Have a Happy and Safe Thanksgiving Weekend!

The Four State Food Critic is going to take a few days off to enjoy time with friends and family.  You should, too.  Eat well, drink responsibly, watch the Macy’s parade or a football game, and take a long overdue nap.

(Image credit:  techjost.com)

The FSFC will be back on Monday (12/2/13) with more food and beverage postings.

Have a great weekend!

Wine Wednesday: Simi Chardonnay

The Four State Food Critic is not much of a white wine drinker (I prefer big and bold reds), but there are a few whites that I find to be consistently satisfying.  With another holiday upon us, people are always asking “what sort of wine goes with Thanksgiving turkey?”  A safe bet is always a Chardonnay, as whites generally pair well with any poultry.

Simi is a Sonoma County, California vineyard that has been around since 1876 and currently offers sixteen (16) varieties of wine.  They also offer three varieties of Chardonnay, one from the Alexander Valley, one from the Russian River Valley, and their lowest cost brand, the Sonoma County (pictured below):

(Image Credit – hartwickandgrove.com) 

This is a dry white - medium bodied - with flavors of green apple, pear, lemon, and cream.  In addition to your Thanksgiving bird, it also pairs nicely with baked chicken or seared scallops.

 

The price averages around $14 a bottle across all Sonoma County vintages (please note - the Alexander Valley and Russian River Valley versions are significantly higher in price), so it’s a nice wine at a reasonable cost.   Ask for it at any local liquor store that offers a moderate to extensive wine selection.

For more information on Simi Chardonnay (or any of their wine offerings), check them out www.simiwinery.com

Thanksgiving Day Food Trivia (You Know You’re Interested)

OK, Thanksgiving is only a few days away, so the Four State Food Critic scoured the web for various fun facts about the holiday (and the foods we enjoy).  Tuck a few of these trivia bits in your back pocket and be the star of this year’s dinner table conversation!

                                        (Image credit – istockphoto.com)

•  A typical 15 pound turkey is composed of 70% white meat and 30% dark meat.  White meat contains less calories and less fat than dark meat.
•  Yes, turkey does contain tryptophan (the chemical that causes drowsiness), but actually, there is more tryptophan in soybeans, parmesan cheese, and pork.  The real culprit in the need for a post-meal nap?  Overindulgence at the table (all those carbs), that big slice of pumpkin pie, and all of that wine or beer.
•  An estimated 46 million turkeys are eaten on Thanksgiving Day in the United States.  That’s twice as much as at Christmas and about 60% more than at Easter.
•  The average person consumes between 3,000-5,000 calories on Thanksgiving Day.
•  Want to exercise the Thanksgiving pounds away?  A 150-pound person has to run about 29 miles to burn off 2,800 calories.  A larger person gets to run a little less, but either way, you’ve got a long stretch or road ahead of you.
•  A cranberry is considered ripe when it can bounce about 4 inches off of a hard surface.
•  There were no potatoes at the first Thanksgiving.  They had not yet been introduced to North America.
•  Stuffing dates back to the Roman Empire, where documented dishes included stuffed rabbit, chicken, pork, and other animals.
•  The beverage of choice at the first Thanksgiving meal was beer.  It was the drink that the Puritans brought with them on the Mayflower.
•  In 1953, Swanson greatly overestimated the amount of turkeys they would need for Thanksgiving.  With 260 tons of frozen birds to get rid of, a quick thinking salesmen named Gerry Thomas (inspired by airplane food) grabbed 5,000 aluminum trays and an army of workers to create the world’s first TV dinners.

Sources

The Ohio State University Extension, the Huffington Post, Cozi.com, brownielocks.com, reluctantgourmet.com , yahoo.com, Time Magazine