Indian Spiced Chicken

This one ranked high with the family. Think of it as an Indian inspired taco. Serve with hummus and pita chips. I used tomato basil hummus, as I thought it complimented the chicken.

Boneless Skinless Chicken
Olive Oil
Ground Coriander
Ground Cumin
1 Red Onion Chopped
Minced Ginger (about 1/2 tsp or so)
1 Garlic Clove Minced
Salt and Pepper for seasoning
Splash of White Wine (you can also use a splash of chicken broth/stock)
Pita Bread
Salsa or Hot Sauce
Chopped Cilantro for garnish

Heat a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Drizzle with olive oil. Season chicken with coriander, cumin, salt and pepper. Sauté chicken until just about cooked through. Wrap in foil and set aside to rest.

Preheat oven or toaster oven to 350 degrees. Wrap pita bread in foil and place in oven or toaster oven to warm up.

Drizzle sauté pan with more olive oil. Add onion and season with coriander, cumin, salt and pepper. Add ginger and garlic. Also add a splash of white wine (or chicken broth/stock) to help loosen up the brown bits from the chicken. Sauté onions (stirring frequently) until browned.

When onions are just about done, cute up chicken in to small pieces. Add chopped chicken and juices from when the chicken was resting to the sauté pan. Continue to cook for about 5 to 10 mins.

Top pita bread with chicken onion mixture. Top with salsa or hot sauce and garnish with cilantro......ENJOY!!!!

Wine pairing.....Pinot Grigio, Viognier or Zinfandel.

Sunday Supper - Spring Forward Shrimp Pita Quesadilla

This is a great dish to celebrate the idea of spring being just around the corner and also welcome the much desired and wanted time change. Very fresh and a nice spin on the traditional quesadilla.

Shrimp (peeled, deveined and patted dry)
Minced garlic clove
Salt and pepper for seasoning
Olive oil
Finely minced white onion
Chopped tomato
Seeded and minced jalapeno
Chopped cilantro
Shredded white cheese (I prefer Monterey jack)
Pita bread rounds
Salsa
Sliced avocado

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Heat sauté pan over medium-high heat and drizzle with olive oil. Season shrimp with salt and pepper. Sauté shrimp (make sure pan is hot before adding shrimp) and garlic. Cook until shrimp is cooked through.

Chop shrimp, leaving one whole shrimp for the top of each quesadilla.

Coat a baking sheet pan with olive oil. Lay one pita bread round and top with cheese, shrimp, onion, jalapeno, tomato, cilantro and more cheese. Then finish with another piece of pita bread round. Bake for about 10 to 15 minutes. Flip and bake for an additional 5 to 10 minutes. You want the bread to crisp up, but not burn. You will have to keep an eye on this.

After finish baking, let rest for about 5 minutes. Cut in quarters and top with salsa, cilantro, onions, avocado and a whole shrimp......Enjoy!

Wine pairing..... Champagne, Sparkling Wine or Pinot Grigio.

Bistro West Carlsbad

Bistro West has a little bit of everything for everybody. From pizzas and pastas to braised meats and fresh fish. The restaurant also offers a pretty decent wine list. It was the perfect spot for us after a day of shopping at the Carlsbad Outlet Mall. Taylor had the Bistro Ahi Tartare. Ahi, avocado and mango salsa served with wonton chips. Brandon stuck to an oldie but goodie, Avocado Bacon Burger with Cheddar Cheese. I enjoyed the Ahi Salad, sesame crusted ahi, baby greens, shitake mushrooms (these were so good, I could have had a whole bowl of these) tossed with a sesame-garlic soy dressing.

http://www.bistrowest.com/index.html

2005 Cutis Heritage Cuvee Santa Barbara Couty

Saturday night we enjoyed the 2005 Curtis Heritage Cuvee. This wine hit the palate with a strong spicy black berry and pomegranate flavor. Also had a back note of leather.

Hayashi Sushi

After watching Kooza and then watching Valley Center High School's Varsity Lacrosse game against Ramona.  (By the way....Go Jags! VC Jags won 18-3.) We headed over to Hayashi Sushi. This place has some delicious and exciting rolls. Everyone is always friendly and the prices are reasonable. We enjoyed all the rolls, but my favorite of the night was the Spicy Tiger which consisted of shrimp tempura, spicy tuna, cucumber and topped with shrimp and avocado. Although, I do have to say, they were all great.
http://www.hayashi-sushi.com/index.php

Kooza - Cirque du Soleil

If you have not seen this, you must get yourself a ticket if you have the opportunity. It was awesome. We all enjoyed it.


The basis of the story tells you of an innocent melancholy loner in search of his place in the world. During his search he comes in contact with a handful of comical characters. The show combines acrobatic performances and the clowning. The acrobatics were the best I have seen. Also, the music is from a live band, which was a nice touch.

2005 Carlisle Syrah Sonoma County

Last night after a great evening out, we opened and enjoyed a bottle of the 2005 Carlisle Syrah Sonoma County. This wine hosted aromas of blackberry, cherry and with a hint of vanilla. Very concentrated and dark. Nice silky texture. Great bottle of wine.