Drinkin' on the Deck- City Girl's Wine Journal

Another summer is fast approaching and I'm soooo looking forward to spring and summer evenings sitting on the deck in the backyard of our little city house, busy traffic sounds, birds chirping in the tree overhead, dogs barking in the neighborhood. Our deck is small but cozy, screened from the neighbors by a bamboo screen. Potted plants- herbs and flowers, add ambiance and the shady spot is cool and comfortable. We don't have room for a table with a great big brolly, but we have chairs and a table, the perfect place to relax and set your cocktail. The Chef and I don't imbibe very often but on occasion a bottle of wine will be popped open, glasses poured, and calmness descends upon us. The Chef cooks at a trendy wine and small plates restaurant so we often get the inside track on new wines, what's popular, what's highly rated, what to drink, so I thought it would be a good idea to share a few of my favorites.

Some people are strictly white wine drinkers and others are die hard red drinkers. I have favorites on both sides of the vineyard fence. As you might know, Riesling tops the list of white wines for me, with Pinot Grigio as the runner up but I don't limit myself to just those two. I have had several Sauvignon Blancs that are fabulous, and an unoaked Chardonnay is quite pleasant. In Iowa you see a lot of wines made with Brianna or Edelweisse grapes, both of which are quite similar to sweet Rieslings. 

Gaga was a white blend from California that was a true delight to drink. I found this wine at Gateway Market and grabbed a couple bottles. This wine was so fruity and crisp- I served it well chilled. Like many other whites, it would pair great with lighter dishes, salad, seafoods, appetizers. It's a fantastic sit on the patio and sip wine.

Normally you don't keep whites for long, generally speaking they are better drank while young. However, this Robertson Gewurztraminer somehow snuck by me and hid in the back of the cabinet for a while. That was not necessarily a bad thing. It was a 2007 vintage that was eventually opened in 2014 and it was still incredibly delicious, almost a creamy sensation. The years had turned this German style wine quite a lot sweeter than it probably was originally. If you're at all like me and love Riesling, you'll love Gewurztraminer too.

Iowa has about one hundred fantastic wineries these days, and that means a whole lot of places to visit and tour, wines to sample, and many of the wineries also have restaurants. Santa Maria Winery in Carroll is a stunningly beautiful Italian villa style building with a beautiful tasting room and restaurant that turns out some incredible food. My favorite Santa Maria wine is hands down Bella Collina. It's a red blend of Iowa-grown grapes that's quite a bit drier than what many of my wine drinking friends prefer. I, however, love a great dry red. They pair well with steaks and grilled foods and some also make great sipping wines. 

Back to the Rieslings- Blue Fin was a nice California Riesling that I picked up not too long ago. Just the right amount of sweet for me, this was one of those wines I'd buy again and again. Nice sweet and acid balance this one is great for enjoying all by itself or with any dish you like.

Joseph Handler Riesling is my most recent wine purchase. I picked this bottle up at Trader Joe's and drank it the same day. Chilled in the freezer until almost slushy, it was so bright and fruity. Hints of sweet, not too acidic, I enjoyed this bottle immensely. This was NOT an expensive wine at all, in fact it was below $10 and well worth twice the price. Many people shy away from these cheaper wines but the reality is, price doesn't normally determine the quality of the wine. Take a chance on a cheap bottle sometime and you might find a new favorite.

If you want me to enjoy a Chardonnay, it has to be an unoaked Chard. I have never liked the flavor that oak brings to wines, especially whites. Some reds hide it well but in my opinion Chardonnay tastes like an old wet board when it's been aged in oak. Sunfish is a California Chardonnay that I fell in love with about ten years ago. I've enjoyed many bottles from many vintages over the years. It's great for recipes that have "dry white wine" as an ingredient. Chardonnay does have that tanniny dryness that some people don't like. Even thought this is a dryer white, it's still perfect for sipping on its own. 

A couple other great wines I picked up at Gateway Market were Raimat Castell de Raimat and Delish. Raimat is a rose wine, not something I normally pick, but a while back my friend Jessica and I decided to try some rose wines, so I grabbed this to take it for a test drive. I am not a rose fan. Sorry. I tried. Not that this wine wasn't a good wine, it's just not my thing. Much like moscato, white I really do not like, I just couldn't get into roses. Too acidy and not enough fruit forward. Now, the Delish Sauvignon Blanc was a winner. I love the green and grassy notes in Sauvignon Blancs and this one was so refreshing. I'd buy a case of this to keep on hand.

Our furkid Peanut came to us over the summer as a stray.
She is now a comfy and cozy housecat and we love her.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 55: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Sampling the Sinful Food Oils

One of the simplest pleasures in life is good bread and good olive oil. Really good bread. Beautiful chewy crust, soft interior, lots of holes for collecting flavorful bits and bites of butters and oils. Have you ever experienced the joy of a really good hunk of bread and a really really good olive oil? Hang around with me, and we'll share the experience.

As you know, recently I became the lucky owner of the full line of gourmet infused olive oils from Sinful Food. Six fantastic varieties of super top quality olive oil. The flavors? Garlic, basil, Italian herb, wild sage, jalapeno and rosemary. These oils are unlike any other flavored oil I have ever tasted. They taste real. Clean. Real herb flavor and aroma, you'd swear you were munching on leaves or garlic cloves or bits of pepper. The flavors are so versatile you can use these oils in almost everything you make. Imagine massaging a couple tablespoons of rosemary olive oil over a pork tenderloin before seasoning and roasting. Drizzle some fresh steamed vegetables with garlic olive oil or brush on bread before toasting under the broiler. Italian herb oil with balsamic vinegar make a killer vinaigrette. Brush jumbo shrimp or chicken tenders with jalapeno oil before grilling and tossing with grilled vegetables for some deliciously different fajitas. Arrange sliced fresh mozzarella and sliced heirloom tomatoes on chilled plates and drizzle with basil olive oil and balsamic vinegar for a beautiful Caprese salad. See what I mean? So much versatility, you're only limited by your imagination.

The other day I made a stop in Gateway Market to acquire some hard to find radishes and of course, that means I was suckered in by the luscious aromas of the South Union Bakery which is part of the store. Amazing handmade breads are what you will find in this gem of a bakery, which is part of the George Formaro Empire of Deliciousness. Since I knew  had these oils to check out....and the bread just HAPPENED to be there....... well, you know the rest. A loaf or two just jumped into my cart as I innocently walked by the bakery counter. Since they were sacrificing themselves in the name of research, we might as well fulfill their destiny and try some, right?

So here we are with our six beautiful oils, six small bowls, and a lovely loaf of good bread. Let's taste these oils and share the joy.

Garlic. The first thing you get with this oil is the blast of garlic. Just like fresh crushed garlic, but not overpowering. The sweetness of the olive oil balances the pungent notes of the garlic. You definitely taste both the "green" notes of the oil and the heat of the garlic.

Italian herb. It's oregano. It's marjoram. It's basil. It's thyme. It's all of those delicious flavors and fragrances in one amazing oil. If you're an oil and bread dipping kind of person, this will take your bread to a whole new level. I cannot stop making salad dressing with this. The bright herbal flavors go perfectly with the flavor of the olive oil, it's so light and so fragrant. This oil would be a fantastic finishing oil for risotto. I'm going to try it, so I'll let you know!

Basil.  This one is a real mystery to me. I want to know how this oil retains the incredibly fresh basil flavor and fragrance. It's amazing and really, probably one of the most incredible things I've ever tasted. That aroma, I just can't stress it enough- smells like I'm sitting here rubbing fresh basil leaves between my fingers. Every nuance of fresh basil is present and the sweet olive oil base carries the herbaceousness so well. This one is my favorite hands down. 

Wild sage. This is Thanksgiving. Sage is the herb I use in stuffing every time I make it and this oil....... takes me right back to the Thanksgiving dinner table. Sage can be a very overpowering herb when used fresh. I've ruined recipes with even the slightest bit too much fresh sage. T
his oil has the perfect balance of flavor infused throughout. The sage flavor enhances not overwhelms. Dipping my sampling bread into this oil transformed it into my mom's homemade turkey dressing.

Jalapeno. You might expect searing heat. Not so. Instead, what this oil delivers is the ultimate in fresh pepper flavor with a bit of heat. I just couldn't get over how much this oil tasted like freshly sliced jalapenos. This oil is perfect for marinades- like steak, chicken or shrimp for fajitas. Toss some potato wedges with chili spices and drizzle with a little of this oil and roast for a spicy side dish for Tex Mex meals. Drizzle over guacamole or hummus too. Delicious!

Rosemary. Rosemary is one of my very favorite aromatics. When I popped the cork on this oil I instantly fell in love. Everything I love about rosemary- the perfumey fragrance, the woodsy notes, the scent of autumn and autumn foods- came out of the bottle to greet me. It's lovely. I'm going to be using this one alllll the time for searing beef chunks, roasts and steaks. Rosemary is such a big flavor component in beef stew and this oil brings it big time.

As you can tell, the variety of flavors in these oils is so vast you can use them in so many different dishes, and different cuisines. Of course, you dip bread like we did today, but I've been cooking with these oils as well and you need to do so as well. They make great oils for sauteing and outstanding bases for vinaigrettes and dressings. Accent the oils with their fresh counterpart for a flavor double whammy.

Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a "sponsored post." As a Brand Ambassador, the company who sponsored it compensated me via a cash payment, gift or something of value. Regardless,  I only recommend products or services I believe are of good quality and safe. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Radish Slaw with Apple and Mint

Spring is just around the corner, and here in the city I have amazing access to all kinds of beautiful fresh produce. That's a good thing, because I absolutely love vegetables, especially when I can eat them raw in salads. We're talking way beyond lettuce, folks, all kinds of delicious and crunchy things find their way into my salad bowl. Today we're going to focus on radishes. Poor radishes. They are the orphans of the relish tray, always left behind after the olives, broccoli and baby carrots are all nibbled up. They just sit there, looking forlorn. People don't give radishes the love they should. There is so much more to the world of radishes than the everyday red globe roots we are used to seeing. Indeed, radishes come in a rainbow of colors and a variety of "pepperyness." You know what I mean, radishes can have quite a peppery bite to them, like white radishes- they are often quite hot. Not hot like peppers but.......hot like radishes!

I grew up with a veggie crisper full of radishes. My dad always grew them in the garden. They were always the first harvest and one of the last things in the cool fall garden. My mom always made relish trays for get-togethers and always sliced up a small pile for salad. We ate radishes all the time. We even ate them like the French- halved and smeared with a teeny bit of butter and dipped in salt. Fresh radishes are crunchy and juicy and it's true, different varieties taste totally different. Watermelon radishes, have a white to green outer skin and interior flesh that's bright pink- hence the name. They have a sweet flavor with just a slight hint of the peppery note of the common radish.

Icicle radishes are white fleshed and look a lot like little carrots. Most white radishes have quite a bit more bite than red radishes. Black radishes are black on the outside and creamy white inside with an intense peppery flavor. Radishes come in just about every color. They look absolutely beautiful together, roasted briefly to bring out the sweetness, or sliced and made into quick pickles, or even just added to a salad. Today we're going to hit the store and see what kinds of radishes we can find, and we're going to make them into a crunchy and fresh slaw with apple and cucumber and lots of fresh mint for an Asian twist. Sinful Food basil olive oil is going to bring our dressing into the spotlight with its fresh basil flavor and aroma and Signature Seasoning bumps the flavor up several notches over plain salt and pepper. Let's go shopping!

One of my favorite places to shop, especially for produce, is Gateway Market. We shop here all the time, and have shared a shopping trip or two with you before, so I won't repeat all the many incredible things you can pick up here, most notably the mile long (not really but practically) olive bar that gets me in more trouble with The Chef.... We'll concentrate on produce. I found during my quest for watermelon radishes that they are not easy to find in February in Des Moines, even though they are in season. I had to contact a produce distributor for help, and when that failed, I contacted Gateway Market for help. Their produce guy, Brian, was super helpful and walked me through requesting special produce. Super easy and one email later he let me know when the radishes would be in- so here I am, at Gateway, browsing the rest of the fresh goodies, and that super naughty olive bar that gets me into trouble every time.

I got up bright and early on Radish Day, even long before my alarm. You could say I was a little excited. Gateway Market is just west of downtown Des Moines in a historic area of the city called Sherman Hill. Surrounded by lovely Victorian homes and ultra-modern lofts Gateway is such an amazing store. Since we've visited Gateway before let's just skip ahead to the good stuff- the produce. At first I had trouble finding the watermelon radishes. I expected them to be either sold in bunches with greens attached or packaged in bags. I did not expect the produce guy to bring me a giant case of loose radishes and allow me to pick the exact ones I wanted. I was very surprised to see how big they were. The radishes in the case ranged from golf ball size to baseball size. I really didn't have a preference as to size, since we will be cutting them into matchsticks anyway so I just grabbed a bag and made my selection. 

I always spend most of my time in the store in the produce section and today was no different. I was looking for a few other items for the rest of our meals for the weekend so I picked up some really nice organic baby potatoes, organic baby rainbow carrots and a nice box of big cherry tomatoes. These veggies I planned on roasting and serving with my beef roast for dinner tonight. I also snapped up an organic cucumber, some crisp and fresh scallions for the radish slaw, as well as a couple Granny Smith apples, and as I was making a last scan over the vegetables something bright and green and beautiful caught my eye. I think my eyes might have bugged out too and I think I actually squealed out loud when I reached out and picked up the one thing I have been searching and searching for and certainly did not expect to find on this trip- a Romanesco cauliflower! Laugh all you want, you ought to know by now, I am a total vegetable nerd. Anyway, my list of foodie resolutions for 2016 included tracking this beauty of a veg down and cooking it and I never did find one. Suddenly, here it was, in my hand, and I was soooooo thrilled to have it, I didn't even remember to go the olive bar...........

Radish Slaw with Apple and Mint

1/2 lb radishes, multi colored if available

1 medium cucumber
2 Granny Smith apples

1 bunch fresh mint

2-3 scallions

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons Sinful Food basil oil
3/4 cup olive oil

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon Sinful Food Signature Seasoning

1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted

Cut the radishes into matchsticks, along with the cucumber. Place in large bowl. Slice the scallions including the green tops and add to bowl. Cut the apple into matchsticks but leave the peel on, add to the bowl.

Pull the mint leaves off the stems and give them a rough chop. Add to the vegetables in the bowl.

I was unable to get fresh mint, so I subbed fresh parsley. You
can substitute parsley or basil if you don't like mint.

In a jar with a lid combine the vinegar, lemon juice, both oils, mustard and seasoning. Screw the lid on and shake vigorously to combine. Pour dressing over the vegetables, starting with about half the dressing. Toss to coat. Add the almonds, toss again, and add more dressing to taste.

Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a "sponsored post." As a Brand Ambassador, the company who sponsored it compensated me via a cash payment, gift or something of value. Regardless,  I only recommend products or services I believe are of good quality and safe. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."