Easy Meatball Soup with Vegetables and Pasta

We really don’t look forward to winter but one thing we can enjoy about the seasonal change is that our menu changes with it. While barbecue and garden veggies get put on hold, soups, pasta, oven-roasted vegetables and baked dishes come into play. A few years ago, I became the reluctant owner of a riceContinueContinue reading “Easy Meatball Soup with Vegetables and Pasta”

PAMA Drink Lab

PAMA is a pomegranate flavored liqueur made with natural pomegranate juice, vodka, and a small amount of tequila. On its own, the assertive tartness of pomegranate is supported by juicy sweetness and light alcohol expression at 17%. It’s one of those sippers where you don’t notice the alcohol. The PAMA website offers pages of cocktailContinueContinue reading “PAMA Drink Lab”

Too Many Tomatoes Bruschetta

I’ve been enjoying Rachel’s Emerging Adult Eats blog where she writes about her meticulously planned meals, and I must admit I’m feeling a little guilty about sharing another recipe that I made without much forethought. Sometimes I have a plan, tweaking a recipe, shopping for ingredients, locating cookware and photograph-worthy dishware. More often I’m drivenContinueContinue reading “Too Many Tomatoes Bruschetta”

Health Benefits of Wine

All too often, the things we most enjoy in life end up on the “bad for you” list. Some things, like cigarette smoking, are really bad for you, and will probably remain on the naughty list indefinitely. Other things, like eggs, get on the bad list after one cholesterol study, then get taken off theContinueContinue reading “Health Benefits of Wine”

Coppola Director’s Cut Cinema 2011

Cinema is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, and Petite Sirah. It’s the premium member of the Director’s Cut series of Coppola wines. According to their website, the Director’s Cut series “pays homage to the history of filmmaking with its wraparound label designed after a zoetrope strip, one of the earliest moving picture devices. EachContinueContinue reading “Coppola Director’s Cut Cinema 2011”

What To Do With Leftover Chinese Rice

Gleefully we open the bag of Chinese takeout that just arrived; pork dumplings, spring rolls, shrimp with baby bok choy, pepper steak with onion, and pork fried rice. And then there’s that free carton of plain white or brown rice. It’s the poor red-headed stepchild that no one wants. Into the refrigerator it goes forContinueContinue reading “What To Do With Leftover Chinese Rice”

Steltzner Cabernet Sauvignon 2006

We first came across Steltzner Cab when we owned a liquor store several years ago. We drank a bottle for “homework” and found it to be a respectable envoy from the Stags Leap District of Napa Valley in an easy-to-sell $30 price range. While Stags Leap has long been well-regarded in the wine community, theContinueContinue reading “Steltzner Cabernet Sauvignon 2006”