So, I really wanted tonight's post to be whippy and biting and highly intelligent...and I've even got the perfect topic - government wine regulations: Europe vs. the US (subtitle: European Governments Seem to Trust Their Citizens A Whole Lot More The US, Otherwise Why Don't French, et al., Wine Labels Have the Surgeon General's "Pregnant Women Should Not Drink This/This Beverage Impairs Your Brain" Warning).
But, I realized that to begin a post like that, I should probably know the answer to the question, yes? Why do American wine labels include the warning, when, I don't know, isn't just common sense? A quick search of this very query lands me at Wikipedia, which is good enough for a rude overview, but nothing that indicates why it's a law in the first place.
Hence, more reading is required. I hope to get to it soon. It's almost August, two-thirds of this year is nearly gone, and sometimes I feel as I am moving very, very quickly along this path of life, and yet, I'm hardly moving at all. I suppose I can attribute that to old age?
Let me drift for awhile into this evening's dinner. About two weeks ago, my parents, spouse, and I visited a local winery, one that specializes in "unique" wines...especially for cooking - i.e. Garlic, Jalapeno, and Basil Wine. Well, tonight I had three chicken breasts that needed eating, so I tossed them into a Ziploc baggie with 1/4 cup of the Basil and Garlic wines, along with 1/2 cup of olive oil, and liberal sprinkling of Italian seasoning. After about 25 minutes on the grill, they were ready for consumption. The meat was juicy and cooked just right, but I didn't get much flavor. I suppose that's because of the delicate, subtle natures of the wines I used.
However, I was most pumped about these "Zucchini Boats". I cut the squash in half, scooped out some of the seeds, brushed it with an olive oil/crushed garlic/basil mix, salt and pepper, placed cut, fresh tomatoes in the scooped-out bit, and sprinkled with bread crumbs. Then, I baked for 30 minutes at 350, removed it, scattered some mozzarella, and broiled it for about three minutes.
A green salad completed the meal...and I feel this fare right here is the epitome of summer. Bring it, August!
But, I realized that to begin a post like that, I should probably know the answer to the question, yes? Why do American wine labels include the warning, when, I don't know, isn't just common sense? A quick search of this very query lands me at Wikipedia, which is good enough for a rude overview, but nothing that indicates why it's a law in the first place.
Hence, more reading is required. I hope to get to it soon. It's almost August, two-thirds of this year is nearly gone, and sometimes I feel as I am moving very, very quickly along this path of life, and yet, I'm hardly moving at all. I suppose I can attribute that to old age?
Let me drift for awhile into this evening's dinner. About two weeks ago, my parents, spouse, and I visited a local winery, one that specializes in "unique" wines...especially for cooking - i.e. Garlic, Jalapeno, and Basil Wine. Well, tonight I had three chicken breasts that needed eating, so I tossed them into a Ziploc baggie with 1/4 cup of the Basil and Garlic wines, along with 1/2 cup of olive oil, and liberal sprinkling of Italian seasoning. After about 25 minutes on the grill, they were ready for consumption. The meat was juicy and cooked just right, but I didn't get much flavor. I suppose that's because of the delicate, subtle natures of the wines I used.
However, I was most pumped about these "Zucchini Boats". I cut the squash in half, scooped out some of the seeds, brushed it with an olive oil/crushed garlic/basil mix, salt and pepper, placed cut, fresh tomatoes in the scooped-out bit, and sprinkled with bread crumbs. Then, I baked for 30 minutes at 350, removed it, scattered some mozzarella, and broiled it for about three minutes.
A green salad completed the meal...and I feel this fare right here is the epitome of summer. Bring it, August!
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| Went a bit bigger on the salad...that's why it's not on the plate. |
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| Was not the most riveting pairing ever...wish I'd had a Chardonnay or Pinot Grigio |
Hi Heather! You have a really great site! I'm glad to have stumbled upon it! I was wondering if you feature guest postings. Thanks and have a great day!
ReplyDeleteHey there Heatherness! I wanted to share with you a very quick and awesomely delicious recipe I found today (and immediately had to try!)
ReplyDeleteI think they are called "Hungarian Cheese Buns" or similar.
Ingredients - 2 cups of tapioca flour (or tapioca starch), 2 cups of any kind or combination of shredded cheese you wish, 2 large eggs, and 2 teaspoons of baking powder.
Method - Mix the tapioca flour and the baking powder. Add the eggs and mix in. Add the cheese and mix in. Bake at 350 degrees for about 12-15 minutes.
That's it. Totally easy, totally quick, and OH GOD SO YUM!
I recommend shredded parmesan and monterrey jack together, but I'm sure you have dozens of different combinations you can come up with.
Regards,
Bluey!
Oops. Forgot. Divide the mix into about 12-14 balls, and put them on trays about 2 inches apart or so. Silly me. :)
DeleteYou know, I managed to balls that up completely. Put it down to a highly distractable mind today. With my apologies, the ingredients call for 2 cups of tapioca flour, FOUR cups of cheese, FOUR large eggs and 2 teaspoons of baking powder. Such is life!
DeleteOkay. I waited to reply to this, Bluey, because I thought maybe you'd post again with more changes. But, as I see there's been no activity here for 24 hours, I'm assuming you're done.
ReplyDeleteWith that said, COOL! But - am I limited to tapioca flour? Could I use, say, all-purpose or bread or pastry? My guess is no...there's something special about the tapioca.
Hah. You never know. Maybe I meant eleventy two-een teaspoons of baking powder, in order to make the oven explode. Whee!
DeleteHonestly, my brain has been a little scattered for a while now, but I'm pretty sure I got it right that last time.
I'm really not sure about the flour limitation - I'm doing that whole gluten free thing and so I can't experiment myself with it. I'm making the assumption that it's probably not though - tapioca flour seems to have some interesting tactile properties that regular flour doesn't.
That being said, however, considering the miniscule amount of ingredients needed to make these things, you could cut it down to a 1 cup of flour, 2 egg, 1 tsp of baking powder and 2 cups of cheese thing, and experiment with a really small batch (about 5-6 buns that way) without losing too much in the way of ingredients.
Let me know if you do. I'm curious now. :)