Wades' Gastro Pub

Welcome to the Wade household where you come prepared with elastic waistbands. The tasting was Grenache/Garnacha and Dan provided Dogfish Head Beers

Beer Tasting
Dogfish Head Aprihop
Dogfish Head Namaste

Starters
Beer Battered Asparagus (I became addicted to these...I just couldn't stop eating them)
Candied Bacon (and a little spicy too)

Small Bites
Chorizo Grilled Cheese (the chorizo was shredded and mixed with the cheese)
Blue Cheese Pub Burgers (stuffed with blue cheese, so I took off the bun and chowed on the burger)
Four Cheese Mac & Cheese with Crisp Pancetta
Garlic Herb Fries (of course Joe stole mine)

Dessert
Grilled Nutella Banana Croissants (surprisingly delicious)

The Winners? We came out in last with a Spanish Garnacha from Alto-Cinco. The Wades and the Shetlers brought the same wine, but different years of D66 by Orin Swift. The Wades came in second with 2010,  the Shetlers won with the 2009.

Everything Tastes Better With Bacon

This was the first time Joe masterminded the entire meal. He said, "Let's make an entire meal with bacon!" So we did. He practiced on me with so many different recipes I was almost sick of bacon by the time our dinner party rolled around...almost. I didn't know bacon came in so many flavors and cuts.

We decided to let the Wades and Shetlers choose what wine varietal they thought would pair with bacon. It was interesting to say the least.

Starter:
Smoky Gouda with Bacon, Prosciutto and Crackers. 
We also made this simple little delicacy of maple-bacon wrapped smokies (chicken and apple smokies to be exact). Just dump on a layer of brown sugar and bake them until the brown sugar is a caramelized gooey mess.

Salad:
Warm spinach salad of course. I sauteed the mushrooms and onions first, then tossed in the plain crunchy bacon, and topped it with some slivers of strawberries.

Main Course:
Twice baked potatoes with plain bacon.
Filet Mignon medallions wrapped with pepper crusted bacon and then topped with Cambozola  cheese. Sorry for the photo without cheese, but we all attacked our food so fast I could only get a photo of Joe's plate, and he doesn't think steak and cheese should mix :)

Dessert: (You're curious about this aren't you)
I purchased a dark chocolate cake from the bakery (I don't know how to bake) and separated the two layers with a thin metal spatula. Once lifted, Joe lay paper-thin crispy bacon, and then put it back together again.

The wines were two Zins and a Syrah. The Shetlars won with a 2012 Mettler Old Vine Zinfandel. The Wades brought a 2011 Michael David Lust, also a Zinfandel. We presented a 2010 Syrah from Dobra Zemla.

Book Cover!

There are milestones in life. Marriage to Joe was a major one for me. Becoming a Christian...wow, that was huge. But there are other things we accomplish that stop us in our tracks and makes us think, "Did I really just accomplish that?"

When I got accepted to Physical Therapy school I was stunned, but that was soon over-shadowed by passing the state exams to become a PT.

I still remember that shiver up my spine when I wrote "The End" on my first novel, Counterpart. 105,000 word book! Then I got a one-hundred dollar check for book sales...I cried.

Recently I submitted my second novel, El Tiburon to Vinspire Publishing and they accepted it. Now I'm wise enough to know it will be even bigger when they actually publish it. 

What came as a surprise was how excited I would be when I got my book cover from the designer. I'm floating on air. I've just been given permission to share it with you all. So here it is:

Dinner For Two at The Shetler's House

The mood was set by Melissa. She had an elegant table setting with slim runners laid perpendicular to the length. She sat us ladies on one side and the gents on the other. That way we sat facing our husbands across our own little runner. It was well done.

The wine was difficult again…they asked for a Cabernet Sauvignon not from Napa. There are places in the world producing Cab, but they usually use it as a blend. Some regions try to grow Cabs, but Napa has set the flavor expectation. It was a challenge.

The first appetizer was Grilled Vegetable and Fruit Kabobs.

Second Appetizer was a rustic little Grilled Pizza with Caramelized Onions, Fresh Mozzarella, Ricotta, topped with an Arugula Salad. Oh man was that good! I thought I’d be happy with two or three of those little pizzas … until the main course came out.

Mark made Beef Wellington with little Valentine hearts on top of each one. The plate was pre-brushed with a cabernet reduction.

There was also seared Sea Scallops and Roasted Asparagus. The scallops were melt-in-your mouth tender.

Dessert was actually artwork. He made Red Velvet Whoopie Pies with White Chocolate Filling and Chocolate Pinot Noir Sauce. Of course it was shaped like a little heart.

The wine created a problem from the beginning. Let me say that normally us couples rarely vote for the same bottle (i.e...Joe chooses one, I choose another and so on). This time we had a three way tie. Each couple voted for the same bottle, so there were two votes per bottle. We tried a couple of different vote separators, but we still had a tie. So for the first time in six years we couldn't send the medal home with the winner.

Switzerland at the Wade's Residence

First thing to greet us was a darling rustic table laden with cheese fondue and yummy things to dip in it…pearl onions, Swiss sausage (which were strange looking), Brussels sprouts, and pickles. An old painting done by Denise’s father was a quaint backdrop. They even had meat and cheese laid out to look like a Swiss cross.

As always her table setting was adorable.

Our salad was fabulous. I really liked the combo of flavors from the oranges, avocados, and fennel.

At this point I was struggling with liking all three pinots! Strange isn’t it? I think the food matched the special characteristics of the pinot well.

The main course was Zurcher Geschnetzeltes Rosti (German for sliced meat Zurich style). This is a slightly crunchy potato pancake, with thinly sliced veal and mushrooms in a rich cream sauce.

Dessert was of course fondue… Swiss-chocolate with strawberries, bananas, chopped up croissants, and homemade marshmallows.

I have to admit when they told me I had to bring a Pinot Noir I was not thrilled. Typically I don’t like pinot, unless it’s super expensive and then it’s just okay. So I sent Joe to Trader Joe's to buy a recommended bottle.The Shetlers took home the coveted gold plastic medal with a 2012 Sonoma Loeb. The Wades came in second with Moniz Family, 2012. We came in dead last with 2013 Meiomi. I did like ours best without food pairing, but it didn’t hold up to the meat dish.

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

Taste of Germany at the Shetler's

The Shetlers decided to produce a German feast and requested Zinfandel for the competing wine.
It was cool how they made a menu with German on one side and English on the other. I ate as little as possible that day because I knew I was in for a gastronomical event. I wanted to be prepared!

I started by combining the bratwurst with the German mushroom brie. I’m a mustard lover so I indulged in the homemade pretzels with several mustards to choose from.

The decanted wine was brought in at the same time as the fresh green pea soup with a little mound of crunchy bacon on top. I made my wine decision immediately.

Then came the beef pot roast and cheese spatzel with green beans. I changed my wine decision.

Dinner was followed by a four layer Black Forest cake. My wine decision wavered like a child who wants three toys at once.

The Shetlers had a 2012 Brandlin Zin, the Wades had a 2012 Rombauer Zin, and we ironically had the 2011 Fiddletown Rombauer Zin (mainly because we’d already brought the regular Rombauer Zin in the past and won). So true to history the Napa Rombauer won!