Category: <span>Recipes</span>
Sea Salt Blondies With Peachy Canyon Cabernet
When I was a kid we followed the holiday tradition of leaving cookies out for Old Saint Nick and they were always chocolate chip cookies. (I think this was an ingenious way for my dad to ensure that there was an ample supply of his favorite treat.) Getting into the season I wanted to dress up this tradition with Sea Salt Topped Blondies paired with Peachy Canyon Cabernet Sauvignon. I had to do a little research on the pairing and the Cab does work nicely. Anther pairing to balance the sweet would be a tawny... [Read more...]
Shepherds Pie With Cass Viognier
A few weeks ago, while working at our Sustainable Ag Expo, I grabbed a quick lunch of Shepherds Pie from the local English pub and I have been jonesing for more ever since! I must say this delightful meal is fast, easy and scrumptious. As usual, I cooked based on what is in the pantry rather than following a recipe Since I subbed ground turkey for the traditional beef or lamb, I paired this dish with a light viognier from Cass Winery. Shepherds Pie 10-12 white or red potatoes, quartered 3 tbsp. butter 1 c. half... [Read more...]
Green Curry Carrot Soup With Gewurztraminer
The simplest recipes can be the best and this quick fix is perfect for a cozy evening by the fire. A friend of mine shared this recipe with me and we were both intrigued by the use of rice as a thickener in the soup. Of course no cook can help tinkering with a recipe so we have added a little green curry powder that I brought back this summer from a great spice shop in Murphys, CA. Green Curry Carrot Soup 7 lbs. (about 7 medium) carrots 2 Tbs. butter 1 tsp. green curry... [Read more...]
Wine for Sangria
Sometimes it is nice to get a taste of summer when the weather is chilly and gray. Initially I was really going for summer fare with a recipe for sangria sorbet. Naturally, making sangria sorbet means making sangria first. As it turns out, the sangria was too good to freeze! The first step is picking wine for sangria. I decided not to over think this and simply choose a Pinot from Tolosa Winery that I love. From there, you basically add some fruit and brandy and presto summer. Sangria 3 c mixed berries (fresh or... [Read more...]
Eggplant Rollatini with Ancient Peaks Rose
[caption id="attachment_3871" align="alignright" width="150"] Eggplant Rollatini[/caption] Living in the fog zone here on the Central Coast I am a sucker for warm, cozy comfort foods. Recently I tried my hand at eggplant rollatini which was not only excellent but surprisingly simple to make. I had a smoking hot tray of cheesy rollatini on the table paired with a nice rose from Ancient Peaks in about one hour. And the best part is, this recipe will not break the calorie bank and still satisfy your taste buds. Eggplant Rollatini 2-3 eggplants, stems removed and cut into... [Read more...]
Risotto Recipes With Pinot Noir
A nice and easy way to pair wine with food is to cook and drink with the same bottle (I am sensing a theme in our recent blog posts)! And I love trying new risotto recipes. So, I am a fan of this recipe for Drunken Wild Mushroom Risotto with 2007 Mesa Pinot Noir from Riverbench. Drunken Wild Mushroom Risotto with 2007 Mesa Pinot Noir This recipe, submitted by Colleen Davis of Riverbench, has pretty quickly become famous around here. It’s perfect for a cold, cold night when you just need some comfort food. • 4... [Read more...]
Strawberry Recipe
Tis' the season for fresh fruit and strawberries are always a favorite. With a bounty of luscious fruit at our disposal I was excited to see this strawberry recipe from the Riverbench team: Strawberry Bread with 2007 Riverbench Estate Pinot Noir One of our staff members, Megan McDermott, brought this delicious cake to a staff meeting recently. Though desserts can be difficult to pair with wines, this was a mouth-watering combination with our Estate Pinot Noir! And since Santa Maria is so famous for its strawberries we couldn’t help but be thrilled. • 1... [Read more...]
Bread Machine
[caption id="attachment_3396" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Bread Machine Wonder"][/caption] I have a new cooking hobby: the bread machine. I made a loaf of bread from scratch last week which was excellent but tied up a significant amount of time in mixing, kneading, rising, punching down, rising, punching down, rising, rising, RISING... This got me to thinking about an easier way to enjoy warm, fluffy, fresh baked bread. So I got a Breadman bread machine. I figure for 25 bucks off of Craigs List I can entertain my whim and not be "on the breadline" when I am... [Read more...]
Vodka Recipes | My Infusion Kick
It all started a few months ago at my friend Stef's house when she offered me a "lady drink". Who could say no to something that sounded so sophisticated? And ladylike was my crystal tumbler filled with home-infused lavender vodka and sparkling lemonade over ice. It turns out that infused spirits are not only glamorous but easy! All you need is a clean glass container, any clear spirit (vodka, rum, tequila), your flavor du jour, and three to five days. To date we have made a few vodka recipes including lavender vodka (great with a... [Read more...]
Banana Muffins
This recipe was a test of substitute ingredients. (I know, scary when it comes to baking.) But, I think we can call the Banana Muffins a success by how quickly they disappeared. [caption id="attachment_1142" align="alignright" width="225" caption="Buttermilk Substitute for Banana Muffins"][/caption] My favorite swap out was the buttermilk. I do not know about you, but I never have buttermilk on hand. There just are not that many uses for buttermilk in my cooking repertoire. That said, this recipe looked delicious and I had all the ingredients on hand to make it...well, most of them. The... [Read more...]