Wine of the Week - Bella Cavalli 2008 Chardonnay

Excellent nose.  You'll detect a whole fruit medley, including grape fruit, kiwi and various melons.
The taste comes through bold and strong, with all the same flavors detected on the nose.  Unfortunately, a bit too much alcohol taste comes through.  But overall, a wine well worth enjoying.
14.3% alcohol

Pizza breadsticks

Because we haven't given our daughter cheese yet, including her in family pizza night has been a challenge. She's too small to really handle a slice and her cheeseless pizzas become bread with a side of mixed vegetables all too quickly. Guess which half of that equation gets ignored. So I made breadsticks with the veggie goodness baked inside and provided some sauce on the side for dipping.

Using my go-to dough recipe (also featured here), I added a bit of each veggie we used to top our pizza (on this day it was onion, spinach and green pepper) and mixed it right into a hunk of dough. Cooked that dough alongside our pizza and let it cool enough for little hands and little mouths.

Decadent Egg Salad

I made this egg salad with cream cheese and mayo instead of just mayo, like in most recipes. That made it much lighter and fluffier and it tasted great!

Ingredients:

8 hard-boiled eggs

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup cream cheese

salt & pepper to taste

1/4 tsp. paprika

2 tsp. yellow prepared mustard (condiment not the spice)

pinch each of:

garlic powder
turmeric

dill weed

cilantro

Directions:

Chop eggs and mix with mayo and cream cheese.

Mix well, then add the spices and stir until thoroughly blended.

Enjoy on a sandwich or on top of a delicious pile of greens!

Snickering snickerdoodles

One day, out of the blue, though he's a chocolate fanatic,Joe mentioned he'd like some snickerdoodles. Not Steph's Mexican chocolate snickerdoodles which I make pretty regularly now, but basic snickerdoodles.

Luckily, I had all the ingredients on hand, and of course on the hottest day of the summer, I made some cookies:


I found a great recipe from Vegetarian Times. Super easy, and super yummy!

Wine(s) of the Week - Wife and Bitch

Apparently I can't go anywhere these days without picking up some wine.  While in San Diego over the summer for Comic Con, I passed a place in the Gaslamp District called The Wine Bank and couldn't resist picking up a two-bottle package deal they were selling as "Wife and Bitch."  What can I say?  I'm a sucker for a good marketing gimmick.

I'm happy to report, however, that beyond the marketing gimmick, these were two really good wines.




Bitch 2009 Grenache
Grateful Palate Imports really committed to the whole "bitch" angle.  Check out the "description" on the back label...



There's a funkiness on the nose of this wine, but it doesn't come through on the tongue.  This wine actually tastes very bright, with notes of raspberry and something like rose petals.
14% alcohol
Mad Housewife Cabernet SauvignonShe doesn't look mad; maybe just a little bored.

This wine has a very mild nose, with light hints of spices coming through.  The taste was surprisingly dynamic, with deep red fruits and overtones of what I'd describe as garden vegetables.  The watery finish goes down easy.
13.5% alcohol
These were both impressive wines, especially for the price point.  And, as I said, a smart pairing on the part of the seller.  San Diego residents, be sure to pick these up next time you're in the Gaslamp. Everyone else, check your local wine store; these are both available nationally.