Whine & Cheese

Holy Hinano!

Even though it has been more than a year since our trip to French Polynesia... we still can't let go of anything that reminds us of that dream vacation.

One the great things about that trip was the total absence of "world" brands... okay, there was one exception... even McDonalds has managed to infiltrate the Tahiti Faa'a International Airport in Papeete.  But once getting through the quaint airport, there was nary a Starbucks or Budweiser or other fast food chain in sight.

The one brand that did show up over and over again was Hinano -- Tahiti's local beer. When one tired of tropical concoctions (or should I say paying for them at $US 20 a pop!), a Hinano beer was always a nice alternative.  And as a reminder of our trip -- we each picked up Hinano t-shirts and a set of beer glasses!

We got even smarter when we hopped over to Bora Bora.  There was a grocery store within walking distance of our resort.  We happily picked up six-pack Hinano along with a quart of the devilishly delicious Tahiti Drink (another local product... a mix of fruit juices mixed with some undetermined alcohol) and saved ourselves from the resort pricing.

We wondered about the availability of both these products back in the States.  Tahiti Drink would prove to be a challenge... in its cardboard, milk-carton container and its need to be refrigerated it appeared that this was not exported.  Not the same restriction on Hinano, but after some research it appeared to be only available in Hawaii. 

So when we went to Hawaii in May, we kept an eye out for it.  We had no luck at the ubiquitous ABC Stores... and then we found it... of all places in a Safeway supermarket (the very grocery chain we shop at here in AZ) on Maui.  But our discovery was a bit too late.  It was our next to last night of our vacation... and it seemed a bit silly to get a six-pack of beer with so little time left... plus the availability of free alcohol at our hotel (ah "complimentary happy hour" ... three words that still warm my heart!).

Fast forward to a month ago and the opening of BevMo! -- a liquor superstore chain that was opening its first store outside of California... and, most conveniently, just a half mile down the road from us.  The buzz is high ... with the promise that this is the next big California import since In-N-Out Burger.  The opening crowd is impressive to this 12,000 sq. foot store that promises a selection of 3,000 wines... 1,500 spirits... and 800 beers.  Ok, 800 beers... so would it have our Hinano!?!

Well, I am sure my sharp-as-a-tack W&C readers have figured out by now that the answer is "yes!"  (I'm guessing that above picture was probably your first clue).  We swooped up a six-pack like it was the hottest holiday gift of the season.

Now, the funniest part of all this goose chase... is that there is absolutely nothing terribly special about Hinano... it's a bottle of beer and, at least for this beer non-connoisseur, nothing particularly distinguishable from any other domestic or imported brand of beer.  But it has that intangible... very pleasant memories of a very extraordinary place... and for that it's worth it.

For those who may be searching for it as well, here's the BevMo! Hinano product page... not sure if there are any restrictions with alcohol crossing state lines (is that just wine?)... and, as of this writing, it's even on sale this week.

Oh, it's also the beer preferred by 4 out of 5 felines!

Needless to say, when I got the beer and camera out... the cats were immediately drawn to it like a magnet.  Lola was nice enough to strike this pose for me. 

tags:  hinano

Got Cilantro?

It's been a long time since I did a "cooking segment" here on W&C... so it's time to get back to the kitchen and share some recipes.

Last week, I picked up some fresh cilantro at the grocery... I love fresh herbs, but they don't seem to last terribly long, so it is always a challenge to use them before they go bad.  Cilanto (or even flat leaf parsley) added at the end of a dish really "brightens" (sorry channeling Rachael Ray here) up the flavor... and plus, there is certainly a ta-da factor (damn that Rachael!) with the little green flicks.  So I managed to get it into three meals last week!

First, up I used it in a Kraft-food recipe for a very easy "Santa Fe" style sauce.  I browned up some boneless pork-chops in a skillet (though chicken, or heck even steak, would work just as well)... then in the same pan add about a cup of salsa and handful or two of corn (frozen, drained, or fresh)... and cook that up for a minutes (scraping up those good meat juices from the pan)... take it off the heat, stir in half a small container of sour cream  (low fat is fine)... and finish off with cilantro!   We use a nice and spicy habenero salsa... the sour cream "cools" it a bit, but it still has a nice kick.  Serve the sauce over the pork chops!

Next up, was a recipe that didn't call for cilantro... but it was still a nice addition...Rachael Ray's Jambasta (click the link for the full recipe).  As the name suggest, jambalaya with pasta instead of rice. Having made the recipe before, I pretty much did it off the top of my head this time around... and modified the recipe based on what we had on hand.   So no shrimp ... just andouille and chicken... subbed in a fresh jalapeno for the pablano... green instead of red pepper... just go with what you have! 

The sauce again is what makes this dish special.  After the veggies are sauteed... sprinkle with flour (as a thickener to your sauce)... deglaze with a half bottle of beer (leaving the other half for the cook's pleasure for the rest of the meal prep!)... once the alcohol is cooked out, add in chicken stock and crushed tomatoes (another substitution here for me:  a can of diced tomatoes and a small can of tomato sauce).... before serving blush the sauce with some heavy cream (or 2% milk like we had!) and... keeping with the theme...  stir in that cilantro! 

Day 3, it was Asian... and another "off the top of my head" recipe... my little version of beef lo mein.  Thinly chopped up some steaks that were on sale at the market and tossed in whatever else I had around (onion, garlic, carrots, green bell pepper, water chestnuts)... but here we go again... the sauce!   I prepared this before stir frying the veggies and meat, so that the flavors could "marry."  Combined about a 1/3 cup each of beef stock & soy sauce... sprinkled in some ground ginger (freshly grated would have been great!!)... a couple splashes of sesame oil... and for heat (we love heat!).... some red pepper flake and a forkful of hot chinese-style mustard.  Before adding the sauce, again to thicken the sauce, I added some corn starch (flour would work as well) and cook it together for a minute or two... added the sauce... tossed in some cooked spaghetti... and top it off with sesame seeds and ... cilantro!

So there you have it... get cookin'!

On a totally unrelated note, you may (or probably not) have noticed that I have started using Technorati "tags" on some recent entries.  This is a relatively new feature on TypePad, so I figured I'd give it a test run and see how it works out.  I don't know if it'll do any "good" (or what "good" would mean?!?) but what the heck!

"Heart"-y Side Dishes

Well after my snarky post about Valentine's Day, I have to admit that I felt the pressure to do something this year... so I decided to throw together a fancier than normal Tuesday night meal.  We had the last of the bacon-wrapped steaks that my Mom sent us for Christmas ... and then I pulled together two side dishes... which I thought I'd share with you as part of W&C's "Food & Drink" feature.  I put my own little twist on each of the original (and very, very easy) recipes.

Oh, then after dinner... we did something that I am sure a lot of gay men did last night... but more on that later....

First up was Ratatouille Veggie Toss, you may remember that I made this for the big Italian Christmas feast... but here is the recipe:

Extra virgin olive oil
2 small (or 1 medium/large) zucchini - diced
1-3 (to taste) cloves of garlic - diced
1 medium onion - diced
1 (15 oz) can Italian stewed tomatoes
Salt & Pepper
(Recipe from Rachael Ray - Food Channel)

Heat skillet over medium heat.  Add oil, garlic, zucchini and onions.  Saute for 5-6 minutes.  Add tomatoes and salt & pepper to taste.  Reduce heat and simmer for 6-8 minutes.

Ed's Twist:  Instead of Italian, I decided to make a Mexican version of this.  Subbed in Mexican stewed tomatoes and added some green chile for some heat (mission accomplished).  I also let it simmer for a much longer time... I think this is dish that likely only gets better when it "hangs out" for awhile.

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Next up, Smashed Parmesan Potatoes... when making mashed potatoes, I always went the traditional milk & butter route, so I was a little wary when this "recipe" (it seems much too easy to call it that... a procedure!) didn't have either ingredient... also, I am not putting any measurements, just "eyeball" it depending on how much you're making:

Baby red-skinned potatoes, unpeeled and diced
Grated parmesan cheese (preferably not from that green container!)
Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper
(Recipe from Giada De Laurentiis - Food Channel)

Boil potatoes until they are fork tender.  Thoroughly drain, but reserve some of the now starchy cooking liquid.  Coarsely mash the potatoes adding in some of the cooking liquid if too dry.  Sprinkle in the parmesan and drizzle with olive oil ... season potatoes, to taste, with salt & pepper.

Ed's Twist: I used baby yukon gold potatoes (any thin-skinned potato will work here)... and since I had the garlic out for the Veggie Toss... I decided to infuse the olive oil with garlic... so popped a large clove, heated it with the oil under low heat for a few minutes... removed the garlic and put that oil into the potatoes... so Smashed Garlic Parmesan Potatoes.

So, two incredibly easy recipes - give 'em a try!

Oh... now back to the teaser... what did we do after dinner that I am sure legions of gay men were also doing last night...

Well, I had on my red boxers, perfect for Valentine's Day.. and umm.. well...

We watched the Men's Skating Short Program from Torino!   

Some of the guys were really quite cute... granted not many of the "pleasing to the eye" ones were in contention for a medal... but still (maybe I'll have to do a review prior to Thursday's free skate).

We also watched last week's Valentine-themed episode of The Office, which only further secured our love for Pam (and our continued googly-eyes for Jim).

Citrus Crunch Chicken

I have been trying out some new recipes lately, so would share the ones I (we!) have considered to be successful.  I am not a big fan of complicated, dozens of ingredients or spices -- so these should be quick and easy!  And heck, even though I was just having some fun with the title of my blog, I guess there should be a little bit of a culinary aspect to it... btw,  these are not my own recipes... while I have been known to tweak a recipe, I am not one to create one from scratch!

I have re-instated the default Food & Drink category here at W&C... so always feel free check out that category in the drop-down menu in the sidebar if you are looking for some ideas.  Right now, it only contains the post with recipe links for our Christmas 2005 dinner... but hopefully it'll grow nicely over time.

So my first spotlight recipe is: 

Citrus Crunch Chicken

1 medium lemon
1 medium lime
1 medium orange
1 pouch of Shake 'n Bake Chicken Coating Mix
1 package of boneless/skinless chicken breast halves

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

• Grate/Zest about half of each fruit into the coating mix
• Coat chicken breasts in this mixture
• Thinly slice the fruit and place on bottom of  foil or parchment-lined 13x9-inch baking pan (fruit slices can overlap)
• Place coated chicken on top of fruit slices
• Bake for 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked.

(Source: Kraft food & family magazine - Winter 2006)

See, I told you it was easy!  It was a whole new twist on just plain 'ole S&B chicken... taking some help from the store but "making it your own." I am sure you could just use of one the fruits for a more concentrated flavor (i.e. just using oranges for Orange Crunch Chicken).

Holiday Menu 2005

We are hosting Christmas Eve and Christmas Day dinner. I love to cook (for others, never for just myself), so it has been really quite fun to come up with the menu.  As you know, I am a bit obsessed with The Food Network, so many of the recipes are available at their website.

We don't do a whole lot of entertaining at our house... some of the holiday parties I am reading about on blogs are simply amazing me (dozens of guests?!!)... so just having THREE people over has kicked my "hostess with most-est" gene into overdrive.

While I wasn't planning on a theme, we ended up having one.  Since Todd is originally from New Mexico, Christmas Eve will be a New Mexican feast.  The "New" is a pretty important part of that phrase, since New Mexican cuisine is slightly more spicy from what most folks consider traditional (Sonoran) style Mexican food. 

For Christmas day, we are taking a cue from my ancestral "homeland"... New Jersey... so it is Italian - Sopranos style!  (Though I am not Italian).

Now I don't have links for the first half of the menu... this is our traditional holiday meal... we have made these recipes over and over again, but here's what's on tap:

Christmas Eve

Posole - A thick soup/stew that's usually made with pork, hominy, garlic, onion, chili peppers, cilantro, and broth... known as "the ceremonial dish for celebrating life's blessings."

Carne Adovada - This is one of my specialties and ridiculously easy to make... pork marinated (for several hours) in red chile w/ garlic and a dash of mexican oregano and salt... then slow baked for a few more hours, leaving the pork fork tender.

Black Beans - Well, this is coming out of a can... sorry!   But will probably add in some onion, fresh cilantro, and cheese!

Mexican Rice - I am going to not go the Rice-A-Roni route and make this "from scratch"... adding in spices (chili powder, cumin), diced tomatoes, green chiles, corn, and cheese.

Christmas Day

Banana & Walnut Stuffed French Toast - Wasn't planning on doing anything fancy on Christmas morn', but after seeing Paula Deen (my latest Food Network girlfriend) make this pretty simple recipe, I knew I had to give it a go!

Lasagna al Forno - Was going to use another recipe, but then I remembered this one that Tyler Florence dubbed as "foolproof" on Food 911... so following this, but instead of getting out a jar (or two) of Ragu going to make the sauce from this recipe... 

Stuffed Red Peppers - Another one from Paula Deen.  Though I am going to take a little creative license on this one... instead of full-stuffed peppers, I am going to turn it into more of a sidedish... making them "boats"... cut length-wise, stuffed and placed on their sides.

Ratatouille Veggie Toss - Couldn't leave Rachael Ray out of my holiday dinner... so going with this already tried/tested and quite yummy veggie side dish.

Of course, will have some salad and bread as well....

And what would the holidays be without..

Dessert

Going to make some oatmeal pumpkin cookies (from a pumpkin bread mix, so nothing fancy), an old family recipe for cheesecake cookie squares... but the big ta-da dessert....

Via Everyday Italian's Giada De Laurentiis is Holiday Biscotti.... found this one thanks to a TiVo Suggestion... it is surprisingly easy to make and very, very festive thanks to its green & red mix-in "star" ingredients of pistachios and cranberries!

As they say on Food Network... Season's Eatings!