My First Wine Tasting

Ryan and I set off for Newport, Rhode Island to enjoy a weekend of good food, drinks, and mansions! If you haven't been there to see the cute town of Newport and explore the coastal views and the awesome nautical atmosphere, definitely take a ride there. Even if it's for the day.

We also found a great vineyard that wasn't too expensive for tastings, a guided tour, and had live JAZZ playing! It was quite beautiful.

The most known vineyard would be the Newport Vineyard, but right down the road from that was the Greenvale Vineyard in Portsmouth, which is smaller in their production, but less crowded and more personable.

Here's some photos of the tour.

 

A grape press...a smaller one representing the large ones they use

I will take you through the brief descriptions of the wine that we tried. Then I will tell you what I learned. I had trouble tasting the differences of the wines for my first time. I think that takes practice.

The nice lady poured our wine.

Yes, there's a thumbs up in #6...

  

1. Roscliff Pinot Gris - lovely aromas, delicate fruit flavors with a pleasant finish. Excellent with light meals, such as seafood or summer salads. I didn't care for this one, just because the taste of chardonnay isn't my favorite and that's what it reminded me of.  It was a bit watered down and just tasted like a headache.

2. 2007 Greenvale Chardonnay - well balanced. Dry and bright wine with delicious fruit character and subtle butter in the finish. Satisfying by itself or with a light meal. This one was a bit better. Ryan had fun slamming his glass down after drinking it in one sip while saying, "Psh. They all taste the same to me."

3. 2008 Chardonnay select - has a pleasant fruity aromas with a slightly oaky bouquet. Aged in French oak barrels. Pairs well with lobster or grilled chicken. Honestly, I think I could ALMOST taste the oak. It was a little "smokier" than the other two. Even though it was labeled as a chardonnay, I enjoyed this one the most so far.

4. 2008 Vidal Blanc - a French/American hybrid that produces an extremely aromatic. Pairs with ham, salads, cheese, and spicy foods. Medium dry. This one was just okay. Appreciated that it's a "hybrid", meaning the grape plant is a mix of two different kinds of plants creating a grape that has a different taste.

5. Skipping Stone White - a blend of Cayuga and Vidal Blanc (both two types of wines they produce). Very light in color, aromatic with a bright, floral nose, and very refreshing. It's great with cheese, a simple meal, or spicy foods. This was my favorite! The sweeter of them all. We bought a bottle of this to share.

6. 2006 Cabernet Franc - well balanced, medium bodied. Aromas of plum and spice. Pairs well with grilled or roasted meats. I am a red fan, so I enjoyed this one.

Along with the tasting was a bowl of crackers.

 We bought a bottle to split after the tasting. Ryan began missing his glass while he poured.

 So then he decided it'd be easier to just do this

Then this happened

We tried to hold it together and be classy for the afternoon.  Ryan just can only do that for so long.

Then Ryan found my camera while I went to the bathroom.  When I returned he told me that he took some nice photos. Here are Ryan's nice photos:

Beautiful. Thank you for those.

Cheers to never being too serious!

Strawberry filled Cupcakes

Once in a while at my school we have retired teachers sub in for teachers that are out.  The other day I got to spend my day with a teacher from last year who is so fabulously talented, sweet, and just an overall wonderful lady.  It was her birthday the following day so, obviously, I needed to  bake something special.  I wanted individual cupcakes for the children, but with something inside that would get them excited.

Jam!

Strawberry jam! You can get creative, but since I was working with picky little preschoolers here I decided to stick with the good stuff... Smuckers Seedless Strawberry Jam.

Here's an easy recipe for vanilla (versatile) cupcake that will never fail:

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 sticks unsalted butter- room temperature

1 cup sour cream

2 large eggs,
4 large egg yolks
3 teaspoons vanilla extract

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line standard muffin/cupcake tins with paper or foil liners.

2. Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in bowl. Add butter, sour cream, egg and egg yolks, and vanilla.

3. Beat at medium speed until smooth (about 30 seconds).

4. Pour into cupcake tins. Bake until cupcake tops are pale gold and toothpick or skewer inserted into center comes out clean, 20 to 24 minutes. Remove the cupcakes from tin and transfer to wire rack; cool cupcakes to room temperature before cutting, adding jam, and frosting.

After they cool you're going to take a sharp knife and cut a hole in the top of the cupcake.  You're going to want to hold your knife at a 45 degree angle so that there is a hole in the center. Scoop out a little extra of the center so you can "jam the jam" down in there.

Take a tablespoon or so of your jam and place it in the hole. 

Put the tops back on!

 

Next, frosting!

Easy Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients

2½ sticks unsalted butter, softened
2½ cups confectioners’ sugar
A pinch salt- please don't skip this step, it really does make a difference
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 Tablespoons heavy cream

Method

1. Beat the softened butter at medium-high speed until smooth, about 20 seconds.

2. Add confectioners’ sugar and salt.  Beat at medium-low speed until the sugar has just become wet, about a minute.

3. Scrape down the sides and continue beating for another 30 seconds until mixture is fully incorporated, about 30 seconds.

4. Add the vanilla and heavy cream, and beat at medium speed until incorporated, about 20 seconds, then put the speed at medium-high and beat until light and fluffy.

Put into a zip-lock and cut a slant at the tip.

Frost away!

I like to start on the outside and swirl my way to the middle leaving the height in the middle of the cupcake.

I had to cut one in half to photograph it. Here's its insides.

Jesse (my roomate) enjoyed that I needed to do that. That's his hand, not mine.

Oh, and he also made himself a lamb burger and said, "Take a picture of this and put it on your blog." Here ya go Jesse..

Chocolate Truffles

SO delicious. These chocolate truffles are the easiest way to fake that you're a gourmet dessert chef. I've been reading some blogs that have the chocolate truffle recipes on them and have been wanting to create them myself for some time now.

So, today's the day.

They're the simplest candy to make for your sweetheart or for... yourself.  Dark chocolate, cream, vanilla. These balls of heaven only require three ingredients and some time.

---

Basic truffle ingredients

• 8 ounces of semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate (high quality, 62% cacao or higher), *well chopped into small pieces*
• 1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Truffle coatings

• Cocoa powder
• Rainbow sprinkles
• Finely chopped almonds

Method
 
1. In a small saucepan bring the heavy whipping cream to a simmer (this may take a while, be sure to stir and scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula every few minutes).

2. Place the chocolate in a separate bowl. Pour the cream over the chocolate, add the vanilla, and allow to stand for a few minutes then stir until smooth. (This chocolate base is called ganache.)

3. Allow to cool, then place in the refrigerator for two hours. Remove and with a teaspoon roll out balls of the ganache. Roll in your hands quickly.

4. Roll in cocoa powder or chopped nuts and serve, or place on wax paper and into the fridge.

Makes about 20 truffles.

Here's the only ingredients I used:

Chop that chocolate. Don't eat any!

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream.                                                                                                    Into a deep pot. Bring to a simmer.

Pour the simmering cream onto the chopped chocolate. Add the vanilla. Let this sit for a minute so the chocolate heats.

Stir it until it looks like this. Smooth and wonderful.

Place these in the refrigerator for about an hour. This will harden the chocolate just enough so when you scoop it out with a teaspoon it will form.

Once you scoop it out, roll it in your hands to form an even ball. The warmth of your hands will melt the chocolate just enough so you can put it into a topping of your choice where it will stick.  I used cocoa powder, chopped almonds, and little round sprinkles as my toppings.  Be creative! Some other toppings I just randomly thought of are:

• Chopped pistachios, hazelnuts, or any nut of your choice

• Coconut

• Chopped peppermint candies (for Christmas time!)

• Tasty children's cereal crushed up... like: Fruity pebbles, fruit loops, captain crunch, honey nut cheerios, etc.

• Cinnamon sugar

Put them back in the fridge to save for guests or...... eat them right away.

Everyday Breakfast

My Breakfast. For the past 4 years.

I know, I know... eating the same thing for the past 4 years? Sounds crazy, BUT somehow I have yet to become bored of it. I think because the main ingredients are so versatile, they allow me to throw in whatever I feel at the time to spice it up a bit. 

Here are the basics. I do sometimes just stick to the basics too... those satisfy me just as much.

Every morning always includes:

A BOLD Keurig coffee pod.  I found this organic bold coffee on Amazon for a great deal. Tastes just like a Starbucks bold.

I like the froth on the top.

Next, is of course, an apple.

My favorite apples include: Braeburn, Pink Lady, and Fuji.

This one's a Cortland.

Usually when I'm at school I eat it whole. The seeds and all! The kids always intensely watch me eat an apple.  They love knowing their teacher eats like them too. Such curious little monsters.

When I have time, I slice it up with some cinnamon.

Or at night for dessert... I like taking a small apple cut up into bites, popped in the microwave with cinnamon and a drizzle of honey.

Next on my everyday breakfast list is my protein.

Eggs!

I like the scrambled whites. I skip the yolks because of the cholesterol content.  They taste the same to me whether they're white or yellow... so why not just skip it.

Don't forget to add the Ketchup!!

Last on my breakfast list, my favorite. OATMEAL!
I've been really into the Country Choice Organic Multigrain.  It cooks up SO fluffy with many different textures!  With that, I also add some oat bran.  This thickens the oats quite a bit and creates a creamy texture without adding any dairy.

And all together!
My breakfast that keeps me going until lunchtime!

Sorry for the lack of beautiful picture...my camera was running low on battery- had to snap it quickly!

Someday I would love to make a "tribute page" to oatmeal just like this blog does. She has over 100 creative ideas to make her oatmeal interesting. This is by far my favorite food blog. She cooks and eats the way I do. :)

Happy breakfast!!!!

Strawberry Oatmeal Bars

This recipe is very simple and way too delicious.  I stopped and looked for a jar of fig preserves, but instead settled for some strawberry preserves.  I like this recipe because it uses what you have around the kitchen, bakes fast, and doesn't make a huge mess in the kitchen.







Ingredients

• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 cup flour
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1 cup rolled oats (I used 5 grain)
• 1/2 cup butter
• 3/4 cup strawberry preserves (or any other flavor you might like)

Preheat oven to 350.

Line an 8×8 baking dish with foil and lightly grease.

Put everything together in one bowl except the preserves. I used my hands to crumble the mixture. Get rid of all the large butter chunks.

Press 2 cups of the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan.

Spoon on the preserves. Room temperature preserves spread easier, if it's cold...just pop it in the micro for a bit.

 

Spread to within 1/4 inch of the edge.

Lightly press the remaining crust mixture over the top of the strawberries.
 

 

Bake for 35-40 minutes or until lightly browned.

   

Yum