Hello.  It is now May of 2012 and as a family, a nurse, a mother, and a business owner we are making some big changes.  every day in May at our business we are introducing something new.  For 2009 and 2010 we published our own cookbooks of the recipes that we utilized in our wine dinners, in order to coordinate all of our social media, marketing and networking efforts I am going to present a recipe in this format along with the wines we enjoyed with the dish.  Every so often we will continue to offer our cookbooks for the cost of printing them so you will have the recipes all together, but hopefully this format will allow easier access for everyone.  I also here will be able to show the modifications that I made to each of the recipes (as I get inspiration from multiple locations but usually do not follow the recipes as presented by others).


Recently, the most requested recipe, was the mushroom soup that we served at the May 2012 Wine Club dinner.  So here it goes for about 10 servings
  2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  1/2 pound bacon diced
  1 onion, chopped
  4 cloves garlic minced
  1 tablespoon dried thyme
  40 ounces mushrooms (use 3 different types, baby bellas, button, and crimini is what I used)  Chopped
          fairly thick
   4 stalks celery, chopped
   1 pound carrots, chopped
   375 ml of chardonnay
   2 cups vegetable broth
   2 tablespoons Italian seasoning 
   6 tablespoons flour
   6 tablespoons dry rose wine

Fry the bacon until crisp, drain and set aside.
In a Soup pot, saute the onions in the olive oil until translucent.  Add the garlic and thyme.  After it is quite fragrant add the mushrooms.  Stir occasionally until the mushrooms have released their moisture and are reduced in size.  Add the celery and carrots.  Stir in the wine and broth and Italian seasoning, bring to a boil, add the bacon and then reduce heat to simmer and simmer until carrots are tender.  (About 20 minutes)


Just before serving whisk the flour and the rose together,  once smooth add a cup of the broth from the hot soup and continue to whisk once smooth add the rue to the pot of soup and stir.  


Salt and Pepper to taste.  For a vegetarian version omit the bacon. 

We enjoyed this soup with 2008 G3 Red Blend from Goose Ridge Cellars.

New Years Day was a relaxing day for us at our house. We ate all day focusing on our traditional New Year's meal of Chinese food. Boy was it good, we even had left overs for the next day, with my busy days I am a huge fan of leftovers. We played games and visited with family and friends. I made a Coke cake and frosted it two different ways, so as to suit everyone's tastes. This is one of my favorite cakes as it is chocolaty, rich, and moist. I can satisfy my sweet tooth with only one or two bites. (Much better for my waist line).
Along with this scrumptious cake we enjoyed a bottle of Snoqualmie 2008 Merlot. This is a Columbia Valley Merlot. I personally enjoy Merlot from Washington State, as they tend to have a fuller body and slightly more tannin at the back then Merlot from other regions of the world. This is a great everyday wine with a very reasonable price point. In my blogging I am trying to keep with wines that are readily available in Boise. If you have interest in purchasing any of these just let me know so that I can ensure we have them at the shop.

This weekend I will have Coke Cake at the Buzz for the dessert special for all of us to enjoy.

Cheers.