Waste of Wine

This recipe did not wow me. It was not overly flavorful. I think I would rather have had the glass of wine rather than using it to marinate the steak! Or use the wine for a reduction. It did turn the steak an interesting purple color that made it difficult to tell how well cooked it was.

Red Wine Marinated Steak

(from the Food Network by Bobby Flay)

Ingredients:
4 shallots, coarsely chopped
1 cup dry red wine, such as Cabernet
1/4 cup olive oil
2 pounds flank steak, butterfiled
Salt and pepper
Directions:

1. Whisk together shallots, wine and olive oil in a large baking dish. Add the steak and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
2. Heat grill to high.
3. Remove the steak from the marinade and blot with paper towels. Lay on a flat surface, cut side up, and season with salt and pepper. Brush the outside of the steak with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill the steak over high heat until browned all over, 8 to 10 minutes.

Amazing Spicy Sausage Noodles

Let's rate this recipe: Mr. Lawyer had three servings and is planning on having it for breakfast. WINNER. It was simply and pretty quick. I liked that the sauce was light and not overpowering. Even though the sauce was just a slight coating the flavor was banging! The spicy sausage flavor permeates the sauce and the freshness of the peppers was so summery. I used all red peppers instead of red, orange, and yellow because that's what was on sale and it didn't take away from anything. There was a real depth to the flavor. I think it was the spicy sausage flavor and the wine. Delicious! 

Spicy Sausage & Pepper Noodles in Tomato-Wine Sauce

(Pinterest find! Adapted from thecozyapron.com)

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 spicy Italian sausage links, casings removed and crumbled
1 large onion, quartered and sliced thinly
1 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
½ teaspoon cracked black pepper
3 peppers (red, yellow, orange), cored and thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
½ cup dry white wine
1 can diced tomatoes with juice
1 box rigatoni noodles
Directions:

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan, brown the sausage. Remove the sausage with a slotted spoon and set aside.

2. Saute the onions in sausage drippings, about 5 minutes.

3. Add the salt, pepper, and italian seasoning.  Then add in the sliced peppers, saute until tender (3 minutes). Add the garlic and saute for 2 minutes.

4. Add the wine and simmer until it's over half reduced. Add the can of undrained diced tomatoes and then return the sausage to the mix. Simmer for 5 to 10 minutes.

5. Cook noodles according to directions on box. Place the noodles in a large bowl and top with the sausage sauce, toss gently.

6. Serve with fresh basil, parsley, or parmesan. 

Spring Cocktail

Lillet is a French aperitif wine. I couldn't find the rose but the blanc was just fine. You cannot underestimate the gin in this recipe. I would recommend a very neutral tasting gin which obviously I don't have. I actually liked this cocktail better without the gin. The two different gins (Aviation and Barr Hill) I tried it with make it too floral. I also didn't invest in the edible flowers. Overall not bad but more of an acquired taste, at least when the gin is added.

Lillet Rose Spring Cocktail

(from Martha Stewart)

Ingredients:
2 ounces Lillet Rose (I used Lillet Blanc)
2 ounces grapefruit juice
1 ounce gin
edible flowers for garnish
Directions:
1. Combine the Lillet, grapefruit juice, and gin in a shaker with ice.
2. Shake, shake, shake!
3. Strain into glasses and garnish with edible flowers.

An Italian Dinner

I've taken another kitchen break! All week I've been eating my healthy Rainbow Salad for lunch (and once for dinner!). It's been a great way to get back on track and detox...or prepare for another weekend of Shore Eating! One night Mr. Lawyer made his famous Spicy Chicken Cacciatore and we ate leftovers for a bit. He use to make it a lot in grad school, one of his dishes that won me over! It's a crock pot meal so it's super easy and super torturous when you stay home all day and can smell it cooking away. The recipe is HERE!

We set up our dinner stations: get your pasta, bread, chicken and some fancy Italian wine!

I forgot to take a picture before I started to dig in. Whoops!

Slamming Schnitzel

Mr. Lawyer has been wanting to cook more but we're never home! Today we were finally home alone for the whole entire day. That means someone made a mess in my kitchen! But it was delicious. The pork was tender inside and crispy outside. The mushroom sauce was heavenly. Definitely a keeper. It was good without the sauce so you could omit that to be a bit healthier, maybe top it with some kind of apple slaw/chutney thing. 

Butter Schnitzel

(from allrecipes.com)

Ingredients:
6 boneless pork loin chops, 3/4 inch thick
1 cup bread crumbs
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
1-1/2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 pound butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced
1-1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon water
olive oil as needed
Directions:
1. Pound the pork chops with a spiked meat mallet until 1/4 inch thick; set aside. In a large bowl, combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, parsley flakes, salt, and pepper. Press the pork into the crumbs to bread thoroughly; set aside.
2. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Pour in the wine and sliced mushrooms. Allow to simmer and cook until the mushrooms have softened, about 10 minutes. Stir together the cornstarch and water, then add to the mushroom sauce. Simmer until the sauce has thickened, then remove from the heat and set aside.
3. Meanwhile, heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a large, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the pork cutlets a few at a time until golden brown and cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Serve with reserved mushroom sauce.

We So Fancy!

At least that's what my kids said when they found out I was having a big kid party this weekend. A fancy Wine Soiree. Each person was responsible for bringing a bottle of wine and a tapas style food pairing. It worked out incredibly well. It was nice to try some different wines, all the food was delicious, and as always the Prep company was amazing. We even had fancy cards that listed the type of wine, winery and which appetizer went with it. Here's the damage:

 I represented New York and brought a bottle of Hazlitt's Red Cat which I served with pizza bites (because it's suppose to be a wine for "pizza, burgers, and wings") They were pretty yummy! I went with fresh mozzarella which was good but I bet it could be even more amazing with a more flavorful cheese. And don't forget to serve it with the sauce!

Homemade Pizza Bites

(adapted from our best bites)

Ingredients:
1 roll refrigerated pizza dough
marinara/pizza sauce (for dipping)
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon melted butter
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
Cheese of your choice, cut into smallish blocks

Pizza meat of your choice
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Roll out your dough on a lightly floured surface. Cut it into 24 squares.
3. Place your desired pizza toppings in each square. I did 2 pieces of pepperoni and a small block of fresh mozzarella. Fold up dough and pinch the edges closed. Place seam side down in a lightly greased pie pan.

4. Brush tops with melted butter. Sprinkle garlic, seasonings and parmesan cheese over tops.

5. Bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes. Serve with dipping sauce.

See the rest of our yummies after the jump!

Wine and Cheese

Every year in grad school I had a wine and cheese party with my roommates. The house changed, the roommates changed and if I put one together for this year it would be the 5th annual wine and cheese party! Maybe for my birthday, nothing better than cheese on your birthday! One of the dishes that Nyk made was this delicious baked brie. It was so popular that the following year after she graduated we decided to make it in her memory. I have also just made it for no real reason other than to eat a round of brie for a week. Delicious. This photo is from the 4th Annual Wine and Cheese Party, we tried to make a little puff pastry wine glass to decorate it with...it kind of worked. I'm sad I don't have a picture of the cheese oozing out.

Holiday Brie en Croute

(adapted from Pepperidge Farm)

Ingredients:
1 egg
1 tbsp. water
All-purpose flour
1/2 of a 17.3-ounce package of puff pastry

1/2 cup apricot preserves
1/3 cup dried cranberry
1/4 cup toasted sliced almond
1 (13- to 16-ounce) Brie cheese round
Crackers for serving
Directions:
1. Heat the oven to 400°F. Beat the egg and water in a small bowl with a fork.
2. Sprinkle the flour on the work surface. Unfold the pastry sheet on the work surface. Roll the pastry sheet into a 14-inch square. Spread the preserves on the pastry to within 2 inches of the edge. Sprinkle with the cranberries and almonds. 

3. Place the cheese in the center of the pastry. Fold the pastry up over the cheese to cover. Trim the excess pastry and press to seal. Brush the seam with the egg mixture. Place seam-side down onto a baking sheet. Decorate with the pastry scraps, if desired. Brush with the egg mixture.
4. Bake for 20 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown. Let stand for 45 minutes. Serve with the crackers.

The spread!

Meatless Monday!

Oh snap. It's both meatless monday and mexican monday rolled into one. I hope that's a good apology for being suck a slacker! There's been vacation, vacation detox, a trip to dc, and now new job stress. Now that we're back to our pre-vacation weight we've been cooking again. We're still trying to keep it healthy so Meatless Monday made it's way back into our life. I saw this recipe in my Penzeys Spices magazine and it looked yummy plus we had black beans in the cupboard so why not! I'm sure all that cheese decreases the healthiness but you don't have to add it all I suppose. I went all out of course and used Cabots. Are we surprised?
To start with, I was in a mood. It was my first day back in the classroom. The first thing I did when I got home was pour a glass of wine (good thing we hit up a winery that weekend!) and eat cheese (because cheese is my comfort food). It looked like this:

Okay in reality it was a white wine.

Oh and there was a roll involved.

Right so I was grumpy and distracted. I ended up burning some of the sweet potatoes which I believe is a flaw in the recipe. There is not enough liquid to sufficiently cook the potatoes before they absorb it all and they burn. Luckily I added a bit of water and only a couple of pieces were inedible (added bonus: the pan wasn't that hard to clean!). Due to my difficulties with the potatoes not all of them were completely cooked. I saw this as a negative but Mr Lawyer liked the slight firmness they added to the enchiladas. He even ate one for breakfast today. I also thought that the cider vinegar taste was a tad overpowering and would reduce the amount a bit. Moral of the story: I was a mess, I thought dinner was a mess but I guess it was okay.

Sweet Potato Black Bean Enchiladas

(Penzeys Spices)

Ingredients:
8 large flour tortillas
2 large sweet potatoes
1/4 cup soy sauce
2/3 cup apple cider vinegar, divided
1 leek, thinly sliced (I used a bunch of green onions because it's cheaper!)
1 tsp. Penzey’s minced garlic
1 tsp. ground cumin
One 15 oz. can black beans
3 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese divided
Olive oil
Salsa, to taste
Sour cream, to taste

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Wash and cut the sweet potatoes into bite-sized pieces. Put the potatoes, soy sauce, and 1/3 cup of the cider vinegar into a large pot and boil until the potatoes are soft and the liquid has been absorbed.
2. Saute the leek and garlic over medium-high heat in a small amount of oil with the cumin. Add the rest of the cider vinegar and the black beans.
3. Mash the potatoes (leaving it somewhat chunky), combine with the leek/bean mixture, add 1 cup of shredded cheese.
4. Fill the tortillas with roughly a handful of filling, roll and pack tightly into a greased 9×13 baking dish. Top with the remaining cheese and bake for 20 minutes. Serve with salsa/sour cream.

Detox with Wine?

Mr. Lawyer and I have been detoxing from our indulgent vacation. We've been eating copious amounts of oatmeal and salads in order to get back on track and while it might do a body good it makes for lame blogging. My problem with salads is I like all the stuff on them which obviously negates the health factor. My personal goal is to start cutting back on all the yummies, perhaps I will only slice up one piece of cheese on my salad and stay away from that brown sugar bacon. This beauty has Cabot Cheddar, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds, yellow pepper, tomatoes and is topped off with my sweet vinegar dressing.

However last night I made a wine slushie to celebrate my new job, woo! And the best part is you only really need one ingredients: wine! Using a sweet wine is essential, I used a sweet NYS red. I had my first wine slushie at the Great New York State Fair and it was heavenly. This is the first year in many that I didn't go to the Fair but I suppose it's healthier that way. At this point it's all about the food...wait who are we kidding, the Fair is *always* about the food!

Wine Slushies

(from the kitchen of some genius)

Ingredients:
Sweet Red or White Wine
Optional texture changers: ice cubes, fruit juice or spritzer
Directions:
1. Freeze the wine in ice cube trays.
2. Throw the frozen cubes into the blender.
3. Optional choices to alter texture: ice cubes for more crunchiness or juice/wine/spritzer for a beverage you don't need a spoon or straw for.

A Refreshing Dinner Party!

Friday evening I hosted a dinner party for Mr. Lawyer's family. Six people total and no one got sick and we didn't run out of food! Everything was delicious and I'm psyched to host another gathering.

Appetizers: Cabot Cheddar, Swiss, and Yancy's Fancy Bacon Gouda with Onion Crackers (on my new cheese slate!). Kalamata and Red Pepper stuffed Green Olives. Artisan Bread with Pino's Press Tuscan Dipping Oil (on my new bread paddle!).
Wine: Wagner's Reserve Blush (yeah NY wines!) and a Zinfandel from Kuleto Estate, CA.
Main Course: Tortellini with Italian Sausage, Mushrooms and Fennel  (My home-run dish!)
Dessert: Refreshing Lemon Basil Ice!

Refreshing Lemon Basil Ice is one of my summer staples. It's nice and light, not heavy and filling which is perfect for a scorching summer day or after a big meal. Basil is also my new obsession which makes this recipe even better. Oh wait, top it off: it's super simple and requires only a few ingredients!

Refreshing Lemon Basil Ice

(Better Homes and Gardens)

Ingredients:
3 cups water
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup slivered fresh basil
2 tsp. finely shredded lemon peel
2 Tbsp. lemon juice

Directions:
1. In medium saucepan bring water and sugar to boiling, stirring to dissolve sugar. Remove from heat; cool slightly (about 20 minutes). Add basil and let stand 30 minutes more. Pour through a fine mesh sieve; discard basil. Stir lemon peel and juice into syrup. Pour into a shallow baking dish. Cover; freeze 2 hours (edges should be firm and center almost firm).
2. Transfer mixture, half at a time, to blender. Cover; blend until slushy, stopping to scrape down sides as needed. Spoon back into dish, spreading evenly. Cover; freeze 2 hours more or until firm.
3. To serve, with a small ice cream scoop scrape across surface of mixture. Place scoops in small dishes. Top with lemon slices, fresh mint leaves and/or edible flowers.