Entertaining

Yet Peterson’s Zinfandels, though full flavored, are quite versatile and can be turned to year-round, for they complement burgers (including cheeseburgers), ribs and other barbecued and grilled food, pizza, turkey (think Thanksgiving), duck, steak, lamb and other roasted red meats, venison and other game, sausages, spicy meat dishes — including Southwestern, Mexican, Indian and Pakistani — and some rich, sharp, strong or creamy cheeses, including cheddar and blues (Stilton, Gorgonzola, etc.) more »

It’s not that I use a recipe for every meal these days, nor do I shop all at once on a Saturday: I’m no longer that hidebound. But when I do cook from a recipe, I expect it to work, and when corporate America downsizes a standard canned or bottled or boxed product without calling attention to the change, it really throws me. I doubt that I am alone. more »

Goldstein focuses on foods that complement the grapes and foods to avoid with them. The book covers what he calls the keys to understanding wine — acidity, sweetness, tannin, oak and alcohol — and the keys to understanding food — ingredients, cooking methods, sauces and condiments. more »

When I returned to college after a spring vacation spent in my home town, a girl I knew from New York's Westchester County asked if I'd had a good time. I gave her my usual response, saying that I'd had fun. She wondered what could be fun about spending spring break in Iowa. more »