New recipe, February 28, 2013

March is upon us! If your name is Julius Caesar, it is time to get nervous! Today's new recipe is Cherry Topped Coffee Rubbed Pork Tenderloin from the Denver Post. We ended up making a quick cherry sauce instead of using jam, and we skipped the bread. The pork is fabulous! We give it a 4!
Served with a mixed salad with blood orange vinaigrette that we made off the cuff.

Wine: Kosta Browne 2009 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir

New recipe, February 27, 2013

We went to the annual meeting for the Mental Health Center of Denver, which was as inspiring as ever. Do the new recipe was the Prado 86 cocktail from the Denver Post. Interesting flavors, we give it a 3.

New recipe, February 26, 2013

We had dinner with Mark's mom and Aunt Rita, so the new recipe is the Spiced Tippler cocktail (minus serving under nitrogen gas) from the Denver Post. We like it-it gets a 4.

New recipe, February 25, 2013

Pork Tenderloin Braised with Elderflower and Fennel, from the January 2011 Food and Wine. Delicious flavors --we give this a 5. Try this!

Wine: La Truffière Côtes du Rhône 2005

New recipes, February 24, 2013

Quick and Light Chicken Curry from the Denver Post. This is tasty as made--we'd like to try it with Thai curry paste instead of curry powder. We give it a 4. Carl came up with a salad with a dressing that included rice wine vinegar, sugar, powdered ginger and mango powder, and Viandox (Maggi is a reasonable substitute). It was a wonderful surprise- we give it a 5!

Wine: Casa do Valle Vinho Verde 2010

New recipe, February 23, 2013

Shrimp and Grits from the March 2013 Cooking Light. Delicious! We give this a 4. Served with some leftover Chinese Long Beans with Cracked Black Pepper from the March 2013 Food and Wine. Still had trouble getting these to be tender, but they do taste good!

Wine: Chateau Peyruchet Sauvignon Bordeaux 2007

New recipe, February 22, 2013

Beets with Couscous Mint and Almond from the March 2013 Cooking Light. Very nice, it gets a 4. Served with an old favorite, Dukkah Crusted Lamb Chops with Pomegranate Molasses from Epicurious. This is a 5.

Wine: Cru Vin Dogs Portrait Series Cabernet Sauvignon 2006

New recipe, February 21, 2012

The new one is Chinese Long Beans with Cracked Black Pepper from the March 2013 Food and Wine. Very tasty, a great combination with the beans. sweetness from the pepper and onion, saltiness and umami from the soy, and zing from the pepper. Yum! Don't underestimate how long it takes the beans to become tender, though! It gets a 4. Served with more pan fried jerk chicken thighs.

No wine, but enjoyed a Lips of Faith Brewers Vivant from New Belgium Brewery.

New recipe, February 20, 2013

The new recipe is Beets with Toasted Spices from the March 2013 Cooking Light--another winner, it gets a 5. Served with pan fried jerk chicken thighs.

No wine, but enjoyed a Duvel Rustica, which is Ommegang Brewery's (excellent) homage to Duvel, a fabulous Belgian strong golden ale.

New recipe, February 19, 2013

From the March 2013 Cooking Light, a delicious and fast vegetarian stew: Black Bean Hominy and Kale Stew. We give this a 4.

No wine, instead we had the Lips of Fairh Cascara Quad (that's a beer) from New Belgium Brewing

New recipe, February 18, 2013

Slow Simmered Fava Bean Soup with Mint and Pasilla Chile, from Rick Bayless' Mexican Kitchen. This is rich and tasty--we give it a 4. We didn't have chicken broth handy--I suspect it would be even better with the beans cooked in broth rather than water.

Wine: Bleasdale The Broadside Langhorne Creek 2008

New recipes, February 17, 2013

Sauteed Pork with Onion Marmalade from the March 2013 Food and Wine, which we give a 4--very nice flavors. Accompanied by Beet and Blood Orange Salad from the March 2013 Cooking Light. This not only has fabulous flavors, it is quite easy to make. It gets a resounding 5!

Wine: Tomaresca 2005 Negroamaro Cabernet

New recipes, February 16, 2013

From the March 2013 Cooking Light: Hoisin Flounder (we used Dover Sole, no flounder to be found) and Thai Butternut Soup. We give the soup a 4, and the fish gets a 5--delicious!

Wine: Guy Drew 2010 Russell Vineyard Riesling

New recipe, February 15, 2013

Beef Stew in Red Wine from the March 2013 Food and Wine. Don't let the simple name fool you--this is elegant. We give it a 4!

Wine: Barnard Griffin Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2008

New recipe, February 14, 2013

Two days ago we saw Gounod's "Romeo and Juliet" at Opera Colorado. Tonight we saw Shakespeare's version by the Denver Center Theater Company, which was excellent (they still die!). So the new recipe is The French Connection (no recipe online) from Gary Regan's The Joy of Mixology. Nice, we give it a 3.

New recipes, February 13, 2013

Both from the March 2013 Food and Wine: Tuna Ceviche with Avocado and Cilantro, and Japanese Cucumber Salad with Sesame Dressing. The cucumber salad is delicious and gets a 4. The ceviche only gets a 3--as written, the lime was far too dominant. Unfortunately, the tuna was not up to the usual high standard of the place I bought it, and that detracted even more. Ah well!

Wine: Antis Torrontés 2010

New recipe, February 12, 2012

We went to the opera (Gounod's "Romeo and Juliet") this evening, so the new recipe is The Debonair, from Gary Regan's The Joy of Mixology. Nice flavors, it gets s 4!

New recipe, February 11, 2013

We had leftover Beef with Wild Mushrooms from the February 2013 Bon Appétit. It still gets a 5!
Served with Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Toasted Pecan and Avocado from the March 2013 Food and Wine--we give this a 4!

Wine: La Truffière 2005 Côtes du Rhône

New recipe, February 10, 2013

We could not resist repeating the fabulous Beef with Wild Mushrooms from the February 2013 Bon Appétit. It still gets a 5!
We paired it with Pomegranate Molasses Glazed Carrots from the December 2012 Bon Appétit, which we give a 3.

Wine: Damilano Lecinquevigne Barolo 2004

New recipe, February 9, 2013

Buffalo Chicken Salad from the February 2013 Eating Well. This is a remarkably successful stab at taking the wonderful flavors of buffalo wings and making a healthy dish. The chicken is superb! We give this a 4.

Wine: Paco & Lola Albariño Rías Baixas 2010

New recipes, February 8, 2013

Spice Rubbed Grilled Chicken from the September 2012 Cooking Light (the recipe is by an 11 year old!). Served with Baked Butternut Squash (no recipe online) from The Good Cook: Vegetables Cookbook. The recipe is nice, but our squash was not--as made, it gets a 2, but it seems like a 3 or 4 with good squash. We give the chicken a 4.

Wine: Vin de Tabula Rasa 2009

New recipe, February 7, 2013

Pork Chops with Charred Vegetable Purée from the October 2012 Food and Wine. This has incredible flavors, with a perfectly baked moist chop. We give it a 5! Served with a green salad,

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

New recipe, February 6, 2013

Jerk Spiced Brussels Sprouts Cauliflower and Chickpeas, from the December 2012 Food and Wine--these are fabulous! We give this a 5.
Served with flank steak with Berbere rub.

Wine: Puerta Bonita G5 Garnacha 2008

New recipe, February 5, 2013

Rocco DiSpirito's Chicken Piccata from Eat This Now: Italian. Flavorful and much lower fat than traditional, we give it a 3. Served with Brussels Sprout Slaw with Hazelnut and Pomegranate from the February 2013 Food and Wine, which still gets a 5.

No wine, as we are headed to the theater.

New recipe, February 4, 2013

We did a repeat of the wonderful Beef with Wild Mushrooms from the February Bon Appétit (still a 5), served with the Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette from the November 2012 Cooking Light, which we give a 4.

Wine: Brézème Côtes du Rhône 2007

New recipes, February 3, 2013

From the February 2013 Bon Appétit, Lettuce Hearts with Shaved Hazelnuts, and Beef with Wild Mushrooms. We give the salad a 4, and the beef a 5!! Don't let the simple name fool you--the beef is spectacular! The secret is in the reduction of the sauce. And you can always find a use for the onions that contribute so much flavor but don't make it into the final product--we had them in scrambled eggs this morning!

Wine: Chateau Lirac 2007--a wonderful match!

New recipes, February 2, 2013

Walnut and Rosemary Oven Fried Chicken, with Toasted Garlic Escarole, from the November 2012 Cooking Light. Both are delicious, and they get a 4.

Wine: Van Ruiten 2009 Chardonnay, Lodi Appelation

New recipe, February 1, 2013

Today's recipe is Peppercorn Crusted Beef Tenderloin with Gremolata from the December 2012 Cooking Light. We loved this--it gets a 5. Served with roasted golden beets.

Wine: Cannubi Barolo Riserva 2004