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Wine Review: Apothic Red

May 6th, 2012 by tanya

Each month I take a trip to Binny’s, our local liquor store, and stock up on wine. I browse the isles, typically selecting wines anywhere from $4.99-$8.99. I’ve always been pretty frugal so it’s hard for me to make an exception for something more than $10 – except RELAX or a Cupcake Wine. Both delicious!

Tonights mix included Apothic Red. In the past year, more so in non-summer months, I find myself drawn to red wines. Pinor Noir, Cabernet or  a Shiraz for sure make the cart. I also like Sweet Red blends. Tonight while walking around I came across this winemakers blend and was quite interested in trying it.

Overall the taste is subtle, sweet with a a bit of a bite towards the end. I definitely will be making notes to purchase again in the future. I think it would pair well with some sharp cheese and for sure a steak. Below I’ve take information from apothic.com to provide more details on the wine itself.

Wine Origin:
Inspired by an “Apotheca,” a mysterious place where wine was blended and stored in 13th century Europe, Apothic Red offers a truly unique wine experience. By crafting a distinctive blend of California grapes, our winemaker has created an epic red wine… nuanced and complex, and undeniably enchanting.

The Wine: 
A captivating blend of three distinct grapes, with the dark fruit flavors of Syrah, brambly spice of Zinfandel, and a smooth elegance of Merlot. Apothic Red reveals intense fruit aromas and flavors of rhubarb and black cherry that are complemented by hints of mocha, chocolate, brown spice and vanilla. The plush, velvety mouthfeel and smooth finish round out this intriguing, full-bodied red blend.

Memories of Home

May 4th, 2012 by tanya

Sometimes while walking around my parents house I forgot how beautiful it is because I grew up in the country. Now that I live in the city I enjoy taking pictures from around the yard so I can have keepsakes of the wonderful memories from home. Summers full of raspberries and other fresh fruit, the quietness of the country and the smell of cornfields.

Max The Energetic Puppy

April 12th, 2012 by tanya

My parents recently added a new member to the family – a little puppy named Max. Such a cutie and very energetic. The thing I observed the most while there this past weekend was his love for the cat and attacking it any time he could!

 

 

Shish Kabobs

March 23rd, 2012 by tanya

With the recent warm weather our household decided it was time for some summer-like foods. We decided to make a few different dishes this week with fresh produce and the first on the list was Shish Kabobs.

We took the recipe from The Grilling Bible and found we really enjoyed the taste of the marinade. This recipe is very simple and we grilled it on our grill pan in our house since we don’t have access to a grill. We paired the kabobs with Lemon & Dill potatoes.

Shish  Kabobs

  • ½ cup vegetable oil
  • ½ cup chopped onion
  • ¼ cup red wine vinegar
  • ¼ cup ketchup
  • 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled and mashed (I substituted 1 tsp minced garlic)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon fresh oregano or rosemary (we went with rosemary)
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • 3 lbs beef, cut into 1-inch cubes
  • Green bell pepper
  • Red bell Pepper
  • Small onions
  • Mushrooms
  • Cherry tomatoes

Directions:

Combine first 9 ingredients in a large bowl. Add meat and stir to coat with sauce. Cover and refrigerate overnight (we actually only let it sit for 2 hours in the fridge and enjoyed the flavor)

Alternately skewer cubes of meat with desired combination of peppers, mushrooms, onions and tomatoes.

Place kabobs on grill or grill pan, rotating every 4-5 minutes until desired doneness.

Lemon & Dill Potatoes

March 19th, 2012 by tanya

This past weekend I found a recipe on Pinterest that I really wanted to try to accompany the kabobs we were making. I’m a huge fan of red russet potatoes and here’s the recipe I found that turned out amazing. The potatoes were tender and filled with flavor. I especially enjoyed the hint of lemon in them. Thank you Beloved Green for the awesome recipe!

I altered my recipe a bit because I didn’t have all the ingredients mentioned on the site I found the recipe. The ingredients you will need include:

1 lb of petite potatoes (ie. reds, whites, and purples)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
dash of ground pepper
dash of sea salt
lemon juice ( a splash)
1 Tbsp. dried dill
2 Tbsp. minced garlic

 

Directions:

Preheat 375°F.  Place parchment paper on cookie sheet, or spray with cooking spray.
Wash the potatoes and cut them into quarter slices.  Pour in the 1/4 cup of olive oil and coat the potatoes and then transfer to the baking sheet. Sprinkle ground pepper and salt on the potatoes.  Bake for a half hour.
While baking, mix together remaining ingredients with whisk and set aside until half hour is up.
Pull out the potatoes and flip them.  Using a pastry brush, coat them with the dill dressing and place back in the oven for another 15 minutes.  Enjoy!