Emilia Romagna Classic – Tagliatelle con Bolognese Ragù
The Real Pasta and Bolognese Sauce Perfect for a Sunday afternoon, we’re continuing our exploration of the food and wine of Emilia Romagna. Another classic today: Fresh homemade tagliatelle and Bolognese ragù. In Italy, a moderate portion of this dish would form the primi course, followed by a secondi. We’re going to turn this into … Continue reading
Prosciutto, Balsamic, Parmigiano; You Already Know Emilia Romagna #ItalianFWT
#ItalianFWT Italian Food Wine & Travel: Emilia Romagna This month, our #ItalianFWT group is exploring Emilia Romagna. Make sure you scroll to the bottom of this post and check out my fellow bloggers’ posts. You Already Know Emilia Romagna You already know a lot about Emilia-Romagna, and you may not even realize it! Do you … Continue reading
Wine & Food Resolution 2015: Italy Deep Dive! #WinePW
Resolutions a Chore? Bah! Losing weight, eating healthier, being a more courteous driver (a multi-year favorite of mine) blah blah blah… Why can’t resolutions be fun? My 2015 resolution started in late 2014 and will likely continue well into 2016, and I’m having fun with it. Maybe you’ll join me? Resolution: Learn Italy in depth … Continue reading
Happy Thanksgiving!
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family! We’re grateful to have our family together, visiting our daughter, Casey, in Florida. Thanksgiving Traditions Do you have any Thanksgiving traditions? One of ours is to bring some iOTA Cellars Pinot Noir for our holiday table, wherever we are. The Pelos and Sandberg families are our good friends … Continue reading
A Veneto Touch of Bitter: Radicchio, Clams & Soave
Radicchio and the Veneto Radicchio is a very popular vegetable in the Veneto which finds its way into many dishes. My guess is that there’s something about that radicchio bitterness that appeals to tastebuds in this region. We found similar flavors echoed in the Soave wines. The radicchio we get in Minnesota isn’t the same … Continue reading
A Hot Environment Full of Fire, Knives & Yelling
A Chef’s Calling Chef Craig Sharpe started out in a different profession, wasn’t happy and was exploring new career options. He took a temporary job in a kitchen where he experienced the “hot environment full of fire, knives and yelling”. Funny place to find your calling; he immediately knew he was home. Fast forward a … Continue reading
Veneto Out of the Ordinary: Pork Ribs & Sauerkraut with Polenta
My introductory post to our virtual exploration of the Veneto was running long, so I omitted the details of the first full wine and food pairing we tried. Without further adieu, here it is! The Veneto is more than just Venice. The town of Belluno lies a little further north in the region and you … Continue reading
Thanksgiving from the Veneto: Turkey, Pomegranate Sauce & Valpolicella
#WinePW Wine Pairing Weekend Thanksgiving Edition November is here! And that means it’s time to start thinking about the turkey and other Thanksgiving dinner fixings. Our challenge this month is to find a creative wine & food pairing to use at Thanksgiving. If you see this early enough, please join us November 8th at 10 … Continue reading
Veneto Food & Wine from Half a World Away
Moral of the Story: Beware! Warning, if you learn a bit about a region’s food, wine, geography, customs, you just may develop an unstoppable urge to visit. The only question is, when do we leave? How do you explore a region in Italy from half a world away? 1. Study up! The Veneto So where, … Continue reading
Wines for a Sweet & Savory Fall Harvest Meal: #WinePW 5
Wine Pairing Weekend #5: Fall Fruits and Wine Wine Pairing weekend is a monthly collaborative event for wine/food bloggers. This month’s theme is “Fall Fruits and Wine”. If you’d like to see what others in our group are doing, scroll to the bottom of the post for links. Join the #winePW conversation: Follow the #winePW … Continue reading















