See-Sip-Taste-Hear

Brewski Reviewski- Bell's Two Hearted Ale

2010-08-25T10:41:00.000-05:00

Bell's Two Hearted Ale is one of my favorite Midwestern beers. It is a stellar American IPA from just across the lake in Comstock, Michigan. You can find Two Hearted at any respectable beer joint here in Milwaukee and Bell's has limited distribution outside of the Midwest. It is worth seeking out even if you aren't from the area.

This is very nice IPA that will please most hop-heads. Two Hearted pours a nice clean, copper shade with a nice white head. The floral & citrus aromas from late addition hops have an assertive presence. It is very well balanced IPA with sweet maltiness in the background, right where it belongs. The bitterness carries through the finish with the same flavors of the aroma but with a little soapiness & pine too.

I love a Two Hearted after a bike ride on a hot summer afternoon, or while sitting in my favorite, very rarely climate controlled corner dive bar, basically I think it is a great Summer beer but is delicious any time of year, so don't limit yourself.

Who says you cant grow Citrus in Wisconsin?

2010-08-11T14:28:00.000-05:00

Our lemon tree that we have grown from seed. It has been loving the sun & the heat we have been getting this summer. In the winter it loves taking in the rays under our sky light. Maybe in a year or so it will grow some tiny lemons.

In the background is our container garden that is blowing up!!! We have had green beans, snow peas and some strawberries so far. The tomatoes are ripening up nicely and we cant wait to taste all of the different heirloom varieties we planted this year.

The lemon tree is by far the strangest (for the climate at least) plant in our garden. Do you have any odd plants in our garden? We would love to hear about them!

Morels

2010-07-12T10:47:00.000-05:00

Our stash of Morels we found this spring is sadly long gone. Except for one, lonely dried grey morel we have leftover. How it got overlooked, you got me...because these fungi are easily one of my favorite foods. This spring was awesome for foraging for these tasty little shrooms. We already can't wait for next spring!

Summer Backyard Project- The fire pit

2010-07-06T13:32:00.001-05:00

Cornish game hen working hard over a stoked fire.

What's for breakfast? PIZZA EGGS!

2010-06-03T19:40:00.002-05:00

On The Road

2010-03-07T12:49:00.002-06:00

I am hitting the road for a month. I am gonna be hitting the mountains for some skiing, then off to the desert for backpacking & mountain biking.

Follow my travels here Into The Mild blog.

Give me a shout if you know of some good eats along my route (posted at the link above).

Cheers!

Our new home appliance

2009-09-24T14:41:00.000-05:00

A kegerator & a freezer....but more importantly a kegerator.

We popped the cherry with a quarter barrel of Sprecher Pub Brown Ale (homebrewed summer ale in the bottles).

Yes, they do make good beer here in Milwaukee.

Soon it will be dispensing our homebrew.

Cheers!

We are now homebrewers!

2009-09-01T14:52:00.001-05:00

I know what you are thinking...Beer?! Homebrewed BEER?! Not wine?!
Well, as you have read, we have been enjoying some great micro-brews lately & since it has been summer, the grape has taken a back seat the grain. Another reason is that I am extremely impatient & beer is ready in 6 weeks as opposed to 6 months.

We have brewed four batches of homebrew so far since May & all have turned out fantastic. We are drinking a Summer Ale we brewed with orange peel, corriander & grains of paradise that is drinking great right now, before that it was a brown ale & then a bock before that. This past weekend we brewed a holiday ale that should be ready for Thanksgiving.

If you are curious as to the goings on in our makeshift brewery (our kitchen/closet/basement) here is a quick visual guide.

Ingredients.

Grains steeping.

Wort Boiling (after hops & malt extract added).

After wort has boiled it is cooled & placed in 6.5 gal carboy for about a week.

After a day or so krausen forms & fermentation becomes violent.

After primary fermentation stops the beer is then racked for clarity into another, smaller carboy.

Our (blury) brewery on racking day.

Once in secondary the beer ages for at least 2 more weeks.

After 2 weeks or so in secondary it is time to bottle. The bottles are primed with a little bit of sugar to induce another round of fermentation that will cause carbonation. After 3 weeks the homebrew is ready to enjoy.

PROST!

What have we been up too?

2009-02-24T17:40:00.006-06:00

Howdy.

Long time no blog. Let me fill everyone it. We are still living & loving Milwaukee.
So yeah Milwaukee. Brew City.
Been drinking lots of beer.
Some of our favorites from Wisconsin...
Anything by Furthermore. Especially their Three Feet Deep their peat smoked stou.
New Glarus has some great offerings.
Lakefront Brewery is our neighborhood brewery & they make some damn fine beer & do a helluva Friday Fish Fry.

We have also fallen in love with a couple of local wine merchants where we quickly got on a first name basis with everyone. We are a couple of lushes I tell ya.

Waterford Wine Company is our main stop for vino & is just right down the street from us on lovely Brady Street.

Also we frequent these crazy Californians chasing their wine dreams in Milwaukee, of all places, at Thief a wine bar & shop in the Milwaukee Public Market. Phil & Aimee left their wine careers in Cali to open this place & let me say their passion for the juice is infectious & we are glad they packed up & moved to the Midwest not long after we did.

There really is a ton of food & wine stuff in this city to blog about.

We have been doing great & part of the reason you haven't heard from us is we are super busy & chasing our dream of living off the grid (not conducive to blogging). We haven't had a TV in over 3 years (funny since I work in the business) & we gave Time Warner a big F.U. & canceled Road Runner. Which brings me to where I am right now....The Garage, a bar/restaurant right around the corner from Chez CoLa, where I am enjoying a litre of Summit Winter Ale from St. Paul Minnesota.

So, yeah. We are embracing this Midwestern thing.

Aside from the whole food & drink thing we been doing lots. Skiing (cross country & downhill), playing with Jack & Roxi, trying to stay warm, shoveling snow, sewing, reading lots, & well....drinking & eating....LOTS.

We will be in from time to time. So keep checking back.

Prost!

Portable wine

2008-10-03T07:13:00.003-05:00

Collin got bota bags for backpacking. If there ever was a doubt that these are the superior vessel for porting wine, that doubt must be erased immediately. I am hooked on mine. Be forewarned though, big heavy wines suffocate and fester (I know, so dramatic) , so it's better to go the light route.

Wherein La C. takes the plunge

2008-10-02T15:34:00.002-05:00

After over two years of pretty unhealthy eating, over indulgence and low exercise, I have received the official bill of health from my doc. At 26 years old, La C. has been diagnosed with high cholesterol.

Now I knew I was out of shape, and I knew I was eating too much fat but I didn't figure it had gotten this bad. So I've been reflecting on some things. I'm out of balance, mentally and physically. I have been in balance before, and it's nice, real nice. And I miss it. So I am going to get it back. How you ask? Don't laugh. Macrobiotics. Now I'm no nut. I'm also not really good at handling rigidity, it brings out my phobia of commitment that connects directly to my phobia of failure, but you don't need to know all of this about me.

Anyway, I have been doing some reading up on macrobiotics, the philosophy of balance and how to make the food tasty tasty tasty, so expect to see some of that popping up around here. As well, you might get to see some of my struggles as I rid myself of the demons that are sugar, dairy and *gasp* caffiene. Wish me luck.

Veggies to eat before you die: Zucchini Au Gratin

2008-09-23T11:42:00.002-05:00

Yes yes yes, veggies to eat before you die is back with a vengeance. This one is a fabulous spin off from a Julia Child recipe. Why a spin off you say? Because as much as I love Julia, I can't take the dairy. Well, I can't take all the dairy. I wish I could.

What you'll need

2 Zucchini no more than 1.5 inches in diameter
1-1.5 cups of onion, sliced
4 tbsp butter
3 tbsp of flour
1/3-1/2 cup of almond milk (you can totally use real milk)
1/2 cup grated cheese. We used three cheeses, Julia suggests swiss.
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
salt and pepper
1/2-1 cup fresh bread crumbs

Preheat your oven to 425ºF.

First grate the Zucchini (food processor or hand grater will work). Then place the zucchini, in batches, in a hand towel and squeeze any excess juice off. Save the juice por favor.

Saute the onions in 2 tbsp of butter. I like to brown my onions slightly, I like the richness it give the dish. Add the zucchini to this mixture and continue to sautee.

In the meantime, melt the remaining two tbsp of butter in a small sauce pan. Stir in flour to make a roux. The darker the roux, the less it will thicken the final sauce, so keep that in mind. I have a hard time telling you how dark to make your roux because it is a total personal preference thing. I let mine get golden. Then stir in the almond milk and let thicken. Salt and pepper to taste (keeping in mind that you will be adding cheese, grate some nutmeg in and ...) Voilá, béchamel.

After this, take your béchamel and stir it in with you zucchini/onion mixture. Thin out to desired consistency with reserved zucchini juice. (If you forget to reserve the juice, which I did, you can thin with water, cream, milk, stock, or almond milk.) Stir in the cheese!

Transfer the entire mixture to a buttered baking dish and top with fresh breadcrumbs. Bake for 20-25 or until it is bubbling up the sides.

This dish is heaven, very rich even without all the called for dairy. Personally I think almond milk is the most fabulous real dairy sub, transferring well from everything to cereal to mashed potatoes to béchamel, so all you non-dairy folks out there give it a try. I actually think this whole dish could be done vegan with a olive oil and flour roux and vegan cheese but, seriously, that's pushing it.

Review: Folk Machine Central Coast Pinot

2008-09-22T09:00:00.003-05:00

So I've been reading up on Folk Machine in order to give it an educated write up. I've read that its back story isn't that exotic, that there's no fancy pedigree behind it. Blah Blah Blah. The story of this wine is cool as shit. The winemaker is 31 year old Kenny Likitprakong, owner of Hobo Wine Co., part time skateboarder and snowboarder, with a history of wine making and distillation in his blood. He's got a wine making philosophy, who doesn't? Affordable wines that are crafted for taste, not to match the popular current rating system. The path he took to get to wine making is a little "Billy of Family Circus-esque" which is a definite turn on for me. I need a little "make your own way" inspiration these days. And the wine has a cool label.

But on to the wine. Oh. My. God. Collin said it best when he said "Taste this, you'll be back in Cali sucking on a beef rib in three seconds." Or something like that. Beautiful Central Coast Pinot. Super bright, full of berries. Chewy tannins (I love saying chewy tannins). A very drinkable wine. I do have one slight complaint. On its own, fabulous; With food it turned into a cherry pie. It was a little too much for the food, and the food was a little too much for it. For the money it's definitely worth a try. I wouldn't mind having a few bottles on hand.

Review: Thief Wine Shop and Bar

2008-09-21T07:40:00.007-05:00

A little bit of California right here in the Midwest.
Milwaukee has the best downtown market- The Milwaukee Public Market. It's full of satellite stores from local businesses all under one roof. It's been a favorite spot of ours for some time now. It can be a bit sticky to negotiate on the weekends because the touristas flock so since I started working the 9-5 and the weekends are the only good time to get down there, my patronization has slacked off. I know, I digress.

One day about six months ago I was shocked to see my once favorite organic salad bar and veggies vendor gutted, poof. I prayed for a re-model, a new-and-improved, a something. And while I thought it couldn't be possible, much to my surprise we got something better. A wine bar.

Thief Wine Shop and Bar is a wine bar/vendor out of California. The owners have recently re-located to the great state of Wisconsin to live out their dream of opening a wine bar and it's off to a great start. If you've ever been to California wine country you know how fabulous it is to go in, sit down and taste taste taste. Thief offers a diverse selection of wines by the 2 oz taste, 5 oz glass and the carafe (our favorite). They offer flights of tastes, pre-picked or create your own, and incentives to keep you coming back. Buy 12 flights of wine, # 13 is free AND 10% off any bottles that you taste in house AND nightly specials AND you can bring food from any of the vendors in the market and eat at the wine bar AND the wine list is constantly rotating. The extremely helpful woman pouring for us yesterday (I have got to place a priority on learning people's names) said that they have been open a little shy of three months and they are on their fourth wine list.

The owners, Phil and Aimee hand ~~pick~~ taste everything on the shelves, and are always at the store ready to answer any questions you might have. I enjoy that. Dedicated owners breed dedicated customers. It's a reversion to the way businesses used to be run and it makes me feel special dammit.

Collin and I got our first flights under our belts (tasting notes to come) and snagged a delicious central coast pinot- Folk Machine and Triebaumer, an Austrian Rosé. We plan to check out some of the mid-week specials too. For instance, Thursday nights they have specials on wines that go well with oysters, because Thursday nights are the St. Paul Fish Company's (another of the fabulous vendors in the Public Market) oyster night. The possibilities are endless.

Comet Cafe: a Photo Essay

2008-02-17T11:29:00.006-06:00

Or: How to get your vitamins from cocktails.

Bloody Mary with Bacon & High Life Pony Chaser.
Best Bloody Mary on the Eastside of Milwaukee.

Tomato soup.

Mashed potatoes & beer gravy. Gotta get your carbs in.

Gone.

Old fashioned.

Comet Cafe
1947 N Farwell Ave
Milwaukee, WI 53202
(414) 273-7677

Not done yet!

2008-02-08T08:18:00.000-06:00

The emails have been pouring in & when we decided to hang it up, we were more than reluctant about our decision. So fear not! We are back. There will be some major changes around here, but you can still expect to see lots of photos of great food & drink, plus some of our culinary adventures in our new town of Milwaukee.

Milwaukee is such an under-the-radar food paradise it would be a shame not to spread the word & share our favorite eateries & wonderful food purveyors. So hang in there because exciting things are to come soon!

-C & L

Indefinite Hiatus

2008-01-16T09:34:00.000-06:00

See-Sip-Taste-Hear is on vacation. (As if it wasn't obvious) We are still cooking and drinking and eating and taking pictures here and listening (and consequently, dancing). We just kind of got tired of blogging about it. We've been busy settling in to our new home and town and having a blast doing it. Perhaps we'll catch the food blogging bug again, and if we do, perhaps we'll actually find the time to dedicate to it. Until then, thanks to everyone who kept up with us, and inspired us to cook fabulous foods and drink fabulous wines and yammer endlessly about it on the internet.

Love,
La and C

Vegggies to eat before you die: Cauliflower with Anchovies and Garlic

2007-11-18T17:30:00.000-06:00

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.

Restaraunt Review: Anodyne Roasting Company

2007-11-11T12:53:00.000-06:00

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

Birthday Dinner: Clams in Tomato Broth and Caesar Salad with Homemade Dressing

2007-11-05T10:15:00.000-06:00

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.

Reasons we love Milwaukee: Grocery Edition

2007-10-25T07:30:00.000-05:00

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.

Good Grief

2007-10-08T12:51:00.000-05:00

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

2007-08-20T10:04:00.001-05:00

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.

Cupcakes <3

2007-07-23T11:05:00.001-05:00

I love surprises & one thing I love more than surprises is a sweet surprise. Last week I came home & found several hand drawn notes leading me through the house to find a plate full of yellow cupcakes with Tia Maria icing with a heart shaped note sticking out of one reading "Sweets for my Sweet", made by my lovely wife. The cupcakes are long gone but not the sweet thought.

Seven Things

2007-07-09T06:38:00.000-05:00

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.

Stay tuned...

2007-07-03T10:54:00.000-05:00

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

Garlic Harvest

2007-06-13T08:06:00.000-05:00

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.

What the World Eats

2007-06-07T06:07:00.000-05:00

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.

New Orleans Wine and Food Experience: The Seminars

2007-06-05T09:09:00.000-05:00

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.

We are back: Begin New Orleans Wine and Food Expirience Recap

2007-05-28T08:26:00.000-05:00

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.

Veggies to Eat Before You Die: Sauteed Zucchini Done Right

2007-05-23T07:02:00.000-05:00

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.

Veggies To Eat Before You Die: Boiled Potatoes with Brown Butter

2007-05-18T07:34:00.000-05:00

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.

Sandwich Night: Pseudo BLT's

2007-05-15T07:11:00.000-05:00

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-

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.

Weird Things I Eat for Breakfast #1

2007-05-11T08:34:00.000-05:00

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.

Carrot Orecchiette

2007-05-08T05:36:00.000-05:00

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.

Weird Things I Eat for Breakfast: The Series

2007-05-01T08:11:00.000-05:00

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.

New Orleans Wine & Food Experience

2007-04-23T15:23:00.000-05:00

It is that time of year again. Memorial Day Weekend May 23 - 27, 2007

Last 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.

Risotto with Brie, Bacon and Peas

2007-04-22T08:45:00.000-05:00

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.

Recipe: Fried Chicken or KFC's got nothin' on me.

2007-04-01T12:07:00.000-05:00

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.

Super Crispy Chicken
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.

Tasting Notes: 2000 Domaine Jean Luc-Dubois Savigny-Les-Beaune Les Picotin

2007-03-29T04:39:00.000-05:00

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!

A Laugh For A Monday

2007-03-19T13:05:00.000-05:00

This is a funny clip of outtakes I found of Orson Welles tanked doing a Paul Masson commercial.

Enjoy.

Class & Taste

2007-03-14T11:22:00.000-05:00

Who says you can't have taste if you don't have class?

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

2007-03-14T08:35:00.000-05:00

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.

Thera-pea

2007-03-11T17:14:00.000-05:00

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.

MMMMmmmmmac and Cheese

2007-03-07T10:05:00.000-06:00

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

1. Preheat the oven to 400º F and bring a large pot of water to a boil.

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

2007-02-28T16:33:00.000-06:00

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.

I love this guy....

2007-02-19T06:13:00.000-06:00

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.

Lechon Asado Brine

2007-01-25T17:21:00.001-06:00

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.

Wanderlust

2007-01-19T07:19:00.000-06:00

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.

This Weeks Wines (12/2/06)

2006-12-02T16:22:00.000-06:00

Since starting my part-time marketing/graphics job @ Buster's this week (more on that later), we have been drinking considerably nicer wines than in the past...not that we drink shit & never Yellowtail (well, yeah, we have, but we soon learned they are a ton of cheap, good wines to be had).

First up Bourgogne Rouge from Domaine Arlaud. This was a fruity Burgundy (pinot noir, ya' know) from the swelteringly hot vintage of duece-double 0-tre-dizzle. Very nice red fruit & tannins that would cut a through a bloody steak better than a Ginsu.

Next up...a Pinot Noir from the Malborough region of New Zealand. Ima' call this one kiwi-spice the 6th & unknown Spice Girl...& by kiwi, I mean someone that hails from the NZ...not the brown fuzzy fruit. It is spicey & fruity, so maybe this 'unknown spice girl' is more of a tropical Liberace. Hmmm...now there is a distrubing mental image.

This Beaujolais Cru is from the village Moulin-a-Vent & is brawny for a Beaujolais. It is the only Beaujolais that is aged in oak. If you think Beaujolais' are fruity-girly wines, try this one from Beaujolais Baron Georges Duboeuf.

Chile...ah....Chile. So many great wines come from this country that it is unbelievable...& they are for the most part very affordable. This merlot bucks the stereotype of the fruity simple quaffer. It is complex...like a Rubix Cube with some of the stickers peeled off. Minty, herbal, oppulent, dark & brooding.

Another Pinot....for someone who hates the 'Sideways Effect', I sure do drink a lot of Pinot. This one is nice & spicy too in typical style of the Cailfornia Central Coast. All I can say is...Get a bottle!

So the job is working out & I am gonna try & do this once a week.

Meet The Mötley Crü

2006-11-27T05:11:00.000-06:00

mot‧ley [mot-lee] adjective, noun, plural -leys.
1. exhibiting great diversity of elements; heterogeneous: a motley crowd.

cru [kroo; Fr. kry] noun, plural crus [krooz; Fr. kry]
1. (in France) a vineyard producing wine of high quality, sometimes classified by the government as either a Great Growth (Grand Cru) or a First Growth (Premier Cru).

La & myself have been tossing around the idea of starting a wine club for the last year or so. We finally got motivated & sent out emails, MySpace messages & spread the word with our friends & this past Saturday we had our second meeting. Each month we decide on a theme, the first meeting was Bring Your Favorite Wine, this weekend's theme was Wine from the Southern Hemisphere & everyone that comes must bring one bottle that coincides with the theme. Next months theme is Old World Wines.

We are not your average group of stuffy wine geeks. In fact the only rule is no pretentious wine drinkers. We are a rough & tumble group who buck the typical stereotype of a wine drinker. We are tattooed, pierced, professionals, students, artists, etc.. The conversation usually drifts in all directions & I mean all directions. No topic is too taboo. There still is wine talk, with the occasional chit chat about who is enjoying whatever wine at the moment.

Our group has grown from seven people to eleven with friends & family in town for the holiday, we had people from New Jersey, Texas & of course Memphis.

The wines for this meeting were all great picks with nearly every major wine player in the Southern Hemisphere represented. Here is our list of wines.

2006 Crios de Susana Balbo Rosé of Malbec Mendoza, Argentina

2005 Pannotia Vineyards Torrontés Mendoza, Argentina

2004 Melipal Malbec Mendoza, Argentina

2005 Dos Lomos Malbec Mendoza, Argentina

2002 Marques de Casa Concha Cabernet Sauvignon Puente Alto, Maipo Valley Chile

2005 Caillero del Diablo Cabernet Sauvignon Central Valley, Chile

2004 Root 1 Cabernet Sauvignon Colchagua Valley, Chile

2004 Three Rings Shriaz Barossa Valley, Austrailia

2004 Rawson's Retreat Merlot South Eastern Austrailia

2005 Suavignon Republic Cellars Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough, New Zealand

2004 Luzon Jumilla, Spain*

*someone needed a geography lesson but this wine ended up being one of the favorites, plus our unofficial motto is "the only good rule is a broken one".

Our next meeting is sometime in December so be sure to look for the report on our Old World Wine tasting (this time a map will be distributed for the geographically challenged).

Some See & Hear For Ya....(Sip & Taste will make an appearance soon)

2006-11-22T05:36:00.000-06:00

Tasting Notes: 2002 Beaucanon Estate Merlot

2006-11-13T17:57:00.000-06:00

I promise not to make any references to that movie...uh, what's it called? Upside down? Leftways? Rightways? I can't remember, but I am not drinking any F*&$%ing PINOT!!!

The bottle we had last week of 2002 Beaucanon Estate Merlot made me completely forget about Paul Giamani's (aka Miles) winey ass (can you say 'suck it up, princess?'). I will call this Nappa Valley Merlot what it is....A Pinot killer.

If more Merlots were this good the Sideways effect would be upside down. The 2002 Beaucanon Estate Merlot is a big boy, yet refined & elegant. Maybe it is the wineries roots that are deeply rooted in Bordeaux that buck the style of typical Merlots that give the grape a bad name. Ya know the ones...the one dimensional, fruit driven, crowd pleaser's.

The wineries genesis began when Jacques de Coninck came from Bordeaux to search for prime vineyards, convinced that the New World held the promise of great wines. I think he struck gold with his estate on the historic Longwood Ranch in the Rutherford American Viticultural Area in Napa Valley.

The nose of this Merlot leaps out of the glass & dope slaps you....it is so intense you can almost see it. It is full of fruit, mostly blackberry, black plum & some dried fruit. There is also a touch of herbs & evergreen. Very alluring. The palate represents the same. It is voluptuous yet brawny. The tannins are chalky had me craving a nice bloody fillet. The minty finish went one for minutes.

This is really a delicious Merlot. If the producers of Sideways had a bottle of this before shooting the movie, I am sure the famous catch phrase from the movie would have been "I am NOT drinking any F&*^$@G PINOT!!!"

Ooops, I broke my promise.

Let's Do Lunch

2006-11-06T06:01:00.000-06:00

I love that phrase. What I love even more is doing lunch. I am lucky...sorta. I get off of work everyday at noon (but at the price of going in at 3AM), so I can do lunch everyday if I wanted. To me, there is no better way of unwinding after a hard days work of pushing pixels for the man. A glass of wine (or three) from whatever joint we choose plus a tasty sandwich or lunch portion of a dinner entree is the perfect apres work treat.

There are numerous benefits of 'doing lunch'. One being that lunch our is almost always cheaper than dinner out. The menu at most places is about the same as it is at dinner & sometimes if you are lucky the portions are the same size at lunch as they are at dinner.

There is one drawback that I have found to doing lunch. Usually the kitchen staff & front of the house staff that work lunch are the "B-Team". We have figured out not to eat at the Beauty Shop for lunch. The last two times we have been there for lunch the service was terrible & one couple of weeks ago I had the worst burger I have ever had.

The next best thing to doing lunch....is doing lunch & then coming home to take a siesta.

Five Things I Have Learned In The Kitchen

2006-10-11T09:31:00.000-05:00

1.) Always wear pants when frying bacon.

2.) Baking is not cooking. So stick to the recipe when baking & experiment only when cooking.

3.) Be sure your cream is still good before pouring it into the soon to be pot of shrimp bisque.

4.) A CD player does not replace a dishwasher but it sure as hell makes washing dishes by hand a lot easier.

5.) A glass of wine while cooking helps the effort. A bottle of wine while cooking hurts the effort.

What's Been Going On

2006-10-01T16:50:00.000-05:00

Sometimes life's whirlwind pace picks up a little bit...nah, make that a lot & the whirlwind spins you out of control & you don't know whether you are coming or going. Well, that has been us as of late. La is back in school finishing up her last year of graduate school & of course that comes with a lot of non-school time work, social functions (boy, do those anthropologists know how to party) & her/our schedules being flipped upside down. Myself, well, I have been super busy too. I am currently job hunting & in my line of work (motion graphic artist) that entails building a resumé reel...or DVD if you will. I spent about two weeks on my reel & i finally completed it a few weeks ago. I have already had a little bit of action on it from a TV station in Denver (*fingers crossed*), so I have been busy with phone interviews & the like. Plus we have been out of town quite a bit lately. Last week we went down to Jacksonville, FL to visit my parents for a few days & the week before we went down to Atlanta for WineSouth.

In the next few days expect to see posts on WineSouth, our trip to Jacksonville (an awesome wining & dining town, by the way), the Dungenese Crab Video Blogcast & much more. We have had lots of GREAT wines & lots of great food in the last few weeks too, so expect to see some new tasting notes & recipes in the weeks to come.

For those interested, here is what I have poured my heart & soul into the last few months.
My resumé reel.

Restaurant Review: Encore

2006-09-08T09:42:00.000-05:00

Last Friday night we went out to dinner at Encore in Peabody Place, to celebrate La starting her last year of grad school. We have been wanting to eat there since they opened in late-2005. This was a highly anticipated dining experience for us.

Encore is the brainchild of Master Chef José Gutierrez, who was the long standing Chef de Cuisine at Chez Pilippe in the Peabody Hotel. He is a local culinary hero with a laundry list, as long as your arm, of awards & accolades.

We have an affliction that I call "Early Bird Syndrome", as in early bird like your grandparents. We showed up at 5pm & we had the place to ourselves, which was nice. The decor was fresh, hip & relaxed with an eclectic mix music being piped in. The dining room has a weird layout with all the tables over on one side of the room, rather close together, I might add. I would like to see the place when packed but I am not sure I would like to eat there with a full house.

To start things off, we each had a glass of Bouvet Rosé while we looked over the menu. This sparkling rosé hails from the Loire region in France & is made from Cabernet Franc grapes. It was an excellent aperitif that sufficiently whet our appetite with its dry, mineral & berry notes. Later, we found this wine at the wine shop & had to get a bottle to enjoy later, we liked it so much.

For dinner La decided on soup & salad. The combo was a one, two punch of Spring Asparagus Soup with Onion Soufflé & Caesar Salad with Roasted Red Pepper Dressing & Warm Garlic Shrimp. We have no idea what made the asparagus soup 'Spring' but it was really light & had a very nice asparagus flavor. The onion souflé floating in the middle of the green concoction, is what made the soup though. It was sweet & buttery & it melted in your mouth.

I went with Caramelized Salmon with Cauliflower Risotto & Balsamic Reduction. It was really good but not knock your socks off good. The salmon was a little more on the well-done side than I like my salmon, but it was far from being dry. The glaze gave it a nice sweetness that was not overpowering & complimented the fish very well. I feel the risotto stole the show though. It was so creamy & chock full of cauliflower that every bite had me wishing for a big bowl of it. The balsamic reduction set every bite off with a nice tart sweetness.

La's salad was an excellent twist on an old classic. The red pepper dressing was piquant with a touch of sweetness that covered just enough of the whole head of romaine lettuce. The shrimp were there to bring it all together with it's garlic soaked, buttery flavor. For just soup & a salad it was quite a meal.

We only have one beef....or three beefs that is. As I mentioned earlier I studied the menu on-line, as well as the wine list extensively earlier & knew what wine I wanted to have with my salmon, so I ordered a glass of Burgundy, the Joseph Drouhin Chory-les-Beaune. Guess what they were out.....& guess what else, they were out of the wine La ordered too, the LePin Viognier. We had to regroup & choose again. After much perusing of the wine list, again. We made our decision, La went with the Joseph Drouhin Saint-Veran that our waiter recommended & I went with an old favorite, Gundlach Block 13 Pinot Noir. Not two minutes after we placed our wine order for the second time, our waiter emerges empty handed. No Gundlach Bock 13. Strike three. Our waiter went over the list AGAIN with me & suggested some other wines, but it was just "blah-blah-blah" to me. I specifically wanted a Pinot Noir to go with my salmon, because it is one of my favorite pairings & I wasn't about to drink a bargain red I'd had many times before (Mirrasou) & for the price of a glass I could have bought a whole bottle. I was ready to stick with S. Pelligrino when our waiter came back again with a taste of Aquinas Pinot Noir from Napa Valley. This was a nice gesture & after a taste, it proved worthy of my glazed salmon. I really wanted to try the Burgundy and the Aquinas was no Block 13 but it was god none the less.

We choose to dine at Encore because they supposedly had a respected wine program. It may have been an off night, I don't know, but I was extremely put off by this snafu. It did not ruin the meal, though as the food was excellent & the service was stellar, but we will think twice before heading back to Encore...or at least call ahead to see how well their cellar is stocked.

On a five point scale we would have to give Encore a 3.5

Coming Soon....

2006-09-07T14:04:00.000-05:00

Stay tuned!!!

The More I Run, The More I Eat

2006-09-06T15:40:00.000-05:00

I started running a few months ago & boy, has my already ravenous appetite gone through the roof. Now I am not going to get all "health nut" on you, although I do believe it is important to keep in shape & I can honestly say I like tofu, but damn I feel so good when I run.

The point being, I have been ravenous lately. I eat two breakfasts, one at 5AM, after I have already been at work for three hours & one around 9AM when I take my lunch break (I know...pitty me, I work some crazy hours). Then, I usually go home around noon & eat a pre-run snack, usually a sandwich. But the real treat comes after my run.

When I need to refuel & am too tired to really cook, I grab a handful of pasta from the pantry, boil it up al dente. Meanwhile I raid the fridge for leftovers. Last week we had grilled herbed chicken leftover for most of the week. It made an excellent companion to some angel hair pasta. Of course it needed some company, so I picked some cherry maters from the garden, along with some purple basil & spicy globe basil. Now I had the makings for a nice 2nd lunch. I sauteed two cloves of sliced garlic (two too many according to La) in some extra virgin olive oil with a quarter of an onion, then added the chicken & the 'maters & fresh herbs at the end with some salt & pepper. Voila! What a treat. I don't know whether I eat to run or run to eat, as long as I get to do both, I am happy.

This fine concoction is just what a tired body needs. Add a nice chilled glass of Viognier (try the 2005 Cline Viognier it is outstanding...tasting notes coming soon) & this meal will satisfy the soul too.

Five Things To Eat Before You Die

2006-09-03T13:09:00.000-05:00

La & myself were both tagged by our friends, the Squirrel Family to participate in the blogging event Five Things To Eat Before You Die. This was a tough task & we spent a whole morning coming up with our lists. Of course we ended up with a few of the same dishes, so we revised our lists, making sure there were no 'repeats'. I have to say, we could have easily come up with a list as long as Suge Knights wrap sheet, so we put a lot of thought into it narrowed it down to five a piece.

Collin's List

1. Whole Fried Catfish. It has to Mississippi Farm Raised catfish too, not that cheap stuff from Vietnam. Fried fillets do not do this fish justice, although they are still excellent. Whole catfish should be crispy on the outside & moist on the inside. Dredged only in cornmeal, salt & pepper. Served with a slice of Vidalia Onion, ketchup & Tabasco Sauce...& you can't forget the hushpuppies.

2. Stone Ground Grits. Cooked slow. With cheese. Or with out. For breakfast. Or for dinner. The epitome of Southern Soul, however & whenever you eat them.

3. Blue Crab 'You' Caught Yourself. Store bought crabs are good....but NOWHERE near as good as crabs you caught yourself. All they need is some drawn butter & the sound of the ocean crashing near your dinner table. There is something about watching the little buggers crawl in to your net at the bottom of the ocean that excites you & whets your appetite.

4. Fresh Hogfish Snapper. With a roasted red pepper zabaglione. I have only had this once & it was at Cafe Sole in Key West. It was THE best fish I have ever had the pleasure of enjoying. It is delicate & flavorful & it has to be caught by divers adding to the 'cool factor'.

5. Tik-in-Chick. A Yucatan specialty of grilled red snapper with achoita sauce (spicy mayan sauce made with achoita). We had this on Isla Mujeres in Mexico & I have to say this was one of our top dining experiences. The fish caught minutes before it was grilled of an open fire right on the beach. Our table was literally 10 yards from the emerald blue Caribbean...Best. Dining room. Ever.

Laura's List

1. Salt Fish and Ackee. On a beach in Jamaica. The Ackee is scrambeled like eggs with the salt cured cod. It sounds gross but it is the best breakfast ever. (pic of Ackee on the left)

2. Raw Vidalia Onions. You really could eat them like an apple they are so sweet.

3. Pork Ribs....Done Right. If you think you've had them "done right" you are probably wrong. 10 or more hours smoked. Dry rub only. Beautiful.

4. French Fries in a Cone aka Vlammes Frittes. A treat we fell in love with in Amsterdam. With a little mayo, preferably when it's so cold outside, that the cone steams.

5. Good Chile Verde ¡Mucho Gusto! On anything...a plate of scrambeled eggs, a burrito, enchiladas, with tortilla chips....you get the point.

Now time for the tags.
-The gals at one of our favorite Food & Wine Blogs, Everyday Wine Pairings.
-Sean, who has another favorite blog we read at More Is Less.
-Michael, who also blogs from beautiful Midtown Memphis at Midtown Stomp- A Memphis Wine Journal.
-Last but not least, another fellow Memphis Food & Wine Blogger, Benito at Benito's Wine Reivews.

Pakistani Via Mississippi

2006-08-29T12:43:00.000-05:00

Last Saturday, we ventured out with our friends Paul, Angela & their kiddo Patrick, to this quaint Pakistani & Indian joint they discovered in the boonies just across the Mississippi state line. You would never know this place existed, if someone didn't tell you. We are more than thankful they shared this hidden gem with us, because it rocked. We will definitely be making the pilgrimage again.

We have never tried Pakistani food, but we love Indian & other Middle Eastern cuisine, so we were more than intrigued & we love ALL cuisine so the decision was easy. The place is in a tiny strip mall type building connected to a gas station. If you have never been to Mississippi, or heck the South even, you might think this is odd. It is not. More of the norm & I am betting the gas station probably served up some nice meat & threes, fried catfish, fried bologna sandwiches or all of the above. The setting might have scared away some less adventurous epicureans, but not us, the intrepid epicureans (hungry too, I might add). On the inside The Shahi House was simple with little, to no atmosphere & I could tell the focus was on the food. The walls were lined with giant photos of most of the dishes they offered & boy, did it all look tasty. A heady aroma wafted out of the kitchen making our stomachs growl. It looked like the place was pretty much set up for take-out, because there were only 4 booths & they serve the food on paper plates.

We started things off with some puff pastries. We had one potato & one chicken. They were comprised of filo dough, with spicy fillings of potato & chicken. Both were excellent, but the potato was our favorite. Paul & Angela also ordered a middle eastern version of a soft taco that we split. Just because I can't remember what it is called in it's native tongue, doesn't mean that it wasn't absolutely delicious. The chicken was spicy but not hot & was accompanied by some fresh cilantro & onions, all in a vessel that was somewhat between a tortilla & naan which was basically fried flour & water. It was served with a yogurt based dipping sauce that added a nice tang to the equation.

The first course sufficiently whet our appetite & left us wanting more, much more. Just in the nic of time our meal was ready. La had the chicken biriyani (pictured to the left) & I had the chicken karahi. The biriyani was was my favorite & La's was the karahi. The biriyani was a spciy chicken dish served amongst some of the best rice I have ever eaten. I couldn't get enough & couldn't keep from getting it all in La's lap too. The karahi was top notch as well. The chicken was stewed in a spicy red sauce full of onions chiles & tomatoes, garnished with a huge jalapeño & a handful of cilantro. I am not the best judge of heat, because I have been eating chiles of all kinds (& recently habaneros) since I was 5 or 6. I could tell this had a good amount of heat to it, because it satisfied both La (she is a chile head too) & my thirst for the fire. Plus everyones noses were running.

I think I can safely say everyone enjoyed their lunch & we definitely enjoyed our first taste of Pakistani. After lunch we headed back north to Memphis for libations, but first we stopped at an Indian grocery in Collierville to stock up some exotic goods. All we bought was a 5 lb. bag of biriyani rice & have already started to experiment with different ways to cook it & plan to try a Persian rice recipe soon. It was a great deal too, for only five dollars.

After perusing their imported goodies we were on the road again. Great Wines was having the final blind taste off in their Summer tasting series so we stopped by to taste & to vote for our favorite wines. I was in the minority & was the only one who liked any of the whites, but it is funny because we came home with the only white I really didn't like, a 2005 Craneford Viognier. The reds were good too & I am anxious to see which wine won. I will post the winners when I get word.

A trip to Mississippi & our culinary horizon has been broadened in one the most unlikely of places. It was a great way to spend a Saturday.

When the Moon Hits Your Eye Like a Big Pizza Pie, That's Amoré

2006-08-26T16:31:00.000-05:00

Well, It's official. We will never buy store bought pizza crust again. I have been experimenting with homemade pizza dough for quite some time now and think that I may have finally come close to perfecting my recipe. It still lacks in a couple of pizzeria qualities that I enjoy but it has turned out fluffy and golden every time I have used this recipe. The topping always differ. Pizza is usually a "clean out the crisper night" but the final results are always scrum-didly-umptous.

Pizza Dough
1 Packet instant or rapid rise yeast
1-1 1/4 cup of water
3 cups bread flour (about 14 oz.)
1-2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 teaspoons of corse kosher salt plus more for sprinkling
chopped rosemary or other herbs to taste (optional but I think this makes the dough)

I use plain old fashioned 'have to proof it yourself' yeast, why, because I like to challenge myself for no good reason whatsoever.
So proof the yeast with a pinch of sugar and some very luke warm water (you don't want to kill it because that makes for some nasty dough.) I also make my dough with a stand mixer, because while I like a 'don't kill the yeast and ruin your dough' challenge, I don't enjoy a physical challenge so much. A stand mixer makes this so easy.

Combine half of the flour with salt, yeast, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and one cup of water in stand mixer, blend with machines paddle. With the machine on slow speed, add the flour a little at a time until the mixture has become a sticky ball that pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Kneed for a minute by hand adding as little flour as possible. Put in a bowl greased with olive oil and cover with plastic wrap or a dish towel and leave to rise in a warm, draft free place. I put mine in the oven (don't turn it on.....). This process will take about 1-2 hours.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven as hot as you can get it. I can get mine up to about 575ºF. Most comercial ovens bake at about 700ºF. Heat is important in getting a good crunchy crust.

Remove dough from resting place after it has doubled in size and kneed slightly. Push dough down and roll into a ball. Leave wrapped in plastic wrap or towel for 20 minutes or until it fluffs slightly.

Remove dough from wrap and place on pizza pan. I just spread the dough out with my hands to the edge of the tray making sure not to rip it. Holes in pizza dough isn't great, you lose a lot of valuable juices. Then I spray with olive oil over the crust and sprinkle it with salt and pepper. Top the pizza with anything you like (our pictured pizza has marinara, sausage, onion, tomatoes, oregano and basil and feta cheese on it), and put in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes or until the crust looks done.

Cheap Thrills: Black Box Wines & Pop Music

2006-08-20T11:21:00.000-05:00

I have two new cheap thrills I have been enjoying for the last few weeks. They are boxed wine & cheezy pop music. In my car, my usual mix of NPR & WEVL, the local volunteer station, has been trumped by one of the local Top 40 stations. If you pull up next to me at a red light you will more than likely here a muffled rendition of Christina Aguilera, J-Tim, or Nelly Furtado (her new song with Timbaland, Promiscuous is my new jam) escaping my windows. Don't judge. I have my reasons for my new listening pleasures.

I also dove head first into the boxed wine world which strike me as being very similar to the world of pop music.

We tried two of the Black Box Wines, the Cabernet Sauvignon from Paso Robles & the Shiraz from the Barossa valley in Austrailia.

The Black Box Wine & the Top 40 hits I have been enjoying are both superficial pleasures, not meant to be explored too deeply, because if you do...you will certainly be let down. Take Justin Timberlake's new hit "Sexy Back" for example. It is an infectious groove with a bouncy disco-house beat & some cool synthesized vocals in which J-Tim proclaims to be "bringing sexy back". If you think about it was sexy ever really gone? If so, where did it go? The French Riviera for holiday? I dont think so.

Both of the Black Box Wines we have tried are great weeknight wines with beauty that is no deeper than skin deep or deeper than the catchy hook, if you will. The Cabernet Sauvignon was full of flashy fruit & mellow tannins. It was simple, but not quite one dimensional. It was fantastic with left-over meat loaf sandwiches & an enjoyable week night wine.

The Barossa Shiraz was similar in style, but had a little more depth to the flavors & aromas. The typical shiraz meat & pepper were represented in the nose & palate, albeit somewhat subdued. We enjoyed this one more than the Cab because it showed a lot more varietal characteristic & there was a little more structure.

One thing that drew me to the Black Box line of wines was the fact that they from specific appellations & they are vintage wines. Instead of being a blend of grapes from all over California or Australia & a blend of grapes from different vintages, at least by law, 85% of the grapes came from where the wine is labeled & all of the grapes were picked in 2004. This usually means you are getting a little higher quality wine. Most of the other boxed wines I saw were non-vintage & only labeled as California wine. Which typically means a little lower quality wine. Basically, the more specific the place the wine comes from, the better quality of wine it is.

These boxes sell for about $20 & have four bottles worth of wine concealed in a silver bladder within the box. This has been dubbed by my brother "The Silver Tittie". That equals to about $5 a bottle. Not a bad deal if you ask me & definitely falls under the "Cheap Thrills" category along with the J-Tim I have been jamming out to.

Weekly Fresh Seafood in Memphis

2006-08-15T12:45:00.000-05:00

From Whining & Dining....

Red Truck Seafood is making another run to the Gulf!!
Place your order now for the freshest shrimp available.
We will make the run on Thursday, August 17 and
deliver on Friday, August 18.

Don't forget to let us know your wish list
for fresh fish. We will try for Grouper, Trigger, Amberjack, Red Snapper, and Mackerel. Availabilities and prices vary.

You can call in orders to:
JD 901-921-0010
Cynthia 901-218-5399

Recipe: Anise-Scented Short Ribs

2006-08-15T05:10:00.000-05:00

Well, It has been a long time coming, but this recipe is too good not to share. The key to getting a perfect, melt in your mouth experience with this recipe is to hit up the beef guy at the Memphis Farmers Market for your short ribs. Three bucks a pound (last time we were there) makes this a super affordable meal. This is a great cold, rainy day recipe because it stews for a couple of hours, which warms the house up nicely. And the smell, ahh the smell of slow cooked meat and anise, Glade Plug-Ins I scoff at you. You can also do this in a pressure cooker in a fraction of the time and have it turn out just as good. Just follow the rib cooking times on your machine.

Anise-Scented Short Ribs
Time: 2 hours or more, largely unattended

1 Tbs Olive oil

3 Pounds meaty beef short ribs

Freshly ground black pepper or szechwan peppercorns to taste*

1 medium to large onion chopped

5 nickel sized slices of fresh ginger or 2 teaspoons of ground**

3 cloves of garlic lightly crushed

5 whole star anise***

1/4 cup of soy sauce or fish sauce

1 cup water

1 Tbsp rice or white wine vinegar

2 Tbsp sugar

2 Medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch thick slices

Salt (optional)

1. Heat oil over medium high heat in a dutch oven. Brown the short ribs well on all sides. Season with pepper as they cook. Don't rush the process, which will take about 20 minutes. Keep an eye on the heat so you don't burn the ribs or get the oil too smokey. You can also do the initial browning in a 500º F oven in a roasting pan turning the ribs every so often to get an even brown. This takes about 20 minutes as well.

2. Remove the ribs with a slotted spoon and pour off most of the fat. Lower heat and cook onion until soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and ginger cooking for another 2 minutes. Add all remaining ingredients except carrots and salt. Bring to a boil and return ribs to the pot.Reduce the heat to low and cover. Cook slowly, occasionally turning the ribs, for about 1 hour.

3. Add carrots and re-cover pot. Cook 30 minutes more until ribs are tender and meat is falling off the bone. Remove carrots and ribs from stew juices and place on a platter in a warm (200º F) oven. Discard the ginger and star anise pieces. Turn pot heat to high and reduce the liquid, stirring until thick and syrupy, about 10 minutes. Add more salt or soy sauce to taste. Serve sauce on ribs with white rice. I also like crusty bread to soak up the juice, but I am rather gluttonous when it comes to this recipe.

*Szechwan peppercorns have a far superior flavor in this dish, use them if you can find them.
** Fresh ginger is easy to come by, use it over ground ginger, the flavor doesn't come close.
*** Viet Hoah Market on Cleveland has the hook up on affordable star anise. They have the hook up on a lot of spices but that's for another post. you might be able to pick up some szechwan peppercorns there too.

Recipe source: How to Cook Everything, Bittman

Video Blogcast #1: Home Coffee Roasting

2006-08-14T16:49:00.000-05:00

***YouTube.com server MAY be down for maintenance. If so, please check back soon.***

Show Notes:

Roasting coffee at home is fun & really cheap...about half as cheap as store bought beans. One pound or so of beans roasted pretty much pays for the popper. There is also no better way to get The. Freshest. Coffee. Ever. It is fun to experiment with different beans & see how they taste at different roasts. Blending different types of beans is great too. The possibilities are endless.

I failed to mention in the Blogcast that if you smell the coffee beans burning, you roasted them too long...but I guess common sense would dictate that. Usually if you can hear the second crack slowing down (less frequency of beans cracking), the beans are close to burning.

I also should apologize for the poor resolution. Once I get a dedicated server, that will change. YouTube doesn't cut the mustard.

Links:
Sweet Maria's
Degree of Roast Pictorial

My Little Black Book

2006-08-10T12:18:00.000-05:00

I started writing tasting notes right before I started blogging & sort of, but not quite, a few years ago. One year La got me The Unoffical Guide To Wine & I started writing the name of each bottle we purchased & where it was from. No tasting notes or whether or not we liked the bottle, just the basic info. The few blank pages at the end of the book filled up rather quickly. Looking back I am glad I did this. When I read some of the names I could remember the occasion & hazy details of enjoying the wine. This marked my unofficial genesis of becoming a wine geek.

The picture is of my current & second 'little black book'. My first one was half was filled with caffeine fueled coffee roasting notes & then, the vinous words of my new wine obsession took over & the rest of the pages are now filled with tasting notes & purple stains.

Why take notes?

Well, I do it for many reasons. Blogging about wine being one. Another reason is, I feel it helps to hone my palate & figure out what I really enjoy about certain wines. I tend to ponder the flavor & nuances of the wine more when taking notes. I start to wonder about the process of how the wine was made, why certain flavors are stronger or more subdued. It raises my awareness of what I am drinking in a sense.

Of course I can delve that deeply into a glass of wine without taking notes, but I like having a reminder on paper, so I can remember all the details. For instance, I was thinking the other day about a wine I recently tried, that reminded me of an orange creamsicle & I couldn't remember the name or variety of wine at all, but I could taste vividly it in my mind. After thumbing through a few pages, I saw where I had noted those flavors under my notes for a 2005 Epiphany Grenache Rosé. It was very good rosé, but I also noted how it was huge for a rosé too. This bad boy came in at 14.5% alcohol too. Too much for a 95º+ day outside in the sprinkler.

My notes are not strictly for record keeping either. My notebooks are like a scrap book of fond wine memories & some bad ones too. Taking tasting notes or at least noting the bottles you drink is something I would recommend to anyone who enjoys wine & doesn't mind looking like a total wine geek.

Meals From The Road: Pismo Beach, CA

2006-08-07T12:21:00.000-05:00

This is the first post of many more to come, about the food we ate on vacation. Starting with The Splash Cafe & The Cracked Crab. Why defy a chronological order by starting this series of posts in Pismo Beach? Because I am jonesing for some fresh seafood like a junkie craves a hit.

For our anniversary dinner, which turned out to be a multi-dinner, cross country extravaganza, we went to The Cracked Crab in Pismo Beach, just south of Avila Beach on US 101. We knew before we got there what we wanted, the big bucket for two. The "Big Bucket" is, well...a big bucket full of enough crustaceans, potatoes, corn & sausage to feed two hungry souls. First we split a bowl of Crab Bisque, that was touted to have "made them famous". It was only mediocre & it tasted heavily of chicken broth. When it came time to order our "Big Bucket" we opted for rock crab, slip lobster & dungenese crab.

We brought an indigenous bottle of wine with us that we had picked up earlier. It was a 2005 Zaca Mesa Viognier. It was outstanding & went perfectly with the assortment of sea dwellers with its lively acidity & floral notes.

After a glass of Viognier with our bisque it wasn't long before the attentive staff emerged with our implements of destruction, a mallet, some crab crackers, a couple of chop sticks (for picking the hard to reach meat out) & some small forks. But what they brought out next caught us off guard & all we could do was laugh. Two CC staffers, at the same time, tied big bibs with giant crabs on them, around our necks. Good thing too. After we emerged from the restaurant we had crab bits in our hair, but not on our shirts.

The shellfish was outstanding. It was so fresh & plentiful. When the bucket was dumped out on the table, my jaw hit the table. It was no small task but we devoured it all, minus a few pieces of sausage & corn. If you are in the area & love seafood, we highly recommend The Cracked Crab.

The other seafood joint we ate at in Pismo Beach was The Splash Cafe, famous for their clam chowder. It was so good we went back a couple days after our first visit. With our clam chowder we also enjoyed am order of steamers. Both times we at The Splash Cafe we sat in the window & enjoyed some prime people watching. The little town was full of vacationing families, surfers & four-wheelers, all enjoying the summer. It was delicious both times, really affordable & comes with our recommendation as well.

There is a lot to cover when it comes to the food & wine we enjoyed on our 16 day trek, so stay tuned for more recaps.

Gifts From Paradise

2006-08-06T07:43:00.000-05:00

Our friends, neighbors, & fellow food bloggers just returned from Hawaii bearing gifts. They stopped by Friday afternoon with a fresh Maui Gold Pineapple & a bottle of pineapple wine, decked out in a lei, grass skirt & coconut bra. The Hawaiian garb still cracks me up. We have yet to try the wine, but the pineapple...oh, the pineapple.

It was so ripe, you could smell the sweet aroma wafting to your nostrils as soon as you picked up the prickly fruit. It was delicious. One thing that struck me was, how low the acidity was. Usually with store bought pineapples, the acidity literally burns my tongue after eating a few pieces, not with this pineapple though. It was so sweet the juice had a pineapple syrup quality. Only a fruit this sweet could come from paradise.

The pineapple wine will be uncorked soon. I have a strong feeling it will help us cope with the heat wave that has a death grip on most of the nation right now. It will most definitely be a wine for an afternoon sprinkler session.

Farmers' Market Finds

2006-08-04T07:06:00.000-05:00

For the last two Saturdays we have been up bright and early to peruse the Memphis Farmers' Market downtown. Last Saturday we arrived at 7.00 sharp. Venders where still unloading and some had not arrived by the time we made our purchases and moved on to The Complex for breakfast.

This week we decided to take it easy and arrived just as things were getting into full swing. The plan was to get everything for dinner from the market. Too late to catch the steaks from the beef guy (he said he sold out of most of that in the first hour)so we settled for short ribs. We were too late for the cheese folks as well, they had sold out of almost everything but gave a sample of some delicious petit basque. Alas, we blew the budget so we'll have to be patient until next week. We finished up our shopping with some stone ground yellow grits, baby carrots, blueberries (best. blueberries. ever.), cabbage and peppers. A lot of the really good looking produce was already sold out by the time we got there, but I was very happy with our booty. Our friends came along and got some phenomenal granola. I plan to pay more attention next time, so we can give props to the vendors.

So the meal (recipes to come) that we got out of this trip was: Anise scented short ribs, stone ground cheese grits and steamed cabbage (best cabbage I have EVER eaten). All in all I think the entire meal without the wine cost about 5 dollars a person. Well worth it.

The farmers' market is great. It opens at 7:00 am on Saturdays only and get there early because the popular vendors are very, very popular. The beef guy is worth the trip. The short ribs melted in our mouths.

Wine South 2006

2006-08-03T13:23:00.000-05:00

Mark your calendars. The biggest wine event in the South is a little over a month away. On September, 15th, Wine South 2006 kicks off for the whole weekend, through September 17th. With over 600 wines & food from Atlanta's best restaurants & caterers, any food & wine lover will certainly be in heaven.

On Friday the 15th, the event kicks off with the Reserve Tasting Event and Silent Auction for Angel Flight. The wineries pouring at this Reserve Tasting Event are there on an "invitaion only" basis, so I am betting it will be the creme de la creme. Food will also be prepared by Atlanta's hottest chefs to match the wine being served.

Saturday the 16th is the Grand Festival Tasting. With over 600 wines being offered, I am sure there will be something for everyone. At events this large it is best to go with an agenda, like maybe just tasting reds, or only whites or even narrowing it down to only trying certain varietals. Making a dent in the huge selection will be a Herculean task...even if you spit.

Wrapping up the festival on Sunday the 17th, will be the Trade Only Tasting, where the members of the wine trade get to taste new wine vintages and portfolios of the top boutique distributors and importers in the state of Georgia plus schmooze with industry insiders.

This is not an event to be missed. Even if you are not a die-hard wine drinker or just someone who wants to learn more about wine (remember you learn by tasting!) Wine South 2006 will be a great event to attend.

More information & tickets available here.

Weekly Fresh Seafood

2006-08-03T12:18:00.000-05:00

Leslie Kelly posted last week about Cynthia's Gulf Coast Express taking orders & then making a run to the Gulf Coast for fresh seafood. Last week I missed out on passing the word along to loyal readers of S*S*T*H but fear not, this is going to be a weekly thing according to Leslie Kelly's blog.

Here is the original post.

Contact Cynthia's Gulf Coast Express at 901-218-5399

Oh...& just a note, the crabs in the photo were Dungeness Crab purchased at the Viet Hoa Market on Cleveland in Midtown Memphis. They were outstanding, by the way.

Attn: Memphis Bloggers

2006-08-03T09:40:00.000-05:00

There is a 2-part, Memphis Blogger Bash hosted by Serrabee at the Young Avenue Deli. It will be on Thursday the 10th & Sunday the 13th. Evidently there has been some tension at these gatherings between the political bloggers, who seem to make up the bulk of the Memphis Bloggers, hence the name 'Rise Above Blogger Bash'. If you are a Memphis Blogger you should check it out. If it turns into a political debate...at least the Deli has fried pickles & a full bar.

Tasting Notes: 1998 Peachy Canyon Benito Dusi Ranch

2006-08-02T14:29:00.000-05:00

1998 Peachy Canyon Benito Dusi Ranch

This bottle of Peachy Canyon was a hidden gem I found in a corner of the wine shop I barely visit & when I have, I only breezed by. Breezing by any shelf in a wine shop is not like me. I shop for wine like an old lady shops at a Christmas bazzar. I go slow & make sure I see everything...twice. This annoys La & usually the staff, if I am not at a store where I am a regular. We are big fans of Peachy Canyon, so the decision was made as soon as I dusted off the label.

At first I was a little apprehensive about spending $25 on an 8 year old bottle of Zinfandel, because many people say that Zin should be enjoyed in the first four years. In fact this is true for most wines, as less than 5% of wine gets better with age & even then, it has to be stored under strict climatic guidelines & I have never been in a wine shop that was 55ºf with a 55-70% humidity.

There is a lot of history behind the Benito Dusi Ranch with most of the vines being 60-80 years old There is an interesting article on the Benito Dusi Ranch over at Appelation America that can be found here.

It seems Peachy Canyon no longer sources fruit from Benito Dusi Ranch & according to the article, only Ridge & Dover Canyon purchase fruit from Benito Dusi Ranch. After tasting the wine, I know have to seek out a bottle of each.

We uncorked this bottle on a Friday night, with no plans other than vegging out on the couch, eating a little dinner & watching "That 70's Show". This has become our ritual for kicking off the weekend.

Upon the first sniff, which was me cramming the bottle under my schnoz, I knew it was a winner. I think I let out an "Ungh" as I exhaled. I poured us two glasses & after the first sip, we both knew it was definitely a winner.

The nose was a full bouquet of mixed berries & spice. The berry aroma was not as vibrant as a young Zin, but it possessed a complexity most young Zins don't have. There was also gobs of cocoa & sweetness with an underlying maple that lingered in the background.

In the mouth it was soft, smooth & velvety. The flavors of berry compote, bitter-sweet cocoa & a little earth danced across my tongue leaving a gentle tannic grip that lingered & slowly faded away. This wine was very balanced with a slight acidity. The finish was long & wonderful, leaving you a lot to contemplate.

This wine easily stood up to 8 years in the bottle proving that there is nothing definite in wine.

For a good article on aging Zinfandels, written by Zin guru Paul Draper of Ridge Vineyards, check it out here.

Things To Come...

2006-08-01T13:56:00.000-05:00

We are going to start a monthly video webcast/podcast. The first one will be up in a couple of weeks & will be on home coffee roasting with an air-pop popcorn popper. This will be a regular feature on all things you can see, sip, taste or hear. I have a lot plans for the webcast, so stay tuned.

Road Trip: More Photos From The Road

2006-07-31T13:07:00.000-05:00

Baby grape cluster.

Blackjack Winery.
This was our first stop at a winery (in Solvang we only went to tasting rooms). We stopped here on our way to Avila Beach via Solvang & Los Olivos. Black jack had some great wines. A few were what I call 'knock-your-sox-off' wines. I particularly liked their 777 Pinot Noir, Chardonnay Wilkening Vineyard Reserve & their Bordeaux blend, Allusion, which made the "take a bottle home list".

La swirling at Alexander & Wayne in Los Olivos.

We tasted at a handful of other tasting rooms in Los Olivos, on two separate days & both days missed out on the Tri-tip at 'R' Country Store (which I hear is excellent). I guess we gotta head back real soon.

Grapevines.

More grapevines. These were at Peachy Canyon in Paso Robles, where they make some damn fine Zinfandels. We had the pleasure of meeting Doug Beckett, the owner of Peachy Canyons, in New Orleans at the NOWFE. He is a great guy & we enjoyed talking to him & we REALLY enjoyed the wines he was pouring. He offered to give us some barrel samples when we made it out. Regrettably, our time in Paso Robles was too limited.

Barrels in the winery made of hay...Claiborn & Churchill. They specialize in Alsatian whites, which were all fantastic, but their Pinot Noir made "the list"...but didn't make it home. We drank it on our anniversary.

Restaurant Review: The Complex: El Pollo Grille and Mexican Cantina

2006-07-28T09:24:00.000-05:00

For the past two weeks we have hit up the Complex on Madison (in The Edge District) for breakfast after our trip to the Farmers' Market. We were drawn in by my appetite for a mexican breakfast (I have California to thank for my chili verde addiction). I really love this place. The menu is comprable to any other greasy spoon breakfast. Ham, steak, egg, bacon, omlettes. Then there is the mexican breakfast. Chile verde, huevos rancheros, huevos mexicanos. They have a copy of their menu on the website here. Everything comes with your choice of bean/hashbrowns and tortillas (corn or flour)/toast. The prices are super cheap too. We get away with breakfast for two for $15. Best part, the chile verde is to die for. Something about eating a plate of beans, eggs and tortillas smothered (and I do mean smothered) with spicy green chile sauce makes me smile. I only wish they had breakfast burritos.

If you sit inside you might get lucky enough to watch a spanish music television channel which is pure entertainment. Your cook is your server and he is super nice and never lets you run out of water or coffee. It is empty on Saturday mornings which makes it a great low-key place to recover from Friday night. If the coffe doesn't wake you up, the salsa will. Its hot.

We give The Complex: El Pollo Grille and Mexican Cantina a 4/5.

Spanish Wine Blind Tasting

2006-07-27T12:21:00.000-05:00

We went to the Spanish & Portugese blind tasting hosted by Great Wines this past weekend & had a great time tasting some great Spanish wines. Guessing was more difficult this week, than last week. I got the one & only rosé right & that is it. La got one of the reds correct plus the rosé. It was a Tempranillo.

We have been using tasting Saturdays as our wine buying days these last few weeks. Whether it is a Great Wines tasting or a Buster's tasting, or both, there are some great deals to be had. Buster's gives you 15% off of your entire order on tasting Saturdays & Great Wines has the wines they feature at the tasting on sale & they are always a good deal.

This week bought two bottles from the tasting, 2002 Castell de Remei Gotim Bru Tempranillo/Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot & 2004 Osborne Solaz Shiraz/Tempranillo. These were also the winners in the voting too. The top two whites were Hermanos Lurton Bianco & Torres Viña Sol.

We had the Gotim Bru the other night with a Provençal-style grilled chicken, with grilled eggplant, fresh speckled lima beans & mashed potatoes. On its own the wine was straight forward & simple with some dark fruit & earth in the nose as well as the palate with a touch of mint in the finish, the tannins were soft & were balanced by a nice acidity. It didn't shine until we had a glass with dinner, where it accented the rosemary, thyme & basil flavored, grilled chicken.

The Osborne will probably get opened tonight with our pizza...but then again the Zaccagnini Montepulciano "Stick Wine" will be good with the pie as well. Life is full of difficult decisions.

Sunday Picnic & A Gift From A Neighbor

2006-07-24T14:54:00.000-05:00

Sunday the temps were in the 80's, the sky was mostly sunny & nothing could stop us from enjoying the day. La packed a picnic, while the Vinho Verde was chilling in the fridge.

Our picnic spread was comprised of various deli meats, white cheddar, laughing cow cheese, a bowl of cantalope, watermelon & Bing cherries, an avacado with a dropper full of 20 year old Balsamic Vinegar, some cherry tomatoes & some bellpeppers. The main attraction was the bread. The bread was a gift from Paul aka 'Papa Squirrel' from the food blog Sqirrel Squad Squeeks.

Funny thing though...Paul & I have been in touch through the interweb & I knew he lived in Memphis too. As it turns out, he lives in our neighborhood too, but what makes it even stranger...he lives one street away, essential on the same block as us!
For all I know he could be poaching my Wi-Fi signal!!

Back to the bread. Paul read in my profile that I am a graphic artist & asked me to make him some acorn icons for his blog. Of course I said sure, but being neighbors & all, I can't take any cash. The only payment I would accept would be wine for the quick Photochop job. We met up at a tasting this weekend & along with a bottle of 2002 Il Circo: Uva di Troia "La Violetta" he gave me a bag of bread from a mexican bakery, that included, a pastry with sprinkles all over it (How did he know I loved sprinkles?), some pineapple bread & the lovely two loaves of jalapeño cheese bread pictured above.

The bread rocked the party that rocks the party. We will definitely be seeking out the bakery he got the goods from.

With our picnic fare we enjoyed a Gazela Vinho Verde. Vinho Verde may be my favorite Summertime wine...only if I had to choose. It comes from Portugal & translates to 'green wine'. It is called green wine because it is made to be consumed young, soon after it is made. It is meant to be consumed so young, that most of the time the producers don't date the bottles. It is not green either. It is a simple white wine, light, with low alcohol & a touch of spritz which is added when bottled by a dose of carbon dioxide. It has a snappy acidity & light floral quality with a faint peachy-ness to it & at 9% alcohol, polishing off a bottle during an early picnic does not render you useless for the rest of the day. There is not a more refreshing Summertime wine, that I have tried at least, but if you think there is, send me a bottle!

It was great way to wrap up the weekend & recharge our batteries for the coming week. Now it is time to start counting down to the weekend again.

Movie Wine

2006-07-21T14:25:00.000-05:00

Movie Wine

We went to see Pirates of the Carribean the other day in attempt to escape the relentless, triple digit, heat. We needed refreshments & while sneaking in a bottle of wine, a corkscrew & glassware would not be impossible, it would just be too much trouble & not worth the trouble. So we opted for the 4-pack of "Little Joeys".

The four mini-bottles are equivalent to a whole 750ml bottle of wine, so four was just enough. They were screw cap of course (do they even make corks that small?), so no need for a cork screw (do they even make corkscrews that small?). All we needed was a little carafe (Ok...that joke is old now...you may now throw rotten fruit at the screen).

The poison of choice was 2004 Alice White Shiraz. It was a simple, very fruity concoction. Not a lot going on but lots fruit. No pepper, meat or smoke, that you expect from a good Aussie Shiraz. It was not unpleasant, just what I have come to expect from giant producers like Alice White.

It was easy to sneak into the theatre & that was it's best virtue. It also made you feet like a wine-o drinking out of the bottle.....giant, a forty-foot wine-o.

Great Wines Australian Blind Tasting Results

2006-07-20T09:28:00.000-05:00

Great Wines is hot & heavy in the middle of their summer blind tasting series. We missed the first installments but caught up with the Italian blind tasting a couple of weeks ago & thoroughly enjoyed last weeks Austrailian tasting. The tastings have been a blast so far & have been our first exposure to the blind tasting format. If you are unsure of what a blind tasting is, let me break it down for you.

All of the wines are tightly wrapped in bags & labeled with numbers. You get a tasting sheet with a list of the wines so you know what is being poured, but not necessarily, because you can't see the bottle. We like to try & guess the wine. We are sometimes successful & when we are, we get strange looks when we let out our boisterous "BOO-YAH!!" When you are finished, you vote for your two favorite whites & your two favorite reds & then walk next door to see the wines revealed. I don't know if all blind tastings are done this way but this is how Great Wines does it.

Last week's Australian winners - On the red side of the table, was a runaway, the McWilliam's Merlot, followed by Jacob's Creek Reserve Shiraz. For whites, again in a runaway, Cranford Viognier was first, followed by, McWilliam's Riesling.

We ended up picking up a bottle of the McWilliam's Merlot & having it with star anise scented beef short ribs for dinner. It was excellent with the tender, buttery, anise flavored beef that we picked up from the beef guy at the Farmers Market.

My votes were for the Lucky Country Grenache-Shiraz-Mouvedre & the Jacob's Creek Reserve Shiraz on the red side. We tried the Jacob's Creek Reserve Shiraz in New Orleans at the NOWFE. I loved it then & still loved it last week. Imagine bacon-wrapped-blackberries in a bottle. It is one of my favorites. On the white side I voted for Jacob's Creek Brut Sparkling & the Fonthill Verdehlo.

Out of the reds La liked McWilliam's Merlot & Paringa Sparkling Shiraz. For the whites she voted for the Jacob's Creek Brut Sparkling, also & the Fonthill Verdehlo. We share the similar tastes in whites.

The blind tastings continue Saturday, 1-3 p.m. at SALSA restaurant, 6150 Poplar Avenue in Regalia. This week is the Iberian Peninsula-Spain & Portugal. Drop by format, vote the best. No charge to attend.

Check out MemphisWineEvents.com for an up to date list of Memphis Wine Events.

Road Trip: California or Bust

2006-07-17T15:46:00.000-05:00

After 3 nights in the Utah desert, it was time to pack up & head west. It was kind of sad. We knew we would miss our primo camping spot, but then again Cali was just five hours away & we needed to get out of the 105 degree heat.

We camped our first night at El Capitan State Beach just north of Santa Barbara. We set up camp soon after scoring the last camping spot available & then headed in to Buellton & Solvang. We went to Andersen's Pea Soup Restaurant got dinner & a glass of wine. We both had a bowl of pea soup & it was so good I forgot what we actually had for dinner after the soup. The billboards up & down the highway don't lie. The pea soup was great & the atmosphere was strange. I think it was the restaurant that time forgot. We love little eccentricies like that.

So after dinner we drove down the road to Solvang, the mock Danish village.

What we didn't know was the town closes at five o'clock...SHARP. (look at the time on the clock in the photo....D'OH!)

We managed to find a market open that sold wine so we got a few bottles & headed back to the campsite.

We took a bottle of 2004 Santa Barbara Winery Pinot Noir down to the beach to watch the sunset while dolphins played off shore right in front of us. Our first night rocked. If it had been a fairy tale it wouldn't have been any better.

The wine was good...not knock your sox off good, but...well, let's just say the wine only got better.

La enjoying our first sunset over the Pacific.

Road Trip: More Zion Photos

2006-07-17T11:58:00.000-05:00

Stay tuned for the California leg of the trip. We have LOTS to talk about & a ton of photos to share.

Road Trip: Our Mobile Kitchen

2006-07-13T15:30:00.000-05:00

Before I finish posting Zion photos, I wanted to show our mobile camping kitchen. We used our hitch rack as counter for the stove & the bike gear box was utilized as a nice prep area.

Mobile kitchen in action.

First camping dinner. Tuna, veggies & mashed potatoes, enjoyed on the bank of the Virgin River. Tasty.

Open the old school Coleman Steel Cooler.....

......& grab a refreshment.

This is how most of our dinners were prepared. They kept getting better & better too. Like when we bought a tuna steak on the pier in Port San Luis in California. More on that later.
Coming up.....More Zion...

Road Trip: Part One

2006-07-11T15:18:00.000-05:00

Our first official stop was in Flagstaff, AZ. We originally stopped so we could eat (a real meal at a restaurant instead of road food) & then move on...but instead we decided to stay. As luck would have it, the Flagstaff Music Fest was happening Downtown. We got at a sidewalk table at a cafe across from the stage & ate lunch & listened to live bluegrass. We spent the rest of the day enjoying the festival atmosphere, shopping & of course, eating some more.
It was a well deserved stop after 1.5 days on the road.

The next morning we decided to hit the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. It was a no go, due to wildfires. In the photo, the grey band that looks like fog is smoke over the Colorado River.

No big deal....Zion National Park was only an hour away at that point & the GC was just a bonus stop.

Zion was stunning as usual. We love Zion because it is a different kind of beautiful than say....the Rockies with it's 14k foot snow capped peaks & Moab with its canyons & red rock formations. Zion's beauty is striking. Behind every curve of the trail or road there are 3000+ foot cliffs, right on top of you, staring down at you.

We camped on BLM land at a nice secluded primitive campsite. We were alone in the Utah wilderness with the Virgin River literally 20 yards from our tent. This is were we would escape the midday heat. We would put our chairs in the river under a tree & just relax until it was cool enough to explore some more.

Behind our tent. The Virgin River.

Stay tuned for more Zion & the rest of the trip.

Back In The Groove

2006-07-06T15:28:00.000-05:00

Back to reality. Those are harsh words after 16 days traveling around the western half of the country. We thought about staying on the road & stopping where ever we were, when we ran out of money starting over, where ever that may be. Hey, I can dream, can't I?

It was a great trip. We ate a ton of great food, tasted even more wine, met some great people & explored a lot of uncharted territory for us. So, in the next few days expect to see lots of post on the trip, as we relive it all through the blog.

Also expect to see the wrap up of the New Orleans Wine & Food Experience & some little changes to the site.

Until then...CHEERS!

Our Cliche' July Fourth Dinner

2006-07-05T09:52:00.000-05:00

Ribs, Baby

Smoked ribs, baby. I did not get to smoke them like I usually do, for 6+ hours, due to time restraints. So, I took a shortcut & they still turned out fantastic.

I used the pressure cooker. I cooked them at high pressure for about 10 minutes & then finished them on the smoker for 35 minutes. They turned out A LOT better than I expected.

We did buck the July Fourth cliche' a little. Instead of Beer & BBQ, we had Wine & BBQ . Menage a Trois Red table wine (blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel & Merlot) was the pairing & it was excellent with the ribs.

Stay tuned for many posts covering our 18 day road trip out to California & back, with lots of pictures.

Pics From The Road

2006-06-23T10:17:00.000-05:00

Somewhere in Arizona.

....more to come....

A post from Solvang, CA

2006-06-21T15:23:00.000-05:00

Our first blog post on the road!

We made it to Cali after a stop in Flagstaff & two days in Zion National Park & today we are working our way up the coast to Avila Beach. I should have pics to post soon of the beauty of Zion National Park.....after we get a WiFi spot that we aren't poaching (shhhhhh....don't tell, I promise I am not using a lot of bandwidth).

Update coming soon...Stay tuned.

Recipe: Seafood Pasta Paella

2006-06-11T10:45:00.000-05:00

Do you ever eat something that blows your mind & you have to have it again...soon. That was the case with this dish. The first time was on Friday night & then again the same weekend, even. Earlier in the day, on Friday, I picked up some Key West Pink Shrimp & a pound of mussels. The support for the fresh shell fish, thin spaghetti, saffron infused fish bouillon, asparagus, red peppers & lots of garlic & shallots. The makings for dinner time bliss.

Paella is traditionally made with rice, so it makes since that pasta would be a good stand-in. The traditional pasta of choice is fideo noodles from Spain, but broken up thin spaghetti works just fine.

We enjoyed this with a 2004 Protocolo Rose' & it was simply d-frikkin-lish. The wine choice was very fitting being a Spanish wine & Paella being a celebratory Spanish dish. It was a big, spicy, dry Rose' & suited the shellfish perfectly. It was also a steal at $6.99.

Seafood Pasta Paella
*this serves enough for 2 with leftovers.

Olive oil
12 ounces fideo noodles or broken up thin spaghetti (about 2"pieces)
5 cloves of garlic
1 shallot
crushed red pepper to taste
3 cups fish bouillon (or clam juice) diluted with one cup of H2O
small pinch of saffron
salt to taste
handful chopped asparagus
1/2 red pepper, diced
1 lbs. of mussels
1 pound of shrimp (peel 'em if you want...we didn't)
any other seafood you see fit
parsley

Heat the oil in a dutch oven, over medium heat. Add pasta stirring constantly until brown, about 3-5 minutes. Add garlic & red pepper, stir about 30 sec. until aromatic. Soak saffron in liquid. Add liquid & bring to a boil. Season with S & P to taste. Add veggies. Cover & cook over medium heat until pasta is barely al dente. Add H2O if necessary. Add mussels cook for 4 mins. or until all mussels are open. Add shrimp, cook until pink,m then remove from heat immediately. Sprinkle with parsley & serve with a crust piece of bread to sop up all of the juicy goodness.
VOILA!

Epic Road Trip, One Week & Counting

2006-06-08T14:48:00.002-05:00

Here is our route. Blue is the route on the way out. Red is on the way back (minus some backtracking).

Our plan is to leave next Friday & drive as far as we can after I get off work at noon & then wake-up Saturday & finish the haul to Zion National Park. We will spend a couple days there camping & exploring ,then shoot on over the Santa Barbara.

Once we get to Cali, we are gonna take it easy & tool up & down the coast between Santa Barbara & Paso Robles. It is going to be totally chill...no set itinerary, just chasing the great Central Coast wines, in between the great mountain biking trails we will be riding. We will camp most nights in Cali except for our anniversary. We plan on staying in Avila Beach at the Inn at Avila Beach for a couple nights to live it up & celebrate 2 years of blissful married life.

After our livers start crying from all the wine (about a week, I am guessing) we will head back East...taking our time with maybe a stop in Vegas, baby.

We will stop again in Utah, stocked with cases of primo vino, since the great Mormon state of Utah has a major problem with people enjoying adult beverages within the confines of it's borders. Happy Hour is actually illegal in Utah (?!). Mother nature (Utah is one of the most beautiful places on Earth) & the cases of wine in tow will help us cope. We haven't decided where we will stop in UT. Maybe Bryce Canyon, Moab, or the Brian Head Ski Resort for some downhill mountain biking.

From there, we will head to the Mountains. The San Juan Mountains in southwest Colorado to be exact. We will spend the last few days of our epic journey, soaking in hot springs, breathing in the crisp, clean, cool mountain air, sleeping under the stars. We may get some more mountain biking in near Durango, right before the sad but inevitable day when we have to head home.

It will be a sad trip home to Memphis (it always is) but we will have a head full of new memories & hopefully some wine left. We will see.

Last Nights Dinner: Chicken with Orange Pan Sauce

2006-06-08T09:12:00.000-05:00

Oh man, this was fabulous & besides that, it was quick & easy. We enjoyed it with rice with peas, grilled asparagus & grilled peppers. Add a bottle of 2004 Tortoise Creek Syrah & you have the makings for mid-week, dinner-time bliss.

Here is how it went down....

4 bone-in chicken breast halves with skin

5 teaspoons ground cumin, divided

4 tablespoons olive oil, divided

4 garlic cloves, smashed

1/2 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup orange juice

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons grated orange peel

1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon peel

1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Preheat oven to 425°F. Slide fingertips beneath skin of each chicken breast to loosen. Sprinkle each chicken breast with 1 teaspoon cumin and salt and pepper; rub seasoning beneath and on top of skin.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Place chicken, skin side down, in pan and cook until skin browns, about 5 minutes; turn chicken over. Place skillet in oven and roast until chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes.
Transfer chicken to plate. Add remaining oil to drippings in skillet; add garlic and sauté over medium-high heat 30 seconds. Add chicken broth, orange juice, lemon juice, orange peel, lemon peel, and remaining 1 teaspoon cumin; boil until reduced to 1 scant cup, about 3 minutes. Pour sauce over chicken; sprinkle with cilantro and serve.

Makes 4 servings.

Bon Appétit.

New Orleans Wine & Food Experience: Re-cap

2006-06-06T14:36:00.000-05:00

Laissez Les Bon Temps Roulez. That's the unofficial slogan of New Orleans.

Let the good times roll.

Laissez Les Bon Temps Roulez. That is also how I would sum up the New Orleans Wine & Food Experience. It was a culinary whirlwind of food from the cities best restaurants & legendary eateries. Names like Commander's Palace, Galatoire's & Brennan's come to mind & they brought the big guns. The plethora of wine was more than impressive. Meeting the wine makers & winery owners gave it a personal touch that let us enjoy the wine on a whole new level.

The food & wine on Friday was an eye opener as to what was ahead for the whole weekend. As soon as we walked through the door of the ballroom, our senses were bombarded by smells of spicy crab cakes & bubbling bisques. There was a perpetual motion of foodies & wine lovers meandering from booth to booth tasting the treats that were being poured or served. Sounds of people chatting was overcome by the roaming jazz band, playing Dixieland classics. The vibe of the city permeated the generic walls of the two Hilton's ballrooms. If you could see good times rolling, this was it.

It seemed the good times were rolling more so, on Saturday. The food on Saturday was stellar again, with chefs offering different specialties, as well as the previous nights favorites. So much wine was offered I only revisited one table from Friday, The Peachy Canyon booth with owner Doug Beckett pouring. He had some great offerings especially his Jester blend.

Saturday was full of opportunities to eat, taste & learn. The Duck, Duck, Duck Gooch seminar (I swear, that is what is was called) was eye opening to the many ways to prepare duck. It was also interesting to hear hoe duck has come from being a gourmet only food, served in only five star restaurants, to something that is almost as common as chicken. Don't bother with the 'Taste like chicken' similie...because it doesn't.

Besides taking home great memories of wonderful people, fantastic food & stellar wine, there was the chance to soak up as much knowledge about food & wine as humanly possible.

If you are wondering how the city is doing post Katrina, as I know most people are. It is still visibly scarred outside of downtown & even still, it is noticeable to a degree. The real destruction is outside the downtown area, French Quarter & the Warehouse District. There is still plenty to see & do in the city, so if you are thinking about visiting....you should. Will the Crescent City bounce back....Yes. I feel confident it will. This years attendance record for the NOWFE beat last years numbers. Anyone who knows New Orleans knows it won't be long.

There was so much to see, so much to taste & eat, so much to do. I think next year we will take the entire week off, so we can enjoy the whole five day event.

For the 2006 Fleur De Lis Award winners please click here.

NOWFE Part 4: Seminar on Duck-Galatoire's Restaurant

2006-06-05T11:12:00.000-05:00

Well, we slept through the farmer's market seminar. Truly poor planning to end a grand tasting at 8.00pm Friday and have a farmer's market seminar at 7.45 am Saturday morning. Haha. Poor planning on my part really. Anyway we heard it was packed so it may have worked out for the best (but I'll always have a secret yearning for what might have been).

I digress.

After misreading the schedule and missing out on the Rioja seminar too (I know, I know, get it together, right?) we decided the duck seminar could not be missed. We made our way over the Galatoire's early, hoping that the event wasn't sold out. Its common courtesy for press to give up their seats to people who purchased passes to the event, and I really really wanted a seat.

It filled up quick, but there was just enough room for everyone who arrived on time. The focus was duck duck duck. I have never eaten so much duck in my life. There was a short talk about the wine. Two Pinot Noirs and a Pinot Gris from MacMurray Ranch Winery. We sat to the side and it was hard to catch everything that was being said, so I'll leave the review off the wines up to Collin.

The seminar was set up in a panel type discussion. Chefs from four New Orleans area restaurants prepared and spoke about the duck dishes they have on their menu.
The guest chefs were-
David Gooch, Galatoire's Restaraunt
Greg Sonnier, Gabrielle Restaurant
Philip Chan, Asian Cajun Bistro
Bob Iacovone, Restaurant Cuvee

Here's where it gets confusing. We were sitting off to the side where we couldn't see or hear too well (I said it was packed, right?) and we got mixed up on which chef prepared which dish. Unfortunately, there wasn't a detailed menu of the dishes served. Instead of crediting chef's with dishes incorrectly, I'm just going to give a run down of the duck.

Duck Gumbo served with Potato Salad-
Dark duck stock with duck meat and rice. Really really rich flavor. Excellent way to wet your appetite for the duck tasting to come. Surprising light for such a rich flavor.
The potato salad was fresh, full of red peppers, hard boiled egg and duck cracklin'. It went great with the gumbo.

Slow Roasted Duck in Puff pastry and Seared Foie Gras with Fruit Chutney-
So this was my first time for foie gras. I was super excited when I found out we would get to try it. It was not what I expected. It had a very delicate flavor. Not quite as 'organny' as I expected. The texture was less distinct than I thought it would be. Very smooth with a slightly crisp exterior. I would like to try it again, prepared differently. I think I would have been upset if I had dropped serious coin to taste it.

Beijing/Peking Duck, Duck Egg roll and Orange Duck-
This was my favorite duck by far. All three were delicious. The Orange duck was moist and flavorful. The egg roll was nice, the duck flavor out shined all the other ingredients. The peking/beijing was good too, very straightforward, very traditional. Duck was, once again, the center of attention in all of the dishes. While the flavor could have been easily overpowered by other elements, it wasn't. My only complaint was the dipping sauces. Duck sauce and hoison were served with the dishes. The flavors went well (of course, they are the traditional sauces to accompany these dishes) but my complaint is that they both tasted like sauce you get with your takeout chinese. I was hoping for something a little more gourmet (must be the food snob in me coming out).

In all the duck dinner was fabulous. The food was great but the whole dining and panel discussion experience was even better. I wish we had made it to more seminars.

I apologize to the chefs of each of these dishes for misrepresentation of any sort. It was difficult to hear, and the wine was good. I will gladly make changes to any dish that I butchered.

Fabulous Favorites Festival Roundup Posted

2006-06-03T10:24:00.000-05:00

Lenn at Lenndevours has posted the much anticipated Fabulous Favorites Festival Roundup Posted.

There are some great dinners & write-ups from all over the food & wine blogosphere. Go over & check it out, but don't blame me if you get drool on your keyboard.

New Orleans Wine & Food Experience: Part 3 Saturday's Wine

2006-05-31T12:40:00.000-05:00

Friday, we were a bit overwhelmed & just sort of bounced around the two ballrooms full of wine makers, importers, distributors & the chefs with the food...oh the food. Anywhere there was a white beacon, wielding sharp metal, there was also a queue of hungry epicureans waiting for a tasty morsel or two. Every time I turned around La would be stuffing a bite of something into my purple stained mouth.

Saturday we had a game plan. We studied the list of winemakers & crossed off what we tasted on Friday, so we could spend more time trying new wines. La was sticking to all whites & roses. I had so many reds that I missed the previous day, that I only tasted a few whites.

Day 2 Tasting Notes:

2004 KitFox Foxy Red Table Wine: I think most casual wine drinkers in this country have the wrong idea about table wine. Just the phrase invokes a big jug of non-vintage "Red Burgundy" from California...or...a bottle of Chianti wrapped in a basket. Usually cheap, acidic, swill. I have been guilty of this way of thinking, back when I was just the occasional wine drinker. This is not the case at all as proved by KitFox Foxy. Cab Sauvignon/Syrah blend full of blackberries, raspberries & blueberries. A touch of oak brings it all together with a touch of smooth tannins. Great velvety mouthfeel. A top Value at $12.

2004 Ménage à Trois Red Table Wine: (read above statement about table wine) Blend of Zinfandel, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Thick mixed berries. Jammy & fruit forward. Very round & voluptuous in the mouth. Great extended finish. Another great $12 value.

2004 Copola Zinfandel: Sweet, choco-bliss, subtle power, mixed berries & frim tannins. Nice long finish.

2004 MacMurray Ranch Pinot Noir Russian River Valley: deep back cherries on the nose & palate. Very earthy with some cola. Long spicy finish.

2004 MacMurray Ranch Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast: Very floral nose, loaded with cherries. In the mouth it was silky with lots of cherry, blackberry & spice. Well balanced acidity & the tiniest scosh of tannins. Long spice filled finish.

2004 MacMurray Ranch Pinot Gris: Crisp, zesty, with lots of lemon & pear. Very nice.

2004 A to Z Pinot Noir: Blend from many vineyards throughout Oregon. Spicy, baked cherries, loaded with brown spice.

2004 Adelsheim Elizabeth's Reserve*: Intense, velveteen, rich fruit, with a touch of cedar. The finish sings.

2004 Elk Cove Mount Richmond Pinot Noir*: Bold, take charge pinot. Full of black cherry, raspberry, cola & brown spice. The lingering finish had a touch of clove.

2004 Redemption Zin: My zin pick of the weekend. From Dry Creek Valley. Medium-full bodied, full of blueberries, blackberries, raspberries & pepper.

2004 Mark West Pinot Noir: Made of grapes sourced from Corsica, France. Full Pinot made in the typical Central Coast style. Lots of cherry & raspberry balanced by lots of spice, cola & well integrated oak. Tart acidity & assertive tannins.

2001 Les Forots Côtes du Rhône: Loaded with old word charm. A touch of barnyard on the nose. Deep dark fruit, smokey, earth on the palate lead to a nice long finish.

*Part of the Oregon wine feature.

We tasted MUCH more, but these were the wines that compelled me to take notes. Forgive the cilche, but, there was so much to taste & so little time. We didn't really taste anything that turned us off except for a few over oaked chardonays & we stayed away from the Alize table no matter how enticing the neon blue concoction looked (I am being sarcastic, in case you didn't notice).

One of the great thing about the Grand Tastings was the sheer amount of wine, of course, but all the food being offered. You could literally walk around & grab whatever food looked good (all of it!) & then find whatever wine you thought would pair well with it & stop at many of the tables to enjoy.

If you are interested in who took home the hardware (Fleur De Lis Awards) check it out HERE.