Who's the donkey now?

After a long week at work or at life in general, there are some moments when you find yourself trying too hard to please too many people, stretched too far to the limits, and then you want to just take it easy.  Lucky for you, there's a wine for that!  And you won't believe the name.   It's "Ass Kisser" find red wine by Rocland Estate.  The cheeky name matches the full bodied wine. It's berried, slightly spicy, slightly oaked, and there's just a twinge of caramel flavor in there for the finish.  It's a South Australian table wine from the Barossa Valley.  It's the lowest rung in the ladder of wines from Rocland, and just slightly below the ratings of their finer wines (rated 90+) at a comfortable rating in the upper 80's.   After tasting the "kiss", I agree, it's an 88!   Mine was a 2007 blend of petit verdot, grenache, shiraz and mataro.  $13 in Delaware wine store.  But, wait, there's more!  If wine is not your thing, there are also "Ass Kisser " ales.   It's co-branded with the wine, but brewed domestically in California.  The Vanilla Pale Ale sounds intriguing to me.  Not sure I would mix those two elements together myself but I would definitely expect a kicked up flavor combo like this from an ale with such a name.  "XOXO".

Pasta salad without the calories: Asian inspired

Low-calorie Pasta Salad can be nutritious and delicious!
This recipe ditches mayo for vinegar and oil.  The recipe uses mild rice vinegar, therefore it does not leave your palate overly "greasy" as with mayo, or "thirsty" as with other vinegars.

Recipe

1.  Boil the salad's main ingredients al dente.  (I boil them together.)  Drain and set aside in a bowl.

1.5 c Barilla Piccolini Pasta - High fiber white pasta
1 c Fine sliced carrots - Julienned, and sliced down to bite size
1 c Pre-cooked, frozen Edamame beans -Try Seapoint Farms

2.  Add fresh herbs to the salad.


2 stalks thinly sliced Scallions, also known as green onions or spring onions

 Photo by TheRoamingKitchen

 1 bunch minced Cilantro, known as "Mexican parsley" in some regions of the U.S.

Photo by GlobalHealingCenter

3. Add sauce ingredients.  Stir well.   Done!

1 tbsp Sesame oil or olive oil - Like Eden Organic

 

2 tbsp rice vinegar - Like Mitsukan

 

1 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp powdered ginger (Grate fresh ginger root1/2 tsp if you have it on hand)
1/8 tsp lemon grass spice - Or buy fresh at Produce Junction - A tropical grass with lemon flavor, true to its name.  Substitute with grated lemon peel.

1/8 tsp white pepper spice. White pepper has a "smoky" flavor compared to Black pepper.  It is not sweet like red pepper nor tart like black pepper.  You can substitute with either of those, just be aware that the taste will change accordingly and you might need to counterbalance.

My Juicy Apple Life

Lately I've been on an apple kick.  I cannot get enough of apples!  The scent, the taste, the color of apple blossoms and shiny red and green apples.... I am smitten!  Apples are bright, sweet, cleansing and satisfying.  In case you hadn't noticed from my other posts, when I get on a "kick" with something, I truly incorporate whatever it is into my daily life in multiple ways.  The apple trend is one I've been riding for a few weeks now.  As the summer comes to its fullest point, I am looking ahead to fall, relishing the day I go apple-picking!    ......My Juicy Apple Life.....


1.)    Apple-cinnamon bagels from Country Bagel with walnut-raisin cream cheese from Bagels Over Broadway in West Chester. 

Bagels Over Broadway also serves Green Mountain Coffee... Yum!   If you like Green Mountain, you may be surprised to learn that prices on single-serving Green Mountain "K-Cups" for Keurig brewers are likely to go down this winter!  

 Homemade bagels by Savvy Baker.  Click here for recipe.

2.)  Apple themed home decorations

I got mine on clearance from LAST fall's leftovers.  With fall just around the corner, brand new stuff is filling the shelves day by day.   You can't go wrong with an apple centerpiece!  Whether faux or real, apples bring a pleasing smile to the onlooker.  And who says apples have to go with pinecones?  Fresh flowers look great, too!

Photo by Michelle Rago

3.)  Apple cider

Forget the Woodchuck you drank in high school.  Apple cider is all grown up.  There are reports that it's the next big "microbrew" trend, particularly on account that it can be made locally in the U.S. and it's gluten-free. One thing is for sure, sales are growing.  I am not sure where all the cider drinkers have been hiding because it's really a classic if you find the right brand.   Esquire magazine gives a good intro of food pairings for highbrow domestic ciders.  If you are truly highbrow like me, however, you enjoy a good cider from the British Isles.   My favorites are Strongbow for a light cider (English origin) and Samuel Smith's cider and related fruit flavored ales for a change from the everyday.

4.)  Raw apple pie

 The "raw food" movement is about eating a diet rich in fresh nuts, legumes and berries among other raw foods.  Food is not generally cooked above the low 100 degrees Fahrenheit.  I will feature more information on the raw food movement in upcoming posts.  For now, I let you know that a favorite dessert for people on a raw diet with a wide appeal is Apple Pie, a classic dessert that tastes delightful cooked or raw.   Recipe by Rawmazing.

5.) Apple perfume

The trend started with DKNY Be Delicious and has generated lovely spinoffs...

Golden Delicious  and Fresh Blossom Duo

 

I can practically taste the apples just by looking at these pictures!  I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

 XO Gardentina

Ways to beat the August heat

Enjoy a Popsicle or Water Ice. 

Airheads Popsicles

Go to the gym and take a dip in the Pool when you're done working out.

Pool at LA Fitness

Go to a place where it is the opposite of bright and hot, Like the movie theater!

Popcorn Indiana's new Warm-Up Bag

Drive over to the do-it-yourself car wash.  No complaints if you get a little bit wet! 

Greenhill Car Wash of Wilmington and Middletown

Get a haircut and skip the blow dry!

Great Clips promotions page

 

Genuardis turned into Giant grocery store

Recently I made a road trip to the Giant grocery store that took over the Genuardi's grocery on Boot Road in East Goshen Township.  It was very busy on the evening of my visit.  The store has an "upscale" look for being a Giant store.  I enjoyed that part!  It has the Giant products we know from the big box grocery chain, too.  Giant remodeled a bit but as typical of Genuardi's there are corners, nooks and crannies remaining in the store.  Also a vestige of the old store is the cafe area, complete with microwave and sitting booths.  I sat in the cafe for a moment and took in the artwork on the wall.  Above the plastic silverware were several framed photographs of downtown Philadelphia from the late 1800's and early 1900's.  I was dumbfounded for a minute on account of how much the city looks the same from then until now.  First I took in the major buildings in the photos because the landmarks are still standing today - the old Wanamaker's store;  and other buildings near Broad and Market.  Next I took in the horizon.  Smokestacks lurked in the background, much as they do today.  Then I saw the city streets.  The city was bustling with activity.  Even back then, it was as crowded as today.  The street was filled with all modes of transportation:  cars, trolleys, horses with buggies, and people on foot.  I peered even closer.  Then I saw her.  First I noticed the absence of color as if there were a shadow in the photo.  It was not a shadow.  In the 1800's photo was an African American woman, dressed up to the nines in a long dress trimmed with ribbon and lace, wearing a hat and with her hair done up in a fancy tiered bun type of hairdo, like something out of Anne of Green Gables.   The woman walked properly, and excitedly, across the street on an errand.  The expression on her face was one of content anticipation.  It gave me pause to consider this woman walking freely and purposefully alone in the city, without hesitation.  It made me proud of the history of our city, as a place with a rich history for giving opportunity to African Americans.   And it made me wistful about the crime in the city today.  Could a woman, white or black, feel comfortable walking in the city today with her head held high, like the woman in the photo, without worrying about the wrong type of attention she might attract?  Have conditions really improved since the 1890's?   If the woman from the photo could walk into our world, I think she would tell us to walk tall and proud.  The next time I travel to the city, I will remember her the instant I step out of the SEPTA terminal at Market East onto the sidewalk on Market Street.  My spine will straighten out and the crown of my head might touch the clouds.