If you love anchovies, this is the dish for you. We've been searching for new ways to cook some of our favorite veggies. The winter is coming and veggies can tend to get boring when you can't just go to the farmers market and pick up the best tasting freshest stuff. We had some leftover salted anchovies from Collin's birthday dinner so I decided to give this recipe a go. It is fabulous, and super easy.
1/2 head of cauliflower
2 anchovies packed in salt rinsed and diced
2 cloves of garlic minced
2-4 tbsp olive oil
1. Cut the cauliflower into large-ish pieces (to prevent over cooking and falling apart) and steam for about 20 minutes or until al dente.
2. In the meantime, cook garlic and anchovies in olive oil until anchovies begin to break down. I think this took about five minutes.
3. When the cauliflower is done, toss in the anchovy/garlic mixture. Salt and pepper to taste. You won't need to much salt thanks to the anchovies.
Sunday
Restaraunt Review: Anodyne Roasting Company
A couple of days ago we decided to check out one of the seemingly hundreds of local roasters in Milwaukee. Anodyne is conveniently located a block away from our house, so we decided to start there. We picked up a pound of Ethiopian Harar, and while we were waiting in line, couldn't help but notice their enticing menu. The menu is full of coffee house-esque light breakfast and lunch selections, and a large selection for vegetarians and homemade waffles. With a vegetarian mother(in-law) coming in to town at the end of the week and a waffle fanatic in the family, we decided to come back and check out the food then.
What we got-The Heidi on Rye
Waffles with syrup
The Spinach Mushroom pie, Grits scallion cake and biscuit platter.
How was everything? Fantastic. The Heidi was a cold sandwich with lettuce, tomato, sprouts, swiss cheese, Anodyne's house made almond spread. It was served with tortilla chips from El
Rey, boasting the best tortilla chips in town. The sandwich was great, like a salad between two pieces of really good bread. The cheese comes from Glorioso's Italian grocery, down the street. The almond paste was fantastic and I have to figure out the recipe.
The waffle was fantastic. Collin got his plain, but you can get them with the works: walnuts, bananas, syrup and butter. The waffle was made with a hearty batter, but not dense at all. It was super flavorful with cinnamon and nutmeg. It was perfect, not greasy, or two thick. I generally have issues with calling a waffle a meal but this one was for sure.
The spinach mushroom pie and grit cake platter was a ton of food. The grit cake was made with white (hominy) grits. It has celery and scallions in it making it reminiscent of thanksgiving stuffing, drool. the spinach and mushroom pie was a creamy blend off spinach and cheese and the mushrooms added a nice texture and meaty appeal. The cheese biscuit was heavenly, seeing as how I don't think we've had a decent biscuit since we've been here, or any biscuit at all. And don't get me started on how difficult it is to find grits around here.
We had coffee and tea. Their coffee is really good, my favorite since we've been here. I got a glass of Rishi white tea rose melange that was beautiful, rose blooms and white tea spooned into individual tea bags to order, with a wonderful perfume and hint of mint. It was heavenly.
The whole meal ran us about 20 bucks, including tip which made it perfect for an affordable breakfast or lunch on the go. The atmosphere was very relaxed. It's a no smoking facility which is appreciated. As we were leaving it had begun to fill up but was still very low key, and quiet.
The service was friendly and fast. (I ordered off the lunch menu before they actually served lunch but they made me a sandwich anyway.)
We enjoyed it a ton. It got our mom's seal of approval too which was nice. Nice mix of people, good tea and coffee, quality affordable food and good dub reggae, what more can you ask for.
Anodyne Roasters
1208 E. Brady St
Milwaukee WI 53202
(414) 276-8081
Monday
Birthday Dinner: Clams in Tomato Broth and Caesar Salad with Homemade Dressing
Well, here I am, making a conscious effort to post more often. (Really, I have just been scrubbing down this salvaged table and I am trying to find something else "productive" to get me away from that mess.) So Collin had a birthday, one of those pesky mid-week birthdays, that makes it kind of tricky to celebrate. So in order to lighten the blow of him having to work on the 30th anniversary of the day of his birth, I made him dinner. I have been craving clams for a while, and since I was cooking, that's what we went with.
Clams in Tomato Broth
2 lbs of Little Neck Clams
2 lbs of Italian plum tomatoes peeled, seeded and chopped ( I cheated and used canned)
1 Tbsp Anchovies packed in salt, chopped
2 Tbsp Garlic chopped
2 Tbsp parsley chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbsp cream
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1. Soak the clams in cold water for 15 minutes to help remove sand
2. Place clams in a skillet over medium high heat and cook for 5 minutes. Discard any clams that do not open. Remove clams from skillet and reserve broth. (It's surprising how much liquid comes out of these clams)
3. Heat Olive oil, parsley, garlic, and anchovies in skillet over medium heat, stirring continuously for 5-7 minutes.
4. Add tomatoes, clams and broth and continue cooking for another 10 minutes.
5. Remove from heat and stir in cream.
6. Serve with slices of crusty bread (or linguine, like we did)
Caesar Dressing
1 Anchovy Fillet Chopped
2 Eggs
4 Tbsp Olive Oil
3/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese
1 Clove Garlic
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
1. Cut garlic in half, rub around the inside of salad bowl and discard.
2. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Poke a small hole in the broad end of each egg. Drop into boiling water and let cook for 60-90 seconds. Remove immediately.
3. Crack eggs into garlic rubbed salad bowl,making sure to scrape out the whites on the inside of the shells. Beat eggs, slowly add in olive oil, anchovy, and lemon juice. Stir in Parmesan cheese salt and pepper to taste. I like lots of cracked pepper in the dressing.
4. Toss with lettuce and croutons if you like. Sprinkle more cheese over salad and serve immediately.
Personally, I think that Caesar dressing is to greasy, so I cut out quite a bit of the olive oil, just adding enough so that the dressing began to thicken up a bit and it was perfect.
The clams and dressing both turned out perfectly. It was one of the best meals that we have had in a long time and it got us super excited about cooking again. It's nice to have a decent selection of seafood at our finger tips here. It keeps that cooking morale high.
Clams in Tomato Broth2 lbs of Little Neck Clams
2 lbs of Italian plum tomatoes peeled, seeded and chopped ( I cheated and used canned)
1 Tbsp Anchovies packed in salt, chopped
2 Tbsp Garlic chopped
2 Tbsp parsley chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbsp cream
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1. Soak the clams in cold water for 15 minutes to help remove sand
2. Place clams in a skillet over medium high heat and cook for 5 minutes. Discard any clams that do not open. Remove clams from skillet and reserve broth. (It's surprising how much liquid comes out of these clams)
3. Heat Olive oil, parsley, garlic, and anchovies in skillet over medium heat, stirring continuously for 5-7 minutes.
4. Add tomatoes, clams and broth and continue cooking for another 10 minutes.
5. Remove from heat and stir in cream.
6. Serve with slices of crusty bread (or linguine, like we did)
Caesar Dressing
1 Anchovy Fillet Chopped
2 Eggs
4 Tbsp Olive Oil
3/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese
1 Clove Garlic
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
1. Cut garlic in half, rub around the inside of salad bowl and discard.
2. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Poke a small hole in the broad end of each egg. Drop into boiling water and let cook for 60-90 seconds. Remove immediately.
3. Crack eggs into garlic rubbed salad bowl,making sure to scrape out the whites on the inside of the shells. Beat eggs, slowly add in olive oil, anchovy, and lemon juice. Stir in Parmesan cheese salt and pepper to taste. I like lots of cracked pepper in the dressing.
4. Toss with lettuce and croutons if you like. Sprinkle more cheese over salad and serve immediately.
Personally, I think that Caesar dressing is to greasy, so I cut out quite a bit of the olive oil, just adding enough so that the dressing began to thicken up a bit and it was perfect.
The clams and dressing both turned out perfectly. It was one of the best meals that we have had in a long time and it got us super excited about cooking again. It's nice to have a decent selection of seafood at our finger tips here. It keeps that cooking morale high.
Thursday
Reasons we love Milwaukee: Grocery Edition
We are finally getting settled in. I lie, we've been settled in, and we've been quite busy getting to know our little area in Milwaukee. The biggest perk to our location is how "in the city" we are. We are walking or cycling distance to almost everything we have wanted to do and see so far. The second biggest perk to our location might be the close proximity to the lake, but it might also be the million and fifty diverse groceries/bakeries/sausageries (NEW WORD!) we are so close to. Did I mention how close we are to everything.I guess I'll start with the place we frequent the most, Koppa's. Koppa's is a family run Polish grocery store/deli/Atari arcade...yes, you can play some free Atari while shopping or waiting for your sammich from the Fulbeli Deli. They're the corner store with the most and have everything you could possibly need to keep yourself from having to run anywhere else. We take a walk there almost nightly for wine, but have yet to even try the deli with a giant list of some tasty looking sammiches!
Next up is Glorioso's, around since 1946, and serving the needs of anyone looking for specialty Italian foods. According to the lady running the meat/olive/prepared foods counter, they do all their own olive curing and sausage and cheese making. There is a huge meat and cheese selection, and a wine selection that has got us hooked on Italian wines. Anchovies packed in salt, olive oils and vinegars out the whazoo and some of the friendliest folks behind the scenes that we have met since moving here. Glorioso's is another one of our short walks to get wine. They are on to us though, and after welcoming us to the neighborhood the other night, informed us that they DID sell more than JUST wine.
Moving on to my secret get away. It's not so secret, but every time I walk in the door I am teleported to LaLa Land, this really cushy, warm, smell goody place in my head, The Spice House. This is the original Penzey's Spices, started in 1957 by Ruth and Bill Penzey and carried on by their daughter Patty and her husband Tom Erd.(Noticing the trend of family run businesses, I love it!) This place is housed in a building that 150 years old and was a German bakery/apartment originally. It's located on Old World Third street and seriously, stepping through the door is like walking into a fairy tale. Not that you need to step through the door, because you can smell the spices out in the street. All of their spices are very fresh and reasonably priced, because The Spice House is the source and you don't get all that extra costs for shipping (or the Penzey's Spice label) tacked on.
Across the street is Usinger's. Usinger's is a family owned (big surprise) and run operation that has been around since 1880. 1880!!! They offer over 70 varieties of sausage that they make themselves. We weren't big sausage eaters when we moved here, but that has changed rather quickly. Their brats are fantastic! The decor consists of wood carvings of elves (or are they gnomes) and lots of football stuff (we may have made the switch to sausage lovers but I don't think the football thing will ever catch on). They've got a seconds table (those funny shaped sausages that just didn't make the cut) that has the best deals on the face of the planet. Really, who cares if you've got a bumpy wiener?
There are tons of other places that we haven't even touched on. An Italian bakery, a handful of co-ops, The Milwaukee Public Market, that will be getting a whole post all to itself, farmer's markets, a fantastic Pick n'Save Metro Market (the BEST run of the mill grocery I have ever seen), as well as several other groceries in other neighborhoods that we haven't even been to visit yet.
This place is a food and wine lovers dream. There is wine in every grocery, and thus far, the selection seems to vary greatly from grocery to grocery. There is good, quality food every where you turn. And the best part really is, it's all so affordable and accessible. The love for food and wine in this city is not pretentious. Good food isn't this new trend here. Good food isn't treated like something that needs its own organizations and meetings. Good food is backed by a family name and pride in the craft of making quality food. Good food is tradition, the way it should be.
Monday
Good Grief
Nothing published since August! We've been crazy busy. We're in a new city now, and our foodie fire has been reignited.
Saturday we went to a Sausage Fest (far more enjoyable than it sounds) thrown by a local grocery store, Koppa's Farwell Foods and Fulbeli Deli. Besides having some wicked sausage, they have an Atari station set up in the store complete with tacky vintage furniture and wall paper. To top it off, THEY DELIVER BEER AND WINE!!!!!!!!!!!! (not that we need it, they are about five blocks from our house) Fabulous!
With a million new things to see, sip, taste, and hear you will be hearing more from us, promise.
Herb & Cheese Angel Hair Fritatta
The other day we were craving a lite lunch that would be quick to prepare but also a lunch that was tasty & satisfying. I was struck by the memory of a recipe I read in Pasta Verde by Judith Barrett not too long ago. Carnivores beware this is a vegetarian cookbook & of course a meat free dish.
We have since given up our vegetarian experiment, but we still enjoy having many veggie meals. It is so easy to fall into a veggie-centric eating pattern this time of year, with the local produce being as fresh & delicious as it is. Plus, who really wants to be weighed down with a steak or any heavy meat dish in the middle of the day anyway?
Here is our version of the dish (adapted for two & using what we had on hand).
6 oz. angel hair pasta
salt
2 large eggs
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil, chives & parsley
4 oz. shredded fontina cheese
1/4 cup finely minced onion
butter
olive oil
First boil your pasta in salted water until firm al dente. Drain & rinse with cold water. Lightly beat eggs then add cooked pasta, ,herbs & cheese. toss thoroughly. Heat oil & butter in frying pan until bubbling subsides & scoop pasta mixture into the pan & spread in an even layer. Cook for 10-15 minutes until bottom is golden brown & then flip & remove when the other side is done. garnish with shredded parmesan.
We enjoyed this with a nice "farmers market" salad with mesclun, fresh peaches, tomatoes, & balsamic vinegar. As much as hate sauvignon blanc I have to admit this would go excellently with one, particularly a Bordeaux blanc, known for their assertive acidity.
We have since given up our vegetarian experiment, but we still enjoy having many veggie meals. It is so easy to fall into a veggie-centric eating pattern this time of year, with the local produce being as fresh & delicious as it is. Plus, who really wants to be weighed down with a steak or any heavy meat dish in the middle of the day anyway?
Here is our version of the dish (adapted for two & using what we had on hand).
First boil your pasta in salted water until firm al dente. Drain & rinse with cold water. Lightly beat eggs then add cooked pasta, ,herbs & cheese. toss thoroughly. Heat oil & butter in frying pan until bubbling subsides & scoop pasta mixture into the pan & spread in an even layer. Cook for 10-15 minutes until bottom is golden brown & then flip & remove when the other side is done. garnish with shredded parmesan.
We enjoyed this with a nice "farmers market" salad with mesclun, fresh peaches, tomatoes, & balsamic vinegar. As much as hate sauvignon blanc I have to admit this would go excellently with one, particularly a Bordeaux blanc, known for their assertive acidity.Cupcakes <3
Seven Things
Ahhhhh.....Finally some internet access (still not at home though). We are finally settled in the new place but still have lots of work to do, but everything is coming together.
About a month ago the Squirrels tagged us to participate in 'Seven Things About Us' where you are supposed divulge seven random factoids about yourself. Laura has already made her list so here is mine.
1.) I just had a 6 week foray into vegetarianism (well, I ate seafood) & enjoyed it a lot. I don't think I will make it a part of my lifestyle for good but I definitely don't think I will go back to eating meat as much as I did before the experiment.
2.) I used to HATE tomatoes...HATE THEM. Now....I can't get enough. I LOVE THEM. I have been enjoying every ripe 'mater I get my grubby little hands on. I especially like getting the heirloom's from the guys from Mississippi at the Memphis Farmer's Market. I can't explain the sudden change but I am embracing it.
3.) I have had Crohn's Disease for most of my life. What irony for a foodie & wine lover, huh?
4.) I want to quit my job to go back to school to study foreign languages (Spanish & French).
5.) Despite being in the business, I do not own a television.
6.) I started eating jalapeños whole at age 5 & have loved (very)spicy food ever since.
7.) I eloped (sorta...) with Laura to get married in Vegas (sorta...) 3 years ago on the year's Summer Solstice. We got hitched with our families there with us, outside of Las Vegas at the top of Bootleg Canyon, where after a champagne toast, we rode down the canyon on our mountain bikes. Our "reception" was hanging at the pool at the Hard Rock all day afterwards & then dining at Nobu. Best. Day. Ever.
About a month ago the Squirrels tagged us to participate in 'Seven Things About Us' where you are supposed divulge seven random factoids about yourself. Laura has already made her list so here is mine.
1.) I just had a 6 week foray into vegetarianism (well, I ate seafood) & enjoyed it a lot. I don't think I will make it a part of my lifestyle for good but I definitely don't think I will go back to eating meat as much as I did before the experiment.
2.) I used to HATE tomatoes...HATE THEM. Now....I can't get enough. I LOVE THEM. I have been enjoying every ripe 'mater I get my grubby little hands on. I especially like getting the heirloom's from the guys from Mississippi at the Memphis Farmer's Market. I can't explain the sudden change but I am embracing it.
3.) I have had Crohn's Disease for most of my life. What irony for a foodie & wine lover, huh?
4.) I want to quit my job to go back to school to study foreign languages (Spanish & French).
5.) Despite being in the business, I do not own a television.
6.) I started eating jalapeños whole at age 5 & have loved (very)spicy food ever since.
7.) I eloped (sorta...) with Laura to get married in Vegas (sorta...) 3 years ago on the year's Summer Solstice. We got hitched with our families there with us, outside of Las Vegas at the top of Bootleg Canyon, where after a champagne toast, we rode down the canyon on our mountain bikes. Our "reception" was hanging at the pool at the Hard Rock all day afterwards & then dining at Nobu. Best. Day. Ever.
Tuesday
Stay tuned...
We have recently moved & are without internet access, but rest assured we will be connected in no time. We have lots of posts to catch up on, so stay tuned!
-Collin & Laura
-Collin & Laura
Wednesday
Garlic Harvest
We are moving at the end of the month so we have been digging up any & everything to transfer to our new yard. Last weekend I figured I would dig our garlic up & see what it was looking like. I was surprised to how much it had grown. A few stalks were even as tall as Laura. We even had a few monstrous full heads as well as a nice cache of young garlic, all this despite the fact that we had no idea what we were doing.
We got the 'seeds' (I am sure that is not the proper term but I am not sure what the are really called) from Laura's Grandmother's sister about three years ago when we moved into our ,then, new house. She has since passed away, but her garlic still grew.
I love plants like this that have a history & are passed from person to person & generation to generation. While unearthing the garlic I collected the 'seeds' & had enough to give to our friends & neighbors The Squirrel Squad, my Mom in Florida & enough to plant at our new house. I am sure Laura's Great-Aunt would be proud to know her crop of garlic is going to be perpetuating for sometime now & in two states.
If you have never had fresh, young garlic you should hunt some down pronto. I have seen quite a bit at the Memphis Farmers Market. Young garlic has such a different flavor than the dried cloves you get at the super market. It is mild with no bite & full of flavor. It is so mild, you could even eat it raw. Since we have so much we are trying our hand at drying a few heads. We will let you know how they turn out when ready. But until then, if you like garlic (what foodie doesn't?!) you owe it to yourself to get your hands on some fresh young garlic.
We got the 'seeds' (I am sure that is not the proper term but I am not sure what the are really called) from Laura's Grandmother's sister about three years ago when we moved into our ,then, new house. She has since passed away, but her garlic still grew.I love plants like this that have a history & are passed from person to person & generation to generation. While unearthing the garlic I collected the 'seeds' & had enough to give to our friends & neighbors The Squirrel Squad, my Mom in Florida & enough to plant at our new house. I am sure Laura's Great-Aunt would be proud to know her crop of garlic is going to be perpetuating for sometime now & in two states.
If you have never had fresh, young garlic you should hunt some down pronto. I have seen quite a bit at the Memphis Farmers Market. Young garlic has such a different flavor than the dried cloves you get at the super market. It is mild with no bite & full of flavor. It is so mild, you could even eat it raw. Since we have so much we are trying our hand at drying a few heads. We will let you know how they turn out when ready. But until then, if you like garlic (what foodie doesn't?!) you owe it to yourself to get your hands on some fresh young garlic.
Thursday
What the World Eats
During my morning blog round-up I stumbled across this super interesting photo-essay from Time magazine, on Green L.A. Girl's blog. The subject of the essay is 16 families from around the world, what they eat weekly, and how much is costs them. The photos are from the book Hungry Planet: What the World Eats by Peter Menzel and Faith D'Aluisio (which I now have to get my hands on). The book basically chronicles what the world eats and explores global forces that are affecting diets around
the world, or something along those lines. It also gives a detailed breakdown of the food that each family eats so that you don't have to spend all morning scrutinizing the pictures, like I have (Do those Sicilians eat a lot of persimmons, or are those just really persimmon colored tomatoes?) Prepare for a full review once I get my hands on it.
Anyway, I absolutely love pictures, especially pictures that capture culture. Since food, and foodways are fundamental elements of culture, a whole pictorial essay of how people eat is bound to get me a little excited (an inner-anthropological-dork glow if you will.)
So here is the essay.......right here. I am most intrigued by the disparity between the African family living in a refugee camp who spend approximately $1.23 a week on food and the German family that spend over $500 dollars a week on food (mmmmm, beer). And please don't get me started on the lack of vegetables in the U.K. family's and the U.S. family's weekly stash. And Jesus H, some cultures really like their frickin' Coke. And can I just, for a second, point out the STRONG correlation between a higher processed foods and boxed meals content and larger grocery bills (juice and Hamburger Helper ain't cheap, eat your grains). But I digress. Check the essay out. It's interesting, especially if you are like me and thoroughly enjoy grocery day because you get to visually pick apart baskets in the check out line, just to see how other people eat.
the world, or something along those lines. It also gives a detailed breakdown of the food that each family eats so that you don't have to spend all morning scrutinizing the pictures, like I have (Do those Sicilians eat a lot of persimmons, or are those just really persimmon colored tomatoes?) Prepare for a full review once I get my hands on it.Anyway, I absolutely love pictures, especially pictures that capture culture. Since food, and foodways are fundamental elements of culture, a whole pictorial essay of how people eat is bound to get me a little excited (an inner-anthropological-dork glow if you will.)
So here is the essay.......right here. I am most intrigued by the disparity between the African family living in a refugee camp who spend approximately $1.23 a week on food and the German family that spend over $500 dollars a week on food (mmmmm, beer). And please don't get me started on the lack of vegetables in the U.K. family's and the U.S. family's weekly stash. And Jesus H, some cultures really like their frickin' Coke. And can I just, for a second, point out the STRONG correlation between a higher processed foods and boxed meals content and larger grocery bills (juice and Hamburger Helper ain't cheap, eat your grains). But I digress. Check the essay out. It's interesting, especially if you are like me and thoroughly enjoy grocery day because you get to visually pick apart baskets in the check out line, just to see how other people eat.
Tuesday
New Orleans Wine and Food Experience: The Seminars
We had the fortune of being able to catch the whole five day extravaganza this time around for NOWFE. I was excited because the meant that I would get to go to as many seminars as I could handle. And we did.
In true New Orleans fashion, our first seminar, sparkling rose's started at 9.30 in the morning. And what a lovely way to start off the day. Six different sparkling rose's presented by Ziggy the Wine Gal, some farm fresh Vitner's cheese and rose petal jelly from Sheana Davis at the Epicurean Connection that is to die for. (I've got the recipe somewhere). My favorite was the Taittinger Prestige Cuvee'. I think Collin liked the Moet Chandon Rose' Imperial.
After swooning over the cheese at the Rose' seminar, I had to learn more about the Epicurean Connection so we headed over the the seminar on Sonoma Wines and Food. My favorite cheese lady, Sheana Davis was back with cheese and compotes to match with some killer wines from Sonoma county. I love these seminars because I love to hear the wine makers talk about their wines, and I like hearing people talk about things that they are really passionate about, especially if it is something I enjoy too.
The last seminar we hit up on Friday before the Grand Tasting was the Malbec seminar. Eight different Argentinian malbecs for us to try. I thoroughly enjoyed this seminar. The wine makers brought some fantastic (and pricey) wines to show off. But the reason I love malbec so is that you can buy a 8 dollar bottle and be in wine heaven. Frankly, for the price, I was a little put off by some of the wines showcased.
Saturday we were not so aggressive in our seminar-ing escapades. We attended the rabbit seminar first thing. This was hands down, my favorite seminar. Chef's from local restaurants prepared signature rabbit dishes from their menus and then talked about their favorite ways to prepare rabbit. I don't even remember where the wines came from. If you haven't had the chance to try rabbit, DO IT. It was lovely, white meat that is lower in fat than chicken, turkey, pork and duck. We had it stewed (in a chicken and dumplings type dish that was amazing), rabbit terrine, rabbit salad and gumbo. Tablas Creek wines were poured & the whole line up they brought all complimented the dishes in their own way. Ah, rabbit and wine for breakfast, can't beat it.
The final seminar we attended was the Blind Tasting Tactics seminar. I was crazy about this seminar too. I love tasting wine but don't have the vocabulary to describe what I am tasting. (This is why most of my tasting notes read something along the lines of "tastes like rubber, you know that rubber taste that you get from sucking out of the garden hose, that taste. Kicks you in the back of the throat, it's that big. That is one sassy wine", and on and on). This seminar was helpful because it really helped me identify some of the things I was tasting in a wine and the origin of those tastes (ie. what acidity really is and where the tannins come into play.) There was also useful information about characteristics in wine in regards to the geography of the vineyard. At the end of the seminar, our host tasted a wine blind for us to see if she could use her skill to tell what the wine was, and where it was from. After years of training her palate, she couldn't guess the type of wine or the origin. It made me feel a little better about my rookie wine tasting abilities.
And there you have it. Seminars in a nutshell. There were many more to choose from but we couldn't possibly attended all the seminars and the grand tastings. I think If we go next year, we will try for more seminars and then take it easy during the grand tastings. the seminars are full of fabulous information, great wines (the don't generally show up at the grand tastings, and fantastic people who are really passionate about food and wine.
In true New Orleans fashion, our first seminar, sparkling rose's started at 9.30 in the morning. And what a lovely way to start off the day. Six different sparkling rose's presented by Ziggy the Wine Gal, some farm fresh Vitner's cheese and rose petal jelly from Sheana Davis at the Epicurean Connection that is to die for. (I've got the recipe somewhere). My favorite was the Taittinger Prestige Cuvee'. I think Collin liked the Moet Chandon Rose' Imperial.After swooning over the cheese at the Rose' seminar, I had to learn more about the Epicurean Connection so we headed over the the seminar on Sonoma Wines and Food. My favorite cheese lady, Sheana Davis was back with cheese and compotes to match with some killer wines from Sonoma county. I love these seminars because I love to hear the wine makers talk about their wines, and I like hearing people talk about things that they are really passionate about, especially if it is something I enjoy too.
The last seminar we hit up on Friday before the Grand Tasting was the Malbec seminar. Eight different Argentinian malbecs for us to try. I thoroughly enjoyed this seminar. The wine makers brought some fantastic (and pricey) wines to show off. But the reason I love malbec so is that you can buy a 8 dollar bottle and be in wine heaven. Frankly, for the price, I was a little put off by some of the wines showcased.Saturday we were not so aggressive in our seminar-ing escapades. We attended the rabbit seminar first thing. This was hands down, my favorite seminar. Chef's from local restaurants prepared signature rabbit dishes from their menus and then talked about their favorite ways to prepare rabbit. I don't even remember where the wines came from. If you haven't had the chance to try rabbit, DO IT. It was lovely, white meat that is lower in fat than chicken, turkey, pork and duck. We had it stewed (in a chicken and dumplings type dish that was amazing), rabbit terrine, rabbit salad and gumbo. Tablas Creek wines were poured & the whole line up they brought all complimented the dishes in their own way. Ah, rabbit and wine for breakfast, can't beat it.
The final seminar we attended was the Blind Tasting Tactics seminar. I was crazy about this seminar too. I love tasting wine but don't have the vocabulary to describe what I am tasting. (This is why most of my tasting notes read something along the lines of "tastes like rubber, you know that rubber taste that you get from sucking out of the garden hose, that taste. Kicks you in the back of the throat, it's that big. That is one sassy wine", and on and on). This seminar was helpful because it really helped me identify some of the things I was tasting in a wine and the origin of those tastes (ie. what acidity really is and where the tannins come into play.) There was also useful information about characteristics in wine in regards to the geography of the vineyard. At the end of the seminar, our host tasted a wine blind for us to see if she could use her skill to tell what the wine was, and where it was from. After years of training her palate, she couldn't guess the type of wine or the origin. It made me feel a little better about my rookie wine tasting abilities.And there you have it. Seminars in a nutshell. There were many more to choose from but we couldn't possibly attended all the seminars and the grand tastings. I think If we go next year, we will try for more seminars and then take it easy during the grand tastings. the seminars are full of fabulous information, great wines (the don't generally show up at the grand tastings, and fantastic people who are really passionate about food and wine.
Monday
We are back: Begin New Orleans Wine and Food Expirience Recap
Well, we made it back alive, but barely. Five days of over indulgence of wine and food, in New Orleans of all places, is enough to kill a weaker person. I am not going to go into details right now because I have about one million things to do on my last day of vacation buuuuuttttttttt.......
Wednesday night was a total veg out night, nothing going on with New Orleans Wine and Food Experience known henceforth as NOWFE.
Thursday was the V.I.P. party and the Royale Street Stroll. What fun! The V.I.P. party was held at NOLA. The food was fantastic and they served Cambria wines. Then we headed down to the Royal Street Stroll which was basically a HUGE South Main Trolley Tour type thing. It was awesome. I have never done anything like that before and it was an absolute blast. All of the wineries that were at the Grand Tasting were there, set up in various galleries. Man does New Orleans have some galleries!
Friday we got up at the crack of dawn to hit up the Rose' Champagne seminar at 9.30 am. What a way to start the day. After some time recharging we attended the Sonoma county seminar and the Malbec seminars before hitting up the Grand Tasting that evening. Talk about a long day.
Saturday morning we crawled out of bed to make the Rabbit seminar at 10.30 and then the Blind Tasting Seminar afterwards. After that, it was on to the Grand Tasting, again.
Sunday morning we had the best intentions of making the Bubbles and Brunch (I can't say no to champagne) but after a weekend of wine and food, and some food and wine, and spending the last two days drinking for about eight hours straight, we were dead on our feet. So we hit up the Whole Foods to pick up our take home wine (because you can buy alcohol any time in New Orleans) and we headed home.
I am going to type up more detailed posts about the seminars and Grand Tastings later so stay tuned. And let me just say that if you ever ever have a chance to attend NOWFE, DO IT!!!!!!! It is a absolute blast. The seminars are informative, the wine selections are fantastic, getting to meet the wine makers is awesome, the food is amazing and the city is one of the most entertaining, hospitable places on the planet. We love it and will try to get back every year that we can.
Wednesday
Veggies to Eat Before You Die: Sauteed Zucchini Done Right
Right now I should be packing for theNOWFE this weekend but we had another awesome veggie last night that I had to share before I disappear for a long weekend. We get the great magazine called Cook's Illustrated from Collin's Mom and it rocks. It reminds me a lot of Good Eats on FoodTV. It covers the in's and out's of all things cooking related, its highly informative and most of the pictures are hand drawn, hence the name Cook's Illustrated.
Anyways, every time I read Cook's Illustrated I learn something new. Like why my zucchini turns out to be a soggy flavorless mess when I sauté it. Evidently zucchini is 95% water. On a grill, the water drains off, leaving you with highly condensed zucchini flavor. In a pan the water does not cook off and the zucchini turns into a flavorless soupy mess.
Cook's Illustrated says that this can be avoided, so I had to give it a try.
First thing you have to do is get as much of this water out of the zucchini (already tired of typing that word) as possible. To do this you either need to grate it by hand, or, if your in-laws rule and got you a brand-new bad-ass Cuisinart for your graduation from graduate school, you can use that to grate the zucchini in about 3 seconds. (If the zucchini is large and has large seeds, cut it in half and scrape out the seeds before you grate it.)
Then you take that zucchini, you put it in a colander and you sprinkle salt on it. About 1.5 teaspoons for 10 cups of zucchini. Let it sit about ten minutes and then ring out the zucchini in batches in a kitchen towel. You would not believe the amount of water that comes out of that stuff. Now you are ready for the recipe.
Sautéed Zucchini with Garlic and Lemon
10 cups drained zucchini
couple of garlic cloves minced
olive oil
1.5 teaspoons lemon juice
salt and pepper
1. Toss the zucchini with the garlic and about 2 teaspoons of oil
2. Add about 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan. when it starts to smoke, add the zucchini in a thin layer on the bottom of the pan with tongs. After the bottom layer has browned (about two minutes) stir the zucchini with tongs and allow the new bottom layer to brown (about 2 minutes).
3. Remove from heat and add lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste.
This zucchini was so flavorful. Still kind of mushy (I didn't use a high enough heat, or have the zucchini spread thin enough I think) but the flavor of the zucchini was rich and the browned bits were caramel-ly. I definitely see what I am supposed to be aiming for and I am definitely going to try it again. I give it three thumbs up. Way up.
Anyways, every time I read Cook's Illustrated I learn something new. Like why my zucchini turns out to be a soggy flavorless mess when I sauté it. Evidently zucchini is 95% water. On a grill, the water drains off, leaving you with highly condensed zucchini flavor. In a pan the water does not cook off and the zucchini turns into a flavorless soupy mess.
Cook's Illustrated says that this can be avoided, so I had to give it a try.
First thing you have to do is get as much of this water out of the zucchini (already tired of typing that word) as possible. To do this you either need to grate it by hand, or, if your in-laws rule and got you a brand-new bad-ass Cuisinart for your graduation from graduate school, you can use that to grate the zucchini in about 3 seconds. (If the zucchini is large and has large seeds, cut it in half and scrape out the seeds before you grate it.)
Then you take that zucchini, you put it in a colander and you sprinkle salt on it. About 1.5 teaspoons for 10 cups of zucchini. Let it sit about ten minutes and then ring out the zucchini in batches in a kitchen towel. You would not believe the amount of water that comes out of that stuff. Now you are ready for the recipe.
Sautéed Zucchini with Garlic and Lemon
1. Toss the zucchini with the garlic and about 2 teaspoons of oil
2. Add about 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan. when it starts to smoke, add the zucchini in a thin layer on the bottom of the pan with tongs. After the bottom layer has browned (about two minutes) stir the zucchini with tongs and allow the new bottom layer to brown (about 2 minutes).
3. Remove from heat and add lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste.
This zucchini was so flavorful. Still kind of mushy (I didn't use a high enough heat, or have the zucchini spread thin enough I think) but the flavor of the zucchini was rich and the browned bits were caramel-ly. I definitely see what I am supposed to be aiming for and I am definitely going to try it again. I give it three thumbs up. Way up.
Friday
Veggies To Eat Before You Die: Boiled Potatoes with Brown Butter
I know I know I know what you are thinking. Boiled potatoes, Must eat? Yes, you must eat these potatoes before you die. We eat potatoes at least three times a week. That being said, every now and then potatoes get boring. Last night we decided to have potatoes, again. I was feeling lazy and didn't want to get in to mashed potatoes, which was ok with Collin because we didn't have everything I needed for the gravy. (Note to self, Please make chicken stock THIS weekend). So we decided on boiled potatoes, again.
Now we have developed a new tradition of hanging out in the kitchen all the time. Most of the time we read cookbooks, because we are food geeks. Collin was going through one last night and mentioned something about using brown butter on veggies instead of plain ole raw butter. This got me excited. I love new twists on old side dishes. And thus a new veggie to eat before you die was born.
You'll need-
As many small waxy white potatoes as you think you can eat. About 1-1.5 inches in diameter.
Water and salt for boiling
Butter
1. Boil the potatoes in liberally salted water until they can easily be pierced with a knife. (I can't for the life of me remember how long that took.)
2. Drain the potatoes and return to pan
3. Add as much butter as you would like to the pan and crank the heat up to about medium high.
4. Stir continuously until butter begins to brown. Coat the potatoes with the butter.
5. Dish the potatoes up, cut them open and drizzle with remaining browned butter.
These potatoes were amazing. The butter was nutty, and almost had a caramel-y quality to it. The waxy potatoes were nice. (I hate that water logged mealy crap that you get when its hard to find those baby potatoes later in the summer.) And this dish was super easy. Nothing to it.
Now we have developed a new tradition of hanging out in the kitchen all the time. Most of the time we read cookbooks, because we are food geeks. Collin was going through one last night and mentioned something about using brown butter on veggies instead of plain ole raw butter. This got me excited. I love new twists on old side dishes. And thus a new veggie to eat before you die was born.
You'll need-
As many small waxy white potatoes as you think you can eat. About 1-1.5 inches in diameter.
Water and salt for boiling
Butter
1. Boil the potatoes in liberally salted water until they can easily be pierced with a knife. (I can't for the life of me remember how long that took.)
2. Drain the potatoes and return to pan
3. Add as much butter as you would like to the pan and crank the heat up to about medium high.
4. Stir continuously until butter begins to brown. Coat the potatoes with the butter.
5. Dish the potatoes up, cut them open and drizzle with remaining browned butter.
These potatoes were amazing. The butter was nutty, and almost had a caramel-y quality to it. The waxy potatoes were nice. (I hate that water logged mealy crap that you get when its hard to find those baby potatoes later in the summer.) And this dish was super easy. Nothing to it.
Tuesday
Sandwich Night: Pseudo BLT's
After a trip out east yesterday, we swung by Las Tortugas Deli Mexicana for a late lunch. Thanks a million Squirrel Squad, you make the best suggestions for good eats. Since we polished off a chorizo tortuga and elephant ear tacos around three in the afternoon, we weren't really feeling dinner. But I hate to wake up hungry so as it got later I started jonesin' for a snack. Thus Sandwich Night was born.
We wanted BLT's but we didn't have all the BLT stuff and I just HAVE to spice everything up. Best part, the only dirty dishes were two knives and a cutting board. Sandwich Night, YOU RULE!!!!!!!!
Pseudo-BLT Checklist-
As far as direction for assembly are concerned, I'll let you use your imagination.
We wanted BLT's but we didn't have all the BLT stuff and I just HAVE to spice everything up. Best part, the only dirty dishes were two knives and a cutting board. Sandwich Night, YOU RULE!!!!!!!!
Pseudo-BLT Checklist-
- Bacon
- Arugula (home picked from our backyard plot of greens)
- Tomato
- Avocado
- Caramelized vidalia onions
- Mayo
- Toasted whole wheat bread
As far as direction for assembly are concerned, I'll let you use your imagination.
Friday
Weird Things I Eat for Breakfast #1
Rice with scrambled eggs, fish sauce and mango salsa.
We had a delicious pan fried Tilapia dish with some killer mango salsa (because right now, the mangoes at Viet Hoah market RULE!) And we had rice for dinner. And do you know why I love rice for dinner? Because it means leftover rice for breakfast. And I love rice for breakfast.
I took a picture but it was pretty boring so I'll leave it to the imagination. The beauty of "weird things I eat for breakfast" posts is that no recipe is needed. Scramble your eggs, put em on top of the rice, fish sauce to taste (I like the fish sauce made especially for spring rolls, another Viet Hoah gem) and top with the leftover mango salsa that was an afterthought, but really pulls it all together. See, no real recipe needed. Unless you want the recipe for the salsa. FINE!
Mango Salsa
2 mangoes peeled and diced
2 tbsp sweet onion diced finely (Schnucks has vadalias but they are looking kinda rough)
juice of 1-2 limes
cilantro to taste
salt and pepper to taste
(And I think Collin put vinegar in it this time because the limes weren't as acidic as we had hoped.)
Mix it all together and eat it on your eggs.
And just a heads up, I have started running again. The more I run, the weirder my breakfasts get so be prepared.
We had a delicious pan fried Tilapia dish with some killer mango salsa (because right now, the mangoes at Viet Hoah market RULE!) And we had rice for dinner. And do you know why I love rice for dinner? Because it means leftover rice for breakfast. And I love rice for breakfast.
I took a picture but it was pretty boring so I'll leave it to the imagination. The beauty of "weird things I eat for breakfast" posts is that no recipe is needed. Scramble your eggs, put em on top of the rice, fish sauce to taste (I like the fish sauce made especially for spring rolls, another Viet Hoah gem) and top with the leftover mango salsa that was an afterthought, but really pulls it all together. See, no real recipe needed. Unless you want the recipe for the salsa. FINE!
Mango Salsa
2 mangoes peeled and diced
2 tbsp sweet onion diced finely (Schnucks has vadalias but they are looking kinda rough)
juice of 1-2 limes
cilantro to taste
salt and pepper to taste
(And I think Collin put vinegar in it this time because the limes weren't as acidic as we had hoped.)
Mix it all together and eat it on your eggs.
And just a heads up, I have started running again. The more I run, the weirder my breakfasts get so be prepared.
Tuesday
Carrot Orecchiette
Un-Frickin'-Believable. This is a spin-off of a carrot orzo dish that I found in Bon Appetite. Since Schnucks only sells orzo in those ridiculously priced seven dollar containers (it's pasta for christ's sake) I opted for some orecchiette and tweaked the recipe to fit.
Carrot Orecchiette
6 oz carrots, peeled
2 garlic cloves sliced
2 tbl fresh rosemary chopped
2 tbl butter
1 cup chicken stock (homemade if you've got it, the dish is so much more rich with homemade)
1/4 cup parmesan grated.
10 oz orecchiette pasta
3 tbl green onions chopped
1. Start you water for pasta, salt it pretty generously. Cook pasta according to directions.
2. Chop the carrots up pretty fine, see photos for guidance. ( I used my brand new cuisine art because I love it and it makes everything easier).
3. Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the carrots, garlic and rosemary, sautéing until aromatic. Add the chicken stock. Let this reduce until only about 1/4 cup of the liquid remains.
4.Toss carrot reduction with pasta and stir in cheese. Stir in green onions. Add extra stock if the "sauce" is too thick.
This turned out sooooooo good. It's the best pasta dish that we have tried in a while. Super easy and full of flavor.
We served it with braised bok choy and bacon, and Collin's fabulous Chicken Provençal.
Carrot Orecchiette
6 oz carrots, peeled
2 garlic cloves sliced
2 tbl fresh rosemary chopped
2 tbl butter
1 cup chicken stock (homemade if you've got it, the dish is so much more rich with homemade)
1/4 cup parmesan grated.
10 oz orecchiette pasta
3 tbl green onions chopped
1. Start you water for pasta, salt it pretty generously. Cook pasta according to directions.
2. Chop the carrots up pretty fine, see photos for guidance. ( I used my brand new cuisine art because I love it and it makes everything easier).
3. Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the carrots, garlic and rosemary, sautéing until aromatic. Add the chicken stock. Let this reduce until only about 1/4 cup of the liquid remains.
4.Toss carrot reduction with pasta and stir in cheese. Stir in green onions. Add extra stock if the "sauce" is too thick.
This turned out sooooooo good. It's the best pasta dish that we have tried in a while. Super easy and full of flavor. We served it with braised bok choy and bacon, and Collin's fabulous Chicken Provençal.
Weird Things I Eat for Breakfast: The Series
One of the highlights of my day is rummaging through the fridge to come up with my "power breakfast". I have not been a fan of conventional breakfasts for quite some time. Honestly, I don't see how anyone survives from breakfast until lunch on a pop tart or a bowl of cereal. So about 4 or 5 years ago I gave up on the bagels and pancakes and waffles and cereal and started making "Power Breakfasts".
My basic rule of thumb is, if you add eggs to it, it is breakfast food. It started off with an obsession with Bob's 8 grain hot cereal . I couldn't just eat it like oatmeal, I needed my protein dammit. So I started mixing in eggs. Then I decided I needed some veggies with it too. (The easiest way to get in all those veggie servings is to start off with two or three in your breakfast). I came up with over 100 ways to eat this cereal in the months that I was addicted, my favorite being sweet and hot curry with peas and onions. Collin said that my B.O. smelled like curry for months.
Then I switched to soup. Soup every day for breakfast. Broth based and always with eggs and tons of veggies. But when it is hot outside, soup for breakfast is no good so I switched into the burrito mode. Nothing is the fridge is safe from one of my breakfast burrito recipes. This morning's installment is an open faced pink eyed pea "burrito" on corn tortillas with fried eggs.
Because we have a surplus of salad greens growing in the back yard, my latest kick has been breakfast salads (no eggs) which I will post a recipe for soon enough.
After 5 years of being intrigued by my odd breakfast choices, Collin thought it would be a good idea to start documenting them, lest these culinary wonders be lost forever. So I guess I will. Although I feel a little self conscious about the whole thing. So far, my strange ways of breaking the fast have been our little secret.
My basic rule of thumb is, if you add eggs to it, it is breakfast food. It started off with an obsession with Bob's 8 grain hot cereal . I couldn't just eat it like oatmeal, I needed my protein dammit. So I started mixing in eggs. Then I decided I needed some veggies with it too. (The easiest way to get in all those veggie servings is to start off with two or three in your breakfast). I came up with over 100 ways to eat this cereal in the months that I was addicted, my favorite being sweet and hot curry with peas and onions. Collin said that my B.O. smelled like curry for months.
Then I switched to soup. Soup every day for breakfast. Broth based and always with eggs and tons of veggies. But when it is hot outside, soup for breakfast is no good so I switched into the burrito mode. Nothing is the fridge is safe from one of my breakfast burrito recipes. This morning's installment is an open faced pink eyed pea "burrito" on corn tortillas with fried eggs.
Because we have a surplus of salad greens growing in the back yard, my latest kick has been breakfast salads (no eggs) which I will post a recipe for soon enough.
After 5 years of being intrigued by my odd breakfast choices, Collin thought it would be a good idea to start documenting them, lest these culinary wonders be lost forever. So I guess I will. Although I feel a little self conscious about the whole thing. So far, my strange ways of breaking the fast have been our little secret.
Monday
New Orleans Wine & Food Experience
It is that time of year again. Memorial Day Weekend May 23 - 27, 2007Last May was our first time to attend the New Orleans Wine & Food Experience & we had a blast. We knew we would be back down for the event this year, where 15,000 glasses of wine will be poured from 1,000 different wines from 200 different wine makers. That is a lot of juice......oh, and the food. You can't even mention the NOWFE without salivating. There will be 100 local Crescent City eateries stepping up to show off their best stuff.
The five day event kicks off Wednesday night, May 23rd with the Vintner's Dinner, where chefs from premiere New Orleans' restaurants partner up with featured winmakers & create tasting menus pairing each course to a wine picked by the winery's winemaker.
The festivities continue on Thursday afternoon with a new event to the NOWFE, the The 1st Annual “Vinola”. Muriel’s Jackson Square, will host 30 winemakers pouring their most revered and highly rated wines. This tasting is a rare opportunity for 150 wine enthusiasts to mingle with notable winemakers, while sampling up to 120 elite wines from around the world.
Later on that night the Royal Street Stroll kicks off on Royal Street where you can meander & view rare antiques, fine art, live jazz and historic architecture with outstanding wines being poured in your glass.
Friday & continuing into Saturday are many food & wine seminars that cover topics from Rosé to local Louisiana Gulf caught shrimp to the wines of Sonoma County. Last year we thouroughly enjoyed the duck seminar at Galatoire's.
Friday & Saturday night after getting your fill of food & wine knowledge at the seminars The Grand Tastings kick off with a wide array of wines from around the world & food being offered by the cities best restaurants. It is best to hit these tastings with a plan because there is so much to choose from.
Sunday if you still have room for more food & libations there is the Bubbles & Brunch a traditional New Orleans Champagne brunch featuring Perrier Jouet Champagne.
We will be there blogging from the event & are so excited. If you want to check out our coverage from last year check it out here.
For more info on the NOWFE visit their website at www.nowfe.com.
Sunday
Risotto with Brie, Bacon and Peas
Saturdays are generally the days that we have to get pretty creative for meals. Since Sunday is grocery day, Saturday is spent scavenging and scheming to come up with something palatable for lunch. Using the word palatable to describe yesterday's lunch would be the understatement of the Millennium.
Risotto with Brie, Bacon and Peas
1 cup Arborio rice
3 tablespoons of butter
1 cup white wine
Chicken stock as needed (heated)
1 Shallot diced
3 pieces of bacon chopped
1/2 cup of oyster mushroom chopped
1 cup green peas
1/3 cup brie, chopped
1. Cook the rice as you normally would for risotto. Melt the butter, sauté the shallots, add rice and coat with butter. Then add the wine, cooking over low heat. Once the wine is absorbed add chicken stock, a little at a time. Wait until stock is almost completely absorbed before adding more.
2. In the mean time, sauté the mushrooms in olive oil and set aside. Cook the bacon until crispy. If the peas are fresh, blanch in boiling water for about 5 minutes. If they are frozen, just make sure they are thawed.
3. When the rice is almost completely tender but has just a little bit of bite and all of the liquid had been absorbed, stir in the mushrooms, peas and cheese. Keep over low heat until the cheese is completely melted. (brie melts super quick) Remove from heat and let stand for a few minutes. Serve in bowls and sprinkle bacon pieces on top.
We eat risotto all the time. It's so easy and super versitile. I still think this may be my favorite that we have tried so far. The brie made this risotto super creamy, and the bacon really set it off. Peas are a staple for my risottos so there was no way they could get left out of this one. I used the mushrooms because I am a fiend for the texture of oyster mushrooms.
Risotto with Brie, Bacon and Peas
1 cup Arborio rice
3 tablespoons of butter
1 cup white wine
Chicken stock as needed (heated)
1 Shallot diced
3 pieces of bacon chopped
1/2 cup of oyster mushroom chopped
1 cup green peas
1/3 cup brie, chopped
1. Cook the rice as you normally would for risotto. Melt the butter, sauté the shallots, add rice and coat with butter. Then add the wine, cooking over low heat. Once the wine is absorbed add chicken stock, a little at a time. Wait until stock is almost completely absorbed before adding more.
2. In the mean time, sauté the mushrooms in olive oil and set aside. Cook the bacon until crispy. If the peas are fresh, blanch in boiling water for about 5 minutes. If they are frozen, just make sure they are thawed.
3. When the rice is almost completely tender but has just a little bit of bite and all of the liquid had been absorbed, stir in the mushrooms, peas and cheese. Keep over low heat until the cheese is completely melted. (brie melts super quick) Remove from heat and let stand for a few minutes. Serve in bowls and sprinkle bacon pieces on top.
We eat risotto all the time. It's so easy and super versitile. I still think this may be my favorite that we have tried so far. The brie made this risotto super creamy, and the bacon really set it off. Peas are a staple for my risottos so there was no way they could get left out of this one. I used the mushrooms because I am a fiend for the texture of oyster mushrooms.
Recipe: Fried Chicken or KFC's got nothin' on me.
I have been dying to try my hand at fried chicken for some time now. For some reason the thought of it has always been extremely intimidating. I found a recipe that didn't call for the use of lard or shortening (those two things still intimidate me) and it looked easy enough. So last night I decided to have an all out southern fried chicken dinner complete with mashed potatoes, giblet gravy, biscuits and brussel sprouts (not too terribly southern but so very good). It turned out absolutely perfect after I figured out how to maintain the oil heat for 25 minutes without burning the batter.
One whole chicken cut into 8 pieces (drumsticks and thigh are preferable for this recipe so you could use those instead.)
6 cups buttermilk
3 cups all purpose flour
salt, pepper and cayenne to taste
vegetable oil for frying
1. Toss chicken pieces with buttermilk, cover and refrigerate 8 hours or over night.
2. Combine flour, salt, pepper and cayenne in a large ziploc. Place to wire racks over baking sheets. Working in batches drain buttermilk off chicken, trying to scrape off as much excess as possible. Place chicken in bag and toss until covered in flour. Transfer chicken to racks, pressing flour to help it stick to the chicken.
3. Pour 1 inch of oil into a cast iron skillet or other pot with heavy bottom, and heat oil to 350º. Add as many pieces of chicken as you can without crowding the skillet. Fry over moderate heat until the chicken is crisp, golden and cooked through, about 20-25 minutes. Drumsticks and thighs should be 165º and breasts should be 160º. Drain chicken on paper towels and start a new batch keeping the oil at 325º during frying.
4. Serve warm, or at room temp.
I can see why fried chicken day was a treat for my mom when she was younger, this recipe takes a while. I finished the whole chicken in 3 batches which took about an hour and fifteen minutes, so you need time. You also need a cool house, I sweated through almost the whole process and don't think I will be preparing any fried chicken dinners in the dog days of summer. It was so worth the time and effort though. It is some of the best fried chicken we have ever had and the leftovers are phenomenal as well.
Thursday
Tasting Notes: 2000 Domaine Jean Luc-Dubois Savigny-Les-Beaune Les Picotin
Ahhhhh....Burgundy. It is not just the color of my Grandmother's Buick. If I had to choose a favorite wine it may be Burgundy or Bourgogne if you are across the pond. If you ask me no other wine stirs up such romantic thoughts. I have never been to Paris or the Côte d'Or but every time I get my hands on a good bottle it whisks me away to a quaint sidewalk cafe or a country side picnic amongst gnarled old grape vines. Burgundy may not always be a bargain but it is definitely cheaper than a pair of plane tickets.Our generous friends & neighbors the Squirrel Squad brought us this bottle before our trek to the Jerusalem Market and Restaurant (which you should check out if you are ever looking for some good eats while on beautiful Summer Ave). I believe they picked it up after the Great Wines and Spirits Latour tasting which by the sounds of it, it was a great event where 19 Burgundies were poured (kicking myself now).
We opened this bottle of 2000 Domaine Jean Luc-Dubois Savigny-Les-Beaune Les Picotin on a lazy Spring Sunday spent in the backyard. The weather was perfect & so was the wine. I like to call wines like this "Ugn!" wine. With one sniff & sip it makes you go "Ugn!" which is usually followed by a grin. The nose was alluring full of red cherry & berries with a hint of cedar. As the bottle opened up more layers were revealed, most notably was a touch of earthiness & a bit spice. On the palate it was just as multi-faceted. I really didn't know what to expect from a seven year old Burgundy but it wasn't the gobs of bright red fruit that it packs. Cherry dominates but there was also a little bit of strawberry & raspberry all followed up by a nice spiciness. In the mouth each sip felt like a satin wave was washing over my tongue. The tannins were very subtle & just kind hid out in the background. Everything was wrapped up by a sumptuous lingering spicy finish.
After finishing the bottle Laura said this may be her favorite wine ever. I agreed that it was definitely high on my list as well. If you are not a Burgundy believer this wine will make you one. Thanks Squirrel Family!
Monday
A Laugh For A Monday
This is a funny clip of outtakes I found of Orson Welles tanked doing a Paul Masson commercial.
Enjoy.
Enjoy.
Wednesday
Class & Taste
This picture of a half bottle of smugled Chehalem 3 Vineyard Pinot Noir was taken at Southland Greyhound Park in West Memphis, Arkansas during a visit of one of my good friends from Copenhagen, Denmark. On the way to Arkansas I stopped to pick up some refreshments because I wasn't really in the Turning Leaf or Budweiser mood, but come to find out though, SGP now has a full bar & better beer selection & Mondavi which isn't terrible.
Now on to how we ended up a the dog track. Mikkel wanted to see the "real Memphis" during his two week holiday & I knew we had to make it to bet on the dogs. The place has been renovated & sort of resembles a casino now but luckily the grandstands where you can watch the races still had its sleazy charm I have come to know & love. The cigarette smoke hangs low in the air & clings to your hair & clothes, like a friendly reminder that you have just spent time with people who really don't care if they get a terrible disease...and they will. The sounds of the bells, the announcer "Heeeerrre cooommmes Rusty!!!" or it could be 'Lucky', I don't know the P.A. was terrible. People yelliing at there dogs for about 60 seconds, while they chase the mechanical bone as if each decible makes their lucky dog run a bit faster, echoes over the plastic, bleacher seating. This is a classy joint.
And then of course there is the Chehalem Pinot Noir, smuggeled in (I really just walked right in with it) with its earthy notes laying under baking spices & gobs of black cherry. This was a damn fine Pinot even out of a paper cup. I will be revisiting this one in my home...with my Riedel crystal real soon. I hit it big with that bottle but regrettably I only won $4 which only covered a glass of wine after the Pinot was gone.
Veggies To Eat Before You Die: Cabbage Sprouts
Spring time is here, yey yey yey. To celebrate I went to Easy Way (the only shop that I don't budget my spending) last weekend to see if they had any new seasonal veggies in yet. Most of the stuff on the shelves was still pushing it as far as being in season is concerned. They fooled me once this time of year with the melons about 4 years ago, but never again.
So I am searching for the new stuff, the stuff they only have in the store for a couple of weeks before it is gone until the next season, and I stumble upon cabbage sprouts. They looked interesting enough, a mix between a tiny cabbage and a really big over grown brussel sprout and at 49 cents a pound they couldn't be beat. So I scoop some up, assuming that surely I will be able to find a recipe online when I get home.
Well let me be the first to tell you that nobody eats these things. The things that I learned from my google search on cabbage sprout recipes are two fold.
1. Only one person has ever eaten a cabbage sprout and felt the need to post about it on the internet besides me. (Although I was hungry and didn't do a thorough search.)
2. Broccoli is Italian for cabbage sprout meaning every hit returned from my cabbage sprout search was ultimately about broccoli, which is not the same thing as a cabbage sprout.
The recipe I found was simple enough, thanks to fellow blogger Alanna over at A Veggie Venture.
-Melt some butter in a pan. (About a tablespoon)
-Remove loose or tough leaves from cabbage sprouts.
-Cut sprouts in half and place in pan with melted butter.
-Toss well and cover pan. Cook slowly for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
We tried it out and the cabbage sprouts were phenomenal. They have more of a winter greens flavor (think Kale) than cabbage or brussel sprout flavor. I didn't really know what I was looking for in a cabbage sprout when I picked them out but since cooking them, I do know, and shall impart my sprout wisdom onto you.
1. Pick tight sprouts, the outer leaves are kind of hard and the looser sprouts don't have as much of a "heart" as the tighter ones do. The heart is the good part, tender light green leaves full of flavor.
2. Keep the butter on low heat. I ended up with a couple of kind of crispy leaves because of a thin pan and high heat.
3. Leaves that you might think would be too tough to eat really turn out tender. The bigger tougher leaves fall off and burn rather quickly. They don't make for pretty presentation but still taste good and I think would be good sautéed in butter or oil separately from the hearts.
So I am searching for the new stuff, the stuff they only have in the store for a couple of weeks before it is gone until the next season, and I stumble upon cabbage sprouts. They looked interesting enough, a mix between a tiny cabbage and a really big over grown brussel sprout and at 49 cents a pound they couldn't be beat. So I scoop some up, assuming that surely I will be able to find a recipe online when I get home.
Well let me be the first to tell you that nobody eats these things. The things that I learned from my google search on cabbage sprout recipes are two fold.
1. Only one person has ever eaten a cabbage sprout and felt the need to post about it on the internet besides me. (Although I was hungry and didn't do a thorough search.)
2. Broccoli is Italian for cabbage sprout meaning every hit returned from my cabbage sprout search was ultimately about broccoli, which is not the same thing as a cabbage sprout.
The recipe I found was simple enough, thanks to fellow blogger Alanna over at A Veggie Venture.
-Melt some butter in a pan. (About a tablespoon)
-Remove loose or tough leaves from cabbage sprouts.
-Cut sprouts in half and place in pan with melted butter.
-Toss well and cover pan. Cook slowly for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
We tried it out and the cabbage sprouts were phenomenal. They have more of a winter greens flavor (think Kale) than cabbage or brussel sprout flavor. I didn't really know what I was looking for in a cabbage sprout when I picked them out but since cooking them, I do know, and shall impart my sprout wisdom onto you.
1. Pick tight sprouts, the outer leaves are kind of hard and the looser sprouts don't have as much of a "heart" as the tighter ones do. The heart is the good part, tender light green leaves full of flavor.
2. Keep the butter on low heat. I ended up with a couple of kind of crispy leaves because of a thin pan and high heat.
3. Leaves that you might think would be too tough to eat really turn out tender. The bigger tougher leaves fall off and burn rather quickly. They don't make for pretty presentation but still taste good and I think would be good sautéed in butter or oil separately from the hearts.
Sunday
Thera-pea
To say that I don't handle stress well would be the understatement of the year. Because of this and my propensity towards procrastination in every aspect of my life, I have decided to make Sunday "Study Day" at least until I finish comprehensive finals mid-April. It helps me feel less like I am spiraling out of control into "cram session oblivion".
Today (study day numero uno) I was dying for a break. As much as I love reading about the anthropology of health care, I figured that a hungry brain can't possibly function as well as a not-hungry brain, right?
I needed something easy and quick, so that I didn't lose my motivation for actually completing my study goals for the day when I stumbled across this gem in my Health magazine. Generally I don't try recipes I find in Health. Too many light and low fat ingredients for my taste. Too much scrimping on flavor to save some calories, and frankly, if I never count another calorie again, it will be too soon. But this recipe looked so easy that even my text book-fried brain could carry it out.
Anyways, rambling. So here goes. Don't blink because you seriously miss the recipe.
Sweet Pea Soup
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups frozen peas (green peas)
1/4 cup sour cream
2 tblsp of chopped chives
* I added garlic (because I eat everything with garlic) and tarragon to the broth while it was boiling (because it sounded kind of dull)
1. Boil the broth (with other seasonings you want to add)
2. Add peas and cook for about 3 minutes
3. Take pea/broth mixture and put in blender with 1/4 cup of sour cream. Blend until smooth.
4. Serve.
That is it. It is a very thin soup, so don't go expecting hearty on this one, but the flavor is great, even with frozen and canned ingredients. According to Health, it's also really high in fiber, if you are into that sort of thing. We had it with some french bread and it was a fantastic light lunch. Definitely perfect for when you are in a crunch or in the middle of a cram session and don't want your meal to weigh your brain down.
Today (study day numero uno) I was dying for a break. As much as I love reading about the anthropology of health care, I figured that a hungry brain can't possibly function as well as a not-hungry brain, right?
I needed something easy and quick, so that I didn't lose my motivation for actually completing my study goals for the day when I stumbled across this gem in my Health magazine. Generally I don't try recipes I find in Health. Too many light and low fat ingredients for my taste. Too much scrimping on flavor to save some calories, and frankly, if I never count another calorie again, it will be too soon. But this recipe looked so easy that even my text book-fried brain could carry it out.
Anyways, rambling. So here goes. Don't blink because you seriously miss the recipe.
Sweet Pea Soup2 cups chicken broth
2 cups frozen peas (green peas)
1/4 cup sour cream
2 tblsp of chopped chives
* I added garlic (because I eat everything with garlic) and tarragon to the broth while it was boiling (because it sounded kind of dull)
1. Boil the broth (with other seasonings you want to add)
2. Add peas and cook for about 3 minutes
3. Take pea/broth mixture and put in blender with 1/4 cup of sour cream. Blend until smooth.
4. Serve.
That is it. It is a very thin soup, so don't go expecting hearty on this one, but the flavor is great, even with frozen and canned ingredients. According to Health, it's also really high in fiber, if you are into that sort of thing. We had it with some french bread and it was a fantastic light lunch. Definitely perfect for when you are in a crunch or in the middle of a cram session and don't want your meal to weigh your brain down.
Wednesday
MMMMmmmmmac and Cheese
We have been slacking off in the "cook something new and then rave about it" department lately. Desperate for inspiration, I decided to spend a day perusing the Memphis food lover's blogs, my favorite spot for food inspiration. Not in the mood for anything too fancy or time consuming I stumbled upon this fabulous looking mac n cheese recipe courtesy of the squirrel squad from across the street.Being a cheese and pasta freak, I got super excited and ran into the kitchen, keeping my fingers crossed the whole time, hoping that I had everything I needed. I like to keep a fully stocked pantry because one of my BIGGEST peeves is having the cooking bug hit only to find that I have to make a run to the store for some ingredient that I forgot to restock.
Of course, we were missing some key ingredients. Although we are huge cheese lovers, we are also semi lactose intolerant so we were in short supply of sour cream, and completely devoid of cream cheese. I recalled once making a mac n' cheese with a mornay base, so I went searching for a more precise recipe. While I can generally cook anything without a recipe and make it taste good, I will flub up a sauce in a heart beat.
I found my mac n' cheese recipe in How to Cook Everything. This book has far more to offer in the way of technique than in actual recipe content IMO, but it has never let me down. One of this cookbook's biggest perks, I always have all the ingredients for almost all of the recipes on hand.
Baked Macaroni and Cheese
- 2.5 cups milk
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 lb of cut pasta (I used shells because shells are my favorite)
- 4 tblsp butter
- 3 tblsp flour
- 1.5 cups grated cheese ( we used everything in the fridge: Brie, parm, port salute, and fontina)
- .5 cup grated parm
- salt and pepper to taste
- .5 cups bread crumbs
2. Cook milk with bay leaves over low heat until small bubble start to form on the sides of the pan, turn off heat and let stand. Salt boiling water and cook pasta to the point where it still needs a couple of minutes to be completely done. Drain, rinse in cold water to stop cooking and place in a bowl.
3. In a small sauce pan over medium low heat melt butter. When it foams add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until it begins to brown. (about 5 minutes) Remove bay leaves from milk and add milk, about .25 cups at a time to the flour mixture, stir between each addition until mixture becomes smooth. When you have added all the milk and the entire mixture is smooth, add the cheese (minus the .5 cup of parm), stirring until it melts.
4. Pour the sauce over the noodles, toss in the reserved parm, salt and pepper. Grease a 9 x 13 inch baking pan and pour the noodle mixture in. Top with bread crumbs and bake until the crumbs turn brown, about 15 minutes.
It turned out fan-frickin'-tastic. Even the left overs were delicious, and I have a hard time enjoying left over pasta of any sort. No pictures of this dish, we were starving and it tasted too good to wait for some stinking pictures. See Suirrel Squads recipe for a picture that looks identical to the turn out of our dish, or , a better idea, make it yourself and take your own photos.
Lechon Asado Cubano: The Conclusion
Once again Iraqi Zaqi has come & gone. All that is left from his R&R are fine memories of good times & good food. The Cuban Pork turned out better than expected & this was obvious by the (disappointing) lack of left overs. Even the whole piece of skin that was peeled off of the seven pound pork picnic shoulder was devoured by the end of the night.
Instead of going on & on about how tasty it was, let me tell you how things went down.
After marinating in the brine for 24 hours the next step was to marinate the swine in a heady paste of a whole head of garlic, cumin, dried oregano, salt, pepper, orange juice, white vinegar & olive oil. But before the pork got the rub down of garlic-citrus paste, I cut slits all over the shoulder & stuffed a couple of handfuls of whole garlic cloves, that I first smashed with the back of my hand, so they would release all of their succulent garlicky juices. The next 24 hours were tough but finally the time came to smoke pork.
I smoked the shoulder using hickory wood for about 4 hours & then finished it in the oven for 2 hours at 300º. I am sure you could smoke the whole roast for the entire time. We ran out of wood but it turned out great anyway. Just make sure you cook it until a meat thermometer reads 190º in the thickest part of the meat.
The only regret I have is not taking a picture because it was a thing of beauty.
The wine list was as follows courtesy of Zach & I think Daniel brought a bottle or two also, 2003 E. Guigal Côtes du Rhône, 2001 Campo Viejo Reserva Rioja, 2004 Ventana Gewurtztraminer, 2001 Chateau Fonplégade Grand Cru St. Emillion, 2004 Domaine des Blaguer Syrah & when that was all gone we uncorked a magnum of 2004 Rosemount Shiraz. I can safely recommend every wine we had that night. They were all great wines but my favorites were the Côtes du Rhone, the Bordeaux & the Rioja. You can tell Zach grew up across the pond from all of his Old World selections & they were all fine specimens too.
This is definitely a recipe to try again. We are just waiting for the right occasion to celebrate. Hey Zach, when do you get some more R&R?
**side note**
We have been in a blogging funk lately, but fear not, we are back in action. We had a good friend from Copenhagen, Denmark staying with us for two weeks after Zach left, so we have been playing tour guide & host but are now back to the ol' riga-ma-roe. So expect to see us posting more.
Instead of going on & on about how tasty it was, let me tell you how things went down.
After marinating in the brine for 24 hours the next step was to marinate the swine in a heady paste of a whole head of garlic, cumin, dried oregano, salt, pepper, orange juice, white vinegar & olive oil. But before the pork got the rub down of garlic-citrus paste, I cut slits all over the shoulder & stuffed a couple of handfuls of whole garlic cloves, that I first smashed with the back of my hand, so they would release all of their succulent garlicky juices. The next 24 hours were tough but finally the time came to smoke pork.
I smoked the shoulder using hickory wood for about 4 hours & then finished it in the oven for 2 hours at 300º. I am sure you could smoke the whole roast for the entire time. We ran out of wood but it turned out great anyway. Just make sure you cook it until a meat thermometer reads 190º in the thickest part of the meat.
The only regret I have is not taking a picture because it was a thing of beauty.
The wine list was as follows courtesy of Zach & I think Daniel brought a bottle or two also, 2003 E. Guigal Côtes du Rhône, 2001 Campo Viejo Reserva Rioja, 2004 Ventana Gewurtztraminer, 2001 Chateau Fonplégade Grand Cru St. Emillion, 2004 Domaine des Blaguer Syrah & when that was all gone we uncorked a magnum of 2004 Rosemount Shiraz. I can safely recommend every wine we had that night. They were all great wines but my favorites were the Côtes du Rhone, the Bordeaux & the Rioja. You can tell Zach grew up across the pond from all of his Old World selections & they were all fine specimens too.
This is definitely a recipe to try again. We are just waiting for the right occasion to celebrate. Hey Zach, when do you get some more R&R?
**side note**
We have been in a blogging funk lately, but fear not, we are back in action. We had a good friend from Copenhagen, Denmark staying with us for two weeks after Zach left, so we have been playing tour guide & host but are now back to the ol' riga-ma-roe. So expect to see us posting more.
Monday
I love this guy....
Oh, man.....all of this is so true & so damn funny. Remind me to buy Anthony Bourdain a beer if I ever get the chance.
My favorite part, regarding Rachel Ray...
"She's a friendly, familiar face who appears regularly on our screens to tell us that "Even your dumb, lazy ass can cook this!" Wallowing in your own crapulence on your Cheeto-littered couch you watch her and think, "Hell…I could do that. I ain't gonna…but I could--if I wanted! Now where's my damn jug a Diet Pepsi?" Where the saintly Julia Child sought to raise expectations, to enlighten us, make us better--teach us--and in fact, did, Rachael uses her strange and terrible powers to narcotize her public with her hypnotic mantra of Yummo and Evoo and Sammys. "You're doing just fine. You don't even have to chop an onion--you can buy it already chopped. Aspire to nothing…Just sit there. Have another Triscuit…Sleep….sleep…."
The rest here.
My favorite part, regarding Rachel Ray...
"She's a friendly, familiar face who appears regularly on our screens to tell us that "Even your dumb, lazy ass can cook this!" Wallowing in your own crapulence on your Cheeto-littered couch you watch her and think, "Hell…I could do that. I ain't gonna…but I could--if I wanted! Now where's my damn jug a Diet Pepsi?" Where the saintly Julia Child sought to raise expectations, to enlighten us, make us better--teach us--and in fact, did, Rachael uses her strange and terrible powers to narcotize her public with her hypnotic mantra of Yummo and Evoo and Sammys. "You're doing just fine. You don't even have to chop an onion--you can buy it already chopped. Aspire to nothing…Just sit there. Have another Triscuit…Sleep….sleep…."
The rest here.
Thursday
Lechon Asado Brine
We are about to embark on a 3 day journey to Ciudad de Lechon Asado or Cuban style pork-ville, if you prefer. This is for a dinner we are throwing in honor of my cousin Zach, who is in town from Iraq. The process started today with a brine consisting of orange juice, salt, sugar, one head of garlic, some bay leaf, whole allspice & black peppercorns. Our six pound 'picnic shoulder' will soak in this elixir for 24 hours after getting the once over with a pairing knife.
Mañana will be phase two, where we will make a garlic citrus paste to rub into the hog & leave it again to soak it all up before finally smoking then roasting it on Saturday.
Stay tuned, as we will be blogging about the experience as we go along. I can taste it already....I think this swine is going to whisk us away to Cuba or at least Little Havana on Calle Ocho.
Mañana will be phase two, where we will make a garlic citrus paste to rub into the hog & leave it again to soak it all up before finally smoking then roasting it on Saturday.
Stay tuned, as we will be blogging about the experience as we go along. I can taste it already....I think this swine is going to whisk us away to Cuba or at least Little Havana on Calle Ocho.
Friday
Wanderlust
It is good to be back home...sorta'.
Over the last month we have been gone for two weeks, on two different trips, covering over 4,500 miles & three countries. Using almost every form of transportation, automobile, airplane, a train, light rail, cruise ship & of course our own two feet. Like I said it is sorta' good to be home but sometimes I feel we could spend months traveling, exploring new places, eating & drinking new delights, but right now we are enjoying relaxing (even though there has not been much relaxing going on).
The week before Christmas we spent a week visiting friends in Denver & Winter Park, CO. The whole time we were hoping we would get to see some snow fall & we got our wish when one of the worst blizzards in history hit the state. We were in Winter Park snowboarding during the blizzard & later got trapped. If you ask me there was no better place to be trapped. We made it back to Denver courtesy of Amtrak & barely made it back home in time to have our holiday celebration with our families. It was a great time despite the stress of trying to get home on time (we were only 4 hours behind schedule).
After thawing out & enjoying Christmas with the family we had to get ready to go on a cruise with my family. It was just what we needed. Some tropical weather & sunshine. We had a great time with my parents, aunt & uncle & little brother & his wife. We ate (too much), drank (too much) & visited Honduras, Mexico (twice), & Belize. This was one of the best vacations we have been on & we are not cruise people. What I mean by that is,we like to get off the beaten path away from the 'touristas'. We managed to do so on our days at shore & had a great time on the boat eating, drinking & being merry with the Fam.
Some of the epicurean highlights include, two wine tastings on the boat, an 18 course Italian dinner with a bottle of Châteauneuf du Pape, fresh lobster in Roatan, Honduras, fresh snapper in Mahuhaul, Mexico, fresh snapper prepared Tikin Xic style ( a Mayan recipe) in Cozumel, Mexico, along with dollar beers in Cozumel & copius amounts of other food & wine for an entire week. I gained 5 pounds in seven days & I have a metabolism like Barney Fife.
Our 18 course, glutinous feast.
Sunrise en route to Roatan, Honduras.
Lunch in Honduras.
Best lunch spot in West End Roatan, The Red Chile.
More Roatan Honduras.
Best beer in Honduras.
Mahuhaul, Mexico.
Lunch in Mahuhaul, Mexico.
Belizean wildlife. Watch out, he will pee on you.
More wildlife in Belize, sipping fresh coconut juice.
More Belize.
Cozumel, Mexico.
Lunch in Cozumel, Mexico.
Ceviche.
Tikin Xic.
Life at sea.
It was the fastest seven days of our lives & I think I speak for everyone. It was a blast & hopefully the first trip of many more to come.
**Personal update**
I no longer work for Buster's Wines & Liquors. I was asked to remove a negative blurb from the regarding The Beauty Shop, Yellowtail Wine (even though I never said anything really negative about Yellowtail) & was asked to watch my language. I felt strongly about not changing any of my honest opinions & I sure as hell am not going to write in a voice other than my own, so my professional relationship with Buster's Wines & Liquors is over & that is OK, the 12+ hour days were killing me.
Over the last month we have been gone for two weeks, on two different trips, covering over 4,500 miles & three countries. Using almost every form of transportation, automobile, airplane, a train, light rail, cruise ship & of course our own two feet. Like I said it is sorta' good to be home but sometimes I feel we could spend months traveling, exploring new places, eating & drinking new delights, but right now we are enjoying relaxing (even though there has not been much relaxing going on).
The week before Christmas we spent a week visiting friends in Denver & Winter Park, CO. The whole time we were hoping we would get to see some snow fall & we got our wish when one of the worst blizzards in history hit the state. We were in Winter Park snowboarding during the blizzard & later got trapped. If you ask me there was no better place to be trapped. We made it back to Denver courtesy of Amtrak & barely made it back home in time to have our holiday celebration with our families. It was a great time despite the stress of trying to get home on time (we were only 4 hours behind schedule).
After thawing out & enjoying Christmas with the family we had to get ready to go on a cruise with my family. It was just what we needed. Some tropical weather & sunshine. We had a great time with my parents, aunt & uncle & little brother & his wife. We ate (too much), drank (too much) & visited Honduras, Mexico (twice), & Belize. This was one of the best vacations we have been on & we are not cruise people. What I mean by that is,we like to get off the beaten path away from the 'touristas'. We managed to do so on our days at shore & had a great time on the boat eating, drinking & being merry with the Fam.
Some of the epicurean highlights include, two wine tastings on the boat, an 18 course Italian dinner with a bottle of Châteauneuf du Pape, fresh lobster in Roatan, Honduras, fresh snapper in Mahuhaul, Mexico, fresh snapper prepared Tikin Xic style ( a Mayan recipe) in Cozumel, Mexico, along with dollar beers in Cozumel & copius amounts of other food & wine for an entire week. I gained 5 pounds in seven days & I have a metabolism like Barney Fife.
Our 18 course, glutinous feast.
Sunrise en route to Roatan, Honduras.
Lunch in Honduras.
Best lunch spot in West End Roatan, The Red Chile.
More Roatan Honduras.
Best beer in Honduras.
Mahuhaul, Mexico.
Lunch in Mahuhaul, Mexico.
Belizean wildlife. Watch out, he will pee on you.
More wildlife in Belize, sipping fresh coconut juice.
More Belize.
Cozumel, Mexico.
Lunch in Cozumel, Mexico.
Ceviche.
Tikin Xic.
Life at sea.
It was the fastest seven days of our lives & I think I speak for everyone. It was a blast & hopefully the first trip of many more to come.
**Personal update**
I no longer work for Buster's Wines & Liquors. I was asked to remove a negative blurb from the regarding The Beauty Shop, Yellowtail Wine (even though I never said anything really negative about Yellowtail) & was asked to watch my language. I felt strongly about not changing any of my honest opinions & I sure as hell am not going to write in a voice other than my own, so my professional relationship with Buster's Wines & Liquors is over & that is OK, the 12+ hour days were killing me.
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