Bear Track Winery

When my sister was here visiting about a month ago, we went and tried out Tucson's one and only winery in town - Bear Track Winery.  We had such a great experience, from the delicious wines to the knowledgeable yet down to earth staff, and the cozy atmosphere. I just knew I had to go back, and soon.  I worked in another trip for my birthday with Virgil, and went this past weekend.  Virgil and I love Indian food and on Saturday nights Bear Track hosts the Twisted Tandoor food truck in the back of their place, so we made sure to have our date on Saturday so we could get some of Tucson's best Indian food along with some excellent wine (Bear Track has a white and red wine specifically to pair with food from the Twisted Tandoor so you can't go wrong). Pictured on the right are veggie samosas, Kofta curry and the Twisted Tandoor red pairing.

I love wine, but I am by no means a wine expert. One of the most wonderful aspects of Bear Track for me is that I don't feel out of place, or silly talking to their staff.  The owner (Rick Riddle) has a quirky sense of humor, and he is easy to talk to.  In fact, you'd think he was just a fellow guest if you didn't know he owned the place. He offers his knowledge about wine, and wine making, but will talk to you about anything if you want.  He makes you feel welcome and at home immediately.  In fact, when my sister and I went, we got there before they opened but he saw us peering in the window and he ran after us to let us know he would open up early. Just for us! He then served us personally for almost an hour until his staff got in. He was just spectacular! The rest of the staff is just as welcoming and knowledgeable. They offer guidance through wine tastings, recommend pairings and chat with you as if you are a regular. I'm telling you, even if you have never tried wine before, these guys will make you feel like a wine-pro by the time you leave. 

So on top of having a great staff, one of the great things about Bear Track is that they are a local business, and they are very strong supporters of the Tucson Community.  One of the really cool things about Bear Track wines is that Rick created an entire 'artist series' where he features local artists on the labels for his wines. Many of his wines have very beautiful, unique and clearly southwestern artwork on them. Rick loves being a community involved business owner, so he tries to get as many aspects of the community in his small business as he can. Not only does he reach out to local artists, but he also has his wine in a few restaurants around town, including having his wine at the U of A stadium this year (so cool!!). As if being a U of A fan isn't enough, Rick is also very involved in two non-profits here in Tucson: Therapeutic Riding of Tucson (TROT) and Gabriel's Angels. He holds special fundraisers for them periodically and when he talks about them, you can tell he loves supporting both organizations. He just raised $12,000 for Gabriel's Angels, and Rick will be creating three new wines, each featuring the picture of one of the animals from GA. Buying a bottle of wine is so much more enjoyable when you know you are supporting local business, while also supporting organizations aimed at providing therapy through animals to children and people who need it.

If you still aren't sold, I have few other perks that might get your attention. Beer drinkers: they have Dragoon on tap! And foodies: they have some delicious food trays (think antipasto) with wonderful fresh cheeses and meats, like hatch chile cheddar cheese, dried salami and in-house candied walnuts.  They also have a wide range of flavored oils and aged balsamic vinegars (to-die-for).  Oh, and of course there's mead for you mead fanatics (rumor has it there might be a green chile mead coming in the future).  Rick's winery hails from New Mexico which is why the Hatch Green Chile has such influence in the food and wine.  I mean, the two signature wines of Bear Track are chile-infused. Besito Caliente, his white wine, is actually a beautiful green wine, as pictured right. It has the most interesting nose of any wine I've tried, but I personally love the red he created, "Beso del Oso." It is a sweeter red, but at the end it has heat from the chile. Not too hot, just enough to add character to the wine.  I could easily finish a bottle by myself. 

I could continue, for a while.  But I'll stop here and let you see, taste and experience the rest for yourself. I encourage you to check them out, especially on a Saturday night if you like Indian food.  Make sure you get added to their email list as well so you can stay up to date on some of their fun special events, like crawfish boils and gluten free nights!  Now, go! Support local and drink wine!

 Cheers!

Apple Fritters

So if you're gonna deep fry, do it right.

Honestly, I really dislike foods that need to be deep fried, because I hate the work that comes with deep frying.  The fact is, it isn't that much work to set up the deep frying stuff, but rather the work that goes in to the prep of the food... so I don't deep fry very often at all.  And when I do, I want to make the most of it, so I try to make everything deep fried. Last night's dinner was a one-dish type of food: pirozhkis. I had never made these before, and I had only eaten them once before from a food truck, so it was experiment night to be sure.  My husband's grandma is Russian, so he had pirozhkis growing up for different special occasions, which added another layer of difficulty since I never got a chance to try the ones his mom and grandma made.  Needless to say, I had my work cut out for me, but I'm a trooper!

Okay, now I know you are probably confused as to the title being Apple Fritters yet I'm rambling on about pirozhkis.  I just felt I needed to explain how hard this meal was so I can get some sympathy. ;)  Actually, I am going to do a pirozhki blog some day when I am totally happy with the turn out, and I need a little practice.  My husband liked the pirozhkis but the filling (which I made up) wasn't anything like his mom's so I think I will do it again and test her filling out.  So, since I spent all that work on a deep fried dinner, I wanted a fast and easy deep fried dessert.  Hence, Apple Fritters.  Basically, pancake batter with apples and cinnamon and the optional (for some) icing.  Here's the low down:

In a mixing bowl add in:
-two eggs
-2/3 c milk
-1 tbsp oil
-3 shredded apples
-1 tbsp ground cinnamon

Mix thoroughly then add in:
-1 1/2 c flour
-1/2 tsp salt
-1/4 c white sugar
-2 tsp baking powder

Stir until it is all combined.  It should be a somewhat thick, but still loose batter.  Drop spoonfuls into your oil (heated to about 360) and let it fry until golden brown.  You should let it cook about 45 seconds to 1 minute on each side.  If they are light brown, turn the oil up a little bit. 

Once they are done frying, drain them on some paper towels for a few minutes, then plate them and drizzle with a simple powder-sugar icing, or toss them in cinnamon and sugar, or eat them plain!  It will all taste good, I promise. 

Gluten Free Onion Strings

My sister (Heather pictured left with my sweet 12 week old son Cade) is here to visit (yay!), so my world has been filled with food since last Thursday.  It is the way the girls in my family 'vacation,' whether we are on a trip somewhere else, or someone is here in town.  Not so good for my diet, but GREAT for my soul.

So we've hit a few new restaurants, a new winery and cooked/baked a ton too!  One of my sister's all time favorite dishes is green bean casserole, so my mom decided to make the meal of her choice while she was here - meatloaf, green bean casserole and mashed potatoes.  The only issue with the menu is that the 'classic' way of making green bean casserole is full of gluten and my mom has Celiac Disease so gluten is off the menu whenever possible.  Problem solved: Heather and I took on the task of making our own gluten free french fried onions!  Making them was so easy, and a thousand times more delicious than what you buy at the store! Oh, and of course we've got to thank Ree Drummond for her recipe!

Step 1:

Thinly slice two white onions and soak them for about an hour in buttermilk.

Step 2:
Mix two cups of your favorite gluten free flour with salt, pepper and a good hit of cayenne to offset the sweetness of the onion.  Also, put some oil on to be getting hot to deep fry your onions.

Step 3:

Once the oil is ready, put some of the onions from your buttermilk into the flour and coat them well.  Then dunk them into your oil and let them fry for about 2-3 minutes, or until golden brown.  Once they reach the golden state of deliciousness, put them on a paper towel-lined plate to get rid of some excess oil.  Then, if you are me, you will eat a lot of them right away.  Or, if you would like to use self-control, you can use them for green bean casserole later.

PS-

If you are interested in a few of the new restaurants we tried, I will give you my take on them here, with a separate post for Bear Track Winery later:

The Lodge Sasquatch Kitchen - in the Foothills Mall plaza

The decor and atmosphere was like a hunting lodge which I thought was pleasant and fun, though I know that isn't everyone's cup of tea.  The service was good, though they were pretty dead as we were there during a monsoon so I don't know what a busy time would be like for them.  As far as the food goes, it was a 7 out of 10, maybe even a 6 out of 10 for the price.  When I go to places like this, I expect something like a burger to be done perfectly, and we all agreed that the burgers weren't anything exceptional.  The nachos, fried pickles and bacon-wrapped peppers were very good, but perhaps a little over priced.

The new Thunder Canyon Brewery  - downtown Tucson
We LOVED the new TCB!!!  The one at the Foothills mall is very good, but can sometimes feel a little cramped.  The new TCB off of Congress is awesome!  Inside it is very large and open, so you feel like you have tons of space around you (even with my newest family member Cade in tow), and the ambiance is great.  The food was also quite delicious.  We had bangers and mash, a red beans and rice plate and the pub mac and cheese.  We thought all of the dishes were wonderful!  I will definitely be going back--and I would even be fine bringing my kids along!  They also have some excellent happy hour incentives.

Kale Chips

For all you chip-lovers out there (myself included), and for all you moms out there looking for new ways to get veggies into your kids (myself included again): please do the world a favor and try Kale Chips!  They are incredibly easy to make, and they are tasty and fun to eat.

So it is this simple: Buy Kale at the store (I do two bunches just for my husband, son and me), wash it and dry it off the best you can.  Rip the leaves from the stems, and rip them into 'chip-sized' pieces, then give it a light coating of olive oil.  Put it on a baking tray, salt and pepper it (quite a bit of salt here) and bake it at 400 for about 20 minutes, or until it is toasty brown on the edges.  Now, eat.

Bacon-wrapped Jalapeno Poppers

One of my and my husband's all time favorite game-day or snack food is jalapeno poppers.  With cream cheese, not cheddar. I came across a recipe for these crustless poppers a few years back (I don't even remember where) and it has been an all-time favorite since.  I made these for our little SuperBowl get together this past weekend and figured these definitely belonged on the food blog considering they are a delicious snack food that I make again and again.

What you need:
10-15 medium jalapenos
1 package regular cream cheese
1 tub onion/chive cream cheese
1 large granny smith apple
1-2 package long-cut bacon 

So simple:
First cut all the jalapenos in half lengthwise.  I leave the stems intact because it just makes for easier pick-up and holding once you get to the eating part.  Gut out as much of the seeds and ribs as possible, unless you like some heat.  If you like heat, just take the seeds out and don't worry so much over the ribs.  

Next, dice your granny smith into very, very small pieces. You could grate the apple too if you wanted, but that kind of brings out too much juice (I think).
Now, mix your apple with both of your cream cheeses. The reason one is onion/chive, is because the original recipe called for you to chop your own onion or scallions to add in.  I got lazy once I realized I could just buy the premade onion cream cheese. :)  Feel free to get all regular cream cheese and do your own onions or scallions if you want.

Finally, fill the jalapenos with the cream cheese and apple mixture, then wrap them with bacon.  If you LOVE bacon, use one entire piece of bacon for each popper.  If your jalapenos are on the small side, go ahead and cut the bacon in half and use just half a piece. 

Bake them in the oven at 375 for about 30 minutes or until the bacon is crispy and the cream cheese has browned on the edges.  Once you take them out of the over, let them cool for a few minutes and then dig in!

Quick & Easy Drop Biscuit Pot Pie

So as I sit here with the windows and doors open, enjoying 70 degree weather on this wintery January day, I can't help but feel a little jealous of all the people who are having snow days and freezing temperatures.  I don't want it for a whole season... but a few days of it would be fun (I think). I decided I'd make a warm and hearty meal as if I were snowed in my house, and maybe I will wear a scarf while I make it.

Dish of choice: Chicken Pot Pie.  I really didn't feel like making pie crust though, so I chose the easier method of using drop biscuits in place of the crust.

As you might guess, since I didn't feel like making crust, I basically wanted to have everything done in the most simple way possible.  Connor and his little brother have me a bit tired these days.  However, this dish is still delicious and hearty and it took me less than 40 minutes to get in the oven!

What you need:
-2lbs cubed chicken breast
-1 lg bag frozen mixed veggies
-garlic salt, granulated onion, thyme, sage, celery salt, pepper, salt for seasoning
-1/2c butter
-1/2c flour
-2c chicken broth
-1/8c sour cream
-2-3c shredded cheese
-Bisquick
-milk

Step One: Cook/brown the cubed chicken in some olive oil.  Once it is cooked, add the bag of veggies until they are hot.  










Step Two: Add the seasoning (I added it with the chicken) and the butter.  Once it is melted through and hot, add the flour and stir until everything is 'binding up.'  Cook it for 1-2 minutes and then add your broth and sour cream. Stir and let it simmer for a few minutes until you have the thickness you desire.









Step Three: Transfer the chicken, veggie and gravy mix into a 9x13 baking dish.  Add your desired amount of cheese on top (I used colby-jack, mmm).

Step Four: Prepare a batch of biscuit dough by following your Bisquick directions.  If you want to use a homemade biscuit dough, that is obviously also fine (and probably better). Drop biscuits onto the top of the cheesy goodness in your baking dish.  I didn't do 'biscuit size' drops, but instead did kind of large biscuit crumbles to cover more of the top.  Pop it in the oven until your biscuits are nice and golden on top and the gravy is bubbling around the sides (about 20-30 minutes at 375).

Step Five: Once it is done, bring it out and let it set for about 10 minutes.  After that, serve it up and enjoy your warm wintery meal--no matter what the temperature is outside!