Wine Food Pairing - in Florida it is Hot, Hot, HOT!

Wine food pairing ... right now in South Florida, where I live, it is HOT ... up in the 90's already .. YIKES!!! Who wants to eat heavy food and sip on a full bodied red ... not me, anyway ...

I barely can stay out of the sprinkler in the yard ... LOL!

So ... for an appetizer that substitutes for a dinner down here, I have chosen to do peel and eat shrimp that I can prepare ahead of time. I like my shrimp with a bit of zip to them ... so many times you get them already steamed and the only thing you taste is the cocktail sauce that you dip them in ... a real thumbs down for me ... so I do it myself.

Large shrimp that I have peeled, de-veined with the tails still on .... I would rather have the mess of peeling at the kitchen sink and I also like the seasonings to actually season the shrimp.

ingredients:

* 1/2 cup water
* 1 pound shrimp 1 pound shrimp
* 4 teaspoons Old Bay® Seasoning
* 1/2 cup vinegar
* 1/4 cup beer
* 2 teaspoons Tony Chacheres Original Creole Seasoning .. for the "zip"

I put all of the ingredients in the pot, stir well and bring to a boil ... then turn off the "fire" and add the shrimp, cover for about 2-3 minutes and you should be good to go! Check the shrimp for a nice pink color ... you don't want to over cook these bad boys and get them chewy. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

I dip in Thomas Fish Camp Cocktail Sauce ... with a tangy taste of horseradish and mustard it is the perfect cocktail sauce!

Now, we all know that we need some fresh veggies to go with our "dinner" and to avoid getting silverware out on the table, a quick platter of crudites that you can pick up with your fingers, is the way to go ... I usually go for the baby carrots, some "negative calorie" celery and a cherry tomato or two and to dip ... I mix up:

• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 4 oz. Bleu Cheese crumbles

Stir together all ingredients, adding cheese last. Refrigerate to blend flavors ... YUMMO!
this is a quick tasty dipping sauce for the veggies and you can place it in the middle of the platter to make it easy for everyone!

One of my very favorite drinks on these hot, muggy days is a white wine spritzer .... I like to add a personal touch to these traditional drinks and make them extra special.

Start with lot's of ice, then add pinot grigio, club soda and xango, to taste. Xango is a mangosteen based juice ... not only does it taste great, but it has tons of antioxidants so it is good for you, too! With a squeeze of fresh lime ... oh MY! Life is good!

With food and wine like this, it almost makes you wish for summer days everyday.

Wine food pairing ... fun in the sunshine. CHEERS!