Month: November 2013

with the Annual Holiday Happening event

Niagara County, NY – The wineries of the Niagara Wine Trail are celebrating the holiday season with their annual Holiday Happening event. The two-weekend Holiday Happening will take place December 6th-8th and December 13-15th.

Tickets are limited for the event and include 3 tastes of wine at each of the 19 participating wineries, a collectable wine glass from the starting location and a different Nutcracker Ballet ornament at each winery (one ornament per couple). Transportation is not included. Hours both weekends are Friday Noon–5 PM, Saturday 10 AM–5 PM and Sunday Noon–5 PM.

Attendees are encouraged to purchase online in advance until December 5th at the price of $40/single or $70/couple. Tickets for this popular event are valid for both weekends, so attendees may have a chance to visit each winery, collect their ornaments and even complete some local holiday shopping.

Day-of-event tickets will…

Radicchio,Noah Verrier, 2008.

Recipe: Cavatappi with Radicchio, Fontina, and Walnuts

Radicchio sometimes has me stumped. Bringing those pretty red things into my kitchen can send me straight to cooking block hell. Another salad with a scattering of radicchio? That’s just not how it’s supposed to be. In Italy, no matter how popular the tre colore salad has become there, most people serve radicchio cooked. But when it’s heated, its bitter taste and diminished beauty can be disheartening. However, I took a vow many years ago never to be defeated by any vegetable. And so it will be.

The challenge is to find flavors that marry well with radicchio’s bitterness. That isn’t an issue when I’m just throwing it into a salad, but cook it and its flavor opens up, wandering all over the dish, making it hard to imagine served any way other than unadorned. Still, I’ve had…

After my recent success with my first time working with yeast (NY style bagels — if you haven’t tried these yet you’re doing something wrong with your life, I can’t stop making them!) I figured it was time to try my hand at bread. I really wanted to do a sourdough with chunks of cheddar baked in, but after realizing the process of making a sourdough starter, I figured I should try something a little more basic first. This cinnamon raisin bread turned out so soft and delicious, I was super pleased with the results!

You will need:
1/2 cup whole milk
1/3 cup warm water
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
1 egg
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 tsp salt
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup raisins
2 2/3 cups all purpose flour

2 tbsp milk
1/3 cup sugar
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
2/3 tbsp butter, melted

Start…

This lovely photo is by Lisa Silvestri

Here’s my November column for Curves magazine. It’s a recipe for Moroccan leg of lamb with roasted fall vegetables, heavy on the parsnips, my favorite. It’s got a spiced yogurt sauce.  But best of all, it’s only 400 calories a serving. Enjoy.