Taste Affected

I can’t think of another time of year I love this much-the leaves change, my container garden isn’t in danger of death by overexposure or my lack of watering it, and I can make something I adore like my Roasted Chicken and Pesto Lasagna.

There are many things I learned how to make by covertly watching people around me cook.  Okay, sometimes not so covertly (did YOUR mother make you memorize the ingredients for chocolate chip cookies then recite it on demand for her stoned friends??).  Lasagna was one of the more covert operations.  I don’t care that I have overused the word covert.  At some point my father starting making an awesome lasagna.   I paid attention and years later I could make it from memory.

About 6 years ago I began a love affair with the rotisserie chickens found at the grocery store.  You will see over time that I often use them in recipes that would otherwise be too long and tedious to even blink at.  One fall day much like today I was in the grocery store and walked past these delectable birds that smelled like juicy heaven.  I had my heart set on taking advantage of the cooled weather and making my first lasagna of the season, but the chicken was calling me.  What a dilemma!  Eventually I decided to find a way to incorporate said chicken into the meal.  After further perusing of the store I became inspired and decided to try the following recipe.  I will tell you that it is one of my favorite things in the world to make, serve and definitely to eat. Serve with the garlic bread recipe below and know what my version of fall bliss tastes like.

Roasted Chicken and Pesto Lasagna

You will need the following:

-1 package of “no boil” lasagna noodles (such as Barilla)

-4-5 cups of prepared pasta sauce (or 1 jar)

(when I use store-bought sauce I love the Fire Roasted Tomato & Garlic by Classico)

-1 16-ounce package of good ricotta cheese

-1 egg

-1 6-8 ounce package of prepared basil pesto

-1 lb of mozzarella, shredded

-1 rotisserie chicken, shredded

-1 1/2 cups sliced white mushrooms

-1 large yellow, roughly chopped (sweet) onion, such as Vidalia

-2 zucchini, sliced

Salt and pepper

Olive Oil for pan

Preheat oven to 375, spray 9 x 13 casserole dish with cooking spray

Start with a couple of turns of EVOO in a large pan over medium heat and add the onion, mushrooms and zucchini-cook until “al dente”-giving them some room to finish in the lasagna without becoming soggy or overdone. Remove from heat.  Then, add the shredded chicken and toss to incorporate well. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, the egg and the pesto until mixed well.

Start layering your lasagna with enough sauce to cover the bottom of the baking dish, then add the noodles.  On top of the noodles, add half of the ricotta/pesto mixture and spread evenly.  Next add the half of the chicken and vegetables, then pour all but 1 cup of the remaining sauce over the mixture and add another layer of noodles.  Add the rest of the ricotta/pesto mixture, then the remaining chicken and veggies, then the remaining sauce.  Now cover with the shredded mozzarella.

Take 2 pieces of foil cut to a few inches larger than the dish and spray cooking spray on one side of the foil, then cover your lasagna (sprayed side down) with the foil.  Cook for 45 minutes with the foil on, then remove the foil and finish in the oven another 15 minutes.  You want the cheese to start to be golden and slightly crispy at the edges.  I will also usually place a baking sheet that is larger than the casserole dish under the casserole in the oven to catch any drippings that bubble over.

Let the lasagna stand to set for 10 minutes before serving.  This is a great time to cook your (my) garlic bread.

Melissa’s Spicy Garlic Bread

1 loaf of sourdough bread-halved lengthwise

6-7 medium cloves of garlic, finely minced (fresh, please!)

1 teaspoon of Emeril’s Original Essence

1/2 teaspoon of garlic salt

1 tablespoon of Grenough’s Magic Dust

1 cup of butter, room temperature

1 cup of margarine

1 tablespoon of EVOO

Combine all ingredients (except bread, duh) and mix very well.  Spread over the loaf of the bread.

Bake in 375 degree oven until slightly crispy (aprox 12 minutes)

Save remains of the seasoned butter for the best steak butter of your life tomorrow night.  mmmmmm

I also want to take a minute to further explain a couple of the garlic bread ingredients.  Emeril’s Original Essence-a staple in my kitchen.  If you haven’t tried it, you must.  It is a brilliant combination of spices that really does enhance almost everything you are cooking.  I use it almost everyday.  You can buy it in any grocery store in the spice aisle.

I also now very regularly use Grenough’s Magic Dust.  My father found this on a trip to Sedona, AZ and OMG it was the find of the century.  Talk about spicy deliciousness.  TRY IT.  Order some NOW.  You can try to make my garlic bread without it, but you wont know its genius until you have some of what my family calls “Sedona Dust”.  I buy it by the 5lb bulk box.  Yeah, it’s that good.

This meal goes wonderfully with a bottle of Brown Estate Zinfandel (2006 or 2007).

So, enjoy the cooling weather and the beautiful scenery.  Most importantly-enjoy the opportunity to make your favorite cold weather meals.  Hope this becomes one of them.

Grenough’s Magic Dust: https://gsmagicdust.com/store/

Brown Estate Vineyard: http://www.brownestate.com/

PS-My dad told me that the original lasagna recipe was his, when I first posted it as my ex-step mother Mimi’s recipe.  I’ll trust his memory over mine any day.  Watching him is where I learned so much-and still do.  After my parents divorce it was up to him to cook for us and every year he gets better and better-he is an awesome cook.  So, like I said, I will credit my father with the recipe, not Mimi.  =)  (Sorry dad)

I actually almost started to feel bad for those of you that aren’t familiar with Cowgirl Creamery, but then I remembered the light that came into my life during “April in Carneros” 2008.  What a day!  So many great wineries to be introduced to that day, then at one tasting I stumbled upon what would become an obsession-Cowgirl Creamery Mt. Tam cheese. mmmmmmmmm.  So, against my normal sarcasm, I am excited for you and all that awaits you.

It is absolutely true from my point of view that the simplest things fill us with the most joy.  What is more simple than cheese I ask you?  I started my love affair with cheese like most kids-American “cheese” and string cheese were the thing.  I will tell you that I refused to even buy American “cheese” for my kids for a few years because of how cheated I felt once I started eating real cheese.  I wanted them to grow up knowing what good, simple high-quality food is.  I just described everything American “cheese” isn’t.  However, there is a time and place for everything-even American “cheese”.

At this “April in Carneros” event (that you MUST attend, BTW), I was excited to see a snack about halfway through the day at one of the vineyards.  With the mediocre chardonnay, they were serving dried mango and the Cowgirl Creamery Mt. Tam cheese.  Talk about love at first bite.  Mt. Tam is a sensual experience-a creamy, luscious cheese that is not heavy, not light and with amazing depth in flavor.  The dried mango was an awesome way to serve it.  I love it with wheat crackers; I love it alone on a spoon.  I’ll take her any way I can get her, though this recipe is my favorite way to serve Mt. Tam.

Puff Pastry Wrapped Heaven

My absolute favorite way to use Mt. Tam!

You will need the following:

1 sheet of frozen puff pastry, thawed

1/2 cup of a sweet/hot jam (I use my homemade Apricot-Habanero Jam)

1 round of Mt. Tam cheese by Cowgirl Creamery

2 tablespoons of melted butter

Preheat oven the temperature indicated on pastry instructions.

Open the sheet of puff pastry and roll out on a lightly floured surface.

Put the round of Mt. Tam in the center.

Pour the jam over the cheese.

Neatly wrap the pastry over the cheese in pleats, pinching to seal.

Bush the melted butter over the top on the pastry to help get your beautiful color.

Bake until pastry is cooked through and puffed.

Let the pastry sit for 10 minutes to set and cool just a bit, then serve with wheat crackers (or pretzel crisps!) and your favorite Chardonnay.  One of my faves right now is the Cakebread Cellars Chardonnay (2001).  Delish.

The other cheeses at Cowgirl are just as good, but different of course.  I love the cheese club CC offers, and I have ordered my faves from them mail order many times over and have never been disappointed.  I do love that I can just go to Whole Foods for it now-so convenient and fast.

I can’t finish an article on cheese in the Bay Area without mentioning another favorite place of mine-The Cheese Board in Berkeley.  Amazing selection, incredibly knowledgeable staff and if they don’t have it-it probably isn’t worth pursuing.

I can’t wait to write a review of Holiday in Carneros.   It is happening the weekend of November 21 & 22.  Just pick your favorite participating Carneros winery and start there.  You can buy a glass/wristband combo at any of them and go wherever you like.  Plan your own route, bring some fun people and a good time in guaranteed.  Tell me all about it after and don’t forget the good stuff.  =)

Cowgirl Creamery:  http://www.cowgirlcreamery.com/

Cakebread Cellars:  http://www.cakebread.com/

The Cheese Board:  http://cheeseboardcollective.coop/

April in Carneros/Holiday in Carneros: http://www.carneroswineries.org/index.htm

Once upon a time in a quaint little town called Pleasant Hill, CA there was an adorable French restaurant called Left Bank.  Left Bank was a standout in a town with little in the way of decent food.  It was a true French brasserie with a large, beautiful wooden bar, adorable giant-sized vintage wine posters on the walls and beautiful light fixtures.  Toward the end of the week a great jazz trio would play and in the summer, almost half of the outer walls in the restaurant were open doors that let in the cool, Northern California breeze.

Over time I came to love this place for the food and the people I met here.  The bartenders were friendly, made great drinks and a couple were very interesting people to have a great conversations with while I decompressed.  It was also a favorite place for a birthday dinner or to meet the girls for happy hour.  They seemed busy enough.  I thought.

Imagine my shock and horror when I got a message from one of the bartenders who had become a friend-Cheryl, telling me that two locations would be closing-including the one that I loved (there were only 5 to begin with!) in 2 days.  2 days!?!?  I didn’t even know what to do with that information.

So, I said a sad goodbye with one last Kettle One Lemon Drop and wondered where I would go to read a book on a hot summer night alone or where I would take the girls for a drink before the next Sex In The City movie comes out?!!  Who would make our cosmos? It was so unfair.

Sadly, that was 4 months ago and these questions remain unanswered.

Alas, there are 2 Left Bank restaurants remaining-both an hour drive in opposite directions from me.  Today, I couldn’t resist the pull and came out to the Larkspur location-hoping I could see one of the very few employees from Pleasant Hill that were absorbed while I wrote a blog and looked at what the job market looks like for me at the moment.  No luck on any of it except the trip to Larkspur.  Goodness knows I look for any excuse to be in my car for a while-if for no other reason than to listen to Dave Matthews or Miss Spears (shhhhhh-don’t tell) a little too loud and sing badly & alone.  Okay, so I dance in my car, too.  Hush.

I can’t end this post without saying a thing or 2 about the differences between the Pleasant Hill location and the Larkspur location.  This is a restaurant that sucks at consistency.  Ordering the same things I would ask for in Pleasant Hill (if they are available-and that is a big IF), did not guarantee that I would get the same things.  Tre disappointing.  The staff is nice enough, and I do like the atmosphere.  Overall, it is a food problem.  All of the good options are toast in Larkspur-as in gone.

You know what this means, right??  It is long past time for me to develop a cheese fondue recipe to put LB-L to shame.  I love ya, Left Bank-but you let me down!  If you do order the eversofamous fondue, get a side of chives and pour a couple of spoonfuls into the fondue-you can thank me later.

Don’t feel bad, I’ll get over it by having a scoop of gelato (who knew French restaurants served Italian Ice Cream?) and singing until I lose my voice on the beautiful drive home.

I wonder what I’ll make for dinner…………

http://www.leftbank.com/

Please. Hear me out.

Before this post gets flagged for the unoriginal use of packaged gravy-let me explain. Okay, so you can’t flag a post I wrote on my own site-but you know what I mean.

We all grew up in an alternate universe from the one we now live in.  Now-we are young, urban, professionals (no I did NOT use that 80’s acronym) who have time to climb the corporate tower, be excellent, organic-food touting mothers who get angry about vaccines, poor treatment of animals and celebutantes that should never be allowed to leave the hospital with their offspring- who still find time to be sexy arm-candy wives AND create unique, never repeated all original recipes each night for our brood.

Which kinda cracks me up considering what most of us 30-somethings grew up with in the late 70’s and 80’s.  I don’t know about you, but there were nights that we were excited to be handed a pack of Reese’s Pieces and a remote control while our divorcee moms scrunched their hair and went to a club with the next hairbandfrontmanlookalike.  Am I alone here?

Anyway-the point is that there was a time when it was not only okay to crack open a box of tuna helper for dinner, but there were whole sects of society devoted to manipulating prepackaged meals into “new” recipes!  The horror! My apologies to “Cakemix Doctor” fans everywhere-I know, I love them too.

My only point being-try the freaking gravy.  Any of us who have made homemade gravy before know it isn’t hard.  It isn’t even inconvenient.  And yet, I still go for the Knorr Roasted Chicken Gravy every weeknight I want gravy.  Check out the nutritional info- there is a nice advantage there.  And maybe I get some pleasure out of taking a shortcut society doesn’t think I (as superwoman) should be entitled to.

Or maybe I was just in the mood to rant.

Either way, this is a delicious, fast and very easy weeknight meal and it goes wonderfully with a bottle of Bogle Chardonnay (INCREDIBLE find for $9!).  Bon Appétit.

Sautéed Chicken with Mashers and Gravy

Serves 4

1 1/2 lb.  Chicken Breast-cut into “tenders”

1/2 lb. Red Creamer Potatoes (or whatever your tater of choice is)

1/2 lb. Yukon Gold Potatoes

2 tablespoons Sour Cream

1 Package Knorr Roasted Chicken Gravy

2 cups plus 1/4cup prepared Chicken Stock

1 pint of white mushrooms, sliced

A Light Olive Oil

Kosher Salt

Pepper

In a stockpot, combine the chicken stock, a pinch of salt and enough water to cover peeled potatoes and bring to a boil.

Meanwhile, put chicken pieces in a bowl and toss with just enough olive oil to coat lightly, season with salt and pepper.  Transfer tenders to a sauté pan and sauté until just shy of done.  Add mushrooms and cover, stirring occasionally until chicken is cooked through and mushrooms are al dente.

When potatoes are done (fall apart when pressed with a fork), drain them and return to hot stockpot.  In a separate cup, combine 1/4cup stock and the sour cream, mixing well.  Add mixture to potatoes and mix with a hand mixer until creamy then add salt and pepper to taste.

Make gravy according to package directions.

I usually will steam whatever is fresh and green in the house to serve with this also-green beans, zucchini, brocolli-whatever.  A green salad would be nice also.

Serve together with a smile on your face and enjoy a healthy, easy and ultimately very comforting meal on a weekday.

Smile even bigger if you can get someone else to do the dishes.

Knorr Gravy info:  http://www.amazon.com/Knorr-Classics-Roasted-Chicken-1-2-Ounce/dp/B000I2MW7O

Bogle Wines: http://www.boglewinery.com/

Welcome to Taste Afffected!  I am so glad you came to visit my little corner of the blogosphere.  My name is Melissa and this blog is all about me and my love for great food and wine.  I live right between San Francisco and the Napa/Sonoma area-the best wine growing region in the US (maybe the world), and I am obsessed with great food, cooking, winemaking and all related to it.  Sit back, relax, pour a great glass of wine and see what there is to offer you here.  To your health!