You know how much I have been emphasizing the use of spices and legumes in cooking aromatic, flavorful and healthful foods. In my presentations to the media and the public, I often talk about the intrinsic health benefits of spices.

Now, in January 2011, a book: “Healing Spices- How to Use 50 Everyday and Exotic Spices to Boost Health and Beat Disease” has been released.  Authored by Dr. Bharat Aggarwal, with Deborah Yost, the book is an authoritative source on the scientific research that provides additional evidence about the health benefits of spices. Dr. Aggarwal is a Professor of cancer research, biochemistry and immunology at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. Deborah Yost is the former vice-president and editor-in-chief of Prevention Magazine Health books.

“Healing Spices” is available from amazon.com and other sources. I was so eager to get my copy of the book just hot out of the press. Let me tell you this book is an amazing book filled with easy-to-understand information and fifty recipes including some recipes that I had contributed! This is the first book that is devoted completely to the health benefits of spices. For each of the 50 spices discussed in the book, the authors also give simple recipes of foods that use that spice.

Do you want to know an important weapon in beating a disease? It is a diet rich in whole foods such as fruits and vegetables-and rich in spices. In fact, worldwide scientific research has linked spices to the prevention and treatment of more than 150 health problems, including heart disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes, and Alzheimer’s.

Dr. Aggarwal gives you:

· An A-Z guide to spices shown to have preventive or healing potential for more than 150 health-     conditions, from acne, arthritis, and anxiety to stroke, ulcers and wrinkles.

· A buyer’s resource list for healing with spices

· 50 easy-to-prepare recipes (including some recipes from me).

In this book, a leading expert and researcher on the subject takes a detailed look at 50 different spices and their disease-beating benefits. The book is easy to follow and is very interesting to read. “Dr. Aggarwal has brought an outstanding overview of the health value of spices to a level that consumers now understand and can apply to everyday foods. These powerful nutrients need to be part of every healthy diet plan”, says David Heber, MD., PhD, a Professor and Director, at the UCLA Center for Human Nutrition.

Now, if you are interested in learning more about the health benefits of spices, I will be doing a community education program at the WFB library on Jan. 20th, at 7PM.  If anyone is interested in learning to cook vegetables and lean meats enhanced with spices and legumes, feel free to contact me via my website www.curryonwheels.com

I had a wonderful October in 2010, first with my participation in Food and Dine Wisconsin Event in our beautiful city of Milwaukee, followed by my participation in the Annual Kohler Food and Wine Experience in beautiful Kohler, WI. Both events were so memorable. Meeting people from the community in the first event and then meeting people from Illinois, Minneapolis, New York, California in the Kohler event was an exhilarating experience for me.

My cooking presentations at both events were well attended and people were very excited to learn about healthful Indian flavors. The marketing team at the Journal-Sentinel did a fantastic job in celebrating and recognizing our own talents here in Milwaukee. Chefs, authors, wine and cheese experts were all featured in this amazing two day event at the Frontier Airlines Center. Thanks to David Wise and Becky Steimle of the Journal-Sentinel for organizing such an event celebrating Milwaukee. It was a demonstration of great community spirit.

At Kohler my cooking presentation titled, “A Symphony of Indian Flavors”  was a sold out event. The participants were enthusiastic and eager to learn about the amazing flavors. A wine expert Jim Donato from Rodney Strong Wine Estates talked about the wine that could be paired with the food that I prepared. Kyle Cherek, the lively host of Wisconsin Foodie TV program, introduced me and was an active participant during my presentation. For a few days, Kohler was transformed to the Napa Valley of the Midwest. I was proud to be featured with Joe Bartolotta. I met Joe and his wife. He gave a hug and said that I was doing a good job spreading healthful cooking to the public. I was touched by the compliment of this great chef.

After all these and some other local events in October, my husband and I decided it was time to take a short break for a few days in a warmer climate. So, we decided to go to Scottsdale, AZ for a four day visit. The day before our departure, I did not feel well. But I thought I would go and rest in Scottsdale, Arizona.

It was only a three hour flight. We arrived in Phoenix, rented a car and arrived at our destination. Now I had the chills and a fever. That evening I was dizzy and felt more feverish. The following day my husband, and our son, who had joined us from Atlanta, decided to take me to a nearby hospital. I was admitted to their new wing in the hospital as a first in-patient! I felt like I inaugurated this hospital unit. My fever was high but as I looked out the window and saw how beautiful and sunny it was, my spirit rose and I was eager to go home. But I had to remain in the hospital for two days.

During the course of my hospital stay, many pain medications were given to me. I am a person who does not like to gulp pills. But when you are in pain, you need to take them. The hospital food was barely satisfactory. I ate only cream of wheat cereals and fresh strawberries for all three meals. Soon after I was admitted, I was dreaming about my home cooked delicious meal. Following my discharge from my grueling stay at the hospital, I rested for a day in Scottsdale, and then flew back to Milwaukee. So much for our little get-away. I was grateful that I was basically healthy and it was exhaustion, dehydration, and fever that had sent me to the hospital.

Upon our return to Milwaukee on Friday evening, my husband kept saying I must rest completely at least for a week. I agreed. On Saturday, however, I said to him, “Please take me to Fondy’s Farmer’s Market. He said, “What?”  I said I wanted to go to Farmer’s market and I wanted to touch and feel the fresh vegetables and talk to the wonderful farmers and that the trip will uplift my body and spirit. He could not believe it. Finally he agreed to take me to the Farmer’s market. The farm fresh vegetables, herbs and fruits were all like God’s food to me. The farmers looked like angels with amazing powerful, vibrant wonderful healing foods for me. I picked lots of vegetables for less than $10.00!!   My husband wondered if I was well enough to cook these vegetables. I said ,”yes”  and told him that cooking the fresh vegetables will be therapeutic for me. Also when we stopped at the Whitefish Bay Sendiks to complete grocery shopping, I bought irresistible and luscious pomegranates for only  99 cents each. I thought I was dreaming.

I came home after shopping. I took a fresh bunch of Swiss chard, washed and chopped it. I cooked the chards with coarsely ground, steamed yellow split peas and garnished it with fresh coconut. I felt like it has all the nutrients that my body needed to flush out the medicine from my body. I also made a lentil based cauliflower soup garnished with cilantro. I cooked some jasmine rice and a Thai eggplant in a tamarind seasoned sauce. It was divine! No match for home-cooked food, I thought.

It was just the right food I needed after gulping strong medications in the hospital. It was a healing food. My digestive health is so much better and now I am on a road to speedy and complete recovery from my ordeal. I thank those wonderful farmers who bring the very best fresh produce to us for such a bargain price. I felt I had a wonderful farm-fresh homecoming!

My husband and I set out on a trip to Singapore, Malaysia and India in Spring 2010.  Our travel to Singapore was through a 16 hour non-stop flight to Hong Kong. I decided to have a relaxing time by reading, watching the map route of our flying direction, watching great movies and getting up to walk almost every two hours. The pilot came on and said, we were going to fly over Canada, Arctic Ocean, Russia, Mongolia, and Beijing to Hong Kong! I was watching our air route map in the monitor and was tickled wondering about the people who live in the various areas.

We were transit passengers in Hong Kong. After several security checks we had time to freshen up and have coffee. Then we took a 3 hour flight to Singapore. We arrived in Singapore around midnight after almost 30 hours of travel since we left home from Milwaukee.

I was happy to see my nephew Saravanan, and his wife  waiting at the airport to pick us up late at night. They were  gracious hosts who made our stay comfortable and memorable in Singapore.

I noticed how modern and clean Singapore was. Singapore is an island city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula. The population of Singapore is highly diverse. It includes Chinese, Malays, Indians, Caucasians and Asians of different origin. It is a very colorful and vibrant city. I was told that Singapore has one of the highest percentages of foreigners in the world. Singapore became independent from Britain in 1963. Singapore consists of 63 islands, including the mainland Singapore. It has a tropical climate. Temperatures range from 71 to 93 degrees Fahrenheit.  About 23% of Singapore’s land area consists of forest and nature reserves. Singapore has been rated as the most business friendly economy in the world with thousands of foreign workers in multinational corporations. Employment continues to grow strongly as the economy maintains its rapid expansion.

Singapore is a popular travel destination making tourism one of its largest industries. The currency of Singapore is the Singapore dollar, represented by the symbol S$. It is a multi-religious country and the home of many faiths like India! It is amazing to see how harmoniously people of many diverse religion and cultural backgrounds live and work in a small area. It is also a multi-lingual nation. English is the common language and then there is multitude of other languages spoken in the country. The Singapore government recognizes four official languages: English, Malay, Chinese (Mandarin) and Tamil. (Tamil is my native language). Singapore is not only an extremely clean and beautiful city but it is relatively free from crime. The government has zero tolerance for crime.

Singapore cuisine reflects the diversity of its people. The cuisine is influenced by Chinese, Indian and Malay cuisines. Sea food is very much enjoyed by the Singaporeans. Singapore can be a significant culinary and cultural attraction for visitors.  The foods were a feast for the eyes and the palate.

As a cookbook author, I was interested in trying the mixture of flavors and cooking styles that is the hall mark of Singapore today. Delicious recipes from Asia’s food capital-including all the classic Singapore dishes like Chilli Crab (ah…so good and by the way I learnt how to cook this dish), Malay-style Sambal Prawns (see recipe below), Indian-style Fried Noodles, Chicken in Spicy Coconut Milk (like my chicken kuruma dish), Malay Lamb Stew,  Singapore Rojak (Spicy fruit and vegetable salad) were mouth watering and was delightful!

I enjoyed every moment of our stay in Singapore relishing the foods and beautiful sites before flying to nearby Kuala Lumpur.

Here is an easy shrimp recipe to prepare, modified to suit Alamelu’s taste. Serve with steamed brown or white rice. Heavenly…from Alamelu’ Whitefish Bay Kitchen!

Recipe for Malay-style Sambal Prawns (Shrimp) from Singapore favorites..Modified recipe.

3 tablespoons oil

1 lbs. fresh medium prawns (shrimp)

½ tablespoon tamarind paste (available in Indian and Asian markets)

1 onion, thinly sliced

1 tomato, chopped

½ teaspoon salt

Coriander leaves to garnish

Seasoning Paste:

5-6 red chillies

6 shallots, peeled

3 garlic cloves, peeled

2 slices fresh ginger

1. Peel and devein the shrimp. Rinse and set aside. Pat it dry.

2. Grind chillies, shallots, cloves and ginger with a little oil in a blender.

3. Heat oil in a wok over medium heat. Stir-fry the seasoning paste until fragrant about 5 minutes. Add the shrimp and stir-fry until they turn pink about 2 to 3 minutes. Add tamarind paste, onion, tomato and salt. Stir-fry until shrimp is cooked, another 2 minutes.

4.Transfer to a serving dish, garnish with coriander leaves and serve with steamed rice.

Enjoy mouth watering fllavors!

Recently I saw a very interesting ad for “Old Spice”- known for making many after shave products.  Now they are making shower gels for men. In the ad, former football player Isaiah Mustafa is featured in an Old Spice ad. The video titled, “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like”. You can watch this ad in youtube. It starts out by saying, “Hello, Ladies…..” It is so funny and it really grabs your attention. Very clever, great branding by Old Spice.

The statistics show women purchase 70% of the shower gel for men in their households. Even in our home I buy the women shower gel and I will tell my husband to try the shower gel for body wash, luring him away from bar soap. I say the shower gel lathers very well, moisturizes your skin and there is no need to use the bar soap.

I thought the Old Spice Company must have heard me and they have come up with a shower gel for men in our lives. I like their ad campaign too. It is clever and interesting.

Now, ladies…I have a great idea to make men in your life to become so loving and very appreciative of your efforts. You will ask how? Well, start using spices in your daily cooking. When you cook with spices, it is magical. Life will be exciting. Food will never be dull. It will be aromatic. Add spice to your life. Herbs and spices enhance food flavor. Your husband, kids including the dog will come to embrace you with love.  I know this from my own experience.

“The way through a man’s heart is through his stomach”. According to a Chinese proverb “the more you eat, the less flavor, the less you eat, the more flavor” and I whole heartedly agree. Cooking at home brings family members together. Meal time conversation flow smoothly and is a great way to get in touch with each other. “A good cook is the peculiar gift of the gods” and let us be a gift to our family and friends!

Try cooking with spices and see the magic happen!  Try Old Spice shower gel for the man in your life and see him beaming!!

I made a buttermilk drink for our friends who visited us at our home the other day. They loved the light refreshing drink and asked me how to make it. In India, it is common to serve buttermilk drink with ice cubes during hot summer days.  Buttermilk drink can be prepared as a sweet drink called, “sweet lassi” or can be seasoned lightly without sugar and can be served as a refreshing buttermilk drink. Try this refreshing, cool drink during hot summer days!

Buttermilk is simple, wholesome, versatile and loaded with health benefits. Yogurt and buttermilk have long been a staple food of India. Buttermilk is made from plain yogurt. Buttermilk is rich in protein, potassium and calcium.

In the following recipe for a buttermilk drink, we can use cultured low fat buttermilk available in the grocery stores. Try this as an alternative to lemonade. Your kids may even want to set up a buttermilk stand!

2 cups of cultured low fat buttermilk

4 cups of water

½ teaspoon finely minced ginger (optional)

½ teaspoon cumin powder

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon cilantro leaves, finely chopped, to garnish

1. In a bowl mix buttermilk and water.

2. Add ginger, cumin powder and salt. Mix well.

3. Refrigerate for an hour.  Serve in serving  glasses as a cool refreshing drink.

4. Garnish with cilantro leaves before serving.

Serves 6

It is such a thrill to have my own cooking series on MPTV. The series titled, “Healthful Indian Flavors with Alamelu” made its premiere on May 15 (MPTV) on Channel 10 at 11am.

I have been passionately promoting healthful Indian cooking to the public since the publication of my first cookbook, “Art of South Indian Cooking” in 1997.  More recent cook books published in 2001 and in 2008 have greatly helped me to reach a larger number of people. My culinary activities during the last several years have also included cooking classes at communication education centers, university and hospital outreach programs and in local libraries, including cooking presentations at the Whitefish Bay Library.

Television appearances, both national and regional, have also enabled me to spread my passion for healthful cooking to the public. So, when MPTV offered me an opportunity to host my own TV cooking show in the summer of 2009, I was in the clouds! The recording of the program series took place in fall 2009 at the MPTV studios. Although I had already made numerous TV guest appearances earlier, hosting my own half-hour weekly show was extremely special and thrilling.The television staff and the recording crew at MPTV were exceptionally helpful and encouraging to me as I made my debut as a TV program host. The program producer and director, Mr. Jack Abrams, an award winning producer (for the show, Outdoor Wisconsin), was very supportive throughout the recording of the program in the Fall.   Although I missed my student audience during the program recording, the help, encouragement and support I received from my husband Dr. K. Vairavan and my assistant Sharon Jewel made my TV recording experience enjoyable.

With divine guidance, I was able to successfully complete the recording as planned over a period of several weeks. I fondly recall that at the end of each recording, the television crew of over 20 people in the studio would come rushing in to taste the food.

The series was finally launched on May 15^th, 2010. An elegant TV premiere party hosted by my friend, co-author and Whitefish Bay neighbor Dr. Patricia Marquardt featured Indian foods from a local restaurant and allowed me to cherish the moment with close friends.

So here I am, humbled by this great experience of having my own cooking show and realizing how fortunate and blessed I have been in meeting an important goal in my culinary journey!

Information about the TV series: Six – 1/2 hour episodes

Title: Healthful Indian Flavors with Alamelu

Beginning May 15^th, Saturdays at 11AM / Repeats Fridays at 6 PM on Channel 10 and on Sundays at Noon on Channel 36 / 16

Website: www.mptv.org/shows/alamelu

A festive Wine & Dine event in Milwaukee was held on Wednesday April 28th, 2010 at the Coquette Cafe at 5:30PM. This was the first event in a monthly series organized by Becky Steimle and David Wise of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Admission to the event was only by reservation, and attendance was limited to 50 guests. It turned out to be a sold-out event, with the proceeds going to the Feeding America program. Other Milwaukee restaurants will be hosting future events.

This first event was hosted by Chefs Chris Hatleli and Nick Burki of Coquette Cafe along with me. As a culinary consultant and an Indian cookbook author, I already had the pleasure of working with Chris and Nick when they were the chefs at the Milwaukee Art Museum’s Calatrava cafe. Our collaboration has always been a rewarding experience for me, and I believe it was a rewarding experience for them as well.

Coquette Cafe Chefs Chris and Nick had planned the event with Becky and David. Coquette Cafe staff were eager to invite the guests and to make sure all the foods were presented in an elegant manner. The back room at the cafe was reserved for the event. Chris and I had cooked some appetizers to be served at the evening event. Chris was hopping from place to place to make sure everything was in order. Nick was also involved in menu planning and created name plates for all the dishes that were served. The wine expert William Gardner from L’eft Bank Wine Company had his wines and glasses ready to serve.

The guests started arriving at 5PM. An array of wonderful foods featuring a sampling of Coquette Cafe’s famous pates, terrine and roulettes, an assortment of French cheeses, an assortment of flat bread pizzas, a selection of delicious Indian appetizers ( tuna masala served on a cocktail rye bread, vegetable vadai made with vegetables blended with seasoned split peas, onions and ginger transformed into a high fiber vegetable fritter, potato masala on baked phyllo shells with coriander chutney and eggplant chutney) were the featured foods served with fine samples of wine from the L’eft Bank wine company. This wonderful combination of French, American and Indian appetizers was extremely well-received by all the guests.

The Milwaukeeans gathered there were happy to meet each other and it was obvious they were having a terrific time. We greeted the guests warmly and were so happy to see everyone eagerly going to the food table to see the food display. It didn’t feel like we were all meeting the guests for the first time. It felt like we all knew each other very well. I was pleasantly surprised that some of the guests had known me and had taken cooking classes with me and were using my cookbook (Healthy South Indian Cooking) Many guests were also delighted to learn about my upcoming TV cooking program series on MPTV (Healthful Indian Flavors with Alamelu) beginning May 15 and were looking forward to watching the series.

Chris, Nick, and I were overwhelmed by the appreciation of our efforts by everyone who attended the event. It was a memorable event. I have seen Wine & Dine events held  in many cities. Now, in Milwaukee we will have our own event too. Becky Steimle and David Wise are the visionaries to begin such a series of fun events in Milwaukee.  These monthly Wine & Dine experience will be held in different restaurants leading up to the “great tasting event”  hosted by Milwaukee Home & Fine Living magazine, to take place in October 2nd, and 3rd, 2010 at Midwest Express Center. As you may know the 2009 Wine & Dine Wisconsin was well attended event with many popular Milwaukee chefs participating in cooking demonstrations, tastings and wine experts talking about the food and wine pairings. Mark your calendar for the monthly and upcoming great tasting event in October, 2010. Let us get together and celebrate Milwaukee. Shall we?

St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated by preparing and serving corned beef and cabbage by the Irish. Although I am an Indian American, I consider myself partly Irish too. My daughter was born on St. Patrick’s day and she went to the University of Notre Dame for her undergraduate education. My husband did his Ph.D. at the University of Notre Dame. So, that makes me an Irish mom and a Domer!

One of my favorite vegetables is cabbage. Cabbage is often served in the US in coleslaw, soup, or as sauerkraut. I would like to suggest an alternate way to prepare a flavorful cabbage dish that is inspired by Indian cooking.  Before we get to my easy-to-prepare dish, let us recognize some facts about cabbage and its health benefits.

Cabbage is inexpensive and available throughout the year. Cabbage is a cruciferous vegetable rich in Vit. K, C,dietary fiber, iron, manganese and Vit. B6. Cabbage promotes digestive health. Cabbage comes in various colors like green and red. Cabbage when stir-fried gives a nice crunchy texture and taste.

It is important to choose cabbage that is firm and crisp. Remove the thick leaves, clean and cut the cabbage. Cabbage can be shredded by hand (using cutting board and knife) or with food processor. When food processor is used to shred the cabbage, the cut is very fine and when cooked it becomes soggy and wilted. So, shredding the cabbage, by hand makes the cabbage fresh and crunchy. Here is a delicious way to cook cabbage…an Indian inspired cabbage dish for St. Patrick’s Day!

Cabbage is shredded and lightly cooked with cumin and garnished with coconut. So for all you out there making cabbage, let us toast to good health and prepare an aromatic, healthful cabbage stir-fry dish with coconut! Shall we?

Cabbage Poriyal with Coconut :

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1/4 cup chopped onion

4 cups shredded cabbage

1 teaspoon minced ginger

1 green chili pepper, chopped

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon unsweetened coconut powder (available at Outpost Natural Foods)

1. Place oil in a skillet over medium heat. When oil is hot, but not smoking add cumin seeds.

2. Add onion and cook for a minute.

3. Add cabbage, ginger, chili, and salt and stir well. Cover and cook the cabbage until it is crisp-tender, about 3 to 5 minutes.

4.  Add coconut and stir-well.

This stir-fry is a big hit even with kids and can be served as a side dish to any meal. It can also easily be mixed with one cup of cooked Basmati rice and can be made into “Cabbage Rice”. This cabbage dish can also be made into a “Cabbage Wrap”.  Happy St. Patrick’s day!

Cauliflower is a large flower and is a cruciferous vegetable. Other cruciferous vegetables are cabbage, Brussels sprouts, kale, and broccoli. All the above cruciferous vegetables are green in color, but cauliflower is milky white. The leaves of the plant cover the cauliflower as it is maturing, and the flower is shielded from the sun depriving it of chlorophyll. Cauliflower is an excellent source of vitamins, potassium, folate and dietary fiber!

Researchers believe the combination of vegetables and curcumin in turmeric could be an effective therapy in cancer prevention. Best of all cauliflower when spiced with turmeric, onions and tomatoes, is absolutely delightful and healthful.

You can make cauliflower masala, cauliflower in lentil based soup, cauliflower kootu, cauliflower rice with cashews, cauliflower pakoras, cauliflower proriyal, and cauliflower  kurma! And many, many more dishes with amazing cauliflower!

All the spices indicated in the recipe below are easily available in regular grocery stores.  Sounds good? Here is a delicious easy-to-prepare recipe for Cauliflower Masala for you to try…Enjoy!

Recipe from Healthy South Indian Cooking, October 2008

Cauliflower Masala

(This cauliflower stir-fry with onions, tomatoes, and spices makes a colorful and tasty dish)

2 tablespoons canola oil

2 or 3 slivers cinnamon stick

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 samll onion, chopped

1 small tomato, chopped

1/2  teaspoon turmeric powder

1/2 teaspoon cayenne powder

1/2 teaspoon cumin powder

1/2 cup tomato sauce

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon salt

3 cups cauliflower, cut into small florets

1.  Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. When oil is hot, but not smoking add cinnamon and cumin seeds until seeds turn brown. About 20 seconds

2.  Add onion and tomato. Stir-fry for 1 minute over medium heat.

3.  Add turmeric powder, cayenne powder, and cumin powder. Stir well over medium heat for one minute. Add tomato sauce and salt. Mix well to obtain a thick paste consistency.

4.  Add cauliflower florets and blend well the above thick sauce. Cover and cook over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Continue cooking until cauliflower is just tender, stirring occasionally. Be careful not to overcook.

Health benefits of spices:

Cinnamon: Cinnamon stars in savory dishes in the East. Cinnamon is known to lower blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes. Studies also indicate that it reduces cholesterol.

Cumin: An antioxidant and a digestive spice.

Cayenne: Studies indicate the compound “capsaicin” in cayenne is anti-cancerous, anti-inflammatory.

Turmeric Powder: The fragrant yellow spice, popular in Indian dishes, contains the powerful compound “curcumin” , and its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects benefit a wide range of conditions. U.S. reasearchers said in 2007 they had found curcumin may help stimulate immune system cells in the Alzheimer’s disease.

(Source: “Using a World of Spices” by Dr. Andrew Weil, with the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine.)

I welcome comments and questions from users. Alamelu’s E-mail: alamelu99@yahoo.com

It was a magical day indeed today in Milwaukee at the Midwest Airlines Center. Wonderful wine, cheese, chocolates, top chefs’ demonstrations, beers, coffee, tea were all available to the visitors. It was an elegant event right here in town. There was so much to sip, taste and learn. The good news for those who missed it is that it continues on Sunday.

The admission charge includes all the sipping and tasting you may desire!  Add to this several wonderful presentations by wine and food experts. You will find in the first wine and dine event in Milwaukee an opportunity to have an enjoyable afternoon with friends and family.

(In case you missed the great publicity that preceded this event, visit www.wineanddinewisconsin.com)

After my presentation at the Culinary Stage on Saturday, October 10, 2009 I walked around the Midwest Airlines Center, having a great and relaxing time in the company of my husband and friends. It was a memorable and fun filled day!  I am delighted that Milwaukee has joined the ranks of a growing number of cities in which annual food and wine events are held.

If you go to the event on Sunday October 11^th,  I am confident  you will return home energized!