Donor request: it's a wine and cheese party!

This one is going out to Eric Kent and Tiffini Electra X, who recently made a generous donation to DFT and requested a post on wine and cheese pairings.  You, too, can request a blog post if you donate here.  Thanks a million, Eric and Tiffini!

Cheese + sauce + bread = happiness
     + booze = perfection
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Sharp cheeses (white cheddar, Irish cheddar) + spicy/sweet chutney (call me tacky, but I love cheap old Crosse and Blackwell's Major Grey's Chutney which is distributed by Smucker's in the States) + water crackers
     Best with: lagers, crisp white wines, gin cocktails

Nutty cheeses (sharp cheddar, Parmesan, Asiago) + tangy mustard (preferrably whole grain with some heat) + pumpernickel or rye toasts
     Best with: German beer!  Maybe some cut up flavorful sausage and little dill pickles, too!

Salty, milky cheeses (queso fresco thinly sliced) + tamarind paste (also thinly sliced) + [cracker optional]
     Best with: semi-sweet white wines, good rum or tequila on the rocks (This also works for dessert)

Stinky cheese (bleu, gorgonzola) + pear conserve  or marinated grapes + rye or fennel crackers
     Best with: Chardonnay, champagne

Creamy cheeses (brie, manchego, chevre) + balsamic fig spread + fluffy baguette slices
     Best with: a chilled glass of rose or a smoky Scotch on the rocks

Fresh mozarella + tomato slices + basil leaves + crusty bread (= deconstructed Caprese)
     Best with: Lambrusco or a fruity Merlot

I like to offer one of each--a sweet and a more pungent offering--and also put out a neutral nut like Tamari roasted almonds to act as a palate cleanser.  You can try to get away with offering one drink that works with both plates, but why be stingy?

Indian Stir Fry with Okra

I bought a bag of frozen okra because it was there, and because I thought, "I like okra, so why don't I ever eat okra?".  Then it sat in the freezer so long that I started to get scared--should I eat it?  What is frozen okra like?  Will the sliminess make me puke when I'm cooking it?  And I also recalled that I've never had it prepared in a healthy way in my life--just as a fried side in Southern restaurants.  But I am cheap and I was determined to make good on the $1.99 + tax I paid for it.  And that's when it occurred to me that it isn't just Dixie natives who eat the stuff, it's people living in hot climes all over the world.  In particular, it shows up in Indian dishes.  They, too, seem to relegate okra to a side item, but why couldn't it be quickly stir fried on a busy weeknight?  And why couldn't a stir fry involve Indian, rather than Chinese, flavors?  

Indian Stir Fry with Okra

Serves 4

1 tablespoon peanut oil
½ yellow onion, diced
½ small Serrano pepper, minced
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
½ lb. okra, trimmed and cut into ½-inch rings (frozen is also fine)
1 (14.5-oz) can diced tomatoes, drained
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon chili powder
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
½ cup cooked chick peas
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Crushed peanuts for garnish

In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, warm the peanut oil and sauté the onion until it starts to get soft, about 5 minutes.  Add the Serrano pepper, garlic, ginger, mustard seeds, and cumin seeds and continue to cook until seeds begin to sputter, about 4 minutes.  Add the okra and cook until it begins to brown, about 8 minutes.  Stir in tomatoes, curry powder, turmeric, chili powder, and about a teaspoon of salt.  Lower to medium heat, cover, and simmer about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add cilantro, chick peas, and salt and pepper to taste.  Combine thoroughly and serve over basmati rice with crushed peanuts on the side to pour over the top.

Recipe review: No-bake Energy Bites

This recipe has gone cyclically viral at least three times since I got on Pinterest, and each time I think silently in my head, "Oh, I love those things".  But who needs another bland thumbs-up on Pinterest?  So I am saying it loud and proud right here: "I love these things"!  They are tasty, quick to put together, and keep well in the fridge or freezer.  I have made them in a pinch when company was coming over and I had nothing to offer alongside nerve-rattlingly strong coffee, when we are out of cookies and my husband is starting to tear the kitchen apart looking for dessert, and just because I love chocolate and peanut butter together.  Everyone who has ever eaten one at our house loves them, and if you freeze them they'll keep for weeks (plus, you can eat them right out of the freezer--the fat content in the peanut butter keeps them from getting too hard).

The recipe I originally pinned comes from Gimme Some Oven's blog and can be found here.  I de-hippied them a little bit so that I wouldn't have to make a trip to Vitamin Cottage for ingredients, and the result is found below.

Be forewarned, though, fare reader--whenever a dessert-like item is presented to you, filled with fat and sugar, no less, as a "healthy snack", you know that's bullshit, right? These are globs of peanut butter, chocolate chips, and honey.  Don't eat too many in one sitting.

Photo from Gimme Some Oven.

No-bake Energy Bites

Makes about 20-25 balls

1 cup (dry) oatmeal (I also used old-fashioned oats)
2/3 cup coconut flakes
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup ground flaxseed 
1/2 cup chocolate chips 
1/3 cup honey 
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Stir all ingredients together in a medium bowl until thoroughly mixed. Let chill in the refrigerator for half an hour. Once chilled, roll into small balls. Store in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to 1 week, freezer up to 2 weeks.

Peanut Butter Bars with Chocolate Chips Are For Non-Lovers

I didn't post any Valentine's recipes because, although I am happily married, I find that holiday nauseating. I will always hate it and think you are a tool for buying into those stupid Hallmark cards, heart-shaped pendants, and roses.  However, if you would like to drown your leftover irritation from this week in sugar, this post is for you.

This dough smells and tastes just like the inside of a Butterfinger, and when it's cooked, it becomes a salty-sweet masterpiece to rival any of those fancy salted caramels in the chocolate shops.  I love it with coffee, a glass of vanilla almond milk, or late at night after an alcohol-soaked night out.

Peanut Butter Bars with Chocolate Chips

3 eggs
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
½ cup creamy peanut butter
¼ cup butter, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
3 teaspoons salt
¼ cup chopped salted peanuts
½ cup chocolate chips

Cream eggs, sugars, peanut butter, butter, and vanilla together until fluffy.  Add remaining ingredients and stir thoroughly (the dough will be thick and sticky).  Spread into a lightly greased 9 x 13 inch pan.  Bake at 325°F for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.  Cool and cut into squares.

My Sunday morning breakfast.