Cook the Story

I pluck the plump spear between thumb and index finger. Peering at the fronds, as pearly and pointed as an elephant’s tusk, I wonder if my European grad school friend could possibly be right. Will this asparagus taste better than any asparagus I’ve ever had?

It doesn’t look that special. It is white, which I’ve rarely seen before. But it’s accompanied by the most boring things: Boiled potatoes and a sliver of breaded meat. Oh well. Time to find out.

I push the pencil tip of asparagus into my mouth and…ohhh…the crowd goes wild! Cheers! Screaming! It’s like fireworks in my head!

Oh wait. That’s not in my head. That’s actually happening. Voices cheer while cracks and pops explode for miles around. Celebrations! Oh my!

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Grüner Veltliner was on the verge of trendy a few years ago. And I loved it. But then, all of a sudden I stopped seeing it and stopped hearing about it. This weekend it’s one of the wines being featured at my local wine shop, Roget’s.  I hope this means we’ll be seeing more of this food-friendly wine in the months ahead.

To go with the Schellmann Ossi Grüner Veltliner being featured at Roget’s I’m suggesting grilled mangoes with a pepper-crusted goat’s cheese. This will work as either the start to a fun relaxing evening or as a refreshing cheese course at the end. Either way, a bottle of Grüner Veltliner along side will make the sweet mango, the black pepper and the sultry evening even more enjoyable. Get the recipe from the Cook the Story Facebook Page.

Yesterday I had a bit of a rant on BlogHer about Teacher Appreciation Week. I’ve suggested that we should not celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week since it serves to mask how undervalued teachers actually are in our society.

And yes, I do think this is true. However, as I state in the BlogHer post, I’m not going to seriously opt out of this week. My son’s teachers are too important to me. So important, in fact, that I helped put together the teacher’s luncheon at the school on Monday. And I made the dessert. The teachers really liked it and I know you will too.

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The first time I heard of Red Zinfandel my mind turned to those sweet artificially fruit flavored whites that my aunt used to drink in the 90s. Blech!

A Red Zinfandel is NOTHING like that. It is full of fruit like those other wines. But this is that subtle fruit backdrop that you find in a good dry red. And Zin is dry. And rich. And full. A great wine for serving with dinner or even with dessert.

It’s fairly common to pair Red Zin with BBQ or other meaty dishes. This week on my Facebook Friday Wine Pairing, I’ve matched the lush Zin with an equally lush Ruby Port Reduction used as a glaze and sauce for crispy chicken thighs. Head over to my FB page and check it out!

I *love* having really versatile items in my fridge. Give me a tomato, a red onion and some cheddar cheese; I’ll give you one hundred dinner ideas (other ingredients required, of course!).

That’s why I adore this recipe. I call it Homemade Cooking Cream because it can be used in all the ways you might use Philly Cooking Cream. But, you don’t have to buy an extra product AND you can season it up any way you like.

(What *is* Cooking Cream? It’s kind of like slightly thinned cream cheese that is soft even when cold. It’s sold next to the cream cheese in the refrigerated area of the grocery store. There’s a plain “original” version and several different seasoned varieties (e.g., savory garlic, Italian cheese and herb). You keep it in the fridge and then add a dollop to veggies, pasta and more to create a quick creamy sauce.)

Here I’ve made my own basic cooking cream and seasoned it with toasted then crushed cumin and coriander seeds, a lot of black pepper and a burst of lime. This combination of flavors has several great uses:

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When drinking Malbec the first thing I think of is a good grilled steak. But can you serve something along side that will also pair with the wine? Yes! Find the perfect match on the Cook the Story Facebook Page today.

During a recent brainstorming exercise I wrote a list of my favorite meals. Here’s part of that list:

• Cheeseburger with Toasted Bun, Lettuce, Tomato, Pickle, Red Onion and Mayo
• Tostados, like these
• Boiled Perogies with Bacon, Onions and a Rather Large Dollop of Sour Cream
• Pad Thai topped with Crunchy Bean Sprouts, Cilantro and Lime
• Sliced Grilled Skirt Steak on Salad with a Creamy Black Pepper Dressing
• Chicken Souvlaki in a Pita with Tomatoes, Olives, Tzatzki, Onions and Feta
• Biryani (of any kind) with lots of Raita Spooned Over Top
• Lasagna and Caesar Salad
• Peking Duck in Little Pancakes with Hoisin Sauce and Long Spears of Spring Onion and Cucumber

As I was writing I started paying attention to my inner monologue. It went something like this:

Oh god how I love those crunchy red onions and that cold bite of pickle in a burger…Mmmm…Tostados with cold tomato and corn, warm cheese and meat…I. Want. Now…Oh my, that blast of cool fresh sour cream on perogies makes my life worth living…Please oh please don’t ever leave those twisty bits of fresh crunch off of my pad thai…What’s better than steak for dinner? Lettuce and steak sharing a fork…I want to drizzled tzatziki over everything I eat, even oatmeal…Oh and raita. I could put raita on my oatmeal too…hot tomato sauce, gooey cheese and cold garlicky romaine leaves. I’m making that for dinner tonight. Can’t. Wait….Rich duck with sticky hoisin and that bite of fresh cukes and spring onions.

I want to go to there!

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I have such exciting news! I’ve been teaming up with Roget’s Fine Wine and Beer, my favorite local wine shop, to do some food and wine pairings.

Each week one of my recipes will be featured in Roget’s email newsletter. The recipe is paired with a wine that Roget’s is sampling at their Friday evening and Saturday afternoon wine tastings.

On Fridays I’ll be posting about the wine on the Cook the Story Facebook Page and describing the recipe that I’ve chosen to pair with it. If you’re looking for new wines to try and want to know what to eat while you sip, come check out the Facebook Page on Fridays.

This week: The Seeker Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, Australia is paired with a simple yet satisfying shrimp soup. Come check it out!

Oh, and hey, if you’re a fan of Roget’s, head over to voteovations.com to vote for them as your favorite local wine shop (local to Seminole County, Florida, that is).

I’m so embarrassed to admit this to you. How can I possibly have such a huge problem? Me! The person who:

• keeps a copy of Fine Cooking Magazine in the car to read at red lights;
• has friends calling to ask if homemade corn dogs should be frozen before or after cooking;
• comes back from a holiday in Switzerland jabbering non-stop about röschti and raclette only to go completely silent when asked about the mountains.
• has a freaking food blog, for crying out loud!

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<Note from Christine: When I was pregnant with Baby M, I sent out a request to some fellow bloggers for guest posts sharing strategies for getting dinner on the table. Last week we read about The Mrs and her awesome strategy: Let the husband cook! This week Jane from Adventures in Dinner shares her strategies for continuing to entertain even when life is NUTS.

Many people might think, “Why bother? Just stop having people over for dinner until things settle down!” But if you’re like Jane (or like me, for that matter) that solution does not exist. The idea of not having people over sounds just as ludicrous as deciding to stay home all the time because navigating the world accompanied by kids is just too hard.

We have people over for dinner all the time because we love cooking for others, sharing with others, laughing comfortably around the table with others. That isn’t going to stop so we need to embrace it and find strategies to make it easy. Jane has done this here with a simple meal and a set of guidelines to keep you sane.>

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I was so thrilled when Christine asked me to guest post about my favourite strategy for getting dinner on the table because:

1. she’s awesome
2. she always makes me think
3. since my wee one was born our lives have considerably changed
4. she’s awesome

My husband and I have been a couple for 12 years now and have always entertained a lot.  We even had our wedding in our backyard and I made the food for it.  There wasn’t really a weekend that went by without at least one set of company for a meal-usually two or three.

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