Peculiar Pairings

I tend to follow certain trends when searching for recipes. If it contains garlic, sun dried tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, basil, pesto, sauteed onions and chicken breasts or pork chops then I've most likely found it, tried it, tweaked it and remade it. I love those ingredients and don't stray from them often enough. When I first came upon the recipe below of course it sounded like something I'd try. Chicken breasts- check. Cipollini onions- check. But two other ingredients seemed perplexing - apricots and white grape juice? I've braised meats in wine and stock but never white grape juice and certainly not with apricots. The combination proved to be one of the most fantastic meals I've ever had! The fresh herbs and squeeze of lemon nicely cut the butteriness of the onions while the grape juice and apricots add the most delicious flavor to the chicken. While the combination was peculiar it turned out, in fact, to be perfect.
Another unusual pairing that I encountered lately was not necessarily conflicting ingredients but rather an unexpected wine and food combination I'll enjoy much more of in the future. My other blogs recount love affair with guacamole. In the same cook book (a thoughtful birthday gift from my sweet husband) that I found the aforementioned apricot delicacy I also found a recipe for something called "Pico-Guac." Now that is a perfect pair. Pico-de-gallo & guacamole. However, upon making it I realized that what others call Pico-Guac is actually my rather hefty and packing-a-punch, regular guacamole. All the while, the other perfect pair in this instance was the wine. We had plenty of leftover prosecco from our New Year's Bash and while taking on the task of finishing said prosecco, I discovered that the tart, yet slightly-sweet nature of the bubbly libation compliments the spicy and rich nature in guacamole. So go ahead, next time you're treating yourself to Mexican stray from the usual Corona and pop a bottle of the bubbly. Peculiar or not, this pair is indeed perfect, too. Apricot & Cipollini Braised Chicken
Adapted from Rachael Ray's "Big Orange Book"

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 packet garlic & herb marinade
20 cipollini onions, ends trimmed and skins removed
20 apricots, cut into slivers or halves
2.5 cups white grape juice
1 cup chicken stock
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 handful parsley, rough chopped
Lemon wedges for garnish

1. Heat oil in a dutch oven or large deep dish over medium heat. Brown chicken breasts in olive oil, about 2-3 minutes per side.
2. Remove chicken and cover with foil to keep warm and juicy.
3 Add cipollini onions and cook 5-7 minutes until slightly soft in chicken drippings adding more olive oil if necessary.
4. After onions are softened, turn heat to medium-high and deglaze the pan using a large wooden spoon to scrape up drippings. Add white grape juice and apricots.
5. Cook until liquid has reduced in half.
6. Add chicken back into the pan and cover. Cook for an additional 10 minutes until liquid as reduced in half again and chicken is cooked through.


To serve spoon sauce, onions and apricots over the chicken breasts and top with parsley and a squeeze of lemon. Serves 4.

"Pico-Guac"
Adapted from Rachael Ray's "Big Orange Book"

3 avocados, skins removed and rough chopped
1 handful of cilantro, finely chopped
1/2 large red onion, finely chopped
2 jalapenos, seeds removed, finely chopped
1 large garlic clove, minced
2 plum tomatoes, seeded and finely chopped
Juice of 1 lemon
Pinch of salt & pepper
Pinch of cumin

1. Mash all ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.

Entertaining with Ease

It's one thing to cook for your husband who has at one point spent 9 months straight eating cold, pre-packaged MREs. It's something totally different to cook for guests who you haven't met and potentially may not eat anything as long as it's not still living. In these situations I gravitate towards chicken dishes with some sort of lemon-butter sauce. It appears fancy but is easy to make and there's no possibility that someone likes their chicken a little less done (enter salmonella poisoning) and doesn't violate any of the usual food dislikes or allergies (nuts, shellfish, etc). Timing is a difficult issue when it comes to entertaining also. I try to juggle only two items that are made stove stop and one item in the oven. Anything more and I'm a sweaty, stained, scary looking mess by the time company arrives. Having "sauced" dishes allows you to cook the meat in advance and for your guests to arrive see you in a photo finish, whisking in wine and zests and butter. All of the dishes I make are served family style since plating is not one of my strong suits and it allows guests to take as little or much of certain side without asking for more or feeling guilty leaving a lot of one dish. So the cat's out of the bag. If you come to my house for dinner and are served an eerily similiar dish you've learned my entertaining secrets. Feel free to steal them for your own.

Chicken with Artichokes, Sun-dried Tomatoes & White Wine Lemon Sauce

For the Chicken
8 thin style chicken breasts (or4 regular sliced in half)
1 packet zesty herb marinade

For the Sauce
1 14 oz can artichoke hearts, sliced into quarters
1/2 jar sundried tomatoes packed in oil, sliced thin
1 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup chicken stock
2 lemons
2 tblsp butter
1 clove garlic, minced

1. Prepare marinade according to packet directions. Marinade chicken breast for 30 minutes - 1 hour.
2. Pour 1 tblsp of oil from sundried tomato jar into a large nonstick skillet.
3. Heat oil over medium-high heat.
4. Cook chicken breasts in oil about 3 minutes per side until no pink remains and juices run clear.
5. Remove chicken and place on plate/platter. Cover with foil to maintain warmth.
6. Reduce heat to medium and sautee garlic in chicken juices and remaining oil for 3-4 minutes until soft.
7. Turn heat back up to medium -high and deglaze the pan with the chicken stock, white wine, and juice of two lemons. Stir frequently to get all the yummy brown bits up left from the garlic and chicken! Continue to cook until liquid has reduced in half, about 5 minutes.
8. Whisk in butter.
9. Add artichokes and sundried tomatos, stirring until warmed through.

To serve, uncover chicken and pour sauce over chicken. Serves 4.

Healthy Habits

The holidays are always a rough time of the year on the waistline. I try to cook healthier meals if I know we're going to be stuffing ourselves at a holiday party or family get together. This weekend marks both Brett's AND my Christmas party for work not to mention the stay of a close friend of his, ergo, a weekend of nonstop eating and drinking. I made a quick, easy, and healthy recipe last night in hopes that enough green vegetables will combat the aforementioned onslaught of lipid laden appetizers and booze.

Chicken with Broccoli & Carrots

For the chicken:
2 chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 packet mojito lime marinade (any citrusy marinade will work)

For the stir fry:
2 heads broccoli, cut into florets
2 carrots, sliced thin
2 tblsp oyster sauce
2 tblsp peanut sauce
3 tblsp soy sauce
1/4 tsp ginger
1 tblsp canola or peanut oil

1. Marinade chicken according to package directions 30 minutes - 1 hour.
2. Heat oil over medium-high heat in a wok or frying pan.
3. Add chicken and carrots and saute for 3-4 minutes, turning occasionally.
4. Add broccoli and saute for 3-4 minutes more.
5. Whisk all liquid ingredients and ginger in a bowl. Add to veggies and meat and stir to coat and continue to cook until sauce is warmed through.

Serve over brown rice.

Serves 2

Humble Blog Beginnings

My friends recently coerced me into beginning another blog. My previous attempt, if I may grant myself these adjectives, was witty and fun, but relatively short lived. Alas, to my disappointment, http://www.how-merlot-can-you-go.blogspot.com/ did not catapult me into a state of fame and fortune where my career solely consisted of traveling to exotic winery locations and receiving a hefty pay check to divulge in unlimited free libations of the tastiest sort. Our winery hopping days have come to a halt since an eventful 2010 where we had an engagement, pre-deployment work ups, wedding, deployment, and three Xanex-inducing moves. We've settled into married life in Hubert, NC and I've settled into a love that rivals that of wine: cooking.
I've always loved to cook. Okay, that's a lie. In high school I managed to catch the kitchen on fire. To this day, I still blame the author of this recipe. I followed her explicit directions! Heat pan over high: check. Put butter in: check. What Martha Stewart failed to explain was that one should not go straighten your hair during the high heat - insert butter interval. Well, move over, Martha, I've learned a few things since then.
Through this blog, I hope to diligently,and sometime drunkenly recall my recipes of that day or week. Some will be my own. Some will be borrowed (I'll reluctantly give credit where credit is due) ... Some will be delicious. Some will be inedible unless, you, too, on your 3rd bottle of your Wine-of-the-Month club. Regardless of the outcome I hope you enjoy.





















Orange Chicken and Shrimp with Parsley Brown Rice

2 small chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch cubes
1/2 lb shrimp, peeled and devained
1/2 bunch asparagus, ends trimmed & cut into thirds
1 bunch scallions, ends trimmed & cut into thirds
1 cup Ken's Asian Sesame salad dressing
1 tblsp butter
1 tblsp soy Sauce
1 tblsp oyster Sauce
1/4 cup orange marmalade

2 cups quick cook brown rice
1/2 cup fresh parsley, rough chopped.

1. Marinade chicken and shrimp in seperate bowls in the salad dressing for 30 minutes - 1 hour
2. Heat butter in a large pan or wok over medium-high heat. Saute chicken 1-2 minutes per side until browned.
3. Add scallions and saute for 2 minutes stirring frequently.
4. Add asparagus and cook for 2 additional minutes stirring frequently.
5. Add shrimp, marmalade, soy, and oyster sauces.
6. Cook until shrimp are pink and sauce thickens.

Meanwhile, cook rice according to package directions. Stir in parsely to finished rice. Serve the chicken and shrimp over the rice, spooning extra sauce over the dish.

Serves 4

Or in my case with my Arnold-esque, strong-man aspiring husband 2 ;)