Link: http://www.pinotandpineapple.com

I need to recommend to everyone 2 of my favorite recipes of all time! And since this is the holiday season, I'm in the mood for sharing! First, there's a rice casserole dish that is extraordinary! It's perfect for a family meal or for a potluck dinner party. The second is one of the best tasting muffins I have ever had made from home. They are delicious raisin brain muffins. Plus, the batter lasts for 6 whole weeks! So enjoy!

For the Rice Casserole recipe and pictures, click here.

For the 6-week Raisin Brain Muffins recipe and pictures, click here.

Enjoy and Happy Holidays!

Link: http://www.tracychin.com

For those of you here in New York City who are into good, healthy food but don't have the time to cook for yourself or occasionally hosts a dinner party or two, I know of a perfect service for you! Chef Tracy at TLC Culinary Productions can provide you with wonderfully cooked meals for yourself or your guests. In addition to those services, she can also provide instruction on how to cook your favorite meals or how to pair wine with your food. Whether it's a personal class or a group class with friends, Chef Tracy will provide a comfortable environment in which to learn the culinary arts in the comfort of your own home.

If you're in New York City and would like more information or to inquire about her services, please contact her directly at tracy@tracychin.com or visit her website at www.tracychin.com or her blog at www.pinotandpineapple.com.

Happy eating!

For those of you in NYC who are wondering just what the deal with PJ Clarke's is, well I'm with you! It's pretty famous for their burgers amongst other things but I'm here to tell you to stay away from them. My wife and I have been to PJ Clarke's near Lincoln Square a few times. The initial time was because we've heard so much about their burgers and me being a big burger fan wanted to try it out and make my own opinions. To put it plainly, I was disappointed. But first, keep in mind everything is ala carte so you'll have to spend a few bucks here.

Now back to the burger. When someone says "good burger", I'm thinking two things. One, it tastes good and two, it's size. PJ Clarke's struck out on both counts. I've had better tasting burgers at Johnny Rockets and have had bigger burgers at McDonald's. But that's not it. Because the burgers are small, you'll have to order a side; but do yourself a favor, skip the fries and the onion strings. The fries look like they came from McDonald's (just more expensive) while the onion strings are hard to eat, too thin to stab with a fork and too small and messy to be finger food. I think you'll need a spoon for them.

Read more »

Link: http://pinotandpineapple.com/2008/06/05/red-sangria/

Are you ready for the warmth of summer? If so, you probably would want to pass the time with some bone chill'n good sangria. Well here's a great recipe you can prepare for your next party or just for yourself!

You ask why do I only post referrals to my wife's food blog here? Good question! The answer is simple. I am super busy following the Giro for STL and don't have time to post more than once a day considering I have a full time job outside of being a blogger. Besides, we're foodies! Who doesn't like to read about food? Most everyone can take a suggestion when it comes to food and that's why we're here. Once the Giro is over in a week's time, I'll be moving onto other topics, say politics? As Phoebe Buffay from Friends would say, "Oh no."

So enjoy!

Link: http://pinotandpineapple.com/2008/05/08/dovetail-nyc/

My wife and I enjoyed a wonderful dinner at Dovetail in NYC recently to celebrate our anniversary. Please click here for the review.

My first post is being much more difficult than I'd like it to be. I'm having a very hard time deciding what I want to write about. This could be good or bad. Good that I can have so much to say. Bad that it may be too much. Shall I talk about politics, the elections, other sports, world events? There's so much out there to have an opinion about. And for those of you that know me, I do have opinions.

So my first post is simply this.

Please vote!