TheVineyardMom

This is an easy and delicious salad you can put together in a few minutes.  I buy a bag of shredded cabbage with carrots in the produce section of the grocery store and make a quick delicious dressing.  You can assemble the salad and make the dressing ahead of time, which makes this a perfect make ahead meal. I like to add the dressing right before I serve it. You can also add chicken to it.  A Chardonnay, Savignon Blanc or Rose goes perfectly with this meal.  Cheers! Serves 4 2 bags of shredded cabbage with carrots. 1 cup chopped cilantro. 3 green onions chopped. 1 11 oz. can of Mandarin oranges drained. 1/4 cup sliced almonds. 1 cup of crispy wonton strips. Dressing 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil. 1/4 cup flavored rice wine vinegar. 1 1/2 Tbs. honey. 3 Tbs. sesame oil. 1/4 tsp. ground ginger. 1 clove of garlic grated. 1/4 tsp. salt and pepper. Drain mandarin oranges and chop cilantro and green onions.  Put shredded cabbage and carrots into a bowl and add ci...

. This is one of the most delicious and versatile sauce I've ever made.  You can have it with pork chops, pork tenderloin, chicken, salmon, shrimp or with crust bread as a dip.  The sauce can be made ahead of time and refrigerated.  I like to bring it back to room temperature when I'm ready to serve it.  For a quick dinner, I make the sauce while the pork or whatever meat I'm making is cooking.  I throw all the ingredients in my food processor and slowly stream in the extra virgin olive oil. Whether your having it with seafood or meat, a Savignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio or a Pinot Noir goes great with it.  Cheers! Serves 4 1 1/2 lbs. of thinly sliced boneless pork chops 1 cup fresh parsley 1/2 cup fresh cilantro 1/4 cup fresh chives 1/4 cup fresh tarragon 3 green onions 3 garlic cloves 1/4 cup white vinegar. 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil plus 1 Tbsp 1/2 tsp. each salt and pepper Put parsley through white vinegar into a food processor. Pulse 5 times. Put proces...

Here is a great alternative to the same cheese spreads and dips.  It made with ricotta cheese and delicious fresh herbs.  I make this dip for entertaining, picnics, wine tasting and I even use it as a layer in my lasagna.  As a spread or dip, I'll use crudites, crackers or sliced baguette.  You can make it hours ahead of time and leave it in the refrigerator.  I like to serve a Savignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Viognier, Rose or Sparking wine with it.  Cheers! 15 oz. Whole milk ricotta cheese 2 green onions chopped 2 Tbs. fresh dill chopped 2 Tbs. fresh chives chopped 1 Tbs. fresh parsley chopped 1/2  tsp. salt  1/2 tsp. pepper Drain ricotta cheese in a fine mesh sieve.  If you don't have a sieve, place several paper towels at the bottom of a bowl and pour ricotta on top of the towels.  Let cheese drain for 5 minutes. Place drained ricotta into a mixing bowl and add, onions, dill, chives, parsley, salt and pepper.  Mix well. Refrigerate u...

One of the greatest pleasures of marrying my husband was meeting his grandparents. They were amazing people.  I don't care who you were in the room with, they were the friendliest and most interesting people.  One of my favorite recipes from grandma was her simple but delicious cheese dip.  Grandma would spread some on saltine crackers and put them in the oven to melt.  DELICIOUS!  I love it hot or cold, on saltines or a baguette, on a bagel or sourdough.  It's a perfect dip as an hors d'ouvre, breakfast or snack.  Any wine goes great with it especially a Savignon Blanc or Sparkling.  Cheers to Grandma Olive! 1/2 lb. shredded medium cheddar cheese. 1/2 cup mayonnaise. 4 green onions chopped. Green part too! 1 tsp. worscestershire sauce. a pinch of salt and pepper per grandma. Shred cheese and mix in the rest of the ingredients. Chill or spread on crackers or bread and bake at 350 for 5 minutes.

I love having cashews as part of a charcuterie board, an hors d'oeuvres or just as a snack.  Buying flavored nuts at the store is expensive.  Here is a recipe for cashews that you buy raw and dress up yourself.  They are flavorful, a little sweet, salty and delicious.  They are a perfect complement to any picnic or wine tasting basket.  Any red or white wine goes great with these cashews.  I even love a sweet Moscato or a Muscat Canelli. Cheers! 2 cups raw cashews 1 Tbs. melted butter 1 Tbs. brown sugar 1 tsp. salt 1 Tbs. dried rosemary. If you want to use fresh rosemary, use 2 Tbs. and chop finely Place cashews into a dry non-stick saute pan.  Saute on medium high heat for 5 minutes. Shake the pan to move the nuts around several times while they are warming up. Do not let them burn! In a mixing bowl, add melted butter, brown sugar and salt and combine.  Put hot cashew immediately into the bowl. Take dried rosemary and crush in the palm of your ha...

Quiche is so versatile.  You can have it for breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner.  It can be served warm or at room temperature. I make several different varieties, but this one seems to be a favorite.  I love serving quiche with a side salad or fruit.  You can make the quiche a couple of hours in advance and serve it at room temperature.  If I'm making quiche for a get together or party, I usually make this one and a vegetarian one.  I buy my pie crusts in the freezer section of the grocery store.  They work great and they are a time saver. I love having a Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Rose or even some sparkling with this quiche.  Cheers!  1 Store bought frozen pie crust thawed 1 egg 4 tsp. of all purpose flour 1/2 cup milk 1/2 cup Mayonnaise ( yes mayo!) 8 oz. of shredded Gruyere cheese 12 pieces of crispy bacon chopped 3 finely chopped green onions 1/2 cup cooked and chopped fresh spinach. Make sure to squeeze out all the extra moisture....