Gin Martini Chicken

You don't have to be a big fan of gin martinis

(personally, I prefer vodka) but you do have to love olives!

2 TBSP olive oil

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

4 TBSP real butter

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup gin

2 TBSP dry vermouth

2 tsp. lemon juice

1/2 cup pimento-stuffed green olives, chopped

1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

2. Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Place chicken in the skillet, and cook

until browned on each side, about 5 minutes per side.

3.Reduce heat to medium, and add the butter and garlic.

Saute for about 5 minutes, until butter is melted and garlic is fragrant.

4. Pour in the gin, vermouth, lemon juice, and olives;

simmer for about 20 min. or until chicken is cooked through.

For serving, I like to pile the olive mixture on top of chicken breasts, drizzling with extra sauce.

Garlic infused angel hair pasta is an excellent side dish.

Rice Wine Vinegar Substitution

I love it when I learn substitutions for ingredients. 

Last night, as I was preparing the rice for my (awesome!) homemade sushi, I discovered that I did not have enough rice wine vinegar.  It's not something I use very often so it didn't occur to me to check that I had enough prior to cooking the rice. 

Anyway, it turns out that you can substitute an equal amount of sweet vermouth for the rice wine vinegar.   

The flavor was good and I would definitely
make the substitution again.

Cheers!  

On Pairing White Wine with Seafood

We've all heard about how you're supposed to pair

white meats with white wine

and red meats with red wine  

Well, I just read why white goes so well with fish. 

According to the March 2010 issue of Food Network Magazine,

white helps to make the fish taste less "fishy".

Here's exactly what is says:

"Diners have long paired fish with white wine, and now scientists know why:  They've discovered that iron present in red (but less so in white) brings out seafood's fishy aftertaste."

So now, next time someone says they would prefer something else,

you can come back with a scientific explanation for your wine choice.  ;)

Sirloin Steaks with Red Wine and Cognac

These steaks call for garlic, red wine, cognac, fire

- sounds awesome already, right? 

Not only do these steaks taste amazing, the presentation is gorgeous.

You will need:

4 sirloin steaks, medium thickness

freshly ground pepper

1 TBSP lemon pepper

1 tsp. salt

5 TBSP real butter

3 cloves garlic

1/2c. red wine (I like Cabernet for this recipe)

3 TBSP cognac

1/4 c. chopped green onions

1 shallot, chopped

1/2c. heavy cream

lighter

1.  Grind fresh pepper over steaks; sprinkle with lemon pepper and salt.

2.  Melt butter over medium-high heat. 

Add steaks and cook to desired doneness.

3.  Add garlic and wine.

4.  Pour cognac over the steaks and light with your lighter.  The flames burn off fairly quickly. 

Remove steaks and set aside.

5.  To the pan, add green onions, shallot, and heavy cream. 

Cook and stir until hot. 

6. Spoon sauce over meat and serve immediately.

Vegetarian White Bean Stew

 This is what I served for dinner last night. 

It's a super easy one-pot dinner that is healthy, filling, and absolutely delicious!

This recipe makes a lot but it does freeze very well.

This is what you need:

1 TBSP olive oil

1 medium white onion, chopped

6 cloves garlic, minced

3 green chile peppers, seeded and minced

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 package baby bella mushrooms, sliced

1 can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

1 can great northern beans, rinsed and drained

1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained

4 green onions, chopped

1/2 bunch fresh parsley, chopped

1c. white wine (I use Sauvignon Blanc)

2 (14.5 oz.) cans chicken broth

2 tsp. chicken bouillon

1 tsp. dried rosemary

1 tsp. dried thyme

1 TBSP dried oregano

1 1/2 TBSP ground cumin

2 bay leaves

1.  In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. 

Add onion, garlic, and chile peppers.  Stir and cook

until onions begin to soften.

2.  Add all of the remaining ingredients.

3.  Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 90 minutes.

4.  The white is already open, so pour a glass, relax,

and enjoy the amazing aromas that are filling your kitchen!

Cheers!

Kicked Up Chicken Broth

If you don't make your own chicken broth (who does, really?),
here's a tip from Julia on how to jazz up the store bought stuff: 

Add white wine! 

I've tried this a few times and it really does enhance the flavor.

I mean, it's still chicken broth, but its really good chicken broth! 

Here is what you do, according to Julia
in Mastering the Art of French Cooking:

Start with 2c. store-bought chicken broth.

Add 3 TBSP each: sliced onions, carrots, and celery,

1/2c. dry white wine, 2 sprigs of parsley, 1/3 bay leaf,
and a pinch of fresh thyme.

Simmer 30 min., strain, and it's ready to go in your recipe.

Bonus:  You now have a bottle of white open,
so you might as well have a glass!

Cheers!

Cherry & Bourbon Bites

These little candies are super easy to make and are perfect for the holidays

because you make them about a week or so ahead of time. 

I used Old Granddad's Kentucky Bourbon but you could easily substitute rum.

1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 c. bourbon

1/4 c. corn syrup

3 c. finely chopped vanilla wafers (make it easy, do it in the blender)

1 1/2 c. ground pecans (same here - blender)

24 candied cherries, halved

1/2 c. confectioners' sugar

1. Melt chocolate chips, in microwave or over double boiler, stirring occasionally until smooth.

2. Remove from heat and stir in the bourbon and corn syrup.

3. In a medium bowl, toss together the vanilla wafers and nuts.

4. Pour the chocolate mixture over the crumbs in the bowl and blend well using your hands.

5. Shape into 1-inch balls and press a cherry half into the center of each one. Roll each cookie in confectioners' sugar to coat.

6. Store in an airtight container.

These are pretty tasty right away but the flavor improves
over a few days.

Dirty Bedtime Story

There is supposed to be something
magically relaxing about warm milk.

Maybe it depends on what you add to it!  ;) 

1/2. milk

2 tsp. chocolate syrup

1 oz. amaretto liqueur

1 oz. Irish cream

1.  Combine all ingredients.

2.  Heat in microwave 30 seconds.

I just like to just take the chill off the milk but you could absolutely make it warmer.

Recipe adapted from Allrecipes -  just couldn't resist the name!

Wine Cake

This cake was made with a chardonnay and it's delicious! 

As always, you should use a wine you will actually drink. 

However, because you're pouring 3/4c. of it into this batter, I say don't use the fancy stuff for this recipe. 

Go with your good El Cheapo!  ;)

You will need:

1 box, white cake mix

1 5oz. box, vanilla pudding mix

1 tsp. ground nutmeg

3/4c. vegetable oil

3/4c. white wine

4 eggs

1.  Combine all ingredients in a medium size bowl and mix with an electric mixer on Medium for 5 minutes.  Batter will be thick.

2.  Pour into a prepared bundt pan.

3.  Bake at 350* for approximately 50 minutes.  Your house will smell AMAZING!

4.  Allow to cool 10 minutes prior to inverting cake onto a rack.

5.  Cool completely and sprinkle with powdered sugar and garnish with fresh fruit.

6.  Since you've already opened the white, go ahead a pour yourself a glass!

Hot Cider for a Cold Night

It's getting chilly outside and this is the perfect time of year to cozy up with a mug of hot apple cider. Here's my version:

1. Rim a mug with cinnamon sugar.

2. Add 1-1/4 oz. spiced rum.

3. Pour 8oz. hot apple cider over rum.

4. Relax and enjoy!