Chicken stuffed with baby portabello and spinich

I took Chicken breasts and butterflied them using a tenderizing mallet to thin them out.

I stuffed them with sautéed crimini Mushrooms, spinach, onion and garlic.

I then took a few pieces of bacon and fried them in a pan reserving some of the drippings.... (I later crushed the bacon into little bits to top over the dinner).

I used left-over stuffing mix (spinach, garlic, onion and crimini mushrooms) and threw those in the in the bacon drippings... after about a minute I put in the Balsamic Vinegar and let that reduce down by about 2/3rds with about 2 tablespoons of sugar (to help balance the tartness in the balsamic)..

For the potatoes, I just used good ol' russets and cut them into bite-sized pieces and placed them on a sheet-pan with olive oil, salt, pepper and a touch of Cayenne Pepper and Rosemary.

Pics from Red Mountain WA

I took a trip last week out to Red Mountain AVA here in Washington State and here are a few pictures I took while out there:

$10 and under Wine Recommendations

So I’ve been trying a lot of different wines lately and purposely trying to step away from my comfort zone of Washington Wines and have really started taking a more serious look at other countries for some alternatives and to taste the various regions in what they have to offer.


For awhile I was caught up into the whole price thing – as if somehow the price of a wine will make it taste better. Sure there are great wines at prices well above $25 dollars but who can afford to drink those on a daily or weekly basis? That really got me started on this path I’m on now to find some of the best wines possible for $10 dollars or under. Yes, they do exist and I’m trying my best to help weed out the crappy ones on both yours and my own behalf.
When you get time, you should read this article that talks about how the price of wine can influence people into thinking a wine is good or bad:

I’ve been on a virtual world-tour lately of wine which branches from Italy to France to New Zealand to Argentina and have found there are some really great values out there which deserve your attention.

Here are my tops picks right now:

- 2005 Naiara Malbec – Argentina - $9
From the country of Argentina which is currently selling for about $9 bux here at the local Fred Meyer who recently got it in. If your favorite store doesn’t have it, you should see if they can order it or seek a store out which has a wine steward in it and I’m sure they can order it.Malbec is a grape varietal from the Bordeaux region of France which unfortunately is mainly used for blending purposes and is rarely made as a straight-up bottle of wine. It has a thicker skin than cabernet or merlot grapes and does extremely well in the growing conditions of Argentina. In fact, you could say that this varietal alone is really putting Argentina on the map of the wine world and they’re doing some tremendous things with it.

As these wines catch on we’ll see the prices start to slowly climb with demand so make sure to get in early on the wave of excellent Malbec wines from this region.

There’s some tobacco components coming through on the nose along with dark plum, a slight hint of vanilla, soil, cinnamon and smoked paprika. Mix that up with a very slight hint of sweaty arm-pit and you have an intense aroma that is very pleasant.

This wine will pair VERY well with any hearty pasta and red sauce dish or veal. I’d also have no problems having it with Meatballs and fresh parmesan cheese. It has an incredibly rich purple color to it and is very pleasant on the nose. I would even drink this wine with a spice-rubbed, grilled flank steak using Cayenne pepper, salt, pepper, paprika, cinnamon and garlic powder.

- 2006 Cavatappi Sangiovese – Mattawa WA - $10
Forget any pre-conceived ideas you may have about affordable Sangiovese wine because the flavor of this scrumptious wine tosses out the rule book (and burns it to be never found again) on what we’ve come to expect from so many of the Italian-style Sangiovese wines. Rather than having the bright fruit on the pallet like so many wines of this heritage have, this one tastes like an old sock left out in the mud for two weeks, filled with wet cedar chips. I like it!

Dark, earthy notes of this wine make it an obvious choice for fall stews and hearty soups. I’d have no problems pairing it with beef stew, pot roast and rosemary, roasted garlic mashed potatoes and even braised lamb shank. If you want to stick with the pasta, I’d go for ricotta-cheese and veal-stuffed ravioli with and herbal-infused red sauce and grated truffles. (you could substitute any good, “earthy” mushroom here if you’re on a budget such as cramini (baby Portobello).

- 2005 Robertson Winery Chenin Blanc– South Africa
If you’re interested in tasting other parts of the world then you owe it to yourself to seek this wine out. Here’s a white wine that has some really good structure, balance and acidity that make it a shoe-in for shellfish or fresh-water trout.



Unlike most American-made Chenin Blanc I’ve had, this one has a ton of mineral deposit flavors in it, almost like sucking on a rock from a crystal-clear river in the Mountains. Balance that with some good fruit on the mid-pallet, floral fragrance on the nose and you have the makings for a great wine that will surely delight those who enjoy seafood.

- 2001 Bosco "R" Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Italian Red Wine – Italy - $9
Okay, so here’s a wine that completely blind-sided me and it’s from Costco of all places – in fact, I think Costco may have some sort of exclusive distribution deal with this wine. No I can’t pronounce the name very well but who cares? You could call it anything but late to dinner. If you want a bold wine with TONS of flavor of dark plums, deep red, soiled cherries with a slight hint of oak, than this is your wine. It has a scrumptious mouth-feel - very velvety – and the finish is quite long.

I would easily pair this with any kind of meats which have been stewed or braised in red wine and of course any red-sauced pasta dish. This wine will hold up VERY well to incredibly rich dishes as well and on top of that, it’ll also compliment all sorts of grilled, hearty meats. Grilled corn on the cob with a bit of charring on it, dirty rice, roasted potatoes with Rosemary, oregano and Extra Virgin Olive Oil would make great sides.

TIPOLOGY: Red wine
GRAPES: Montepulciano d’ Abruzzo 100%
REGION: Abruzzo
DENOMINATION: D.O.C.
VINEYARDS: Hills of Pescara
HEIGHT HILLS: 250 mt s.l.m.
ESPOSURE: Sud, Sud-Est
VINEYARD GROWING SYSTEM: Rows of vine
SOIL: Pebbly-soil
LITERS PER 10.000 MQ: 8.000 l.
HARVEST: At the end of October
ANNUAL PRODUCTION: 100.000


WINE-MAKING: Maceration of the skins at cold controlled temperature
ALCOHOL CONTENTS: 13,00% Vol. ca
AGING: 12 months into big oaken barrels from Slavonia of 35 hl or 75 hl
AGING IN BOTTLES: 18 months into subterranean tunnels

What are you waiting for? Try an Argentina Malbec already!

This note goes out particularly to those California Wine-Snobs – you know who you are – the folks who are somehow convinced you can’t get a truly good wine for under $40 dollars. Hey, it’s not my fault that Napa wines are generally a rip-off and it’s not my fault that Argentina can make killer wines for dirt-cheap.

I’ve been drinking quite a number of Malbec’s (Argentina’s darling grape varietal) lately – all are well under $12 bones – and they’ve got me excited and worried at the same time.

Why am I worried? I worry anytime a foreign country can potentially cost American jobs because they can compete at a lower price point.

Why am I excited? Because the consumer in me and my palette tells me that there are some incredible values coming out of that region which really do deserve your interest. They can produce a bottle of wine for around $1-2 USD and have it sold at retail up here for $9. American producers –namely those in the more expensive areas of California - could have an incredibly difficult time competing at these prices because the wines are so good.

Looking at the way wine market trends go, if you don’t stock up on these wines now, they will eventually go up in price. As Argentina continues to rise in popularity, you’ll see the prices start rising as well. What you’re paying $10 buck for now, will sell for closer to $20 in a few more years.

I’m super excited about Argentina Wines, and highly encourage you to seek some out. Please don’t take my word here, trust your palette and as always try many wines as you can!


2006 Bodega Septima Malbec: My rating is 89+
This wine has an incredible nose of black licorice, fig newtons, blackberries and a slight hint of white pepper. The finish on this wine is quite long and brings a lot of pleasure with it. Wine Speculator gave this an 86pt rating, I feel that’s a bit low - I’d be more inclined to go 89+. Decant for 30-60min.

Pairs incredibly well with Pot Roast served with Bread-crumb-crusted pasta and brown Gravy made from pan drippings. I’d also have no problems pairing it with any hearty fish like a cedar-plank salmon with a Tarragon Aioli. The licorice notes of the wine would clearly go with the licorice-flavors of the tarragon.

2005 Trivento Select Malbec – My rating is 90
The nose here has some good hints of vanilla (thanks to the French oak), some black cherry and dark plums. Like the Bodega, the finish is great and there’s good fruit across the front and mid-palette. There is a nice spicy component going on here and I’d definitely have no issues at all pairing it with many South-of-the-border inspired foods.

The buttery consistency of Guacamole’, for example would go very well with this wine – we had it the other night with some “taco stew” (think taco flavors in a slow-cooked, stew format) and topped it with Sour Cream, Guacamole’ and a touch of hot sauce.