My life recently has been flying by at the speed of light and it is all a blur. Perhaps because there is a new 10-week old “family dog” that I help raise, and that takes a lot of time and energy. There have also been pop-up wine tastings at restaurants and wine bars, meals with friends, happy hours, out of town guests, and of course, planning my next Signature Tasting. So in the spirit of life in a blurred state, here is a random mix of what is happening recently. Let’s get started. Life Recently – A Puppy In my…
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Better Than I Imagined Gruyère cheese has become one of my favorite cheeses since my time living in Sweden after high school. Yes, Gruyère is a type of Swiss, not a Swedish cheese but it was in Sweden where I ate it for the first time and it turned me into a cheese-crazed person. I have been thinking about making this tart for decades but the puff pastry scared the crap out of me. I thought that there is no way I would be successful in making it. Then I learned that most folks I know that use puff pastry,…
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Today, I have got the simplest goat cheese recipe for you. But before I get to that, I wanted to let you know that I am branching out a bit. As part of the Strong Coffee to Red Wine brand, I will be producing small scale, private, invitation-only wine tasting events from wineries that do not have retail nor on-premise wine distribution in South Carolina, but can be shipped directly from the winery. These are wines that you will never find unless you go to the source (the winery) either in person or online. And who wouldn’t love to taste…
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My friend’s John and Irene have an online wine store (Topochines.com) that sells Croatian wine as well as wines from a few other countries. The wines are always unique and from off the beaten path wineries. I had sampled some of the Croatian wine and knew that I needed to introduce these wines to others in Charleston. I decided to put together a wine tasting and invited some of my wine pals to partake. Happily, I ended up being 15 folks who heeded the call. It turned out that we sampled a total of 12 wines: six Croatian wines, four…
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Last night was another one of those nights when Gary had a late lunch which means no dinner for him. This means I need to figure out what I want for dinner which I hate. It is always so much easier to make whatever Gary is craving. But he wasn’t craving anything, so I was on my own. This is how that works. I stare in the fridge forever. If I were a child, my parents would be screaming at me to close the door. But I can’t as my mind is racing. What can I make from this hodgepodge of…
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The origin and creation of my Caramelized Tomato-Fennel Butter came from a childhood memory that I have never been able to forget. Decades have passed since I lived in Hilliard and this flavor always stuck with me. A few months ago when making dinner, I got a bit of tomato paste on my finger, and I licked it off. Out of nowhere, this memory of Luigi’s sub sandwich came flooding into my head, and I solved a mystery that I have wondered about my entire adult life. The Childhood Memory When I was a kid growing up in Hilliard, Ohio we would order pizza…
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I have an Oysters Casino appetizer to share with you today that is so delicious. I got the idea when I was up in Provincetown eating Clams Casino. With fresh and delicious oysters harvested from our waters, it only makes sense to use them instead of clams. So two weeks ago, I had a small dinner party, and this was the second course. But before we get to that, I want to explain where I have been for the past month. The Confluence of Circumstance Thank you for your patience as I dealt with the snowball that was my life…
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Recently I had a couple of situations when I needed to make an appetizer for a party or event. The ask came up last minute, and so I needed to scramble to find something that would be quick and easy. I have two quickies for you. Sandwiched between the recipes, I figured that some of you may still have some shopping to do for your mom. I have a few affordable wine gifts for your last minute Mother’s Day shopping. Easy Appetizer: Velveeta Sausage Dip I am sure that everyone has seen a recipe like this one. My sister really likes to…
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