Post Date: February 18th, 2012
The San Diego Beer and Wine Tours Team is thrilled to announce a new addition to our team! Stephen Ansley has just joined us and we couldn't be more pleased!
Stephen Ansley is well-known and respected in the local craft beer community, and a personal friend of many highly respected local brewers. As a recognized BJCP judge (since 2007), he has been a judge at several home brewing and commercial craft beer competitions in San Diego, as well as a judge at the Great Alaskan Beer & Barley Wine Festival in 2010 and a steward at the World Beer Cup in San Diego in 2008 (and will steward the upcoming World Beer Cup event in 2012).
In 2011, Stephen achieved certification for Level 2 Sommelier with the International Sommelier Guild and also completed the certificate program for the Business of Wine at San Diego State University’s College of Extended Studies.
Click here to read more about Stephen's accomplishments and career…
Welcome to the team Stephen!
Posted in Beer, Breweries, Company News, Food and Vine, Local Business, Wine, Winemaking, Wineries |
Post Date: February 13th, 2012
When you’re busy at work all day, it’s hard to find time to cook in the evenings. So this week I’m practicing some quick, easy and healthy meals that you can prepare fast with limited ingredients.
With two only two juicy tomatoes, a bag of saffron rice and a handful of collard greens, I prepared two scrumptiously stuffed tomatoes.
First, I started a medium sauce pan with 1 2/3 cup of water to boil. I added a dash of salt and a dollop of butter. Once it came fully to a boil, I added the rice, plopped on the lid and turned down the heat.
While the rice cooked, I hallowed out the tomatoes. Simply cut off the top and use a spoon to gently scrap out the insides. I placed the tomato inside bits in a bowl to make a salsa with later.
By the time I finished both tomatoes, the rice was done. I mixed in a handful of collard greens to rice for flavor, color and some extra fiber. I spooned the rice mixture into the tomatoes and then placed them in the broiler for 10 minutes. The tomatoes came out soft and juicy and the rice was flavorful and crunchy on top. Fantastic!
I paired a glass of Project Happiness Red Table Wine from Oreana Winery (the winery I worked at in Santa Barbara, CA!) with this quick and delicious dinner.
Cheers!
Heather
La Jolla Wine Tours Writer and Tomato Stuffing Expert
Posted in Food and Vine, Health, Recipes, Wine, Wineries |
Post Date: February 12th, 2012
Every day is Valentine’s Day when you’ve got Love in your heart. Whether or not, you have a Special Other to join you in celebrating Valentine’s day, why not create a party just for yourself? When it comes to finding the Love of Your Life, he/she may be closer than you think. Look inside your heart. You may be surprised to find that all the Love you need is right there looking back at you in the mirror.
Tell me, who is more compatible with you, than you? Who knows best what rocks your world? You do! And with any luck, you don’t argue much with yourself when it comes to what’s for dinner. Especially when it comes to such an important dinner as Valentine’s Day!
We’re much more likely to draw our Love Partner to us if we first cultivate a deep, accepting love for ourselves. One way to do that is to nurture yourself, as if you are hosting an honorable guest. On Valentine’s Day, which, by the way, is my favorite holiday, I pop open a bottle of bubbly and create a grand meal, whether I’m with another, or by myself. I’m going to share with you one of my favorite romantic dinner menus.
For the basic ingredients, you’ll need fresh halibut, bok choy, capers, lemons, and white wine (cheap stuff is fine, this is not for drinking!). We’ll serve our “Pan Fried Halibut with Capers” on a bed of sautéed bok choy, and alongside oven roasted gold and sweet potatoes. In the spirit of Love, I like to add heart shaped, red bell pepper to this main dish. A fresh, green salad with the addition of apples, berries, and caramelized pecans, drizzled with raspberry dressing will happily accompany the entree. I paired this delightful main dish with a wonderful, local San Diego white wine blend from Salerno Winery – Bianco Tosto 2007. Our romantic dinner wouldn’t be complete without a decadent desert. You’re going to love my tasty chocolate Fudge topped with red candy, shaped into a heart. (Recipes are below.)
So, this Valentine’s Day, and everyday, celebrate the Love you have in your heart for yourself, and watch how others are drawn to your beauty that radiates from within.
And if you feel like joining others on Valentine’s Day, we have wonderful romantic tours. Come as a single or bring a friend.
Shira Bliss, La Jolla Wine Tours.
Pan Fried Halibut with Capers (on a bed of sautéed bok choy)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 10 oz halibut pieces
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 2 cloves garlic chopped
- 1/4 cup butter
- 2 Tbs Italian parsley chopped
- 1/4 lemon juiced
- 4 chopped spring onion (green only)
- 3 tablespoons capers, with liquid
- salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the halibut on both sides until nicely browned. Remove from pan, and set aside. Sauté the bok choy in a little butter set aside.Pour the wine into the pan, and use a spatula to scrape any browned bits from the bottom. Let the wine reduce to almost nothing, then stir in the garlic, lemon juice, butter and capers. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Let the sauce simmer for a minute to blend the flavors. Return the fish to the pan, and coat them with sauce. Cook until fish flakes easily with a fork. Serve fish immediately with the sauce from the pan poured over it, on top of the cooked bok choy.
Oven Fried Gold and Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients:
Directions:
Coat the potatoes with parsley, marjoram, olive oil, salt and pepper and freshly chopped garlic. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 mins. Turn once halfway through.
Valentine’s Fudge
Ingredients:
Directions:
Lightly grease a 5×9 inch loaf pan using a little of the margarine. Place the remaining butter, sugar, cocoa, vanilla and soy milk in a heatproof mixing bowl or the upper part of a double broiler. Place the bowl or broiler over simmering water and stir until smooth. Add the nuts if desired. Pour the mixture quickly into the prepared pan. Chill thoroughly, and cut into squares. Decorate with red candies into the shape of a heart. For a great pairing try San Diego's Witchcreek Winery Cool Cat sparkling wine!
Makes 2 to 3 dozen squares. 
Posted in Food and Vine, Health, holiday, Recipes, Theme Tours, Tours, Valentine, Wine |
Post Date: February 7th, 2012
This past week, I have been practicing my vegan dishes. It’s fun to find new and healthier ways to prepare some of your favorite meals. Ever try making a chocolate cake … using an avocado? I did!
In order to prepare a vegan chocolate cake, you eliminate all ingredients that stem from animals. A healthy way to prepare this cake and keep all the flavor and moisture, is by adding an avocado. I know it sounds crazy, but it give it a try and you won’t be disappointed.
First we whipped up the avocado with water, white vinegar and sugar… lots of sugar. Then we slowly mixed in the dry ingredients. Flour, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa powder.
We poured the mixture into a small glass pan and baked at 350°F for about 25 minutes.
Once the cake cooled, we added a layer of vegan cream cheese frosting from Duncan Hines. Delicious! The cake came out soft and fluffy. You’d never guess it was made with an avocado. Paired with a glass of our home-made mead, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better dessert anywhere in San Diego!
Cheers!
Heather
La Jolla Wine Tours Writer and Avocado Adventurer
Posted in Beer, Food and Vine, Health, Recipes, Wine, Winemaking |
Post Date: January 19th, 2012
While out at Dave and Buster’s for a holiday party, I discovered that the tickets you earn playing silly games could actually amount to taking home some decent prizes. I’ve been wanting a crock-pot for some time and I was delighted to discover that with 2,500 tickets, I could earn a little, green crock-pot. So, I rolled-up my sleeves and played skee-ball like I’ve never skee-balled before! 4,400 tickets later, I took home not only my little green crock-pot, but a new food processor too. Win!
For my first meal in the crock-pot, I decided on a classic: slow-cooked pork carnitas green enchiladas. Yum! I stopped by Vons to gather the essential supplies.
I added the pork, 1 ½ cup of water, cumin, 1 lime (cut in half), 1 Persian dried lime, a 1/8 cup chopped cilantro, cumin, sea salt and pepper to the little green crock-pot. Set to “Low” for the next 6 hours.
After 6 or so hours, the pork was ready! Time to prepare the enchiladas. I chopped a whole purple onion with a handful of cilantro in the food processor.
Then I prepared each enchilada with a corn tortilla, add the onion/cilantro blend, then add a healthy layer of shredded pork, top it off with a dash of green enchilada sauce and a sprinkle of Cotija cheese.
Six tacos were prepared, rolled and then placed seam-edge down in a glass-baking dish. I poured the rest of the green enchilada sauce over the enchiladas and sprinkled a good amount of Cotija cheese to finish.
With the oven at 400°F, I placed the enchilada dish on the center rack for 20 minutes. While I waited, I prepared some homemade guacamole using two avocados, a small tomato and the rest of the cilantro/onion mixture. Delicious!
To complete the meal, I chose a Boatswain Double IPA to pair with these delectable enchiladas. ¡Olé!
Cheers!
Heather
La Jolla Wine Tours Writer and Slow-Cooker Artist
Posted in Beer, Breweries, Food and Vine |
Post Date: January 14th, 2012
In San Diego, Saturdays are always so nice and sunny. So, it’s hard to resist just grabbing the bikes and seeing where the road takes us! Last weekend, we discovered the Silver Strand bike path. It’s a beautiful, flat trail with the ocean on one side and San Diego Bay on the other.
We left our little apartment in Banker’s Hill and headed south. We biked through downtown and then even further to Imperial Beach. That’s where we picked up the Silver Strand Bike Path that led us straight up to Coronado.
Made it!
After a 25 mile bike ride, we were very thirsty. Fortunately, it was just about lunch time and Coronado is home to the delicious Coronado Brewery! We parked our bikes outside and ordered ourselves a couple of beers.
We ordered Cherry Stout and the Orange Blonde. Refreshing!
It was almost impossible to decide what to order for lunch. Everything on the menu looked delicious! We finally settled on a bratwurst burger on a pretzel bun, a cup of chili and a salad, to share.
Time to eat all the calories we just burned off!
In a matter of moments, we consumed… everything…
Fortunately, there is a lovely ferryboat that will take you from Coronado to Downtown in about 15 minutes for about $4 and you can bring your bike! After a quick stop for coffee, we boarded our vessel home.
What a great way to spend a Saturday morning and afternoon!
Cheers!
Heather
La Jolla Wine Tours guide and cyclist
Posted in Beer, Breweries, Happy Hour, Health, Local Business, Tours, Travel |
Post Date: January 10th, 2012
At 3pm on a Friday in La Jolla Village, what better way to spend your time than with your family and friends enjoying local craft beer and delicious food.
Cheers to La Jolla and the fantastic food and beer it has to offer!
Two sisters, Pam and Cindy along with their husbands, Steve and Larry are spending the weekend in La Jolla enjoying the sights and tastes the village has to offer.
Our guests enjoy amazing food and beer at Karl Strauss La Jolla.
They started off their weekend with me and together we enjoyed amazing beer and food at three local restaurants and brewpubs.
At the La Jolla Brewhouse, the Brewmaster Bryan showed our guests around the brewery and taught us everything we need to know about beer making. After our entertaining and educational tour, we moved onto the beer TASTING part of Bryan’s tour. We sampled all of his new beer on draft. Delicious!
Brewmaster Bryan gives our guests a behind-the-scenes tour of the brewery.
Important ingredients Bryan uses in his brewery.
Our tour ended too quickly, but I left our guests happy and full of great beer and food ready to enjoy the rest of their fun-filled weekend!
Cheers!
Heather Stone
La Jolla Wine Tours Guide
Posted in Beer, Breweries, Tours, Walking Tours |
Post Date: January 5th, 2012
With such a warm night, I decided to enjoy a delicious and healthy meal on the rooftop deck of my apartment building in Banker’s Hill.
Tonight’s menu: Teriyaki stir-fry, sticky rice and dumplings.
A quick stop at Ralph’s and I was loaded up with London Broil strips and vibrant colored bell peppers.
Back home I set up the rice in a small saucepan. 1 cup of rice, 2 cups of water, set on low heat for 20 minutes. About 10 dumplings were spaced evenly apart on a lightly oiled cooking sheet and placed in the oven at 400°F for 20 minutes.
Next, I chopped up ½ a purple onion and starting that simmering in the wok on low with about a tblsp of EVOO and ½ cup of Teriyaki sauce. Shortly after, I added the London Broil strips and turned up the heat a notch. While that sautés, I chopped up the three bell peppers, trying not to snack too much while cooking!
Once the meat browned nicely, I added the bell peppers, another ½ cup of Teriyaki sauce, sesame seeds and then mixed well.
Once the bell peppers softened a little, I turned off the heat. Done!
Packing everything up picnic style, I easily brought everything I needed for dinner upstairs to the rooftop deck. I chose a bottle of 2008 Petit Sirah from Carruth Cellars to pair with this savory and peppery dish.
It’s hard to beat a dinner with a view!
Bon Appetít!
Heather
Aspiring Chef and La Jolla Wine Tour Guide
Posted in Recipes, Wine |
Post Date: January 3rd, 2012
The weather in San Diego this past Saturday was gorgeous! After spending the last three winters in NYC, its lovely to spend a warm, sunny day out biking on New Year’s Eve.
This New Year’s Eve I combined two of my favorite things: cycling and Mediterranean food! While out on the bikes, we stumbled upon this little hole-in-the-wall place called The Kebab Shop.
Parking the bikes in front of The Kebab Shop.
The Kebab Shop storefront.
Having experienced many Mediterranean cuisine restaurants in NYC, we are tough critics. After browsing the menu, we decided to try out the staples. Falafel and lamb. The tall stacks of rotating lamb and chicken slowly roasting on a vertical spit all day were too tempting.
We were pleasantly surprised by both the falafel and lamb shwarma. The falafel was decently priced; $1.99 scored you 6 freshly fried and crisp falafel balls served with your choice of garlic yogurt or spicy sauce. The falafel is deliciously crispy on the outside while maintaining a soft and chewy texture on the inside. Lightly dipped in the homemade garlic yogurt sauce delighted our taste buds and had us drooling for more.
Falafel and garlic yogurt sauce.
Fortunately, we had ½ a scrumptious lamb shawarma to enjoy next! The smell and texture of the lamb was perfection. It came wrapped not in a pita, but in a handmade tortilla. It is a delicious San Diego twist on the traditional shawarma wrapped in flatbread. The wrap is well worth the price. You are served a large ~12 inch long wrap stuffed with lamb, sauce and salad for $6.79.
Lamb Shawarma. Delicious!
If we weren’t on our bikes, I would have ordered a New Belgium Fat Tire to pair with this delicious lunch. They offer a small selection of craft beers on tap, so we will definitely be returning to The Kebab Shop for dinner sometime soon!
Cheers!
Heather
Tour Guide
Posted in Beer, Breweries, Happy Hour, Tours, Wine, Winemaking, Wineries |
Post Date: December 29th, 2011
There are so many delicious neighborhoods in San Diego to explore. I recently moved within walking distance of Little Italy, so I decided to check my new local eateries.
After only a few blocks, I came across Pete’s Quality Meats and Grilled Sandwiches. Their window claimed to have the best homemade sausage sandwiches in town!
So we stepped inside to find a friendly Italian guy manning a well-loved grill warming sausage and peppers.
After a quick look at the menu, we placed our order. One homemade sausage sandwich with everything please!
Sandwiches with everything come with grilled onions and peppers, the steak with melted cheese. You can add salt, pepper, mustard, and hot sauce to taste. The sausage is hand made daily. Sweet and rich, without being over herby, it is unlike any store bought brat. The bread is crusty on the outside, tender and sweet on the inside, and caked with sesame seeds. A few minutes and few bucks later, we started devouring our delicious lunch. Paired with a Stone Brewery IPA, this lunch combination would be hard to beat! Bon Appétit!
I’m looking forward to future food exploring! After all, we need to find something for dessert…
Cheers!
Heather
Posted in Beer, Breweries, Food and Vine, Happy Hour, Local Business, Tours, Uncategorized, Walking Tours, Wine, Wine Train, Winemaking, Wineries |
