Cod Tacos with Black Bean, Corn and Zucchini Salsa

Tacos are so hard to photograph, but I hope you can look past the picture. You can use any firm white meaty fish. The salsa is great the next day as a salad.

1 lb Cod filets
2 tbsp lime juice
1 - 4 oz can of diced green chilies
1 medium zucchini, peeled and cut into small cubes
1 - 14.5 oz corn, drained
1 - 14.5 oz black beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
salt and pepper for seasoning
Tortillas (corn, wheat or white)
Chili powder for seasoning
Cayenne for seasoning
olive oil
salsa of your choice

Preheat oven to 375.

In a medium bowl, combine green chilies, zucchini, corn, black beans, cilantro and 1 tbsp lime juice. Season with salt and pepper. Place in the fridge to keep cool. Toss every so often while you are preparing the fish.

Wrap tortillas in foil.

Season fish with chili powder, cayenne and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with the remaining lime juice and some olive oil. Turn to evenly coat.

Place fish on a baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes until just about cooked through. Turn up the oven to broil and continue to cook for about 5 minutes until the fish gets a nice brown crust. Be sure not to overcook your fish, so feel free to take out sooner. Depending on the size and thickness, your fish may cook faster.

While fish is cooking, place tortillas in the oven to warm.

Top tortillas with fish and corn black bean salsa. Garnish with salsa. Serve and ENJOY!!!!

Wine pairing......I say skip the wine and go with a nice cold beer. Pacifio would be great!

Parmesan Chicken Marinara

This would be great served with some pasta, sautéed zucchini or even a salad. You can easily double this recipe to serve 4. You could sub out the chicken for pork, which would be great too.

1 cup Italian breadcrumbs
3/4 cup shredded parmesan, plus about ½ cup for the topping
salt and pepper for seasoning
1 egg
2 boneless skinless chicken breast
olive oil
2 cups marinara sauce (bottled or homemade)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a shallow bowl, mix breadcrumbs with 3/4 cup parmesan, season with salt and pepper. In another shallow bowl, whisk the egg.

Drizzle oven proof sauté pan with olive oil and heat over medium-high heat.

Coat chicken in breadcrumb mixture, then in the egg and then back in the breadcrumb mixture. Place chicken in the sauté pan and sauté on both sides for about 5 minutes or so. Just until beginning to brown. Pour marinara sauce around chicken and pour about 1/2 cup of the marinara sauce over the chicken. Top chicken with remaining parmesan cheese.

Place in the oven and bake for about 45 minutes or until chicken is completely cooked and cheese is browned and crusty.

Serve by placing about 1/2 cup sauce on a plate and top with the chicken. Serve and ENJOY!!!!!

Wine pairing......Chianti or Sangiovese.

Wheeler Gorge, Ojai, CA. - July 2010

This past weekend we spent a few days at the Wheeler Gorge Campground in Ojai. It was such a great trip. There were 6 of us, plus Rusty our Chocolate Lab. Rusty loves to go camping!

http://www.rockymountainrec.com/camp/padres-wheeler-gorge.htm

We spent one day in downtown Ojai checking out all the shops. In addition, we went to the newly opened Ojai Vineyard Tasting Room. Just so happened it opened the day before we arrived. Great wine and of course we could not resist sharing a purchase of a handful of bottles with Carolyn. I can't wait to open one of those puppies up again so we all can enjoy it.

http://www.ojaivineyard.com/Tasting%20room.htm

On the next day, we decided to stay at camp. Brandon found us all a nice part along the creek where we could put our chairs. Nothing like sitting there, with your feet in the water and sipping on a cold one. We played games down there for a couple of hours or so. It was very nice and relaxing.

Each day we had a themed dinner, along with a wine tasting. Each of us brought a bottle of wine, priced from $20-$50 and in addition, Brandon and I purchased a ringer. Now you may be asking yourself, what is a ringer? It is an everyday bottle of wine that can be purchased just about anywhere at around $10-$13 or so. We narrowed the options down by keeping it in the general area, Santa Barbara County. We ate like royalty and we actually got Scott to join in on the red wine tastings. He did an excellent job and it was great to have him enjoy some of the wine with us.

Dinner 1 - Mexican Fiesta paired with Chardonnay
Chips, Salsa, Guacamole and Taquitos
Carne Asada and Shrimp Tacos
Black, Corn and Red Pepper Salad

Chateau St Jean came in 1st place and was priced at about $28
Kendal Jackson came in 2nd place and was priced at about $13 (Ringer from Costco)
Au Bon Climat came in 3rd place and was priced at about $20
Tower Brook came in 4th place and was priced at about $25

Dinner 2 - Fire Up The Grill paired with Pinot Noir
Potato Skins with Cheddar Cheese and Bacon
Grilled Steaks
Potato and Broccoli Medley

Byron came in 1st place and was priced at about $28
Taz came in 2nd place and was priced at about $25
Iron Horse came in 3rd place and was priced at about $11 (Ringer from Costco)
Hitching Post came in 4th place and was priced at about $28

Dinner 3 - Viva Italia paired with Syrah
Grilled Shrimp and Caramelized Onion Pizza
Cheese Ravioli with Spicy Sausage Sauce
Freshly Tossed Italian Garden Green Salad

Herman Story came in 1st place and was priced at about $35
Zaca Mesa came in 2nd place and was priced at about $20
Cameron Hughes Lot 135 came in 3rd place and was priced at about $10 (Ringer from Costco)
La Fenetre came in 4th place and was priced at about $20

I have not done group camping in quite a while. It brought back many memories of the old "Wagon Master" days that Brandon and I shared with my dad. I miss those times, but know that we can always start a new tradition and get back on the road sharing great experiences with each other.

This trip was a huge success. Awesome company, fabulous food and delicious wine in a beautiful environment. Next stop Table Mountain in August. I am looking forward to another successful trip and this time we will have a larger group, which is sure to add to the whole experience.

Get out and go camping!!!