Get your cocktail napkins, some mini-plates, toothpicks, and of course...wine glasses. If you are hosting a holiday party, I'm sure you plan on serving some bite size appetizers to go with the flowing conversations in your home. You might even want to offer some theme styled cocktails! Here are a couple quick ideas for tasty pickings with wine pairings, plus a couple holiday cocktails you could try out.

Cocktail Meatballs (credit: allrecipes.com)

Ingredients

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• 3 tablespoons minced onion
• 1 (8 ounce) can jellied cranberry sauce
• 3/4 cup chili sauce
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• In a large bowl, mix together the ground beef, egg, water, bread crumbs, and minced onion. Roll into small meatballs.
• Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, turning once.
• In a slow cooker or large saucepan over low heat, blend the cranberry sauce, chili sauce, brown sugar, and lemon juice. Add meatballs, and simmer for 1 hour before serving.

Wine Pairing: Zinfandel or Pinot Gris

Spinach Pinwheels (credit: allrecipes.com)

Ingredients

• 2 (8 ounce) packages refrigerated crescent rolls
• 1 (7 ounce) package garlic herb cheese spread
• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained

Directions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Split crescent dough in half along center perforation. Flatten one rectangle, sealing perforations. Spread with 1/4 of the cheese spread and sprinkle with spinach. Starting with long side, roll dough up, rolling back and forth several times to seal edges. Cut into 3/4 inch slices (about 15 slices per roll). Arrange the slices one inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Continue making the crescent roll ups until all of the ingredients are used.
• Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until lightly browned. Serve immediately or keep warm on a warming tray

Wine Pairing: Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Noir

Fun Festive Cocktails (credit: allrecipes.com)

Poinsettias

• 4 ounces brut Champagne
• 1 1/2 tablespoons cranberry juice
• Feel free to add 1/2 oz of Cointreau or Triple Sec
• Drop a single cranberry into the flute

Reindeer Martini (credit: grouprecipes.com)

• 2 parts vodka
• 1 part Frangelico
• 1 part Malibu
• splash of cream
• Shake over ice and strain to serve straight up in a martini glass, garnished with a cherry and two cinnamon sticks for antlers

Cheers!

The Hello Vino Team

Hey Everyone,

We got a nice little surprise this morning when we discovered the free Hello Vino app is featured in the 'Apps for Foodies' list on iTunes!

In the spirit of the Apple love, let's throw some fruit in the weekend wine pairing!

Want to make a mouthwatering meal that is simple to make? You could even take this one outdoors and impress your friends at a casual cookout.

There are lots of ways to cook pork, but with the warmer weather, why not hit it with yogurt, marmalade, and pineapple?

Grilled Pork and Pineapple (credit: recipe.com)

Ingredients:

• 4 3/4-inch-thick boneless top loin pork chops
• 1 peeled and cored fresh pineapple
• 3 Tbsp. orange marmalade
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• 1/4 cup roasted, lightly salted cashew halves, chopped

Directions:

• Sprinkle pork lightly with salt and pepper. Cut pineapple into 1/2-inch-thick slices; set aside.
• For a charcoal grill, place chops on the rack of uncovered grill over medium coals 4 minutes. Turn; add pineapple.
• Brush chops and pineapple with 2 tablespoons of the marmalade. Grill 3 to 5 minutes more.
• Meanwhile, combine yogurt and remaining marmalade.
• Arrange pineapple and chops on plates. Top with yogurt; sprinkle nuts.

Makes 4 servings.

Red Wine Pairing: Zinfandel - jammy fruit flavor with blackberry works.

White Wine Pairing: Gewürztraminer - semi-sweet with a jasmine, orange blossom and apricot notes.

Our personal pick: Go with Gewürztraminer

Cheers!

The Hello Vino Team

Hey Everyone,

Hello Vino has participated in a few expos, attended some conferences, and presented our work to industry folks interested in mobile. We met Brady Sadler and Justin Griffin of dishKarma at the 2010 Boston Wine Expo and chatted about food, wine, and business.

The dishKarma goal is to improve individual dining experiences by developing a unique recommendation engine that takes the guesswork out of not only where to eat, but more importantly what to order. You begin by creating your personal menu through the dishKarma site or mobile application. Add as many of your favorite dishes as you can remember, course by course, from restaurants around the world. Each time you experience a remarkable new dish, add it to your menu so you can share and compare it with others. Your menu will constantly evolve based on new discoveries and suggestions from the dishKarma community. Say you're wandering the streets and want a burger. You could stop someone on the street, search Google on your cell or tap into a restaurant review site...or...try dishKarma which will suggest the best place to find that burger based on the dishes you've enjoyed in the past, or offer recommendations from your friends and community members.

A cool little fact about this service: GiveBackAmerica.org will donate one meal to Feeding America for every five dishes, aka one meal, that you upload to dishKarma.

The dishKarma blog offers short videos of chefs, foodies, and personalities sharing their "Ultimate Meal." Past videos include Gary Vaynerchuk, KISS 108 radio personality and host of TV Diner, Billy Costa...and Hello Vino :)

My Ultimate Meal with Wine Pairings:

Bread, Cheese and olive oil – Countryside farmhouse, Florence, Italy
Wine Pairing: Chianti

Mushroom Risotto - Brookstone Grill, Derry, New Hampshire
Wine Paiting: Dry Merlot

Pad Tai and Sushi - Ruby Foo's Time Square, NYC
Wine Pairing: Semi-Dry Riesling

Porterhouse steak and creamed spinach – Gibbet Hill Grill, Groton, MA
Wine Pairing: Pinot Noir

Table-side s'mores - Unwine'd, Vancouver, BC
Wine Pairing: Cabernet Sauvignon

Cheers!
Jim from Hello Vino

Hello Everyone,

Did you have a busy week? Do you still need to get your mother a card, a gift, or do something a little special for her this Sunday? Why not treat her to a homemade brunch?

You could start with a quick fruit salad to get the taste buds excited. This is real easy and will take only 10 minutes tops. You can also serve this along side the main dish below.

Fruit Salad
(recipe credit: allrecipes.com)

Ingredients

• 1 pint strawberries - cleaned & sliced
• 1 pound seedless grapes, halved
• 3 kiwis, peeled and sliced
• 3 bananas, sliced
• 1 (21 ounce) can peach pie filling

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine the strawberries, grapes, kiwis, and bananas.
2. Gently mix in peaches.
3. Chill for 1 hour.

Hello Vino Food and Wine Pairing:

Mimosas, Asti Spumante, or your favorite Sparkling Wine

Now, it's time to look like a rockstar in the kitchen. How about whipping up the Italian version of an omelet, otherwise known as a Frittatas?

Frittatas
(recipe credit: allrecipes.com)

Ingredients:

• 3 tbls of oil oil
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 3/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup Cream cheese
• 8 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1/2 red pepper, chopped
• 3/4 cup mushrooms
• 3/4 cup zucchini, chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Heat a non-stick pan/skillet with the olive oil and garlic.
3. Keep on low temperature
4. Add your veggies (use your faves)
5. Pour in your egg mixture (eggs, milk, cream cheese, & cheddar cheese)
6. Stir, and evenly distribute the veggies in the egg mixture
7. You'll see the eggs start to cook a bit, or get get sticky
8. Pull pan off stove and place in oven for 8-10 minutes (350 degrees)
9. Take the Frittata out and let is set for 5 minutes
10. Serve

Hello Vino Food and Wine Pairing:

Prosecco, Crisp Chardonnay, or Beaujolais

Have a good Sunday, chef!

Cheers,

The Hello Vino Team

Hey Everyone,

Many of us go food shopping, have a list of the same items you need to replenish, and tend to make the same dinners in some sort of rotation depending on your mood and schedule.

Have you had those nights when you open the fridge and close it... open the cabinets and close them... open the fridge again and close it? A lot of us can not make up our minds on what to have for dinner at this point

What do I want to eat? Should I go food shopping? Should I just order out?

Although you recognize you should probably go food shopping, you stall and wait for the little dinner troll in the fridge to tell you what to make. Here's a little idea that can buy you another day or so from making the trip to the grocery store.

What to do:

Empty the fridge and throw the kitchen sink at the stove for a quick and easy stir-fry.

What you could use:

(please feel free to substitute vegetables)

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 cup broccoli, chopped
• 1/3 cup babycorns
• 1 cup snow peas
• 1/2 cup diced carrots
• 1/2 cup onion
• 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1/2 cup sliced water chestnuts (optional)
• 2 cups Brown Rice
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• Sliced almonds

Other potential items:
Peppers, celery, summer squash, zucchini, cashews, etc.

For protein:
Add some chicken. Vegetarians, toss in some tofu.

Toss all the ingredients in a skillet after heating up the oil and garlic. Cover. Stir and cook for 10 minutes or until everything looks bright and cooked-through. Drizzle the soy sauce on top and stir it in. Top with sliced almonds, cover, and let stand for 2 minutes. Place over rice and serve.

This is quick, tasty, and you can avoid lugging grocery bags from the car into your kitchen (for at least one night).

Hopefully you have some wine on hand, but you may have to hit the store for that.  ;)

What wine pairs with stir-fry?

A dry Gewürztraminer is perfect. You could also pour Pinot Gris, or a semi-dry Riesling. However, considering the shopping that needs to be done, enjoy the wine you have in the house and let us know how it works out!

Cheers,

The Hello Vino Team

Hey Everyone,

In the spirit of Earth Day, we thought we'd share a green living, healthy food and wine recipe you can try over the weekend.

Buying seasonal, local food is a boon for the environment for a lot of reasons. Since most food travels many miles to reach your table (1,500 miles, on average), locally sourced food cuts back on the climate-change impacts of transportation. Local food also generally uses less packaging, is more fresh, ultimately tastes better, and comes in more varieties. Hit up a local farm stand near you to purchase the ingredients if possible.

Quinoa Casserole

Ingredients:

• 1 cup quinoa
• 1/4 cup dried currants
• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
• 2 Tbls olive oil
• 1 cup celery, chopped small
• 2 medium carrots
• 2 small zucchini
• 1 summer squash
• 1 1/2 - 1 3/4 cup boiling water
• Feel free to substitute veggies, or add mushrooms & onions

Spices:

• 1 or 2 bay leaves
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• a pinch of cayenne
• 1/2 tsp dried ginger, 
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp rock salt
• 1/4 cup minced parsley or cilantro
• fresh ground pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Heat olive oil on medium in a large sauté pan or frying pan
2. Chop celery in small pieces
3. Peel and chop carrots in 1/2 inch pieces
4. Chop zucchini and summer squash in 1 inch pieces
5. Boil water, add quinoa, simmer 12 min covered, let stand for 5 min
6. Stir fry celery until transparent, then add carrots (stir fry five minutes)
7. Add zucchini (stir fry one minute)
8. Add the spices, except for the fresh herb and salt, lower heat and stir
9. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
10. Add all ingredients into a casserole dish
11. Stir in 1 3/4 cups boiling water, cover, and bake 20 minutes. 
12. Before serving, remove the bay leaves and cinnamon stick
13. Stir in the minced fresh parsley or cilantro, fresh ground pepper
14. Serve

Suggested Wine Pairing:

Crisp Sauvignon Blanc with aromas of lemongrass, peach flavor and a round body.

While you're making the meal, play some tunes!
 
Our pick is Pearl Jam (an all-time favorite). The alt-rockers fit the green bill. Interesting fact: For the past two decades, Pearl Jam has spent over $200,000 to improve forestry in Washington State to donating $100,000 to several groups that focus on climate change as part of the band's Carbon Portfolio Strategy.

Pearl Jam continuously donates large sums of money to Madagascar and Ecuador's rain forests in order to offset the carbon emissions that they've created on their tours as well.

Rock out with this recipe!

Cheers,

The Hello Vino Team

Hello Everyone,

I thought it would be fun to make sushi instead of ordering it this weekend. Set aside some time, set up your station, and paint a delicious little picture on your plate.

What you'll need for this edible work of art:

• 1/4 lb. trimmed, raw saltwater fish (Salmon or Yellowtail Tuna)
• Sharp knife with a cutting board
• A clump of prepared wasabi
• A bowl of water
• 2 cups of prepared sushi rice
• Soy sauce
• Japanese pickled ginger

How to marry the fish and rice:

• Cut the fish into individual slabs approximately 2 inches long, and a 1/4 inch thick
• cut all the fish at once, but keep the pieces cold (in the fridge or on top of some ice)
• Wet your hands and grab a bit of rice that fits into your palm, then roll it into a ball
• Maneuver the rice in your hand and apply a few firm, but gentle squeezes to shape it
• Your rice ball should be close to the same size of your cut piece of fish
• Dab a little wasabi on the individual piece of fish
• Press the shaped rice against the fish & cup the two together
• Firmly squeeze the fish and rice so it becomes one piece & use your index finger to press down to create a solid shape
• Garnish your plate with Japanese pickled ginger, and a small portion of wasabi
• Place some soy sauce in a small dish on the side.

Wine does work wonders

Although many gravitate to beer or sake when eating sushi, surprisingly wine can enhance and compliment raw fish.  Rice flavors in sake could potentially clash with the flavors of the rice you're eating (unless you are eating sashimi).  Because there are really no rules attached to pairing sushi and wine, the palate playground is a tasty adventure. Many wine lovers are fans of Gewürztraminer and Viognier with sushi. Another crisp white to consider is Sauvignon Blanc, however, sparkling wines do very well in this category too. If you a fan of red wine, then we suggest Pinot Noir.

Our picks for a weekend
sushi and wine pairing:

Wild King Salmon: Chardonnay
A ripe and crisp wine with fruit flavors such as apple, pear, and citrus.

Yellowtail Tuna: Champagne
A dry (Brut), light sparkling wine that is refreshing and food-friendly.

Cheers!
The Hello Vino Team

Spring is here, and summer will soon be approaching fast. It’s almost time to start our diets to get into “bathing suit shape”, but until then, let’s live a little.

Bring On the Brownies

This classic brownie recipe (from TasteBook.com) is super simple - it takes about 30-40 minutes total from preparation to baking, and you may have these common ingredients in your cupboard:

• ½ cup butter, melted
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ⅓ cup cocoa powder
• ½ cup flour
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon baking powder

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8-inch square pan. In mixing bowl, stir butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla extract. Beat in cocoa, flour, salt and baking powder. Spread batter into pan. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes.

Get Playful with Port

Port and chocolate pair together like Forrest and Jenny, who pair together like peas and carrots. But enough about veggies, it’s time for dessert! With this chocolatey deliciousness, you could go with either a Ruby Port or Tawny Port.

In some cases, Tawny Port has actually been worked into the brownies recipe for its nutty flavor characteristics. However, some Tawny Ports can be a bit expensive, so it’s best to stick with the younger, sweeter Ruby Port with your brownies. You also don’t have to be formal and grab a Port (or Porto) from Portugal – there are some excellent Ports being made from U.S. producers, including the Port pictured above (a blend of Tempranillo, Petite Sirah, and Cabernet Sauvignon) from d’Art Winery in Lodi, CA.

If you try out the pairing this weekend, please drop a comment on this blog.

Cheers!

The Hello Vino Team

Hello Everyone,

We hope you are having a great week!

My wife and I recently visited a very cool Moroccan Chophouse and Tapas Bar called Tangierino. This chic spot combines the feel of a restaurant and lounge, and is located at the bottom of Bunker Hill in historic Charlestown, MA.

Even though you may not expect a place like this to be in an area that is notorious for Irish bars, Tangierino introduces you to Morocco in a romantic way. The restaurant is dimly lit, offers unique seating with small couches or sheer-styled sheets that veil you, and you may have the occasional belly dancer pass by.

Tangierino was a very nice surprise and definitely has a pulse when you're inside.

The dishes were spectacular with fresh ingredients from New England mixed with Moroccan spices for a flashy flavor.

We started with an appetizer Blazing Beef Tenderloin:
Sliced Prime aged beef, roll of sesame vegetables and ginger, harissa teriyaki

We then ordered Four Bone Za'atar Spiced Rack of Lamb:
Asparagus and Kalamata olives, truffle mashed potatoes, rosemary reduction

Tangierino's wine list was solid with 66 white wines and 92 red wines.  The majority of the wine list was dominated by wine regions from Italy, France, California, Australia, Argentina, Spain, Oregon and New Zealand.

With such a huge list to look at, I wanted to put our money where our mouth is and use the Free Hello Vino iPhone App to get a glass of wine to pair with the appetizer, and also one for dinner.

For the Blazing Beef Tenderloin, Hello Vino suggested a sweet Riesling, Gewürztraminer, or a Syrah/Shiraz. I personally was not in the mood for a white wine, but if I was, I would choose Gewürztraminer. We ended up trying Philippe & Vincent Jaboulet, Crozes-Hermitage, France 2005 Shiraz/Syrah.

I thought this wine was excellent with the harissa teriyaki. The dark berry fruit and hints of vanilla and toast mixed well. This was a full-bodied wine that proved to be a good start.

For the Four Bone Za'atar Spiced Rack of Lamb, Hello Vino recommended Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, or Merlot. Lately my wife and I have been fans of Zinfandel, so we chose two different glasses. My wife chose one of our recent favorites, Layer Cake Primitivo, Puglia, Italy 2006 (Italian Zinfandel grape)... and I tried DeLoach, Russian River Valley, Califonia 2005/2006 Zinfandel.

The Layer Cake Primitivo did not disappoint for a second time. The creamy balance of jammy fruit mixed with white pepper took the lamb to another level. The DeLoach Zinfandel was a bit hot (high alcohol), but did bring some black pepper, ripe blackberry, and possibly a little oak to the table. This was also pretty good with dinner, but not as smooth as the Primitivo.

Either way, it was fun to challenge the Hello Vino iPhone App in a restaurant with tons of wines to pick from, and to try a delicious food and wine pairing.

Next time you see yourself staring at a wine list, give Hello Vino a whirl and see if it can help you select a glass or bottle.

Cheers!
Jim from Hello Vino