Mack’s Montreal Mixes IV

Flirting with fall colours and fall flavours in some fantastic recipes about a month ago!

Dish One:

Chicken Parmesan Casserole.

It has been another crazy week of on-the-go activities, so I opted for another casserole to push us through Monday, Tuesday. It was unreal. Its very simple and very tasty. It simply involves chicken, penne pasta, mozzarella, panko bread crumbs, basil, and a marinara that can be refreshed with garlic and pepper. Its then baked in the oven for about 30-45 mins and enjoyed for dinner or lunch the next day.

So easy and so delicious: http://thrivinghomeblog.com/2013/07/chicken-parmesan-casserole-recipe-an-easy-freezer-meal/

Dish Two:

Fresh Cobb Salad

I say fresh because after so long, you just need a solid healthy salad that is filling but sets you for a week of “trying to be healthy”.

This was perfect. It calls for chopped romaine lettuce, hard boiled eggs, pecans, mushrooms, avocado and fresh ground black pepper. Next time, I would even add chicken if I was craving something hearty and if I wanted a bit more flavour, I would add red beets.

Dish Three:

Roasted Red Pepper, Wild Mushroom & Proscuitto Gnocchi In a Rose Sauce.

This is always a nice one on a more brisk day/night. This is the day in October where it started snowing– well before Halloween. I was confused and concerned, so my immediate reaction was “we need gnocchi and full-bodied red wine in our systems”. I paired this dish with the ExP Merlot/Syrah/Zinfandel to match the tomato sauce’s intensity.

I’m not quite sure why I bought so many bottle of this wine, because it’s not my favourite. I love the Syrah and Chardonnay from ExP, but the blends are a little uneven and are hard to pair with a dish with a lot of elements.

Dish Four:

Cream of Asparagus Soup With Proscuitto, Goat Cheese and Sundried Tomato Pizza.

This was a laaaaazy night. I thank 5 Saisons for the days I’m exhausted and don’t feel like cooking. This was a simple oven baked pizza, but I added the proscuitto for more flavour- and added fresh ground pepper to the soup for more intensity.

Dish Five:

Mushroom Rib-Eye Steak Topped with Blue Cheese With Green Beans, Whipped Garlic Mashed Potatoes and a Peppercorn Demi-Glace.

Heaven.

Another weekend with family over and I was wanting to pull out more big guns– this was the ultimate one.

The steak was topped with sliced cremini mushrooms and a peppercorn demi-glace, as well as blue cheese, and the mashed potatoes were whipped with freshly chopped garlic. We enjoyed this meal before the Montreal Canadiens crushed the Detroit Red Wings at the Bell Centre on a fine Saturday night. We paired this evening of steak and happiness with a bottle of Sangiovese. Next time to match up to those big flavours of the steak- Cab Sauv. from California or Shiraz from Australia!