Another Wine Blog

I really enjoy reading The Rake's wine blog, mostly because I find Ann Bauer's writing to be amusing and her life to be rather dramatic (warning: she seems to be Andrew Zimmern's arch nemesis).

http://www.rakemag.com/blogs/beyond-cask

But I have had pretty good luck with her wine picks too, so if you're reading purely for the type of information, you'll enjoy it too.

Sunday Dinner

Tonight we invited a few friends over for dinner. Usually it is just Andrew and I on Sunday evenings so it was fun to have company! Whether with friends or not, my family's stuffed pepper recipe is a yummy, healthy winter meal! Above all, it is GREAT to eat leftover for lunch and/or dinner the first couple days of the work week. Try this recipe with a light Pinot Grigio (I recommend Kris Pinot Grigio, which you can find at many wine shops for $13-$14).

Stuffed Peppers
4 large green/red/orange/yellow bell peppers - whatever your favorite is :)
1/2 cup Italian Dressing (I use a light Italian)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tbsp. Italian seasoning
1 lb of either ground chuck OR 1 lb. ground turkey OR I use 1/2 lb. lean ground turkey and 1/2 lb lean ground turkey with Italian seasoning (tastes like Italian sausage) *look for Jennie-O ground turkey
2/3 cup cooked rice (I use brown rice) *this is 1/2 cup uncooked rice
1/3 cup dry bread crumbs (either regular or the Italian seasoned kind - I use the Italian though)
3 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp. chopped parsley
1 egg, well beaten
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1/4 cup water
1 cup mozzarella cheese

Parboil peppers in salt water after removing stems, seeds and cutting them in half (this means boiling them for 2-3 minutes), drain the peppers
In a large skillet, heat 1/4 cup of Italian Dressing, add Italian seasoning and onion, saute onion until transparent
Add meat to the onions and brown meat well
Transfer meat/onion mixture to a bowl, add cooked rice and allow mix to cool slightly
Stir bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, parsley and egg into meat mix
Place peppers in greased baking dish and scoop meat mix into the pepper halves
In a small bowl, combine the remaining Italian dressing with the tomato sauce and water. Pour over peppers
Bake peppers for 20 minutes at 350 degrees, remove peppers and sprinkle with Mozz. cheese, then put back into the oven until cheese is melted (about 5 mins)

I sprinkle the peppers with a little Italian seasoning on the top to finish them.

Tip: You can make this recipe ahead of time up to the point right before you put the sauce over the peppers - refrigerate covered until you are ready to cook them.

Food Blogs

I have posted a few of my favorite food blogs on the left column of this blog, but I cannot help but to highlight a few of my favorites that I really enjoy checking out during my lunch hour or in the evenings. If you love food (which, I assume, is why you are reading this blog!) check out one or more of the blogs below!

Cooking with Amy a food blog: read it and eat
Amy is a "food writer" based in San Fransisco. She provides restaurant reviews from her travels and some wonderful recipes.

Chocolate and Zucchini
Clotilde Dusoulier, a young French food/cookbook writer, writes about her food adventures while living in Paris and traveling to promote her books.

Chow and Again: Andrew Zimmern's food and dining blog
Whether you agree or disagree with all of Andrew's opinions, I find that he provides amusing gossip and news about the Twin Cities' food scene (and his opinions about our ever-changing options here in the Cities), complex but tasty recipes and some dialog about his world travels.

Enjoy!

Favorite Shortcuts

In general, I enjoy cooking and trying new recipes, ingredients, flavors, etc. But there are some evenings, ones not unlike last night with the bottle of Paralelle 45, where experimenting in the kitchen is the last thing one would want to do.

For such evenings, I have two favorite "shortcuts" that I like to use to get dinner efficiently and tastily on the table.

The first is the Thai Kitchen Peanut Bake - the "Asian Shake N Bake," as we like to call it at home. I usually coat boneless/skinless chicken breasts with this stuff, throw in the oven for 30 minutes and serve with rice and veggies for a quick and flavorful meal. The Peanut Bake is just a bit spicy and the coating helps keep the chicken breasts from getting dry in the oven.

You can find the Peanut Bake in the Asian/International aisle at Cub and Rainbow. Byerly's/Lunds doesn't carry this brand of Peanut Bake for whatever reason (although they have plenty of Thai Kitchen brand products). Instead they offer A Taste of Thai Peanut Bake, which we've tried and don't care for.

My second favorite shortcut is a recent discovery, and possibly a short-lived one, since the rumor is that this product has been discontinued. But if you can still find it at Byerly's/Lunds or natural foods store, I would definitely pick up a few packets! It's called Fajita Dust by a brand called Allen Cowley, and it's the best fajita seasoning I've found at a grocery store.

I usually saute big slices of portobello mushrooms, onions and bell peppers with the dust for easy and tasty fajitas. They are super good and have garnered praise from both vegetarian friends and my carnivorous husband.

Tasty Red Wine - Parallele 45

Yesterday was one of those days, so I stopped by Byerly's on the way home from work to pick up some mashed potatoes and a bottle of red wine for dinner (there was also steak and veggies at home, for those of you concerned with nutrition).

The wine - a 2005 Paul Jaboulet Parallele "45" Cotes du Rhone ($11.99) - was very yummy, and now on my short list for an everyday red: something affordable and tasty! It's a blend of Grenache and Syrah grapes, and I found it to be very smooth and full, with a nice mix of fruit and peppper. It was well structured and didn't die at the end (I've had a recent bad streak with some lifeless wines). And it was great before and with dinner. I'd definitely recommend it for versatility, price and quality.