Entertaining

Pinot Grigio is a fine apéritif, and is generally paired with salads, antipasto, fish, shellfish, chicken, pork, and vegetable and seafood pastas. Ruffino recommends this Lumina with soft shell crabs, grilled fish, pasta primavera, grilled chicken, and ethnic dishes including Mexican enchiladas, Greek dolmas and Thai green curries. more »

Each section includes overviews of the region, vintage information and recommended wines, with short (usually one- to two-sentence) tasting notes. These descriptions of the style and character of the wines are what you should typically expect in a good vintage. Rather than recommending particular vintages for each wine, “Vintage Smarts” features the best and worst vintages in the region. So you’ll need to check out which vintages to seek out and which to avoid. (Keep in mind that younger is usually better for white and rosé wines.) more »

My oldest brother, Ben had moved back to our hometown by then, and he became the person with whom she could talk things over. They enjoyed planning for and preparing holiday meals and lunched together most days of the work week. Ben kept his weekend activities separate, except when family members were in town. Mom wisely ignored what she must have suspected about his sometimes rowdy behavior with his fourth wife, a local girl younger than his own daughter whom he’d recently married, and their motorcycle-riding friends. more »

They began by arguing the merits (or rather, the lack of merits) of sweet side dishes that had marzipan in them. “That was a lot of WORK,” my sous-chef growled. “Eat it and shut up.”“This rice is hard and funny,” said another son, “and the chestnuts look like little brains.” “I made it exactly the way the recipe said to,” said his brother.“Eeeew!” said the third as he poked at the slaw. I looked down the table in an effort to enlist their father’s support in quashing the rebellion. John was sitting hunched over, eyelids at half mast, face quite green. He hadn’t touched his food. more »