Isn't it wonderful when you open a bottle of wine and experience love at first sip? Although this situation is rare, when it does occur, it's magical. It happened to me last Friday with this amazing Portuguese blend from the Douro Valley, the 2007 Pombal do Vesuvio ($28). It's a complex wine that hits the tongue smoothly with a rich dark-fruit flavor that's followed quickly with a lovely spicy finish. It has a clean mouthfeel and after each sip, I longed for more of the silky deep-ruby liquid. I enjoyed it with anchovy and garlic pasta, but it would be excellent paired with hearty meatballs, crisp-crusted pizza, or even barbecue.

Have you ever fallen in love at first sip? Share your experience below.

Here, OnSugar blog baking and love makes yeast-raised donuts on a whim — and doesn't regret it one bit.

Last night I had this sudden urge to make donuts! So I did this afternoon using the recipe taken from 17andBaking. I had bookmarked it for a looong looong time but was simply unwilling to mess with yeast. It seemed easier than I thought though and I was certainly glad I tried . . . Anyway, the writer of 17andBaking, Elissa, is a very, very talented senior whom I look up to very much. Not only does she bake well, her photography skills are also excellent!

Her recipe — and what she learns from her first attempt at making donuts — after the break.

• Why you should never soak scallops. — Chicago Tribune
• Turmoil's already brewing at the brand-new Food Magazine. — Washington Post
• Wine and your health: What's the real story? — Wall Street Journal
• Lesser-known pig parts that have become a seminal part of nose-to-tail eating. — Boston Globe
• California's Alcoholic Beverage Council is cracking down on bartenders who use house-infused liquors. – San Francisco Chronicle
• Only three baumkuchen ovens exist in the US; here's a look at one of them. — Los Angeles Times
• A blind taste test of Belgium's golden ales. — New York Times

Source: Flickr User VirtualErn

Since I'm a huge fan of the way Ina Garten takes classic recipes and turns up the volume, I recently decided to give her potato and leek soup a try. Instead of simply sauteing and simmering the vegetables, she roasts them in the oven until soft, crisp, and caramelized. The resulting soup is full of deep flavor with a rich velvety texture.

When you eat this luxurious soup, it's hard not to imagine yourself instantly transported to the Hamptons, where you enjoy it curled up on a huge couch in Ina's country chic home. Although the fried shallot garnish is listed as optional, in my opinion, it's a must make. The addition of crunchy-sweet shallot bits takes this soup to a whole new level. Plus, it's fun to scare your vegetarian friends into thinking they're bacon bits! Get the easy and rewarding recipe now

Although it may seem impossible or just simply ironic, this quick braised chicken comes together in under half an hour. Traditionally, for a dish to be considered a braise, it must be browned and then slow-cooked for a long period of time.

However, it's 2010, and if you want to braise flavorful chicken legs in a tomato, mushroom, and onion sauce for a mere 15 minutes, go right ahead! The recipe serves the saucy chicken over white rice, but feel free to pair with brown rice, mashed potatoes, or noodles. Learn the method when you read more

Seeing PartySugar's menu for a Greek dinner made me realize how long it's been since I've made my favorite Greek dish, avgolemono. If you've never heard of this homey soup (av-what?), avgolemono is a Mediterranean specialty made up of four basic elements: chicken stock, eggs, lemon, and rice. When preparing it, remember to add the hot broth gradually to the lemon-egg mixture, otherwise you will cook pieces of the egg. Prefer not to work with raw poultry? Throw already-cooked chicken breast into the simmer. Or, make it a complete, from-scratch meal by poaching chicken breasts with rice, vegetables, and herbs. See which recipe fits your cooking style when you read on.