| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ||||||
| 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
| 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 |
| 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
21
|
22 |
| 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 |
| 30 |
This page is a Daily Archive of entries for Friday, October 10, 2008 listed from newest to oldest.
Most wineries in Illinois moonlight as something else. Winery/pie shop. B & B and tasting room. Wine shop/coffee house. Whatever the arrangement, these conjoined operations offer some insight into the mind of the winemaker. My experience is that good wine usually accompanies a good secondary (or tertiary) product. So the absolute value of one's Chambourcin = the absolute value of one's fudge, etc.
This brings us to Kickapoo Creek Winery. Their model is Winery/nursery/wedding hall. Sometime back, a friend of mine asked for my future opinion of the wines poured at a wedding he’d just attended. He did not recall which wines they drank. All he knew was they came from the attached winery, and that the white surpassed the red. I had just tasted their Nort Noir port* days before, and it remains one of the best wines I’ve had from Illinois.
The Market at the Square has really slimmed down on vendors lately but that doesn't mean it isn't hopping with activity. Our favorite farmers are now well into fall harvest with loads of incredible produce, including a wide array of winter squash, cauliflowers, turnips, broccolis, fennel, apples and more. The pumpkins and gourds are showing up and I'm telling you this is the time of year to start cooking — a lot. It is fairly simple to transform pumpkins and squash into amazing dishes, from satisfying gratins to sumptuous soups and desserts. Any type of pumpkin or winter squash will make great soup if paired with the right flavor combinations and I have a few suggestions you may not have experienced.
Click the jump to read Chef Alisa's recipe recommendations.
| 
