I had some tasty lime-marinated chicken fajitas at a party several months ago and decided to recreate the yumminess. Naturally, I searched the Internet for inspiration and came across this recipe for Tequila Lime Chicken from Ina Garten. I decided to test this recipe with a few last-minute modifications - I marinated all-day instead of overnight (because I forgot), used a mixture of bottled lime juice and fresh lime juice (because having forgot about the marinade time I hadn't been to the store and that's what I had) and I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts, because, well, you get the drift! The result was so delicious that I'm making these again this weekend.
Ina Garten's Tequila Lime Chicken
Ingredients:
1/2 cup gold tequila
1 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (5 to 6 limes)
1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (2 oranges)
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon minced fresh jalapeno pepper (1 pepper seeded)
1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic (3 cloves)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 whole or 6 split chicken breasts, skin on
Directions:
Combine the tequila, lime juice, orange juice, chili powder, jalapeno pepper, garlic, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Add the chicken breasts. Refrigerate overnight. Heat a grill with coals and brush the rack with oil to prevent the chicken from sticking. Remove the chicken breasts from the marinade, sprinkle well with salt and pepper, and grill them skin side down for about 5 minutes, until nicely browned. Turn the chicken and cook for another 10 minutes, until just cooked through. Remove from the grill to a plate. Cover tightly and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Serve hot or at room temperature.
Friday, April 8, 2011
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Chicken Noodle Casserole
This was really easy and delicious. Husband and child approved!
Chicken Noodle Casserole
1 - 1 1/2 pounds chicken
8 oz of angel hair pasta
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of broccoli (or whatever else you have on hand)
8 oz of sour cream
1 can sliced carrots, drained
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 stick butter
1 cup Ritz crackers, crushed
Boil chicken in salted water until no longer pink. Take out chicken, and cut into small bites. Return the water used for the chicken to a boil, and add the pasta. Cook until barely al dente.
Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, combine cream of chicken, cream of broccoli and sour cream. Add the carrots. Stir in the garlic powder, plus some salt and pepper. Then add the chicken, and cooked pasta, plus about 1/2 cup of the pasta water.
Pour into casserole dish. Melt butter in a bowl and add crushed crackers. Stir, then add to top of casserole.
Bake uncovered at 350 for about 30 minutes or until nice and bubbly.
If you are not pregnant, enjoy with a glass of white wine. Otherwise, a nice tall glass of cold milk is perfect!
Monday, September 27, 2010
Back with More Deliciousness
I had the good fortune to come across this recipe for Murphy’s meatloaf in the AJC’s “From the Menu Of” feature a few weeks ago. Since I love Murphy’s, I tried it out last night, and it was delicious. As a bonus, I have deemed this recipe “kid friendly” and have hatched an evil plot to serve it to Avery for dinner to get her to eat a vegetable serving! Mwah ha ha ha! (That’s evil laughter in case you need a translation).
Murphy’s Spinach and Sausage Meatloaf
Hands on: 15 minutes, Total time: 1 hour, 10 minutes, Serves: 12
2 pounds ground chuck
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well-squeezed dry
1/2 pound spicy Italian sausage
1/4 pound mild Italian sausage
1/2 onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 egg
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Small pinch of each: dried thyme, dried basil and dried oregano
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place parchment paper on a rimmed cookie sheet.
In a large bowl, combine ground chuck, spinach, spicy and mild sausage, onion, egg, Parmesan, bread crumbs, garlic, salt, pepper, thyme, basil and oregano. Mix well but do not overwork.
Form mixture into a loaf and put on cookie sheet. Cover with foil and bake approximately 45 minutes or until loaf is cooked through and has an internal temperature of 155 degrees. Let meatloaf rest 10 minutes, covered, before slicing.
Per serving: 345 calories (percent of calories from fat, 70), 21 grams protein, 5 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 26 grams fat (10 grams saturated), 99 milligrams cholesterol, 562 milligrams sodium.
Murphy’s Spinach and Sausage Meatloaf
Hands on: 15 minutes, Total time: 1 hour, 10 minutes, Serves: 12
2 pounds ground chuck
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well-squeezed dry
1/2 pound spicy Italian sausage
1/4 pound mild Italian sausage
1/2 onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 egg
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Small pinch of each: dried thyme, dried basil and dried oregano
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place parchment paper on a rimmed cookie sheet.
In a large bowl, combine ground chuck, spinach, spicy and mild sausage, onion, egg, Parmesan, bread crumbs, garlic, salt, pepper, thyme, basil and oregano. Mix well but do not overwork.
Form mixture into a loaf and put on cookie sheet. Cover with foil and bake approximately 45 minutes or until loaf is cooked through and has an internal temperature of 155 degrees. Let meatloaf rest 10 minutes, covered, before slicing.
Per serving: 345 calories (percent of calories from fat, 70), 21 grams protein, 5 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 26 grams fat (10 grams saturated), 99 milligrams cholesterol, 562 milligrams sodium.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Plate Lickin' Good
Saturday, Greg set out some venison tenderloin to thaw for Sunday dinner while I set to getting inspired about how to cook it. I perused a few cookbooks and decided to go with this Cooking Light recipe for a Bourbon and Brown Sugar marinade and sauce. I skipped the recipe’s potatoes and instead made Gruyere Cheese Grits and added some roasted asparagus.
http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=349280
Not one to use cheap Bourbon, due to the fact that we didn’t have any in the house, I stayed true to my Kentucky roots and used Woodford Reserve in the sauce. Let’s just say it wasn’t one of the dogs licking our plates when we done.
If your husband isn’t the type to hunt and gather for your food, then I am sure this recipe would taste equally as good with flank steak. Enjoy!
http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=349280
Not one to use cheap Bourbon, due to the fact that we didn’t have any in the house, I stayed true to my Kentucky roots and used Woodford Reserve in the sauce. Let’s just say it wasn’t one of the dogs licking our plates when we done.
If your husband isn’t the type to hunt and gather for your food, then I am sure this recipe would taste equally as good with flank steak. Enjoy!
Monday, August 30, 2010
The Art of the Reverse Marinade
Atlanta chef Philippa Kingsley's recipe for Thai Beef Salad in the AJC caught my eye last week. I'm always looking for filling and flavorful salad recipes, but this recipe intrigued me mostly because of the marinade. You cook the meat first, marinate second. I just had to try it!
Before you begin, take note of Philippa's keys to success: #1 the long marinade time and #2 the cut of your meat. Philippa suggests 24 hours in the marinade, and since I had the awesome idea to prep this Sunday and eat it Monday, this is what I did, and I'm totally with her. As for the cut, she suggests top-notch beef tenderloin (filet mignon), but that was too rich for my wallet, so I used London Broil. I wish I'd spent a few extra dollars and gotten a bit of a nicer cut, as I think the marinade would've made filet absolutely melt in your mouth. The London Broil was still good - but let's face it. It's just no filet mignon.
Serves: 4
1 pound beef tenderloin
Salt
1 ½ cups fresh lemon juice (I used bottled, no way was I juicing all those lemons)
1 cup sweet Thai chili sauce (found in the ethnic isle of my Publix)
¼ cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 small red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
3 green onions, chopped
1 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped or torn by hand
1 cup fresh mint, roughly chopped or torn by hand (I omitted b/c Publix was out)
2 small to medium tomatoes, cut into wedges
½ European cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 head red leaf or green leaf lettuce, washed, separated into individual leaves and dried
Additional mint and cilantro for garnish (optional)
Set broiler on high. Rub beef tenderloin with salt and place in a shallow roasting pan or broiler pan. Cook each side for 10-15 minutes — until medium (just pink at the interior). A meat thermometer inserted at thickest portion of the tenderloin should read 135-140 degrees; the meat will rise another 5-10 degrees when removed from oven. (Chef's Note: you may also grill the meat.) Set aside to rest for 15-20 minutes, and slice. (Betty's Note: using a digital thermometer in the meat while broiling will result in complete and utter destruction of your thermometer probe, just so you know).
In a large mixing bowl, add lemon juice, sweet Thai chili sauce, granulated sugar and fish sauce. Stir well to dissolve sugar. Add the sliced beef, red onion, green onion, cilantro and mint. Cover and chill for at least four hours, or overnight. Or, 24 hours if you want to be like me.
One hour before serving, add cucumber and tomato to the beef mixture. Stir, cover and return to refrigerator. (I think skipping this step is no biggie).
In a large bowl or serving dish, make a circle of lettuce leaves. Spoon the beef mixture onto the lettuce and pour in the marinade. If desired, garnish with optional cilantro or mint sprigs.
The result: The flavor is really delicious, and this is healthy, too (nutritional info below). I consider the reverse-marinade a success, and think I might try the leftovers in noodle bowls tomorrow night for dinner. Yum!
Per serving: 310 calories (percent of calories from fat, 27), 32 grams protein, 28 grams carbohydrates, 9 grams fiber, 10 grams fat (3 grams saturated), 60 milligrams cholesterol, 117 milligrams sodium.
Before you begin, take note of Philippa's keys to success: #1 the long marinade time and #2 the cut of your meat. Philippa suggests 24 hours in the marinade, and since I had the awesome idea to prep this Sunday and eat it Monday, this is what I did, and I'm totally with her. As for the cut, she suggests top-notch beef tenderloin (filet mignon), but that was too rich for my wallet, so I used London Broil. I wish I'd spent a few extra dollars and gotten a bit of a nicer cut, as I think the marinade would've made filet absolutely melt in your mouth. The London Broil was still good - but let's face it. It's just no filet mignon.
Serves: 4
1 pound beef tenderloin
Salt
1 ½ cups fresh lemon juice (I used bottled, no way was I juicing all those lemons)
1 cup sweet Thai chili sauce (found in the ethnic isle of my Publix)
¼ cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 small red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
3 green onions, chopped
1 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped or torn by hand
1 cup fresh mint, roughly chopped or torn by hand (I omitted b/c Publix was out)
2 small to medium tomatoes, cut into wedges
½ European cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 head red leaf or green leaf lettuce, washed, separated into individual leaves and dried
Additional mint and cilantro for garnish (optional)
Set broiler on high. Rub beef tenderloin with salt and place in a shallow roasting pan or broiler pan. Cook each side for 10-15 minutes — until medium (just pink at the interior). A meat thermometer inserted at thickest portion of the tenderloin should read 135-140 degrees; the meat will rise another 5-10 degrees when removed from oven. (Chef's Note: you may also grill the meat.) Set aside to rest for 15-20 minutes, and slice. (Betty's Note: using a digital thermometer in the meat while broiling will result in complete and utter destruction of your thermometer probe, just so you know).
In a large mixing bowl, add lemon juice, sweet Thai chili sauce, granulated sugar and fish sauce. Stir well to dissolve sugar. Add the sliced beef, red onion, green onion, cilantro and mint. Cover and chill for at least four hours, or overnight. Or, 24 hours if you want to be like me.
One hour before serving, add cucumber and tomato to the beef mixture. Stir, cover and return to refrigerator. (I think skipping this step is no biggie).
In a large bowl or serving dish, make a circle of lettuce leaves. Spoon the beef mixture onto the lettuce and pour in the marinade. If desired, garnish with optional cilantro or mint sprigs.
The result: The flavor is really delicious, and this is healthy, too (nutritional info below). I consider the reverse-marinade a success, and think I might try the leftovers in noodle bowls tomorrow night for dinner. Yum!
Per serving: 310 calories (percent of calories from fat, 27), 32 grams protein, 28 grams carbohydrates, 9 grams fiber, 10 grams fat (3 grams saturated), 60 milligrams cholesterol, 117 milligrams sodium.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Cooking ahead
So, I'm traveling this week for work, so I went ahead and cooked two meals for the boys. Both turned out well, so I thought I'd share with three other working moms!
First, I made my mom's Shrimp Salad recipe:
1 or 1 1/2 pounds shrimp, peeled
1 pound of pasta (usually use shells or tubes), cooked
6 eggs, hard boiled and chopped
2 stalks of celeby, finely chopped
Mazetti Slaw dressing
garlic powder
seasoned salt
pepper
Cook the shrimp for about 2-3 minutes. I usually cook in chicken broth to give some flavor. Add the shrimp, the pasta, eggs and celery to a large bowl. Stir in about 1/2 cup of Mazetti dressing. Stir well. Add about tsp of garlic powder, salt and pepper. Stir well. Add another 1/2 cup of the dressing. Stir well. At this point, at more dressing, if necessary. The salad is even better the next day!
Second, I made a modified version of an Oven Chicken Risotto recipe that Heather Fleming gave me:
2 T butter
1 cup Arbiso rice
3 cups chicken broth
1 cup of broccoli
1/2 onion, diced
1-2 cups of diced or shredded chicken (you can use rotisserie chicken, Tyson shortcuts or boil some yourself)
6 oz fresh mozzarella
1 cup of grape tomatoes, halved
Preheat oven to 400. Melt the butter in the bottom of 9x13 pan. Add the rice, broth, broccoli, and onion, and stir to distribute. Bake, covered, for 35 minutes. Check towards the end if you need to add another 1/2 cup of water. I had to add a bit more. Once done, add the chiken, mozzarella and tomatoes and stir. Delish!
I love make ahead meals....
Thursday, August 12, 2010
What's Been Happening In Betty's Kitchen
Dear Loyal Cook Club Participants and Readers:
We’ve hit a rough patch in our commitment to this little culinary club, and for that, I 100% blame summer. The heat, parenthood, summer block parties for some, vacation and the lack of structure of the summer months have kept a few of us out of the kitchen. But in an effort to keep this extremely popular and well frequented blog going (we’re probably going to be featured on Rachel Ray soon), here is an update on what culinary masterpieces I created in the kitchen in July. I cite farmer’s markets, and apparently, Southern Living magazine as my inspirations!
First up, I pseudo completed Sue’s challenge, and made these bacon pimento cheeseburgers from Southern Living.
http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1906337
They were just okay for me – the pimiento cheese recipe made A LOT and I ended up tossing most of it after having a pimiento cheese sandwich or two. Not really my thing, but if it’s yours, this is probably a good recipe for your repetoire.
Mr. Focker did get in on the recipe fun and perfected his margarita recipe. These involve a little elbow grease as only fresh lime juice will do, but it’s well worth it. Just don’t throw a fiesta and invite all your friends over for batches of these bad boys – they are too labor intensive for a crowd! For a crowd pleaser, ask me for my Beergarita recipe. You’ll be so happy you did!
http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1997552
By far, the two best new recipes I prepared in July focused on fresh, seasonal ingredients. I procured a few Heirloom tomatoes one Saturday morning at the Farmer’s market and made this deliciously-awesome-extremely-mouth-watering-fabulous Southern Tomato Vegetable Pie. Mr. Focker really liked it, too. Seriously, stop what you are doing and make this pie. It’s a little time consuming, but very, very worth it.
http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1906309
Last, but not least, I entertained with this recipe paired with grilled chorizo and shrimp kabobs:
http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/summer-vegetable-casserole
This was super easy and really, really delicious.
And in case you are wondering, Baby Focker did not allow a single bite of any of these delicious dishes to cross her tiny little lips. Better luck in August? You’ll find out if you promise to share what you’ve been up to in the kitchen – both messes and successes! Maybe I'll be back with photos in August too - you don't know!
We’ve hit a rough patch in our commitment to this little culinary club, and for that, I 100% blame summer. The heat, parenthood, summer block parties for some, vacation and the lack of structure of the summer months have kept a few of us out of the kitchen. But in an effort to keep this extremely popular and well frequented blog going (we’re probably going to be featured on Rachel Ray soon), here is an update on what culinary masterpieces I created in the kitchen in July. I cite farmer’s markets, and apparently, Southern Living magazine as my inspirations!
First up, I pseudo completed Sue’s challenge, and made these bacon pimento cheeseburgers from Southern Living.
http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1906337
They were just okay for me – the pimiento cheese recipe made A LOT and I ended up tossing most of it after having a pimiento cheese sandwich or two. Not really my thing, but if it’s yours, this is probably a good recipe for your repetoire.
Mr. Focker did get in on the recipe fun and perfected his margarita recipe. These involve a little elbow grease as only fresh lime juice will do, but it’s well worth it. Just don’t throw a fiesta and invite all your friends over for batches of these bad boys – they are too labor intensive for a crowd! For a crowd pleaser, ask me for my Beergarita recipe. You’ll be so happy you did!
http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1997552
By far, the two best new recipes I prepared in July focused on fresh, seasonal ingredients. I procured a few Heirloom tomatoes one Saturday morning at the Farmer’s market and made this deliciously-awesome-extremely-mouth-watering-fabulous Southern Tomato Vegetable Pie. Mr. Focker really liked it, too. Seriously, stop what you are doing and make this pie. It’s a little time consuming, but very, very worth it.
http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1906309
Last, but not least, I entertained with this recipe paired with grilled chorizo and shrimp kabobs:
http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/summer-vegetable-casserole
This was super easy and really, really delicious.
And in case you are wondering, Baby Focker did not allow a single bite of any of these delicious dishes to cross her tiny little lips. Better luck in August? You’ll find out if you promise to share what you’ve been up to in the kitchen – both messes and successes! Maybe I'll be back with photos in August too - you don't know!
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