Roasted Pesto Chicken with Potatoes

fingerling potatoes, cleaned and quartered

2 sprigs of rosemary
3 garlic cloves, minced
red pepper flakes for seasoning
1 lemon, quartered
olive oil
salt and pepper for seasoning
boneless skinless chicken breast
7 oz pesto (or homemade)
1 green bell pepper, sliced
1 white onion, sliced

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Drizzle non-stick sauté pan with olive oil. Season chicken with salt, pepper and a bit of pesto. Toss to coat. Add to sauté pan and brown on both sides (deep brown).

While chicken is sautéing. Place potatoes, bell pepper, onion and season with red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, garlic and the rest of the pesto in a roasting pan. Stir to coat. Sprinkle with some of the rosemary leaves. Place in the oven and allow the potatoes to begin to cook while chicken finishes browning.

Once chicken finishes browning, add chicken to the roasting pan. You will want to position the chicken in the middle and have the potato mixture going around the chicken. Place lemon pieces around the chicken (do not squeeze, leave whole). Place the rest of the rosemary sprigs on the chicken. Place back in the oven and continue to cook. You will cook until potatoes are done. You will want to take out and stir potatoes so they keep moist about every 20 minutes. Keep testing potatoes with a fork until they are cooked through. Serve and ENJOY!!!!!!

Wine pairing........Chardonnay or a Pouilly-Fume.

Spaghetti with Spicy Meatballs

salt and pepper for seasoning

olive oil
spicy ground italian sausage, rolled into small meatballs
1 red onion, diced
2 - 28oz cans of diced tomatoes
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
shredded parmesan, for garnish (optional)

Begin boiling water for pasta.

In a large non-stick sauté pan, drizzle with olive oil and heat over medium-high heat. Add meatballs and brown on all sides. Add onion, garlic, bell pepper and season with salt and pepper. Sauté until onions become soft. Add tomatoes and reduce to a simmer. Keep cooking simmering until you have finished cooking pasta. In a large bowl toss all together. Add basil and toss again to mix. Serve and Enjoy!!!!

Wine pairing.......Pinot Noir or Zinfandel.

Western Inspired Menu......YEEHAW

Carolyn, Scott and Zachary came down this past weekend. We all went to the PBR (Professional Bull Riding) event held at Pala. Gail joined us too. It was so much fun. Crazy how big those bulls are! After the event, we all enjoyed a western inspired dinner (if you are interested in any of these, contact me for recipes).

Do any of you have any great recipes that could work for this western theme? Please share, you never know when one of us will need to entertain some cowboys and cowgirls.

starter:
bacon wrapped shrimp with BBQ dipping sauce

dinner:
western salad (mixed greens, black beans, avocado and tomatoes)
brown bear chili stuffed baked potatoes
cowboy fixin's for the baked potatoes (shredded cheddar and jack cheese, cilantro, green onions and sour cream)

dessert:
chocolate bull cupcakes with chocolate frosting

Shrimp Taco Salad

This was really easy and was a nice light option for dinner.  You could also make this for lunch and enjoy sitting outside enjoying the beautiful spring weather.  Also, feel free to try it with other types of dressings, I am sure it would be great.

lime juice

olive oil
ground cumin
2 garlic cloves, minced
maple syrup
bottled hot sauce
shrimp, peeled, deveined and patted dry

corn
mixed greens
2 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup cilantro
black beans, rinsed and drained
tomato, chopped
avocado, diced
chipotle dressing (I used bottled chipotle cheddar dressing)

blue corn tortilla chips

Season shrimp with lime juice, olive oil, ground cumin, garlic, maple syrup and hot sauce. Toss all together to coat. Basically enough of these ingredients to coat and season the shrimp.

Drizzle sauté pan with olive oil and heat over medium-high heat. Sauté shrimp until the shrimp are completely cooked through.

Dress mixed greens with salad dressing. Top with green onions, cilantro, corn, black beans, tomato, avocado and shrimp. Garnish with tortilla chips. Serve and ENJOY!!!!

Wine pairing......Sauvignon Blanc.

BLT Pesto Pasta Casserole

I used whole wheat spaghetti pasta for this recipe. You could use regular spaghetti pasta or even bucatini pasta.

1/2 cup italian seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

4 strips of bacon, diced
1 cup grape tomatoes, sliced in half
2 leeks, sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cups white wine
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 package spaghetti noodles
1 cup fresh spinach
7 oz basil pesto
1/4 italian seasoning
salt and pepper for seasoning
olive oil

Begin bringing a pot of water to boil for the pasta.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large sauté pan, crisp up bacon. Remove bacon and allow it to strain on a paper towel. Discard all of the bacon fat, except about 1 tbsp.

Drizzle sauté pan with olive oil and sauté leeks and garlic, season with salt and pepper and cook until leeks become soft. Add wine and chicken broth. Reduce heat to a simmer and allow cook for about 5 minutes.

Break spaghetti noodles into thirds and cook according to package directions.

While pasta is cooking, add tomatoes, bacon, italian seasoning and red pepper flakes to leeks and allow to simmer on a low heat.

In a small bowl, mix bread crumbs and parmesan.

Once pasta is cooked, add pasta, tomato leek mixture and spinach. Toss to coat. Add pesto and toss to coat again. Put pasta mixture in a casserole dish and sprinkle breadcrumb mixture on the top. Bake for about 10 minutes or until bread crumbs are browned.

Serve and ENJOY!!!!

Wine pairing.......Sangiovese or Rhone.

2006 Foxen Pinot Noir Sanford and Benedict Vineyard

I absolutely love Foxen wine. Never fails you. This wine was beautiful. Light in color. The nose carried a smoky but spicy cherry scent. Wonder raspberry and tart cherry with slight bit of creamy aspect on the palate.

Chicken and Corn Enchilada Casserole

This takes the stress out of rolling enchiladas and trying not to rip the corn tortillas. Makes great leftovers too.


olive oil
southwestern seasoning
salt and pepper for seasoning
boneless skinless chicken
15 oz ricotta
2 tbsp cilantro, chopped
1 white onion, diced
3 green onions, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground red pepper
1/4 tsp ground cumin
red enchilada sauce
1 can of diced tomatoes with chilies
1 can of corn, drained
shredded cheese (mexican blend)
corn tortillas
cotija cheese for garnish
avocado for garnish

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Season chicken with southwestern seasoning, salt, pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Flip to coat. Grill chicken until just about done. Wrap chicken in foil and set aside to rest.

Drizzle sauté pan with olive oil and heat over medium-high heat. Sauté onions and garlic until onions begin to turn translucent. Add chili powder, red pepper and cumin. Stir to coat. Add tomatoes, corn and season with salt and pepper. Sauté for about 5 minutes. While mixture is sautéing, dice chicken. Add chicken, along with juices from when the chicken was resting. Sauté for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally and then cool for about 10 minutes.

In a large bowl, mix ricotta, half of the cilantro and half of the green onions. Mix well. Add the chicken mixture and mix well.

In a large casserole dish, coat the bottom with enchilada sauce. Place a layer of tortillas on the bottom of the casserole dish. Place a layer of the chicken mixture, then a layer of cheese and finish with another layer of tortillas. Keep repeating until you have used up your ingredients (but reserved some of the cheese for the very top); also be sure to finish with tortillas on the top. Drizzle with enchilada sauce. Sprinkle with cheese, remaining cilantro and green onions.

Bake for about 35 minutes until bubbly and lightly browned. Let rest for about 5 minutes before cutting. Garnish with crumbled cotija cheese and avocado. Serve and ENJOY!!!

Pairing....a great mexican beer would be best for this dish.