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Quiet nights at home can be precious. It was a Thursday and it seemed like a good day to catch up on some Showtime and relax at the end of a long week of work, before the insanity of the weekend to come.  Before I settled down on the couch I realized something was missing. I needed a cookie. It was baking time.

I pulled some unsalted butter out of the fridge and popped it in the microwave. I threw the softened butter in a mixing bowl, added some sugar, and we were off. As the electric mixer went to work, I realized something wasn’t right. I looked around the kitchen, and there it was, a bottle of the 2009 Idle Merlot. It was looking at me, “You know you want me”.  Damn right I did. I popped the cork and let her breathe.

I put the last touches on the cookie dough by adding in the chocolate chips and spooned the dough out onto the baking tray.  I poured a glass of the Merlot and toasted myself on a job well done. The sweet smell of the wine hit my nose and I took a sip. The round body of the peppery fruit hit my lips and made a perfect compliment to the spoonfuls of salty-sweet cookie dough that ended up in my mouth as I ‘cleaned’ the mixing bowl. 

It was the perfect idle night, dipping freshly baked chocolate chip cookies in Merlot and wondering if Dexter will ever really learn how to love.