Who's hungry?

I was in the grocery store the other day when a woman stopped me and asked me I knew what aisle the cooking wine was on.  After telling her that the store we were didn't sell wine I asked what type of wine she was looking for.  She shrugged and said, "I don't know...cooking sherry I guess".  After a short conversation, right there in the middle of the international foods aisle she was on her way with a better understanding of what varietal she should be looking for to complete her recipe. 

Silly me thinking that everyone cooks with wine!  So then and there, a blog topic was born!  So let's start simple. 

Reasons why you should be cooking with wine include:
*It's a great way to use up the wine that didn't get finished at last night's dinner!
*Wine add deep, terrific, and interesting flavors to your meal!
*Because of wine's acidity, it makes a great addition for any marinade!
*Simmering foods in wine adds more flavor and moisture!
*Prefer to bake?  No problem, simply replace the water with wine!

When cooking, consider adding wine to:
*Barbecue sauce
*Chili
*Anything in a crock pot
*Pasta sauces
*Shellfish boils/sautes
*Marinades (for any meat)
*just about anything!
So the next time you have a partial bottle don't dump it out (that's truly alcohol abuse!) add it to dinner!  Experiment!  Have fun!  See what creations you can come up with! 

Now I can't just throw an idea out there without giving you homework!

Chocolate Cake
1 box of Cake Mix (Devil's Food tastes best!)
1 Cup of fat free Greek Yogurt (flavored or unflavored)
1 Cup of Red Wine (I prefer Merlot, but any varietal will do)
1/3 Cup of Dark Chocolate Chips

Mix the first 3 ingredients together (20 seconds on low to blend, then 2 minutes on high to really mix up the batter).  Lastly hand mix in the chocolate chips.  Bake as directed on box per your baking vessel of choice (13x9, rounds, cupcakes, etc.).

Frosting optional...Yes, it's that rich, moist and decadent!

Cheers!