When I saw this recipe for white wine sangria in the July issue of Gourmet magazine, I knew I had to make it. I wasn't disappointed when I did; this sangria is phenomenal.
It's fresh, fruity, and refreshing without being overly sweet. The mint adds an herby aroma to the wine, and the absence of fruit chunks makes for smooth, easy drinking. The recipe calls for Pinot Grigio, but I used a dry Riesling from Trader Joe's.
To learn how to make this divinely sip-able sangria, read more
While yogurt popsicles make a delilicious dessert for lil tykes, you may not always have the patience or tools to whip them up quickly. A refreshing treat that requires minimal prep time and little to no clean up — frozen fruit! Freeze up some morsels for your tot using just four items: Fruit, water, a bowl and a freezer.
Rinse off tasty fruits like grapes, blueberries, strawberries, peaches, orange slices, and raspberries. Dry them off and toss them into a bowl. Place the bowl in the freezer until the fruits have frozen through. A sly way to help your tot eat healthy, the cold and hardened nibblers are perfect for scorching summer days and teething toddlers.
*If you are serving to tiny babes, make sure to cut the fruit into smaller bits BEFORE freezing them.
In general, I say it is better to eat fruit than to drink juice. Recent research, though, has found that some juices are better than actual fruit for preventing clogged arteries, which lead to heart disease. Well, at least this is true for hamsters.
Eating and drinking the juice of both grapes and apples can help prevent arteries from clogging. A team from The University of Montpellier tested these fruits and juices on hamsters while feeding them a high fat diet. They discovered that compared to those only given water, the hamsters that consumed fruit or fruit juice had lower levels of cholesterol and less fat accumulating in their arteries. To see which juice was most beneficial and in what quantity read more
I saw this Cabernet Grapevine Bonsai ($69) over on Tastespotting and thought it would make a great gift for the right person. It flowers in the Spring and sheds in the Fall and is a fun take on the regular bonsai. I almost want one for my desk! What do you think, would you want one of these plants?
Last year I was at my local Trader Joe's when I noticed containers of something called "kiwi grapes." I'd never heard of such a thing, so naturally I picked them up. They were small grape-sized fruits which were delicious and tart, sort of like regular kiwi, but sweeter and with a smooth, edible skin. Needless to say, I fell in love and wanted to eat them over and over again. Unfortunately by the time I went back to get more, they were gone!
For a year I've been talking to people about these delicious fruits and was excited to head into Trader Joe's today and find them waiting there. This time they were labeled "baby kiwi," but they were definitely the same thing. I snatched up three baskets and already devoured one. If you can find them near you — I've heard of people spotting them in Whole Foods and other markets like that — I highly suggest you check them out. If you fall in love with them like I did, you'll be happy to know that they're actually available twice a year. In the Spring they're imported from New Zealand and in the Fall they come from Oregon. And if you find yourself pining for them in the between seasons, don't say I didn't warn you.
Lately I've been experimenting with quail. I love to order it at restaurants, but have little experience making it in my home kitchen. Sundays are a wonderful day for kitchen experiments, so I am going to give this recipe a whirl. The quail is seared, roasted, and covered in a tasty sauce. Proscuitto, grapes, shallots, and grappa — an Italian brandy — make the sauce incredibly flavorful. For the recipe, read more
Endive petals are one of my favorite snacks to serve at a party. Usually I just slather a little honey/blue cheese mixture on, but this recipe for endive petals with blue cheese, grapes and walnuts really takes it to the next level. — Ladle and Whisk
Grapes are available year round, but their peak season is now. When you're purchasing grapes, do you test them by eating one first? Or do you just grab them and hope for the best?
One of my favorite summer fruits is the peach. When I bite into a perfectly ripe peach, I am in heaven. I just read a new report on pesticides and produce put out by the
Environmental Working Group (EWG). They listed peaches as having the highest pesticide load out of 42 fruits and vegetables they tested.
The EWG, a not-for-profit research group, ranked popular produce based on the results of nearly 43,000 tests for pesticides on produce collected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration between 2000 and 2004.
Here's the produce list that EWG created, ranked in order of greatest pesticide load to least.
1 Peaches (highest pesticide load)
2 Apples
3 Sweet Bell Peppers
4 Celery
5 Nectarines
6 Strawberries
7 Cherries
8 Pears
9 Grapes - Imported
10 Spinach
Interested in seeing the rest of the list? then read more
Yesterday I told you how I used tomatoes to create an inexpensive and elegant decoration for a party. Well I also used grapes! I'm not the best floral arranger and my long stemmed red Gerber daisies were flopping all over the place. "Too bad you don't have little red marbles or shiny stones," remarked Emily who was helping prep for the party. There wasn't enough time to run to Michael's and buy some so instead I got creative. This makes for a beautiful centerpiece of the month because it's simple, sunny, and stylish. Here's what you do to make a fun Dr. Suess-ish floral arrangement:
