Wine Food Pairing 2008 Hot Air Balloon World Championships

Wine food pairing is HERE!  Where is that .... Hofkirchen, Austria to watch the 2008 World Hot Air Balloon Championships!  The event begins on September 13 and runs through the 20th.

We arrived in Austria the day before, but the opening festivities were something that we didn't want to miss out on.  We had press passes so we got in on all the  special activities. Great access to all the balloons and lot's of free wine and delicious food!

We met up with our friend Marion,

who was in charge of the press PR and his girlfirend Ursula .... so much to see and do ... they had a terrific "show" before the opening activities.

This particular world event had been in the planning stages in Austria for the last 3 years and even the smallest details were taken care of ..... down to the special labeled wines ...  too cool!

The opening ceremony included singing, dancing, fireworks all the while the balloons, still tethered to the ground, rising into the air to "strut" their stuff a bit!  Over 150 teams have come together here for the event and several teams from the USA are also here to compete.

We watched from the sidelines as all the crews drove past the podium to cheering onlookers!  When it was the USA's turn, the music blared out "Born in the USA"  it was the BEST!

After the parade and the fireworks we made our way in to the food tent where they had a terrific buffet set out for the press, VIP's and sponsors ..... I chose the mushroom soup to start.  this was no Campbell's canned soup, my friends , but an Austrian traditional "champignons suppe" ... hearty and rich I could have made a meal out of just the soup.  I followed it up with a wonderful selection of pasta salads, wursts and fresh breads that only the Austrians know how to make ... YUMMO!

I started the with champagne for the opening ceremonies, but quickly changed to the delightful Blauer Zweigelt 2006 bottled just for this event!

The Zweigelt was the perfect choice for all of this traditional fare.  Wine food pairing in Hofkirchen, Austria.  CHEERS!

Wine Food Pairing - Wien or Bust!

Wine food pairing is making its way to Vienna (or Wien as it is called over there). A long flight, but we made it with no problem. Here are my "boys" sitting at the airport in Munich getting ready to meet our friend Rudy for a long "layover lunch".

Rudy picked us up and drove to one of the local biergartens where we had one of the lunch specials .... jungenschwinebraten with kartoffelknoedels and semiknoedels ... YUMMO!





OK, I know you haven't a "clue" what I am saying ... from the picture below you can see that we had sliced young pork with potato and bread dumplings along with a mixed salad!

A couple of beers and a long conversation later we headed back to the airport for a 45 minute flight to Vienna.







The Munich Airport had some of my favorite Cavit Pinot Grigio ... this directly from Italy ...

The plane took off right on time and all was well with the wine food pairing troup ... always fun, but sometimes a very long day. CHEERS!

20 cookbooks for ONLY $20 !!!!!!!

Wine food pairing does not really spend anytime promoting any particular items for sale, but I just came across the AWESOME cookbook sale and it is just too good not to share! This guy, Ron Douglas is offering 20, that's TWENTY cookbooks for only $20 ! These are e-books that you have instant access to and guess what, they have 100% money back guarantee ... YOU can't beat that offer with a stick .... LOL!

"Stop Wasting Time Searching for Generic Recipes on The Net! Save This Amazing Collection of Cookbooks to Your Computer and Instantly Access Thousands of Delicious Homemade Recipes Whenever You Want."

• Secret Sauces Exposed!: The Savory Sauces of 5-Star Restaurants

• The Best Darn BBQ Recipes Ever - Vol 1

• Healthy Heart Low Cholesterol Cookbook

• Fix & Forget It Crockpot Recipes

• Foodies Favorite 229 Pie Recipes

• Global Kitchen Homemade Soup Recipes

• Good Ole Comfort Foods: The Go-to Recipes They're Sure to Love

• The Grill Master's Guide to Grilling

• 55 Quick & Easy Pumpkin Recipes

• Special Occasion Cookbook: The Special Recipes for Special Times

• Diabetic Delights: The Healthier Version of Your Favorite Foods

• 
  
  Kid Approved Cookbook: Delicious Dishes the Kids Will Love

This is only a few of the books you will get because for a limited time only he is offering even more cookbooks to bring the total up to 20 ! Twenty cookbooks for $20 ....

The Most Amazing Recipe Collection in Internet History Can Now Be Yours...

I guess you can tell that I am excited so take a look at his AD Right Here ..... after all, what have you got to loose with an 8 week money back guarantee? I know that I have my recipes already downloaded and can hardly wait to try one tonight!

This will bump wine food pairing up to the next level with all my new recipes! CHEERS!

Wine Food Pairing Full of Hot Air or Hot Air Balloons!

Wine food pairing is getting psyched up ... today we leave for 4 weeks in Austria ... and those weeks should be action packed and filled with excitement! I will keep you up to date with all the cool stuff that goes on, but first off you need to check this out. We have been invited to the 18th Hot Air Balloon World Championship. The balloons will be filling the sky ... 150 teams from all over the world, several from the USA will be competing for top balloon honors!


This is a really big deal. The Austrians are pulling out all the stops to make this event even more spectacular than the last! It will be taking place in the Styrian area of Austria and as you know from earlier posts, this is where the famous pumpkin seed oil is grown and produced. Local growers have even come up with a special label just for the Hot Air Balloon Championship.




I know that I will be bringing back a few for all my special friends....lol!

OK, I will get back will all the exciting details and party events, but I have to finish up my packing ...

Just to give you a preview of what is to come, watch the videos below ... then you will know why I am so excited!

Maybe you want to come along or visit? We have a couple of extra bedrooms at the house! Championship begins on September 13th and runs through the 21st.

Wine food pairing ... see you there. CHEERS!





For more info on this competition be sure to stop by :

Wine Food Pairing with a Summertime Classic

Wine food pairing with this refreshing summertime classic right out of the garden.

I use this for an afternoon appetizer or sometimes a substitute salad in the summer.

Find the reddest, ripest tomatoes that are plump and delicious and a fresh mozzarella ball from the green grocer or farmer's market.

As you can see from the picture I layer the cheese and tomatoes and then sprinkle some chopped fresh basil. I also drizzle balsamic vinegar and the best EVOO and a dash of S & P. You can serve this with a basket of fresh breads along side or your favorite crackers.

I pair this with a chilled glass of Sauvignon Blanc and it works wonderfully. Both are fresh and flavorful and what more do yo want for a quick summer time treat!

Wine food Pairing, fresh and refreshing. CHEERS!

WFP- Corn-fest .. The Movie!

Wine food pairing follows up on our Pelican Street Corn-fest .... the MOVIE!




A great afternoon was had by all who attended ... Wine food pairing ... CHEERS!

Wine Food Pairing and Sweet Corn "Porn" !

Wine food pairing knows all about food porn .... WIKI says that Food porn is a sarcastic term variously applied to a spectacular visual presentation of cooking ....... well sweet corn porn is what I just took part in .... and let me tell you, it left me more that satisfied!

Our good friends Aunt Patti and Brewski Bob, our snow bird neighbors down in Florida and part time residents up in Illinois "over nighted" some delicious sweet corn to us straight from their fields. They spent a great deal of time packing with styro material, cardboard and cold packs and the corn arrived like it had just been plucked from the stalk!


Now we have heard all about the cultivation, planting, tending and spraying of the crop this past couple of months and we have even started calling Brewski, "Corn-Cob-Bob" .... well, let me tell you ... all kidding aside this is some mighty darn good tasting sweet corn. In fact, I don't know when I have had something quite so fresh and delicious .... we followed Brewski .... er .... Corn-Cob's instructions on grilling and then dressing out the ears with mayo, grated Parmesan and cayenne pepper and I swear, it brought tears to our eyes!

OH MY! Words just can't describe the absolute freshness .... We ate at a frenzied pace ... that's all we had .... and we paired it with a crisp, chilled Pinot Grigio ... Santa Margarita .... yes, it is the "good" beans at $25 a bottle, but let's face it .... the best deserves the best!

Yes, this picture shows the "remains" of our wine and food ... it wasn't pretty, but oh well.

The good news is there are 4 more ears left and those will be for dinner ... LOL!

Wine food pairing can sometimes be a tough job, but someone has to do it. CHEERS!

Comments from Carol and Jim to Brewski Bob:

Well, well,...this is THE BEST CORN I have ever eaten, so there, post office, put this where the corn don't grow. I don't know where I have been all my life, but I'm sure glad I have lived long enough to experience the BIG C by Bob.

Maybe you have found a new career.

We had to take a nap after lunch to dream about it! And, thank you for all your effort in sending all that goodness to us.

Love Carol

Bob,

Amen to Carol's note!!!

It was COLD when we opened it! The funny thing was that Denise was on our front entry 5 seconds after the Post Lady arrived. The Post Lady had lots of "corny" advice.

Denise came in for a Pinot while Carol opened your TLC package.

With corny thoughts of you,

Jim

Wine Food Pairing-Pork and Cork, OH MY!

Wine food pairing, pulled out the old cookbook …. Actually, I just GOOGLED the recipes and came up with a succulent, tender pork tenderloin … OH MY! It was melt in your mouth delicious.

Every now and then it is fun to try something new and we decided to open up the pork loin and spread a yummy stuffing on it and roll it back up with “turkey” bacon tied to the roll. I was in charge of the stuffing and I sautéed Vidalia onion, fresh mushrooms, EVOO and garlic until it was “sweated” down and then stirred in a wonderful basil pesto that I had made earlier. My husband was in charge of the surgical skills with the knife … when the sharp knives come out of the block, I am not allowed … LOL!

With the stuffing in place, BigAl used my cooking string and wrapped it up as nice as any gift on Christmas morning! Yes, he had bacon in place under the string … and … of course he put a few pats of real butter on top. After all, he is Austrian and they do things like that!

We popped this “bad boy” in the oven at 450F for 5 minutes then turned the broiler on to crisp up the bacon for another 5 …… then turned the oven down to 375F until the inner temp came up to 160F … about 45 minutes. I served this with Garlic smashed potatoes and fresh steamed asparagus and OH MY ….. IT was the BEST! When we sliced this after it rested a bit we had a cool “pinwheel” effect.

Now what to pair with this delight? We decided on a refreshing, chilled white merlot from California. I chose the Beringer with its pretty purple-red color. It is a nice blend of fresh berry and zesty orange peel flavors, with a hint of nutmeg spice that gives it a little interest.

A terrific meal for the wine babe and BigAl … wine food pairing did it again. CHEERS!

Wine Food Pairing with Killer Tomatoes!

Summer is starting to wind down in many parts of the country and many thoughts are toward cooler weather and heavier meals. Not so in sunny Florida, where we won’t even think about dropping below 90F until the end of October.

Wine food pairing is still coming up with light refreshing meals with all our fresh produce around. I found some “killer” looking tomatoes the other day and all I could think of was a thick, juicy tomato sandwich. Now I know how to layer things on to make a hearty sandwich, but the PERFECT tomato sandwich is just that. My homemade fresh out of the bread maker, whole wheat nut bread, slathered with a dollop of mayo and thick slices of you know what! I like to chop up a little fresh basil, S & P and a pinch of cayenne. YIKES …. This is a feast!

I paired the “mater” sandwich with a chilled glass of Gato Negro Chardonnay. This pale gold wine from Chile, with its delicate fruit flavors had our hearts and minds south of the border, for real.

We took our lunch on the lanai, braved the outside and sat under the fan next to the Koi pond and I think that the fish might have been jealous of our bounty! They kept popping their heads out to take a look … LOL! Wine food pairing can be simple, fresh and delicious. CHEERS!

Wine Food Pairing NEW Florida Foot Fashion-ware

Wine food pairing wants to take this opportunity to share with you the latest in foot fashion-ware for Florida.

We flooded and lost power for TS "Fay", water covered the docks for Gustov and who the heck knows what will happen with Hanna, Ike, Josephine and Kyle brewing out there....

I am usually NOT on the cutting edge of fashion, but I think that these FUN, "stylin' " flipper/fin heels might be the statement that I am looking for. Even though wine food pairing generally works from home, I think a certain look and functionality is required. I certainly can see myself standing at the grill after the power has been shut off in this attractive footware and then simply turning around and jumping in the bay for a quick snorkel around!

What do you think? Try to get a visual here ..... a chilled glass of pinot grigio, maybe the bright orange heels .... hmmmm ... are you feeling it? CHEERS!

WFP ZOOMS in to the 94th Squadron Restaurant!

The 94th Aero Squadron Restaurant overlooks the runway of the Miami International Airport. Wine food pairing took the "show" on the road to Miami to check on things over there and of course we had to stop at one of our faves. You can watch the planes taking off and landing and there are headphones available for you to listen to the air traffic ground control and you can see cargo trains pass right in front of your window while you dine.... Pretty COOL!

We started out with a bit of house pinot grigio for myself ... chilled and tasty and BigAl went for the beer. He wanted to practice for our trip to Germany and Oktoberfest ... LOL! Instead of ordering entrees, we decided to enjoy one of their massive appetizer platters ....



















As you can see, I am not joking about the size! We have always wanted to check this out and we weren't disappointed. The spinach and artichoke dip was warm and yummy, the chicken drummies were seasoned perfectly ... and the rest? It was all good!

Too bad there was only two of us!

Wine food pairing across from the Miami Airport ... fun, food and drinks. CHEERS!

Wine Food Pairing - Practice Makes Perfect!

Wine food pairing is gearing up to travel across the pond to Europe in 10 days. We will be flying in to Munich and then after a long lunch with a friend in one of our favorite biergartens we will land in Vienna about 6PM.

Now ,I don't know if you have any idea how much wine is consumed over there, but let me tell you ... it is a LOT! So it was only natural to want to get in a little bit of practice with some local vino.

I broke out my last bottle of Rotwein from Germany that I brought back last time ... a Baden 2005 Spatburgunder from Oberon. I decided to pair this with steaks on the grill that turned out perfectly. Of course, I always have a veggie packet .... this time with broccoli, tomatoes and onions, as well as a potato packet with sliced potatoes (skins on ) and onions.

Everything turned out terrific. We do a lot of grilling in Florida and that is one thing that I miss while in Austria, although it is so much fun to visit the local gasthaus' and heurigans that I really don't have a lot of extra time to think about it.

Austrians spend a lot of time enjoying the company of their friends and even though my German is "spotty" at best, it gets better the more wine I drink and the longer I am in country. After all .... I know how to order wine and find the bathroom ... LOL .... the 2 most important things!

Here we are entertaining some friends in our kitchen in Austria ... wine food pairing ... practice does make perfect. CHEERS!