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

New recipe, November 3, 2012

Shrimp and White Bean Cakes with Roasted Garlic Sauce, from the September 2012 Cooking Light. We give this a 4. We used gulf shrimp, which seemed to have a lot of iodine--with a different shrimp, this could have been a 5. Served with an arugula salad.

Wine: Père Sauvignon Vie di Roman 2007

New recipe, November 2, 2012

Balsamic and Shallot Chicken Breasts from the June 2012 Cooking Light. This was a nice dish--we give it a 3. Served with roasted corn and garden tomatoes.

New recipe, November 1, 2012

We attended the National Samaritan Award Dinner, so the new recipe is the Stiletto Cocktail from Gary Regan's The Joy of Mixology. Nice flavors--we give it a 3.