HOW TO: Host a Wine Tasting (Featuring NAKED WINES!)

Some people are great at fixing things, or building things, and some people are even good at doing things. Painting, skiing, singing.... these things are called talents. I, too, have talents (which is the only way you know someone has talents, because they tell you.). Unfortunately, no matter how hard I try, singing will never be my ticket to fame and I will never get to be a pop star. My talents are a little more focused on things that I can put in my stomach and, fortunately for those around me, include drinking wine and feeding people. You might be asking yourself... Drinking wine is a talent? And I will tell you that the answer is yes. Drinking wine is a talent. One that I am exceedingly good at and also one that pairs very well with feeding people. People say, "Sarah, I think you have a problem." And I say, "No, I have a hobby that I am very great at. Are you jealous?"

So, just as doctors and architects take continuing education courses to stay on their game and learn new things, people who love wine have wine clubs. Richard and I are members of a great wine club called Naked Wines. Naked wines is a unique club where you invest directly in independent wine makers and in turn get huge discounts on the wines those winemakers make. Your monthly $40 "investment" goes into your account and you get to use that money towards the wine you buy.  I'd explain it more but I don't really like math. What I do like is a lot of great wine for very little money. So, as you can imagine I was excited to use this as an excuse to host a party. To be fair though, for me a strong breeze is a good enough reason to host a party, but wine is even better. Luckily for Rich and I, Naked Wines was kind enough to give us the opportunity (and the wine) to host a tasting with some of their new wines that we hadn't tried yet.  And while I told them that Richard and I didn't need help and that we could taste the wines all by ourselves, they suggested we invite a few friends. 

Wines:

Matt Iaconis Margaret River Valley Sauvignon Blanc Semilon 2013

La Tapatia Pinot Noir Nappa Valley 2012

Sartirano Piemonte DOC Barbera 2011

Sin Fronteras Los Primos Red Wine 2012

S & A Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma Valley 2012

Matt Iaconis Globetrotter Red CA USA 2012

We are a red wine loving group, so while we did try one great Sauvignon Blanc, we kept the tasting focused on a selection of red wines. 

Along with the wines, we prepared several small bites for our friends to nibble on during their tastings.  For a cocktail party, it is a good idea to serve your guests about 5 ounces of cheese and 4 ounces of per person. You always want to make sure there's more than enough to eat when you are serving alcohol (don't worry, it won't go to waste. You'll crawl out of bed and finish it off at 3am). If your party will include dinner and the charcuterie will be presented as an appetizer, 2-3 ounces of cheese and about 4 slices of meat per person should be enough. If not tell your friends to stop pigging out on your free food! 

Some great snacks to serve at a wine tasting or cocktail party:

Assorted cheese and charcuterie with an assortment of dried fruits, nuts, olives, and crackers

Some of my favorite cheeses to serve are manchego, brie, gouda, camemburt, stilton, & cotswald. I always chooses a few that I know everyone will like and then a couple new ones to experiment with. 

Cheeses are at their optimum flavor at room temperature, so remove them from the refrigerator about 60 minutes before serving. 

I also prepared a spread of cured italian meats including several different salamis, mortadella, prosciutto, and bresaola. 

Some other great things to serve with charcuterie:

Crackers, crsuty bread, flatbreads, and crostinis

Fruits: Figs, grapes, apples, pears, dried apricots, dried cherries

Nuts: Almonds walnuts, pistachios, pecans

Jams & Spreads: Fig jam, onion confit, pesto, olive tapenade, mustard

Other: Roasted peppers, marinated artichoke hearts, cornichons, assorted olives

When serving charcuterie, I aways accompany the meats with whole grain mustard, cornichons, and arugula. 

Assorted Crostinis

Heirloom tomato brushetta topped with buratta cheese

Figs with goat cheese, honey and thyme

Butternut squash with sage and crispy pancetta

Artisan Flatbreads  

Caramelized shallots and mushrooms

Mozzarella and fresh basil

Brie cheese, apples, and caramelized onions

And of course we had a spread of fancy baked treats from Three Dog Bakery for the pups. 

we really have the loveliest of friends.

If you live in LA, you know every friend that you invite over has a dog that they really are dying to bring to your house... And since we have a lot of dogs ourselves, I figured what better than to take a classy afternoon and turn it into a dog halloween party. We are clearly a very well rounded bunch! 

Octopuses, Donkeys, and Skeletons, Oh my!

Thank you again, Naked Wines, for sponsoring such a wonderful afternoon! For more information about what they do (and how to get them to send you wine) visit http://us.nakedwines.com/

Cheers!

Zucchini Lasagna & My Favorite Weekend Ever

I know... that's a pretty weighted statement......

"My favorite weekend ever."

......And I am standing by it. Saying that the last three days were epic would actually be an understatement. Richard and I were visited by my cousins Katrina and Stephanie all the way from Canada (you know, the undeniably most epic country ever!). I had not seen them in 8 years, but one of the best things about family is that the second you give each other a jumping up and down while squealing full body hug.... you are instantly best friends as if not one day has past since the last time you were together**

**Please note that one of the last times we were together I was 12 years old and we were so misbehaved that I was STILL grounded even when we got home from our family vacation to Canada. My cuzzys and I have always had a knack for getting ourselves into some pretty awesome trouble when we are together.

We definitely went at about 1,000 miles per hour from the second they got into town on Saturday morning.... guzzling champagne (8 mimosas at brunch is acceptable, right?) indulging in fabulous meals, pulling all nighters (who needs sleep when you have 8 years to catch up on) and starting dance parties like it was our job (which as much as I wish it was, it is not). My husband deserves a medal. Seriously. But judging by the fact he's currently drooling on the couch, it looks he's happy to settle for a nap. His third of the day. Apparently he needs one per decade he's been alive. Or one per Bacsalmasi he had to spend the weekend with...

So, since my brain is still drying out and re-forming from the weekend, and words escape me, a photo recap is obviously necessary.

These are my cousins. They are the best (minus Jessica... we missed you!)

this is what three girls look like watching the sun come up.

the absolute most fun.

  

Ok, just looking at the photos makes me a bit exhausted. Oy. Anyways, if you can't tell (surprise, surprise)  I am functioning on a few (thousand) less brain cells than I had last Friday, so I am going to keep this short and sweet. My body was in need of some serious nutrition today and this delicious vegetarian recipe did just the trick! Packed with veggies, super simple to make, and really.... if I didn't tell you it was PASTA FREE, you wouldn't even notice. It's also the perfect way to use up the three pounds of zucchini you bought to grill for dinner (but because you got distracted with dancing and hugging dinner didn't happen). Did I mention my husband deserves a medal?

Ok, let's get to the food....

Ingredients:

For the sauce

Use your favorite store bought sauce (I LOVE Rao's.) Or use my recipe found here. 

For the filling

1 pound small-curd cottage cheese

1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese (about 3 ounces)

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the vegetables

3 pounds zucchini, ends trimmed and sliced lengthwise 1/4 inch thick

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 pounds cremini mushrooms, sliced

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

10 ounces frozen artichoke hearts, thawed, patted dry with paper towels, and coarsely chopped

1 pound shredded whole-milk mozzarella cheese (about 4 cups)

Method:
Ok, there are quite a few steps, so don't get intimidated... it's much easier than the number of word's I am about to type.....

Make your sauce. Or set the jar nicely on your counter and feel accomplished in your own way. Both work great.

Combine the ingredients for the filling. The cottage cheese, parmesan, salt and pepper. Set aside.

Prep your veggies. I recommend grilling the zucchini to avoid it getting soggy, but if you prefer to broil it in an oven, that will work too. Either way, rub each slice with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper. Grill over high heat (or broil) until well cooked. I like the zucchini to be a bit crispy.

Next, in a sauté pan over medium/high heat, sauté the mushrooms and artichokes until browned.

Ok. All of your components are ready.... so start layering! On the bottom of a baking dish, spread some tomato sauce and 1/2 of the mushrooms and artichokes. Then layer with the grilled zucchini. Next, spoon 1/2 of the cottage cheese mixture on top of the zucchini. Then more artichokes, sauce, zucchini.... you get it. Layer all of your ingredients until they are gone. Top with shredded mozzarella cheese and throw that sucker in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes until sauce is bubbly and the melted mozzarella is golden brown. Let the lasagna sit at room temp for at least 15 minutes so that it can set before serving or else it will be a runny mess.