What could be better than a Cuban sandwich – you know, the pressed sandwich made with roasted pork, ham, Swiss cheese, pickles, mustard, served hot on Cuban bread — A smoked Cuban Sandwich made with smoked pork shoulder. Hubs has a never ending Cuban Sandwich kick, experimenting left and right with various pork recipes to…
BBQ
Holiday Wine Gift Ideas – Stoller Family Estate
If you are looking to impress with a special bottle for the wine enthusiast on your holiday list, look no further than Stoller Family Estate. Wines to Impress for Holiday Wine Gift Ideas When I gift a wine to someone special — whether a loved one, a client, a teammate, a boss, whomever — I…
Celebrating Four Years of Parenthood with Berlucchi Cuvée 61 Rosé Brut
Something special happened over the weekend. The twins turned four! How did that happen?!? I know I sound like a cliché parent, but just yesterday (seriously, yesterday!) they were just infants. Now they’re little boys who like to remind me that they’re not babies. Let’s get one thing straight kids; even when you’re towering over…
Smoked Tri-Tip Sandwich with Chimichurri Sauce
An easy smoked tri-tip sandwich recipe topped with our awesome Chimichurri Sauce, onions, and a ciabatta roll. Don’t have a smoker? That’s fine, you can grill or roast it in the oven. Tri-tip, where have you been all my life. We serve this cut at catering events and in our house. And when we have…
A Chilean Winemaker in Argentina – Meet Aurelio Montes Jr. of Kaiken Winery
“Passion is the best way that I can describe the country of Argentina.” This is how Chilean winemaker Aurelio Montes Jr. described his new home when I met him a few weeks ago. I had asked him to describe the difference between making wine in Argentina vs. Chile, where he is from. Aurelio (who bears…
BBQ Corner (part 11) — Dry-Aged Beef and Wine Pairing
By contributing writer Sean, aka “the hubby” Um, it costs how much? That was my initial response when challenged to understand the unique flavor of dry-aged beef. I’ve had it in restaurants, but you come to expect big prices at a big meat house. But buying it raw from a local butcher? I had to…
McKinley Springs BBQ Competition
By contributing writer Sean “The Hubby” It’s no secret that I love to BBQ. But to make the investment in competition BBQ is an entirely different level of love obsession. You don’t have the safety of having your own kitchen and bed right around the corner. You don’t have friends and family giving you positive…
Friday Favorites – more simple summer wines and Cahors prep
A roundup of my favorite things from the week in the categories of wine, food, travel, and lifestyle. FOOD I’m still coming off a high watching hubs help cater his first event with the new smoker. 320 pounds of pork butt were slow cooked to perfection by hubby and Matt Johnston of Boda’s Kitchen celebrating…
BBQ Corner (part 7) — Introducing the Yoder Chisholm, and our first catering gig
In lieu of a BBQ lesson this week we have an important announcement to make. By contributing writer Sean “The Hubby” There is a fine line between obsession and passion. At least, that’s what I think. I’ll admit that my passion for quality barbecue and obsession with the right tools and ingredients are what guide…
Different Styles of BBQ Sauces
A rundown of the major styles of BBQ and regional sauces and what they are good for. I love being asked what my style of BBQ is, for a couple reasons. I find it an opportunity to gauge how much that person really understands styles, and why it matters (or doesn’t). To be candid, if…
How to make a Grilled and Glazed Chicken
How to make Grilled and Glazed Chicken. I must admit a few years ago I was so uninspired when grilling chicken (but my wife requested it several times a week!). Frankly, I just felt that the flavor was bland and half the time it was either too charred or not cooked enough, meaning it would…
9 Super Bowl Recipes
T-minus six days ‘till the big day. The Super Bowl. I’m not gonna lie, I only watch one football game a year – the Super Bowl (though I do fantasize about the idea of buying a traveling smoker just to take up tailgating). To me, the Super Bowl is just one grand snack-foodie holiday, and…
Smoked Buffalo Chicken Pizza & Wine Pairing
Smoked Buffalo Chicken Pizza is the perfect answer for when you’re wanting Buffalo wings, but also pizza! Also a great use for leftover chicken. Shred it, mix it with Franks RedHot hot sauce, and add to your pizza. I didn’t know Buffalo wings could be elevated to such a level… until this weekend. I thought…
Smoked Buffalo Turkey Dip
The absolute BEST use for leftover turkey is this Smoked Buffalo Turkey Dip! I thought I knew what the ultimate use for leftover Thanksgiving turkey was. I was wrong. It’s this dip! Leftover Thanksgiving Turkey It’s inevitable, if you’re going to cook a turkey for Thanksgiving or any holiday, you’re going to find yourselves with…
Uses for leftover smoked beef brisket – Smoked Beef Brisket Chili (recipe and wine pairing)
An incredible use for leftover smoked brisket — Smoked Beef Brisket Chili! This recipe may be worth even smoking a brisket for, just to use the meat in this (controversial) chili with the leftover brisket. This chili has not only won us several competitions, but we’ve had several readers email us to tell us this recipe has won…
Friday Favorites — food, friends, and an award winning recipe
A weekly roundup of some of my favorite things this week in the categories of wine, food, travel, and lifestyle. This was indeed a week full of “favorites”. Well, my absolute favorite part of the week was getting to spend it with some good friends who were visiting from California with their toddler who is…
Friday Favorites – On the road again…
I apologize for missing last week’s Friday Favorites post. I was en route back to the US after spending a week in the Murcia region of Spain (you can see a preview of that trip here). The week since I returned has been a juggling act balancing work, kids, and packing up our house in…
Friday Favorites – Celebrating a big announcement, and a special Oregon-themed giveaway!
This is a special edition of Friday Favorites here on the blog. Instead of listing out all of my favorite discoveries of the week like I usually do, this news encompasses all four Friday Favorite themes. Plus I have a special giveaway to go with this week’s announcement! This past weekend my husband and I announced…
Friday Favorites – new and improved pulled pork and a wine for humid New England weather
A roundup of some of my favorite things this week in the categories of wine, food, travel, and lifestyle. Food The Ultimate Pulled Pork Sandwiches, and updated blog pics My husband’s favorite thing to smoke is pork butt. It was one of the first things he ever tried after he bought his smoker, and remains…
Championship BBQ Secrets for Real Smoked Food — Book Review
In our house, both my husband and I cook. He’s the outdoor cook and loves to grill and smoke (food that is), and I love to do almost everything else. So when I was sent a cookbook to review on all smoked food recipes I couldn’t think of a better person to review the technical…
Friday Favorites — Gratitude
With so many horrible events that occurred this week it was hard to focus on “favorites”. But if anything positive came out of this week, it was thoughts of gratitude. Feeling thankful for everything I have in my life. Appreciating both the big and little things. TRAVEL A weekend in Boston. We went…
Brisket Bruschetta Recipe: Great for Leftover Brisket
Brisket Bruschetta is a light and delicious use for any leftover beef brisket you may have after a big BBQ or event. Shred some brisket, mix in your favorite BBQ sauce, and top onto a toasted baguette slice for a unique meaty treat! My husband’s eyes are bigger than his stomach. He often has grand…