Twenty-fourth Post ~ Bruschetta and Blue Cheese Chicken

This was meant to be a simple, satisfying meal.

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Well, in the end, it was satisfying, but I had to battle rotten produce, a broken cork, and a disturbed wasp to get to that satisfying ending. Let us begin our tale:

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It all begins with bruschetta. I'd never been a bruschetta person until I went to Shakespeare in the Park with Meg and some of her friends. We

all were like walking adverts for Wegmans ("I brought Wegmans brie!" "I brought Wegmans cracked pepper and salt chips!" "Well, I brought Wegmans strawberries!") and the list went on. One of Meg's friends had brought Wegmans bruschetta from the Mediterranean Olive Bar.

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One taste, and I was in love. This bruschetta was sweet, yet spicy, yet savory, yet herby. It had me thinking about it again and again until I finally went and bought a container of it on Monday. It was nearly gone by today, so I figured I'd cook with it. I had read that bruschetta combines nicely with blue cheese, so I thought I'd improvise a little. Here's what you'll need to cook the meal I made tonight:

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~ Wegmans bruschetta (Really. I'm fairly certain nothing else will do.)

~ Chicken tenders

~ Olive oil

~ Seasoned bread crumbs

~ Blue cheese

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Coat the tenders in bread crumbs, and set to sizzling in the olive oil. Turn a few times. When they are looking golden, start your veggie.

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::PAUSE::

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I had purchased some cut, thrice-washed sugar snap peas from Weggies, as well. I didn't notice until tonight that they said "Use by 7/28/09." Well, I'm the type of person who takes sell-by/use-by dates as suggestions (a concept that I would not recommend using in regards to speed limits) and figured they'd be okay. I took one out of the bag to eat it raw (love, love, LOVE raw sugar snap peas) and it tasted... odd. But as it was the first thing I had actually tasted since my 4:30PM coffee and as it was now pushing 10:00, this didn't strike me as too troublesome. So I sauteed them with some salt, pepper and olive oil, crushed a clove of garlic into them, put them on my plate with my chicken (will elaborate on that later) and took one bite of them, and they tasted... odd. Even the garlic couldn't cover it up. Into the bin with them.

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::UNPAUSE::

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So back to the chicken, which shall now comprise our meal. It's soon to be covered in veggies anyway, so what's the big deal? While the chicken is sauteeing, mix some blue cheese right into the leftover bruschetta. It will meld nicely with the oils and turn into a splendid, melded, somewhat gloppy mess of goodness. Spoon it right over the breaded chicken and cover the pan. Turn off the heat and let it sit. Now, time to uncork the wine.

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::PAUSE::

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Every now and then it happens. And it's usually when you're thinking "Gosh, I'm awfully good at uncorking wine." CRaaaaCK. It's an unpleasant sound. It's the sound of the corkscrew pulling out a half of a crumbling, dried cork. This is a traumatic experience for any wine enthusiast, and rightfully a time for panic. Especially when your prized Wegmans bruschetta has JUST been spooned over your chicken. Here's my advice: Try anything you can. However, I would not advise trying to push the cork into the bottle in one sharp, jerking movement, as the last time I tried that (two apartments ago) I spray-painted the once-white walls with Merlot. Not pretty.

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In the end, I tried every trick I could come up with, and belive it or not, easing it back into the bottle with a pair of opened Fisker scissors did the trick. Here's a pic of the wreckage and all the tools I attempted to use to solve the problem:

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You can see the cork bobbing about merrily in the bottle - I managed to keep the majority of the cork dust out of the wine itself, which makes me happy. So now it's time to toss your veggies, sit back, and enjoy your Sartori Pinot Noir (velvety texture, fruity, with an earthiness that seems to echo the fresh herbs in the bruschetta) and bruschetta blue cheese chicken, and relax.

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::PAUSE::

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bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

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It's nothing. Ignore it.

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BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!!!

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Turns out, it's a wasp who seems to feel that the wood paneling in my livingroom is a perfect place for that three-story home he's always dreamed of, and is happily doing... well, whatever wasps do when they seem to feel they've found home. I sat there watching him for a while, trying to enjoy my meal while he buzzed louder and Ginny cried more franticly (new sound - It's got to be something deadly) until I rummaged under my sink and came out with my ACME Kill-All spray. Actually, it's by Orkin, and it did the trick. No one messes with my enjoyment of a meal. No. One.

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::UNPAUSE::

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So now that your veggie is trashed, your wine is accessible, and your household pests have been exterminated, you can enjoy this festively colored, brilliantly flavored meal from the Mediterranean! Where wasps are probably much bigger!

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Yours in the love of good food, wine, and letting nothing impede your culinary satisfaction,

AL

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The blogger is not an experienced chef. She takes no responsibility for the quality of the meals prepared while following her advice. Use your own judgment regarding cooking times and proper food handling.