An Outpour of Emotions

Some people might say that the word "love" gets thrown around a bit too often. Kids shout "love you!" in their parents' direction on their way out the door, and celebrities fall in and out of "love" faster than they can, well, shave their heads. And just when we think it's all gone too far, we witness a glimpse of true love. True foodie love, that is.














Wine That Loves simplifies the matchmaking process between food and wine to create the perfect pairing for every meal. With the aid of sommelier Ralph Hersom (former wine director at Le Cirque in New York) as the Wine Director, this wine literally pairs itself. The complete line includes Wine That Loves Pasta with Tomato Sauce, Wine That Loves Roasted Chicken and Wine That Loves Pizza; it couldn't be easier to make the right match. (Wine That Loves Grilled Steak and Wine That Loves Grilled Salmon are coming soon.) The site even breaks down each bottle to explain the necessary amounts of Intensity, Acidity, Tannin and Flavor that go into the pairings.

Starting to feel the love? I certainly am! No more embarrassing fumblings around the liquor store - and then finally just choosing the one with the funnest label (guilty as charged), these simple bottles make you look like an expert. And most importantly, they make your food taste even better! In fact, the company was inspired by a success story of someone who was finally given a proper wine recommendation and was astounded by the way it enhanced the meal.

And just to prove that I am in the mood for love - and because I feel a rendition of "Matchmaker, Matchmaker" from Fiddler on the Roof coming on - I shall now pair your wines with some choice dishes from R4L.

Penne Pasta with Tomato Vodka Sauce
Pair with: Wine That Loves Pasta with Tomato Sauce (see how easy this is???)

Ingredients

1 1/2 lb. penne pasta
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 C. vodka
1/2 lb. Canadian bacon or smoked ham, diced
1/4 C. olive oil
2 28 oz. cans tomatoes, crushed
1 C. heavy cream
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
1 medium onion, chopped
2 C. frozen peas
1/2 C. Romano cheese, grated

Directions

Sautee onion and garlic in olive oil until brown, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, Canadian bacon, crushed red pepper and peas and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add heavy cream and vodka and cook for 5 more minutes until sauce thickens. Meanwhile, in a separate pot, boil Penne pasta until it is al dente and drain. Place pasta on individual plates and top with tomato-vodka sauce and serve.

Roast Chicken with Sweet Garlic, Melted Onions and Sour Orange
Pair with: Wine That Loves Roasted Chicken

Ingredients

1 (3 lb.) chicken
1/2 C. whole garlic cloves, peeled
1 C. olive oil, divided
1 bunch flat-leaf parsley
1 orange, zested
1 lime, zested
1 lb. yucca, peeled
2 Spanish onions, thinly sliced
16 fluid oz. orange juice
1 C. rich chicken stock
3 Tbs. olive oil

Directions

Cut the chicken in half and de-bone. Place the garlic in 1/4 C. of the oil and sauté until tender. When the garlic is cool, puree half of it with the parsley, orange zest, lime zest, and remaining 3/4 C. of oil Rub the garlic mixture onto the chicken and marinate for 1 day in the refrigerator. Cook the yucca in salted water until tender and drain. Slowly cook the onions with a little water until soft. Reserve. Simmer the orange juice over the low heat until syrupy. Add the chicken stock and cook until lightly thickened. Reserve. Bake the chicken at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes, until cooked through and the juices run clear when pierced with a fork. Sauté the yucca in the remaining 3 Tbs. olive oil until crispy. Add the onions and the reserved garlic confit. Drain the yucca mixture well and place on a plate with the chicken. Cover with the orange mixture.

Margherita Pizza
Pair with: Wine That Loves Pizza

Ingredients

2 tsp. garlic, chopped
2 med. tomatoes, sliced
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 dash of salt
1 dash of pepper
6 oz. Mozzarella cheese, sliced
2 med. wheat flour tortillas
2 tbsp. fresh basil, minced
1/2 c. fresh Parmesan, grated

Directions

In a small bowl place the garlic, tomatoes, olive oil, salt and pepper. Thoroughly coat the tomatoes. Place the cheese slices over the tortillas. Place the soaked tomatoes on top. Sprinkle on the basil and Parmesan. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the tortillas on a cookie sheet and bake them for 8 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Cut the pizza into wedges. Serves 2 as an appetizer or 1 as a main course.

The Incredible Egg Slicer

When I was little I always wanted to help my mom in the kitchen and one of the kitchen tools that fascinated me was the egg slicer. Of course the first time I borrowed it from her kitchen, I broke it while trying to put some Play Dough through it. So she showed me all the handy ways this was meant to be used. With Easter just around the corner, this handy dandy little tool can slice peeled hard-boiled eggs into even slices - especially great for all those leftover Easter Eggs. It also works well slicing mushrooms. There are so many shapes and sizes of these wonderful tools, but I like the one from KitchenAid the best. It lasts longest, and as quickly as I go through them, this is the one with the best value. It comes in three colors: red, white or black.

You don’t have to wait until Easter to try these tasty salads. Yum, I am making one as soon as I get home.

Zesty Egg Salad For Two

The perfect amount for a lunch for two.

Ingredients

3 hard-cooked eggs
3 Tbs. mayonnaise
1 Tbs. prepared mustard
1/8 Tbs. salt
1/8 Tbs. pepper
1/8 Tbs. lemon juice
1 Tbs. minced green onion

Directions

In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise, mustard, salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Stir in eggs with a fork, chopping them into bite-sized pieces. Add green onion.

Makes two servings.

Lemon Dill Egg Salad

With a few more ingredients, this egg salad is truly delicious.

Ingredients

6 hard cooked eggs, chopped
2 green onions, finely chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
2 strips bacon, crisply cooked and crumbled
1/2 c. red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 tsp. lemon pepper
1 tsp. dried dill weed
3/4 C. reduced fat ranch salad dressing

Directions

Toss all ingredients together and chill for at least 1 hour. Good with sliced tomatoes and lettuce leaves on a French roll.

Product Review: Odorless Chopping

I have been known to chop garlic while wearing large, yellow, rubber kitchen gloves. Even in other people's kitchen, I often request a pair of gloves to wear while chopping. And though I may come off as a germ-fearing weirdo (which I'm not) or even an ignorant kitchen dweller (not even close), I do have a point. Who wants their hands to smell like garlic for days? Although my boyfriend claims this is an aphrodisiac, I'd rather have chocolate covered strawberries.

Like any good chef, my love for garlic is pure and I use it unsparingly in many a dish, but I knew there had to be a better way to chop it than with thick rubber gloves. And there is! Maybe you've already discovered this wondrous piece of machinery or maybe you've only seen it on infomercials, but the Food Chopper is likely to be one of the smartest kitchen gadget inventions ever. There are many versions of food choppers in many different brands and from what I can tell they basically function the same way, but I can only speak for the one I've used, the Zyliss Food Chopper. Scanning in at less than $15, it's an affordable solution to all your chopping problems!

(Brace yourselves for the infomercial section of this blog post...) But you don't have to limit your chopper to garlic, it chops onions, peppers, nuts and anything else you need chopped! Manually operated by pressing down on the top, you control the fineness of the chop. You may love this product for its time-saving excellence or its incredible precision, but for me, I'm just glad I don't have to reach for the bright yellow gloves.

Here are some other brands of Food Choppers you might want to try:
Cuisinart Food Chopper
Pampered Chef Cutting Edge: Food Chopper
Vidalia Chop Wizard

Salad Smarts

For much of my childhood and into adolescence, I never quite understood the importance of salad. This was partially due to how very little attention I paid vegetables unless they were sitting on my plate, but more so it was due to the Muppets. Yes, like any other child growing up in a media-infested world, Sesame Street and the Muppets were the center of my universe. (Of course now children have their choice of Sesame Street, Baby Einstein, The Wiggles, and don't forget Dora the Explorer, but that's beside the point.) And the Muppet Movie, "Follow That Bird" was one of my favorites. At the beginning, there's a scene in a diner and whenever someone orders a tossed salad, the Muppets wearing chef hats throw some lettuce into a bowl, place it on a catapult and literally toss the salad over to the customer. Lettuce flies everywhere and covers most of the diners who don't seem to mind. (I must admit I'm smiling to myself as I write this - gets me every time!)

And such was my image of salad for most of my childhood: nothing to take note of unless flying through the air, launched by Muppets. But years have wizened me and I have come to love salad for its nutritious qualities and endless options. However, it wasn't until last week that I truly understood the amazing possibilities. Paging through a recent Crate and Barrel catalog, I stumbled upon a kitchen gadget of sheer genius. It's called the Toss & Chop. And I love it.

It looks a lot like a scissors with two parallel blades, if you can picture that. The idea is that when you hold the Toss & Chop vertically over a bowl of lettuce, the extremely sharp blades cut up the salad at you toss it. A handy safety lock ensures that I don't chop off my fingers (being the klutz that I am) and it's dishwasher safe, so clean up is easy. Thus, it is with a reluctant heart that I bid a final farewell to my tossed salad notions and fully embrace this new world of greens... that doesn't include Oscar the Grouch.

You can find the Toss & Chop online on the Crate and Barrel site for $19.95.

Whether you're lucky enough to have the Toss & Chop or you must resort to the old-fashioned knife and cutting board, this chopped salad is a must-try. It's got a little bit of everything and an irresistible homemade dressing.

Kitchen Chopped Salad with Herbed Vinaigrette
Ingredients

Herb-Mustard Vinaigrette:
1 tsp. minced fresh garlic
2 tsp. minced fresh shallot
2 Tbs. Dijon mustard
1 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
2 tsp. dried parsley
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 C. red wine vinegar
1 1/3 C. pure, mild-flavored olive oil
3 Tbs. grated Parmesan cheese

Salad:
1/2 head iceberg lettuce, cleaned trimmed and chopped into 1/8 inch-wide strips
1/2 head romaine lettuce, cleaned trimmed and chopped into 1/8 inch-wide strips
12 large leaves basil, chopped into 1/16-inch-wide strips
2 C. (1/3 lb.) dry Italian salami, cut into thin strips
3 C. (2/3 lb.) shredded mozzarella cheese
1 C. chopped garbanzo beans
4 C. (2 lb.) ripe tomatoes, diced 1/2 inch
3 C. (1 lb.) turkey breast, diced 1/2 inch
2 Tbs., chopped scallions, 1/4-inch pieces

Directions

To make the dressing: Process all ingredients except oil and Parmesan using a hand-held, propeller-blade type mixer (or use a whisk in a small bowl). Slowly blend in oil. When all oil has been incorporated, stir in Parmesan. Set aside in the refrigerator. To make the salad: Toss first 6 ingredients and dressing together in a large mixing bowl. Transfer the salad to chilled salad plates. Surround each serving with a ring of diced tomatoes and top with diced turkey breast. Garnish with chopped scallions.

Also try these for yummy chopped salad options:
Cucina Cucina Chopped Salad
Fiesta Chopped Salad