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Thursday, May 31, 2012

New recipe, May 31, 2012

From the March 2012 Bon Appétit: Shrimp and Pasta Tapenade. We made 2 big changes--we used mushroom ravioli instead of the shrimp and fettuccine, and we cut the butter by 2/3. Still tasted great--we give it a 4. Served with a green salad--everything but the avocado came from our garden!

No wine--we saw "Red" at the Curious Theatre--excellent!

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

New recipe, May 30, 2012

From the May 2012 Bon Appétit:
Scallops with Spice Oil. Simple and delicious, we give it a 4. Served with asparagus sautéed with sesame seeds and oil with lemon, and a sliced heirloom tomato.

Wine: Chateau Peyruchet Sauvignon Bordeaux 2007--a nice match!

Monday, May 28, 2012

Our new baby!

This is Kiva.  She is an Eleanora Cockatoo.  She is 30 years old, and lived with a loving couple til they split up.  We met her a few weeks ago--she is fairly quiet and incredibly affectionate, but because she doesn't talk and is middle aged, no one really wanted her.  We fell in love.

Here is Kiva with Percy and Millie.  This is just a few minutes after they met.  Kiva walked over and invited Percy to groom her.  They are getting along beautifully.  We could not be happier!  Welcome Kiva!

New recipe, May 28, 2012

Provençal Leg of Lamb from the June 2012 Food and Wine. Delicious! Served with grilled summer squash and grilled onions, and a salad of mixed green from the garden,

We give the lamb a 4--fantastic flavors, but we would have liked them even more in the center of the meat. We marinated 24 hours, but the recipe allowed for 48, so we would try that next time. Also, reserving a little marinade for a gravy might have sent this over the top.

Wine: Bookcliff Vineyards Reserve Cabernet Franc 2009--great match!

Sunday, May 27, 2012

New recipe, May 27, 2012

Balsamic Marinated Flank Steak from the June 2012 Food and Wine, served with grilled braised leeks and grilled tomatoes. We were on the short side for the marinade, nice flavors, not spectacular. We give it a 3

Wine: LAN Rioja Crianza 2006

Saturday, May 26, 2012

New recipe, May 26, 2012

We went to Rioja to continue celebrating our anniversary, where we had an amazing tasting menu with wine pairings. So tonight's new recipe is a cocktail, the Anno 1960 from Epicurious. We give it a 3

Friday, May 25, 2012

New recipe, May 25, 2012

It's our anniversary--11 years together! We met in China, so the new recipe is Summer Meatball Soup with Glass Noodles (no recipe online, sorry!) from the China Moon Cookbook by Barbara Tropp. It is fabulous--we give it a 4!

Wine: Taittinger Champagne

Thursday, May 24, 2012

New recipe, May 24, 2012

Shrimp Florentine Pasta with Cherry Tomato Caprese Salad, from the June 2012 Cooking Light. We give the shrimp pasta a 3, but the Caprese salad was a 5--we think it is the white wine vinegar that sent it over the top.

Wine: Ribbonwood Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

New recipe, May 23, 2012

Curried Spelt Salad, from the June 2012 Bon Appétit, though we used basmati rice in the absence of spelt. Very tasty-we give it a 4. NB-don't short it on salt--the right amount really achieves the balance!

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

New recipe, May 22, 2012

Black Rice Salad with Mango and Peanuts from the June 2012 Bon Appétit. Full bodied salad with great flavors. We give it a 4!

Didn't have wine, but this is nice with Stout!

Monday, May 21, 2012

New recipe, May 21, 2012

Quinoa Tabbouleh from the June 2012 Bon Appétit, with some leftover steak.

Lovely flavors, we give it a 3.

No wine.

Sunday, May 20, 2012

New recipes, May 20, 2012

From the Cooks Illustrated Cookbook: Grilled Sirloin with Tarragon Mustard Seed Rub. These flavors were a real surprise and delight, and we will experiment with them again. There is more salt than we would like in this rub, so we give it a 3. Served with 2 recipes created on the fly: homegrown Pak choi with Caramelized onions and garlic (gets a 3, would be great with crispy fried onions); and a potato salad with crispy prosciutto, roasted red peppers, and lemon mustard dressing (gets a 4).

Wine: Le Clos Millésime 2008 Vin de Pays de Hauterive Domaine Sainte Eugénie

Saturday, May 19, 2012

New recipe, May 19, 2012

We repeated Braised Winter Greens (we used turnips greens from the garden) from the Cook's Illustrated Cookbook (still gets a 5), with Pork Roast with Black Bean Sauce from Epicurious (we picked this because we needed a recipe with plantains). The pork was ok, but we did not get to marinate it as long as called for, so that might be our problem. The black bean sauce and plantains, however, were great! We give the pork a 3 as we made it, the sauce gets a 5.

Wine: Terredora Dipaolo RosaeNovae Irpinia 2011 Rosé--lovely wine, and a good match with all these flavors!

Friday, May 18, 2012

Thursday, May 17, 2012

New recipe, May 17, 2012

Tuscan Chicken with Grilled Fennel and Onions, from the June 2012 Food and Wine. We used only skinless boneless thighs, but otherwise followed the recipe, and this was excellent! We give it a 5

Wine: Chateau Peyruchet Sauvignon Bordeaux 2007

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

New recipes, May 15, 2012

Glazed Pork Chops with Asian Flavors, and Sautéed Mushrooms with Sesame and Ginger, both from the Cook's Illustrated Cookbook. Very nice--we give the mushrooms a 3, and the chops a 4. Served with brown rice and a green salad with an Asian style dressing.

Wine: Mas des Chimères 2003 Coteaux du Langedoc--very nice, still excellent, and a great match

Monday, May 14, 2012

Sunday, May 13, 2012

New recipe, May 13, 2012

The new recipe is Stir-Fried Pak Choi with Sesame Sauce from BBC Good Food, served with Shrimp and Scallops with Lemony Soy, a repeat from the June 2012 Food and Wine, sliced radishes and roti chapati.

The Pak choi was from our garden, and had started to bolt--the flavors were great but our Pak Choi was tough-gets a 3. We used large head on fresh eater prawns for the shrimp this time, and the texture was very mushy--not sure why. I would go back for medium shrimp next time. The scallops were tasty!

Wine: Cantele Negroamaro Rosato 2010--a nice match!

New recipe, May 12, 2012

Roasted Bell Pepper Salad from Love Food's The Tapas Cookbook, our contribution to a wonderful Paella dinner cooked by our friend Kris and Tony. It was a great meal and great company. We give our little part a 4.

Friday, May 11, 2012

New recipe, May 11, 2012

We had another event, so it is a cocktail again: the Aviation, from Ted Haigh's Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails. Rather tart, we give it a 2

Thursday, May 10, 2012

New recipe, May 10, 2012

So fast, so tasty--it gets a 5! Thai Steak Salad from the June 2012 Cooking Light.

Wine: Nicolas Feuillatte Brut Champagne. Delicious, but not the match I was hoping for.

Today is my sister Barb's 50th birthday!  HBD, little sister!




Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

New recipes, May 8, 2012

Both are from the June 2012 Food and Wine. First, Shrimp and Scallops with Lemony Soy--just used shrimp today. This marinade resembles teriyaki but the addition of lemon slices and jalapeño takes it to quite a higher level. Delicious, it gets a 5!!
The other is inspired by the the recipe for Grilled Kale with Garlic Chiles and Bacon. I love what smoked paprika can do for a dish, so I used it instead of bacon. I also added diced red bell pepper for color, and yellow tomatoes as a garnish. The flavors are good, I think it could have used more time on the grill, and I'd cut back a bit on the lemon juice to keep it from seeming quite as wet as it came out. It gets a 3.

Wine: Paco & Lola Rias Biaxas Albariño 2010

Monday, May 7, 2012

New recipe, May 7, 2012

Spinach and Cheese Ravioli from Costco, with Pea Pancetta and Cream Sauce from Sally Griffiths' Great Pasta Sauces (sorry, no online version). Served with a green salad with the avocado ranch dressing from yesterday.  Nice sauce, we give it a 3.

Wine: Liana Pino Grigio 2009

Saturday, May 5, 2012

New recipes, May 5, 2012

We did an old favorite from Epicurious, Lamb Chops with Pomegranate and Dried Fig Relish. Still gets a 5! The new dishes are from the Cooks Illustrated Cookbook: Roasted Green Bean and Potato Salad with Radicchio, and Roasted Fennel and Mushroom Salad with Radishes. The very successful trick with both of these is combining roasted and cooled vegetables with fresh vegetables. We give the fennel salad a 5, and the bean salad a 4. A great dinner, and very enjoyable after a long ride!

Wine: Small Gully Wines Robert's Shiraz, 2006

Beautiful Day near Tabernash

Mark and I cycled in the mountains today from our place near Tabernash called Indian Peaks Lodge to Willow Creek Pass and back. This is a little over 68 miles and our first climbing ride for the season. The temperatures were cool around 46 degrees when we started and around 70 degrees when we finished. You know it is a bit windy when the tail wind is helping you climb the mountains at 20 miles an hour and the head wind slows you to 16 miles an hour on the way down the mountain. It is still quite dry here and early Spring. The aspen are just starting to leave out. The western chorus frogs are calling from the mountain ponds. Just spots of snow in the crags on the mountains. The pasqueflower is blooming and are among the first flowers to bloom in the Spring. It happens to be the state flower of South Dakota.

Friday, May 4, 2012

New recipes, May 4, 2013

Both are from the Cooks Illustrated CookbookAsparagus and Arugula Salad with Cannellini Beans and Balsamic Vinegar, and Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Chili Mustard Spice Rub.

The salad has a great interplay between the fresh arugula (from our garden!), the caramelized asparagus and onion, and the earthy sweetness of the beans. We give it a 4. The pork was very tasty-we give it 3.

No wine--traveling to Tabernash.

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

New recipe, May 2, 2012

Grilled Sirloin with Anchovy Lemon Butter and Broccoli Rabe from the March 2012 Cooking Light, with a quick sautée of red bell pepper, onion and mushroom. Recipe gets a 4!
Wine: Bookcliffe Vineyards Reserve Cabernet Franc 2009. Delicious!