Epic FAIL

OK.. So this dish I did not care for, at all. When I read the recipe I was thinking “Wow, that sounds really good” Unfortunately, not the case. My dogs, however, loved it.( I mean it’s got to be better than dog food) Thankfully I stilled had ingredients left over from the avocado grilled cheese that I posted a week ago. So below is the not so tasty dish...

 Eat at your own risk...

Avocado Penne Pesto with Grilled Chicken
Ingredients:
1 medium ripe avocado
3/4 c. firmly packed basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 tsp. minced garlic
3 Tbsp. pine nuts
1/3 c. extra virgin olive oil
1/3 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
12 oz. penne pasta
1/4 c. shaved parmesan cheese (for garish)
1 1/2 lbs. chicken breasts
Salt & Pepper, to taste (for chicken)

Directions:
Cook and drain pasta according to package directions. While pasta is cooking, season chicken with salt and pepper and place on a grill (or grill pan) over medium-high heat for 6 minutes on each side, until center is no longer pink. You can add other spices if you want, but don't over-season your chicken, we want the avocado to shine.

Peel avocado and remove pit. Put avocado, basil, salt, pepper, garlic and pine nuts in a blender or food processor. Turn blender on and add olive oil in a slow, steady stream.

Process until mixture becomes a smooth paste. Gently fold in parmesan cheese. Toss with cooked pasta. Slice grilled chicken breasts and lay across top of pasta. Garnish with shaved parmesan cheese and serve.

Not Just Your Average Pork Loin

Good afternoon kiddies! Hope you all had an amazing Christmas full of great food and tons of presents. Santa was very good to me... I guess you could say I was an angel over the past year :P

Now, I know we can all tend to over eat over the Holidays and in my case WAY over eat, but I have to share this dish with you guys. It was a huge hit at my grandmothers and it disappeared FAST. This will definitely stay in my recipe book!

Brown Sugar and Balsamic Glazed Pork Loin

As always, I did change this a bit to make it easier!

Ingredients: (I bought the Garlic and herb pork loin already marinated)

1 (2 pound) boneless pork loin

1 teaspoon ground sage

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 clove garlic, crushed

1/2 cup water

Glaze:

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup water

2 tablespoons soy sauce

Directions:

Combine sage, salt, pepper and garlic. Rub over roast. Place in slow cooker with 1/2 cup water. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.(I cooked it for a little over 3 hours, pork needs to be cooked at 145 degrees) About 1 hour before roast is done, combine ingredients for glaze in small sauce pan. Heat and stir until mixture thickens. Brush roast with glaze 2 or 3 times during the last hour of cooking. Serve with remaining glaze on the side.

Thirsty Thursday

Thank you to my awesome Secret Santa!  You know me too well! (This happens to be one of my favorite wines and an added bonus it’s the Reserva)

This is a Malbec from Argentina and for those of you thinking Malbec-What?... A Malbec is a variety of purple grape used in making red wine. The grapes tend to have an inky, dark color and robust tannins.

A little about this particular red wine.

Flavors:

This Malbec has been aged 15 months in oak barrels.  It’s an intensely flavorful, full-bodied wine that has soft, round tannins with layers of ripe plum, blackberry and dark cherry, accented by hints of brown spice and chocolate.

Food Paring:

This is definitely a red meat wine that is adaptable enough to stand up to spicy Mexican, Cajun, Indian, Thai or Italian.  Malbecs can pair with a wide variety of beef, game, lamb, chili, stews, mushrooms, sausage and barbecue sauces. (I personally will drink this wine with anything)

History:

Since 1884, the wines of Don Miguel Gascon have been recognized for the rich, smooth flavors that come from Argentina’s Mendoza wine region.  The finest grapes are hand-selected from cool, high altitude vineyards in the prestigious UCO Valley and Agrelo regions for this small production Malbec.

Cheers!

Grilled Cheese LOVE

Dear Green Goddess Grilled Cheese,

My first thought was Holy Moly!, followed immediately by I'm in LOVE. I think it's safe to say you had me at first bite.

Love, Ashley

Now I love grilled cheese and I'm pretty sure I wouldn't come across one I didn't like, but this little baby is AMAZING! Added Bonus and a MUST for me.. it's super easy. I didn't completely follow all the directions down to a T, because it was way easier to buy pesto already made.

Green Goddess Grilled Cheese Sandwich

makes 1 sandwich

Calories: 435 (estimated)

Ingredients

2 slices bread (we used a whole grain bread)
2-3 tablespoons Green Goddess Herb Pesto (recipe below)—(I used a store bought Pesto, easier)
2 slices mild white cheese like mozzarella
handful fresh baby spinach
¼ avocado, sliced
2 tablespoons goat cheese, crumbled
olive oil (I used Parkay spray)

Ingredients I used..

Directions

Spread about 1 tablespoon of Green Goddess Herb Pesto onto each slice of bread (2 tablespoons total, but if you’re sensitive, go light, the pesto is STRONG).On one slice of bread, add 1 slice of cheese, sliced avocado, crumbled goat cheese, spinach, second slice of cheese, then top it with second slice of bread. Press together gently.Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a frying pan over medium low heat. (If you want to use butter, add it to the oil and let it melt). Add the sandwich to the oil and cook until bread is golden brown. Press down on the sandwich lightly, then flip the sandwich over and cook until second side is golden brown.

Green Goddess Herb Pesto

Ingredients

1 clove garlic
1 (or 2 if you’re ballsy) anchovy fillet (in oil)
½ small shallot, chopped (about 1 tablespoon)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
handful chopped fresh Italian parsley
handful chopped kale
2-3 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon
1 tablespoon chopped chives
¼ cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Pulse garlic, anchovy, and shallot in food processor until chopped. With the food processor running, add lemon juice, parsley, kale, tarragon and chives. (It won’t process very well yet, don’t worry).Very slowly drizzle in olive oil until kale and herbs get sufficiently chopped and everything is the consistency of a pesto. You may need more or less of the olive oil depending on how big a “handful” of herbs is to you. You can also turn off the food processor and push herbs down the side of the bowl with a spatula every once in a while. Season to taste with salt and pepper (You probably won’t need too much salt if you used 2 anchovies).

Happy TGIF:)

Hola…Wait, If we are sticking to theme it should be 你好 ?

Anyhoo, our first yummy little number is… Drum Roll Please…

 !Crunch Asian Salad!

So, today I’m slightly cheating. This IS from Pintrest and I did create this little yummy dish. I didn’t, however, make it last night, I made it for a girl party last Saturday and it seemed to be a hit!(people asking for the recipe = WINNING!) Besides, I happened to love it as well. This dish was very easy and for me that’s a MUST. I’m not one of those people that wants to spend hours cooking and have a huge clean up later, I would rather stick Easy Mac in a bowl and call it done.

Enjoy Kiddies!

Salad Rating: 8 of 10

What I love about this salad: It has a crunch to it, it’s inexpensive and it’s a little different from your usual salad.

This will feed several people*

What you’ll need..

1env.  (0.7 oz.) GOOD SEASONS Italian Dressing Mix

½ cup  sugar

2 Tbsp.  soy sauce

2 pkg.  (3 oz. each) ramen noodle soup mix

2 pkg.  (16 oz. each) coleslaw blend (cabbage slaw mix)

4 green onions, sliced

½ cup Dry Roasted Sunflower Kernels (next to the salad stuff, NOT in the peanut isle)

½ cup Sliced Almonds, toasted

*You’ll need white vinegar as well, that is on the directions for the dressing mix

PREPARE dressing mix in small bowl as directed on envelope. Stir in sugar and soy sauce.

BREAK apart Noodles; place in large bowl. Discard Seasoning Packets or reserve for another use. Add coleslaw blend, onions, sunflower kernels and nuts to noodles; mix lightly.

ADD dressing; toss to coat.

SIZE-WISE

Enjoy a taste of Asia with a serving of this easy-to-make salad.

MAKE AHEAD

Dressing can be prepared ahead of time; refrigerate up to 24 hours before using. Noodles can also be crumbled the day before; place in resealable plastic bag along with the sunflower kernels and nuts. Seal bag and store at room temperature until ready to use to assemble salad.

SUBSTITUTE

Prepare using GOOD SEASONS Asian Sesame Dressing Mix.

Hello World!

Foodies, Wine-O’s, Terrible Cooks and the “Just Curious”… Welcome to For the Love of Food & Wine!

To All: I am not the best cook, nor am I the worst.. Now that we have established that lets begin..

I’m on a mission. That mission is to try one of the delicious looking meals posted on Pinterest at least once a week. Hopefully with my so-so cooking skills they will not only look like the picture but most importantly taste amazing.  Of course failure will most certainly be a part of this little food adventure and on those days I will eat cereal.  Buckle up kiddies this should get interesting!