A Dazzling Dinner Party and The Best Wine Ever

Over the past week my husband and I took a week off to visit family and friends. In the next little while I will write about all of the interesting and delicious things we did however today I will write about one of the highlights of our vacation which was visiting our dear and wonderful friends. Our schedules and the fact that we live in different cities don't allow us to see each other too often. However when the stars align at the right moment and we finally get together we always have an amazing time.

For this visit we decided that we would have a cooking party at their beautiful home. I love these types of gatherings, the atmosphere is more personable and relaxed, everyone feels at ease, we all can catch up and at the same time lend a hand with making something delicious and simple.

The menu idea came from Lawrence and myself. Since we just recently returned from Japan we thought it would be fun to make sushi for our friends. Hence the Asian dinner theme developed. On the menu: Variety of Dim Sum Dumplings, Spring Rolls, Vegetable and Shrimp Tempura and Sushi. Plus a lot of delicious and breathtaking wines.

To celebrate our visit our friends opened a number of very special wines from their wine cellar. They were all delicious and melt in your mouth delectable but one in particular stood out from the rest.

Alban Vineyards Reva Syrah 2003, Edna Valley, Calfornia, USA

This wine was 'melt in my mouth' perfect. A full body syrah with immense aromas of cassis jumping out of the glass. However the wine didn't taste overpowered by fruit, it was thick and smooth and extremely velvety. This wine is perfectly balanced, it spilled all over the taste buds creating an unforgettable experience of luxury and wine perfection. The tannis are detectable but blend marvelously in with all the other flavours to create a velvety mouthfeel.

This wine is perfectly crafted and balanced. The best wine I have ever tasted and if I could imagine a perfect wine this would be it.

As the evening grew into the night we spend countless hours chatting, laughing and enjoying each others company. We ate delicious food, we drunk amazing wine and even some fabulous pink champagne. It was a perfect night with perfect friends, and we look forward to many more.

Thank you so much for sharing your treasures with us, we truly appreciate it and we can't wait to have another wonderful evening with you guys as soon as the stars align to a perfect consolation.

My New Favorite Product

I like to try different types of cuisines and I enjoy recreating them at home with my own healthy twists. One of my favorite dishes to make is Coconut Curry Chicken or Shrimp served with rice and vegetables.

Last time I was at the grocery store I was leisurely strolling through the many aisles when I discovered this product, "Patak's Pappadums: Black Peppercorn". I thought it would be a great addition to my Coconut Curry dish. I was looking to add something crisp to contrast all that delicious comfort and softness of rice, curry sauce and vegetables.

I picked it up and took notice of its nutritional information. One pappadum (10 grams) contains 30 calories and 0.2 grams of fat. For anyone who doesn't know, pappadums are Indian paper-thin lentil crackers that are hand rolled and dried under the sun. They also do not contain any gluten and can be a delicious addition to anyone who has Celiac disease or are is on a gluten-restricted diet.

I picked up the black peppercorns pappadums, a little spicy, but there is also plain and garlic variety.

It is recommended that they be deep fried or brushed with oil and placed in the microwave, to help them puff up. However in efforts to keep the fat content low I tried brushing a little bit of water on both side of the cracker, covered with paper towel and placed it in the microwave for 45 seconds. The cracker puffs up fabulously! If not all of it puffs up, add another 10-15 seconds. This time may be longer if more water is on the papadums. You can serve one pappadum per person with a curry dish or break it up into several pieces for an interesting shape that can be inserted to the dish.

I love going to grocery stores and discovering new products. I don't know many people who have time to make all the accompanying items to make a dish look like a it was made by a gourmet chef. I like this product, it makes home cooking easier, delicious and it doesn't add unwanted fat. Try it as an interesting texture to add to a regular meal, or as a cracker topped with chutney, also serve it as an accompaniment to a dip, lots of options. :-) Fun, easy and delicious.

Red Wine "The Lackey" Find

Recently I was looking for some delicious red wine for a dinner party my husband and I were hosting. I like to try different wines, but you never know if the new wine will meet your expectations and will delight your palette. I love buying wine, the little butterfly anxiousness, the thrill of the chase of spotting a great find amongst all those bottles.

Last time I was at the liquor store I saw a new wine, "The Lackey". I knew I had to get it the moment I saw it! Our good friends name has the same sound although a different spelling, nevertheless, a wonderful coincidence. We bought that wine for no other reason than the name. When we opened it we were astonished by its delightfully delicious fragrance and taste. Wow!! Amazing. And to think that I have bought it simply for the name. Maybe I shouldn't pay that much attention to the description at the back of the bottle.... Maybe that's one habit that may be hard to break as I know what I love and what tastes good.

But one thing is for sure, "The Lackey" is a delicious wine.

Read my wine review, and try it for your self.

http://www.monikakorngut.com/australian_shiraz.htm

A delectable wine that won't break your budget. A delicious find. :-)

Dining Out in London, Ontario

A few days ago my husband and I went out for dinner. I was very excited because we were going to eat at a local restaurant called MINT. Several of our friends ate there before and everyone was delighted with the service and delicious food.

In the middle of the week at 6pm there weren't that many customers. All the better for us because we had impeccable service. We were greeted at the door, our jackets were hung at the nearby closet and with a smile we had a choice of seating. Of course we sat in a beautiful and cozy booth with candle light, our evening started delightfully. More so, our server did a good job helping us pick a nice red wine to accompany our dinner, and with a glass of nice wine in a beautiful place the evening started just right.

I ordered the miso glazed scallops with Thai bacon as an appetizer and medium-rare tuna steak for the main course. My husband had salmon terrain for an appetizer and salmon steak for dinner. All our dishes were delicious. The scallops lacked a true miso taste but nevertheless were perfectly done and tasted amazing. I will definitely try to create something like that at home. The salmon dishes were fabulous.

Although we didn't have time for dessert the evening was flawless. The staff were well versed in knowledge of food and wine and were very accommodating if you needed anything changed. Food wasn't overpriced for an upscale restaurant and more importantly the entire experience was delicious. The evening was wonderful. We'll definitely go there again and bring family and friends to share a similar experience.

Trip to the Tea Specialty Store

Last week I happened to stumble upon this cute little store with jars and jars of different varieties of teas. I think they mainly carried teas from "The Metropolitan Tea Company". After much internal debate as what to get I decided to purchase Rooibos Tropical Sunrise, Number 20. It looks and smells delicious, just see for yourself. Some of the ingredients include rooibos, apple bits, red currants and cornflower blossoms.

I really enjoyed drinking it. It's very fragrant and with a dab of sugar it tastes delicious. Especially if you like exotic and different teas, you will love this one.

However my favorite thing is to put 2 teaspoons of this tea in to a small pot, add 500mL of water and boil gently on low heat. I boil it all day long and keep adding more water as water evaporates. I absolutely love this intoxicating smell. The flavours are heighten by the warmth of the burner and the aromas spread throughout my home. I like to do this when friends come over, immediately they feel welcome and relaxed. I think this would be an excellent thing to do for an open house, I even think it's much homier than the scent of baking chocolate chips.

Anther wonderful thing about boiling tea all day long is that the water is a natural humidifier. As water evaporates all day long, and is replenished in the pot, it naturally increases water content in our closed proximity environment and prevents our skin from looking and feeling dry and tough. This is especially true on cold winter day when we crank up our heaters.

Exotic tea, delicious not only in a cup but all over the house.

Trip to the Butcher Shop

I often go to a butcher shop for my meat purchases. Before I started going I never realized how much fresher meat can be in comparison to meat purchased from a large supermarket. Now that I started shopping there I don't want shop anywhere else!!

Yesterday I saw a nice piece of pork, it looked fresh, very lean and absolutely delicious. However I was looking to purchase some ground pork to make my delectable Italian Wedding Soup. Without moments thought I asked the sales lady if I could have it ground. With a smile on her face she said of course. Wow, not only did I get exactly what I wanted but with a smile. What wonderful service. Best of all, I know exactly what is in my ground meat and I think that is very important. More often than not we don't know what is in that ground up meat and we just hope for the best. Also I don't know too many people who have time to ground their own meat and have room in the kitchen for another large kitchen gadget. I think a trip to 'the butcher' shop is a great alternative, sure it may be a little out of the way but I think for fresh, delicious product it's worth it.

I highly recommend to everyone who is not a vegetarian to find such a place in your city and visit them to see and experience the difference for yourself. Of course one place may not carry the same quality of products as the next so I suggest to ask someone who already did the leg work.

My experience is from a store in Mississauga.

Eddie's Meat Products Factory Outlet Inc
1577 Sedlescomb Dr
Mississauga, ON L4X1M4
(905) 625-9617

Good luck and delicious shopping :-)

Delicious Wasabi Chips

Delicious Living is about balance. In today’s modern society we depend on store bought products to help us in our busy everyday life. Last time I was at the grocery store I picked up Japanese Wasabi & Honey rice and corn crisps. They're part of the Blue Menu by President’s Choice that has been created to offer healthier food options with delicious flavours.

I really like them!! They are light and crunchy and have a yummy flavor that consists of some wasabi (no head rush, not that spicy) with a touch of honey to add balance with minimum amount of sweetness. They are a great alternative to regular chips. Wonderful to snack on, terrific and zesty, and I love the flavor combination. Who doesn’t love wasabi and honey? I think they are a wonderful product when we are in the mood for chips but don’t want all that fat and extra calories that come along with them. As well what a great thing to buy when you are entertaining a few friends.

We can also feel good about snacking on them as the label states that there are no artificial flavours or colours added and no hydrogenated oil, and in about 30 chips (50 grams) there are 200 calories and 3 grams of fat. Of course like with everything in life, I think we should have them once in a while. Delicious Living is about enjoying everything in moderation. :) Next time you're shopping pick up a bag of Japanese chips and enjoy a great snack.

A Day at the Park

I love puppies, they are so innocent and ready to explore the world. Few days a go I went with some of my friends to a park with their new addition to the family. He is a golden lab, with a very fitting name "Yukon", an absolute treasure, he is so adorable. Here he is biting little brunches and I thought he reminded me of a little lion out in the Serengeti. Serengeti Yukon.

Moments like this need to be treasured, they grow up so fast. Delicious Living, don't let these moments pass you by, go to the park with you pooch and take a few photos.

My Love for Rubber Gloves

Rubber gloves are a staple in my kitchen. I always have 2 pairs, just in case I suddenly I get a hole in one of them.

I know some people find it a bother to put them on but save your hands, no matter if you are man or woman!! No matter if you are cleaning your wine glasses, dishes or the floor. I found a great product that now I can't live without. Actually some one gave them to me as part of a gift and back then I thought to my self, 'this is an odd gift', but when I tried them on I new this is the best thing since sliced bread. I actually like it better than sliced bread!! :-) The picture below shows these gloves. They are made from 100% latex that is not too thin but not thick enough to make it difficult in cleaning your most delicate crystal wine glasses, nevertheless, be cautious. It has a cotton lining so hands don't smell like latex and the best thing about them is that they have little cuffs that prevent water from dripping inside the gloves and making your hand wet and yucky!! Ingenious!! The also have little grip texture to easily handle your precious items that need to be hand washed.

I like them so much I tell all my friends and family about them and I buy them a pair so they try it out themselves. I know I was a little skeptical but from the first moment I slipped them on I loved them. They also come in 3 sizes, small, medium and large so you can get one for your significant other. My husband loves them, and always wears them while helping me clean up. :-) In Canada, I know you can buy them in HomeOutfitters. Maybe they are also available in other Hbc family stores but I'm not certain. I also found them on a website: Sur La Table - The Art and Soul of Cooking. However I have never purchased anything from them.If you have seen these gloves available for purchase in other locations or if you have something else to add about this product, share your thoughts on our discussion page.