Apr 3 – Pancakes Make People Happy

Posted on March 27, 2021 by Guy

Who doesn’t a stack of warm pancakes with butter and syrup?  Well then you’ll love this book; “Pancakes Make People Happy” by Sharon Collins,. Charlotte Collins and my guest, Courtney Wade.

Pancakes Make People Happy is a cookbook for everyone who loves pancakes. Gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian, and dairy-free recipes are included.

The pancake is the classic comfort food! Just imagining a short-stack of flapjacks drizzled with maple syrup will bring a smile to anybody’s face. But did you know that pancakes can be so much more?

From savory, satisfying brunchtime fare to light, sweet desserts, pancakes are the perfect food to nourish body and soul.

Pancakes Make People Happy features over 75 unique pancake recipes that are as easy to prepare as they are to love, including:
• Old Fashioned Buttermilk Pancakes
• Jalapeño Corn Fritter Pancakes
• Crispy Risotto Pancake
• Monte Cristo Pancakes
• Citrus Mimosa Pancakes
• Pancake Muffins
• Eggnog Pancakes
• Indian Chai Spice Pancakes
• Christmas Tree Stack
• Black Forest Pancakes

With authors hailing from the Catskills area of upstate New York, the recipes are farm-fresh and wholesome. Pancakes Make People Happy has everything you need to start enjoying this delicious food in no time. Put a little happy on your plate!  Get a copy NOW!

COURTNEY WADE is a chef, photographer, influencer and graphic designer who lives on a farm in the Catskills in upstate New York. She is also the author of The Catskills Farm to Table Cookbook.  Learn more about Courtney.

“Each one of the 75 thoroughly ‘kitchen cook friendly’ recipes will produce farm-fresh and wholesome fare for any and all dining occasions. ” —Midwest Book Review

Good Life Guy’s Wine of the Week:
How about a fine sparkling wine to go with your brunch pancakes?
Ocaso Rosé Extra Brut Sparkling Wine from Mendoza Argentina
A fun, affordable sparkling rosy from Ocaso. Pours a pale beautiful salmon color, with aromas of apple and pear skin up front. More apple skin on the palate, with delightful notes of red fruits and watermelon candy to balance the refreshingly dry finish.  Looking forward to trying this wine with you LIVE in-studio, this wine is available at Jacob Liquor Exchange on North Rock Road and comes highly recommended.

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Mar 27 – Benziger Family Winery

Posted on March 22, 2021 by Guy

My special guest this week is Chris Benziger of Benziger Family Winery Fame who will also be with us for the Virtual Tasting on Facebook LIVE this evening.  I have such great memories of the first time I visited the Glen Ellen Winery in 1988 and met Bruno and Helen Benziger, Chris’ Mom & Dad.  They were bottling wine in a makeshift tasting room with on 8′ table covered in a red and white checkered table cloth with wines to taste. It was the early days of what would become a legendary family success story.  Chris and I have been good friends for more than 30 years. Now as his older brothers retire or move on to other projects, Chris now leads the charge and continues the family legacy with some of his young nieces and nephews.

MEET CHRIS
Still in high school when the Benziger family moved from White Plains, NY. Chris finished his senior year in wine country. He went on to earn a degree in business from the University of San Francisco while spending summers, weekends and every spare moment working at the family winery on Sonoma Mountain.

Chris officially joined the Benziger Family Winery in 1993 as a Brand Manager. He ran East Coast sales for over 5 years and then returned to California to help transition the estate to Biodynamic farming. In addition to his current sales responsibilities for Benziger & Tribute, Chris also oversees the home ranch and its many farm related duties.

Chris feels that the only way to communicate the quality of his family’s wines is by walking the vineyards. He embodies the saying…“The best impression a winemaker can leave on his wines are his footprints in the vineyards”.

Tonight’s Virtual Wine Tasting
A selection of Benziger Family Wines – March 27, 2021 – With Good Life Guy
Facebook LIVE, 6:00 p.m. Central, Details/Downloads below

  • 2019 Benziger Family Sauvignon Blanc, North Coast California
  • 2017 Benziger Family Merlot, Sonoma County California
  • 2018 Tribute Pinot Noir, Monterey California
  • 2018 Tribute Chardonnay, Monterey California

Buy the wines at Jacob Liquor or your local wine merchant. Buy them all or what you like.
Can’t find the exact vintage?  Buy the what’s  available and join the FUN!
Jacob Liquor on North Rock Road 

Downloads:    FB Live tips  Benziger Tasting Guide
Go here to join the party:  Guy’s Facebook Page

 

 

 

 

 

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Mar 20 – The Book on Pie

Posted on March 17, 2021 by Guy

My guest this week is Erin Jeanne McDowell with “The Book on Pie – Everything You Need to Know to Bake Perfect Pies”  A New York Times bestseller!

You have to get a copy NOW!

Erin Jeanne McDowell, New York Times contributing baker extraordinaire and top food stylist, wrote the book on pie, a comprehensive handbook that distills all you’ll ever need to know for making perfect pies. The Book on Pie starts with the basics, including ways to mix pie dough for extra flaky crusts, storage and freezing, recipe size conversions, and expert tips for decorating and styling, before diving into the recipes for all the different kinds of pies: fruit, custard, cream, chiffon, cold set, savory, and mini. Find everything from classics like Apple Pie and Pumpkin Pie, to more inspired recipes like Birthday-Cake Pie and Caramel Pork Pie with Chile and Scallions.

Erin also suggests recommended pie doughs and toppings with each recipe for infinitely customizable pies: Mix and match Pumpkin Spice Pie Dough and Dark Chocolate Drippy Glaze with the Pumpkin Pie, or sub in the Chive Compound-Butter Crust for the Croque Madame Pielets . . . the possibilities are endless. With helpful tips, photographic guides, and inspirations—pie-deas—it’s almost like having Erin in the kitchen baking pies with you.  www.erinjeannemcdowell.com

ERIN JEANNE MCDOWELL is an author, recipe developer, and award-winning food stylist with specialized focus in baking. Her first book, The Fearless Baker, was named one of the Best Baking Books of 2017 by The New York Times. She’s a regular contributor to New York Times Cooking, Food52 (where she also serves as Baking Consultant at Large), and PureWow. She hosts weekly baking classes on Food Network Kitchen and the series “Bake It Up a Notch” for Food52. Erin has been featured in The New Yorker, New York Magazine, Food and Wine Magazine, Food Network Magazine, and Rachel Ray Magazine. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Better Homes and Gardens Magazine, Fine Cooking Magazine, Bake From Scratch Magazine, and Sift Magazine. She lives and works in North Bergen, New Jersey.
Follow Erin on Facebook and Instagram  🌻 KS gal ➡️ now NYCish

No Virtual Wine Tasting this week, next VT is March 27th; Benziger Family Wines with Chris Benziger!

Good Life Guy’s Wine of the Week:
2019 Ollivier Frères Oysterman Melon de Bourgogne
Muscadet – Loire Valley France
The name of this simple, young and very drinkable bottling evokes the perfect food and wine partnership. Crisp with plenty of lemon acidity as well as a touch of minerality, the wine is ready to drink. ABV12%

Melon de Bourgogne is the grape that produces Muscadet, Loir’s most prevalent white. DNA analysis has revealed it to be a crossing between Pinot Blanc and Gouais blanc (Weisser Heunisch). Muscadet pairs beautifully with oysters and lobster.  Muscadet wines are almost always light bodied and very dry. Fresh and crisp, they will sometimes also show efflorescence from the bottling process and yeasty notes from aging on the lees (“sur lie”). Muscadet is a natural oyster pairing, to many in the Loire valley the best amongst still wines.  While in France wines are generally named after the region, or in the case of Alsace after the variety, Muscadet is the exception in that this wine is named after what some have called musky aromatics.

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Mar 13 – The Book of Cheese

Posted on March 8, 2021 by Guy

My guest this week is Liz Thorpe with
“The Book of Cheese – The Essential Guide to Discovering Cheese You’ll Love.”

EXPLORE THE WORLD OF CHEESE BY ASKING YOURSELF ONE SIMPLE QUESTION: WHAT CHEESES DO I ALREADY LOVE?

This is the first book of its kind to be organized not by country, milk type, or any other technical classification. The Book of Cheese maps the world of cheese using nine familiar favorites, what author Liz Thorpe calls the Gateway Cheeses.

From basics like Swiss, blue, and cheddar, Liz leads the way to more adventurous types. Love Brie? Liz shows you how to find other Brie-like cheeses, from the mild Moses Sleeper to the pungent Fromage de Meaux. Her revolutionary approach allows food lovers to focus on what they really care about: finding more cheeses to enjoy. Complete with flavor and aroma wheels, charts guiding you through different intensities and availabilities, and gorgeous photography, this is the only book on cheese you will ever need.

“Liz’s knowledge of cheese has been invaluable to us at The French Laundry and Per Se. Whether working with our chefs or teaching classes to our staff, her passion is contagious and has helped us to elevate our cheese program through the years.”  ―THOMAS KELLER

After years in a cubicle, in 2002 Liz Thorpe was drawn out of corporate America to pursue her passion for cheese. Since then she has become the country’s leading expert on cheese, from working the counter at New York’s famed Murray’s Cheese and later expanding Murray’s wholesale business as vice president, to designing cheese menus for the country’s best restaurants, to authoring The Cheese Chronicles. Now, as founder of The People’s Cheese, Liz teaches a broader market why cheese matters and how to make it part of everyday life. She lives in New Orleans.  www.lizthorpe.com  Follow Liz on Instagram

Tonight’s Virtual Wine Tasting
Signature Cabernet from Louis Martini – March 13, 2021 – With Good Life Guy
Facebook LIVE, 6:00 p.m. Central, Details/Downloads below

  • 2017 Louis Martini Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon
  • 2017 Louis Martini Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
  • 2017 Louis Martini Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Buy the wines at Jacob Liquor or your local wine merchant. Buy them all or what you like.
Can’t find the exact vintage?  Buy the what’s  available and join the FUN!
On SALE at Jacob Liquor on North Rock Road 

Make it more fun!  Grab one or more of these cheeses from Murray’s at Dillions and we’ll try them together with the wine 🙂

Fromager d’Affinois
Murray’s High Plains Cheddar 
2 year aged Gouda
Sartori Sarvecchio Parmesan

Downloads:    FB Live tips  Louis Martini Virtual Tasting Guide
Go here to join the party:  Guy’s Facebook Page

The Signature Cabernet Collection showcases three exceptional Cabernet Sauvignon regions in California’s acclaimed North Coast super-AVA. Our Sonoma County, Alexander Valley and Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignons each brilliantly highlight the nuances unique to their respective region. These widely-available Cabernets are the cornerstone of our portfolio and crafted with the same level of passion as our smallest-production bottlings.

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Mar 6 – Plat Du Jour

Posted on March 3, 2021 by Guy

My guest this week is Susan Hermann Loomis
Author of Plat Du Jour – French Dinners Made Easy
Order a copy now!

Discover the pleasures of cooking—and eating—with this French approach to everyday meals. Featured on bistro menus and dinner tables throughout France, the plat du jour is the centerpiece of a two-course meal, a formula that Susan Loomis cleverly presents here. By pairing substantial main dishes such as Boeuf Bourguignon, Poule au Pot, and Bouillabaisse, with just the right starter, side, and/or dessert, Plat du Jour makes getting dinner on the table as easy as un, deux, trois!

This is a long-awaited collection of classic recipes by Loomis, an American-born cooking teacher and author who resides in Paris. She has perfected these iconic dishes and shares what she’s discovered while living in France, cooking for family, friends, and students. In addition to the recipes, the cookbook includes helpful tips and intriguing details about French culinary history. It’s a must-have for any aspiring home cook with a craving for simple French cooking. Follow Susan on Facebook and Twitter

Susan is an award-winning author with fourteen books to her credit and has contgributed o numerous publications including Bon Appetit, Cooking Light, and the New York Times.  Originally from the Pacific Northwest, Susan moved to France in the 1980’s to study cooking and has since opened a French cooking school, on rue Tatin, where she offers cooking classes, market visits and lectures. Susan divides her time between Paris and Normandy.
www.onruetatin.com  www.dancingtomatoes.com

No Virtual Tasting tonight…
Get the wines for next week!
3 Cabernets from Louis Martini; Sonoma, Alexander Valley & Napa
March 13, 6:00 p.m. Facebook.com/goodlifeguy 

Good Life Guy’s Wine of the Week:
2018 Pinot Society Santa Barbara County “The Tumult” Pinot Noir
This selection, The Tumult, comes from Santa Barbara County. Nestled in between two mountain ranges, the valley becomes flooded with cool air and fog from the tumultuous Pacific Ocean as it blows in through a gap in the western range.  Aromas of red berries open to sweet-tart flavors of Bing cherry and pomegranate, moderated by hints of bittersweet chocolate to create a balanced and complex wine. 14.5% ABV

Wine Enthusiast: 90
Violet, lilac and lavender aromas meet with boysenberry and sandalwood on the nose of this bottling. It’s well structured on the palate, blending fresh pomegranate, rose petal and strong wood flavors into a snappy expression.

Available at Jacob Liquor Exchange in Wichita or your local wine merchant 🙂

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