cooking with wine

Here’s a spectacular, summertime recipe for slow cookers & Crock Pots--an alternative to firing up the grill on a hot day. With just a few minutes of prep time (followed by 8 hours simmering in a slow cooker) you can prepare a delicious mix of red wine and flavorful ribs that seem to melt in your mouth! All you need...

For those of us working hard to incorporate more veggies in our diets, here’s a fun recipe that uses a variety of tasty produce as well as your favorite dry, red wine.  Think veggies and reds don’t mix?  Think again!  Here’s what you need: 1 potato chopped into cubes (each about 1”) 1 carrot, chopped 1 onion (white), chopped 2...

Although we’ve already given this app our stamp of approval back in May, its continued popularity and recent improvements have made it emerge as one of the most practical wine and food apps ever.  Renamed from Nat Decants to Natalie MacLean Wine Picks & Pairings, and updated to version 2.2 on July 19th, the app’s already convenient barcode scanning logic...

Though a perfect addition to any winter dinner, this easy-to-make port wine sauce recipe is ideal for those later, cool days of summer--those days when you can “sense” that fall is just around the corner! You’ll need a bottle of your favorite port wine, 1 tablespoon butter, 2 tablespoons chopped shallots, 1/2 cup of mushrooms (thinly-sliced), 1 tablespoon of cream...

I came across a delicious, easy-to-make white wine sauce I felt compelled to share.  The only ingredient you may have to run out and get is heavy whipping cream! In a small to medium-sized saucepan, add 1 cup heavy whipping cream, 2 tablespoons of flour, and 3/4 to a cup of your favorite white wine.  Stir well while heating over...

While looking for more sauces with wine as a primary ingredient, I came across two delightful ones on Tasting-Wine.com.  I’m re-posting the recipes here, and you can check out the source of these at Tasting-Wine.com. Red Wine Sauce This makes a thick, intensely flavored red wine sauce that's great on red meat. Ingredients •1/4 cup shallots, chopped fine •1 tsp...

Traditionally known as a “winter” drink, mulled wine can also be enjoyed in the late summer/early fall season.  It actually makes a great segue into fall, and its familiar aroma often brings back happy childhood memories. (And since there is abundant evidence that connects our sense of smell with episodic memory, a warm cup may just surprise you with an...

While good food and wine pairing is always to be encouraged, even the best wine can be reduced to ruin on one’s tongue under certain conditions.  Here are six things to avoid before sipping on what would be a delicious glass of vino: 1. Breath mints.  We all want to have fresh breath, especially on dates, but sucking on or...

A few years ago, I was offered plain turkey cutlets at a dinner.  (The bland poultry was less-than impressive!) After giving them a second try, however, this time dressing them up with this delicious sauce, I discovered that they can easily make a satisfying entree. Here’s what you’ll need: 4 Turkey Cutlets 1/3 Cup Marsala Wine 3-4 Tbsp. Flour 2...

They're like a Jell-O shot, but with the addition of some class. And cherries. What's not to love? You’ll need: 1 jar of maraschino cherries with stems 1 cup orange juice 7 1/2 teaspoons of gelatin powder 2 cups red wine, your choice! Rainbow sprinkles Coat two mini half-sphere silicone baking pans (the kind with 15 indentations per pan) with...

Here’s a simple and delicious clam sauce recipe that's perfect for pasta, and perfect for the fall.  You’ll need: 2 Tbsp. Butter 2 Tbsp. Olive Oil (Extra Virgin is usually best) 1 1/2 Tsp. Fresh, Minced Garlic 1/2 Cup Chardonnay 1 Pinch Salt 1 Pinch Black Pepper 8 to 12 Fresh Clams in Shells (or a can of baby clams...

He prefers red wine, she prefers white, and their daughter likes some of both.  Now, they are coming over for Thanksgiving dinner.  You wanted to make a delicious wine sauce to accompany your turkey, but now you just don’t know which to make: red or white?  Never fear!  With this easy recipe, red lovers, white lovers, and those who enjoy...

A fascinating, fun and exciting romp through the world of wine, Natalie MacLean’s latest award-winning book UNQUENCHABLE: A Tipsy Quest for the World’s Best Bargain Wines, has hit the shelves!  Named the World’s Best Drink Writer by the World Food Media Awards, and winner of four James Beard Foundation Journalism Awards, Natalie’s prose is passionate, witty, honest, and informative.  In...

This winter season, tantalize your taste buds with a delicious port wine sauce that’s perfect for roast duck, goose, and even turkey.  Easy-to-make, and with a welcomed reference to summer (i.e. the blueberries), this unique treat could possibly become a holiday staple. Here’s what you’ll  need: 1 heaping cup frozen blueberries 1 1/4 cups tawny port wine (or ruby port...

Every family seems to have a unique, coveted lemon chicken signature dish.  Perhaps this easy wine and lemon sauce recipe will help liven up your current poultry preparatory practices, or perhaps you’ll be inspired to add additional ingredients to make this sauce truly your own?  Here’s all you’ll need: A photograph of lemons by André Karwath 1/2 cup flour 1/4 cup...

Slow cookers, like the Crock-Pot®, are ideal for winter cooking; you can keep them on and cooking all day, filling your home with the tempting aroma of tonight’s dinner.  What is more, you can even use them when cooking with wine.  Here’s a delicious chicken recipe perfect for a cold, winter’s eve.  What you’ll need: 1/3 cup dry red wine...

In the mood for some warm, winter bread?  Who isn’t? With a little wine and garlic, your winter snack will be even more delightful!  First, pick up a freshly-baked baguette from your local grocery store or bakery.  (You may also opt to bake yourself a homemade loaf of French bread.)  In addition to a loaf of bread, you’ll need: 1/4...

Ever drink a glass of really good wine and find little crystals at the bottom?  These are “wine diamonds,” not sediment, and they have been helping to preserve your wine! Wine diamonds are, in actuality, potassium bitartrate crystals that sometimes form on a wine bottle’s cork, most often when chilled.  During the winemaking process, itself, they naturally form on the...

If you like to add wine to your pasta sauce, here’s an easy recipe that’s sure to make some happy tummies!  Here’s what you’ll need: 1 pound (or more) ground beef or turkey 1 onion, chopped 1 clove garlic, finely chopped 1 tablespoon flour 1 egg, yolk separated 1 1/2 cups beef stock 1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs 2 tablespoons...

If you enjoy cooking with wine, you probably keep a few bottles on hand.  However, “wine emergencies” do happen; dogs and children can knock over portable wine racks, you can drop, break, or spill the last bottle of “perfect” red wine meant for your dinner, or you can be so rushed to get home and start cooking that you forget...