My Dad got us a wine club membership to Oxford Wine & Beverage's wine club for our birthday (for 6 months). What it means is every month we'll get 6 wines to try :) This month these are the wines & the descriptions given, I'll likely update as we try them :)
Praxis dry Syrah Rose (California), flavors of strawberry, watermelon and guava are accented by a little spice and vanilla. This wine is dry and has bright acidity with a medium body. Food match: Baked Salmon (won't be happening here, but maybe chicken? lol).
Tapena Verdejo (Spain), Wine has a vibrant nose with an array of aromas of tropical fruits over a backdrop of ripe peaches. The palate is full of bright stone fruit that is beautifully balanced and crisp, refreshing acidity and a lingering finish with a hint of minerality. Food match: lemon crusted shrip (not, chicken again).
Emilio Bordeaux (France), Pleasant nose with red fruits and black cherries aromas. In the mouth, the wine is fleshy, full-bodied with good structure and power; expressive, and pleasant final note dominated by fruity notes - morello cherry and black currant notes. Food match: great with grilled meats. (This is a merlot, which I'm not typically crazy about but will try Tuesday with steaks).
Concannon Petite Syrah (California), Full bodied, rich wine with soft, full tannins and primary fruit flavors of cherry, dark berry, and blueberry. Secondary flavors of chocolate and cassis are complex with hints of toast and creamy oak. Food match: Great pizza red, good for BBQ meats.
We had this one tonight with BBQ chicken, fresh green beans, and oven roasted red skins. Was a pretty good red, not too acidic or strong so I liked it. Went well with our dinner and I think my Dad liked it too.
Concannon Merlot (California), Highly aromatic, with cherry, spice, smoke, and leather notes. The flavor is interesting, with cherry and blackberry well balanced with toasty oak and black pepper. A bit of acidity lingers on the tongue afterwards. Food match: beef or veal (this one I may take with us to Indy in June, FIL is a big merlot fan).
Concannon Cabernet Sauvignon (California), Brimming with black cherry and vanilla-oak flavors and a rich, smooth finish. Food match: red meat
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Birthday treats
Dad's birthday is coming up so I've started figuring out what to make. It's the 12th, which is a Friday, and he's a super Catholic so it means no meat. Hrm. I think I'm going to try this Artichoke Spinach lasagna, although this foodnetwork Greek/Italian hybrid Spanakopita Lasagna sounded pretty amazing. My sister may be bringing a few friends home so figured I shouldn't go too oddball ;) I may try that one another time though. I love Greek food...
My Dad's favorite cake is yellow cake with chocolate frosting. In the past I've tried making boston cream pie but that doesn't keep well, so I think I'm going to stick with the basic. Going to try this chick's yellow cake, she seems to rave about it so we'll see. :) Not going to use her frosting, I'm sticking with my Hershey's frosting out of their cookbook.
My Dad's favorite cake is yellow cake with chocolate frosting. In the past I've tried making boston cream pie but that doesn't keep well, so I think I'm going to stick with the basic. Going to try this chick's yellow cake, she seems to rave about it so we'll see. :) Not going to use her frosting, I'm sticking with my Hershey's frosting out of their cookbook.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Banana Pancakes
Made these for breakfast this morning, were pretty tasty! I didn't use the rum sauce or the nuts, but thought I'd include in case someone felt like including it. I instead sprinkled cinnamon sugar on them while in the griddle :) and used regular syrup. I also only ate 2 pancakes and had an aidell's chicken & apple sausage link with it. Yum.
Banana Pancakes
Pancakes:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups low-fat buttermilk
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 1/2 cups bananas -- chopped
3 tablespoons pecans -- chopped and toasted
Cinnamon-Rum Syrup:
3/4 cup corn syrup -- light-colored
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons rum
or
1 teaspoon rum extract -- * see note
1 teaspoon lemon juice
To prepare pancakes, combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl; stir well. Combine buttermilk, oil, vanilla, and egg in a small bowl; stir well. Add to flour mixture, stirring until smooth. Fold in banana. Spoon about 1/3 cup batter for each pancake onto a hot nonstick griddle or nonstick skillet. Turn pancakes when tops are covered with bubbles and edges look cooked. To prepare Cinnamon-Rum Syrup, place corn syrup in a small saucepan, and cook over low heat until thoroughly heated. Add remaining ingredients; stir well. Serve warm over pancakes.
Yield: 9 pancakes (serving size: 3 pancakes, 1 tablespoon pecans, and 4 teaspoons syrup).
Banana Pancakes
Pancakes:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups low-fat buttermilk
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 1/2 cups bananas -- chopped
3 tablespoons pecans -- chopped and toasted
Cinnamon-Rum Syrup:
3/4 cup corn syrup -- light-colored
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons rum
or
1 teaspoon rum extract -- * see note
1 teaspoon lemon juice
To prepare pancakes, combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl; stir well. Combine buttermilk, oil, vanilla, and egg in a small bowl; stir well. Add to flour mixture, stirring until smooth. Fold in banana. Spoon about 1/3 cup batter for each pancake onto a hot nonstick griddle or nonstick skillet. Turn pancakes when tops are covered with bubbles and edges look cooked. To prepare Cinnamon-Rum Syrup, place corn syrup in a small saucepan, and cook over low heat until thoroughly heated. Add remaining ingredients; stir well. Serve warm over pancakes.
Yield: 9 pancakes (serving size: 3 pancakes, 1 tablespoon pecans, and 4 teaspoons syrup).
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Chicken Asparagus Gratin
Had this for dinner the other night, not the most amazing thing ever but I saw fresh asparagus at the store and thought it would freeze well in casserole form for my grandparents. If you aren't a big asparagus fan I think you could do cream of broccoli and broccoli as substitutes.
Chicken Asparagus Gratin
7 points / 5 servings
10 3/4 oz Campbells cream of asparagus
1/2 cup skim milk
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp black pepper
3 cups cooked whole wheat pasta
2 cups cooked, diced chicken breast
2 cups cooked, diced asparagus
1 cup reduced fat cheddar shredded cheese
Preheat oven to 400
Combine soup, milk, onion powder, and pepper.
Stir in pasta, chicken, asparagus, and cheese. Pour into 2 quart casserole.
Bake @ 400 for 25 minutes, or until hot.
I also sprinkled a little paprika over it before baking. Was kind of bland, but ok with some garlic pepper added :)
Chicken Asparagus Gratin
7 points / 5 servings
10 3/4 oz Campbells cream of asparagus
1/2 cup skim milk
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp black pepper
3 cups cooked whole wheat pasta
2 cups cooked, diced chicken breast
2 cups cooked, diced asparagus
1 cup reduced fat cheddar shredded cheese
Preheat oven to 400
Combine soup, milk, onion powder, and pepper.
Stir in pasta, chicken, asparagus, and cheese. Pour into 2 quart casserole.
Bake @ 400 for 25 minutes, or until hot.
I also sprinkled a little paprika over it before baking. Was kind of bland, but ok with some garlic pepper added :)
Moterrey chicken & Spanish Rice
I originally got the chicken recipe off of a website called www.aimeesadventures.com, not sure if its still active or not. Think I got this one back in 2005 on my first run of WW.
I like this chicken recipe because you can scale it to the number of chicken breasts you have. Like tonight I only have 3 so I will just 3/4 cup cheese and 3 Tbsp of BBQ and bacon bits (1/4c = 4 Tbsp for those of you who forget) :)
Monterrey Chicken
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup bbq sauce
1/4 cup real bacon bits
1 cup colby blend shredded cheese
1 can rotel (diced tomatoes & chiles), drained.*
sliced green onions (optional)
ground black pepper
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Pound out the chicken to flatten. Season each with a little pepper. Cook the chicken in a skillet over medium-low until cooked thru (no longer pink). Place each breast on a coated (with cooking spray) jelly roll (cookie sheet with sides) or large brownie pan and top each breast with 1 Tbsp BBQ sauce, 1/4 cup cheese, 1/4 cup rotel, green onions, and 1 Tbsp bacon bits.
Bake until cheese has melted (about 5 minutes).
* Recipe calls for 14oz but my can is 10oz and will be fine for 3 breasts.
Spanish Rice
6 servings / 3 points
1 can (14.5 oz) chicken broth
1 can (14.5 oz) stewed tomatoes (I've also used diced ok)
1 cup uncooked longrain rice
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp italian seasoning
1/4 tsp garlic salt
In a large saucepan, combine all ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed.
I like this chicken recipe because you can scale it to the number of chicken breasts you have. Like tonight I only have 3 so I will just 3/4 cup cheese and 3 Tbsp of BBQ and bacon bits (1/4c = 4 Tbsp for those of you who forget) :)
Monterrey Chicken
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup bbq sauce
1/4 cup real bacon bits
1 cup colby blend shredded cheese
1 can rotel (diced tomatoes & chiles), drained.*
sliced green onions (optional)
ground black pepper
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Pound out the chicken to flatten. Season each with a little pepper. Cook the chicken in a skillet over medium-low until cooked thru (no longer pink). Place each breast on a coated (with cooking spray) jelly roll (cookie sheet with sides) or large brownie pan and top each breast with 1 Tbsp BBQ sauce, 1/4 cup cheese, 1/4 cup rotel, green onions, and 1 Tbsp bacon bits.
Bake until cheese has melted (about 5 minutes).
* Recipe calls for 14oz but my can is 10oz and will be fine for 3 breasts.
Spanish Rice
6 servings / 3 points
1 can (14.5 oz) chicken broth
1 can (14.5 oz) stewed tomatoes (I've also used diced ok)
1 cup uncooked longrain rice
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp italian seasoning
1/4 tsp garlic salt
In a large saucepan, combine all ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Bubble Up pizza casserole
People have raved about this on the WW boards for years, tonight I'm finally trying it. Fat/Cal will vary based on how you prepare.
Basic Ingredients:
1 1/2 servings turkey pepperonis, cut into quarters - I am actually using 6oz of the diced ham cubes. Outta pepperoni.
One can of the smaller biscuits (10 biscuits per can)
15 oz can tomato sauce
1 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp Italian seasoning
I also added 1/2 tsp minced onion
1 1/4 cups reduced fat cheese
You can put whatever you'd want in it, veggies, different meat (people on the boards seemed to like turkey italian sausage and ground beef as well). Some people also say it works well with the Pillsbury canned Italian loaf diced up.
Preheat oven to 350.
In a bowl place whatever meats you use, seasonings, and sauce. Add biscuits and stir gently until covered in sauce. Pour into a treated 9x13 pan.
Bake 25 minutes.
Top with cheese, and bake 10 minutes or until the biscuits are done. Allow to sit 5 minutes before serving.
Variation posted: Use leftover taco meat, refried beans, salsa instead of pizza sauce, low fat mexican cheese, chopped tomatoes, then shredded lettuce and a little sour cream once the whole pizza is cooked. yum!
Basic Ingredients:
1 1/2 servings turkey pepperonis, cut into quarters - I am actually using 6oz of the diced ham cubes. Outta pepperoni.
One can of the smaller biscuits (10 biscuits per can)
15 oz can tomato sauce
1 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp Italian seasoning
I also added 1/2 tsp minced onion
1 1/4 cups reduced fat cheese
You can put whatever you'd want in it, veggies, different meat (people on the boards seemed to like turkey italian sausage and ground beef as well). Some people also say it works well with the Pillsbury canned Italian loaf diced up.
Preheat oven to 350.
In a bowl place whatever meats you use, seasonings, and sauce. Add biscuits and stir gently until covered in sauce. Pour into a treated 9x13 pan.
Bake 25 minutes.
Top with cheese, and bake 10 minutes or until the biscuits are done. Allow to sit 5 minutes before serving.
Variation posted: Use leftover taco meat, refried beans, salsa instead of pizza sauce, low fat mexican cheese, chopped tomatoes, then shredded lettuce and a little sour cream once the whole pizza is cooked. yum!
Cook like Julia without all the fat
This is another yanked off the WW boards, will probably be deleted soon since its apparently in the WW cookbook this month.
BOEUF BOURGUIGNON
Prep: 25 minutes Cook: 1 hr 45 min
Serves 6
*2 lbs bottom round roast, trimmed and cut into 3/4 inch cubes
*1/4 cup AP flour
*1 TBS olive oil
*1 14.5 ounce can low sodium beef broth
*1 cup red wine
*1 16 ounce pkg frozen pearl onions
*10 ounces cremini mushrooms, quartered
*2 TBS tomato paste
*4 cloves garlic, chopped
*1 TBS fresh thyme, chopped
*1 bay leaf
*1/2 tsp salt
*1/4 tsp pepper
*1 lb carrots, thickly sliced
*2 TBS chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
1. Toss beef cubes and flour in a bowl til evenly coated. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over med-hi heat. Add beef, in batches if necessary, and cook until browned, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a bowl with a slotted spoon.
2. Add broth, wine, onions, mushrooms, tomato paste, garlic, thyme, bay leaf, salt and pepper; bring to a boil, scraping up any bits from bottom of the pan. Stir in beef and reduce heat. Cover and simmer 1 hour.
3. Stir in carrots. Cover and simmer again for 30 minutes. Serve sprinkled with chopped parsley.
Per serving (1 1/3 cups) 381 calories, 9g fat, 376 mg sodium, 24 g carbs, 4 g fiber, 49 g protein
BOEUF BOURGUIGNON
Prep: 25 minutes Cook: 1 hr 45 min
Serves 6
*2 lbs bottom round roast, trimmed and cut into 3/4 inch cubes
*1/4 cup AP flour
*1 TBS olive oil
*1 14.5 ounce can low sodium beef broth
*1 cup red wine
*1 16 ounce pkg frozen pearl onions
*10 ounces cremini mushrooms, quartered
*2 TBS tomato paste
*4 cloves garlic, chopped
*1 TBS fresh thyme, chopped
*1 bay leaf
*1/2 tsp salt
*1/4 tsp pepper
*1 lb carrots, thickly sliced
*2 TBS chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
1. Toss beef cubes and flour in a bowl til evenly coated. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over med-hi heat. Add beef, in batches if necessary, and cook until browned, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a bowl with a slotted spoon.
2. Add broth, wine, onions, mushrooms, tomato paste, garlic, thyme, bay leaf, salt and pepper; bring to a boil, scraping up any bits from bottom of the pan. Stir in beef and reduce heat. Cover and simmer 1 hour.
3. Stir in carrots. Cover and simmer again for 30 minutes. Serve sprinkled with chopped parsley.
Per serving (1 1/3 cups) 381 calories, 9g fat, 376 mg sodium, 24 g carbs, 4 g fiber, 49 g protein
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