Elaine Ambrose

Bestselling Author, Ventriloquist, & Humorist

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Midlife Cabernet: Bittersweet Bites from Decades of Dining

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Thanksgiving of 1970 brought considerable consternation to the 30 relatives assembled at my parent’s house when my older brother came home from Harvard and bravely announced his liberal political views. My father reacted as if his firstborn child had betrayed the family honor and was responsible for the pending destruction of society. The women huddled in the kitchen until my brother apologized and then they emerged with trays of gooey desserts. I learned from this experience to keep quiet and eat pie.

The following day, after all the womenfolk had washed dishes and cleaned the kitchen, we sat at the dining table to finish the leftovers. My brother mentioned that he had sent a letter to the editor of the Twin Falls newspaper in support of Democratic Senator Frank Church. My father pounded his fist on the table and announced that there would be no more money for college. My brother retracted the letter. I learned from this experience to earn scholarships to an inexpensive, in-state university.

My mother used the same fist-smeared dining table for more than 40 years. It was a round Cushman table that despite all her handmade coverings and best dishes could never create the Norman Rockwell images she craved. My brothers and I learned early to avoid any provocative conversation that could upset our father. I once ate six pork chops just so I wouldn’t need to talk with anyone. My questions, concerns, good news, and typical teenage angst were smothered in mounds of mediocre mashed potatoes.

In my opinion, the dining table should be the foundation of the home. In a perfect world, it’s where the family gathers to break bread, play board games, and read the newspaper. It’s natural to want what was lacking, and I made it an important goal to have a happy family gathered around the table. For most of my adult life, that wish came true as my children grew up and we shared Thanksgiving feasts around a table laden with delicious choices amidst the sounds of laughter. For that, I am profoundly grateful.

This week 16 family members gathered around our dining room table, and I gazed at each one with gratitude. Hours later, after the satiated guests had gone home, I reflected on the hidden blessings of life. Because of past physical and emotional pain, I can truly appreciate the present freedom and joy. I realize that early trauma was the motivational catalyst I needed to survive. When crap was dumped in my way, I pulled on my boots and climbed over it.

My father died 24 years ago and the fractured family broke apart. But his success in business allowed me the opportunity to start my own business and buy a good dining table. I wish he could have joined us this week. We would discuss questions, concerns, good news, and typical parental angst. I’ve learned from this experience that gratitude mixed with forgiveness taste sweet.

Today’s blog is fueled by a 2011 Barbera from Jacuzzi Family Vineyard in Sonoma, California. This inviting wine bursts with vibrant flavors with a hint of vanilla. Share a few glasses with a favorite friend and gratefully celebrate the abundance of today.

Midlife Cabernet – Female Friends (like Wine) Get Better with Age

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With great gusto and energetic enthusiasm, I have contributed to the growth and success of the wine industry because I enjoy meeting friends for a drink (or bottle) of wine. It’s a duty I willing accept as part of my mission to help stimulate the economy. I should receive a plaque from the local Chambers of Commerce, but a case of wine would be better.

My mother often shared a pot of Maxwell House coffee with her friends, and she would spatter the table with matching china and dainty napkins. A really special friend would be offered pastel mints in a crystal bowl. They would sip their drinks, share meatloaf recipes, and murmur about how the music of The Beatles came straight from Satan. I observed these rituals with a sense of wonder and confusion and never was offered any pastel mints.

I didn’t have time for morning coffee klatches when I was juggling young children and a career. Home-brewed coffee in a travel mug got me to work and the habit sustained me for several decades. Life got better with age and then the kids got older, I no longer worked full-time, and I discovered that no, I wasn’t Super Woman, and I’d rather lift a wine glass than a briefcase. Who knew? I’d been climbing the corporate ladder in heels when I should have been sashaying in perky sandals to meet friends at the nearest wine bar.

One benefit of being this old is that I have friends who range in age from their twenties to their seventies. We meet for a glass of wine to celebrate important events, such as if the sun came up again. Instead of swapping stories about meatloaf recipes we analyze a variety of topics from modern literature to midlife libido. Next week I have six appointments to meet different friends, including a 35-year-old with two small children and several jobs, a 40-year-old divorced woman with a court victory, a 50-year-old with teenagers and her own business, and a 59-year-old friend I’ve known since 1968. Another one is a bleeding-heart liberal and the other one thinks the president is the anti-christ. Still, we meet, share laughs, clink our wine glasses, and order another round. And, as I remember from the Maxwell House commercials, it’s always good to the last drop.

Today’s blog was fueled by a bottle of 2009 Ferrari-Carnano Cabernet Sauvignon from Alexander Valley. This tasty wine offers tastes of black cherry, mocha, vanilla bean and caramel. It’s about $28 and worth sharing with a special friend. No pastel mints required.

Midlife Cabernet – Juice on the Loose

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When I was a little girl, meaning a long, long time ago, I witnessed my mother’s morning ritual of stepping onto a machine in her bedroom, securing a strap around her waist, and then flipping a switch that made her entire body shake like mud in a blender. Since then, I have suppressed these horrifying memories by consuming large bowls of peanut M&Ms and cases of red wine and by avoiding blenders. Even the noise of a fancy margarita machine can throw me into a catatonic panic attack that only can be soothed by a least two of the tasty frozen concoctions.

Fast forward fifty years and I am the card carrying member of the “Tried and Failed Every Diet on the Planet” club. To quote the late, great Erma Bombeck, “I keep trying to go on a diet, and I’ve tried going to the gym. I’ve exercised with women so thin that buzzard followed them to their cars. And, in two decades, I’ve lost a total of 789 pounds. I should be hanging from a charm bracelet.”

In my spare time, that blessed moment between 1:00 and 2:00 p.m., I enjoy watching documentaries on Netflix because it’s easier to justify than watching soft porn. Lately, I’ve been hooked on food films. Now I’m scared to death about all the crap in our food. I grew up on a farm, and we ate our crops and our livestock (except for the horses.) Now, I worry that my grandkids will be polluted and poisoned with the garbage that passes as edible food. I’m relieved that their parents have gardens and limit their access to cookies and candy (except at my house.)

The last documentary I watched was “Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead” by Joe Cross. The show advocates the use of juicers, and it shows how obese, unhealthy people gave up chewing and became healthy, happy, productive members of society by drinking juice. For every meal. I immediately put down my box of Girl Scout cookies, mainly because it was empty, and vowed to try this plan. My friend was on the juice diet, and she looked great. (Of course, she was born beautiful, but that’s not the point.)

I had a $100 rebate from purchasing a pair of contacts. I took that with my 20-percent-off coupon to Bed, Bath and Beyond and ordered a Breville Juice Fountain Plus. With my rebate and coupon, it only cost $30. It arrived by mail the following week so I stocked up on red beets, celery, apples, cucumbers, spinach, ginger root, lemons, and peppers. It was great fun to watch whole apples and beets instantly whirl into juice. In an erroneous attempt to fool myself, I poured beet juice into a wine glass. Remember how we used to fool our babies by pretending the blob of baby food was on an airplane heading into their mouths? That didn’t work then, either. I regret corrupting my best wine glass.

After a few days, I was running a small juice factory and also running down the hall to the bathroom. I didn’t dare leave the house. I already knew the location of every public bathroom within a fifty mile radius from my home, but that wasn’t good enough. I thought about pulling a Porta-Potty on a trailer behind my car, but they don’t deliver and I knew I couldn’t make it to their store. So, I eased up a little on the amount and frequency. Now I only have juice once or twice a day. That leaves plenty of time to consume my other favorite juice. It’s made from fermented grapes.

Today’s blog was fueled by a bottle of 2008 Frei Brothers Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon from Alexander Valley. This wine is full-bodied (yuk,yuk) and offers tastes of dark berries, sweet vanilla and toasty oak. It’s about $25 at various stores. This wine pairs well with a cheese plate and a glass of juiced carrots, oranges and mint leaves. Really.

Midlife Cabernet – Imagine the Thrill of Drinking with Living Women Authors!

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You are invited to party with the sassy but clever authors of Drinking with Dead Women Writers.

For loads of laughter, literature with license, luscious lemon tarts, and liquid libations, come to the Premiere Party on Saturday, May 12 at Asiago’s Wine Bar for our new book Drinking with Dead Women Writers. Festivities begin at 3:00 pm with an Italian buffet featuring smoked salmon with Italian cheeses, rosemary crostini, Italian sausages with spiced tempura vegetables, scones and lemon-ginger donuts. (I recommend wearing black, baggy pants with a generous, elastic waistband – the staple garment that comprises half my wardrobe.) It’s all free if you purchase an autographed copy for $10 from the authors. Wow! You might as well purchase several copies. Mom would be SO excited to receive an autographed book for Mother’s Day.

Of course, you are more than welcome to purchase wine from the splendid selection offered at Asiago’s. (I’ll have a bottle of Mount Veeder Cabernet stashed under the table.) Please note that the authors will be thirsty, so feel free to bring them a drink and receive a unique gift of gratitude. The authors will read selections from their book and then join in the grand celebration. The official festivities conclude at 6:00 pm, but we all know that for some of us, the party never ends.

This fascinating book evolved after AK Turner and I met at Asiago’s last December for a Christmas glass of wine. Because we’ve never been able to enjoy just one glass, we always get a bottle. By the end of the bottle, we had outlined plans for the book with a goal of finishing it by the Idaho Writers and Readers Rendezvous on May 4. Such goals are easy to set after consuming wine at Asiago’s. The book arrived four months and four days after our first discussion.

We each researched 16 famous dead women writers and then met weekly to discuss our stories – over another bottle of wine. (Proceeds from this book will be used to assist with any future liver problems.) We were amazed about some of the facts we learned:

  • Margaret Mitchell wrote only one published novel in her lifetime, but Gone with the Wind won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1937 and sold more than 30 million copies worldwide.
  • Carson McCullers wrote The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter at age 22. Her husband wanted them to commit suicide by hanging themselves in the French countryside. She refused, but he later succeeded.
  • Jane Austen’s original title for Sense and Sensibility was Elinor and Marianne.
  • George Eliot’s given name was Mary Anne Evans. Her father encouraged education, fearing that her plain looks would never attract a suitor.
  • Dorothy Parker remains famous for several pithy quotes, including, “I’d rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy.”

We only have a limited supply of books, so come early! (That’s not true, but I’ve been known for sporadic bursts of hyperbole.) See you Saturday!

Today’s blog was fueled by a bottle of 2007 Kestrel Sangiovese Falcon Series from Kestrel Vintners in Prosser, Washington. It’s dark, full-bodied and a tasty treat for only $22.
– See more at: http://www.test.elaineambrose.com/blog/midlife-cabernet-imagine-thrill-drinking-living-women-authors#sthash.6IntbUUw.dpuf

Midlife Cabernet – Don’t Irritate a Menopausal Writer

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Boise’s “alternative” newspaper intends to print a negative review of our new book, Drinking with Dead Women Writers. As the coauthor and publisher of the book, I appreciate any publicity, but I do hope the article will be placed ahead of the provocative ads for bi-sexual swingers and discreet Asian escorts. Otherwise, the book could get lost in that prolific cornucopia of literary excellence.

I was sad for two minutes after hearing about the pessimistic review. But, I’ll save a copy in my “Stupid Rejections” file – which is delightfully smaller than my file labeled “Hot Damn, I Won!” Before publication, the book was reviewed by an internationally-renowned, successful author. He wrote that the stories were “a rare mix of cleverness and intellect, and a total blast to read.” That review goes into the “win” file along with other glowing comments.

On a more positive note, I’ve also learned that my company Mill Park Publishing is a Bronze Medal winner in the 2012 Independent Publisher Book Awards (IPPY), and our book Little White Dress was selected from more than 5,200 entries from around the world. The Ippy Awards honor and recognize excellence in independent publishing and writing. So, put that in your crack pipe and smoke it, Boise Weekly.

Mill Park Publishing has published five books in the last two years, all of them written by local women authors. Little White Dress provided 26 women writers with the opportunity to share their stories about the myth and meaning of their wedding dresses. Now these women can promote the fact that they are authors of a national award-winning anthology. We have four more books scheduled to be released in the next year, and they are written by, about and for women. Most of us are have survived the slings and arrows of outrageous criticism and now we’re mature enough to wash away any lingering homicidal tendencies with a bold Cabernet.

Drinking with Dead Women Writers offers a collection of essays about 16 famous women writers. In researching the greatest female voices in literary history, AK Turner and I discovered fascinating facts: many of these women suffered numerous rejections, others weren’t published until after their death, one published only one novel but it won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, and several wrote under pseudonyms or used a man’s name because the prevailing opinion was that women didn’t have the competence to be writers. My name is Elaine Ambrose.

Today’s blog is fueled by a delightful bottle of Three Legged Red by Dunham Cellars in Walla Walla, Wa. It’s only $18, and it’s the cheap cousin of Dunham Cellars 2008 Trutina, a marvelous blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Merlot. That wine goes for $30, and both wines can be found at A New Vintage Wine Shop near Fairview and Eagle Road. Read the label on the Three Legged Red – it’s a touching story about an injured puppy named Port.