Cooking at home isn’t rocket science and like most things in life it just takes a little bit of practice to get right (and of course a few good tips).   Here are eight essential food and kitchen tips so that you can become a good home cook (be careful what you call yourself or some foodies will get upset, […]

There’s something about eating good food outdoors that makes me feel utterly alive and happy.  It may be the fresh air cooling my shoeless feet or the sound of pouring cool Esino Bianco into a wine glass (have questions about wine, click here).  Ultimately, however, it’s the wonderful homemade food that makes outdoor dining so enjoyable.   We have a […]

Dorothy Gaiter and John Brecher have been reviewing wines via the Wall Street Journal’s column Tastings for 11 years (now that’s a lot of bottles!).  A recent Wall Street Journal article summarizes Tastings’ readers most asked questions; Dorothy and John have received over 1000 questions about wines and most of them, they state, can be summarized via the following 11 […]

Good Life and Food Most people live beyond their means because they want to feel and be perceived as being wealthy.  A Coach handbag or Mercedes-Benz  sedan screams, “hey, look at me I can spend money and feel good about it!”  Feeling good about buying stuff or leading a “high-end” lifestyle is not inherently a bad thing, afterall we all […]

How to Make Home Made Wine Let’s face it, enjoying and collecting fine wine is an expensive hobby, especially in light of a tanking economy.  My Italian father has only bought a few bottles of “real” wine in a proper wine shop over the years, but he consumes two-three glasses of wine each night.  You’re probably asking yourself at this […]

Well, what wine should you buy? This is a big question, maybe even equivalent to other big questions such as, “Does God Exist?” , “Do we have free will?”, and the classic, “What is Truth?”  Unlike big philosophical questions, however, figuring out which wine to buy for dinner, keeping in the cellar, or just for a nice night by the […]

Nothing says the Fall like slowly simmering meats in a big pot!  My personal favorite braising meat is the short rib.  According to Chow.com, “Short ribs are cut from different sections of the 12 ribs that start at the chuck (shoulder) and continue to the loin. Relatively square, short ribs have full-bodied flavor and luscious tenderness that develop when they […]

Wine is one of the great pleasures of being human and I Iove experimenting and finding new varietals to taste.  Recently I’ve been trying quite a few Malbecs from Argentina and the Ruca Malen Malbec is a fine example at just under $20.00.   Further, I’ve been looking to find nice values from Italy (Barolo will break the bank) and have recently […]

The Best, and Most Affordable, Wine You’ve Never Heard Of: Aglianico

Are you looking for the perfect summer salad, but with an added protein punch?  If so, give the following salad a try: 1 can of black beans (dried beans offer better value and quality, but they do require prep work)  Half a bag of frozen organic white corn 1 finely diced red onion 1 bunch of fresh cilantro finely diced […]