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
Do Big Rich Cabs Really Go With Steak?
A wine dinner is a great opportunity to challenge your assumptions. With an open mind, you might be surprised! My confession? I thought I would hate all the big, rich cabs. To my surprise, several were very nice. Now I just need to figure out how to ferret them out. After juggling multiple work schedules, … Continue reading
Wilderness Wine
Fine wine and premium Scotch too. Can You Take Wine on a Wilderness Trip? Most wilderness areas prohibit glass containers of any kind. What’s a wine loving camper to do? We just spent seven days in the Scapegoat Mountain Wilderness in Montana with the help of an excellent professional outfitter, K lazy 3. Before the … 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
La Morra to Barolo Vineyard Walk
Barolo, Barolo, or Barolo which one do you mean? Barolo DOCG – Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (controlled designation of origin guaranteed) the official Italian government sanctioned area which can produce wines with the “Barolo” designation. Barolo – the name of one of the communes (or towns) within the area prescribed as the Barolo … Continue reading
5 Tips for Your First Visit to Barolo (Italy!)
A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to spend the weekend in the Langhe, the sub-region of Piedmont which includes both Barolo and Barbaresco – two of Italy’s finest wines. What a treat! I’ll have several posts over the next few weeks highlighting different aspects of my first wine experience in Italy. I had … Continue reading
