Nadia G's Aztec Soup

Because I'm lazy and because there's no reason to mess with perfection, go here for Nadia G's amazing Aztec Soup recipe. Seriously yummy stuff, very filling and low-cal.

Buffalo chicken pasta

So yummy! You can use the sauce for regular buffalo wings or toss it around in pasta as instructed here.

2 lbs of boneless chicken breast (approximately)

Red pepper flakes (to taste)

Cayenne pepper (to taste)

Ground black pepper (to taste)

Spaghetti or fettucini (or pasta of your choice)

6 Tbsp butter

8 Tbsp Franks Red Hot sauce

2 Tbsp red wine vinegar

Fresh mozzarella or chunk mozzarella (not pre-shredded) cut into small cubes

Tobasco sauce

1. Put salted water on to boil for pasta. Add pasta when ready.

2. Trim fat off chicken. Cut into 1-inch pieces and season with black pepper. (If you want, toss the chicken in flour seasoned with cayenne and black pepper. It's tasty, but adds an extra step).

3. Cook chicken in olive oil until browned along with cayenne and pepper flakes. Set aside.

4. Melt butter in a small saucepan with vinegar and Franks Red Hot. Add Tobasco to taste.

5. When pasta is cooked, drain and return to pot with a little bit (1/3 cup) of pasta water. Add chicken and cheese and toss to allow cheese to begin melting.

6. Pour sauce over pasta mixture, toss and serve with bleu cheese dressing.

Mojito Chicken

This is one of the recipes we've adapted from Food Network's Guy Fieri.  He's crazy, and sometimes so are his lists of ingredients.  This one, however, is pretty reasonable, even with a three-stage flavor process.  We recommend serving this with rice, and a Murky Mojito.

The Rub
2-3 chicken breasts (with bone & skin; trust us)
2 Tbs garlic powder
1 Tbs onion powder
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1 Tbs dried oregano
1 Tbs kosher salt
1 Tbs freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp paprika

The Marinade
1 cup orange juice
2 limes, juiced
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tbs sliced garlic
1/4 cup dark rum

The Glaze
1/2 cup dark rum
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon brown sugar
3 tablespoons cold water
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup chopped mint leaves

Combine all the dry spices and rub chicken with spice mixture, especially under the skin. Put into a resealable plastic bag and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

In a large mixing bowl combine all the ingredients for the marinade, then add chicken to marinade and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

In medium sauce pot, place rum, chicken broth and brown sugar. Reduce by 1/3 over high heat. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together water and cornstarch. When rum mixture is reduced, add cornstarch mixture slowly to simmering liquid and whisk until 50 percent thicker. Keep in mind that you might not need all of it. When glaze is at desired thickness, add mint leaves and transfer to small bowl.

Get your grill piping hot.  Remove chicken from marinade and shake off excess.  Place skin-side down on grill, turning periodically until cooked almost all the way, about 160 degrees.  Brush chicken with the glaze and continue grilling until chicken reaches 165 degrees.

Serve immediately with more glaze on the side.

Grilled Mustard Chicken with Green Bean Coleslaw

Paul and I are always on the lookout for quick dinners. It's becoming a bit of a problem to eat a variety of foods, make delicious, non-prepackaged meals, and still make it to our evening activities. When I saw this recipe in (big surprise) Bon Appetit, it definitely qualified. However, because it involves the grill, there's obviously some get-the-coals-hot time that needs to be built in.

Paul also already makes his own balsamic dressing, so we just used that instead of making more/buying white balsamic vinegar. It probably didn't look as pretty, but still tasted good. Additionally, the coleslaw would be much better with fresh green beans, so that is changed as well.

Nonstick vegetable oil spray
4 teaspoons mustard seeds, divided
9 oz fresh green beans, sliced thin
2 cups very thinly sliced green cabbage
1 small sweet onion (such as Maui or Walla Walla), very thinly sliced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard, divided
1 large egg white
4 boneless chicken breast halves with skin

Coat grill rack heavily with nonstick spray. Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat).

Toast 1 teaspoon mustard seeds in skillet over high heat until beginning to pop, 3 to 4 minutes.  Set aside. In a large bowl, add green beans, cabbage, onion, and tarragon. Place toasted mustard seeds on top.  Whisk oil, vinegar, and 2 teaspoons Dijon in bowl. Mix into slaw; season with salt and pepper.

Whisk egg white and 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon mustard in small bowl. Sprinkle skin side of chicken with salt and pepper. Brush thickly with mustard glaze; sprinkle with some of remaining mustard seeds.

Place chicken, skin side down, on grill. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper; brush with glaze and sprinkle with remaining mustard seeds. Grill 5 minutes. Turn chicken. Grill until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Top with slaw and serve.

Curry Chicken Pot Pie

This is a delicious dish shamelessly borrowed from Alton Brown. A great combo of curry and comfort food! I've made a few changes from the original, but only things that simplify the overall recipe. For the original, go here.

Ingredients

• 4 cups frozen vegetable mix, peas, carrots
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 cup milk
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 2 cups cubed cooked chicken
• 1 package puff pastry sheets (not bowls)

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

If you don't have leftover cooked chicken, simply cut up raw chicken into small cubes and saute in olive oil. Add a some red pepper flakes if you feel daring!

Put frozen veggies in a microwave safe dish and gently warm according to directions on package. It's ok if they're a little under-done since they'll be going in the oven shortly.

In a saute pan heat 1 tablespoon of butter and sweat the onion and celery. In another saucepan, heat the broth and milk. Add 2 more tablespoons of butter to the celery mix and cook out the water. Add the flour and curry to celery mix and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in the hot milk/broth mixture and cook until thickened. Add the parsley, salt and pepper. Toss the vegetables and the chicken. Pour into a shallow baking pan, or a large terra cotta pot base (lined with foil if using terra cotta), and top with a full sheet of puff pastry (packages typically have two full sheets per box). Place into the oven and cook until puff pastry has browned and the mixture is hot and bubbly, about 25 minutes.

Spicy Orange Chicken Stir-Fry

This one is even quicker and easier than the last (mostly because it doesn't require marination). I would recommend upping the crushed red pepper flakes a bit if you like spice, and I do think it would benefit from marinating, to give the chicken a stronger flavor. Originally from Bon Appetit.

1 1/2 cups jasmine rice
3/4 cup orange juice
3 Tbs soy sauce
1 Tbs corn starch
2 tsp orange zest
2 Tbs vegetable oil
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
Large pinch of dried crushed red pepper
1 1/2 lbs. chicken, cut into strips
8 oz. sugar snap peas

Cook rice according to package instructions. Cover to keep warm; set aside.

Meanwhile, whisk juice, soy sauce, and cornstarch together in a medium bowl until corn starch dissolves. Mix in orange peel.

Heat oil in wok over high heat. Add chicken, seasoned with crushed red pepper, salt, and pepper. Cook chicken in batches until done.

Add onion and snap peas, cook until crisp-tender. Add chicken back to wok and juice mixture. Toss until sauce begins to boil. Serve with rice.

Five-Spice Roast Chicken

All of our recipes lately are coming from Bon Appetit, and this is no exception. It sounded easy, so I ripped it out and here we are. The only catch is that it IS best to marinate it overnight, if you remember. I might also suggest making extra marinade and rubbing some under the skin of the chicken thighs. Serve it over ginger-scented rice (make basmati rice according to package instructions, but add some minced ginger to the party).

4 garlic cloves, pressed
2 Tbs kosher salt
2 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
3-4 pieces chicken with skin and bones
1 large onion, peeled, cut into wedges

Combine garlic, salt, olive oil, and Chinese five-spice powder in large bowl. Add chicken pieces; turn to coat. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour or overnight.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Arrange onion wedges in a 9x9 baking pan, and arrange chicken, skin side up, atop onions.

Roast until chicken is cooked through, basting occasionally with pan juices, about 50 minutes. Remove chicken from oven and let rest 10 minutes. Arrange chicken and onions on platter and serve.

Chicken Milano

"A delicious pasta and chicken dish with garlic, sun-dried tomatoes and fresh basil. Use the dry packaged sun-dried tomatoes instead of the tomatoes packed in olive oil. The sauce can be kept, covered, for one day in the refrigerator; heat again over low heat. Try it with some crusty bread if desired." Shamelessly stolen from AllRecipes.com

INGREDIENTS:

1 tablespoon butter 2 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped 1 cup chicken broth, divided 1 cup heavy cream 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast

halves salt and pepper to taste 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil 8 ounces dry fettuccini pasta

DIRECTIONS:

1.	In a large saucepan over low heat, melt butter; add garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and 3/4 cup of the chicken broth; increase to medium heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 10 minutes or until the tomatoes are tender. Add the cream and bring to a boil; stirring. Simmer over medium heat until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
2.	Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides. In a large skillet over medium heat, warm oil and saute chicken. Press on chicken occasionally with a slotted spatula. Cook for about 4 minutes per side or until the meat feels springy and is no longer pink inside. Transfer to a board; cover and keep warm. Discard the fat from the skillet.
3.	In the same skillet, over medium heat, bring 1/4 cup chicken broth to a boil; stirring the pan juices. Reduce slightly and add to the cream sauce; stir in basil and adjust seasonings to taste.
4.	Meanwhile, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add fettuccine and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain, transfer to a bowl and toss with 3 to 4 tablespoons of the sauce.
5.	Cut each chicken breast into 2 to 3 diagonal slices. Reheat the sauce gently if needed. Transfer the pasta to serving plates; top with chicken and coat with the cream sauce; serve.

Beer- and Onion-Braised Chicken Carbonnade

According to Bon Appetit, a carbonnade is technically a Belgian beef stew, but this recipe uses chicken; I think I prefer all the flavors this way. The original recipe was cloyingly sweet, so we've made a fair number of modifications to make it suit our tastes. This is an excellent weeknight recipe as it is reasonably quick.

Serve over egg noodles (one of my favorites!).

2 Tbs unsalted butter
4 large chicken thighs with skin and bones
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1 lb onions, thinly sliced
1 1/2 tsp (packed) dark brown sugar
4 small bay leaves
4 tsp Dijon mustard
1 cup dark beer (we use Guinness. Don't use something too malty.)
1/2 cup beef broth
2 tsp red wine vinegar
Fresh ground pepper to taste

Melt butter in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken with salt, pepper, and allspice. Add chicken to skillet and sauté until brown, about 4 minutes per side; transfer to plate.

Add onions and 1 tsp brown sugar to skillet; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover and sauté until deep golden brown, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Mix in bay leaves, mustard, and remaining 1/2 tsp brown sugar. Add chicken, skin side down, then beer, broth, and vinegar. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium. Simmer, covered, 10 minutes. Uncover skillet and simmer until chicken is cooked through and sauce thickens, turning chicken occasionally, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Enchiladas

I have to say, these are always a hit and they're really not difficult to make. It is a VERY hearty meal and expect leftovers (not a bad thing as they reheat really well). They are also a good dish to serve at a party since all the work can be done ahead of time and you can serve it with the Mexican Rice recipe also posted on the fudblog. Enjoy!

1 package of boneless chicken
Red pepper flakes
1 large onion, cut into wedges
1 red pepper, cut into chunks
1 yellow pepper, cut into chunks
1 package of flour tortillas (burrito sized)
Olive oil or Olive oil infused with chili peppers
Tequila (optional)
1 can of refried beans
Grated cheddar cheese (lots)
1 can of Hot Enchilada sauce
1 can of Mild Enchilada sauce

1. Preheat oven to 350˚. Trim fat from chicken and cut into pieces approximately 1 sq. inch (can be a little larger). In a wok or large pan, heat a little olive oil (or olive oil with chili peppers) and throw all the chicken in to begin cooking. Add red pepper flakes to your taste.

2. When chicken is mostly cooked, add peppers and onions (these don’t have to be completely cooked through, since enchiladas will go into the oven) and a splash of tequila. Cook until chicken is done.

3. Spread refried beans on the tortillas, top with chicken and pepper mixture and cheddar cheese. Tuck ends in and roll the tortilla (so it looks like a burrito).

4. Spray a deep baking pan with cooking spray and place the enchiladas in the pan, flap down. When the pan is full, cover with enchilada sauce and top with grated cheddar cheese.

5. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Serve with sour cream and salsa.

Chicken Marsala

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon Essence, recipe follows
• 2 (6 to 8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in halves and pounded thin
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 3 cups sliced mushrooms (cremini, oyster, shiitake)
• 3/4 cup Marsala
• 1 cup chicken stock
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Chopped chives, for garnish

Directions

In a shallow bowl or plate combine the flour and Essence and stir to combine thoroughly. (You may want to change the ratio of flour to Essence for a little more kick. The way it is now, there isn't much "bam" in Emeril's essence). Quickly dredge the chicken breast halves in the seasoned flour mixture, shaking to remove any excess flour.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until very hot but not smoking. Add 1 tablespoon of the butter and cook the chicken breasts until golden brown on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and set aside. Add 1 tablespoon of the remaining butter to the pan and add the mushrooms. Cook, stirring frequently, until mushrooms are golden brown around the edges and have given off their liquid. Add the Marsala wine and bring to a boil, scraping to remove any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. When the wine has reduced by half, add the chicken stock and cook for 3 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened slightly. Lower the heat to medium and return the chicken breasts to the pan and continue to cook until they are cooked through and the sauce has thickened, about 5 to 6 minutes. Swirl in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, add salt and pepper, to taste. Garnish with chopped chives and serve immediately.

Essence (Emeril's Creole Seasoning):

• 2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container.
Yield: about 2/3 cup
Recipe from "New New Orleans Cooking", by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch. Published by William and Morrow, 1993.

Chicken Tikka Masala

Now, I know this isn't really authentic Indian food, but it's quite tasty, so who cares? The recipe calls for grilling the chicken but, since it's 16 degrees out, Jon and I just sauteed it in a little olive oil and it worked out just fine.

1 cup yogurt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
4 teaspoons salt, or to taste
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
4 long skewers

1 tablespoon butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons paprika
3 teaspoons salt, or to taste
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 cup heavy cream (we used regular milk)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1. In a large bowl, combine yogurt, lemon juice, 2 teaspoons cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, black pepper, ginger, and 4 teaspoons salt. Stir in chicken, cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
2. Preheat a grill for high heat.
3. Lightly oil the grill grate. Thread chicken onto skewers, and discard marinade. Grill until juices run clear, about 5 minutes on each side.
4. Melt butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic and jalapeno for 1 minute. Season with 2 teaspoons cumin, paprika, and 3 teaspoons salt (This was really the only thing I'd change about the recipe, it's too much salt. I'd use 1 and a half tsp tops). Stir in tomato sauce and cream/milk. Simmer on low heat until sauce thickens, about 20 minutes. Add grilled chicken, and simmer for 10 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter, and garnish with fresh cilantro. Serve with rice of your choice (we used saffron rice which was quite good).
   

Spicy Chicken Fajitas w/ Peri-Peri Marinade

These were supposed to be "sweet & spicy" chicken fajitas, but we forgot to add the sweet and the original recipe is incomplete and counter-intuitive. So here is how WE did it. The marinade is actually pretty fantastic.

Peri-Peri Merinade

two or three fresh hot chile peppers (hot red peppers are typical; jalapeno peppers and poblano peppers are also good), chopped
4 Tbsp lemon juice or lime juice (or cider vinegar)
4 Tbsp oil
1 Tbsp cayenne pepper or red pepper (or one Tbsp dried red pepper flakes)
1 tsp minced garlic (or garlic powder)
1 Tbsp paprika
1 tsp salt
dried or fresh oregano or parsley (optional)

Combine all ingredients. Grind and mix the ingredients into a smooth paste. (we probably should've used a food processor, but it worked fine enough without). Adjust the ratio or pepper and paprika to taste. Rub marinade onto meat and allow to marinate in a glass bowl for at least thirty minutes; overnight if possible.

While the chicken was marinading, Sasha and I started preparing some of Robert Rodriguez's Homemade Tortillas. The fajitas themselves were kind of tossed together. We cut the chicken into slices and set them grilling in a pan while we set an onion and two bell peppers saute-ing in butter. We added a splash of tequilla to the chicken before combing the vegetables to our meat.

Serve with Spanish Rice and either a Pinot Noir or Chardonnay (or both). Enjoy.

Spicy Aromatic Chicken

This recipe is from a Greek cookbook that I got from my sister, it's the first one we've tried and has sufficiently inspired me to try more.

Chicken (either 1 or 2 lbs breasts or a whole chicken cut into pieces and skinned)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp allspice
pinch sugar
1 med sized onion, coarsely cut
14 oz. can boiled tomatoes
1/2 cup dry white wine
14 oz. can artichoke hearts (peeled, cut, ready for action), or okra
salt and pepper
olive oil
2 large cloves garlic
1/2 lemon cut into wedges
8 black Greek olives, pitted

This is truly easy to make.

Rub the lemon wedges on the chicken (in lieu of having lemons we just soaked the chicken in lemon juice)

Heat up a few tablespoons of oil in a lidded skillet, a large pot, or a lidded casserole dish. Toss in the garlic and onion and heat until the onions are soft. Add the chicken to the pot and brown (if you're doing this in a skillet it will be easier, suffice to say just make sure the chicken is cooked on all sides before proceeding to the next step). Add the white wine during this step.
Add the tomatoes, spices (including salt and pepper), and sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover and simmer for 45 minutes. When you've got about 10 minutes left, add the olives and artichoke hearts.

We served this over basmati rice with some turmeric and a chilled Sauvignon Blanc. Enjoy!

BBQ Chicken Pizza

I'll admit, when Wife first told me about this one, I was skeptical. After all, my fist exposure to the concept of BBQ chicken pizza was in the East Quad cafeteria, not exactly the place to go for fine cuisine (or really any cuisine actually...). However, Wife changed this skeptic's opinion, and it's one of my favorites now!



What you need:

Boneless chicken, 2 breasts, cut into ~1inch cubes
Pizza crust (your option here, make your own, or buy it from the store... this is one area where we are lazy)
two onions, one diced, one cut into strips
BBQ sauce (again, your option, store bought is just fine here, provided it isn't the sickly sweet stuff)
Monterrey jack cheese
cheddar cheese
chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper, red pepper flake

How you do it:

In a large pan, sweat the diced onion in some olive oil. Cook it just enough to get some of the flavor opening up, then toss in the chicken. Add the spices to taste (the cumin gives it a nice smokey flavor), and let the chicken cook for a few minutes. It's going to cook more in the oven, so don't over do it...

Meanwhile, prep your crust, a cookie sheet works OK, but a pizza stone is even better. If you are using a stone, toss it in the oven while the oven is pre-heating (to 400deg F), that way it will be ready when the oven is. Smear out some BBQ sauce on the crust (again, quantity to taste) and put down a layer of cheese (either one). Now, spread out the chicken on the pizza and the sliced onion (and any other toppings you want, jalapeno would probably go well...) and smother it with another layer of cheese. Bake for about 20-25 minutes and enjoy!

Chicken Long Rice

This past weekend I threw my first luau with "Wife" (of Adventures in Newlywedland fame). We are both Leos and thought that this would be a fine time to celebrate our birthdays (which are so close together) with a massive pull-out-all -stops party. As often happens with these gigs, we ended up with a lot of leftovers which have started making the trip into work. Co-workers have asked questions (after hearing reports) and upon seeing this recipe in its Tupperware state have asked that I post it.

Original from here.

Ingredients

2 lbs. chicken, skin and bones removed, cubed

4 cups chicken broth

2 inch finger of fresh ginger, crushed

1 medium onion, minced

2 cups celery, sliced thin

2 carrots, julienned

20 shittake mushrooms

4 oz. long rice

6 green onions, cut 1 inch in length

Directions
1. Soak long rice in warm water for one hour.
2. Soak mushrooms in warm water for 20 minutes, drain, then remove stems and slice caps.
3. Pour chicken broth into large pot, add chicken and ginger and simmer for five minutes.
4. Add onion, celery, carrots, mushrooms and simmer for another 4 to 5 minutes.
Drain long rice and cut into 3-inch lengths.
5. Add green onions and long rice to pot and cook five minutes or until long rice becomes translucent.

A few words, my friends.
1. Do not arbitrarily double this recipe without checking to see if you have pots that can accommodate the extra food. Sasha and I thought we should make extra and found that we'd prepared more food than could be cooked in one pot (everything except the rice and green onions fit into my 6 qt. crock pot). We ended up dividing the noodles into two 4 qt. sauce pots and dumping half of the crock pot's contents into them.
2. The recipe does not tell you to cook the chicken first - but you really should. I don't believe that the simmer time is sufficient to fully cook everything. We grilled the chicken before cubing it and found that this saves a bit of time (but again, we were cooking 4lbs at a go).
3. I went looking for this recipe because my sister and I enjoyed it at a luau in Hawaii. The first time I had it, there was less "stuff" in it. It was just chicken & ginger flavored noodles. To duplicate that recipe, I would remove most of the "stuff" and drain the chicken stock prior to serving the noodles.

If I were to make this again, I still might drain the chicken stock. As served, this was more like a ginger, chicken noodle soup. Though very good and I'm glad to continue eating it - not like the experience that sent me looking for this recipe in the first place. It's a win, but a different kind of win.

Walnut Pesto

This recipe for pesto is fairly basic - nothing fancy here. Of course, that's the trick; prepare a really easy, basic dish that tastes like you slaved over it for hours, not minutes. The original comes from The Joy of Cooking, with only a few little tweaks. Avi suggested I use walnuts (I hate pine nuts), and I use the fresh basil from our garden, which is particularly yummy, but of course store-bought would be fine.

Ingredients:

2 cups densely packed basil leaves (about 3 good girl-sized handfulls)
1/3 cup walnuts (smallest bag size at grocery store)
2 cloves garlic
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (NOT the stuff in the can! Buy a wedge and grate it!)
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Combine the basil, walnuts, garlic and cheese in your food processor and process thoroughly. Through the feed tube, pour in the olive oil slowly as the machine runs. This can be pretty messy, and you may need to add more oil to get the right consistency, depending on just how densely you packed your basil into those two cups. Add the salt and pepper to taste (I use a fair bit of pepper). Cover immediately with saran wrap to keep it from turning brown, and refrigerate until serving.

See? Quick and easy. I like to cook some fettuccine and pan fry some chicken breasts seasoned with salt and pepper (and maybe dusted with a little grated Parmesan) to accompany my pesto, but you can serve it just about any way you like.

And the best part? Leftovers make an awesome lunch with a small loaf of crusty bread.

Fajitas: Multi-blog Spectac-u-larrrr

For this recipe I am expecting you to have followed the entire blog. We're going to combine components of previously posted recipes into this meal. Watch me as I link.

This is a marinade that I made up for the steak portion of the fajitas. I think it would work better with chicken, these flavors seemed to be at odds with what the steak wanted to taste like. It still made for an interesting meal.

Steak Marinade

4 Limes
2 lbs steak (skirt steak will work best, but you have to let it soak in this for at least 24 hours)
a splash of the best tequila you can find
pepper (I like to grind black and white pepper into the bag until my hands don't work anymore)
1 Tbsp cumin
1 Tbsp cilantro
4 cloves garlic
1 cup white vinegar
2 Serrano peppers, sliced

Cut up the limes and squeeze out some of the juice into a gallon sized ziplock bag. Add ingredients and let sit for 24 hours. Make sure that the entire steak is covered by the
sauce.

*time passes*

Okay, let's make some fajitas!

Chicken & Steak Fajitas

You've had chicken & steak brining and marinading for the last 1-2 days, and now you're very hungry. Pull those bad boys out and fire up your grill. We're going to cook the meat whole and then slice it into smaller pieces later; this way you have more control over the done-ness of your steak. Also, I think everything tastes better after being exposed to charcoal.

Remove steak from bag. Remove chicken from bag. Get ready to transport them to the grill.

Save the marinade from the steak's bag. This is going to turn into fajita sauce.

For the sauce -

Marinade

bell pepper (yellow & red), sliced
Spanish onion, sliced

This is so easy I hesitate to mention it. Heat the sauce until it boils, reduce to a simmer and add the onions and peppers.

Grilling

For the time being I'm going to assume the reader knows how to grill and understands how they want their steak cooked. I tend to use a high heat so that the steak is rare to medium rare. I'd throw the chicken on first and give it a 5-7 minute head start on the steak. Don't worry about that chicken - after brining it for a day it's not going to overcook. It's dummy proof.

Remove meats from grill and cut into slices.

You're ready to enjoy.

Take your sauce, assembled meats, add some guacamole, and roll them up in your homemade tortillas. Thanks for playing.

Brined Chicken

I've got a two step recipe for y'all to follow. Here's the thing, though. Brining is a process best left to sit for at least several hours - even better if it's a day. I'll get you started on the brine and then return tomorrow with the rest of the recipe.

You need:

1 gallon sized plastic bag
1 buncha salt
1 working faucet
1 amount of chicken
1 lotsa citrus (lemon or lime - juice in a bottle or fresh doesn't really matter)
1 bit of flavor you want to infuse in the chicken. I like pepper, so we'll use a pepper combo.

There are a few reasons why you should brine. First, brining chicken makes it very, very moist. It's nearly impossible to burn a piece of chicken once it's been brined. Second, it's a great way to introduce flavor to the inside of your meat. The food science is simple and I'll use language that reflects that. The chicken absorbs the good flavor in the water and locks it in because of a process I invented called osmosis (someone else might've come up with a better term for it, that's just what I call it ;-) The salt water is the key to flavor country. Don't skimp.
I've done it with other meats, but chicken seems to be the most versatile.

Get your bag, fill it with water. Add enough salt so that the water itself tastes salty. Add your chicken and citrus. Lemon juice is easiest to come by, but lime gives you a slightly better flavor. I tend to add about a cup of citrus but you can eyeball it. If you're using fresh lemons, you're going to want to use at least 4, cut into large pieces.

Now add your pepper. I like a cayenne, black and white pepper mix. The pepper will be somewhat diffused by the water, so think Tablespoons not teaspoons when you're doing this (consider how much chicken you are preparing when judging how many Tbsp of your peppers to add). Toss in some minced garlic, a tsp of cilantro, and 1/2 tsp of cinnamon - just to make things interesting.

Seal the bag, shake it up a bit and make sure that there's enough liquid to completely cover all pieces of chicken. Now - sit tight. I'll be back tomorrow with part deux of the Brined Chicken Adventure!

Spicy Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo

Sasha and I initially got interested in making an Alfredo sauce when some pepper steak we did nearly killed us (ok, when some pepper steak I did nearly killed us). The steak had a rub that was way out of control and we needed a way to cut down the spicy. When we discovered how easy Alfredo sauce was to make, we gave it a shot. It worked great, but leftovers without that pepper steak were disappointing. Here's the second attempt:

Spicy Chicken (I've determined to stop mislabeling things "Cajun" just because they have cayenne, maybe I'll just go with Ragin?)

Chicken breast, boned and skinned (figure 1/2 breast to each serving and do the math yourself)
1 tsp cayenne
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp white pepper
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp thyme

I usually eyeball my spice distribution, and as it can plainly be seen I prefer more pepper/garlic to less - adjust according to your own preferences but generally a 1:1 ratio is good, maybe 2:1 ; pepper: everything else. I'm also of the opinion that there is no such thing as too much garlic.

Alfredo Sauce

1 stick butter
1 cup heavy whipping cream or half & half
1 cup grated Asiago cheese (I prefer this to parmesan, but it's slightly saltier, remember that when doing your seasoning)

When pacing your meal, I'd start the water boiling when you start the chicken and then start the sauce halfway. Make sure your cheese is grated before you start because it takes longer than you'd think to grate a cup of cheese (if you're using a cowbell grater, and why wouldn't you?).

Get your skillet out and cut the chicken into bite sized pieces. Heat your pan for about a minute (med-high heat) and then drop enough olive oil in the pan to coat it and add your chicken along with all the pepper, oregano, and thyme. I usually add a few pinches of kosher salt, too. You want the chicken to have color from the spices by don't get too ridiculous. When the chicken is cooked almost through on once side you can flip it.

Small saucepot, med-low heat meet stick of butter. When the butter is completely melted slowly add the cream and mix it well each time. Check your chicken and noodles. The chicken will probably be done and the noodles still need a few minutes. Turn the chicken to a low heat if it's done (just to keep it warm) and add your cheese.

If you want your sauce to be a little thicker, you can turn the heat up on the pot. It'll bubble and spit (so make sure it's covered) and keep stirring it occasionally so that it doesn't burn. Don't give it longer than a minute or two.

Your noodles should be done at this point, so drain them and prepare them for serving. If your chicken is done put it on your noodles. Douse all plates with the sauce and enjoy!

Serve this with bread, as the sauce is going to outlast the noodles and chicken. I would recommend a white wine for this (although it'd also be good with a spicy red like a Sangiovese).