Stovetop Tex-Mex Dinner

In recent years, Manhattan has amped up its real Mexican cuisine with good Mexican restaurants. You can't go wrong with Mexican food when you go out to eat!

At home, the closest I get is Tex-Mex. Authentic Mexican cooking isn’t hard, but it takes a lot of steps because every ingredient, including the spices, is fresh and often cooked from scratch. I mean, you grill your chilies and garlic bulbs and sometimes infuse your cooking oils before you start the meal prep. I tend to take shortcuts. :)

Whether I eat real Mexican or Tex-Mex medleys, I love every ingredient in the cuisine: the tomatoes, the grilled beef, the spices, the heat, the vegetables, the beans, the rice, the hot melted cheese, or the warmed tortillas -- what a mish-mash of deliciousness!

Here’s an easy Tex-Mex one-pan dinner:

My Stovetop Tex-Mex Medley Dinner

Ingredients:

1 lb of ground beef, browned in a skillet

1 large onion, diced

1 stalk of celery, diced

1 bell pepper, diced

1 cup of corn, frozen and thawed

1 can 15-ounce pinto beans (or substitute: black, pink, or Roman beans if you wish.)

2 cans 15-ounce diced tomatoes (I buy the Italian seasoned diced tomatoes)

1 jalapeño pepper, diced (or substitute 8 Hatch or 8 Poblano chile peppers, or an 8 oz can of chile peppers if you wish.) If I have no chile peppers, I’ll carefully use red pepper flakes - a little adds a lot of heat, so don’t get too shake happy!)

Taco seasoning to taste - start with 1 tablespoon.

Select a cheese: (1) Extra Sharp cheddar, or (2) Pepper Jack

Select a starch: (a) Baked potatoes; (b) 2 cups of cooked rice, white or brown; (c) corn or flour tortillas; or (d) tortilla chips

Optional: Sour cream - We omit it.

Garnish with diced onions, tomatoes, chile peppers, lettuce, black olives, and/or green onions.

Directions:

1) Brown the ground beef in a chef-size skillet on the stovetop. Salt and pepper it as it browns.

2) As the ground beef cooks, add the diced onion, celery, bell pepper, garlic, and chile peppers (or 1 diced jalapeño pepper). After the ground beef is fully cooked, drain any excess liquid. Usually I don’t have any to drain.

3) Next, add the thawed corn, diced tomatoes, and beans.

4) Sprinkle in the taco seasoning to taste. Cover with a lid and simmer for 15 - 20 minutes. If the mixture gets dry, add 1/2 cup of water at a time. Simmering covered with a lid will soften the vegetables and thicken the juices.

5) Top with either extra sharp cheddar or Pepper Jack cheese, as much as you like. Cover with a lid to melt the cheese.

Taco seasoning ingredients

6) Dip the finished mixture over the starch of your choice: a baked potato, tender rice, warmed tortillas, or tortilla chips. Alternatively, you could plate the mixture on top of your starch of choice, then layer on the cheese and pop it into the microwave to melt it.

7) Garnish with the diced crunchies of onions, tomatoes, chile peppers, shredded lettuce, sliced black olives, and/or chopped green onions.

After browning the ground beef on a stovetop, alternately, you could layer the ingredients in a casserole dish to bake in your oven, but simmering it in a 12” chef skillet covered with a lid on a stovetop works in a shorter time with less cleanup. Personally, I’d only bake a casserole if I had to bring it to another house. As I said, I take shortcuts! Below is another ,,,

 💙💚💛💜💙💚💛💜Dessert💙💚💛💜💙💚💛💜

People either like or hate candy corn. I like it, especially the pumpkin-shaped ones. If I eat 2 of them for dessert, I’m satisfied, which is one of the things I like: a little goes a long way. Also, I like the texture: soft and chewy, a tad waxy, so it doesn’t stick to your teeth. The flavor is based on honey, butter, sugar, and vanilla. At 30 calories each, a serving is 120 calories, but I bet, like me, few people eat more than 2 pieces.

Where do you stand on the candy corn divide?

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About CleverMade’s Haulkin-Like Tote

CleverMade

Can’t fit a metal cart into your space? In 2023, I reviewed the $110 rolling Hulken Sack. Three years later, I'm seeing more and more of them on Manhattan streets hauling groceries. They’re popular with New York shoppers who live in small apartments.

But now for $32 (or less at Walmart), customers can buy a comparable tote made by CleverMade that is well worth the savings! It’s a fraction bigger than the medium-sized Hulken and is available in shiny silver, yellow gold, rose gold, and black. Initially, I preferred the silver, then switched to the shiny black because I think it will show less dirt and wear.

	CleverMade	Hulken (medium)
Open dimensions	18”L x 14”W x 24”H	16”L x 12”W x 22"H
Folded height	5"	4 "
Bag weight	4.1 lbs	3 lbs
Weight capacity	75 lbs	66 lbs

Customers who have both bags split hairs over the differences in size but mention liking the CleverMade caddy's snap-collapsible poles, giving it more structure to stay open and making it easier to load than the Haulken bag. CleverMade is designed with an extra exterior compartment also. Both have a zipper-closed top, 3 handles, and wheels made of steel, but surprisingly to some users of both, the CleverMade rolls smoother on concrete and uphill compared to the Hulken.

There’s no way of knowing without testing both which brand is the most durable, but at less than 1/3 of Hulken’s price, you could buy the rolling CleverMade Tote 3 times and still break even. I think it's quite telling that owners of both brands don’t have an outright preference for the Haulken, yet seem to be 

neutral.

So what would I do? The Haulken folds down to 4 inches compared to the slightly bigger CleverMade Sack’s 5 inches. If the 1" difference in height is irrelevant because a buyer has the storage space, I’d buy the $32-or-less CleverMade. Only if I needed Hulken’s additional compactness would I very reluctantly consider paying 3 times more! It’s one of the times when customers can save by selecting good enough over the higher-priced tote, an option they didn’t have 3 years ago.

Savvy Shoppers always compare to know whether to save or splurge! When quality matters: splurge. When nearly the same: save.

Extra tip: 

A neighbor gave me a rolling tote exactly like the Temu one below that is made of substantial nylon and is even more compact than both the Haulken and the CleverMade rolling totes. Although CleverMade is still my 1st choice, I’d recommend the Temu rolling tote if you need greater compactness due to a chronic lack of city storage. It doesn’t have the structure of the CleverMade (or Haulken), but it is sufficiently well-made and relatively large when unfolded, at a far lower price. Strong enough for wheeling groceries on concrete, and due to its unstructured nylon fabric, it folds down to stow away in the most challenging of tiny spaces. As you can see below, you can expand it to 3 different capacities. If using it for travel, it has a flap to slide over the handle of a rolling suitcase. The wheels of the Temu bag are also detachable. They slide off so you can clean them in soapy water sometimes. 

All 3 brands of rolling totes look stylish LIVE in front of your face! My neighbor gave me the Temu tote in a bluish-grey color that is more grey than blue. For the price she paid, I love it!

Temu rolling totes here

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Ceiling Light and Fan

In my Manhattan apartment, there is a convenience I lack that I wish the builder had installed. I don’t have a ceiling light fixture in the center of my living room. The reason is unknown. Was the builder trying to lower expenses? Or was it thought unnecessary in apartments constructed in the 1970s with lower ceilings? Who knows in 2026. I lean towards saving costs.

To light my living room, I have 3 floor lamps, but I still wish I could turn on the overhead light right smack in the middle of my living room from my missing phantom ceiling light fixture! It also means I can’t benefit from installing a ceiling fan in the center of my living room, which I’d love to do to reduce the need of using my air conditioner. Outside of July and August when humdity can be oppressive, I like the feel of a fan’s gentle cool breeze over the artificial coldness of an air conditioner.

My ideal ceiling fan is a modern low-profile bladeless fan like the ceiling fan from Humold. That said, builders and electricians say older blade ceiling fans work better than the newer bladeless ones, which should be verified if you cool a big space.

Made flimsy now

To compensate, I have 3 floor lamps and 4 fans. Two of my 4 fans look like space helmets and are bladeless. I reviewed them in a prior blog which I’ll link below. My 3rd fan is a tower fan, and the 4th is a floor box fan I nearly gave away until I discovered its usefulness in finishing drying garments that come out of the dryer damp. Plus, it blows air into the kitchen when I turn on the oven in August. So it stays. I  suggest you buy box fans in black as dust and dirt is visible. Hard to clean without a private backyard and garden hose. 

Hmm, this poses the question: Do ceiling fans need cleaning? Yes! Even though newer models feature sleek aerodynamics, DC motors, and sealed components, dust, pollen, pet dander, and household grease still accumulate on the blades and motor housing, and so need cleaning every 2 - 3 months. Oh!

Nonetheless, I continue to pine for a ceiling fan.

Comment if you use ceiling fans, or if you have found alternatives to installing one.

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Tip: Saving Champagne or Lambrusco

There are times I would enjoy a glass of champagne or wine if only I had a friend over to make opening a bottle worth it, or when I do have a friend over to share the Champagne or wine with -- as non-guzzlers of alcohol -- we enjoy our glass of wine yet don’t finish the bottle. Half a bottle of Champagne or Lambrusco goes flat soon after opening the bottle ... like the next day. 

But wait, in addition to making sangria with leftover wine, there’s an easy, inexpensive solution! It also lets you skip spending $300 for a wine perserver, a devise that pierces only the cork to stop oxidation from spoiling leftover wine.

I figured out how to keep sparkling (or regular) wine just as fresh or bubbly as the day you open it. 

Here’s how:

1) Buy a champagne stopper. Walmart sells them for $3.50. In 2018, I got the Champagne Stopper by MiTBA on Amazon. If it's out of stock, enter the stopper name in a Google search box to see where else to buy them.

2) Save an empty Champagne or Lambrusco bottle to pour leftover and/or regular wine into. This is necessary because regular (non-carbonated) wine bottles do not work with the stoppers. The mouth of a regular wine bottle will not catch.

The MiTBA Champagne Stopper (the brand I use) is a leak-proof bottle sealer featuring a built-in pressure pump designed to keep sparkling wine, prosecco, and champagne carbonated for days. Other stopper brands that look similar to it will likely work as well. Decide if you wish to take the risk.

I have enjoyed leftover Champagne, Lambrusco, and non-carbonated wines 2 -3 weeks after opening a bottle. So now I’m not reluctant to open a bottle to drink a single glass of wine with a cheese platter or a nice dinner. Because you know what? It appears I’ll never be a heavy drinker. When having a glass of wine, I like its taste, but I don’t desire it any more (meaning quantity or frequency) than I desire other treats, like a piece of chocolate, an apple, or a slice of cake. The Champagne Stopper is ideal for cheap dates just like me!

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5 Functional Mini Umbrellas

Totes Auto Open/Close Minis

When rain falls in the summer, it could be sunny and dry an hour later. Not so in the autumn and winter, when rain frequently means a damp and gloomy day or a wicked, stormy weekend.

Although often requiring compromise, I no longer carry big, bulky umbrellas to tackle rainy days. Surely I’m not alone in preferring mini umbrellas that are super light and fit into a purse or jacket pocket. Here's a roundup of 5 mini umbrellas customers like. The criteria: The umbrella should fit into a handbag or pocket, be easy to open and close, open wide enough to keep us dry, reasonably withstand the wind, and have a long enough shaft to hold comfortably: 

1) Mini Totes - The best experience I’ve had with mini umbrellas is with Totes. Of course, there are some compromises compared to using a full-sized heavy umbrella; namely, a strong wind can blow it up, but you can quickly snap it right back into place, and it is stronger than other brands I’ve tried, including Eagle Creek and Leighton. The shaft is a comfortable length. You don’t want the umbrella sitting on your head!😳 Priced at $20, Mini and Micro Mini Totes appear in the aisles at T.J. Maxx regularly, where you will pay $10, half price. I don’t like to pay more since umbrellas are easily lost despite efforts to be responsible. Although not a dealbreaker, I prefer manual to auto open/close mini umbrellas. It takes no strength to manually open a mini umbrella, and they don’t break as often as automatics.

2) Sherry Travel Mini Umbrella for Purse With Case - Overall, positive reviews from customers. One of the smallest, weighing 4.5 oz, so perhaps worthy if you desire to keep an umbrella in your purse at all times for unexpected rain. It won’t weigh down an overnight bag either. The case makes it easier to keep it in a handbag, but it’s not an umbrella's strongest selling point; still nice as long as the case is a bonus.

3) Mustarpicking Mini Travel Umbrella with Case - A bestseller that has many positive reviews. A strong wind can flip it up, yet customers say the umbrella is surprisingly sturdy. As with this mini umbrella, many brands have SPF sun protection, another feature I wouldn’t pay extra to get, since it's not the reason we carry umbrellas. Their main function is to keep us dry.

4) Lilac Travel Mini Umbrella - The canopy opens to a generous-sized umbrella. The retractable handle is a bonus, making it easy to hold. Reported to hold up well in wind, customers say it’s of average quality, reasonably priced, and works well for everyday use. I’d reluctantly pay up to $11.97 for the cheapest color, but not more.

5) Davek Mini - This mini is one of Condé Nast Traveller’s top-rated, so I think it's fun to compare it. It’s compact and, ohhh, so sleek! But at $65, a regular wage earner would cry if s/he lost it! Umbrellas are just so easy to leave behind, and that’s not all! Once, I went to a house party. The hosts put our extras (my cloth tote bag holding a scarf and mini umbrella) in their coat closet. When I left to go home, the party givers searched and searched but couldn’t find my items! There was either a black hole in their closet or another guest took my belongings home! I got wet getting on the bus and never got my things returned. If you inadvertently take somebody’s stuff home, you should call the hosts to tell them! I was fond of my black mini tote umbrella with colored polka-dots that I managed not to lose, and at least I only paid $10 for it at T.J. Maxx. A mystery never to be solved!

Umbrellas should keep us dry. They are an item that needs to be functional, not expensive, which is why Totes are my #1 choice. 

What brands of umbrellas do you like and where do you turn to buy them? 

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Good Frozen Pizza

Friends say I make a good pizza pie from scratch, and I've shared how I make it here. But life isn’t limited to either/or actualities, and we don’t have to spend all our time in the kitchen.

Good frozen pizza exists! Today I’ll share what I like and pay for it. I’m a fan of DiGiorno Rising Crust pizza, which I buy when it goes on sale for $6.00 and sometimes $5.50. It comes close enough to good homemade or pizza parlor slices to be worth eating. In fact, it's superior to what’s sold by many of the newer Manhattan pizza parlors that are opening and skimping on ingredients or making cardboard dry crusts. There’s nothing more disappointing than eating bad pizza in a city historically known for its great pizza! How can it be? Why open up a pizza parlor when merchants could do something else they could take pride in?!

At home, I buy the DiGiorno Rising Crust Everything variety, and if out of stock, I’ll get the Pepperoni Supreme alternative, then finish it off by adding diced bell peppers, onions, and sliced mushrooms. On a frozen pizza, I always sprinkle parmesan cheese, oregano, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes before baking it. Perhaps it's the key to making frozen pizza taste better and even delicious.

I’ll pay up to $6.00 for a frozen pie. If it's priced higher, I’d rather go out and bring home a hot pie from a good pizza parlor, if one can be found. Frankly, it took a few bad pizza parlor pies to get me to try making my own and DiGiorno frozen pizza pies!

You may wonder why great pizza in Manhattan is harder to locate. Once upon a time, real Italians opened pizza parlors, but nowadays it could be people of any nationality. Or it could be because some of the new pizza parlors are not mom-and-pop businesses but are owned by private equity firms, public shareholders, or institutional investors. There’s less love of the product!

On a brighter note, if you look for it, there’s still great pizza in all 5 boroughs of New York City, including Manhattan, but no longer will you find a great slice on every block. Alas, reason enough for me to have a box of DiGiorno Rising Crust pizza in my freezer and, when I have 24 hours to let the dough rise, to make it myself.

What’s your favorite frozen pizza?

🥢🍱🍥🍣🍚🥢🍱🍥🍣🍚🥢🍱🍥🍣🍚🥢🍱🍥🍣🍚🥢🍱🍥

Blog Extra: Other food I buy when it is on sale:

1) Sushi - Fairway offers 10 pieces of inside/out sushi rolls for $5.99 on Wednesdays. I get nori with tuna and salmon = 20 pieces. So one day a week I don’t have to think about what to cook or scrounge up for dinner.

2) Coleslaw - $1.99 for a 16 oz. bag.

3) Mushrooms - Either 2 for $4, 3 for $5, or $2.29 each for 8 oz, depending on the sale. I select the mushrooms that are sliced for me.

4) Baby carrots - $1.69 - $1.99 for a 16 oz bag. Note: Baby carrots do not exist, but what a treat that someone else has cleaned, scraped, and cut them into bite-size pieces. Ready to eat! 

5) Light mayonnaise - $4.25 - $5.00 for a 30 oz jar. The price of mayonnaise is sky-high, like the price of gasoline nowadays. Who knew we’d pay $5 for a jar on sale!

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My Temu Haul

I ordered a few things from Temu, the Chinese bargain online retailer of household goods, personal care tools, and odds and ends that might be fun to share. A Temu haul is gratifying when you buy useful things you can’t easily find elsewhere without overspending. Where have all the Odd-Job-Odd-Lot Trading retailers gone? Although a legitimate business, it’s best to stick to inexpensive items, as returns are a hassle. 

My senior mom is staying with me, and I ordered articles for her comfort and benefit:

1) Air Conditioner Air Deflector - 👆Top image. - Before she came, I didn’t need one, but she sleeps close to my Through-the-Wall AC, where it gets cold. In the daytime, the AC is 18 inches away, behind my click-clack couch, and the deflector will push the air up to the ceiling, where it will be more comfortable and disperse better throughout the room. I have a makeshift deflector that keeps falling to the floor. A $10 purchase should stop this annoyance!

2) Nail brushes - Although I started life in my mother’s womb, I’m against sharing certain personal care items with her, such as a toothbrush, hairbrush, nail clippers, nail brushes, and nail files. Sorry, Mom, but for sanitary reasons, I think each family member should have their own grooming tools, including mothers and daughters! The brushes are to clean her fingernails since I won’t share my nail brush with her! Yuck!💅

3) The cable protectors are dirt cheap and useful. Computer charging cables often wear out and expose wires, so they won’t go to waste.

4) Toothpaste Manual Dispenser - I ordered this so we stop doing battle with our toothpaste tube. After we roll down the tube, we can’t get it to hold. It unwinds itself after we leave the bathroom! I hope this makes it easier to dispense the toothpaste after it is half or 3/4 empty. With 8 pieces under $2, we’ll have one for every bathroom and then some, won’t we?!

5) Persimmon Soap - This soap is to prevent seniors from smelling like old people. In fairness, my mother doesn’t have an odor -- bad, murky, musky, or otherwise -- still, I want to try the soap on her skin since she is old, out of curiosity! Perhaps she’ll smell even better. If we like it, we’ll keep buying it.

6) Leather Ultra Thin Card Holder - The genuine leather is thin, but it holds 6 cards and has a center pocket, convenient for her insurance and ID cards when I take her to the doctor. Costing under $3 bucks, she’ll get the value for what we paid for it.

7) Multi-Layer Movable Slim Gap Storage Cabinet Drawer Organizer - I’m a sucker for space-saving narrow organizers, and I’m taking a risk by ordering the 3-drawer version. Perfect for all my mom’s personal care items, including the ones I just ordered for her. Frankly, I prefer the 5-drawer option, but must settle for the lower height of 3 drawers to ensure it fits under the bathroom sink or beside it. By ordering the cabinet, I broke 2 of my cardinal rules: (a) ordering an item from Temu that is more than a few dollars (the cabinet was $21.99), and (b) paying for shipping ($2.99)! 😳😳😳 Why did I do it? The organizer is narrow, has wheels, and is made of durable plastic that withstands the dampness of a bathroom. Easy to clean, too. However, it’s a $25 loss if it doesn't fit in the intended space, so my fingers are crossed!𝑋𝑋𝑋

A peek at the stash behind my couch,
hidden if you’re in front of the couch. 

Caution: Orders of a few dollars each add up, so even at Temu's bargain prices, Savvy Shoppers should shop mindfully, constantly asking whether or not we really need it, regardless of how cheap and appealing it is. We never want to clutter up our homes with cheap, useless junk! If it serves no purpose, it morphs into junk!!

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I Learned About Scented Geraniums

Photo by Jenny Dettrick/Getty Images on Real Simple here

I have one plant in my apartment, a golden pothos, and it almost takes care of itself. All I have to do is water it every Sunday, but if I forget, it continues to live. It can live anywhere in a home, in or out of the sunlight. Still, it thrives when placed by a window to get partial sun.

My Golden Pothos

As potted plants have died over the years, I’ve lost interest in having them, although I still think they’re pretty.

Today I learned of the existence of Scented Geraniums. Here’s the article. Three characteristics make them appealing: (1) They don’t require a lot of care, (2) they smell like roses, pine, chocolate, apples, or strawberries, and (3) they keep pests away!

It’s enough to make a suburban homeowner want to buy scented geraniums to grow both inside and outside their house!🪴🪴🪴

Photo: soniabonet/Getty Images in R S 

Here in Manhattan, the city of concrete, our municipal government controls pests with pesticide sprays. I have the luxury of not needing plants for pest control. I think of Central Park, Carl Schurz Park, or Riverside Park as my backyard. Next time I go to the park, I’ll look to see if any scented geraniums have been planted by paid park gardeners or volunteers. Scented geraniums are lovely and fascinating! I want to smell them.🪴

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Temu's Storage Temptations

I bought this and had to put it on one side under my kitchen sink, away from the pipe, because my pipe was installed too far to the left. Also, one of the 4 metal poles didn’t go into one of the holes, and I had to force the pole into the hole as best it would go. Not for super heavy items, but strong enough for many cleaning agents like washing detergent. Using vertical space for $10 rocks, yet I won’t pay more for a plastic shelf.

In February 2023, I featured Temu, the bargain Chinese website of practical household and garden tools, beauty and personal care items, bedding, apparal and odds and ends for cheap. You can read that blog here. Temu isn’t a scam, but a legitimate Chinese e-commerce company with an office and warehouse in Boston, Massachusetts. I’ve ordered some inexpensive merchandise that, once upon a time, US customers might have found at Woolworths, Odd-Job Trading, Big Lots, or large five-and-dime stores.

Although Temu lets customers return things, personally I’d only order low-priced articles that you can afford to eat the cost of if they didn’t work out. Returns are a hassle. I selected low-risk items I'm happy with, like a silicone baking mat, a silicone adult bib for my senior mom, mini jewelry boxes, a long steel shoehorn, cable ties with snaps, and flexible rubber spiral wrap cord protectors.

Frequently, I ogle the organizing and storage commodities for tight spaces since I like everything in my home organized and to have a place of its own. I’ve come to believe that my superpower is misplacing things in my own home. Frankly, I could lose anything at any time after I touch it! If I don’t create a spot for my things and train myself to put them back, I spend endless time circling my apartment to find where I left objects like my house keys, a cell phone, a remote control, or a pen and paper. It's ridiculous! To spare myself endless frustrations and wasted time, I’m forced to be organized!

Moreover, lead me not into Temu’s storage temptations! The e-retailer has tons of organizers and storage choices for every room and purpose. I’ve picked out 5 to feature today. 

It costs less to manufacture goods in China because of lower wages. Trade between nations is good for both countries. Customers can expect low prices and reasonable shipping times. Still, always order mindfully!

Click this link to see this slim storage cabinet (here in 2 sizes) slide.

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Lambrusco Is A Refreshing Summer Wine

A guilty pleasure of mine is having a glass of red wine with a cheese-and-cracker platter for dinner on many Sunday nights during the summer. I could eat cheese until it comes out of my ears ... but don’t. Portion control in the interest of a healthy weight!

When I mentioned to a friend I had never tasted Lambrusco, my friend bought me a bottle of it: Caprari Cuvée Bollino Rosso Lambrusco Reggiano! Thank providence for friends; they expand your horizons.

Lambrusco is a lightly sparkling (frizzante) red wine primarily from Italy’s Emilia-Romagna and Lombardy regions, made from a family of ancient grape varieties. The bottle my friend gave me is dark red, balanced, fruity, and slightly sweet (yet dry, not a sweet wine).

Tonight I’m drinking a glass of Italian Lambrusco with New York Extra Sharp Cheddar cheese, Ohio Mozzarella and Swiss cheese, served on American whole-grain saltine crackers. Some fruit too. Delish!

A perfect Sunday night summer dinner is one that pleases the palate!🍷

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