WINE-ing and DINE-ing.....

We recently made a trip up to the cabin for a special open house at Chateau Morrissette....our fave place to go when up there! 

We had a wonderful time....they had an amazing spread of foods made with their wines....we also enjoyed trying out some of their newest wines.

The we headed over to the restaurant to relax, enjoy the views and to enjoy some of their amazing appetizers.  We typically grap a bottle or two of wine, some crackers and cheeses, then hang out on the veranda at the winery and sip, enjoying the views.

The dining at the restaurant is wonderful....and the wine is only slightly higher than buying it at the winery!  And the food is ahhhhhhh...mazing (yea...no pics....we were busy eating!)  I promise to get pics the next time we're up there!

Inside the restaurant is beautiful....

If the weather isn't so nice outside, the options for eating inside are awesome!  You can sit at a high top and have a glass of wine with some appetizers, or melt in to the sofa in front of a blazing fire!  There is also a huge dining room where they have all kids of great events, along with more intimate, cozy rooms that are beautiful!

There is also a beautiful terrace with the most beautiful view....but it was a bit windy the day were were there!

We were pretty stuffed, so we headed back to the cabin....we decided to have a pretty light dinner later on.....chicken with mango salso and baked zucchini and squash with red peppers and garlic.

We started off by making the salsa....we diced mango and green onions.  Then we added tomatoes, cilantro, and chili powder...

Meanwhile, we had a couple of bottles of Our Dog Blue chillin' in the freezer, the perfect pairing for our dinner!

Melinda was busy with our side dish, which was layered zucchini, squash, garlic and red peppers, salted and peppered and roasted in the oven.

Meanwhile, I grilled the chicken on my new grill pan.  They had been marinated in garlic, lime zest, salt, pepper and olive oil.

It was quite a colorful meal, but after a day of tastings (wine AND food), we needed something light.  It was the perfect way to end a perfect day in the Virginia mountains...with my two best friends!!

The only bad part was having to leave.....

My Favorite Go To - Herb Crusted Salmon

One of my favorite places for lunch is the Nordstrom Cafe....I've never had anything there that wasn't delish!  But one of my fave's is the Salad Nicoise with Salmon!  Ever since the first time I had it, I've obsessed over it.  I went through ALL of my Nordstrom cookbooks (which are awesome, by the way) and I couldn't find the recipe!  Then one day I had a brainstorm.....I looked at their recipes for SALMON........and THERE is was!  Now go figure!

So today I ran into a friend at the grocery store and I mentioned I was making this salmon....it seems I'm not the ONLY one who loves this salmon!  I promised I'd send the recipe....only one problem....I don't follow recipes.....uhhh....I have NO recipe!

So, that meant I had to "blog" about it (<<>>)!  I love my blog(s) (yes, plural).....only  I'm a late life business bloomer and I'm busier now that I have ever been, hence no time to blog.  But this time I promised.

So, I had my favorite lady at the Farm Fresh counter cut me a beautiful piece of salmon....

When I got home, I rinsed it, blotted it dry with paper towels, then used my boning knife (or any danged knife that will cut!) to remove the skin.

The next thing you do is spread on some mustard.....BUT....not just any old mustard......MAILLE mustard...the best mustard in the world. 

 Well, my world anyway.  It's French, so you know it's amazing.  There is the traditional and there is the whole grain.  I typically used the traditional...but while at Shelby's we used the whole grain and it was awesome!

The next step is to chop up the herbs for the "crust".  I normally use basil, oregano and thyme, but you can use ANY combination of the three, in addition to rosemary.  I also add some parsley.

I make sure to dice extra.....this herb combo is the best and can always be stored......

because it is wonderful on chicken, beef or even in a nice vinaigrette..and it keeps for quite a while! 

Once you have the herbs chopped, you sprinkle them over the mustard that you have slathered onto the salmon.......

..The next thing I did was prep my veggie of the night....asparagus.....my fave....my vegetable weakness.  And I'm always happy that most people thing that the tiny thin ones are the best...because they leave the fat, buttery meaty ones for me.....

They are so delicious that I do very little to them before "grilling" them.  I just drizzle a little olive oil over them and sprinkle them with truffle salt, the most expensive stocking stuffer I've ever purchased....

Then I grill them.....well, kinda......actually we're out of propane!  BUT.....my girl taught her Momma something....grilling on the stove!  Whooda thunk!  I have never grilled on anything except a grill....and we are GRILLERS.  We have multiple grills.....gas, electric, ancient...you name it, we have it.  But we're into quick tonight, so I yanked out the grill pan that Shelby recommended (and I bought under her watchful eye!)....and I p-grilled my asparagus...

Meanwhile....my salmon is in the oven (my small Breville oven....because, after all, there's only the two of us!).....

cooking at 375 degrees for approximately 12 minutes (based on size of fish).....

As always, the salmon was delicious....the asparagus was especially delicious because it is, after all, the spring.....and asparagus is ALWAYS best in the spring!

The only thing that has ever bothered me about cooking any kind of fish at home is the smell.....sometimes fish smells like....well....fish!  Salmon typically isn't smelly...unless it's bad...and in that case, don't eat it!  But if you're wondering what the candlelight was in the background....it was my answer to "smells" from the kitche.  It's a wide glass cylinder, filled with coffee beans....then I added three votive candles, lit.  As they warm up, the coffee beans fill the house with that "first thing in the morning" smell.  And I swoon......

This recipe is for you, Diane......please tell me you'll try it....and please tell me you'll let me know how much you love it!

We've Got Crabs!!!

One of the best things about living on the water......is crabs!  We live on a small creek off the intracoastal waterway, and the crabbing is amazing!  Dennis usually has a pot off of our dock and then one or two off of the neighbor's bulkhead.  Last night he put out 3 pots and by 4 pm today we had almost two dozen crabs!

In our area EVERYONE loves to gather around a picnic table and eat crabs, and I've been eating them for years......but I've never loved them more than I do now that I've learned how Dennis does his crabs!  It's different that the way most do theirs....and it makes all the difference in the WORLD to me!

I always had extra paper towels next to me to soak up the yellow stuff.....I didn't like how it looked, what it reminded me of, nor the bitter taste it had.  But Dennis gets rid of all of that BEFORE he cooks them!

He puts them all in his sink on the dock....then he plucks them up one by one.....

.....pulls off the top shell....

....then he plucks off the lungs......

Then he uses the hose at full force to clean out the insides.....the stuff that looks gross.....and tastes as bad.......

This is usually my job....or Shelby's if she's here.  What cracks me up is how he lines them all up as they are being cleaned.....kinda like this:

He is also meticulous about how he arranges them in the pot....kinda like this:

He gets his pot of water, beer and vinegar going.....

....while he carefully layers them with Old Bay Seasoning.

Once the water/beer/vinegar starts boiling, he puts on the pot and cooks the crabs for just about 12 minutes.....almost ALWAYS they come out perfect, but I'm just not brave enough to put "always" and then yours don't turn out......umm....that's a disclaimer, I suppose. 

But I will tell you that once they're done, they're delicious.....all of that beautiful white meat.....

.....and NO yellow stuff!  Yummmmmmm............

Ceviche and Fish Tacos.......By Evan!

Who would have thought.....the child that wouldn't try ANYTHING new....the one who only liked cereal, hot dogs, pizza, spaghetti and chicken (and yes, we told him ALL meats were chicken)....hated all things vegetable.....now will try anything....and wants to be a chef!!!  I know!!  Who WOULD have thought?

Evan has been anxious to show me his new found skills in the kitchen, so he came over one evening with his girlfriend, Emilia, to cook dinner with me.  He was especially interested in making a ceviche....particularly a Peruvian style ceviche like the one we'd had at Side Street Cantina in Virginia Beach....but with Evan's own twist.

He started his slicing and dicing.....

Cucumber.....

The fish.....we chose tilapia....

Red onion and cilantro.....

and his twist.....avocado!  He then juiced his limes...

Then added the vegetables, shrimp and fish for a good soak....just long enough to "cook" the fish....

It was delicious....in fact, it was so delicious that we just ate....no photos.....just eating...

To go with the Ceviche, Evan wanted to make Fish Tacos for us and we had plenty of fish, so why not?  I helped out by making a Pico de Gallo with tomatoes, onions, cilantro, lime juice and garlic...I also added a little chili power and a tiny touch of sugar.

Evan did the rest.....he prepped all of his toppings....

He sliced the fish, tossed it in melted butter and coated it with blackening seasoning.....then cooked it...

It was a rather simple dish, but what I enjoyed most was watching Evan prepare it.....he is precise in his intentions and movements....organized in his thoughts and actions. 

He has a clear vision of how he wants his dishes to look and taste, but his real joy is sharing his food....and hoping that it makes you happy....

....and it does....

So, was I surprised when he called me only a couple of weeks later to announce that he wants to be a Chef?  No....not at all.....I'd been hoping he would figure that out for himself....and he did!  I'm looking forward to watching him grow in this new realm!  And I'm expecting some great  things from him......food related and not.  Note to Evan:  I'm proud of you!  Go and get what you want and deserve.....and keep the passion!

Product Review - Tyler Florence - Classic Pot Roast Sauce

The fall happens to be my favorite time of the year....I love the colors, the weather, the holidays AND the food!  Don't get me wrong.....I'm almost as exited in the spring with the anticipation of the warmer weather, beautiful flowers and the fresh vegetables to come!  But there's something about the fall that just makes me a little bit more excited.  I love cooking rich soups and thick stews.....and this is just the weather for it!

I was at the grocery store on Friday and found a beautiful, marbled roast beef and thought, "It's not quite cool enough.....but I can crank up the AC!!!".  I threw it in the basket....then headed down the aisle to get my fave french onion soup mix (Mom's recipe....we've all had it!), and I saw on the shelf the name "Tyler Florence".  If you know me, you know that he is one of my favorite chefs.  If I'm planning to cook something, I always check out "Tyler's Ultimate" to see if he has made that dish before I move on. 

So I grabbed the jar.....and it was Tyler Florence's Classic Pot Roast Sauce......

...I had to have it....and it would be perfect for that roast already in my basket.  But then I'm just not a fan of ready made sauces....I really prefer to make them from scratch (although I've been known to buy ready made spaghetti sauce....and I have my fave....a different post!), but roast beef sauce?  Oh well, it has his name on it....I'll try it!

I let Dennis taste it and he liked it, although I wasn't so sure.  It didn't taste bad, but it did seem to have that "ready made" taste to it......oh well, I paid a pretty penny for it, I was going to use it....even it it ruined my beautiful, well marbled roast beef.

So, I salted and peppered one side of the meat, while heating olive oil in my Dutch oven....

...threw it in the pan, salt side down, then salted and peppered the other side.

I was looking for a really good sear because I knew that would definitely help this sauce to shine....

Yea....that's what I'm talking about!!  Once both sides had a good crust on them, I pour the sauce over the meat, as directed on the bottle.

Ummm......make sure you stand back...and pour slowly.....

Yep....spot cleaner required! 

As per the instructions on the bottle of sauce: "Add sauce, cover, turn temp down low; enjoy amazing aromas while it cooks."  OK....I'll do that!  While it cooked I went down to visit with a neighbor and when we came back......yep....the aromas were amazing!  I was starting to have hope that this was going to be delicious after all!

The meat was starting to get quite tender, so I added my vegetables....

....carrots, onions and two week old celery.  Yes, you heard that right!  My celery had been in my refrigerator for two weeks!  And no, it wasn't limp....it was just as crisp as the day I put it in the fridge!  How you say?  Well, wrap your celery in aluminum foil!

My neighbor, Carol, lives alone and there are only two in our household, so we sometimes buy something and split it.....and two weeks ago she handed me half of some celery she had bought...and it was wrapped in aluminum foil!!  She explained that it would last much longer....and she was right!  These are the kinds of tips you get when you talk about food all of the time!

Now back to the pot roast......was it at delicious as a sauce by Tyler Florence might promise?  Yes....it was awesome....rich and thick.....and NO pre-made taste.  It tasted as delicious and rich as Julia Child's Beef Bourguignon.  Would I buy it again?  Probably.....although it is a little pricey, it is delicious!

Although what I will probably do more often is try to duplicate his sauce.....the front of the bottle says, "Earthy Porcini Mushrooms Take Pot Roast To A Whole New Level"......so the next time I make pot roast, I'll add porcini mushrooms.  I'll let you know how it turns out!

Do you have a favorite pre-made sauce?