New Year's Eve Menu

Prosciutto Rolls with Arugula and Figs

Pumpkin Ravioli with Gorgonzola Sauce



Mesculun Salad with Pears, Gorgonzola, Bacon, Toasted Almonds with a Raspberry Walnut Vinagerette

Classic Cheesecake with Fresh Berry Topping

Wine: Shoofly Aussie Salute a blend of Shiraz, Grenache and Viognier. As you can probably tell from my prior post, Shoofly is becoming a favorite winery. This wine pairs well with earthy flavors as you can taste a hint of fruit and berry flavors.

Finding a good wine is just as exciting as finding a good recipe

Okay, so while my cooking has been less than inspired, I am finding many new wines that I enjoy. The latest is again a suggestion of Dirk, the proprietor of The Wine Seller. Buzzcut from Shoofly Winery in Australia is a white wine blend with the 3 main grapes being a Vigionier, a Reisling, and a Chardonnay. It is not an oak-aged white so what you get are crisp, clean flavors with the undertones of sweetness that you would find in a Reisling. You can generally find it for $9-13 a bottle and it is well worth the price.

So why haven't I been posting.....

The reasons are many really. I lost the charger to my camera, I haven't really been making anything new of late, I have a husband who often plans dinner before I get home, and pretty much I have been lazy. So to remedy this, I am expanding my blog to thoughts other than food and things that do not require a photo (at least until I get a new charger which I swear is going to be this weekend).
I would like to share a new wine that Scott and I discovered - Ironstone Vineyards 2004 Meritage. This past Spring some friends introduced us into a wine store by our house called the The Wine Seller. The proprietor of this store is a man who loves wine, but doesn't believe you have to spend what's left of your 401k to enjoy it. He has weekly specials of a variety of different wines that generally are $10 or less. More than once, I have purchased a case of wine and have only spent $100. Additionally, Dirk keeps a running list of the wines that you have purchased and is always ready to recommend one of his new finds. The Ironstone Meritage is a wine that is most similar to a Pinot Noir in depth, but definitely has sweeter undertones (a sommelier would say something like its sweet dark blackberry and soft, creamy vanilla flavors play well with unique mineral qualities, found only in wines produced in the Sierra Foothills, but I just noticed its hint of sweetness). If you enjoy wine I encourage you to find a local wine store in your area and get to know the owner. Don't be afraid to tell him/her how little you know about wine, how much you can afford to spend. If they are anything like Dirk, they simply want to share their passion for wine and want to build yours.

One of the reasons I love living in Colorado

What is your achilles heel when it comes to cooking?



Mine has always been anything involving yeast. Perhaps, it is my lack of focus, or the fact that I have been baking at 6000+ feet ever since I have expanded my interest in cooking. Today, I feel I conquered that a little bit. No, I didn't make bread, but I made my own pizza dough and then grilled the pizzas on the grill. What the heck was I waiting for? I used this recipe for the dough. The dough took about 5 minutes to make and knead in the food processor and then letting it rise for an hour. Grilling the pizzas was just as easy. I think the key is a clean and well oiled grill. I had the toppings ready to use by the grill, and grilled one 10" pizza at a time. About 3 minutes on the first side, turning it once. I then set the grilled side down on a stone so I didn't have to put the toppings on while it was sitting on the grill. I think I need to improve my indirect heating and cooking techniques as the toppings weren't cooking as much as I would like before the second side started to burn a little, but it still gave the taste as though it had been cooked in a brick oven. I don't know that I will always cook them on the grill, but I have given up my need for store-bought pizza dough.

The...best...chicken...noodle...soup...ever; or pretty darn close



I love chicken noodle soup. My homemade versions always seemed to lack the right seasoning however; that is, until I found this recipe that I modified from Cooking Light. The original recipe called for roasted chicken, evaporated milk and potatoes in addition to the noodles. I think my version is better and healthier. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

2 tsp. olive oil
1 cup each chopped celery, carrots and onion
2 garlic cloves
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/4- 1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
6 cups chicken broth (low sodium if you are watching sodium intake)
2 cups water
4-6 chicken thighs or drumsticks, skin on
2 cups uncooked egg noodles

1. Heat olive oil; add celery, carrots, onion and garlic and saute until tender; about 5 minutes.
2. Add flour and seasonings and mix to coat veggies
3. Add broth, water, and chicken. Bring to a boil, and then turn down heat and simmer for about 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked.
4. Remove chicken; let cool and chop meat (discard skin and bones). Add noodles to the soup mixture while you are chopping chicken. Turn up the heat for about 10 minutes to cook the noodles. Add chicken back and let simmer for about 5-10 minutes.

Do you know that stroganoff does not photograph all that well?

This is the best shot I could find. Family members will look at this and say this does not look like mom's recipe! But I have to say, that her beef stroganoff was never my favorite. It could have been the canned mushrooms, but more than that, I think it was the addition of tomato sauce. This recipe has come to be my favorite. I do modify it though. I add significantly more sour cream and add a healthy amount of dill. I also make a roux to turn the sauce into more of a gravy. This recipe comes from Tyler Florence; I have found so many of his recipes to be right on. To my family -- I know you all love mom's recipe, but if you want to try something a little more traditional, you might want to try this one as well.

Sometimes you just need to venture and try something new

Okay, I admit that oven baked sweet potato fries are not really adventurous, but for me, it was going out on a limb a little bit. I like sweet potatoes sweet, not savory. Still, I was looking for a side for the grilled pork chops other than my standard roasted potatoes or rice. These definitely did not disappoint. They were very easy to make, and did not require any special trips to the store. There is an undercurrent of sweetness there, but it complements the spicy flavors rather than creating a contrast. While I have seen recipes that include a sweeter spice like cinnamon, I was happy with the flavors with this recipe.

I'll take tacos for 120, Alec



Today I am cooking taco meet for 120 coaches and officials for hospitality at the Colorado State Swim Meet. Nothing gourmet, not particularly healthy, but free food for the coaches and officials who donate their time to help kids excel in swimming. Making this meal has got me thinking about what really makes a good cook. Is it someone who can whip up a great meal from scratch without ever looking at a recipe, or is it someone who cook an elegant meal and present it in a way that would make all the Food Network chefs envious? Ultimately, I think it is someone who takes the time to put together a meal for friends or family, or even volunteers.

Tasso Ham - Good idea or silly purchase

Scott and I recently returned from Hilton Head and while I was there I was reminded of how much I love Carolina Shrimp and Grits. I have found lots of recipes on line, but the ones that remind me the most of what I had in both North and South Carolina are those served with Tasso Ham Gravy. Tasso Ham, as I have learned is cured differently than other hams and is made with cajun spices. $25 for a one pound ham is ridiculously expensive, but I could only find it online. I plan to dice it once I get it and then freeze it to use in shrimp and grit recipes, gumbo and jumbalaya.

Mushy Apples still make for an awesome cake


My family seems to go through spurts with the fruit they eat; for awhile, I couldn't keep enough apples in the house. Then, as if there was some rule put into place known to all in my family but me, apples were no longer the fruit of the day. Unfortunately (or fortunately once I share this recipe), the apples I had previously bought continued to sit day after day, while peaches, grapes, and cherries were the new fruits in vogue. I have not made Cooking Light's Cinnamon-Apple Cake for quite some time, and I really don't know why. It is easy to make and is a great way to use some of those apples that have started to go soft. My only real changes are that I use 1/4 cup less sugar in the actual cake, and I don't use margarine. There is no need to chop the apples finely or evenly. The cake tastes great no matter what.

I really have been cooking, it's just that I haven't been taking as many pictures or posting

I also now have to share my kitchen with my husband who far surpasses me as a cook in many ways. That is a very good thing, it just means my opportunities for creating a meal that is worth writing about and taking pictures are not as frequent.

I have been trying to get us off our meat kick of late. I recently made Pan-seared scallops with a beurre-blanc sauce I thought the white wine vinegar was going to be a little overpowering at first, but after adding 10 tablespoons of butter *EEK*, the flavor mellowed. I think I would still prefer it with white wine, but it was on a Sunday and up until last week I couldn't buy alcohol on Sunday. I served it over angel hair pasta and oven roasted fresh asparagus seasoned with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. The sweetness of the scallops was complimented by the acidic flavors in the sauce. Scott loved it; I thought it was very good; I just need to find a lighter version. Seriously -- 10 Tablespoons of butter????!!!!

Sometimes you have to go back to your old favorites....

More than 10 years ago (yes I have been reading Cooking Light for that long), Cooking Light did a special on salmon and offered about five different recipes. While all were good, my favorite was the Grilled Salmon with Ginger-Orange Mustard Glaze. The recipe is simple and yet makes an elegant dinner when served with wild rice and haricot verts.

Unable to find a link for the recipe, I have posted it here.

1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup sherry
1/4 cup dijon mustard
2 tablespoons grated ginger
2 tablespoons honey
4 salmon fillets, 6 oz each
Cooking spray

1. Mix first six ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add salmon and marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Remove salmon from bag, reserve marinade.
2. Prepare grill or broiler. Place salmon on broiler pan or grill rack coated with cooking spray. Cook approximately 6 minutes each side or until fish flakes easily. Baste frequently with the marinade.
3. Place remaining marinade in a saucepan and bring to a boil for 2 minutes. Serve with salmon.

Looking for some quick and easy recipes

Recently, I spent the day lounging in bed (does it count that I was fighting off a cold) and was looking through my Rachel Ray 30 minutes or less cookbook. I have to say that I am not necessarily a fan, but I do appreciate the concept of the cookbook. Home-cooked meals that are quick and tasty. I first had spaghetti carbonara in Italy. Okay, this recipe does not compare to my memories of that meal. But for a nice quick meal, this one comes together in the amount of time it takes to cook your pasta. The link will take you to a recipe is called Rigatoni alla carbonara, but the original recipe called for spaghetti. In either case, you are having pasta, with garlic, parmesean cheese, and pancetta -- can you really go wrong?

I initially made the recipe by using wine instead of chicken stock. Word to the wise, using your 3 month old opened bottle of Sauvignon Blanc is not a good idea when the wine taste will figure prominently in the recipe. I trashed the wine reduction, saved the pancetta and remade the sauce. For us, the chicken broth option was the way to go.

Oh my goodness I have been busy...

The last time I entered a post was two days before I started my new job. I love my job, but I was not used to the 40 minute commute each way. To add to that, I am just busy all day. Still, I am much happier than I have been in a career for many years. What has suffered though is my cooking. At the end of the day, I want to collapse, not cook. I have been sick this week and reviewing many cookbooks and magazines to find those recipes that are 30 minutes or less. These carne asada tacos fit the bill. I will use either a flat iron steak or flank steak or skirt steak. I marinate it in chopped cilantro, onions, garlic, salt and pepper and lime juice; I will also add mexican seasoning if I have it on hand. Throw it on the grill for about 4 minutes on each side after letting it marinate for about 24 hours. I chop the steak but some people just slice it. Serve it on corn tortillas with limes, cilantro and whatever other garnishes you enjoy. It is simple, quick and honestly, just really, really good.

New Year, New Goals, New Recipes

I have a tendency to get caught in a rut with my cooking. As much as I love perusing cookbooks and cooking magazines and tabbing all the recipes, I often default to my old favorites. I new I wanted to make soup today; I was watching my beloved Chargers finally win a playoff gain, but did not really want to default to chicken noodle. I was looking for an Italian Sausage recipe and found Italian Meatball Soup Rapido on the Epicurious website. I don't know that the flavors in this soup were what I was really expecting, and I believe the key is the addition of the Parmesan cheese. No canned green stuff here, this calls for the freshest, best you can buy. The recipe calls for Parmigiano-Reggiano, but I rarely have that on hand, so I simply grated some Parmesan Cheese that I had in the fridge The pluses of this soup are that it comes together quite easily with ingredients that you might have on hand. Add a nice baguette and lighter red wine and it makes a wonderful winter meal. If you have the rind of your cheese, I would add it to the soup the last 15 minutes to give it a rich, earthy flavor. The downsides for me were that the soup was not visually appealing, and the beans, with only 15 minutes to simmer, were tougher than I would like. Still, the flavors were pleasing and it took little time to make. It has generally received favorable reviews on the website, so I hope it is something you try.