Slow-cooked beef minestrone

I love my slow cooker.

I especially love to pull it out in the Fall and let the creative juices (literally) flow!

Sometimes I use recipes.

Most of the time I start off with a recipe as a base and then turn it into my own concoction.

 

One of my favorite fall slow-cooker dishes is

Slow-cooked Beef Minestrone.

 

Most minestrones I had growing up were liquidy and soup-like. This one is not as thick as a stew but thicker than a soup and it's super easy to make!

 

 

What you need:

a braising pan

slow cooker  

 

1.5 lbs chuck roast or stew meat, cut into 1 inch cubes

1/2 cup uncooked ditalini pasta

5oz baby spinach

28 oz can of crushed tomatoes (unsalted)

1/2 5oz can of tomato paste

16 oz of minestrone soup vegetables (packaged at most grocery stores in the produce section or make your own - onion, cabbage, carrots, green pepper, celery)

32 oz beef stock/broth

15 oz can garbanzo/cannelini beans (rinsed and drained)

 

 

 What you do:

1. Dust beef with pan-searing flour. Pat off excess with a paper towel.
    
2. Heat oil in braising pan on MEDIUM-HIGH until oil faintly smokes. Add beef and sear 10 min until all sides are paper-bag brown.
   
3. Transfer beef to slow cooker but don't discard the pan dripping goodness. Add vegetables to the pan with the drippings and season with black pepper. Cook, stirring, 3 min and then add to slow cooker.
   
4. Add stock, sauce  and paste to slow cooker. Cover, cook 4 1/2-6 hours on HIGH or 8-10 hours on LOW. I tend to enjoy the low cooking method better because it takes longer, the flavors get to meld into each other and your house smells yummy all day. However, if you don't have time (like I didn't this past Sunday) then the high one works just as well.
     
5. 30 minutes before the en dof cooking on HIGH (45 minutes for LOW), add dry pasta and beans. Stir and put the lid back on.
   
6. Add spinach to slow cooker and stir to blend well. Allow spinach to lightly wilt - about 2 min.

It may look messy but the sign of a awesome cook is a messy kitchen... at least while cooking.

It shouldn't be messy normally. ha!



I like to serve mine with a hunk of sourdough bread.

It's great for dipping and sopping up the juice that's left in the bowl!!

 

 

This recipe makes a lot of minestrone so I am able to eat off of it for a few days.

 It even freezes well. For a family of four though, I'm sure it wouldn't last very long. 

I didn't have wine with it this time, but I'm sure a nice light red wine would go well - perhaps a Pinot Noir or even a Shiraz.

 

 

 

 

"My philosophy from day one is that I can sleep better at night if I can improve an individual's knowledge about food and wine, and do it on a daily basis." Emerill Lagasse

 

 

Transitioning from "saver" to "lover"

I love quotes.

I find them all over the place - restaurants, stores, books, online, cards, bathroom walls (ok, maybe not good ones but yeah, they're there).

I collect them and, similar to song lyrics, I find deep meaning in many of them.

Sometimes a certain one will resonate with me and it sets off the emotions and brainstorming! 

Today I saw this one and it really hit home.

I am a helper.

I am a protector.

I am a comforter.

 I am a fixer.

I am a saver.

From past relationships to current relationships, to family members to friends, I have the natural instinct to try to help and to make things better. Unfortunately, in the past I also have become so involved that it ends up taking up more of my time and emotions than it should. I not only don't end up saving them in the end but I end up frustrated and defeated.

I've realized the hard way that I can't "save the world" or even my part of the world.

I've also come to the conclusion that I also can't try to "save" someone who doesn't want to be saved.

God knows there have been many of those that have come into my life.

As frustrating as it's been over the years, I've learned to just let go.

 Do the best I can and just let it go.

However, this quote resonated with me and made me realize that I don't have to get frustrated or defeated when I can't save them.

All I have to do is the easiest thing for me TO do and something that we both will appreciate.....

......love them.

After all, isn't pure, unconditional love the greatest of the simple pleasures?

A California twist on an Oregon Pinot

It is no surprise to anyone who knows me that I love Oregon Pinot Noirs. In fact, aside from a New Zealand Pinot that I came upon recently, I don't care for Pinot Noirs that aren't from Oregon, Snob, you say? Call it what you will. I'll take it. I like what I like and have no shame.

Based on past experience, regardless of how appealing the description may sound, I won't even purchase a Pinot unless it's from Oregon. But then I saw this one.....

I have had the California Sean Minor Pinot Noir before and while it was extremely light, it was tolerable. Sean has two different collections and the Four Bears is decent; the Carneros not so much.

It was quite intriguing when I saw this OREGON Pinot made by Sean Minor on a shelf at my happy place. At first I thought it was a misprint or someone playing a cruel joke on me. So I grabbed a bottle and had to ask Arthur if my eyes were deceiving me.

Come to find out, Sean Minor has a great fondness for Oregon's growing region and the 2012 Point North is his first release from his new venture in OREGON!!
He carefully selects his Pinot Noir grapes from select Oregon vineyards in the Willamette Valley and Umpqua.

I was forewarned that this was Sean Minor's "twist" on an Oregon Pinot so it probably wouldn't be EXACTLY like the Oregon Pinots that I adored, but it was worth trying and I was definitely intrigued.....

This beautifully-colored Pinot has aromas of cinnamon and a hint of dark cherry; a fruity-spice smell if you will. It has a very balanced nose with no overpowering typical California style Pinot Noir syrupy or medicinally cherry smell.  Earthy, dark cherry flavors with a smack of spice at the end made this a very elegant and smooth Pinot. 

It is also Dad and Evil Red Genius-approved.

Not only was this strikingly different Pinot delicious on its own it was also quite stunning with Chef Mike's yummy dishes!

Meatloaf

Chicken parmesan

Little Italy Pizza

 Not only did I enjoy this California twist on an Oregon Pinot, but I bought a second bottle to bring home and save!!  Check you out Sean Minor! Way to shock and awe, buddy!

Well done!

"And saith unto him, every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk then that which is worse; but thou has kept the good wine until now."



Hailin' my Skins in style

On Sunday, October 19, I was not only fortunate enough to occupy my parents' seats at Fed Ex Field to watch my Skins BEAT the Tennessee Titans, but the football Gods also shined down on me by having a super fun (and not too hard on the eyes, by the way) friend accompany me and.....

we tailgated with his buddies who own the RG3Bus!!!!

 

 

Keeping it simple, I'll let my photos do the talking....

 

 

Hail to the Redskins

 

 

Hail Victory

 

 


 

 

Braves on the Warpath!

 

 

 

 

Fight for Val-er-ie!

 

(or as some erroneously sing......Old D.C!)

 

 

 

 

The original OPP- Erath

"Grapes from the earth, wines from the heart." 

 

  

Those are the words you'll find on the back of this 2011 Erath Oregon Pinot Noir. 

 

I purchased this wine a while back from Safeway because I recalled how much I enjoyed Erath in the past. However, when I opened this one, something was different. It wasn't as earthy as I had remembered and was quite light.  It had a hint of cocoa, herbal tea and a tiny bit of earth on the nose but a dominant cherry taste. In fact, it was way too cherry for me and I had to look again to make sure this was indeed an Oregon Pinot.

 



Upon further research, I found that there are a few different collections of wines that Erath makes. The yellow label which I had purchased is part of the Oregon Collection which displays the Erath signature profile of being fruit-forward and being ideal for everyday drinking. The green label, the one I had enjoyed years ago, represents the Estate Collection which is a blend of Erath's finest lots chosen to highlight the best fruits from selected vineyards throughout the Willamette Valley each year. 

Suddenly, it all made sense.
I won't make the mistake of buying the gold label again. It wasn't terrible. It just wasn't the type of Oregon Pinot that I enjoy and while the Estate Selection Pinot is obviously more expensive, it's totally worth every penny.

 

 All was not lost though.

I made lamb ragu over tagliatelle pasta nests with fresh mozzarella for dinner.

 

 

The wine was tolerable with food. However, in order to completely "fix this wine, ya'll know what had to happen, right?

Yep, you got it!

 CHOCOLATE!

 

 

It just so happens that I stopped by Confections, my local cupcakery, and bought a four-pack of cupcakes on the way home from work. 

I ate the Triple Chocolate one with two glasses of this Erath wine.

Absolutely amazing how much better the wine was with the chocolate cupcake. 

 I still wouldn't buy this wine again, but rest assured, this bottle surely didn't go to waste!

 

 

 

The 1960s ushered in an era of winemaking adventurists in Oregon and the Willamette Valley lured a few young mavericks of which one was Dick Erath. Undeterred by the region’s cool climate, he  found the region had a striking similarity to France's Burgundy, most notably Pinot Noir.  In 1969, he planted his first Pinot Noir grapes in the heart of the Willamette Valley, in the Dundee Hills.. Throughout the 1980s, the Oregon wine industry blossomed.

Erath is known as one of Oregon's wine pioneers and it has been said he is as tenacious in his approach to Pinot Noir as the Pinot grape is stubborn. After graduating from UC-Davis in California in 1968, Erath moved into an unheated logger's cabin on 49 acres and made it his home as well as serving as an ad hoc winery for many years. The next spring he planted Dundee Hill's first wine grapes, 23 varieties in fact, and Pinot Noir flourished!  A year before I was born (that would be 1972), he produced Erath's first commercial wine of 216 cases and became the first official wine producer in the Dundee Hills. Erath's obsession with French varietals made him test non-California clones and he was soon instrumental in importing French clones to Oregon two years later.  In 1976, Erath broke ground on the first winery in this area of Oregon and thanks to his successful 1982 Pinot Noir vintage, he inspired other winemakers to move to Oregon!

 

While I may not be a fan of this collection, I can't deny the history behind Erath. If it wasn't for Dick Erath though, Oregon may not even have Pinot Noir. For that alone, I am thankful.

 

If you enjoy a delicate Pinot with a bright cherry taste, you'll enjoy this classic Erath.

Kudos to Erath, the original OPP, Oregon Pinot Pioneer!

 

 

 

If only they had taken the time....

 There's nothing worse than going to an event and it being completely unorganized.  I have planned many events in my time - for personal reasons and for professional reasons - from small affairs to weddings to large 100+ attendee political events. When I went to Cheesetique of Del Ray in Alexandria the lack of organization and preparation for this wine and cheese class was embarrassing.

I had never been to the Del Ray shop before but fell in love with the Shirlington shop. While I expected the Del Ray location to be smaller, and it was, I didn't think it would be lacking in other areas as well.

A fellow wine and cheese lover went with me for the Carrick Wines Class hosted by Pacific Prime Wines and Francis Hutt, the winemaker of Carrick Winery in Central Otago, New Zealand one Sunday night. (Don't worry, the Redskins were playing on Monday night.) 

 

 

The class was held in a private back room which would have been very nice if it wasn't so cramped. Perhaps they shouldn't have overbooked this event???

 We ended up sitting at a table with two strangers which didn't bother me but I was stuck in a red vintage-esque high-armed and high-backed kind of chair and literally had to climb into it which was pushed up against the wall. My friend had to squeeze into a normal chair but it was right up against a cement column. Even more irritating was all of the speakers were positioned behind us and it was difficult, if not almost impossible, to turn around to see them as they were speaking. 

The saving grace was the winemaker being from New Zealand had an incredible accent and I almost felt as if Keith Urban was there if I didn't look. (Yes, KU is from NZ. He just grew up an Aussie.)

 

I have problems with the fact that this was called a "class" because I learned more from the handouts received and from a few questions that other attendees asked than I did from any speaker.  What bothered me most of all is that the Cheesetique representative admitted that she did not pick the cheeses to pair with the wines, but chose the cheeses based on what reminded her of New Zealand.  With that being said, the cheeses were delicious on their own but we were left to figure out "what worked" as far as wine pairings.

We had eight cheeses and five wines. While the wines were not terrible, the cheeses definitely won out in comparison.



1.  Selles Su Cher is a goat cheese France with a wood ash delivering mineral notes and a briny, tangy new-mown grass taste. The ashier the cheese the older the cheese.
2.  Mushroom Brie is a cow's milk cheese from Germany where the finest hand-picked German champignon mushrooms are harvested and used in this luscious, earthy, creamy tasting cheese. At first description, I was taken aback but this turned out to be one of my favorite cheeses of the night.
3.  Brebirousse is a sheep's milk cheese from France which is savory, creamy and nutty.  It has a unique bright orange rind with a delicate sweetness.
4.  Mainland Cheddar is a cow's milk cheese from New Zealand which is sharp and smooth. It was one of my least favorites of the night. However, if there had been a bigger wine than a light Pinot, it would have changed my mind, I'm sure.
5.  Pecorino Fogile di Noci is a sheep's milk cheese from Italy .  Walnut leaves are wrapped around this seasonal aged cheese giving it a distinct earthy aroma a sharp flavor. It was almost too sharp for me on its own. Sprinkled on top of a seafood dish or pasta would have been delightful.
6.  Dante is a sheep's milk cheese from Wisconsin based on the Spanish Manchego. It is rich and nutty, reminiscent of buttered toast and grass with a firm texture.
7.  Kinsman Ridge is a raw cow's milk cheese from Vermont which is washed with brine helping it develop an earthy aroma and a smooth creamy texture.   This was definitely one of the night's favorites for me as well.
8.  Gorgonzola Dolce is a cow's milk cheese from Italy which is a sweet, mild, blue cheese that is smooth and spreadable.  While I liked this one, I couldn't eat a lot of it. Had there been a big Cab to pair with it or a nice juicy steak, I would have been extremely happy.

While the cheeses were delicious, I don't think it would have taken much effort ahead of time to actually try to pair the cheeses with the New Zealand wines that we would be tasting. I'm no expert by any means but given an hour I could have chosen cheeses that would pair really well with the wines we were tasting. It still doesn't make sense to me why this wasn't done. No brainer, right?

Carrick is an integrated organic vineyard, winery and restaurant in Bannockburn Central Otago, New Zealand.  Central Otago is New Zealand's highest, and the world's southernmost, winemaking region. 

Carrick is named after the mountain range which dominates the western skyline. The knot logo is a play on the name, tying together winemaking and viticulture, land and wine.





Carrick winery was recently certified fully organic. The grapes are grown and the wines are made organically.  The vineyard soils are broken schist (a type of rock that can be broken into thin flat pieces) with an overburden of glacial sand, free draining and deep below are seams of lignite coal which were mined in the 19th Century to provide fuel for the gold dredges which worked the adjacent river beds.

We tasted the following Carrick wines:

2010 Pinot Gris - made in an off-dry style with aromas of red apples and pears. This wine was sweet but has a hint of dryness.

2011 Riesling - made in stainless steel and super sweet. Bleh

2011 Chardonnay - barrel fermented in French oak but way too buttery for me.



2011 Unravelled Pniot Noir  - cherry and plum flavors but way too light for me. Again, this is coming from the Oregon Pinot snob, however, I have found two New Zealand Pinots that I have enjoyed. This was not one of them. The ones that I have enjoyed are obviously from a different region of New Zealand.



 2011 Bannockburn Pinot Noir - cherry, spice and hints of licorice. Again, it was drinkable but not my kind of Pinot. These wines would have shined had they been paired with just the right cheese.

Most of the cheeses were too strong for a lightweight wine. How hard was this to do? I mean, we're having a wine and cheese event at a cheese specialty shop, right? Am I missing something here?

 

 If only Cheesetique had taken the time to learn and try these Carrick wines ahead of time so that the right cheeses were offered, this evening's event would have been spectacular. If only they had taken the time to plan and show some organization, it may have been more comfortable. If only the staff and the winemaker had taken the time to coordinate, it would have been much more enjoyable.

But.....
It was still wine.
It was still cheese.
It was still a fun night with a handsome man.
 I'm really not complaining....


"Take counsel in wine, but resolve afterwards in water."
Benjamin Franklin

Men are like wine.

Men are like wine.

Some are intriguing and lure you in by the packaging alone.

Some of them lure you in and it's all a rouse. You realize it all too quickly and it's not a bottle of wine after all; it's a bad wine cooler.  It has disguised itself and played a dirty trick on you. You won't make that mistake again.

Some are good for summer fun - good for the moment- but have no longevity.  Equally, some are good to snuggle with on a cold, blustery winter night but it dissipates all too quickly.  A passing fancy. Hopefully.

Some catch you off guard. You don't think you'll enjoy them but you try it anyway. You're surprised that the more you taste it, the more you give it a fair chance, the more you just might like it.

Some are everyday goodness.  Nothing overly exciting but stable and dependable. Reasonably priced and palatable. Delicious in their own way and definitely better than beer.  You can't necessarily see a future with it and it may or may not turn into anything but you really don't care either way. It's better than nothing.

Some you think will be good. Maybe you want to branch out and try something new. It's fun to try but then you're disappointed in the end because you knew from the beginning it probably wouldn't suit you but you bought it and tried it anyway. But you still have to sometimes take a chance and try it.  Sometimes they surprise you though so don't discount it too soon.  Give it time, just not too much time.

Some are a once-in-a-lifetime kind of thing.  Exquisite, in fact. They are part of a small batch and there are only a few made of each vintage. Very limited.  You only get to try it once and then it's gone.  Enjoy every moment of it and don't forget it but don't dwell on it either. Embrace it for what it is and when it's gone, move on. You'll compare it to all the others that will come along, but probably won't ever find another like it. That's ok though because it's better to have had that one amazing bottle only once then to never have experienced it at all.

Some are delicious from the start. They smell delightful. The anticipation of tasting it is amazing. Then they taste even better than they smell which is a pleasant surprise. It's balanced and yet you long for more but you don't want to rush it. You want to let it breathe. Even decant it maybe. Take your time. Savor every drop.  Maybe even buy another bottle and cellar it. Be patient and as much as you want to devour it all now, you know its best to be patient and let it age. It's presently fantastic but you know its potential is even better. It's definitely worth taking each day as it comes and see what happens. Enjoy it immensely now but realize it will most likely, if you're lucky and treat it with care, even improve with time.

"To be deeply loved, means a willingness to cut yourself wide open, exposing your vulnerabilities... hopes, hurts, fears and flaws. Hiding behind the highlight reel of who you are, is the real you and that person is just as worthy of love. There is nothing more terrifying or fulfilling, than complete love, it's worth the risk... reach for it.”
― Jaeda DeWalt

An Adventure to Maggie Malick's Wine Cave

 

Ever been to a wine cave? It sounds pretty adventurous and exciting, right?

Well, on Columbus Day Monday I went to my first one in Loudoun County with my heart on four feet and the Evil Red Genius. 

 

 

 It was a dreary, foggy, rainy afternoon but we all needed to get out of the house for a few hours so off to the land of wine we went! It took us 1.5 hours to get there and that’s without any traffic. We were only 10 miles shy of Charlestown, West Virginia and it was so serene and peaceful!

 

 

 

Maggie's (the owner) wine cave is a man-made cut and cover type of cave. She excavated the hillside and built the cave with concrete, rebar and I-beams. The cave was covered with four feet of earth, after waterproofing, to help it maintain a more constant temperature and reduce energey costs.
 Plus it's just super cool to see grass covering the roof of what looks like a rounded garage!

 

 

This 100% female-owned business is located on 215 acres of rolling hills with four ponds at the base of the 1400-foot Short Hill Mountains. 

You cannot see the wine cave from the road but the entry is absolutely stunning,

even on a gloomy day.

 

 

 

 

This was our first sighting of the wine cave as we drove down, around and up to the back of the property.

 

It was really interesting to be able to walk along side of the wine cave and see grass growing on top of where we just were inside!!!

The stainless steel tanks are outside along with other wine-making paraphernalia.
It's fermenting time. What does that mean? We were attacked by crazy gnats and fruit flies!

Annoying maybe but they aren't stupid! They gravitate toward the delicious stuff.

As we were approaching the entrance two lab mixes came barking and happily bounding toward us from what was the huge backyard of the wine cave!
Prowler was super excited to meet them and Moxie and Abby seemed excited to make a new friend!!

Once we got inside, he stood guard next to me at the tasting bar but kept an eye on the door.
He had to greet every new guest that arrived.
 He was such a happy and well-behaved boy and made me a proud momma!

 

 

At one point, he even laid down without me even asking!



Abby wasn't too crazy about Prowler, but Moxie loved him. In fact he loved him so much he eventually ignored him, which is the best sign of all.

 

Sweet Moxie has the life - sleeping on a Sunday afternoon on a dog bed in a room of wine barrels. I'd like my second life to be as a winery dog, I think.

 

 

 

All Maggie Malick wines are estate produced, meaning the grapes are grown on the estate and the wines are produced on the estate.

 

 

We tasted 11 wines at this wine cave, which goes against my rule of thumb. I'd rather a winery focus on four or five wines and make them exceptionally well, than making 10 or more and they are mediocre.

 

We had five whites including a Petit Manseng (PM) which was sugary, a Melange Blanc (60% Chard/40% PM) which wasn't as sweet but not that exciting, a Vioginer which was better than most Viogniers, probably because it was blended with PM, a Chardonnay which was drinkable, and an Albarino which actually tasted salty!

We had six reds including a Cab Franc which never makes me happy but is grown in every Virginia vineyard, a 2011 Melange Rouge which was our favorite, a 2012 Melange Rouge which was no comparison to the 2011, a Tannat which tasted no more like a Tannat than a cucumber, a Petit Verdot which smelled like roasted skunk but had a pretty good flavor and the newly-released Cab Sav which was just palatable.

 

 While the wines were nothing exciting, we had a fun experience! The last libation we tried was a sangria made with apple cider and the Melange Rouge which was quite yummy.
However, it would be even better as a mulled wine... hint hint...Oh Maggie....

"Life is too short to waste the ones (wines) you don't like."



 

Heard that quote while we were at the wine cave. Made me think.
Never heard it put that way but it sure does make sense, right?

The Evil Red Genius and I have a rule that we do not waste wine. Period.

 

 

 

 

Barrels of wine make me happy. Kind of like barrels of monkeys when I was a kid, but different.



We decided to purchase a bottle of the 2011 Melange Rouge because it was the least offensive of the 11.  I also chose to call it Moulin Rouge because it seemed the right thing to do at the time. Even though it was a dreary day we chose to go sit outside and enjoy the views.

 

 

"There is a way that nature speaks, that land speaks. Most of the time we are simply not patient enough, quiet enough to pay attention to the story."

~Linda Hogan

"Earth and sky, woods and fields, lakes and rivers, the mountain and the sea, are excellent schoolmasters, and teach some of us more than we can ever learn from books."

~John Lubbock

 

 

There aren't many times you could put the Tiny Wine Girl, the Evil Red Genius, the best dog ever and wine together and it not be a fantastic day.

This day was no different.