Tequila Lime Chicken

I have a hard time posting recipes when I don't really use them - that is to say, I'm sure the use of actual recipes would make our end results taste much better, as opposed to my fly by the seat of my pants approach - but life is busy, I don't always have a recipe in front of me, and I'm much more inclined to utilize a proven method of cooking rather than get too bogged down by an exact recipe (perhaps this is why I'm not a great baker)... *but then again, as the old saying goes, 'learn a recipe and enjoy a good dish, learn a method and eat well forever.' :)

Anyhoo, a few weeks ago we enjoyed some tequila lime chicken and (once again), I'm not sure how to post the recipe since I threw a bunch of ingredients in a bowl and marinated chicken in a baggie for ~45 mins before grilling. (thankfully marinades are pretty forgiving, I think!)

If you would like to see what's out there on the web regarding real legit tequila lime marinade recipes, feel free to click here. Otherwise, here's the jist of what I did... I'm sure it could be improved, so if you have ideas, I'd love to hear :)

Ingredients:

• ~3/4 cup of fresh lime juice
  
• zest from 1 lime
• ~1/2 cup tequila
• splash of orange juice
• diced pickled banana peppers + splash of juice from jar (b/c we had them and the juice is tangy/acidic... perfect for marinades) *try pickle juice, too - amazing!
  
• 1T minced jalapeno
  
• dash of cayenne pepper (however much you like)
  
• dash of cumin
• handful of torn cilantro
  
• ~1tsp of kosher salt
• ~1tsp of pepper (again however much you like)
• 4 chicken breasts
  

Preparation:

Whisk ingredients together and pour over 4 chicken breasts. Marinate in a food storage bag or bowl for ~45 minutes. Grill at medium high heat until chicken is done. Let chicken rest, slice and serve with grilled onions, refried black beans, tomatoes, cilantro, avocado, cheese, sour cream, guac, tortillas, or whatever your heart desires :)

Parsley Dipping Sauce & Marinade

I sort of cringe when people take a recipe and alter it like I did here and then recommend it... oh well, it turned out pretty tasty and I would recommend it :) I have tons of parsley these days and saw a yummy parsley marinade & dipping sauce for beef & pineapple pops. Fresh & easy, I used the marinade on chicken and will definitely try it as it was intended with beef & pineapple soon. Check out Giada's video demo.

loads of parsley... hmm, what to do with all this.

here's the marinade working its magic

after our first bite, yum, yes I think I'll post this :)

mmm, Bruschetta

Bruschetta is one of my favorite bites - easy and adaptable, you can make it out of anything, any time of year, even smoked pulled pork and herbs & tomatoes from the backyard like I did :) Plus, bread does this magical thing when it gets all warm & toasty... mmm, bruschetta.

Here's my latest version:

Ingredients:

• 1 baguette
• a cup of fresh grape tomatoes, sliced
• fresh basil
• fresh parsley
• garlic, minced
• 1/2 red onion, sliced
• 3/4 cup pulled pork or any kind of prosciutto, pancetta or salami
• 1/2 cup feta
• handful of diced kalamata olives
  
• olive oil
  

Preparation:

Heat oven to 425. Slice a baguette lengthwise in half. Drizzle with olive oil and season with garlic salt & pepper. Heat in the oven for ~8 minutes until golden brown and toasty. (Alternatively, grill your bread.) Meanwhile, in a saute pan, soften sliced red onion, garlic, tomatoes, olives, pulled pork (or ham, salami, any other yummy meat) in olive oil. Toss in a bowl with fresh basil, parsley and feta. Top toasted bread and enjoy!

Grilled Scallops

We're bringing this one back from our Philly days, too. I wrapped scallops in roasted red pepper and seasoned with sea salt, pepper, and drizzled with olive oil. I grilled them on our indoor grill until opaque & splashed them with a little lemon juice & zest. We grilled polenta at the same time and ate our scallops with a simple green salad. Easy & light :)

Back in the Saddle

Amaretto Bread Pudding with Berries and Bluebell

We're getting settled in our new house and have really enjoyed cooking (despite the 'take & bake' blog post right below this... 'twas delicious, by the way!) This past weekend we had my parents over for dinner and enjoyed crab cakes, marinated flank steak, orzo with roasted veggies and amaretto bread pudding. I didn't really get pictures, but you can see we had a good time :) here are recipes - the flank steak marinade is to die for, really flavorful.

Mom & Dad
(and orzo & flank steak)

Orzo with Roasted Veggies

Ingredients:

• 1 box Barilla orzo (1lb)
• 1 giant red onion
• 6 cloves of garlic, peeled, leave whole
• 2 red bell peppers, diced
• 1 yellow pepper dice
  
• 1 pint grape tomatoes
• 2 cups fresh spinach
• 1 cup shredded parmesan
• 1 cup crumbled feta
• olive oil
• sea salt & pepper
  

Preparation:

On a sheet pan, toss onion, garlic cloves, and diced peppers in olive oil, sea salt & pepper. Roast at 400 for ~40 mins, or until desired doneness. Meanwhile, prepare the orzo by boiling & seasoning water. Cook until tender, drain, and drizzle in olive oil. While warm, toss in cheeses and wilt in fresh spinach. Gently mix in roasted veggies, season to taste and serve warm. This pasta is really nice with the sliced flank steak... and is even gets better for leftovers.

Emeril Lagasse's Marinated Flank Steak

Ingredients:

• 1 (2 to 3 pound) flank steak
• 1/2 cup dry Sherry or red wine
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons Creole seasoning, recipe follows
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:

Place the flank steak in a large, plastic resealable bag. In a 2-cup measuring cup combine the remaining ingredients. Pour the marinade mixture into the bag with the steak, seal and marinate in the refrigerator at least 4 hours and up to 12 hours in advance.

Preheat a gas or charcoal grill. Remove the steak from the marinade. Pour the marinade into a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium-low and simmer the marinade for 10 minutes. Remove saucepan from the heat and keep warm. Place the steak on the grill and cook to desired doneness, about 6 minutes per side for rare. Transfer the steak to plate and let stand for 5 minutes before carving. Cut the steak across the grain into thin diagonal slices, and serve with the marinade sauce.

Essence (Emeril's Creole Seasoning):

• 2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container.

Yield: about 2/3 cup

Giada's Amaretto Bread Pudding
*I used cinnamon challah & Sock it to Me cake instead of panettone

Pre-dolled up, right out of the oven

Ingredients:

Sauce:

• 1/2 cup whipping cream
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 cup amaretto liqueur
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch

Bread Pudding:

• 1 (1-pound) loaf panettone bread, crusts trimmed, bread cut into 1-inch cubes (I cubed cinnamon challah and sock it to me cake instead of panettone.)
  
• 8 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups whipping cream
• 2 1/2 cups whole milk
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• *I toss in a handful of chocolate chips
  

Preparation:

To make the sauce: Bring the cream, milk, and sugar to a boil in a heavy small saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently. In a small bowl, mix the amaretto and cornstarch to blend and then whisk into the cream mixture. Simmer over medium-low heat until the sauce thickens, stirring constantly, about 2 minutes. Set aside and keep warm. (The amaretto sauce can be made 3 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Rewarm before serving.)

To make the bread pudding: Lightly butter a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking dish. Arrange the bread cubes in the prepared dish. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, cream, milk, and sugar to blend. Pour the custard over the bread cubes, and press the bread cubes gently to submerge. Let stand for 30 minutes, occasionally pressing the bread cubes into the custard mixture. (Recipe can be prepared up to this point 2 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Bake until the pudding puffs and is set in the center, about 45 minutes. Cool slightly. Spoon the bread pudding into bowls, drizzle with the warm amaretto sauce, and serve.

Parmesan Pecan Encrusted Trout with Grilled Veggies & Sauteed Spinach

We love trout and this easy parmesan pecan encrusted version was really enjoyable with grilled zuchini, peppers, onions and sauteed spinach.

Ingredients:

• 4 trout fillets
• 1 cup lightly toasted pecans, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups Italian bread crumbs
• 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
  
• 4 tablespoons chopped parsley leaves
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon chopped rosemary leaves
• butter to dot the trout

• 3 zucchini
• 1/2 orange bell pepper
• 1/2 red bell pepper
• 1/2 yellow bell pepper
  
• 1 red onion
  
• 6 cups fresh spinach
• 1 clove minced garlic
• extra virgin olive oil

Preparation:

Heat oven to 375. Heat grill pan to medium high. Cut the zucchini, onion, and peppers in large chunks and toss in extra virgin olive oil, garlic salt and fresh pepper; set aside in a bowl. Mix pecans, bread crumbs, parmesan, parsley, rosemary, salt & pepper in a shallow dish. Gently bread the trout filets in the bread mixture, pressing into the trout. On a foil-lined baking sheet, lay the trout skin side down and dot with butter. Begin grilling the veggies on the grill pan, allowing them to caramelize and get good color before tossing. Bake the trout at 375 for ~9 minutes or until flesh is white and flaky. While trout is the oven, saute garlic and spinach. Serve trout with veggies and spinach and enjoy.

Grilled Lemon Dijon Chicken

This chicken turned out nicely - tender & juicy, very flavorful, a true winner in our house. And what's even better, I used a leftover chicken breast the next day for my summer chop salad (recipe to come).

Ingredients:

• 4 chicken breasts
• 1/3 cup of fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Tbs of Dijon mustard
• 2 Tbs of chopped red bell pepper
• 2 cloves of minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper

Preparation:

Preheat the grill to medium. Combine the marinade ingredients and reserve 1/4 cup for basting. Marinate the chicken in the remaining marinade for 20 minutes. Place chicken breasts on the grill for 5 mins, baste with marinade and grill for ~3 more mins. Turn the chicken over and grill for 3 more mins, baste with extra marinade. Chicken is done when juices run clear or an internal thermometer reads 170 degrees. Save the leftovers for my summer chop salad :)

Roasted Summer Corn

We've loved being back in Texas with a patio & grill for dinner outside! We find ourselves grilling almost every night of the week. This corn is super easy and you just about can't get it wrong, no matter the variation... here's the idea:

Ingredients:

• long fresh ears of corn still in their husks
• extra virgin olive oil
• maple bbq rub (or any dried seasoning of your liking: garlic salt, chili pepper, red pepper flakes, steak seasoning, etc)
• fresh cracked pepper & kosher salt
• fresh lime

Preparation:

Heat an outside covered grill to medium (the temp I use to cook my bbq chicken, so it works for the corn, too). Peel back the corn husks and remove the corn silk. Rub olive oil on the corn and season liberally. Wrap the husks back around the corn and wrap in foil. Roast on the grill for ~5 mins turning once. *The corn effectively steams itself and doesn't need much time on the heat. To serve, peel back the husks, roll in butter & squeeze with lime. Enjoy!