Pork Chops Stuffed with Bacon & Gouda

Yum.

That is all... really :)

This recipe came to my e-mail inbox from my daily recipe from Allrecipes.com and I included it in my meal plan this week cause the hubs loves gouda cheese. I use it whenever I get a chance. It turned out really good with a few variations that I've indicated below. I hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 2 ounces smoked Gouda cheese, shredded
• 4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 (2 1/4 inch thick) center-cut, bone-in pork chops
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat an outdoor grill for medium heat.
2. In a small bowl, combine the cheese, bacon, parsley, and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper.
3. Lay the chop flat on cutting board, and with a sharp knife held parallel to the board, cut a pocket into the pork, going all the way to the bone, but leaving the sides intact.
4. Stuff cheese mixture into pocket, and close with a wooden toothpick. Brush meat with oil, and season with salt and more black pepper.
5. Lightly oil the grill grate. Grill over medium heat for 5 to 8 minutes on each side, or until pork is done. Careful not to overcook!

**I noticed after a few minutes that the cheese started to melt and ooze out so I seared in the grill marks and then finished off in the oven for about 15-20 minutes on 350 degrees to keep all the cheese contained.**

 

Tonight we paired with Pyramid IPA beer :) YUM! But Allrecipes.com recommends a Resiling and they are usually spot on with what they suggest. I hope you enjoy!

Cheers!

~Vino Vixen~

Hoisin Pork Wraps

I'm digging my meal plan this week so I have lots to post I guess?! Some weeks are better than others :) This is another recipe from my Taste of Home Simple & Delicious magazine!

I wasn't going to post this recipe {even though I thought it was delish!} but when I put together my wrap, I couldn't resist snapping a picture of these beautiful colors! I hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 boneless whole pork loin roast (3 pounds)
• 1 cup hoisin sauce, divided
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh gingerroot
• 6 cups shredded red cabbage
• 1-1/2 cups shredded carrots
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
• 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 4-1/2 teaspoons sugar
• 15 flour tortillas (8 inches), warmed

Directions:

1. Cut roast in half. Combine 1/3 cup hoisin sauce and ginger; rub over pork. Transfer to a 3-qt. slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours or until pork is tender.
2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the cabbage, carrots, onions, vinegar and sugar. Chill until serving.
3. Shred meat with two forks and return to the slow cooker; heat through. Place 2 teaspoons remaining hoisin sauce down the center of each tortilla; top with 1/3 cup shredded pork and 1/3 cup coleslaw. Roll up.

As expected my husband didn't care for this one as much as I did. But luckily if the red cabbage cole slaw isn't your style you can easily just throw some cheese on the tortilla and adapt it for a whole different flavor!
Have I ever mentioned my go to website for wine pairings is www.winedin.com? I love it! But tonight it recomended a Reisling which is not my cup of tea, maybe it's yours?! Enjoy!

~Vino Vixen~

Baja Chicken Taco Pizza {and then some...}

I've really been wanting to utilitze my bread maker lately and what better way than to make some pizza crust dough! I have to say, this turned out awesome! I've made it by hand many times but it's never been like this.

I found this recipe CDKitchen.com but there are hundreds of similar recipes online.

Ingredients

• 1 cup and 2 tbsp warm water
• 2 tbsp oil
• 3 cups bread flour
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
• 1 tbsp pizza seasoning {not in the original recipe}

Directions

1. Place ingredients in pan in order listed or as directed per machine instructions. Select white dough cycle.  
2. When machine is finished, remove and form into crusts. Top with desired toppings and bake at 400 degrees F for 18-20 minutes or until crust is light brown.

Now, on to our "desired toppings." :)

I like to experiment with my homemade pizzas so this week I found the Baja Chicken Taco Pizza in my Simple & Delicious magazine. I also have to make a "regular" pizza for the hubs just in case he doesn't like my creations :) His usually includes a garlic alfredo sauce, mozzarella cheese, chicken, grilled onions and mushrooms. Topped with a little cheddar cheese.

Ingredients

1 cup ranch salad dressing

1/4 cup salsa

1 tablespoon lime juice

3 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro

2 cups cubed cooked chicken breast

1 envelope taco seasoning

1 prebaked 12-inch thin pizza crust {obviously, I used the homemade version above}

1/2 cup chopped tomato

1/2 cup finely chopped red onion

2 cups (8 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

2 cups shredded lettuce

2 medium ripe avocados, peeled and thinly sliced

Directions

• In a blender or food processor, combine the salad dressing, salsa, lime juice and cilantro. Cover and process on high for 1-2 minutes or until smooth; set aside. In a small bowl, combine chicken and taco seasoning; set aside.
• Place crust on an ungreased 12-in. pizza pan. Spread salsa mixture over crust. Sprinkle with the chicken mixture, tomatoes, onion and cheese. Bake at 425° for 17-20 minutes or until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting. Sprinkle with lettuce; top with avocado slices.

Word to the wise... don't taste the sauce before it's cooked. It totally tastes weird and I thought I'd had a horrible recipe on my hands... it turned out SO good. Even my husband liked it and he doesn't usually care for recipes like this.

I again paired it with chardonnay cause I had leftovers from last night. :)

Cheers!
~Vino Vixen~

French's Onion Chicken... twisted :)

Tonight I did a twist on my French's Onion Chicken - I have to say, the original recipe {found on the back of the French's Onion can :) } is good to begin with. But this twist, is to die for - my husband says it's the best chicken ever. It's sort of a Chicken Cordon Bleu twist as well. I hope you enjoy!

My original recipe can be found here. So it's essentially the same with a few minor changes :)

Before you begin, pound out your boneless skinless chicken breasts till they are about a 1/4 of an inch thick. Layer one slice of your favorite white cheese {we've used provolone, swiss, monteray jack, or even just a white cheddar - they are all good} and then one slice of deli ham lunch meat. Roll chicken breast around the cheese and ham then secure with toothpicks.

Then you just follow the recipe as in the original post.

I served this tonight with a glass of Chardonnay {but that's pretty much my "go to" these days}. I think any white wine would do just fine :)

Enjoy!
~Vino Vixen~

Aloha Pork Chops

Oh this is a good one people! A little bit Hawaiian, a little bit just pure yummy! I hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:  

1 tablespoon lemon-pepper seasoning

4 boneless pork loin chops (3/4 inch thick)

1 teaspoon plus 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 cup sweet-and-sour sauce

1 can (20 ounces) pineapple chunks, drained

1/2 medium green pepper, julienned

1/2 cup chopped red onion

6 cups cold cooked rice

1/4 cup stir-fry sauce

Directions:

1. Sprinkle pork chops with lemon-pepper. In a large skillet, brown chops on both sides in 1 teaspoon oil over medium-high heat; remove and set aside. Drain skillet; add sweet-and-sour sauce and pineapple chunks. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; return chops to skillet. Simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes or until meat juices run clear. 
2. Meanwhile, in another skillet, saute the green pepper and onion in remaining oil for 2 minutes. Add rice and stir-fry sauce; cook and stir for 4 minutes or until lightly browned. Transfer to a serving platter; top with pork chops.

We're enjoying this tonight with a little bit of Rosemount Shiraz Cab... its yummy!

Cheers!

~Vino Vixen~

BBQ Chicken Cobb Salad

Cobb salad??? Easy peasy, who doesn't know how to make a cobb salad??? Well, apparently some people need a recipe. I got this recipe in my weekly e-mail from Allrecipes.com and it made my mouth water just looking at the colorful picture. I'm happy to report... mine came out looking equally as yummy :) Hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 6 slices of bacon
• 3 eggs
• 1 head iceberg lettuce
• 3 cups cooked, chopped chicken {we BBQ'd two boneless skinless breasts}
• 2 tomatoes
• 3/4 cup blue cheese, crumbled {I just used plain cheddar cause I didn't want to go to the store}
• 1 avocado
• 3 green onions, chopped {and... I subbed a few slices of red onion}
• Ranch dressing

Directions:

1. Place eggs in a saucepan and cover completely with cold water. Bring water to a boil. Cover, remove from heat, and let eggs stand in hot water for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from hot water, cool, peel and chop.
2. Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside.
3. Divide shredded lettuce among individual plates.
4. Evenly divide and arrange chicken, eggs, tomatoes, blue cheese, bacon, avocado and green onions in a row on top of the lettuce.       
5. Drizzle with ranch dressing {or your other favorite} and enjoy.  

Tonight I wasn't feeling wine {weird right?!} but I am enjoying a sweet tea vodka... did you know they make sweet tea flavored vodka? Paired with some sweet tea and a splash of lemonade... deeeelish! :)

Cheers!
~Vino Vixen~

BBQ'd Kebabs

Everyone knows how to make kebabs right? I dunno about that. I love me some grilled veggies though and throw in some pineapple? 

::::drool::::

These are pretty easy and straightforward - the hardest/most tedious part is skewing them but they are so worth it! Hope you enjoy!!!

Ingredients:

• 1-2 lbs sirloin or cut of your choice
• 1 green bell pepper
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1/2 red onion
• 1/2 yellow onion
• 1 package whole mushrooms
• 1/4 fresh pineapple
• Teriyaki marinade of your choice (I use Soy Vay Hoisin Garlic Asian Glaze & Marinade)
• 1/4 cup A-1 Steak sauce
• dash Tabasco
• 1 clove garlic, minced

Directions:

1. If using wood skewers, soak them in water while preparing your ingredients.
2. Cube all fresh ingredients (except mushrooms) to the desired size - I prefer mine rather large so I use 1-2 inch pieces.
3. Place fresh ingredients in a large bowl - cover with marinade, A-1, Tabasco and garlic.
4. Mix well and let sit for at least 1 hr. 
5. Place all ingredients on the skewers, alternating until all ingredients have been used. 
6. Grill over medium heat until cooked through - rotating and basting with remaining marinade frequently as to not burn. 

These Kebabs are fabulous paired with a glass of this:

Enjoy!

~Vino Vixen~

Wet Burritos

These were another hit in our household! I was a little leery of making these because they seemed like they contained a lot of ingredients! But they were really easy once I got going. My hubby thought the Chili was a weird addition too but it worked very well - yum! I hope you enjoy as much as we did!

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1 (4.5 ounce) can diced green chile
• peppers
• 1 (16 ounce) can refried beans
• 1 (15 ounce) can chili without beans
• 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed tomato
• soup
• 1 (10 ounce) can enchilada sauce
• 6 (12 inch) flour tortillas, warmed
• 2 cups shredded lettuce
• 1 cup chopped tomatoes
• 2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions

 Directions:

1. Crumble ground beef into a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir until evenly browned. Add onion, and cook until translucent. Drain grease, and season with garlic, cumin, salt and pepper. Stir in the green chilies and refried beans until well blended. Turn off heat, but keep warm.
2. In a saucepan, combine the chili without beans, tomato soup and enchilada sauce. Mix well, and cook over medium heat until heated through. Turn off heat and keep warm.
3. Place a warmed tortilla on a plate, and spoon a generous 1/2 cup of the ground beef mixture onto the center. Top with lettuce and tomato to your liking. Roll up tortilla over the filling. Spoon a generous amount of the sauce over the top, and sprinkle with cheese and green onions. Heat in the microwave for 30 seconds, or until cheese is melted. Repeat with remaining tortillas.

I didn't end by melting the cheese in the microwave - I try to use it as little as possible - so we just heated them in the oven. Also, we didn't really want to put the lettuce or tomato inside the burrito so after the cheese was melted we just put it on top. I found this recipe on Allrecipes.com and they suggest a Zinfandel - I'll take a Margarita tonight thankyouverymuch! :)

Cheers!

~Vino Vixen~

Panda Express Orange Chicken

I don't think I've ever come across a copycat recipe that was as close to the original as this one... OMG it was almost better I think! And look how pretty this is!!!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. chicken breast meat
• 1 egg white
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 4 cups vegetable oil to be used for frying
• 1 cup cornstarch

Orange Sauce

• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/8 cup vinegar
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 4 teaspoons cornstarch
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon grated orange peel
• 2 tablespoons chopped scallion

Directions:

1. Cut chicken breast into 1/2-inch cubes, set aside.
2. To make marinade – combine egg white, salt and sugar in a bowl and stir vigorously until ingredients are thoroughly mixed. Add chicken cubes to marinade and stir to coat well.
3. To make orange sauce – combine water, ketchup, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, 4 teaspoons cornstarch and sesame oil; stir and set aside. Place a pot over high heat. When pot is hot, add the 2tablespoons vegetable oil and heat. Add orange peel and scallion and stir for about 20 seconds, taking care not to burn the orange peel.
4. Pour combined sauce ingredients into the pot and cook, stirring frequently, until sauce has thickened, about 12-15 minutes.
5. Preheat 4 cups oil to 350-375°F. Meanwhile, put marinated chicken in the plastic baggie drain well and set aside. Add fried chicken to pot with heated orange sauce, stir for about 30 seconds, and then serve immediately. containing the cornstarch. Shake chicken well for about 20 seconds or until chicken is covered with cornstarch. Shake off all excess cornstarch and fry chicken in hot oil until golden brown, approximately 2 1/2 minutes. Remove chicken from oil with a slotted spoon,
6. Serve with steamed rice.

It's a little bit of a time consuming recipe but it turned out excellent! Again, I paired this with Chardonnay cause I had part of my bottle left over from last night :) The only thing I would change for next time is that I like mine a little more spicy so I think I'd throw in some red pepper flakes or something to give it a little kick - otherwise, it's absolutely perfect!

Cheers!

~Vino Vixen~

Kalua Pig

Have you ever been to the islands?

I've only been once but we went to an authentic luau where they roasted a pig in the ground and it was AH-mazing. Literally.

This recipe is the closest I've had to that since and it's literally the easiest thing ever to cook. Three ingredients?! I found it at Allrecipes.com. Wow. I hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 6lb Pork butt roast (also known as a shoulder roast - bone in or out)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons Hawaiian sea salt
• 1 tablespoon liquid smoke

Directions:

1. Pierce pork all over with a carving fork. Rub salt then liquid smoke over meat. Place roast in a slow cooker.
2. Cover, and cook on Low for 16 to 20 hours, turning once during cooking time.
3. Remove meat from slow cooker, and shred, adding drippings as needed to moisten. 

I do make a few changes to the recipe - as usual! I usually slice a whole yellow onion and throw it in the bottom of the crock, along with some minced garlic. 

Oh it's so yummy! My favorite is to have it over a sushi style white rice and a cole slaw on the side. PERFECT! Tonight we had it with a chardonnay, which seems to be my go to wine cause I almost always have it on hand :) My husband isn't a real fan of this style of food so he almost always throws it on a bun with the cole slaw and some BBQ sauce?! Still good I suppose!

Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

~Vino Vixen~

Artichoke & Tomato Chicken

Another yummy chicken one! 

Ingredients:

1. 1/4 cup olive oil
2. 4 fresh tomatoes, dices
3. 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
4.  2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
5. 6 artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
6.  2 red bell peppers, chopped
7. 1 (8 ounce) package mozzarella cheese, cubed
8. 6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - pounded to 1/4 inch thickness
9.  2 cups marinara sauce

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add tomatoes, basil, oregano, artichoke hearts and red peppers. Cook until just hot, then remove from heat. transfer to a large bowl and toss together with mozzarella cubes.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lay out the pounded breasts and spoon filling onto the center, leaving an inch on each side. Adjust filling as you roll so as not to over stuff. Place them seam side down into a 2 quart baking dish. cover with marinara sauce. Place lid onto dish or cover with aluminum foil.
3. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes in the preheated oven, or until chicken is cooked through.

I do have to say that the recipe above is straight copy & pasted from Allrecipes.com however, I made a few changes. The first being that I only made 2 chicken breasts instead of 6 so all other ingredients were adjusted accordingly. Second, after reading the reviews of the recipe and after preparing the initial ingredients I opted not to top it with any marinara sauce because the amount of filling I had far exceeded what I could stuff into two little chicken breasts no matter how flat I could get them! :) Next time, I think I'd still do the marinara - it was good... oh boy was it good - but it needed that little extra sauce. 

 

And the wine... oh the wine :) Chianti my friends...

 

Cheers!

~Vino Vixen~

Arroz Con Pollo

I love chicken! I love finding new recipes to use chicken cause if my husband had his way, every night I pulled out bone in chicken he'd ask for fried chicken... bleck! Don't get me wrong, I love me some fried chicken too but not all the time. Only when I need that good ol' fashioned comfort food!

So here's a little mexican twist on kind of fried chicken... & rice! :) 

Arroz Con Pollo! I found this recipe from SimplyRecipes.com. I've never made it before but it was SUPER easy!

Ingredients: 

Chicken

• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 broiler-fryer chicken, about 2 1/2-3 pounds, cut into serving pieces, or 2 1/2 to 3 pounds of chicken thighs or breasts, bone-in, with skin on, rinsed and patted dry
• 1/2 cup of flour for dredging
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Paprika

Rice

• 2 tablespoons olive oil (can use up to 1/4 cup)
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 cups of medium or long-grain white rice
• 3 cups* chicken stock
• 1 heaping tablespoon tomato paste or 1 cup of diced fresh or cooked tomatoes, strained
• Pinch of oregano
• 1 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Heat 3 Tbsp olive oil in a large skillet (a skillet that has a cover) on medium high heat. Put the flour in a wide bowl, mix in a generous sprinkling of salt, pepper, and paprika. Dredge the chicken pieces lightly in the flour mixture and put in the pan to brown. (You can skip the flour dredging part if you want. It just makes a nicer coating for the chicken.) Cook a few minutes on each side, just enough so that the chicken has browned. Use a slotted spoon to remove from pan and set aside.
2. Add the rice to the pan to brown. Add a little more olive oil if necessary. Stir first to coat the rice with the olive oil in the pan. Then don't stir too much or you will prevent it from browning. Let it brown and then stir a little to let more of it brown. Then add the onion and garlic. Cook the onion, garlic and rice mixture, stirring frequently, until the onions have softened, about 4 minutes. 
3. Place the chicken pieces, skin-side up, on top of the rice. In a separate bowl, mix together the stock, tomato, salt, and oregano. Pour the stock mixture over the rice and chicken. Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat to low, and cover. Let cook for 20-25 minutes, depending on the type of rice and the instructions on the rice package, until the rice and chicken are done. Fluff the rice with a fork. If you want you can sprinkle with some peas. Add more salt and pepper to taste.

Lucky me... this pairs well with my favorite - Chardonnay! 

Cheers!

~Vino Vixen~

Chicken Fiesta Salad

Happy Mardi Gras... a day late?! :) I don't even notice these holidays that I used to classify as "drinking holidays" anymore **blush** does that mean I'm getting old??

Oh well... I'm not sure I mentioned it before but I've started meal planning and this is my first week - if you care to check out my weekly menus, they can be found here on my personal blog. Today was the a new recipe - Chicken Fiesta Salad (which was originally scheduled for Friday but a little mishap of choosing two meat/rice dishes in a row just didn't work for my hubby so we switched a few days around.). I've never made this before but I found it here and it turned out really well!

Ingredients:

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
• 1 package fajita seasoning
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can corn
• 1/2 cup salsa
• 1 package mixed salad greens
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 tomato, cut into wedges

Directions:

1. Rub chicken evenly with 1/2 the fajita seasoning. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat, and cook the chicken 8 minutes on each side, or until juices run clear; set aside.
2. In a large saucepan, mix beans, corn, salsa and other 1/2 of fajita seasoning. Heat over medium heat until warm.
3. Prepare the salad by tossing the greens, onion and tomato. Top salad with chicken and dress with the bean and corn mixture.

First of all, I didn't have fajita seasoning so I just used taco seasoning as I didn't think they'd vary too much. Also, I cut my chicken into 1/2 inch strips and marinated them for about an hour before cooking. This recipe was so simple and easy - and yummy! We also added some shredded cheddar cheese and avocado on top and a small amount of ranch dressing. Oiy so filling with all those black beans! It only made about 3 servings so if you need more just double everything.

As far as a wine pairing, I got the recipe from Allrecipes.com and they suggest a Sauvignon Blanc, which I didn't have a bottle of but I imagine would most definitely pair well!

Cheers!
~Vino Vixen~

Stuffed Peppers

I looooove me some stuffed bell peppers! I've used this recipe a bunch of times but I do make some changes to our liking and I usually half the recipe unless I've got a bunch of people coming over. I hope you enjoy it!

This would be more pretty with a green pepper but eh... I only had red.

Ingredients:

• 6 bell peppers, any color
• Salt to taste
• 1 lb venison (or other ground meat)
• 1/2 cup onion, chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 cup uncooked rice
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
• 2 cans condensed tomato soup

 Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cut the tops off the peppers, and remove the seeds. Cook peppers in boiling water for 5 minutes; drain. Sprinkle salt and a small amount of cheese inside each pepper, and set aside.
2. In a large skillet, saute venison and onions for 5 minutes, or until browned. Drain off excess fat, and season with salt and pepper. Stir in the tomatoes, rice, 1/2 cup water and Worcestershire sauce. Cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, or until rice is tender. Remove from heat.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. (175 degrees C). Stuff each pepper with the beef and rice mixture, and place peppers open side up in a baking dish. In a medium bowl, combine tomato soup with just enough water to make the soup a gravy consistency. Pour over the peppers. Top with remaining cheese.
4. Bake covered for 25 to 35 minutes, until heated through and cheese is melted and bubbly.

Allrecipes.com suggests pairing this with a Zinfandel but I'm not a huge fan - I like my wine more dry so a good Sauvignon Blanc sounds better to me :)

 Cheers!

~Vino Vixen~

Sausage & Peppers

Well hello Recipe Nest readers, it's been a while! I have to admit while I haven't been slacking in the kitchen, every time I think that I need to post our dinner my plate is half gone... oops!

There were also a couple of times where I got this new "great" recipe to try for my post, it turns out a complete flop and I don't dare share it. Haha!

So tonight we're having our easy Sausage and Peppers... no one can mess this one up! I've found various recipes for this so I don't really have anywhere to give credit to but it's definitely been a staple in my family for some time. I hope you enjoy!

Isn't that pretty??? :)

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp olive oil, divided
  
• 3-4 (mild, medium or spicy) Italian Sausages
  
• 1 medium green bell pepper, cut into strips
  
• 1 medium red bell pepper, cut into strips
  
• 1 small onion, cut into strips
• 1 cup fresh sliced mushrooms
• 1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with 1 tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Add sausage to pan; cook until lightly browned, turning occasionally. Remove from pan; cool slightly. Cut sausage into 1/2-inch-thick slices.
2. In the same pan, heat remaining tbsp olive oil and cook peppers and onion over medium heat until desired firmness (we like ours firm - about 8-10 minutes). Season with salt and pepper as desired.
3. Add mushrooms and garlic, cook another 2-3 minutes.
4. Add sliced sausage into the vegetable mixture and toss. 

There's so many ways to adapt this recipe to make it your own. It can be served over rice, pasta and your favorite sauce or as a stand alone meal. I've even prepared white rice and added it in on step 4 above. I've also added in a can of Hunt's diced tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano (or anything similar) and served over cooked spaghetti noddles. Yum!

And don't forget your favorite Vino as well! Some ideas that pair well with Italian sausage recipes are a nice Sangiovese or a Montepulciano d'Abruzzo. How's that for a wine lesson??? I'm sad to say I didn't have either on hand :(

Cheers!
~Vino Vixen~

Applesauce!

Let me start by saying my hubby is a little apple crazy?! He eats apples every day like they are going out of style! Well, he went a little overboard at the market last weekend and then accidentally left the apples in the car and they froze. :(

Anyone know what happens to frozen apples after they thaw??? 

MUSH!

So, it was either a pie or applesauce. Neither of us are sweets kinda people but our little guy loves applesauce! 

A lot of our recipe variations start with stuff we find from Allrecipes.com - love that site - so that's where I went to find my applesauce recipe. The recipe that I went off of was Sarah's Applesauce Recipe. I did however halve the sugar because it was for little man so I didn't want him getting too much sugar. I'm glad I did cause it's still pretty sweet.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 4 apples; peeled, cored, and chopped
• 3/4 cups water
• 1/4 cup white sugar (like I said, I halved this)
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Ingredients all ready to simmer!

Directions:

1. In a saucepan, combine apples, water, sugar, and cinnamon. Cover, and cook over medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes, or until apples are soft. Allow to cool, then mash with a fork or potato masher.  
2. That's it! :)

No wine pairing obviously this week since it's for my little man but I hope you enjoy! 

Till next time!

~Vino Vixen~

Cheesy Meatloaf

Why is my name Vino Vixen? Don't ask me!!! I always seem to have the WRONG wine to pair with what I'm cooking?!?! Grrr. 

Tonight, I was craving a good old' comfort food meatloaf! And since my husband would totally DIE if our dinner didn't include massive amounts of cheese, I hope you will enjoy our Cheesy Venison Meatloaf!

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs Venison (beef or turkey can be substituted as well)
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup ketchup - plus enough to drizzle on top to taste
• 1/2 cup Velveeta, cubed
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 tbsp of your favorite seasoning salt (we use Squirrely Beaver Seasoning  - not sure if you can get that everywhere though - Johnny's works great too) 
• salt and pepper to taste

All prepared and ready to cook!

 Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
2. Mix all ingredients in mixing bowl except ketchup & brown sugar
3. Grease pan and push 1/2 mixture into bottom of pan
4. Spread ketchup down the middle of meat mixture
5. Push remaining meat mixture down into pan
6. Spread brown sugar over top and drizzle ketchup on top to taste
7. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour

So yummy and right out of the oven!

 Depending on how you like your meatloaf, you can do this meal a few different ways. You can eat it straight out of the pan, OR how I like mine - slice a few pieces out of the loaf and fry them on medium heat in a lightly greased fry pan until the sides are slightly browned. From there you can either eat them between two pieces of toast (GREAT the next day for leftover meatloaf sammy's!) or just plain with garlic bread and a salad... or just wine! :)

YUM!

I imagine this should probably be paired with a hearty Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon but alas... I had Chardonnay - so it works for tonight! :) 

Until next time... Cheers!!!

~Vino Vixen~

Chicken Broccoli Casserole

Outside the snow is falling and friends are calling you-hoo... Inside the chicken is cooking and my husband is shouting woo-hoo! 

Ok, that was a lame attempt at a joke on the weather right now. It's not the worst that I've seen but it's record breaking snow fall (already a foot in Nov?!) and temperature lows (-10?!) right now so what better than a yummy comfort food casserole to warm up the evening. Brrrr! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cup cooked chicken (you can boil and shred chicken breasts or buy chunk chicken in a can)
• 1 lb fresh chopped broccoli
• 1 1/2 cups of your favorite pasta (I used smaller shells)
• 1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
• 1/3 cup of milk
• 1/2 cup cheddar cheese 
• 1 package stuffing mix

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. If using chicken breasts, boil chicken until tender and shred or cut into bite size pieces. If using chunk canned chicken, just make sure it's chopped up nicely. 
3. Steam broccoli until crisp but tender. 
4. Boil pasta until firm.
5. In a small bowl mix together the soup and milk. Set aside. 
6. Layer the chicken, broccoli, soup mixture, and cheese in baking dish. 
7. Prepare stuffing mix according to package and sprinkle over the top.
8. Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until the topping is browned.

Look you can see the steam!

 We only had a Columbia Crest Merlot in the house tonight but that'll warm us up just fine with this dish! I'd probably prefer a Chardonnay but I'm not venturing out in this snow. Enjoy!!!

~Vino Vixen~

White Cheese Chicken Lasagna

OH CHEESE HEAVEN! Oh so bad for my diet!

Enter... White Cheese Chicken Lasagna! I hate traditional lasagna so I was a little skeptical at making this but it looked SO good that I couldn't resist.

 

Ingredients:

• 9 lasagna noodles
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 cups ricotta cheese
• 2 cups cubed cooked chicken
• 2 (10 oz) packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 1/4 grated Parmesan cheese for topping

Directions:

1. Preheat over to 350 degrees F. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain, and rinse with cold water. 
2. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook the onion and garlic in the butter until tender, stirring frequently. Stir in the flour and salt, and simmer until bubbly. Mix in the broth and milk to a boil stirring constantly for 1 minute. Stir in 2 cups mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Season with basil, oregano and pepper. Remove from heat and set aside.
3. Spread 1/3 of the sauce mixture in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Layer with 3 of the noodles, the ricotta and the chicken. Arrange 3 of the noodles over the chicken and layer with 1/3 of the sauce mixture, spinach and the remaining 2 cups of mozzarella cheese and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. Arrange remaining 3 noodles over cheese and spread remaining sauce evenly over noodles. Sprinkle with parsley and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese.
4. Bake 35 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven.

Top with a glass of heavenly chardonnay and ENJOY!!! 

~Vino Vixen~