"For any mad housewife, I’m guessing that the number of servings in the bottle is exactly…one."

Mad Housewife Cabernet Sauvignon

Ripe cherries, mint, and mocha characterize this soft, beautiful expression of the grape. The bouquet offers an explosion of sweet preserves while the palate is delighted with the smooth,
lush sensations of silky Cabernet.

Appellation 100% California
Alcohol 13.5%
Sugars 0.6 g/l

Awards:
Silver Medal, 2009 National Women’s Wine
Competition, Santa Rosa

www.MadHousewifeCellars.com

The only place I have found it is at GERLANDS.

I have to say… I was transfixed on the label of this wine because of the Sexy Sassy name and picture of a lovely (not so mad looking) housewife. The day I found it, I was in a bit if a B**chy not so happy mood, so it gave me a nice big grin of satisfaction. I'm sure like me you wonder if its possible for a good wine to come pouring out with such a catchy name and intriguing label, and a price point of about 9.99 and on a good day 6.99 Well… let me tell you… its pretty darn yummy! I felt a rush of pride as I bought this bottle, I am a mad house wife!!!! At least for that night I was. *wink.

Here is what’s on the back of the label that I’d like to share:

“Somewhere near the cool shadows of the laundry room. Past the litter box and between the plastic yard toys. This is your time. Time to enjoy a moment to yourself. A moment without the madness. The dishes can wait. Dinner be damned. Mad Housewife Cabernet Sauvignon”

Just a tip before you drink this bottle down, let it breath a bit....make your self a yummy dinner and let it breath out the tartness.....its not really tart, just a smidgen. So let it breath a bit before you toss it around in your glass and drink up! This is not your Silver Oak...but I must say it can hold its own....It’s smooth and light and not as tart after it had some time without it’s cork … it’s very fruity and delightful. I really taste the mocha and cherry notes.

Mad Housewife wine is one smart cookie the marketing plan is spot on, its speaks to us house wives (of course most of us have J.O.B.S too) so thus we need wine even more :) — one look at the website and you'll fall even more in love with the cute sassyness, if you buy six bottles they will send you a Free pretty cute T-shirt ( darn only if I knew, I could have gotten a few freebies) JK. and I love the fact that they have recipes on the site as well! Tonight Savanah made me a dinner of spaghetti and garlic bread to go a long with my Mad House Wife Cab..... oh and I love the fact, its owned by a woman. ENJOY!

Raspberry Lemon Thumbprint Cookies

I'm pleased that I take after my father in many ways. Such as his sensitivity to others, he'd rather give then receive, the ability to casually debate until the other gives in, and most important the ability to use super hero powers to clean the kitchen as we bake or cook along happily and at the end the kitchen is cleaner then when we started. That takes skill..... wouldn't you say?

I didnt use my usual recipe for thumbprint cookies, these are courtesy of Emeril Lagasse, I do enjoy the soft lemony flavor of these delightful cookies. I used a wonderful raspberry jam i purchased from the farmers market.....the flavor of the chambord and jam intermingled quote lovely in the center of these treats. The only thing I didnt like was the fact he didnt use walnuts to roll the dough in, mine did. I like the crunch of the walnuts, kinda salty and sweet. So next time I'm going to add the nuts. I believe they help hold the cookie together during the baking process. What a perfect cookie to bake on a cold night like tonight. Enjoy!

Raspberry Lemon Thumbprint Cookies

Prep Time:

15 min

Inactive Prep Time:

--

Cook Time:

20 min

Level:

Easy

Serves:

4 dozen

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup raspberry jam or jelly
• 1 tablespoon Chambord or kirsch
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 sticks (1 cup) butter, at room temperature
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter 2 large baking sheets.

In a small bowl, combine the jam and Chambord. Stir to combine.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt and whisk to blend.

In a large bowl using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and creamy. Beat in the egg yolks, lemon zest, lemon juice and vanilla. Add the flour mixture in 2 additions and beat just until moist clumps form. Gather the dough together into a ball.

Pinch off the dough to form 1-inch balls. Place on the prepared baking sheets, spacing 1-inch apart. Use your floured index finger or 1/2 teaspoon measuring spoon to create depressions in the center of each ball. Fill each indentation with nearly 1/2 teaspoon of the jam mixture. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool completely.

Very Yummy Winter Tea

Ive always enjoyed a really good cup of tea, I cant say I'm an avid tea enthusiast, but I do go through periods of me wanting a really good cup of tea. I'll then scan the market for a tea that really catches my eye. I usually go to Whole Foods (one of only two grocery stores where I will actually buy tea, as they have proven themselves to be committed to the quality of their products).

What caught my eye about this particular box of tea bags from Allegro was the name of it. Nilla Nut Dream. It just sounds yummy… it sounds like a cookie, or perhaps a dessert parfait that has been made with vanilla wafers.

Upon closer inspection of the label, I found that this tea was an organic black tea, flavored with vanilla, hazelnut, cinnamon and maple. I could not resist! Into the shopping cart it went. Needless to say, I had high expectations for this tea.

And I have not been left disappointed. While the featured flavors of this tea are what lead me to purchase it, I am pleased that they are not an overpowering presence in this cup. The tea itself plays the starring role. Which is a black tea, the box doesn't indicate which type of black tea it is, but Im guessing there's a variety of black teas. It does have a robust woodsy, malty flavor. But not to strong, very smooth and subtle.

And then there are the flavors: vanilla, cinnamon, hazelnut and maple. Let’s start with the most prominent flavor, the vanilla. It is smooth and creamy and lightly sweet. The malty quality of the tea enhances the vanilla especially well. The cinnamon actually does not seem to shine through until about mid-cup, but when it does, it is delightful. It’s not really a spicy cinnamon, but more like a light sprinkling of cinnamon atop this delicious vanilla custard in a cup! The maple here is also soft, and compliments the hazelnut flavor, leaving an agreeable nutty, maple-sweet finish on the palate.

Allegro describes this tea as

Allegro’s Holiday NILLA NUT DREAM is a festive blend of organic black teas blended with a pleasant bouquet of luscious spices. We add a swirling trio of vanilla, cinnamon and hazelnut to create an exceptionally satisfying flavor and aroma. This tasty tea blend is a wonderful way to welcome the morning and makes a lovely evening treat. It is satisfying brewed and served on its own or with a splash of milk or cream.

I added a drizzle of local farmers honey to my cup, and found that this brought out many of the more subtle flavors, and especially some of the softer cinnamon notes. I added a bit of cream but I would be careful, if you add to much it washes away all the yummy flavors of the vanilla… and I think that the delicate balance of flavors in this cup are far too delectable to wash out, so use dairy products sparingly.

Since this is a holiday blend, I suggest you hurry over to your nearest Whole Foods and pick up a box of Allegro’s Nilla Nut Dream. Imagine sitting around the fire when its nice and cold out side with a cup of Nilla Nut Dream warming you from the inside out ! What a truly lovely tea for creating warm fuzzy memories. ENJOY!

Moms Recipe Box and the Iron Chef

I was so excited when I came across my moms vintage orange flowered recipe box, it must have slipped in with my stuff during my move to Texas. :) As I was thumbing through the faded index cards with my moms hand written recipes on them..Memories came rushing back to me eating my mothers amazingly delicious Apple Pie with Flaky Cheddar Cheese Crust and my Great Great Grandmas 100 year old Soft Ginger Cake.... so yummy.

Im going to make these two amazing desserts in honor of my mother and Great Great Grandmother, in fact im going to use my GGG recipe to create an amazing Cup Cake with my Cream Cheese Frosting. YUMMERS!!!! I'll post pictures and the recipe for my Mothers Pie. I'll Probably keep my GGG Cake recipe a family secret.

OK OK!!! SO Excited. On January 3rd a few of my favorite Chefs will be challenged on the IRON CHEF. Im counting the days....each commercial gives me chills of excitement....I have an addiction and I dont plan on finding a cure for recovery anytime soon. And if a family member attempts to form an intervention, Cupcakes will be thrown :) So until then.......

Sunday Night Wine and Eats

This was a pretty good bottle of wine. I usually get headaches when I drink Italian Wine...but this was a nice blend of 15 percent Merlot and 10 percent Cabernet Sauvignon. It is made from 25 year old vines minimum, mostly from Pisa, Maremma and Chianti Classico areas. The quality of the 2006 vintage in the Tusany shined through on this wine. The 2006 has beautiful plums, berries and fresh acidity. All I can say is YUMMY! ....it went really well with Lemon Butter Turkey and a few lovely traditional side dishes. I found it at Whole Foods for $8.88, which is a pretty good price...Suggested Retail price is about 11.00. Give it a try, you'll be pleased as much as I was.

Pretty Cupcakes

I created these cupcakes for a group of wonderful Bunko ladies. I made two different types...One was a dozen white cake and chocolate cream frosting, and the other twelve Red Velvet cake with cream cheese frosting.......they turned out very good and pretty.....she asked for a simple winter theme and choose these pretty blue hue sprinkles and old fashion candy toppers. I loved making these and the family cobbled up the left overs....always need to make an extra batch for the eager onlookers. The ladies enjoyed them as well, they wanted to place a few orders. :)