What a week! We've added not one, but three new authors to the mix. Please join me in welcoming both Suzie Linville and Lisa Comento to the authors here at At Least I’m Enjoying the Ride! Both ladies have a wide range of interests not the least of which are food and wine. Lisa spends time with me one the weekends pouring wine for Fabbioli Cellars and will be talking about stuff here in the DC area. Suzie is currently residing in Scottsdale, Arizona and will be bringing news from the American Southwest.

Let’s make them feel at home!

When I think of game day snacks lots of cheesy, spicy, comfort foods come to mind.  But who says we can't get a little gourmet on everyone? 

I got the idea of taking the basic baby backs to the next level for my party goers after coming across a great recipe from a friend. Sure, everyone loves a slow cooked, sweet and savory rack of ribs, but i opted for braised short ribs over a potatoes and apples "risotto style" filler. 

The beauty about this recipe is that it can be made the night before.  The longer beef is cooked (at a slow and steady pace) the more tender it becomes, especially a slow cooked short rib.  The juices from the yummy apples also tenderize the meat so serving it next day makes it 10 times more juicy. Listed below are the ingredients you will need: 

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I’d like to welcome a new addition to the writers here at At Least I’m Enjoying the Ride, Meg Parisi. Meg joins us from the thriving metropolis of New York City where she will be commenting on her journeys into the culinary jungle that resides there. We are super stoked to have Meg writing for us and I hope you are too!

Meg Parisi has always had a passion for food, cuisine, culture and writing. She loves exploring new restaurants both in and around Manhattan as often as possible. From fancy finds to the best food truck spots, she is always venturing up and out of her foodie comfort zone. Its safe to say Meg will tempt her taste buds with anything at least once. You can email Meg at meghan.parisi@gmail.com.

Please help we welcome Meg to our little family!

I know, a) I said that I would continue talking about food and wine pairings and I’ll get back to that and b) this isn’t exactly a topical Christmas dish. However, this is something that came up this week and I thought II‘d pass it along. You see, I keep trying to come up with stuff for Ms Cocktail. That’s why you’ll notice that most of my dishes do not have beef or pork in them. Ms Cocktail doesn’t eat them. She’s not a true vegetarian but it does kind of limit what I can make her for dinner. It also doesn’t help that like many people, we are often faced with a time crunch and can’t make really complicated, time consuming meals.

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A couple of weeks back Giants Fan #1, the assistant winemaker at the winery I work at, mentioned that a mutual acquaintance of ours, Alan who writes for CellarBlog, was looking for holiday recipes that pair with local wines. We bandied it about and thought that it would be nice to showcase our Bordeaux blend which we call Tre Sorelle. The idea was to pair it with a nice Beef Wellington. After digging through my recipes and notes, I decided that while a Beef Wellington is nice, this would be a better way to showcase our beautiful wine.

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Nestled into a valley in the Alps Mountains near where the borders of Switzerland and Italy are, there lies a jewel of a a village called Chamonix. It is at the base of Mont Blanc and it has all the charm one would expect from an Alpine skiing village. With fantastic vistas spread out no matter which direction you look, this is a postcard perfect place for capturing those moments you would like to last forever.

It was here that I got savor two treasures of the French culinary tradition, crepes and fondue.

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After our trip to the Northern Rhone, we decided that we needed to take a day to just chill around the chateau and catch up on some of the wine we had purchased. However, we had noticed a little shop down the road called “La Grotte Aux Fromages” or “The Cheese Cave” in English. Considering that we had a love affair with the local cheeses that rivaled our passion for wine (well, maybe not quite so much) I felt that we were honor bound to pay this place a visit.

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Several weeks back, Momma Cocktail came for a visit. Being the dutiful son that I am, I decided that I would make her any meal that she chose, no matter how outrageous or complicated. I thought that it would be the least that I could do for her while she was here. Well, Momma Cocktail is a very uncomplicated woman. She decided that all she really wanted was haddock. No instructions as to how to prepare it or even any suggestions as to what she might like with it. That left my fevered imagination to go to work.

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Several years back, Ms Cocktail and I decided that we would treat ourselves to a vacation in New Orleans during Mardi Gras. It turned out to be a very special time for us. Not only did we partake of the general debauchery of the season, but we also discovered the true culinary passion that exists in this wonderful city. Ever since then, we have had our own little Mardi Gras celebration back here in Virginia. It usually amounts to nothing more than a nice home cooked meal and a bottle of wine.

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I want to start this post by commenting that the service at the Fearrington House was spectacular this evening. It is a five star restaurant and I would expect nothing less, but sometimes places don’t always live up their billing. In this case, the staff here most certainly did.

Now Colin and Charlie put their heads together and came up with a terrific menu incorporating some of the techniques that Colin was familiar with and some of the foods that Charlie prepared at his other places. All in all, it was quite an extraordinary meal.

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