You know how some weeks you cook and some you don’t?  Well this week was definitely one where I ate a lot but cooked very little of it.  It all really started on Wednesday with lunch at California Pizza Kitchen in Schaumburg.  Yes, the suburbs and a chain restaurant but the Buffalo Chicken Pizza was really good.  I ordered it Neapolitan style so the crust was thinner than their usual.  The slight heat and chopped chicken were really a nice surprise.

Thursday I went to Over Easy for breakfast.  I ate fried bologna with sunny side up eggs.  It was so good. The fried bologna brought back so many childhood memories even though this was not the stuff in the pre-packaged deli case named after a guy named Oscar.  Thursday evening was a Rubicon Estates wine dinner at Charlie Trotters.  This was the 2nd time my husband I have attended a Rubicon dinner there and it lived up to our expectations.  There were 8 courses in all and each one was amazing.  The wine was paired beautifully and was very generously poured.  We ate eel with a banana foam, which although sounded weird, it was so good.  The scallops with Thai curry had so many flavors going on I wanted to lick the plate (thought better of it considering where we were).  Next was duck breast with a variety of flavors including licorice.  The veal with morel mushrooms (I love those little ground gems) left another desire to lick the plate but this time I used bread to lop it all up!   Abalone mushrooms were next and as expected, tasted great.  The strip loin with porcinis left me wanting more.  The last savory dish, Regal de Bourgogne cheese coated in mustard seed was my favorite of the evening.  As much as I love mustard with cheese I never thought of preparing it this way.  I could have eaten all 8 plates on the table although I bet the others I was dining with (all strangers until that night) would not have appreciated it.   Dessert was an olive oil and chocolate chip parfait with dried cherries and oregano which was the perfect ending to a perfect meal.  Overall the evening was great and has been on my mind since.  I certainly wish I could dine like this more often!

Last night, Saturday, we had a casual dinner party and Sullivan Winevertical tasting at our home.  12 people in all enjoyed a meal paired with Sullivan’s rose, Pink Ink, 2006 and 2007, Sullivan Merlot 1997, 1998, 1999, and 2000 and Sullivan Coeur de Vigne 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005.   I won’t go into all the food details but all of the items people brought and we made were great and paired perfectly with the wine.  Shrimp in a blanket, roasted veggies, mussels from Tizi Melloul that were the best mussels I have ever eaten, roasted fingerlings with rosemary, flank steak with 2 sauces, and pork tenderloin prepared 2 ways.   The dessert were these amazing chocolate meringue cookies a neighbor of one of our guests made for him to bring to the party.  The meal, company, and wine were all wonderful.  The wine glasses and carafes are currently drying all over the kitchen and the fridge is full of wonderful leftovers (left what we ate for lunch!).

As of today I am cutting back on my food and wine consumption, at least for a few days, as I have to get ready for a 5 day weekend visiting friends in Kentucky!

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A few weeks ago someone I follow asked about smoking flour…no not in a pipe, in a smoker!  I had some smoker bags I use in the oven and some flour so I thought I would take a stab at it and then bake something savory with the flour.

I wanted to make 2 batches so I grabbed 2 bags.   I then made 2 rectangular bowls out of foil and put 3 cups of flour in each bowl, about 1 1/2 inches deep.  I then slid the bowls into the bags and put them in a 475 degree oven. 

After 20 minutes I removed 1 bag and left it to cool for 10 minutes after which I removed the 2nd bag from the oven (referred to now as the 3o minute batch).  I opened the 20 minute batch and found a slightly toasted topping over the flour.  Hmmm.  What to do?   It was a little bit lumpy and crunchy.  I took the back of a large spoon and began smashing the lumps out of it.  The consistency was still not quite as one would want flour to be so I went ahead and sifted it.  In the end I had some lumps I could not break down so I threw those bits away (about 1/4 cup if I were to have measured it).  I still have this flour waiting to become corn bread.

The 30 minute batch was a bit toastier and had much more of a smoky flavor.  I treated it the same way as the 20 minute but had a bit more (1/3 cup maybe) to throw away due to it being a bit harder.  I decided to use an Ina Garten recipe for Chive Biscuits replacing the flour with the smoked flour.  These biscuits were so good and flavorful we put home-made pulled pork and cole slaw on top of them and called it dinner!

The recipe is posted here.   Please let me know if you use the recipe and what you thought.

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Our names are Edith Anne.......

I think I drank too much wine last weekend while in Napa and Sonoma which is why it has taken me all week to write this post.  Can you drink too much wine and still remember where you did it?  Lets see how this goes………. 

After 2 months of planning the annual girls wine weekend, 5 of us met in SF and headed north over the Golden Gate Bridge for a 3 day adventure in Napa and Sonoma.  Starting out on Thursday gave us the ability to get to some wineries before the weekend crowd which is always much more pleasant.  We started at Domaine Carneros where we sat on the veranda drinking 2005 Brut Vintage sparkling wine.  The sun was shining, the temperature was around 75 and the bubbles were flowing.  What could be bad?  We then went to a “Tasting Room Collective”, Grange Sonoma where John poured us numerous wines.  Too many, in fact, to mention them.  They were from multiple wineries, none of which are well known.  Nora took the picture of us outside the winery in a big chair.  Remember Edith Anne?  We then went to Nicholson Ranch where we tasted some great Pinot Noirs, which they specialize in.  We were then ready to call it a day and headed to Kevin’s house in Sebastopol where we were staying.  Gotta love having a friend with a house in wine country who is willing to let 5 women stay there unsupervised.

The plan for Friday was to stay in Sonoma.  We had our driver (yes, no one wanted to be the designated driver!!!) pick us up and take us to VJB Winery where we sat by the pool and tasted 11 wines, all of which were great.  I could not decide which ones I liked best so I ordered a case and got 1 of each as well as 1 of a Prosecco they import from Italy.  If you go to Sonoma I highly recommend you make an appointment (only way to go to the pool…they do have a public tasting room in Sonoma if you are not the type to make appointments to drink good wine) and visit with them.  Next up was an appointment (again you have to have one to visit) at Puccioniwhere Glenn Proctor is making great Zinfandel and Petite Sirah (2006 is the first vintage and may be sold out) and shows us a good time every time we visit.  You can only get his wine from the winery so check out their website and trust me on this one…you want some of his wine.  Last stop on Friday was Bella, a great Zinfandel house where we always go since we are all big fans of their wines.  Their tasting room is in the cave so you really get the feel of being at a winery.  For those of you who like to shop, their gift shop is really nice too.  Once done tasting we headed back to the house and some how managed to make a dinner of Spinach Salad, Pork w/Creamy Sage Mustard Sauce, Garlic Green Beans, and 5 Minute Chocolate Mug Cake.  Of course, while we were eating there was more wine being consumed!

Saturday our driver (yes, still no way any one wanted to drive especially after all the wine on Friday!) took us over to Napa where we started at Havenswhere we met Otto the bull dog and tasted some wine.  The favorite wines were their Albarino which you find so seldom in this country, and Black and Blue.  We ran out of there and headed to Elysewhere we had an appointment (only by appointment) and tasted quite a few wines.  What I love about Elyse is they always seem to have a case special on some wine that is very tasty and at rock bottom prices.  I was sent there, by my husband, to taste the current sale item Nero Misto and I did purchase a case as it was so good and worth the price.  The other hits there were the AKA Zinfandel and the Korte Ranch Zin (I admit it, I’m a sucker for a good Zin).  Although they specialize in Zin they have other great varietals as well.  Next up was a new release party at Regusci which is a beautiful winery in a old old building with history going back before prohibition and “Ghost Wineries”.  Their website has information on the history should you be interested.  We tasted verticals of their 2004 - 2006 vintages of Cabernet and Angelo’s Cabernet named for their second generation winemaker, Angelo Regusci.  The wines were amazing and the party was too!  Sullivanwas our next appointment which is a family owned winery in Rutherford.  If I were to recommend you taste some amazing wines in Napa, they would be from Sullivan.  The Sullivan family has always made us feel at home and allowed us the luxury to visit and taste their wines for over 15 years.  This visit was no exception.  We tasted all they have to offer and each one was as good or better than the one before.  Chardonnay, Pink Ink (a Cabernet and Merlot rose), Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and best of all Coeur de Vigne which is an amazing blend of their Cabernet and Merlot.  I could go on for days about their wines but will stop here.  Oh, one other thing, Joanna Sullivan (mom) now has a cookbook of favorite family recipes.  It is fun to read and includes wine pairings for the recipes and a section on wine and cheese pairings.  You can buy the book from their website.  Our last stop was an appointment (sorry but we prefer private tastings) at Chase Family Cellars where they make some, oh gee, imagine that….wonderful Zinfandel.  Besides really liking their wines I find their story interesting.  Check out the “people” page of their website to learn how Jeff and Pam got into the wine business.  Favorite for this visit was their 2008 Rose.

The trip was so much fun and one I hated to see come to an end. Our driver took us back to the Hyatt near the San Francisco airport where we sat and laughed and dried out before some went to catch red-eyes and the rest of us spent the night to go home in the morning.  My Sunday morning flight was delayed due to the weather in Chicago which made me want to stay out west for another couple days…one to dry out and the other to stay where the weather was perfect!  Actually the weather there last weekend was exactly as it is today in Chicago.  Warm, blue sunny skies.  Oh, I feel like I am back in Sonoma…..NOT.

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Tomorrow morning I leave for a fun filled weekend to Napa and Sonoma with 4 girlfriends.  We will be visiting quite a few wineries and therefore tasting some wine!  I cant wait to report back all the wonderful wines we find while there.  Some of the wineries we will be visiting are:  Sullivan, Elyse, Havens, Chase, VJB, Chateau St Jean, Domaine Carneros, and Puccioni.  There will be more, I am sure!

Look forward to telling you all about it next week.

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Good food.  Good friends.  Good wine.  A great Friday night dinner party at some friends home.  We would never go to dinner without wine so we decided to bring:

Puccioni 2006 Petite Sirah, 2004 and 2006 Zinfandel http://www.puccioniwinery.com/oldvine.htm

Anamoly 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon http://www.anomalyvineyards.com/

They paired very well with the Walnut Crusted Halibut and Garlic Green Beans we ate.

Please visit the winery websites to learn more about the wines.  Both wineries only sell their wines directly to you unless you get lucky enough to find them in a restaurant.

Cheers!

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GARLIC GREEN BEANS

I love green beans. The thinner, the better.  Most grocery stores now carry haricot verts (French green beans) which are my favorites.  I love to cook them quickly in a skillet with some vegetable oil and garlic.  Get them a little browned and they are just yummy.  Probably would be easier for you if I just shared the recipe with you so click on the title and you will have it!  Please let me know what you think.

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MOCHA TRUFFLE COOKIES

Early spring is when chocolate bunny rabbits, candies, and eggs begin appearing in stores. Rather than buying these items you should make your own chocolatey treats. These little cookies (click the title for the recipe) are a bit chewy and gooey on the inside and crisp on the outside. A perfect morsel!

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Last night I participated in a cooking demo and wine tasting at a Leukemia and Lymphoma Society fund raiser for Kevin Hricik (http://www.kevinehricik.com/), LLS candidate for 2009 Man of the Year.  The event was well attended and the exact amount of money raised has yet to be finalized.  I had the opportunity to meet Kevin who is absolutely wonderful and I would love to see him win this great honor.  I normally would not ask for you to vote or donate on someone’s behalf in this format but I wanted to reach as many people as I could so please check out his website and vote for him even if you can’t donate.

The menu focused on Super Foods in an effort to bring attention to their benefits.  Here is the menu:

Salmon Ceviche paired with Amani Sauvignon Blanc 2007 (South African)

Quinoa, Walnut (should be pistachios…thanks FDA), and Grape Salad paired with Carlei “Tre Bianchi” 2005 (Australian) Winemaker Sergio Carlei is a leukemia survivor.

Baked Italian Chicken and Garlic Green Beans (see the recipe page) paired with Carlei “Tre Amici” 2005

Fresh Berries paired with Beach Head “Sunset Rose” 2007 (Australia)

The event was a lot of fun, the wines were great and I was told the food was too!  I look forward to participating in more events to help Kevin raise money…next time I am an attendee so I dont have to work and can enjoy the group of friends and family his co-chairs invite to these events.  For information on the next event click here.  I hope to see you there.

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Welcome to my blog. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I plan on enjoying writing it. I plan on posting ideas, recommendations, and recipes on a regular basis.

To start, let me introduce myself. I gave up corporate America to pursue my 2 passions, teaching and cooking. Learn Cook Eat is the result of a couple years of planning and has given me the opportunity to teach many people in the Chicago area how to use basic kitchen skills to prepare simple foods. By using simple ingredients and the tools, and equipment already in their kitchens I’ve helped people believe cooking can be fun, easy, and tasteful.

It is much less expensive to cook at home than to go out on a regular basis. It is my goal to help people learn how to take good ingredients and make quality food in their own homes.

I can teach you, you and your family, and/or you and your friends. Parties are so much more fun when your guests help prepare the food, learn some things along the way, and then eat what they’ve made. Think of me as the person who brings the food for the party to you. All you have to do is invite the people and provide some staple ingredients and most, if not all, of the equipment. I bring the rest!

Have a good day and if you would like, please visit my website at http://www.learncookeat.com/

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