Chile en Nogada: Stuffed Poblano Chiles with Walnut Sauce

I’ve been reading “Like Water for Chocolate,” a wonderful story about love and cooking by Laura Esquivel. It inspired me to become creative in the kitchen once more. With the support of my darling “Doña Elizabyth”, I chose to recreate the recipes in this magnificent novel. The first dish I challenged myself to make was…

Raptor Ridge Winery

Our friend was up from California for a visit this past week. We decided to take Sunday to decompress, de-stress and chill. “Ah HA!” I exclaimed loudly. “Wine tasting!” Wine always makes everything better.

The Camping Experience: Cooking over an open fire.

My darling and I recently went on a backpacking/camping excursion with my brother and sister-in-law. While my idea of “roughing it” is Motel 6, I still figured I could cook up a culinary masterpiece. After all, it’s not that different from backyard grilling… is it?

Hungry Birds Eat Sweet Confections: A Wine Pairing Exercise

On our recent adventure to VX Vineyards, my darling and I had the opportunity to not only sample some wonderful wine, but we also sampled some pretty fine confections. A few days later, we sat down with a bottle of VX 2012 Reserve Cuvee Pinot Noir and sampled five different candies to see which ones paired well and which ones didn’t.

Vercingetorix (VX) Vineyards

I saw a sign by the side of the road: “VX Vineyard – 2 ½ miles”. On a whim, I swerved off the highway, forcing a gasp of surprise from my darling. The road twisted and turned through the countryside as we drove… And drove… And drove… I started to wonder if this was such a good idea.       

Gluten-Free Lox Canapés

My darling wife and I held a dinner party recently. I wanted to create some hors d’oeuvres, which would be not only tasty, but also gluten-free and appealing to the eye. The result was this gluten-free lox canapé.

The Great Anniversary Wine Tour-Part 2: The Four Graces Winery

The next stop on our whirlwind wine tour with Trish (from A Great Oregon Wine Tour), was The Four Graces Winery, located in Dundee, Oregon. Located in the Dundee hills, this little winery, which uses a small farmhouse as their tasting room, is set in quint surroundings. It is named after the four daughters of…

The Great Anniversary Wine Tour – Part 1: Rex Hills Winery

It was our second wedding anniversary. While I am usually the one who plans our adventures, this year I tasked my darling bride to “surprise” me. She certainly did with a wine tour of Oregon’s Yamhill Valley. Our first stop was Rex Hill.