New recipe, December 31, 2014

We are a couple days into our 5th year of a new recipe a day! Today's is lunch--a Five Herb Frittata with Prosciutto and Parmesan  from the January 2015 Food and Wine. We used truffled pecorino--nice added touch! The recipe has good flavors, but 1/2 tsp salt is way too much--cut it in half! Because of the salt, we give it a 3. Would be least a 4 with less salt.

New recipe, December 30, 2014

Grilled Chicken Pitas with Sesame Drizzle from the January/February 2015 Cooking Light. We used arugula instead of lettuce, and naan instead of pita. Still tasty--it gets a 5.

No wine tonight.

New recipe, December 29, 2014

Roasted and Charred Broccoli with Peanuts from the January 2015 Bon Appetít. Served with naan. Simple but full of great flavor, we give this a 5

Wine: Oak Grove Sauvignon Blanc 2010 Reserve

New recipes, December 28, 2014

Roasted Citrus and Avocado Salad from the January 2015 Bon Appetít. Served with Lemony Roast Chicken (sorry I can't find a link) from the January 2015 Food and Wine. The salad recipe says you can use regular or Meyer lemon. We would definitely use a Meyer lemon--the regular lemon was quite tart. As we made it, we give it a 3. The chicken is tasty, thanks in no small part to the chicken fat. We give it a 4

Wine: Flowers Sonoma Coast Chardonnay 2010

New recipes, December 27, 2014

Both from the January 2015 Food and Wine: Brussels Sprouts with Sausage and Cumin, and Toasted Cauliflower and Grapes. Both excellent, both get a 5.
Wine: Villamedoro Montepulciano d'Abruzzo 2008

New recipe, December 26, 2014

Casa Santo Domingo cocktail from the January 2015 Food and Wine--very tasty! We give this a 4

New recipe, December 25, 2014

Sweet Potato and Caramelized Onion Hash with Baked Eggs from Epicurious.com. We give this a 3--a little sweet overall.

New recipe, December 24, 2014

Hearty Chicken Soup from the December 2014 Cooking Light. This is a delicious soup--we give it a 4.

New recipe, December 23, 2014

Our contribution to the Clark Family Christmas--Black Eyed Pea Bacon and Pickled Okra Bruschetta from the December 2014 Cooking Light. Southern, and tasty! We give these a 4.

New recipe, December 22, 2014

Weeknight Porchetta from the January 2015 Bon Appetít. Served with Cacio e Pepe style Braised Kale from the December 2014 Food and Wine. We give both a 5!

New recipe, December 21, 2014

Breakfast Amaranth with Walnuts and Honey from Epicurious.com. This is a filling, tasty breakfast! We give it a 4.

New recipe, December 20, 2014

Beets with Goat Cheese, Nigella Seeds and Pistachios from the January 2015 Bon Appetít. This is delicious--might use a little less goat cheese, as it was quite rich. It gets a 4. Served with leftover Smoky Cabbage Soup.

New recipe, December 19, 2014

Pork Chops with Carrots and Toasted Buckwheat from the January 2015 Bon Appetít. Very good flavors--we give it a 4.

Wine: Tablas Creek 2007 Esprit de Beaucastel

New recipe, December 18, 2014

Brothy Poached Chicken with Mushrooms and Fresh Chile, from the January 2015 Bon Appetít. This is simple and very tasty! And healthy! A definite 4.

Wine: Dry Creek Dry Chenin Blanc 2012

New recipe, December 17, 2014

Smoky Cabbage Soup from the December 2014 Cooking Light. This is quick, easy, and flavorful (I did add some smoked paprika to bring out the smokiness. We give it a 4

Wine: Banyan Monterey County Geeürztraminer 2013

New recipe, December 16, 2014

Golden Beet Soup with Toasted Grains, from the December 2014 Cooking Light. You have to enjoy the flavor of beets (which we do!). We give this a 4.

Served with pan seared sausage and naan.

Wine: Von der Leyen Riesling 2012

New recipe, December 15, 2014

The Honey Highball, from the Spring 44 Honey Vodka website. Nice flavors--we give it a 4.

New recipe, December 14, 2014

The new dish is the Salad with Pistachio Goat Cheese from Cooking Light. Very good--we give it a 4. Served with a reprise of the Lamb Stir Fry with Pomegranate and Yogurt from the March 2014 Bon Appetít. I only sautéed the lamb for 2 minutes, and it came out much better than the first time. Cooked this way, we give it a 5!

Wine: Black Diamond Russian River Pinot Noir 2009

New recipe, December 13, 2014

Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Sriracha BBQ Sauce, from the December 2014 Cooking Light. We loved this--it is spicy, so if you are not fond of spicy foods, dial back the Sriracha. It was perfect for us--we give it a 4. Served with a mixed green salad.

Wine: Mouton Noir Love Drunk Rosé 2013

New recipe, December 12, 2014

The Oliveto. This is a cocktail with olive oil (!) from the December 2014 Hemispheres, the United Airlines magazine. And it is pretty good! We give it a 4.

New recipe, December 11, 2014

Pork Cutlets with Butternut Squash Apple and Cranberry Sauté from the November 2014 Cooking Light. Nice flavor combination, and very easy! We give this a 4.

Wine: Chateau de Ségriès Cuvée Réservée Lirac 2010

New recipe, December 10, 2014

Blue Devil cocktail, from Mr. Boston Official Bartender's Guide. Very tart. We give it a 3

New recipe, December 9, 2014

The Divine 44, a Spring 44 Honey Vodka cocktail from their website. A four

New recipe, December 8, 2014

The Blarney Stone cocktail, from Mr. Boston's Official Bartender's Guide. Very nice--we give it a 4

New recipe, December 7, 2015

New recipe, December 6, 2014

Steamed Bacon Buns with Hoisin from an advertisement in the December 2014 Food and Wine. This captures the essential flavors of steamed pork buns, but much simpler--it uses packaged biscuits! We give this a 5!

New recipe, December 5, 2014

Lemon Parsley Pasta from the October 2014 Cooking Light. Simple and tasty, we give this a 4. Served with pan fried tilapia with dill.

Wine: Franclieu Récolte 2011 Macon Charnay

New recipe, December 4, 2014

The Continental Cocktail (sorry no link available), from the Mr. Boston Official Bartender's Guide. We give this a 3. A bit medicinal tasting.

New recipe, December 3, 2014

The Deep Sea Cocktail, from the Mr. Boston Official Bartenders Guide. A 3. With gin vermouth absinthe and a dash of orange bitters, it sounded more interesting than it really was.

New recipe, December 2, 2014

Kale and Almond Brussels Sprout Salad from the October 2014 Cooking Light. Very good-it gets a 4! Served with leftover Lamb and Apricot Tagine with Almond Couscous.

Wine: La Cartuja Priorat 2007--fabulous wine!

New recipe, December 1, 2014

Lentil and Smoky Eggplant Stew from the December 2014 Food and Wine. Be sure to add all the toppings! We give this a hearty 4.

Wine: Black Diamond Russian River Valley Pinot Noir 2009. An excellent wine and an excellent match.

New recipe, November 30, 2014

Lamb and Apricot Tagine with Almond Couscous from the December 2014 Food and Wine. Delicious - we give it a 4.

Wine: Louis Jadot Beaujolais Villages 2011

New recipes, November 29, 2014

Chicken with Citrus Sauce, and Coriander Carrots, both from the December 2014 Cooking Light. We liked them both but we do think they benefit from a little more salt. They get 4s.

Wine: Fire Road Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2012

New recipe, November 28, 2014

We did a riff on Roasted Turkey with Avocado Bacon Balsamic Onion Marmalade and Mayonnaise, from Tastebook.com. We used leftover turkey from Thanksgiving, and crescent rolls instead of ciabatta. Nice combination of flavors - we give it a 3 - I was a bit heavy handed with the bacon. Served with a green salad.

Wine: E Guigal Côtes du Rhône 2010

New recipe, November 27, 2014

Our contribution to Thanksgiving, Spatchcocked Turkey with Anise and Orange from the November 2014 Bon Appetit. Spatchcocking is removing the spine and then flattening the bird. It cooks much faster and more evenly (90 minutes for a 17 pounder!). We liked this - it gets a 5 - flavorful and moist.

Served with all the other goodies: mashed potato, green bean casserole, dressing, sweet potato casserole, cranberry salsa, rolls, and pumpkin and pecan pies.

Wine: E Guigal Côtes du Rhône 2010

New recipe, November 26, 2014

Cranberry Rum Punch, from the November 2014 Bon Appetit. This was a nice cocktail, and easy to make for our pre-Thanksgiving family gathering. We give it a 4.

New recipe, November 25, 2014

Sautéed Chanterelles from by times.com. Great flavors, it gets a 4.
Served with leftover Northwoods Roasted Chicken and Dilly Beans.

Wine: Huia Marlborough Dry Riesling 2010

New recipe, November 24, 2014

Barley and Butternut Risotto, from the October 2014 Cooking Light. This is tasty. The sage is a nice touch--we give it a 3.

Served with a spinach and pomegranate salad.

Wine: Francis Coppola Emerald Label Pinot Grigio 2010--an ok match

New recipe, November 23, 2014

Red Cooked Chicken with Potatoes and Eggs from the December 2014 Food and Wine. Delicious! Carl likes the traditional pieces of chicken. Mark thinks this would also be excellent with boneless chicken pieces and more potatoes and carrots. The broth is great. We give this a 4.

Wine: Black Diamond Russian River Valley Pinot Noir 2009

New recipe, November 22, 2014

Kale with Pomegranate Dressing and Ricotta Salata from the November 2014 Bon Appetit. We used feta, as ricotta salata is hard to find. This was our contribution to dinner at the Nobles (you can see Scott's excellent posole too). We give it a 4.

New recipe, November 21, 2014

Northwoods Roasted Chicken with Dilly Beans. This came to Mark from Epic with a selection of Penzeys spices. It was very tasty--we give it a 4.

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:
1 roasting chicken, 4-5 lb
6T Penzey's Northwoods Blend Seasoning
4T extra virgin olive oil
1 lb green beans, stemmed
2 quarts water, salted
2 T salted butter, softened
2 T chopped fresh dill
fresh ground pepper for the beans

Method:
1) the day before cooking, mix the olive oil with the Northwoods Seasoning Blend.  Coat the chicken with this mixture.  Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, cover with plastic wrap, and return to the fridge.

2) Pre-heat the oven to 350 F.  When heated, place the chicken on a roasting rack in a roasting pan in the center of the oven.  Roast for abut 1 hour 45 mins, or until a meat thermometer placed in the thigh reads 170 F.  Remove from oven and allow the chicken to rest for 30 mins.

3) While the chicken rests, mix butter and dill together, set aside.  Bring water to a boil in a large sauce pan over high heat,  Once boiling, place beans in the water and add salt.  Blanch about 5 minutes.  Drain in a colander, place in serving bowl, and toss with dill butter.

4) Carve chicken in quarters and cut the thigh from the leg.  Place on serving platter and serve with the dilly beans.

Wine: Tabali Pinot Noir 2011 (thanks Mary!). A solid match

New recipe, November 20, 2014

Chickpea Rosemary Crepes with Pepper Relish from the October 2014 Cooking Light. Vegetarian, easy, with sophisticated flavors--we give this s 4.

Served with a spinach salad.

Wine: Wild Thing 2013 Rendezvous Rosé

New recipe, November 19, 2014

This slow cooker Chili con Carne from the December 2014 Cooking Light is a delight--we give it a 4.

Served with a spinach salad with a pomegranate vinaigrette.

Wine: Espiritu de Chile Carmenere 2007--an excellent match, and in great shape.

New recipe, November 17, 2014

Spicy Lamb Patties With Nutty Garlic Sauce from the November 2014 Bon Appetít. This has an excellent combination of flavors that work together beautifully. We give this a 5 (and it is quick and easy!).

Wine: Black Diamond Russian River Valley Pinot Noir 2009

New recipe, November 16, 2014

Celery Fennel and Apple Salad with Pecorino and Walnuts, from the December 2014 Food and Wine. We enjoyed this--we give it a 4.

Served with pan seared sirloin and sautéed chanterelles.

Wine: Amethyst Cabernet Sauvignon 2003

New recipe, November 15, 2014

The Adonis Cocktail, from the The Proof.  This is a sherry based cocktail. It was ok, we give it a 3.

New recipe, November 14, 2014

Today's new recipe is breakfast, Mexican Frittata from Food Network. We added a couple chopped chipotles and some chanterelles. It is very tasty--we give it a 4.

New recipes, November 13, 2014

From the December 2014 Food and Wine, The first new recipe is Blood Orange-Pine Nut Agrodolce, served over seared scallops. It is interesting, but we think the orange overwhelmed the other flavors. We give it a 3.

The second new recipe is Hasselbach Sweet Potatoes, from Cooking Light. The chipotle crema was a great add-we give this a 4.

New recipes, November 13, 2014

Merguez Spiced Colorado Lamb, and Grapefruit and Escarole Salad, both from the December 2014 Food and Wine. Both are delicious--we give the lamb a 5. The salad is great--toasted fennel seed and rosemary add so much to the dressing. We would use a bit less of the dressing. It also gets a 5.

Wine: Este de Bodegas Alto Almanzora 2007

New recipe, November 11, 2014

Beef and Farro Soup from the December 2014 Food and Wine. This is fabulous--we give it a 5!

Wine: Matteo Correggia Roero 2006--a marvelous wine.