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!

Tribute to Fall: Pumpkin Cheesecake

Cheesecakes are one of those desserts that, to me, feel like they take a lot of skill, time, love and finger crossing to get right.  We never made them growing up, and after marrying my husband, I saw that they held a cheesecake recipe very dear in their family.  My husband's grandmother would actually make tons of these cheesecake around the holidays and give my husband one (an ENTIRE one) all to himself usually on Christmas.  So of course, this only furthered my distrust of the cheesecake world, and I just didn't think it would be something I would ever really want to do.  Then?  My husband got the recipe from his grandma and actually made the famous cheesecake himself for Thanksgiving last year!  HE MADE IT.  FROM SCRATCH. It is safe to say that I lowered my awe of cheesecakes a bit after that.  My husband has always been good at following recipes, but seriously, if he could make a cheesecake that turned out just as delicious and beautiful as grandma's, then I could definitely handle one!  So, as my last kick of fall flavor for this year, I decided to have a go at a pumpkin cheesecake in honor of my husband's birthday.  (It seriously turned out great!!)

Crust it up:
Go ahead and buy a store graham cracker crust if you want, but I wanted to make mine.  If I was going to do a cheesecake, I was going to do it right!
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
2 tsps cinnamon
1 stick of butter
-Process that all together (food processor love) and then press into the bottom of a 9 or 10in springform pan 


Fill it up:
This recipe has the 'double layer' look, but if you don't feel that brave, or you feel too lazy, skip the 'white' layer and just mix everything together and add to your crust... It won't be as pretty but it is essentially the exact same cheescake. 

Add two 8oz packages of cream cheese, 1/2 cup of white sugar, 1/2 tsp vanilla to your stand mixer (or your trusty ol' bowl with a hand mixer) and mix until very well combined.  Then add two eggs, one at a time until they are completed mixed it as well. This is the point that you can scoop out about 1 cup of the batter at spread in an even layer on your crust, or just ignore that if you don't feel like it.  

Continuing on: add 3/4 cup pureed pumpkin, 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, a pinch of freshly grated cloves and a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg.  I buy most of my spices dried and prepared but these are two (especially the nutmeg) that I don't skimp on because their flavor is much better fresh.  Plus if they are pre-ground they lose flavor much faster than if they are whole.  Blend all of that together well and then add the pumpkin layer to your white layer carefully so they don't mix (or just pour it in your crust if you took the lazy route).  Spread it out evenly and bake at 325 for anywhere from 50 minutes to 75 minutes.  Basically you are looking for a cheesecake that only jiggles in the center when you take it out, so just keep checking it from minute 50 on.  

Serve with a dollop of sweetened, whipped cream or cool whip.  Pictured is cool whip because I took the lazy option!  Enjoy!

Pies & Pints - Fayetteville, WV

Out of all the restaurants that have gluten-free menus and offerings, Pies & Pints is at the top of my list!  We weren't sure what to expect, but knew that they had been featured on the Food Network, so we wanted to give them a try.  Looking up their website, they seemed to have a decent offering of unique pizzas, and it noted that they did have gluten free items.  So we went!

The most amazing aspect of our time their?  They were willing to make ANY pizza OR sandwich gluten free!!  Now, a lot of pizza places will do a gluten free crust on your pizza, but to also offer to make gluten free bread for the sandwiches? Unheard of!  Thinking back, we should have gotten at least one sandwich to try, but we opted to all get a different pizza.  We LOVED them all!  Out of 10 stars, I give this pizza place 10 stars!  And, what makes that better is that I am often not a pizza fan at all, nor is my mom--so for an impression that big, well, it takes a lot!

Anyway, here are the dishes we ordered and loved:

 So this was our appetizer, the Char-Grilled Hot Wings.  Very tasty with flavors of sriracha and cilantro.  Not 'to die for' exactly, but very tasty none-the-less.

 This was my pick and also my favorite of all the pizzas we tried; the Cuban Pork Pie.  Seriously DELICIOUS!  Pulled pork, onion, pineapple, feta, jalapenos, creme fraiche and cilantro... It just has the perfect balance of sweet (pineapple and onion) to savory (pork and feta) with fun bursts of spice throughout (jalapeno) topped with an earthy freshyness brought to you only by cilantro.  Now, this was TO DIE FOR.

This was the husband's pick (no surprise there), and they actually don't have it on their menu anymore...and I can't remember it's name.  But it was basically a spicy red-sauce with lots of meat and mozzarella.  Yes, it was good, but doesn't it say a little something that it isn't on the menu now? ;)

 This was the first gluten free pick: Chicken Gouda Pie.  So yummy!! It was loaded with chicken, bacon (can't go wrong there), smoked gouda, red onions and a chipotle crema (can't go wrong their either!!).  I don't always like chicken on my pizza but this is one way I would not turn it down!

 And the second gluten free pick of the night: Mediterranean Shrimp Pie. None of us had ever tried a sea food pizza and this was pleasantly surprising!  I don't know that I'd think to order it if I were in a pizza mood, but if I were in a big Mediterranean or sea food mood, this is a great way to fix that craving!  It was a 'clean' bite too, with shrimp, artichoke hearts, kalamata olives and your typical seafood pairs - lemon, garlic and herbs.  A refreshing and light pizza!

Lastly, it will really help your dining experience if you have a really cute baby at your table.  Oh, and the iced tea was good too!

So, the next time you're in Fayetteville, don't let Pies & Pints pass you by!

Potato Soup with a Kick

Okay... so anyone who knows me, knows I love food.  And, if they know me really well, they know my favorite food time of year is fall/winter when everything turns warm and hearty!  So to kick it off right, the first 'fall' inspired dish I chose to make this year is potato soup! My original intention was to make the classic soup, a creamy white soup with celery and onions but as I browsed multiple recipes, one caught my eye.  Ree Drummond (Pioneer Woman) has a soup with the addition of carrot (orange in my white soup?!?!) and her added spice is Cajun seasoning!  I love Cajun seasoning!  So, I had to give it a go!

Her blog/recipe: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2013/01/perfect-potato-soup/

Now, instead of going step-by-step with the recipe, I might as well just give you the link to her blog with the recipe.  She has great pictures to go along with each step and it is super easy to follow, so I encourage you to try it!  And I will leave you with a few of my favorite parts of the process. ;)

 This is the smell of heaven... carrots, celery and onion together are perhaps my all-time favorite trio when starting out a recipe. I often try and sneak these three into many of my dishes if I can!

 And then of course you get the smell of heaven on steroids when you add bacon into the mix.  As a side note, bacon is a MUST in any good potato soup.  Don't even try without it!!! ;)

P.S.
PLEASE top this soup with some sharp cheddar! Although it isn't pictured at the top, I promise it will only add fulfillment to your dining experience.

Rest from the Savory: Snickerdoodles!

Throughout my pregnancy, the only real 'craving' I had was sugar.  Sugar is not something I had ever really loved.  Every now and then I would want a big bowl of ice cream or a piece of Costco cake, but I almost always chose savory and salty over sweet.  Well, my pregnancy with Connor changed that.  I could have cinnamon rolls and pancakes for breakfast, fudge and popsicles for lunch, cobblers, sour punch kids and chocolate truffles for dinner...and then turn around and have dessert after that!  Thankfully, the majority of my love for sugar left when Connor was born, but not completely.  So I've found a quick, easy and oh-so-yummy fix: Snickerdoodles.

I feel like the 'American' cookie leans toward being the plain chocolate chip cookie, but I am pretty picky about my chocolate chip cookie, and they are quite temperamental to make right every time...  So I'm out to change the go-to cookie!  Snickerdoodles are just as easy as chocolate chip cookies, just as fast to make, they are just as delicious, and heck, I think they are better looking than the boring ol' chocolate chip cookies!  Just picture it; the glistening bits of sugar next to the warm browns of cinnamon... yep, Snickerdoodles are the cookie for me!  So here's the recipe I use (tried and true, and they have always come out great!):  

Ingredients:

.5c margarine (not butter!)
.5c shortening
1c sugar
2 eggs
2.75c flour
2tsp cream of tartar
1tsp baking soda
.25tsp salt

Do it:
Cream together the butter, shortening and sugar.  Add the eggs one at a time until well mixed.  At this point, turn the mixer to high and let it go for about 30 seconds to a minute.  Add in the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt.  Mix well.

Now, form the dough into balls (about the size of a quarter in diameter--definitely no larger than that).  It should make between 65-80 balls.  Roll the balls in a mixture of cinnamon and sugar (1c sugar, 2tsp cinnamon) and bake at 400degrees for 8-9 minutes.  Take them off the baking sheet to cool as soon as you can... and then try not to eat them all in one day!