I Call It Research

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Thanks so much for the very thoughtful comments on the Planning Parenthood post!  I really learn so much from hearing other people’s stories. 

 

And speaking of babies, guess who strolled into the clinic today?  A very overdue Brittany. She’s heard that acupuncture can help speed along delivery and figured it was worth making an appointment with the Husband!

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Here’s to hoping she’s in labor right now…

 

After closing up the clinic, we headed out to get some of my work done.  I’ve been commissioned to do a series of freelance articles on wine for a supermarket chain.  All I know about wine is how to drink a lot of it.  Heh.  I needed professional help – which meant the Husband and I were headed to Petite Philippe, my favorite wine bar in all of Charlotte.

 

We pulled up to the bar, I opened my laptop, and we picked the sommelier, Jessie’s, brain.

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As we talked with Jessie, the Husband and I split a flight of wine.  The flight included:

 

Antech Emotion

Four Mile Creek Red Wine 2009

Domaine les Ondines Mis en Bouteille au Domaine 2008

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All delicious.  Obviously.   I’m an equal opportunity wine drinker.

 

Jessie explained the topics in a way that everyone can understand – a sign of a great sommelier!  Here’s one tip we learned:  Those devices that vacuum the oxygen out of the wine bottle to ‘preserve’ it for longer?  They don’t really work.  The plastic topper isn’t effective enough to hold the vacuum seal.  Jessie says it’s better to gas the wine with nitrogen or argon or to just put it corked in the fridge.

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Fun fact:  More people have walked on the moon than are currently female master sommeliers.

 

While tasting and learning, we had a few of Petite Philippe’s chocolates, which are made by the owner’s wife.  We split the Nuttmel, the Got Milk?, and the Banana Split. 

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Before dranking, we had pizza at Mellow Mushroom.  Did you know they now have gluten-free pizza crusts and vegan cheese?  It’s tasty.

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And, amazingly enough, it actually tastes like ‘real’ pizza.  Even the Daiya cheese is good – and I’m normally afraid of faux cheese.  It was stringy and melty. 

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Now – that is what I call a great dinner.  Pizza, wine, and chocolate.  All in the name of research.

{ 57 comments }

 

  • Jen September 13, 2011, 8:50 pm

    GF thin-crust? Impressive for a chain. How’d you get that writing gig if you know little about wine?! Did you pitch it? Hmm…I’d like to do a series on traveling whilst traveling – all paid. In my dreams!

    • CaitlinHTP September 13, 2011, 8:59 pm

      I didn’t pitch it – it was kind of passed to me by a friend who was too busy to do it.

  • Casey @ Pocket Full of Sunshine September 13, 2011, 8:51 pm

    You just named my perfect, ideal dinner—in the name of anything 🙂

  • Ellie@fitforthesoul September 13, 2011, 8:51 pm

    Surprisingly enough, I haven’t tried vegan pizza yet~I’ve always been curious though. And acupuncture seems to be so great for so many things~my parents are all for it! 😛

  • Angie @ Musings of a Violet Monkey September 13, 2011, 9:07 pm

    Pizza, wine and chocolate… I want your job! 😉

    ~

  • Carly September 13, 2011, 9:08 pm

    I love Daiya and I’m not even vegan! P.S. your top is super cute 🙂

  • Annette @ EnjoyYourHealthyLife September 13, 2011, 9:09 pm

    Hey we had pizza tonight too! Homemade and deeeeelish! I am a huge fan of chocolate as a sweet…YUMM.

    Glad you had a fun night in the name of research 😉

  • Penny September 13, 2011, 9:11 pm

    I’m totally late to the parenthood discussion, but I wanted to weigh in…..
    As far as parents who say things such as “I wish I would never have had kids” and likewise…..I will NEVER understand this. I sincerely hope their chicldren never witness these words coming from mommy and daddys mouths.
    I have 2 boys. They just turned 10 and 2. They are without a doubt my biggest sources of happiness and joy. Yes, sometimes they stress me out. Yes, sometimes I wish I didn’t have to deal with cooking them dinner or cleaning up thier messes. But I would never trade it for anything.
    Second…..
    I think your strong maternal instincts are a very good indicator that you are going to be an outstanding mother, and you will not suffer from these feelings. I think you and your husband would be great parents. You are smart, responsible, nice people and you would raise awesome kids.

  • Penny September 13, 2011, 9:12 pm

    Also, I’m intrigued by the idea of vegan pizza….though a little frightened too. 🙂 I would love to try it, but vegan pizza is not exactly a staple in Oklahoma. 🙂

  • kathleen @ the daily crumb September 13, 2011, 9:15 pm

    very intrigued by the vegan cheese… usually faux cheese products scare me away, but that looks pretty delicious!!

    hope the husband worked his magic powers on brittany 🙂

  • Holly @ The Runny Egg September 13, 2011, 9:16 pm

    Ok I would love to learn more about wine — please pass on your knowledge!

  • Lauren September 13, 2011, 9:18 pm

    Caitlin- Sorry I didn’t comment on your last post but I just wanted to tell you that I relate 1000%! I’m going through the exact same thing right now. 🙂 Good luck girl. I know you’ll made an incredible mom someday but the timing has to be right. You’ll know. 🙂 <3

  • maria @ Chasing the Now September 13, 2011, 9:19 pm

    After your wine-writing gig wraps up, I’d love to see a post more about wine!

  • Angela @ Eat Spin Run Repeat September 13, 2011, 9:24 pm

    Sounds like a fun freelance project! And a fun task while you’re not preggers or planning to be! 🙂 Although when that day finally does come, I know you’ll make an amazing mom!

  • Caitlin @ Cake with Love September 13, 2011, 9:36 pm

    Pizza, wine & chocolate = perfect dinner! I haven’t had acupuncture since I was ten, 14 years ago!!! But I have scheduled a session for tomorrow! I am very excited, as I really believe it has a ton of benefits!

  • Shaya (Eye Girl Eats) September 13, 2011, 9:36 pm

    Yes, perfect dinner for sure 🙂

  • Katie @ Peace Love and Oats September 13, 2011, 9:36 pm

    One of my goals is become more knowledgeable about wine – I also LOVE wine flights! I hate to pick one glass of wine and that’s it, whether I like it or not. With a flight I get to taste all different kinds! Much more fun that way. Ah and I miss Mellow Mushroom! I used to go there all the time when I was an undergrad in Charleston, SC! Miss that place…

  • Gina @ Running to the Kitchen September 13, 2011, 9:39 pm

    Would love to hear what you learned about wine. I’m just as clueless 🙂

  • Sweet and Savvy September 13, 2011, 9:47 pm

    That is some awesome research! 🙂 Glad you had a good night!

  • Ash @ Good Taste Healthy Me September 13, 2011, 9:54 pm

    ooo how fun! I’m totally clueless about wine – but I do like to drink it occasionally!

  • Suzanne September 13, 2011, 9:59 pm

    Yummy-sounds like a great night!

  • Renee September 13, 2011, 10:01 pm

    Awwwwww how cute is Brittany???

  • katie @ KatieDid September 13, 2011, 10:02 pm

    the opportunities through food blogging are awesome! And if I recall you got very sick from vegan cheese once, hope this time it settled better in your stomach for you! It looks delicious nonetheless.

  • Rosa - Fitness, Food, Fulfilled September 13, 2011, 10:04 pm

    What a great gig!
    I’ve been afraid to try the faux cheese too, just because most of them don’t melt correctly. I just need to bite the bullet!

  • Averie @ Love Veggies and Yoga September 13, 2011, 10:04 pm

    The first paragraph/second sentence is cut off…and I really want to hear what the rest of your thought is on that one! 🙂

  • Jess@atasteofconfidence September 13, 2011, 10:05 pm

    I love that brittany came in!

  • Molly @ RDexposed September 13, 2011, 10:18 pm

    Fun! Did you know there’s a sommelier of sorts in the beer world, too? Give that a whirl when the chance arises!

    Cheers!

  • Lu @ A Mix of it All September 13, 2011, 10:26 pm

    Good luck with the research for both the wine and for the family planning. I’ve always wondered about Daiya cheese. Glad to hear that it isn’t too bad.

  • Stephanie September 13, 2011, 10:29 pm

    Maybe you’ll be the next female sommelier! Or hey…maybe you could walk on the moon! That would make quite the blog post…

    • CaitlinHTP September 14, 2011, 7:39 am

      haha i think walking on the moon is more likely!

  • Sarah September 13, 2011, 10:43 pm

    I was able to try Mellow Mushroom on a trip about a month ago, and now I’m in love! And I want one near me!

  • Katy (The Singing Runner) September 13, 2011, 10:53 pm

    Um a freelance article on wine? Sounds PERFECT to me! 😉

  • Mary @ Bites and Bliss September 13, 2011, 11:08 pm

    My goodness- she’s about to pop!

  • Jen September 13, 2011, 11:08 pm

    Daiya is the best vegan cheese I’ve tried. Being a dairy cheese eater, I much prefer the real thing to any overly processed faux cheese, but Daiya is impressive! The ingredients aren’t bad, and it has a neat flavor and texture.

    By the way, I’m liking the braid! Oh, and your friend Brittany looks like she’s about to burst. I mean that in a happy and exciting way. Best wishes to her! 🙂

  • M September 13, 2011, 11:10 pm
    • CaitlinHTP September 14, 2011, 7:42 am

      OMGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG Edward looks so scared at the end!!!! cannot wait.

  • Rachel September 14, 2011, 12:02 am

    Wow, that GF crust looks ah-mazing!

    I’m an “equal opportunity” wine drinker too! Red, white, rose… I don’t discriminate! 😉

  • Lizz @ Leading the Good Life September 14, 2011, 12:29 am

    not a bad day’s work!

  • Kate September 14, 2011, 12:39 am

    Speaking of research, I was curious about the link between acupuncture and labor induction. I did a quick lit search, and the most recent randomized controlled clinical trials indicate that acupuncture is no more effective for inducing labor than no intervention or “sham” treatment. Do you know of any recent literature that speaks to the contrary?

    • CaitlinHTP September 14, 2011, 7:42 am

      I’ll have to ask the Hus!

  • Corrie Anne September 14, 2011, 12:39 am

    Research is so fun, huh??!! 🙂 I love it. That looks like BROCCOLI on the pizza. I love broccoli! My husband was not pleased when I showed him the picture because I’m always trying to sneak it in his meals too. Don’t mess with his pizza! Lol.

  • Khushboo September 14, 2011, 1:27 am

    That’s awesome that they have the option of gluten-free crusts and vegan cheese- very welcoming to all kinds of customers!

  • Hillary September 14, 2011, 7:07 am

    I want your job ; )

  • The Teenage Taste September 14, 2011, 7:08 am

    Sounds like a perfect writing gig! Dinner looks fab! 🙂

  • Chelsea @ One Healthy Munchkin September 14, 2011, 7:47 am

    Ooh what a fun opportunity. Getting to drink wine for “research” sounds like my kind of job! 😉

  • Amy Q September 14, 2011, 8:37 am

    There will NEVER be a perfect time to have a baby. And the blissful joy of parenting outweighs the hard work by one hundred thousand fold. If you think parenting is easy, you’re probably doing it wrong. I mean, how easy is it to walk around with your heart outside your body? Because that’s what it’s like to be a mom. Wouldn’t trade it for anyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyything.

  • Becky @ Fit Chick on the Fly September 14, 2011, 8:45 am

    Pizza, Wine, & Chocolate sounds like my kinda night! I’m shocked to hear that the little wine pump that sucks all the air out doesn’t even work. Dang thing had me tricked for sure! Thanks for the insight 🙂

  • Tiff @ Love Sweat and Beers September 14, 2011, 8:56 am

    What an awesome assignment! I know I’m a beer girl and all, but not much beats a really good glass of wine.

  • Alex @ Raw Recovery September 14, 2011, 9:42 am

    Acupuncture definitely helped my cousin when she was overdue by 2 weeks. The pizza, wine, and chocolate looks amazing. No better combination. Ok, maybe a little ice cream would be good too.

  • Janie September 14, 2011, 9:45 am

    Hi! I took a beverages class in grad school (at 9am go figure…), and our ‘textbook’ was Wine For Dummies. It was actually awesome and I highly recommend it for the novice wine-o!

    xoxo

  • Jessica @ FitChickWannaBe.com September 14, 2011, 10:21 am

    Those. chocolates. look. amazing.

  • Ashley September 14, 2011, 10:55 am

    Vegan and gluten free pizza?! Jealous!

  • Amber K September 14, 2011, 12:49 pm

    I tried Daiya once, but it tasted like Velveeta to me. Really weird. Maybe I need to try the mozzarella kind?

    I recently found a wine I like the taste of, but I don’t think white zinfandel is exactly approved of by wine people. lol But every single other kind I’ve tried just tasted like rotten grapes.

  • Rebecca @ How the Cookie's Crumble September 14, 2011, 1:37 pm

    Yummy! So good to know that Mellow Mushroom has gluten free pizza!

  • Ashley @ Cooking for John September 14, 2011, 3:49 pm

    Yummm pizza! I love Daiya- so stretchy!!

  • Sophie @ threetimesf September 14, 2011, 5:50 pm

    Woop, that sounds like a great job!!

  • JenATX September 14, 2011, 8:57 pm

    “equal opportunity drinker” haha I like that…. at the top of my travel wishes is to go wine tasting. In case you are ever passing through central Texas, there is actually a lot of nice wine country here in a place called Fredricksburg.

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