Feb 6 – Chili Madness & Great Beer

My guest this week is Jane Butel with her latest edition of “Chili Madness” perfect for superbowl Sunday!

chili madnessBeloved chili. Passionate chili. Hot chili . . . and not just because of the chiles. Chili, the star of cook-offs, the obsession of societies, and the subject of endless debate over its proper preparation. Has there ever been a better time to be a chili head? A well-stocked supermarket today carries a variety of fresh and dried chiles, fresh cilantro, myriad dried and canned beans, chipotle powder, and all the makings for sides and salsas, from tortillas in the refrigerator case to organic avocados. Jane Butel’s Chili Madness has been praised as “an elegant celebration” (Travel + Leisure) that “chile lovers will love” (New York Post), it’s the spicy bestseller with over 330,000 copies in print.

Extensively revised, updated, and expanded, the book will fire up a whole new generation of chili fanatics. Of the 160-plus recipes, more than 130 are brand-new. Here are classics, including Reno Red and Navajo Green and Buzzard’s Breath Chili, as well as newfangled bowls like Moroccan Chili and White Lobster Chili. To accompany the main event are savory breads (Bacon Crumble Cornbread); tempting sidekicks (Hot ’n’ Spicy Okra, Red Hot Sweet Potato Lace); fire-taming salads (Crispy Cilantro Coleslaw); and margaritas, of course. (Six kinds!) Luscious desserts such as Double Chocolate Farmer’s Cakes provide the perfect sweet ending, while chili leftovers are reinvented in crowd-pleasers like Texas-Style Burritos.

Attend the KSU “Flavors of the Sizzlin” Southwest” Feb 25 or 26
Learn more about Jane – click here 

Get Good Life Guy’s Blackbean Sirloin Chili recipe

M40_SamplerPackAleWine Beers of the Week…The Michelob Sampler Pack with some great brews!  This fun case features year-round classics Michelob Pale Ale and Michelob Porter plus (only available in the Sampler) Bavarian Style Wheat and the all-new Michelob Rye India Pale Ale – “Rye P.A.”   The case also includes tasting mats and beer notes.

For more info and video tasting segments go to:
www.michelobsamplerpack.com

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Jan 30 – Cheese & Wine Pairing, Hardy’s Tawny Port

My guest this week is Janet Fletcher and a great book for us food and wine lovers; Cheese & Wine: A Guide to Selecting, Pairing, and Enjoying

cheese & wineFrom the best-selling author of The Cheese Course (featured on The Good Life in 2007) comes a new guide to enjoying one of the most basic yet sophisticated culinary delights: cheese and wine. Janet Fletcher leads readers on an international tour of 70 cheeses, exploring the best wine pairings and serving suggestions. From Oregon’s autumnal Rogue River Blue to aromatic Brin d’Amour evocative of the Corsican countryside, cheese lovers will savor the range of textures, flavors, and colors. Featuring mouth-watering color photography and detailed, informative text, this collection of cheeses and the wines that go with them will inspire perfect pairings.

The Good Life Guy Wine of The Week:

Something new and off the beaten wine path that will go great with cheese!
NV Hardys Whiskers Blake Tawny Port

Tasting Note:
Rich tawny colour with olive hues. The nose is reminiscent of chocolate with coffee overtones. The palate is smooth and mellow with good length and a dry finish. Classic rancio characters are also evident in this flavoursome wine.
whiskers_blake_MED
 
 

 

Background Information:
“Whiskers” The Man: Whiskers Blake was a roguish little bloke who worked in Hardys Tintara vineyard around the turn of the century. His job was scaring birds from the grapes with an old 8 gauge shotgun. He also took it upon himself to regularly test the products.
What’s The Difference:
Whiskers Blake Port was especially selected from premium aged tawny ports. All components were matured in small oak casks for an average of 8 years. The wines were blended to attain the classic characters and qualities of an outstanding Tawny Port.
The wine of the week is available at Jacob Liquor Exchange on North Rock Road
www.jacobliquor.com
 

 

 

 

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Jan 23 – Good Life NZ wine & food trip 2010

This week I’m running a show that aired Saturday after Christmas…see below; Dec 26

Tune in and learn all about the Good Life Guy Wine & Food trip to New Zealand, we leave Wichita April 25 and spend 7 fun filled and wine filled days from Auckland to Marlbourough.   There is still room and time to sign up.

Click here for more info!

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Jan 16 – Winter Gatherings, World Soups

First up is Rick Rodgers with his latest book Winter Gatherings.

Winter Gatherings: Casual Food to Enjoy with Family and FriendsLooking for the perfect recipe to warm up a cold winter’s night? Making use of the hearty seasonal produce from root vegetables to apples, from leafy greens to lush pears, the recipes in Winter Gatherings bring winter’s flavors together perfectly.

Award-winning cooking instructor Rick Rodgers brings you purposefully cozy and uncomplicated recipes that highlight the particular flavors and tempting aromas of the winter season.

There’s no better way to warm up the hearth this time of year than by sharing a hearty meal with your friends and family. With mouthwatering, soul-satisfying recipes and inspiring color photographs, Winter Gatherings will brighten your holiday table all season long.

Then will continue the cold weather theme with the ultimate soup cookbook-from James Beard Cookbook of the Year award-winning author Clifford Wright.

Soup is an affordable, popular dish the world over. In The Best Soups in the World, renowned food scholar and cookbook author Clifford Wright compiles the globe’s most delicious soups into a single collection, exploring the history and cultural significance of each recipe along the way.

Perfect for cooks at any level of experience, the book includes traditional American and thrilling international flavors alike-from Old-Fashioned Chicken Noodle to Thai Mushroom and Chile to Mexican Roasted Poblano and Three Cheese to Tuscan White Bean.

The Best Soups in the World presents exciting, enticing, easy-to-prepare recipes using common, easy-to-find ingredients-perfect for budget-conscious cooks whose tastes know no boundaries.

We’ll finish with a great cold weather “Wine of the Week”  

o7 cheverny Importer Kermit Lynch says: “In my view, Salvard’s Cheverny is the best Sauvignon Blanc value in the world, especially if you value classic varietal character in the Loire style, meaning relatively low alcohol, intense perfume, and crisp, invigorating body. Cheverny, which boasts a stunning château, is located between Reuilly and the great Chenin Blanc appellation of Vouvray. It is the northwest fringe of the Loire’s Sauvignon Blanc country.”

 
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Jan 9 – Sarah Janes Salsa and Clay Pot Cooking

green_tomato_sliceFirst up…Ms. Sarah May and her home grown & homemade Salsa!  “Fresh green tomatoes, jalapenos and bells from the garden combine to create a flavor sensation too good to keep to ourselves.  Experience the flavor in the spice variety of your choice.” 

 Home grown…Homemade…Taste the difference!

Sarah Jane’s
Wichita, KS
www.sarahjanesalsa.com

  

My next guest is Paula Wolfert with her latest book; Clay Pot Cooking – Traditional and Modern Recip-es to Savor and Share.  A one-of-a-kind cookbook showcasing modern and authentic clay pot cooking from the premier expert on Mediterranean cuisines

clay_pot_cookingPaula Wolfert is legendary for her expertise on and explorations of Mediterranean cooking. Now, Wolfert shares her inimitable passion for detail and insatiable curiosity about cultural traditions and innovations, with Mediterranean Clay Pot Cooking.

Here, the self-confessed clay pot “junkie”-having collected in her travels ceramic pots of all sorts: cazuelas, tagines, baking dishes, bean pots, Romertopf baking dishes, French diablos, ordinary casseroles, even Crockpots, which have a ceramic liner-shares recipes as vibrant as the Mediterranean itself along with the delightful stories behind the earthy pots, irresistible dishes, and outstanding cooks she has met along the way.  Wolfert demystifies the process of clay pot cooking by which fresh ingredients are transformed slowly, richly, lusciously into magnificent meals. She shares 150 recipes featuring soups, fish and shellfish, poultry, meats, pasta and grains, vegetables and beans, pies and breads, eggs and dairy, and desserts.

 Good Life Guy’s wine of the week…A great value Gem from Spain

vina zaco2006 Vina Zaco Tempranillo from Rioja
“Black cherry and blackberry flavors are framed by smoky chocolate oak in this modern red, which is taut and focused, with firm tannins and bright acidity. Drink now through 2012.”

90 Points

Wine Spectator

Good Life Guy’s Wine of the Week is available at Jacob Liqour Exchange at Rock Road and 29th Street North!

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