the people's court november 14 2017 ALL NEW judge marilyn milian

Wine and Chocolate

What is it about the combination of wine and chocolate that sends my taste buds singing? I am baking a chocolate cake right now and am tempted to open up the second bottle of a wonderful Merlot my husband and I tried the other night. That would get me elected mother of the year! My husband ( who until recently has been a teetoteler ) and I joined a wine club last year. Every quater they send us a case of wine with lots of information about the region, the winery and the wine itself. We've had alot of fun with it and we joke that our children have driven us to drink.

Here is a picture of the wonderful Forest Park Merlot that we tried. I generally prefer whites to reds but this was scrumptious. We are having a hearty corn chowder and corn bread for dinner tonight I think the merlot will go quite well with it.

The corn chowder is easy to make and even my boys like it.

Easy Corn Chowder

1 ham steak cut into bite size pieces

5 carrots, diced

1 bunch of celery diced

1 onion , diced

5 cans low sodium chicken broth

2 cloves of garlic

4 diced potatoes

3 cups frozen corn

1 1/2 cups milk

flour for thickening

In a nice large pot ( I have a fondness for Le Creuset ) saute ham, onions, celery, carrots and garlic. Once ham is a little browned add the potatoes and the broth. Bring to a boil and let simmer until potatoes are soft. Add the corn. Simmer until corn is cooked about 10 min. Instead of making a roux I take about 1/3 cup of flour and mix it in a bowl with some of the hot broth until the lumps are gone and then add it back into the soup to thicken it. You can play with this depending on how thick you like your chowder. That's it's ready! You can season it how you like with salt and pepper. I always wait until the end to salt and pepper. That way I avoid over seasoning things.

I hope you make it and enjoy it!