Wine Review Monday

Getting Ready!

This is the week to shop for everything you'll need for the end of summer barbecue. I like to plan in advance so I'm here to give you a nudge if you need a head start.

I know I always forget what I have in my wine rack so I'm checking it before I head out on my shopping expedition.

I have selected a few wines that will be refreshing with the watermelon salad, grilled vegetables, and the meats and/or fish you might be barbecuing this weekend. This is almost like a blind date but at the end of the day you will have had a great time and the food and wine will be the perfect pair.

Wine Pairing Tip: When serving salads with an acidic dressing (i.e. vinegars, citrus) keep in mind that the acidity brings out the fruitiness in the wine. These Rosé and white wines have what it takes to meet your salads and make a wonderful pair.


If you are into going "green" and organic, check out your wine shops for Bonterra Vineyards wines.

Bonterra has been producing high quality organic wines for under $15.

Rosé Wine

Bonterra Vineyards Dry Rosé has a dark pink color with aromas of tea and tart cherry with flavors of strawberry and watermelon, and some raspberries with a hint of spice and vanilla. This rosé is a blend of zinfandel, syrah and sangiovese grapes.

Bonny Doon Vineyard Vin Gris de Cigare 2008 ($15) is a blend of grenache, cinsault, roussanne, mourvedre, syrah and grenache blanc. A lot of grapes in this California "Rhone" blend give this wine its distinct character. This dry Rosé has flavors of watermelon, strawberry and blood orange. This is a perfect wine for sipping as an apéritif as well as enjoying it with your meal.

White Wine

Geyser Peak Sauvignon Blanc ($12) from California has a subtle green color which lots of tropical fruit flavors and soft floral aromas. This wine has peach and melon flavors with a crisp acidity that is perfect for your summer menu.

Mionetto Valdobbiadene Prosecco Brut ($13) is a sparkling wine that is perfect with any dish. With hints of pear and apple flavors this prosecco has a bit of tartness to it but you will be sure to enjoy it with your salads and grilled meats as well.

Celebrate "Back to School" with this light and fizzy sparkling wine that will tickle your nose and make your BBQ a very special event. I have a funny suspicion I'm not the only one wanting to celebrate "Back to School"!

Salute!
Winelady Cooks

Labor Day Recipes Part II - Dessert

I always serve dessert or else it's not a celebration. Any meal should be a celebration, and barbecue gatherings fall into that category as does any meal with family and friends.

I'm a dessert lover even if it's only strawberries and cream or homemade cookies. 'No Fuss' is my mantra when making dessert. The simpler the better when entertaining a crowd and sometimes a little imagination is all it takes to make everyone smile.

No Fuss Dessert #1

A fresh fruit platter made early in the day of the party can be all you need for dessert. Bake cookies early in the week and they are always ready when you need them. These make the perfect dessert when you are over-worked, over-stressed and out-of-time.


No Fuss Dessert #2

Pound cake, fresh berries, and ice cream is always a hit. You can use frozen berries if your market's fruit selections are past their prime.

The plus side of this is you will have gained a sauce to pour over the pound cake and the ice cream. Sooooo Simple!

There is no magic recipe for this dessert. Your imagination is all you need, or you can use the ingredients below.

Ingredients

• Slices of your favorite pound cake (bake your own, buy frozen, or your favorite packaged variety)
  
• Fresh or frozen berries
  
• Favorite flavor ice cream
  
• Chocolate sauce or whipped cream

Directions

• Place 1 thick slice of pound cake on a plate.
  
• Top with the berries.
  
• Add a scoop of ice cream.
  
• Drizzle with chocolate sauce and or a dollop of whipped cream.

This dessert will be perfect anyway you prepare it!

A Latte Smoothie is a nice compliment to this pound cake dessert. If you usually serve coffee at the end of the evening you can easily put together this frozen drink.


Make a pot of strong coffee late in the afternoon and pour it into a pitcher to cool down.

When you are ready to serve dessert all you need to do is add chopped ice to a blender with the coffee and milk or cream and blend into a smoothie. Pour into a tall glass three-quarters full. Add another scoop of ice cream and whipped cream.

Who can resist coffee and cake?

Happy Labor Day!


Mangia!
Winelady Cooks

Labor Day Recipes - Part I

Cooking and entertaining when the weather is warm can sometimes be challenging. We don't always want to be cooking and heating up the kitchen and everyone seems to enjoy eating cool and refreshing meals. Serving easy to prepare cold salads is the way to go.

This summer I made it my mission to use as many seasonal fruits and vegetables in my meals. Here is a simple tossed salad I have been serving this summer using seasonal watermelon. It is so refreshing and you can serve it as a simple light appetizer when it's really hot and you are not ready to start your grilling. Or serve it as a side salad with the meal.

When I was looking for watermelon salad recipes I found several that included feta cheese, other fruits, and citrus dressings. That wasn't quite what I had in mind. I wanted the salad to be light so I knew I didn't want to add the cheese. I just wanted a "tossed" salad without a lot of fanfare and I thought this recipe fit the bill. And I can be sure that my vegetarian friends will enjoy it.

I used red leaf butter lettuce which is tender and has a neutral flavor so that it doesn't compete with the sweet watermelon. I added sliced radishes and honey roasted sliced almonds for crunch. This combination was a perfect balance for the sweet watermelon.


As with many of my recipes this can be changed in any way to accommodate your preferences.

Tossed Summer Salad with Watermelon
(Serves approx. 4 as a side salad)

Ingredients


• 1 head Butter Lettuce (or lettuce of choice)
  
• 3 cups cubed watermelon (approx. 1 inch cubes)
  
• 1 cup grape tomatoes halved
  
• 2-3 radishes thinly sliced
  
• 1/4 cup sliced honey roasted almonds
  
• 1-2 Tbls. olive oil
  
• 2-4 Tbls. balsamic vinegar
  
• Kosher or Sea salt and pepper
  
• Fresh mint leaves (optional)


Directions


• 1. Break the lettuce into bite size pieces and add to bowl.
  
• 2. Add the watermelon, radishes and almonds to the lettuce.
  
• 3. Blend the oil and vinegar together and then drizzle over the salad. Add the salt and pepper to taste and gently toss the salad to incorporate all the ingredients. Garnish with the fresh mint leaves if desired.

Mangia!
Winelady Cooks

Wine Review Monday

Wow, summer is starting to wind down. It seems as though we had a very short summer with all the cool weather and rain we had in June and part of July.

The only way to 'get even' is to pump up the activities for Labor Day weekend. I'm starting my prep this week by getting all my drinks together. I can shop for the food next week and then relax.

Depending on how many of us will be gathering I will have more than enough time to set up the deck with lounge chairs and place the coolers holding the drinks strategically around the deck.

My drinks will be the beer of choice for the majority and some white wines and roses. The non-alcoholic iced tea and sparkling water will be center stage on the tables.


Choosing wines that will go well with barbecue can be daunting. There are many schools of thought on what wines will go with salads, barbecue, and grilled seafood.

I like to make it easy by preparing foods that will go with two kinds of wine. Sometimes that is not always easy, but I've been working on this cooking style for crowds for a long time and more often than not it works.

Some easy pairing tips when you are serving salads with citrus fruits, dressings and/or vinegars, or fish and seafood with lemon, choose a wine that has a strong acidity. My favorite food-friendly go-to wine is a Sauvignon Blanc. I like the New Zealand or South African styles, but you can choose any wine region you like.

Choosing a red wine might be a little more challenging if you are serving different meats like beef, pork or even chicken since you might be using different flavored marinades.

However, you can get around this by choosing the ever food-friendly rose wines. Rose wines are versatile because they are lighter like white wines, but have the complexity of red wines.

For more wine pairing tips check out these helpful tips.

Follow my posts this week for an easy salad recipe and dessert for Labor Day with wine pairings and wine recommendations for a successful Labor Day celebration.



Salute!
Winelady Cooks

Homemade Hot Pockets

I know the weather has been Hot! Hot! Hot!, but I turned up the oven to 425 degrees and made these pepperoni snacks. I call them Pepperoni Diamonds because I cut them on the diagonal, but they are like a pepperoni sandwich or pocket. This is a great little appetizer if you're having any kind of gathering.

These really hit the spot when the kids came back from the beach and we hadn't yet lit the grill for dinner. Lucky for me I was in the mood for cooking that day or I would have had a hungry crowd on my hands.


These are easy enough to make. I had defrosted pizza dough a few days earlier but didn't get a chance to use it. So I decided to put it to use.

PEPPERONI DIAMONDS

Ingredients


• 1 Pizza dough
  
• 1/4 lb. Sliced Pepperoni
  
• 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella
  
• 1-2 tsp. olive oil
  
• 1 TBLS sesame seeds (optional)


Directions


• 1. Cut the pizza dough in half. You'll need a bottom and a top. Roll out each half to fit the size of your pan. I used an 11x14 cookie sheet with low sides.


• 2. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper and spread the olive oil over the paper. Place the dough on top of the oiled parchment paper.


• 3. Lay out the slices of the pepperoni on top of the dough. Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella cheese over the pepperoni.


• 4. Place the second half of the dough on top of the pepperoni and crimp the sides to seal the edges. Brush the top of the dough with olive oil to give it a nice color. You can sprinkle sesame seeds on top if you wish (I didn't have any in my pantry at the time).


• 5. Bake at 425 degree oven for approximately 35-45 minutes, until browned on the bottom and top.
  
  Slice in squares or on the diagonal in either bite size pieces or a little larger if your prefer.

These can be made earlier in the day or a day in advance if that fits your schedule.

These can be served at room temperature, however if you make them in advance and have kept them in the fridge you can heat them up just until warm before serving.

Mangia!
Winelady Cooks

I Would Never Suggest. . .

heating up the kitchen when the temperatures reach the "red" zone on the outdoor thermometer. I have no trouble asking the guys to "grill and chill" when it's hotter than hot.

I like to make easy to prepare dishes and try my best to use seasonal foods and keep things cool especially in the summer. And with Labor Day on its way! I'm gathering a few salad recipes to serve.

Salads aside for now, I recently used a pizza dough to make what I call a pepperoni "pocket" appetizer. Since I had to turn the oven on to 425 degrees this is not what I would suggest for a seasonal appetizer. However, it was easy to do and it can be made in advance.



If you don't mind the heat in the kitchen my next post has the recipe for my homemade hot pockets which I actually named Pepperoni Diamonds.

You might win over a few more friends and pepperoni lovers with this appetizer.

Mangia!
Winelady Cooks

Wine Review Monday

PREP FOR LABOR DAY -- ON IT'S WAY

I always find that Labor Day weekend is on my doorstep before I finish sweeping the sand off the front porch. This time I'm preparing myself in advance and gathering my thoughts for food and drinks for my busy holiday weekend.

Actually, I'm not really the "host with the most" on this particular end of summer weekend. The reality of it is that more often than not we like to spend the weekend sitting back and relaxing. The long hours of the work-week and the heat of the summer commute takes its toll and it's a good excuse to "veg" and unwind.

To facilitate my relaxation for the long weekend, I like to prepare easy meals with not much fussing, though I like to have my meals reflect the season. So follow me for the next few posts that will include a few recipes and some cool wines you can enjoy.

Food

This first installment has an easy appetizer you can make for two or twenty-two. All you need to do is adjust the ingredients to fit your needs.

I'm going to start with one of my favorites which I posted a while ago. Mushroom Bacon Appetizers is soooooo simple. I made only 4 last week "just because" I felt like having them and no one was home to share them with me. You can find the recipe in an earlier post in June.

Wine

Drinks for the holiday weekend can vary from non-alcoholic to a myriad of mixed drinks, to the usual beer and wine. This post has a selection of white wines for your end of summer entertaining.

I'm starting with the ever-versatile, food friendly Sauvignon Blanc. I've picked two from New Zealand which I have had many times and always enjoy. I hope you will give them a try with your holiday weekend food-fest.

Elephant Hill Sauvignon Blanc ($17) from Hawkes Bay, New Zealand is a refreshing white wine that has characteristic herbal aromas of fresh cut grass and straw and light citrus notes of lime. It's crisp acidity has flavors of green pepper, asparagus and a touch of rosemary. This will pair well with grilled vegetables, green salads, roasted peppers and even seafood with lemon/butter sauce.

2008 Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc ($18) from Marlborough, New Zealand is another refreshing white wine with crisp lemon zest, passion fruit and lime that is perfect for sipping or pairing with the grilled vegetables, pork, salmon, and a summer favorite, fresh oysters.

More to come.


Salute!
Winelady Cooks

Wine Review Monday

Summertime and the Livin' Is Easy

With the heat of summer hovering around for the next 4 to 6 weeks, there's no time like now to find cool drinks to enjoy.

I like to put out several different cold drinks with our BBQ. You never know who will want to change from a beer or wine to a cold iced tea.

The ice bucket was filled with a few seasonal beers and white merlot. And I had a pitcher of my special iced tea that I like to make for both the kids and adults. It's quite refreshing.

Summer Iced Tea Special


• 4 tea bags
  
• 4 Cups of Hot Water
  
• 2 medium oranges juiced (add more or less as preferred)
  
• 2 lemons juiced (add more or less as preferred)
  
• 1/2 - 3/4 Cups superfine granulated sugar (to taste)
  
• Orange slices and/or Lemon slices
  
• Mint leaves (optional)
  
  1. Steep the 4 tea bags in the hot water for about 1 hour.
  2. Cut the fruit and squeeze the juice into a pitcher.
  4. Add the sugar to the juice and stir until blended.
  5. Mix the steeped tea and the juices together into a pitcher and chill until ready to serve. Add the sliced fruit into the pitcher with mint leaves as a garnish.

Now back to the White Merlot which I decided to serve to the "ladies who lunched" with us this weekend. They like sweeter style wines to sip with their meal. I thought the White Merlot would be the perfect match.

Forest Glen White Merlot (under $10) has a reddish-pink color. The aromas of watermelon says summer and the raspberries gave it the delicious berry flavors and had a slight sweetness on the palate. This must be served chilled so keep it in the melting ice bucket.

Twin Valley White Merlot (under $10) has light floral aromas, and the characteristic Merlot grape flavors of plum and blueberry, and had a hint of cranberry, but is lighter in style than red merlot.

You can't have ladies who lunch without serving sparkling wine. I served one of my favorites, Cristalino Brut Cava which has slight yeast and citrusy, lemon-lime aromas with flavors of citrus and apple. Very food friendly or good as an aperitif.

If you have a favorite refreshing beverage that you like to serve when the weather is hot and steamy please share it with us.

Salute!
Winelady Cooks

Wine Review Monday

We were impulsive this weekend which is very unusual for us. At the last minute we decided to attend a local charity event. The only reason we decided to go was because it was for a local charity that my hubby is very passionate about. It turned out to be a fun evening with a silent auction and wine tastings.

The event was catered by a terrific restaurant so the food was delicious. This made the wine tastings more enjoyable.


The menu included a spread of various cheeses; spicy seafood dishes and crab cakes; beef filet; and pastries and fresh fruits which were perfect pairings for the wines.

White Wines

Feudi di San Gregorio Falanghina 2007 (under $20.) This white wine is made with the Falanghina grape which is one of the varietals grown in the central and southern regions of Italy and has been gaining in popularity.

The wine has a pale golden color with aromas of apple, banana and pineapple with flavors of citrus and a bit of minerality on the finish. Great with the seafood.

NW Wine Company Pinot Gris 06 ($15) had aromas of banana, white peaches and pears with hints of nutmeg and vanilla. It had fresh acidity from the citrus that balanced well with the flavors of the vanilla and quince on the finish. Again this was terrific with the seafood dishes that were served.

Le Dauphin de Château Guiraud Sauternes ($20) This was my first experience tasting a Sauternes with real food. This was a delightful dessert wine that had flavors of dried apricot and lemon with a spicy finish. This was so good with the fresh fruits and pastries.

RED WINES

Cueca Carménère Reserva ($14) I really enjoyed this Carmenere from Chile. It had aromas of spices, cherries and nuts with delicious berry flavors and spice. This was just perfect with some of the cheeses and the filet mignon.



Salute!
Winelady Cooks