romantic candelit dinner

My hubby thinks I am crazy and I drive him nuts.  And I cannot disagree.  I love him, he loves me. Every word whispered, every giggle, every caress, kisses, hugs, every moment, everything, is treasured.  And last Sunday, he surprised me with this:

Romantic Candlelit dinner at home. – slices of Prosciutto (wild boar), French bread and olive oil with herbs dip, Manchego Cheese, Classic Vermont Cheddar Cheese (sharp), Old Amsterdam and Jam Jar (Sweet Shiraz, 2011).

Prosciutto is a dry-cured ham, sliced and served uncooked.  A pig’s or wild boar’s ham is cleaned, salted, washed, drained with all the blood and hung in room temperature for up to 18 months depending on the size of the ham.

Olive oil dip is mixed with oregano, garlic, black pepper, balsamic vinegar.

Manchego cheese (officially Queso Manchego) is a cheese pressed in barrel-shaped mould, traditionally in plaited esparto grass baskets, which leaves a distinctive zig-zag pattern (known as pleita) on the rind. Manchego Cheese has been granted Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status by the European Union. To be designated as Queso Manchego, the cheese must satisfy the following requirements:

• It must have been produced in an area that is restricted to designated parts of the provinces of Albacete, Ciudad Real, Cuenca, and Toledo that lie within the La Mancha region.
• It can only be made with the whole milk of sheep of the Manchega breed that are raised on registered farms within the designated area.
• The cheese must have been aged for a minimum of 60 days (30 days for cheeses weighing up to 1.5 kg) and a maximum of two years.
• The cheese must be produced by pressing in a cylindrical mould that has a maximum height of 12 cm and a maximum diameter of 22 cm.

Cheddar Cheese on the other hand is widely used and has no Protected Designation of Origin (PDO). Vermont Cheddar is a white, semi-hard, cheese made from any raw or pasteurized cultered milk. To be considered cheddar – the cheese from the milk of cows must go through the “cheddaring process” which is the repeated flipping and stacking of curd slabs until the desired acidity level is reached.

Old Amsterdam is made from cow’s milk, named after the city of Gouda in the Netherlands, but its name is not PDO protected.

Jam Jar, a South African wine, suits the need of the consumers who are seeking for quality sweet wine. It is best served slightly chilled.

I am in love, and these are the things we do for love.

Source: en.wikipedia.org

Cheesecake Recipe

1 (6 grams) pack gelatine
½ cup white sugar
1 cup boiling water
8-12 ounce cream cheese, softened
8 ounce sour cream
1 tsp vanilla
1 graham pie crust (9-inch)
1 egg (optional)

Mix gelatine and sugar in small bowl. Add boiling water, stir for 5 minutes until gelatine is completely dissolved. Set aside.

Beat cream cheese, sour cream and vanilla in a bowl until creamy. Slowly add gelatine mixture. Refrigerate for 45 minutes or until thickened, stirring every 15 minutes. Pour into pie crust.  For a brownish crust, brush with beaten egg and bake in a 375 oven degrees for 5-7 minutes.

Refrigerate for 3 hours. Serve with fruit toppings. I used diced fresh raspberries.

Asheville, North Carolina

A four-hour drive from home and we found ourselves exploring Asheville, a city located northwest of North Carolina. After a quick stop at the city’s visitor center, we decided to visit a regional brewery. If you love beer, or just wanted to learn more about brewery, or in my case just wanted to see someone rejoice while feasting on beer samples, then this is the place. Highland Brewing Company is my hubby’s paradise. They offer free 45 mins to an hour tour and free tasting (!) – Monday-Saturday 4pm. For more information about the tour, visit their site at http://www.highlandbrewing.com/.

A walk around downtown Asheville exudes a hippie impression, reminding me of the days when life is all fun and everything is cool. Had I continued skim boarding and pursued my dreadlocks, I am sure to fit in. We also passed along a beautiful church and took a snap of it.

It was nearly sunset and we had a play to catch. Presented in an outdoor theatre in a park downtown Asheville, Shakesperean plays are featured all summer long. “Much Ado About Nothing” as you enjoy it under the stars was awesome. The production was never mediocre, the actors and actresses were excellent at their craft, the audience was great and simply the fact that it was held outdoor where fireflies were out and the actors and actresses interact with the audience (and my hubby was holding my hand)  was just perfect. When you visit Asheville, you sure would not want to miss this!