Cantina Zaccagnini Montepulciano D'Abruzzo

We've been having a lot of leftovers this week, so figured I would share a wine recommendation.  Cantina Zacagnini Montepulciano D'Abruzo, or stick wine as we call it, is one of our go to wines.  The name gives it away as Italian, the label gives it away as a dry red wine, and the best part about the wine is that it only costs $11.99.  We're not the only ones that like it, as it comes with a little neck tag that lets us know that Wine Advocate rated it a 90.

Blackened Steak Salad

My Grandpa always gives us Omaha Steaks for Christmas, so I decided to make this Blackened Steak Salad tonight with some tenderloins we had in the freezer.  You've probably already noticed that we're fans of red meat so Grandpa's gift gets pretty good use.  This recipe from Epicurious was an excellent use of the steak, I will definitely be making this again.  The rub on the steak combined with the salad dressing was perfect.  The only changes I made were adding sautéed mushrooms and extra tomatoes, next time I'll add more sautéed mushrooms.   You probably don't need as much blue cheese as my husband added, but he cleans the dishes so I keep quiet.  We had some DeLoach Zinfandel with our meal, which we also enjoyed.

2009 Opi aka Rodolfo Sadler Malbec

I had this wine with leftover chili this week; it was a 2009 Opi aka Rodolfo Sadler Malbec.  I really liked it, but I'm a sucker for Malbec.  I'm not much for pairing wines, I pretty much will drink any red wine I like with any food I like.