New recipe, August 31, 2015

Sweet Corn Salad with Pancetta and Mushrooms from the September 2015 Food and Wine. Delicious! Great flavors and a hearty salad. A meal by itself. We give this a 5!

Wine: Oak Grove Petite Syrah 2009 Reserve

New recipes, August 30, 2015

Sesame Steak Stir Fry from the September 2015 Food and Wine, and Sauteed Okra with Cashews from the April 2010 Food and Wine. Both were pleasant, we give them 3s.

Wine: Terredora Dipaolo Rosaenocae Rosato 2013

New recipe, August 29, 2015

Watermelon Feta and Almond Salad, from the September 2015 Food and Wine. Our contribution to the annual Ribs and Ritas event. Very tasty, though very simple. We give it a 4.

New recipe, August 28, 2015

Braised Eggplant with Garlic, from the September 2015 Food and Wine. This was really excellent--we give it a 4. Served with a pair of sausages, some corn, and another riff on the grilled peach salad.

Wine: Domaine Sainte-Eugénie Le Clos Millésine 2008

New recipe, August 27, 2015

Feta Quinoa Omelet from the September 2015 Food and Wine. This is pleasant, it gets a 3. Served with a riff on the Grilled Peach Salad from the August 5, 2015 Denver Post. This time I used the peaches without grilling. I used a mix of white cheddar and Queso Campesino, and I used pecans instead of hazelnuts. And I added smoked sweet paprika to the dressing which really took it up a notch. Made this way, we give it a 4.

Wine: Garage d'Or Love Drunk Oregon Rosé 2013

New recipe, August 26, 2015

Quinoa Pork Meatballs from the September 2015 Food and Wine. Honestly could not find ground pork, so it is turkey. The mix did not hold together well--would consider dropping to one egg. The nutmeg is a stellar addition. Overall it gets a 4.

Wine: Casaleiro Reseva Vinho Reguonsl Tejo 2012

New recipe, August 25, 2015

We both had events tonight, so the new cocktail is Bobbo's Bride Straight Up, from Gary Regan's The Joy of Mixology. This hands nice balance of fruit, sweet and bitter, with spicy notes from the gin. We give it a 4.

New recipe, August 24, 2015

Mushroom Tortilla from the September 2015 Food and Wine. Delicious and simple--we give it a 4. Served with a cucumber red pepper salad.

Wine: Italo Pietrantonj Cerasuolo D'Abruzzo 2012

New recipe, August 23, 2015

Loaded Sweet Potato with Chorizo and Pomegranate from the September 2015 Food and Wine. This is a fun and tasty flavor combination. We give it a 5!

Wine: Jeff Carrel Les Darons Languedoc 2013

New recipe, August 22, 2015

Seared Salmon with Anise Cucumber Salad from the September 2015 Food and Wine. Mark prefers tuna, and we had it, so we used tuna. The flavorful in the salad are amazing--we give this dinner a 5.

Wine: Terredora Dipaolo RosaeNocae Irpinia Rosato 2013

New recipe, August 21, 2015

Greek Summer Vegetable Casserole from the August 19, 2015 Denver Post. This is a simple recipe that packs a lot of delicious flavor--we give it a 4!

Wine: Yalumba Sangiovese Rosé 2013

New recipe, August 20, 2015

We attended at retirement celebration for George DelGrosso of the Colorado Behavioral Healthcare Council, so the new recipe is a cocktail--the Blackthorne from Gary Regan's The Joy of Mixology. This is a very nice complex drink--it gets a 5.

New recipe, August 19, 2015

Mozzarella Basil and Zucchini Frittata from the July/August 2014 Eating Well. This is very simple and remarkably tasty. We give it a 5!
Served with a grape tomato and pea shoot salad.

Wine: Victor Hugo Les Mis 2013 Paso Robles Estate Bottled Rosé

New recipe, August 18, 2015

Shrimp and Broccoli Rotini from the September 2015 Cooking Light. Pleasant, simple, we give this a 3.

Wine: Skyline Artisan White 2013

New recipe, August 17, 2015

The new recipe is Sweet and Spicy Carrot Soup from the September 2015 Cooking Light--very nice, it gets a 4! Served with 2 repeats: Grilled Okra and Hot Peppers from the July/August 2015 Eating Well, and Beef Tenderloin Steaks with Chipotle Butter from the September 2015 Cooking Light--both still get a 5!

Wine: Chateau de Montfaucon Baron Louis Lirac 2011

New recipe, August 16, 2015

Beef Tenderloin Steaks with Chipotle Butter and Bell Pepper Sauté. And Cilantro Cumin Quinoa, all from the September 2015 Cooking Light. The meat is fantastic--there is only a little of the chipotle butter, but it is extraordinary. It gets a 5. The pepper sauté is nice, we give them a 3. The quinoa also gets a 3.

Wine: Arenal Carmenere 2010

New recipe, August 15, 2015

Vietnamese Chicken Salad, from Epicurious. This was originally in the August 2008 Gourmet--Gourmet is gone, but it lives on in Epicurious. Plus we get the benefit of reviews and suggestions on Epicurious.

This was spectacular, and we give it a 5. BUT, we took some suggestions from the reviewers and did not make it quite as described.

1) after marinating the chicken, do not boil it. We grilled it and it was fabulous.

2) when the recipe calls for cabbage, we chose Napa Cabbage--better choice for this.

3) don't boil the vegetables. This is a salad, and they are better raw,

4) the dressing is great! The tablespoon of chopped Thai peppers is pretty spicy--if you don't like things pretty hot, cut back!

5) with those caveats, make this! It is worth your time!

Wine: Von der Leyen Riesling 2012

New recipe, August 14, 2015

We celebrated the 50th birthday of Mark's sister Mary yesterday, so the new recipe after the festivities is a new cocktail, the Sbagliato Spritzer from the September 2015 Cooking Light. This is light and refreshing. We give it a 4

New recipe, August 13, 2015

Brown Rice Bowl with Miso Poached Egg and Kale Radish Slaw from the September 2015 Cooking Light. This is really tasty--we give it a 4.

Wine: Victor Hugo Les Mis 2013 Paso Robles Estate Bottled Rosé

New recipe, August 12, 2015

Orange and Fennel Couscous from the September 2015 Cooking Light. Pleasant, we give it a 3.

New recipe, August 11, 2015

Plum Fennel Salad with Honey Ginger Dressing from the August 2015 Bon Appetít. This is a nice salad--it gets a 4.

New recipe, August 10, 2015

A Mai Tai from the August 2015 Food and Wine. Tasty--it gets a 4!

New recipe, August 9, 2015

Farmers Market Frittata, from the Denver Post August 5, 2015. Very nice, it gets a 4. Served with fresh plums.

Wine: Whispering Angel Rosé 2013

New recipe, August 8, 2015

Golden Beet Green Beans and Fennel Salad with Scallops, from the July/August 2015 Eating Well. A really excellent blend of flavors, that works beautifully together, nothing dominating. We give this a 5!

Wine: we had the St Germain cocktail.

New recipe, August 7, 2015

As we attended the Art in the Park show in Loveland, the new recipe today is a cocktail--the Irish Martini from About.com. It adds some Irish Whiskey to a martini. It is pleasant--we give it a 3

New recipe, August 6, 2015

Grilled Peach Salad from the August 5, 2015 Denver Post. This is nice, thinking it could use a little more salt or spice in the dressing--we give it a 3

No wine, enjoyed an Erdinger Dunkekweizen

New recipe, August 5, 2015

Rice Salad with Peaches Black Beans and Coriander, from the August 5, 2015 Denver Post. Anything with Palisade peaches is great. We give this a 4

Served with grilled jerk chicken thighs

Wine: Casa do Valle Vinho Vetde 2010--a bit long in the tooth!

New recipe, August 4, 2015

Honey Turmeric Pork with Beet and Carrot Salad from the July 2015 Bon Appetít. The pork is delicious and the salad is quite nice (use a mandoline). We give this a 4.

Wine: Von der Leyen Riesling 2012

New recipes, August 3, 2015

Two from the July/August 2015 Eating Well: Green Salad with Peaches Feta and Mint--our peaches weren't perfect yet, but the mangos were--it gets a 5. Served with Tofu Ratatouille Kebabs--nice flavors, it gets a 4.

No wine: enjoyed an Erdinger Weissbier.

New recipe, August 2, 2015

Cherry and Goat Cheese Popsicles from the July 15, 2015 Denver Post.

These get a 3--the cherry seemed a bit subdued.

New recipes, August 1, 2015

Happy Colorado Day! We did another meal for the family reunion, with assistance from nieces and nephews.

New dishes:

Grilled Halloumi Cheese with Blueberry Balsamic Jam from the July/August 2015 Eating Well. Tasty! This gets a 5.

Also from Eating Well, Spicy Tomatillo Quinoa. This gets a 4.

From the July 2015 Bon Appetít, Bitter Greens with Sautéed Corn and Shallots. You can never go wrong with bacon dressing. This gets a 4.

Finally, a repeat from the same Eating Well, Juniper Marinated Flank Steak. This remains very good, and gets a 4.