two new favs to speak of

one of the best things about summer for me is that for some reason i feel more free to try wines that are not so serious. true...i would scare off a few of my wine snob colleagues with what i drink on a hot summer day. but i have a theory; real wine lovers are adventurous and will try MOST wines at least once. i have two practically full plastic bottles of banko, wine from guyana, in my refrigerator as i type this. i tried it...once.

a far, far reach from guyana's attempt at wine, is another one of my box favorites. in one of my postings i talked about "black box", a california product, premium grapes, pretty fine chardonnay and riesling. i now dare you to try "killer juice" california chardonnay. this black box with a harley davidson-like logo in red, is a great buy for around $25 a box (contains 3 liter bottles of wine) is round, southern peachy, nice alcohol at 13.5 %. the box describes itself as creamy butterscotch, toasty oak. i can't say it any better. the 2005 is out now...give it a swirl.

next on my list is another rose wine for the summer or anytime, for that matter. miguel torres, chilean, santa digna, cabernet sauvignon rose, 2006. this wine was so economical, i bought 2 bottles on a whim having never tried it, a little over $6 a bottle. it is worth much more. this wine was so much fun, strawberry, fresh, crisp, french picnic, blanket on the lawn, towel on the beach. i can't stop talking about it. try it.

don't be afraid to tilt the glass.

what's for dinner? June 28th, 2007

Lemon Honey Tilapia fillets (3) - season with sea salt/pepper to taste. drizzle with olive oil, rub into fillets. coat very lightly with flour. heat a couple tbsp of olive oil in a saute pan on medium heat. place fillets in pan, you should hear a light sizzle. cook for 2 minutes or so, turn over, cook til done. please don't overcook fish, buy it fresh. if it is opaque, it is done. remove from heat. sprinkle with grated lemon zest. in warm pan squeeze juice of 1 lemon and 1 squeeze of honey from the honey bear. whisk until flavors combined. pour over fish and serve. options: snow peas, asparagus, fresh green beans.

a great day for a bike ride

ok, i don't bike ride really. but i do drink wine, and i finally gave in and tried a very commercial french wine called "red bicyclette". this really modern, kitschy label produces reds, whites, and rose wines. i tried the rose. it is exactly as they say it will be on the label, raspberry is strong, slight strawberry flavors, cherry. this wine is a summer fruit basket. i was pleasantly surprised that i loved it. my husband and i had it with spicy shrimp and a fresh summer salad.

i thought that "red bicyclette" was possibly just some plunk wine sold to get american novice drinkers to buy french wines the way we have fallen in love with such aussie productions as "yellowtail", which in my opinion deserves its popularity. but i was wrong, at least in the case of the rose. when i try the rest i will let you know, happily.

red bicyclette rose wine, 2006, france, approx. $9. take a ride when you can.

don't be afraid to tilt the glass.

vinum africa 2005 chenin blanc

if you've never heard of chenin blanc, you're missing something. like most wine grapes, it is grown in france, specifically france's loire valley. but america grows quite a bit of chenin blanc also. this wine grape is somewhat of a variety like riesling that tastes great dry, off-dry, semi-sweet and dessert style.

the one i enjoyed last night with dinner was a dry variety from a label called vinum south africa, 2005. i loved it because i found it refreshing, a bit mineral like and that sort of petroleum scent, which non-wine lovers don't understand at all, and some wine lovers don't get the appeal of. but there's something about that scent in some white wines that is appealing and savory.

the vinum south africa chenin blanc (sometimes called steen in south africa) was perfect with my delicious fatty salmon fillets and the buttery sauce on top. for $12 in pennsylvania, quite a find. and...it comes with the trusty stelvin closure, uhhh, that's screwcap for the old school.

don't be afraid to tilt the glass.

prosecco and what happened to me friday night

this past friday i went to make some purchases for a celebration bbq we were having. it had nothing to do with the impending holiday. anyway while i was picking up all the libations on my list, i saw a colorful new cognac based liqueur called xoteric. the bottle and liqueur had a purple haze sort of color and i am a girl...so i bought it. the back of the bottle gave serving suggestions of course. serve chilled over ice to display the amazing purple color, top off with prosecco, etc. my husband and i love prosecco. it's a wonderful, usually off-dry sparkling wine from Italy, basically italian "champagne". it's economical, easy on the palate and goes well with just about every type of food. so i also grabbed some prosecco.

later that evening my husband opened the purple liqueur and it was green, lime green. so...like a member of the underground, i'm not afraid. we pour it in the prosecco and take a sip. all along we are thinking that either i am crazy, which is always something to be considered or the makers of xoteric have a sense of humor. because this stuff definitely looked purple, has purple packaging and the recipes on the bottle all have the word "purple" in the name.

after a couple of glasses i decided to go the internet and look it up. after much searching i found out that xoteric is supposed to be purple and that the same company does make a lime colored liqueur, i think called "intrigue". i dug my receipt out of the trash and took it back to the store and the store manager and a couple clerks had a good laugh at the liquid inside my bottle. and apparently overnight in the refrigerator it seemed to turn even more green, if that was possible. anyway, all turned out well. i now have xoteric in the icebox, it's a gorgeous shade of purple, we cracked open a new bottle of prosecco last night and it was well worth it.

happy independence day to all and thanks to everyone keeping up with the underground.

don't be afraid to tilt the glass.

what's for dinner?

I hope you enjoy my new series called "What's for Dinner?" I have had so many friends and family ask me how I manage to create such special and creative meals at least five nights a week. Well, truthfully, I have an advantage, because for me, cooking is no chore, it's a privilege to be able to create something as basic and necessary as a meal, and feel good about it and make it precious. But still, even with that gift, it can sometimes get difficult to keep it exciting. So, like everything worthwhile, it does take effort. But I don't mind. So here you will find how I do it, basic recipes and suggestions to keep you going during those tedious moments during the week. And...done economically.

June 26th Tuesday's What's For Dinner?

Chicken and Sausage Spaghetti

Background: yesterday I made a chicken dish with italian dressing and tomato sauce, tomato soup, garlic, onions and bell peppers. I put whole pieces of chicken inside seasoned with sea salt, black pepper, and smoked paprika and a touch of cayenne pepper. I let it cook until done and the chicken was falling off the bone. I served it over yellow rice with green beans and fried ripe plantains for a spanish flair.
Tonight, I am taking the remainder of the sauce, which has been blessed by bits of chicken mixed in, adding cooked italian sausage and fresh basil, pouring it over some spaghetti noodles and viola...another happy husband.
Don't forget the wine. We are having leftover wine, a bit of riesling for my spicy sauce and some south african chardonnay, well, because it's here and it's fruity. Don't look to me for the obvious pairing. I was trained by the Aussies. Eat what you like and drink what you like! But for purists, a nice california merlot, aussie shiraz or for summer a pinot noir.
Cheers.
p.s.
interpret these recipes anyway you like. substitute spaghetti for penne pasta, smoked paprika for regular or hot paprika, chicken for leftover duck...mmm.

acacia 2003 chardonnay

oh what a day, sunny, hot and humid. air so thick you can cut it with a knife. i am pleasantly distracted from work by my cousin acacia asking me if i wanted to share a chilled bottle of her namesake winery's acacia chardonnay (she is not connected at all to acacia winery. they have no idea who she is.)

how could i say no? the only question that came to our minds was whether or not we would brave the heat and sit outside on the deck or retreat to an air conditioned room. we chose the latter. smart girls.

acacia 2003 chardonnay, carneros region of california was creamy, fruit-forward with a tamed taste of the oak barrel that lends it some maturity. most importantly, it was fun. it was delicious. and it took the sting off of a hot summer day.

not sure how much this particular bottle costs, but knowing a bit about acacia, it probably runs about $20 on average.

check it out, any vintage.

and yes,
don't be afraid to tilt the glass.