More Shopping...yeah!!!

After pondering what to do for the Christmas/Dec. pairing this month, Mom and I have decided to step it up a notch.On the phone the other night we went back and forth between 'keeping it traditional' and 'stepping it up'...so, we've decided to take a trip next weekend to Zingerman's in Ann Arbor Michigan and take it from there.

Never been but have researched them online and get their catalogs and are extremely excited to make the trip!!
They are an international market offering all kinds of cheeses, breads, spices,(from around the world) baked goods, and lots of 'homemade' goodies as well,etc.! Last I checked, they were rated one of the "Top 25 markets in the world" according to Food and Wine Magazine.
Can't wait and will keep you posted!
Cheers - Candi & Cindi

Thanksgiving in Oct.

Yes...that's right. We spent Sunday afternoon prepairing and enjoying a mock thanksgiving dinner for the November pairing in the magazine. I'm not going to give specifics at this point (you have to wait til' the magazine comes out the 1st of Nov.), but can you say...Thanksgiving Duck??
That's right! As you know we like to keep things a bit edgy so instead of the traditional turkey dinner we served up fresh duck. Not too bad. I have to say it won't be a regular for me or anything but everything'a worth a shot. The wine on the other hand was amazing! This was by far the most difficult pairing we've had to date. Every single wine we paired could easily be served with this menu...but of course we chose our favorite.
We had a ton of fun regardless, as usual!
If you'd like to subscribe to the magazine to be sure to get your hard copy every month, visit www.mtpleasantmonthly.com and as always...
Cheers - Candi & Cindi

Our October Pairing

The Menu
We decided in honor of the latest release of the movie "Julie and Julia" and both of us enjoying it immensely, we were sooo going to make the Boeuf Bourguignon for this months pairing.

WOW! Talk about a job! Aside from shopping, planning and multiple late night phone conversations, the day itself was non-stop. Mom started bright and early and I got there about noon to start shooting pictures and cooking.
All in all we had a great time and the menu was delicious, however, we both agreed that it was "way too much work for Beef Stew!" But worth the fun for our purposes.

The Wine
We had decided we would go with all reds with this pairing as it was a pretty heavy meal with lots of ingredients. However, I've been reading this great book that indicated perhaps a 'very heavy white' may be the perfect pair for this type of recipe, so I brought a Chardonnay. Anyone who reads our pairings knows that I'm the 'red' lover and Mom is the 'white' lover (or used to be anyway). So every time we pair, she has to throw in a Chardonnay (which I hate) and it never pairs well. So this time you can imagine the look on her face when I walked in with a Chardonnay and she had all reds. You know...the Mom look.

This is what we paired:
* Louis Jadot Beaujolais-Villages 06'
* Blackstone Sonoma Reserve Chardonnay 07'
* Louis Jadot Pino Noir Bourgongne 05'
* Moutron Cadet Bordeaux '07
* Les Trois Cournnes Cotes - du - Rhone 07'
* Deadly Zins Zinfandel 07'
* = Cindi's (Mom) * = Candi's (me)

For me this one was very hard and Mom and I couldn't seem to agree on anything. I really did think the Chardonnay went well but she hated it. She liked the Pinot Noir and I thought it was very blah. Finally, once we got to the heavier reds we both liked them but I liked the Cotes and the Zin, She liked the Cotes and Pinot Noir....ugh!
So to make it fair, since we both liked the Cotes - du - Rhone, that's the one we decided to call our 'winner'. It was very good and went very smoothly with the entire meal. However, if you like a lighter red, you may like the Pinot Noir and if you like a very heavy red, you may like the Zinfandel but I would say the Cotes - du - Rhone was a great balance between the two. As always, feel free to let us know what you thought.
- Cheers
Candi & Cindi (see recipe below)
Boeuf Bourguignon (Mastering the Art of French Cooking) for 6 people

A 6-oz. chuck of bacon
A 9 - 10 in. fireproof casserole dish 3" deep
1 Tbsp. olive oil
A slotted spoon
3 lbs. lean stewing beef cut into 2" cubes (We used top cut pot roast)
1 sliced carrot
1 sliced onion
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 Tbsp. flour
3 cups of a full-bodied, young red wine (we used Louis Jadot Pinot Noir)
2 - 3 cups brown beef stock
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
2 cloves mashed garlic
1/2 tsp. thyme
A crumbled bay leaf
The blanched bacon rind
18 - 24 small white onions
1 lb. quartered fresh mushrooms sauteed in butter


Remove rind from bacon and cut into lardons (sticks 1/4 in. thick and 1 1/2 in. long). Simmer rind and bacon for 10 mins. in 1 1/2 quarts water. Drain and dry.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees

Saute the bacon in the oil over moderate heat for 2 - 3 mins. to brown lightly. Remove to a side dish with a slotted spoon. Set casserole aside. Reheat until fat is almost smoking before you saute the beef.

Dry the beef in paper towels; it will not brown if it is damp. Saute it a few pieces at a time in the hot oil an bacon fat until nicely browned on all sides. Add it to the bacon.

In the same fat, brown the sliced vegetables. Pour out the sauteing fat.

Return the beef and bacon to the casserole dish and toss with salt and pepper. Then sprinkle on the flour and toss again to coat the beef lightly. Set casserole uncovered in center position of preheated oven for 4 mins. Toss the meat and return to oven 4 mins. more. (this browns the flour and covers the meat with a light crust.) Remove casserole and turn oven down to 325 degrees.

Stir in the wine, and enough stock so that the meat is barely covered. Add the tomato paste, garlic, herbs and bacon rind. Bring to simmer on top of the stove. Then cover the casserole and set in lower third of preheated oven. Regulate heat so liquid simmers very slowly for 2 1/2 - 3 hours. The meat is done when a fork pierces it easily.

While the beef is cooking, saute the mushrooms and onions and set aside until needed.

When the meat is tender, pour the contents of the casserole into a sieve set over a saucepan. Wash out the casserole and return the beef and bacon to it. Distribute the cooked onions and mushrooms over the meat.

Skim fat off sauce. Simmer sauce for a minute or two, skimming off additional fat as it rises. You should have 2 1/2 cups of sauce thick enough to coat a spoon lightly. If too thin, boil it down rapidly. If too thick, mix in a few Tbsp. of stock. Pour sauce over meat and vegetables.

For immediate serving, cover the casserole and simmer for 2 - 3 mins., basting the meat and vegetables with the sauce several times. Serve in the casserole dish.

* She has a few different options and processes in her book but we are giving you the version of what we did.

We also served blanched green beans drizzled with olive oil, salt and pepper and garlic mashed potatoes (also from Mastering the Art of French Cooking)

Diva's Uncorked

Well....as you can see it's been a week or so since we've updated our blog....busy, busy, busssyyy...
But! We'll be here tonight, 9 pm. Just sign in to your right and join the conversation.

New Piecs

Just wanted to share a couple of our new pieces from our online shop

Working on a few more and will have posted soon.
Thanks!

Julie and Julia...??? Or just Candi & Cindi...

We decided in honor of the latest release of the movie "Julie and Julia" and both of us enjoying it immensely, we were sooo going to make the Boeuf Bourguignon for our next pairing. So that's exactly what we set out to do. Hence, the last two weeks have been filled with ideas, shopping, late night phone conversations, etc., right up to the very last minute including mom running to the store umpteen times (the very morning) and replacing almost everything we already had due to her occasional (and inherant) insanity!
All in all it was a lot of fun but "Way too much work for Beef Stew!"
Great fun and will fill all of you in on October 1st.
- Cheers

Online Wine Tasting...How to join in!

Welcome!!!! To the right of your screen you'll see an orange 'chat box'. Just click on "Set Name", then type your name into the 'Temporary Name' box, set it, and your good to go (hopefully)! And Mom....hopefully you can figure it out cuz' Cody has my cell so you can't call me...lol.

'Uncorked' or 'Un...something'...

We're 'gearing up' for our first online wine tasting / virtual 'girls night out...in'!

The Agenda:

For the first meeting it's pretty much 'do your own thing'. Choose a wine of your choice, put your jamys (sp.?) on and go to http://www.candiandcindiuncorked.com/ to engage in nothing but food and wine girl talk.

Future Meetings:

We'll discuss this at the first meeting, but I think it would be cool for one of us (someone different), every week, to assign a recipe for our 'Diva's Uncorked Happy Hour'. But I also think there should be rules to the recipe, like...no more than 10 ingredients or something like that so the recipes don't get too difficult. We'd like to keep it simple as we're most likely going to be doing this late at night and not all of us want to come home from work and make an ellaborate meal at 8:00pm (on top of what we made for the fam.). We'll talk more on this Thurs. night.

The Intent:

Drink wine with friends (without having to leave the house), learn more (opinions, facts, etc.) about the wonderful world of wine (from many) and most of all HAVE FUN! Remember, this is a 'girls night out...in'.

We'll see what the group brings, but we anticipate that no matter what, it will be a good time!

Hope to see you Thursday!

-Cheers

Candi & Cindi

September Pairing...Grilled Salmon

The Menu:
Excellent, excellent, excellent!!!
Being our last 'summer' pairing for the year, we thought we'd go out with a bang serving up one of our favorite summertime dishes...Grilled Salmon.
This particular recipe was a combination of two that we found. We knew we definitely wanted to grill the salmon and keep it very light and simple but then came across another recipe with Arugala sauce that we thought looked scrumptious so we did both. The salad was a very simple spinich salad with lemon juice and olive oil in which I have enjoyed for years but until now couldn't get Mom to 'bite', and guess what...She loved it!

We also had Mom's excellent Black Bean Salad that is always a hit with any meal but went exceptionally well with the salmon.

The Wine:
This one was kind of tricky for me whereas Mom nailed her favorite right off the bat. As usual, we placed our bets as we sat down to dinner. The wines we paired were...

Beringers Founders Estate Savignon Blanc 07'
Mizza Corona Pinot Gris 08'
Lindeman's Pinot Noir 09'
Yellow Tail Pinot Noir 09'
Marcus James Malbec 08
Mystery Wine...

The Result: Let the Games Begin
Mom decided to spice things up a bit by serving a 'mystery wine' which she poured into a decanter and hid the bottle before I got there. This was the one she thought would be the winner. I on the other hand thought it would be the Malbec as salmon is a pretty heavy fish and being grilled, I thought would call for a heavier wine.
After tasting all the wines I was sooo confused - none of them, including my pick really had that 'WOW' factor. The only one I could say was really good was the mystery wine, but it still wasn't "all that" for me. Mom on the other hand knew right away that her favorite was the mystery wine. She loved it from the first sip! She of course wouldn't reveal it's label until I made my final choice.
After going back and forth between wines, I had finally decided that the mystery wine would have to be it. It was definintely my favorite among the others so I had to give in.
The label....? One that I had bought in the Leeleneau Pennisula on one of our wine tasting trips. I knew I'd never drink it so after letting it sit for months in my wine rack, I gave it to Mom quite sometime ago. It's an off-dry white wine produced by Shady Lane Cellars called Scerenity, with a very strong vanilla / floral taste to it. I also now have orders to pick up another bottle on my next trip in September.
Once again, we had a great time and a great menu. Until next month...
- Cheers
Candi & Cindi

Grilled Salmon w/Arugula Sauce

The Salmon (Williams-Sonoma)

4 salmon fillets, each 5 to 7 oz.
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Grapeseed oil for brushing
4 tsp. lemon-infused olive oil (we used olive oil & lemon juice)
8 fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped

Prepare a hot fire in the grill. Season the salmon fillets with salt and pepper and brush with grapeseed oil. Place the fillets on the grill and cook turning once until the fish is firm to the touch (4-5 min. per side). Transfer the fillets to plates and drizzle with about 1 tsp. of the lemon oil and garnish with the basil. Serve immediately.




The Sauce (Wine, Food and Friends)

1 cup coarsely chopped fresh parsley
1 cup chopped arugula
2/3 cup of water
1/2 cup chopped fresh chives
1/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted
1 Tbsp. capers, drained
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshley ground black pepper
1 garlic clove chopped
1 slice white bread (we used about a cup of garlic croutons)

Combine all 10 ingredients in a food processor, process until smooth. Drizzle over prepared salmon.

Black Bean and Corn Salad

1/3 cup lime juice (we use fresh squeezed)
1/2 cup olive oil
1 clove minced garlic
1 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 15oz. cans black beans, rinsed
1 1/2 cup fresh or frozen corn
1 avacado, diced (we didn't use avacado)
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
6 green onions, sliced
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Combine lime juice, olive oil, garlic, salt and cayenne pepper in a small covered bowl. Shake until mixed.
Combine beans, corn, avacado, pepper, tomatoes, green onions and cilantro in a large bowl. cover with dressing, mix well and serve.
Spinach Salad

Fresh baby spinach leaves
Red onion
grape tomatoes
feta cheese
olive oil and fresh squeezed lemon juice

Combine all ingredients and drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice.

My Very Own NEW Recipe

Actually...I hate to say that cuz' everytime I start feeling pretty good about a new concoction, I'll find out that it's been a recipe for years, however, either way, this is a great snack (I've actually had it for dinner the last two nights...shameful).
Put a 'bunch' of butter in a frying pan and melt on medium high. Place a slice of Ciabatta bread (buttered on both sides) in the pan. Sprinkle with basil or herbs/spices of choice (fresh basil would be awesome). Brown on both sides and remove. Then (in the same pan, same butter) place two slices of tomatoes. Fry briefly, just enough to warm and soak in butter (this literally takes 2 seconds). Place that on the bread. Then melt a little brie to spread on the top of bread and tomato, pour a glass of Merlot (or wine of choice) and you have an awesome bread, cheese and wine snack! TO DIE FOR!!! (seriously, with that amount of butter going on, I can't gaurantee that you won't)! But it's worth it.
-Cheers

Got It!!!

I finally got our Chat Box set up for the weekly event! This will be sooo cool, even if it's just a few of us.
I'm very excited to see what kind of wines are brought to the (virtual) 'table' and what the overall opinions and discussions are about.
I'm going to say, for the first wine club event "Diva's Uncorked Thursday", we'll all just choose our own wine, food is optional, and discussion will be on all of the different types of wine chosen and our thoughts and opinions on each. We would like to know the producer, region and vintage so keep your bottle close by (I'm guessin' that wont be a problem...) and we'll go from there.
The first event will take place next Thursday, Sept. 3rd @ 9:00 pm. and ( we intend anyway) to continue every Thursday night. We will let you know of any changes and further info.
-Cheers
Candi & Cindi

Diva's Uncorked

Sorry for the confusion on the website the last few hours. I'm attempting to find and install an interactive widget to be able to host....Diva's Uncorked Thursdays!!

This will be designed for anyone (i.e.,followers, friends, strangers, wine lovers of all kinds, from all over...over 21 of course!) to join us in a virtual social event (well...the wine will be real of course) tasting and discussing all kinds of great wines while chatting about them in a live chat on our blog.

Here's what we're thinking. Every Thursday night we will hold an online open forum. You may be a mom that doesn't get out much due to husband and kids, or someone who works way too much to want to go out and be away from home on a Thurs. night, or just someone who would like an excuse to kick back, chit chat, make new friends and enjoy a great glass of wine....and the best part? You don't even have to leave your house or worry about how you look!

The only thing I haven't figured out yet is if we should assign a particular wine each week and all discuss our thoughts, opinions, etc. or if everyone should choose their own wine and share with all what kind it is, your thoughts and opinions, what you're eating it with (if anything), etc. I think maybe the second option may be the way to go but let us know what you think. In the meantime, we'll work out the quirks and get this weekly party started asap.
-Cheers
Candi & Cindi

Julie and Julia

Went to see Julie and Julia yesterday. So cute! It reminded me so much of Mom and I and our never ending food and wine venture, and some of the things that happened in the movie (i.e. dropping the chicken, making a mess, etc.), hit very close to home (like the Tiramisu gig a few months ago)!
Anyway....great movie!

A great frozen Sangria

Recently my hubby and I went to dinner with friends and I had a triple berry Sangria. It was sooo good and I thought hey, that shouldn't be too hard to concoct, right? It wasn't at all hard and in fact, I think I liked mine better.
All I did was put some blueberries, strawberries and raspberries in the blender with ice and 1/2 a bottle of Merlot and voila! Great summer drink and so easy!
You can use whatever fruit you want, be creative and let us know what you come up with. We'll share it on our blog.

Some NEW Stuff

Just posting a few of our latest creations...
This one is one of my favorites

When we're not working on the magazine, website, menu, advertising, etc...I'm painting!
I found this awesome website featuring all kinds of talented and creative people selling their hand made art. Etsy.com
Anyone interested in great art IT'S A MUST VISIT SITE!

So, there will be much more to come and I will keep everyone posted as best I can.
All glasses can be viewed and purchased at our new online store...
The Candi & Cindi Uncorked Store

Next on the Agenda

Well...it's that time again.
Mom and I spent last week preparing (and pairing) the September edition of Candi & Cindi Uncorked Food & Wine Pairing. Although the meal was excellent, the wine was quite surprising and definitely a first in our pairings (for me anyway) but nonetheless, enjoyable and sure to appease. The Sept. edition of Mt. Pleasant Monthly will be on the shelves Sept. 1 so get your copy, or subscribe at www.mtpleasantmonthly.com.

Back by Popular Demand

Well...not really. We just thought it would be fun.

Because we love food and wine so much, we've decided to open The Candi & Cindi Uncorked Store featuring one of a kind, hand painted wine glasses.

There is only one of each glass and are all painted and signed by Candi & Cindi Uncorked.
You can view what we have so far at our Ebay store:
The Candi & Cindi Uncorked Store
We will add additional glasses as they become available.
-Cheers

Our Diva Trip

Yes, this was a great 'girl' trip.
A couple of weeks ago we had decided to make a day (or two) of a trip up north to enjoy shopping, eating, drinking, a Diva party and the girls!

So last week Mom, Karen McConnell and myself headed up to Petosky and Harbor Springs to do just that.
Leaving early in the morning we arrive in Petosky about noon, had lunch and shopped before making our way to our friends house in which we were staying and joining for the Diva Party later that night.
The girls started arriving about 4 p.m to get ready for our bus trip to the party.

After enjoying a couple of cocktails on the deck, our ride was there and ready to drive us on our Diva excursion for the evening.

We had sooo much fun!

Of course because of the bus ride and picking other people up along the way, we were a bit late, but none the less, made it to the party and had a great time!

The next day we made our way to Harbor Springs for more shopping, eating, drinking and the 'girls'.
We ran into a few of our friends that were still there from the night before as well, and all decided to take a boat ride around the harbor where we brought a couple bottles of wine, kicked back and enjoyed the scenery.

It was a great 2 days and we all had so much fun together. The company was excellent and the experience was definitely a great one! Can't wait to do it again...

-Cheers

August Pairing! BBQ Ribs

As I said on our blog a few weeks ago, maybe, just maybe we are actually learning something from all this nonsense. You'd think eating and drinking wine would be a pretty simple task to tackle, but we have definitely questioned ourselves on our actual 'knowledge' of such many times in the past.

We've actually started staking our bets before dinner even begins on which wine(s) we think will pair the best with the menu. This time, although there were many wines discussed (and purchased) we each had our own preconceived notion about what we thought would be 'the one'. Low and behold, the one I thought came in second and moms....'The One'!

We were both quite shocked but quite gratified at the same time thinking there may be a good possibility that we have made some progress in this whole food and wine pairing venture. The fact that we're agreeing...kinda' scary but I guess that's what happens when you actually know what you're talking about. We even agreed on which ones to decant and not decant. Yeah, weird right? (Don't let it alarm you too much, I'm quite certain it was a freak thing).

Anyway, the wines we tried with the menu were:

Bogle Old Vine Zinfindel ($12)
Rosemount Cabernet Sauvignon ($10)
Malbec ($10)
Circle Spring Shiraz ($10)
Pico Syra ($10)

I thought it would be the Malbec, mom thought the Shiraz and we were both right on, well...except for hers was the best. We had tried the Old Vine Zin. in the past and did not like it at all but thought we'd give it another shot. We still 'do not like it at all'. I do have to say that I have tried it by itself and it is not bad but so far we have yet to make a good pairing with it. The
Cabernet was ok, but not great and the Syra....ehe. It was definitely between the Malbec and the Shiraz and we had to agree that the Shiraz did it all the way around.
We hope that you will enjoy this menu with the little bit of summer that we have left and as always, feel free to let us know what you think.
-Cheers
Candi & Cindi
BBQ Ribs

Rub

Garlic Powder
Chili Powder
Cumin
Emeril's Original Essence
To taste for all

Barbeque Sauce

Bull's Eye

Sprinkle ribs with each seasoning. Place on grill (about 400° direct heat) for 15 min. (7 1/2 min/side) Remove from grill and wrap in foil. Place in paper bag and put in a 200° oven on a baking sheet for three hours. Place back on the grill for 15 min. (indirect medium) and mop with barbeque sauce.
Serve.

Grilled - Roasted New Potatoes

2 lbs new potatoes, each 1 1/2 - 2 inches in diameter, scrubbed and quartered
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp minced fresh rosemary
1/2 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients and stir to coat potatoes. Grill over direct medium heat until tender and browned on all sides, about 15 -20 min., scooping and turning with a wide spatula every 5 mins. until tender.

Easy Creamy Cole Slaw

1/2 cup mayonnaise (Hellmans)
1 Tbsp vinegar
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp celery seeds
1 small onion grated or shredded
5 cups packaged cole slaw mix

For dressing, in a large bowl, stir together mayo, vinegar, sugar, salt, pepper and celery seed.
Add cole slaw mix and onion. Toss lightly to coat. Cover and chill 2 to 24 hours.

The Big Screen....!

Not really, but you would think anyway!
For months I have been trying to get Mom to let us tape our pairings and post them to the website, you tube, etc. You would think I was asking her to perform an Emmy Award winning moment or something...."no, not this time"..."no, I look terrible"..."no, I'm not in the mood tonight"..."no, no, no!"
Well, low and behold, she calls me tonight and says...(you guessed it)..."I've been thinking. We should video tape our pairings and put them on the site".

You're absolutely right mom, we should. What a great idea! (would have been the oprative response).

Instead,it was more like, " Are you freakin' kidding me!? How many times have I brought this up!? How many times have I told you we need to be doing this and you in some way, shape or form prohibited it from happening! Now all of the sudden you are some genius is the world of social media and branding? You're right mom, it's a great idea, let's do it!(was the actual response).

Anyway, despite who's idea it actually was, and when it will take place is still yet to be determined, however, we did invite my aunts for the sept. pairing and I think that would be a great place to start! We'll keep you posted but either way, it will be a great time! With my Mom, my aunts and myself...oh yeah! It's garaunteed to be a great time!
-Cheers

The Big Screen....!

No ryme...No reason

To answer all of those questions that we seem to get doing what we do....no, I did not 'grow up' drinking wine, no, my mom didn't drink wine while I was growing up (not at all that I can remember), and no...we have not had any 'formal education' or line of expertise in our family.
We simply enjoy food, wine and life and thoroughly enjoy sharing it with our friends and readers. We would never claim (by any stretch of the imagination) to be 'professionals' or 'experts' in our field. To us it is a form of pure enjoyment, curiosity and the need to find our own truths and opinions and pass them on as suggestions to our readers.
Don't get me wrong! We definitley do our research into what 'pairs best with what' (according to the experts), but we always throw in our own ideas and opinions of what we think will go with what food, and more often then not (to our surprise), we end up choosing a great, off the wall wine that we would never guess would pair with that particular menu.
The ultimate thrill and purpose of our pairings? Not to claim supremisy of knowledge in the world of food and wine, but to provide our friends and readers with a fun, informational, family and friend oriented way to cook, eat, drink and enjoy life with those that mean the most! After all, what could be more important?
-Cheers
Candi & Cindi

NEW WEBSITE!

This won't apply to all, but Mt. Pleasant has a new website! Packed full of information regarding the Central Michigan area. Including not only our monthly wine pairing but other community related articles, real estate, garage sales, classifieds, hotels, restaurants, business directory, auto sales, calendar of events, entertainment and soo much more. The website is completely user operated and offers a ton of information regarding the Central Michigan area.
Visit www.experiencemtpleasant.com for a one click, one stop shop for everything Mt. Pleasant, Michigan!

Ok, so maybe....

Just maybe we really are learning something from all of this nonsense!
We've now started staking our bets before dinner even begins on what each of us thinks will go (wine wise) with the menu.
This past Wed. we held our monthly pairing for the magazine and although we bought and thought of many different wines to pair, we each had one in mind that we just knew was going to the 'the one.' Low and behold....my pick came in second, and mom's...the winner! She was sooo proud of herself.
The funny part is we're actually starting to agree, which is kinda scary. We even agreed on which ones to decant and which ones not to decant.
So I guess the moral of the story is, we're either learning something (together) with this whole food and wine pairing venture that we're on, or we've just gotten really over arguing about it. I personally can't believe the latter will ever be true so we'll stick to "we're actually learning something"....yeah!
(And I just have to say...aren't the dishes AWESOME!!! Thanks to Gray's Furniture downtown for the beautiful dishes that they had just set up moments before we came in!)

Fourth of July Picinic Menu

Ok, my bad....
I've been so wrapped up in the menu for the magazine, etc. that I totally bombed at getting on our blog on time. So sorry but please enjoy!

This was definitely a first for us. Quite often we have more than one wine that pairs great with the menu and have a hard time narrowing it down, and other times there is just no comparison.

There will be one wine that stands out above the rest making it an easy call. However, this time was just the opposite. We had a very hard time choosing one as none of them were that great. Don't get me wrong, they were all very good, but paired with the food there just wasn't that 'WOW' factor that we go for in our pairings.

Here is what we tried:

Vendange Savignon Blanc California 07'
Belconte Trebbiano d' Abrussa Italy 07'
* Ravenswood Vitners Blend Chardonnay California 07'
Juno Rose' 08'
Red Bicyclette Pinot Noir 07'
Gabbiano Chianti 07'

When it came right down to it, it was definitely between the Chardonnay and Chianti. I know....two completely different wines right? Yes they are and they definitely had two completely different effects on the food making it difficult to choose. We both agreed that it had to be the Chardonnay based on the fact that it was above all the best (but still not quite what we were looking for).
I'm sure we'll try this one again sometime as it's going to drive us crazy until we find it but in the meantime, do your own pairing and let us know what you may come up with.
-Cheers
Candi & Cindi

Nellie's Southern Fried Chicken

1 package Pick of the Chick
2 cups flour
Salt & pepper to taste
Crisco

Thoroughly rinse and pat dry chicken pieces. Melt Crisco in large, deep frying pan. Mix flour, salt and pepper together in a large platter. Roll each piece of chicken in the flour mixture until well coated and slowly place in pan and fry, turning occassionaly until cooked thoroughly (about 10-15 min. or until meat reaches 180 degrees).

The biscuits were Pillsbury Grands (yep...in the tube) .

Watermelon Salad

5 cups seedless ripe, juicy watermelon cubed
1 1/2 lbs. round, ripe tomatoes 3/4" cubed
1 small red onion quartered and thinly sliced
3 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 extra virgin olive oil
Cracked black pepper to taste

Combine watermelon and tomatoes in a large bowl. Sprinkle with sugar and salt tossing to coat. Let stand 15 min.
Stir in onion (THINLY SLICED!), vinegar and oil. chill for 2 hours. Sprinkle with cracked pepper to taste

Cindi's Potato
Salad

5 lbs. red potatoes
8 boiled eggs
1 large onion
Lots of Hellmann's
1 1/2 cups sour cream
Dill pickle juice
Salt & pepper to taste

Boil potatoes until tender. Drain and place in large serving bowl. Stir in all ingredients to desired consistency and taste.

Very Simple Dessert
Blueberries, strawberries and whipped cream layered in dessert glass.

A family Tradition...

Ok...as much as we wish these were really olives (because of course then we'd be in like Italy or somewhere)...they're not (as I'm sure you already know).
But Mom and I thought they were so pretty in her back yard and both of us said "they look like olives", we had to get pics and share. They're actually miniature plums on her plum tree, which are still very pretty but not really the same concept....although we have said maybe we should try making some plum wine.
I've said for years now that we're going to make a crab apple wine from all of our crab apple trees and haven't quite gotten to it yet, but you never know...this may be the year...? Or plum...?

Talk About Fireworks!

Mom and I got together this week to do the July pairing for the magazine which was based on a 4th of July Picnic. Not that bickering and arguing isn't normal for us but perhaps we were preparing a bit too long this time as we argued right down to how thin the onions needed to be sliced!

I've found (as well as I'm sure she has) that it's not always easy having a parent/child work relationship but then again, at least we can say we have a 'parent/child' relationship, period. And I know we're both (somewhere deep down) thankful for that....I think.

Our work never ends...

Yep...we were at it again last night.
After dropping my youngest off at an "end of the school year" party, I stopped by Mom's to see what she was up to and of course, she was cooking.
You know by now that her and I can't be together with food without conducting a 'mini' pairing so let the games begin....
She made Cheese Stuffed Shells with Red Sauce. Our very first wine suggestion was a Cab., then we added a Pinot Grigio and a Rigatoni Red. We started with the Pinot Grigio and really liked it, A Lot!
But then....we tried the Rigatoni Red! WOW! All bets were off at that point. We knew nothing else we tried after this could possibly compare, and we were right. For traditional 'pairing' sake, we tasted the Cabernet (we had to give it a chance) but it didn't hold a candle, just as we suspected.
For approx. $11/bottle, you can't go wrong with this one in accompanying a great cheese and marinara sauce recipe.
Thank you Rigatoni Red!
-Cheers
Candi & Cindi

I love my job!

One should not take researching 'food and wine' too far. Although it's great to be able to drink wine as one of my jobs for publishing and sharing with the world, sometimes get a bit carried away when it tastes really good on a warm, sunny evening on the deck!
I do however have to say that I made my favorite pasta which consists of speghettie noodles and a mixture of olive oil, butter, garlic, basil, salt and pepper and grilled italian garlic bread brushed with butter and it went excellently with Juno Chardonnay (and I'm not even a 'white' drinker).
Cheers -

New Layout

As you can probably see I've changed the layout or our blog. I started out this morning thinking "ya know, our blog is about a month old and I think it's time to change things up a bit"...well...5 hours later and 1000 different ideas, layouts, website visits, losing previous info., etc., I finally finished. I think this is what we want to stick with for a while, kind of FUNky and exciting, but too busy...? I don't know but I'm done with it for now!

We Want YOU!!!

As you all know, Mom and I get together regularly to make great food to pair with great wine...and we'd like your involvement!
We'd like some new, interesting recipe's from our readers.
We've started a Wine Lovers' Community (icon on the left) that welcomes your recipe's, wine suggestions, questions, answers, opinions, comments, discussions, etc.
We're always looking for great new recipes to use in our pairings and we'd love to see what you've got (as well as sharing with other members).
You never know, your recipe may be used in our next pairing.
(P.S. Your recipe must either be your own or let us know the source so we can give appropriate credit).
Tell your friends and can't wait to see all the yummy suggestions!

June (Diva) Wine Pairing!

Well....it's that time. I can finally post the June wine pairing!

Ok, so I'm a couple days early but that's ok, I've waited long enough!

Way back when we thought we’d do a wine pairing for June that would incorporate Mom’s birthday (June 1st). But instead of making it about her birthday, she decided that we should make it about friends and being together, hence the ‘Diva Party’ (which included eleven of our friends). It was a excellent idea! It was great company, great atmosphere and great time with food and friends!
Although I should have been more involved in the actual cooking process, I couldn’t stop taking pictures of all the other girls in the kitchen and on the patio, cooking, drinking and totally and completely loving eachother’s company.

Starting preparation weeks ago, Dani, Mom and I got together to plan the menu and the wine. Dani became a part of the process as Mom wanted to do an Italian theme (meaning great pasta) and Dani, being Italian (and a great friend) makes excellent homemade pasta. Besides the fact we knew how much fun it would be for the three of us to cook together.

Dani also introduced us to the Eastern Market in Detroit. She thought it would be cool to do our shopping for the ‘fresh goods’ there and she was sooo right! We were like kids in a candy store. This place was awesome! I highly recommend taking the trip if for nothing else but the experience. We were kind of on a mission and didn’t have a lot of time to spend but you can bet we’ll do it again and take more time!

Of course Mom and I had our traditional disagreement on which wine to pair with the menu (and Dani was a witness to this one). We finally said the usual, “you bring your wine, I’ll bring mine.” And we did, and guess what....I don’t think half of the wines that we chose to pair were actually paired with the menu. Every girl that came to the pairing brought a bottle (or two) as the invitation requested, so as you can imagine we had a gazillion bottles of great wine and just kind of tried them as they came (well, not all of them of course....ok, a lot of them though).

It certainly was not our traditional way of pairing. Mom is saying “everybody just drink what you want with dinner” and I’m going “no, no, no! What do you mean? How are we going to do this? How are we going to pair three different pastas with thirteen different women and all this wine?!?”
Actually, when it was all said and done it all worked out. Everybody kind of did their own thing, but we all pretty much agreed on the same wines.

I’m not going to list all the wines this time (it would be way too confusing) but I can tell you that it pretty much came down to the following.

Chianti Classico 05’, Gogra fico ($17.99/Eastern Market)
Woodbridge - Mondavi 07’ Pino Noir, California ($7.99/Meijer)
Farrri Carano 06 Chardonnay, Alexander Valley (Judy’s)
Azzurra Chardonnay 06’, Product of Italy (‘Big Blue’ / Paulette’s)

Lee is a fan of Pinot Noir so she drank that with dinner and liked it with everything. Judy is a Chardonnay fan so naturally she drank and preferred the one that she brought, everybody else....the Chianti with the Ravioli and Tomato Sauce and Chardonnay with the Penne and Spaghetti.
The two Chardonnay’s that seemed to take the spotlight were the ones that Paulette and Judy brought. (Obviously, ‘big blue’ took it’s name that night from the huge blue bottle). The Chianti was one we picked up from our trip to the Eastern Market and paired beautifully with the Ravioli. Although there were many more wines tasted and enjoyed that night, we all agreed that these were the best with the menu.
We all had an excellent time and Mom and I could’nt have pulled it off quite as well without the contributions of great wine, friendship and sheer company!

Cheers - Candi & Cindi

With this pairing we decided to go Italian. We served a variety of food including fresh breads and dipping oils, olives, great cheeses, tomato salad and ceasar salad, however the main dishes were three different types of pasta ( a cream, an oil and a tomato based sauce). We also served what you might call tiramisu for desert....or might not!

Penne with Gorgonzola sauce
(The Best Ever Pasta cookbook)
14 oz dried penne
2 tbsp unsalted butter
6 fresh sage leaves
7 oz Gorgonzola cheese, diced
1/4-1 cup heavy cream or panna da cucina
2 tbsp dry vermouth
salt and pepper
Serves 4

1. Bring a large heavy-bottom pan of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the pasta, return to boil and cook for 8-10 min., until tender but firm to the bite.
2. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a separate heavy-bttom pan. Add the sage leaves and cook, stirring gently for 1 min. Remove and set aside the sage leaves. Add the cheese and cook, stirring constantly, over low heat until it has melted. Gradually stir in 3/4 cup of the cream and the vermouth. Season to taste with salt and pepper and cook, stirring until thickened. Add more cream if the sauce seems too thick.
3. Drain the pasta well and transfer to a warmed serving dish. Add the Gorgonzola sauce, toss well to mix and serve immediately, garnished with the reserved sage leaves.

Spaghetti Olio e Aglio

(The Best Ever Pasta cookbook)

1 lb dried spaghetti
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 tbsp chopped fresh flatleaf parsley
salt and pepper
Serves 4

1. Bring a large heavy-bottom pan of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the pasta, return to a boil, and cook for 8-10 min., or until tender but firm to bite.
2. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a heavy-bottom skillet. Add the garlic and a pinch of salt and cook over low heat, stirring constantly for 3-4 min., or until golden. Do not let the garlic brown or it will taste bitter. Remove the skillet from heat.
3. Drain the pasta and transfer to a large, warmed serving dish. Pour in the
garlic-flavored olive oil, then add the chopped parsley and season to taste with salt and pepper. Toss well and serve immediately.

Dani’s Homemade Cheese Ravioli with Special Tomato Sauce

It is said that a great Italian family recipe is never
revealed...sorry!

Tiramisu

( NO PHOTO) trust me on this one!

I thought it would be great, since we had the whole ‘Italian’ theme going on, to serve Tiramisu for desert.
LEAVE THIS ONE TO THE PROS!
Unless of course you don’t mind egg yolk dripping down your windows and counter tops and you have a complete understanding of what “soft ball” stage means, I don’t recommend it! I did however learn how Rock Candy is made.
I eventually pulled it off and the girls loved it but I can assure you it will not be on another menu of ours any time soon...

4 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup water
4 egg yolks
1 tablespoon sweet Marsala wine (+) 2 tablespoons for the espresso mixture. Use the best you can buy!
4 ounces cream cheese
6 ounces mascarpone cheese
8 ounces heavy whipping cream, whipped
2 cups espresso or strong coffee
1 ounce dark rum
2 tablespoons sugar
24 French-style ladyfingers
2 tablespoons powdered sweetened cocoa mix
2 tablespoons grated semi sweet chocolate

Cream Mixture: Cook sugar and water together until it reaches a temperature of between 234° and 240°F on a candy thermometer, this is the soft-ball stage. At the same time, in an electric mixer, prepare egg mixture by whipping the egg yolks on high speed until pale yellow and thick, then slowly pour in the sugar syrup while mixing on high until the mixture is light and fluffy, Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl. With mixer on medium speed, add cream cheese and whip until smooth. Add mascarpone and Marsala. Mix until incorporated. Fold in whipped cream. Refrigerate.
Espresso Mixture: To prepare espresso mixture, combine espresso, additional Marsala, dark rum and sugar. Heat to 140 degrees F. then let it cool completely before using it.
To assemble, dip ladyfingers in espresso mixture. Place one layer of dipped ladyfingers on bottom of serving platter. Top with one layer of cream mixture. Add another layer of dipped ladyfingers, topped with a second layer of cream mixture. Sift cocoa over top.
Refrigerate for 2 hours before serving.
Sprinkle with grated chocolate.

Just when you think you haven't learned anything...

I was recently watching a show on TV (ok, it was the Bachelorette if you must know) and I couldn't help but giggle to myself when she was meeting the guys for the first time and one of them has family business in the wine industry. When he asked her what her favorite wine was she said "The really dark, heavy reds....like Shiraz".

Now to her, I guess this could be a 'really' dark red but in reality it's really not. I would even venture to say that a Shiraz may even be one of the lighter of the red wines being a little sweeter, lighter bodied than some of the heavier ones. Although a very good wine ( and often my favorite, depending on my mood), not super dark or heavy. Typically what would be considered (or at least what I would consider) a 'dark, heavy' red would be a Cabernet Savignon, Melbeck, Merlot, etc. due to it's very dry taste, super deep red color and full bodied flavor. On the lighter side would be Shiraz, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel and maybe Chianti.

Anyway, the point of my story is that Mom and I claim to know NOTHING when it comes to pairing wine. We simply make great food and buy a ton of wine to taste with it and narrow it down to which one went best. We don't claim to be professionals by any strech of the imagination, but as I'm rambling on in my mind that night about the differences in red wines and how funny I thought it was that a Shiraz would be considered dark and heavy, it hit me....maybe we have learned something in our oblivious, wine crazed ventures!?!

And for the record, I think this applies to everyone no matter what the subject. We really don't think we've learned much until someone asks a question, or acts like they know what they're talking about and all of the sudden all of this information comes trickling from the brain and out the mouth without even knowing that you really knew it!!!

A 'Flickr' of photos...

Well....although it's hard to believe (after all the "Diva" hoopla), it's already time to start preparing for our July Pairing. So far so good! We have actually agreed on the main menu (picnic for the Fourth) but the choices of wines have yet to be discussed or determined, of course that usually comes into play at the last minute. I'm not even going to go into how that usually goes (if you don't already know), but it always works one way or another regardless.
I do have to say though...I have gotten such a kick out of taking the photos for the food and wine and have had such a positive response, that I can't help but to share so many more of the photos than we have room for in the magazine or on the website. We now have a Flickr site featuring our photos of "Food, Wine and Life". This is where I have decided to share with those interested in our photos, a 'shot' of all. Although there are only a few now, there will be many more to come so if you're interested in viewing our Candi and Cindi Uncorked photos as well as other 'shots' of life, please feel free to visit http://www.flickr.com/photos/foodwineandlife
It's no biggie, just fun and hope you enjoy!
Cheers - Candi & Cindi
P.S...When I'm on a "descent" internet connection (tomorrow), I will upload many more!

This Weeks Fav....again

Not that it's a 'newbie' but I had forgotten how good Yellow Tail Shiraz is... or Yellow Tail anything for that matter. With all the different wines we pair with our menus, I kind of lose track of the 'oldies but goodies'. At right around $8/bottle this is a great deal on a really great wine.

June Give Away!

These are the glasses that 1. we hand painted for the girls of the Diva Pairing and 2. that we served the tiramisu in. They each took one home with them and I'm painting 4 more to give away to one of our great Blogger friends!

There are olives (or something resembling them) all the way around the glass and 'Candi & Cindi Uncorked' on the bottom. They are diswasher safe and very thick, sturdy glasses.

We'll be drawing the winner on July first so pass it on to all of your friends and followers to follow the Candi & Cindi Uncorked blog by June 30th to enter!

THANKS!

Our Diva Party Pairing!

The theme...Italian.

The food and wine...excellent.

The girls....

Idiots!! (ha!)

We had sooo much fun doing this with so many great friends. Between shopping and cooking with Dani, taking pictures of Sue ALL night, Paulette's 'big blue' (I'll explain later), the awesome gift from Judy & Lee and the company of all the girls, it was definately all we anticipated and more!
As you know we had been preparing for quite some time. Mom and Dani where in charge of the main course and I took on dessert....yikes! Let me just say that I believe Tiramisu should be left to the pros...and only the pros! More on that catastrophe later too, (and no, I didn't get any pictures).

Mom and Dani and I got started cooking about 3pm as the girls would be there 5ish. Dani made her homemade pasta (of course ahead of time) so all we had to focus on was the other pastas, sauces and hor d' oerves.

Luckily it was an absolutely beautiful day and we were able sit out on the patio.

Although we won't be able to publish recipes and specifics until June 1st, and although we didn't go about it in our 'traditional' way of pairing, I promise you it was an excellent menu and the choices of wines were fabulous! We'll defenately have to have these 'diva pairings' more often and thanks so much to everyone involved.

We'll post everything else the 1st of the month.

Our Diva Party 'shopping trip'

If you've been following our blog you know that we are making preperations for the June Wine Pairing this week. Usually it's just Mom and myself but to kick off summer we thought it'd be fun to make it a 'girls' thing. As a result we've invited 12 friends to join us for this one.

" The Diva Wine Pairing"

Mom, Dani (Montini) and myself all headed to the Eastern Market in Detroit, MI to get the goods this weekend and had an awesome time!

Mom and I have never been but Dani is a regular and of course we were all for sharing the experience of food, wine and shopping together for the big event!

We all met at Moms house about 6am and headed out armed with coffee, market baskets and a mission.

When we finally got there we were like kids in a candy store!

The streets are lined with people, produce, art, flowers, herbs, food, music, beautiful old buildings and vendors open for business. It was awesome! Mom and I couldn't stop 'ooohing' and 'aaaahhhing'.

We went into one little shop first before having breakfast at a great place next door called Vivio's, where Mom and I had the traditional arguement over which wines we were going to pair with this menu. Dani was cracking up.

Yep, that's right, it happens every month. Usually over the same thing.... white or red, and usually ends up the same...."you bring the wines you want to pair, I'll bring the wines I want to pair." And end up with a variety of both.

But, we always find 'the one' that works and always have a great time!

Enough about that, back to this great market! The experience itself is worth the trip. Each vendor has their own style and unique product. The first place we went into is where Mom and Dani got the cheese they needed for the menu.

This place had everthing from cheeses, fresh backed breads, cooking utensils, baskets, coffees/teas, crackers, sauces, oils, home decor and more. This is also where Mom got the cutest apron for our Diva party.


Unfortunahetely, the spice shop that we had planned to hit was closed for re-organization but it sure looked like a pretty cool place.

But then.....

We found this place!

Floor to cieling racks of wine in every direction..it was like the adult version of Disney! (Oh and, remember the 'red or white' arguement? We both ended up getting both).

After walking for a while, I wanted to jump over a street or two to get pic's of some buildings and vendors I could see from where we were. This is when we discovered the most awesome strip of the market yet!

It was like a whole other culture! First I could smell the smoke of grilling on the giant cookers then the music started to come into ear-shot.

When I finally got to where I could see what was going on, I yelled back to Mom and Danni that they had to come over here!

The meet on these grills was soooo huge it was unbelievable. I tried to get pictures that would show the enormitiy but the pictures do no justice at all for the size or smell of this food. Piles of ribs, hot dogs, burgers and chicken! Oh my gosh....the smell was mouth watering even after eating a huge breakfast at Vivio's.

There were people everywhere and live music with a sort of motown ambiance.

Of course to end our trip properly, we just had to go back to this place to have a seat and a cold beer and listen to the music before getting back on the road.

Although we had never been there before, we're fairly certain that the Eastern Market will be a 'regular' trip for us this summer! It's a must, if for no other reason than the experience.

- Cheers

Mother's Day Brunch Pairing!

Despite the fact that Mom was sicker than a dog and I was running late the day we cooked this dinner, all in all it turned out pretty darn good. Neither one of us were very ‘into it’ but wanted to make our typical outstanding menu regardless of circumstances.
Planning dinner for Friday night we met Thursday morning to shop. Although Mom was in ‘zombie’ mode we still were able to find everything we needed with little running around. However, Colossal King Crab Legs are certainly not the cheapest thing we could have chosen (approx. $22.99/lb) for our Mother’s Day Brunch Menu but worth it, and quite easy.
We tried all whites with this one with the exception of one blush:

The Rail Trail Clare Valley 05’ Riesling
Robert Mondavi Private Selection 07’ Pino Grigio
Beringer Napa Valley Vineyard 06’ Chardonnay
Sutter Home Chardonnay
Charles Shaw 07’ California White Zinfindel (AKA Two Buck Chuck)

This wasn’t too hard of a decision. It was very easy actually! Only one of these wines came even close to pairing well with the crab legs and corn and that was the Riesling. The two Chardonnay’s and the Pino Grigio were both pretty poor matches (although we did agree that the Sutter Home Chardonnay was way better than the Beringer in this case). The Pino was also very ‘blah’ and the White Zin...well, this one was given to me by a very good friend of ours, thanks Ron! But unfortunately it did nothing for this menu (maybe next time)!
Seriously, although they are all very good wines on their own and/or with a different menu, they didn’t quite cut it this time. The Riesling definitely gave the taste buds an extra ‘bite’ in combination with the peppers and onions. Very nice combination, and we’re not even Riesling fans. So once again, it may surprise you what wines you may actually like in certain situations paired with certain foods.
Until next time...
Cheers - Candi & Cindi

Crab and Corn Boil
( Sylvia’s Family Soul Food Cookbook)
2 gallons water
2 cups chopped onion
1 12-ounce can beer (any kind)
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped yellow bell pepper
1 tablespoon Cajun spice
1 tablespoon garlic pepper (we just used garlic and pepper)
2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
12 ears corn
18-24 hard shell crab (we used 5 colossal crab)

1. In a 16-quart pot, combine the water, onion, beer, bell peppers, Cajun spice, garlic pepper, and red pepper flakes. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat.

2. Add the corn and return to boil. Cook for 15 minutes. Add the crabs and cook until the crabs turn red, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain and serve with butter and salt for the corn, and a large bowl for the crab shells. We also had a side of melted butter for our crab.

Subscribe to Mt. Pleasant Monthly Magazine

I know all of you are followers of the Candi & Cindi Uncorked blog but if you'd like a full copy of Mt. Pleasant Monthly Magazine (the magazine we publish our food and wine pairing in), you can subscribe at mtpleasantmonthly.com for a full 36 page full color copy sent to your door each month for $24/year. Although it is a Central Michigan based magazine, there is lots of interesting and helpful information concerning the home, lifestyles, health, etc.

Mt. Pleasant Monthly Magazine is supported by it's advertisers and subscribers so your support is very much appreciated!

Diva Preperations...

We are ecstatic about the June Pairing and have begun preperation!
We're planning a 'Summer Diva' pairing with eleven of our friends for the June pairing. Normally it would be just Mom and I but we thought to kick the summer off right, how much fun would it be to make it a 'girls' thing!
Dani (Montini), Mom and myself met at Mom's house this morning to go over the menu and try to establish some sort of a concept, which I think we nailed (although I'm sure it will change a few times between now and then but still the same gist).
We've pretty much established the tablescape so far and are planning our shopping trip for the goods (food) next weekend.

Wine Pairing Wednesday?

Ok. so I'm thinking......there's Table Scape Thursday, we should have a Wine Pairing Wednesday. What do you think? Could be lots of fun!

Wine glass set / Give away

Now that we've gotten things in other areas established, we'd like to get more serious about our blog. In order to do so we've decided to hold a give away of what other than a set of beautiful wine glasses.
Eventually, when we accumulate more inventory from our monthly pairings, we will be hosting give-a-way's for actual pieces used for the menu (we usually have some pretty cool stuff and can't store it all).
This particular set is a 4 piece 'white/blush wine' set (Chardonnay, Pino (Blanc, Grigio, Gris) Savignon Blanc, White Zin., etc.). It has a very pretty iridecent glow showing colors of orange, pink, blue, etc. depending on the angle. 8.5" tall and 2.5" in diameter (holds 10 oz.)
If you are a member of our group on FaceBook or 'follow' our blog, you will be entered to win these elegant glasses.
Drawing will be held on May 1, 2009 so make sure you 'follow' our blog before that date and invite your friends!
-Cheers,
Candi & Cindi

The veggie bundles were actually much prettier than they were tasty. I'm sure if we would have prepared them another way or with a little more 'spice' they would have been good but they really weren't great in our opinion but you may disagree. Again, the full recipe in on our website for the April pairing ( Candi & Cindi Uncorked ).

These are the eggs Mom and I colored that we thought turned out so awful but photographed fairly well. We ended up using them for the April cover.

Easter Brunch

If you are healthy enough for a 'heart attack on a plate', this is a must make recipe! Mom and I made this for the Easter Brunch pairing in the April edition of the magazine and it is to DIE FOR!

We had a ton of fun putting this menu together. I had suggested way back doing the veggie bundles and she already knew she wanted to do eggs benedict so everything fell right into place pretty well.

Visit Candi & Cindi Uncorked to view the recipe and wine of choice.

Cheers,

Candi & Cindi

May Pairing

Although I won't reveal the menu and wine for the Mother's Day brunch that we did for the may edition, it was quite humorous. Mom was sicker than a dog and couldn't even focus and I was so busy at that point trying to wrap up the magazine that neither one of us were even into it. We were trying so hard but it just wasn't working, until we actually started cooking and sat down to dinner to taste the wines. Then things started to pick up a little bit. The food was excellent and I must say that the wine was a no brainer this time. Out of five that we paired there was only one that came even close to pairing. Not only that, it's not a wine I would usually drink so we were kind of surprised at that.

Just finished up the April edition and I am telling you...this may very well be the best menu we have ever paired!!! We've had some pretty good menus but this ranks right up there at the very top. We did Easter Brunch with an excellent Eggs Benedict menu, vegetable bundles and carrot cupcakes. The Eggs Benedict were out of this world and paired with the wine we chose...mmm...let's just say you don't want to miss out on this one! The April magazine will be on the shelves April 1st and the entire menu will be on the website by then as well.

To see this and other menu pairings visit www.mtpleasantmonthly.com and click on the Candi & Cindi Uncorked logo.

Next on the agenda....

Now that the March edition of the pairing is done, over and off to print, we're anxiously planning the next one! Although we're not sure exactly what's on the menu, we do know it will be Easter Brunch. We'll keep everyone posted of course and make sure you pick up the March edition. Will be on the shelves the first of March. Also, don't forget that you can subscribe to be sure you get every copy by going to www.mtpleasantmonthly.com and click on 'subscribe'.

The Brutal Truth

As some of you may know in reading our magazine, Mom and I very often disagree on which wines we're going to pair with our menus. Of course she's much more 'set in her ways', by the book, the way wine has went with food for years, light wines with light foods, heavy wines with heavy foods, etc. I on the other hand just want to try 'whatever'.

The last pairing proved to be a yet another disagreement to start but in the end, another discovery.

We're finding all the time that despite 'tradition', many different combinations of food and wines can be paired, and paired very nicely.

For example...our latest pairing included a menu of fish (cod), risotto and steamed green beans. Very simple as we are focusing on the upcoming Lent season. Now, keep in mind that not only do we have to publish this for thousands of readers and get it right, this time we had Mt. Pleasant's own well known connoisseur's, the Fabiano's, owners of Fabiano Bros. Distributing joining us.

For the most part we had 'white's'....reisling, sauvignon blanc and pinot grigio. We threw in a pinot noir (Lee's favorite) and a cab. (that I brought for shits and giggles because I saw a cod recipe online served with a cab.).

Now...you can only imagine my mother's anguish when I suggested a cabernet sauvignon. Freaked out enough as it was, she was, to say the least, upset with me for even bringing it. As I always do I explained, "but Mom, you never know, that's why we do this. We want to try things out of the ordinary and see what pairs the best."

Well...by the time dinner rolled around she was much more content and much more willing to try "all" of the choices we had.

Starting with the reisling ( we all loved it) then the sauvignon blanc (we all hated), then the pinot grigio (LOVED), then on to the pinot noir and cabernet.

Although we DID NOT choose the cab. to go with the meal overall, it was absolutely excellent with the fish and brought out an unbelievable flavor. Mom, to say the least, was floored! As a matter of fact, her and I ended up finishing off the bottle after dinner, as she repeated over and over again how amazed she was how well the cabernet went with the cod.

Ultimately, we ended up choosing the pinot grigio as our choice with the menu because of its light, dry, semi-fruity flavor that paired so well with the fish. We all agreed that the cab. may have been a slightly 'heavy' choice for this particular menu but if that's the way you like it, that's the way to go!

The moral of the story is....try to think a little more open minded when it comes to choosing a wine to serve with your meal. Yes, there are the age old rules, but many times you'll discover that something you never dreamed would pair with a certain food, ends up blowing your taste buds away!

Watch for this complete menu, recipe's and wine's in the March edition of Mt. Pleasant Monthly magazine or at http://foodandwinepairing.mtpleasantmonthly.com

Talk About Coincidence (or high stress levels)

Well...we did it! Feb. 1st was the day we were to draw the winning subscription to join Mom and I on our food pairing night. Although we are going to keep it under wraps until the March edition comes out, we think you'll enjoy the menu as much as the company that joined us.

We went through all the steps. First excitement, then a moment of 'holy crap, what were we thinking', then argueing like cats and dogs on what to serve, but then full circle back to excitement and content.

It turned out great and we all had a wonderful time.

Cheers - Candi

A Trip Through Michigan Wine Country

Although I have visited the wineries on Michigan's West side multiple times now, I'm always amazed at the beauty (no matter what time of year) and the passion that these people have for the wines they create.(Martini's too! Above photo is from a little bar on the top of the Park Place Hotel, downtown Traverse).

Having not yet visited all of them, and discovering a new one every time I notice that from the smallest of vineyards to the largest, more well known, they all have one interest at heart and that is to make the best possible wine for their customers and a comfortable atmosphere to share their passion in.

Chuck and I made a weekend of it by heading to Traverse City Friday afternoon/evening, checked into our hotel and headed off to dinner. We didn't do a whole lot that night (ok, we hit the casino for a little bit) before heading back to the hotel for some z's so we could enjoy a full day on Sat. & Sun.

Great weekend! Came home with about 20 bottles of great wine and a minor hangover but all in all it was excellent and mom and I now have lots of wine to pair for our readers and can't wait to get started!

Watch for our March pairing which will include Cod and lots of other goodies and possibly one of these new wines from Lelenau or Old Mission Penninsula!

foodandwinepairing@mtpleasantmonthly.com

Wine Trip

I'm looking extremely forward to a weekend up north hittin' the wine trails with the hubbs. I plan to bring back lots of new wine to pair with our dinners. CAN'T WAIT!