Before moving up to Sonoma County, I lived most of my life in Marin. I hardly ever spend time there now, except to see family, friends, and my fabulous hairdresser Sandi at Robertson Roe Salon who gave me a great spring haircut today.  While I was in the area, I arranged to meet my dear friend Caitlin after work at Larkspur Landing. She told me there was a darling little wine bar there where we could catch up on each others adventures.

Tam Cellars is located by the Starbucks and E&O Trading Company. They've got a bar and seating areas with sofas for you to sit, sip, and chat.

We grabbed a spot by the window and decided to try their chardonnay tasting flight ($15.)

Our tasting included three regional selections:
1. Morgan 2008 Chardonnay, Monterey
2. Wellington 2008 Chardonnay Sonoma Valley 
3. Keenan 2007 Chardonnay Napa Valley

We both enjoyed the fruity unoaked Morgan chardonnay. The Wellington chardonnay was too dry for me, so I thought Caitlin might like that one, but it was her least favorite as well. I preferred the Keenan chardonnay ($27.95) which was oaked without being cloying and had a nice mineral quality that balanced the fruit.

Tam Cellars sells wine by glass, tasting flights, small plate snacks, wine accessories, and of course--bottles of wine. They focus on smaller boutique wines that you might not otherwise get a chance to taste because of distance or the winery not having a tasting room open to the public. Peter Lea (co-owner with his wife Laurie Cummings) said they try to source "high value" wines, those hidden gems that have great quality and great prices.

When I asked, "So what made you open up a wine bar?" They enthusiastically declared, "Because we love wine!" It made me smile, because enthusiasm is naturally contagious. I loved feeling their love for what they do.

Tam Cellars is located at 1803 Larkspur Landing Circle, Larkspur CA 94939, walking distance from the San Francisco-Larkspur Ferry terminal. Wine bar & store hours are geared toward the after-work crowd:

• Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday 4pm - 9pm
• Thursday, Friday, Saturday 4pm - 10pm
• Closed on Sunday

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Voted "worst song ever" in pop-music polls, Mac Arthur Park's cryptic lyrics are as sticky as "all the sweet green icing, flowing down," on that mysterious cake someone left out in the rain. Who left the cake out? If you took so long to bake it, from a recipe you'll never have again, why would you be so careless with it? The song is a perfect recipe for a one-hit wonder:  

1 part confusing lyrics
1 part catchy musical hook
Blend ingredients together with an inappropriately dramatic performer.
Heat in oven until half-baked.

That's the basic recipe, but if you substitute a deliciously sweet and silky smooth disco diva like Donna Summer, you've got an instant crowd-pleaser. 

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"I know you got a sweet tooth, and I remember," so here's a Friday afternoon treat: Debbie Harry, the yummiest of punk pop-tarts, shaking and baking it back in 1979.

As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program, I received two free bottles of Pace Picante Sauce and a challenge to use it in a Super Bowl party-worthy recipe.

I'm not a televised sports fan, but I've hosted a few Super Bowl parties back when I was married. My strategy? Clean the house. Put together some easy make-ahead dishes that don't need tending right before serving. Greet the guests. Have a beer with the guys. Find out who's playing in this year's game. Get laughed out of there. Do something else that afternoon. Return to a clean house, as per the handshake deal made in advance. As long as I don't have to watch the game, it's pretty fun. Go team!

So in the spirit of less work and more fun, I've resurrected one of my mom's mainstay casserole recipes that I've tweaked to make low-fat and less caloric, thereby affording you another beer.

Turkey Tamale Pie
Recipe serves 12. Ready to serve in under an hour. Can be made ahead.

Ingredients:
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 tbs olive oil
1.5 lbs ground turkey meat
1 bottle Pace Picante Sauce (I used medium hot)
1 15 oz can fire roasted chopped tomatoes
1/2 can tomato paste
8 oz frozen corn kernels
12 oz light cheddar cheese, shredded
2 boxes cornbread* mix (+whatever additional ingredients needed for it.)
salt and pepper
*I use Jiffy cornbread mix for this casserole, as it's drier than other brands.

Optional garnishes: Fat free sour cream*, cilantro, avocado.
*Naturally Yours fat free sour cream (cow pattern container) tastes best.

You'll need a 13x9" baking pan or dish, a large skillet, and a mixing bowl.

Preheat the oven to 350-degrees.

Heat the skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil.
Saute the onions until translucent.
Add the turkey to the onions and cook until there is little or no pink.
Add the fire roasted chopped tomatoes. Stir until heated through.
Add the Pace Picante Sauce.
Stir in the tomato paste.
Cook with the lid off, stirring over medium heat, until the liquid is reduced.
Fold the frozen corn into the turkey mixture.
Add salt and pepper to taste. Use cayenne pepper for even more heat.
Turn off the burner for the skillet.

Prepare the double-batch cornbread mix according to package directions.
Transfer the turkey mixture into the bottom of your ungreased baking dish.
Evenly pour the cornbread batter over the turkey mixture.
Sprinkle the shredded cheddar cheese over the cornbread batter.
Put the casserole into the 350-degree oven and bake for about 25-minutes.
It's done when a thin knife poked into the cornbread pulls out clean.

Cut into 12 pieces and leave on the buffet table. Fat free sour cream is a cooling complement to the rich spiciness of the turkey tamale mixture, as is avocado. So is beer. Go crack open a cold one and enjoy the game!

As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program, I received two free bottles of Pace Picante Sauce and a challenge to use it in a Super Bowl party-worthy recipe.

Don't know about you, but my idea of a Super Bowl Sunday fare is something simple, that can be prepared ahead of time, and that transports easily, since I'm not usually the one hosting such affairs. This appetizer recipe I created is so easy that a child could do it. It's also been kid taste-test approved by my boyfriend's eleven year old son. Hope you like it, too.

Recipe makes 1 pinwheel sandwich, 8 bite-sized slices each.

Ingredients:
1 whole wheat flour tortilla (I used La Tortilla Factory Smart & Delicious)
5 slices bacon, cooked & crumbled
8 oz cream cheese (I used Kraft Philadelphia 1/3 Less Fat)
2 tbs Pace Picante Sauce (I used mild)
2-3 romaine lettuce leaves, chopped (or any crunchy lettuce)

Mix the picante sauce and cream cheese with a fork until well blended.
Cover the tortilla with an even layer of the picante cream cheese mixture.
Sprinkle the crumbled bacon evenly over the cream cheese.
Cover the bacon with an even layer of chopped lettuce.
Roll the tortilla up, tightly and evenly.
Cover the rolled sandwich with plastic wrap.
Chill in the refrigerator for 15 minutes (up to a few hours, if desired.)
Once the chilled picante cream cheese is firmed up, slice into 8 pieces.

It's yummy, affordable, and won't make you a kitchen slave that misses out on the game!

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The whole song isn't about food, but you gotta appreciate Joey Ramone's teenage angst of settling for chicken vindaloo when he really just wants his chick. The opening scene where  they're riding topless in a Gabba Gabba Hey plated pink cadillac tossing chicken bones is pretty tasty, too.

Any other Sonoma County people remember seeing The Ramones play the Phoenix Theater in Petaluma in 1981?