Category — Wine

I don’t often wear aprons . Do you?

These from Stanley & Sons seem tough, reliable and perfect for an outside grill. With summer BBQs upon us, these aprons are the perfect protection for any wayward bits. Each apron is one of a kind and made from reclaimed materials, like old army tents.

For the more feminine chef or cook, I like the damask print on this Sur La Table Onyx Apron . It’s sophisticated enough for any fancy evening IN!

I also really like kitschy ones like Sur La Table’s Red Cherries Ava Apron and their Adult Cupcake Apron.

Very Mrs. Beaver!

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Tonight, I’m throwing a party; it’s my best friend’s birthday and we’re doing it big! We want to make sure we have her favorite dirty martini on hand at all times and the only way to make the classic martini at home is to have the proper tools . I got a martini shaker because there’s nothing that says swanky summer night quite like an ice-cold martini with a smattering of olives . And of course, like James Bond says, these drinks need to be shaken not stirred. How appropriately sleek is this Calphalon Martini Shaker ?

Not only will all my drinks be frigid but, I’ll look like a consummate professional. I’ve never been a barkeep or made a cocktail at home so any help is appreciated (even if it is just for looks).

Some of my friends stay away from the liquor so we have lots of great wines for them from BevMo .

I don’t know very much about wine, but I hear using a wine pourer aerates the wine and enhances its flavor. Only the best for my friends!

There is a small cafe near my office that makes a really incredible butternut squash side dish.  They serve it cold but it inspired me to try to make a version of it myself at home, served hot.

Ingredients:
-2 butternut squash, chopped into small pieces (1-2 inch squares)
-1/2 cup of pecans or cashews
-pinch of cinnamon
-1/3 cup honey
-1-2 cups water
-6 pats butter

Preparation:

• Cut the butternut squash into small pieces.  They do not need to be uniform but should be large bite sized.  Place squash into large bowl .
• Add 1-2 cups of water as necessary to cover the squash.  Water should be warm, not hot.
• After squash has soaked for 10-15 minutes, pour into a 9×13 glass baking dish
• Drizzle honey over the top, leaving a small amount of honey for later
• Add 6 pats of butter evenly over the top
• Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.  Squash should yield but not yet feel soft.
• Sprinkle cinnamon and nuts over the top of the dish and return to the oven
• Cook for another 20-30 minutes or until squash feels soft (but not mushy)
• After allowing to cool for a few minutes, add the remainder of the honey

You can either serve this dish hot or put it in the fridge and wait for it to cool.  Either way, it tastes like this fabulous mix of a vegetable dish and a dessert.  You can even add raisins or shaved coconut if you want to add additional flavors to the mix.

Want to make a fun drink to serve your friends at your July 4th party?  I’ve got just the thing.  My nickname for this drink is “Punch of Freedom” although I think that applies more to the alcoholic version which will no doubt make you feel free if you drink enough!

Here is the way I make it, and then I’ll provide you with some alternatives:

-1 gallon fruit punch
-1 gallon lemonade
-1 bottle champagne
-1 dozen strawberries, sliced
-2 peaches, sliced
-1 package blueberries
-1 pint berry sorbet

For the two gallons of juice, you can substitute strawberry lemonade, orange juice, or cranberry juice, but I would recommend mixing at least 2 of those instead of just one base.  Whatever you mix, try to target an overall pink/red color for the punch (to fit the 4th of July theme).

For the fruits you can use pretty much whatever you like, I find the peaches and strawberries have a nice flavor and soak up the champagne or other alcohol nicely so they are tasty to eat at the end of the drink.  The blueberries are mostly just to have a little blue for the red/white/blue theme.

Instead of champagne you could use ginger-ale or tonic water for a non-alcoholic version.  If you want it to be alcoholic but are looking for something stronger, you could also substitute vodka, but be careful not to add too much!

I like the sorbet because it adds extra fun; you could also substitute sherbet or even vanilla ice cream.  However, if your party is outdoors and you don’t have enough ice, you will definitely end up with a soupy drink when the frozen part melts.

Whatever way you personalize this drink, there’s little you can do that will truly mess it up, so it should end up fun and festive!

Tools & Decorations:
-Punch bowl
-Punch Ladle
-American Flag Drink Napkins
-American Flag Cups

Kids birthday parties seem endlessly elaborate these days.  If you want a way to give your child a really cute creative cake that doesn’t cost a fortune, consider making it yourself.

I did some research online and came across this absolute adorable teddy bear cake pan .  The Nordic Ware 3D Cake Pan is a split mold that put together will make a 3 dimensional teddy bear cake.

The pan is a heavy cast Aluminum Bundt pan that will produce either a cake or bread, although I think bear shaped bread would be a little strange.  If you are going to make this cake for your party, I recommend edible decorations to make it look even cuter.

If you cover the bear in brown icing, you could then shave some chocolate (I recommend Callebaut chocolate, which you can get at KingArthurFlour.com ) that will almost make it look like the bear has fur.

Apply the icing with a  regular spatula and then use either tubes of icing or icing gel to do the smaller details, like the bear’s eyes and mouth.  Even consider using some candy to decorate the bear further, like raisinets for the paws, or have the bear wear a bowtie made of licorice.

The pan costs around $30, which is the typical cost of a birthday cake.  Plus with the pan you can make the cake again and again for years to come, as it will surely be a party pleaser.

In the summer heat, I crave ice cream all the time.  I’ve recently been looking into getting an ice cream maker and discovered there are a LOT of different options out here.  Here are of the different kinds of machines out there to consider.

 
Hand Crank Ice Cream Maker:  If you want to feel like you are putting the work into making your ice cream, then you can buy a hand crank machine.  This Aroma Ice Cream Maker features a die-cast hand crank and a solid pine bucket to make it feel old fashioned.  It will make 6 quarts of Ice Cream and at only $89 is a very affordable option.

Affordable Automatic Model: If you are looking for a basic model that will do the work for you, consider the Cuisinart Classic which can make both Ice Cream and Frozen Yogurt.  It is completely automatic, all you do is flip a switch and it will do all the work for you.  You’ll get a lot less volume than with the hand crack model, this machine makes only 1 and a half quarts at a time.  But It’s also the lowest price of the ice cream makers I looked at, only $59.95.
Soft Serve Dispenser Type: A really unique type of ice cream maker that I found, also by Cuisinart, is the Soft Serve Ice Cream Maker.  This one is really cool because it makes soft serve ice cream and dispenses it like you see in ice cream shops.  Plus it has an area to stack ice cream cones, and three condiment dispensers for sprinkles, chocolate chips or whatever else you want to top your ice cream with.  I was also surprised at the price, which is only $100.  However, this machine is also the biggest of the three and would be the hardest to store when not in use.

Ice Cream Maker Attachment: While not the cheapest option, this one was intriguing to me – Kitchen Aid makes an ice cream maker attachment for their mixer.  For $79, you get a mixer attachment freeze bowl that fits any Kitchen Aid stand mixer made after 1990.  It will make two and a half quarts of ice cream and is the easiest to store.

I’m pretty torn on which of the four to get because they are all so diverse.  Which one do you think I should get?

My husband is such an amazing cook that I never order things at restaurants that I know he can make better at home.  But I have never even seen a dish at a restaurant like his Pork Chops with Apples and Raisin Compote.

This dish is a nice combination of the sweet and the savory, with the tender pork absorbing the juices from the apple to really give it an incredible flavor.   Please note that if you have a gluten , soy or egg allergy this dish is safe for you to eat!

Ingredients:

• 4 center cut 3/4″-1″ thick pork chops
• 3 apples (Fuji, Gala, golden delicious) peeled and cubed
• 1 large onion diced
• 2 cups apple cider
• 1 cup white wine
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage
• 1/2 teaspoon rosemary
• 2 tablespoons butter
• salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat a medium size oven proof pan that has a tight fitting lid. Add 1 tablespoon of butter, salt and pepper pork chops and start to brown in pan. Turn once browning other side of pork chops, then remove from pan and set aside. Add additional tablespoon of butter to pan and begin to saute onions. Once onions have begun to soften add apples to pan and continue to cook for 2-3 minutes. Add raisins, apple cider, wine, rosemary and sage and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 2-3 minutes allowing alcohol from wine to dissipate. Return pork chops to pan covering them with liquid and apple mixture, cover pan with lid and place in oven. Bake in oven for 45 minutes to an hour. As long as the pork chops remain submerged in liquid the longer this cooks the more flavorful and tender the pork chops become.

A few years ago I had the opportunity to watch a taping of a pilot for a new Food Network show starring Guy Fieri. The show was a ton of fun, as was Guy (who I am a big fan of!) and I came away from the day with tons of ideas and a goodie bag!  In our goodie bag was this amazing lemon squeezer.  To be more specific, it was the OXO Good Grips Citrus Squeezer.

I know what you’re thinking – a lemon squeezer?  But this one is really terrific. I think a 5 year old could probably use it to squeeze a lemon – it’s so sturdy and has such easy to use handles that it really takes most of the grunt work out of pressing the lemon.  Plus because it has so much power it completely drains the lemon, not leaving you to keep twisting or squeezing at the end with your hands.  I hate getting that citrus scent pretty stuck to my skin – not to mention how there is always some tiny cut I never saw on my hand that of course stings to holy heaven after getting lemon juice in it!

I have used this to get lemon juice for lemonade, lemon pound cake and even to sprinkle over fish!  It cleans up in a jiffy and stores easily with the rest of my kitchen tools.  Plus I never lose it because of its bright yellow color.  The one above from BedBathandBeyond.com looks a lot like the one I have, but there are several other lemon squeezers out there that are similar .  Make sure you don’t pay too much (the one pictured above is only $13.99) and that it has that sturdy handle.  I think you’ll find this is a kitchen tool that you will keep for years to come.

I admit, when it comes to the holiday season, I’m a bit of a humbug. I was raised in a home filled to the brim with festive decor ; carols were played 24 hours a day and at least one member of my family was always wearing a Christmas sweater . You might say that the extensive degree to which my family celebrated the holidays has had a negative effect on my holiday spirit level. Although, there are certainly a couple of things I look forward to this time of year – one of which is baking delicious treats for my family and friends. And every great baker needs a great mixer.

KitchenAid has been setting the standard in kitchens for 90 years and is celebrating with a 90th Anniversary Limited Edition Stand Mixer . The sleek, nostalgic candy-apple red color is sure to liven up any kitchen. I’m absolutely ga-ga over the special five quart glass bowl with easy to read measurements and clean pouring spout. Of course, the tilt-head mixer is also equipped with a 325-watt motor, 10-speed slide control, and power hub for attachments. It comes complete with wire whip, flat beater, and dough hook. Legendary performance meets absolute beauty in this 90th Anniversary Limited Edition Stand Mixer . Who wouldn’t love to mix up a batch of gingerbread in this baby?

Impress your date or throw a dinner party for your favorite single friends. Play domestic diva for an evening, no experience required, with this quick & tasty recipe for a delicious dinner at home!

Spiced Scallops with Balsamic Braised Red Cabbage

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
• 1 pound red cabbage, cored and thinly sliced
• 2 Turkish bay leaves or 1 California
• 3/4 cup water, divided
• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 pinches ground cloves
• 1 1/2 pounds large sea scallops, tough ligament removed from side of each if attached

- Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add cabbage, bay leaves, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and toss to coat.

- Stir in 1/2 cup water and 2 tablespoon vinegar and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until cabbage is tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a platter and keep warm, covered.

- Stir together spices, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Pat scallops dry and season both sides with spice mixture.

- Wipe out skillet, then heat remaining tablespoon butter over medium-high heat until foam subsides. Sauté scallops, turning once, until golden brown and just cooked through, about 5 minutes total. Add to cabbage.

- Add remaining 1/4 cup water and tablespoon vinegar to skillet and boil, stirring, until slightly thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Pour over scallops and cabbage.

Pair the scallops with Egg Fried Rice served in ramekins . Find a wok on be so .

Then, end the evening on a sweet note with Chocolate Orange Turnovers served on dessert plates or a cute set, like Yedi Housewares heart-shaped cups and saucers.  After all, how can you appreciate dessert without some chocolate?

All recipes provided by Epicurious .