Grilled Food and Wine Pairing

Beneath the Cork with Mike H. Assistant Liquor

Mike

Pairing wine with food should be a fun endeavor especially when it comes to summer grilling. Balancing flavors is a good starting place where you don’t want one element to overpower another like a Cabernet might do to shrimp skewers or steak might do to Pinot Grigio. Texture can be important too and is demonstrated well by a wine with tannins cutting through a fattier piece of meat. As I once heard, another way to think of pairing food & wine is to treat wine like another condiment. Try to create a similar effect to squeezed lemon on seafood or pesto on a steak or salad. Finally if all else fails pick a sparkling wine like Prosecco to pair with grilled food as those bubbles can pair with nearly anything. With all that said, here are some old & new favorites I will be enjoying this summer… Continue reading

Jayne’s Top 10 Holiday Appetizers

Jayne's Top 10 Holiday Appetizers

www.cobornsblog.com - Family, Friends & Food with Jayne

Jayne

December is one of my favorite months of the year because it’s so festive everywhere you look. From pine trees and snow to tinsel and gold, it’s the kickoff to all the holiday parties with family and friends.

As we go into the holidays I want to share my Top 10 Holiday Appetizers to help you along the way and to make your parties a great success. So, here are 10 recipes that are quick and easy, allowing you even more time with your loved ones.  Continue reading

Jayne’s Easy Game Day Recipes

www.cobornsblog.com - Family, Friends & Food with Jayne

Jayne

There is the winter season, holiday season, hunting season and fishing season but let’s not forget about football season! It’s time to start planning for the championship football game party and I’m here to help. I have some quick and easy recipes that I would love to share with you, just in time for kickoff!

Pineapple Cocktail Smokies

Now if you know me I like to change things up and not always do the same old, same old when it comes to party food. So I found this recipe for cocktail smokies that doesn’t call for BBQ sauce and instead uses pineapple juice, soy sauce, brown sugar and mustard. This gives those smokies a sweet and sour flavor and they are truly awesome.

 

Pineapple Smokies
 
Ingredients
  • 1 Cup Brown Sugar, packed
  • 3 T. Flour
  • 2 tsp. Ground Mustard
  • 1 Cup Pineapple Juice
  • ½ Cup White Vinegar
  • 1-1/2 tsp. Soy Sauce
  • 2 Packages Cocktail Smokies
Instructions
  1. In a large saucepan, combine the sugar, flour and mustard.
  2. Gradually stir in the pineapple juice, vinegar and soy sauce. Bring to a boil over medium heat.
  3. Cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.
  4. Add sausages; stir to coat.
  5. Cook, uncovered until heated through.
 

Stuffed Shrimp and Cocktail Sauce

Next I didn’t want to just do cocktail shrimp with cocktail sauce. I wanted to change up the flavor and wow did I find some great flavor in these luscious little guys. The secret is adding horseradish to cream cheese and parmesan cheese and stuffing them in the shrimp. They are so good and they make a beautiful presentation at any kind of party you may have.

 

Stuffed Shrimp and Cocktail Sauce
 
Ingredients
  • 4 Oz. Cream Cheese, softened
  • 4-1/2 tsp. Prepared Horseradish
  • 1 T. Grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 Lb. Cooked Large Shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • Dried Parsley
  • Seafood Cocktail Sauce
Instructions
  1. In a small bowl, combine the cream cheese, horseradish and parmesan cheese until blended.
  2. Cut a small hole in the corner of a re-sealable plastic bag; add cream cheese mixture to bag.
  3. Butterfly the shrimp along the outside curves as shown in the video.
  4. Pipe about 1 teaspoon cream cheese mixture into each shrimp. Arrange on a serving platter.
  5. Sprinkle with parsley.
  6. Serve with seafood sauce if desired.
 

Cheesy Pizza Dip

My third recipe is really good if you are a pizza fan, and truthfully, who doesn’t like pizza? Just melt cream cheese and add pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese and pepperoni and you have the best pizza dip in town! Now just cut up some French bread in cubes and serve them as a dipper for this pizza dip. Yummy!!!

 

Cheesy Pizza Dip
 
Ingredients
  • 8 Oz. Cream Cheese, softened
  • 8Ooz. Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
  • 1 Can Pizza Sauce
  • ½ Cup Ripe Olives, choppped
  • 1 Cup Sliced Pepperoni, chopped
Instructions
  1. In a large pot, melt the cream cheese and mozzarella together.
  2. Next add the pizza sauce, ripe olives and chopped pepperoni then mix all together.
  3. To keep warm place in slow cooker.
  4. Serve with cubed French bread or crackers.
 

Crazy Fresh Guacamole DipI don’t think I could ever have a party without Guacamole Dip, it’s just not in me.  I absolutely love the stuff and I am so excited to tell everyone that we now have a “new” Guacamole Dip called “Crazy Fresh” and that is exactly what it is, so FRESH! It’s just like homemade. This is probably the best Guacamole Dip I have ever had and the best part is I don’t have to make it.  It’s ready to serve.

Snack MixFootball CupcakesNow if you are like me you don’t always have time to fit homemade baking into your busy schedule. So just stop by any Coborn’s Bakery and pick up some party snack mix. The mix comes in a football size tray that will look great on your party table.

Pick up a package of football cupcakes from the Coborn’s Bakery and be assured that all of your guests with a sweet tooth will be taken care of throughout the entire game.

Good luck to your team and enjoy these delicious appetizers!!

www.cobornsblog.com - Family, Friends and Food with Jayne