Food and Wine – T.W.O.

Chexbres, Switzerland

Published on July 27, 2017July 25, 2017 by T.W.O.Leave a comment

Napa, Tuscany, Bordeaux, Mendoza, Willamette Valley are all the popular places to go wine tasting, so why isn’t Lavaux region on that list? The views itself are incredible and the wine was up to par to the top producing wine regions around the world. Lavaux consists of 830 hectares of terraced vineyards that stretch for about 30 km along the south-facing shores of Lake Geneva. Since July 2007, the region is one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. And since 2016, the vineyards of Lavaux are not treated with synthetic pesticides any more. Clean wine…clean drinking! The main wine grape variety grown here is the Chasselas.

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HopDoddy Opening in Southern California!

Published on July 9, 2015February 3, 2016 by T.W.O.1 Comment

Some of you might remember that we featured HopDoddy Burger Bar on our blog when we visited Austin in May 2014. (POST HERE) At that time there was speculation of opening one in Southern California and after a year and couple months – the news became true! The first California restaurant will open this Summer in Fashion Island, Newport Beach. We are so excited to check out the build-out and see if it lives up to the South of Congress, Austin location. Continue reading “HopDoddy Opening in Southern California!” →

Cherry & Goat Cheese Kale Salad with Pistachios

Published on May 29, 2015May 29, 2015 by T.W.O.Leave a comment

If you haven’t noticed, cherries are in season right now and most grocery stores have them on sale, so T.W.O. capitalized on this opportunity and bought bags and bags of the delicious red fruit! With all this supply, we tried to incorporate cherries into every meal. Below is a simple, summer recipe that is easy and doesn’t require a lot of prep-work. Add some grilled chicken or flat iron steak and you have yourself a main entrée!

Cherry & Goat Cheese Kale Salad with Pistachios

Ingredients:
– 4 – 6 cups baby kale
– 2 cups cherries, pitted and halved
– 1/2 cup goat cheese, crumbled
– 1/2 cup pistachios
– balsamic vinaigrette
– hearts of palm, sliced

Directions:
1. In a bowl place baby kale, cherries, hearts of palm and pistachios. Mix well.
2. Toss salad with balsamic and sprinkle with goat cheese.
3. Plate and serve.

Cherrie-O,

Chicken Fajitas with Grilled Mango

Published on May 22, 2015May 21, 2015 by T.W.O.Leave a comment

With Memorial Day weekend approaching us, we decided to feature a fun, non-traditional recipe for your backyard barbecue. It’s great for a crowd and to easy assemble so you can concentrate on your backyard lawn game. Check out how to make Chicken Fajitas with Grilled Mango!

Ingredients

– 4 chicken breasts
– 4 bell peppers (red and yellow)
– 1 sweet Maui onion
– 2 large mangos
– 3 ears white corn
– corn tortillas, soft taco size
– 2 lemons, juiced
– olive oil
– pepper flakes
– salt
– pepper
– guacamole
– cilantro
– salsa
– sour cream or Greek yogurt

Directions:
1. Season the chicken breast with salt, pepper and pepper flakes. Set aside while the grill is heating up. When ready, place chicken on grill over medium heat.
2. Slice the bell pepper and onions. Saute on a skillet with olive oil and lemon juice.
3. Shuck the corn and place on the grill.
4. While the vegetables are cooking, slice the mango in large chucks and place on the grill with the chicken.
5. Once everything is cooked to your liking remove and assemble your fajitas. (T.W.O. heated up their tortillas on the barbecue for an extra crisp!)
6. To assemble – place sliced grilled chicken on a tortilla, topped with guacamole, cilantro, salsa, hot sauce and sour cream (or greek yogurt).

Enjoy!

Grilled Potato Salad with Scallion Vinaigrette and Jalapeños

Published on April 1, 2015March 31, 2015 by T.W.O.1 Comment

With summer approaching, well in SoCal it already has, T.W.O. wanted to fire up the BBQ and grill some potatoes for their weekend dinner. It’s a great side dish to your meal that is a new spin on traditional potato salad. It’s warm, spicy and refreshing….what else can you ask for?

Grilled Potato Salad with Scallion Vinaigrette and Jalapeños

– As adapted and modified from Food and Wine-

Ingredients:
– 1 1/2 lbs. fingerling potatoes
– 10 scallions, cut
– 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, for dressing and brushing
– 2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
– 1 cup lemon juice
– 1 small jalapeño, seeded and chopped
– Salt
– Pepper

Directions:
1. In a large saucepan, cover potatoes with water and bring to a boil. Simmer over moderate heat for about 15 minutes. Drain water and halve potatoes lengthwise.
2. Preheat BBQ. While BBQ is heating, brush the scallions with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place on the bbq for about 2 minutes or lightly charred. Transfer to a plate and cover to let steam for 5 minutes.
3. Brush the potatoes with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place on foil and add to the bbq for about 5 minutes or lightly charred. Transfer to a bowl.
4. While the potatoes are on the grill, mix together the remaining olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice. Add the scallions to the dressing and salt and pepper to taste. Pour the dressing over the potatoes and mix well. Sprinkle the jalapeños over the potatoes and serve.

Guinness Affogato

Published on March 16, 2015March 18, 2015 by T.W.O.5 Comments

Since St. Patty’s Day is tomorrow, T.W.O. decided to start the party early by making this Guinness Affogato. Its the perfect adult dessert that is rich and creamy and will have you satisfied (and maybe up) all night long! Enjoy!

Ingredients:
– Vanilla Ice Cream
– 2 ounces expresso*
– 12 ounces Guinness Beer

* If you don’t have an expresso maker, you can use instant expresso.

Directions:
1. Put 3 scoops of vanilla ice cream in a large glass or bowl.
2. Pour the espresso over the top of the ice cream, followed by the Guinness.
3. Stir and enjoy.

Grilled Peach Caprese Chicken Salad

Published on August 30, 2013August 30, 2013 by twinswithoriginalityLeave a comment

Labor Day weekend is almost here, so get that BBQ fired up because T.W.O. is ready to grill a Peach Caprese Chicken Salad with you! T.W.O. decided to put a little spin to the traditional caprese salad and add grilled peaches for some sweetness and chicken for extra protein. It is a healthy, refreshing dish that everyone can enjoy!

Grilled Peach Caprese Chicken Salad

Ingredients

– Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
– Fresh peaches
– Fresh buffalo mozzarella
– Tomatoes
– Cucumbers
– Crimini Mushrooms
– Lettuce of your choice
– Balsamic dressing

First, season your chicken breast with your choice of spices. T.W.O. used Krazy salt, pepper and cayenne pepper. Let the chicken season for about 8-10 minutes.

In the meantime, fire up your grill and wash your lettuce, vegetables and peaches. Cut your peaches in half and remove the pit. Next, place your chicken on a clean grill and turn the temperature down to low-medium, depending on how hot your grill gets. While the chicken is grilling, start chopping up your lettuce, cucumbers, and mushrooms. After the chicken has been grilling for about 8 minutes, place your peaches on the grill, cut side down. Keep a close eye on the peaches and chicken because you don’t want them to burn! Assemble your tomato and cheese stacks.

When the chicken and peaches are done, cut the chicken into strips and the peaches into slices. Alternate the chicken and peaches in between the cheese stacks to create your “caprese” salad. Next place the caprese salad on top of the bed of lettuce with cucumber and mushrooms. Finish the dish with a balsamic dressing of your choice. Wah-lah! Now you can enjoy this original, gastronomical dish this holiday weekend with your family and friends.