Gouveia Vineyards

Today, I visited a gem of a location in Wallingford, Connecticut - Gouveia Vineyards. It was beautiful and barely looks like it could even be part of Connecticut.
The vintage itself is owned by a Portuguese family that used their knowledge as vintners from across the ocean and brought it over to nestle within the hills of Wallingford. The drive itself was lovely. Upon entering the gates, one sees several barrels lined up displaying the address.
Guests to the vineyard bring their own snacks but are not allowed to bring any drinks. Wine can be purchased by the glass or bottle. The bottles range anywhere from 15 for rosé to 18 for chardonnay. As for the wine itself, I tried some rosé and one kind of chardonnay. The rosé was by far my favourite, because it was much lighter than the dry chardonnay and quite sweet. The colour was beautiful, as well - a deep pink.

(excuse that the rosé is half gone!)

Guests can sit either outside or inside a beautifully constructed building they have set up within the vineyard. It was very hot out, so my group stayed indoors. Unfortunately, I didn't take any photos of the inside of the building, but I can assure you it is lovely and reminded me a little of Noah's Ark. Outdoors, there are also tables and a beautiful little pond with a dock. I highly recommend visiting the vineyard if you are in Connecticut. It's definitely a very beautiful location, even if you don't drink wine.

Here is the website if you want more information:
http://www.gouveiavineyards.com/

White Chocolate Raspberry Scones

This was the first time I ever made scones, so excuse their appearance. However, as it was my first time making them, I was delightfully surprised at how quick and easy the process actually was!

Ingredients:
2 cups Flour
1/3 Sugar
1 tsp Baking powder
1/2 teaspoon Baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
6 tbsp butter
3/4 Raspberries (frozen or fresh)
1/2 cup Plain yogurt
1 tsp Vanilla extract
1 Egg

Mix the dry ingredients together with the butter, then add in the rest of the ingredients. Do not over mix this, as it will ruin the consistency. Once it is mixed, transfer the mixture to a floured counter where you will then shape into whatever shape you so desire (I went with the traditional triangular shape).
Place them on parchment paper and brush the top with some beaten egg before sprinkling powdered sugar over it. Then bake them for 20-25 minutes at 375ºF. To melt the sugar at the top, turn the broiler on for a minute or two. Keep an eye on it, though! It can burn rather quickly (You can probably tell I was not too careful with my own).
Let them cool on a cooling rack, and enjoy!

Delicious Snack?

This is more a recommendation than an actual recipe. Greek yogurt, chopped walnuts and honey make for a quick breakfast or snack. I personally like Fage brand Greek yogurt because its the creamiest I have been able to find. It also comes in low-fat, which is nice since who really needs those extra calories?

Key Lime Pie

It has been a while since I have last posted anything to the blog, but here is something refreshing, citrusy, easy and delicious to make for summer. If you are attending or hosting a summer get together with family or friends (with the 4th around the corner if you are in the USA), then this is a great recipe for you!

Ingredients:
9" Graham cracker crust (I used a pre-made one in the interest of time)
4 egg yolks
1 can sweetened condensed milk (14 oz.)
1/2 cup lime juice (cheaper if bought in a bottle)
2 tsp of lime zest

Nothing could be quicker or easier than this recipe. I literally prepared it approximately an hour before serving it.

First, separate out the egg yolks (save the egg whites for a low-calorie omelette), stir in the sweetened condensed milk, lime juice and lime zest.
Next, pour the mixture into your crust and pop it into an oven pre-heated at 350ºF for approximately 11 minutes.

It's good to let the pie cool to room temperature before putting it into the fridge to cool completely. This can take about an hour.

Meringues

Meringues are fluffy, sweet and light. My best description: biting into a meringue is like biting into a crispy cloud.

The ingredients are few and the recipe is easy.

Ingredients:
3 Egg Whites
1/4 tsp Cream of Tartar
3/4 cups Powdered Sugar
1/4 tsp Vanilla Extract

Beat the egg whites until they are frothy and thick. At this point, you fold in the cream of tartar. The purpose of the cream of tartar is to maintain the thick consistency of the thick, frothy egg whites, otherwise it lose its Consistency and become liquidy again. Continue to beat the eggs until they form solid peaks that hold. Slowly mix in the sugar and lastly add in the vanilla extract. This is also the step where if you desire to change the colour of your meringues, you may. My meringues are blue; I added about 4 drops of food colouring to reach the desired shade.

I used a cake decorating tube to make the little swirly shapes you can see in the photos above. The cookie sheet was lined with wax paper (a cheaper alternative to the recommended parchment paper). Because these were cooked only at approximately 150º F, the wax paper did not melt. With higher temperatures, I would not recommend using wax paper - it becomes a sticky mess.

There wasn't a set time in which I let the meringues cook. My way of checking on them was to open the oven every 20 minutes or so and touch them. Once they feel solid, dry and flaky, they are done. Let them cool before popping them off the sheet. Since the wax paper stick a bit to the bottoms, I used a metal spatula to pop each one up. They came out better than I expected!

Thai Garden - Northampton, MA

Yesterday Anna packed up the entire kitchen and we made the trek up to New York. Unfortunately, we forgot to get some paper plates and plastic forks, so we decided to go downtown to Thai Garden for lunch with our friend Trish. They're really good with food allergies and the lunch menu is reasonably priced. Anna got a chili chicken stir fry dish with rice, Trish got a red curry with white rice, and I got a Yum Noodle dish. The portions were plentiful and the dishes were moderately spicy. I made some great memories here in the past few years and I'll miss it greatly when I'm off to New York and beyond.

Gohyhang Korean Restaurant

Anna wanted to go to the Korean restaurant in Hadley, so we did for dinner. Alex and Claire DS came along and were wonderful company. The food was delicious and they were very accommodating with everyone's food needs. Claire DS got the sweet potato noodles with vegetables, Alex got a stir fry tofu dish, Anna got a seafood rice bowl, and I got a regular rice bowl with beef. The appetizers were really fresh and I wish we had more opportunities to come back. It's all good though! :)