God Bless the Children of Newtown Connecticut



Like every parent in America I sit and tears roll down my face for the families in Newtown. How does a person destroy such innocence. The list of victims is below and as you can see most of the victims are of the age of 6 or 7, my youngest is 10 and I couldn't even think of losing him. Us as parents need to do what ever it takes to ensure our children's safety, but we can not control the sickness that is out there.

 

The Devil visited Newtown that morning. I know that we as Americans have the right to bare arms and gun don't kill people, people kill people but this is a nation that has more gun dealers then supermarkets. We as a nation in an effort to protect our children have to do something to control the guns in American, so many young young lives lost.  

 

We as a family are spending the day together showing each other how much we love each other. Share the love with your family because we never know what will happen tomorrow.



Below are the names of the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, as released by Connecticut State Police

 

 

Charlotte Bacon, 6
Daniel Barden, 7
Rachel Davino, 29
Olivia Rose Engel, 6
Josephine Gay, 7
Ana M Marquez-Greene, 6
Dylan Hockley, 6
Dawn Hocksprung, 47
Madeleine F Hsu, 6
Catherine V Hubbard, 6
Chase Kowalski, 7
Jesse Lewis, 6
James Mattioli, 6
Grace McDonnell, 7
Anne Marie Murphy, 52
Emilie Parker, 6
Jack Pinto, 6
Noah Pozner, 6
Caroline Previdi, 6
Jessica Rekos, 6
Avielle Richman, 6
Lauren Rousseau, 30
Mary Sherlach, 56
Victoria Soto, 27
Benjamin Wheeler, 6
Allison N Wyatt, 6

The Spaniard

Wine of the day, Grenache

 





                                           Pairs great with Chicken & Pork


Grenache is the world's most widely planted grape used to make red wine, sometimes made into a stand-alone varietal, frequently as a rosé, but most often as a backbone of red blends.
 
Used as a component in some Northern Rhône reds, nearly exclusively for Rhône rosés and as the primary component in nearly all Southern Rhône red blends, Grenache is probably most notable as the base varietal for Chateauneuf du Pape, Cotes du Rhône and Gigondas. In spite of its fame coming from French wines, Spain is most likely this grape's origin.

 

You can get one for around $10.00 but I'm recommend spending around $25.00 and enjoy the true flavor.

 

Remember, always drink good wine and never drink alone.

 

The Spaniard

Paula Deen's Rib Roast

Paulia Deen has a great recipe for a Rib Roast, it about a ten minute prep time and about an hour and a half to cook. Real simple and real good.

 

Then you have this to enjoy....goes great with any bottle of Brunello

Ingredients

1 (5-pound) standing rib roast

1 tablespoon House Seasoning, recipe follows

 

Directions

Allow roast to stand at room temperature for at least 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 375 degree F. Rub roast with House Seasoning; place roast on a rack in the pan with the rib side down and the fatty side up. Roast for 1 hour. Turn off oven. Leave roast in oven but do not open oven door for 3 hours. About 30 to 40 minutes before serving time, turn oven to 375 degrees F and reheat the roast. Important: Do not remove roast or re-open the oven door from time roast is put in until ready to serve.

 

House Seasoning:

1 cup salt

1/4 cup black pepper

1/4 cup garlic powder

 

 

The Spaniard

Wine of the Day, Brunello Di Montalcino

 

 

Red in color

 

Pairs great with the following items: Chicken, Pork, Sausage or Beef

 

Many days I set myself up with a charcuterie plate and any Brunello goes great with Parmesan or Cheddar cheese.

 

Recommended prices, loving wine as I do I'd recommend spending more then $25 dollars but no more then $50 for a Brunello. Reason being...their are so many great Brunello and you can pick up a great one for $25 bucks.

 

Remember, only drink good wine and never drink alone.

 

 

The Spaniard

 

Twins....

I'm so happy for my nephew, twins right out of the gate.

Life as you know it my nephew is over.

 

One boy and one girl.

The Spaniard

Luna cafe & Ristorante

This little 30 seat restaurant is every foodies dream come true. It's a BYOB and an awesome place lunch or dinner. Run by the owners, she works the floor and he works the kitchen. Just by seeing them work together you can see they both are well trained within the industry.  

We stared with the Crostini, they have many different types, from grilled veg & olive tapenade, Bell peppers & goat cheese, Fontina with fig spread or my favorite    Prosciutto, mozzorella & peppers with a bit of olive oil all served on a perfectly toasted crostini.  

We shared our next course, Rigatoni All' Amatriciana, served with pancetta, onions & tomato sauce.

 Our next course was the Orata alla griglia, filet of

Orata marinade with garlic & fresh herbs. OMG good!

www.cafelunamillburn.com

The Spaniard


 

La Cucina

 

La Cucina is the regional cookbook of Italy.

 

Almost 60 years ago in Milan, a group of people came together with a bold idea: to preserve the culinary heritage of their country.

 

This book or as I call it the holy grail of cookbooks has over 2,000 authentic recipes and will make anyone a believer.

 

 

A great gift for the Holiday's

 

The Spaniard

Family

 

Enjoy the time you have with them because one day you wake up and you see them all grown up. It's amazing how fast time goes by.....

 

 

Love you all so much....

The Spaniard

Talking Santa

 

 

Merry Christmas from the Spaniard

 

Santa always get four out of four corks

The Spaniard

Home Cooking

 

Nothing like visiting Mom and she has prepared some of your favorite childhood memories.

 

Arroz con Pollo and Flan.

 

 

 

 

Home cooking my Mom always gets four out of four corks in my book

 

The Spaniard 

Decanting Wines

Some wines need to be decants to allow them to aerate, or allowed to "breathe". The decanter is meant to mimic the effects of swirling the

wine glass to stimulate the oxidation processes which trigger the

release of more aroma compounds. In addition it is thought to benefit the wine by smoothing some of the harsher aspects of the wine

(like tannins or potential wine faults like mercaptans).

 

Many wine writers, such as author Karen MacNeil in the book The Wine Bible, (great book) advocate decanting for the purposes of aeration, especially with very tannic wines like Barolo, Bordeaux, Cabs, Ports & French wines while decanting could be harmful for more delicate wines like Chianti & Pinot Noir. 

 

So, drink more good wines, decant when appropriate and always

share the beauty of the wine with someone.

 

 

The Spaniard

 

Tapastry, Montclair NJ

 Tapas de Espana

 

We really enjoyed this place and I highly recommend it because it's just a nice night out. Start my bringing in your own bottle of red and they will supply you with everything else for a home made Sangria, it not the traditional Sangria but still very refreshing. 

 

Of course we ordered to much but it's small plates...right??? order up, taste and enjoy. The highlight of the night was of course being with my lady but they had flamenco dancers preforming during our dinner and being Spanish I really thought this was great, they were outstanding, my parents would have been proud.

 

I'd recommend making some little changes to the decor and ambiance, ie the simple three....linen, candles & a proper music selection. That would make this restaurant so much better. I listed the web site below for you to review.

 



 

 

    

 www.tapastrys.com

 

Three out of four corks in my book

 

The Spaniard



Elvis, alive and well

 

He lives!!!! I knew it....

 

The Spaniard

My Christmas Reindeer

 

My Christmas Reindeer

 

The Spaniard

"You Talkin" to Me?"

'You Talkin' to Me?'

It's one of the most famous lines in cinema. It also never appeared in the script for the 1976 Robert De Niro movie "Taxi Driver." According to screenwriter Paul Schrader, the script simply said "Travis speaks to himself in the mirror," and De Niro improvised the classic dialogue.

 

One of the best movie of all times.....

 

The Spaniard

 

No Gum chewing...

 

A truly great movie

 

 

I hate seeing servers chewing gum, it just doesn't look good.

The Spaniard

Love Bacardi & Coke Zero

 

Trump Plaza Beach Bar

 

This Bar will always get four out of four corks in my book.

The Spaniard

Darby Road, Scotchplains NJ

I just wanted give another shout out to the Darby Road, Below are their Willy's Wings, classic chicken wings roasted and then fried. I'm enjoying mine in a Jameson BBQ sauce.

 

I'm also so, so happy I'm able to watch Real Madrid play. It just opened up this past summer and it's really clear this local pub with be a town favorite for a very long time, great food, service and a menu that isn't the norm.

 

 

The Spaniard

Leftovers, be creative and have fun

 

Turkey burger, stuffing, cranberry slice, gravy and Brussels sprouts.

 

This is a awesome Irish Pub with a big culinary twist and a great place to watch any game....

 

The Spaniard

EnRoute & Lobster Mac & Cheese

My lady made a banging lobster Mac & Cheese and we wash it all down with a bottle of EnRoute from Far Niente.

 

What an amazing combination....

The Spaniard

OMG....good!!!!

They do one thing and do it so well....

The Spaniard

NYC as the sun sets

More beautiful photos from the top of the Empire State building.

The Spaniard

"Top of the World Ma"

Shane was blown away with the view. What a great feeling I had doing this with him and seeing the excitement within his eyes. The City is so beautiful from the top of the world.

 

 

The Spaniard

Happy Birthday my son

Happy Birthday Joseph, love and miss you so much.

 

Be safe and know I'm so pround of you. 

 

 

The Spaniard

View from the Empire State building

The view from the Empire State Building is Amazing. I'd recommend getting tickets on line. We went in the late afternoon to see the sun set on the big city. What a view.....

The Spaniard

Love this Industry...

I can't express to you how much I love this industry. One has the power to collect many different items and start putting them all together. Use fresh ingredients and cook with respect and love and keep on cooking....

 

Love this industry.....

 

The Spaniard

Becco, Restaurant Row NYC

 

Before any Broadway show we always visit Restaurant Row in NYC, it's a must before any show, with more then 30 different restaurant concepts their defiantly one for you....my favorite is Becco...The name Becco is derived from the Italian verb, beccare, which means to peck, nibble, or savor something in a discriminating way.

 

Lidia Bastianich & her son, Joe, opened Becco in 1993 & since then, it has been providing the New York community with outstanding service for over 18 years.

 

 

 

Located on New York’s famed Restaurant Row in the heart of the theater district, Becco is open 7 days a week for both lunch & dinner. Becco is most famous for its’ innovative pasta tasting menu &

extensive $25 wine list.

 

 

http://becco-nyc.com/

The Spaniard

NYC and The Phantom

As part of our NYC day we took my son to see The Phantom of the Opera, it's so cool introducing him to Broadway and the Arts to my son and watching this eyes and mind open right up with amazement.

 

I'm a true fan of the Phantom and have seen it 1/2 a dozen times, even had the pleasure of seeing the Phantom in Vegas @ the Venetian. It been on Broadway for 27 years simple because it's amazing. I highly recommend taking your family to any Broadway show.

 

 

The Spaniard

Junior's in Times Square

In NYC for the day with my Son and my lady.....have to start our adventure @ Junior's.....This place is an American Icon and everyone needs to visit Juniors to check out their great food items. Nothing better then a hot chocolate on a cold NYC day.

 

Since the 1950’s, Junior’s has been famous for great food, great fun, great

service, and, of course, the best cheesecake. There original location is in Brooklyn, you can also visit them in New York’s famous Grand Central Terminal or in the heart of the theater district on Broadway in Times Square. You can even try your luck at their first restaurant outside of New York—at the MGM Grand Hotel at Foxwoods Casino in Connecticut. Full menu and don’t forget to order dessert!

 

 

The Spaniard

Sonoma takes a turn of the ctty.....

 

 



 

 

The Spaniard

I love Motocycle rallies, all for the cause.




The Spaniard

Bye Bye Espana....

Nice job Hondures....

The Spainard

Beach Volleyball is just a sexy sport.....

Tha Spaniard

Let the Games Begin!!!!

730 tonight on NBC

The Spaniard

Gillian's Water park, Ocean City NJ

Water parks are great, it so nice to see the kids having fun and

enjoying the rides.

Love them all so much.

The Spaniard

Mr. Bills, South Jersey

I had the pleasure of driving by Mr. Bill's with my son and his friends last week. We stopped by for lunch and it was great. Portion sizes are huge so learn to share.

Picked as one of SJ Magazines "Best of 2007", South Jersey Magazine "Best of 2008 & 2009". The landmark restaurant re-opened in April of 2007 and has become one of the best places for breakfast, lunch or dinner in South Jersey

On your way out please make sure you stop @ the counter and pick up a treat to go.... If you don't your out of your mind!!!          

This venue gets four out of four in my book

The Spaniard

Meatballs by Lidia

When ever we go into the City for a show we always stop by Becco to see if today they are serving Meatballs. Lidia has the best meatballs I've ever tasted, thank you so much....


On this beautiful Sunday morning I put on my favorite Dean Martin CD and started making meatballs. Below is Lidia's recipe for meatballs. I only have four out of her seven cookbooks but I highly recommend getting Lidia's Italy in America, great book with amazing recipes, so pop in the CD, grab a bottle of wine, a french bouquet and enjoy

 

 

Ingredients

• For meatballs:
• 1 medium carrot, coarsely chopped
• 2 stalks celery, coarsely chopped
• 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 pound ground pork
• 1 pound ground veal
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1 teaspoon ground oregano
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley
• 2 cups bread crumbs
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• For sauce:
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more as needed
• 2 fresh bay leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon peperoncino
• 3 (28-ounce) cans Italian plum tomatoes, preferably San Marzano, crushed by hand
• 1 lb. spaghetti

Preparation

Everybody loves meatballs.  I feel like meatballs are part of Americana. They belong on the American table and this is a great and simple recipe.  It calls for three types of meat but a combination of any two or even one will work as well.  It freezes well, but is best frozen in smaller quantities, (1/2 pint, 6-8 meatballs and sauce) so that it reconstitutes quickly.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.  In a food processor, combine the carrot, celery and onion and pulse to make a fine-textured paste or pestata.  Scrape pestata into a large bowl and add remaining meatball ingredients.  Mix well with your hands to combine all of the ingredients.

Roll into golf ball size meatballs and place on baking sheets.  You should get about 4 dozen (48) meatballs.  Bake meatballs until browned all over, about 18 to 20 minutes.  (They do not need to be entirely cooked through, as they will cook more in the sauce).

While the meatballs are baking begin the sauce.  In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Add the onion and sauté until glossy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Ladle in ½ cup water and simmer the onions to break them down, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Once the water has cooked away, add 1 teaspoon salt, the bay leaves and peperoncino.  Let the peperoncino toast for a minute, then pour in the tomatoes.  Slosh out the tomato cans and bowl with 4 cups hot water and add to the pot.  Add the remaining teaspoon salt and bring to a simmer while the meatballs finish baking, about 10 minutes more.

When the meatballs have finished baking, gently add them to the sauce and return to a simmer.  Simmer, shaking the pan periodically to move but not break the meatballs, until sauce is thick and flavorful, about ½ hour.

Add 1 lb. spaghetti to boiling salted water. When the pasta is al dente, drain with tongs and add directly to ½ the sauce. Toss and serve immediately with some grated Grana Padano and a meatball or two on top. Add extra sauce to your taste.       

Enjoy.....

The Spaniard