Alright Ya Turkey, Which Wine?

Thanksgiving is a week away. Just a gentle reminder, from me to you. You're welcome.

This morning, I am working on the Thanksgiving Menu, in anticipation of the Thanksgiving Shopping Trip. I like to do things early, beat the crowds, then sit back and relax. Yeah, right. As I sit here, debating the merits of pumpkin cheesecake versus pecan pie (they both win), it occurs to me that the question of wine is second only to food when it comes to Thanksgiving. Whether we're hosting or attending a Thanksgiving dinner, most of us feel we should offer or bring some wine. But for some, this may be one of only a dozen days a year when they purchase the stuff, and the process can be overwhelming. That's where this post comes in...

I offer to you, some helpful tips for navigating the wide and mysterious world of wine, in hopes that they will make the process less intimidating.

Tip #1: You always want your wine to be slightly sweeter than what you're eating. For example, curry dishes tend to have a sweet note to them, so I usually serve a Riesling, such as Cupcake Vineyard's, or Sawtooth. A Sauvignon Blanc would also work, but I drink very few of those, so I can't recommend one particular bottle. Basically you want to avoid slamming back a big ol' sip of bitter after digging into some yummy delicousness.

Tip #2: Everybody has their favorites. Mine lean toward Chardonnays, Pinot Noirs and Cabernets. Don't want something as heavy as a Cab, but more robust than a Pinot? Give a Merlot a shot. Some folks prefer a heavy, dry Cabernet. Such as my husband. We have agreed to disagree on the matter. But I have better taste than he. Just sayin'.

Tip #3: Thanksgiving is a pairing free-for-all. The flavors are all over the place, from sweet to savory, and truly, any wine would work. The traditional favorites are Rieslings and Pinot Noirs, but feel free to strike out on your own. Go bold. Buy a Malbec (one of my faves, by the way)! Dare to savor a Chardonnay! Or better yet, throw caution to the wind, open that pesky top button on your pants and toss back a glass of 337 Cabernet. Best wine under 20 bucks. FYI. 'Cuz I love ya.

Tip #4: The rule is: There are no rules. Forget the idea that wines must match the color of the food with which they're paired. Unless that's your thing. Maybe you like to eat all orange foods one day, and red foods the next. Then you'd probably want your wine to match. But I can't recommend a good orange wine...I digress. Clearly, if the two most popular wines for this grandiose meal are red and white, the rules no longer apply. Bottom line, drink what you like. The turkey goes really well with a nice buttery Chardonnay, such as Kendall Jackson's, or Cupcake Vineyard's. That wine is also one of my favorites. They're like my children, I love them all. Don't judge me.

Tip #5: Make a commitment, already! If you're serving many people, pick one red and one white, then buy within those varietals. Now is not the time to experiment. Save that for the day after, when no one's around to see you get wild and crazy.

Tip #6: Buy high, sell low. Or something like that. Many a heart has broken just a little, when the day after, the host sobers up and realizes he opened up the $60 bottle after his guests were too happy, shall we say, to savor it. Serve the mid-grade wines first, and by that I mean the $20 bottles, then switch to the lower-grade bottles (less than $10). No one will care. Especially if they happen to be my husband. During one Thanksgiving meal, he realized we were fresh out of wine, and broke into the Champagne left over from our wedding. Two years prior. That's when his alter-ego, Fred Garvin, appeared on the scene. I won't get into that here, but if you have a moment, hop on over to Hulu, and do a search for Dan Aykroyd's Fred Garvin. It's not for the kids, fair warning. My husband walked around, repeating his catchphrase, for hours. Clearly Fred did not care which bottle of wine he was served. But it was thoroughly entertaining for the rest of us.

Tip #7: Shop at the local stores, not the Wine Warehouse. Ask questions. Chances are, you will find the help you want. The folks there tend to specialize, and know their stuff. You might spend a little more, but it'll be worth it.

Tip #8: Chill out. Seriously. Chill your wines. Some will tell you that whites should be chilled no more than one hour, but unless you can put little Lucy on Wine Watch, chances are you'll be so busy cooking, you'll forget to take the wine out on time. No biggie. Rule of thumb: Chill whites and reds. Take whites out 20 minutes before serving, and reds 60 minutes prior.
A word about decanting reds, if I may. I recently found an aerator online for less than 20 bucks. It goes right onto the bottle, so you don't have to hold it above the glass and pour at the same time. That's right up there with rubbing your belly and patting your head. Or walking and chewing gum. And this little beauty, made by Rabbit, does the trick just fine. If you think you might want to invest in an aerator, don't feel pressured to spend a small fortune. Honestly, how did we become such wine snobs? There I go, digressing again. I'm sorry. I'm back now.

Tip #9: Equal housing for all. Don't worry about providing different wine glasses based on the varietal. One glass for all will suffice. Seriously. Wine should be enjoyed, not worried over. Pour a glass and drink up. End of story.

Tip #10: Figure 3 to 4 glasses per bottle. That's the reality. Four ounces is a portion in name only. In the real world, it's more like eight. Am I right? Huh? Yeah, I thought so.

Tip #11: Don't buy into the rule that you shouldn't cook with wine you wouldn't drink. There have been several times when I've used White Cooking Wine from the grocery store, and slept like a baby, knowing it worked just fine. I use white wine in some of my Thanksgiving dishes. I do not invest my budget in that wine. I spend the bucks where it counts-in the stuff I'm gonna drink. Alright, I do drink the wine while I'm cooking, so it doesn't hurt to have a reasonably good bottle on hand before the meal. If you roll like I do. And I hope so, otherwise I'm drinking by myself. And that's awkward.

So there you have it, a little love from me to you, on the subject of wine. Go forth. Eat, drink and be merry. But not too merry, because the next day won't be much fun...
Happy Thanksgiving and Cheers!
Foodie Momma

Welcome to My Food World!

If you're looking for fancy recipes filled with exotic ingredients, you've come to the wrong place! I'm not a classically trained chef, but my father is. I grew up in a kitchen. Literally. Two of the guys working for my dad would stand at opposite ends of the kitchen and take turns calling me, and that is how I learned to walk. My parents owned a restaurant from the time I was a teeny tyke until I was in middle school. That place was my second home. So many places to explore! My brothers' favorite was the pantry, where the chocolate chips were in easy reach. Well that, and the homemade waffle chips - yummy! When my dad was prepping chickens, he would make them dance for me. When I was tired, I'd cuddle up in a 'nest' of blankets in his office and nap. The wine cellar in the basement was mysterious and comforting, with its dark wood, soft lighting, and all those beautiful bottles. At any given time there was a five gallon steam pot full of potato chowder, a bit of heaven I have yet to recreate. To this day, the kitchen is my favorite place. When I walk into mine, I see all my old friends - the silver pots and pans, the rich colors and aromas of spices, the scent of sauteed onions and garlic - it's my bliss. Cooking to me is not art in the sense many people refer to. I don't plate my dishes as ornate and intricately designed masterpieces. Food is meant to be savored with a good glass of wine, in the company of family and friends. When it's done right, the food will speak for itself!

Over time, I've added recipes to my repertoire, in large part because my husband abhors fast food in any form. I have to admit, I'm with him on this one. But I have found I can fix (mostly) quick, simple, tasty meals with small expense, and make his tummy happy as a clam at high tide. He's partial to the flavor profiles in Mexican cooking, and truly, this is one of my favorites, because the food is so rich in flavor, but not heavy! I'm not a fan of French cooking, although I can make a mean Steak au Poivre! The Hubs is just fine if I leave starches out of our meals, so I don't often use pastas, but when I do, I grab the whole wheat or whole grain varieties. Even my kiddo will eat those!

The key to enjoying cooking is having the right tools. So let's talk about my favorites. Sharp knives are a must! They're safer and hey, they make life easier. So, keep your knives sharp. You don't need a fancy sharpener to do this; mine is about as simple as they come, short of the steel in my knife block.

What about pots and pans? They're the stars of the show, so you better make sure they can stand up to the pressure. Splurge on a heavy duty skillet. You'll thank me later. Trust me. Seriously. Do it. Pick out a shiny stainless skillet, and you'll feel like a chef. Come on, work with me on this!

Alright, now to stock our pantries. Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Buy it, use it, love it. Unsalted butter. Put the salted butter away, and the margarine, they have no place in our recipes! A word on margarine and Miracle Whip: take them out of your kitchen. Now. My husband, really through no fault of his own, was a Miracle Whip eater before I got my hands on him. He has since seen the error of his ways, and has admitted that I was right. You heard me ladies. I was right. I cherish that day; I've tucked it away in my heart for safe-keeping. But I digress. Okay, get yourself grinders for both salt and pepper. The "pepper" sold already ground is not welcome in my kitchen. While you're getting the grinders, pick up some black peppercorns, or a melange, if you're feeling bold. Also, Kosher salt. Lowest amount of sodium, and more forgiving if you over-salt. Note: a raw potato cut in half, and thrown into a sauce, soup or stew will suck the extra salt right out, in case you get a bit heavy handed!

What else? How could I forget?! Vinegar!! Balsamic, cider, rice. I go through a good amount in my kitchen because my husband, hereafter referred to as 'J', considers it a food group. If he could drink it straight up, he would. He orders fish and chips just so he can soak them in Malt Vinegar. It's a bit of an obsession with the boy. So, get those three. Also have lemons and limes in your fridge. I like to keep fresh basil, cilantro, and Italian (flat leaf) parsley on hand. Onions and garlic. No question. Must be in your kitchen. And my go-to spices? Ground cumin, chili powder, paprika, oregano, basil, thyme, dill weed, ground mustard, granulated garlic. Those are the basics. We'll add to them in time. Additionally, keep some chicken and beef stock (or broth) in your pantry, along with some canned tomato products and diced green chiles. Well, I use the green chiles a lot, you might not. Okay, I think I've touched on the basics, so now I'll throw a recipe at ya.

Effort in Futility def.: Asking J what he wants for dinner. Honestly, it's become a habit, which I should consider breaking. J does not care. J will eat what's put in front of him. If it happens to contain fresh cilantro, lime juice and corn tortillas, he'll go back for fourths, even fifths. (And still keep his figure, which is not fair. At all.) If I could bottle the aromas of The Big Three, and splash a little on my pulse points, J would be all over me. Occasionally, he'll placate me with a real response, mostly to get me off his back. When he does, I can usually count on the same thing: my casserole. I'm going to call it J's Go-To Casserole. I don't mind when he requests this one, because it's pretty dang simple. Now I know I just told you to get a stainless skillet, but this recipe could also be done in a non-stick. Just make sure it's big enough to hold two pounds of ground beef, along with some fixins. You also need a good sized casserole dish. I don't know about you, but when I set out to cook, I like to gather everything ahead of time. If I don't I end up wandering my kitchen, or walking in circles, talking to myself. That's right, I talk to myself when I'm cooking, and I'm willing to bet you do too. "Now, where was I? Oh yeah, I need two onions, some garlic and butter...Now what am I doing?" Save yourself some time, and go get what you'll need. At the beginning of the recipe I'll give you an overview, so you can collect your goodies.

J's Go-To Casserole

Go get a large skillet and large casserole, as well as a medium sized bowl. You'll need ground beef (or pork), onion, garlic, butter, diced green chiles, taco seasoning, tomato sauce, sugar, tortilla chips, eggs, cottage cheese, Monterey Jack and Cheddar cheeses. Preheat oven to 350.

Ingredients:
2 lbs. lean ground beef (or pork, or a combination, or turkey, or or or)
1/2 tsp unsalted (we've talked about this!) butter
1 medium onion, chopped
3-6 cloves garlic, minced (to your taste)
1 pkg low-sodium taco seasoning
8 oz can no salt added tomato sauce
7 oz can diced green chiles (or mix in some diced jalapenos if you're feeling sassy)
pinch of sugar
4 oz can chopped black olives (they're small, so olive haters won't notice them, mwaahahahaha)
32 oz large curd cottage cheese
2 eggs
8 oz Monterey Jack cheese, thinly sliced
bag of tortilla chips
8 oz cheddar cheese, grated

Optional garnishes
chopped scallions (green onions)
sliced black olives
roughly chopped cilantro
sour cream

Toss block of Monterey Jack cheese in the freezer. This will make it easier to slice. Just don't forget it's in there!
Brown beef in skillet, drain. Melt butter in skillet, add onion and garlic, saute briefly. Return beef to pan, add seasoning, tomato sauce, sugar, chiles, olives, and 1/2 cup water. Stir well to combine, turn heat to low, let simmer 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in medium sized bowl, slightly beat eggs, add cottage cheese and stir to combine. Slice Monterey Jack cheese. Spread 1/3 meat mixture in bottom of casserole, cover with layers of 1/2 Monterey Jack, cottage cheese mixture and chips (grab a couple of handfuls of chips, crush them slightly in your mitts, then spread in a layer). Repeat layers, ending with last 1/3 meat mixture. Top with grated cheddar. Toss in oven (don't spill it!!) and bake for 3o minutes. Bask in the knowledge that you've just thrown together a little bit of yummy goodness. Think about washing some dishes - whether you do is up to you. If you want them, chop some scallions and cilantro. Go kiss your husband and kiddos (if you want). Haul the casserole out of the oven, let rest for 5 minutes. Serve with garnishes.