Gilbert's house for Cuban food

First let me say I'm sorry for getting so behind on blogging! Just so you know we never got behind on feasting, just on telling you about it :) The Wade's were scheduled after ours, but life got in the way, so we met downtown and did a pub crawl. It was more befitting our mood at the time :)

With the help from a Cuban friend from work I attempted a traditional Christmas meal (from before communism forbade the celebration of Christmas).

APERITIVOS

Pasta de Guayaba con Queso y Galletas
(Guayaba is a fruit made into a paste with cheese on crackers. I chose jack cheese after some research)

Platanos Maduros
(These are overly ripe/black plantain bananas fried to golden crisp. They are sweet)

Tostones y Mojo
(Yum... mojo! Mojo is very special to Cubans and many other Latin/Caribbean countries. It is made with a lot of garlic, olive oil, spices, and sour orange juice. If you can't hunt down the sour oranges, use equal parts lime and orange. Tostones are green or yellow plantains that are smashed and fried and smashed some more.)

PLATO PRINCIPAL

Platanos Hervidos
(boiled green regular bananas with butter. Tastes a little like sweet potatoes)
Moros y Cristianos
(Rice and black beans, or Moors and Christians)
Pierna Asada a la Cubana con Mojo Salsa
(This is basically baked pork butt with mojo ingredients and orange halves in the pan with a little bowl of mojo to dunk the meat in.)

POSTRE

Tarte de Limón (from Whole Foods)

WINE

We requested them to bring a bottle of red wine that would pair well with Cuban food. The wines were very different from each other... which was a problem. We tend to vote for the wine which best suits our palate, nt the best of a particular varietal. The grenache imported from France won the night.

Shetler’s House, Mexican-Italian Fusion

I was pretty excited about this party when I heard it would be Mexican and Italian food and a Super Tuscan tasting! I wasn't disappointed.

Appetizers

Lemon Basil Guacamole on Crostini

Sundried Tomato, Fresh Mozzarella and Parmesan Quesadillas with Italian Salsa Verde

Refried Cannellini Beans with Blue Corn Chips

Italian Sausage Stuffed Anaheim Chiles

Soup

Tortilla Wedding Soup

Main Course

Carne Asada Lasagna

Chicken Mole Penne

Italian Squash with Cilantro Sauce

Dessert

Panettone Tres Leches with Cajeta Mascarpone Cream

Super Tuscan Wine

First Place:  Wade’s Luce 2007, Toscana. Started off good with balanced spice. Maintained its flavor and complexity to the end.

Second: Shetler’s Regina Di Renieri, Toscana. Started off bold and was my favorite. It softened considerably with decanting and slid into second place by the end of the meal.

Third: Gilberts Le Difese, 2013, Toscana. Started off soft and smooth with delicate notes of berry. Lost all structure and immediately became flavorless.

Dinner at the Wade's

FROM LAND TO SEA

LET'S GATHER AND TASTE
Brie en Croute with Apple Compote
Caramelized Pecans with Bleu Cheese

OF THE SOIL
Mixed Greens with Bosc Pears, Gorgonzola and Walnuts

FROM THE PASTURE and SEA
American Wagyu Beef with Gremolata and Balsamic Reduction

Wild Alaskan Salmon Wellington
Roasted Carrots

THE SWEET LIFE
Farmhouse Pecan Pie
Fresh Coffee

The wine competition was a blend. We brought a rowdy Potty Mouth (2013) from Twisted Oak, The Shetler's brought Justification (2013) by Justin, and The Wade's brought Cuvee 2740 (2012) by Skinner. All three were excellent, all paired well. It was a tough competition. The Skinner won the night and the Wade's went home with the coveted medallion. 

Dinner at the Shetler's

Chinese food done Shetler style, which is to say "gourmet Chinese food." As always Mark went over the top and Melissa decorated to the max. It was beautiful. Each setting had a menu of course, but each setting also had our names in Chinese. They called for Pinot Noir, not my favorite, but appropriate for this meal. I struggled to find a Pinot I'd like.

We were greeted by their two Corgi puppies, Valentino and Eleanor.

We started with Turkey Lettuce Wraps

Then the platters started coming out: Orange Chicken

Kung Pao Beef

Shrimp Fried Rice

Garlic Noodles

Ginger Scented Brown Rice

And finally all set up on my plate...

The final touch: Sweet White & Wild Rice with Fresh Mango and Fried Wonton Crisps

And of course the wine! We chose a Pinot Noir in a non-traditional region, Mokelumne River. When we complained about having to bring a Pinot, the Milliare Winery suggested their Pinot which was grown in the foothills. Miraculously, we won again. The Shetler's came in second place with SCV, 2011 Bodega Ridge Block, Pinot Noir. The Wades came in third with a yummy Joseph Phelps, Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir.

Dinner at the Wade's

Taste of the Mediterranean
A family style meal celebrating the foods of Israel, Lebanon, and Turkey. As always the Wades out did themselves... always setting the bar higher. Dan spent most of his Navy days in the Mediterranean and came away from that experience with an appreciation of the food.

Israeli Hummus and Pita Bread

Israeli Tabbouleh
Israeli Falafel with Tzatziki

Lebanese Lamb Kefta
Turkish Chicken Shish Kebabs

Mujadarra (Lebanese Rice and Lentils)

A Sweet Ending
Revani (Turkish Semolina Cake)
Assorted Dried Fruits and Nuts
Turkish Cardamon Coffee

The Gilberts won with a California wine; Cypher, Pistil 2013 Paso Robles, CA (the darker one)
The Shetlers came in second with Bandol, La Pont 2013, France
The Wades got third place, but the prettiest bottle; Gerard Bertarnd, Cote des Roses, France

Vinspire Publishing

I'm excited about this beautiful new ad created by Vinspire

4th of July at the Gilbert's Cabin

We decided to have an old fashioned BBQ to celebrate America's birthday.  I thought it would be fun to decorate with 4th of July picnic-style red, white, and blue. It's amazing how many cheesy decorations are out there! I threw some glow bracelets on the table for fun.

The wine competition was a bottle of red under $15. It was a lot of fun trying them all :)

SPARKLERS:

Guacamole with Quinoa & Black Bean Tortilla Chips, and Sliced Radishes

Olive Cheese Spread with Raincoast Crisps

Cantaloupe

FIREWORKS:
Crunchy Veggies & Kale Salad with Poppyseed Dressing

Corn on the Cob with Chili-Lime Sauce

Hebrew National Dogs with Spicy Mustard Dip

Barbecue Chicken with Citrus Onion Sauce

GRAND FINALE:
Mom's Strawberry Shortcake
(Buttermilk Biscuits, Vanilla Bean Ice Cream, and Fresh Strawberries)

The Wades won the cheap wine competition with a delicious Apothic Crush. The Shetlers came in second with Soban Estate Rocky Top Zin. We finished with Predator.