“Grown-up” Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup

When the day is rainy and we can’t go out for a walk on the boardwalk, hubby and I will often hunker down and watch some of our favorite cooking shows, namely Cook’s Country and America’s Test Kitchen. We love seeing what Bridget and Julia will be cooking up and have often tried to replicate the dishes. On this rainy day the ladies were cooking a creamy tomato soup and fancy grilled cheese. They looked so good that we decided to replicate the recipes and are we glad that we did! The tomato soup was fabulous. The only changes that I made were to use a Vidalia onion as I didn’t have shallots and a touch of paprika instead of allspice, again because I didn’t have any at home. As for the grilled cheese, we used plain white bread instead of rye, but the sandwiches were still delicious. So if you’re in the mood for a grown-up version of grilled cheese and some amazing tomato soup, try these recipes! You can find the videos at https://youtu.be/YeyHV-PPpPU (soup) and https://youtu.be/VzbODAaf0Vk (grilled cheese). FYI – you did need some wine for the grilled cheese sandwich so I used this Friuli Pinot Grigio from Costco. Totally delicious wine for under $6.

March 20, 2019February 17, 2021

A Good Wine under $10 – #WineWednesday

My husband and I have this running “challenge.” He’s a bit of a wine snob and I’d prefer not to spend way beyond $10 for a bottle. Maybe $15. I had one particular favorite that was right around $15 but now has shot up to $25 or more. Sigh. I’ll tell you that name anyway because it is a favorite: Beringer’s Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, 2016 if you can find it. Knights Valley is in Sonoma County in California.

But for a good wine with some slight sweetness and right around that magical $10 mark, try Apothic Red. It was recommended to me by one of the vendors at the store and it didn’t disappoint. Apothic red is a blend of zinfandel, merlot, syrah, and cabernet sauvignon. The “dark” version

Hubby thought it was a little too sweet, so next time we’re trying the Apothic Dark which is supposed to be a much darker and more intense flavored wine. It originally was a limited release, but now it’s available all year long. There is also and Apothic Rose and an Apothic Inferno which is a red wine aged for 60 days in whiskey barrels. For more info on the Apothic wines, you can visit www.apothic.com.

What could be better than a little wine, nice loaf of bread and cheese while chilling with your loved one?
best wines under $10

Original Photo by Oldiefan from Pixabay

June 7, 2017

Jersey Shore Sangria #WineWednesday

With summer hopefully arriving in a few days, I love having a pitcher of sangria ready for when I come off one of the lovely Jersey Shore beaches. It’s a delightful way to cool off on hot summer days and nights. I’ve been playing with the recipe and have created this refreshing variation on the traditional mix! I hope you enjoy it. Why is it Jersey Shore Sangria? ‘Cuz that’s where I drink it the most. LOL!

Caridad’s Jersey Shore Sangria

Ingredients

Directions

Peel oranges. Cut into eighths and then cut the eighths in half. Cut grapes in half. Cut frozen strawberries in half.
Place fruit into a pitcher and add wine. Let fruit and wine macerate for at least 10 minutes in the refridgerator. If you can wait longer, the flavors will be better.
Add chilled sparkling cider to fruit and wine mixture.
Remove some fruit from this mix and place in individual glasses. Pour wine/cider mixture into the glass and serve.

What I like about this mix is that you get the extra fruitiness and sweetness with the addition of the cider and don’t have to add sugar to get that.

Some recipes call for lemon in the mix and also don’t ask you to peel the citrus, but I find that the lemon and the peels make the mix too acidic. For a change of pace, cube some apples and toss them in or go even more tropical with some pineapple and mangop. Change up the recipe with a white wine which is just as tasty. A moscato would be perfect for a white sangria. You can also freeze a whole peeled orange and then toss that into the pitcher to keep the mixture cool, but not have it watered down. Thanks to my sister for that tip!

If you want an extra kick in your sangria, add a shot of either grenadine, creme de cassis, B&B, or Gran Marnier.

Hope you enjoyed today’s Wine Wednesday!