Ten Wines to be Tasted .......

We picked up an assorted case of wine today. We each got to add 6 bottles to the case and the only rules were that it had to be something we wanted to drink and it had to be under $10 a bottle ... not $10.99, under $10! When we got home we each picked 5 out of the case (the other two are the token ones for emergencies). The ten we picked we will be featuring in our tasting! After we taste them, we will either keep it or leave it. If, it is a keeper, it will be added to the Best Wines for under $10 list on our blog! Stay tuned ... we have some drinking to do!

Ribs! Ribs! Ribs!

Last night we had our friend W. over for a cookout. Warm evening in the city and we were going to take advantage of our beautiful deck & Weber! Started the evening with a bottle of 2004 Tobin James Dusi Vineyard Zinfandel and a Hummus Platter. The food was great and the wine was FANTASTIC - juicy, jammy and spicy all wrapped up in one! We then grilled up some beef short ribs which I had rubbed down with a Chipotle Pepper and Salt rub, that I made earlier in the day. These ribs are really outstanding - full of flavor!! I am drooling just thinking about it - summer addiction for warm nights on the deck! Served it with an Asian Inspired Slaw that I tossed together and then we popped open a 2004 Tobin James French Camp Vineyard Zinfandel - another winner which really complimented the grilled beef, which was slightly spicy as well as the sweetness in the slaw! We ended the night with chocolate anglefood cake which I bought at Whole Foods and covered it with those great strawberries I have been raving about! Fantastic meal for a warm summer night in the city!!!

The Three Macarons

Labors of Love ....... Verbena with a basil buttercream filling Lavender with a honey buttercream filling Hibiscus with a strawberry rhubarb filling

Blue Moon Strawberries

I picked up some strawberries at Whole Foods, today, mainly because they were so darn cute. Bright red & petite and some were oddly shaped, but really cute! Then I took a bite ................... the sweetest, juiciest, sinful strawberry I have ever had - I am completely in love with Blue Moon right now!

Super Woman ....

Not sure who I think I am today ~ maybe all of your inspirations have done this to me! Baking Portuguese masa, French macarons (3 flavors), Hummus, making homemade yogurt (which is really easy & super tasty) and baking some Zucchini bread (old family recipe)...all in this 20 Sq. Ft. kitchen! As well as the usual living stuff: errands, house-work, laundry, my job, yard work, breathing ...... Stay tuned!

Vietnamese Food with a French Flair

Check it out ............ TAO

Lamb Sausage

Finally grilled those Lamb Sausages - fantastic! Served with some grilled eggplant which was drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with grey sea salt & fresh ground pepper. Roasted a mixture of yellow, orange & red beets with thyme & made a simple salad drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, feta and more grey sea salt. Dessert .... simple summer figs!

Zucchini Ribbons

The theme this week is: "Create something from what you have on hand"! I made some zucchini ribbons and created a risotto with a bit of chili flakes and lemon. Let me say one word to describe this meal, "Delicious"!

This Week .................

....... is all about creating a flavor explosion in your mouth from what we have on hand - I won't be able to get to the grocery for a few more days this week!

Sunday Night

Tonight was a very special occasion for us. We or I, usually make something special but since every meal in our house is special, we decided to go out. As well this french bistro has a special meaning for us!

The last few days ......

have been away & did not have any internet access as well, we ate out every night! Great meals will continue this week .......come back soon!

Summer Vegetable Pasta

My mom use to make this zucchini dish when I was a child. I just remember how great the gooey goodness of vegetables with cheese was! This is an updated & lighter version. I tossed it with some pasta ..... light and easy for a hot summer night.

Vino

(tuesday) Baking like a mad woman tonight - father's day gifts! No time for food .... must drink wine for dinner!

Steak & French Fries

I had a special dinner with a special 4 year old and forgot to take photos - we were in such deep conversation about nail polish! We did dine on a petite cut of grass fed beef & Ian's alphabet french fries as well as some oven roasted asparagus - served with Lemonade. For dessert we had left over vanilla ice cream from the other night!

Sunday Night Dinner OUT

Check it out Sousa's.

Tangerine Soba Noodles ....

with roasted veggies! Light, refreshing & delicious! Had a butter lettuce salad with a wasabi dressing with hit. Served it with a nice 2005 Shiraz. Dessert ............ a big bowl of luscious fresh strawberries!

Eggplant Parmesan

(Friday Night) Made a Fantastic Eggplant Parmesan - fantastic, really!!!! It had a slightly spicy tomato base sauce. I used some dry farmed tomatoes I had frozen from last winter - very very flavorable . Then we moved to a grilled Niman Ranch Chili Marinated Beef Bavette, which I found when I picked up the lamb sausage. This cut was incredibly tender & juicy with excellend flavor - one of our new summer time favorite cuts for the grill! Really tasty! We had a salad course next. Baby butter lettuce with some chopped up baby red onions and fennel. I made a balsamic goat cheese dressing & sprinkled the crazy black salt flakes, I found last week, over the top - yum! For dessert I whipped up some Vanilla Bean ice cream!

Dessert for Dinner?

We felt like the naughty kids in the kitchen & were wondering when we would get caught! We were out late buying a new TV, so I had to put the wonderful Eggplant Parmesan that I was going to make, on hold. It was too late to cook, too late for take-out, so we had left over Plum & Apricot Clafouti, some fresh blueberries & cream and a couple glasses of wine for dinner.

Lamb Sausage

I am a sucker for great packaging. I don't like fluff. I like somewhat rustic & simple - to really let you know how great the food is going to be. After all, I am going to eat the food not the packages! I saw these at one of my favorite neighborhood markets, Bi-Rite Market. The sausage is actually made by Neiman Ranch. They are a lamb sausage and the piece of fresh Rosemary really sold me! Start up the barbie .....

Pasta with Fresh Tomatoes

One of my favorite stand-by tomato sauces served with an assortment of pasta that I have left over and I tossed some little pearl size mozzarellas over it - I LOVED how they found their way into some of the orrichette pasta! Next we had a butter-leaf lettuce salad served with a simple vinaigrette and sprinkled with a black flake salt I found at Whole Foods and a loaf of bread. Dessert was a plum and apricot clafouti - I used this pear clafouti recipe but I substituted 1/2 of the cream for half and half and instead of brandy I used some Portuguese Passion Fruit Liquor.