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Welcome to Delicious Destinations, a GourmetStation blog. Through the character of T. Alexander and occasional real-life guests, our aim is to share with you light-hearted fun ideas about food, gift giving, entertaining and culture. At the same time we would love you hear from you. Please share your experiences from home or abroad. |
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Thanksgiving Dinner Delivered – Free Shipping Posted: October 29, 2009 Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to live in a small country where families usually don’t move thousands of miles away. They remain near their birthplace for a lifetime and closeness extends well beyond proximity. Well, that’s not the case in the US. Families are spread from one end of this continent to the other and the airlines enjoy peak capacity at holiday time. But sometimes it’s not always possible to get everyone together – especially folks that are aging and may not travel well. That’s where we come in. If you can’t be together on Thanksgiving day, send the turkey to them! We have settled on a traditional Thanksgiving dinner gift (even changing our pumpkin cheesecake to pumpkin pie). The turkey breast is smoked and guarantees left overs. For starters, we’re including one of our most elegant soups – creamy mushroom with a hint of sherry wine….goes perfect with the baguettes. The dressing is southern style – firm and moist. And we even include cranberry relish. All this is delivered in complimentary gift packaging. Did we mention Free Shipping? That’s a savings of $19.99. We have limited supplies for our Thanksgiving Dinner Delivered – so get your reservation in soon. ![]() New Pasta Entrees – Flavors Of Fall Posted: October 22, 2009 In a traditional sense pasta is usually heavily sauced and the elegance of the dish is covered up – both from a visual and taste standpoint. Our new ravioli dishes are a cut above the crowd. The fresh pasta and fillings are so elegant, they stand alone with just a touch of olive oil and cracked black pepper. We place 6 of these morsels (3 of two different varieties) on a bed of garden veggies including organic garlic. Then we drizzle the pasta with olive oil and seal both pasta and veggies tightly in heavy foil. When the dish cooks at 350 degrees for 25 minutes, a little steam is produced making the pasta very tender. The end result is a pasta dish where flavors are dominated by the ravioli filling – not a heavy sauce. Lighter, fresher, healthier eating. Enjoy! Smoked Mozzarella/Asparagus Ravioli & Porcini Mushroom Ravioli - Three each of two ravioli made with fresh pasta, drizzled in olive oil then topped with cracked pepper. Butternut Squash Ravioli & Eggplant Parmesan Ravioli - Three each of two ravioli made with fresh pasta, drizzled in olive oil then topped with cracked pepper. Both are served on a bed of garden veggies with organic whole garlic. The holidays are fast approaching, so don't forget GourmetStation for Thanksgiving dinner delivered, food gift cards, food of the month clubs, dinner of the month and meals delivered. ![]() Food of the Month Clubs by GourmetStation Posted: October 7, 2009 In about a month, 40% to 50% of early bird shoppers will have their holiday shopping behind them. Amazing, as they say, “where did the year go.” As I get older, the “early bird” approach is more appealing. Last minute stress is for the birds.
So why not get it done early, conveniently and give a unique beautiful gift that will give all year long? That’s what our Food of the Month Clubs are all about. Certificates are provided with each club, and these certificates never expire. Because recipients travel and have busy schedules, they may choose their convenient delivery date. They may also select from 5 international menus, Parisian, Tuscan, Cajun, Fusion or Americana. Within each menu there are many choices.
Our most popular Food of the Month Club is Dinner of the Month followed a close second by our Soup of the Month. Sweet lovers enjoy the Dessert of the Month while surf and turf connoisseurs enjoy the Steak Dinner of the Month or Seafood Dinner of the Month.
All programs are offered in 3, 6, 9 and 12 months. Shop today for GourmetStation food gifts and make everyone happy! ![]() Eat to Live, or Live to Eat? Posted: September 14, 2009 Firstly my apologies for having left it so long to post in this column. The reason being that in the past nine months, I have moved home no less than twice! Once into a rented property while I looked for a suitable home to buy, and eventually the move into same once the deal was done. But now I am very happy to say that it is complete, and once again I can spend some time focussing on my passion…..food and hospitality! ![]() Lord Vishnu Posted: September 10, 2009 About 20 years ago, at the age of 40, I did not know the effective meaning of deity. Though I was a strong believer in God, I did not have practice of any ritual in my life, even to the extent of lighting incense in spite of meditating very regularly and doing pranayams. I had a liking for Sanskrit chants though I do not understand the language. From a music store once by chance I happened to purchase a cassette on Vishnu Sahashtranama, not knowing what it really meant. I liked it to a great extent and played it for a couple of hours every morning for a very long period of time. About 17 years ago I was making up my new house having employed an architect. A little before it came to finishing stage, I visited a crafts exhibition in which my supplier had brought a large collection of bronze statues of god and goddesses. Since my main business was exporting handicrafts I had developed a passion for them and had decided to have some for interior of my new house. I did not know which god to select as interior décor of my house. I selected one which had the best craftsmanship according to my choice, not recognizing his title or name. Since the house was not yet done, the architect put it in an ideal place with very ideal layout in my living room. Before I started to meditate every morning at 4 am I would go to this statue and remain silent before it for a few moments. Those few moments involuntarily gradually turned to minutes and then to many more minutes. During the process I often went into strange acts which were not in my conscious control. Once for 3 days in a row my right hand would form circles around the statue. On the third day some thing in me told me that I should be lighting incense. I used to export a lot of incense and used to gift them to relatives for their daily use but had never lighted one both at home and in office in my life until then. Now I started to use them and came to the statue with a couple of them lighted in my hand. I started hand movements of various types probably forming symbols of which one has prominently remained in my life till date. They would be circles in clock wise as well as anti clock wise direction. I began conversing with the statue. I started breathing along with him. The breathing link would stop when I raised any doubt about this happening in my mind. Upon mental questioning, he would inhale when I exhaled and he would exhale when I inhaled! I couldn’t be convinced more about the power that be. Hindu males got to be having 6 strings of cotton thread across their body dropping from left shoulder what we call ‘janiyu’. (It is 3 strings for a bachelor). It is put on after an important ceremony performed between the age of 7 and 11. As we grow with more of our own sense, we discard it! With advent of time there are many who do not go through the ritual but the priest at the time of marriage performs a short ritual of it before the actual ceremony of marriage. I was the one who had discarded it. This statue made me come back to it. By way of my involuntary actions, I would draw thumb lines in cross direction on my body in which janiyu got to be worn. After a couple of days of this action, something in me told that I should re-start using the janiyu. Thereafter, I have had many experiences of energy work with my janiyu as a tool. I happened to share my experiences with one of my good knowledgeable friends. He came to see the statue and recognized it as that of Lord Vishnu the sustainer of universe! Lord Rama is one of the avatars of Lord Vishnu and my name Ramesh means worshiper of Ram. I now came to know my deity and came in practical touch with Him. Every morning there were new acts filled with different experiences until one day He shown bright illuminating light for a very long time during which I wept profusely all the time telling Him do I really deserve this form of His. At that hour there is no lighting in the living room except for a small halogen bulb above the statue. This is one of my most memorable experiences of life. It taught me few lessons. One is that life opens up upon right time without actually planning for it. Just being and respecting the moment is good enough to take one along the journey destined for. You couldn’t be running faster to reach. Each day is a step towards our destiny. Having played the cassette of Vishnu Sahashtranama continuously for hours daily for a few years I was taken towards my deity Lord Vishnu. Even if I did not understand the meaning of those words or sounds they helped me reach Him. We come across advisers throughout our lives. Advisors could be teachers but not guides. Each one of us has his own path for the journey. Nobody except your inner self could guide you on the path only if you follow your inner voice silently without even bringing to your notice that you are following your inner voice. ![]() Ginger’s Rhubarb Pie Posted: September 3, 2009 Rhubarb Barb and Mark Stine have some competition! I’ve heard about Rhubarb Pie for years, but never thought much about it until Mark Stine wrote about his friend’s pie. Then, low and behold, my friend, Ginger, insisted on whipping up a Rhubarb Pie during a recent visit to Nashville.
First, let me say that Ginger and her husband Bill know the art of entertaining. From the moment you arrive at their cottage-like home on the Cumberland River, you feel as if you are truly welcomed and are at total ease. Of course, since I’ve been privileged to be their houseguest from time to time for over 20 years, I suppose it is natural to feel “at home.” Ginger has a way of entertaining with simplicity and elegance. Her meals are always refreshing, healthy and delicious. Her presentation is original and with the dining room facing the rolling river, dinner at the time the sun sets is…well, surreal.
So here is this Rhubarb Pie. Looks like something off the cover of Good Housekeeping, doesn’t it. Oh, I forgot to mention that our main dish was GourmetStation’s ocean sparkling seafood dinners. We tried a sampling of red snapper, salmon, sea bass, mahi mahi, sword fish and tuna steaks. Delicious.
Thanks Ginger and Bill, for another wonderful weekend!
![]() Montefollonico… Posted: August 23, 2009 Having enjoyed a marvelous breakfast buffet at Casa Bellavista, our friends Bill and Marg and Edie and I headed out to travel some of the winding roads of rural Tuscany, on our way to Montefollonico. The breakfast had been delightful…muffins, fruit, cereal, a selection of meats and cheeses and that marvelous Italian coffee.
Some have called Montefollonico a “miniature medieval city”. At one time it was surrounded by medieval stone walls complete with seven round towers. Today, the village is still entered through large gates, the main gate being Porta del Pianello. It was once complete with a drawbridge. The 12th century buildings of Montefollonico are built on the site where Etruscan and Roman settlements had previously been built. The name in part comes from the Latin word fullones, meaning “wool workers”. Montefollonico was once a place where villagers and area farmers raised sheep and where wool was worked. The terrace of 13 Gobbi was a charming and an inviting scene. The menu offered a variety of traditional Tuscan foods and the wine selection was superb. Our lunches consisted of a tasty selection of ce ci e salvia, insulate, grilled vegetables and fagioli e olio. A delicious local vino rosso complimented our lunch. The trip back to Casa Bellavista took us over more beautiful countryside and past the majestic hill town of Montepulciano, home of the world famous Brunello di Montepulciano. The sweet fragrance of the jasmine drifted through the air and mingled with the scent of the roses at Casa Bellavista. We were enjoying an early evening Tuscan sunset and a glass of wine. The table had been set for al fresco dining. Simonetta informed us that the dinner she and Guido were preparing included insalata di cavolfiori (cauliflower, olives, peppers, oil, garlic and salt and pepper), pasta carbonara a Guido, grilled melanzana flavored with a touch of olive oil and some formaggio and fruit for our dolce. For our wine, we would be having a Rosso di Spaltenna from the vineyards at Spaltenna, the castle in Gaiole in Chianti where Guido is the General Manager. Tonight, however, he was our chef and was preparing us his recipe for pasta carbonara. As we sipped our Rosso di Spaltenna we talked of the true treasures of Tuscany…the beauty of the countryside, the rich history of the hill towns, the respect for the culture of art and architecture, the relaxed pace of living and of course, the Pasta Carbonara a Guido. Buon Appetito, Edie, Dave and Simonetta Pasta Carbonara a Guido ![]() Raksha Bhandan Posted: August 19, 2009 5th August 2009 we are having a festive celebration known as ‘Raksha Bhandan. Raksha means protection and Bhandan means bonding. It is a bonding from brother to his sister for her protection. The date is based on Hindu calendar which goes by moon cycles and therefore the English date changes every year. It falls on full moon day of the month of Shravan. On this day the sister ties a colorful wristband on the right wrist of her brother, applies bindi on his forehead, mouth feeds a sweet (Indians are greatly fond of sweats made from milk and/or dry fruits). Brother on his turn bows to touch her feet, vows for her protection and gives her gifts. Sounds interesting, isn’t it? It’s not a national holiday though private firms close for the day. Being a working day for the majority, it causes a lot of hectic activity in each family. Sisters (married ones) move out to visit their brothers (guess if there is more than one pair of sister/brother in a family). Some make a large gathering in one of the brother’s house. Daughters-in-law also need to visit their brother/s. Employed sisters reach brother’s house before reaching office and/or attend to another brother after office hours. Can you imagine the chaos! Kilos and kilos of sweet meats get accumulated in every house. Sweet meat shops have a roaring business starting a day earlier. Each shop is over crowded. Sometimes you need to wait for half an hour to await your turn. Lives being on fast tract in Mumbai people adjust the day with a Sunday prior or later to the actual date. Funny aspect of this is there are always cases of young lovers bonding with the wrist band in front of their elders and eloping to get married when they think the time is ripe! Ramesh Shani - Guest Writer From India
![]() So What's A Plush Puff? Posted: August 15, 2009 Need a little boost for your coffee? What about a unique dessert topping? Or a treat between waffers? A Plush Puff will do the job. Plush Puffs are gourmet marsmallows made the old fashioned way - handmade over 2 days of whipping into heavenly lightness then flavored with high quality all-natural ingredients. They come in Caramel Swirl, Chocolate Chipetta, Vanilla Bean, Lucious Lemony Meringue & Simply S'mores. Delicious. We sampled Caramel, Chocolate & Lemon and the only negative is that we wish we could have tried S'mores! ![]() Ocean Sparkling Seafood Dinner Gifts Posted: August 9, 2009 Best buy for the hot summer month of August? Our new Seafood Dinner Gifts – a brand new product line we’ve just launched. Delicious plus we’re offering Free Shipping! Until we introduced our Certified Angus Beef ® steak dinner gifts, all entrees needed to be finished in the oven for about 30 minutes. What’s different about our steak dinner gifts and seafood dinner gifts is that they may be easily pan seared or grilled in just minutes. Our new seafood dinner gifts also include handmade appetizers, garlic bread, cheesecake and organic tea to enjoy after dinner with great conversation. So which is my favorite? That’s a hard question, but I’d have to say Sea Bass. I’m told this specie is one of the most difficult to fish. Anyhow, what I enjoy most about it is the thickness of the fillet, the firm bite and of course, the ocean fresh flavor. Don’t forget the Free Shipping offer & bon appetit! ![]() |