An evening of wine and glitz...

"Ohh...SHINY!" was my very first thought, a little shallow but straightforward! John and I had the pleasure of attending a Diadema wine tasting with US Wine Imports on Saturday night at The Chophouse in Ann Arbor. With bottle prices starting at $100 and ratings at 92-95 points, these are wines that I don't usually splurge on for myself!

Diadema screams Italian from the delicious juice to the extravagant bottle encrusted with Swarovski crystals! Diadema is from Tuscany and you can check out their website at www.diadema-wine.com for fun! We sampled their Champagne, which is actually made for them in Reims France and was the perfect start to the tasting. Brut style (dry) with just the right balance of fruity and toasty, the Diadema Champagne would be a lovely for any occasion. considering the cost, it won't run your more than say Dom Perignon and the bottle is an incredible keepsake of your special time!! I decided to skip the oysters served with the Champagne...oysters just aren't my thing!

The 2009 Bianco is a white blend of Chardonnay, Viognier and Sauvignon Blanc which absolutely blew me away with it's elegance! Because of it's Stainless aging, it's very clean with very subtle floral notes and hints of apple and peach. I loved the Scallops that were served with the Bianco, it was a delightful pairing!

The 2007 Rosso Supertuscan was rated 95 points by Wine Spectator for good reason, WOW! A blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah made for a surprisingly elegant and full bodied red wine. A good amount of red berry fruit, but underlaying notes of coffee and maybe chocolate? The Rosso was full of tannins, and with such great structure, it left me wanting another sip!

Diadema owner Alberto, is offering a pretty sweet deal, he will create a personalized label for your wine bottles with a 12 bottle order! Wouldn't you be the most spectacular gift giver ever?! Not to mention, there is no wrapping required as all bottles are in a gift box. Viola! Christmas shopping is finished!

Diadema wines will be available at The Market by special order and you are able to buy by the bottle.

A week of different...

So much I've meant to tell you, but our internet has been down for the last 6 days! I had to access a recipe via my blackberry (the horror of mini-type) and send all emails from my phone. "Ugh" would be the best description! So I thought I'd run a re-cap of the 10+ days I've been gone, with photos. Here's the highlights...

We said "Good-bye" to our Max. Eleven years of loyalty, mice catching, gardening companionship and master snuggler. It was a sad day.


We met a lovely woman, Monique, who owns Al Dente Pasta Company, here in Michigan at Silvio's Organic Pizza. She was kind enough to participate in The Market's Food Show! Her "Monique's Olive & Caper Sauce" is so fantastic! Silvio's Truffle Pizza is absolutely amazing! We also had the fresh grape, potato pizza, egg and pea pizza and a Sicilian style with anchovies! Paired with Green Hills Cab and Chardonnay and great company, it was all fantastic!


I made the nastiest recipe of rice pudding with fresh lychee fruit. I'm not sure what happened....it should have been so easy and wonderful. Instead I got glue with slimy globs of mauve fruit.

Tuesday mornings are better with wine! Giancarlo paid us a 10am visit at The Boulevard Market and brought his lovely Chianti, Chianti Classico (one of my favorite wines), his Super Tuscan and Vin Santo. Lovely Tuscan wines made my morning! They will be available at The Market soon!


I'm getting this bacon/pork wrapped meat down to a science! A turkey breast, rubbed with fennel pollen, sage and garlic and topped with Pancetta...autumn dining at home! I am harvesting the rest of the fennel pollen from my garden and drying it as we speak! Our family has become addicted to the stuff! It adds a lovely delicate flavor to soups, salads and more! The Market sells it as well, and it comes from California.


We visited an industry Food Show in Southfield and came away with some new fun ideas and products that you will see at The Market soon. My favorite was these new flavored Panko Crumbs...it's like shake n bake!!! I was given the "Pommery Mustard" flavor and it was great! We just put them on some EVOO brushed chicken breasts. So easy, so yummy, so 20 minutes and it's finished!

The good with the bad...it's what living is all about! The internet is back up and functioning, I'm catching up on emails without throwing my blackberry out the window. We are anticipating our first Culinary Book Club with Food meeting tonight and will post more on that tomorrow!

NEW PAN!!!

I have been having Le Creuset envy for years. I am rarely envious of other peoples stuff, lives etc. but the Flame Le Creuset dutch oven brought out the green eyed monster in me like nothing else!

I could imagine myself happily braising any number of meats in bright green olive oil, sprinkling herbs and sniffing the steam on a cool autumn evening. I admit, I just didn't want to spend so much money on a pan, no matter how much I coveted it! This is where my most fabulous husband walks in....John bought it for me!!! (I think he was seriously embarrassed by my drooling every time I walked into a shop that stocks them. Really, he is just always thinking of me and being generous and kind. I am a lucky woman.)

My pan ownership up till now has been a Farberware set given to me as a wedding gift from my Grandmother(previously mentioned Frances Prochaska). I love them. I will never part with them. She has bought the same shower and wedding gift for every woman in our immediate family! I believe each of us still has them, how is that for tradition and longevity?

So...here was my first creation. It's summer, so I wanted to keep stovetop/oven use to a minimum, yet really get the feel for my new precious pot! I had half of a bottle of less-good-than-expected Zinfandel and a couple ideas.

6 Lamb chops
2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons Black or Green Olives, finely chopped (I used green, no black olives in fridge!)
2 Tablespoons Orange Zest
2 Tablespoons Fresh Sage, chopped
1 Clove Garlic, minced
Salt & Pepper
1 Cup Red Wine
1 Cup Beef or Lamb Stock

Mix all ingredients except wine and stock and marinate lamb chops 6 hours or overnight.

I actually drained the marinade into my dutch oven and over high heat seared my lamb chops until just browned on each side. Reduce heat and add wine to deglaze pan and then add cup of stock. Reduce heat to simmer and simmer, covered about 40 minutes.

I needed a bit of "sauce" with this, wanted something fresh tasting so here's what I came up with:

1/2 Fennel Bulb, cleaned and thinly sliced
2 Tablespoons Balck or Green Olives, chopped
1 Orange, peeled and finely chopped (I used the inside of the afore mentioned zested orange)
Salt & Pepper to taste
Drizzle of EVOO

In a saute pan over medium high heat, drizzle with EVOO and add fennel. Cook until the fennel just begins to lose it's crunch, add remaining ingredients and saute about 4 minutes or until orange pieces have slightly carmelized. Garnish each lamb chop with a spoonful of sauce.

You could totally throw some red pepper flakes in this for a bit of heat if you'd like!