Gorgonzola Grilled Chicken and Spinach Salad

So here is how the conversation went during our wine time debriefing and getting dinner ready....

Me:  "Honey, since Steve and Leslie will be here next week, please make sure we have enough propane for the bbq with all the grilling that we're going to be doing."

Him:  "Oh, there's plenty of propane for the bbq, we don't need to fill it up."

Me:  "Are you sure, because we have been grilling a lot lately."

Him:  "Yes, we'll be fine."

He then puts the chicken breasts on for our Gorgonzola Grilled Chicken and Spinach Salad and we continue to talk out on the patio, while the chicken cooks.  He goes to check on the chicken to see if they are almost done...

Him:  "Oh, ****, the burners and heat turned off...we are out of propane."

Me:  "Seriously!!!?"

Gorgonzola Grilled Chicken and Spinach Salad

Spinach Leaves
Baby Bella or White Button Mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
Red Grapes, cut in half lengthwise
4 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
White Balsamic and Honey Salad Dressing/Vinaigrette 
(typically found on the top shelf area of salad dressing section with the specialty flavors)
6 ounce container, Gorgonzola Cheese, crumbled
Olive Oil
Butter

Preheat the grill to hot.  Rinse and dry the chicken thoroughly. Take each breast and pound gently to an even thickness. Do not pound too thin; the breast will not be completely uniform. Liberally salt and pepper the chicken and allow to sit at room temperature for at least 15 minutes.

Place the chicken breasts on the hot grill, with the thicker portion facing the hotter part of your grill (usually the back). Allow the chicken to cook undisturbed until char grill marks are made, about 4 minutes. Flip the chicken, keeping the thick part of the chicken toward the hot part of the flame, and cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the chicken reads 155 degrees F, about 3 more minutes. 

Pull cooked chicken breasts off the grill and set in a glass dish. Sprinkle chicken with the crumbled Gorgonzola cheese and loosely cover with foil.  Allow the grilled chicken to rest for 5 minutes, covered, before serving.

While chicken is resting, saute the mushrooms in equal parts butter and olive oil in a medium-high heated saute pan. 

To plate, start with the spinach leaves.  Cut the rested Gorgonzola covered chicken in evenly sized slices and place on spinach leaves.  Add the sautéed mushrooms to each plate over the chicken.  Spoon any remaining butter/olive oil from the mushroom pan over each plate, this adds an extra layer of flavor.

Add as many (or as few) cut grapes that you like to your plate and drizzle with the White Balsamic and Honey Salad Dressing.

Serve with a crusty, rustic bread (like a Garlic Olive-Rosemary loaf) and your favorite Chardonnay wine.

Here is the dressing we used for tonight's salad.

P.S.  Just make sure you have enough propane before your start your dinner venture!

One Year Ago:  Nutella Cookies

Happy Anniversary

Happy Anniversary to my honey.  Seventeen years ago today, I married my best friend in Indian Wells, CA on the most beautiful setting around lakes and waterfalls with 125 of our family and closest friends.

The greatest gift ever, this morning I woke up in our beautiful condo at Mauna Lani on the Kohala Coast for my anniversary, along the Pacific Ocean with my husband and girls.

I have always been drawn to Hawaii ever since my mom brought us to Maui when I was younger.  My mom was born in Hawaii and it is told that her grandmother was a seamstress for the Royal Family.  I always knew I came from royalty.

The Big Island Of Hawaii, as it is known, was first introduced to us by JoAnne and Dick, my brother and sister-in-law 12 years ago when they graciously included us in their summer vacation to the Mauna Kea Resort.

The famous Mauna Kea Resort.
One of the world's top rated beaches.

They brought us back the following year and we were hooked ever since.  We have not been here for 10 years but the minute I stepped on the Mauna Lani private beach with my girls, it was like a day had never passed.

View from our Master Bedroom lanai - breathtaking.

In the beginning.....

I am still drooling looking at this photo and
remembering the sweet morning.

We went to the resort market and found this darling coffee shop that served hot Coconut Mochas and Chocolate Chip and Coconut Scones - oh dear heaven I have never had such an amazing breakfast (if you can call it that).

A beautiful day to remember...

The Mauna Kea famous "Frederico" that we
created for tonight's happy hour.

Tonight's incredible sunset from our patio.

Best party ever....photos courtesy of my scrapbook from GGMa.

We made a wonderful dinner for our family anniversary...grilled up some Spencer steaks, roasted purple potatoes, sauteed mushrooms and ceasear salad - better than any steak house could make up.  Here is the bigger question...why does food taste so much better when you are on vacation?  We have made this same dinner a hundred times, but tonight's meal was exceptional !!

Loaded Hasselback Potatoes...Hassle of Packing

There is a wonderful saying that I have been reiterating to myself over and over and over again lately...   "God does not put anything in front of you that He thinks you cannot handle."

This has been a very interesting past week, to say the least.....

We learned two weeks ago that the owner of our house wants to take advantage of the strong housing market here and sell the house we have been living in for the past 18 months when we arrived in Colorado.

Oh, and we have 30 days to find another house and move (did I mention the insane real estate market right now - houses are selling and renting in about one hour after they hit the market)...and all of this is going down as we are trying to take our first family vacation in ten years together, this week...oh, and did I also mention that my company has decided to move our offices and accomplish a complete tenant improvement remodel in 30 days and I have to move both my house and office the same weekend.

That being said we are juggling packing for a trip, packing a house and I get to add in packing up an office as well, just to add to the fun.  Breathe in....Breathe out.

Can I just say one thing...there will be many adult beverages consumed for 9 days while I am laying (or passed out) on the beach in Hawaii.  I will also be on a zipline for the first time in my life and since I am terrified of heights, I can scream out all my tension and packing stress throughout the rain forrest.

These potatoes practically cook themselves if you find yourself trying to squeeze in preparing dinner while packing.

Loaded Hasselback Potatoes

4 russet potatoes
1/4 cup unsalted butter, thinly sliced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
4 slices bacon, diced
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons chopped chives

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Using a sharp knife, make crosswise cuts in each potato, about 1/8-inch apart, stopping about 1/4 inch from the bottom. Add butter slices to between the cuts; season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Transfer potatoes to a baking sheet. Place into oven and bake until the outsides are browned and crisp, about 1 hour. Top with cheese and bake until melted, an additional 5 minutes.

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add bacon and cook until brown and crispy, about 6-8 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.

Serve potatoes immediately, topped with sour cream, bacon and chives.

**  I served these with beef fillet medallions, sauteed mushrooms and a portabella demi-glace sauce.

Mustard-Roasted Potatoes and Too Much Fun

And so it has begun, our weekend with Uncle Rick.  He arrived Thursday afternoon and the fun has not stopped.

Mark, Rick and Matt....trouble!!

  Rick and Heather took a detour to Boulder for some shopping on the way to our house.  They stopped for Tequila, Wine and King Kong...yes, I said King Kong (more on that in a minute).

Leave it to my husband to photo bomb.

Everyone came over for our family happy hour and my pot roast, which was a welcomed cozy aroma to come home to after working (or traveling) all day. I accented the pot roast with sauteed mushrooms, mustard-roasted potatoes and glazed baby carrots. Nothing like a home cooked crock pot meal to warm your soul in the Rocky Mountains.

Father and Daughter - so sweet.

Rick did not disappoint with his selections of new vineyards (and some old favorites) for everyone. Mark and Rick spent Friday in Golden touring the Buffalo Bill Museum and Coors Brewery Factory Tour.  It was a beautifully sunny day and perfect weather for their outing and tours.

Just a few selections for the weekend.

So Thursday night I am at the kitchen sink doing dishes and I look up to see King Kong on the Empire State Building staring at me.  Never a dull moment and always the practical jokers around here.

King Kong guarding the new Coors 19 archive recipe.

We are now preparing for Saturday's carnivore fest....stay tuned for that tomorrow.

Mustard-Roasted Potatoes
Courtesy of  Barefoot Contessa

2½ pounds small red potatoes
2 yellow onions
3 tablespoons good olive oil
2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard
Kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Cut the potatoes in halves or quarters, depending on their size, and place them on a sheet pan. Remove the ends of the onions, peel them, and cut them in half. Slice them crosswise in ¼-inch-thick slices to make half-rounds. Toss the onions and potatoes together on the sheet pan. Add the olive oil, mustard, 2 teaspoons salt, and the pepper and toss them together. Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, until the potatoes are lightly browned on the outside and tender on the inside. Toss the potatoes from time to time with a metal spatula so they brown evenly.

Serve hot sprinkled with chopped parsley and a little extra salt.

Note: I substituted with fingerling potatoes.