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…

Grasshopper Pie

“I need you to get me as many grasshoppers as you can find,” Grandma announced. “I’m making Grasshopper pie.”

Gluten Free Chocolate Wafers

These thin chocolate cookies are great for snacking, using in pie crusts or for making mini ice cream sandwiches

Morton’s Steakhouse

It was the night of the Opera. My darling and I had tickets to Sweeney Todd and we were making a night of it. Before the Opera was dinner at Morton’s The Steakhouse. Morton’s got their start in Chicago more than thirty-five years ago and has grown to over 69 restaurants all over the world….

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.