Goat Cheese & Sun Dried Tomato Chicken

@FoodNetwork @inagarten Monday night we made goat cheese and sun dried tomato chicken breast and butter beans.  Goat cheese and tomatoes (of any kind) are two of our favorite foods.  The light creaminess of the goat cheese oozing out is amazing!  It is an easy recipe where goat cheese and sun dried tomatoes are stuffed into a small pocket cut into a boneless skinless chicken breast.  We made frozen butter beans to accompany the chicken.  Mark is a Georgia boy, so beans and peas are some of his favorite foods.  They are a perfect fit with the chicken.

We generally follow this recipe found on Food Network, with a slight variation in that we use boneless breasts. 

Raffaldini Winery

@Raffaldini  Not even a bit of lingering ice can keep us from some wine tasting!  Saturday we headed out with another couple to a few wineries -- Shadow Springs Vineyard, Windsor Run Cellars, and Raffaldini Vineyards.  The only new one on the list for us on this adventure was Raffaldini, which will be the topic for this blog post.   

Raffalidini specializes in Italian style wine, which introduced us to several new varietals, such as Montepulciano.  The tasting room and view are spectacular, even in the doldrums of winter.  A place we will definitely visit again this spring or summer.  A bottle of Sangiovese followed us home and awaits us. 

Meatloaf

@Paula_Deen @FoodNetwork  Another icy night calls for another one of our go-to comfort foods -- home style meatloaf.  This past Friday was a true comfort food night.  The sleet started about noon and at 6 PM we realized we would not be headed anywhere until morning.  We have made Paula Deen's Old-Fashioned Meatloaf countless times and is one of our standbys.  A simple mix of ground beef, onions, peppers, oats, and tomatoes makes for a moist, delicious loaf each time.  

A quick side salad, veggie, and a glass of wine (or two) made for a great way to start our night in.  (For the two of us, there are always plenty of leftovers for, say, meatloaf sandwiches the next day.)

You can find the recipe here -- our only suggestion would be to consider doubling the ketchup-based topping.  Ketchup as an accompaniment works fine, too.

 

Chicken Taco Soup

@allrecipes  Another cold night in North Carolina calls for a hearty soup and the ease of the slow cooker.  Tonight we made slow cooker Chicken Taco Soup.  One of our go-to meals on a cold night, this meal combines many veggies and tender chicken breasts.  Another 'set it and forget it' recipe that will greet you smelling of simmering cumin (that familiar Mexican spice) when you get home from a long day.  Did we mention this dish also includes a can of beer?! 

This dish really does taste of tacos.  Be sure to add some sour cream, scallions, and crushed tortilla chips if you want the real effect.  Pair it with a quick salad and you will find a quick and easy meal to warm you up this winter. 

This recipe is compliments of allrecipes.com -- you can find it here.

Prepping the soup-- make some room in the recycle bin for some cans!



Finished product - doesn't that look yummy??!!!



A Night in Chateauneuf-du-Pape

We had a great introduction to the French Chateauneuf-du-Pape and Rhône regions on January 23 at Wine Merchants Gourmet.  The event was led by Jérôme Quiot of Famile Quiot vineyards, one of the largest family of landowners in the regions with parcels of land dating back to the late 1700's.  We sampled a variety of both whites and reds.  Mr. Quiot enlightened us with a family history overview and a description of the various estates. 

We were blown away to learn the true length of time needed for great wine making grapevines to mature (15 years to find out if a planting is successful).  He commented that the recent plantings' success will be realized by his grandchildren 75+ years from now.  Most endearing, Mr. Quiot was honest about his plantings that have not been succesful. 

Thank you to both Mr. Quiot and Wine Merchants for a great 'adventure' to France for the night.  Add the Chateauneuf-du-Pape region to our list of favorite wines! 

French Broad Chocolates

#AshevilleNC @chocolatelounge  A trip to Asheville would not be complete without dessert at French Broad Chocolates. Chocolate French Macaroon and an assortment of 6 truffles capped off a great night. For once, the line wasn't too crazy -- but if you haven't been and happen to find yourself in Asheville, don't let the lines dissuade you. You will be handsomely rewarded with an amazing lounge and some great desserts and drinks.

Slow Cooker Chili

When the temperatures falls, the slow cooker comes out for a nice hearty chili dinner.  It is a very simple, quick, and "set it and forget it" recipe.  If you are looking for a filling, veggie-loaded, and non-spicy chili -- this has it all.  Nothing fancy here - lots of canned veggies in the slow cooker and let it do it's magic.

 

You won't find this recipe in a fancy cookbook or even our go-to food websites, but rather it was a seemingly suspicious concoction on the back of a can of beans.  Yes, it came about one night over a year ago when we were trolling the pantry for a dinner idea.  But trust us, if you are looking for simple - give this a try - here is the recipe. 

 

By the way, if you haven't found the genius of slow cooker liners yet -- get them!  They will save you hours of soaking and scrubbing after the meal.     

 

The end product. 
Take note of the beautful servingware -- did we mention it makes great leftovers warmed up?