Holiday Gift Guide

The holidays are right around the corner so it is time to start thinking about finding the perfect gifts for the ones you love. I'll continue adding more products as I review them. If you'd like your product considered, please email me at capitalcooking@gmail.com. Happy Holidays!

Thanksgiving Recipe: Corn Pudding with New Age White Wine

Nothing says Thanksgiving like corn pudding.  I put my recipe to the test for my friends and they loved it.  This is sure to be a crowd pleaser.

Perfect Pair: Maple-Roasted Turkey with Beer and Wine

Pete and I basting the turkey.

Spoil yourself on Thanksgiving with an organic turkey from Ayrshire Farm and pairings from Francis Ford Coppola Winery, 3 Stars Brewing Company and Ommegang.  I tested out the menu recently and this turkey is the best I've ever had.  Try the recipe on Thanksgiving and you'll be in heaven!  (This recipe is best made with friends when there is no Coronavirus while sipping beer and wine.)  I am blessed an thankful to have such wonderful friends and family.  Cheers!

Perfect Pair for Thanksgiving: Mustard Roasted Carrots

I am going to miss hosting Friendsgiving this year.  This Coronavirus makes me sad.

Looking for a Thanksgiving side?  These Mustard Roasted Carrots will do the trick.  This healthy dish is packed with flavor and pairs well with the local options selected below.  Happy Thanksgiving!

Thinking of Drinking: Cranberry Sangria

Photo by Emily Clack

Try this Cranberry Sangria for Thanksgiving.  You'll love our Cocktails chapter in the Capital Cooking Cookbook.  After taking a look, you'll be prepared for any party. 

Recipe: Autumn Apple Crisp

Everyone loves apple crisp!  I didn't expect fall to sneak up on us so fast, but now that it is here, it is time to enjoy delicious fall fruits and vegetables. Apples, pumpkin, figs, avocado, sweet potatoes...

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Great Holiday Gift for Kids!

Looking for a great gift for kids?  You can make homemade fruit snacks with the kids.

America’s Test Kitchen Kids, one of the country’s most trusted and inspiring cooking brands for kids, is releasing the third cookbook in its acclaimed Young Chefs cookbook series - The Complete DIY Cookbook for Young Chefs. The new cookbook builds on the success of the series’ first two titles—The Complete Cookbook for Young Chefs and The Complete Baking Book for Young Chefs—which spent a combined 86 weeks atop The New York Times best seller list. Filled with over 100+ meticulously tested and kid-approved recipes, The Complete DIY Cookbook for Young Chefs is the ultimate do-it-yourself cookbook that will change the way kids think about their favorite foods. 

Yummy Halloween Treats

The crisp air of October often signals that autumn has arrived. For many, this is a favorite time of year as it’s time to enjoy leaves bursting with brilliant colors, patches filled with rows of glorious pumpkins and the upcoming arrival of scarecrows and ghosts.  These treats are perfect for a fall picnic or snacks at a winery.  There's plenty of fun stuff to do outside while staying socially distanced.

Recipe: Slow Cooked Lamb Shawarma

Sink your teeth into a slow cooked lamb leg. Top it with yogurt sauce, cucumbers, herbs, and enjoy the tender, juicy dish. Serve with toasted naan.

Perfect Pair: Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake

The cake was supposedly first made by accident in the 1930s by a St. Louis-area German American baker who was trying to make regular cake batter but reversed the proportions of sugar and flour.  This cake is available at most area bakeries and grocery stores in St. Louis. If you haven’t had it before, you are in for a treat. Neal Wavra, the sommelier of the Ashby Inn in Paris, Virginia, helped us select the pairing.

Thinking of Drinking: Cinnamon Whiskey Coffee Cocktail

Break out your fire pit and make some coffee cocktails.

Uncorked: Stella Rosa's Spooky Wines from the Stellaween Collection

Stella Rosa is consistently evolving with the spirit of the times when it comes to wine trends and popular culture. Just in time for Halloween, the Riboli Family of San Antonio Winery Stellabrates® by dressing up its award-winning semi-sweet, semi-sparkling Italian wines with an all new limited-edition art series.  These bottles are so fun!

Attention Keto Lovers

Have you tried the Keto-BEAM? 

Jump into fall with these wines!

This collection of wines, which represents some of Italy’s most iconic varietals, was first released in the 1980s by Julius Angelini. Julius set forth to find quality wines with good everyday pricing.  I'm excited to pair the Pinot Grigio with some delicate fish.  

Leo is here!

Photo By Katie Mortland

Hi All!  I haven't posted much since May because we got a new addition to the family.  

Uncorked: PURE Wine for Mom

Mother’s Day is almost here and while families will not likely have a chance to celebrate in person the important women in their lives this year, sending a gift will be a special touch. The PURE Winery, which debuted earlier this year, is a line of zero-sugar, zero-carb wines, a perfect fit for wellness-conscious moms and in indulgence that fits their active lifestyle.

Uncorked: Perfect Spring Wine

Just in time for Spring, try these delicious wines from Justin.  

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

This is a throwback to one of our first shows about making a Mexican Fiesta.  We made mango margaritas, empanadas, guacamole and sopapillas.  I hope you are having a fiesta today!  

Top 5 Cinco De Mayo Recipes

Margaritas

Recipe: Salsa

You've got to make salsa for Cinco de Mayo!  During our time in Cabo, Mexico, we stopped by the One and Only Palmilla to cook with Chef Larbi Dahrouch.  He showed us his recipe for Salsa Mexicana.  I've got my own urban garden growing with fresh tomatoes and peppers.

Recipe: Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

I love bananas and have been ordering them with most grocery deliveries.  Usually, we have some left that turn brown so I'm always looking for ideas to bake with the ones that turn over-ripe.  This is a good one.  

Recipe: Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes

It is starting to be grilling season.  I love a good steak and mashed potatoes.  Try these.

Recipe: Ratatouille

This recipe is quite different from our Grilled Vegetable Ratatouille that we made on our Thrill of the Grill episode with Heath Hall and Brett Thompson of Pork Barrel BBQ. Ratatouille is a perfect way to practice your knife skills.  Eat your veggies!

Recipe: Lasagna

Photo by Emily Clack

My sweet daughter requested lasagna last night so I delivered.  Hope you enjoy!  What recipes have you made during quarantine?

Uncorked: Make Mommy Happy with These 3 Wines

I know it might be hard to look ahead with the focus on the coronavirus, but don't forget about Mom.  She will love these three wines.  I'll be gearing up to welcome my third baby the next day, if all goes as planned.  I'll open one of these when I get back from the hospital.  Make sure to show your mom some love on Mother's Day (May 10).

Recipe: M’Hanncha Coiled Serpent Cake

This crescent shaped pastry is stuffed with delicately flavored almond paste and coated with icing sugar. M'hanncha means "the snake" and this pastry certainly looks like a snake. It is made of filo dough and is then coiled like a snake. It is filled with an almond paste. You can make a large pastry with larger sheets of filo, or you can make individual sizes, which is much easier.

Thinking of Drinking: Red and White Sangria

Photo by Emily Clack

With weekends as beautiful as this one, Sangria seems like the perfect drink to sip on outside.  This Sangria is a twist on the traditional recipes that use brandy. Carmine’s uses Vermouth.  Both recipes are slightly sweet and very refreshing.  These are recipes are nice for a picnic, barbecue or party since the base of the drink can be made hours in advance.

Hopefully we can have gatherings again soon.

Perfect Pair: Salt Crusted Branzino with Terrapura Sauvignon Blanc Reserva

The freshness of the fish is the most important element. If Branzino isn't available and at its height of freshness, substitute black bass or red snapper. 

Uncorked: Top 3 Spring Whites

Spring is a great time to sip wine. The weather starts to feel a little nicer; the trees start blooming; the air smells fresh.

What to Cook: Shrimp

We've been making lots of meals at home during the pandemic.  I've compiled some of my favorite shrimp recipes in case you're looking for inspiration.  

Wines in the time of Quarantine

These frightening times may make perusing wine lists seem like a quaint pleasure of days gone by. But it is also important that we maintain our sanity and composure during tough times, and there has never been a time in our collective lives when we have needed to do that more. As Lord Byron said, "Wine cheers the sad, revives the old, inspires the young, makes weariness forget his toil." So perhaps you should gift one of the following to your favorite healthcare worker, grocery store clerk, or delivery person the next time you see them:

Quarantine Cooking: Asparagus and Shrimp Risotto

We've been completely isolated, but eating well.  I had a craving for risotto and fresh spring flavors.  Try this recipe.  Add in other spring ingredients like peas or fresh herbs.  

Recipe: Strawberry Shortcake

This recipe is featured on p. 120 of the Capital Cooking Cookbook. Long ago, we filmed the American Classics show with Chef Shannon Overmiller of The Majestic. Shannon is not only an amazing chef, but she is such a sweet person. This recipe is perfect for strawberry season.

Thinking of Drinking: Dewar’s Ilegal Smooth

Dewar’s continues to push the boundaries within the whisky category, through their commitment to innovation by creating the world’s first mezcal cask finished Scotch whisky. Dewar’s Ilegal Smooth is a premium 8-year-old Scotch, double-aged, and finished in Ilegal mezcal casks for a pleasantly unexpected sweet, smooth taste with a wisp of smoke finish.

Recipe: Honey Coconut Lime Shrimp

This recipe is delicious and it was adapted from Half Baked Harvest.

For Dinner: Beef Short Ribs over Mashed Potatoes

I love tender beef short ribs this time of year.  We're eating some tonight.  Make some this weekend!

Mardi Gras Recipe: Beignets

Since Mardi Gras is approaching, celebrate with some homemade beignets!  Did you know that St. Louis has the second biggest celebration?  If it was more kid-friendly, I'd be in Soulard this weekend, but alas I will not partake in the debauchery. 

Recipe: Spicy Cauliflower Soup topped with Homemade Croutons and Truffle Oil

Cauliflower is a cultivated member of the cabbage family and was being planted in American colonies by the 1600s. Cauliflower is a bunched mass flower stems.  Most cauliflowers grow in large heads of thick white clusters. However, there are some new varieties that produce green and purple colors as well.  I didn't eat much cauliflower growing up. Being that my New Year's resolution is to eat more meatless meals, I decided to try cooking cauliflower for the first time. I thought this soup is a good starter.  Expect to see more veggie recipes for me this year!  Please share any cauliflower recipes that you have below in the comments.

Recipe: Creamy Chicken Marsala

Photo by Shauna Alexander

One of my favorite dinner recipes is my Creamy Chicken Marsala.  I recently made this for my dad's birthday.  Enjoy!

National Soup Month: Broccoli and Cheese

Chef Michael Harr at Food, Wine and Co shared his recipe for Vegetarian Winter Broccoli Soup with Broccoli Floret Carpaccio, Asiago Cheese, and Extra Virgin Olive Oil. 

National Soup Month: Avgoleomono

Celebrate National Soup Month with Avgoleomono (Greek Chicken Soup) from Zaytinya.

Happy New Year!

Every year I am more amazed at how fast time flies.  I realize it even more now that I have kids.