Wine Food Pairing - Summer Salad, YUM!

For some of the best wine food pairing, just improvise. We all know that I have been whining (pun intended!) about the summer heat. You and the family are hungry, but nobody wants anything heavy and you don't want to heat up the kitchen. Salads are always a terrific option and you can be creative!

Take a bag of "spring" mix lettuce, yes, I always give it another wash and you should, too and put it in a favorite serving bowl ... with salads it is easy to have a great presentation without going to any big deal. Now just begin to build with what you have. When I shop at the store, I always look for colorful items, you know, that look "pretty" and also taste good.

Slice up some red onion, fresh tomatoes and mushrooms. I also like to slice a hard boiled egg, crumble some real bacon bits on top and I usually have some boneless, skinless chicken breast around. I always cook for chix for Houdini, he doesn't mind sharing if he gets a sample!

Now, let's dress it up a little bit with finely sliced basil from the garden, it really gives a salad an incredible flavor, sprinkle some sharp cheddar on top and instead of croutons, use roasted pumpkin seeds. A quick turn of the salt and pepper grinders and it is ready for the table.

I let everyone dress there own salad at my house. After all, we are all adults, but my husband and I usually go with a basalmic vinegar and pumpkin seed oil straight from the Styria region of Austria. This totally YUMMY and nutritious.

I pair this with whatever white wine I have chilled in the fridge at the time. Of course, that usually means a crisp, dry Pinot Grigio from Italy and this makes it even more YUMMO ....

In the summer, wine food pairing, a terrific salad and a chilled white wine ... YIKES ... life is good! CHEERS!