cheese

Wine Wednesday: Wine Down Box

Posted on by michelleglogovac

As you know by now, I’m a huge fan of Happy Hour…whether going out for happy hour or enjoying it at home. Recently, I discovered Wine Down Box where they send you everything you need to have your own happy hour. How convenient is that?! I was lucky enough to try their June pairing and it didn’t disappoint! 

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The box included the following:

Maroon Wines
2013 Cathartes Vineyard Chardonnay

This 2013 Cathartes Vineyard Chardonnay was whole cluster pressed, then cold-fermented in tanks with minimal oak to express rich aromas of ripe citrus fruits. On the palate, the wine is nicely balanced with citrus fruits and hints of ripe tropical fruits. It has a nice acidity that maintains freshness from start to finish. 

Plymouth Artisan Cheese
East Meadow Cheese

Named one of Oprah’s top favorite things in 2015, this Vermont company knows how to make outstanding cheese. This cheese was aged 60 days, then cut and waxed by hand. It is buttery and creamy with slightly sweet notes.

Olympia Provisions
Loukanika

Loukanika is a Greek salami flavored with equal parts garlic & cumin, and a touch of orange zest. In order to keep tradition alive, Old Man Cairo passed along this time-tested recipe to his son (Olympia Provisions Salumist), Eli.

Each pairing includes a delicious bag of artisan Nita Crisp wheat bread crackers.

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The wine was delicious. Definitely a bottle I would be more than happy to indulge in again. The cheese was also top notch and went perfectly with the wine. My husband is a fan of all things sausage, so the Loukanika hit it out of the park for him. The bread crackers that were included were perfectly thin and didn’t fill you up, yet added just what was needed. 

Subscriptions cost $45-49/month which is a lot less than what you would spend if you went out for happy hour and had appetizers and a bottle of wine! This would make a great gift…to a wine lover or to yourself. 

Foodie: Easy Charcuterie & Cheese Platter

Posted on by michelleglogovac

Charcuterie…such a fancy word and yet, it’s the simplest appetizer you could “make”. Charcuterie is a French word for  a culinary specialty that originally referred to the creation of pork products such as salami, sausages, and prosciutto. 

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We recently had a family pool party and I offered to bring some appetizers. For us, a simple family get together is not 10 people…no, it’s closer to 30 people! I didn’t want to do something over the top complicated so I decided to go with a simple Charcuterie and Cheese platter. I also included Asparagus wrapped in Prosciutto with a garlic and herb cream cheese. OMG it’s so good! 

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Since we were transporting the food, I created the platter at home and covered it in cling wrap (you’ll see that in the pictures). For my meats, I chose prosciutto, salami and summer sausage. For the cheeses, I hit Trader Joe’s. They have a fabulous cheese section! I went with a double cream Gouda, Brie and a Parmesan that had been soaked in Syrah (it looks gorgeous and tastes out of this world!). 

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The asparagus is super simple to prepare…blanch it in hot water until it turns a bright green color. Let it cool. On each slice of prosciutto spread Alouette Garlic & Herb cheese, then roll the asparagus into it. Simple and good! 

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Don’t forget the crackers! Next time you are going to a party, why not bring the simple dish with the fancy name?! 

La Crema Pinot Noir Arroyo Seco

Posted on by michelleglogovac

In June I visited La Crema in Healdsburg and joined their wine club…2 weeks later I got pregnant. I’ve been receiving shipments of their wine but haven’t gotten to drink any of it…until now! The first bottle I opened was the 2012 Pinot Noir from Arroyo Seco. I have to say that it went down very easily.

La Crema Pinot Noir Arroyo Seco
La Crema Pinot Noir Arroyo Seco

Rich in color and with a bold yet not overpowering flavor, it definitely was a palate pleaser. The winemaker’s notes state, “The nose is rich with dark spice, earthy notes, coffee bean and blackberry. Layers of dark plum, wet stone, cedar. An elegant Pinot Noir with all the hallmarks of the Arroyo Seco appellation.” I felt that between the blackberry and plum flavors, there was a hint of cherry. It was slightly tart but not in a make your mouth pucker sort of way. It was very smooth and enjoyable.

Through La Crema’s site, this bottle retails for $40, $32 as a wine club member, and as low as $29 on webwine.com.

Roasted Garlic & Brie
Roasted Garlic & Brie

We celebrated one of our first happy hours as new parents in our sunroom. My husband roasted garlic and we indulged in some Brie and crackers…he’s definitely a keeper!

For the roasted garlic, simply cut the top off the heads of the garlic, pour olive oil over it in aluminum foil and bake at 350° for 45 minutes.