Angel Hair Pasta Tossed with Aromatic Slow-Roasted Tomato Sauce (with Springs Greens and Baked Garlic Croutons)

If you’ve been paying attention, then you know that The Two Guys just took three pounds of plum tomatoes and transformed them into (less than one pound of) aromatic oven-roasted tomatoes.  Well . . . confession time:  The Two Guys roasted those tomatoes with the specific intention of making the sauce and pasta that you will see below.  Think about it – earthy, sweet, rich, meaty, sublime roasted tomato sauce tossed over angel hair pasta, with Spring greens tossed in lemon juice and olive oil, and a side of homemade garlic croutons.  Oh, yeah.  They were that good.

So first, you need to
grab the tomatoes that we made last time:

Getting Ready for the Sauce

Toss them into a food processor:

Get Ready to Puree

Puree:

All Pureed

Saute four cloves of minced garlic in a few tablespoons of olive oil:

Saute the Garlic

Before the garlic turns brown, pour in about 1/4 cup really good Cabernet:

Three Dog Also Works

We used the 2003 Neal Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon.

Burn off the alcohol and most of the wine, then whisk in the tomato mixture:

Whisking

Add about one cup of water.  Then whisk until the mixture boils, and then reduce the heat and simmer for about thirty minutes until the mixture reduces to a thick sauce:

Waiting . . .

Meanwhile, make the croutons and the salad.

To make the croutons, pour a few tablespoons of olive oil onto a small baking pan; then place slices of Pugliese Bread on it; then turn so that the other side of the bread gets coated with oil; then top with just a dusting of garlic salt and grated Parmesan; then bake at 500 degrees for a few minutes, until slightly brown.  After it cools, chop up into small squares.  (Sorry -  no photos here.  The Two Guys got distracted by the amazing aroma of the tomato sauce slowly filling the house.)

To make the salad, whisk together the juice of half of lemon, a tablespoon of olive oil, ground black pepper and crushed basil:

You Could Substitute Lime for the Lemon

Throw in a bunch of Spring greens:

Available at Costco

Toss:

You Could Use Salad Tongs -- But We Find Hands Work Just as Well

Plate up:

Enjoy!

The Two Guys guarantee you that this will disappear.  Even kids devoured this and . . . came back for more.

We can’t wait to hear how yours turns out.

Until next time . . .

[Via http://twoguyswithanappetite.com]

install wine di ubuntu

Wine merupakan program aplikasi di operasi sistem linux yang berfungsi untuk menjalankan program berbasis windows di sistem berbasis unix. Ini adalah proyek GNU (dibaca guh-noo). Menurut developernya:

“wine enables Linux, Mac, FreeBSD, and Solaris users to run Windows applications without a copy of Microsoft Windows”

klo artikel sebelumnya kopete hukumnya makruh, nah sekarang wine justru lebih parah lagi, hukumnya haram. heheheh

untuk install langsung dari linux, caranya cukup mudah.

ketik : sudo apt-get install wine

Mudah sekali bukan, Klo begitu selamat mencoba aplikasi windows di linux

[Via http://koecingoptek.wordpress.com]

Girls night

Gahhhhh!

So, yeah I did not do any crunches last night which means that in order to hit 1000 by the deadline of midnight, I have to do at least 190 crunches right now!

Blah…okay, I’m going to do it. In just a minute…

I had a great girls night tonight – ran four miles with my buddy Kate and her two German Shepherds, Sierra and Luna.

We took a break from the rugged trails of Eagle Creek and hit the Monon, a nice paved road that stretches across about 15 miles of Indianapolis. Usually that trail is packed with runners and bikers and dog walkers, but this evening we were the only ones out there. Weirdy. Might have something to do with the fact that it was 10°F outside…

Then we shared bottle of wine and a pizza at Bazbeaux – which really is the BEST pizza in all of Indy – and gossiped for a couple hours.

Good times!

And now I’m off to get those crunches out of the way and then hop into bed. Tomorrow’s my last day of work – new job starts next Wednesday! I was able to swing a couple days off between gigs and this weekend we’re heading down south to a place called Perfect North to do a little skiing/snowboarding – woot, woot!

Life is good.

[Via http://cheaperthantherapyblog.com]

Possibilities: Hunt Cellars

When hubby and I first visited SLO county, we went along Hwy 46 to start wine tasting.  We didn’t even make it to the other side of the 101 freeway because we stopped at so many places!  One of our favorite places was Hunt Cellars, who caught our interest with descriptions of fabulous wines and ports.  We were sold!  Their tasting room is beautiful and the wine was good.  The port?  I salivate just thinking of it!  One of our favorites in the region.

Some of our favorite wines at Hunt Cellars were the Zinfandel Port, Rhapsody in Red, and a few of the Duet blends.

Hunt Cellars offers a memorable wine tasting experience in a beautiful tasting room just off Hwy 46.  Perfect for picnics or just to relax and sip a delicious glass of wine, Hunt Cellars will surely impress you and your palate.

Photo courtesy of Hunt Cellars.

[Via http://liveslo.wordpress.com]

The Zinfandel I Grew Up With Was Red

I grew up with Zinfandel. When I was a kid, my dad Charlie and his friends would hunt almost every weekend; duck hunting, pig hunting, deer hunting. Our freezer was always full of meat. I grew up thinking that everyone was Italian, and that everyone hunted. My folks never took me to see Bambi.

My dad was part of a group of about 20 guys who went in together to lease large pieces of property to hunt. Their hunting clubs were scattered all over Mendocino and Sonoma Counties. For a long time, we hunted the 12,500 acre Rockpile Ranch straddling both Mendocino and Sonoma Counties, being the largest piece of property in either county. I remember my dad taking me for weekends to the club. I would ride in a jeep or truck during the day as the men looked for a large pig, or buck. Lunches would invariably be Salumi and Cheddar on hard French bread rolls. Any game taken would be field dressed, then cleaned and hung back in camp at the end of the day. After cleaning up after the day’s hunt, the men would cook a big dinner. Polenta, meats, Italian sauces, pasta, vegetables, salad, Zinfandel.

Growing up, all the Italian men I knew drank Zinfandel. It came in jugs, it wasn’t complex, it was good and it was cheap. It went into the food, and into coffee cups and high ball glasses, styrofoam cups and complimentary collector jelly glasses from the gas station – free with an 8 gallon purchase.

I crushed Zinfandel grapes when I was my son Charlie’s age, just 12 years old, and the juice was made into wine that I was allowed to taste with food.

Zinfandel has been my first wine love, my longest loved wine, my favorite wine for most of my life.

Years ago, I attended the ZAP (Zinfandel Advocates and producers) tasting, a tasting of Zinfandels put on at Fort Mason in San Francisco in January. Hundreds of Zinfandels to taste. Thousands of people tasting. A perfect day spent tasting some iconic Zinfandels, like Carol Shelton’s Rockpile Zin, and discovering new stars.

ZAP is marking the 19th Zinfandel festival this year with the theme Zin in Paradise, and it isn’t just the incredible Saturday Grand Zinfandel Tasting, but three days of events. Tickets are still available for most of the events.

http://www.zinfandel.org/

The festival kicks off Thursday evening with the Good Eats & Zinfandel Pairing at Fort Mason’s Herbst Pavillion. Celebrity chef Beverly Gannon will be serving up Hawaiian Regional Cuisine with Zinfandels, along with 49 other chefs and wineries. As I read the list of wineries, restaurants, and dishes being served, I kicked myself for asking for a press pass to this event. I will definitely plan to make it to this event. The list is too long to print here, but go to the event page and look at the amazing bounty of food, and the participating wineries, and get yourself to this event!

On Friday, I am going to sit down with a group of about 150 people at the Intercontinental Mark Hopkins Hotel in San Francisco for Flights, a showcase of Zinfandel.

The panelists will discuss blending, Zinfandel’s uniqueness, preferred blending varietals, and each panelist will bring a proprietary blended Zinfandel to pour and discuss.

The wineries, panelists and Zinfandels include:

• Ridge Vineyards, winemaker Eric Baugher, 2007 Zinfandel Paso Robles and the 2007 Geyserville
• Three Wine Company, winemaker and proprietor Matt Cline, 2007 Old Vine Zinfandel, California and 2007 Old Vines, California (Field Blend)
• JC Cellars, founder and winemaker Jeff Cohn, 2007 Imposter Blend and 2007 Sweetwater Zinfandel
• Robert Biale Vineyards, winemaker Steve Hall, 2007 Aldo’s Vineyard Zinfandel and 2007 Stagecoach Zinfandel
• Bedrock Wine Company, winemaker and proprietor Morgan Twain Peterson, 2007 Heirloom Wine, Sonoma Valley and 2007 Ravenswood, Bedrock Vineyard Zinfandel, Sonoma Valley

Friday Evening, also at the Mark Hopkins, is an Evening with the Winemakers, Benefit Live Auction and Dinner, where Chef Beverly Gannon will prepare:

• Asian Duck Tostada
• Blackened Ahi with Sweet Thai Chili Sauce, Wasabi Micro Greens, Tobiko, Mashed Potato in Filo Cup
• Smoked Salmon Pinwhhels with Chipotle-Chili Fresh Fruit Salsa
• Kalua Pork and Goat Cheese Won Tons with Mango Chili Sauce
• Terrine of Foie Gras, BBQ Eel, Potato Pineapple Compote, Vanilla Syrup and Spicy Micro Greens
• Lamb Shank Canneloni with a Poached Fig Demi-Glaze Double Cut Lamb Chop, Lavendar Honey Glazed Baby Carrots
• Chocolate Macadamia Nut Tart

In addition to the incredible sit down mind blowing meal, there will be Zinfandels poured to pair with each course and 25 or so one of a kind Zinfandel themed live auction lots.

ZAP’s Zinfandel Festival culminates Saturday with the epically huge Grand Zinfandel Tasting in both the Herbst and Festival pavilions at Fort Mason in San Francisco from 2 p.m. – 5 p.m., ZAP members get an hour start on the general public and can taste from 1 p.m. – 5 p.m.

Over the years, ZAP’s Zinfandel festival has grown, more than doubling in size. The number of Zinfandels poured couldn’t be tasted by any one person, be they veteran wine reviewer or liver compromised bum.

Plastic lined garbage cans are provided throughout the festival and serve as giant wine spittoons. I hate spitting out perfectly good wine, but it is the only way to go as an attempt to taste as many Zinfandels as possible before my palate is completely blown out by the plethora of high alcohol hugely bodied monster Zinfandels.

I am thrilled to be attending this years Grand Zinfandel Tasting, and getting an early 10 a.m. start as part of the media tasting. I will have my red wine notebook and pen with me.

It almost goes without saying, but eat before, during and after the event, be safe, and consider public transportation.

DISCLOSURE: ZAP is covering my attendance to events with a press pass. I love this event and would have gushed about the event if I was paying out of pocket to attend. I will be writing a couple of articles after the event. One will focus on the events generally, the other will include tasting notes for Zinfandels tasted over the weekend. Full disclosure requires that I think Julie Ann Kodmur is an angel.

[Via http://johncesano.wordpress.com]

Kitchen Guest Star's Chicken Dish

The chicken in its final state

Our house guest was graciously “allowed” to make dinner in my kitchen, and I’m glad that I let him. This turned out amazing. The chicken breasts were sauted in olive oil and white wine – which tastes good for drinking with the meal too – with rosemary, salt and pepper, as well as some minced garlic.

He let me help him out in the kitchen making the rice. We added oregano, thyme, rosemary and parsley. The parsley was fresh, so it brought out the flavors of the other spices.

The chicken as it was cooking, right after adding a smidge more wine.

Once the chicken got done with its crispy glazing process, he sauted spinach in the pan with the drippings until it was just wilted and slightly crispy on the thin pieces. Not enough to be crunchy, just enough for a change in texture. He told me I could feel free to experiment with his recipe, but I really don’t feel the need to. The only thing that I might have added (not changed) is some balsamic vinegar to the bottom of the chicken pan prior to adding the spinach for some mild sweetness/tanginess.

All in all, incredibly tasty

[Via http://lacucinadijenn.wordpress.com]

Wine-cubes?

If you’re like me, there’s rarely anything in your house called ‘left-over’ wine. We open a bottle, we finish the bottle. And that’s pretty much it. Unless we’ve already finished a couple in one night, then I might have to call it quits! That only happens on party nights, that’s not an every night kind of thing. I’m not a TOTAL wino!

A few years ago, my husband and I were kind  of having a bit of a competition. Who could find the cheapest wine that was actually drinkable. It was fun trying different wines. Unfortunately, we can’t get 2buck Chuck here, but we found some that were really close. Some that we found were decent, others, make me gag just thinking of them. I found one, in a box, and honestly, I felt like my teeth had grown a fur coat after the first glass!

Wine in a box was a brilliant idea if you ask me. It’s much more economical and it doesn’t spoil. My problem with it is that it’s too easy to over-indulge because it’s there. So I must exercise self-control, and that’s fine.

Have you ever opened a bottle of wine to discover it’s what they call corked? that means the cork has gone bad, or dried out, and allowed bacteria into the bottle and the wine has turned into vinegar, or worse. There’s nothing worse than a fizzy glass of wine. Fizzy in the bad way. We had a wine party last year and a friend had been given a bottle of Beaujolais. I love Beaujolais, but this bottle they’d been given was corked and terrible. My friend had never had it before and needless to say, she was underwhelmed by it. I explained to her that it really wasn’t supposed to taste that way and she felt better about it.

So what do you do with wine like that? The wine that’s either corked or just awful to begin with? Make wine-cubes! If you pour this offensive and offending wine into an ice cube tray and freeze it, you’ve got wine for cooking. Each cube is about one tablespoon and is handy for soups, stews, and sauces. You can just put it in a freezer bag, or container, and keep it in the freezer to use anytime. I love having it around. So, next time you’ve got some funky wine, make wine cubes, by all means don’t waste it!

[Via http://1domesticgoddess.wordpress.com]

Wine tasting of Ravni Kotari wines

As you have all probably figured out by now, I am VERY patriotic when it comes to Dalmatia, Croatia in general and Zadar area in particular. I love the city, history, culture, food… and cannot stop promoting. But I (still) don’t like the wines.

So, when I heard that the Zadar county is organizing the first ever bottled wine tasting I was quite interested in tasting some local wines. This is actually 13th wine tasting of Ravni Kotari region but the event usually takes place in Stankovci and I was always a bit skeptical about those events and how everything is organized and the audience itself.
But, the bottled wines served in Zadar – I had to be there!

Award winning Trebianno Toscano by Kaštelanac from Polača

Usual crowd gathered: a mix of politicians, local authorities, few friends of the exhibitors and lots of press… The speeches given by the Mayor and the rest were too long and boring, as expected, but with a nice point – support this event and these wine makers, so we finally start working on producing quality wines in this region.
Of all regions in Croatia, Ravni Kotari si one of the most fertile and with great Mediterranean climate but that means nothing in wine growing…
And I was supportive.

Tasting Figurica wines

The procedure was as usual, for 10 Kn one gets a commemorative glass and circles around tables tasting, talking, nibbling on some almonds, home made bread, cheese…

I started at the table that looked the best. I never heard of them but they obviously invested in packaging, marketing, promotion. “Figurica wines” are a small wine cellar from Smilčić – the heart of Ravni Kotari – and they are producing syrah, cuvee, cabernet sauvignon, crljenak and white maraština. I sampled syrah and cabernet sauvignon and the quality was satisfying.

Figurica flyer

Figurica wines need a lot of work but they are fairly affordable (I purchased Syrah at 45 Kn or 9$ to samle it with some “real” food”.
I am usually not a person of crowds and wine tasting like this event but I prefer a nice atmosphere and good small company when sampling something new.

Next stop – Vrsaljko Wines from Nadin

Vina Vrsaljko table

This wine cellar exhibited only one wine and it was their Nadinska rana. This cuvee of grenach and syrah was a bit muddy and not a real pleasure to drink. The young, 2009 Nadinska rana was much smoother but still needs a lot of work!

I tasted few more reds not willing to get drunk although the girls serving didn’t spare anything when serving and people were usually getting full glasses! One of the reasons why I left early before the accidents and traffic accidents start happening!

Overall: Mladen Anić from Smilčića with Figurica wines, Denis Rako from Pag with Merlot, Vranac and Cabernet Sauvignon, Šime Škaulj from Nadina with Tomislav and Cabernet Sauvignon, Željko Vrsaljko from Nadin with Nadinska rana, Zlatko Kaštelanac from Polače with Trebbiano Toscano and Krešimir Dražina from Pristeg with Krešimir were the exhibitors this year with great hopes that next year more people will show up!

Šime Škaulj table

Overall, the wines are not something to write home about and, although very authentic, the entire event needs a bit more class. Education, education and education – the only way to make it in this tough business. But I have to give credit to people who are entering this world breaking boundaries and opinions of the past.
I have seen a lot of their own children and that is promising. Unlike Bibich, who is light years ahead with his wines and philosophy itself, most of the people exhibiting are farmers and need years of education, help… We will probably never have spectacular wines from Zadar hinterland but having a couple of decent bottles will definitely be a big success!

Connect to us on Facebook and Twitter!

[Via http://secretdalmatia.wordpress.com]

What wine do you like?

There is far too much snobbery about wine as well as fear of the unknown. The best way to learn about wine is to taste it; be adventurous and look for different wines when you shop or when you’re in a restaurant or bar.

Enomatic in the red wine room

A number of good wine shops have enomatic wine dispensing machines, such as Bottle Apostle, Selfridges and The Old Bridge Hotel, Huntingdon, where you can try tasting samples of wine kept in excellent condition.

If a restaurant has an interesting wine list it will offer a small selection of wines by the glass, like we did at Webber’s Wine Bar in Billericay. You can buy a glass of wine rather than committing to a bottle of wine; you never know you may fall in love with a wine you’d never heard of previously!

To give you an idea of what wine you might prefer you should test yourself with the Budometer. In the form of a short questionnair, developed in cooperation with Tim Hanni MW, it is a fascinating means to try to explain what your wine tastes are likely to be.

Tim Hanni MW

In the 1990s I went to a couple of seminars presented by Tim Hanni when he was working with Beringer Estates. Ostensibly they were about food and wine matching but in fact were a lot more to do with one’s perception of wine. I learnt a great deal particularly as Tim is such an excellent, enthusiastic presenter.

He suggests that there are three categories of wine taster:

• Tolerant tasters – who tend to favour dry, high-intensity, assertive wines.
• Sensitive tasters – the median group with a rather broad range of preferences.
• Hyper-sensitive tastes – who tend to have an aversion to bitterness and favor delicacy over intensity. They often prefer some degree of sweetness in their wines.

In fact Tim and the organisers of the Lodi International Wine Competition, in California, are testing the judges, many of them amateurs, to ensure that there is a mix of these categories on each jury.

Try this taste bud test which will give you an idea of your sensory sensitivity.

1. To test your taste buds, you need some blue food colouring, a piece of paper with a 7mm-wide hole punched through it, and a magnifying glass.
2. Swab some of the food colouring onto the tip of your tongue. The tongue will take up the dye, but the papillae, tiny structures that house the taste buds, will stay pink.
3. Put the piece of paper on the front part of the tongue and, using the magnifying glass, count how many pink dots are inside the hole.
4. Fewer than 15 papillae mean you are an insensitive “non-taster”, between 15 and 35 indicates an average “taster” and over 35 papillae then you are a “super-taster”.

So now you know what sort of taster you are and which wines could be your preference, go out and try all sorts and styles of wine – and enjoy yourself and don’t be put off like Michael McIntyre at the Appollo.

[Via http://brettthewinemaestro.wordpress.com]

...Barrel Oak Winery

The Virginia Wine industry has grown by leaps and bounds in the last 15 years.  Today we have more than 140 wineries, and only California, New York, Oregon and Washington can claim more (in the U.S.).

Chances are, you have visited quite a few of our local wineries. When I was living in the Shenandoah Valley, I was lucky enough to be only a 30 minutes drive to many wonderful vineyards– you really can make an entire day trip out of it.

A little over a year ago, Jason and I discovered one of our very favorites- Barrel Oak Winery in Faquier County. It was actually a brand-new winery– they had just opened in May of 2008 and it was October of that year when we went there. Many vineyards close their doors at 5 or 6pm on the weekends, but not Barrel Oak- on that Friday night, we were hanging out in their upstairs loft, in a cozy “theater” made of big leather couches and a very large flat screen. I believe it was actually Halloween, and we were in for a night of  Young Frankenstein and  the Rocky Horror Picture Show,  fresh smores, popcorn, and of course great wine.

Most of the wineries I had been to were not open late on the weekends, so I thought it was such a great idea to be open later. The owners, Sharon and Brian, were so incredibly welcoming; I felt as if I were a guest in their very own home.  They truly opened their winery to the community, hosting charitable events, bringing in musicians, had movie nights, among other events. It’s the perfect place to bring a picnic lunch or dinner, and even to bring along a board game. They want you to stay as long as you want! Don’t just taste and leave- make a day out of it! So, needless to say, Jason and I became quite the regulars at Barrel Oak and introduced many out-of-town friends to it.

Barrel Oak Winery's Tasting Room

We watched Barrel Oak become incredibly popular. Being situated between DC and the Valley, in was a perfect destination, just off of 66.  Come summertime, they added on to their outdoor seating area (which I thought was already very large and even had fire bowls for cool nights under the stars) and built an outdoor tasting bar. The last time we went there, it was so crowded you could hardly find a seat!

Another reason for their popularity (besides the wines- which I will get to next) can be found in their initials– BOW.  They LOVE dogs and have 2 Golden Retrievers (Barley, and Justice the Wonderpuppy) and welcome their guests’ dogs with open arms.

Original outdoor area- they've since added to it!

So now– the wines! They have a large tasting menu that does change often, depending on their availability and season. One of my very favorites is the Chocolate Lab. One of their dessert wines, it is a red wine that is infused with essences drawn from coco beans. It’s sweet, but not syrupy sweet like a lot of dessert wines.

Now, I do tend to like the sweeter/lighter wines. So for me, my next favorite is their BOW-Haus White, which is actually their best-seller. It’s reminiscent of a Reisling (one of my general favorite varietals). Theirs is actually a blend of Vidal Blanc and Savignon Blanc. Nice, crisp, perfect wine for all preferences.

Honestly, all of their wines are great, so I can’t possibly review them all here. So why not take a trip up there yourself, and tell them that Jenny sent ya

Visit online at www.barreloakwinery.com

[Via http://jennyrecommends.wordpress.com]

Posto Pubblico, Elgin St

Hello hello!

So we went to see the 2 apartments tonight and now we are in limbo second guessing ourselves… hmmppff!! Oh well, I’m viewing more on Friday and hopefully tomorrow if another agent gets back to me. 

After we saw the apartments I really wanted a glass of wine and some dinner. I had some pretzels before I left the house but they weren’t going to cut it. We strolled to Elgin St which is one of the most popular and busy streets on Hong Kong Island (along with Staunton Street). There are restaurants everywhere. Posto Pubblico is a relatively new place that has opened since Adam was here last year. It’s an Italian/American theme and I must say, really swish inside. I loved it! The service was also fantastic!

It also had a nice vibe with lots of people dining or having drinks after work and you can sit up at the bar. We got a booth.

Bread was brought to the table imminently. I had 2 of the ciabatta sticks which were super thin and holey and 1 piece of focaccia.

There was focaccia and ciabatta (I think). All bread is baked on premises and they also make fresh mozzarella too.

Specials board and the view to the kitchen.

So I perved on some other peoples dishes and this struck my eye on many tables! It was a caprese salad – one of my favourite salads! I had to get it. We shared everything tonight. 

The fresh mozzarella was awesome. So chewy and flavoursome and there were red, yellow and green tomatoes.

Next up we had the tuna fagioli which was tuna with white beans and onion.  

So tasty.

We also got the last serve of veal meatballs. Lucky we did because they were incredible! Super cheesy and the sauce was thick and tomatoey. We each had a meatball.

Lastly we got the “Stray and Hay” pasta with peas and pancetta. This was spinach and egg homemade pasta. So chewy and almost like noodles. My only complaint was that the sauce was very creamy which I didn’t realise when we ordered. It was still delicious, I just had a bit less of it than the other dishes.

Each dish was “tapas” style sizing, but I am the perfect fullness now. Not stuffed, not hungry. I also had 2 glasses of a Gavi de Gavi white wine from Italy (can’t remember the name of it though!).

We’ll definitely be back, the food is delish and it’s fantastic service.

[Via http://whatisforbreakfast.wordpress.com]

About Me

So why should you read this blog, won’t it be just other boring, self-centred have a look at me affair.  Well I don’t think so. So in order for you to make up your own mind if you should bookmark these pages I have a quick overview planned of what this blog will be about.

But 1st a bit about me.  I have a huge passion for all things related to food. What do I mean – well eating is not just about the food but the drink that goes with it as well as the atmosphere.  It does not stop there either.  There is a whole lifestyle that has evolved around the food culture.  We now have 4 (even though 2 are time shift) dedicated TV channels, countless magazine’s and even 100’s phone applications all geared to what is now termed lifestyle. So what do I bring to the table (pun intended).

Beside my passion, I also have experience. I was an apprentice chef and worked as a baker for 10 years with a German Artisan Master baker.  I have run a coffee shop and never stop exploring all facets of the culinary world. Now (over 10 years) I work in the world of IT which allows me to also comment on the new and exiting world of technology relating to food.

So what will this blog do

• Food reviews (be that ingredients or finished products)
• Book reviews ( I buy many books each month)
• Recipes (even stuff that goes completely wrong)
• Gadgets (I’m a kitchen gadgets tragic)
• Food related tech
• I will be looking at doing a video blog down the track
• Wine/drinks review and comment (my wine fridges are always full with new wines)
• Restaurant reviews

Let the fun begin

[Via http://jwicher.wordpress.com]

Crashing & burning

9:13 pm:
Crashing and burning. Zombie mode commencing…now.

Lucas is still watching Harry Potter & The Half-Blood Prince. BOring…I left after 30 minutes or so. Good choice, as I then taught myself to subscribe to and download podcasts to my Ipod! Por fin! (Finally!)

Food:
Pre-dinner: 6 dried Cali figs and a glass of red wine
Dinner: Big salad and Happy Rice
Dessert: Chocolate

Fitness:
Gym workout.
Warm up: walk to gym
15 minutes sretching/abs
15 minutes arms
25 minutes legs
5 minutes stretching
Cool down: walk back to work

My new Shape magazine came in the mail today. Katherine McPhee is on the cover—what the hell is she thinking with that terrible blonde bob?!?!? Blech.

Awfully critical tonight, aren’t I?

[Via http://bluetreegreenheart.com]

What's the deal with Merlot?

Last night Renee and I watched ‘Sideways’. As I sure it does with most people, it made us want to drink wine. But not Merlot. No, the vile detest that Paul Giamatti’s character, Miles, has when discussing Merlot makes you think it’s the worst wine ever!

Now I’m sure that is 100% not the case. Renee and I have tried a few Merlot’s (most notably Yellow Tail). However, each time I find them too dry and/or harsh for my palate.

Are there any Merlot’s out there for the newbies that is: tasty yet inexpensive (under $20 a bottle), readily available in wine stores in southern New Jersey and is rather sweet?

[Via http://ourfavoritegrapes.wordpress.com]

Top Value Banquet Wines - by John Szabo

John Szabo

Recently I tasted through about 70 100% VQA wines from across Canada in search of the country’s best value wines. The purpose was to select the top VQA examples that would be worthy of showcasing at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa for banquets and intermissions.

Since celebrity Chef Michael Blackie took over in the kitchen early last year, the NAC has seen significant changes on all levels and is on its way to becoming a premier dining destination in the nations’ capital. No longer is it an old-fashioned meat-and potatoes menu for quick, pre-theatre sustenance. Blackie has elevated the sophistication of the food to top standards with a very ambitious menu indeed. The wine program, evidently, needed significant revamping and updating to say the least, and I have been working with Chef Blackie and dining room manager Tegan Schioler to bring the beverage side of the operation, including service, to the same level. There is still much to be done, but I’m happy to report that it is going very well. If you haven’t been in a while, be sure to drop in, no theatre tickets required!

Having participated for the last 5 years as a judge in the Wine Access Canadian Wine Awards, The country’s best wines are certainly familiar to me. But what was most satisfying was the overall level of high quality and drinkability, knowing that these were all very reasonably priced. VQA wines are often knocked for their poor quality/price ratio relative to international stage, but this tasting belied that belief once again.

In order to select these wines, I sent out a call to tender to Canadian wineries, from which I pre-selected 70 or so samples to be tasted. It was hardly a comprehensive look at all of Canada, and many of the wines I would have liked to see were missing from the lineup, but it was still representative nonetheless. The wines were set up in flights and tasted blind, that is, I knew the style/varietal category and the wines that had been submitted, but not the order in which they were served. Not surprisingly, many of the classic good value Canadian producers emerged, along with a few unexpected surprises. In the end, a dozen whites and ten reds made the cut. Virtually all are under $15/bottles (licencee price), and many are even under $10. In the end it will be the banquet guests and intermission wine drinkers who win; you can bank on a good glass of wine at the NAC. Here are my top picks. Some are available at the LCBO, others are winery direct. If you’re looking for good ‘house wine’, this is a reliable list to start with.

White

2007 Riesling Off-Dry, Rosehall Run, VQA Ontario

2008 Chardonnay Unoaked, Palatine Hills, Niagara

2008 Chardonnay, Vineland Estates, Niagara

2007 Dry Riesling, Vineland Estates, Niagara

2008 Semi-Dry Riesling, Vineland Estates, Niagara

2008 Riesling Dry, Cave Spring, Niagara

2007 Chardonnay, Cave Spring, Niagara

2008 Sullyzwicker White, Rosehall Run, Prince Edward County

2008 Pinot Grigio ‘Ogopogo’s Lair, Prospect Winery, Okanagan Valley

2008 Sauvignon Blanc ‘Spotted Lake’, Prospect Winery, Okanagan Valley

2007 Sauvignon Blanc, Vineland Estates, Niagara

2007 Chardonnay Estate Bottled, Château des Charmes, Niagara

Rosé

2008 Huff Estates South bay Vineyards Rosé, Prince Edward County

Red

2008 Lakeshore Red, Palatine Hills, Niagara Lakeshore

2007 ‘Noirs’ (Pinot & Gamay), 13th Street, Niagara

2007 Gamay Noir, Estate Bottled, Château des Charmes, Niagara

2007 Cabernet Franc Varietal Series, Inniskillin, Niagara

2008 Pinot Noir Reserve, Pelee Island, VQA Ontario

2007 Pinot Noir Five Vineyards, Mission Hill, Okanagan Valley

2007 Cabernet-Shiraz, Dan Aykroyd, Niagara

2007 Rosewood Estate Renaceau Vineyard Merlot, Beamsville Bench

2008 Cabernet-Merlot, Pilliteri

2007 Cabernet- Merlot Five Vineyards, Mission Hill, Okanagan Valley

[Via http://blog.winealign.com]