New recipe, September 23, 2014

From Shinin' Times at the Fort Cookbook. Original Sante Fe 1848 Gin Cocktail (no link, sorry!). Very much like a martini. A 3

New recipe, July 12, 2012

Gonzales Steak, from Holly Arnold Kinney's Shining' Times at the Fort. Served with fresh golden Garden tomatoes, grilled corn with Lime and chipotle, and grilled eggplant from the garden with balsamic and capers. Yum! We made Up the eggplant and give it a 4. The steak gets a 3.

Wine: The Vineyard Central Coast Cabernet Sauvignon

New recipes April 16, 2011

I have to start by saying that the snow at Mary Jane was much better than we dared expect. It wore me out!

Tonight we returned to Holly Arnold Kinney's wonderful book, Shinin' Times at the Fort. We made Gonzales Steak (a New York strip filled with chopped anaheim chilis and topped with brown butter) and Irish Champ (mashed potatoes with lots of butter, cream, and scallions), along with a mixed salad with Viandox Vinaigrette. It was delicious!

The wine worked beautifully with this--Forefront 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon.

March 9, 2011 new recipes

Tonight's recipes come from Rick Bayless' Authentic Mexican. We had Herb-Green Rice with Peas and Quick Fried Fish with Toasted Garlic. (Sorry, I can't find either on other sites). We had it with a quick red cabbage and carrot slaw dressed with the Chipotle Honey Vinaigrette from Holly Arnold Kinney's Shinin' Times at the Fort. The fish and the rice were both delicious, flavorful without being very spicey. The slaw was a nice counterpoint.

The wine was a 2009 Crane Lake Pinot Grigio, which worked nicely with all the dishes.

March 2, 2011, new recipe

Tonight, we took our inspiration from Mario Batali's Molto Italiano, looking, I might add, for something quick! We did Tuna Sicilian Style with Shallot Frittata (sorry, no link out there!). We had a nice arugula salad with the Chipotle Honey Vinaigrette from Shinin' Times at the Fort that Carl made yesterday. A lovely meal!

The wine was a 2009 Liana Pinot Grigio--a nice match to the meal!

March 1, 2011 new recipes

We decided we are going to try some slow cooker meals as part of this grand experiment. Tonight we had Spanish Brown Rice with Spicey Sausage, from Beth Hensperger and Julie Kaufmann's Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook. Carl served it with a salad with Chipotle Honey Vinaigrette from Holly Arnold Kinsey's Shinin' Times at the Fort. The vinaigrette was wonderful. The rice was simple but tasty.

We drank a 2007 Muga Rioja Rose with this--it is a very nice rose!

For dessert, we had sliced strawberries dressed with a little balsamic vinegar and sugar. Such a simple but elegant dessert!

February 28, 2011 new recipes

Tonight's inspiration was Holly Arnold Kinney's new book, Shinin' Times at the Fort. We had Curried Butternut Squash Soup with Quinoa Salad with Fresh Garden Mint. The soup is the best quash soup I have ever had, and the salad is a lovely riff on tabouleh. We would definitely do these both again. We enjoyed a little Antelope Polish Sausage on the side, thanks to my friend Tom Hail. And for dessert, we had some diced dragon fruit.

The wine was a 2002 Columbia Crest Chardonnay. It was a bit oxidized and Graham crackery--a shadow of it's former self, I am sure. For some reason we did not open something else instead. Ah well!