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.

Spicy Sautéed Shrimp with Spicy Tomato Sauce and Couscous

WARNING......If you do not like spicy food and tomatoes, then this might not be the recipe for you. If you would like to tame down the spice level, use less cayenne, as it can pack a punch if you are not careful. You can always add more, but you cannot always remove.

Olive Oil
Shrimp (peeled, deveined and patted dry)
Ground Coriander
Cayenne Pepper
Salt and Pepper for Seasoning
1 Diced White Onion
1 Chopped Garlic Clove
1 tbsp Minced Ginger
1 tsp Grated Lemon Zest
(1) 28 oz. Diced Tomatoes
Chopped Cilantro
Couscous

Season shrimp with a sprinkle of coriander, cayenne, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Heat sauté pan over medium-high heat and drizzle with olive oil. Sauté shrimp until done (opaque throughout). Make sure the pan is hot before adding the shrimp, this way you can create a nice crust on the shrimp without over cooking. Once cooked, wrap in foil to keep warm.

Drizzled sauté pan with more olive oil and add the diced onion, garlic and ginger. Sprinkle with a bit more coriander, cayenne, salt and pepper. Sauté onions until medium brown (almost being to caramelize). Add tomatoes and simmer, stirring occasionally. This is where you will need to taste the sauce to see if you would like to add additional amounts of seasoning.

While sauce is simmering, cook couscous according to package directions.

Once couscous is done, serve shrimp and sauce on top of couscous and garnish with chopped cilantro......Enjoy!!!

Wine pairing......Pinot Blanc, Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc.

BBQ Chicken Pizza

Pizza night!! You can easily swap out the chicken for shrimp. Eliminate the jalapeno slices for less heat, but trust me, they were a good touch. Brandon wanted more sauce, Taylor wanted less.... I liked it just as is. Great thing with this recipe is you can choose the amount you want for each topping. I use a pizza stone to cook my pizzas, but you could easily use a sheet pan.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Pizza Dough (store bought or make your own)
Olive Oil
Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast
BBQ Sauce
Shredded Cheese Blend (Mozzarella, Monterey Jack and Cheddar)
Thinly Sliced White Onions
Canned Whole Kernel Corn (drained)
1 Chopped Garlic Clove
Sliced Jarred Jalapeno Slices
Chopped Cilantro
Chopped Green Onion
Salt and Pepper for Seasoning

In a sauté pan, drizzle with olive oil and heat over medium-high heat. Coat chicken breast with BBQ sauce and season with salt and pepper. Sauté chicken until just about fully cooked. Wrap cooked chicken in foil and set aside to rest. While chicken is resting, slice onion, chop garlic, cilantro and green onions.

Chop chicken and place in a bowl and coat again with BBQ sauce.

Preheat pizza stone (if using a sheet pan, no need to preheat, just coat with olive oil). Roll out pizza dough on a floured surface. Place the rolled out pizza dough on the pizza stone or sheet pan. Spread a layer of BBQ sauce (you decide how much you would like). Sprinkle with cheese, chicken, onions, corn, jalapeno and garlic. Season with pepper. Bake for about 13 to 17 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit on pizza stone or sheet pan for about 5 minutes.

After resting, sprinkle with cilantro and green onions. Slice to the size you want and serve. (Do not slice until the pizza has rested for at least 5 minutes, otherwise you will have a mess and your slices will not be clean and neat).....Enjoy!!

Wine pairing......Merlot or Shiraz.

Southwestern Soup

I like to make my soups in a Dutch oven. I really feel a Dutch oven distributes the heat evenly and helps with making an awesome pot of soup. You can easily substitute the protein depending on your preferences (Gail, try boneless, skinless turkey breast....I know you will love it).

Olive Oil

Chili Powder

Ground Cumin

Ground Coriander

Dried Oregano

Salt and Pepper for seasoning

Drizzle olive oil in the Dutch oven and heat (or large non-stick sauce pan) over medium-high heat. Season chicken with chili powder, cumin, coriander, oregano and season with salt and pepper. Sauté chicken until just about cooked all the way through. Wrap chicken in foil and set aside to rest (this will bring out the juices in the chicken).

Olive Oil

1 Chopped Red Onion

1 Chopped Red Bell Pepper

1 Chopped Green Bell Pepper

1 Chopped Orange Bell Pepper

1 Minced Garlic Clove

(1) 16 oz Whole Kernel Corn (drained)

(1) 28 oz Diced Tomatoes

(1) 32 oz Chicken Stock/Broth (or sub out for vegetable stock/broth)

Salt and Pepper for Seasoning

After the chicken is removed, drizzle pot with olive oil (continue to leave on medium-high heat). Add onion, bell peppers and garlic. Season with chili powder, cumin, coriander, oregano, salt and pepper. Cook bell pepper mixture until onions are beginning to become transparent and bell peppers are slightly softened.

Dice chicken and add to pot along with juices from when the chicken was resting.

Add the corn and tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the stock/broth and bring to a rapid simmer (slight boil).  This is where you can determine how thick you would like your soup.  Add as much or as little of the stock/broth as you would like.  Cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. If you feel like more chili pepper, then add it. If you feel like more cumin, salt and pepper, then add it. And so on. (Do not taste until the 15 minutes cooking time has passed. You want all the flavors to marry before you start fooling around with the seasoning).

Chopped Fresh Cilantro

Chopped Green Onions

Shredded Monterey Jack

Sliced Avocado

Top soup with cilantro, green onions, cheese and avocado.......ENJOY!!

Wine Pairing.....Try with a Pinot Noir, Chianti or Riesling

Weekend of March 12th, 13th & 14th

Friday, March 12th:
Casa Lapostolle Wine Dinner at The French Gourmet 8pm
http://www.thefrenchgourmet.com/index.php

Saturday, March 13th:
The Truth about Wine and Cheese at La Costa Wine Co. 3-5pm
http://lacostawineco.com/store/

Sunday, March 14th:
Family Winemakers of California Tasting 2010 - Del Mar Fairgrounds
Tasting featuring over 200 wineries
http://www.familywinemakers.org/tastings/tastings.cfm

Vinz Wine Bar Escondido - Saturday, March 6th

Andrea, Steve, Brandon and I went to Vinz Wine Bar on Saturday night. Sad to say, they were out of the filet mignon special that we were all really looking forward to having. Second option.....the duck confit. It was pretty good. I did start my meal off with their Roasted Red Pepper Soup. It was awesome!! Sorry for the messy bowl...we could not resist giving it a little taste before snapping the picture.
http://vinzwinebar.net/

Sunday Supper - Penne Rigate with Bacon and Roasted Tomato Sauce

1 package of thick cut bacon

Cover bacon with water (cover by about 2 inches) and bring to a light boil. Cook for 10 mins. Drain and rinse bacon. This helps remove some of the salty brine. Cut bacon in 1/2 inch pieces.

1 cup diced carrot
1 cup diced celery
1 yellow onion diced (coarsely diced)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. On a large rimed backing sheet, toss carrots, celery, onion and bacon and spread in a thin layer. Roast until bacon is crispy and vegetables are roasted and tender. You will need to stir and spread out about every 5 to 10 mins. until fully roasted.

1 white onion diced (finely diced)
6 garlic cloves coarsely chopped
olive oil
salt and pepper for seasoning

In a large sauté pan, heat olive oil. Sauté white onions and garlic until browned (almost caramelized). Season with salt and pepper.

1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup dry white vermouth
1/2 chicken stock/broth (or vegetable)
pepper for season

Add roasted bacon and vegetables to the sautéed onions. Add wine, vermouth and stock/broth. Cook to a light simmer and cook off alcohol. Season with pepper (no need to add more salt at this point because of the bacon).

1 - 28oz can of fire roasted diced tomatoes
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper for seasoning

Add diced tomatoes and bay leaf to the bacon and roasted vegetable mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer until you are finished cooking pasta.

1 package of good quality penne rigate

Cook pasta according to package directions.

Grated parmesan cheese.

Top pasta with bacon and roasted tomato sauce and finish with grated parmesan cheese.

This would be great with a nice salad of mixed greens and some crusty bread.  Serve with a nice bottle Rioja.......ENJOY!!!

2006 Lincourt Pinot Noir Santa Rita Hills

Saturday evening we opened up the 2006 Lincourt Pinot Noir Santa Rita Hills.  This was a really good pinot.  It was light bodied and hosted notes of herbs, spice and dried berries.