wine « eatingRD.com

June 30, 2009

refreshing twist and some experiments

Filed under: Blog,Breakfast,Dinner,Lighter Fare — Tags: Asian, granola bar, soup, whole grain, wine — Kristen :) @ 4:01 am

I cannot wait for my car to get done at the auto shop; it seems like it’s been forever! I returned the rental car on Friday because I didn’t want to keep paying for it, but now I feel bad bumming rides from people. It’s tough not having a car here. I would take public transportation, but that is pretty much non-existent here in Vegas. When we went to Portland, their public transportation system was amazing and we could get pretty much anywhere in the city really quick. It normally only takes me about 20 minutes to get to work, but if I took the bus system here it would take 2 1/2 hours! No thank you!

I made some granola bars this weekend with the recipe from Angela at Oh She Glows. I just love her blog, and she has some great, healthy baking recipes. She also just opened up her own bakery (how cool!) in Canada, and is working on getting her products distributed here in the US. While I can’t reveal the recipe, all I can tell you is that I can’t wait to order some of her goodies! I didn’t have some of the ingredients, so I substituted and added some other things. I also baked them for a bit to help harden ‘em up. Wow, they are sooo good! Really just like granola bars you would get at the store, chewy and yummy. I foresee I’m going to be tweaking my own recipe again 🙂 Thanks Angela!

I also made another batch of Gina’s Granola. I just can’t get enough of this stuff! I tweaked it a little bit too just for fun to experiment. Here’s what I put in this time . . .

½ cup whole wheat flour
2 cups oats
¼ cup ground flaxseed
½ t. baking soda
1 t. vanilla extract
1 tbsp cinnamon and 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
2 tbsp canola oil
3 tbsp peanut butter
¼ cup honey
3 tbsp brown rice syrup (you can also use honey)
2 tsp brown sugar
½ cup chopped mixed, roasted nuts
if you want to add dried fruit, add it after baking

Simply combine the first 6 ingredients, through the spices in a large bowl. Combine the last 5 ingredients (except the nuts) in a microwave safe bowl or small pot, and heat slowly until melted. Combine the dry with the wet; mix well and stir in the nuts. Place on a flat cookie sheet and press down. Bake at 325 for approximately 20-25 minutes (I like mine crunchy!). Let cool and break apart to enjoy on pretty much anything! Yum!

During the summer there is nothing like a refreshing dinner to make you feel satisfied, yet not overly stuffed. Gazpacho is just the thing! It’s surprisingly filling because it is mostly fluid and packed full of nutrients. Not to mention it is so easy to make and only about 100 kcals per serving!

Watermelon Gazpacho

(adapted from CookingLight)

Yield: 6-8 servings

Ingredients

6 cups cubed seeded watermelon, save 1 cup for the end
1 cup chopped peeled English cucumber
1/2 cup chopped bell pepper
1/3 cup chopped green onions
3 tbsp chopped fresh mint
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 tbsp olive oil
3/4 tsp salt
2 small shakes of cayenne (careful, this can be hot!)
1 garlic clove, minced
3/4 cup cranberry juice
1/4 cup sweet Riesling, optional (we had a glass with dinner too!)
greek yogurt or goat cheese for topping

Preparation

Combine first 10 ingredients. Place half of watermelon mixture in a food processor or blender, and pulse 3 or 4 times or until finely chopped. Or you can use an immersion blender to blend to desired consistency directly in the bowl (such a good tool!). Add the blended soup back to the rest of the soup. Stir in cranberry juice, Riesling and last 1 cup of diced watermelon. Chill well. Top with yogurt or goat cheese when ready to serve.

Oh man, this was really good and refreshing! There was a nice kick from the cayenne and all the contrasting flavors blended very well. It filled me up pretty good surprisingly. I also decided to have some sautéed chicken potstickers on the side with the help of good ol’ TJ’s. I definitely want to make this again because I don’t think our weather is going to be cooling down anytime soon ha! I think it’s already gotten to 106.

I like my soups chunky. I was wishing I had some avocado too, because I think that would work very well 🙂

On top of the potstickers I drizzled some peanut satay sauce. It was about a tsp of peanut butter, tbsp of hoisin, tbsp soy sauce, glug of rice wine vinegar and a tinzy bit of toasted sesame oil, yum!

Is public transportation accessible where you live, and if so, do you use it?

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June 28, 2009

low lighting to set the mood

Filed under: Blog,Comfort foods,Dinner — Tags: calzone, whole grain, wine — Kristen :) @ 7:56 pm

The main reason I wanted to get a new and better camera was because my other one just really stunk when it came to low-light settings, and low-light settings are the story of my life! Our little condo didn’t have good light at all, and our new house has ok lighting if you can take pictures during the day. I usually have to take my pictures around dusk time, which has proven to be a frustrating challenge. I need to experiment with lighting boxes in the future.

For dinner I decided on using up our never ending leftovers again and made calzones! Home made dough is so easy and cheap! I encourage anyone to give it a try. All you need is a little time to let the dough rise. Even if you don’t have a stand mixer you can use the best tool in the kitchen . . . your hands! It may take a little elbow grease, but it is well worth it.

Whole Wheat Pizza & Calzone Dough

Yield: Approximately 10 calzones or 5 medium pizzas

1 packet instant yeast
1 tbsp honey
1.5 cups lukewarm water (about 110 degrees)
3 cups AP flour
1 cup whole-wheat flour
good sprinkling of garlic powder
1 tbsp Italian seasonings
1.5 tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil

Dissolve the honey into the lukewarm water (make sure you get the water no hotter than about 115 degrees because this will kill the little yeasties). Add the packet of yeast and stir gently. Watch the bubbles begin! This should take about 5 minutes.

While the yeast are getting happy, place the rest of the ingredients into a stand mixing bowl with a paddle attachment; mix. Add the bubbly yeast to the flour mixture. Mix with the paddle attachment until everything is incorporated. Switch to a dough hook attachment. Mix for approximately 20 minutes on speed 2. Watch the dough and make sure it forms a nice ball; add additional flour if needed. I had to add about 1/4 cup, but it depends on your climate.

Once it’s done mixing, remove the dough hook and place a damp towel over the bowl. Place in a warm, draft free place and let the dough rise for about 1 hour (you can also let the dough rise in the fridge overnight and take out about an hour before to let it warm up). Punch dough down and let rise again for about 1/2 hour. This step is optional, but gives a really tender dough.

Once you make the calzones, make sure to cut a few slits on top and spray lightly with olive oil (I use a misto). I like to bake them at at least 450 degrees on a pizza stone because it gives an optimal texture.

I stuffed them with roasted veggies, chicken sausage, sun-dried tomatoes, part-skim ricotta, mozzarella, herbed brie and some fresh basil. Oh my goodness, this dough is sooo good and tender.

Nothing like some candlelight to set the mood . . .

I’d say it’s not too bad for low lighting? I had it in Tv mode with the iso at 1600 (let’s in a lot of light) and 1/5 shutter speed, which seemed to work well. I’m still trying to master all these terms and settings.

A little marinara on the side for dipping . . .

We had TJ’s Petite Verdot along with it. It was pretty good and only about 9 bucks which was an added plus. It is very fruit forward, but does need to breathe a bit to open up.

As the candles continued to burn, the wax overflowed onto the table . . . whoops! I just let it dry and harden and it came up pretty well later. For dessert we had some strawberry-rhubarb pie we got at a neat little bakery called Layers, along with some frozen yogurt . . . yum! I just love pie with something cold and melty. It reminds me of Thanksgiving.

I am making granola and granola bars at the moment, and will post about them soon! Yum! Hope you are having a wonderful weekend, of course it is flying by too fast. I just want to cook, bake and blog all day 🙂

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June 13, 2009

lots of planning

Filed under: Blog,Party — Tags: tofu, wine — Kristen :) @ 2:09 am

With the housewarming party fast approaching, there is lots of planning to do. As you know I’m a huge list writer and I really like the program called OneNote. I also use it for all my classes. I swear I’d be lost if I didn’t have my plan of action! Most of the time this way of thinking is beneficial for me and helps me really get things done, but a lot of the time it is most certainly my downfall. If something doesn’t quite go as planned, I get cranky and all discombobulated. Well, let the planning begin . . . Let me know what you think or if you have any tried and true crowd pleasers. If everyone attends there should be around 30 people . . . eek! But, it should probably be more around 20-25. More pictures to come as the food is prepped!

Menu Ideas so far . . . I may have to narrow some down

~Starters~

Spinach artichoke dip with Hawaiian sweet bread
Various cheese, Nut and fruit platters with honey
Fig compote, goat cheese and caramelized onion bruschetta
Caprese bruschetta with balsamic reduction

~Main~

Artichoke heart, sun-dried tomato and olive pasta salad with lemon vinaigrette
Panzanella salad
Mini Veggie Calzones with marinara dipping sauce
Asian BBQ chicken thighs

~Dessert~

Chocolate fountain with strawberries, pretzels, marshmallows and brownie bites for dipping

~Grown-up Drinks~

Citrus Champagne Punch(tried this at a friend’s, so good!)
Starborough sauvignon blanc (very fruity and fresh)
Ravenswood chardonnay (like butta’)
Willow Springs Cabernet (nice fruit)
Cakebread Merlot (haven’t tried yet, but got as a gift)
Seghesio Zinfandel (jammy and full)

Wow, I have lots of things to do before all this is golden. We even have more house stuff to do too . . . eek! Here’s my plan of attack so far . . .

This weekend:

Clean up yard somewhat, Extra outside chairs,Touch-up paint, Baseboards, Thresholds? and Hang pictures

Mon-Wednesday

Buy Wine/Alcohol at Lee’s
Buy Platters/serving stuff at HomeGoods (so cheap!)
Make brownie bites/freeze

Thursday

Grocery Shopping
Prep Salad/bruschetta ingredients

Friday

Assemble Pasta salad/Panzanella salad
Marinate chicken
Roast Veggies for calzones
Make calzone dough
Clean upstairs

Saturday

Buster Walk/Bath
Clean downstairs
Assemble Platters
Make citrus punch
Make calzones
Grill Chicken

PARTY! – 6pm

For lunch the other day I had something that I haven’t had in a long time . . . tempeh! I marinated a few strips of it in Hoisin, lime juice, and sesame oil for about 5 minutes. Then I grilled it on the grill pan, and placed in on some sandwich bread with mozzarella, spinach and avocado and pressed it into a panini. I also had greek yogurt on the side for dipping. It was delish and very filling!

Buster has this weird thing and likes to smell shoes when you take them off! We took Buster to the dog park for the first time and he had a blast! He loves being around all the other dogs and people. All the dogs were barking at him and smelling his butt, but he didn’t mind at all! Isn’t that amazing that dogs smell each other’s butts to meet and find out about each other? He was romping through the grass like a gazelle and loved all the new smells. We are definitely going to make this a continued occurrence in the future. He was so tuckered from all the excitement, but he still had us up at 4:15 am wanting to get up. He is such a new dog once he got his poor ears and teeth fixed up. He had a really bad ear infection the week after we got him, one of the worst the vet has seen. Now, he’s been on antibiotics and two kinds of ear rinses and he’s feeling much more chipper and is quite the character.

Here’s Buster’s new friend Louie. He’s my friend’s dog and is quite the ham!

Here’s the happy papa and Buster . . .

Hope you all have a wonderful, productive weekend! Let me know on any of your recipe ideas 🙂

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April 4, 2009

new demo site

Filed under: Blog,Dinner,Recipes in a Flash — Tags: broccoli, pasta, wine — Kristen :) @ 5:40 pm

Happy Weekend! The new demo site for eatingRD is up and running! It will just give a little preview of what I’m piloting for a new business endeavor. It’s still being tweaked and adjusted and there are still many things we need to add, so that is why I am asking for all your comments and feedback. You all have such great ideas and insight and I would love to hear from you, good or bad, about what you think.

Here is the link! There is a short survey you can take that will give us some insight as to what you think of the new site, your impressions and expectations of RDs and a business like this, and ways you think it can be improved.

Five entries will be chosen at random to win a 1GB flash drive from newegg.com. Here’s an example one at the left.

Now on to dinner! . . .

This is definitely my favorite go-to dish because it’s pretty easy to make and it was the first recipe I ever got comfortable with. It’s such a great feeling when you are in the kitchen and can just grab ingredients ‘a little bit here, a dash of that’ and it turns out well! That’s what makes cooking so much fun, even if it doesn’t always turn out. It’s a big experiment! Go ahead and try it with different types of sausage (lower fat of course) and pasta to make it your own. I have made it for several family and friends, who always request me to make it, and it’s great for a casual yet elegant dinner party. It always seems to disappear too fast! This dish is great for leftovers, and I am all about the leftovers! They can be a great way to stretch food dollars.

Broccoli Sausage Pasta

Ingredients

Serves 4-6

Freshly ground pepper or Mrs. Dash seasoning
2-3 heads broccoli, trimmed and washed
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
2 shallots, peeled and finely chopped
5 links turkey or chicken sausage (lower fat), casing removed
1 1/2 cups canned low-sodium chicken broth whisked with 1 1/2 tbsp flour and 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
12 oz of your favorite pasta, such as campanelle or farfalle
1/8 teaspoon crushed red-pepper flakes
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan/Romano cheese, plus more for sprinkling

Directions

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and shallots; cook until just golden. Add sausage; sauté, breaking up with the back of a spoon, until cooked through and forms crumbly bits on the bottom of the pan. Add broth mixture and scrape bits off bottom of pan. Cook until heated through, thickened and reduced down a bit, about 10-12 minutes.
While that is reducing, add pasta to large pot of boiling water; cook according to package directions until al dente. Add broccoli florets, in the last 3-4 minutes of cooking. Drain together.
Add pasta and broccoli to skillet or large pot; toss everything to combine. Season with black pepper and/or Mrs. Dash, and crushed red pepper. Sprinkle with cheese; toss to combine and serve!

You can increase the amount of veggies by sautéing mushrooms and zucchini with the sausage too. I also recommend serving it with a nice piece of crusty bread and a fruity balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Yum!

Along with the pasta we tried a new Chardonnay that turned out to be great! This is the perfect malolactic – type chard if you have never experienced it before. I would highly recommend it. It was so full and buttery, and yet still crisp and refreshing. The sausage I used in the pasta was slightly spicy, and this chard stood up to it well and enveloped the spice in its buttery goodness. There were notes of melon and nectarine with a slight citrus-y brightness. It was pretty reasonable too at $12, you should try it!

After dinner, we cuddled up (well, my guy fell asleep!) and watched Twilight.

I’m still trying to find the time to get through the book portion!

This weekend I am planning on making a batch of granola bars (I tried them with 2 egg whites and less oil and they turned out good!) and Oatmeal Triangles with a new product from TJ’s to last for the week, along with a little bit of prepping of recipes to come . . . I see a twist on lasagna maybe? Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

How do you find time to make your meals? Do you prep before hand or put it all together the same day? Or rely on other quick methods?

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March 27, 2009

unexpected treat

Filed under: Blog,Dinner,Restaurants — Tags: wine, yogurt — Kristen :) @ 4:07 am

Today was a pretty uneventful day. I didn’t have class, or any other pressing obligations, so it was the usual work schedule for me. I was planning on going home and making some din din when Chris called me and told me that his dad and step mom wanted to take us out to dinner! Going out is such a treat for us, especially since we almost always eat in and make our own creations. They had planned on taking a flight today out to Colorado to visit their cabin being built, but because of the bad weather there, they spent a good part of the day in the airport trying to catch flights. So they finally decided to wait till tomorrow (fingers crossed), and decided to have a nice dinner.

We went to a place called Casa di Amore (House of Love if I had to guess?). It’s an American Italian eatery that has a neat ambiance . . . low lights, candles, and even a crooner named George Bugati that sings all kinds of lounge/jazz type songs. It’s a really great place to hang out, relax and enjoy some yummy food and music. It’s a bit on the pricey side for us, so it’s more of a special occasion type place.

I decided on the Chicken Caprese, complete with grilled chicken (I’m sure it had a light breading on it), buffalo mozzarella, thick tomatoes and a sprinkling of fragrant basil. It also came with a side of broccoli, roasted red peppers and pasta. Entirely too much of course! But, I took home about half to have for lunch tomorrow, leftovers yay! I also had a glass of chianti (pictured above). It was such a nice wine, and I believe pretty reasonable too. It was fruity, and although the body wasn’t too full, it had a very nice finish. I think this may be my go-to wine for awhile 🙂

Gotta love that candlelight setting . . .

Afterwards, we tried a place called Yofrutto near UNLV, where they pile any kind of toppings you like on top of plain frozen yogurt. I love the slight twang this stuff has! This wasn’t as good as Red Mango, and the kiwi weren’t quite ripe, but it was very refreshing and light. A perfect ending to an unexpected treat! Sooo glad it’s Friday tomorrow!

Do you like things to be unexpected or are you a more planning oriented person with your day mapped out by the minute?

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March 21, 2009

one fish, two fish, red fish, green fish . . .

Filed under: Blog,Dinner,My Travels — Tags: cous cous, fish, pesto, wine — Kristen :) @ 6:39 am

I still have quite a bit of fish left in my freezer at the moment and it is literally packed to the gills! (no pun intended haha) I have to open the freezer door slowly for fear of sheer collapse of our perfectly orchestrated freezer stack. Do any of you guys have this problem too? . . . Oh the day when I can have a sub zero with a plethora of fridge and freezer space . . . uh-em back to reality!

Fridays are the days when Chris and I try make dinner and enjoy a little vino since we usually don’t get a chance to eat together much during the week. It seems like whenever he’s coming home, I’m leaving or when I’m leaving he’s coming home! We also found out recently that our offer on a foreclosure here has been accepted and we have opened escrow! Boy has it been a long process looking and dealing with short-sales. We started looking the end of January and we are just getting the ball rolling on one of our offers. I will have to post pictures of it because we are going to look again this weekend, just for fun! I am both excited and nervous for this new investment in our lives and hope everything works out.

On to the recipe . . .

Pesto Crusted Halibut

with Roasted Veggie Cous Cous

For the Pesto Paste:

3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
Large bunches of fresh basil leaves (about 4 oz by weight)
1/4 cup roasty toasty pine nuts
1/4-1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
zest and juice of 1 1/2 medium lemons
2 tbsp of olive oil
1/4 cup dry breadcrumbs
salt and pepper
4 large halibut fillets (or you could use your favorite white fish)

For the cous cous:

couple glugs of olive oil (2 tbsp)
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp honey
garlic powder and herbes de provence (italian seasoning)
salt and pepper
1 lb. finely chopped carrots (about 2 1/4 cups)
1 lb. finely chopped zucchini (about 4 medium)
1 cup grapes, halved
1 1/2 cups whole wheat cous cous (you could certainly make quinoa too)
1 1/2 cups low-sodium veggie broth
1 roasted bell pepper, drained and chopped
1/3 cup goat cheese, crumbled

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

Place the olive oil, balsamic, honey, garlic and spices into a zippy bag. Place the carrots, zucchini and grapes inside and let sit for about 5 minutes. Strain the veggies, reserving the marinade, and place on a foil-lined baking sheet.

Bake for about 30-45 minutes, turning and tossing halfway through and basting with reserved marinade if they look dry. Just make sure the sugars don’t get too burned.

To make the pesto pulse everything, except the fish, in a food processor until a paste consistency forms. Slather this mixture on each fish fillet and place on a foil-lined baking sheet. Turn the oven down to 350 and bake fish for 8-10 minutes, or until it flakes easily with a fork. Be careful not to over cook! Then you can broil for a few minutes to get it crusty. Alternatively, I’m sure you could grill it really quickly while slathering on the pesto.

While the veggies and fish are baking, boil the veggie broth; remove from heat, add cous cous, cover and let sit for about 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and place in a large serving bowl.

When the veggies are done add them, along with the roasted bell pepper and goat cheese, to the cous cous and toss all together.

Serve the pesto-crusted halibut atop a nice scoop of the roasted veggie cous cous!

I had a bit of pesto paste leftover which I will use in a pasta dish, or as a slather for a roasted veggie sandwich, yum!

I also like to make a balsamic reduction to drizzle on pretty much anything: Just boil down about 2 cups of balsamic and a little honey gently, stirring frequently, until it gets thick and syrupy. It makes such a great accompaniment and presentation. Sorry, I’m in dire need of a better camera!

And for the vino spotlight . . .

Elderton’s 2007 Unoaked Chardonnay

First I have to tell you my beginnings with wine . . . When I first tasted wine (it was a red, bad idea), I couldn’t believe that people would actually drink this stuff! It was dry, pungent and burned my throat. I could hardly stand it. But, it’s funny, our palettes are very adaptable (as in the case with lower sodium) and can adjust to many different flavors, and like many things, wine can be an acquired taste for some. Chris and I have a lot of fun trying new wines and even went to Napa a few spring breaks ago to visit my aunt who works at some of the wineries there. Here is a picture of us touring Pride Winery – breathtaking views! Good memories!

When you first start out drinking wine, you have to start easy, and that means white. Rieslings were my absolute favorite starting out. Light, refreshing, sweet and easy to drink. Chardonnays are a more advanced white, usually heavier, and most have a bit of oak. I’m not a fan of oaky chards, I would much rather have butter (a fuller mouthfeel sensation created from using Malolactic fermentation). Now I really prefer red wines like red Zinfandel, and am currently trying to get more educated about different Italian varietals.

A great buttery chard for a great price would have to be Ravenswood (the winery in the first picture), although the one we tried at the winery is the best, but I can’t find it anywhere! This one doesn’t age too well, so I would get the youngest year you can find.

Unoaked chards are in a class by themselves. They are aged in steel rather than oak, so all you get is fresh, bright fruit essence that is not overpowered by heavy oak. The Elderton chard is a wonderful example of this. Bright, fruity and a little bit of mineral. It has a fresh pear taste; crisp with hints of peach and melon.

But, really the most important part about drinking any wine is that YOU like the flavor! And most great wines you can get for $15 and under.

What’s your favorite type of wine? I’d love to hear all about them!

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February 17, 2009

many shades of red

Filed under: Blog,Dinner — Tags: beet, crock pot, pasta, wine — Kristen :) @ 5:12 am

This Valentine’s Day, we didn’t go all out, but decided that making a nice dinner together would be just the thing. Baked pasta is one of our favorites, so we made some fresh pasta, with homemade marinara and sautéed veggies. We paired this with a J. Lohr Cab, which is definitely a wine you can’t go wrong with, especially at about $10/bottle. It has a little bit of fruit with a nice richness that cabs bring, but not too punchy. I would say it’s a beginner’s cabernet sauvignon.

There is just something about fresh pasta that makes it so much better than dried. This is especially true for the long varieties like fettuccine, tagliatelle, etc. It’s very tender and spongy, and of course very fresh! It’s not that hard either, check out this post for pictures of the well-method.

For the pasta:

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (you could experiment with a little whole wheat too)
4 eggs
1-2 tbs olive oil
You could also add frozen spinach (squeezed very dry), beets or spices to make colored or flavored pasta!

You mix it all together on the counter top using the well-method and kneed it until smooth. It is important to let it rest for 30 minutes and then you can shape into anything you like. We used our mixer attachment for fettuccine this time around. Or you can simply use a knife to cut them.

For the sauce, we decided we would try to simmer it in the crock-pot all day, since we wouldn’t have too much time once we got home. It turned out great, and tasted rich with deep tomato flavor.

For the marinara sauce:

2 cans TJ’s whole tomatoes with basil
1/4 cup tomato paste (about 1/2 small can)
1 jar roasted red bell peppers
1/2 cup sweet balsamic vinegar
All your favorite Italian spices. I used about 2 tbsp italian seasoning (I didn’t have any herbes de provence), 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp of salt, pepper, an all-purpose seasoning like mrs. dash, 1 tbsp sugar. It’s best to taste after it has been simmering for awhile and adjust to your liking. I just dump them in there and don’t have measurements.

Cook everything in the crock-pot on low all day (about 8 hours) and once you get home, continue to cook but with the lid slightly off to help it reduce some more. And voila! How easy is that?!

Then, I sautéed some zucchini and chicken sausage in a pan, put it on top of the pasta with a bit of mozzarella and parmesan and broiled until bubbly and golden. I call this love in a bowl!

For dessert, I made beet cakes from Tyler Florence (more red!) They actually turned out pretty good and were not too sweet. Instead of oil and butter, this recipe uses applesauce and low-fat buttermilk.

They were very moist, almost like Yorkshire pudding (I could have probably cooked them 45 min), and especially good paired with a little frozen yogurt! Look at them beets. When I was younger and ate beets for the first time, my mom had never told me that beets do something to your . . . you know . . . so the next day I ran to my mom because I thought I was dying! And then she told me, “it’s the beets, silly.”

I have these little flower baking pans, and here is a picture of my favorite . . . sunflowers!

All in all, it was a very nice, simple Valentine’s Day! Do you have any romantic Valentine’s Day stories?

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January 31, 2009

pasta shop

Filed under: Blog,Dinner,Restaurants — Tags: pasta, wine — Kristen :) @ 7:01 am

I’ve been wanting to eat at the pasta shop for ages now, because they supply a lot of the fresh pasta for the casinos and restaurants in Vegas. Talk about going to the source! If you are ever near Tropicana and Eastern in Vegas, you HAVE to give this restaurante a try. It’s seating area is not very big, so it would be advisable to make reservations in advance. Dishes are in the price range from 12.95-23.95, but are worth every penny. Wow, the depth and dynamic flavors of their dishes are out of this world. It’s your traditional pasta comfort food, but soooo much better and authentic.

For an appetizer we decided to try their artichoke special. This is very traditional Italian food. I usually wouldn’t order this, but the artichoke was sweet yet tangy and flavored the olive oil balsamic mixture that we dipped our garlic bread in.

For the main course, I had the chicken davita, which was a mix of lightly breaded chicken, fried eggplant, mixed vegetables, pasta and fresh mozzarella. What really amazed me about this dish was the pasta sauce that gently coated the fresh, spongy pasta. There is just something about fresh pasta that is like no other. It’s delicate and spongy, and very different from dried pasta. The sauce had to be made with sweet bell peppers because it tasted like it was simmered and reduced down for hours. So sweet and full of rich tomato flavor. I couldn’t stop eating it!

Chris had the baked rigatoni, which was your traditional pasta, sauce and cheese, but it was different, not generic and definitely not non-fat! You could tell it was home-made, full of love. Our friends, Mike and Melissa, had the chicken marsala, which we had a bite of. I usually don’t ever get chicken marsala, but this is something I would want to get again. It was rich, yet sweet with the marsala wine and caramelized onions.

Paired along with all of these dishes, we brought a Fireblock Grenache ($15 corking fee), which worked perfectly. It was fruity and mellow to blend with all the different flavors, but still had a nice oaky bite to it, but not too powerful. I would say this is a great beginner red wine, but very enjoyable. If anyone can find this wine in Vegas, I’ll personally buy you and me a bottle because we can’t find it anywhere! My mom has to truck it from North Carolina because we did find it there. For dessert we had the traditional tiramisu. And while it could have been stronger on the espresso flavor, it was creamy rich, yet light and satisfying all in one. The Pasta Shop is definitely a place I would love to go back to. The service was great, the waiter sarcastic and friendly, the ambience eclectic and the food . . . amazing.

Italian is my favorite food by far and I love supporting great local restaurants. What’s your favorite local restaurant and why?

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January 20, 2009

easy yet elegant

Filed under: Blog,Dinner — Tags: Beef, pasta, wine — Kristen :) @ 4:00 am

There’s nothing like pasta and wine for a laidback weekend dinner. This recipe is fairly easy to put together, yet still nice enough to serve to dinner guests. Sweet basil and roasted cherry tomatoes are paired up with the hearty, juicy meatballs and gooey fresh mozzarella cheese! And what is better than that?

We also tried a new wine with this dish that paired really well: Layer Cake Malbec 2007. When you think of a layer cake you think of moist, chocolate cake, layered among rich, whipped butter cream, right? Well, if you can imagine, this Malbec actually has all those sweet and rich characteristics coming through the wine. I would have to say Layer Cake is the perfect name for this wine. Full of fruit and berry up front, yet rich with mocha and cocoa back notes as it goes down. It flowed beautifully with the sweetness of the basil and tomatoes and stood up to the heartiness of the meatballs. Make sure you serve this wine at 63-65 degrees at the most, because as it warms up the fruit disappears and more tobacco stands out. Weird as it sounds, serving wine at the right temperature makes all the difference in finding harmonious flavor notes and lip-smacking goodness in a wine.

Another great thing about this wine is that it was $15 at Trader Joe’s. I believe that most really great wines out there are $15 or less. You don’t have to spend a fortune on a wine to have it taste really great. Just experiment and find what kind of wine suites your palate. Don’t buy some $50 bottle of wine just because of the price tag and label. Make sure you speak to the store’s wine expert or sommelier before dropping that much cash. A lot of times they may have a personal pick of theirs that won’t break the bank. Don’t get me wrong, there are some amazing, really expensive wines out there (uh . .em . . Insignia), but it’s not necessary!

This says it all . . .

My old grandfather made and enjoyed wine for 80 years. He told me the soil in which the vines lived were a layer cake. He said the wine, if properly made, was like a great layer cake, fruit, mocha and chocolate, hints of spice and rich, always rich. ‘Never pass up a layer cake’, he could say. I have always loved those words.

A little candlelight to set the mood . . .

Pasta with Meatballs, Mozzarella and

Fresh Tomato Sauce

Ingredients

Serves 4-6

Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 pound ground beef (96 percent extra lean)
1/4 cup plain dry breadcrumbs (I used a leftover ciabatta loaf and ground it in the food processor)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp Various spices like Italian herbs, herbs de provence, Mrs. Dash (whatever you have on hand)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for sprinkling
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1/2 cup white wine or low-sodium chicken broth
1 tbsp flour
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved and seeds squeezed out
8 ounces orecchiette pasta (looks like little ears)
1/2 pint bocconcini (about 20 balls, cut in half)

Directions

Set a large pot of salted water to boil. In a large bowl, combine turkey, breadcrumbs, garlic, egg, 1/4 cup Parmesan, 1/4 cup basil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper and spices; mix to combine. Form mixture into about 1-in meatballs, or what size you prefer.
In a large skillet, heat 1-2 tablespoons olive oil over medium. Add meatballs, and cook, turning occasionally, until browned all over and cooked through. You may have to do two batches.
Whisk the wine or broth with the flour in a small bowl and add this mixture to the meatball pan and scrape up all the browned bits just until thickened.
Place halved tomatoes on a foil-lined broiler pan and place under broiler until slightly charred and the skins start to come off, set aside.
Meanwhile, cook pasta in boiling water until al dente, according to package instructions. Drain, return to pot. Add bocconcini, meatballs with sauce, tomatoes, and remaining 1/4 cup basil to the pasta. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese to your liking and serve with a yummy wine!

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