PINEAPPLE PEPPER LIME CHICKEN
3 pounds chicken thighs and drumsticks (or any combo you like)
2 limes, juiced (about 1/4 cup)
3/4 cup pineapple pepper preserves FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper, to taste
In a small saucepan combine preserves and lime juice and heat until melted and well blended.
Sprinkle chicken pieces with FRESH ground salt and pepper.
Heat grill to medium.
GENEROUSLY spray grill grates with non-stick spray.
Grill chicken 15-20 minutes or about 175° internal temperatures. Turn Occasionally and baste generously during the last 5 minutes with the sauce.
Looking for the perfect summer meal without turning on the oven or grill? Well, here it is, the PERFECT summer salad full of flavor and satisfying to everyone. I make the dressing in a double batch so there is always extra and preparing the bacon the night before after the sun sets keeps you cool too.
BLT SALAD with CREAMY CHIVE DRESSING
12 ounce package center cut bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced FRESH ground sea salt, to taste FRESH ground black pepper, to taste
3/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup finely minced FRESH chives
2 tablespoons avocado oil
1-2 tablespoons buttermilk (yep, that reads milk :D)
1 head green leaf or Bibb lettuce, torn into pieces
1 package grape tomatoes, halved
1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced OR 1/3 cup finely chopped red onion
8 ounces of sourdough bread, WELL toasted, lightly buttered and cut into cubes
Whisk together the vinegar, garlic and salt. Let stand 10 minutes. This will help mellow the flavor a bit.
Whisk in sour cream and avocado oil until well blended.
Fold in chives.
Thin with milk to desired consistency.
In a large salad bowl toss together the lettuce, tomatoes, onions and bacon pieces.
Fold in toasted bread pieces.
Season to taste with FRESH ground salt and pepper.
GOOD MORNING sweet ladies. I CANNOT believe we are in JULY already!!! We had a warm and uneventful weekend here where we watched some NASCAR races between the gym, pool and biking we’ve been doing for my recuperation. I did make a few new recipes that were yummy and have gotten quite a bit of reading done also.
OUTSIDE MY WINDOW & THE WEATHER OUTSIDE & WHAT I’M WEARING – hot, hot and more hot, but the humidity is only about 15% and I grew up in this kind of dry heat so it’s much more tolerable than Texas was with its HIGH humidity 😀 Highs this week are supposed to be around 110° and the lows around 80° and continued LOW humidity.
ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE – a banana, green tea and a protein bar
CRAFTS / PROJECTS – nothing at the moment
ON MY MIND / THINGS THAT ARE MAKING ME HAPPY – Life in general makes me happy these days. I recently read somewhere that the happiest places in the world are those where enlightened leaders shifted their focus from economic development to promoting quality of life. THIS!!THIS is the place we are looking for to live! Anybody know where it is?
HEALTH UPDATE – We are finally following a “recovery” routine. An hour at the gym in the mornings using the machines specific to building up the muscle I’ve lost and then 2 miles on the stationery bike plus 2 more on the treadmill. Then it’s home for the pool time where I am using a “volleyball” as a flotation device that I sit on and my arms to tread water back forth for several laps using my arms especially and water aerobic weights before I finish with several regular swimming laps and then just some plain old sun time 😀 After dinner when the sun sets and the temps have dropped below 100 we do several miles on the “regular” bike before showering and calling it a night.
I do seem to be getting more calories and eating better as well as building back the muscle, but am still losing weight so am keeping a close eye on the “BIG” picture.
The goal is to keep up this very specific daily routine between now and our nephew’s wedding in late September in hopes that I can look decent in a dress! as well as get my stamina and strength back so I can lead a good daily routine in life.
FAVORITE PHOTO FROM THE CAMERA – I’m still editing through pictures from the trip west as well as my SIL’s house and ran across these. The first was one of my favorites from Cadillac Ranch. I love the face on the wheel.
My late BIL loved crows and had this fountain installed at their house. The fountain never worked right and they converted it to a cactus garden, but I’ve always loved it and her view beyond it 😀 And her wild flowers that pop up here and there are so gorgeous
INSPIRATION
AS I LOOK AROUND THE HOUSE / WEEKLY TO DO LIST & HOUSE PROJECTS / APPOINTMENTS
LAUNDRY… just a couple loads, after all how much can you dirty living in shorts and swim suits? 😀
LIVING AREAS… pretty clean since we are in a smaller space for the summer and I keep the clutter picked up and the dishes done regularly
YARD… trying to keep the flowers extra watered and added some extra sun shades
BLOG… some recipe updating, future post planning for when I get back into a “normal” routine and even some holiday post planning
CURRENTLY READING AND ON MY WAIT PILE
I’M READING Debra Clopton’s Windswept Bay series and am almost finished – Book #10 With this Forever
WHAT IS ON THE DVR OR LIST TO WATCH – last week was so blasted hot that we did some netflix and redbox movies so we could stay in during the heat of the day.
🙂 12 STRONG – enjoyed it a lot
😀 GAME NIGHT – FUNNY
🙂 HURRICANE HEIST – thought it might be bad as it didn’t have too many well known people in it, but we really enjoyed it
🙂 TOMB RAIDER – really enjoyed it
🙁 THE ESCAPE OF PRISONER 614 – we didn’t even finish this as it was really trite
🙂 HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA – really cute
🙂 HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA 2 – just a cute as the original
??? RED SPARROW – still not sure what I think about this one
??? ANNIHILATION – VERY weird
😀 A WRINKLE IN TIME – good, but so un-Disney
😀 ESCAPE PLAN 1 – REALLY enjoyed this one was looking forward to 2
🙁 ESCAPE PLAN 2 – the audio is horrible with all the techno music and it jumped all over the world leaving a less than cohesive story – we actually turned it off and did not finish it.
🙂 15:17 TO PARIS – this film hit a little close to home since one of the guys was from the town we were living in when the Thalys train attack (August 21, 2015) happened. That was the same town that just 2 months later had the UCC college shooting (October 1, 2015) needless to say a very emotional time for our little community.
😀 THE WORLDS FASTEST INDIAN – what a neat movie! I can’t imagine anyone but Anthony Hopkins playing this role!
TWISTED DOGS 4 hot dogs 1/2 cup Bisquick or other pancake mix (DO NOT USE GLUTEN FREE) 2 tablespoons water Oil for frying (enough to MOSTLY cover hot dogs)
Poke a 1/2 skewer through half a hot dog. Spiral cut by diagonally placing your knife against the hot dog while rotating. CUT ALL THE WAY THROUGH WHILE CONSTANTLY TURNING SKEWER TO GET A SPIRAL CUT.
Spread open to create a space between the slits.
Combine Bisquick with water.
Divide mix into 8 portions.
Roll the dough out into a 4 inch strip. Roll the dough around the hot dog between the meat edges.
In a large pan (preferably cast iron) heat oil to 325°. Fry for 2-3 minutes, turning as necessary.
Serve with your favorite condiments or some tornado sauce.
TORNADO SAUCE 1/4 cup jalapeño ketchup 2 tablespoons cup mustard
3 pounds chicken wings and drumettes
1 1/2 cups Heinz Jalapeño ketchup
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup champagne or rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons mild honey
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons liquid smoke FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper, to taste
1 jalapeno seeded and sliced thin
1/3 cup minced red onion
sesame seeds, to garnish
In a LARGE bowl whisk together the ketchup, brown sugar, liquid smoke, honey, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce and garlic.
Fold in the red onion.
Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Add chicken pieces and toss to coat.
Spray slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray.
Add chicken pieces to slow cooker.
Cook on low 3 hours or until chicken is tender and cooked through.
Garnish with jalapeño slices and sesame seeds.
NOTE: For a spicier wing add the jalapeno slices with the red onion so they cook the entire time together.
2 boneless pork chops
3 green onions, thinly sliced, whites and greens separated
1/4 + 1/4 cup Bragg’s liquid aminos
1/8 + 1/8 cup rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 pound bok choy, halved, washed and cut into 1 inch pieces, keeping bulbs and greens separate
6 pieces spaghetti
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1/2 cup shredded red cabbage1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
Sriracha, to taste
1/4 cup chopped peanuts
2 tablespoons avocado oil FRESH ground salt and pepper, to taste
In a large Ziploc bag or baking dish combine 1/4 cup liquid aminos, 1/8 cup rice wine vinegar and 2 tablespoons honey.
Pat dry pork chops and add to marinade, turning to coat.
Cook noodles per package directions, about 8 minutes to al dente’.
Drain and rinse in cold water.
Transfer to a large bowl and set aside.
Whisk together the peanut butter, 1/4 cup liquid aminos, 1/8 cup rice wine vinegar and 1 tablespoon water until smooth. Set aside.
In a large pan over medium high heat add sesame oil until shimmering.
Add bok choy bulb pieces and green onion whites, sautéing 3-4 minutes until soft.
Add cabbage and bok choy leaves, cooking a couple minutes more until leaves wilt.
Season to taste and transfer to bowl with noodles.
Remove pork from marinade. and reserve 2 tablespoons.
Return pan to heat and add 2 tablespoons of avocado oil.
When shimmering add pork chops and sear on both sides until cooked through, about 3 minutes per side.
Transfer to plate and let rest 5 minutes.
Add reserved marinade to peanut sauce and whisk well.
Add peanuts and peanut sauce to noodle bowl, tossing to coat.
2 bone-in pork chops
1-2 sprigs rosemary, stems removed and chopped fine
2 large green onions, sliced thin
1/2 pound fingerling potatoes, cut into bite sized pieces
1 GALA apple, peeled, cored and diced small FRESH ground salt and pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon champagne vinegar
2 tablespoons PURE maple syrup
1 tablespoon chicken bouillon
1 tablespoon butter
Pat pork chops dry.
Generously season chops to taste with salt and pepper.
Melt butter in skillet over medium high heat.
Add potatoes, sauteing several minutes until starting to soften and turn golden.
Add scallion, sautéing slightly.
Add chops and cook until browned and cooked through, 2-3 minutes per side.
Remove from pan and keep warm.
Reduce heat to medium.
Stir in rosemary, 1 tablespoon of the vinegar, maple syrup and bouillon, stirring to blend well. Let simmer until thickened, 1-2 minutes.
Add butter, blending well.
Taste and adjust seasoning.
Add apple pieces and cook a minute or two until beginning to soften.
These pineapple spears are coated in a buttery brown sugar apple cinnamon glaze that caramelizes on the grill! It also pairs perfectly with a citrus carne asada!
One large ripe pineapple cut into spears
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon apple pie spice
In a shallow baking dish lay the pineapple spears in a single layer pan.
Sprinkle lightly with cinnamon.
Whisk together the butter, brown sugar and apple pie spice. It needs to be thin enough to easily pour over the pineapple – microwave a few seconds if necessary.
Pour over top of the pineapple spears.
Grill for about 7-10 minutes or until it is starting to turn golden brown and has gorgeous grill marks.
Brush with excess sauce from the dish before serving.
According to Wikipedia Carne asada is a roasted beef dish, literally meaning “roasted meat”[1][2]. The dish mainly consists of pieces or thin cuts of beef (e.g. flank steak, skirt steak), sometimes marinated, sometimes lightly salted or rubbed with salt, pepper and/or spices, and then grilled. It can be eaten alone, with side dishes, chopped and eaten as tacos, or chopped and used as filler for tortas, burritos, etc. It is commonly accompanied with guacamole, salsa, beans, and grilled scallions and tortillas.
When purchasing carne asada from meat markets, consumers have two options available to them regarding the amount of preparation the steak has undergone pre-purchase: preparada, marinated meat as described above, serving as a time-saver for the home cook but typically at higher cost; and no preparada, unprepared meat, allowing for a home cook to create one’s own marinade. I buy unprepared meat and doctor my own.
All my pictures are before as we’re having it for dinner tonight. I’ll add an after picture later.
CARNE ASADA
2-3 pounds flank or skirt steak, sliced THIN
1 medium Vidalia onion, sliced thin
2 lemons, 1 sliced thin, 1 wedged for squeezing
1 lime, sliced thin
1 orange, sliced thin
1/3 cup champagne vinegar
2 teaspoons minced garlic, jar
1 teaspoon FRESH ground sea salt
1 teaspoon FRESH ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon Hungarian paprika
Soak the meat in the vinegar for an hour or so.
Remove meat from vinegar and dry on paper towels.
Sift together all the seasonings and rub into the meat on both sides.
Layer the meat into a container alternating with the slices of lemon, limes, oranges and onions squeezing lemon juice on each layer as you go.
Let marinate for overnight or a day or so.
Grill on a VERY hot grill to desired doneness, 2-3 minutes per side.
I love 3 bean salad, but I hate kidney beans. So, I developed this recipe to cater to my own likes. If you like kidney beans, just add them back in. I’ve been making this salad for years, BUT, all of a sudden I CANNOT find wax beans ANYWHERE. So, after 3 stores I decided to substitute sliced carrots and you know what? this recipe just got better! The beauty of this recipe is that it just gets more and more flavorful as time goes on.
BEAN SALAD ala 21ST CENTURY
2 – 15 ounce cans green beans
15 ounce can sliced carrots
4 ounce jar pimientos
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1 1/4 cups sugar FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper, to taste
Drain beans, carrots and pimentos REALLY WELL and place into a jar with enough room for the liquid.
In a sauce pan dissolve the sugar and salt into the vinegar and bring it to a boil.
Let it cool.
Pour it over the beans.
Marinate at least 24-48 hours for the best flavor.
GOOD MORNING dear friends. I hope you had a wonderful weekend. We are at our summer destination finally and almost settled in. I hate admitting that I don’t travel well these days, but it’s a fact that I’m learning to deal with and hope will be non-existent by the time we finish the summer restoring my strength and health. I am pushing myself already to do things that tire me and wear me out, but ultimately will make me stronger. Time will tell.
OUTSIDE MY WINDOW & THE WEATHER OUTSIDE & WHAT I’M WEARING – so we’re finally in the desert and it’s already HOT outside, but I’m going to start the day with swimming so I’m in my swimsuit and cover up while I have my tea. Last week was extreme heat (Friday was 115°) right after we got here so we vegged and settled in over the weekend. This week should be triple digits ranging from 106-114.
ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE – Green tea and a banana so far
CRAFTS / PROJECTS – nothing at the moment
ON MY MIND / THINGS THAT ARE MAKING ME HAPPY
Having a HUGE issue with trying to regulate diet and life in general so I can get “healthy”. I’m used to being a strong, caretaker, fix-it type person and am having BIG issues with admitting that I am NOT that person, at least NOT right now. I pray that concentrating on getting healthier will happen sooner than later.
Also having a HUGE issue with still losing weight no matter how hard I try to eat higher caloric things so I get enough.
FAVORITE PHOTO FROM THE CAMERA – I’m still sorting through pictures from our trip, but here’s another favorite
This is “FLO”short for Floater. My SIL names all her critters, even the frogs!With being so sick last week, this became my favorite place to sit in the sun and try to feel better.
On the way to the desert we stopped in Santa Barbara to take hubby’s dad to lunch on his 96 1/2 birthday! We had some time to kill before we got there and went by my very favorite tree, the Moreton Bay Fig Tree originally planted in 1876. Here’s the link if you’d like to read the history.
INSPIRATION
SOMETHING INTERESTING I WATCHED – We tried a few new shows for summer debuts, but I’m just not into TV right now
AS I LOOK AROUND THE HOUSE / WEEKLY TO DO LIST & HOUSE PROJECTS / APPOINTMENTS
LAUNDRY… just a couple loads of clothing and towels
LIVING AREAS… Pretty tidy
KITCHEN… pretty clean
YARD… did a bunch of weeding and trimming the other day so all is good for awhile
APPOINTMENTS – the gym, the pool, get new glasses and do the dentist
BLOG… some recipe updating, future post planning and even some holiday post planning
CURRENTLY READING AND ON MY WAIT PILE
I’M READING Debra Clopton’s Windswept Bay series – Book #9 With This Wish
COMEDIES – Big Bang Theory, Young Sheldon, Life in Pieces, The Good Place, American Housewife
MILITARY, POLITICAL & CRIME DRAMAS and a couple that qualify as comedies – NCIS, NCIS New Orleans and NCIS LA, Criminal Minds, Wisdon of the Crowd, S.W.A.T., Madam Secretary, Designated Survivor, Brave, Valor, Seal Team, Blindspot, Macgyver, Scorpion, Law & Order SVU, Blue Bloods, Hawaii 5-0, Elementary, Chicago Fire, Chicago PD, Chicago Med, 911
DRAMAS & REALITY – The Good Doctor, This Is Us, The Resident, the Amazing Race, Dancing With the Stars, American Ninja Warrior, Ransom, Instinct, Taken
SYFY – Z Nation, the Walking Dead, Fear the Walking Dead, Flash, Supergirl, DC Legends, Orville, Once Upon a Time, The X-Files, Supernatural, Midnight Texas
COOKING – Guy’s Grocery Games, Beat Bobby Flay, Worst Cooks in America, Bobby & Damaris, Kid’s Baking Championship, Master Chef Jr., Master Chef, Southern at Heart, Best Baker in America
WHAT’S IN THE CRAFT BASKET – EVERYTHING is packed so there will be no crafting until late June or so when I start the Christmas gifts and cards
WHERE I’VE BEEN SURFING ON THE NET – I’ve been so busy getting settled into our summer location I have been too tired to do any real surfing.
HEALTH & BEAUTY TIPS
HOMEMAKING/COOKING TIP
MENU PLANS FOR THE WEEK
BREAKFAST
SNACK
LUNCH
DINNER
SNACK/DESSERT
MONDAY
CHEERIOS, SMALL BANANA & GREEN TEA
PROTEIN DRINK
GRILLED CHICKEN BREAST, TUNA SALAD OR ??
CHERRY BALSAMIC PORK CHOPS and PEACH and TOMATO SALAD
We recently took a walking tour of food in Carmel with several family members thanks to my wonderful nephew and his wife. Staci, the owner, was super personable guide with a GREAT sense of humor. We had a FANTASTIC time and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Staci went above and beyond with her knowledge of the Carmel area and the businesses she was introducing us to. The businesses and foods were well balanced to accommodate your palette and your walking pace. We highly recommend this tour on your next visit to the Carmel area.
One of the stops was to an olive oil company, Trio Carmel. One of the other stops was to a Carmel Honey Company that was begun by an enterprising young bee keeper for a 5th grade project that became a family business. Personally I can’t stand olive oil, but they had some wonderful flavored vinegars that I purchased (Peach and Cranberry Pear). Add in some of the wonderful honey and from there this recipe was born.
This is the perfect recipe for a summer’s evening. There are tons of fresh vegetables sautéed with flavorful balsamic vinegar and topped with roasted cashews, golden raisins and shaved Parmesan cheese. Plus one pan and NO oven! If it’s winter time and you WANT to use your oven, roast the veggies instead before tossing all together.
The beauty of this recipe is that with all the choices of flavored vinegars these days you can easily change up your flavor palette with this versatile recipe! I had some gorgeous fresh peaches that I tossed in also.
3/4 pound Brussels sprouts, cleaned and halved
2 broccoli crowns, cleaned and chopped
1 cup rotisserie chicken pieces
2 tablespoons Avocado oil
1 tablespoon butter FRESH ground sea salt FRESH ground black pepper
2-3 tablespoons Peach balsamic vinegar or Cranberry Pear balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon Bragg’s liquid aminos
1-2 tablespoon Meadowfoam honey
1/3 cup roasted cashews
1/3 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
Heat LARGE skillet over medium high heat.
Add Avocado oil and butter.
When melted, add Brussels sprouts and broccoli, sautéing 2-3 minutes. We like our Brussels sprouts a bit crispy so I usually add them first and get a crispy edge before I add the broccoli.
Add 2 tablespoons water. Cover and cook for a minutes or two.
Add Balsamic vinegar and liquid aminos and saute’ a minute or two more.
Add honey and stir to coat.
Add chicken pieces, raisins and cashews and saute’ a couple minutes more until heated through.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Drizzle with a touch more honey and Parmesan cheese before you serve.
PINEAPPLE PEPPER LIME CHICKEN
