Well We are at the point in website development that we have approved the layout and need to start feeding the designers pictures, Hooray. We have been real busy bottling wines and locating wines for the new site. And of course the toughest job of trying new wines with favorite recipes. This time I have two Wednesday night dinners to catch up on and four wines to talk about. Last week we had one of the girls all time favorites. Every time they came home from college or it was their birthday this was their request. And when Natalie discovered this she asked for it every time she came to visit or we were on the east coast visiting. I have discovered that my panel of tasters, along with myself, have somewhat reduced appetites and consumption capacities so I am going to focus on some menu's with a few less courses

I enjoy starting off the evening with a cocktail, yes I know this is a wine site, but it is a comfortable way to start a good meal with friends.

we started off with a Bellini Tini and some cheese and crackers, homemade sweet pickles and garlic salsa. Then came My Mom's spinach salad from her cookbook which also holds the recipe for the all time favorite " pepper-steak cheddar noodles"we finished off the meal with what I call a simple light adult desert.

With our salad we tried a Chard from Lodi called "Demonique" it was well received by all and we found it to be a great companion to the spinach salad. It is an unoaked white wine, very refreshing, crisp and fruit filled with more stone fruit flavors than typical coastal citrusy" chards.
The really nice thing about unoaked chards is they are so much more versatile and blend well with more foods, lighter foods. It will definitely be in our first group of wines offered on the new site.

The pepper-steak cheddar noodles took on a Syrah from Valley Home Vintners. A real well made syrah in an old fashioned one liter jug style bottle. Syrah or Shiraz as it is called in different countries, is the main grape of the Northern Rhone region and is associated with many classic French wines. In the southern Rhone it used as a blending grape for many classic wines. Although its best creations will last for decades, less-extracted styles may be enjoyed young for their lively red and blueberry characters and smooth tannins. Syrah is used widely in many countries as a blending grape due to its fleshy fruit mid-palate balancing the weaknesses of other varieties and resulting in a "complete " wine.

Wines made from Syrah grapes are often quite powerfully flavored and full-bodied. The variety produces wines with a wide range of flavor notes, depending on climate and soils. Aroma characters can range from violets to berries (usually dark as opposed to red), chocolate, espresso and black pepper. No one aroma can be called "typical" though blackberry and pepper are often noticed. With time in the bottle these primary notes are supplemented with earthy or savory notes such as leather and truffle.

RECIPES

Bellini Tini - peach schnapps 1 1/2 oz
fresh pineapple juice 2 oz
orange juice 1 oz
sparkling wine as a floater

mix first three ingredients in an ice filled shaker serve in a martini glass with sparkling floater. garnish with orange slice.

Spinach Salad
1 lb cleaned fresh spinach
8 slices bacon
1/4 cup olive oil
3 hard boiled eggs, chopped
1/4 cup vinegar
1/4 cup bacon drippings
1/2 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper

cook bacon, reserve drippings, drain well and crumble. Tear spinach into small pieces, unless you use baby spinach, into a large salad bowl. Mix oil, vinegar and 1/4 cup bacon fat together.
Pour1/2 onto spinach and toss well. Add bacon and seasonings, toss. Add enough oil and vinegar
mixture to coat all the leaves but not enough to leave a puddle in the bottom of the bowl. Add chopped egg and mix lightly. serves 6


Pepper Steak Cheddar Noodles
1/4 cup butter
1 beef bouillon cube
1 1/2 lbs sirloin cut into strips
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1 large white onion sliced
1 tblsp cornstarch
2 tblsp water
2 green peppers cut into strips
2 tblsp soy sauce
1 lrg 15 oz can chopped tomatoes
1 tsp sugar
3 cups wide noodles
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

In a large skillet melt butter add beef and garlic powder, brown meat well. Remove meat from skillet. put sliced onion and pepper into skillet, saute for 3 to 4 minutes. Return meat to skillet with tomatoes and bouillon - cook until meat is tender. Blend together cornstarch, water, soy sauce, sugar and salt. Add to meat mixture - cook until thickened stirring constantly. Cook noodles and reserve 1/4 cup water when draining noodles. place noodles in a large heated serving bowl ( very important to get the cheddar to melt correctly) add shredded cheddar and about half the reserved hot water toss until cheese in melted and creamy, add more water if cheese is still lumpy. Spoon meat mixture over noodles and serve with warm crusty bread and Valley Home Syrah.

Desert - Simple Adult fruit Desert
1 white peach - firm not soft
1 kiwi - large
1 pear
8 marachino cherries w/syrup
2 oz pyrate XO reserve rum - or any really good rum
1/2 tsp cinnamon
whipped cream

Wash all the fruit, slice peaches into thin wedges, peel and slice kiwi into rounds, slice pear into thin wedges. In a large bowl mix all fruit together add cherries and about an oz of cherry juice, add the rum and sprinkle with cinnamon, mix well without breaking up the fruit. Serve in margarita type glasses and top with whipped cream. A little sprinkle of shaved dark chocolate is a nice finishing touch. OH Yes and feel free to add rum to taste. serves 4

Next is lemon lime punch, Denise's Easy sexy salad, Chicken bouillabaisse, and Chocolate Roulade a La Creme de Glace.