Wine Wednesday Concannon Petite Sirah

May 16, 2012

Back to my first love in wine, red. Give me a spicy, complex, juicy red any day and I will be a happy girl. Even though it has warmed up in Minnesota I still enjoy a good glass of red, mixed in with a few more whites.

 

This week is Concannon Petite Sirah 2009, from the Central Coast of California. Concannon Petite Sirah is full of flavors of plum, blackberry
and black cherry on the nose. With hints of chocolate and molasses.

 

Concannon Wine (1 of 1)

 

$10 dollars a bottle and it paired really well with grilled flank steak. A great value red.

{ 1 comment }

Braum’s

May 15, 2012

Another week on the road, this time in Oklahoma. I can honestly say I never thought I would spend a week driving through this state but it has been very interesting.

Seeing more plains than I have ever seen, many big trucks, driving through Garth Brooks home town and eating a chocolate shake from Braum’s.

I am not a big ice cream or milk shake person but wow. Made on site with real ingredients. I had a small chocolate malt for $1.79!

Best use of $2 dollars that I can think of.

20120515-143916.jpg

{ 0 comments }

Pork with Grapes and Tarragon

May 14, 2012

Picture me sweating away on the elliptical, treadmill or bike reading Food & Wine. Seems like a bit of an oxymoron but I love to read cooking magazines while I workout, I think it helps make the time go by just a bit faster.

 

While working out one morning I came across a recipe in Food & Wine for Pork with Grapes and Tarragon. The picture alone had my drooling. I knew I would be making this!

 

A rich flavor but very healthy! The sauce is very thick and you would think it would have a lot of fat in it but it is just a great mix of ingredients. Pork chops can be dry out very easily but the key is to cook them, remove them once mostly cooked through and add them back into the sauce.

 

Pork with Grapes (1 of 2)

 

Pork with Grapes and Tarragon

 

by A Fit and Spicy Life

Prep Time: 10 Minutes

Cook Time: 10 Minutes

Keywords: entree pork

 

Ingredients (Serves 4)

  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 4 boneless pork loin chops
  • 2 cups red seedless grapes, halved
  • 1/2 onion, minced
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • 1/2 cup dry, fruity red wine
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 1 teaspoon dried tarragon
  • Salt/Pepper

Instructions

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet.

Salt/Pepper the pork chops and add to the skillet. Cook over moderately high heat, turning once, until lightly browned and nearly cooked through, about 6 minutes. Transfer the pork to a platter, cover loosely and keep warm.

Add the grapes to the skillet and cook until lightly browned, about 3 minutes.

Add the onions and sugar and cook, stirring, until the sugar dissolves, about 1 minute.

Add the vinegar and cook until nearly evaporated, about 1 minute.

Add the wine and boil over medium-high heat until reduced by half, about 3 minutes.

Add the stock and boil until reduced by half, about 4 minutes.

Return the pork and any juices to the skillet and simmer until the chops are just cooked, about 2 minutes. Transfer the pork to plates.

Boil the sauce until thick and glossy, about 2 minutes. Stir in the tarragon and pour the sauce over the pork. Serve right away.

Powered by Recipage

{ 0 comments }

Sea Salt

May 13, 2012

It has been a few years since I had last visited Sea Salt near Minnehaha Falls in Minneapolis and since Scott and I were at the part to get our engagement pictures taken I figured it would be a great time to go. Scott had never eaten at Sea Salt and it was perfect for an al fresco meal.

 

We grabbed lunch around 11:15 after finishing up our pictures and I am really glad we were there early, very short line and we managed to snag a table right away. By the time we left at around 12 the line was 20 people long.

 

70, sunny and perfect for a shrimp basket, a po boy sandwich for Scott and 2 Crispin’s.

 

IMG_3462

 

IMG_3463

 

IMG_3464

 

IMG_3465

 

IMG_3466

 

I could have sat outside all day and enjoyed the weather and all the people watching. Maybe we can pencil in a Saturday to do that before the end of the summer. We are heading to brunch later this morning and hopefully more time is spent outside on this perfect Sunday. Happy Mother’s Day to all the Mom’s out there.

{ 5 comments }

Canning

May 12, 2012

Learning how to can has been on my list for years. There seems to be something so fulfilling about spending a day in the kitchen prepping jars, chopping and dicing, heat processing and sealing.   I remember being 5 or 6 and spending time at my Grandparents house during the canning time and helping in [...]

Read the full article →

Fitness Friday: Washing Gym Clothes

May 11, 2012

My Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning workouts are before work, I head to the gym and get ready there. I have it down to a system, my bag is always packed, ready to go and I just add my clothes for the day and makeup. I get ready at the gym and then head directly [...]

Read the full article →

Travel Thursday Portugal: Algarve Eats

May 10, 2012

I am sad that this is the last of the found posts about our trip to Spain and Portugal. I figured I would save all the foodie fun for the last one. We had some amazing food in Portugal and I can not wait to visit again one day! It will be awhile since I [...]

Read the full article →

Wine Wednesday Tres Pinos 2009 Three Pines Cuvee White Wine

May 9, 2012

A somewhat rare appearance from a white wine, a $5.99 find from Trader Joe’s on my recent trip when I bought 5 bottles for less than $40. I love finding drinkable, unique, and perfect for every day kind of wines.   The Tres Pinos 2009 Three Pines Cuvee White Wine is a perfect every day [...]

Read the full article →

Grandma’s Apple Rhubarb Pie and Giveaway

May 8, 2012

Every few months I get the urge to bake, I want to break out an apron, my family cookbook that contains recipes from my Great-Grandma, Grandma, Aunts and extended family that I have never even met. I love spending time in the kitchen but for some reason I don’t bake much. Some of it stems [...]

Read the full article →

Secret Recipe Club- Berry Smoothie

May 7, 2012

How is it May already? The last few weeks have been packed. I think I need a day of nothing. Too bad that won’t happen for at least another week. One day at a time…   This months Secret Recipe Club features a Berry Smoothie from Delishhh. Ewa was born in Sweden, raised in Asia [...]

Read the full article →

← Previous Entries