I went to Italy for the first time last year, visiting Venice, Florence and Rome, and it was probably one of the best trips I’ve ever taken. I talked about it a bit when I shared this Pizza Bianca and Cacio e Pepe recipe. One of the best dishes I ate on the trip—which is really hard for me to say because we had some amazing food—was in Rome in a small hole in the wall place out in a courtyard with music playing late one evening. I’m pretty sure that’s another reason why I loved the dish so much. Anyhow, it was this Coda alla Vaccinara (Italian Braised Oxtails). I’m no stranger to oxtails because I grew up eating them all the time in soup. My mom would make, and actually still makes to this day, the most delicious oxtail soup in the world. That’s a loaded statement but I stand behind every word of it. If you’ve never tried oxtails yourself, you’re missing out, but braising them is the perfect way to get your toes wet. These are braised in red wine with tomatoes and celery. The celery is what really makes the dish. The flavor of the oxtails and celery with the wine and tomatoes is the perfect combination.
I’ve teamed up with Winc (formerly Club W) to bring you this recreation of the dish I had earlier in the year in Italy. I think whenever you’re cooking with wine, it’s really important to pick something you enjoy to drink yourself, because you’re flavoring the dish with that wine. It doesn’t have to break the bank either. Pick something moderate and full bodied, depending on your recipe. I was fortunate enough to have them help me pick out the perfect wine to cook and pair the Coda alla Vaccinara with. I’ll dive a bit more into their pick a little later. In case you don’t know Winc is a monthly wine subscription service. All you have to do is answer a few questions that’ll help them assess your unique tastes, and then they’ll send you wines that match your palate. Lucky for you, if you use the code “CANDIDAPPETITE” at checkout, you’ll receive a $20 credit toward your first monthly shipment! I’ve said it before, I never partner with companies that I don’t truly enjoy myself, or that don’t fit this site’s brand, and I can tell you first hand that all of the wine I’ve tried from Winc has been exceptional.
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Cinco de Mayo and the Kentucky Derby land on the same day this year, which apparently only happens every seven years. So because of this very special occasion, I think it’s important, no necessary, for us to celebrate accordingly. It’s our civic duty. Whether you want to call it Cinco de Derby or Mexi-Derby Day, it doesn’t really matter because the one important thing I do know is that you need to make this Tex-Mex Shrimp and Grits on Saturday. It’s the Southern classic, shrimp and grits, with a Southwestern twist. Taco meets grits and you’re going to love it. All you need now is a bourbon margarita to really tie in that Derby Cinco de Mayo mash-up. Don’t let the over-the-top look of the dish fool you, it’s super easy to make. 
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Mac and Cheese is one of those recipes that everyone should know how to make. It’s like a great roasted chicken (I definitely need to post a roasted chicken on here), a really perfect 
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I’ve never really been a big fan of chicken salad. Mainly because it’s always loaded up on mayonnaise and has too many veggies, and grapes, and you know how I feel about savory and sweet combinations. I’ve never been a fan. So I was somewhat hesitant to try out this recipe, but as I was flipping through Amber Wilson’s gorgeous cookbook, For the 
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I’m a huge fan of orange chicken, primarily because it bills itself as a Chinese restaurant staple, but it’s really not all that authentic to begin with, and was actually invented in Hawaii at a Panda Express, or at least that’s what the internet tells me and as I’ve heard before, you have to believe everything that’s on the internet. I love this dish so much that I even turned it into a delicious Orange Chicken Slider in 
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