wine Archives - Dine and Dish

Cheese Cupid {Black Pepper Parmesan Linguine Recipe}

Kristen — Wed, 16 Dec 2015 19:24:42 +0000

This Black Pepper Parmesan Linguine recipe is the perfect lunch or dinner for two, made even better with the perfect Drink and Cheese pairing, thanks to the Cheese Cupid App.

I tend to over complicate things. Surely I’m not the only one that sometimes forgets simple can sometimes be best.

Take this Black Pepper Parmesan Linguine recipe. It’s about as simple of a recipe as you can get, yet I rarely think to make things like this. The funny thing is, when I make simple recipes like this one, I am quickly reminded about how delicious simple can be!…

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Regal Princess Chef’s Table Lumiere Dining Experience

Kristen — Sun, 12 Apr 2015 02:17:43 +0000

One of my favorite experiences on board the Princess Cruises Regal Princess was the Chef’s Table Lumiere…an exclusive behind the scenes evening of fine wine and elegant dining. Come along with me as I share about this incredible experience (and find out how you can be a part of it onboard The Regal or Royal Princess cruise ships).

Princess Cruises has an amazing experience on board their Regal and Royal Princess cruise ships…something that I don’t believe any other cruise line can compare to.

3 of the nights during a 7 day cruise, Princess offer guests the opportunity to dine at the Chef’s Table (known as The Chef’s Table Lumiere). This is a very exclusive opportunity, as they only take 8 people each night. As you can guess, 12 people out of the thousands on board means this event sells out very fast and is one hot commodity. The price per person for this event is currently $115. With that $115 you get a tour of the kitchen, time to interact with the head chef, the royal treatment, champagne, appetizers, fine wine with every course, and a more course meal than I could keep track of. The food and wine just kept coming and coming and coming. In addition you get a fantastic Princess Cruises cookbook (ARV $50) and professional photos taken as a group and with the chef.

This is going to be a mostly photo heavy post, but the one takeaway needs to be… if you are going to vacation on the Regal or Royal Princess, especially if you are a food and wine enthusiast or you simply want to splurge on something extraordinary, head straight to the reservations desk as soon as you get on board and sign up for The Chef’s Table Lumiere. This event sells out quickly – and you don’t want to miss it! This is one impressive event – worth every penny!

Watch Princess Cruises informative video for a really good look at the entire experience, but for now, enjoy the photo tour of my experience at the Chef’s Table Lumiere on board the Regal Princess. …

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Date Night, Grown Up Shrimp and #ApothicWhite

Kristen — Fri, 04 Apr 2014 16:09:08 +0000

My husband and I used to be really fun people. We did! We used to have regular date nights, spent plenty of nights out until the wee hours of the morning down in the bar district, vacationed often, lived a fun, carefree and exciting life. We were sexy, edgy and fun.

Then things changed… excitement turned into getting all 4 kids down to sleep all at the same time (quite the feat), finding a new stock to invest in that would help to pad our retirement fund (yippee) and if we were really on the wild side, actually going into a restaurant with actual silverware on the table to eat with all 4 kids instead of pulling through the drive through (so risqué) . What happened to us? Where is the fun and sexy couple we once were? Well, I can tell you, that couple is still here… we just have to make more of an effort to find them.

Date nights take on a different meaning when you are 40 with 4 kids and have been married for 14 years. The need to connect is probably stronger than ever, but the energy it takes… not to mention the money for babysitting, the desire to get out of, what I call, Friday Night Pants, and the ability to stay awake for an entire dinner and a movie…the thought of all of that usually makes us decide to just forget it.

Then, after yet one more conversation by text, because we can’t hear each other talk over the interruptions and noise from the kids, we decide… “hon, I think it’s time we find our fun and sexy selves again, don’t you?”…

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Stark Raving {Recipe: Mushroom and White Bean Crostini}

Kristen — Tue, 07 May 2013 04:12:28 +0000

I think Crostini is one of the best little appetizers, ever. It’s so versatile and tasty… and who doesn’t love an appetizer with bread?

When the folks at The Wine Bar asked me to create an appetizer recipe that would pair well with Stark Raving Merlot Wine, I knew I wanted to do a Crostini. And what better ingredients than fresh mushrooms, some Great Northern Bush’s Beans, Italian Herbs and a little garlic and baby swiss cheese? In my opinion, that’s one of the best combinations of flavors there is. Yum!

…

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Sterling Vineyards Ultimate Host Challenge #4

Kristen — Sun, 04 Nov 2012 17:31:36 +0000

Can you believe we are already done with the first 3 Sterling Vineyards Ultimate Host challenges? The search is now on for the 4th and final Ultimate Hosts and I personally think this is one of the best challenges yet!

For the search for the 4th and final Sterling Vineyards Ultimate Host, the theme is Hostess Choice.

Is a board game and wine-themed night your idea of an eventful evening? Do you love watching Mad Men, and want to design 60’s style drinks and bites of food? Be creative with your theme and complementary designs – this is your challenge to be as outside the box as you want to be. Watch the video on the Sterling Vineyards Facebook Page to find out more!

I’d love to see you in NYC and would be thrilled to see you crowned as The Ultimate Host!

Remember the winners of each challenge will get the chance to go to New York for a final competition and compete for the grand prize of $25,000! I’d love to see you in New York so head over to the Sterling Vineyards Facebook page today and enter!

This is a sponsored post on behalf of Sterling Vineyards. All opinions expressed are my own.

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Sterling Vineyards Ultimate Host Challenge #2 – Dessert!

Kristen — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 18:45:04 +0000

Alright friends, it’s time for your second chance to enter the Sterling Vineyards Ultimate Host challenge! The winner of the first challenge has been chosen and now it’s time for a second challenge. I know you all can rock this one because it has to do with one of our favorite things… dessert!

For this challenge, you just need to craft the perfect dessert and Sterling Vineyards wine pairing. Share a video, photos or just your ideas with Sterling Vineyards to enter! Official rules and details on entering can be found on the Sterling Vineyards Facebook page. There were just a handful of entries from challenge number one, so your chances are really good!…

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For the Love of Food

Kristen — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 02:39:38 +0000

I had a most wonderful evening last night. Sandie, over at one of my favorite food blogs, Inn Cuisine, and I finally met. Sandie and I are both from the Kansas City area and we have been chatting on the phone for the past couple of months. We have been talking about getting together for awhile now and it was Sandie who planted the thought that we should go to the Harvesters Forks and Corks benefit event in downtown Kansas City together. A couple of food obsessed food bloggers meeting at a food and wine event? It sounded like a perfect idea to me!

Last night when we met, I seriously felt like I had known her forever. Sandie, her mother-in-law (who happens to be one of the sweetest and coolest MIL’s I’ve met), and I were in complete euphoria as we went from booth to booth tasting some of the most amazing food and wine from the finest establishments in the Kansas City area. From a delicious sweet corn and crab bisque, to some amazing scallops, to a most interesting basil chardonnay sorbet, we enjoyed a night of gorging ourselves for charity. Tough job, but somebody’s got to do it.

What I enjoyed the most about our time together, besides the instant friendship, was being with other people who have such a great appreciation for food. People who take a bite of things and explore the flavors of each morsel they taste. I have no idea how much food we ate and how much wine we sampled, but I do know that by the end of the evening, and well into today, I was still feeling completely stuffed. We felt a bit guilty eating so much when we were at a charity even to raise money for the hungry, but we couldn’t resist all of the incredible food.

One lesson we did learn… always eat dessert first. By the time the hours had passed and we made it around the Grand Ballroom, the one thing we were on a hunt for was gone. The famous Creme Brulee, that we heard everyone raving about, had been snatched up by all of the other attendees. Don’t feel too sorry for us… we managed to have plenty of other desserts. So many that it was impossible for us to try them all. It is my goal in the next few months to try and recreate the Carrot Cake Roll that I tried. Oh…My… Gosh! Delicious!

Thank you Sandie and Linda for such an enjoyable evening. I look forward to having a new foodie friend and to our Forks and Corks outing being an annual event! Next time we’ll remember to go for the dessert first!

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Food & Wine Magazine 100 Tastes to Try in 2007 – Taste #15 Aspen Kettle Corn

Kristen — Mon, 08 Jan 2007 02:00:02 +0000

Kettle corn and Food and Wine Magazine. Seems like an odd combination, doesn’t it? That’s what I first thought when I noticed that Aspen Kettle Corn was taste #15 in Food and Wine Magazine’s 100 Tastes to Try in 2007. What could possibly make something as simple as kettle corn so special that it gets noticed by Food and Wine Magazine? That’s what I set out to find as I placed my order last week with Aspen Kettle Corn.

The kettle corn arrived on Friday afternoon via UPS (which is always a pleasure considering my one sided love affair with the UPS man.). It arrived in 2 large vacuum sealed bags tied with a decorative raffia bow, just begging to be ripped into and devoured. The timing of the Aspen Kettle Corn arriving was perfect, as we were preparing to have a household full of family members for our weekend Family Christmas celebration. I thought I’d use one bag to conduct my “research” and then set the other bag out during our gathering for other family members to enjoy.

My parents, children and I were the lucky ones to get to try out the first bag of popcorn. As I was opening the bag I was trying to figure out what could be special about Aspen Kettle Corn? It certainly looked like other kettle corn I had tried in the past. With my kids clawing at my feet begging for a taste, I finally poured it all into one big bowl and set it out for all of us to enjoy. After my first bite I said “Mmmmmmm….it seems saltier than other kettle corn to me.” Then my dad took a bite and said “No, I actually think that it tastes sweeter than other kettle corn I’ve tried.” I was intrigued by his comment. How could he think it tastes sweeter? It was definitely saltier, not sweeter. Thinking he didn’t know what he was talking about, I took another bite. Wouldn’t you know it? My next bite did seem more sweet than salty. Very odd indeed, I thought. My mom took her first bite and continued to reach for the bowl, enjoying the popcorn so much she wasn’t ready to pause to make a comment. This popcorn was addicting. It made you want to keep eating it to see what burst of flavor was going to explode in your mouth next. From sweet to salty, to a handful with a perfectly combined taste, this was indeed the very best kettle corn I had ever tasted.

I was impressed with the freshness of the popcorn. Even after a few days of traveling in a vacuum sealed bag, the popcorn tasted like it was fresh out of the kettle. We chowed through that first bag like it was nothing, and the only regret we had in the end was that the popcorn was all gone. We’d have to share the next bag with siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. Were they worthy of such greatness? This was pretty good popcorn… but they are a pretty good family, so I guess I can share.

If you crave the kettle corn you get at festivals, amusement parks, county fairs…the kind that you are picking out of your teeth one week later, then don’t call Aspen Kettle Corn. If you crave something that is far superior… something that is made with high quality, fresh ingredients and has a taste like no other kettle corn you’ve had, then get on over to www.aspenkettlecorn.com right now and place an order! Have fresh tasting, delicious kettle corn delivered hot out of the kettle and straight to your door.

One month ago today I dished about My Secret (and one sided) Love Affair with the UPS Man

Over at our family blog, I dished about Mommy Brain

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