These are a few of my favorite things: wine and popcorn. Imagine my surprise when my dear friend sent this article to me: “Entrepreneurs launch popcorn infused with wine” from the Daily Mail.

Pinot Noir Chocolate Drizzle and Sauvignon Blanc Kettle wine popcorn

From the article: ‘The lemony Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc Lemon is bright and zesty, bursting with flavour and pairing beautifully with the wine, while the indulgent Kim Crawford Pinot Noir Chocolate Drizzle uses the classic pairing of wine with chocolate to harness the wine’s flavours into an indulgent treat.”

A one-gallon tin retails at $35, which is a little rich for my blood. I looked on Pinterest for directions to make wine popcorn myself, and unfortunately my search came up with nothing. I think I’ll stick to making my own popcorn and pairing it with wine, rather than eating a combination of the two.

Speaking of popcorn, do you pop your own? We do. Brandon and I got this stove-top popcorn popper for our wedding and we LOVE it. If you love popcorn, you definitely need this! Along with some white truffle oil sea salt, our favorite toppings. A popper like this makes popping popcorn really fun,  is healthier, saves money in the long run, and allows you make the fun flavors you want.  When was the last time that you saw truffle popcorn in a microwave pack?

Happy Wine Wednesday! Celebrate with some popcorn and wine — paired!

I’ve been working on a very long post about our latest wine barrel planter project, but it’s not quite ready for prime time yet, so you get a fun new recipe instead…

Brandon and I first tried this appetizer at a wine release party at Nota Bene Cellars last summer so after a few test runs, we found this recipe from What’s Cooking America. With a few tweaks, we made it our own and it turned out great!

Presenting: Honey mascarpone filled apricots with pistachios

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups water
• 3/4 cup superfine sugar
• 1 tablespoon crushed cardamom pods
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 8 ounces dried whole apricots 
• 1/4 cup mascarpone cheese
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/4 cup chopped unsalted pistachios

The nice thing about this recipe is that its pretty easy and quick and all of the ingredients can be found at Trader Joe’s. First, the bring water and sugar to a boil in a medium saucepan. Reduce heat to low, add the crushed cardamom seeds and lemon juice. Add the apricots and let them simmer for approximately 15 minutes or until they puff up. Remove pan from heat. Let the apricots cool. Once they’re cooled, open up the apricots a little more, but not too much, since you want it to be a pocket of sorts. 

This is where I deviated from the original recipe a bit. We did a few sample runs of this recipe and it wasn’t quite sweet enough. Apparently Brandon’s sweet tooth has rubbed off on me! To sweeten up the recipe I added some honey to the mascarpone and mixed them up (by hand) real good. I then put the mixture in a ziploc sandwich bag and snipped off the corner of the bag – creating my very own piping bag! This made getting the mascarpone in the apricots very easy. Add a drizzle of crush pistachios and voila! Serve and enjoy! We enjoyed ours with the 2011 Efeste Sauvage Sauvignon Blanc and some boursin, crackers and cured meats. A delicious combination.

How were they? Really good. We’ll definitely make these again soon. Next time I may drizzle them with a balsamic reduction. Have a great {Wine Wednesday} and tell me what deliciousness you’re pairing with your glass of wine today!

Tomorrow is a very special day: National Chardonnay Day!

I’ve recently discovered that Chardonnay is my least favorite wine, but that doesn’t stop me from trying to enjoy it from time to time.

Here is an enjoyable spring dinner that would pair perfect with the Chardonnay of your choice, based loosely on this Williams Sonoma salmon tacos recipe. We enjoyed ours with an Efeste Lola Chardonnay, which has scored excellently with Chardonnay lovers and experts.

Happy Wine Wednesday!

For the fruit salsa…

• Chop up a mango, avocado, and strawberries. (About 1 cup of each)
• Add one chopped shallot and about a cup of chopped cilantro. Add some white balsamic vinegar and lime juice. 
• Let the salsa sit and marinate in its own juices.  

For the guacamole…

We love, love, love guacamole, so when given the opportunity, we make it.

• 2 avocados (we plan 2/3 an avocado per person, if we’re getting really crazy, Brandon will drizzle the halves with olive oil and broil them open side down until they’re a little charred)
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• A few drops of Tabasco
• A pinch of aleppo pepper
• 1/2 – 1 tablespoon of lime juice
• A pinch of salt and pepper
• Blend all ingredients together (Brandon likes to use this tool from Crate & Barrel for his guac making)
• Sample often to make sure that it’s the best guacamole ever.

For the salmon…

• Plan on using about 1/3 lb of salmon filet per person
• Keep the skin on and remove the bones from the salmon. I use a pair of needle-nose pliers and they work perfect. We have a pair specifically for the kitchen. 
• Pat the salmon dry and rub it with a seafood rub. Our favorite is Tom Douglas’ Salmon Rub with Love.
• Grill the salmon, skin side down, until its opaque throughout
• Let the salmon cool (just a bit), removed the skin and cut it into large chunks. Place the chunks on some warmed corn tortillas, garnish and enjoy! (We served our tacos with a side of white beans…) 

Happy Wine Wednesday!

Crack open a bottle of wine and enjoy your Wine Wednesday!