Rasp-beer-y

Posted on December 11, 2013 by melsmosaic

The snow ‘storm’ in DC brought a government shutdown. This was the first time I’ve ever been able to actually have a paid snow day! So, come 1pm, the snow was gone, the sun was out. What did that mean? Time to go (Christmas) shopping. I only had the intention of finishing off getting gifts for those on my list but when I went to the mecca of grocery, kitchen gadget, wine and beer store, things changed. After some discussion with the beer man and other shoppers of the current offerings, New Belgium’s (new) Frambozen came up. Nobody had actually had it for several years. The name itself screams raspberry then the description lures you into a brown ale. You can’t leave that poor thing sitting on the shelf! Had some a bit later. Very nice, smooth, nice hint of the fruit, but not overwhelming. Pick some up for a friend, yourself, or to take to a party to celebrate the season. Happy Holidays!

Brew-story

Posted on December 9, 2013 by melsmosaic

Saw an interesting article in USA Today this morning about old-school beers that just aren’t what they used to be. Some of the ‘big guys’ are losing steam as (awesome) microbrewers are making their way onto the red carpet of beer. There are nine brews many Americans no longer drink. Check it out.

(Photo: Tetra Images/Getty Images/Brand X)

Ripple Effect

Posted on December 8, 2013 by melsmosaic

Checked out this new place (to me) in Cleveland Park (a DC neighborhood, if you’re not from around here) last night and it was quite nice! From cocktails to wine to menu, you can’t get bored. The name — Ripple, hence the name of the post. Side note, there are quite a few meanings of Ripple Effect. Check them out of you want some good conversations pieces to either draw people in or get them away during upcoming holiday parties.

They have quite the cocktail, wine and beer selection and after watching the bartender add some type of liquid to a glass from ‘something’ that looked like it could have been a funky whipped cream container, I come to find out they make their own juices and soda and have these cool, funky pressurized, carbonated container, vessel things. Good terminology on my side, right? The key point was that I had to try something. After some debate, I opted for the Herbivores Delight — chamomile vodka, grapefruit-thyme soda. The sage leaf on top brought it all in!

Now, jumping forward awhile, while the bartender was prepping that, the folks next to me were trying some wine. They had a taste so I had to inquire. I had a sip as well. That was my pre-planned round 2! When I see wines I’ve not tasted, bring it on. I have now added to my shopping list Donkey and Goat 2012 Carignane from Mendocino. Of course when you go to the website you find it’s Limited Edition, but hey, it’s just new a new winery to explore!

Food-wise, for some reason I flipped to the cheese menu and saw they offer sheep’s milk cheese, aka lactose free! Opted for the ossau iraty. Also ordered some prosicutto and olives. They serve the cheese and meat on a nice board and complement it with house-made mustard and honey. Then, they throw their bread crisps in there. Ahhh….heaven.

(had already eaten most of these)

So, if you’re in DC, check this place out. And this was just part of the menu. So much more to explore!

“Weight” of Wines

Posted on December 6, 2013 by melsmosaic

Going through long-lost wine class notes, there was a great chart of the “Weight” of wine. They go from light to full bodied. Good to have on hand when deciding what buy, serve or just open. Cheers to the weekend!

Whites

Soave, Orvieto, Pinot Grigio, Pinot Blanc

Riesling

Muscadet

Sparkling Wines (including Champagne)

Chenin Blanc

Cremant (sparkling) or some aged, vintage Champagne

Chablis (from France), unoaked Chardonnays

Sauvignon Blanc

White Bordeaux

White Burgundy

Gewurztraminer

Oaked Chardonnay

Reds

Valpolicella, Bardolino

Beaujolais

Dolcetto

Barbera (old style, emphasizing fruit)

Rioja (and other wines made from tempranillo)

New World Pinot Noir (California, Australia)

Burgundy

Barbera

Chianti

Zinfandel, Rhone

California Merlot

Chianti Classico

Cabernet Sauvignon, Chateauneuf-du-Pape

Bordeaux

Petit Sirah

Syrah, Shiraz

Barbaresco, Amarone della Valpolicella

Barolo

Brunello di Montalino

20 under $20

Posted on December 6, 2013 by melsmosaic

While reading/following Shape magazine, I came across a great article/post about The Best Wines Under $20.

I will say, I love the Ravenswood Zin, any bubbly, will have to try the Terrazas Malbec and the Hahn Pinot. Have tried quite a few of the others on the list and they are good finds!

Cheers to the holiday season!

Caviar, Cheese and Bubbly

Posted on December 4, 2013 by melsmosaic

It was time to celebrate last weekend and it was done in style! To ring in a birthday, we brought out the best. Some nice black roe paired with some wonderful champagne. Also decided to serve it with cheese and the crackers I tested last week. Was definitely a rough way to keep the holiday weekend going.

Wrap-up Dinner

Posted on December 2, 2013 by melsmosaic

The long weekend is over. Time to get back to ‘normal’ life. I wanted to make a healthy meal that both used some of the leftover turkey and would give me some lunch for the week. I remembered a recipe a friend passed along a few years ago and it was perfect for this time of year. It doesn’t actual call for turkey, but throwing the meat in at the end was a great addition. I used Ellie Krieger‘s Lemony Lentil Soup with Greens (from her So Easy, Luscious Healthy Recipes for Every Meal of the Week cookbook, 2009). It’s basic, nutritious and pretty quick. I made HALF (of all the noted quantities) and have tons. You could also easily make this a vegetarian dish by using veggie vs. chicken broth.

Ingredients

2 tsp canola oil — used olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
16 oz. green lentils
12 cups low-sodium chicken broth, plus more as needed
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp salt
6 cups chopped kale leaves (about 6 oz)
3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest

Directions

Heat the oil in a soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring until softened and translucent, 3 to 5 minutes.

Add the carrots, celery, garlic and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until the carrots are softened, about 5 minutes.

Add 12 cups of the broth, the lentils, basil, thyme, and salt and bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat to low, add the kale, and cook until the lentils are tender, 30-35 min, adding more broth as necessary.

Stir in the lemon juice and zest, and serve. At this point I also threw in leftover turkey and let it heat through.

Nice and hearty! I plan to eat this for the next couple days at lunch (and likely dinner based on how much I have, even with half the recipe).

Brussels Sprouts Actual

Posted on November 29, 2013 by melsmosaic

After testing a Brussels Sprouts recipe last week I opted for a standby for Thanksgiving dinner. It has veggies, fruit and nuts. Had made it a few times and it’s quick, easy and delicious and would be better for Turkey Day. What do you need? Can’t ask for many fewer basics:

-Brussels Sprouts
-Dried apricots, coarsely chopped (about 1/4 cup)
-Pistachios, coarsely chopped — if you even want to (about 1/3 cup)
-S&P
-olive oil

Have some fun getting those apricots ready.

Cut the Brussels Sprouts in half.

Blanch the Brussels Sprouts for 3 minutes and rinse.

Heat some olive oil in a pan, throw all ingredients (Brussels Sprouts, apricots, pistachios, S&P) on top.

Heat for about 5-7 minutes until nice and browned. Serve and enjoy. I love them and there sure weren’t many leftovers.

International Pinot Noir Tasting

Posted on November 29, 2013 by melsmosaic

For Thanksgiving we opted to do an international Pinot Noir tasting. Since the varietal is one that has been rumored to pair well with turkey, we thought it would be fun to see how different country’s respective grapes compared. We went for three continents — get everybody to join the party!

Hob Nob, 2011, Languedoc, France: Smooth, oh so smooth. I could taste chocolate. Not a great pairing for turkey, but we took one for the team and still enjoyed it! Hand me some chocolate covered pretzels and this wine…oh yes! Very reasonable — about $10-$12.

Nobilo Icon, 2012, Marlborough, New Zealand: More acidic than Hob Nob, much better pairing for turkey, traditional Pinot taste. I say that as nothing jumped out about it but still very nice. About $15.

Schug, 2010, Carneros, California: Same as above…more acidic than Hob Nob, much better pairing for turkey. Taste of cherries then a bit of smoke at end. About $17-$20.

Definitely a fun element to add to Thanksgiving dinner and it was great listening to all the comments at the table on people’s specific tastes, likes, distinctions, characteristics they took from each wine. Go Pinot!

Let’s Get Crack(er)in’

Posted on November 27, 2013 by melsmosaic

Pre-dinner, appetizers, crackers. Go to store, reach for X box. Get home, open cardboard then bag (or just rip open the bag of pita chips — don’t lie). Why must we always do this?

I am crafting ideas for an event in a couple weeks and wanted to do a test pilot recipe for homemade super crisp crackers. Did some googling and an Alton Brown recipe came up on Food TV‘s site. How can you go wrong with Alton? I used the basics and threw in some lemon zest and vodka to complement some of the fish I aim to serve the crackers with.

Ingredients

5 ounces whole-wheat flour
4 3/4 ounces all-purpose flour, plus additional for rolling

<used all whole wheat because I was out of regular!>
1/3 cup poppy seeds
1/3 cup sesame seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons table salt
1 1/2 teaspoons aluminum-free baking powder
3 tablespoons olive oil
6 1/2 ounces water
<used 1.5 ounces vodka and 5 ounces water>
added 1.5 teaspoons lemon zest

I went with the awesome Penzey’s dry lemon peel for my zest that I wanted to add. Add water, 15 minutes later, voila!

Then, you just mix the dry ingredients, blend in the wet ones, knead a few times and break into 8 small balls of dough.

You let them sit for 15 minutes then roll them out to desired thickness, based on what kind of cracker you’d like.

Put the entire piece of dough in the oven. You’re supposed to flip them half way but I love baking stuff on oven-proof racks to avoid the flipping need. After 6-15 minutes, depending on what you choose (based on Alton’s specs), take the crisps out of the oven, let cool, then break into desired size of crackers.

The recipe (online) got rave reviews. I think my effort to put my own flavor into it altered it a bit in an off way (the vodka made them a bit ‘soggy’) but they are still darn edible. I just always love tweaking things. But, give them a try! Very easy to make and a fun alternative to store-bought crackers.