Last night, we went to the Summerland Concert at the Mountain Winery!  What a great night.  Mountain Winery is a terrific outdoor venue smack in the middle of a huge winery.  Such a great place to see a show!

We were the first stop in the Summerland Tour– it’s a mix of five bands including Gin Blossoms, Sugar Ray, and Everclear.  My favorite? Gin Blossoms! I barely knew who they were before the concert, but as the guy from Sugar Ray said when he announced them, “their songs are the ones that you constantly find yourself singing…..you just didn’t realize that they were Gin Blossoms!” (i.e., remember Hey Jealousy ? that’s them)

Summerland is off to Cincinnati next and touring through the summer, so check if they’re going to a venue near you, go check it out!

Yesterday evening after work, we drove about an hour to the concert.  It was warm and sunny.  They serve food inside the venue, but it’s pretty pricey, so instead we picnicked.  They have special picnic tables just for that (most people do it).   I packed a great chicken pesto pasta salad.  Another one bowl meal, which is so easy to carry for trips like this.

(Recipe below)  I also packed some carrots and cherries.  Yum.

Since it’s at a winery, they serve their own wines.  I got a pinot (of course).

We had tickets to the general seating area, but it wasn’t completely sold out, so the usher asked us if we wanted to move to better seats because they needed to fill them.  Ummm, yes we do!

It was a really nice night and totally felt like summer.  The only downfall was the long drive home and the late night (midnight on a weeknight is late for me….).  But I’d go to Mountain Winery again in a second, it was way worth it!

And now, back to the pasta.  It was so easy to make and really good.  I have leftovers and am already planning to eat it for dinner tonight!

SUMMERLAND PESTO PASTA SALAD

Ingredients:
–  1 lb bow-tie pasta
– 1 cup pesto
– 3/4 cup frozen corn
– 3/4 cup frozen peas
– 15 cherry tomatoes (i just put in a handful, but it was about 15)
– 1/4 cup chopped basil
– parmesan cheese

Super easy instructions include:

Saute peas and corn for just a few minutes (spray pan with olive oil).

Cook chicken.  Cut into chunks.

Cook pasta and drain.  Reserve about 1/4 cup pasta and put back into pasta.

Chop basil

Mix veggies, pasta, chicken, and pesto.  Add basil and parmesan cheese.  Mix well.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Let sit until it reaches room temperature.  Serve at room temp or put into fridge.  Personally, I like it best when it’s been in the fridge overnight and the flavors have blended together.

Enjoy!

And Happy Friday!  I’m feeling so lucky and summery this week.  I went to a baseball game, went swimming outside, went to the outdoor concert, and then tomorrow morning, we’re leaving for a weekend “vacation” to the beach (just one night, but we’ve deemed it our vacation because it will just be us and there’s no race/wedding/friends etc involved!).  I heart summer!!

– What’s the last concert you saw?
– Any concerts coming up?
– Any great venues near you?
– Weekend plans?