Sunday, January 27, 2008 - 10:04 AM

This is a recipe I adapted from Baker's Chocolate's "Soft & Chewy Chocolate Drops"

Prep: 20 min.
Total: 1 hr., 20 min. (including refrigerating)

Cookie Ingredients:
4 sq. BAKER'S Unsweetened Baking Chocolate
3/4 c. butter (1-1/2 sticks)
2 c. sugar
3 eggs
1 t. vanilla
2-1/2 c. flour

homepage: Boeuf Bourguignonne

Wednesday, October 24, 2007 - 05:37 AM

I made the "New Beef Burgundy" recipe from my "The South Beach Diet Cookbook" (modified a little) and used the "Chapelle-St.-Arnoux Gigondas" (the Rhone Valley - see my wine review at www. whattodrink.blogspot.com) in it and drank a second bottle with the meal. Although the recipe was good (and so was the wine), I would use a stronger red (preferably a Bordeaux) next time. I actually was looking for a Bordeaux vs. a Rhone but the little wine shop I was in did not have a good French selection. The salesperson in there was (unfortunately for me) a beer drinker and all he could tell me was that the Gigondas (a Rhone) was a big seller. When I got home (disappointed in my purchase) I googled Beef Burgundy and found Julia Child's recipe. My heart sank when she went on and on about cooking it with a St. Emilion or Pomerol. Then she stated actually any Bordeaux would do. Then she said any Rhone, and/or any red for that matter!! I laughed so hard.

She was so fantastic. I remember watching her on TV with my mom when I was 6 years old. She kept throwing scraps and packaging off the counter down by her side - it looked to me like she was throwing it all onto the floor. I asked my mom why she was throwing all the garbage onto the floor and she laughed her butt off. She then told me there was a garbage container on the floor next to her that I just couldn't see.


Recipe Follows:

Friday, October 05, 2007 - 07:17 AM

Tonight I was in the mood for white wine and fish. I bought some fresh Halibut from the "Fish Man" who frequents my town on Thursdays and crab cakes too. I purchased Kim Crawford's 2006 Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc as an accompaniment and enjoyed dinner immensely. (See my wine review @ www.whattodrinktonight.blogspot.com)

Another good food and wine pairing. Alongside the halibut, I roasted spaghetti squash and served it drizzled with olive oil, sea salt, pepper and freshly grated parmesean cheese, and baby carrots in butter.

The halibut recipe follows.

homepage: Pairing of Chicken Francaise, Lemon Noodles, and Italian Spinach with The 3rd Bottle

Monday, October 01, 2007 - 07:21 AM

I knew I was purchasing Napa Valley's "The 3rd Bottle" white table wine for dinner so I planned my menu around it. I have a favorite "soul food" noodle recipe that we haven't had in a couple of years that I decided to make. I usually make "Sole Meuniere" with it but had a desire for "Chicken Francaise". As the latter also involves lemon, I knew I'd be safe. In addition, I cooked spinach the "Italian" way with garlic sauteed in olive oil and sprinkled with fresh lemon juice. My mouth ws salivating as I made each dish. I absolutely knew the wine and food would compliment each other. From food to wine, the following is a SURE THING menu.

homepage: MARTINA MCBRIDE'S In My Daughter's Eyes

Monday, September 10, 2007 - 03:25 AM

I have been fortunate to hear my favorite song by Martina McBride three times in the last week randomly played on the radio. (My inner self wavelengths must be intercepting the radiowaves.) This song is beautiful, I wish I could insert the actual link for you to hear it, but I can't. So I type the words and leave a YouTube address for you to copy and paste into your browser and visit on your own if you've never had the privilige of hearing the emotional words put to beautiful music, plus you get the extra bonus of seeing the gorgeous Martina sing it. When I hear this song, I think of course of my own children, but a few special friends with a daughter or two come to mind as well. So this posting is for them:

Thursday, August 02, 2007 - 06:46 AM

Thursday, July 19, 2007 - 06:44 AM

As I enjoyed my glass of wine this evening (see my wine review at "www.whattodrink.blogspot.com"), I poured over some of my favorite Einstein quotes. Albert Einstein the Physicist has been a preoccupation of mine for awhile. But lately, quite curiously, I find myself reading everything I can on him and in that regard I see him more as a philosopher / prophet. I find myself totally fascinated with him. I believe that man had the ball in the bag.

A few of my absolute favorite quotes of his are offered below:

Friday, July 13, 2007 - 07:09 AM

I really like this CD. If you're a McCartney fan, buy it. Although it seems to have become a favorite of mine, I would not have thought so following the very first run-through:

Friday, June 22, 2007 - 06:59 AM

Adam Walsh (Summer 1981)
Polly Klaas (October 1993)
Samanthan Runnion (July 2002)
Jessica Lunsford (February 2005)

In light of the disappearance of little Madeleine McCann from her family vacation in Portugal, I am posting as much info as I can on missing and exploited children. I pray every night she will make it and be returned alive to her parents. But the ordeal she has suffered has certainly been traumatic at the least. As a mother I can only hope that her parents will be given the oportunity to hold her again and help her to heal. I am beyond devastated that abduction, sexual exploitation, murder and abuse of any kind occurs to children in this world. I have never forgotten the stories of Adam Walsh, Polly Klaas, Samantha Runnion and Jessica Lunsford, just a few of so many horrific kidnappings, sexual assaults and deaths. Each one still brings me to tears when I think of what they must have gone through. But I am further traumatized that an adult would willfully commit such inhumanities. I don't feel there's strict enough punishment for child offenders and too many people turn their heads. We need to stand up and demand greater penalties and no leniancy. I don't believe child sex offenders can be "rehabilitated".

Monday, June 18, 2007 - 06:27 AM

This recipe was delicious. I got it on-line when trying to pair a meal with my Four Vines "Biker" 2004 Zinfandel. It actually called for a different pork chop recipe but I thought this recipe would work just as well with the wine. I was correct. Incidentally, a chilled Liberty School 2003 Chardonnay also accompanied this dish very well - especially on a hot, humid day.

Sunday, June 17, 2007 - 08:37 PM

The suggested wine for the following recipe is "The Holy Trinity 2001", Grant Burge Wines, Jacobs Creek, Barossa Valley, South Australia (approx. $26/bottle). The alternative suggestion is either a Grenache or a Syrah. As I was unable to locally buy this wine without ordering it, I had Mirone red wine from Spain and found it enhanced the flavors of the meal. (This is another recipe taken from "The Wine Lover's Healthy Weight Loss Plan".)

PLEASE NOTE: I have since made this recipe again and had the pleasure of enjoying "The Holy Trinity 2000". Nice pairing (see wine review at www.whattodrink.blogspot.com").

Sunday, May 20, 2007 - 07:23 AM

Sunday, May 20, 2007 - 02:48 AM

Taken from "The Wine Lover's Healthy Weight Loss Plan", the following recipe was very good.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Ingredients you will need:




1 c reduced sodium soy sauce
1/4 c honey
1/2 t finely minced garlic
4 salmon fillets, 6 oz. each
2 T sesame seeds

Tuesday, May 15, 2007 - 07:22 AM

As a tribute to Mother's Day, I am posting my most favorite poem in the world, written by my mother when I was four years old and my brother was two. Every time I read it my eyes fill up. It is a real-life glimpse into how my beautiful young mother (only 23 at the time) felt about my brother and I. I hang it in my house and read it when I'm feeling disconnected. It brings me right back to where I came from and who I am now as a mother myself.

Though times change, it is a true testament to all mothers past and future:

Saturday, May 12, 2007 - 09:29 AM

Wendy Dubit is founder of the way cool website The Senses Bureau (go to www.thesensesbureau.com) and founder of Vergant Media (www.vergant.com) has served as editor-in-chief of "Friends of Wine" and "Wine Enthusiast" magazines, among numerous other accolades. She writes and speaks about wine, food, lifestyle and leads tastings worldwide. In Kevin Zraly's book "Windows On The World Complete Wine Course, 2007 Edition", Wendy contributes to a chapter on wine smelling. I absolutely LOVE the following story she tells:
(more)