Recipe: Tequila Lime Chicken

Don't you just want to lick those limes?

This is what I've been eating ALL week. While it is certainly delicious, I've just about had enough. I can only take about 2 days of leftovers, and preferably only once a day. I've been dining on this dish for every meal since Sunday. But as of today, there will no more of this!

My boyfriend lives about 3 hours away from me, and on the weekends we will grill up an extra large batch of whatever we're making for him to carry back with with him. As he generally does the grilling and I do the marinading, I asked if the usual Italian dressing would do (while Italian dressing is a perfectly fine marinade, I prefer to live on the edge and create my own). I was surprised when he said that he'd preferred "the one I made the last time." I think that my heart did a little flip.
 
Here's how we made it (remember we used a lot of chicken, so I'm trying to cut the recipe)(Also, I've never written my own recipe before, so if you try and it sucks, I am SO SO sorry!)...

1 Pound of  Chicken breast
1 C. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tbs. of Tequila
1 heaping teaspoon of crushed garlic
Juice from 1 fresh lime
1/2 bunch of green onions diced
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper

dash of salt
dash of pepper

Combine ingredients in large Ziploc bag, add chicken, securely close bag, and shake chicken around until it is well coated. Grill immediately, or refrigerate until needed.

Tricks:
1. Cut chicken in half and pound out until each piece is about 1/4 in thick (cuts down on grilling time and chicken gets cooked evenly)
2. Grill Chicken on top rack if possible on Medium heat (keeps in moisture)
3. Be sure to cook chicken thoroughly to avoid food borne illness. The recommended internal temp should be approx. 160 degrees.

Recipe: Hoe Cakes

I found this recipe on CNN Eatocracy Blog today. I can't wait to try it out!

My dad used to make these for use when we were kids. He's from the backhiills of Tennessee, and when we were little (not so much now), he used to whip up some of his old southern favorites. Poor guy, he's still on a quest to find the perfect biscuit and cornbread recipes.

Hoe Cakes
Makes about 30 cakes
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup cornmeal
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs, lightly whipped
1 egg yolk, whipped with the whole eggs
1 tablespoon sugar
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup whole milk
4 tablespoons lard (or bacon fat), melted
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup roasted corn kernels
4 tablespoons red onion, minced
salt and black pepper, to taste
Combine dry ingredients and set aside. Whisk together eggs, buttermilk, lard and butter until fully combined. Stir dry ingredients into the wet ones until fully combined. Blend in corn and onion and combine well. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Cook cakes two tablespoons at a time in melted butter in a cast iron skillet. Brown on one side and flip to finish - like pancakes.

*Photo from Vegan Crunk (so I doubt there is lard or bacon fat in these ones). I will post my pictures once I actually make them!

30 days? Yeah right!

I couldn't finish my 30 day quest to document all that I ate! Soon after I started, I realized that day after day I usually ate the same thing, which in my opinion is SO boring. I figured if I was getting bored so was the reader, even though I don't think any one is reading this.

I don't want to stop blogging, and to you non-existent reader I make the following declarations:

• I will carry my camera with me (in my purse)
• I will be recognized by CNN's Eatocracy
• I will steer away from the easy complacent foods that I depend on
• I will blog regularly - 3 times a week (ok, maybe twice) (who am I kidding, at least once)

There, I said it and so it shall be!

I do have some pretty yummy photos that I snapped while on my quest that I didn't post, as in the one above. My boyfriend makes the BEST pancakes ever! From scratch, with Bisquick! Who does that anymore? I certainly don't...

By the way, do you like my new header?

Day 16: Lunch and Dinner

I remember this day, but only because it was the day that I got stuck in traffic driving towards the National Pow Wow - on accident. That sucked! In honor of the pow wow, I had a Navajo taco for lunch from Twisters. It was just ok, the chicken was a little soupy!

For dinner, my parents took me to one of our favorite spots, Los Cuates. I usually get the chicken enchiladas with green. but opted for the carne asada soft tacos, which like the Navajo taco was just alright. The meat was kind of dry, and so were the tortillas.

Day 15: Green Chile Cheese Burger Ecstasy

Who knows what any of my other meals were for this day....the only one that matters is lunch. Me and the boys went to my favorite hamburger joint Bubster's (the original Rex's) and I had this delicious green chile cheeseburger with bacon and a side of fries! Oh man, you gotta try these!

Day 14: Lunch and Dinner

Day 14 was special, it was admin day and my boss took me out for lunch to Scalo's Northern Italian Grille. When I was in my early twenties this was the spot, and then something suddenly changed (probably the menu) and my friends and I took a few years off. I've been there for lunch before but it didn't leave an impression like this time. We split an order of calamari to start, and then I had a grilled chicken panini, which was auh-mazing! My pictures suck for this entry, I had to use my cell phone. Oh, they do something great with their calamari...it has shrimp in it too!


For dinner, my parents came over and treated me to Rudy's BBQ. Yum!  Ribs, sausage, and brisket. Nothing more to say!

Day 13: Lunch, Snack, and Dinner

I knew that staring and keeping up with this blog was going to be a challenge. I found myself getting bored with my own food choices, and have come to the conclusion that I'm pretty boring! I mean, really how many different ways can I take a picture of a cup of yogurt. I'm sure there are a thousands ways, but when you eat right out of the cup...?

Anyway, here's where I jumped off of the wagon. Day 13. This day I went home and had a bbq pork chop sandwich for lunch, a handful of pretzels to snack on, and some grilled chicken with corn and mashed potatoes for din din. By the way, this is a full size can of diet coke, not a mini that I am so fond of!