Sharine's Cravings, Ravings & Misbehavings

Bottling 2011 at SRV!

2011-10-01T14:04:00.000-07:00

This post is dedicated to our dear departed friend/family member Dave. We will miss you....

Here is my favorite photo of Dave and I think it's a "Classic Dave Photo!"

Dave, kicking back with a beer at Kevin & Maryella's

after wine harvest & crush, October 2009.

Notice that he is NOT drinking wine after all his hard work. Well, we always say, "It takes a lot of beer to make wine!"

Now, follow me as I take you on another winemaking journey: Bottling SRV's "Chateau Migraine" and "Resurrection!"

Here is Mace, now in the garage/bottling facility of our friends Maryella and Kevin.

What's he doing? Why, bottling wine, of course!

The gold canister you see to the left is Argon, a gas sprayed on top of the bottled wine to keep oxygen away from the wine as it ages.

As the wine moves down the line, Mary towel-dries each bottle and hands it to Michelle.

Michelle is operating the corking machine.

Katie looks on as Brie (her back to the photo) places a label on each bottle which goes into a wine box.

When the boxes are full, 12 bottles, they get labeled with the name and vintage of the wine, along with other pertinent information.

Ron peruses the labeling process while Michelle

sets the corks.

What's this, Mary?!

All kinds of shenanigans go on while bottling

wine, and I think it has something to do with drinking wine on the job ; )

But, Mary is quickly berated by the boss (not really) and gets back to the bottling line!

We used composite cork (don't judge us!) on the majority of the bottles, and some premium cork on a few.

Here, Michelle has traded in her job as cork setter and Ron takes over.

Yes, the arm and shoulder get sore after working a while on the corking machine!

Mary is still taking good care of the filled bottles.

Here, Brie rests on the concrete floor, labeling the filled bottles and then placing them into wine boxes.

She labels each box and someone moves the box to the "finished" area.

We bottled 25 cases of Chateau Migraine and 4 cases of Resurrection.

Some of the folks tried to have more fun than the rest of us....

Here, Maryella laughs heartily as Kevin and

Mary reenact the famous Saturday Night Live

"Cork Soakers" episode.

Ron and I had just watched SNL's Best of Jimmy Fallon and recounted the episode which featured Janet Jackson on a winery tour.

Then the goofing-off stopped abruptly as we suspected a problem with the pump.

Here, Dave and Art look at each other in a scene we home winemakers dread:

Lees (sediment from the bottom of the barrel) is getting into the gravity flow container.

Which means it is going into the bottles, aaaaaaaaah!

You can see Maryella and her grave look as she overhears their conversation.

She joins Kevin at the bottling machine as he shuts down the process.

Here, Kevin inspects a bottle and prepares to pour it into a glass to find out if the gross lees was indeed making its way into the bottles.

Confirmed. The hose on the pump was set too deeply into the main container of wine and dredging up the lees.

When gross lees lays down with the wine, it usually turns foul.

They reset the hose and our process continued! Major crisis averted.

Meanwhile, Judy and I were cutting labels on the tailgate of Kevin's truck.

We were completely oblivious to the critical situation behind us!

More obliviousness on the shiny, happy faces of me and Lisa.

But, hey, we were working!

Here, Lisa displays the label she has partially peeled for Brie to apply to a bottle.

I'm just hanging out, trying to keep cool with some white wine. In a low-key Axel Rose sort of way. I didn't kick anything or throw my precious glass of wine on anyone.

This is probably my favorite photo of the day:

Maryella and Katie smile joyously as we all start cleaning up at the end of a successful day of bottling! A lot of work but way more fun!

All photos by our dear friend Elde Stewart (www.eldephoto.com) except "Dave Kicking Back With a Beer," taken by moi.

Bottling 2011 at SHAG!

2011-10-01T13:41:00.000-07:00

Okay, I am seriously late on this, but I have been busy, dear readers! So let's get on with it.

Here are photos (by Elde Stewart) from our wine bottling experiences.

We bottled our 2010 "Purple Haze" Tempranillo early to get the wine out of the heat of our garage!

Here, you see Kevin and Mace finalizing the setup in our garage/bottling facility.

It worked nearly flawlessly. We only lost one empty bottle to the recycle bin, and it turned out that we wouldn't have had enough wine to fill it anyway. How perfect is that?!

The wine was pumped into a food grade container.

From that container, the wine got pumped into the gravity flow container.

The wine flowed into the bottling machine.

Here, Mace demonstrates how quickly one can become an expert at hand bottling wine!

Mace places the filled bottles on the table to his right, where Ron prepares them for corking.

Here, our friend and neighbor Bob works with Ron on the fancy (not really) corking machine.

Place the cork in the top bin, set the bottle on the platform below, and crank down on the lever. HARD!

It takes some muscle! Which is why corking is not my duty!

Instead, I do stuff like cut labels.

Here, Judy and I pose with label sheets and cutting tools in hand.

The work surface was our dryer.

We meticulously cut each label and placed them in a temporary storage bin (otherwise known as a cardboard box).

When wine bottles were filled, corked and dried with a towel, we would slap a label on them.

No! We placed them carefully on the bottles!

Then back to cutting!

Our friend from French class, Barbara, stopped by to check out the scene, but we didn't get a photo of her.

Instead, here is a classic pose.

Elde makes me look good for the camera while I prepare to fill these glasses with some of the great wine flowing through our garage!

After we cleaned all the equipment, we headed over to Salinas River Valley winery at the home of Kevin and Maryella.

Check out the next post about our fun with that process!

Independence Day at Sculpterra

2011-07-07T14:56:00.001-07:00

Ron and I met friends Maria and Alex and Sherrie at Sculpterra Winery for a unique and sumptuous celebration of USA independence!

Winemaker Paul Frankel's 2010 Chardonnay and Viognier were palatable and refreshing at the tasting bar, and a few of us took advantage of the free hotdogs outside (the folks at Sculpterra think of everything that my Inner Archivist would love).

Then Paul invited us into his barrel room to marvel at the collection of wood barrels from all over the world of varying sizes, housing multiple single varietals and blends of his amazingly delicious, as-yet unbottled wines.

Paul navigated the racks of barrels with his stainless steel thief and a glass, all to treat us to his first Rhone blend, the prized Bentley Cabernet Sauvignon, perfect Primativo, and precious Petite Syrah -- all absolutely delectable, with beautiful deep color to turn even the whitest of teeth temporarily purple!

Sherrie is also the enologist at Castoro Cellars so it was fun to share in her "shop talk" with Paul, as these two industry professionals are enthusiastic and extremely knowledgeable yet pleasantly unpretentious. (Read about Sherrie and Paul in my book "Cravings, Ravings & Misbehavings!")

But no matter how many discussions we engage with experts like Paul and Sherrie, we always have questions about every stage of the winemaking process, and they graciously increase our knowledge bases.

After the tasting, we purchased a few bottles of wine and two boxes of custom wine-filled chocolates. We found a lovely table in the shade and sated ourselves on a late afternoon picnic in the sculpture garden.

The weather was perfectly warm with a healthy breeze, beautiful blue, blue sky, and plenty of incomparable California sunshine. Summer has arrived!

Just above is a picture in the barrel room (L to R): Alex, Maria, Sherrie, moi, Ron, Paul.

Finally, I got in a photo!

Great thanks to Paul and everyone at Sculpterra, to Sherrie and Maria and Alex and Ron for putting up with my big crush on Paul and Sculpterra wines, and to Mother Nature for a memorable day that we all secretly wished would never come to an end!

Private Barrel Tasting with James Hendon, Winemaker at Pear Valley

2011-04-09T12:49:00.000-07:00

Ron and I met James Hendon, winemaker extraordinaire for Pear Valley Winery (photo credit Pear Valley 2009), a few weeks ago at my official central coast book launch party at Kevin Rankin's awesome Paso Wine Centre in Paso Robles.

James and his friends bought a dozen of my book/CD packages and invited us to come out for a winery tour and barrel tasting so, uh, naturally, we hooked that up ASAP!

James is brilliant, friendly and funny. Plus I also think he is pretty cute. (It's okay, Ron understands). The three of us had a wonderful time touring the winery, sampling his wines and tapping his vast knowledge of farming, fruit, fermentation and fun. It was like a wine lovers' play date on James' playground!

When we arrived at the winery, a helicopter was spraying the vines. I assumed it was sulfur, but James took us to look at the vines and explained that it was a copper ion solution. Copper? Sounds bizarre.

But because of the impending freezing temperatures, the newly popped buds must be protected from frost or the winery could lose an entire vintage. Ouch. Some of the tiny buds and leaves were already black or brown from the previous cold snap.

James said there are three ways to prevent this: 1) by using large fans to keep warm air circulating around the vines, 2) by continuously spraying water on the vines, or 3) by spraying copper to form a protective barrier, which was the Pear Valley choice.

Then we toured the "crush pad," where the ripe grape clusters are processed.

Check out this custom basket press that James had made by experts at Diemme in Italy.

The basket, lower part on the right, holds three tons of fermented grapes and each press takes several hours.

The compressor, separate apparatus on the left, is meticulously calculated to gently apply pressure to the macerated grapes with the upper form-fitting lid, and then release after it "senses" that the right amount of grape juice has been pressed off.

All of this happens very, very slowly. According to James, winemakers need to be patient and use time to their advantage. Rushing any part of the process can lead to mistakes or lower-quality wine.

About this time, James introduced us to his assistant winemaker, Jared Lee, as he was finishing a tour of his own and wrapping up the day.

Here are the two masters in front of the custom crusher and de-stemmer.

It was really sweet of James to introduce Ron and me to Jared by talking about my book!

As we left the crush pad, I noticed a wood-fire grill next to the processing equipment, and asked James if BBQ was part of the daily regimen.

He said, "Definitely. BBQ and beer. I always say, 'it takes a lot of beer to make wine!'" Indeed.

We got to talking about craft beer, and specifically Anderson Valley Brewing Company (age required to enter website), then all agreeing that Arrogant Bastard Ale was a fave. We shared our love for Xingu beer with James (he will L-O-V-E this beverage!) as he opened the fermentation room doors.

Wow! Fermentation barrels of many sizes!

The stainless barrels pictured here are the ones James uses most frequently.

They hold approximately five tons.

There are also 40-ton barrels that look like small apartment buildings!

Pear Valley grows 100 acres of grapes which yield 30,000 cases of wine each year.

This is evident when entering the barrel storage room which, James says, houses some 1,600 barrels of numerous vintages.

With clean wine glasses in hand, we followed James into the depths of his creations as they rested in multifarious oak barrels from Minnesota to Pennsylvania to Hungary to France.

James keeps the barrel room at a consistent temperature of 60˚F and a matching humidity of 74%.

The stainless kegs pictured in the lower left of the photo are filled with top-up wines of each varietal.

James led us down Aglianico Alley to sample the '09 first.

This is precisely when we started discussing the title for my next book, the sequel to "Cravings, Ravings & Misbehavings," because I said the fruit in the wine tasted like a craisin on my palate.

James suggested I title the next book "Craisins, Ravin's & Misbehavin's," and we all had a hearty laugh. Clever man.

Here is James with his glass thief, retrieving sumptuous samples of his 2009 Pear Valley Aglianico.

We continued on to the '09 Grenache which was delightfully fruity. James says that, due to the light color, he will add 2-5% of Syrah to the wine prior to bottling to give it a deeper, more attractive hue.

Next we sampled the 2009 Syrah. The tannins were a little "grippy," according to James. He will bottle this wine in July and then, to allow the tannins time to soften, lay it down for one year prior to releasing the wine in the tasting room.

As we tasted the 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon, James discussed some interesting legal issues with regard to winemaking. In California, grapes have a longer growing season with more sun and so they can produce very high sugar levels, or brix. In France, the opposite is true: the growing season is shorter with less heat and the fruit is typically much lower in natural sugar.

So, it is illegal in France to add water to the wine before bottling, but in California, it is illegal to add sugar!

James dipped into the 2009 port made with Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. We found it to be silky smooth with flavors of caramel, nutmeg, ginger and toasted bread. I said, "Hey, this is like my Fluffy Pumpkin Pie with Gingersnap Crust recipe in my book!" James agreed, with a wink.

We moved on to the 2010 port-style concoction made from Tempranillo grapes, and all three of us concurred that it was like drinking buttered toast with triple berry jam.

James ended our delicious tour and tasting with his 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon. "It's a big cherry," he said. Definitely. Great tannins, smooth on the palate but chewy as well. He will bottle this in July or August of 2012.

Here's a photo of Ron and James in front of massive wine barrels.

When Ron went to take a picture of James and me, the batteries in our eight-year-old camera died.

Oh, the life of a budget-conscious blogger.

Anyway, we had a fantastic time with this amazing winemaker.

James, a UC-Davis graduate, is so gracious, charming and warm, and his wines match his energy exactly.

He is also a musician and a surfer, and I'm sure that the metaphors to these aspects of his life will apply mellifluously to his magical winemaking mastery!

Ron and I, with friends, will be heading to the Pear Valley tasting room soon.

Thank you to James and to adorable Pear Valley owners Tom and Kathleen!

All other photo credits BlipsWerx Productions 2011.

New Gourmet Again! Episode

2011-03-21T18:43:00.000-07:00

Ron and I produced another episode of our YouTube cooking show, "Gourmet Again!" earlier this month. Since all previous elements were on the external hard drive of mine that crashed last year, I had to recreate the background for the header and footer in LiveType.

I also produced a new music theme using GarageBand loops!

So it's like a whole new show! I even added voice overs and way more text throughout the video.

Oh yeah, and I really plug the heck out of my book, "Cravings, Ravings & Misbehavings." Partially because the recipe (or yet another bastardized version) is featured in the book, and partially because I like plugging my book!

So enjoy "Whole Lotta Lasagna" and pass it along to friends and family.

Now I gotta get back in the kitchen!

It's a Book! And a CD!

2011-03-11T09:50:00.000-08:00

Notice that I slightly altered the title of my blog? That's because I just published a book and music project called "Cravings, Ravings & Misbehavings: Tales of how one good girl can do a whole lotta bad things and still turn out okay." (The link takes you to the official website).

Here they are!

The paperback book is being distributed by Amazon.com, which is also hosting the Kindle edition of the book and the Downloadable MP3s!

Alternatively, you could buy the MP3s from PayLoadz for the same price.

But wait, there is more: SmashWords hosts the other E-book editions!

And if you are local to San Luis Obispo county, you can purchase the paperback book with sealed CD insert.

"Where?" you may be asking. Well, the first book launch party will be held at Paso Wine Centre on Wednesday, March 30 from 6-8pm. The event is free and open to people 21 years of age and over.

If you are in the Los Angeles area, I will be holding another launch party on Saturday, April 2 from 8-10pm at Panini Coffee and Cafe in Marina del Rey. This event is also free and open to all ages.

However, you must know that my book contains some mature language and themes, but not the really really bad ones. Actually, some of the language and themes are pretty immature, according to my Inner Archivist ; )

Book/Music Update!

2011-02-09T09:21:00.000-08:00

The "Cravings, Ravings & Misbehavings" book and music project is rolling at good speed!

The CDs came in from Imperial Media yesterday. They look and sound great.

I finally got around to editing the next book proof. Made some more minor changes. It's as close to perfect as I can get it at this point!

In other news: The CreateSpace team notified me that there is "an issue" with the downloadable mp3s I want to make available for you. Hopefully, they will announce what that problem is and how to fix it... today!

Annual Block Party at Bob's House!

2010-09-23T15:24:00.000-07:00

Ron and I were able to attend this year's annual block party in Long Beach where good friends Bob & Margaret live.

Bob is a friend of Ron's from music school in the late 80s. He plays bass and graciously maintains a relationship with us over the years and miles.

Margaret is a fantastic woman who takes good care of the band with food and beverages while managing her children, socializing with neighbors and participating in games.

She and Bob have four young and bright kids who are very talented.

Each year, they get a city permit and block of the street for a day.

Neighbors organize games for the kids. A local family prepares and serves delicious traditional tacos with all the fixin's. Some folks set up tables with food and beverages.

But the main attraction for us is the music.

Ron went to Musician's Institute in Hollywood with Bob (pictured to the left) and a few other musicians who may or may not attend each year's block party.

The photo above features the musical team (L to R):

Mike R. on guitar (and keyboard), Larry S. on guitar, Jim on drums (keyboard also), Bob R. on bass, neighbor Chris on percussion, and Ron on guitar.

Let's talk about Bob!

Like all these musicians, he is versatile and willing to try just about any rock song, 50s through 80s.

Also, he sings a lot of songs either lead vocal or harmony.

Very talented and fun to be with on stage.

Bob's nickname: Answer Man.

To the left:

Larry, another Musician's Institute pal.

This guy plays and sings a massive variety of songs: rock, country, Beatles, etc.

He is a stalwart at the annual block party.

Larry is easy to work with, a real professional.

I found out in Bob & Margaret's kitchen this year that Larry has a good sense of humor, too!

Okay, Mike.

It's difficult to get started with Mike.

No! I mean, he is very talented and so it is challenging to describe him in a small space like this blog post.

Suffice to say, Mike plays guitar.

Mike sings.

Mike plays keyboard.

Mike is a ton of fun on stage and will try just about any song the band suggests.

Did I mention that he is unafraid to show his effusive personality and love for stage drama?! Quite entertaining.

Now, on to Jim M., yet another Musician's Institute buddy.

First, Jim's nickname is Question Man.

He plays keyboard and drums.

He sings and provides harmonies.

Jim will pick up a tambourine or other hand percussion and play while hammering out chords or a melody on the keyboard with the other hand.

He has a dry sense of humor to accompany his understated performing style.

I think it's pretty obvious that I have a little crush on Jim.

I hope his girlfriend is okay with that. I AM happily married!

Speaking of that...

Ron mostly plays guitar at the block party events. He also sings both lead and harmony.

But he will happily fill in on drums or percussion or keyboard. If there was a trumpet on stage, he would play it.

His guitar playing is so tasteful... it's SICK!

The other musicians know it, too.

Not to brag or play favorites, but he's my husband and he's my favorite.

And moi? Well, yeah, the old boys' club let me sit in this year. I sang a couple of "girl" songs, played flute on two tunes, and even strummed guitar a few times.

Also, no one takes pictures of me but it's okay because it's not my gig.

But, one time that afternoon, I opened my song book to follow guitar chords for a tune and a band member who shall remain nameless on this post said, "No charts!"

I eyeballed two other musicians who were both occasionally peaking at charts, then looked back at the commenter. I shot him my middle finger and that was the end of that!

All in all, Ron and I have a good time at the block party. Bob and Margaret and their kids are a total blast. They are hugely generous people. And all the musicians are talented and fun to play music with for an afternoon of "How about 'Black Magic Woman'" (or fill in the blank with another classic rock song).

We get to hang out with an amazing and fun family, musicians and neighborhood folks and kids. And we make music "for the fun of it," which is good now and then...!

More Central Coast Wine Tasting!

2010-09-22T16:10:00.000-07:00

Our friend Brie invited us to join her and her friend Rose for an afternoon of wine tasting.

We packed a light picnic lunch and headed for Tablas Creek, where Brie is a member.

Pictured here L to R: Brie, Rose, me and Ron.

Tablas Creek grows a huge selection of grapes in a certified sustainable environment. Their tasting list is extensive and offers many delicious white and red varietals and blends.

Our host was native Atascaderan, Shawn. He was gracious and humorous enough to let me snap this classic photo of him appearing to have horns (the wine bottles).

We gave him a new title: Inventory Reductionist Par Excellence.

I'm sure the owners of Tablas Creek will appreciate that.

I enjoyed the 2009 Côtes de Tablas Blanc, the 2007 Grenache, and the 2006 Esprit de Beaucastel.

Personal fave on the tasting list for me was the 2007 Esprit de Beaucastel, which I gave three stars.

Or as they say in french, "trois étoiles."

Next, we zipped into Niner, a newer winery on the west side.

Rose and Brie posed for a lovely photo in the expansive tasting room.

Brie liked the 2009 Sangiovese Rosato (pretty sure she purchased a bottle of it).

Here is a photo of the terrain from the back side on Niner's tasting room. It's called "Heart Hill." Of course!

Back to wine. Rose, like me, was partial to the 2008 Sauvignon Blanc.

I almost forgot to mention that Rose speaks fluent French!

I was so excited to have someone to converse with and learn from that was way beyond my ability!

Rose was very patient with me, just like my French professor at school.

Brie and Ron were left out of the conversation a bit, but I tried to bridge the language gap by sharing what Rose and I were talking about!

Rick, the Niner tasting room host who poured for us, educated us on the fact that "tannins" are found in the skins of red grapes but not white grapes.

Red wines "lay down" longer than white wines because the tannins act as a preservative.

After Niner, we crossed over to the 46 East area, which is on the east side of Hwy 101 in Paso Robles.

Our friend Shakeh, singer-songwriter from the Los Angeles area, was performing at a winery where Ron and I are members, Sculpterra.

We definitely wanted to support her, as well as show off one of our favorite wineries to Rose. It was a fantastic tour, and we all purchased wine.

Time was on our side and we traveled over the dry wash to make a pit stop at another of our wine club wineries, Clautiere.

The girls tried on wigs and gave photo-ops. See Brie and Le Coquette Rose above, and moi, avec les cheveux orange, posing while Ron purchased wine.

Then, we headed over to Maloy O'Neill for a tasting.

Brie purchase the Port and something else. I forgot. I like everything at Maloy O'Neill.

That's why Ron and I are members there.

Plus the fact that Shannon is an amazing person, winemaker, super-taster, friend and fellow non-conformist (nod to the nuns)!

Visit these wonderful "vignobles" and let me know your comments on the wines, tasting rooms and service!

Tell them Sharine and Ron sent you. It won't get you any freebies because we're not famous or rich, but they will definitely have stories to share!

More Sculpterra Fun!

2010-08-05T20:31:00.000-07:00

We just can't get enough of Sculpterra Winery and both planned and impromptu educational sessions with winemaker, Paul Frankel!

On the last day of July, we zipped out to take advantage of the monthly wine specials. As good luck would have it, Paul was in the tasting room!

After sampling yummy vintages at the bar, Paul invited us to thieve from the barrel of one of his new wine "projects..." and one more reason we love him!

Paul's 2009 AKRB (a Rhone blend pictured above in the photo) contains 44% Syrah, 28% Mourvedre and 28% Petite Syrah.

Each of the varietals was crushed separately, then barreled separately. They were blended after 8 months in their individuals barrels, on July 21, 2010.

Nice experiment! But WAIT! There's more.... Paul employed numerous yeasts in this process.

The Syrah contains 3 yeasts, and the Mourvedre and Petite Syrah each have 1 yeast, for a total of FIVE different strains of yeast for one blend of wine!

Paul thieved from the barrel so we could sample this incredible blend, featuring a rich coffee bouquet, chocolate and black cherries and lush berries on the palate, and even a subtle hint of bacon.

But please don't freak out!

This is a fantastic, slightly exotic Rhone blend that will satisfy all of us who appreciate these big berry bombs.

Did I mention that Paul told Ron and me that, besides himself, we were FIRST to taste the AKRB?!?? Feeling special, are we? Uh, yeah!

Go now, Sculpterra is an amazing and fun winery, Paul is brilliant and delightful, and the tasting room folks are wonderful, warm people!

The photo here shows four Puncheon wine barrels, full of different varietals. Puncheon barrels are a unique size, holding 500 litres.

Calcareous Vineyard

2010-08-05T15:56:00.000-07:00

We had taken off time to celebrate our seven-year-itch anniversary by visiting friends in Los Angeles, but Ron came down with bronchitis.

So we ended up on a "stay-cation" which we dubbed "Club Meds!"

No problem, we saved money, which is a good thing. And, we visited some new wineries.

First on our list was Calcareous, recommended

to us by many of our wine-loving friends.

Calcareous sits on a high hill overlooking valleys and mountains in every direction.

The tasting room is nice blend of modern and rustic, and the grounds are perfect for picnics!

We had made a pit-stop at TJ's and bought a loaf of bread, some gooey pesto/cheese spread and a big tray of sushi... we were ready to chow.

But we started by sipping through the tasting list with our host, Christy.

Everything was delicious, and three wines in particular stood out as exceptional:

The 2006 Syrah at 15.8% alcohol and the 2007 Tres Violet, a blend of 58% Syrah, 30& Grenache and 12% Mourvedre which also boasted 15.8% alcohol.

Ron, of course, loved the 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon, another 15.8% alcohol wine.

Oh, and I can't forget to mention that the winemaker, Jason Joyce, has been making magic with a 2008 Pinot Noir.

We were fortunate enough to get a sample from the barrel that afternoon!

I bought a glass of the Tres Violet and Ron got the Cab, then we headed out to the picnic area.

Since we were the only guests at the time, we had our pick of tables.

It was surprising, as this place is really lovely with gorgeous views and delicious wine.

Anyway, we pigged out as the wind (dang, it has been a windy, cold summer!) tried to thwart our happiness but to no avail -- ha haaaa!

The wine was just too good, along with all our lunchables, to be ruined.

We will go back to Calcareous many times, and depending on our future economic status, we would like to become members!

And of course, we recommend that YOU check out this gem of a winery.

Eagle Castle Winery

2010-08-05T14:47:00.000-07:00

We have a castle right here in Paso Robles!

Even better, they sell wine at the castle, because this is a winery.

It's called Eagle Castle and it is situated just off Highway 46 West.

Ron and I visited in July while most everybody else in north

county was at the Mid-State Fair.

It's our favorite time to get out and about during summer. Why?

No crowds! We don't do crowds very well unless we happen to be on a stage playing for them.

Here is Ron gazing over the moat.

Because, really, you can't keep the castle safe without a moat!

We did not, however, see alligators or sharks swimming in the moat.

The tasting room was but one large room on the first floor, and the bar was probably 40 feet in length!

Tim assisted us in our wine tasting experience.

Both Ron and I especially liked the two white wines on the list: the 2008 Chardonnay and the 2008 Viognier.

Both topped out at 13.9% alcohol and were highly drinkable. We are old school about our Chardonnays and prefer them to carry the oaky/buttery thing on the palate. Un-oaked Chardonnay is not worth our time except for scientific reasons!

We discovered this old piano in the tasting room.

So I sat down to play a few bars of Mozart, just for kicks.

Of the reds, I enjoyed the 2006 Trinity, a blend of 58% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon and 17% Syrah with alcohol by volume at 15.01%

The 2007 Royal Red was also a good blend, featuring 56% Syrah, 30% Merlot and 14% Cab. Alcohol came in at 15.5% and the wine received "Best Red Wine Blend" at the California State Fair wine competition. Nice job!

Ron liked the 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon (14.9% alcohol), and I also picked out the 2007 Petite Syrah (15.5% alcohol) -- no big surprises there!

Overall, the Eagle Castle Winery is a fun tour. They even have a restaurant which serves lunch and is the hosting room for their events. It's beautiful! Go on a warm afternoon and enjoy a bottle of their white wine or pick your favorite red from the tasting list.

My Book!

2010-07-19T21:42:00.000-07:00

I am beside myself "literally" as I announce to you that I am writing a book! ("Literally," get it?! I know it's totally cliche, but I am pretty excited!)

This isn't just a poetry book with, like, 22 poems. Although, my poetry books are good, too. And you should buy and read my poetry books. They have soulful energy to help you feel alive and connected with your quirky universe.

But no, I'm talking about a REAL BOOK! A non-fiction collection of tales and yes, recipes of all persuasions, concoctions that may or may not be edible AND more. Yes, more.

But... I'm not telling any more except that it has everything to do with this blog.

And my other blog.

And my web site.

And it has everything to do with every person, place, thing or thought that led to the creation of Ravings, Cravings & Misbehavings and that's all I am saying!

So I PhotoShopped this little graphic based on a blank book image that I found which was created by BazaarDesigns, to help me and all of us get excited about my book.

This is definitely getting my creative juices flowing! (Thank you, Susie and Vanessa and Ron, and everyone who knows about the concept for my book and is supportive!)

I have written several stories so far and intend to finish my first draft by August 15, 2010. Yeah, that's what I said.

So, post a comment here or email me with a reason that I should put you in my book. And you'd better make it a really good reason or I won't even reply! Because I'm a busy writer now! Get to it!

Email me: sharine [at] sharine [dot] com

Falafel Patties with Tabouli Salad and Tahini

2010-07-19T12:54:00.000-07:00

It was FINALLY hot over the weekend! Summer has arrived, late but ever-so-welcome.

In honor of the triple-digit temperatures, I decided to make Falafel and Tabouli with Tahini.

It required several major stages of cooking/baking, since I started with dry bulgur, but was well worth the effort.

And, it yielded enough yummy food for several meals! Don't these look scrumptious?!

FALAFEL PATTIES WITH TABOULI & TAHINI

FALAFEL INGREDIENTS:
3/4 cup TVP (textured vegetable protein)

3/4 cup vegetable broth

1 cup garbanzo beans, mashed

5 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup onion, chopped finely

1/3 cup parsley, chopped

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

2 teaspoons sesame seeds

2 teaspoons cumin

1 teaspoon paprika

Freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup plain bread crumbs or panko

1/3 cup vital wheat gluten

1 teaspoon baking powder
Non-stick cooking spray or olive oil

FALAFEL METHOD:
In a large mixing bowl, rehydrate TVP in vegetable broth for about 5 minutes. Add ingredients through bread crumbs and mix until combined. Stir in vital wheat gluten. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with foil and spritz with non-stick cooking spray.

Remove Falafel mixture from refrigerator. Fold in baking powder. Form in 8-10 patties and place on baking sheet. Spritz each patty with cooking spray or brush with olive oil.

Bake 20 minutes, turn over each patty then bake for another 10-15 minutes until golden brown.

TABOULI INGREDIENTS:

3/4 cup cooked bulgur wheat

1/2 English cucumber, seeded

and coarsely chopped

1/3 cup parsley, chopped
6 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup red onion, chopped
1/4 cup lemon juice

1 clove garlic, minced
2 medium tomatoes, chopped

Freshly ground pepper

TABOULI METHOD:

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.

TAHINI INGREDIENTS:

1/3 cup tahini

1/3 cup water or vegetable broth

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 cup parsley, chopped

TAHINI METHOD:

In a small bowl, slowly whisk together tahini and water or broth. Add remaining ingredients. Cover and chill until ready to serve.

SERVING IDEA:

Check out another photo of this delicious meal!

As you can see, I served my Tabouli over chopped romaine in a light raspberry viniagrette from TJs.

The Falafel patties are lightly drizzled with Tahini.

(And yeah, that's ketchup on the side. I am a big fan of both ketchup and mustard!)

Beef-Style Seitan

2010-07-08T21:13:00.000-07:00

This is a healthy alternative to beef!

- It's full of protein!

- It's low fat!

- It's cholesterol free!

- It's got a meaty texture!

- It's yummy!

Use it like any meat product:

- Crumble it into Sloppy Joes or Bolognese!

- Chop it into a stir fry!

- Slice it as a topper for an Asian Salad!

- Cube it for stews, soups or my Bourguignon!

- Grill it like burgers or steaks!

BEEFY SEITAN

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup TVP (Textured Vegetable Protein)

1 cup beef broth

1 tablespoon ketchup

1 teaspoon coarse grain mustard

1/2 cup yellow onion, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons Mrs. Dash Steak

1 teaspoon liquid smoke

1 egg white

1/2 cup vital wheat gluten

1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes

Beef broth, if necessary

Olive oil, for coating

METHOD:

Preheat oven to 375°F.

In a large bowl, mix together TVP and beef broth. Set aside for a few minutes.

Stir in ketchup, mustard, onion, garlic, Mrs. Dash, liquid smoke. Add egg white and combine.

This is a photo of my Beefy Mushroom Bourguignon with Seitan:

Add vital wheat gluten and nutritional yeast. If mixture is too dry, add broth by the tablespoon until dough sticks together.

Cover a baking sheet with foil. Coat with non-stick cooking spray.

Form into 6-8 “steaks” and place on baking sheet. Brush tops of seitan steaks sparingly with olive oil.
Bake 30 minutes, turn once and bake for another 10-15 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Cool, store covered in refrigerator and use within 7-10 days.

This is a photo a my awesome Chicken Style Dijon recipe with grilled vegetables on the side.

Simply substitute Mrs. Dash Chicken Seasoning for the steak seasoning, you can create a Chicken-Style Seitan! Easily as useful as the beef recipe!

Recipe modified from PostPunkKitchen.com

Beefy Mushroom Bourguignon with Seitan

2010-07-08T18:20:00.000-07:00

A healthy French Bourguignon meets mushrooms and beef-style seitan. I served it over creamy polenta and steamed vegetables. Day two, leftovers were even better!

BEEFY MUSHROOM BOURGUIGNON WITH SEITAN

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup onion, minced

2 stalks celery, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup white wine
3 cups fat-free beef broth
1 (28-oz.) can diced tomatoes, drained
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1 cup dry red wine
1 Tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped (or 1 teaspoon dried)
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon fresh sage, minced
2 red or yellow bell peppers, seeded, sliced and roasted
I roasted the sliced red peppers and half a large yellow onion in advance.
It's easy: Place the vegetables in a bowl and add a bit of balsamic vinegar and low-sugar apricot preserves. Mix to coat vegetables and set aside while the oven preheats to 350°F.
Lay vegetables on a cookie sheet in a single layer and bake for 30-45 minutes until soft and beginning to caramelize (you'll see browned or blackened areas).
6 oz. crimini mushrooms, cleaned and quartered
1 cup peas
1 /3 cup cold water or broth

2 Tbsp arrowroot powder or cornstarch

Beefy Seitan, cubed

Could you make your own Beefy Seitan? Oh, yes, you could!

Read the easy and healthy recipe on this post!

METHOD:

In a large pot, sauté onion, celery and garlic in white wine until onions are translucent. Add peppers, mushrooms, and peas. Bring to a simmering boil.

Whisk together water and arrowroot powder or cornstarch until smooth. Slowly pour into simmering sauce, stirring constantly.

Add seitan. Lower heat and continue stirring as sauce thickens, about 5 minutes.

Serve with steamed vegetables for a healthy French meal. Delicious over creamy polenta!

Q: Hey, Sharine, you ask, What's the big green twig in the photo?!

A: It's a bouquet garnis: A sprig of fresh rosemary and several stems of thyme, tied together with cotton string. Add this to your Bourgignon after vegetables are soft. Remove before serving!

Recipe from Vegetarian Times, modified slightly using recipe from The Veggie Table and my own additions!

Modern Home Tour!

2010-06-30T15:19:00.000-07:00

ERIC & YVETTE'S "NEW" HOME

Photographs and a short videotape below reveal a small sampling of amazing scenes from inside and outside their modern house, pool and lakefront property.

View from the waterfront.

I had never seen an "eternity pool" until now, and

this is what it looks like: the pool appears to flow

into the lake!

This is the tiled overflow wall and pool.

Eric, Yvette, Ron and me in the eternity pool.

The huge entry lighting fixture, at night.

Entry lighting fixture, mid-day, with fountain

pool and walkway outside in background.

Great room with view onto the lake, by day,

showing catwalk above and piano below.

Great room sitting area with view into dining room

during the housewarming party, evening.

Great room from second floor, mid-day.

Super-cool lighting fixture above dining table

consists of glass bubbles.

Main kitchen, after Sunday brunch.

Service kitchen, evening.

Guest room, evening.

Master bath vanity area.

Master bath tub.

Automated coffee maker in master bath (we

counted four more units throughout the house!)

Scrap book room.

Hallway to music room is really an enclosed upper

floor walkway that houses a shuffleboard table.

Music room, mid-day. There are two flat-screen

tvs on the wall, a sitting area that turns into a

guest bed, a bar, and a funky clear, globe-like

acrylic chair that will hang from the ceiling.

Bar in music room, mid-day. Who opened that

bottle of red wine?!?!

Eddie Van Halen guitar, rare replica, locked

in a glass case.

Unknown cool looking guitar neighbors the

EVH in a twin locking glass case.

Me on the massive orange sofa in theater room.

Ron in the fully-equipped gym, night.

Me in the gym, night.

Girls' room has a closet which features a sparkly

sequined drape.

Boys' room.

Upper deck with outdoor pool table.

Lake and dock view from second floor balcony

with jacuzzi and pool below.

View of clouds over the lake from second floor.

Basketball court.

Seven grey electrical boxes below seven ecru

automation boxes. Seven!

View of house and sand pit from waterfront.

Back Yard Video 360 Degrees! With Music

by The Blips (visit www.TheBlips.net)

Florida Friends & Fun!

2010-06-30T14:29:00.000-07:00

Wow! We received a last-minute invitation to a house warming party for our friends Eric and Yvette in Florida.

They recently (almost) finished a five-year complete renovation of their lakefront home.

The party was perfect cover for a surprise 50th birthday party for

Eric!

Here's a photo of the cake, topped with a fondant "replica" of Eddie Van Halen's famous striped guitar and a mini Marshall amplifier.

Back of the house, night.

Party guests at the back bar, adjacent to a sitting room with television.

Gift table with guitar for guests to sign.

Yvette toasts Eric.

Eric, Yvette and family after the toast.

Fireworks over the lake in front of their house.

Custom pasta service in the main kitchen.

Eric in the middle with four long-time friends.

Outdoor bar and guests.

Ron staged this photo before he and I did our mini-video

which was turned into a flip-photo booklet. Very cool!

(Yeah, that's me on the left!)

View of the house from the waterfront, night,

during the housewarming party.

More photos of their spectacular uber-modern home

in the next post!

Cuban Spiced Tofu & Black Beans with Quinoa & Avocado Salad

2010-06-30T13:34:00.000-07:00

This recipe is adapted slightly from our friend Vanessa's delicious Cilantro-Lime Tofu and Black Beans that she made for Ron's 50th birthday party.

Sure, carnivores, you could substitute chicken or beef, but why?! This recipe is so yummy! Try it....

I omitted the olive oil and salt, added additional spices, then whipped up a salad with red quinoa, avocados, tomatoes and onions, and served it all over artisan lettuces plus some greens from our own garden!

CUBAN SPICED TOFU & BLACK BEANS WITH QUINOA & AVOCADO SALAD

INGREDIENTS:

Tofu & Black Bean Mixture:

1 pkg. Extra Firm Tofu, pressed to remove excess liquid

1 bunch fresh Cilantro, chopped

2 Limes, juiced and grated

1/2 teaspoon Chipotle Powder

1 teaspoon ground Cumin

1 teaspoon Mrs. Dash Steak Seasoning

1 can Black Beans, drained

Red Quinoa Salad:

1 cup Red Quinoa

2 cups Vegetable Broth or Water

1 large Tomato, diced

1 small Red Onion, chopped coarsely

1 large Avocado, diced

1/2 teaspoon Abuela Tallman's or all-purpose seasoning

Artisan Salad:

1 pkg. TJ's Artisan Red & Green Oak Lettuces, washed, dried and torn

1/2 cup Sharine's Creamy Salad Dressing

1/4 cup TJ's Roasted Pepper/Artichoke Spread

Freshly ground Pepper

METHOD:

Cube the Tofu, place in a covered dish and set aside. In a non-reactive bowl, mix together half of the Cilantro, half of the Lime Juice and Rind. Stir in Chipotle Powder, Cumin and Mrs. Dash. Add the sauce to the Tofu and refrigerate at least 30 minutes or overnight.

Rinse and drain Red Quinoa. Bring Vegetable Broth and Quinoa to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed (my quinoa takes more like 25 minutes). Set aside and cool completely.

In a large bowl, mix together Quinoa, Tomatoes, Onions, Avocados and seasoning. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes or longer.

Remove Tofu and marinade from refrigerator and place in a skillet over medium heat. Add remaining Cilantro and Lime Juice and Rind. Cook and stir frequently. When liquid is mostly absorbed, add Black Beans and heat thoroughly.

Meanwhile, mix together Dressing and Red Pepper Spread. Place Artisan Lettuces in a salad bowl and toss with Dressing and freshly ground Pepper.

Remove Tofu mixture from heat.

TO SERVE:

Place Artisan Salad on large plates. Top with Red Quinoa Salad. Finish with Tofu mixture.

Serves 3-4 very hungry people as a main dish, or 6-8 as a side dish.

I added steamed Broccoli and Cauliflower on the side. We do love our vegetables!

Castoro Cellars Wine Lab Tour!

2010-06-22T21:56:00.000-07:00

TOURING A VERY SPECIAL WINE PRODUCTION FACILITY

Janet K. from Milwaukee, Wisconsin visited us in May and we had a blast!

Doing what? Eating. Laughing. Drinking. Driving.

(Oh, that didn't segue properly!)

I mean, Eating. Laughing. Drinking. Eating more. Laughing more.

We did drive, too! That's what you have to do to get just about anywhere when you live in the countryside of central California.

AND... we toured Castoro Cellars Wine Lab and Production Facility as well as the Tasting Room!

What a treat! Sherrie is the enologist at Castoro Winery.

She works in the lab in San Miguel, California, and she invited us out to tour the lab and production facility.

All I can say is, it's an amazing place! And being an enologist is cool. Check out this link for an official government job description.

Sherrie adds: "I would probably have to include that speaking Spanish is a must and you are also required to spend copious amounts of time attending TTB (Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau) compliance seminars to learn how to file stacks of tedious forms with official titles such as: “Amended Form 5120.17 in accordance with 27 CFR 24.123."

And she is an amazing chick, both personally and professionally. Also looks great in "safety" orange!

This is Sherrie explaining the lab -- in just enough detail, which was refreshing for us because there are WAY too many tubes and beakers and vials and electrified sensor-type thingies. All under the flicker of fluorescent lighting.

Whew!

In the next photo, she does go into detail about the "blind tasting" that she and the rest of the winemaking team had done that morning. Castoro collects other regional wines and tastes them blind against their own wines to create an unbiased evaluation, or as they call it, "Organoleptic Evaluation." Very official, and probably also government approved.

Remember the song "Nice Work If You Can Get It (And You Can Get It If You Try)?"

With that in mind, think about having Sherrie's job:

First, drive through the gorgeous countryside of Paso Robles and San Miguel.

Enter a lab filled with tubes and beakers and vials and

electrified sensor-type thingies that YOU ACTUALLY KNOW HOW TO USE because chemistry and formulas and organizing barrels and reading the Periodic Table of Elements and working with other like-minded world-class winemakers seems to make for an fun way to pass the day.

Next, drink wine. DRINK WINE!

Then figure out how to make wine better, if possible, and certainly make it as delicious as is humanly (or angelically!) possible.

Finally, GET PAID (regularly!) to do all this! Wow. That's a pretty cool job.

As we left the meeting room, I noticed the Periodic Table of Elements on the wall.

Sherrie pointed out that the box of each element

contained a comedic note about wine or the winemakers or other Castoro team members.

Sorry, you can't really see that cleverness in the teeny image which I have provided. Which is probably just as well, as far as Sherrie and her team members are concerned.

Then I turned to Janet.

"Hey, Janet," I said, "Remember Chemistry class in our Freshman year of college and how you got an A and I got a D?" She said she didn't know that I got a D.

"No, for real, you didn't know how little I, your friend and dorm-roommate, did not study Chemistry?" She said she didn't recall......... (Wait, maybe I shouldn't have posted this! I am a good student....)

Then, just before we left "The Laboratory" (mwah-ha-ha!), Sherrie showed us "The Board."

"The Board" organizes every lot of Castoro Wine and clients' wines on the production facility premise, the tank farm.

Organize. In code. Secret code.

Super-secret COLOR code. Pretty amazing.

One time, Sherrie said, The Board got accidentally ERASED. Ahhhhhh! Oh well, it's only every detail about every barrel, tank, carboy or bottle of wine at the facility. Now it is clearly written on The Board: Don't Erase, Ever!

Then, we got our little minds blown even further by touring the barrel "rooms" (more like, indoor massive canister caves, and outdoor massive canister sunbathing areas with auto-cool function.... Read on for explanation).

Here, Sherrie tries to get us novices to understand "de-alcoholizing" wine. I still don't

get it totally, but this is the gist:

A wine, in this case, a white wine (Viognier, if I recall correctly) ends up with too much alcohol.

No, really, too much alcohol?!?! Well, yes. An excessively high volume of alcohol doesn't balance well with the character of the fruit and can ruin the hard work of the winemaking team.

So the wine is sent away to a special laboratory that employs reverse osmosis to remove almost all of the alcohol, usually down to about 4% by volume. The wine is then shipped back to its home lab to be RE-BLENDED. Seriously, just keep reading!

We tasted the de-alcoholized Viognier and it was absolutely awful! Sort of like grapefruit juice mixed with sterno or perhaps pineapple scented hydrogen peroxide with a spritz of Aqua Net hairspray and a hydrochloric acid finish!

But Sherrie assured us that the wine would be RE-BLENDED into a phenomenal, non-toxic, lower alcohol wine. I trust her.

Okay, let's move on to the Bottling Bus. No, Castoro doesn't call it that, but I think it's cool. Like Magic Bus!

It's actually a semi-truck trailer, equipped with a high-tech wine bottling mechanism.

Castoro owns FIVE of these bottling buses that travel throughout the west coast.

This photo shows the bottles moving through this mind-bending machine, behind thick glass.

And although it fills 80 bottles per minute, Sherrie wants it to GO FASTER.

Yeah, just read that phrase again: 80 bottles per minute. Complete with label. FASTER!

These two women place foils over the bottle tops which get spun down and heat sealed.

The bottles are replaced into cardboard cases by the men on the other side of the conveyor belt.

While we were on this especially noisy wine

bottling bus, bottling manager Reggie

experienced a total shutdown of the machine.

Problem?

A label had been applied to a bottle off-kilter.

"Le Machine" sensed "le problem" and stopped before any other incorrect labeling occurred.

Ohhhhh-kay, then. This is an amazing machine.

Full cases are printed with a government approved wine label, then sent down the final segment of conveyor track, which you see in the right side of this photograph.

Sherrie is explaining to Ron the final process:

While traversing the conveyor belt, a motion-sensing hot glue applicator sprays the box tops. The man at the end stacks each case cork-side down onto the palettes.

Someone else with a fork-lift moves each palette to its intended pick-up spot.

Now, let's explain how the grapes are processed in the outdoor stages.

Grapes come in by the truckload and are initially weighed, right outside Castoro's lab at the government approved and calibrated weighing station.

The grapes get transported by magic and pixie dust -- No! By trucks and pumps -- up to this level.

In this picture, you can see rows of 60-gallon barrels below at ground level. It's so high, they look like wine corks!

Once the grapes are verified at the weigh-in, they move to the processing area.

The grapes, still mostly in clusters, get pumped into this huge stainless steel bin.

It looks small in this photograph, but the dimensions are roughly 10' x 5'.

An sink-like opening at the bottom allows gravity to funnel the grapes downward to the next processing stage.

This photo shows a close-up of the augur-like mechanism beneath the grating and/or walkway. (Whatever that's worth for acrophobic bloggers like this one...)

This is all about red grapes. The stainless steel rod is equipped with stainless steel paddles that move the clusters of grapes forward.

The paddles help to remove the grapes from their stems, and to gently break the grape skin in a double helix cylinder.

It is imperative to accomplish this without shredding the fruit completely, with the goal being to not break any seeds.

Here is the double helix "grape de-stemmer."

Then, the fruit is rocketed to its home where it will be fermented.

The massive cylinder is made of small holes that are smooth on one side and sharp on the other.

On the other hand, white grapes are pressed differently.

An inflatable internal bladder squeezes maximum juice from the lightly broken skins and deposits the pulpy juice into another magical, mystical pumping device.

And then, the wine goes into fermentation barrels or tanks.

Or shall I say... TOWERS?!

I forgot the exact height of these receptacles from the Netherworld Of Wine.

But suffice to say, they are MASSIVE.

People, there is WINE in these towers. Or should I say...

THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF BOTTLES OF WINE IN THESE TOWERS!

Does that get the point across?

But, okay, I'm coming down from my hyperventilating experience.

Down, down, down to level ground!

Here, Sherrie is doing her best to try to inculcate us wine novices about the cooling band around the outdoor tanks.

Each wine has an ideal temperature.

Because the tanks are so large, a special band contains a cooling gel called Glycol that circumnavigates around the mid-section of the tank.

Here, Sherrie reaches up to pour a glass of one of Castoro's signature reserve reds.

The wine is excellent: 2008 Dam Fine Red Cuvee.

And we're impressed with her ability to not send red wine showering all over the place!

As you see, these tanks have been sprayed with a layer of insulation to assist further in temperature control.

This is San Miguel, California, where summer temps can reach 115 degrees Fahrenheit!

The wine must be protected!

We finally left Sherrie alone after she graciously answered all of our wine-related questions, then headed out to Castoro Cellars Tasting Room.

We tasted many samples of their amazing and delicious wines on the list.

Then we quickly at our picnic lunch so we could get Janet back on the road/in the air to Milwaukee.

It was a super-fun and informative day. Thanks, Sherrie! (She also provided invaluable details in the final edit before I posted).

Now, dear readers, go get some excellent wine! Castoro Cellars!

Mini Pita Pizzas with Goat Cheese

2010-02-25T14:09:00.000-08:00

I've been craving pizza! And for months, I've planned to make pizza using pita bread for the crust. I finally did it!

I love the whole wheat mini pitas from TJs, so that was my base. Of course, I made marinara earlier that day (but you can use the jarred stuff to save time).

Goat cheese has been on my cravings list as well, so the pizzas are dotted with that awesome goodness.

MINI PITA PIZZAS WITH GOAT CHEESE

INGREDIENTS:
8-10 mini pitas

2 cups marinara

1/2 cup red wine

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup red onions, sliced very thin

8 crimini mushrooms, chopped

1/4 cup fresh basil, shredded

1/2 cup spinach, shredded

2-3 oz. goat cheese

2/3 cup soy (or milk) mozzarella

Olive oil, for brushing

METHOD:
Preheat oven to 400°F.

Carefully halve pitas to make two rounds each. Brush the best-looking pitas with a little olive oil. Place on a cookie sheet (15 fit perfectly). If the pita has a curve, place it on the pan like a cup.

Lightly toast in oven until slightly brown, about 5 minutes.

Sauté garlic, onions and mushrooms in red wine for a few minutes so they are pre-cooked before adding to the pizza.

Remove par-baked pita crusts. Spoon about a tablespoon of marinara onto each crust and add the other toppings except for soy mozzarella. If using milk mozzarella, add it as the final ingredient during this step.

Bake another 5-8 minutes, just to heat vegetables and soften the goat cheese.

Remove pan from oven and place on a wire rack. Finish by topping each pizza with soy mozzarella.

Use a pizza cutter to slice into wedges. Nah, eat ‘em with your hands!

CHEF’S NOTE: Make these cute and tasty itty bitty pizzas tonight!

Wine Tasting at Hearthstone

2010-02-24T11:11:00.000-08:00

We hopped over to Hearthstone Winery on Sunday. Our friends Kevin and Maryella have been frequenting the joint and now we know why!

Here's a photo of Ron, Kevin and Maryella with tasting room host Bob.

Are you wondering what those bubbly space age glass thingies are on top of the wine bottles in the right side of the picture?

They're bottle-top aerators!

What a clever way to put some extra air on the wine as it flows into your glass.

We met Mike and Tom in the tasting room and had some lively conversation about food, wine and other important topics! Here they are with Bob, who is thieving from little barrels.

The wine is a 2007 Mourvedre and will not be bottled or released.

We also enjoyed the 2006 Pearl, a blend of 53% Viognier and 47% Roussanne.

The first red on the tasting menu was 2006 Slipstone, containing 63.5% Grenache and 36.5% Syrah.

A yummy red blend followed called Lodestone (2006), with 43% Syrah, 30.5% Grenache, and 26.5% Mourvedre. Big star on that one!

Then we got a lesson from Bob about Volume : Surface in regards to the size of barrels and how much oak gets infused in the wine. He used to teach Physics!

The 2006 Zinfandel was lovely also.

But Ron's and my fave was the 2006 Profundo, a big blend of 56% Sangiovese, 28% Cabernet Sauvignon and 16% Syrah.

Double stars on the Profundo!

I asked Mike and Tom if I could put their photo on this blog and they agreed.

We had a lot of fun with them!

Ron took this photo of me, since I'm usually the one snapping pics for my blog. He made me look pretty good.

Then Mike and Tom said good-bye and we left Hearthstone shortly thereafter, only to end up at Kevin and Maryella's home, sampling wine from their barrels. Stay tuned for that post!

Spinach Quiche with Zucchini & Potato Crust

2010-02-14T14:26:00.000-08:00

I woke up refreshed with Valentine's Day brunch on my mind!

I've been craving quiche all week, and I set forth to make a new recipe.

Actually, I combined a bunch of different recipes to achieve the yummy pie I made, which I highly encourage you to make, too!

While waiting for the quiche to bake, I whipped up a quick and easy topping for the quiche, and provided a deliciously perfect finish.

SPINACH QUICHE WITH ZUCCHINI & POTATO CRUST

INGREDIENTS:

Crust:

2 medium zucchini, shredded

1 large russet potato, shredded

2 Tbsp nutritional yeast

Freshly ground pepper

Cooking spray or butter for coating pan

Filling:

1/2 cup dry white wine

2 large green onions, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

6 oz. frozen chopped spinach (half a bag)

1/2 teaspoon herbes de provence

1 teaspoon Mrs. Dash Chicken seasoning

1 egg

3 egg whites

3 Tbsp non-fat evaporated milk

1 tomato, sliced very thin

1 Tbsp fine dried bread crumbs

Topping:

1/2 tomato, chopped coarsely

5 artichoke hearts (not in oil), chopped

2 oz. soy mozzarella, shredded

A few drops of olive oil

Freshly ground pepper to taste

METHOD:

Pre-heat oven to 400°F.

Squeeze shredded zucchini and potato to remove excess liquid. Mix with nutritional yeast and pepper.

Coat a deep dish pie plate with non-fat cooking spray. Spread crust mixture into bottom and sides of pan.

Bake 20-30 minutes until golden brown and edges are crispy.

Meanwhile, saute green onions and garlic in white wine until soft, about 7 minutes.

Add spinach and herbs, cook another 10 minutes until hot and excess moisture is almost gone. Transfer to a mixing bowl and set aside to cool.

In a small bowl, add egg and egg whites. Whisk in non-fat evaporated milk. Add egg mixture to cooled spinach mixture and thoroughly blend.

Remove crust from oven. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Spread filling into crust.

Top with tomato slices. Sprinkle bread crumbs over the surface.

Bake for 35-45 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, and filling is firm. Place on a wire rack and cool to room temperature.

Make the topping by placing all ingredients in a small bowl. Fold together to combine. Leave at room temperature.

Cut quiche into 4 equal pieces. Add 1/4 of topping to each portion prior to serving.

It was so beautiful, Ron and I ate our brunch on the back patio!

I served a salad of mixed greens (the arugula and red leaf lettuce came from our garden!) with a homemade strawberry dressing, and we each enjoyed a glass of sauvignon blanc.

The quiche was so filling, we could barely eat a few pieces of fresh fruit!

It was a delicious and memorable meal for Valentine's Day brunch, and let's not forget the part about it not costing $30 plus tip per person!

PESTO WITH SUN-DRIED TOMATOES AND ARTICHOKE HEARTS

2010-02-11T14:32:00.000-08:00

I was craving pesto all week, a rare occurrence. I've never been a "pesto craving" kind of girl, until now!

So I zipped over to the market on my way home from school to pick up the ingredients missing from what was available in my kitchen.

To my dismay, there were only very large bags of pine nuts -- too big to justify leaving in my pantry for a couple of years until my next pesto craving.

I thought about how much I love cashews, and decided that would be a delicious substitute, but only roasted cashews were available. (Talk to me about what slow roasting does to nuts... it's not good).

Leaving the store, I planned to make the recipe with whatever nuts (except walnuts, ick) were in my pantry. And that's what I did!

In place of pine nuts, I incorporated half almonds and half hazelnuts. The pesto came out tasting awesome!

PESTO WITH SUN-DRIED TOMATOES AND ARTICHOKE HEARTS

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 cup lightly toasted pine nuts

1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, reconstituted

1 cup basil, packed

4 cloves roasted garlic

1 can water packed artichoke hearts (I use a little less)

1/2 cup vegetable broth

METHOD:

In a food processor, pulse nuts until finely ground but do not puree.

Add sun-dried tomatoes, basil, roasted garlic and artichoke hearts in a food processor, and pulse to coarsely chop.

Add vegetable broth and process until mixture becomes a thick paste.

Serve as an appetizer with crostini and raw vegetables (as in my photo above). For a main dish, toss with pasta and/or steamed vegetables.

Store unused pesto covered in refrigerator.

CHEF'S NOTES:

This pesto would be yummy as a layer in lasagna, or on wraps or pizza. Also, blend a bunch of it with chickpeas, tahini, vegetable broth and lemon juice for a rich, tasty hummus!

SMOKEY SPLIT PEA & ROSEMARY SOUP

2010-02-08T20:53:00.000-08:00

As a kid, I hated split pea soup because of the salt, fat and weird flavors from ham. So naturally, as an adult in my own kitchen, I wanted to make a version that worked for me!

I bought green and yellow split peas and searched my Cooking Pleasures magazines. I found a recipe for Split Pea Rosemary Chicken soup. I followed the basic recipe, eliminating the chicken, to prepare this delicious, healthy, chewy soup to cure the winter blues!

SMOKEY SPLIT PEA & ROSEMARY SOUP

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup green split peas

1 cup yellow split peas

1/2 cup white wine

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 large onion, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

2 large carrots, peeled and chopped coarsely

3 cups low sodium vegetable broth

1 cup water, if necessary

1-2 teaspoons dried rosemary, or see bouquet garnis below

1 teaspoon dried thyme, or see bouquet garnis below

1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke

Fresh ground pepper to taste

Optional: processed vegan bacon bits, or homemade tofu faux bacon, chopped

METHOD:

Place green and yellow split peas in a large colander and rinse several times with cold water. Let stand and drain.

In a large stock pot, saute garlic in white wine until soft and fragrant, approximately 2-4 minutes. Add onion,

celery and carrots. Saute until onions are translucent and carrots are soft but not mushy, approximately 20 minutes.

Add additional water if necessary.

Add liquid smoke.

Add rinsed, drained split peas to pot. Cover with vegetable broth. Add rosemary, thyme and ground pepper to taste.

Cover, bring to a boil. Check every 15 minutes to make sure liquid level is sufficient and stir to prevent burning on

bottom.

Then reduce heat and simmer until peas break down and are thoroughly cooked. If using a bouquet garnis, remove

from stock pot and discard.

Turn off heat, add vegan bacon bits or the homemade stuff, and let soup rest for 5 minutes before serving.

CHEF'S NOTES:

A "bouquet garnis" is a bundle of fresh herbs, which adds immense flavor to any dish! For this soup, use 3 six-inch sprigs of fresh rosemary and 4 five-inch sprigs of thyme. Bind them together tightly with plain untreated

cotton string.

Feel free to add chicken if you love cholesterol. Okay, that was tough talk! Prior to cooking the garlic, etc.,heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in the stock pot. Add 1/2-inch cubes chicken (no bones) and brown, approximately 7

minutes.

Add the cooked chicken to the soup after bringing ingredients to a full boil, allowing soup to simmer at length.

Check back here for a recipe for Homemade Tofu Bacon!

JAVA SPIKED PUDDING CAKE

2010-02-06T21:05:00.000-08:00

Wow, I'm clearly in dessert mode lately! And it doesn't get any better than a cake that bakes its own sauce!

I made this dessert for an intimate dinner party at the home of our dear friends, Richard and Myrna. Here they are near one of their home's three fireplaces!

We had a decadent dinner made by Myrna, featuring a delicious baked main dish, fresh salad, rice, broccoli, and homemade crackers.

This recipe came from Cooking Pleasures magazine, and was developed by an Italian priest who tried to create the perfect dessert with coffee and chocolate flavors that was also low fat.

On his tenth attempt, he stopped with this fantastic concoction!

JAVA SPIKED PUDDING CAKE

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup all-purpose Flour

2/3 cup Sugar

1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon Unsweetened Cocoa, divided

2 teaspoons Baking Powder

1/2 teaspoon Salt

1/2 cup Water

2 tablespoons Vegetable Oil

1 cup Brown Sugar, packed

1-3/4 cups hot Espresso

METHOD:

Heat oven to 350° F. Spray 8x8-inch glass baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, 1/3 cup of the cocoa, salt.

Whisk in water and oil until smooth.

Spread into baking pan, and sprinkle with brown sugar and remaining cocoa.

Slowly pour espresso over batter.

Bake 40 minutes. Let stand 30 minutes.

Chef’s Notes: Serve warm, with vanilla bean ice cream or fresh whipped cream. Use organic and high-quality ingredients whenever possible.

Pear, Apple & Cranberry Tarte Tatin

2010-02-05T15:49:00.000-08:00

This is such a pretty dessert. Great combination in appearance and in flavor, it should be a winter staple for fruit lovers.

But, you say, it's the middle of summer, Sharine! Why would I make this now?

My response: Save the recipe in your file and start dreaming about cold nights. You'll have it memorized in time for winter fruit season.

OUCH! Just make this tarte, otay?! Tips for low sugar/fat/sodium at the end!

PEAR, APPLE & CRANBERRY TARTE TATIN

INGREDIENTS:

Crust:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup unsalted butter, chilled, cut up

2 tablespoons shortening

2 to 3 tablespoons ice water

Filling:

3 Bosc pears, peeled, each cut into 6 wedges
3 Rome apples, peeled, each cut into 6 wedges

2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 cup unsalted butter

3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup dried cranberries

METHOD:

In medium bowl, stir together flour, 1 tablespoon sugar and salt. With pastry blender or two knives, cut in butter and shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some pea-sized pieces. Add 2 tablespoons of the water; stir until dough begins to form, adding additional water 1 teaspoon at a time if necessary. Shape into flat round; cover. Refrigerate 1 hour.

Place oven rack in bottom rack position. Heat oven to 400°F. In large bowl, combine apples, ginger and cinnamon. In large (10-inch) skillet, melt 1/4 cup butter over medium heat. Remove from heat. Sprinkle with 3/4 cup sugar. Arrange pears and apples over sugar mixture. Add dried cranberries.

Cook over medium heat 20 to 25 minutes or until sugar is deep golden brown, thick and syrupy. (Occasionally press apples into sugar syrup with spatula during cooking). Remove from heat.

Meanwhile, roll dough into 11-inch round, about 1/8 inch thick. Cut dough into 10-inch round.

With small knife, make 4 slits in center of pastry for steam to escape. Place pastry over apples; tuck edges inside skillet.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until pastry is golden brown and apples are tender. (Tart can be made up to 4 hours ahead. Reheat in 350°F. oven 10 to 15 minutes or until warm).

Cool on wire rack 10 minutes; invert onto serving platter.

Serve warm or at room temperature with vanilla bean ice cream or fresh whipped cream, or vanilla yogurt, either regular or soy.

CHEF'S NOTES:

I always use 100% pure Unsalted Butter (no hormones) for my pie crust and it always turns out perfectly.

Also, if you are on a low sugar/low fat/low salt diet, here are some tips:

1. Substitute sugar with all-fruit or organic applesauce.

2. Instead of making a traditional pie crust, sprinkle the finished tarte with 1/2 cup organic graham cracker crumbs.

3. Serve with soy yogurt or non-fat regular yogurt.

Original recipe courtesy of Cooking Pleasures magazine.

BLUEBERRY LEMON CHEESECAKE BARS

2010-02-05T15:17:00.000-08:00

I love lemons and adore blueberries! Add cheesecake, and fuhgeddaboudit, I'm making that dessert and eating it, too.

BLUEBERRY LEMON CHEESECAKE BARS

INGREDIENTS:
Crust:

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup old-fashioned oats

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/3 cup chopped almonds

1/3 cup butter, chilled, cut up

Filling:

3 (8-oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened

3/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup sour cream

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/2 tablespoon grated lemon peel

3/4 cup raspberry preserves

4 cups fresh blueberries

METHOD:

Heat oven to 350°F. Spray bottom of 13x9-inch baking pan with cooking spray.

Pulse flour, oats, brown sugar and almonds in food processor 8 to 10 times or until coarsely chopped. Add butter; process 10 to 15 seconds or until mixture is moist and clumps together when pressed. Press firmly into bottom of pan. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until set. Cool on wire rack 15 minutes.

Process cream cheese and sugar in food processor until smooth and creamy. Add eggs one at a time; pulse until blended. Add sour cream, lemon juice and lemon peel; process until well-blended. Pour over crust. Bake 17 to 20 minutes or until just set.

Cool on wire rack to room temperature. Refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.

Warm raspberry preserves slightly and fold in blueberries. Pour over cheesecake and gently spread with a spatula. Store covered in refrigerator.

CHEF'S NOTES: I've made these bars using light cream cheese, less sugar, and all-fruit instead of preserves. The result: very yummy, and easier on the hips ; )

Recipe courtesy of Cooking Pleasures magazine.

Stay tuned...... and be sure to visit us on YouTube for our cooking show, Gourmet Again!

TOFUTTI SUN-DRIED TOMATO SPREAD

2010-02-05T15:15:00.000-08:00

Back at Kahle's Party....

Friend J.P. showed up with a super-size house plant and blew us all away. Our cat Scootie really liked this plant. See him there under the table?!

Bro Beau and I supplied lots of yummy breads to accompany fine cheeses and my Vegan Sun-Dried Tomato Spread:

TOFUTTI SUN-DRIED TOMATO SPREAD

Re-hydrate a handful of Sun-Dried Tomatoes. Reserve 2 Tablespoons of the liquid.

Coarsely chop cooled Tomatoes and place in a medium bowl.

Add one 8-oz. container of Tofutti (vegan cream cheese), 1 teaspoon dried Basil, and 1-2 Tablespoons of the Tomato liquid. Blend until smooth.

Refrigerate overnight for best flavor, and serve with fresh breads or crostini.

We hired a guitarist, Dom, to play live for an hour during the festivities and he was a hit with all the guests. Ron and I sat in on a couple of songs by request.

Also, our friend Dave made us a fantastic, out-of-this-world candle holder! It's a unique design, and as you can see from the photo, it goes perfectly with the decor in our dining room.

We love dragons, and these two fire-breathers will definitely do the job of protecting the flame.

Plus, when not holding candles, this phantasmagorical piece could serve as a dish for mashed potatoes, or a soup terrine, or even a platter for lamb chops!

Cheesy Spinach Mini Phyllo Cups

2010-02-05T15:12:00.000-08:00

This is a continuation of my story about Kahle's party!

My first appetizer was Cheesy Spinach Mini Phyllo Cups. I even made a few without spinach for those guests who don't dig it. Here's the recipe:

CHEESY SPINACH MINI PHYLLO CUPS

INGREDIENTS:

1 - 10 oz. pkg Frozen Chopped Spinach, thawed, excess water removed

1/2 cup Ricotta

2 Eggs

2 Tbsp. Asiago Cheese

2 Tbsp. Fontina

2 cloves Garlic, minced

Salt and Pepper

45 mini Phyllo Shells

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 F. In a large bowl, stir together all ingredients except Phyllo shells. Place mini Phyllo shells on two ungreased baking sheets. Spoon filling into shells. Bake 18-20 minutes. Serve immediately.

The guests ate 'em up!

Meanwhile, Grill Master Ron managed to keep the grilled delicacies coming in platefuls! Teriyaki Chicken and Ahi Tuna, Tangy Beef, BBQ Chicken, and an array of fantastic veggies: Carrots, Broccoli, Onions, and Cauliflower.

Check out the next recipe I made for the party, Tofutti Sun-Dried Tomato Spread!

La Panzanella Style Croccantini (crackers)

2010-02-04T21:46:00.000-08:00

My favorite crackers in the world (La Panzanella Croccantini) cost anywhere from $5.00 to $9.00 per 8 oz. package. That's insane! But they are sooooo good, and I paid the hefty price.

That is, until I found a recipe at The Fresh Loaf! I played with the recipe a few times and made some slight modifications, as you'll read below. Feel free to make them as per Jennie's recommendation.

LA PANZANELLA-STYLE CROCCANTINI

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup very cold water
1/8 cup olive oil

METHOD:

Preheat oven to 450°F with a baking stone. Place a pan in bottom of oven for water.

Put flour and salt in food processor fitted with cutting blade. Pulse to blend. Add oil, pulse. Add water in a stream until dough comes together. Process for about 20 seconds.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Divide into four pieces cover with a towel and let rest 5 minutes.

Roll each section with a rolling pin or in pasta roller. Sheets should be paper-thin.

Place on parchment paper. Spritz with water.

Put parchment directly into oven on baking stone, then add 1/2 cup hot water to pan in the bottom.

Flip crackers front to back after 2 minutes. Remove after about 45 seconds to 1 minute, when crackers display a hint of brown.

Crackers may be slightly limp when taken out at the right time. Additionally, I have experienced the need for longer baking times with certain batches.

Cool sheets on wire racks. Break into pieces and crunch to your heart’s delight!

Store crackers in an airtight container in pantry.

Seafood Stuffed Portabellas with Faux-Tatoes

2010-01-23T20:12:00.001-08:00

Yum! Get ready for a fantastic, healthy grilled main dish for two that will knock your socks off!

SEAFOOD STUFFED PORTABELLAS

INGREDIENTS:

2 large Portabella Mushrooms

1/2 cup Sauvignon Blanc

1 Green Onion, chopped

3 cloves Garlic, minced

1/2 cup Sauvignon Blanc

2 Seafood Sausages, thawed (check out Trader Joe's brand)

1/2 cup Vegetable Broth

1 Tbsp Soy Sour Cream (or the real deal, if you want all that extra fat)

2 Tbsp Vital Wheat Gluten

2 teaspoons dried Fine Bread Crumbs

METHOD:

Remove stems from Portabellas and discard. Place Portabellas in a pan or on a large plate, gill side up. Pour half of the white wine into each cup. Set aside.

Heat grill.

Saute onions and garlic in white wine. Meanwhile, use a kitchen scissors to cut open the seafood sausage casing. Remove the casing, discard.

Grill Portabellas gill side down until heated but not charred.

When the onions and garlic are soft, crumble seafood sausage into pan. Heat 6-8 minutes or less if shrimp turns pink/orange.

Whisk together vegetable broth, sour cream, wheat gluten and bread crumbs. Stir into seafood mixture until blended and thick. Turn off heat.

Remove Portabellas from grill.

Place half of the seafood mixture in each Portabella. Carefully return mushrooms to grill, stuffed side up, for several minutes until hot and seafood mixture starts to char slightly.

Remove from grill and serve immediately.

I also made "Faux-Tatoes" and steamed Brussels Sprouts.

FAUX-TATOES

INGREDIENTS:

1 large head of Cauliflower, cut into large florets

2/3 cup vegetable broth

1/4 cup Non-Fat Unsweetened Evaporated Milk

Fresh Ground Pepper

Paprika, for garnish

METHOD:

Place cauliflower florets in a large pot and add vegetable broth.

Cover and cook over medium low heat for 25-30 minutes until all pieces are very soft. Turn of heat.

Add evaporate milk and some pepper.

Transfer to a blender or food processor and pulse until creamy. Or use a hand blender to avoid transferring the hot food.

If excess liquid remains, cook it off over low heat with the cover slightly ajar to allow steam to escape. Stir frequently to avoid burning on pan bottom.

Serve hot like mashed potatoes!

Makes four servings.

Mustard Marinated Grilled Salmon & Veggies

2010-01-21T14:46:00.000-08:00

I'm in a phase with Salmon, and it's all about the marinade/sauce. This is so easy you'll wish you had invented it yourself! So do I, but the truth is, I modified the marinade recipe from the back of some cedar grilling planks!

Okay, here we go:

MUSTARD MARINATED GRILLED SALMON & VEGGIES

INGREDIENTS:

8-12 oz. Salmon (No Atlantic; I prefer King, the photo shows Coho)

2 Bell Peppers, halved, seeds removed

3 medium Zucchini, cut into discs

1 large Onion, peeled and quartered

Steamed Brussels Sprouts

For the Marinade/Sauce:

1/4 cup Coarse Grain Mustard

1 cup Sauvignon Blanc (or Pinot Grigio)

3-4 cloves Garlic, minced

2 teaspoons Worcestershire

2 Tbsp Apricot Preserves or All-Fruit

1 teaspoon Herbes de Provence

1 Cedar Plank, for grilling the Salmon

1 cup Sauvignon Blanc

METHOD:

Mix 1 cup Sauvignon Blanc into a pan or bucket of water large enough to hold and cover Cedar plank. Add plank and allow to soak for a minimum of 30 minutes.

In a medium bowl, whisk together all ingredients for marinade/sauce.

Pour 1/4 cup of marinade into a suitable pan. Add salmon, flesh side down. Pour another 2 Tbsp of marinade over fish. Cover and refrigerate the fish and, separately, the remaining marinade at least 30 minutes or overnight.

Start Brussels Sprouts to allow 20-25 minutes of steaming time, depending on their size.

When ready to light the grill, remove fish and remaining marinade from refrigeration, set aside on counter.

Prepare vegetables decoratively on skewers then brush with marinade from separate bowl.

Place the remaining marinade in a small sauce pan and heat until bubbly over low flame while grilling salmon and skewered vegetables finish on the grill.

Remove Brussels Sprouts from steamer.

Arrange salmon, steamed Brussels Sprouts and grilled vegetables on plates and drizzle with that yummy mustard sauce!

Serves 2.

Easy Roasted Red Pepper & Artichoke Hummus

2010-01-20T12:25:00.000-08:00

Hummus is a lovely spread or dip made from my favorite legume, garbanzo beans, otherwise known as chickpeas.

I make a batch of hummus every week! Our house fave is made with roasted peppers. Here's the latest concoction, made simply with some jarred Roasted Pepper & Artichoke spread from Trader Joe's.

TIP: Don't leave out the Tahini!

You can find it in most grocery stores, often near the peanut butter or in the ethnic food aisle.

What is Tahini, you ask? Crushed sesame seeds!

Also, I make my own beans to reduce intake of sodium and other chemical preservatives. The process is simple and the results, delicious and healthy!

ROASTED RED PEPPER & ARTICHOKE HUMMUS

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 cups cooked Garbanzo Beans

2 Tbsp Tahini

1/2 Lemon, juice of

1/2 cup Roasted Red Pepper & Artichoke Spread

1/2 cup low sodium Vegetable Broth

1 teaspoon ground Cumin

1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder

1/2 teaspoon dried Oregano

Cayenne and Freshly Ground Pepper, to taste

METHOD:

In a food processor, combine all ingredients but begin with just 1/4 cup of Vegetable Broth. Pulse gently a few times to incorporate, and then puree for 20 seconds. If necessary, add more brothe, 1 Tablespoon at a time, pulsing food processor and testing for smooth and creamy consistency.

(Using a hand blender saves cleanup time!)

Scrape into glass or ceramic bowl. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours. Flavors get better overnight!

VARIATIONS:

Use Lime Juice instead of Lemon to give your hummus a Cuban vibe! Add Chipotle or Red Chile Powder for a warm & spicy Mexican flavor.

Easy Blueberry Smoothie!

2010-01-12T18:40:00.001-08:00

I'm going to be honest and tell you that I hated making smoothies in the past because it required pulling out the blender and then of course, washing the apparatus. I suppose the average cook would be guilty of being lazy, but the average cook doesn't spend an average of 6 hours in the kitchen each day!

That said, I use a miraculous kitchen tool called a HAND BLENDER to make smoothies, and now the process takes just moments!

Check out this pretty purple delight and go make one now!

VERY BLUE BERRY & BANANA SMOOTHIE

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup Blueberries, fresh or frozen

1 Banana, fresh or frozen

4-6 oz. plain Soy Yogurt

1/2 cup Soy Milk

1/2 cup Blueberry Juice

(Optional: Use all of one liquid or the other)

METHOD:

Put all ingredients in a tall container. Using a hand blender, pulse until smooth and thoroughly combined. Use more or less liquid depending on how thick you like your smoothies.

Pour into two glasses and share with a special someone!

P.S. It will take approximately 20 seconds to clean and dry the blade attachment... sweet!

Christmas Eve Seafood Fantasia!

2010-01-03T21:54:00.000-08:00

Our dear friends Nina and Jim are Italian.

Here's a photo of them: Nina is the cute little blonde next to the debonair dude in the blue shirt. They are enjoying a moment with friends Keith and Laurinda.

Nina and Jim host a hugely fun and extremely delicious traditional Italian Christmas Eve party, featuring every kind of seafood they can get their hands on, and then some!

We're talking deep fried shrimp, calamari and scallops, lobster tails in a cioppino sauce, not to mention stuffed lobster tails, calamari salad plus crackers and cheeses (provolone, of course), delicious spreads, olives, arugula wrapped in prosciutto, salami, and more!

So much delicious and decadent food!

This year, there was so much food that their daughter Angela pitched in to do all the deep-frying with her aunt.

Jim does a great deal of the cooking, and their son Christopher helps with whatever needs to be done.

Friends and family are gathered in the kitchen, dining area, living room to enjoy the fantastic food, good company and warm holiday spirit!

Here is friend Ron opening a bottle of red, probably a Cabernet Sauvignon.

We brought a bottle of our Lucky 7: Rebel Red.

In a surprise statement, Nina said she preferred it to the expensive vintages she had been sampling!

Nina always makes cannoli, and friends and family at the party bring finger foods and wine, lots of wine.

I contributed a homemade whole wheat focaccia with caramelized onions, garlic and poppy seeds.

I served it with super-fresh and grassy olive oil, with olives grown by our friends Richard and Myrna.

Well, here we are prior to saying good-bye, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!

Thanks to Nina and Jim and your family for opening your home, cooking out-of-this-world delicacies, and warming all our hearts!

Kitty Name Announcement!

2009-12-29T18:36:00.000-08:00

Thank you to everyone who participated in our Name Our New Kitty contest! As you can see in the previous post, the list was big.

Runner-up name was Smudge, with three votes.

There were also several runners-up with two votes each, including Misty, Sasha, Truffle, and Smudge.

But with the final votes by Ron and me, her official winning name is...

Nilla!

She will have many nicknames, too. Tops is Sashimoto, followed by Sushi because, well, she voraciously loves her raw salmon!

Here's Nilla with Scooter, both coveting a toy mouse.

Kitty Names

2009-12-25T19:37:00.001-08:00

Time to vote on the name for our new kitten!

VOTE FOR YOUR TWO (2) FAVES!

I'll tally them and Ron and I will vote on the top 5%. Results to come very soon! Here are the names we received that you can vote on (and I apologize in advance if I missed an important contribution).

Nilla

Sashimoto

Sushi

Vanilli

Puff 'n' Stuff

Priss

Jaboli

Rudolph

Chewie

Carmella

Doozy Duds

Kiva

Mable

Starry

Pepper

Trilby

Sasha

Misty

Ginger

Fluffy

Cutie

Princess

Tara

Maya

Leela

Truffle

Smudge

Comment here on the blog or email me. Either way, you have until Monday, December 28th at midnight to vote. So... Decide, Vote and Execute!

Shrimp, Crab & Sausage Ettouffe

2009-12-25T19:01:00.000-08:00

This is my new favorite main dish! Cajun cuisine is so yummy. But I always use much less salt, if any, than is called for in traditional recipes. There is already salt in the sausage, and shrimp are naturally high in sodium. So I say, don't add any salt and enjoy the richness of this fantastic food.

Sorry, my photos didn't come out so well!

SHRIMP, CRAB & SAUSAGE ETTOUFFE

INGREDIENTS:
4 cups shrimp stock

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 bay leaf

1/2 pound Andouille sausage (I used a chicken based Andouille sausage from Trader Joe’s)

1/3 cup butter, divided

1/2 cup all-purpose flour (about 2 1/4 ounces)

1 1/2 cups chopped onion

2/3 cup diced celery

1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper

1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper

3/4 cup water

1/4 cup tomato paste

1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning

1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1/2 cup chopped green onions

1 lb. lump crab meat
1/2 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined (about 20 shrimp)

METHOD:

Combine first 4 ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat; bring to a simmer.
Slice sausage into bite-size pieces. Cook in a separate small pan over medium heat until golden brown and cooked through. Remove sausage from pan with a slotted spoon and set aside.
Melt 1/4 cup butter in sausage drippings in the same saucepan over medium heat. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Add flour to pan; cook 8 minutes or until light brown, stirring constantly with a whisk. Remove from heat.
Add 1 cup broth mixture to pan; stir with a whisk until smooth. Add remaining 3 cups broth mixture, stirring with a whisk until smooth; set aside.
Melt remaining 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon butter in a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, celery, and bell peppers to pan; cook 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender and onion is golden brown, stirring occasionally.
Stir in 3/4 cup water, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Add tomato paste, Cajun seasoning, garlic, black pepper, and red pepper to onion mixture; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.
Add reserved broth-flour mixture and Worcestershire sauce to pan, stirring well to combine; bring to a simmer. Cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add green onions, 1/4 cup parsley, sausage, crab and shrimp; cook 3 minutes or until shrimp are done. Discard bay leaf. Serve over Creole boiled rice or with garlic French bread.
I merged this recipe from two sources: GumboPages.com and I can't remember the other one.

Chocolate Truffle Tart

2009-12-25T18:26:00.000-08:00

Mmmmmm, chocolate! What better birthday dessert?! If you love chocolate like I love chocolate, you absolutely must make this delicious and decadent treat!

CHOCOLATE TRUFFLE TART

INGREDIENTS
Crust:
3/4 cup Flour
1/2 cup Powdered Sugar
1/4 cup Dutch-process Cocoa
Pinch of Salt
6 Tbsp Butter, chilled, chopped
1 Egg White
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Filling:

12 oz. Bittersweet Chocolate, chopped
1 1/4 cup Whipping Cream
1/4 cup Sugar

METHOD
To make the crust:
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, powdered sugar, cocoa and salt. Cut in butter with pastry blender or 2 knives, until mixture looks like coarse crumbs with a few pea-sized chunks.

In a small bowl, whisk together egg white and vanilla. Add to flour mixture and stir until dough forms. Dough may be somewhat sticky. Shape into a flat round. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes or up to 1 day.

Press dough evenly into a 9” tart pan with removable bottom. Poke bottom with a fork every 2 inches. Freeze for 20 minutes or until ready to bake.

Pre-heat oven to 375°F and bake crust for 15-20 minutes or until dry to the touch. If pastry begins to puff, poke lightly with a fork. Cool completely on a wire rack.

To make the filling:
Place chocolate and sugar in a medium bowl. In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring cream to a boil. Pour immediately over chocolate and let stand for 3 minutes. Stir until smooth, pour onto crust.

Refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight. Store in refrigerator.

Recipe from CookingClub.com

NAME OUR NEW KITTY!

2009-12-22T20:26:00.000-08:00

We've come up with lots of possible names for her, and many of you are already sending in some wonderful contributions.

But we need to give her a "people world" identity, and soon!

So post a comment with your suggestions.

We'll put them together with our faves, post all names and let you vote.

Ron and I will vote on names in the top 5%. Then, we'll post her official name and author on this blog!

FYI, the "Name Our Kitty" contest will end at midnight on December 26, so get creative and post those comments! I'll get the final results up with tallies before the end of 2009.

Legal Disclaimer: The winner is entitled to nothing but the fame and fortune of being acknowledged on this, and the joy of naming a very cute, sweet, cuddly, lovable, and guileless kitten!

The contest was a great idea from my dear friend Sandra, aka SoHottStamper.

New Kitty!

2009-12-21T18:20:00.000-08:00

Change in plans! Sophie could not come live with us because Scootie never liked the only food that she can eat.

So, we got another kitty! As of today, she is unnamed.

We're waiting for her personality to show us her true self.

Her interim names are Truffle, Sophie Too, and Cutie Pie.

She's a five month old non-pedigree Seal Point Himalayan and is very sweet!

Scootie is slowly warming up to her, although she doesn't care about stealing his Alpha cat status.

She just goes about her business of playing even when he tries to thwart her fun times!

Meanwhile, thank you to Carrie & Kevin, Sandra & family, and Richard and Myrna for contributing so we could give a kitten a good home.

Here's a picture of her playing with the squeaky mouse toy from Richard and Myrna.

She seems very happy here despite the cool reception from Scootie.

She's healthy overall, but a little chubby from eating bad food, but we've got her on the right track with diet and exercise!

Last night, she had a couple of pieces of raw salmon and was ecstatic!

Salmon Sashimi

2009-12-07T13:59:00.000-08:00

We have reached food Nirvana in our kitchen!

Local Port Fisheries from Avila Beach, California, comes to our local farmer's market each Saturday.

We've started purchasing sushi grade Salmon, Yellowtail Tuna and more from them.

No recipe required, just slice and serve.

All I can say is, Mmmmmmmmmmm!

Love Triangle: Never Say Die

2009-12-07T13:06:00.000-08:00

We're in the process of resuscitating a keg of 2007 Love Triangle (Salinas River Valley).

The wine smelled something like nail polish remover, and tasted about the same.

Kevin, the winemaker, was prepared to dump it.

But Ron and I did a little research on "fining agents," and decided to try to bring it back to a bottle-worthy beverage!

First, we pumped the two pony kegs of Love Triangle into a 15.5 gallon stainless steel keg.

You can see Kevin and Ron performing that step here.

Then we took a sample of the untreated wine for doing a comparison later.

Ron measured 1/2 oz. PVPP (poly-vinyl-poly-pyrrolidone) and sprinkled it into the keg.

Using a stainless steel rod, we swirled the wine around then topped it up and resealed the keg.

PVPP is used to reverse the portion of fruit enzymes that cause oxidation.

According to Martin Vialatte Oenologie at Vinquiry.com, "treatment with PVPP... leads to a considerable reduction of tannins and lowers the phenol value."

The substance helps to decrease bitterness and improve freshness.

We left it to rest overnight in Kevin's garage, now unofficially "the laboratory!"

The next day, we pumped the wine through a stainless steel sieve into a food grade barrel.

The process is called aerating.

The idea is to get as much air on the wine as possible.

We tasted the wine, compared it to the sample, and determined that the PVPP had softened the wine considerably and reduced the nasty odor.

The fruit flavor became much more prominent.

Still, we went ahead with a treatment of Copper Sulfate, using just two drops for all 15.5 gallons.

We pumped the wine back into the stainless steel keg, topped it up and sealed it.

Our friend Brenda was visiting that afternoon, so we brought her to The Lab to witness a potential miracle! Here we are, waiting to sample some of Kevin's other wines.

Now what? We're supposed to test for SO2 levels, just deciding the best way to do that.

Will the wine come back to life? Have we resurrected it?

Either way, it's a great experience.

Stay tuned for updates over the coming months!

Sophie Come Home!

2009-12-01T13:33:00.000-08:00

We're in the process of adopting a cat who was rescued from a bad home. Her name is Sophie, and we're looking forward to the day when we can bring her home to live with us.

So between now and December 15th, proceeds from any BlipsWerx Productions product you purchase and/or service you book (except lessons) will go into our "Sophie Come Home!" fund to cover her adoption fee of $225.

Click on the link in the P.S. to learn more about Sophie and the organization that rescued her.

Purchase "The Blips Do Christmas," any Sharine singles or CDs, or book recording services, video editing, graphic design, etc. and you will be helping give Sophie a loving home.

We'll post the names of all contributors (with consent, of course) on my Sharine's Ravings, Cravings & Misbehavings blog along with a photo of Sophie at home with us and Scooter.

Visit The Blips and Sharine online for music and more. Or just call or email us!

Happy Holidays to you and yours,

Sharine and Ron

BlipsWerx.com

P.S. If you would like more information about Helping Persian Cats or about Sophie, please call or email us or visit the web site.

Cedar Plank Grilled Salmon

2009-11-15T09:50:00.000-08:00

Salmon is my favorite fish. Recently, we took the advice of our friends Kevin and Maryella and started grilling salmon on cedar plank. Wow! This is a fantastic way to honor a fine piece of Atlantic (shown here in the photo) or, our fave, King Salmon.

CEDAR PLANK GRILLED SALMON

INGREDIENTS:

12 oz. Salmon Fillet

1 Cedar Plank

Water

1/2 cup plus 1 cup Sauvignon Blanc

1 Tbsp. Coarse Grain Mustard

1 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce

3 cloves Garlic, chopped

METHOD:

At least two hours prior to grilling (overnight is fine), fill a bucket or pan with enough water to cover the cedar plank.

Add 1/2 cup Sauvignon Blanc to the water, then place the wood in the container.

In a small bowl, whisk together 1 cup Sauvignon Blanc, Mustard, Worcestershire and Garlic.

Pour half of the marinade into a baking pan.

Clean Salmon and pat dry.

Place fillet flesh side down in baking pan.

Pour remaining marinade over the fish. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour, even overnight, until 30 minutes prior to grilling.

Sear both sides of the Salmon on high heat before placing it on the cedar plank. This will help to retain moistness in the fish.

Introduce plank to the grill, place fillet on it.

Be prepared to flip the fillet several times.

Spoon excess marinade from prep pan onto the fish until the last turn. (This ensures that the marinade is fully cooked).

Fish is done when opaque, flaky yet still moist, and white juices emerge. Remove Salmon from cedar plank and serve immediately.

Sorry, no photo of the finished product this time, as we were very hungry! Suffice it to say that this simple recipe results in extremely moist and delicious grilled Salmon!

GRILL MASTER'S TIP:

Keep a spray bottle filled with water in your grilling arena, as the wood sparks and catches on fire! You'll need to spritz it several times during the process!

Butternut Squash & Sausage Soup!

2009-11-11T20:09:00.000-08:00

Winter is nearly upon us, even us Californians feel the late autumn chill and mourn those late sunny evenings. Ahhhhh. But the time is ripe for winter squash -- butternut, turban, acorn and more.

Tonight, I found another fat-free dish to include my Spicy Italian Sausages (see that recipe below):

BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND SAUSAGE SOUP

INGREDIENTS:

2 medium Butternut Squashes

1/2 cup white wine

4 cloves Garlic

4 Spicy Italian Vegan Sausages

1/2 cup Vegetable Broth

1 Apple

1 1/2 cups Vegetable Broth

1/4 teaspoon Nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon

Pinch of Cayenne

METHOD:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Add enough water to a baking sheet to cover the bottom.

Slice squashes in half lengthwise. Remove seeds and strings. Put the four halves, cut side down, on the baking sheet. Using a fork, pierce the skins in multiple places. Bake for approximately 45 minutes, or until soft. Set aside to cool.

In a large stock pot, saute garlic in white wine over medium heat until soft. When most of the liquid is evaporate, crumble the sausages into the pot. Reduce heat to low, stir occasionally to prevent burning, although a light "crust" might form on the pan bottom.

Meanwhile, peel and core an apple. Dice it and puree it in a food processor -- the consistency doesn't have to be totally smooth. Put the apple sauce in a large mixing bowl.

Check the sausage. If it is heated thoroughly, deglaze the pan with 1/2 cup of vegetable broth.

Remove flesh from squash skins and put in food processor. Add remaining vegetable broth and puree until very smooth. Add to sausage. At this time, add the apple sauce as well.

Bring heat to medium. Stir in nutmeg and cinnamon; add cayenne to taste.

Allow soup to come to a boil, then reduce flame to low and simmer for at least one hour or all day!

Dinner was served at 6:30pm and, once again, hours later, I am STILL full!

Sausage Stuffed Portabellas in Mushroom Gravy

2009-11-04T13:29:00.000-08:00

Too much tomato sauce! Ron begged me for mushroom sauce, and I happily complied. I was craving mushrooms, and we had two large Portabellas to stuff and grill, plus Criminis for the sauce.

I decided to use the opportunity of an open afternoon to make a new sausage for the stuffing.

The Spicy Italian Sausage recipe was developed originally by Julie Hasson and I found it on the web at Everyday Dish TV.

Of course I modified it!

Ron doesn't call me his Custom Blend Girl for no reason!

Let's start with the recipe:

SPICY ITALIAN VEGETARIAN SAUSAGES

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups vital wheat gluten 

1/2 cup nutritional yeast

1/2 cup textured vegetable protein
2 Tbsp Mrs. Dash Chicken Seasoning
1 Tbsp onion powder
1 Tbsp garlic powder
2 Tbsp fennel seed, toasted and crushed  
2 tsp fresh ground pepper
1 Tbsp ground paprika
1/2 tsp dried oregano 
2 1/4 cups water  
2 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce

METHOD:

Combine all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk together the water and soy sauce and using a fork. Stir into the dry mixture just until combined – don’t overmix.

If mixture is too dry, add water as needed by the tablespoon.
Tear eight 14” long pieces of aluminum foil and set aside.

With your hands, take about 1/2 cup of the mixture and shape into a sausage. Place sausage on a piece of aluminum foil and roll up, twisting the ends. Repeat for each sausage.

Steam sausages for 30 minutes. Place on a wire rack to cool. Remove sausages from foil and

refrigerate until ready to eat.

I made a half recipe, ending up with four sausages, each 4.5" long and 1.5" thick.

The photo is a bit heavy on the yellows; the sausages actually appear in color similar to the fully loaded pork version!

Okay. So now you've got the yummy foundation for your grilled Portabella stuffing.

What's next?

Prep your Portabellas!

Some chefs prefer to marinate the mushrooms in a red wine, balsamic vinegar and herb mixture. But I went naked for this recipe!

Next: make the gravy!

CREAMY MUSHROOM GRAVY

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup white wine

1/4 cup shallots, minced

4 cloves garlic, minced

6 oz. crimini (brown) mushrooms, chopped

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme or herbes de provence

2 cup low sodium vegetable broth

2 Tbsp soy sour cream

4 teaspoons vital wheat gluten, as needed

1/4 teaspoon ground sage

Freshly ground pepper to taste

2 oz. soy mozzarella, grated

METHOD:

In a shallow pan, saute shallots and garlic in white wine until soft. Add mushrooms (and additional white wine if necessary) and saute until soft. Add herbs.

In a small bowl, whisk together vegetable broth and soy sour cream. Add to mushroom mixture and bring to a simmer while whisking in sage and pepper.

At this point, if the gravy is not thickening, whisk in vital wheat gluten, one teaspoon at a time until it reaches the desired consistency.

Whisk in soy mozzarella and bring to a low boil.

Serve immediately over your scrumptious Italian Sausage Stuffed Grilled Portabellas!