Looking for a tasty pairing for your holiday guests? Why not try a modern twist on a holiday tradition. Instead of serving that door-stopper weight of a fruit cake, we recommend port fruit bars with Pedroncelli Port. As part of their year-long 90th Anniversary celebration, the fine folks at Pedroncelli introduced us to their own limited selection vintage Four Grapes Port. They make it from three of the same grape varieties typically used in traditional […]
Continue readingMore TagTag: Recipes
Only a Ginger can call a Ginger….SNAP!
One of my father’s favorite treats was a ginger snap cookie — or should I say cookies! M&Ms had nothing on this zesty treat – my dad could never eat just one ginger snap. He had this old green recliner with a former sewing basket as an end table. I would come home from my retail job at Lazarus to find him snacking away. “Hey Sissy,” he’d say, “want a ‘Snap?” Then he would reach into […]
Continue readingMore TagMéthode WineWonkette: DIY Fancy French Ginger Liqueur
I love ginger! I must try this at home, I think to myself as I sip Frank Plusk’s signature Domaine de Canton 2014 Global Bartender of the Year contest entry cocktail while chatting with a wine country friend in town for the weekend. So the next day I head to the Downtown Specs Liquor Warehouse (Smith Street) to pick up a bottle of Domaine de Canton to make my own Asian Lemon Drop Martini. I […]
Continue readingMore TagRodney Strong Redux for November TasteLive Tuesday!
Rodney Strong is giving us the opportunity to share with our readers an inside look at a TasteLive event, with a chance to participate in December.
Continue readingMore TagJune 10th is National Iced Tea Day!
It was one of those days. In a long line of them. Three days before tax filing day my laptop crashed. The morning after another raucous TasteLive! event, I run a Microsoft update. Being late for work, and forgetting that I still have the winery’s media DVD in the drive, I choose “Install and shut down” and leave for work. Unfortunately, when I get home and attempt to start up the computer it goes into […]
Continue readingMore TagWines of the Loire Valley: Muscadet
There is a wine from the oft called “Garden of France” that is the perfect pairing for fresh seafood. So much so that whenever I reach into the wine chiller and suggest it, Joe chastises me, “No, that’s for when we have good seafood.” Thank goodness last night’s dinner menu included sauteed shrimp and mussels, so that we could finally open the bottle of Muscadet that had been languishing for a few months. When is […]
Continue readingMore TagSinfully Decadent Delights and Festive Champagne
There is a much-repeated myth that great sex stops after marriage. Politely speaking, a number of euphemisms come to mind. At worst, “that well dries up” and at best; “dessert turns to the plain vanilla variety.” Big Pharma’s latest goldmine promises to restore the dying embers. Names like Cialis and Viagra flash across the television screen while she wonders ‘why are they in separate bathtubs?” and he; “is there really anything wrong with more than […]
Continue readingMore TagWhat can a chicken teach us?
Hey man where’d you get That lotion? I been hurting Since I bought the gimmick About something called love Yeah something called love That’s like hypnotizing chickens Well I am just a modern guy Of course I’ve had it in the ear before -Lust for Life, Iggy Pop Why is it that some of the simplest things in life are the ones we never take the time to learn to do right? Since we can […]
Continue readingMore TagCooking Techniques – Make Your Own Fish Stock
It really is about technique, so don’t think of this as a recipe. Almost all ingredients can be removed or replaced it is just a matter of taste. All that is really important is that the shells, bones and heads are quickly sauteed; the wine doesn’t have any off flavors or strong taste, and that the mixture doesn’t boil.
Continue readingMore Tag