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If you have been following The Good Life you will certainly remember hearing from one of my favorite guests Rick Rodgers. Rick has been on the program more than anyone else and it’s usually this time of year. Why you say? Rick is truly Mr. Thanksgiving and Mr. Christmas. He has produced some of the most widely used holiday books and continues to dazzle the kitchen world with amazing recipes, not only in his own books but on those that he co-authors.
From his web site, www.rickrodgers.com:
Through his work as a food writer, cookbook author and ghostwriter, cooking teacher, and media guest chef, Rick Rodgers reaches countless cooks every day. He is the author of over forty cookbooks on a wide range of subjects including the bestsellersThanksgiving 101 andFondue, IACP Cookbook Award winner The Chelsea Market Cookbook, and nominees Kaffeehaus andThe Carefree Cook. Arbiter of culinary taste Williams-Sonoma has chosen Rick to write a dozen titles in their various cookbook lines. His recipes have also appeared in Food and Wine, Cooking Light, Fine Cooking, Bon Appétit, and literally dozens of his creations are onepicurious.com. Rick is known for his behind-the-scenes work on other people’s cookbooks, providing everything from recipe testing to writing to editing.
Rick Rodgers has taught numerous classes on Thanksgiving, Christmas and other holiday meals and is the author of the best-selling Thanksgiving 101 and Christmas 101. Not surprising, as Rick is one of the busiest and most versatile people in the food business.We’ll talk about the holidays and cooking, but it will really be a chance to hear “This is Your Life…Rick Rodgers!”
In the second half I’ll be talking to Lisa Williams, the gal behind Milk & Honey Candles; Small batch, hand-poured, soy wax candles have a long burn time and are crafted with eco-friendly materials & beautiful phthalate-free fragrance. www.milkandhoneycandles.com
Lisa Says: “My passion for candles goes back to childhood. I always wanted all the candles lit in the house because I loved the soft glow and warm ambience they created. For years now, candle making has been a hobby. With much enthusiasm, I was excited to announce Milk + Honey Candles was officially in business in June of 2013. Something that I have always envisioned but never had to the time to pursue until now. It brings me great joy to share my craft and love for pairing candle making and aromatherapy.
Lisa making candles right here in the flat lands of Kansas
In my home the fragrances I blend take me to a moment in time that is symbolic and reminiscent of the past. Styling your home with a signature fragrance is warm and inviting. Mixed with your personal decor style, a fragrant scent can bring the atmosphere to a new level. This is why soy candles are so wonderful; their scent throw fills your home and will last for hours. I invite you to try my aromatic natural soy candles and look forward to hearing from you about your experience.”
Warmest Wishes,
Lisa Williams
Good Life Guy’s Wine of the Week:
NV Veuve Clicquot
The predominance of Pinot Noir provides the structure that is so typically Clicquot, while a touch of Pinot Meunier rounds out the blend. Chardonnay adds the elegance and finesse essential in a perfectly balanced wine. Well-knit and balanced, with vibrant acidity framing hints of blackberry, white cherry, biscuit, honey and candied lemon zest. Offers a lightly smoky finish. Wine Enthusiast & Wine Spectator both – 90 points!
This would be a great celebratory bottle for the Thanksgiving Table…pick up some at Jacob Liquor Exchange
At Handley Cellars, we offer a wide variety of wines that complement today’s diverse cuisines. Winemaker Milla Handley seeks to make balanced wines that possess distinctive varietal characteristics, wines that reflect the soil and climate in which they were grown.
Established in 2012, Glen Ellen Star is the culmination of a decade-long dream by Chef Ari Weiswasser and his wife Erinn Benziger-Weiswasser. Resembling a quaint farmhouse while invoking a rural and rustic feeling of California wine country, Glen Ellen Star is a taste of both local and international flavors. It is the Weiswassers’ mission to create an inviting, neighborhood-friendly restaurant that consistently exceeds expectations. Ari has worked at New York’s Restaurant Daniel, Picholine, and Paul Liebrandt’s Corton, where he served as Chef de Cuisine. He also had a long stint at The French Laundry in Yountville, CA. 
I’ll be talking to Kathleen Inman of Inman family winery. “Established in 2000 with the planting of our organically farmed Olivet Grange Vineyard, Inman Family Wines is the result of Kathleen Inman’s love of Pinot Noir and the soil that produces it.
The vineyard project began in 1991 with Lester ordering two dozen dormant rootstocks. When these initial plantings proved successful, Linda enrolled in the Viticulture Program at Santa Rosa Junior College in Sonoma County and attended classes at U.C. Davis. Linda discovered she had a green thumb and an affinity for heavy machinery. She bought an old backhoe, a bulldozer and other heavy equipment and, with Lester as the operator, they decided to plant a test vineyard with 16 different varieties, three different trellis systems, assorted clones and different rootstocks. After four years, they concluded that the area was ideal for growing Pinot Noir and Chardonnay and in 1994 began installing the first seven vineyard blocks. Fort Ross Vineyard strives to produce wine of purity and elegance that reflects the cool maritime climate and challenging terroir of the steep Sonoma Coast Ridges. 
The coastal wines of Fort Ross Winery! 🙂
This Chardonnay is made from a quartet of cool, Sonoma County vineyards. Three are perched on Sonoma Mountain and influenced by cool ocean breezes, rocky soils, and high elevation. The fourth is a Russian River Valley property bearing 30+ year old vines that grow a wine both rich and mineral in texture. From its engaging nose of raw vanilla beans, apple crisp and fresh pear, to its lemon zest and precise palate, Nancie is a noble Chardonnay that remains food friendly and thought provoking all at once. WA94 eRobertParker #216
This rugged parcel perched high above Knights Valley produces a masculine Syrah. Aged for 20 months in 43% new French oak, with minimal whole-cluster inclusion, the 2012 Obsidian commands attention with its seriously volcanic nose that delivers aromas of wet stone, raw leather and gunpowder. The mid-palate supports flavors of roasted coffee bean, sarsaparilla and dark chocolate. The finish marches on long after most wines have tired. WA97 eRobertParker.com #216
If you made a trail of popcorn from New York City to Los Angeles, you would need more than 352,028,160 popped kernels.
ABOUT THE BOOK: Scouring the countryside, Chef Craig Priebe, highlights stellar examples, including a white bean puree, asparagus, and Parmesan pie from Seattle’s “Serious Pie”, a squash blossom and burrata selection from Los Angeles’ “Pizzeria Mozza”, a red onion, rosemary, and pistachio pie from the legendary “Pizzeria Bianco” in Phoenix, along with an exceptional crawfish étouffé pizza from none other than the “Louisiana Pizza Kitchen”. Also included are the blueprints for every type of dough imaginable (from Sicilian and sourdough to New York and gluten-free), a range of adaptable base sauces, and an address book for all the pizzerias featured. The United States of Pizza shows that the country is not so much a melting pot, but a giant pie bubbling over with a fabulously diverse array of creative flavorings.
Experience a wine as rich, soft and elegant as red velvet. The Red Velvet blend delivers over-the-top aromas of chocolate, deep dark blackberries and luscious red fruits that follow through to the palate. Finish with a hint of coconut and creamy mocha that shows unmistakable intensity and length. Red Velvet combines Zinfandel, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite Sirah. Each varietal adds distinct characteristics and lends structure, aroma and depth of flavor. We ferment each varietal separately before blending. Finally, a unique oak regime infuses creaminess. ABV13.5%