Cuisine and Spirits

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From the Pacific Northwest to the Deep South

After much discussion and soul searching, my darling and I decided to move from Oregon to Mississippi. Now the question we most get is “Why Mississippi?” The answer simply is because the people are nice here, the pace is slower, it’s less crowded and the cost of living is ALOT less. Don’t get me wrong, I loved living in Oregon, the food scene was absolutely amazing par none. But it was getting…

Date Night: A Truly Private Dining Experience

A Truly Private Dining Experience.

Here’s how it works. I will come into your home with all the ingredients and prepare for you a personalized four course dinner. I will serve you each course in turn, clean up, load your dishwasher and take my leave, allowing you to enjoy an evening of fine dining in the comfort of your own home without the trouble and mess of cooking.

I have assembled a variety…

Chile en Nogada: Stuffed Poblano Chiles with Walnut Sauce

My darling has been urging me for sometime to resurrect Cuisine and Spirits. Why it fell by the wayside in the first place is a long and sordid tale that we need not get into. Suffice to say that, after much coaxing, I am again writing to document our various culinary adventures.

I’ve been reading “Like Water for Chocolate,” a wonderful story about love and cooking by Laura Esquivel. It inspired…

August 1, 2016: Raptor Ridge Winery

Our friend was up from California for a visit this past week. We had an absolutely insane yet successful day at the NW Book Festivalon Saturday and decided to take Sunday to decompress, distress and chill. My mind spun and whirled, what would be the best way to accomplish said decompression??? Ah HA, I exclaimed loudly enough to startle Rora’s little rat dog. Wine tasting. Wine always makes…

It was the night of the Opera. My darling and I had tickets to Sweeney Todd and we were making a night of it. Before the Opera was dinner at Morton’s The Steakhouse. Morton’s got their start in Chicago more than thirty-five years ago and has grown to over 69 restaurants all over the world.

We began our evening in the bar where I had my usual Bombay Sapphire Martini with a twist. My darling had a…

My darling and I recently went on a backpacking/Camping excursion with my brother and sister-in-law. They are very at home in the wilderness. They have all the camp gear, all the little gadgets, and all the camping gizmos one would need to rough it in relative comfort. From camp stoves that can burn any type of fuel to ultraviolet water purifiers that resemble a sonic screwdriver (Those of you…

Hungry Birds Eat Sweet Confections: A Wine Pairing Exercise

On our recent adventure to VX Vineyards, my darling and I had the opportunity to not only sample some wonderful wine, but we also sampled some pretty fine confections.

Hungry Birds Eat Sweet confections is a little operation whose sole proprietor, Baranna Baker is very proud of. It seems like she has poured her heart and soul into each and every creation. We were fortunate enough to be able to…

May 29, 2016 – VX Vineyards

My darling and I were on what is becoming our regular Sunday outing of wine tasting. Driving up 99W, out of Newberg, OR, I saw a sign by the side of the road; “VX Vineyard– 2 ½ miles”. On a whim, I swerved off the highway, forcing a gasp of surprise from my darling, and down the country road we went. The countryside was beautiful, with plenty of farmland, trees and quaint farmhouses. The road…

Cannelle Pétoncles avec purée de fraise- Katie Adee’s Challenge

A dear friend and fellow writer of mine answered my initial call out for the Cuisine and Spirits Chopped Challenge by giving me the following ingredients:

Strawberries

Jicama

Scallops

Cinnamon

I accepted the challenge with great enthusiasm. Initially, I thought of taking a safe route and mixing the Strawberries and cinnamon with some other spices and make a chutney of sorts and then simple sear…