Flathead Valley Arts & Entertainment: Kalispell, Montana News

Being an optimist person, I was intrigued by the name of this wine, Recovery Red. Hopefully, the new year has everything thinking (and feeling) on the upswing. The label alone makes for fun conversation at the dinner table.

Layman’s Review: We enjoyed Recovery Red immensely. The aroma was very nice and the taste was delicious. You can definitely taste the berries and the smooth finish made this a wine one that can start with appetizers and go through dinner. I would suggest serving with a nice steak dinner.

Ladies and gentlemen, Elvis has left the building … and is headed to Bigfork.

That’s right – for one day, and one day only, the King will be in the Bigfork Village for two Valentine’s Day shows. Well, maybe not the actual King, but a pretty solid reproduction.

Elvis tribute artist Ryan Pelton and his band The Difference will perform “Love Me Tender: Elvis Live in Concert” during the annual Valentine’s Day celebration in Bigfork, courtesy of the Bigfork Center for the Performing Arts.

People who knew me when I was growing up (a/k/a the peanut-butter-and-jelly kid) are still somewhat aghast that I made the career switch to culinary and that I am an aficionado of fine dining.

Don’t get me wrong. I like casual, quick-serve (but not fast food) and catered dining, too. But the fancy places with what is known as “French service” are special, holding exalted places in the pantheon of culinary feats, innovations and pioneering of new taste combinations.

Put this soup on in the morning and enjoy after a full day of Montana winter activities. It’s delicious and filling.

Ingredients:
1 lb lean boneless beef stew meat, trimmed of all fat and cut into half-inch cubes
1 14 1/2 oz. can beef broth
2 C. water
1 10 oz. package of frozen corn
1 10 oz. package of frozen mixed sliced peppers
1 14 1/2 oz. can of Mexican style diced tomatoes
1 14 1/4 oz. can of tomato sauce
1 15 oz. can of pinto beans, rinsed and drained
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 15 oz. can of black beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 tsp. Alpine Touch
1/4 tsp. garlic salt
Sour cream, chopped avocado, and shredded Monterey Jack cheese for garnish
Tortilla chips

Layman’s Review: This wine was very nice for the price. You smell a touch of citris, but in a light way that’s not overpowering. The taste is crisp with a light fruit flavor and the finish is very clean. We served it with our spicy fajita soup and it was a hit. This wine would also be very nice with over the holidays with turkey.

Winmaker’s Notes: The 2008 Chenin Blanc-Viognier flaunts lush aromas of ruby grapefruit, pear, lychee and melon, with a delicate touch of spicy, white florals. Lively citrus and bright tropical fruit flavors are offered up alongside a supple texture. The slightly off-dry finish is clean and crisp, perfect with many dishes or on its own as an aperitif. Enjoy now or cellar for two years.

For those who spend their winter months in Whitefish, wandering around for a weekend in the company of friendly penguins, mischievous yetis and heroic Viking divas is nothing out of the ordinary.

However, for the rest of the world, the Whitefish Winter Carnival may need a little explaining. A couple of local filmmakers are more than happy to oblige, with a documentary explaining the carnival and its history, which will be shown during the festivities on Feb. 3 and 4.

Gripping the rope tightly, skier Matt Stickney catches air off the third and final jump while being pulled by rider Shelly Buckallew on Blaze during the sport class of the Whitefish Winter Carnival's skijoring competition.

We’ve established a number of times in this column that food preparation can make for good television. Well, I should qualify that a bit more by saying that good and proper food preparation makes good television.

The culinary train wreck television shows like “Hell’s Kitchen” and “Chefs Academy” pretty much come off as lessons in how not to conduct oneself in a restaurant kitchen, and especially how not to serve bad food to innocent customers.