Poppy's Spinach Salad

I love this salad! Just make sure you use Heinz ketchup 😄

Pain Bagnat

I ordered this tuna sandwich from Bluebird Kitchen in Pittsburgh the other day and loved it so much that I had to make a clone for Pedro. It's really easy and unique.

Start with a fresh baguette, slices lengthwise. Line the bottom half with fresh kalamata olive tapenade. You can buy pitted kalamata olives and chop them up in a food processor or nut chopper.

Next layer on some canned tuna. I prefer tuna in water vs. olive oil. And top with some roasted cherry tomato halves. These are easy to roast up in the oven. They take about 30 minutes or so and the roasting really sweetens them up.

I paired the sandwich with my Poppy's famous spinach salad recipe with tomato vinaigrette (see salad section for full recipe).

Enjoy!

New, beautiful labels for our 2013 Cabernet Savignon

Merry Christmas from the Maiz-Waller home! Pedro created these custom 2013 labels using one of our engagement photos. The Cabernet Savignon grapes are from California and we're looking forward to sharing these bottles with family. 

Home Brew Saturday

It's the first day of November but feels more like December outside - cold and rainy - making this a perfect day to catch up on caring for our latest batches of home brew.

What a mess! Pedro racked the 12 gallons of Chardonnay juice we fermented this year. We're not going to induce malolactic fermentation in order to keep the raw, acidic crispness of the Chardonnay grape in tact.

He also racked the ~7 gallons of Sangiovese grapes we pressed and steamed 75 grams of French oak chips to add to the carboy. Steaming the French oak is an alternative way to sanitize the chips and enhance their flavor release vs. boiling them (more common method of sanitization).

As if all this weren't enough (Thanksgiving is coming up after all and we're excited to be hosting Pedro's family), next on the list of things to prepare is a ~5 gallon batch of American Amber Ale with a kit containing ore measured ingredients from South Hills Brew Supply. These kits are really convenient for making a limited number of basic brews.

Crepes two-ways ::: Sweet

Once you've mastered how to make a crepe (see previous post on savory crepes), you can now build kn the base to make anything!

Pedro and I hosted my parents for dinner recently and made these for desert. Fold a warm crepe into forths. Drizzle warm cajeta (caramelized goats milk) on top alongside toasted, chopped pecans. Enjoy immediately... Mmmm!

Crepes two ways ::: Savory

First thing's first. Make a good crepe. Pedro follows a consistent recipe for his crepes, which involves a simple mixture of 1 c. Bread or all-purpose flour, 2 eggs, ~1.5 c. milk (depending on consistency you may need a little less), 1 tbsp. butter and a pinch of salt. The trick with this batter is to incorporate all of the dry ingredients with the eggs, butter and a splash of milk to eliminate any lumps. Use a wooden spoon to avoid frothing the batter. Once you have the batter incorporated start adding the rest of the milk slowly and keep incorporating.

Let this mixture sit for a couple hours.

Once it's time to make the crepes, we use our electric, hand-held crepe maker (available at target or amazon for around $40). After about 1 minute, the crepes are ready to peel off the crepe maker and can be stacked on a plate until you're ready to use them. This recipe makes 10 -12 medium sized crepes.

Keep the crepes fresh in a ziplock bag and resuse them for up to 3 or 4 days after making them... They're much easier to reheat, and much more versatile then pancakes.

For the savory crepes, we put a finished crepe in a skillet like a tortilla and grated just a little sharp cheddar (gruyere would be delicious), a slice of prosciutto and some arugula, and sprayed some truffle oil on it before folding the crep on itself until everything was warm and gooey. Enjoy immediately. Eat with your hands like a sandwich to keep the arugula from falling out. Basically one of the best snacks you'll ever have.

Thai Mahi Mahi Filets

Pedro made these and they came out like a thai restaurant dish - but without all the msg and vegetable oils.

Of course the Mahi Mahi filets we used are from Costco (wild caught). Once thawed, place them in a skillet with about 1.5 tbsp of coconut oil. Spread some crushed garlic and coriander on top of the filets with salt and pepper. Cover the skillet to allow the filets to steam for about 6 or 7 minutes depending on their size.

To finished the filets add a few sprigs of thai basil and let steam for another 30 seconds until the basil is just tender. Once you plate the filets, sprinkle roasted almond slices on top for a garnish.

A couple of additional ingredients we decided would go well in addition is some fresh crushed ginger mixed with the garlic, and maybe some crushed chile flakes.

We served these with baked sweet potato chips as a side. Yum!