A Winelover's Wanderings

I have a confession to make! I am way behind - with everything!

I haven't made the Curds Our Whey assignment for June - soft goat cheese - and I LOVE goat cheese.

I haven't done the work that is sitting on my desk. My poor house desperately needs to be cleaned.

What in the heck is the matter with me? I wish I knew.

I can't seem to get motivated to do anything, including my blog. I have had a mental block about posting, just no inspiration at all.

I just wanted you to know why I have been MIA from my blog. But I promise I will do better, so don't give up on me!

We are up to Week 10 of our Salad Samplers - gosh, time does fly! MarciaB of Happy Trails For Us: My Reluctant Blog picked this week's recipe. Here are her comments:

It was the last week of March, I was about to reach into my recipe files, as we were just setting up Salad Samplers, when the mail came and with it my April Bon Appetit. This salad was on the cover. Spring popped out to me and I decided it would be "my" salad recipe. So as we edge into summer . . .

Grilled Chicken Salad with Tarragon Pesto

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

1/4 cup (packed) fresh tarragon leaves plus 2 teaspoons chopped
1/4 cup (packed) fresh Italian parsley leaves
4 tablespoons pine nuts, divided
5 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, divided
2 teaspoons chopped shallot
6 tablespoons (or more) olive oil, divided, plus additional for brushing
4 boneless chicken breast halves
4 1/2-inch-thick slices country-style French or sourdough bread
1 5-ounce package mixed baby greens
1 cup thinly sliced radishes (from 1 large bunch)
1 cup thinly sliced Japanese cucumbers (about 1 1/2)

Instructions:

Place 1/4 cup tarragon leaves, parsley, 2 tablespoons pine nuts, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, and shallot in mini processor; chop coarsely. With machine running, gradually add 3 tablespoons olive oil. Season pesto to taste with salt and pepper. Add more olive oil by teaspoonfuls to thin, if necessary.

Whisk 2 teaspoons chopped tarragon, remaining 4 teaspoons lemon juice, and 3 tablespoons oil in small bowl. Season dressing with salt and pepper.

Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Brush chicken breasts on both sides with oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill until grill marks form, skin is crisp, and chicken is cooked through, 7 to 8 minutes per side. Transfer to work surface; let rest 5 minutes. Using clean brush, brush both sides of bread with oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill until dark-brown grill marks appear on both sides, 2 to 3 minutes per side.

Place greens, radishes, and cucumbers in large bowl. Toss with dressing. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Divide salad among 4 plates.

Cut grilled chicken breasts crosswise into 1/3-inch-thick slices. Arrange 1 sliced chicken breast atop salad on each plate. Spoon tarragon pesto over chicken. Sprinkle remaining 2 tablespoons pine nuts over salads. Serve with grilled bread slices.

This recipe made a very satisfying one-dish dinner. Bill and I both enjoyed it - so simple and delicious - great for a cool summertime meal.

Dinner is ready, and I am hungry!

Such a sad day was June 25th, 2009. The loss of two entertainment icons and another just a couple of days ago.

I don't know if you believe that celebrity deaths come in threes, but I think I do. So, yesterday we had Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson and, a couple of days ago, Ed McMahon.

R.I.P. Farrah

R.I.P. Ed

Just back from Paso Robles (again) in the continuing saga of finally liquidating our folks' house and car. Even though it is a small thing, I feel like it was a major accomplishment. We finally sold the car!

It's a big car, and people are downsizing their cars rather than upsizing. So, it took just the right person to buy this car.

First of all, you have to understand that our folks just loved this car. It was their dream car, and they felt safe in it. And it was oh so comfortable. When our step-dad got ill and knew he wouldn't be driving it anymore, he wanted to know what we were going to do with it. So we kind of felt obligated to find it a good home with someone who would appreciate it like they did.

And it was kind of like serendipity (does that mean fate made it happen?). I put it back on Craigslist for the third time last Thursday, and I got a phone call Friday morning from a gal whose husband had the exact same car (1996 Lincoln Towncar). He had hit a deer the day before, and the insurance company had totaled the car. He was really depressed because he loved the car. So, they came to see it Sunday afternoon after we got to Paso Robles and both took it for a test drive. They were getting their insurance money the next morning, so we arranged to meet them at the DMV in San Luis Obispo (they were from Lompc) and took care of all of the paperwork.

The husband was SO happy to have a replacement for his beloved car. And, my sister and I were also happy that it had a new home where someone would really love and cherish it.

So, we are down to the last to-do on our Paso Robles list - sell the house. It is officially listed and being shown, so we shall see what happens. Maybe another serendipity?

This week Cindy Ruth of Baked Alaska picked the recipe for our Salad Samplers. Here is what she said:

I chose Grilled Romaine Salad with Citrus Caesar Vinaigrette. I adapted this recipe from one I found on FoodTV. One substitution that I often use when making this is to substitute part of the olive oil in the dressing with lemon-infused olive oil. It's not necessary to do it, but if you happen to have some of the delicious lemon olive oil, this is a great place to use it.

Grilled Romaine Salad with Citrus Caesar Vinaigrette

Makes 4 servings.

Ingredients:

2 heads romaine lettuce
Extra-virgin olive oil
Citrus Caesar Vinaigrette, recipe below
Parmigiano-Reggiano
Chopped tomatoes
Homemade croutons, if desired

Instructions:

Preheat grill to med-high.
Rinse and pat dry the lettuce. Cut the 2 heads in half lengthwise. Brush surface wtih olive oil and grill about 4 to 5 minutes total, turning occasionally. Place each wedge on a salad plate and drizzle with Citrus Caesar Vinaigrette. With a vegetable peeler, shave some pieces from a wedge of Reggiano-Parmigiano over each salad. Top with chopped tomatoes and homemade croutons and serve.

Citrus Caesar Vinaigrette

1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons anchovy paste
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Place all ingredients in a pint jar with a lid. Secure the lid, then shake to blend. Store, covered, in the refrigerator for up to a week.

I really liked the dressing. Of course, I changed a couple of things - instead of olive oil, I used Citrus Cilantro grapeseed oil and instead of white wine vinegar (which I didn't have), I used rice vinegar.

Accompanying our salad, we had some Farmer's Market squash - a real vegetarian dinner!

Laker fans came to celebrate - 250,000 of them - on Wednesday when they attended the Lakers Victory Parade and Rally, a route that took the celebration from Staples Center (where the Lakers play) down to the L.A. Colosseum.

Kobe takes charge of the championship trophy.

Parade as it goes by Staples Center, the Lakers' home.

The double deck buses were really decorated colorfully.

Laker players and lots of balloons.

Even the LAPD wanted souvenir photos.

An air view of the Colosseum. At the far end is the stage with the Laker floor. The floor was transported from Staples Center in 200-some pieces and set up for the rally. Pretty neat!

Continue reading "Lakers Victory Celebration" »

By now the world knows that the Los Angeles Lakers are the NBA Champions, beating the Orlando Magic 4 games to 1.

This is their 15th championship - Of course, that includes when they were known as the Minneapolis Lakers. But the Boston Celtics have 17 championships, so the Lakers still have a way to go to be at the very top of the statistics.

This was Coach Phil Jackson's 10th NBA Championship, which IS a record. He passed the legendary Red Auerbach for the most titles.

But, most importantly (at least to Kobe Bryant) is the fact that the Lakers won with a Kobe-led team instead of Shaquille O'Neal.

The Los Angeles Times had a Lakers Commemorative Section Monday, with some interesting blurbs about the team.

I have been a Lakers fan for many years, but that is probably not surprising since I live in Southern California. Today is the victory parade in Los Angeles - wish I could be there to celebrate with them!