Sparkling Wines and Football?

Armchair quarterbacks are in position and the game plan is set. The buffet table is ready on the side line and the drinks are chilling.

One drink to have on hand for this big game day, or any day for that matter, is a bright and bubbly sparkling wine. It's such a fun way to celebrate with all those bubbles.

Many of us forget, or perhaps never realized that this is a food friendly, versatile wine that is always appropriate, even on Game Day!

The sparklers have bright acidity and the bubbles are refreshing on our palates. The lower alcohol wine doesn't compete with the food making it a wine perfect for game day menus including the ever popular salty snacks and fried foods that we enjoy.

Sparkling wines are produced in many wine-making regions around the world. Some popular sparklers are labled as Cava (from Spain), Cremant (France), and Italian Prosecco. Many American sparkling wines are produced in California and the northwest, as well as many other regions across the country.

They are inexpensive and very affordable. Keep an extra bottle on hand for any time you want to celebrate. And don't forget Valentine's Day is coming soon as well and a sparkling wine will be perfect........!

Are You Ready for Football?!?!?!!!!

Salute!

Winelady Cooks

Asian Style Beef with Noodles

This is another dish I made using the leftover London broil. Stir fry dishes transform leftovers giving them new flavors and textures.

First I made beef with noodles stir fry and the next night I made broccoli and beef stir fry with brown rice on the side.

You can find a variety of noodles in the specialty food section of your supermarket in most cities around the country.

Wow this was really easy and fast. In 20 minutes I was done and ready to serve.

Just to clarify - you can make this recipe with both the broccoli and noodles together or use just one of them. I made two different meals one using only the broccoli and one with noodles.

Asian Style Beef with Broccoli and/or Noodles
Ingredients

• 3 TBLS. soy sauce
• 3 TBLS. oyster sauce
• 3 TBLS. rice wine
• 1 TBLS. corn starch
• grated ginger (optional)
• chopped scalions
• 1 tsp. sesame oil
• 1 clove chopped garlic
• 1 pkg. lo mein noodles
• 1 cup beef or vegetable broth
• 1 14 oz. pkg. frozen broccoli florets (or use fresh broccoli)
• Sliced leftover beef

Directions

1. Prepare noodles as directed on package and set aside. Cook the broccoli florets and add to a large bowl with the sliced beef.
2. Blend together the soy sauce, oyster sauce, rice wine, grated ginger and chopped scalions. Stir this mixture into the bowl with the broccoli and beef and set aside.

3. Heat a large skillet and add the sesame oil and the chopped garlic. Saute for a minute then add the broccoli and beef mixture and stir until warmed then add the broth.
4. Mix the corn starch with a splash of water to make a slurry and add it to the skillet and stir until sauce thickens and immediately add in the noodles. Stir to blend and then serve.

We don't always want to eat the same thing every night but the london broil had great flavor and it made our stir fry style dishes tasty and satisfying. We didn't mind it and we saved a bundle on our weeknight dinners.



Mangia!
Winelady Cooks

Snow on the Melt

Our first snow of the season is almost gone . . .

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Happy Chinese New Year!

This is the Year of the Dragon. According to legend the celestial dragon represents the emperor and power. Today the Dragon symbolizes success and happiness.

I always look forward to the celebration of the Chinese New Year and in many major cities here in the U.S. there are delicious offerings in many restaurants that we can enjoy.

Last year I did a post with wine pairing tips specifically for pairing with Asian style dishes.

In a nutshell, when choosing a wine for foods that are salty, spicy, sweet, and or sour there are a couple of things to keep in mind. The alcohol, tannins, and level of sweet/dry in a wine can make these flavors in the dishes change dramatically leaving unpleasant flavors on your palate.

Here's the scoop:

1. Wines that are high in alcohol should not be paired with hot/spicy dishes -- when you take a drink to refresh your palate you will get the reverse effect -- your mouth will burn rather than cool off.

2. Do NOT choose a wine aged in oak.

3. For those who enjoy a red wine, choose a wine that is lower in tannins (Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, or Beaujolais).

To enjoy a wine with hot/spicy dishes choose a wine that has a little sweetness to it. Riesling is one wine to choose with it's many styles from very dry to very sweet and everything in between.

Sparkling wines that are lower in alcohol, even at 10%, can be refreshing with spicy dishes. The bubbles along with the crispness of the wine will make your palate happy and you'll enjoy your meal.

Good Luck and Happiness in this New Year of the Dragon!

Salute!

Winelady Cooks

Vegetable Bean Soup

It's been quite pleasant this winter in our area with temps hovering around 40 degrees. So when the frigid air hit us this week with temperatures in the teens we were not prepared. BRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!

Everyone was asking for hot soup so I made a hearty vegetable bean soup. I decided to make a large batch so I could freeze a couple of containers to have ready for the next cold snap.

This soup is very easy to prepare and you can use any vegetables you have on hand, or if you are shopping for veggies buy the vegetables your family loves most. Use 2 or three different vegetables along with a can of beans for a healthy meal that is also vegetarian.

Vegetable Bean Soup
Ingredients

• 1-2 Tbls. olive oil
• 2 cans of navy beans, drained (or your favorite)
• 1 lb. of fresh or frozen green beans
• 1 lb. fresh carrots chopped
• 4 stalks chopped celery
• 1 large sweet onion chopped
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups vegetable stock
• 1 small bay leaf
• 2 TBLS. chopped parsley
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Heat a large saucepot and add the olive oil, to that add the chopped onion and celery. Stir well and saute for approximately 10 minutes just until they have wilted and the flavor has comes out.
2. Add the chopped carrots and the other vegetables you are using with the water. Stir well and bring it to a simmer.
3. Next add in the vegetable stock and bay leaf and simmer for 20 minutes until the vegetables are tender.
4. Season with salt and pepper and add the parsley. Serve with crusty bread.

This recipe is very flexible so you can choose your family's favorites. If you use more than 2 lbs. of different vegetables you will just need to add more water/vegetable stock as needed.

This is hearty and healthy and definitely will warm you on those chilly winter nights this winter.


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Mangia!
Winelady Cooks

London Broil Sandwiches

Sometimes I think I'm the only one in the city who just can't bear the thought of cooking again on Saturdays. It's not that I don't like to cook. It's just that Saturdays are such busy days and cooking is the last thing on my mind.

AHHH, I had a thought. Why not give the cooking chore to gramps who insists on having a special meal because it's Saturday (did you ever?....!!!!). I think he had a moment of guilt this weekend when he agreed to shop and buy whatever he wanted but he had to turn on the grill and cook it.

This had a happy ending when gramps successfully grilled a large london broil for dinner and there was enough to make sandwiches for the next 3 days.

Here are a couple of grilling tips from gramps for his perfect London Broil for leftovers.

• Marinate the beef for at least 1 hour at room temperature (longer if you have the time). Use your favorite beef marinade or use a cup of red wine, splash of cider vinegar, a little ketchup, or whatever kind of marinade you like, but include something that is acidic (wine, vinegar) which tenderizes the meat.
• Grill the steak for 4 minutes on each side at medium/high temp for medium-rare.

• To check for doneness make a small slice in the thickest part of the steak to be sure it is perfect. If it is still too raw continue to cook another minute or two depending on your preference.
• Let the steak rest for 10 minutes before slicing. This really keeps the juices in the meat which you want to keep if you have leftovers.
• For the sandwiches slice the meat as thin as possible.

Add your favorite condiments to the sandwich. Some suggestions: steak sauce, horseradish sauce, melted cheese, tomatoes, onions, peppers, etc. for the best London Broil Leftover Sandwich ever.


Mangia!
Winelady Cooks


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Leftover 'Cents'

I don't know about you but I had to think of ways to make our fridge full of holiday leftovers taste delicious. We ate most of the leftovers but there were still the extras that were taking up space.

We had lots of cheeses and deli sliced salami, ham, and enough bread to make french toast for brunch to feed the neighborhood.

It makes no cents to throw away perfectly good food so I decided to do what my mom always did with her leftovers.

It's been a while so I had to dig deep into my childhood memories to think of all the foods I loved that my mom and grandmother would prepare.

When I was growing up there was always ricotta and mozzarella cheeses in our typical Italian fridge. Whenever we visited our Nonna my mom would take the leftover cheeses and she and my grandmother would make broiled ricotta sandwiches.

So I decided to make these sandwiches. Everyone was hanging around looking for something to eat so these leftovers were IT using up the last of the holiday foods that we so enjoyed the first day but not so much now that the holiday has gone.

The open faced sandwiches are filling and delicious and of course you can add slices of salami, ham, or provolone or whatever else you may have. Everyone ended up with a custom sandwich made with their leftover of choice.

Here's a quick guide to making broiled sandwiches. This recipe will yield approximately 2-6 servings, depending on the size of the rolls and bread slices and how hungry everyone is. The guys wanted the whole roll, and the girls only wanted the sliced Italian bread.

Open-Faced Broiled Ricotta Sandwiches
Ingredients

• 2-4 rolls or Italian bread slices
• 16 oz. ricotta cheese
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese
• grated parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• fresh chopped parsley and/or basil
• olive oil for drizzle
• salt and pepper to taste
• leftover slices of deli ham or salami (optional)

Directions:

1. Slice open the rolls or Italian bread.
2. Drizzle a little olive oil over the dry bread. Spread about 1/3 cup ricotta cheese on an average size roll (use as much or as little as you like).
3. Add a slice or two of the deli meat if you choose then spread a little more ricotta over that.
4. Then sprinkle on top of the ricotta a little of the grated cheeses, chopped parsley/basil, salt and pepper, and drizzle of olive oil.
5. Place on a foil covered baking sheet and broil for about 3-5 minutes, depending on your oven. Keep an eye on it so it doesn't burn.

Enjoy!


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Mangia!
Winelady Cooks

Less is More More or Less

New year resolutions are daunting. Should we dare to make a resolution or should we stand by our resolution not to make a resolution?

It took me a while to realize the difference between making a resolution and making a decision.

A resolution is our personal thought process about how or what what we would like to change.

A decision is making a specific choice to do something like going back to school or making a doctor's appointment in February. This is a cut and dry decision as opposed to a resolution which is actually a thought about making a change.

No wonder resolutions are difficult to keep. If making a resolution is something you would like to do it can be easier to keep if it's written down and it is something that you know you can handle.     By breaking it down weekly or monthly, and making it flexible for modifications it will be more realistic to make it successful.

• Be Specific -- make your resolution as specific as possible. For example, we all want to be healthy, lose weight, exercise, but these statements and thoughts are way too broad and vague. By making more specific goals you can make this type of resolution successful. Decide how you could accomplish this -- make 1 healthy meal a week; if you love fast food but know you should stay away from it then schedule to have it once a week at first and then make it only once every 2 weeks, etc; or add an extra vegetable to your family meals each week.
Exercising is ARRRRGGHHHH! difficult to do. We all make excuses as to why we didn't get to it. No problem. When you are out park your car further away from your destination and walk;  whenever you can take the stairs instead of the elevator. These little changes make a difference. Make your goals easy for you to accomplish. You will be more successful.
• Be Realistic -- when you list your resolution. If you want to lose weight it's not realistic to cut out the foods you enjoy all at once, go on a crash diet, or decide to go to the gym every other day. Start slowly the first month or two and as you begin to see how successful you are then continue to make a few more changes with each month.
• Less Is More, More or Less -- Don't beat yourself up if one week your schedule is so hectic that you can't control your routine. It's OK. These things happen and you just have to move on and continue with your routine when possible. Give yourself some slack and try to start out with the premise that Less is More.

Happy New Year! Live one day at a time; the past is over so don't look back; live in the present and enjoy each day; look forward to a future you will make worth remembering.



Winelady Cooks