Basil Tasting
I always go overboard with the basil in our kitchen garden. We have 5 plants, 3 varieties for two people! How different do the various types taste? Tonight, we did a basil tasting. We made little skewers of cherry tomatoes, basil, and fresh mozzarella drizzled with balsamic vinegar and sunflower oil. Did you know that … Continue reading
A Meal Made for Pinot Noir
Pork Chops Stuffed with Cherries & Mushrooms, Grilled Salad on the Side If there ever was a meal constructed for Pinot Noir, this would be it! The combination of cherries and mushrooms echo the main aromas and flavors of the wine. The pork is a nice medium body, not too heavy, not too light, also … Continue reading
“Learn to Love Beets” Pizza
Beets on Pizza? Why? Growing up, beets were a regular item at our dinner table. Let’s just say I did not grow to be a fan. When I left home to go to college I thought: “I never have to eat beets again!” After 35+ beetless years, I decided I should really give them a … Continue reading
CSA Box Meets Kitchen Garden
One of the best challenges with the CSA has been figuring out how to use new ingredients, not necessarily the ones we would choose while shopping at the farmers market. Watermelon radishes are beautiful and they offer a nice crunch. The radish tops make nice hearty salad greens. However, they are pepper bombs when raw! … Continue reading
Watermelon Radish Salad & Lioco Rosé
A refreshing glass of rosé and a nice salad are just right on a hot summer night. Continuing on our local theme, much of this salad is built from a our CSA box and local farmer’s market produce. The combination of peppery crunch from the radishes, the sweet fruit and the salty feta provide satisfying … Continue reading
Spring Pea Basil Risotto and a Pair of Piedmont Wines
I might not choose to serve risotto on the hottest day of the summer, but it makes a fine dinner on days when the A/C is off and the windows are open. Risotto’s historic home is the Piedmont area of Italy, so we decided to match the meal with wines from the same area. We … Continue reading
Eat Local – CSA Veggies, Lamb & a Summer Syrah
Bossy Acres CSAWe received our first Bossy Acres CSA box this week! It’s a little like opening the mystery box in those cooking shows on TV, but that’s part of the fun. Radishes – Summer Salad Stars 1st challenge: We would be getting radishes in this delivery. Radishes aren’t one of our everyday vegetable choices, … Continue reading
More Mourvèdre Please
Say that three times fast! We usually try to match the wine with the food pretty carefully, but sometimes “Eat what you like with what you like to drink” is what happens. On this particular Sunday afternoon, I was knee-deep in my Mourvèdre investigation, and we decided we wanted to try a couple of recipes … Continue reading
Mourvèdre: Unpronounceable
So you want to buy some Mourvèdre, but how in the world do you pronounce it? “Move Over Dear?” You’re in luck, just click here. It’s kind of fun! Of course, the French ones will be Bandol, which is easier but less fun to pronounce. Today we’re trying another Bandol classic with an American Mourvèdre … Continue reading
Meatless Monday Chili & FoodBeerClick?
True Confession Honesty is the best policy: drink beer with your chili. When I set out on this Meatless Monday, I knew I wanted to try a chili. I modified the recipe to use wine for the liquid instead of beer. I kept the spices on the tame side. I tried a lean red low … Continue reading
