When I was little, my family sat down for dinner every night at 6pm sharp. My brother and I would come home after school every day and play outside until my dad got home from work around 4:30. We lived on a quiet cul-de-sac filled with bikes and kids. In the winters, the parking lot behind our house would plow all of the snow into a monstrous mountain. RJ and I would gear up with our shovels and work all afternoon digging out our famous snow mansions, which included our own rooms, balconies, and of course my purple blow up furniture to top it off. We would work all day on these masterpieces until my mom called us in.  Our runny noses and frozen fingers would just make it for 6 o'clock dinner.  We would hold hands for prayer and share a warm meal as a family.

With three years age difference, RJ and I are the youngest of 5 with a large gap between the older siblings. This caused us to develop an unbreakable bond. When we were finally old enough to ride our bikes to the park alone, my sisters were away in college and my oldest brother was following a band around the country. When we snuck out of the house for the first time together, the other siblings were just past the age of thinking we would be cool for doing so. It took years to find a commonplace and fuse the gap. Eventually there was a sweet spot of time where we all had something to say, the common interests became mutual, and beautiful unique friendships formed between the five of us.

Almost every Sunday, my family gets together for food and wine. Whether it be a new gourmet experiment, or pizza bagels, we all bring something to share and gather around. Without having any strong cultural ties, we all love to cook different cuisines all the time. Food has become our common ground.  What goes better with good food than great wine and the company of loved ones? No matter what happens throughout the week, I look forward to spending Sunday with my tribe.  It feeds the soul and warms the heart.

“Food brings people together on many different levels. It’s nourishment of the soul and body. It is truly love.” Author Unknown

Louis Jadot 2013 Puilly-Fusse

This week my sister and I shared a bottle of 2013 Louis Jadot Puilly-Fusse. This wine is a mouthful of ripe fruit flavors, followed by a fresh crisp finish. One part of the wine is fermented in vats and the other in oak barrels, giving the wine that bright fruitiness with a good structure. I paired it with a sweet maple salmon dish and felt that the crisp finish of the wine balanced out the sweet syrupy fish very well. It’s all about balance! Overall, this french chardonnay is a wonderful addition to any seafood dish and will perfectly compliment your at-home date night. Enjoy!

The yummy salmon recipe:   allrecipes.com/recipe/51283/maple-salmon/