New recipe, December 31, 2012

We had a great dinner out with Mark's family, so our new recipe was the Blue Steel Cocktail, from the January 2013 Food and Wine. We give it a 4-a fun tiki bar type drink.

New recipe, December 30, 2012

Italian Wedding Soup, from the February 2012 Food and Wine. This is amazing--great ingredients, added at the perfect moment, virtually no spices, and still delicious! We give it a 5!!

Wine: Tenuta Sant' Antonio Nanfrè Valpolicella 2008

New recipes, December 29, 2012

José Andrés' Roast Chicken Thighs with Lentil Stew, from the February 2012 Food and Wine. Wonderful! We give it a 4. Served with a Fattoush Salad freely adapted from a bunch of recipes--the dressing had not only lemon juice, garlic, salt and olive oil, bit also some honey and balsamic vinegar--also a 4.

Wine: Chateau Ste Michelle Merlot Columbia Valley 2009

New recipe, December 28, 2012

Emeril Lagasse's Pasta with Roasted Squash, Sausage and Pecans, from the February 2012 Food and Wine. Lovely--we give it a 4!

Wine: Garnacha de Fuego Old Wines 2009

New recipe, December 27, 2012

Toasted Farro and Scallions with Cauliflower and Egg from the January 2013 Food and Wine. Delicious! This gets a 4.

New recipe, December 26, 2012

Carl was traveling, so we had a cocktail as the new recipe--the VPB Daiquiri, from the folks that make St Germain. It is nice--we give it a 3.

New recipe, December 25, 2012

My contribution to Christmas Dinner, from the December 2012 United Airlines Hemisphere's Magazine -- Whipped Ricotta and Pear Crostini. This was a lot of fun--we give it a 5!!

New recipe, December 24, 2012

From the February 2012 Food and Wine: Cellared Vegetable Salad--my contribution to the delicious prime rib dinner at the Ver Steegs. We liked this--it gets a 4.

New recipe, December 23, 2012

From the January 2013 Food and Wine, Stir Fried Noodles with Roast Pork--gets a 4.

No wine, but enjoyed a Petrus Winter #9 Ale

New recipes, December 22, 2012

From the January 2013 Food and Wine, our appetizer--7 Minute Salmon Caviar Sushi Bites--and the main dish, Asian Brined Pork Loin. The appetizer gets a 4, the pork gets a 3--nice flavors, but fairly dry, to my surprise. The salad was the Tomato, Red Onion and Yellow Pepper Salad with Yogurt Dressing, from Mangoes and Curry Leaves, by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid. This also gets a 3.

Wine: Siciliana Nero d'Avola 2011

New recipes, December 21, 2012

Happy Solstice!

We had to take a hiatus from cooking while we were in India--after more than 23 months with at least one new recipe a day. We did at least eat something new every day. We left India just after midnight on 12/21, and here we are nearly 36 hours later, still on 12/21--if this is the end of the world, we decided to make it a long day!

A bit jet-lagged, but 2 new recipes, from the January 2013 Food and Wine: Bitter Greens Salad with Melted Cheese, and Asian Sloppy Joe Sliders. We give the sliders a 5 (we used about half the hoisin the recipe called for). The salad gets a 4, and they were not a great match.

Wine: Paco & Lola Albariño Rías Baixas 2010.

New recipe, December 8, 2012

We has a party to attend, and brought the Two Potato Gratin from the December 2012 Cooking Light. Delicious, and way less calories than a traditional gratin. We give it a 4.

New recipe, December 7, 2013

From Prevention Magazine: Chicken Stew Provençal, served with an Arugula Salad. We enjoyed this--we give it a 3.

Wine: Richesse Domaine de Garrou 2002

New recipe, December 6, 2012

We went to see a very funny play at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, "When We Are Married," so the new recipe is a cocktail: the Blue Eyed Blond, from Gary Regan's The Joy of Mixology. This is in the sweet drink category, and fun. We give it a 3.

New recipe, December 5, 2013

We screwed up and forgot to take a photo--pity, the sliced roasted baby beets from our garden were beautiful! The new recipe was Honey Orange Pork Tenderloin from the December 2012 Cooking Light--very nice, has a nice savory balance--we give it a 4, same for the lovely sliced roasted beets with a tiny drizzle of apple cider vinegar.

Wine: Guy Drew Russell Vineyards Riesling 2010

Sent from my iPhone.

We are cooking something new every day for a year! denverlifewithcarlandmark.blogspot.com

New recipe, December 4, 2012

Rocco DiSpirito's Polenta from Now Eat This! Italian, served with a chicken breast with more of Mario Batali's Basic Tomato Sauce. The polenta is very tasty--gets a 4!

New recipes, December 3, 2012

Pan seared sirloin, with 2 new recipes from Rocco Dispirito's Eat This Now Italian: Radicchio with Balsamic Vinegar, and Peas and Pancetta (for which I had to leave out the mint, as ours was brown!). We give the radicchio a 4 (simple and wonderful), and the peas get a 3 (want to try it with the mint)

Wine: Rivetto Nebbiolo d'Alba 2005--a lovely match!

New recipe, December 2, 2012

The new recipe is Mario Batali's Basic Tomato Sauce, from Molto Italiano. We added browned ground turkey to the sauce, and served it over Fettucine. We had it with left over Roasted Turnips and Butternut Squash with Five Spice. We give the sauce a 3.

Wine: Villa Medoro Montepulciano d'Abruzzo 2008

New recipes, December 1, 2012

From the December 2012 Eating Well: Lamb Chops with Peas and Mint, and Roasted Turnips and Butternut Squash with Five Spice Glaze. Both were quite nice, they get 4s.

Wine: Vigneron Réunis À F. Côtes du Rhône 2009--nice match!

New recipe, November 30, 2012

We finished November with Ancho Honey Pork Tenderloin with Cheese Grits, from the December 2012 Eating Well. Quite tasty-these get a 4!

New recipes, November 29, 2012

From Epicurious, Guajillo and Tomatillo Salsa, served over a pork chop. And a cucumber red pepper salad with an orange white wine vinegar dressing I whipped up with Urfa peppers. Both get a 4.

No wine, had a Left Hans Milk Stout

New recipe, November 28, 2012

Mark had a dinner meeting, so the new recipe is a cocktail--the Scarlet O'Hara, from Epicurious. There is some sweetness here, but nicely balanced by lime. If you are in the mood for a balanced, fruity cocktail, this gets a 5!

New recipe, November 27, 2012

Prosciutto Wrapped Shrimp with Arugula Salad from the December 2012 Eating Well. The shrimp was a bit salty at baseline, so it was a bit much with the prosciutto. We give it a 3. Served with bulgur wheat with grated Parmesan.

No wine, as Mark had an evening event.

New recipe, November 26, 2012

Seated Steak with Pan Roasted Grape and Port Sauce, from the December 2012 Eating Well. Yum! This gets a 5.
Served with buckwheat noodles and kale.

Wine: Eos Estate 2006 French Connection

New recipe, November 25, 2012

We had delicious leftover Roast Beef Tenderloin with Horseradish Cream (still a 5). The new recipe is the Crispy Root Vegetable Latkes with Beet Purée from the December 2012 Cooking Light. Another lovely dish, gets a 4. Served with a green salad with pomegranate.

Wine: Barnard Griffin Cabernet Sauvignon 2008

New recipe, November 24, 2012

Thanksgiving leftovers, with Fried Cauliflower with Tahini and Pomegranate, from the December 2012 Cooking Light. Delicious! We give this a 4.

Wine: Paco & Lola Albariño Rías Baixas 2010. Nice match!

New recipe, November 23, 2012

Braised Endive, from the December 2012 Eating Well (it's on the lower left in this photo), with Thanksgiving leftovers. Yum! The endive is very nice--it gets a 4. We would add a bit more garlic and thyme, and a touch more salt (we used an unsalted chicken stock).

Wine: Gruet Blanc de Noirs

Thanksgiving Dinner, with new recipes, November 22, 2012

We had quite a spread, with all of Mark's family.  This is the whole spread.

We did, of course, contribute a couple new things.

For a snack, we made the Grilled Vegetable Antipasto from the December 2012 Eating Well.  This is awesome--it get a 5!

Also from Eating Well is this Savory Corn Pudding.  It is also very tasty, and pretty healthy to boot--it gets a 4.

We also made the turkey.  In the foreground is Sage Rubbed Roast Turkey with Lemon Bay Gravy, from Eating Well.  In the background is a more traditional turkey without any special seasoning. This recipe takes a different approach to roasting turkey than we've used before--we did not stuff the turkey, and roasted it at a high temperature (425 degrees).  As a result, it cooked in less than 2 hours (!!), and the breast remained very moist.  One of the best turkeys we've had--we give it a 4.

Wine: Les Jamelles Pinot Noir 2011
and for dessert, Dad shared a 1985 Ramos Pinto Vintage Port--what a treat!

New recipe, November 21, 2012

Today's new recipe is Chef Jose Garces' Red Sangria, from National Public Radio. This has a spiced simple syrup, which gives it a special zip. It is a delicious holiday drink--we give it a 5.

New recipe, November 20, 2012

Seared Duck Breast with Pomegranate Sauce. The problem within buying an unusual protein for dinner is that you have to scramble to find a recipe, and today we made it up. We used boneless and skinless duck breast. Salt and pepper, and sauté in 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter--for 3/8 inch thick, 2-2 1/2 minutes a side. Remove and rest under a foil tent. Sauté 1/2 cup minced onion for about 1 min in the remaining pan drippings, add 1/2 cup chicken stock, 1/4 cup Marsala, and 2 tsp honey, and 1/2 cup pomegranate avrils. Cook til it reduces to a glaze. Remove from heat, stir in 1/2 tbsp butter. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve slices of breast with the sauce. We gave this a 4!
Served with some buckwheat noodles and a green salad.

Wine: LAN Rioja Crianza 2006

New recipes, November 19, 2012

Carl created 2 new recipes tonight--a pork posole, and a Mexican style slaw. Both were delicious--they get a 4! A great birthday present for me!

No wine--we enjoyed a Descutes Jubelale.

New recipes, November 18, 2012

From the December 2012 Bon Appétit: Roast Beef Tenderloin with Horseradish Cream, and Nutmeg and Black Pepper Popovers. Served with Creamy Turnip Soup from the December 2012 Eating Well. We used nonfat greek yogurt instead of creme fraiche for the Horseradish Cream--still excellent. The beef and the soup get 5s!! And the popovers get a 4. Great meal!

Wine: Copperidge Merlot

New recipe, November 17, 2012

Tonight we made an old favorite, seared Lamb Chops with Pomegranate and Dried Fig Relish from Epicurious. Even without the figs, this still gets a 5. Served with bulgur wheat, and the new recipe, Grape and Fennel Salad from the December 2012 Eating Well. This is also excellent--it gets a 5!

New recipe, November 16, 2012

Chili Lime Veggie Noodles from the December 2012 Eating Well Magazine.

Nice flavors, we give this a 4.

No wine, as we were traveling.

New recipe, November 15, 2012

The new recipe is Seared Steak with Mustard Mushroom Sauce from the December 2012 Eating Well Magazine, which is delicious. Served with steamed butternut squash and a green salad. Simple yet elegant meal--we give it a 5!

Wine: Damilano Barolo 2004

New recipe, November 14, 2012

Today's new recipe, from Top Chef Masters winner Chris Cosentino, is in the December 2012 Food and Wine: Halibut with Braised Romaine and Cumin Brown Butter. There is a reason Chris won! We give this a 5--delicious and not at all difficult!

Wine: Guy Drew 2010 Russell Vineyard Riesling

New recipe, November 13, 2012

Mark had a dinner meeting tonight, so we had a cocktail as the new recipe--the Cactus Bite, from Cowboy Cocktails by Grady Spears and Brigit Binns. Nice variation on a margarita--we give it a 3.

New recipe, November 12, 2012

Tonight we had Honey Glazed Shrimps from the Classical Cookbook by Andrew Dalby and Sally Grainger. As written, this is pretty salty--we would cut back on the fish sauce next time, but otherwise the flavors are nice--it gets a 3 as is. Served with rice and steamed butternut squash.  Fun to get to try these reconstructions of Roman and Greek recipes!

Wine: Droin Chablis 2010

New recipes, November 11, 2012

We went to see "A Day in Pompeii" today at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science with Dwight Davidson. It is a great exhibit! So naturally we left with . . .the cookbook! The Classical Cookbook by Andrew Dalby and Susan Grainger, to be specific. The new recipe today came from that book, Toronaean Shark or Tuna (we used tuna). A wonderful tuna with a rub of cumin, parsley, mint and oregano. We gave it a 4. The accompanying salad with a dressing of olive oil, red wine vinegar and fish sauce gets a 3.

Wine: Ribbonwood Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2010. While not apparently typical of Roman wine (which was sweet), it was a good match!

New recipe, November 10, 2012

The new recipe is Jerk Spiced Brussels Sprouts Cauliflower and Chickpeas, from the December 2012 Food and Wine, we give this a 4! Served with jerk chicken, both were quite tasty!

We had this with a Leffe Blond Belgian Ale.

New recipe, November 9, 2012

The Pompier Cocktail from the The Joy of Mixology by Gary Regan. Vermouth flavored with gin and Creme de Cassis. Interesting, not our favorite--gets a 3

New recipe, November 8, 2012

The Blackthorn Cocktail from Gary Regan's The Joy of Mixology. This recipe left the proportion of absinthe to the mixer--we suggest using less than 1/4 ounce, which is what we used. As made, the absinthe is a bit too dominant--it gets a 3.

New recipe, November 7, 2012

30 Minute Filet Bourguignonne with Mashed Potatoes, from the November 2012 Cooking Light. We did pasta instead of the potatoes. This is not as deep as a traditional Beef Bourguignonne, but the flavors are excellent. We give it a 4, and it should get your attention because it is so quick! Served with steamed butternut squash with thyme.

Wine: Beaune 1er Cru Clos de Vignes Franches Nicolas Potel 2006

New recipe, November 6, 2012

Roasted Cauliflower Fettucine from the September 2012 Cooking Light. Nice flavors--we give this a 4

Wine: Crane Lake Pinot Grigio 2009--this bottle was a bit corked, sadly.

New recipes, November 5, 2012

Two from the February 2012 Food and Wine: Cracked Emmer and Carrot Porridge, and Braised Carrots with Lamb. Both are delicious, and we give them a 4. They are quite rich, so it is hard to imagine eating them again tomorrow, but otherwise they could be 5s!

Wine: Fattoria Rodáno Poggialupi Toscana 2007--a nice match!

New recipe, November 4, 2012

From the September 2012 Cooking Light: Asian Marinated Chicken with Corn and Basil Faux Fried Rice. We give this a 4--there is some lime zest and juice added at the end--I am thinking this would have been a great addition to the marinade. Served with an arugula salad.

Wine: Oak Grove Sauvignon Blanc 2010 Reserve