4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/3 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 cup butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small white onion, sliced and split into rings
1/3 cup white wine
2 tablespoons dried parsley
3/4 cup whipping cream
If you could bottle up the smell of summer. Save it for one of those rainy days in the middle of winter. When nothing seems to be going right and seasonal affective disorder has officially sunk in. What scent would you choose?
Me personally? I would want basil pesto. I would want it to ooze out of my every pore so that I could smell nothing else for days.
I would want to be able to pull out a jar of it. Open it up. And be instantly hit with the smell of sweet basil laced with garlic.
And I wouldn’t stop there. I would want to taste it, because isn’t taste linked to your sense of memory as well? Pesto and tortellini salad with tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and black olives. Pesto, tomato, and grilled cheese panini. Pesto pizza. Pesto on a spoon. Eaten just because. Just so. Just.
Pesto.
Pesto is probably one of the simplest sauces you can make and also one of the most versatile. You can make it with basil and pine nuts. A classic.
Or you can go slightly insane. As I have. Many a time. And mix and match your herbs and nuts. Just about anything goes. Basil and pistachio. Basil and walnuts. Cilantro and pine nuts. Rosemary and walnuts.
Just keep the ratios about the same. And go wild.
Do a little dance. Make a little love. Get down tonight.
Basil and Pine Nut Pesto
1 large tub basil (I would say about 2-3 cups)
4 cloves garlic
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Combine all ingredients in a food processor. Process until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.
NOTE – this freezes incredibly well. Just omit the parmesan cheese and you’re good to go!
Barbecue baked beans are as common a visitor to the summer picnic table as ants are. Of course, the beans are more welcome.
Trevor was helping smoke some spare ribs last weekend on his offset smoker, so I thought I’d make some beans to go with them.
There are an infinite number of BBQ baked bean recipes but this is the quick and easy version my mother taught me eons ago.
Easy BBQ Baked Beans
My momma
1 28 oz can Bush’s Baked Beans (Homestyle)
1/2 cup sweet BBQ sauce (I prefer Blues Hog brand for this)
1/4 cup yellow mustard
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 ea onion, diced (or in this case, a boiler onion sliced into rings)
1 Tbs BBQ rub (Whatever your favorite one is)
1 TBS Worchestershire sauce
1/2 cup chopped BBQ pork or brisket
Mix all ingredients in a small casserole dish and bake for 1 hour at 350f.
Like I said, quick and EASY.
For me, I have to have meat in my beans, it just isn’t the same with out it. I also like more of a spicy kick but the one I listed here is very mild for my family.
What do you like to put in your baked beans?
It’s been 3 weeks in the making, but today I am finally going to finish telling the tale of my Mexican influenced meal of Spanish Rice, Fresh Caribbean Tomato Salsa and these beauties… Cheesy, Spicy, Rich Seafood Enchiladas…
While it has taken 3 weeks to explain the single meal, I am learning that cooking is not about following a recipe, it is about building on the skills and knowledge you have. Without being able to make chicken stock, I could not have made the Spanish Rice as rich. Without making my own herb mixture of “not your Grandmother’s HERBES de PROVENCE“, my Caribbean Tomato Salsa would not have such a depth of flavors.
And if I did not make my own Cajun Spiced Rub Mix, I could not make the Blackened Tilapia that I used to stuff the enchiladas with. It sounds all complicated and time consuming. Click on all of those blue lettered links and you will see hours worth prep time and many dollars worth of ingredients. But my Herbe and Cajun mixtures, as well as my chicken stock are all made in advance (and are all multi recipe ingredients, so having them on hand for months cuts the prep time per recipe down considerably. The salsa can be cut up while the rice is boiling, and the tilapia cooks so fast, it practically cooks itself. Everything comes together in a complicated sounding recipe, when in reality, a series of small easy steps makes an outstanding meal…
But I am ahead of myself…
First the seafood stuffing…
Click HERE for the details of how I make Blackened Tilapia.
Fried in butter, with seared spices makes this a flavorful fish. The cooking method insures a moist tender fish. Overcooked rubbery fish is my personal buggaboo. By cooking a thin piece of Tilapia, it takes only 5 minutes start to finish to make this. Once it is done, remove the fish, but add some of the small salad size popcorn shrimp to the remaining butter sauce to add another taste to the enchiladas.
Cut the fish into small pieces (about the same size as the shrimp).
While that is cooling, I worked on the cream sauce…
In the same pan that I blackened the fish in (don’t want to waste the spiced butter in the pan), add…
1 cup Heavy Cream
1 cup Whole Milk
1 cup White Cheddar Cheese
2 TBS “not your Grandmother’s HERBES de PROVENCE“
1 cup Caribbean Tomato Salsa
Heat the Cream and Milk, add the cheese and stir till well mixed and the cheese is melted. Add the Salsa and spices.
And now we are ready to assemble our enchiladas (finally)…
It sounds so much more complicated than it is. Remember, a series of small steps to make something better than the pieces.
Well worth the effort!
Dave here from MY YEAR ON THE GRILL. Plan ahead, be a cook and you to can say…
… I CAN COOK THAT!
And so can you!…
Serve the whole meal (Seafood Enchiladas, Spanish Rice and Caribbean Salsa with a Pina Colada…
Come visit my site for an amazing recipe for this classic…
Hello, everyone! Welcome to yet another trip to the land where all things are sweet…Save Room for Dessert!
Today I bring you a brownie recipe that fulfills what are, for me, the two most important rules for brownies:
1) Easy to make
2) Fudgy as all get-out
Yep, these brownies fit the bill and then some.
The recipe is a snap!
You’ll need:
First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9×13 pan.
Microwave the butter in a large bowl and add the sugar, stirring well to combine.
Add the eggs, one at a time, stirring well after each addition. Once all the eggs are added, stir in the vanilla.
In another bowl, stir together the dry ingredients. Then add the dry ingredients to the wet.
Time to break out the old elbow grease, my friends. Unless you’re smarter than me and you use your stand mixer, if you have one. I didn’t use mine. And as we all know, brownie batter is thick!!
Finally, time for the best part:
Mmmmm…a cup of semisweet chocolate chips.
Just use them. It’s your duty. You’ll thank me later.
All of this gets spread around your pan…
And gets baked for 35-40 minutes. I lean towards 35 because I love the fudginess – but it’s up to you!
Either way you’ll end up with gooey, yummy, decadent, fragrant and all-around wonderful brownies. They’re pretty much to die for. I’m serious.
Try them yourself!
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup fresh blackberries, pureed large
8 ounce can crushed pineapple, drained slightly
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Hello foodie friends! Martha here bringing you a simple Mediterranean salad this week. Have you ever had Tabbouleh Salad? It’s definitely a must try and it’s very easy to make. It’s a perfect light, cool, flavorful salad in the warm summer months.
Just combine about 2 cups diced tomatoes, 2 cups seeded and diced cucumber, 1 cup chopped parsley, 1/2 cup cooked bulgar wheat, (chopped onion is common in this salad but optional). Squeeze the juice of 1-2 lemons over veggies, add salt and pepper to taste. Mix all ingredients together, cover and refrigerate for several hours.
This is a great salad to serve with falafel or wonderful served with hummus and pita for a nice light meal. I always feel healthy and refreshed after eating this, it’s one of my favorites. Give it a try!
Don’t forget to visit me at my food blog Seaside Simplicity and every Monday at The Motivation Station.
Have a great weekend, and please don’t forget to observe the real meaning of Memorial Day this weekend!
It’s Fire Day Friday on Memorial Day Weekend so I hope everybody is breaking out their grills!
Want to do something easy but different on your grill? Try taking your favorite burrito recipe and finish it on the grill. It’s way better than Taco Bell’s grilled stuffed burritos, I can promise you that. It’s also flexible because you can put whatever you want in yours.
The one I made last night was simply some grilled fajita chicken, rice, onions, cheese, and smashed kidney beans. Here’s the easy fajita chicken recipe if you want to try it. I only used two of the breasts for a total of 5 burritos.
Grilled Fajita Chicken
Serves 4
4 ea chicken breasts, boneless, skin on
1 cup beer
1 cup Herdez Salsa Casera (you can substitute Rotel)
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cumin
Mix all of the ingredients (except chicken) for your marinade.
Marinate the chicken in a gallon zip bag for 4 – 6 hours.
Grill over a 350f fire, flipping every 5 minutes until the breast hit an internal temp of 160f. For me, this takes right at 20 minutes.
Slice and serve.
Like I said, use whatever fillings you want for your burrito. But for me, I do like to mix all of my ingredients up together and then put them in my burrito. You can build it in layers if you like, but I don’t like when I bite into one part of a burrito and get just beans and then bite another part and get just cheese. That’s just a personal preference.
To roll the burrito…
Fold 1 down.
Fold 2 up.
Lift 3 and fold over the mixture, tucking ends in.
Roll to the end 4.
What? You’re flour tortillas don’t come with dotted lines on them? 🙂
Make sure that your grill grate is very clean, you don’t want icky black stuff on your burritos. You could also just do this on a flat top griddle or a hot cast iron pan.
Place the burrito seam side down on the hot griddle. Give it a slight press with a spatula to flatten it just a touch. If you just cooked the chicken at 350f, your griddle plate should be just the right temperature.
Cook for 2 minutes, just until the burrito gets crispy like this.
Flip and cook another two minutes on the other side.
Serve with pico de gallo or guacamole and enjoy!
I think the toasting of the tortilla makes grilled stuffed burritos just a little more flavorful and it adds texture to an otherwise boring tortilla.
And if you like a runny salsa, more dip-able, take 1/4 part of additional tomatoes and run them through a mini chopper till they are liquefied.5 TBS dried Tarragon
5 TBS dried Oregano
5 TBS dried Dill
5 TBS dried Thyme
5 TBS dried Rosemary
5 TBS dried Garlic Flakes
2 TBS Sea Salt
2 TBS Fresh ground Pepper
1 TBS dried Lemon Zest
Dave here from MY YEAR ON THE GRILL. It really is just this easy! …
Then fold in 1/2 cup of mini chocolate chips. This is the good stuff here, people.
