Let's Talk About Wine

I am a lover of wine. I am a wine lover. I love wine. Is there another way I can say that? Oh, and I'm pretty sure wine loves me back.

"I enjoy cooking with wine. Sometimes I even put it in the food..."-Julia Childs

I guess if I found yet another way to express my love for wine, it might make me a bit of a wino. Oh wait, I found another way, and I'm ding it right now. I'm blogging about wine. My beloved better half surprised me with an 18 bottle dual zone wine fridge a couple of months ago from Wine Enthusiast, and I was absolutely over the moon. I can now have perfectly chilled wine any time I feel like it. I have my reds set to 55 degrees and my whites to 46. If you are interested, it can be purchased here . It fit in perfectly with my Zgallerie mirrored Butler Tray that I have had for a few years now. I love my little set up.

Ok, well onto the actual topic of this post.....WINE! Wonderfully delicious and yummy wine. I prefer red over white, and one of my favorite red wines (not including the insanely expensive ones I have gotten a chance to try over the years) is "Apothic Red".  The alcohol content is 13.5%, and it is described as follows by the manufacturer:

In 2012, Apothic Red was crafted from a blend of primarily Zinfandel, Syrah, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. These varieties come together seamlessly for a fruit-driven wine with fresh dark fruit flavors and jammy red fruit notes. The Zinfandel offers bold dark fruit flavors and spicy notes, complemented by the soft mouthfeel of Merlot. The Syrah adds layers of smooth blueberry, while the Cabernet Sauvignon delivers ripe fruit flavors and a firm structure. This decadent blend is framed by hints of black cherry, vanilla, and mocha.

I personally think it has a very smooth finish, and although it is really good with everything, I prefer it with spicier foods. It is a perfect blend of bold and soft flavors, and is a medium body wine. I recently got the chance to try the "Apothic White", and as I had hoped, it was equally delicious. The white is a great pairing with a light pasta or fish. 

Now to the best part of all. The price of this wine is more than affordable, and considering the quality, I'm almost a little surprised. But shhhh.....let's not tell anyone. They may raise the price if they find out how much of a steal it really is. But here's what I think you should do. Go to your nearest liquor or grocery store and grab yourself a bottle of Apothic Red, and then you can send me a message and thank me. You will love it. I promise. Comment on either my Facebook page or here, and let me know how you liked it.

XOXO,

HOLY CRACK-A-MOLY!!!

I decided to whip something up for some friends on a sunday night, and I decided that I wanted to make a dessert along with dinner. Although I have always loved to cook, I have never been much for baking or making desserts. I have been baking cookies lately and I have also made a few poke cakes that all turned out delicious. These things are all pretty simple and pretty much require all of the ingredients to be thrown in a bowl all at once and mixed.
I decided to try something different this time and had my eye on a recipe for a "Butter Brickle Frozen Delight". Boy oh boy am I glad I did!! HOLY CRACK-A-MOLY!!! Here is the picture I saw that made me want to try it.

Doesn't that look SOOO good?! I just knew I had to have it in my mouth and in my belly immediately. This cake was insanely amazing!! It is like cake crack (I'm going to trademark that. lol). I can't stop eating it. I'm so glad I had people over last night to help me eat some of it, and that I don't live alone so that I have someone one help me eat it today. If I lived alone I would end up like Miranda from Sex And The City and eat it out of the trash.
I tweaked the recipe a little, and I definitely think it made it better (even though I have never made it exactly as the recipe described). First I used Dulce de Leche instead of caramel sauce (see directions here). I also didn't freeze the cake all the way, so it was creamy and fluffy. Oh my god it was so good I can't even describe it properly. I did get the recipe from Yummly, which is my new favorite recipe site.
I didn't have a springform like the recipe called for, but this cake pan worked just as well. I was pretty excited about each step like a kid. Look at my graham cracker crust! Isn't it so pretty?

 Then there was the nuts and oat mixture. It honestly didn't taste amazing on its own, so imagine my surprise at the "Crack Cake" result.

 I forgot to take a picture of every single step of the process, but I didm have time to take a wine break and take a picture.

Ok, back to the recipe. Here is my finished product..... mmm mmm mmm

You absolutely just HAVE to try this. It is the most amazing thing I have eaten in a while. Yes, having wine with it will make things even better, but even if you don't, the cake is the bomb. Here is the recipe....ENJOY!!

LOVE, Butter Brickle Frozen Delight

Rated:	Prep Time: 15 Minutes	Ready In: 1 Hour 10 Minutes
	Cook Time: 21 Minutes	Servings: 12

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs 1/3 cup butter, melted 1/4 cup white sugar 1 cup all-purpose flour 3/4 cup quick cooking oats 1/4 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup butter, melted

3/4 cup chopped pecans 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk 1 (12 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed 1 (12 ounce) jar caramel topping

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2.	In medium bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, 1/3 cup melted butter and white sugar until well mixed. Press into bottom of a 9 inch springform pan.
3.	Bake 6 minutes, until set. Cool completely.
4.	Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
5.	In a large bowl, combine flour, oats, brown sugar, 1/2 cup melted butter and pecans until well mixed. Lightly pat onto a baking sheet.
6.	Bake 10 to 15 minutes, until light brown. Crumble while still hot. Cool completely.
7.	In large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Beat in condensed milk until well blended. Fold in whipped topping.
8.	Spread half of the cheese mixture over the crust in the springform pan. Sprinkle half of the oat crumbles over the cheese mixture, and spread half of the caramel sauce over that. Repeat layers. Freeze until firm, remove pan sides and serve cold.

3 Step Dulce De Leche Carmel Sauce

Anyone who knows me knows that I LOVE sweets, so when I then find out that I can make homemade Dulce De Leche caramel sauce in a fool proof way, I was super excited. It is really the easiest thing I have ever done.

1. Boil a can of condensed milk for 3 hours (making sure the can is always covered in water).

2. Cool in cold water for 40 minutes
3. Eat and enjoy.

See! How simple is that? Oh wait, there's a 4th step....
4. Thank me.

CAUTION: Do NOT open the can while it's hot. It WILL explode all over the place and cause severe burns. Do not poke, prod, tap, or drop the can while it is hot.


Love,

Let's Talk About Food

Let me start by saying that I LOVE food. I am such  a foodie. I will try just about anything at least once (I have even had meal worms and crickets, but that's another story), and will usually try things more than once just to make sure I didn't like it the first time. Well, today I want to share one of my favorite recipes.

Chicken Fajita Salad

1 Chicken breast sliced into strips
1 pack Lawry's fajita seasoning
1/2 onion sliced into strips
1 can Rotel tomatoes and chiles
1 lime
Romain lettuce
English Cucumber (aka seedless cucumber)
Fresh Cilantro
Salt
Peppar
Dollop of sour cream
1/2 avocado


Cook chicken in a skillet with 1/2 the fajita seasoning until almost done, add onions, and then add the can of Rotel and remainder of seasoning. Turn down on low/medium heat and let simmer. In the mean time, cut your lettuce and english cucumber as small as you like it, chop your cilantro, and mix together in a bowl.  Squeeze fresh lime, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Once the chicken mix has boiled down and there is no water left, place lettuce mix on a plate, and then add the chicken mixture on top. Add a dollop of sour cream, slice the 1/2 avocado and place on top, and ENJOY!!

If you want you can change the recipe to use steak or ground beef as well. Also, if you want to use peppers instead or along with the onions, then that'll work too. It is healthy and absolutely delicious.

XO,