Frou Frou Friday

As I begin this post we are t-minus 50 minutes from Friday, which has prompted me to share a few nuggets that I've enjoyed this week that might add a bit of flair to your weekend. Please enjoy. 1. Hubs and I have recently joined a wine club at our neighborhood WineStyles. There are 4 or 5 locations in Atlanta and several around the country. Hubs happened to wander into the one around Perimeter one a few weeks back. It's a small wine store and all the wines are organized by style, or flavor if you will: crisp, fruity, bold, rich, etcetera. It's a nice way to buy wine; most bottles are priced between $10-$25 and the staff is quite knowledgeable about the bottles they have on hand. You are welcome to taste anything they have open: 3x 1oz pours for $2 ...or 6x 1oz pours for $4 is a steal in my book. Guess which one I usually opt for. We joined their club and I am glad we did -- for a bit of cash per month (that we'd spend on juice anyway), we get 2 bottles of wine each month, 10% off the purchase of any other bottles, discounts on tasting parties and some other nice bennies. For $35/mo, it's not a half bad deal. I like to drop by and taste what they have open because it's kind of like going out, but you're not having to do the whole deal of going to a bar. 2. While I was there this week, I happened to pick up a bottle of the following: This is an Australian Cab/Merlot blend and it is a great bottle for under $15. As you can see from this iPhone pic I am enjoying it as I write this post. It is Australian so it's got some nice berry notes. 3. If you are looking for a great app to take to a party or just to enjoy at home, you must make this, courtesy of my friend Leslie at Elite Entrees. She is a superb personal chef and will certainly be more than happy to cook for you should the need or want present itself! In her words, make this.. and then "sit back and rake in the compliments." Fabulous Apricot and Chicken Bruschetta 1 baguette Apricot preserves 3 oz of roasted chicken 3 oz of thin prosciutto Fontina cheese-about 6 oz Preheat oven to 350. Slice baguette into half inch slices and lay on baking sheet. Toast in oven for 10-12 minutes. Remove and let cool a few minutes. Spread half a teaspoon or so of apricot preserves on bread. Top with a slice of fontina cut to fit. Return to oven for a few minutes to soften the cheese. Remove and top with a little bit of the roasted chicken, followed by a portion of the prosciutto. *note from author: also makes a tasty sammy!