A whole year!

Well it has been 364 days since my last post! Man time really does fly. This past year has been an exciting and life changing one to say the least.

The most exciting event of the year was my wedding. Cory and I got married on May 22nd in a beautiful ceremony and amazing reception. The day was truly wonderful and I wouldn't change a thing about it. The food was amazing and we even had an armadillo grooms cake! 

So now I am Mrs. my love of food has only grown in the past year if that is even possible. With all the awesome kitchenware we received as wedding presents, I've been spending more time in the kitchen.

Seriously I adore my All-Clad pots and pans, and Shun chef knife. These few items make cooking a lot easier and fun.

Armed with a kitchen full of new gadgets and toys I am gearing up for the biggest foodie holiday of the year, Thanksgiving! So I've been giving the menu a lot of thought these past few months. Yes I said months! Trying to figure out how much new I want to add to the old. 

Cory, knowing me as well as he does went out and bought me the Thanksgiving editions of Food and Wine and Food Network magazines. Then I went out and bought a couple more magazines just to make sure I had plenty of options.

Now I find myself having too many options. I love doing the research and creating the perfect menu. I've found a turkey recipe I really like so I'll stick with that. I am on the hunt for amazing side dishes. I want to turn up the volume as Ina Garten would say on traditional side dishes. 

I will be updating as I whittle down my recipes and come up with my perfect Thanksgiving menu. I even found a fresh organic turkey I plan to order tonight! Let the season of food, family, friends and of course cocktails begin!

I tried a Nuggetini and I liked it!

In my last post. I posted a video demonstrating how to make McNuggetini. I will be the first one to admit that when I saw this I was like oh hell to the no! But after reviewing the video I started to really consider having one.
That's where one my drinking partners in crime Amanda comes in. She saw the blog and said she would be willing to try it with me while I was in New Mexico last weekend. So on Saturday night Amanda and I headed out to Chik-Fil-A for our cocktail ingredients.
The original recipe calls for McDonald's shake and McNuggets. I don't eat at McDonald's and I prefer Chik-Fil-A's nuggets to McDonal's anyway. So we got our nuggets, shakes and bbq sauce head back to Amanda's to make the infamous cocktail.
You know what? It was GOOD!!! Now I will admit It was a little heavy on the vodka. But by the third drink you don't notice or care about the amount of vodka. It was rich creamy and yummy. The bbq sauce rim really helps cut the sweetness of the shake. The nugget at the end is the perfect amount of salty to balance the sweet cocktail.
This a fun drink, it made me want to get up and dance. That could just be the amount of vodka but it was nice to have something whimical and silly on Saturday night. I may even serve this as the signature cocktail at my wedding. ;)

Shout out to my homie Amanda for being brave enough to try this with me. Looking forward to some nose warmer punch at Thanksgiving!

Gifts for Foodies

It's November, a time when a foodies mind drifts to thoughts of holiday menus. Turkey preparations, and new recipes to update old classics. Also this is the time of year when we all start to think about Christmas and Christmas presents.

I have made no secret about my love for Cookbooks! Yes you can google a million and one recipes online. But there is something about holding a cookbook in my hand looking at the pictures hearing the authors stories that makes it much richer cooking experience then just reading a print out.

I know I am not alone in my love for Cookbooks and the New York Times knows this too! So in this weeks food section. They have compiled a list of some the latest cookbooks to hit bookstores this year. The list includes books from amazing gourmet chefs to a modern day pioneer woman living in Oklahoma. This list really does have something for every foodie in your life.

Below is a link to the story with a list and description of all the cookbooks. These are great gift ideas for the foodie in your life!

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/04/dining/04book.html

Seriously?! I might have to try it.

This morning as I am catching up on my food blogs I came accross the video below for a McNuggetini. At first I thought this isn't serious noone is really drinking this are they?! But after a little search on Google. I found out this is a real cocktail that is served in bars and there are serveral video's on Youtube on how to make one.
I haven't eaten at McDonald's in years but I have to admit I am intrigued by this cocktail and may have to cross over to the very darkside and have one. This cocktail brings a whole new meaning to Happy Meal. Check it out





P.S. if your thinking about making it you have to totally invite me over!

Try this!

Summer is over! Fall is upon us and holiday season will be here tomorrow. I still have to tell you all about something I discovered this summer. It's a wonderful summer time sipping wine. Now if you live in SoCal like I do it's still warm enough to enjoy a nice chilled glass of white wine. Which is why I had to tell you all about it.

The wine is by Pine Ridge winery located in Napa Valley California. I had the extreme pleasure of visiting this winery this summer while on a business trip. Seriously the best business trip of my life. When we walked into Pine Ridge they greeted us with a glass of their Chenin Blanc - Viognier blend. This would be the wine I would drink while we toured the winery's vineyards and wine caves.

We tasted ALOT of wine that day and visited a few vineyards. For some reason this wine stuck with me long after I got home. I was in luck they sell it at BevMo for those of you who don't live in San Diego that's Beverages and More. This wine is just a little sweet and smells like ripe melons and peaches. It just tastes like summer! Crisps clean with a little sweetness. Perfect with chicken or bar-b-que.

Even though summer is over and we are a week away from Halloween I am still drinking this wine! Its the perfect for a night with my friends or a night of TV on the couch. It's easy drinking and will win over anybody who says they don't drink wine.

The best part is every time I crack open a bottle of this wonderful wine I am transported back to that beautiful summer day in Napa. Sipping wine eating cheese and thanking God that I was chosen to go on this trip!

Cheers~

Bad day for Foodies

Conde` Naste Publishing just announced, they are shutting down publication of Gourmet Magazine! I could not believe my eyes as I read the news. Just last night I was reading my latest issue of the magazine. This Magazine has been a foodie bible since 1940.
Its a very, very, vey sad day. I can only hope that the finish the last three issues of the year. I can't imagine my holiday season without Gourmet recipes. I am still holding out hope that this isn't true and they will save the iconic magazine.

R.I.P Gourmet Magazine

When life gives you apples, make apple cake!

It's official summer is over and fall is here. With fall comes apple season. My favorite apples are champagne apples from Dixon's Apple farm in New Mexico. You know its fall in New Mexico when you can smell the green chile roasting, and Dixon's apples are for sale.
They are the only orchard that grows champagne apples. Which are green on the outside, but have a sweet crisps taste. I haven't had these apples since I moved away five years ago. But this year my mom sent me a bag full of them.
I LOVE these apples, but there are still too many apples for me and cory to eat by ourselves. So I decided to make apple cake. My grandmother makes awesome apple cake in the fall and it always reminds me of home.
I decided to make one for my friends and I was surprised how easy and tasty the recipe was. What I liked most about this cake is the smell of it while it cooks. It made the whole house smell like warm cinnamon and apples!
I served the cake with fresh made whipped cream and it was a hit with my friends and Cory. In fact Cory has demanded that I make another this week. Since we still have a lot of apples I will be baking another one tomorrow. So even though summer is over and the days are getting shorter. I can pull out some of my favorite fall comfort foods, like chile and apple cake!