That thing called life

 

One minute you are on top of the world and realize that you’ve had it really good for quite some time and you are so thankful for that.  But in the back of your mind, you secretly know that at some point you are going to have to pay a price for the good times.  Something is bound to happen to knock the goodness right out of your life. 

And sure enough a funny thing happens.  Life just sucks the life right out of you. 

I started losing my voice here at Wish Upon A Chef when my mother was diagnosed with cancer in September 2013.  Thankfully, so thankfully, she is in remission and on the mend.  My voice continued to dwindle after the loss on Super Bowl Sunday 2014 of my 4-legged companion, Jesse James.  And my voice was completely knocked out when my best friend and partner of several years announced that he no longer wanted to be in a relationship.

I had nothing left to say.  It seemed frivolous to snap a photo, share a recipe and talk about how delicious my dinner was or talk about how great my batch of cookies turned out.  And the truth of the matter is that I’ve been eating like crap for quite some time.  Definitely nothing worth mentioning on a food blog!

Life ain’t always a bed of roses and I can no longer pretend that it is.  This blog initially started years ago to keep me accountable for things that were going wrong in my life at the time and it’s time to turn to it again for the same accountability.  I’ll never find my voice again if I don’t make an attempt through the things that I find therapeutic – cooking, writing and gardening. 

My life needs to start simply and work its way to the top again.  So today I am sharing this simple recipe for wine syrup that I made a few weeks ago.  I was very proud of my accomplishment of getting back into the kitchen and simply mixing liquid and sugar and simmering it into goodness – it was a starting point.  The syrup was delicious served over pound cake and fresh strawberries and added a decadent touch to real vanilla bean ice cream.  I’ve even drizzled it over a salad with a splash of balsamic vinegar.  How great would this be on morning pancakes or waffles?

Any red wine will do, even one of the inexpensive ones.  I used a bottle that had been opened for a tasting at work and was destined to be poured down the drain until I saved it.  I work for a wine distributor and see this tragic event happen often so I’ve made it my life’s mission to rescue abandoned wine. 

Enjoy the simple things in life and never ever take them for granted!

1 cup sugar

1 vanilla bean, split

3 cups red wine

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, about 30-45 minutes or until liquid has reduced to about 1 cup.

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.