I’ve added two, new red wines to the wine list. One is a lovely Syrah and the other is a Cotes du Rhone. Try them this weekend with a perfectly grilled steak.
McManis Family Vineyards, Syrah, Vintage 2010 – Light and slightly peppery
Cotes du Rhone Heritages, Maitre Eleveur Ogier, 2010 – Absolutely perfect
Last month, it was my turn to host supper club. My turn comes up once a year, and each time, I sort of rack my brain to decide what to make. This time I wanted something feminine and easy that felt like spring.
I settled on recipes I’d made before: Gywnnie’s rotisserie chicken, asparagus, clementine/almond muffins and mustard roasted potatoes. I also decided to try this recipe for rhubarb snackin’ cake that was delicious. You should definitely try it out. Continue reading
This last week was a doozy. Both the husband and I came down with a nasty case of the flu, and then, this weekend we hosted Ellie’s baptism. All of that, plus a heavy workload have kept me away from here. Luckily, we’ve both recovered, and things are starting to even out again, which hopefully means, I’ll be sharing news with you here. Because truthfully, I’ve had a lot of things I wanted talk with you about. A lot.
One of the first things is that we liked three more of the wines we picked up at Royal Liquor. I’ve decided to add a wine list page, where I can catalog all of these. I thought that might be easier than trying to sift through past posts to find a wine I mentioned on here. Here they are:
Milton Park by Thorn – Clarke, Shiraz, 2010: Light with peppery notes
Roc de Chateauvieux, Vouvray, 2008: Starts out sweet, but has a light crisp finish
Chateau de Campuget, Costieres de Nimes, Rose, 2012: Dry and crisp – a perfect spring wine – Not at all what I expected. I’m thinking of serving this one at a dinner party in a few weeks.
With a winter storm scheduled to hit Kansas City this last weekend, I knew I needed to be prepared, so I stocked up on wine from Royal Liquor (and brownies). I take winter preparedness very seriously.
If you’re unfamiliar with Royal Liquor, it’s located at 103rd and State Line in Kansas City, Missouri. Their resident sommelier, Alan Hagedorn, led a wine tasting the husband and I attended last fall. We loved every bottle he selected and learned a lot about wine. Since then, I’ve discovered he has quite the following in Kansas City, along with a great column in Tastebud Magazine.
The main reason I try to swing by Royal Liquor is that the store’s aisles are peppered with handwritten recommendations from Alan. It takes the guess-work and stress out of choosing a bottle. Since I was there, I decided to stock up on quite a few, and my plan is to share our favorites with you as we drink them.
The first we tried was a Cabernet Sauvignon. Normally, I’m not a huge fan of cabs, but this one was really good. It has a nice, smooth finish. (and other wine nonsense). Just listen to Alan. He knows his stuff.
Clayhouse Vineyards, 2007, Cabernet Sauvignon, Paso Robles
It’s that time of year when we’re all a little more aware of what we’re eating. So, I offer you a beautiful winter salad that tastes as wonderful as it is good for you.
The photos in the post were taken by Miss Megan. Thanks!
This year, I chose five items off my Life List as New Year’s Resolutions. While a few were difficult, I also selected some that would be simple and fun. Throwing a champagne brunch was on my list, and let me tell you, I’ve never been more excited to check a resolution off my list.
There was talk of Kardashians, movies and JT. It was a good day. I have a really fun group of friends.
We had some friends over to watch football and eat an unhealthy amount of queso. I’ve been wanting to try a mulled apple cider recipe I found in the October issue of Every Day with Rachael Ray for a while now and thought this would be a good excuse.
Our largest pot was occupied with chili, so I threw the ingredients into the slow cooker instead. I started the mixture on high an hour before the party and then, turned it down to warm as guests started to arrive.
It was really delicious. Serving the alcohol on the side allows guests to mix their own drink and keeps it kid-friendly, perfect for holiday get togethers. Something tells me this will be popping up a lot around our house over the next few weeks. You should try it at your house too. Continue reading
Rosé wines are kind of like the carnation of the wine world. Typically dismissed and ignored, they don’t get as much acclaim as their red cousins, and in my opinion, this is pretty unfortunate. Like their flower counterpart, they deserve more. (All of the beautiful photos in this post were taken by Miss Megan.)
Light and fruity, rosés are the perfect wine for bridging the gap between summer whites and heavy, winter-friendly reds. I think they’re pretty wonderful on early fall days when the weather is still warm, but you’re craving sweaters and pot roast. For September, I wanted to give you a list of a few great rosé wines, so I recruited some close friends to sample some with me. I am by no means a wine expert, so I thought it would be best to seek help. I asked everyone to bring a bottle of rosé for under $15 and promised to supply the food. I came up with a very scientific rating method, complete with glitter tags. As the girls arrived, I asked them to write the price of the wine and its rating on the back of the tag. Then, as we sampled, each girl marked the tag of the wine or wines they liked with a tally mark. Continue reading
The combination of peaches and tomatoes has been rattling around in my head for a while. I’ve seen it a number of places, and it struck me as unusual and interesting. Now that we’ve hit tomato season, I decided to give it a try in a quick salad.
The result is wonderful and to me, really personifies great summer cooking. In season fruits and veggies are highlighted by using nothing more than a healthy dose of salt and pepper and a zip of a light vinaigrette. No fancy techniques or ingredients required.
Take my advice and try it this weekend for lunch. Continue reading
Miss Megan asked me to come up with a cocktail recipe for her blog, Crazybananas. She was thinking watermelon and lime, so I came up with a couple of options. We had a lot of fun testing both and discussing world issues. (Okay, we may have been gossiping.)
You’ll find our favorite recipe on her blog, a Vodka Limeade with Watermelon Ice Cubes, which is pretty delicious. The watermelon ice cubes are so fun and would be great in a non-alcoholic version if that’s your thing. I think kids would love them in lemonade.
Although the Vodka Limeade was our favorite drink, it didn’t seem right to keep the second recipe to ourselves, because it was also pretty tasty. This one uses the same ingredients, but in a different way. So, you could also try both this weekend and choose your own favorite. No judgement here. Continue reading
