How would you like for me to bring dinner to your home?

Hmm?

I can, and will!  Well ... sort of ...

Bertolli offered to throw me and my friends (and one lucky reader) a wine pairing party. SWEET!  (Read my fancy schmancy disclosure).  MY response of course was, "did someone say wine?  Mmm.  Wiiiiiiiiiiine.  Vino.  Travel to Italy?  Ooooh ... "

It's part of their Into The Heart of Italy webisodes.  (How do I get a gig working on videos like THAT!?!  Italy's calling my name ... Tuscan cowboys?  I'm so there ... ) They made it easy with their wine pairing guide.  The varietals were recommended, but it was my choice in wine.  What fun!  I have to confess ... I picked the wine first ... and THEN paired it with the food.  Pinot noir is my favorite, and Bertolli had two pastas paired with a pinot, so I went with the roasted chicken linguine.  Is it shameful to admit that I picked a wine that cost 3 times as much as dinner?  Naaaaaah!  They just suggested a pinot ... I picked La Crema.  I know it's not Italian, but I took a vine-cation last year where a guy had on a La Crema t-shirt that said "pinot envy."  Yeah ... it's that good.

I'm not usually a white wine kinda girl, but there was a new wine our local grocer was promoting and I got suckered in by the label ... Cupcake. Sweet sounding name, but not a sweet wine.  It was actually crisp and refreshing.  We were all pleasantly surprised by that one.  A lot of ooohs and aaaaahs at the table when we tasted it with the stuffed shells.

Since my friend Beth and I are training to run the NYC marathon and our increased mileage over the summer is going to require more pasta dinners, this was actually really good timing.  Well, it seemed like good timing until I got a call form my agent the very same day about a call back for a commercial where I was also going to need to model my hands.  Which means ...

A) no sharp objects and ...

B) no hot ovens that could burn fingers or wrists.

Darn. Considering just last month I nearly cut off my pinky with a new knife, this was going to be a challenge to cook for my friends, even if it did come pre-made in a bag.  So even though I had emailed my pals and offered to cook them dinner ... I showed up with my super-duper-moisturizer gloves on and a clever plan ...

My friend Beth and I did what any smart woman would do ... we drank the wine and let "the men" cook.

This is where it got real  interesting ...

Meet Jim & Mike.

Two guys that love to photograph food ... but never cook it.  In fact, if you ask either of them what's for dinner, they'll usually answer you with one word ... Guinness.  This was going to be a good lesson for them.

Good thing Beth is a goddess with a wine key and that I pre-made dessert ... 'cause we had to start with the basics.

Like ... how to open a bag.

No, no, Mike ... not with your teeth ...

Or a box cutter ...

There  we go.  They found the scissors.  Now we're getting some where.  And Beth and I are getting hungry ... and tipsy.  Jim is staying hidden from the camera.  He does that often.  Don't believe me ... check out his profile pic. Thank goodness Mike is starting to get it under control.

Or so I thought until I caught him taking at peak at the trash can ... to find the directions ...

I will confess and give the boys break here. I goofed with the wine pairings a bit.   The stuffed shells take about 45 minutes to bake in the oven ... but they were the one's I paired with the white wine which you would traditionally have before red.  The linguine only took 10 minutes ... drat.

No, no Mike.  Not the microwave.  Besides, it's the shells we need to speed up ... but they're already in the oven so we're just gonna roll with it.

Beth and I are sticking with the pinot and directing the action in the kitchen.

Mike burns his tongue.  Tsk. Tsk.

But look at that!  What the guys lack in cooking skills, they certainly make up for with their camera skills.  And thankfully Bertolli saved them too ... because it tastes as good as it looks.  Swear.  If Mac made a scratch and sniff computer screen ... you'd be enveloped by some tomato-y cheesy basil-y goodness right now.

Mike pours more wine.  Smart man.

Voila!  Dinner is served!

At first, Jim said, "not to sound cheesy, but it does taste like it came from a restaurant."  Way to make it sound like a sales pitch Jim.  Like you work in advertising or something.  I made him take another sip and another bite and come up with something more ... sincere.   After a few more sips of wine he confessed, "if I had to make this from scratch, I wouldn't.  I'd spend all day chopping and dicing and I'd probably forget an ingredient."  Now THAT sounded more like it.  Especially coming from a man that drinks Guinness for dinner.  In fact, Guinness, if you're reading ... these two boys would LOVE to do a sample tasting for you.  They take awesome pictures.  Just sayin.

Mike's only response was "Mmmmm."  I think I traumatized him by making him cook.  Give him some kudos in the comments ... I think he did a mighty fine job.

Beth's response was, "the wine and pasta is a party in my mouth."   That's a HUGE compliment, Bertolli.  She's Jersey Italian.  And no one beats her Mom's homemade sauce. No one.  In fact, I think that comment just started a Jersey-licious cold war.

This is me ... after one and a half glasses of wine.  Yeah, I'm a light weight.  And someone said something funny and made me laugh so hard I did the whole not-breathing-shoulder-shake-vein-popping-out-of-my-forehead thing.

Nom. Nom. Nom.

All gone!

So ... I promised I would bring dinner to your home ... and here's how ...

Watch the video below to take a little mini trip to Italy with Marisa and Rocco.  Leave a comment about the video below and answer the episode's clue.  One reader's comment will be randomly selected to receive the same party we had which included the following ...

• VIP coupons for four Bertolli Frozen Meals for two that will transport you to Italy in just 10 minutes
• Two, CB2 Verona Pasta Serving Bowls
• Four, Crate & Barrel Rotate Plates
• Crate & Barrel Marble Wine Chiller
• Crate & Barrel Wine Decanter
• Bertolli Wine Pairing Guide and $50 of gift cards to purchase wines complimentary to your meals

Here's the skinny ...

"In this episode, celebrity chef Rocco DiSpirito and actors Marisa Tomei and Dan Cortese explore Italian wine cellars, learn how to taste wine, visit Montepulciano and prepare Chicken Marsala. But you don’t need to search a wine cellar to enjoy the authentic taste of a slow-simmered wine sauce in your Chicken Marsala. With Bertolli Frozen meals you’re just minutes away from a luscious Italian experience in the comfort of your own home."

Watch. Comment. Taste. Mmm.

Deadline for contest is tomorrow night!