Reply
    • Cassie says

      November 16, 2016 at 11:29 am

      aaaw, thank you so much! i am thinking of including recipes in a newsletter… i am working all this out!

      Reply
  6. Catherine says

    November 16, 2016 at 10:25 am

    Ooo I love Beaujolais Nouveau! I also get tannin-induced headaches, which is a struggle because I <3 red wine!

    I'd like to see the recipe for the garlic soup too. Sounds awesome. I love that you used your own harvest for the meal! Makes it even more fun to eat. Your porch looks like such a happy place πŸ™‚

    Reply
    • Cassie says

      November 16, 2016 at 11:17 am

      i know! it is flavorful but not too sweet- a lot of my friends like the sweet wines and i just can’t. this one is mild and perfect! as for the recipe, i am thinking of starting an email newsletter and including recipes in that as it seems most people don’t like them on the blog. we’ll see! either way i will write it up and email it to you and if i forget, just harass me!

      Reply
  7. Kirby says

    November 16, 2016 at 2:08 pm

    Not necessarily a fan of any wine that doesn’t taste like Reunite Lambrusco or Boone’s Farm, but Chris is cute!

    Reply
    • Cassie says

      November 18, 2016 at 1:56 pm

      HAHAHA!

      Reply
  8. Bliss says

    November 16, 2016 at 8:57 pm

    Brawn is a beer drinker, but I could get him to drink wine with me if I planned a date night. We women have our ways.

    Reply
    • Cassie says

      November 18, 2016 at 1:52 pm

      ha! yes, we do… πŸ˜‰

      Reply
  9. Tania says

    November 16, 2016 at 10:23 pm

    Aww, you guys look so cute together! It’s really sweet that you planned an at home date night, I think it’s really important to make time for each other. I love the idea of a scheduled date night and mentioned it to the guy I’m seeing but he wants no part of it… lame… :o(

    Tania

    Reply
    • Cassie says

      November 18, 2016 at 1:51 pm

      oh i wish we could have scheduled date nights, but kids make that so hard of course! but it’s nice to reconnect after they go to bed. i’ll take what i can get!

      Reply
  10. JaneEllen Jones says

    November 17, 2016 at 1:44 am

    How very sweet and honest Cassie. Hubs and I can be bickeringhollering at each other/ but when it’s done it’s done, no revisiting, dragging it out.My hubs is cranky old man, I drive him crazy with my spontaneity, not planning. My idea of doing more of what I want with these years makes him crazy also. I keep house clean, laundry, all that good stuff but refuse at this point in our lives to be slave to house. It’s clean but too often messy with my crafts, decorating tangents.
    Will be married 48 yrs. on 11/30. We were married 3 1/2 weeks when he went to Nam. Our first date was 10/18/68, got married on 11/30/68. I had 3 small kids when we married then we had one few months after he returned. We are very different in temperament but somehow seem to make it work. How long have you love birds been married? You are so cute and very sweet together.
    Enjoy rest of week

    Reply
    • Cassie says

      November 18, 2016 at 1:51 pm

      aaaw, sounds like a fabulous love story!

      Reply
  11. Kathy says

    November 17, 2016 at 7:33 pm

    Y’all are so cute!! I love that hammock pic of you. Sounds like the perfect date night in.

    Reply
    • Cassie says

      November 18, 2016 at 12:56 pm

      thank you, kathy! πŸ™‚

      Reply

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Hi, I’m Cassie!

I believe that you don't have to spend a lot of money to live a beautiful life and be your best self.Β  Here you will find budget friendly ideas to live happily, healthily, sustainably, and most importantly authentically.Β  We all get one chance at this life,Β and this ordinary girl plans to make hers extraordinary. How about you? Read more...
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Hi! I'm Cassie.

Mother, wife, shop owner, blogger, writer, incurable diy-er, furniture painter, coffee and wine drinker, friend. Seeking happiness and passing it on. Read More…

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