Boys Night

Every Tuesday is 'Boys Night' since we've moved to Melbourne and since Natasha started school. Not your typical 'Boys Night', but Seamus and I have our fun. I teach him tricks, he follows me around thinking I have food, he chases the ball, humps his bed for a while and then goes to sleep. Life as a dog I guess...

Perhaps inspired by Ms Chokecherry Pancakes herself (or perhaps the lack of pre-prepared convenience food in our fridge...), I was forced to make my own dinner tonight. The three previous 'Boys Night' meals had been grilled cheese, which was getting a bit old, so I thought I'd go all out and heat up a can of Campbell's Tomato Soup. Yes...Tomato Soup...that of Andy Warhol fame. As I was opening it I saw a recipe on the back for bolognese sauce, so I decided to go a step further. Spaghetti bolognese, a staple of my university days...

One can of Tomato Soup, one packet of Tomato Paste, carrots, capsicum, onions, some spices, and some grilled hamburger (Natasha's famous chili burgers) and I was off and running. As I was drinking my wine and stirring the sauce, I decided something was missing. You guessed it, a glass of red wine! Voila! I'm not an expert, but my theory is that there is no point cooking with $hit wine so my bolognese sauce had a glass of 2006 Barons of Barossa Shiraz, and I had the rest of the bottle.

Overall, very pleased with my purchase of a few weeks ago. A typical Barossa Shiraz, big fruit, good length, with a bit of cinnamon and licorice. I'm not sure it's a long termer, but will certainly last for a few more years. When you've got grapes from the best of the Barossa, it's hard to go wrong I suppose. I doubt this is available anywhere outside Australia, but if is, try it out - $20/bottle. At that price it's a steal...

Oh...and for my one or two readers, in case you're wondering, the half-marathon training is going ok. Not exactly setting the world on fire, but have at least done a few 8-10 km runs. Tomorrow morning will be test...6 am boot camp...