Wine & Cheese Pleae

Lately I've been craving a little of this...

I love all things wine and cheese. Pour me a good glass of white wine and feed me endless amounts of cheese & salami.

How to: Roasted Vegetables

Over the past several years, I've really grown to like vegetables.  When cooked perfectly, I can eat them by the pound.  I've found that the best way to cook them is by roasting.  It is the easiest, but take so long to cook.  It is a set it and forget it way of cooking, easy enough for me. 

How to go from this...

 ..to this

Chop up whatever vegetables you want to roast. Make sure you chop them all about the same size so they cook evenly.  Coat them with olive oil and season with salt & pepper. Toss them in the oven for 45-50 minutes at 375 degrees.  Half way thru, stir them around. 

Feel free to get creative with what you toss the veggies in.  Sometimes I do garlic salt instead of regular salt, Italian herbs, chili powder, or whatever you have in your spice cabinet.  

In the picture above, I roasted brussel sprouts, carrots, zucchini, mushrooms, and bell pepper.  Feel free to toss in any veggies you like.  If you live in Orange County, be sure to stop by Grower's Direct in Costa Mesa.  They have a ton of fresh produce at insanely low prices.  I've never found any bad produce there. 

Enjoy!

Old Vine Cafe

I've had Old Vine Cafe bookmarked for a while now and finally got around to trying it for lunch.  I'm a bit against spending $20 for lunch, but their 3-course set lunch was well worth it.  I stalked their menu beforehand so I knew exactly what to order when I arrived.

1st course: Porcini Bisque with a crostino

2nd course: Porcini Mac & Cheese 

3rd course: Grandma's Cheese Cake

I'm sure you can sense the theme I went with for my lunch.  I'm sure if they offered a mushroom dessert, I would've went with it.  The porcini bisque was nice and creamy with the perfect subtle taste of the mushroom.  It wasn't too heavy which I hate in a bisque.  The pocini mac&cheese had the perfect blend of cheeses.

Let's talk about the cheesecake.  I die.  When they first brought it out, I couldn't believe how small it was.  This thin little sliver on this ginormous plate was the biggest tease.  I don't normally eat desserts, but this was hands down the best slice of cheesecake I've ever had.  The graham cracker crust and the berry jam did it for me.

Overall, Old Vine Cafe was well worth my $20 spent on lunch.  I'd be happy to even order the cheesecake for all three courses.