New recipes, July 31, 2011

Today we cooked dinner with Mark's nieces and nephews. The appetizer was Rocky Ford Cantaloupe wrapped in Prosciutto, served with Gruet Brut sparkling wine. Then we had a Ratatouille from AllRecipes.com, and Julia Child's Steak Au Poivre (with less butter than she called for), served with Amethyst Cabernet Sauvignon 2003. Dessert was Crispy Belgian Waffles with Salted Caramel Coulis from Epicurious (pictured here), served with KWV Tawny Port.

The ratatouille gets a 3, the beef a 4, and the waffles with sauce get a 5.

New recipe, July 30, 2012

Another breakfast--we made Pecan Waffles with Sautéed Bananas and Cinnamon Honey, from Epicurious. The waffles are interesting--there is no flour, just finely ground pecans--but light and delicious. Nice with the sautéed bananas, but would be great as well with strawberries or raspberries. Overall we give these a 3, but might try the batter again with a different fruit.

New recipe, July 29, 2012

We aren't doing dinner, so we made Cardamom Sour Cream Waffles from Epicurious for breakfast. Served with Lingonberry preserves. We give this a 3.  Like other reviewers, we think it could have used more cardamom.

New recipes, July 28, 2012

Yes, that is a paper plate--at our family reunion we do run out of the real thing! Chipotle Pork from the April 2012 Cooking Light, with the Grilled Corn Poblano and Black Bean Salad from the July 2012 Cooking Light. And we did a reprise of the Pasta Salad with Melon Pancetta and Ricotta Salata from the August 2012 Bon Appétit. The pork gets a 4 (it really wants to be part of something like a sandwich or an enchilada), and the corn salad gets a 3--it needs more salt if you are going to use no added salt black beans. The pasta salad still gets a 5!  Dessert was strawberries and fresh Colorado peaches, with a little sugar added.

New recipe, July 27, 2012

At the Groshek family reunion, a different family handles each dinner.  So on the days we aren't making dinner, we decided to make breakfast to get a new recipe in.  Today's is Buttermilk Waffles with Cherry Almond Sauce from the March 2009 Bon Appétit. Very tasty--I am not sure we had realized how easy it is to make a waffle batter from scratch. We give these a 4.

New recipe, July 26, 2012

Tomato Feta Open Faced Sandwich from the August 2012 Bon Appétit. The tomato and oregano are from our garden, and the perfect tomato made this a 5!  This was lunch, so no wine.

New recipe, July 25, 2012

Vampire Steak from the July 2012 Cooking Light. Flavors are nice, the steak was not very tender. So it gets a 3. Served with some more garden tomatoes, and a salad with garden lettuce and a bell pepper.

Wine: Amethyst Cabernet Sauvignon 2003

New recipe, July 24, 2012

Pasta Salad with Melon Pancetta and Ricotta Salata from the August 2012 Bon Appétit. Great flavors--we used a perfect Rocky Ford Cantaloupe, which put it over the top to a 5! This is absolutely one of those dishes that shines with the best ingredients--don't skimp!

Wine: Chateau La Rame Bordeaux 2010

New recipe, July 23, 2012

We started with the Mango Pomegranate Guacamole. The new recipe is Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Herb Salsa from the August 2012 Food and Wine. Nice flavors, doesn't quite reach the outstanding. We give it a 3.

Wine: Small Gully 2006 The Formula Robert's Shiraz

New recipe, July 22, 2012

Mango Pomegranate Guacamole from Epicurious. Very tasty, the fruit works well with the salt and chili peppers in the sauce. We give it a 4.

New recipe, July 21, 2012

Guacamole Taquero: Taco Shop Guacamole from Epicurious. This has lots of tomatillo, so it had a very bright flavor. Nice with chips, would be even better as intended, on tacos. We give it a 3.

New recipe, July 20, 2012

Fresh and Dill-icious Quinoa from the July 2012 Cooking Light. Nice flavors, we give it a 3. Served with the Melon Blackberry Feta Salad.

Wine: Domaine de la Fouquette Cuvée Rosée D'Aurore 2011

New recipe, July 19, 2012

Today's new recipe is the Lemony Kale Salad from the July 2012 Cooking Light. Very tasty--we give it a 4. We used onion blossoms from the garden in lieu of green onion.
We had it with veal piccata on whole wheat spaghetti.
Wine: Chateau Doyac Haut-Medoc 2006

New recipe, July 18, 2012

Today we celebrated Dwight' s birthday with the always fabulous Thai Chicken Red Onion and Peanut Salad from Bruce Cost's Asian Ingredients. Still a 5!
Our new recipe is a Mai Tai from Epicurious. This is a great cocktail, and worked really well with the salad. We give it a 4.

New recipe, July 17, 2012

Steak Sandwiches with Pickled Onions and Herb Aioli from the August 2012 Cooking Light. No baguette? No problem! We used Roti Chapati instead. The flavors are great (the aioli is the key)--we give it a 5! Served with tomatoes and onions from the garden.

Wine: Bodegas La Cartuja Priorat 2007--an excellent match!

New recipes, July 16, 2012

Tonight's new dinner recipes come from the August 2012 Cooking Light: Chicken Tostadas and Avocado Salsa, and Chipotle Rice. A delicious meal, we give the rice a 3 and the tostadas a 4.

No wine this evening, enjoyed a Spaten Munich Dunkel instead.

New recipe, July 15, 2012

The Triple Bypass is now done, 126 miles and over 10,000 feet of climbing later! Had just enough energy left to make this--Kale with Grilled Sausages and White Beans, from the Denver Post.
Very nice, especially with the use of white wine and sun dried tomatoes to add some acid and extra depth--we give this a 4.
Wine: San Felice Vermentino 2009

New recipe, July 14, 2012

We are in Avon with Scott and Kate Noble and their girls. Tomorrow is the reverse Triple Bypass. Scott made excellent fajitas, and our contribution is this very simple but new Taqueria Guacamole Recipe from the June 2012 Bon Appétit. It gets a 3--very simple, nice flavors.

No wine, but had some Negra Modelo

New recipe, July 13, 2012

Herbed Shrimp and White Bean Salad, from the August 2012 Cooking Light. A nice recipe--we give it a 3.

Wine: Oak Grove California Sauvignon Blanc 2010 Reserve

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 recipe, July 11, 2012

From the April 2012 Cooking Light--Sesame Tuna with Edamame and Soba, served with sliced tomatoes from the garden and an avocado.

The tuna and noodles are quite nice--we give them a 4! Let me just say that I did not think I liked tomatoes when I was growing up. Clearly I never had a truly fresh tomato! Last year was pretty cool and wet and our tomatoes struggled and were late. The heat this year has been a terrible stress, especially with the fires, but my god the tomatoes are heavenly!

Wine: Brophy Clark Pinot Noir 2009

New recipes, July 10, 2012

Two from the August 2012 Food and Wine: Pork Larb Lettuce Wrap, and Five Spice Tofu with Barley and Kale. We give the Tofu a 3, and the Larb a 4 (the Thai dipping sauce is awesome!).

Wine: Droin Chablis 2010. A surprisingly nice match with both dishes!

New recipe, July 9, 2012

We had Scallops Alla Caprese from Mario Batali's Molto Italiano--always wonderful, still a 5! The new recipe is Quinoa and Grilled Pepper Salad from Epicurious. This was a nice recipe, but needs more lime, cumin and soy to really reach a good balance. We give this a 3, as written.

Wine: Van Ruiten Chardonnay

New recipe, July 8, 2012

We had the Blackberry Salad from the July 2012 Bon Appétit again. The new recipe is Fresh Corn Grits with Shrimp from the August 2012 Food and Wine. Another delicious dish, we give it a 4. We think a little added dimension from red peppers or hot paprika would make this a 5.

Wine: Cantele 2010 Negroamaro Rosato

New recipes, July 7, 2012

We had Roast Pork Tenderloin with Thyme Scented Plums and a Couscous Pilaf from the July 2012 Cooking Light. The salad was the Blackberry Salad from the July 2012 Bon Appétit. We give each of these a 4--delicious meal!

Dessert was Melon Carpaccio with Lime from the July 2012 Bon Appétit. Also a 4.

Wine: Francis Ford Coppola Merlot 2007

New recipe, July 6, 2012

Yesterday's dinner was so good, we had it again! So the Southeast Asian Ribeye Steaks with sautéed book choy and the Melon Berry and Feta Salad were not new. But we did make a Betsy Ross Cocktail from Gary Regan's The Joy of Mixology to be sure we did get something new. It is quite nice and we give it a 4.

New recipes, July 5, 2012

Two from the July 2012 Food and Wine: Southeast Asian Ribeye Steaks with sautéed bok choy (and our first tomatoes from the garden!). We give this a 4. The Melon Berry and Feta Salad is fantastic--helps to have perfect melons and blackberries. We give this a 5!

Wine: Brézème Côtes du Rhône 2008. Good with the steak, didn't work as well with the salad.

New recipe, July 4, 2012

Our contribution to the Nobles' barbecue: Salad with Cherries, Goat Cheese and Pistachios from the July 2012 Cooking Light.
We give it a 4

New recipe, July 3, 2012

A delicious Tangy Grilled Chicken Salad from the Denver Post. Really nice flavors--we give it a 4.

No wine this evening.

New recipe, July 2, 2012

We are getting a lot out of the July 2012 Bon Appétit! This one is the Grilled Vegetable and Rice Salad with Fish Sauce Vinaigrette. Yum!! Lots of different flavors here, and they combine beautifully. We give it a 4. Served with leftover Grilled Steak Salad with Tomato Vinaigrette from yesterday.

Wine: Villa Medoro Montepulciano d'Abruzzo 2008

New recipe, July 1, 2012

Grilled Steak Salad with Tomato Vinaigrette from the July 2012 Bon Appétit. Interesting technique of grating the tomato--it is quick and practical, and made a great dressing! This was excellent with a store bought tomato--can't wait for our Early Girls to finish ripening so we can try this with a truly great tomato.  We give this a 4.
Wine: Santa Margherita 2006 Chianti Classico