Baked Peaches with Chocolate and Ginger Stuffing

We bought a big box of peaches on our way back home from vacation in South Carolina ocean side. They were very ripe and sweet and most important they were a lot, much more than we can eat in 2, even for longer time.

Even after eating big portion of them fresh and handing some out, there were still some left. It was a time to cook peaches before they spoil.

I found this recipe for stuffed baked peaches, and must say that baked peaches become one of my favorite desserts - cooked peaches are very tender and flavorful.

I will definitely improvise more in this direction once my hands get ahold of more peaches to try various stuffings.

Wine, Butter and Capers Sauce for Fish

Rich sauce prepared from shallots cooked with white wine, butter and capers and seasoned with fresh chopped dill. It suits for any kind of fish whatever it is boiled, fried or grilled. Goes good with salmon (see Salmon with Capers and Dill Sauce recipe), cod, tilapia and other fish which you would usually serve with butter sauce of some kind.

If you are trying to get more liquid sauce use more wine or add more shallots otherwise. If you don't like texture of cooked onions - increase shallots frying time and cook them with wine longer.

Ready sauce can be stored in the fridge, but it should be served warm, just make sure when you reheat it to remove sauce from burner before it starts boiling.

Mulled Wine (Glühwein)

I was unfortunate to catch a cold another day, and somewhere in between sneezing and sweating I reminded myself of mulled wine - probably the best drink to warm you up and clear your sinuses.

Mulled wine, or gluehwein (how it is called in Austria and Germany) or glintvein (how it is called in Russia) is a drink prepared by heating red dry wine with various spices and citruses.

This popular in Europe drink is often sold during cold season around Christmas time on open air markets and fairs - it really helps to warm up.

Glühwein is very easy to prepare, if you prefer - use whole spices instead of ground ones, that will make straining part much easier, however ground spices work just fine. Enjoy responsible!

French Onion Soup

I absolutely love this tender onion and cheese soup with a light hint of spices and dry white wine. It is very good choice for home dinner party or romantic dinner just for you two.

You can prepare most of the steps in advance (from step 1 to step 9), then pour soup to the bowls, add bread and cheese and put them to the oven right before serving. That will save you a bit of time and ensure every meal comes fresh and warm at the right time.

My advice would be to use home prepared broth, cooked with good quality beef, carrots, onions, parsley and celery for this soup. If you need some hints on how to prepare beef broth, follow these instructions.

Stewed Beef with Onions

It felt like a time for some nice beef stew recipe, so here it goes: beef stewed with onions is a dish my mom was always cooking, when I was little. Well, maybe she didn't put a wine, but besides of that – that is the dish I am used to from my childhood.

It is very easy to do, probably the easiest stew recipe I know, and doesn't take much time to cook. Wine adds a nice hint to the taste, but it is completely optional: just replace it with a cup of water if you don't have a cup of dry red wine.

This dish goes good with mashed potatoes or boiled buckwheat as a side dish.

Salmon under Capers and Dill Sauce

Capers and dill, butter, wine and shallots – those are ingredients of very good sauce for fish. Personally I pick salmon, because it is especially good when boiled or even simmered like in this recipe. However I think it will work with other kind of fish without any problem.

Should I also remind you what fish is an important part of the healthy diet?

Got a romantic dinner coming up and want to surprise your date with something special? I recommend this tender salmon dish, especially if after preparing of it you still have a few sips of Chardonnay left to accompany it with.