How to make a rainy night comforting

Rain is an act of nature that allows you to indulge in laziness as well as munching out.  When it rains at night, it encourages people to make a delicious, warm meal that can be paired with a glass of wine.  This was exactly what I did for my birdie end as well as myself .

After there being 2 days of solid rain in Burlington, VT I decided to create a warm and comforting meal that could go along the side a bottle of red wine, Russian River Valley's Picket Fence, Pinot Noir to be exact.  The meal that I chose to cook was a chicken pesto panini served on roasted garlic bread. The garlicky flavors from the pesto certainly complimented the garlic that was presented in the bread that I used. Although a chardonnay or Sauvignon blanc is the best to pair with chicken, the Picket Fence, Pinot Noir had a great bite to it and the smoothness of the wine overall accompanied the crispy texture of the roasted garlic bread very well. 

When making my famous chicken pesto panini I always like to toast my bread before placing the sandwich with all ingredients under my George Foreman.  By toasting the bread before  this will add an extra layer of crunchiness to each bite you take.  Once your bread is all toasted later it with a thick coating of pesto and then start to pile on the chicken, cheese, lettuce and tomatoes.  You can add red pepper to this dish to add some extra flavor.

Once your sandwich is ensemble throw it on the George foreman and leave it in there until the cheese is perfectly melted.

Cut it in half and there you have it, a decisions pesto panini.  The wine and the panini will make for a great night especially if the night is a wet one.