I love the Food Network.   It’s totally an American thing.  Only in America could a red-headed, freckled Irish Opie-lookalike like Bobby Flay be known for appearing on TV  as an expert in spicy Tex-Mex cooking.

Hence I had to try this recipe of his.  But I modified it a little.  Because, after all, my rigorous food training and experience (1 year at Little Caesar’s in college) makes me qualified to modify a recipe that a chef has tweaked  to perfection.

I changed it enough that I’m almost afraid to call it Churrascarita but I love saying that too much to change it.  And oooh, baby, this stuff was spicy and sweet and really, really good.  I imagine this sauce would be great on just about anything grilled like fish or veggies.   In fact, I think I may whip up a batch and keep it in the fridge.

Francie’s version of Bobby Flay’s Chicken Churrascaritas

4-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons fresh ground ginger
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup frozen orange juice concentrate
1-2 canned chipotle peppers plus 1 tablespoon of the “juice”
1 cup honey
2 TB. soy sauce
1/2 cup lime juice

Put the ginger, brown  sugar, orange juice concentrate, 1 chipotle pepper plus that “juice”, honey, soy sauce and lime juice. Puree until smooth. Pour all but 1/2 cup of the glaze over chicken breasts and marinate for 1 hour in the fridge.

Grill the breasts over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes per side, brushing with reserved glaze occasionally.

And if you want his recipe, it’s here:

http://www.bluemesagrill.com/recipes/archived-recipes/chicken-churrascaritasR/

        

Now that my baby, my beloved Canon is restored, I thought it was time to get back to photographing actual food and do I have one for you today. If it’s 95­­° in the shade where you live, a salad is really the only thing you can imagine right now. But the meat-and-potatoes eaters in your home think salads are wimpy. Well, this one has a bit of heat to throw them off and confuse them but it’s still healthy. It actually filled up my empty-pit of a husband. He didn’t eat anything else for three (3!!!) hours! That’s a record!

CHICKEN CHIPPOTLE SALAD

Dressing:
1/3 c. fresh cilantro, chopped
2/3 c. light sour cream
1/4-1/3 c. buttermilk (depending on how thick you like your dressing)
2-4 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, minced (more or less varies the heat)
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
Juice of one lime plus a little lime zest
1/4 tsp salt

Mix that all up and put it in the fridge to chill while you make the salad.

4 c. shredded romaine lettuce
2 c. shredded cooked chicken breast
(I cooked mine in the microwave and tossed with Southwest seasoning mix but leftover grilled chicken would rock here!)
2 large tomatoes, cut into wedges
1 avocado, peeled and sliced
1 small red onion, very thinly sliced
OPTIONAL:
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can corn, rinsed and drained
Tortilla chips for garnish

You know how to take it from here, right?

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By the way, here’s the updated nest-cam. Remember how cute they were? Well, they’ve entered the awkward teen years. Thus we have a rebel bird who is rejecting his parent’s conservative values. As soon as he can fly, he’s getting a tattoo.

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Congrats to Lauren who won our Strawberry Cookbook giveaway!

        

Ok, back to the food. Our chicken the other day was spicy and toasted and tasted fresh like it had just returned from a holiday in Greece. (Yes, I know in America, we say vacation, but it just sounds more fun when the British say “holiday.”) Our little chicken splashed in cool buttermilk and honey, rolled in spices and baked on a warm grill. Sounds fun, doesn’t it?

Here’s the recipe.

MEDITERRANEAN HOLIDAY CHICKEN BREASTS

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 c. buttermilk
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 2 Tbl. honey
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp. fresh oregano
• 1 Tbsp. fresh basil
• Dash of red pepper flakes
• Pinch of salt and pepper

1. Add a small amount of buttermilk to the honey and whisk until smooth, then add the remaining marinade ingredients. Whisk to combine.
2. Place chicken breasts in a zipper bag, pour marinade over and seal, turning to coat.
3. Refrigerate 4-8 hours, turning occasionally. A longer marinating time will yield a more tender and flavourful result.
4. Grill on medium-high (drag out your George Foreman if it’s still too cold to grill outside) until no longer pink.
5. Cooking time is approximate, it depends on which method you use. You could also cut up the chicken and skewer — reduce marinade and cook times.

        

I came late to blogging because I’m such a desperately private person. I’m not in the witness protection program but that often sounds enticing to me because I hate being in the spotlight. Still I must say that I find it really fun and cathartic to blog. And when someone compliments my little blog, I feel like Sally Field,“You LIKE me! You really LIKE me!”

But the reality of what I want my blog to look like and what it actually looks like boils down to one big problem…my crappy camera. We bought this camera a few years ago and paid way too much for it thinking it was a great deal. I won’t tell you the brand (Gateway), but it’s been nothing but error messages and lost photos since we got ripped off purchased it. And the pictures are awful. As you may have noticed. I’ve tried daylight, camera settings, focus, angle shots, but they’re all still crap.

So I’m saving my pennies looking for a good replacement that will give me some flexibility and wondering if anyone has a good suggestion for a digital SLR that will still allow my kids to go to partytown college.

So you’ll have to trust me on this next recipe. It tasted like heaven on a plate but photographed like pet food. Really, you must trust me on this!

Oooh, baby, I wish I’d made more because even the kiddies devoured this and Stickman (hubby) was left saying…’MORE…I want more.” I served it up with some homemade tortilla chips and rice mixed with some salsa and fresh cilantro.

CHICKEN WITH CILANTRO AND LIME BUTTER

• 6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, pounded to 1/4″ thickness
  
• 1/2 c. flour
• 3 Tbs. vegetable oil
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 Tbs. freshly chopped cilantro
• 1 tsp. oregano
• Salt and pepper to taste
  

Season chicken with salt and pepper to taste. Dredge in flour and shake off excess. Heat oil in a heavy nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Sauté chicken 4 minutes, or until lightly browned. Turn chicken. Cook about 10 minutes, or until tender and browned nicely on both sides. Remove to a platter and keep warm. Blot out most of the oil but try to leave the fond/sticky bits. Add lime juice to deglaze and cook over low heat until bubbly. Add butter, stirring until butter becomes opaque and sauce thickens. Stir in cilantro and oregano. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon over chicken and serve. Lick the pan before washing. Trust me.