Recipe Hoarder

I hoard recipes (like this girl).  I gather them, stuff them in a manilla folder and hope to someday make them.  Sometimes that “someday” comes a few weeks down the road and other times “someday” never comes.  I’m glad I didn’t hoard this recipe.  This recipe was posted June 21st.  I pinned it June 21st, printed it out June 21st and proceeded to make the dish on June 23rd.  It never had a chance in the manilla folder.

The recipe is fairly simple but it is so worth any prep needed.  I decided to actually marinate the chicken before grilling.  I used the same ingredients that was in the sauce and simply marinated the chicken.   In the mix:  honey, rice vinegar, BBQ sauce (Sweet Baby Ray’s this time ’round), soy sauce (gluten free), garlic and red pepper flakes.

After about an hour of swimming in the marinade, Big Guy threw the chicken on the grill.  The marinade was then poured into a skillet.

While the chicken was marinating, I made the salsa.  Make this.  Now.  It’s eat-straight-off-the-spoon worthy.  Sweet, juicy blueberries paired with the most scrumptious peach ever (from Whole Foods) with some a little heat from a jalapeno (straight from the garden), a zip from cilantro and a little tartness from the lime.  The red onion added a nice crunch and flavor to the mix – plus more gorgeous color.

Once the chicken was done grilled, we sliced and threw into the sauce which was then brought to a boil and simmered until slightly thick and the chicken was cooked through.

We served this sweet and spicy glazed chicken on top of Food Should Taste Good multigrain chips.  Topped with cheese and the cool salsa.

The most colorful nachos I’ve ever made.

Holy Guacamole!

I wasn’t kidding when I said I was going to have Mexican and a margarita this weekend.

Guacamole and Watermelon margaritas!  These margaritas were a littttttle strong when made according to Emeril’s recipe.  I simply added a little more watermelon juice to this batch.  And when I made another batch, I added less alcohol and more of the other stuff.  Perfection.

And about that guacamole…

Holy guacamole!    This stuff is addicting.  I couldn’t stop dipping into the guac.  And neither could anyone else.  The best part – it’s easy.  Simply throw all the ingredients into a food processor and let it whirl.  I tripled the recipe.  Muahaha.  No shame in my game.  I wanted Mexican and I got Mexican.  Served with carrots, cuke slices and Food Should Taste Good Sweet Potato chips.

And for the main meal, even though I could have made a meal out of the guacamole and margaritas…Nachos topped with Slow Cooked Smoky Chipotle Brown Sugar Chicken.  Is that a mouthful or what?  (A mouthful of deliciousness.)

And you use not only the food processor to do all the hard work but you use the crock-pot.  Oh yes, Friends, I used the crock-pot in August and it was a beautiful thing.

The sauce was delicious.  I expected the final produce to be a little more saucy.  But I soothed my disappointment with more guacamole.

The nacho chip I used:  Trader Joe’s Sweet Potato Tortilla Crisp Rounds.

Oh.my.nachos.  Topped with Greek yogurt and feta served with a side of Jalapeno-Lime Slaw.  Despite the amount of jalapeno, the slaw was refreshing and perfect with the smoky chicken and nachos.  And about those sweet potato crisps – 10 times better than the Food Should Taste Good version.  And the Food Should Taste Good chips are good.  Basically, I’m buying them again (along with the almond butter that I’m running out of and almost cried this morning).

I’d call this meal a success.

Margaritas.  Good company.  Guacamole.  Nachos.  Guacamole.  Laughter.  Another margarita.  Did I mention guacamole?

A dippin’ good challenge, round six.

You thought I forgot, didn’t you?  Oh, you forgot?  Remember that box of Food Should Taste Good chips I received in the mail?  I had used all but the chocolate flavor up until Friday.

Semi-sweet chocolate and cocoa offer a sweet balance that pairs perfectly with our chip’s natural corn flavor.

As soon as Big Guy opened the bag, a wave of chocolate hit my nose.  But the taste isn’t as strong as the smell.  There’s a slight hint of chocolate that paired perfectly with goat cheese!

Instead of a “dip,” I arranged goat cheese with two different toppers.  One goat medallion had a drizzle of honey and another goat medallion had TJs Peach Salsa spooned on top.

The peach salsa paired very nicely with the chips and the goat cheese with honey was an insane pairing.  Absolutely delicious.  Even Big Guy was a fan.

Originally I wanted to try the chocolate chips with chili but summer and chili don’t mix.  So I’ll have to wait to try that come winter.

For dinner, filet mignon (to celebrate a day early) and sesame-ginger glazed asparagus.

The asparagus were perfect (so were the steaks).  The combination of soy, honey, lime, ginger and garlic was awesome.  And I loved the sprinkle of sesame seeds on top.

Another wonderful date night!

Now if only I could get my hands on the other flavors of chips I haven’t tried:  Lime, Cantina, and Jalapeno with Cheddar…

A dippin’ good challenge, round five.

I have to admit, I was a little scared of the olive chips.  But I knew I had to give them a chance.  Big Guy and I aren’t big olive fans.  I think you either love ‘em or you hate ‘em.

A combination of real black, kalamata and green olives offers a genuine flavor which punches up a quick snack and creates the perfect base for dips like hummus.  Or in our case, Spinach-Parmesan Dip.

 

Spinach is the base, obviously.  It is then mixed with fresh basil, garlic, cream cheese (I used the whipped cream cheese), yogurt (I used plain Greek yogurt), and Parmesan cheese.  Next time, I’ll use a little more garlic.

Upon first tasting a “bare” chip, I didn’t detect any olive.  Big Guy said he got a taste of olive every once and a while but it wasn’t overbearing.  These chips are awesome!  And I agree, they’d be great with hummus.  But what wouldn’t be good with hummus?

And this dip.  Oh my my my.  Cooking Light, this recipe is a keeper!!!  It hails from 2004 but I’m telling you what, I’m making this again.  It’s absolutely delicious.  In fact, I had more on Saturday (and Sunday) paired with veggies.

Honestly, I’d buy these chips again.  I never thought I’d say that about the olive flavor.  But before I buy those, I’m going to have to get my hands on some of the other flavors…

p.s. I have one bag left from the challenge:  CHOCOLATE!!!!!!!

A dippin’ good challenge, round four.

Combine strawberries and avocado and you get one brilliant salsa.

Make this.  Even if you’re scared of avocado, make this.  Serve it with chips or over fish or chicken.  The flavor combination is incredible.  And about that chip I used for dippin’…

Blue Corn:  Nutty flaxseed, quinoa, and organic blue corn create a robust yet versatile chip to be enjoyed alone or paired with a fresh dip.

These are wonderful alone, nice and crunchy.  But like the description says, pair it with a fresh dip (aka strawberry and avocado salsa) and you have a winning combination.  5 out of 5 stars.  I would totally buy these chips again (and again, and again).

This chip ‘n dip pairing was the starter to Friday date night…to round out the meal, steak and roasted chile-garlic broccoli.

The broccoli was the star of the plate.  I’m pretty sure we didn’t have any broccoli leftover.

What’s your favorite tomato-less salsa?

A Dippin’ Good Challenge, round three.

I bent the rules.  Instead of a dip, I decided to use the sweet potato chips as the base for Sweet Potato Nachos (!!!!!!!!!!!!).  I know.  They were pretty baller. And the best part, they were easy.  Easy is the name of the game when you get back from a weekend away at 4:30pm.

A hint of cane sugar enhances the natural nuttiness of the sweet potato in a chip that is a riff on a classic baked sweet potato.

And I got to use my cast iron skillet (insert squeal here).

If you don’t have a cast iron skillet, it’s okay.  Simply find yourself your own Big Guy and that’s what you’ll get for Valentine’s Day.  But seriously, you can use any pan.  Heat the olive oil and the onions over medium heat until they become soft and start to caramelize.  Then you add in water (I used some leftover chicken broth), a smidge of sugar, a dash of salt and chili powder.  The smell!!!!!!!!  Incredible.  The chili powder takes these nachos to a place I’ve never been with nachos.  And I love nachos.  I mean, I love the cheap, nasty Charlotte Hornets (1990s) nachos, BBQ chicken nachos, healthy nachos…you name it with “nacho” in the title and I’ll like love it.

While the onions are caramelizing, preheat your oven to broil (next time I’ll probably go with 425).  Then start layering!  On a pan with aluminum foil, put down a layer of sweet tator chips.  Top with the addictive onions, black beans, and goat cheese.  Broil for about 2-3 minutes.

They didn’t make it off the foil.  But like I said, watch them while you’re melting the cheese – some of my chips got a little burnt tan.

Please please please try this dish!  It’s a vegetarian meal (minus my chicken broth) that any body would devour.  If you don’t like goat cheese (gasp!) try feta.  If you don’t like black beans, we’ll you’re silly.  But you could use chicken in this dish.  The crunch of the chips, the smokiness of the onions, the creamy dreamy goat cheese…I die.

First it was cookie Heaven, now nacho Heaven.

A Dippin’ Good Challenge, Round One

Let’s get right to it…

Last week I mentioned the box of chips that was sent to me by Food Should Taste Good and how I was making a challenge out of the five bags.  Five bags of chips, five different dips.  (Hey, that rhymes.)  Friday seemed like a great night for a chip ‘n dip appetizer. 

the chip

The Multigrain Chip.  Made with flax, sunflower, and sesame seeds, quinoa, soy, brown rice.

Delicious on its own.  But I knew it could handle a strong dip.  You can really taste the sesame seeds.  And I love love love the crunch factor.  This is not a wimpy chip!  I did a little “dip” research and found a recipe for a Mascarpone-Chive Dipping Sauce.  I’ve never used mascarpone in the kitchen.  Big Guy has been curious about mascarpone for a while now since we see it used on the Food Network channel quite often.  It’s very much like cream cheese and honestly, I think it could have been used in this recipe instead of cream cheese.  But I did love the matching of bacon and chives.  In fact, the dip ended up reminding me of a sour cream and onion chip.  A more mature sour cream and onion dip.

chips 'n dip

I loved the pairing of the multigrain chip with this tangy dip.  I should also note that I used Green Yogurt in place of the sour cream.  It was a thick dip but it wasn’t anything these chips couldn’t handle.

I give these chips 5 out of 5 stars.  My pairing earns a 4 out of 5 stars.

A very delicious start to the evening.  On the dinner menu:  beef tenderloin with asparagus.  Simple and delicious.

friday night template

Cooked to perfection, Big Guy.

dip it

Life.

This is your life. 
Do what you love, and do it often.
If you don’t like something, change it.
If you don’t like your job, quit.
If you don’t have enough time, stop watching TV.
If you are looking for the love of your life, stop;
They will be waiting for you when you start doing things you love.
Stop over analyzing, life is simple.
All emotions are beautiful.
When you eat, appreciate every last bite.
Open your mind, arms and heart to new things and people,
We are united in our differences.
Ask the next person you see what their passion is,
And share your inspiring dream with them.
Travel often;
Getting lost will help you find yourself.
Some opportunities only come once, seize them.
Life is about the people you meet,
And the things you create with them.
So go out and start creating.
Life is short.
Live your dream,
And wear your passion.

 

That was kind of deep. You can print it out just like me and hang it in your office. 

On a lighter note, I’ve  eaten lots of salads, roasted potatoes, and ”fried” eggs this week.  Not blog-worthy, that’s for sure.  But “single girl” dinners rock…except when they’re a week-long thing.

Thankfully this weekend will bring lots of sunshine, delicious eats and QT with Big Guy.  Oh, and a cocktail or two. 

Wish me luck…

chip and dip time!

A Dippin’ Good Challenge

Food Should Taste Good.  Don’t you agree?

On Friday, a box appeared on the front porch.  I squealed with excitement when I saw a box from Food Should Taste Good.  Of course I couldn’t wait more than 5 minutes before tearing into the box to see what was inside.  Six bags of chips.  SIX!  And they were all different flavors!  But I have to be honest, I’m most excited about the chocolate flavor.

chocolate chips!

But I practiced self-control and I didn’t immediately tear into the bag.  I know, it took a lot of self-control.  Instead, I’m making this a challenge.  Over the next few weeks I’m going to be tasting each chip.  BUT with the chip I’m challenging myself to prepare a dip that compliments the chip of choice.  Now, I know I like this brand…I’ve tried a flavor or two on my own.  But I’ll be honest in my reviews.  And no, I’m not being paid for this but they did supply me the chips.  And you can go to the website now and print a coupon so you, too, can try them.

With that being said….let the dippin’ begin!!!!!!!!!!

Thank you Food Should Taste Good for inspiring this challenge with the free box of chips.