September 2017 * Strong Coffee to Red Wine

Side Note: This and That for the Weekend

Published September 29, 2017

It has been a whirlwind week. I can not believe that it is the weekend already. We had family in town, so we have been out and about most nights which was super fun. So for this post, I am calling it Side Note as I am piecing together various moments from the week. The Indian dinner we had on Monday was flawless. The Chicken Tikka Masala was a huge hit. I also made an accompaniment called Raita which is to provide a “cooling” effect that tames the heat from some of the dishes. The recipe is below. I think…

Gamay Beaujolais Tasting

Published September 28, 2017

If you happen to be having a wine “expert” over for drinks and you want to impress? Serve a Gamay Beaujolais. But make sure to serve it at fifty degrees. She will think you are the hippest winester in town. If you choose a wine from Chénas or Fleurie, she will bow at your feet. Apparently, Gamay Beaujolais is the “hip” wine to be drinking right now. This tidbit and much more were some of the things I learned at yesterday’s Gamay Tasting at Monarch Wine Merchants. David McCarus from McCarus Beverage Co. presented four biodynamic wines made by cutting-edge winemakers in…

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Coffee 101: Origins and the Magic Bean

Published September 26, 2017

ATTENTION: If you downloaded the Chicken Tikka Masala from yesterday, please download again and do not use the original pdf. You can download here or on the Tikka Masala Page. Now back to our regularly scheduled program…. Assuming that the coffee you drink does not come from a can with a name like Maxwell House or Folgers or in a jar with a name like Sanka or Taster’s Choice then this primer may be of interest to you. Now I am not judging you for drinking those or similar coffees (ok, yes I am. I am judging you! You would be judging…

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Tikka Masala aka Butter Chicken: Updated

Published September 25, 2017

My sisters, Gary and I love, love, love Indian food. The sisters have traveled extensively in India for business and grew to love the cuisine. Gary and I used to frequently go to Little India on Devon Ave. while we lived in Chicago. Tikka Masala was always one of our dishes to order. In Charleston, we used to have a group of friends that got together a few times a year, and we would all scratch make an Indian dish. Unfortunately, the group disbanded after the matriarch of the group passed away, but we as a family continue to make…

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Recommendations From My Retailers

Published September 22, 2017

I shop at several different wine stores in town, and I belong to a wine club. This is just the way I shop. I do the same with my grocery shopping as I am very particular about what brands I buy, the quality of the fresh produce and meats, and the uniqueness of their more obscure offerings. Each store has its strengths and weaknesses in these regards. The same holds true with wine stores albeit with different criteria. Perhaps a wine store has a focus on Old World wines, strictly California wines or only obscure small producers of biodynamic wines.…

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goat.sheep.cow.north

Published September 21, 2017

goat.sheep.cow.north I have done many things at goat.sheep.cow.north. I have gone to a wine tasting, bought several bottles of wine and a few blocks of cheese, and I have sat at the bar and had a glass or two of wine. But what I have not done is sit down at a table to drink wine and eat. So that is what we did last Friday with Liz and her lifelong friends, Diane and Stephen from Atlanta. But first, know that goat.sheep.cow.north is three entities all wrapped into one location. It is a curated wine store. It is the best…

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Dutch Baby with Spiced Apples

Published September 18, 2017

Yesterday morning I woke up with a plan. I was making a Dutch Baby with Spiced Apples. Decades ago, there was a restaurant in Skokie, IL that served something like this and I have always wanted to make it. As always I had researched several different recipes (it is also called a German Apple Pancake or a Baked Apple Pancake, Dutch Baby and several other names) and then recreated it with my own twist. Full transparency -> A Kitchen Confession: Before I get to the recipe, I need to confess that the morning started with a bit of excitement. I…

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Obviously Different: A Child & A Wine

Published September 15, 2017

All About You: An Adopted Child’s Memoir Imagine looking at yourself in the mirror and seeing that you look nothing like anyone in your family. And when you ask, all you get is lies. Imagine seeing that your parents treat you differently than your sibling and when you call it to their attention they lie. You can see that you are obviously different, but your family and your entire community lies. Side note: Liz and I have been “photographer friends” for several years. When we would run into each other around town or at photographer gatherings, we would chat and visit…

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Month: September 2017