Elk Creek Winery

The other day on my birthday, Jared and I were both off work so we decided to go for a drive. A good friend of mine (Stacy) has been telling me about a place called Elk Creek Winery that she and her husband just love. I'm always open to recommendations and this was definitely a good one!

We drove out to Elk Creek around noon. It's only about an hour to get there from our area and the drive is beautiful and relaxing. We pulled up to the winery and I knew I was going to love the place a few moments after I began to look around. We were greeted by a very friendly staff member, Joe. He let us taste a variety of the wines made from grapes grown right there in Owenton KY. Some of the other wines they carry are made at Elk Creek but the grapes are shipped from California, Washington and other regions.

Joe was more than accommodating. We shared a great conversation about wine and traveling and he even took us on a tour of the wine cellar! Of course it smelled incredible down there. I put my nose right near one of the barrels and inhaled deeply. Joe took us around the rest of the winery too. We got to see the Zinfandel grapes going into a machine to be pressed. Forgive my ingnorance for not knowing what this type of machine is... wikipedia?

Upstairs in the winery there is an art gallery. Right now they're displaying work from one of my favorite artists, Cincinnati native Charlie Harper.

Of course we can't go to a winery without eating and drinking! After our extensive tasting, we both settled on a glasses of Elk Creek's Petit Syrah. It was so good, next time I'll buy a bottle to take home with me. It's rich, full bodied, fruity and peppery. It was phenomenal. It's not a red wine that I would have chosen a few years ago, this is the type of wine you need some experience to appreciate.

We ordered a sandwich called the Elk Creek Sub and a Cheese and Cracker Sampler from the Cafe. The food was delicious, very fresh high quality ingredients, the sandwich was terrific.



We loved Elk Creek, we will definitely go back!!

Magnolia's Vanilla Cupcakes

In my family we have several birthdays that fall in the month of November (including mine, which happens to be today!) Saturday night we got together to celebrate and I decided to make cupcakes. When Jared went to New York earlier this year, he brought home some cupcakes from the Magnolia Bakery. I know, what a guy, right?!?!! Those cupcakes were like none I had ever tasted in my entire life. The buttercream frosting is really the pièce de résistance. It's enough to convert even those who claim to "not be into sweets" (my mom) into firm believers.

I was surprised to find the recipe on foodnetwork.com after I searched and discovered that the Magnolia cookbook was already checked out of my local library. Although I have never been to the bakery myself, I feel confident that the cupcakes I baked the other day were very similiar if not "spot on" to the ones Jared brought home from his trip. And despite being very specific, I felt the recipe was easy to follow. Now that I've made cupcakes from "scratch" I have a feeling that I will never buy a box of Betty Crocker again.

It's all in the wrist!

Yum!

Muffins

Seems like we've caught the baking bug. Tonight I got the urge to make muffins. I don't mean to sound like a broken record here but, I figured the Moosewood would have a good recipe and they didn't let me down. Moosewood recipes are so reliable. They always turn out flavorful, they're easy, they're healthful, they're great.

I really liked this muffin recipe. It's pretty basic and encourages you to create your own variations with fruits, nuts or even chocolate chips! I chose to use chopped walnuts and the optional struesel topping (part of the recipe). We enjoyed these right out of the oven with a little butter. Very comforting.



Here's the recipe!

"Moosewood Muffins"
from Moosewood Restaurant New Classics

Yield 12 muffins
Prep time 30-35 mins
Baking time 30 mins
Cooling time 15 mins

streusel topping (optional)
1/3 cup unbleached white flour
1 1/2 tablespoons cold butter, chopped into small pieces
1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
pinch of salt

wet ingredients
6 tablespoons butter, room temp
1/2 to 3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups chopped fruit, and/or nuts, and/or chocolate chips* (be creative, make any variation you'd like!)

dry ingredients
2 cups unbleached white all-purpose or pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon or other spice (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 12-cup muffin tin by lightly oiling the cups or placing a paper liner in each cup.

If you want a topping, mix together all the streusel ingredients and blend with a fork until the butter is pea-sized or smaller. Set aside. In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the egg and then the milk and vanilla; the mixture will look lumpy. By hand with a rubber spatula, fold in the fruit and/or nuts and/or chocolate chips. Set aside.

In a separate large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon, if using, and mix well. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and fold together with a rubber spatula without overmixing. Spoon about 1/3 cup of the batter into each muffin cup. Sprinkle each muffin with a scant tablespoon of streusel topping if you'd like.

Immediately place the muffins in the oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until puffed and golden. After about 20 mins, rotate the muffin tin in the oven to ensure even baking.

Remove the muffins from the oven and place the tins on a rack to cool for about 15 mins. The hot muffins are quite soft and may fall apart if handled right away. Serve warm or cool completely and store in a sealed container at room temperature.

Tipping Point

This was a big week for Sierra and I. We made fresh bread, by hand, from scratch - and it came out good.

Baking bread is one of those things I've been meaning to do for a long time, but I always managed to talk myself out of. I convinced myself it was going to be too much of a project; too long, too messy. When I finally made a decision to go for it, the significance of the occasion registered from the beginning: If my first experience was a good one, it would undoubtedly lead to a lifetime of homemade bread making. On the other hand, if this first experience went terribly, it could mean we were doomed to, primarily, the take-and-bake and industrially baked supermarket options - nothing to get excited about.

When I started to combine the ingredients for "the sponge", which is basically the foundation of the bread (in this case; water, yeast, honey, and a little flour), I made 3 of them. In other words, I was hedging myself, fully expecting things to go wrong. And at first I was right: The yeast was supposed to get frothy but the first two didn't. Luckily the 3rd try was salvageable.

I won't go into all the details of the process, but I will say this: The smell of baking bread is enough to make the time and effort worthwhile. And the fact that the first try actually tasted like bread too; it was a nice moment. It felt like the tipping point for me. I'll be surprised if I ever eat another slice of Wonderbread again.