A Food, Spirits & Wine Blog

Laurie and I just spent the past six weeks enjoying another epic holiday season! We are now winding down from the hectic pace and almost non-stop celebrations but also continuing to reflect fondly on an absolutely wonderful holiday season! Here’s a quick recap for you in case you weren’t here to enjoy it all with us! The 2025 holiday season kicked off for us on November 17 th  when Laurie and I decorated the house for the season! We love getting an early start on the festivit

I never trust recipes that claim they can be made in 30 minutes or less. It usually takes me considerably longer to make these dishes than the advertised 30 minutes. But here’s a “no-kidding recipe for a delicious vegetable soup that can be made in 30 minutes, guaranteed! I’m always on the lookout for quick, easy recipes that I can make in short order – some days I just don’t feel like spending two hours in the kitchen making dinner. Turns out these recipes aren’t difficult t

Thanksgiving is almost here, which means it’s time to plan for Thanksgiving dinner and in particular, what wines you plan to serve with your Thanksgiving feast! Here are four fantastic wines that will pair well with almost any Thanksgiving dish!   While Christmas is my all-time favorite holiday, I also love Thanksgiving and the fact that it’s a holiday built around a huge feast to be enjoyed with family and friends! Laurie and I adhere to the traditional Thanksgiving menu – n

There are a few dishes that I only make on special occasions. In some cases, it’s because they are time-consuming and difficult to make, like Beef Wellington. In other cases, it’s because they are always associated in my mind with a particular holiday, like roast turkey on Thanksgiving. And lastly, it’s sometimes because the dish is incredibly expensive, so we make it only on special occasions. Such is the case with a prime rib roast. Here’s my take on this classic dish! Prim

I absolutely love kitchen stuff! Knives, pots and pans, mixers and food processers, graters, cutting boards, gadgets of all kinds – you can never have enough! And that’s all well and good if you have space to store it all. But, what if you don’t? Let’s talk about the must-have, most essential items for your kitchen! When I set out on my own and got my first real job, you could easily fit all of my kitchen-related items in a (very!) small moving box. I had a pan, a pot, a bowl