Texas BBQ at the Wade's

My mouth was watering in anticipation of this one, and I wasn't disappointed. But first we had to be properly welcomed to the Wade Family Ranch by their 4 year old granddaughter, Mina. She had us sign in on her Frozen magnetic drawing board, then she escorted us outside to the "dining area."

They had called for a Red Wine Blend so I dragged one from the cellar from the cabin :)

Rustic Cheese Board with Assorted Crackers
Texas Sweet Tea (This was a cool idea of putting the tea in mason jars with the lids on, in a bucket of ice... clever)

DWs Texas Smoked Brisket

Mom's Potato Salad

Southern Coleslaw with Granny Smith Apples

Mom's Best Baked Beans

Sweet Corn Bread

Sloughhouse Corn-on-the-Cob

Ol' Fashioned Peach Cobbler A La Mode with Haagen Daz Vanilla Ice Cream

The Shetler's won with a bottle of One Armed Man  The Wades came in second with their favorite wine, Stephanie. We trailed in last with Hatcher Meritage. That tells you how good the wine was if a Hatcher came in last!

Nothing From Scratch

I chose the "Nothing From Scratch" theme for two reasons; firstly I knew I would have a very long week at work. My boss was on vacation and that meant I had to be boss for the week of Thanksgiving. Several other things crowded my time and I decided it was time for an easy to prepare meal. Secondly I've had many people say they would love to have a food/wine group like this, but just reading the blog is so intimidating they give up before they start. Well if that is you, then this one is for you. I admit I had to resist temptation to not open a spice jar or make a salad. Scissors and can-openers were my only tools.

 

Appetizer; Bought a package of 3 little flavored goat cheeses, some crackers, dried apple chips, sugared walnuts and a friend gave me these weird lumps of cookie-like treats from India.

Starter; Mixed 2 containers of soup. One Tuscany white bean and chicken soup and a one butternut squash. (This is a personal favorite in my house. I usually buy a pre-baked whole chicken, tear it apart, and throw it in. Plus I usually throw in a can of cannellini beans for good measure.)

Main course; Bought fresh wild mushroom ravioli and a jar of pumpkin Tuscany pasta sauce and mixed em up.

We drove up to Jackson a couple of weeks ago and I picked up 6 chicken cordon bleus from Swingle's Meat. This is an excellent place to buy meat. Before throwing them in the oven I dumped a couple of cans of cream-of-chicken soup over them because I like the sauce. (I often cook up brown rice from the package to go with the chicken instead of the ravioli, but I was being fancy).

Dessert; Our Mother's caregiver, Tara is famous for her cake. I don't really know how to explain it but I'll try. White cake with the consistency of a chewy brownie. She sells them, so I bought one for the party. I added a little dollop of fig marmalade to the little squares of cake. It was a big hit. They wanted the recipe, but alas, I couldn't give it to them. No one knows it but Tara.

I called for a Merlot. I can hear the gasps of shock ... "Heidi choosing a Merlot?" In my defense, the Merlot grape used to produce amazing, big, complex wine. For centuries it was a beast, and then sometime in the 60s or 70s it was dumbed down to a soft fruity easy-drinking wine. Well it is making a comeback. The low end merlot is still out there, but expensive merlot is pretty darn good. The Wades won with Stephanie (extra special because that is their daughter's name) 2007out of Napa Valley. We came in second with 2010 Silenus, also from Napa. The Shetlers brought a 2010 Midnight Estate.

 

Next Wine Tribe feast will be in January