Welcoming Spring Wine Pairings-#WinePW Preview

I am so excited to be hosting the 11th Wine Pairing Weekend coming up this Saturday.  Not familiar with Wine Pairing Weekend (#WinePW)?  Wine Pairing Weekend is a gathering of wine lovers who challenge themselves to pair the perfect wine with food that fits into the theme chosen by the host each month.  We prepare what we hope will be the perfect dish to accompany the wine we have chosen or pick the perfect wine for the dish we have chosen.

The group runs the gamut from Wine Aficianado to those, like me, who just enjoy a nice glass of wine with their dinner.  Anyone is welcome to join.  We post on the second Saturday of each month and we also gather together for a live chat on twitter each posting day at 11 am, Eastern time, using #WinePW as our designator. You are welcome to join us any time by sending an email to winepairingweekend@gmail.com and joining the Wine Pairing Weekend Facebook Page.  You should also join us for the live chat on Saturday, April 11, whether you have had time to post or not, to find out exactly what we are all about.

This month I challenged the group to pair wines with those foods we eat in the Spring that are sometimes difficult to match.  You can read all about it here in my Wine Lover's Dilemma post.

Just take a look at what this wonderful group has planned to meet my challenge to them.  We may never find ourselves in this dilemma again!!

Spring Pea Risotto with Picpoul de Pinet by Curious Cuisiniere 

Spring-Kissed Seafood Chowder with Pelerin 2011 Les Tournesols by Cooking Adventures with Camilla
Wine and Dine: Las Lilas Vinho Verde 2013 and Chilled Cucumber with Mint Soup by Grape Experiences.
Creamy Mushroom Pasta with Spring Peas and Westrey Pinot Noir by Pull That Cork
Red Wine with Asparagus and Mushrooms by Cooking Chat
Spring Hopes: Asparagus and Rosé by Food Wine Click
Leap into Spring with Pasta Primavera by Vino Travels
Spring Fling with Greek Pizza and Wine by Confessions of a Culinary Diva
Spring Flavors with Hungarian Pinot Grigio by A Day in the Life on the Farm
Welcoming Spring with #WinePW by Rockin Red Blog
Winter's Hill Pinot Blanc and Warm Arugula, Bacon and Asparagus Salad by Tasting Pour
Roasted Halibut with Potatoes and Lemon and a Pignoletto by Enofylz Wine Blog
Beets and Wine Pairing by Girls Gotta Drink

If you are catching this post early enough, you can join our live Twitter Chat on Saturday, April 11, at 11 a.m. ET, via the Twitter hashtag #winePW. If you’ve come to us after April 11, consider joining us for #winePW 12 on Saturday, May 9.

Sharing our Easter and the Weekly Menu (Repurposing Easter Leftovers)

I hope you all had as wonderful an Easter as we.

We ended up with extra guests so served dinner Buffet Style after all.

Farfalle and Soy Bean Soup, Spinach Salad, Roasted Asparagus, Roasted Beet Salad,

Glazed Carrots, Roast Prime Rib of Beef, Roasted Fresh Kielbasa and Baked Ham along withs some excellent dishes brought by others.

Most of our meals this week will be made repurposing leftovers.  Please stop by each day as I share photos and recipes.  I am also linking up at Menu Plan Monday where you will find lots of great menu ideas.

Monday

Soy Bean and Farfalle Soup

French Dip Sandwiches (Using the Leftover Prime Rib)

Tuesday

Sliced Baked Ham

Leftover Cheesy Potatoes

Beet and Tomato Salad

Wednesday

Vegetable Beef Barley Soup (Broth made from Rib Bones and incorporating leftover corn and carrots)

Spinach/Strawberry Salad

Ham Tetrazinni Casserole (using leftover ham and leftover cheese from cheese platter)

Thursday

Out for dinner with friends

Friday-Company for Dinner

Roast Chicken

Potato Gallette

Spring Peas with Mint

Preparing for Easter Dinner

Blessed Triduum Everyone.  We have been very busy the last couple of days, honoring our Lord and Savior, as we do each year at this time.

Thursday we spend at Mass celebrating the Last Supper at which our Lord washed the feet of his disciples and instructed them to go out to serve others.  This is one of my favorite ceremonies as it is a reminder of what we are called to do as Christians each and every day.  One of my favorite hymns is the Servant Song......

On Friday we spend the hours from 12-3 pm. meditating on the sacrifice our Lord made for us when he died on the cross.  We do this by venerating the wood of the cross on which he died.  It is a very solemn service filled with tradition and ceremony.  We kneel before the wood of the cross and praise God for his sacrifice and love.

In the evening we celebrate the Tenebrae, which in laymen terms (in my own words) is the celebration of the funeral of Jesus.  The service starts in light with chants, hymns, readings and psalms and ends in darkness at which time there is a loud clash of cymbals and the stomping of feet, beating of hymnals on pews creating a loud cacophany to immitate the world groaning at the loss of our Lord.  The mourning ends as a single candle returns to the church representing the life of Christ reborn to save us all.  It is a wonderful ceremony.

Saturday morning finds us all at the church for the blessing of the food, and then we all return home to prepare for the celebration that begins with the Easter Vigil at nightfall this evening.  It is a long Mass.  It is the Mass where all new catechumens are brought into our church through baptism.  It is the time when all those who have not been fully initiated into our faith recieve the Sacraments of Hoy Communion and Confirmation.  It is a time for all of us to rededicate ourselves and our lives to our God and Savior.  It is my favorite Feast day of the year.  

On Sunday, Frank will return for Easter Mass to help celebrate through song and music.  I will stay home and get ready for our Easter Celebration.  I shared my menu with you earlier in the week.  This year we are having 20 people for dinner.  I like for Easter to be a sit down, formal affair, if at all possible.  This is possible with 20 but anything more than that and we would serve dinner buffet style...that, too, would be fine....there is always room for others at our dinner table.  

Since we are able to have a sit down meal this year, I prepared place markers for the tables so the guests would know where to sit and have a little something to take home with them afterwards.  I filled these eggs with candies and marked each with the name of a guest.

Each will be placed in an egg holder at each setting.  

We pray all of you have a Blessed and Holy Easter this year.

Introducing Sherman and Shadow....

Sherman (the tank) is on the left.

Shadow (with the white nose) is on the right.

They are brothers and we couldn't bear to separate them.

They are Lab/Border Collies and were born 1/31/15.

Sherman weighs 7 lbs and Shadow weighs 8 lbs 4 oz.

Bella Baby is in 7th Heaven.

And so is Frank.

And so am I but don't tell Frank.....

The Easter Menu.....

Easter Dinner is planned.  Now all I have to do is find time to get to the store and to start cooking. Kirsten is bringing the Cheesy Potatoes and Amy is bringing the Carrot Cake Roll.  I am off to the grocery store right now before heading to the church for Easter Food Basket Distributions this afternoon and Mass this evening.  See you all tomorrow and may you have a Blessed Triduum.

Spaghetti Aglio e Olio for Food n Flix

This months Food n Flix is hosted by Cam of Culinary Adventures with Camilla.  Food n Flix is a wonderful club in which the host chooses a movie of their choice.  You watch the movie, cook a meal inspired by the movie and then blog about the movie and then inform Cam that you are participating so she can link your post up with the rest of them at round up time.  You can learn all you need to know right here, and you still have tons of time because deadline for submission is not until April 28th.

Cam chose a great movie for this month too.  Chef is a star studded movie starring Jon Favreau as Carl Casper, an executive chef in a high end restaurant who is stuck in a rut and given no creative outlet from the restaurant owner played by Dustin Hoffman.  Casper has wonderful ideas and great culinary skills but Hoffman only has eyes for the bottom line and does not believe you should argue with success.

Against his better judgement and at Hoffman's direction, Casper serves a food critic blogger the tried and true recipes that have been served by the restaurant for the past 10 years.  This results in the critic played by Oliver Platt giving a terrible review and tweeting about his disappointment in Casper who he had previously called the best up and coming chef in the area.  Casper, who knows nothing about twitter, responds and the argument immediately goes viral.  Casper invites the critic back and plans a stellar meal for him but again comes to loggerheads with Hoffman and ends up losing his job.

Casper with nothing left to lose, accompanies his ex-wife (Sofia Vergera) and their son (Emjay Anthony) to Miami where he embarks on a new culinary career and finds not only his creative outlet but rediscovers that serving people, sharing times with family and friends and enjoying life is more important than any job in the world.

This is a fun movie that is filled with food of every shape, size, description and culture.  The hardest part isn't finding something to make but whittling the choices down to a few dozen and eventually to just one.

My favorite scenes in the movie were when Casper would cook at home for family and friends making ordinary, every day dishes....extraordinary.  A grilled cheese sandwich oozing and golden brown for his son and my favorite scene of all....when Casper makes a lovely and comforting bowl of pasta aglio e olio for the hostess of the restaurant played by Scarlett Johansson.

This is the dish I was inspired to make in honor of this movie.  Pasta Aglio e Olio is a wonderful, comforting easy dish to throw together and I can see a chef coming home after a long day in the kitchen and making this for someone dear to them.

Spaghetti Aglio e Olio

1 lb dried spaghetti noodles

1/3 c. olive oil

6 t. minced garlic

1/4 t. crushed red pepper

1 t. salt

1/2 c. fresh parsley, finely chopped

1 c. shredded parmesan, asiago, romano cheese blend

Bring a large pot of well salted water to a boil and cook the pasta per package directions, reserving 1 1/2 c of the cooking water before draining.

While the pasta is cooking, place a large skillet over low heat.  Add the olive oil, garlic and crushed pepper and cook slowly for a few minutes.  Add the cooking water and a t. of salt simmer until reduced by half. Add the cooked pasta to the skillet along with the parsley and cheese.  Toss to coat and serve with additional cheese for sprinkling.   Print Recipe

Crusty Griddle-Baked Quesadillas for Foodie Extravaganza

Time once again for a fun little club that we call Foodie Extravaganza Party.  Did you know that every month there are national holidays celebrating different foods?  Well, let me assure you that there are and they cover everything from fruits to nuts and beyond.  This month we celebrate National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day!!

This month's party is being hosted by Lauren of From Gate to Plate and it is sure to be a good time. Make sure you stop by everyone's post through the link on the bottom of this page.  You will not be sorry...you are in for an oooooey, goooey good time!

France has Croque Monsieurs, Italy has Panini, UK has Cheese Toast, Australia has vegemite, USA has grilled cheese in many variations, Brazil has Bauru and Mexico has Quesadillas....I decided to go to Mexico for today's party.

Oooey Goooey Melty Mexican Chihuahua Cheese

 with Roasted Poblano Rajas and a side of Guacamole.

I took my recipe from Rick Bayless's Mexican Kitchen Cookbook.  I love this cookbook and it is my go to whenever I get a hankering to prepare Mexican food from scratch.  My friends are always requesting that I bring guacamole to parties because this version that I took from Rick Bayless is the best!!  I served it along with these Mexican Grilled Cheese Sandwiches.

Char your peppers over the open flame on the grates of your stove top or under a broiler.

When charred all over, place in a shallow bowl and cover with a kitchen towel for 5 minutes or so.

Peel, stem and seed the pepper and slice them into 1/4" strips.

When making the tortillas your dough should be the consistency of cookie dough.

Take a handful and form it into a ball.

Place a piece of parchment paper on the tortilla press.

Put the dough ball on the parchment paper and flatten slightly with your hand.

Place another piece of parchment paper over the flattened ball and close tortilla press.

Place the tortilla onto a griddle set at medium heat.

Top with the cheese, leaving an inch border, and top with the poblano rajas.

Let cook for 20-30 seconds and flip in half with a spatula, pressing down gently.

Let cook for another 30 seconds, flip over and push to the side while you start on the next quesadilla.

When the next quesadilla is covered with toppings remove the previous to a platter and keep warm.

Continue in this manner until ingredients are used.

Crusty Griddle-Baked Quesadillas

adapted from Rick Bayless's Mexican Kitchen

3 large fresh poblano chiles

1 T. olive oil

1/2 large sweet onion, sliced 1/4" thick

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 t. dried oregano

salt to taste

2 c. masa harina

1 3/4 c. warm water

2 c. shredded Mexican Chihuahua Cheese (also know as Quesadilla Cheese)

Salsa or Guacamole 

Roast the chiles directly over a gas flame or under a broiler until blackened on all sides.  Cover with a kitchen towel and let stand for 5 minutes.  Peel, pull out the stem and seed pod, then rinse briefly to remove bits of skin and seeds.  Slice into 1/4" strips.

In a med size skillet, heat oil over med high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring regularly, until nicely browned but still crunchy, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and oregano and then add the chiles and heat through.  Season to taste with salt.  

Mix the masa harina with the water until combined, add additional water by tablespoonfuls, if needed to make the dough the consistency of soft cookie dough.  Place a piece of parchment paper on the bottom plate of a tortilla press. Roll a handful of the dough into a ball and place on the parchment paper, press down with the palm of your hand and then lay a second piece of parchment paper over the top.  Close the tortilla press, flattening the dough completely.

Remove the top sheet of parchment and lay the tortilla on your hand while you peel off the bottom parchment paper.  Lay the tortilla on a griddle set at med heat.  Cover the tortilla with cheese to a 1/2" from the edge.  Lay a portion of the poblano rajas down the center of the cheese covered tortilla. After about 30 seconds, fold the tortilla in half with a spatula, enfolding the fillings.  Press down slightly and allow to cook for another 30 seconds.  Flip over and push to the side of the griddle while you start the next quesadilla.  When the next quesadilla is cooking remove the previous quesadilla to a platter and keep warm.

Serve with Salsa or Guacamole.  Print Recipe

Take a look at some of the other great Grilled Cheese Recipe being shared today!!

• Bacon Apple Mascarpone Grilled Cheese from Lauren at Sew You Think You Can Cook
• Caramelized Onion Bacon Grilled Cheese from Rebekah at Making Miracles
• Chicken Bacon and Avocado Grilled Cheese from Jacklyn at Mrs. Penguin
• Chicken Cordon Bleu Grilled Cheese from Marissa at Rae Gun Ramblings
• Crusty Griddle Baked Quesadillas with Poblano Rajas from Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm
• French Toast Grilled Cheese with Balsamic Berry Compote from Joy at The Joyful Foodie
• Grilled Cheese in the Garden from Camilla at Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Grilled Cheese with Caramelized Onions and Spinach from Tara at Tara's Multicultural Table
• Ham, Apple and Sharp Cheddar Grilled Cheese from Carlee at Cooking With Carlee
• Mac and Cheese Grilled Cheese from Lauren at From Gate to Plate
• Muffuletta Grilled Cheese from Stacy at Food Lust People Love
• Southern Grilled Cheese from Teri at The Freshman Cook
• Spicy Pear Grilled Cheese from Kelly at Passion Kneaded