Since the retail market is the place to be to make this venture of mine profitable, my latest step was to contact Macy's Department store. I sent off a few photo's in digital format to a woman in the housewares division of the purchasing department for her review.
I should hear from her soon.
All the best,
Mark

Soon I hope to have some or HOPEFULLY all of my products in the Williams-Sonoma stores. Macy's, Nordstroms etc will be on my list as well. I will still be hosting a website and selling on line.

Here are some samples of my wine stoppers. Please be aware while the photo's look good the stopper held in your hand looks unbelievable.

This is The Queens Headdress made from Padauk, from Africa. There is an
Ice Sworovski crystal  on top.

This stopper I call The Mushroom for obvious reasons. I made this one from Leopardwood
from Australia. It has some very cool looking speckling on it. Especially on the top. The crystal is the same as the top photo but in Emerald green.

Chianti beef stew for a fine winter meal

   

Chianti Marinated Beef Stew
Hello again my faithful followers! I hope everyone is having a good new year. What, with the economic and political climate the way it is, how can we not be, right? We certainly are doing OUR best here in this house to eek by! With the budding personality our little one shows, our life is very enjoyable. And after a second surgery for a torn Meniscus I am back in action! The surgery and recovery are going      very well. Thanks to everyone for kind your support.

Yesterday! Yes, yesterday afternoon I started by browning the beef brisket for this unbelievable Chianti beef stew. All I can say is wow! The flavor came mostly from the Chianti and the canned beef broth.  I used only 1/4 tsp. of salt and 1/8 tsp. of pepper for 1-3/4 lbs. of brisket. The small amount of garlic gave some flavoring but the 2 sprigs of Rosemary gave the stew the balance and depth to the stew. I was Mr. Mom while my wife Ann took a few things to Kangaroo Kids, a children's  resale shop. So I put the Sophster in the highchair for a snack while I browned the meat and chopped the Pancetta, and chopped up some Cantaloupe for a snack for the wee tyke to keep her happy.  So I got the carrots and celery out and browned the Pancetta while Winne the Pooh was playing in the background. Then I couldn't put off Sophie any more, all my diversions had been used up in that 20 plus minutes. But I got the carrots, celery, garlic and liquids in the pot and even transferred the growing stew to a large stock pot. Next we got a chair and pulled it up to the sink and she watched me cut green beans with Winne and crew still in the background. She did really good too!! I only had to remind her not to dance while on a chair four or five times, not too bad in my book. I did work at a feverish pace because I know how it is. Hey, I wanted to dance too. With the stew on and not a drop of drinkable wine in the house yet, we read a couple of books and then MOMMA came home. Yeah, momma is home. So while those two cuddled and put away the groceries I got the Kalamata olives out of one of the bags, ah yes, and a bottle of Merlot, cracked that baby open, poured us each a glass, added the olives and sat down for a few minutes. After an hour on the stove I sampled the stew broth, because frankly I thought I would need to add some seasoning to the stew. It was incredible! I didn't change at thing! So after simmering for another hour we all sat down to eat. Ann is not a big eater but we both went back for a second helping. By the end of the meal we both agreed, it was delicious. The only thing I did differently was to marinate the brisket for 26 hours.

So here are the ins and outs: I used a bottle of Bolla Chianti in the stew, on sale from our grocer. I paid $8.99 for a $15 bottle of wine and for the meal I picked up a bottle of Colli Senesi Chianti from Garland Wines in St. Louis, MO.  I only paid $17.99 for the 750 ml bottle and I must say it was a big wine, smooth on the palette with a lingering after taste. I would definitely recommend this Sienese Chianti for a pairing such as this or just to enjoy at the end of the day. So, in closing I wish to thank Giada DeLaurentiis for this awesome Italian stew. Her recipe is easy to follow and the ingredients for the meal only set me back about $26.00 and at about an hour to prepare, it was well worth it.







ingredients 
4 to 6 servings

2 ½ to 3 pound beef brisket 1 (750 ml) bottle Chianti wine 4 tablespoons olive oil Salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 (4-ounce) piece pancetta, cut into ¼-inch pieces 3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces 1 stalk celery, chopped into ½-inch pieces 2 cloves garlic, peeled ¼ cup (1 ½ ounces) kalamata olives, halved 6 ounces green beans, halved 4 medium red potatoes, quartered 2 sprigs rosemary 2 sage leaves 1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes 4 cups beef broth Chianti Marinated Beef Stew Place the beef in a 13 by 9-inch glass baking dish. Pour the wine over the meat and marinate in the refrigerator for 1 1/2 hours. Turn the meat over and marinate for another 1 1/2 hours.  Remove the meat from the wine and pat dry with paper towels. Reserve the wine.  In a large Dutch oven, heat 3 tablespoons of the oil over medium-high heat. Season the meat on all sides with salt and pepper.  Using tongs, place the meat in the pan and brown on all sides, about 2 minutes each side. Remove the meat and add the remaining oil.  Add the pancetta and cook, stirring frequently for 2 minutes. Add the carrots, celery, garlic, olives, green beans, potatoes, rosemary, and sage. Cook for 3 minutes. Pour the reserved wine, tomatoes, and beef broth into the pan, scraping up the brown bits that cling to the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Return the meat to the pan and bring the liquid to a boil. Cover the pan and simmer for 3 to 3 1/2 hours or until the meat is very tender.  Remove the meat and the rosemary sprigs from the stew. Place the meat on a cutting board and cut into quarters. Using 2 forks, shred the meat into bite-size pieces. Add the shredded meat to the stew and cook until warmed through, about 5 minutes.

How to Really Taste Wine | Drinking Out Loud | News & Features | Wine Spectator

How to Really Taste Wine | Drinking Out Loud | News & Features | Wine Spectator

Italian Dinner

Hello again!
I trust everyone is well and not running around too much and too fast. As we all know the Holidays can get that way if we let them. To all my non Christian friends I would like to my offer peace to you as well.

Ahh Italy! We were fortunate enough to visit Italy a few years ago. We flew into Milano, drove to Montalcino stayed for a couple of nights. I booked a room for us in a 500 year old hotel and we had a wine tasting in a 13th century castle. There seemed to be castles on every hilltop. It was so very very cool, which would make sense. If I were top dog in those days I would want to see who is coming to MY castle, so I could get my armor on and go out for a jousting.
 Then Roma. Rome was amazing. We even drove into it because we drove through the vineyards trying to save time and ended up driving into Rome during evening rush hour. All the time we were there we didn't have a bad glass of wine and had some amazing food and I had more than my share of gelato.
That brings me to my last dinner for a purpose, shall we say. Manicotti! A dish everyone can eat. Our 15 month old loved it! This is another dish you can cook ahead of time and re-heat it. Making it great for the
family coming home late from after school activities and work, not to mention trying to squeeze in Christmas shopping. I bought a nice jar of locally made marinara sauce our grocer carries, but your favorite brand will work just as well. I usually add about a half cup of wine and simmer it for 30 to 60 min. You can even add
 a little more basil for good measure, just to personalize it and wake it up, so to speak. Lastly I found a bottle of Rosso Di Montalcino on sale, it was a great pairing with the Manicotti.
And last but not least, Giada DeLaurentiis' recipe, was awesome and easy to make...
Recipe kindness: giadadelaurentiis.com
I hope you enjoy it as much as we did. I will post another blog in late January after taking some time for my knee to heal.

Ready for the oven  

Looking good 

Thank you very much for reading my blog. I look forward to hearing from folks and especially want to hear your comments and suggestions. Please like us on Facebook and don't forget to visit www.websterwoodcreations.com and take advantage of the Christmas sales going on now. All the best,    Mark

I hope you enjoy this scrumptious and easy to prepare meal.
Have a save and Merry Christmas.

beef and cheese manicotti

from the book, Everyday Italian. get this book >

This is a one dish meal. You can make it ahead of time and bake right before you serve it. Boy oh boy is it YUMMY!!!!

ingredients

6 servings

Beef and Cheese Manicotti 4 teaspoons olive oil 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped 1 pound ground beef Salt and freshly ground black pepper 14 (8-ounce package) manicotti 1 (15-ounce) container whole-milk ricotta 3 cups shredded mozzarella 1 cup grated Parmesan 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves 2 garlic cloves, minced 3 cups marinara sauce 2 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces

instructions

Beef and Cheese Manicotti Heat a heavy medium skillet over medium heat. Add 1 teaspoon of the olive oil, onion and ground beef. Season with salt and pepper. Saute until the meat browns and the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, and cool. Brush 1 teaspoon of oil over a large baking sheet. Cook the manicotti in a large pot of boiling salted water until slightly softened, but still very firm to the bite, about 4 to 6 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the manicotti from the pot to the oiled baking sheet and cool. Meanwhile, combine the ricotta, 1 1/2 to 2 cups mozzarella cheese, 1/2 cup Parmesan, and parsley. Add the garlic, salt, and pepper to taste, and mix. Stir the cooled meat mixture into the cheese mixture. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Brush the remaining 2 teaspoons of oil over a 13 by 9 by 2-inch glass baking dish. Spoon 1 1/2 cups of the marinara sauce over the bottom of the prepared dish. Fill the manicotti with the cheese-meat mixture. Arrange the stuffed pasta in a single layer in the prepared dish and spoon the remaining sauce over. Sprinkle the remaining 1 1/2 cups of mozzarella cheese, then the remaining 1/2 cup of Parmesan over the stuffed pasta. Dot entire dish with the butter pieces. Bake the manicotti uncovered until heated through and the sauce bubbles on the sides of the dish, about 30 to 35 minutes. Let the manicotti stand 5 minutes and serve.

The Day after Pot Pie

Turkey pot pie with a salad and glass of Chianti

Hello there! I found a recipe for a pot pie you can use for a home cooked meal or to serve with friends. It's that good! Oooo baby!

I found this recipe on Pinterest and was intrigued by the fact it has Pancetta in it. So I said to myself, what is Pancetta?, better look it up. It is Italian bacon that is salt cured, unlike our bacon which is smoke cured.
So with a very good Italian market on "The Hill" here in St. Louie I was set . My wife was good enough, as always to pick up my supplies from the grocery store and I'll get some of the specialty items. The filling is easy and goes by in a snap. To my taste, though I prefer a little more of the thyme flavor so I would add another 1/2 tablespoon to the filling. I would not try substituting bacon for Pancetta because of the smoky flavor.
The crust was delicious as well! The cornmeal and the Parmesan cheese in the mixture made for a thick crust  that was deliciously tender. My wife had a 3 inch pastry cutter that fit perfectly the 3 inch casserole our daughter Toni had just bought and very kindly let me use. They made for some nice pictures too! I served my pot pies with a nice little Chianti and were quite satisfied. Thanks again Giada! They were great

Recipe kindness of Giada De Laurentiis - www.giadadelaurentiis.com

Enjoy and be safe this holiday season!

Mom preparing for her solo, with Sophie's help.

Oh yeah! This part.

Turkey and Pancetta pot pies

Ingredients

6 servings

Filling 4 ounces finely diced Pancetta 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature 1 large or 2 small shallots, chopped 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced into ½-inch pieces 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves ½ teaspoon kosher salt ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper ¼ cup flour 2 ½ cups low-sodium chicken broth ¼ cup heavy cream 3 cups (about 14 ounces) roasted turkey breast meat, cut into ½-inch pieces 1 cup frozen peas, thawed ½ cup frozen corn, thawed

Crust ¾ cup flour, plus extra for dusting ¼ cup cornmeal ¼ teaspoon kosher salt 1 teaspoon baking powder ½ teaspoon baking soda 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes 1 cup grated Parmesan ⅓ cup buttermilk, plus extra, as needed 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil Special equipment: 6 (10-ounce) ramekins, each 2 ½ inches tall and 3 ½ inches in diameter. A 3-inch round cookie cutter

Instructions

Filling Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the Pancetta and cook, stirring occasionally, until brown and crispy, about 8 minutes. Pour the Pancetta and any cooking juices onto a paper towel-lined pate. Add the butter, shallots, carrots and thyme to the saucepan. Season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook until the carrots are tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Increase the heat to high. Add the chicken broth and scrape up the brown bits that cling to the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Cook until the mixture thickens, about 3 minutes. Add the cooked pancetta, heavy cream, turkey, peas, corn, and the remaining salt and pepper. Simmer for 3 minutes until heated through. Using a ladle, fill the ramekins with the mixture.

Crust In a food processor, pulse together the flour, cornmeal, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Add the butter and cheese and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal. With the machine running, add 1/3 cup buttermilk and the oil. Process until the mixture begins to form a ball, adding extra buttermilk, 1 teaspoon at a time, if needed. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough into a 10-inch diameter circle, about 1/4-inch thick. Using a 3-inch round cookie cutter, cut the dough into 6 circles and place on top of the filling. Bake until the crust is golden and the filling is bubbling, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Greek noodle Casserole, (Pastitsio)

From the late blogger who will try to be more on time in December ( I am probably setting myself up for failure, but we'll see if, I can handle the pressure!) ...

I saw the recipe for a Greek casserole on Giada's Pinterest page. It looked great. I have to tell you, Giada's topping looked much better than mine. Frankly the photo of her casserole looked like roasted noodles on the top. I suspect she daubed the sauce with a spatula to lift the topping and create the look of a meringue as if it were fresh out of the oven. So you can try this tip if you want. So, onward...
My wife and daughter thought it was fantastic! I mentioned it to a new client who is looking for some custom built-ins and her eyes lit up, I took that as a good sign as she said Mrs. D. is one of her favorite chef's, and what was my favorite recipe of hers...
Since it contains yogurt,  I can't forget about little Sophie who is a big yogurt fan from way back. It is amazing the food she eats at 14 months. We used to chop it up so fine you would think we put in a food processor, but not these days. They almost eat the same texture foods we eat.
So anyway, back to the recipe at hand. I was a little skeptical with all  the yogurt and mint in the casserole. It's the guy thing I guess, but while I was putting the ingredients together and adding the cumin, coriander, cinnamon and the rest of the spices and finishing with the basil tomato sauce, I started realizing the depth and complexity of the casserole dish. In fact Ann (wife) took some to a Colombian co-worker who loved it. They both dubbed it "Greek Lasagna".  So, in my humble opinion, this casserole is fast and easy to make. Not to mention delicious.
Enjoy and be safe!
Mark
  Recipe kindness... giadadelaurentiis.com
 I have pasted the recipe from Mrs. De Laurentiis' website below for your convenience. The recipe is as follows...

greek noodle casserole (pastitsio)

ingredients

6 to 8 servings

Casserole Butter, for greasing the baking dish Kosher salt 12 ounces egg noodles 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 large onion, chopped ¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 3 cloves garlic, chopped or smashed 1 pound ground lamb 2 tablespoons ground cumin 2 teaspoons ground coriander 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon ½ teaspoon ground allspice One 26-ounce jar tomato-basil sauce (3 ¼ cups) 1 ½ packed cups fresh mint leaves, chopped

Sauce 1 cup milk, at room temperature ½ cup heavy cream, at room temperature 3 cups grated Parmesan (about 6 ounces) 1 cup plain Greek yogurt, at room temperature ¼ cup chopped fresh mint leaves, optional

instructions

Casserole Place an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Cook the noodles until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, 7 to 9 minutes. Drain and transfer to a large bowl. Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Add the onion, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally until soft, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until aromatic, about 30 seconds. Add the lamb, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, allspice, 1 teaspoon salt and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until cooked through, about 6 minutes. Add the tomato sauce and mint. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

Sauce Simmer the milk and cream over medium heat in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan. Reduce the heat to low. Add the cheese and whisk until the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the yogurt. Add the meat sauce to the pasta and toss well until the noodles are coated. Transfer the mixture to the baking dish. Spoon the cheese sauce evenly on top and bake until golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped mint if using, and serve.