Dinner updates

Posted in 2014 Themed eating, Drinky drinky, Food, Holidays by mszerwo

The Chef and his feast

One of this year’s resolutions was to incorporate “theme eating” into our weekly meal planning.

I’ve been pretty bad at posting updates, but rest assured we’ve been eating as themes, I just haven’t really been trying new dishes or taking photos of my meals. Some of the themes included “Market ingredients,” “Brandon’s favorites” (over his birthday), and “Quick and easy,” since I started a new job that added quite a few hours to my work week.

We really got back on track with “Mexican week” around Cinco de Mayo. I started off the week with the Huevos Gringos from the Burgundian. It was FABULOUS! I love cheese curds and having them like this for brunch was so tasty. Just looking back at that photo and thinking about the dish makes me want to go back to the Burgundian and have those… tomorrow. Yum.

Burgundian breakfast: Best ever

For Cinco de Mayo itself, we went all out. We made tortillas from scratch, chipotle tofu tacos with a mango-strawberry-avocado salsa, cilantro-lime quinoa with kale, guacamole and strawberry margaritas.

Crispy chipotle tofu triangles

The full meal deal: Cinco de Mayor feast

I was too tired from making all of that to make a simple syrup for the margaritas, so the margaritas were a bit tart, but still refreshing and good. You really can’t go wrong with tequila and triple sec.

Margarita time! Cheers!

A thank you to the Lunch Box Bunch for the inspiration behind this feast! Read the original recipe here.

We also enjoyed tacos, taco salads, and nachos throughout the week. It was a great week, but we were ready for some non-Mexican food by Friday.

7May2014

{Wine Wednesday} Vine Trainings

Posted in Adventures, Drinky drinky, Wine Wednesdays by mszerwo

It’s small business week on Megan’s Island Blog. On Sunday I told you about Little Britches Bakery and today I’m here to share Vine Trainings with you.

Our Vine Trainings set up

Me & Zach of Vine Trainings at my sister’s wedding a few years ago

Vine Trainings is run by Zach Geballe, a certified sommelier, columnist for Seattle Weekly, and long-time friend of mine. I do have an especially embarrassing photo of him as a baby that I won’t share here… at least not yet.

Last summer Brandon and I had the pleasure of hosting several of our friends and Zach, for a Vine Trainings class.

Hosting was easy: Zach brought the wine, glassware and educational materials and we supplied the location, some snacks (palette cleansers, if you will), the atmosphere, and the audience.

The class includes a minimum of seven wines (we had Zach pick them out) and we walked through each of the bottles, as a blind taste test type of situation. The training lasted several hours, with Zach guiding and educating us through each sip with hands-on instruction and a whole lot of fun.

Zach of Vine Trainings in action

Interested in having Zach give your group a vine training?

Prices start at $35 per person, and the specific wines are customizable and negotiable. Zach also offers wines at a discounted price if you like what you taste.

As the Vine Trainings website says, it truly is “perfect for birthdays, anniversaries, bachelor or bachelorette parties, or any time you want to gather your friends together for an unforgettable evening!”

Check out Vine Trainings online, on Twitter, and on Facebook.

Cheers!

Vine Trainings set up

9Apr2014

{Wine Wednesday} 2011 Klinker Brick Zinfandel

Posted in Drinky drinky, Wine Wednesdays by mszerwo

This rainy {Wine Wednesday}, I’m taking a look back to Monday and remembering the 70 degree temperatures and the glasses of wine that Brandon and I enjoyed on the deck.

2011 Klinker Brick Zin

We opted for the 2011 Klinker Brick Zinfandel, a favorite and a recommendation of some dear friends of ours. And? It didn’t disappoint!

I found these tasting notes on the wine from Cliff’s Wine Picks:

The wine is a deep, dark maroon color. The big and bold nose has brambly berries, roasted herbs, warm baking spices, road tar, dark bittersweet chocolate and vanilla bean. This has a very full body with moderate tannins and decent acidity. This is a rich and jammy style of zinfandel with spicy berries and chocolate up front with more spice and vanilla coming in on the back end. The finish gets a touch muddled as the body and alcohol over powers the acidity that was trying to hold everything together. This was better as an after dinner drink where it shined. Not a lot of subtlety here. Those who like a big and ripe wine will love it. (88 pts)

We enjoyed our wine with kalbi steak and spinach salads (it’s salad week!) and it paired quite nicely. It was also pretty good by itself, before and after dinner. At $19 per bottle, this is a full-bodied, delicious, affordable wine that I’d suggest you add to your everyday wine stash.

Enjoy and happy Wine Wednesday!

My favorite wine drinking location: my deck!

Sunset on Megan’s Island

6Apr2014

Game of Thrones is BACK!

Posted in Drinky drinky, Food, Parties! by mszerwo

Guess what starts tonight? Season four of Game of Thrones! If you’re tuning into HBO at 9 p.m. (6 p.m. if you’re not in Seattle, or don’t care to watch it in HD) tonight, I’ve got some great ideas for a special premiere party. We’re having a party of two and I might use some of these myself for the best Sunday night ever.

Here are some of the genius ideas I found on Pinterest…

Drinks perfect for your Game of Thrones viewing party

Anyone for a Ned Stark (Game of Thrones) head on a stick (cake ball)?!

Game of Thrones fictional food hits

Here is a sample of the Fictional Food Hit List for book 1: A Game of Thrones. The blogger came up with 75 food and drink references. Find the full list here. Some of the ideas look good, but some not so much.

Roasted onions and gravy on trenchers
Bread, two little fish, black bacon, and dark beer
Honey duck and orange snap peppers
Roasted joints of meat
Thick black sausages
Dothraki blood pies
Fruits and sweetgrass stews
Delicate pastries from Pentos
Honeyed wine
Squirrel stew with black bread and hard cheese

Now, some decoration ideas:

Perfect for a party, or a fridge: Game of Thrones inspired menu

Game of Thrones map and eggs

And for some entertainment during the show…

Game of Thrones bingo

And if you’re good… a bingo-like workout while you watch. Personally, I’ll work on some bicep curls with a big glass of wine. To each, their own.

Game of Thrones inspired workouts

Just a few more hours to go… Here is the fourth season trailer to get you even more amped up. I love TV.

4Apr2014

{Gone Pinning} Spring break!

Posted in Drinky drinky, Food, Gone Pinning by mszerwo

We tried to celebrate Brandon’s spring break from school this week, but circumstances beyond our control made that less of a reality. We did use “spring break” as our theme of the week for dinners, but the rest, relaxation and sun weren’t in our cards this week. But man, doesn’t that sound nice? I can almost see/smell/hear the sounds of the waves now…

Since I don’t have the time to travel to a fancy tropical location, I scoured the interwebs (thank you, Pinterest) for some things that get me in the mood for spring, sun and relaxation. Enjoy!

Hawaii: Yes, please

Beach: yes, please

Cocktails? Yes, please.

Strawberry tequila lemonade: yes, please

Kiwi blueberry mojitos: yes, please

Adult Capri Suns (vodka + lemonade): yes, please

And to drink all of this safely by the pool?

Plastic wine glasses: yes, please

Some tropical-inspired foods? Yes, please.

Monkeying around with lots of tropical fruits

Grilled avocado salsa: yes, please

Citrus-y cilantro shrimp: yes, please

Vietnamese summer roll salad: yes, please

2Apr2014

{Wine Wednesday} Somm and Zin

Posted in Drinky drinky, Wine Wednesdays by mszerwo

Think you’ve seen this post before? Think again. After I wrote the first part of this post last Tuesday, I promptly dozed off and hit “publish” instead of “save draft” and if you get emails from the blog, you probably saw a bit of an ‘in process’ post. I encourage you to keep reading. I promise this version will be better.

Now, down to business… This Wine Wednesday I’m offering a review of the documentary Somm and the 2011 Two Vintners Zinfandel. (Highly potent, hence my premature post last week…)

Somm, the movie

We’ll start with the movie.

From IMDB:

Somm is the story of four sommeliers as they attempt to pass the prestigious Master Sommelier exam, a test with one of the lowest pass rates in the world.

Brandon and I rented the movie from the library (love the library) and were pretty impressed by it. I have a couple of friends who are going through the beginning steps of the sommelier process and this provided some insight into what they’re doing, but it really goes above and beyond their experiences.

You get to really know the four Master Sommelier candidates over the course of the film and its as though you’re right there with them, drinking and soaking in all of the wine information they know. It absolutely made me want to learn more about wine, and I think I’ll start reading the “Wine (All in one) for Dummies” book I’ve got on the shelf. I think that will be a wonderful summer beach read… it’s just 671 pages. I’m sure I’ll make it through that in a weekend. I’ll give you the review once I finish it.

As for the Zin, it was good, but not as good as I remember the 2010 Zin to be. The 2011 Two Vintners Zinfandel is potent too, with a 16.7% alcohol content. Unfortunately, I don’t remember much more about the wine and I don’t even have the bottle anymore. I’ll head back to Two Vintners soon to redeem myself and my wine reviewing skillz.

Until then, crack open a bottle for yourself and truly enjoy Wine Wednesday!

12Mar2014

{Wine Wednesday} Girl Scout cookie + wine pairings

Posted in Drinky drinky, Food, Wine Wednesdays by mszerwo

Yes, you read that right: Girl Scout cookie and wine pairings! A few of my favorite things coming together.

I found this gem on Pinterest with a blog post with some great pairings:

From JDomb’s Travels:

Thin Mints

Ah, Thin Mints. I think those are just about everyone’s favorite. What’s not to love? Dark chocolate enveloping a mint flavored cookie. The great news is that wine and chocolate is a kick-ass pairing! Because of the mocha flavors and complex layers of spice in Syrah, it was made for pairing with dark chocolate.

Try 2009 Fable BOBBEJAAN Syrah $48 per bottle.

Samoas

Sweet and little bit salty, samoas are so addictive with the gooey caramel, toasted coconut, and of course chocolate. The slightly carbonated and lightly sweet Lambrusco compliments the rich Samoa very nicely. With earthy notes and flavors of red and black fruits, the mix of sweet and bubbly brings out the salinity of the Samoas.

Most Lambruscos cost less than $20. The best come from the Emilia Romagna region of Italy.

Trefoils

Not everyone’s favorite, but I love the buttery shortbread Trefoils. And a serving size is five cookies compared to just two Samoas for about the same amount of calories. Just saying… Sparkling wines and champagne cuts through the rich buttery flavor of the cookie. True champagnes can be expensive, but a fizzy Italian Prosecco is a match made in heaven with the Trefoil.

Try Ca’ Salina Rivete Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG Brut $12 per bottle.

Tagalongs

Tagalongs, or Peanut Butter Patties, are the Girl Scouts’ version of the Reese Peanut Butter Cup. Like Samoas, they are a sweet and salty flavor combination. But is there a wine with a taste complexity that can handle peanut butter? A port from Portugal is the perfect pairing with peanut butter. Say that five times fast!

Try a 10-year old Tawny Port from Portugal’s Duoro Valley. You’ll find them for around $20 per bottle.

In case you haven’t bought your cookies yet, you can find them in front of pretty much any grocery store, or you can visit the “find cookies” site or download the app. (My favorites are thin mints and tagalongs.)

You can also cook with Girl Scout cookies. Don’t believe it? Check out these posts from 2012, when “Girl Scout cookies” were an ingredient of the week:

Happy eating… and drinking! And most of all, happy Wine Wednesday!

26Feb2014

{Wine Wednesday} Earning that drink

Posted in Drinky drinky, Wine Wednesdays, Workouts by mszerwo

A dear friend of mine posted this infographic on Facebook the other day and I saved it, since I knew I had to share it with you guys.

What is the lesson here?

a) Drink wine (Although my pours are likely heavier than theirs)

b) Work out first. Thankfully I have been doing bar-ray and briskly walking all around Seattle.

Cheers!

11Dec2013

{Wine Wednesday} Holiday cocktails

Posted in Drinky drinky, Gone Pinning, Holidays, Wine Wednesdays by mszerwo

We’re in holiday party mode, enjoying lots of delicious foods and drinks and Christmas is but a fortnight away. (Thanks, Heather!)

On this Wine Wednesday, I’m here to share some delicious cocktails I’ve found online. It’s a {Wine Wednesday/Gone Pinning} MASH UP! Note: I’ve haven’t enjoyed these cocktails yet, but I plan to soon!

For a smaller group: