Weekend Events for February 18th – 20th

Friday:
Big, Bold Reds – Bacchus Wine Market – 4:00 – 8:30pm
http://www.bacchuswinemarket.com/events.html

Paso Robles Tasting – La Costa Wine Co. – 5:00pm – 8:30pm
http://lacostawineco.com/store/content/12/Tasting-Events/

Prix Fixe 3 Course Menu and Wine Flights – Wine Vault & Bistro – 5;30pm – 10:00pm
http://www.winevaultbistro.com/calendar.html

Saturday:
Big, Bold Reds – Bacchus Wine Markey – 2:00pm – 8:30pm
http://www.bacchuswinemarket.com/events.html

Chef’s 5 Course Tasting Menu Paired with a Wine Flight – Wine Vault & Bistro – 5:00pm – 10:00pm
http://www.winevaultbistro.com/calendar.html

Sunday:
Winemaking Demonstration – Curds and Wine – 1:00pm – 2:30pm
http://www.curdsandwine.com/

Sausage and Basil Cream Lasagna

1 lb ground italian sausage (I used spicy ground italian sausage, but you could also go with mild)
1 onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
olive oil
salt and pepper for seasoning
italian seasoning
26 oz. bottled marinara sauce of your choice
1 bunch of basil, stems discarded
1 cup heavy cream
2 cups shredded mozzarella
lasagna noodles (for a quicker/easier meal, I used no boil lasagna noodles)

Preheat oven to 375.

In a large sauté pan, drizzle with olive oil and heat over medium-high heat. Add sausage and brown, crumbling into pieces while cooking. Add onions and garlic. Season with salt and pepper and continue to sauté until onions are soft and cooked through. Add marinara sauce and allow simmering for about 10 minutes.

While sauce is simmering, place basil in a food processor and add heavy cream. Season with salt and pepper. Process until it whips up into a think cream.

In a 9x13 baking dish place some of the sauce on the bottom and smear around. Lay a layer of lasagna noodles, and then spread a layer of basil cream, followed by a layer of sauce and then top with shredded mozzarella. Keep repeating and finish layers so that the top ends in sauce and then mozzarella. Season the very top with some pepper and italian seasoning.

Cover with foil and back for 45 minutes. Increase heat to 400 and remove foil. Continue cooking for another 10 minutes or so, just until cheese begins to bubble and brown. Remove from oven and allow resting for about 10 minutes. This helps the lasagna set so you can easily remove slices without creating too much of a mess.

Serve and ENJOY!

Wine Pairing........Pinot Noir.

Kale Pesto Pasta with Sausage, Peppers and Onions

Kale has great health benefits and is rich in calcium, iron and vitamin C to name a few.

1/2 bunch kale (stems discarded and leaves coarsely chopped)
Germelli pasta
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1 toasted garlic clove
1/2 cup of grated parmesan (plus some for garnish - optional)
salt and pepper for seasoning
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
italian sausage links (about 4 or 5)
red onion, sliced length wise and then cut in half (about 1 to 1 1/2 inch slices)
yellow bell pepper, sliced length wise and then cut in half (about 1 to 1 1/2 inch slices)
red bell pepper, sliced length wise and then cut in half (about 1 to 1 1/2 inch slices)

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook kale for about 4 to 5 minutes, until tender. Drain kale in a colander and rinse with cold water.

Squeeze kale to remove excess water. Place kale in a food processor and add walnuts, garlic, parmesan and olive oil. Process until almost smooth and season with salt and pepper.

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

In a large non-stick sauté pan, drizzle with olive oil and heat over medium-high heat. Add sausage and brown on all sides. Remove sausage and cut into medium-thin slices. Add the sliced sausage back to the sauté pan and add onions and bell pepper. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until onions and bell peppers begin to soften and just starting to brown (caramelize).

While cooking sausage, bell peppers and onions, cook pasta according to package directions.

Once pasta is done, drain and add to sauté pan. Toss to mix ingredients. Add pesto and mix thoroughly and then turn off heat.

Serve garnished with shredded parmesan and ENJOY!

Wine Pairing......Merlot.

Catalina Island

We spent Saturday on Catalina Island celebrating Gail's 60th Birthday.  Brandon, Gail, Maion, Carolyn and I met in Long Beach at the Hotel Maya.  They have a great restaurant that sits right on the water called Fuego.  We started our day with a wonderful breakfast and Champagne.  Then we headed over to Catalina Helicopter Tours.  All of us were super excited for the opportunity to get to Catalina Island via a helicopter.  It was an awesome experience and definitely the way to go.  A 15 minute helicopter ride is all it takes.  Once on Catalina Island we cruised around checking things out and stopping for some great drinks and appetizers.  About mid way through the day, we boarded a Jeep and was given a 4 hour tour of the Island stopping along the way to enjoy Champagne, chocolates and crackers.  The sights were so awesome.  From the sea views, native plants, buffalo, a winery, horses and even a fox.  The weather could not of been better for us too.  About 75 degress and sunny, not a cloud in the sky.  After our Jeep adventure, we headed back to the helicopter and then this is when we said goodbye to beautiful Catalina.  Back to Long Beach is where we headed.  To end the day, we all had dinner on the waterfront at Gladstones.  Then back home all exhausted from our thrilling day!

Enjoy the pictures below of our experiences.