Any good slow cooker recipes?

Does anyone have a good slow cooker recipe they'd like to share? With the cold, dreary weather that's been with us, I'm feeling the need for warm comfort food.

I pulled out our crock pot the other night and threw together an impromptu beef stew with the following ingredients. I'd like to tweak the recipe a bit (and write down some measurements), but overall, it was pretty tasty!

- beef stew meat from Byerly's, coated with flour, salt and pepper
- carrots
- potatoes
- shitake mushrooms
- beef broth
- montreal steak seasoning
- worchestshire sauce
- red wine
- garlic
- onions

I love being able to just throw things in the crock pot and having something tasty pop out later in the day. Looking forward to seeing/hearing about your slow cooker recipes.

Zero Manipulation

A weekend wine recommendation! I tried a bottle of Peterson Winery's Zero Manipulation a couple of weeks ago and was very impressed! This is a great red table wine (a blend of Carignane 78%, Syrah 14%, Mourvedre 8%) with a lot of complex aromas and a fruit-filled finish. I recommend you try a bottle of Zero Manipulation with pizza, pasta, or any simple meal that you would pair with a red. As one review states, "Peterson Winery’s Zero Manipulation is an annual concoction of Rhone red varietals with the primary grape being the maladroit Carignane. The Zero Manipulation references their philosophy to let the grapes speak for themselves without excessive human or political intervention." At $11.99/bottle during the Surdyk's wine sale (regular retail $14.99), this is what I would call an "in between" wine - definitely complex, but not too fancy - great for entertaining! Your guests who are on the fence about red wine will probably like it too. Pick up a bottle and let me know what you think!

Solo Vino Sale

Just got an email from Solo Vino announcing their 6th birthday sale which runs from
October 25-31. All wines are 15% off! I don't often hear of discounts at Solo Vino so I will definitely be looking to make some purchases. If you haven't yet visited the store, I recommend giving it a try. Great shop, cute neighborhood, St. Paul, what more can you ask for?

Solo Vino
517 Selby Avenue
Saint Paul, Minnesota 55102
651-602-9515
info@solovinowines.com
http://www.solovinowines.com

Wine Sale

The Surdyk's fall wine sale is happening right now! I indulged yesterday and picked up a case of wine there - this is how I buy the majority of my wine (at their seasonal sales) and I highly recommend going to any wine shop during a sale and stocking up rather than buying a bottle here and there. You can save a lot of money and time this way! I purchased wine that retails between $10-$15 per bottle and saved $35.00 on 12 bottles! Almost everything in the store is on sale. I bought some of our favorites but I always pick up a couple of bottles that we have not tried before (this time, I picked up two Italian reds and a bottle of Pinot Grigio that was recommended to me) and I try not to duplicate so that we have a great variety to choose from on our wine rack.

I will review some of the new bottles I purchased at a later time!

If you get to the Surdyk's sale, be sure to check out some of the great shops, bars and restaurants in that neighborhood (St. Anthony Main area) - it has definitely grown and changed a lot in the last few years!

Fall is here!

It is a rainy night in the Twin Cities and you can just feel fall in the air - as I drove home from work, I noticed that trees in my neighborhood are changing from dark green to yellow, orange and red. Although I love the summer, I always embrace the fall - the season is too short not to! I have been reading through my newest issue of Everyday with Rachael Ray - lots of great fall recipes and entertaining ideas. The "Centerpiece of the Month" really caught my eye. (See photo above). If you are having people over to celebrate something special (or just to celebrate this quick season), this is a great added touch. Click here for directions to make this centerpiece and from there you can link to the centerpiece ideas from each month prior!

(Photo courtesy of Everyday with Rachael Ray magazine, October 2007)

An "Italian" Tribute to the Farmer's Market

Last night was one of the rare Friday evenings we have to spend at home, making dinner and relaxing. With summer coming to an end, I decided to give tribute to the farmer's market with a fresh orzo pasta dish. Although I did not follow a recipe, I will try to convert it into one below, but you can play with it to make it your own. It turned out to be very tasty!

Creamy Tomato Basil Orzo with Chicken
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 tbsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried oregano
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 1/2 cups orzo pasta
4 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken stock
8 roma tomatoes (mine were a mix of small to medium size)
3 large handfuls of fresh basil, chopped
3 large cloves of garlic, minced
3 lemons, juiced through a strainer
3/4 cup of half-and-half (a little less than half of a one pint carton)
1/4-1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese (preferably freshly grated)
Salt and Pepper

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

Bring a pot of water to a boil, add the tomatoes for about 30 seconds (this makes it easy to peel the skin off of the tomatoes!). Strain and cool. Peel off skin, dice the tomatoes and set aside.

Drizzle 2 tbsp. olive oil over chicken, sprinkle with salt, pepper, dried basil and dried oregano. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Let the chicken cool and cut into bite-sized pieces.

Meanwhile, bring the chicken stock to a boil, add the orzo. Boil for about one minute, then bring it down to medium heat and cover, stirring frequently, for about 7 minutes. (The orzo will absorb quite a bit of the stock). Drain and transfer to a large bowl. Add the chicken to the orzo. (Note: you can also boil the orzo in water just like you would normal pasta, but I find the chicken stock adds a lot of flavor!)

In a large frying pan, add 1 tbsp olive oil, heat it up, then add tomatoes. Soon after, add lemon juice and garlic. Bring to a simmer. Once tomatoes are slightly softened and heated through, add the basil and half-and-half. Simmer until the sauce reduces a bit. Add parmesan cheese to thicken the sauce.

Add the sauce to the chicken and orzo. Toss together, and serve. 4 (generous!) servings as a main dish, omit the chicken and it can easily serve 6 as a side dish.

I bought the tomatoes and basil from the farmer's market - you can really tell the difference (especially the fresh MN-grown tomatoes). This would be a great, inexpensive dish to entertain with. You could also omit the chicken and place grilled, seasoned white fish filets (halibut, etc.) over the pasta on a big plate for a great presentation.

To pair with this dish, we tried the Marques de Caceres 2006 Rioja. This Spanish white wine (made from the Viura grape) was on sale at World Market for $6.99. A great value! It was dry and crisp with notes of citrus - a great complement to the creamy, lemony tomato sauce.

I'd love to hear about your favorite farmer's market recipe!

Epicurious - What to Drink in September

Epicurious.com has this article posted on their website:
http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/drinking/wine/drinknow_september2007

Some good, decently-priced recommendations. If anyone has tried any of these, or will try them, please post a review.

Enjoy!