Let's start with wine 😉

Growing up, my dad, an Italian Immigrant, would add a touch of red wine to our water to have with our Sunday dinner of spaghetti and meatballs.  I didn't begin appreciating wine until I was in my early-thirties, but I found in recent years, I could only drink the more expensive wines and only about 3 ounces, any more than that, I wouldn't feel good the next day.  I thought that I was going to have to give up wine all together, but then I discovered Dry Farm Wines.  All of the wines they sell are sourced from small, family farms that are either natural or biodynamically farmed, low sugar, and low sulfate.  Switching over to "cleaner" wine means that I am now enjoying wine again! DryFarmWines.com

Just a few weeks ago, my husband bought these wine glasses for me.  They are graceful and oversized. The curve at the top of the glass, which feels like a little hug around your lips, directs the wine toward the front of the pallet and somehow, I think they actually do make the wine taste even better!  CrateandBarrel.com $19.95

And of course, you have to have a little chocolate! My new, favorite chocolates are these Caramel & Sea Salt Coconut Butter Cups made by Evolved Eating.  Made from only five, high-quality ingredients: Organic Coconut, Organic Cacao, Organic Coconut Sugar, Organic Cacao Butter, and Himalayan Sea Salt. Two butter cups only have 4 grams of sugar, for all of you watching your sugar intake, these are a terrific alternative. They're a bit pricey at 2.99 for a package of two cups, but they are the perfect guilt-free indulgence!

Okay, I know I totally digress here but bear with me. During the colder months, I like taking long, hot showers, but I hadn't given much thought to the shower water.  Most of us don't drink our tap water, but we shower in the same water we don't want to drink!  Unless we have a full house water filtration system installed, our skin is absorbing all those contaminants. After much research, I decided upon this simple, super easy to install, three-stage shower filter. It removes chlorine and its vapors, harmful chemicals, heavy metals, minerals and impurities from shower water and improves water pH balance. Made by Hotel Spa and available at HomeDepot.com $19.79

This last product conjures nostalgia from my childhood. When we would inevitably get sick as kids during the blustery Canadian winters, Buckley's was my mom's go cough syrup. Most of you have probably never heard of it; it's a Canadian brand but it's been around since 1920, almost 100 years! Fair warning: It tastes horrible! But it totally works! (Mom would add honey to it to make it taste slightly better.) When I was terribly sick a few years ago, I tried to find it, I hunted high and low; it wasn't available anywhere in the US.  When I was visiting my parents in Toronto last month, I happened upon it while at Costco, and I excitedly purchased the Costco size two pack!   It's now available in the US on Amazon.com $14.59

Pasta Bolognese is the perfect winter meal, made even more perfect with a terrific glass of red wine! Plan on spending a whole afternoon tending to it, but it's worth it! The intoxicating aroma fills the house and turns a cold, rainy day into a cozy, comforting, relaxing day.  This has been a family favorite recipe for years; my husband still gets so excited when I tell him I'm making this!  I alter the recipe slightly by using all beef, organic grass fed/grass finished ground beef if possible, and San Marzano tomatoes. I always double or triple the recipe and freeze half in Mason jars, perfect for a lovely weeknight dinner when I'm too busy to cook. It's with love that I share this family favorite recipe. I hope your family enjoys this dish as much as we do! https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/pasta-with-bolognese-sauce-10500

 Esther

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