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Tonight’s dinner was all about *BALSAMIC VINEGAR*  

Come.to.mama.

Baked Balsamic Chicken with Fresh Mozzarella and Basil Pesto (serves 4)

Adapted from Eat, Live, Run Grilled Balsamic Chicken with Mozzarella and Pesto

• 4 chicken breasts (about 1.5 lbs, or 6 ounces each)
• 2 cups balsamic vinegar, divided
• 4 large cloves garlic
• 4 ounces mozzarella (preferably fresh)
• 1/4 cup prepared pesto (try my basil almond pesto recipe)
• S&P
• Dried oregano

Step One:  Season chicken breasts with S&P.  Place chicken, 4 cloves garlic (minced OR roughly chopped, your call), and one cup of balsamic in a ziploc baggie or Tupperware and marinate in fridge for 1 hour.  Don’t exceed the one hour mark as the vinegar may start to break down the chicken in weird ways.

Step Two:  While the chicken marinates, heat 1 cup of balsamic vinegar over medium high heat for 15-20 minutes until liquid has reduced by half.  Remove from heat, and use a spatula to pour the reduction into a small bowl or serving pitcher to cool.

Step Three:  Cover a baking sheet with foil and coat with cooking spray.  Remove chicken from balsamic marinade, place on prepared baking sheet, and bake at 375 for 25 minutes, flipping halfway through.  Remove chicken from oven and turn on the oven broiler.  Top each chicken breast with a slice of fresh mozzarella cheese then sprinkle with S&P and dried oregano.  Leaving the oven door slightly ajar, broil chicken for 4 minutes, or until cheese is melted.  Top each breast with 1 tbsp pesto and a drizzle of the balsamic reduction.

“I’d rather die with a potato in my mouth than a piece of lettuce.” – Paula Deen

 

I loved the bright teal paint throughout the restaurant.

Henry’s has a decent-sized breakfast buffet, but I opted for the western omelet (again) though this time I left the ham.  When the omelet arrived I immediately scrunched my nose in disappointment.  It was the flattest most unappetizing looking omelet I’d ever laid eyes on.

I hesitantly sliced into the omelet, expecting it to be empty given its lacking fullness.  Steam billowed out at me, and I could see chunks of fresh veggies and white melty cheese.

That’s what I get for judging an omelet by its cover!  I was a little unsure about white cheese in an omelet, but this was a great combination and I ate the whole thing in record time.  The breakfast potatoes were standard, but the biscuit was hard as a rock.

Jarrod got the philly cheesesteak omelet (look at that boy, ordering red meat like a real carnivore), and we split a fluffy Belgian waffle with chocolate chips.

With the exception of the biscuit, this breakfast was terrific.  I’m still confused why there wasn’t more of a crowd!

We took a stroll back down toward the river, and Jarrod posed by this lovely dog.  Cheese!

Then we headed inland and stopped for coffee at the Gallery Espresso, the oldest coffee shop in Savannah.  This place was choc full of people (and pastries) and the walls were covered with local art.  We took a seat on an ancient looking sofa and relaxed while we drank our coffees.

We had a bit of time to kill before lunch, so we made the short drive over to Tybee Island.  It was frigid, so we didn’t actually step foot on the beach but I could totally see it from the warmth of the car.  After the drive, we stopped in the Savannah Candy Kitchen and watched them make fresh taffy and pralines.

Then we wondered aimlessly around the market area some more.

The City Market was probably my favorite part of the city.  There were people everywhere (even with the weather) and I loved all the restaurants and patios and overall relaxing vibe of the place.

We walked by Vinnie Van Go Go’s on our way to lunch.  Jarrod’s pace slowed to a mere crawl, and in matter of seconds we unanimously decided to grab one of their ridiculously amazing pizzas to take home with us.  Side note — we often freeze leftover takeout pizza and reheat it later on.  Simply wrap the crust of the frozen pizza slices with foil to prevent burning, then cook at 375 for about 14 minutes.  I swear it tastes like it’s fresh from the pizza oven!

Our last stop in Savannah was lunch at Moon River Brewing Company.  Jarrod wanted to give Angels’ Barbecue a try, and Moon River serves up an Angie’s Barbecue sandwich with Carolina Pit-style sauce:

For the record, this barbecue was good but the bbq pulled pork sandwich at Mert’s in Charlotte beats it out by far!

I got the Chicken and Sausage Creole:

The meat was served over a bed of low country rice – but that rice was seriously the star of show.

And then we were on our way home to Charlotte.  Just me and the man and one enormous pizza.

 

Boy was I wrong.

The south and much of the eastern U.S. were hit by a wretched cold front this weekend, and the low temperature in Savannah coupled with chilling high-speed winds whipping from every direction made for less than optimal strolling conditions.  But we trudged onward.

The best way to start any vacation day (or any day, period) is with a full belly, so we made the mile trek from our hotel (the Four Points by Sheraton) to Clary’s Cafe.

We were freezing, famished, and ready to feast when we arrived, so I quickly ordered the Western Omelet (with sausage instead of ham) breakfast potatoes, and a biscuit.

This was the perfect breakfast platter, and the biscuit was buttery and flaky throughout.

Jarrod got the Hoppel Poppel with sausage instead of the salami.  The Hoppel Poppel is basically an enormous serving of scrambled eggs with meat, potatoes, onion, and green peppers mixed in.

We also split a “small” bowl of their Special Creamy Oatmeal, which came with every oatmeal topping known to woman.

I was a tad surprised to see oatmeal on the menu at a southern breakfast joint, but I am elated that we ended up ordering it.  This picture does the oatmeal no justice–the toppings were literally toppling over the the bowl.  There was a generous sprinkling of ever fixin’ listed on the menu, and several delectable slices of the best banana I have had since summer.

This was an amazing breakfast… So good that I’d like to recreate the whole spread next weekend.  I’d highly recommend Clary’s to anyone visiting Savannah.

After breakfast we walked up towards Forsyth Park.  By then it was 11am and it became clear that the weather wasn’t going get any friendlier.

I get a tad grumpy when subjected to extreme whether conditions (just a tad), so we headed for a coffee shop to warm up.  We nabbed two chairs right in front of a gloriously sunny window at the Wright Square Café & Chocolatier.  The sun radiated down on us as we sipped our piping hot lattes (well, actually it was a turtle mocha for the man) and the cold weather became a distant thought as we perused the visitor guides and local newspapers… and by we, I mean he.  I closed my eyes and took a nap.  It was fabulous.

After Jarrod got bored with reading and watching me sleep, we picked up a mini tic-tac-toe board and perfected our gaming strategies.  I’m pretty sure we’ve come up with a no-fail plan for never losing a game again. 

Once our coffee cups were empty, we bundled up and headed back for the City Market area where we perused some of the local stores.  I snapped this photo in the kitchen store:

Ain’t that the truth.

Apparently we were feeling brave at this point, because we headed down towards the river where the wind was even more shrill and would occasionally take our breath away with its icy gusts.

The river area was really cool to see.  The narrow cobblestone street is jam-packed with old buildings, shops, and restaurants. 

I’m not sure how else to describe it other than it felt like a pirate town.  I kept glancing at the horizon expecting to see a pirate ship ascending on us.  I didn’t get my pirate ship, but I did get to see the ferry.

We checked out a few lunch spots on our to-try list, but after finding many of them had waits we ended up eating at Wet Willies.

FAIL.

I got the Willie’s Cheesy Steak sandwich (after the waitress advised me not to go with my original selection—the Cheddar Beef Sandwich with Horseradish). 

This may look tasty all slathered in cheese, but it was absolutely horrible.  Tasteless and blah covered in fake cheese.  I ate a third of it.  So you KNOW it was bad.

Jarrod got a 190 proof cherry daiquiri that tasted like cough syrup and the Drunken Chicken Sandwich.

He said he enjoyed the sandwich, but I’ll chalk that poor judgment up to the daiquiri.  This sober sister says the sandwich sauce was a weird combo of citrus and barbeque, and the flavors just didn’t mesh.  Period.

After our lackluster lunch, Jarrod took his frozen drink out on the frozen streets (there is no open container law in Savannah!) and we perused the shops along the river before a much needed two-hour nap.

Mary = grumpy.pants.

Once we were recharged, we took another mile walk to Leoci’s Trattoria for dinner.  I LOVED this place, thank god.

We sat at a small table right under the window in the cozy dining room. 

From inside Leoci’s, I could see their fabulous deck and heated tent area completed with hanging paper lanterns.  On a warmer day, I’d love to sit out on the patio sipping wine.  But as we were in the midst of Jack Frost unleashing his fury on the city we will have to save that for our next visit.

While we waited for our entrees, we chatted over wine and the Leoci’s house bread, which arrived at the table piping hot.  The bread had a crunchy crust and soft steamy middle and came with balsamic and olive oil for dipping.  Need I say more?

For dinner, Jarrod ordered the Fusilli Verde with sausage and lots of fresh veggies:

And I had the Bari Bari with homemade oricchiette with sausage and broccolini in a butter sage sauce:

Both dishes were elegant, simply prepared, and delicious.

Too full for dessert (or for a pizza night-cap from Vinnie Van Go-Go’s), we power walked it back to the hotel to catch some zzzz’s.

 

Our first stop was the Avia Lounge, which we picked simply because we were starving and it was the nearest restaurant to us.  Avia is in the Avia Hyatt hotel, and I was immediately impressed with the fancy-chic décor and beautiful chandelier.

We took a seat in the lounge area as we perused the menu of small plates.

For a brief moment, we though we’d step outside the box and order the Beef Carpaccio.  Jarrod is not a fan of red meat and has been trying (slowly but surely) to like it.

Jarrod pondering red meat:

I’ve never had Beef Carpaccio, but something about it was ringing a do-not-order bell in my head.  A quick google on the iPhone and a few flashes of platefuls of red raw beef nixed this idea pretty darn fast, and we decided to go with the Cilantro Sweet Chili Chicken Lollipops instead.

These were absolutely amazing.  I’m not usually into meat that’s still clinging to the bone, but the bone was at the back of my mind with these meaty drumsticks.  The sauce was finger licking good, and we did just that right in the middle of the swanky hotel.  I’m hoping to try to recreate this dish once we are home.

After we finished our cocktails we headed over to Jazz’d for some more small plate nibbling and live music.

The best part about Jazz’d was the décor and overall atmosphere.  The food was just ok, emphasis on the “just,” though the presentations were pretty impressive.

We got the Tomato Bruschetta

And the Chorizo stuffed mushrooms.

The music wasn’t very impressive either (we aren’t snobs, I promise), so with three small plates in our big bellies we headed back to the hotel.  On the way we stopped at Vinnie Van Go-Go’s for a couple to-go slices of pizza.

I was glad of two things.

#1 –  That I did not have to follow the red line to the restroom.

#2 — That I had cash.  Cash.  CASH!

When our order was ready, we were handed an absurdly large box.  It didn’t make sense until we got back to the hotel room and opened her up.

O. M. GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG.

This pizza was INSANE!  Jarrod informed me that it took a spot in the top two pizzas he’d ever had, and that we must go back for a slice each day that we are here.

 

Nothing cheeses me off more than spending all those hours (HOURS!) researching on top of shelling out my hard earned moo-lah on ingredients, taking the time to cook the darned thing, and having it turn out to be a flop.  After trying one-too-many frown-evoking recipes, I adopted a new blog bylaw in 2012:  only post recipes that I would recommend (without hesitation) to a friend.  Even though I painstakingly snap photos of everything I cook, if it ain’t delicious, it ain’t going on the blog.  Jarrod knows exactly what I mean when I ask if a dish is “blog worthy,” and he’s pretty truthful about so-so meals (in a I’m-just-glad-you-cooked-please-don’t-make-me-do-this sort of way).

When he REALLY likes something, he doesn’t hesitate to let me know.  Like this Chicken Pesto Panini, for instance, which he declared the BEST SANDWICH OF HIS LIFE.

If those aren’t fighting words, I don’t know what are.

Perhaps it was the homemade focaccia that I woke up bright and early to knead by hand.

Nah… definitely not.  He has no idea what goes down before the 10am hour rolls around.  So, maybe it was those adorable hand-dimpled nooks and crannies dusted generously with garlic salt and oregano?

Or the fresh made-from-scratch pesto.  Basil, toasted almonds, parmesan, and garlic anyone?

And I did slave over my Griddler grilling that chicken up.

My guess is it had nothing to do with any of these things, though I was sure to emphasize each and every component of the sandwich that was in fact homemade as I wiggled my fingers in jazz-hand fashion in front of his face.

If you aren’t up for all the home-cooking, you could totally buy a loaf of focaccia (or use premade pizza dough) and use store bought pesto – but it’s a heck of a lot cheaper to make it yourself and I am ALL ABOUT any excuse to whip out my spirit fingers whilst bragging.

Chicken Pesto Paninis

• 2 large chicken breasts
• Olive Oil
• McCormick’s Montreal Chicken Seasoning (or your seasonings of choice)
• Black Pepper
• Focaccia (recipe below)
• Basil Pesto (recipe below)
• Monterey Jack (or cheese of choice)

Basic Focaccia

Recipe slightly adapted from the Joy of Cooking

• 1/2 package Active Dry Yeast (about 1 1/8 teaspoons)
• 5.5 ounces warm water
• 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading
• Olive oil
• 1.5 tsp salt
• Garlic salt
• Dried Oregano

Basil Pesto

• 1 cup fresh basil leaves, large stems removed
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup toasted almonds
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1/8 tsp salt (if almonds are salted, omit this)
• Pinch of black pepper

Step One and Only:  Add all ingredients to a food processor and pulse, scraping down sides of bowl as needed, until thoroughly combined.

On a separate note, today is the boyfriend’s birthday!  Now that we are once again the same age, I can no longer be referred to as a cougar or cradle robber… well, at least not for the next 5 months anyway.

 

Enter Spaghetti Squash with Sausage, Pesto, and Tomatoes:

For this throw-together-in-five-minutes-dinner, I heated up 2 cups of leftover spaghetti squash in the microwave.  Then tossed 2 tbsp of leftover pesto (see recipe below), one leftover chopped up chicken sausage (pre cooked), and one sliced tomato into a small saute pan,

Once everything was nice and hot, I dumped the goods on the squash and nuked some leftover Oven Asparagus for my side.

I love how colorful, simple, and tasty this was!

Spaghetti Squash with Sausage, Pesto, and Tomatoes (serves 1)

• 2 cups cooked spaghetti squash
• 1 link cooked turkey or chicken sausage
• 2 tbsp pesto (see recipe below)
• 1 tomato

Cook spaghetti squash (check out this link for tips on cooking spaghetti squash).  Then combine sausage, pesto, and tomato in a saute pan, and saute until heated through.  Top spaghetti squash with toppings.

Homemade Pesto

• 1 cup fresh basil leaves, large stems removed
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup toasted almonds
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1/8 tsp salt (if almonds are salted, omit this salt)
• Pinch of black pepper

Add all ingredients to a food processor and pulse, scraping down sides of bowl as needed, until thoroughly combined.

With dinner out of the way, I’ve spent the last hour and a half brainstorming foods to make for Super Bowl Sunday.  I need help!!  Any suggestions?  

 

I have a lot of these little quirks, especially in the kitchen.  My knife skills border on horrifying (trust me, you’d shudder if you saw me chop an onion), but hey, I get the job done.  Even though I’ve nearly severed several fingers over the years, I’d never really given much thought to the dangerous method I employed to halve a spaghetti squash.  I always proceeded in cutting a spaghetti squash as if it were a giant rock-hard avocado—with a knife painstakingly seesawing around the perimeter of the squash.  I’m not sure what events occurred that caused my subconscious to one day realize this was a horrible HORRIBLE idea.  I’m just thankful it did before I’d involuntarily amputated something.

Spaghetti Squash

• Spaghetti Squash (approximately 1 – 1.25 lbs per person, which will give you ~2 cups of squash per person)
• S&P
• Toppings of choice

First, carefully slice off the stem end of the squash:

Stand the squash upright on the newly created flat end.  Carefully use your knife to vertically slice the squash in half.

Double high-five if all ten fingers are still intact!

Use a spoon to scoop out seeds, season with S&P, then place the squash halves cut-side down on a cooking sheet coated with cooking spray.

Bake at 375 for 25 minutes (5-10 minutes longer for a large squash).  Using an oven mitt, hold one half of squash in your hand while using a fork to scrape the squash innards onto a plate.  If the squash does not easily break apart into noodle-like strands when you scrape it with the fork, put the halves back into the oven for another 5 minutes before trying again.

You can always cook the squash longer—but once it turns mushy, there’s no turning back. 

Then simply top with toppings of your choice!

Clearly, this means meatballs.

Got any random kitchen tips?  Share them in the comments section below!

If you liked this post, you might also like:

• Loaded Oven-Baked Spaghetti (Squash)
• Faux Chicken Parmesan (vegetarian)
• Spaghetti Squash with White Chicken Chili

 

Perhaps, at first glance, the name Brown Dump Chili is unappealing to some.  Given the two-step process behind the chili, I’m sure you wholeheartedly agree the name is appropriate (or, at the very least, foretelling).

Brown Dump Chili – (makes 6 big bowls)

Adapted from Fantastic Black Bean Chili on Allrecipes.com

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 2 cups diced onion
• 4 cloves minced garlic
• 20 ounces 99% lean ground turkey
• 3 cans black beans, undrained
• 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 1.5 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• 1 tbsp dried basil leaves
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• S&P

Step one—Brown the Meat:  heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat.  Once hot, add the onion and garlic, season with S&P, and cook until the onions are soft and translucent.  Add the turkey and cook until browned.

Step two—Dump:  the undrained beans, crushed tomatoes, seasonings, and red wine vinegar to the pot.  Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for an hour.  Before serving, top with additional fresh chopped onions and sour cream or plain Greek yogurt, if desired.

Stats on 1/6 of the dump:  375 calories, 49g carbs, 4g fat, 37g protein, 16g fiber

 

I’ve always liked watching Emeril cook.  He’s a burly man with a big personality who likes even BIGGER flavor.  Arguably, Emeril is most known for adding spice to food.  He lets you know things are about to get serious by exclaiming “let’s kick it up a notch!” or voicing a booming *BAM* at the addition of a spicy ingredient.  Given this *BAM* factor and Emeril’s ties to New Orleans, I was ready for some serious flavors at E2.

E2 Emeril’s Eatery is located in the Duke Energy Building in uptown Charlotte – that’s the tall one on the right, which I can see right from my balcony!

The exterior of the restaurant is adorned with bright red awnings.  Inside, things are “taken up a notch,” if you will.  There is a good-sized sleek-looking bar near the entry with seating for nearly 20 people.  High ceilings, dark woods, fun fabrics, and low lighting give the space an urban appeal.  Think swanky, in a jeans and blazer sort of way.

We ordered the Shrimp Pizza with artichoke, Fontina and herb pesto for our appetizer.  It was surprisingly light and mild.  At first bite, I paused and wondered where the *BAM* was.  Had they left it in the kitchen?  Were they fresh out?  As I continued to nibble, thoughts of the missing *BAM* started to drift away and my attention turned to the pizza’s delightfully chewy crust, light sprinkling of melted cheese, and slathering of herby pesto.  I contentedly ate a second piece of the shrimp pizza as I contemplated Emeril having a softer BAM-free side.

Just as we finished our appetizer, we were brought the house basket o’ rolls—two mini cornbread muffins and two glorious rolls of salty squishy carbohydrate perfection.  Just thinking about those hot salty buns makes my mouth water, and no I’m not talking about Emeril here.

Or maybe I am.

When it came time to order the main entrée, I debated on the Shrimp and Grits but decided to go with the Roasted New Bedford Sea Scallops.  The dish came with five succulent scallops cooked with fennel, leeks, mushrooms, and mini potatoes.

This too was surprisingly light and mildly flavored.  With every bite I kept thinking what IS that delicious broth?  I kept swirling my fork around in it, coating my scallops and veggies in its light yet deep flavor.  Only after finishing my meal and momentarily considering sticking my straw in the bowl to slurp up the rest of the broth did I realize the superb flavor was crab!  Crab broth!  I heart thee!

Vanessa opted for the Sea Salt Roasted NC Rainbow Trout.  The trout was topped with Israeli couscous, which included artichoke, Cerignola olives, pine nuts, currants and Portuguese olive oil.  I nabbed a bite of the couscous and I must say the currants were the welcomed star.  According to Vanessa, the trout was well-seasoned, well-prepared, and delightfully salty.

Even though we were ready to pop, we could not refuse dessert.  What two gals go to dinner and DON’T get dessert?  Am I right?

First, we had one slice of sweet potato cheesecake with a pillowy marshmallow topping.  The cheesecake was adorned with pomegranate arils, sweet potato bits, and an intriguing sour caramel drizzle.

We also ordered the huckleberry upside down cake with browned butter ice cream.  I cannot pass up an opportunity to indulge in browned butter, and this ice cream was light, fluffy, and blissfully creamy.  I was ready to pass out from fullness after a few bites, so I took most of the cake home.  I’m eating the leftovers as I type…..  and for the record, the cake tastes splendid reheated as well.

In the words of Emeril, “aw, yeah, babe.”

Walking into E2 for the pre-opening event I was expecting BIG bold flavors.  Lots of BAM!  The flavors of all the dishes we tried were light and sophisticated rather than the *BAM* in-your-face flavor I anticipated.  While this caught me off guard, I was very pleased with each item I tried.  Overall, the entrées were on the pricy side at $20-$30 a pop.  Separate from the great food, I must make mention of the attentiveness of the wait staff—water glasses were refilled on a continuous basis and we were checked on again and again.  No want was left unfulfilled.

E2 Emeril’s Eatery provided us with food and drink free of charge.  Other than the delicious meal, I was not paid for this review.  This blog post and comments within are based on my unbiased honest opinions.