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Sunday, September 12, 2010

The day of rest!

If only it was a day of rest, it would be wonderful. What would I do if I could do anything at all? I would listen to my music really loud, not answer the phone, not cook anything, and make cards all day without any interruptions because the dog wants out! Fat chance of that happening.
The yard sale is over and I am left with (what I think is) good stuff! Most of the items will go to the church/school sale that I help with once a year. Now that's a tag sale!!! Too bad it's the same weekend that the next town over has theirs! They have great clothes at that one....I have heard!
Today is the last day of hubby's vacation and I really appreciated his help in the yard sale, cuz without him, I probably would not have had it at all!
Now it's time to clean up the mess that I left in the house all week while preparing for it!
The blood sugars have been high and low through this process and it doesn't surprise me at all. Now this morning I am at 250 and I will take coverage plus extra for my coffee.
We (hubby and I) made great roasted chicken tacos with a slaw dressing for the top. It was so good. And with that I made some jalapeno poppers.
Yum! The tacos were from a recipe by Claire Robinson and the poppers were from Emeril Lagasse. Here are those if you would like to try them:

Chipotle-Lime Chicken Tacos

Ingredients
1 bone-in, skin-on whole chicken, rinsed and dried
Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
1 lime, zested and juiced (lime halves reserved), plus 1 lime, zested,
1/4 cup water
1 cup crema
2 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, finely minced into a paste
8 (6-inch) corn tortillas, warmed
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Generously season the chicken, on the outside and inside of the cavity, with salt and pepper, to taste. With your fingers, put some of the lime zest under the skin of the chicken. Sprinkle the lime juice over the chicken and put the halves into the cavity. Put the chicken in a roasting pan, breast side up, and add 1/4 cup of water to the bottom of the pan. Roast the chicken until the internal temperature registers 165 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer, when inserted in the thickest part of the thigh.

Remove the chicken from the oven to a carving board, let sit until cool enough to handle.

In a small bowl, combine the crema, minced chipotles, remaining lime zest, and salt and pepper, to taste.

Once the chicken has cooled, pull the meat from bones and shred.

Put some of the shredded chicken on each tortilla, top with chipotle crema and garnish with some zest from the remaining lime. Serve with lime wedges.

Grilled Corn Slaw

Ingredients
4 fresh corn on the cob, shucked
1/2 red cabbage, sliced
1 lime, juiced
Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
1/2 cup crumbled queso fresco (cheese)
Handful fresh cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
Directions
Heat a grill pan over medium heat.

Grill the corn on the hot grill pan, turning periodically, until cooked and grill marks are all around the corn. Set aside to cool.

In a large bowl, toss the cabbage with the lime juice; season with salt and pepper, to taste, and set aside.

Once the corn has cooled, cut the kernels off the cob and add it to the bowl with the cabbage. Taste for seasoning and adjust, if necessary. Add the crumbled queso fresco and cilantro leaves and stir to combine. Serve as a side dish or use as a taco topping.

Notes
If you are not a fan of cilantro (the soap tasting folk), try flat-leaf parsley or even celery leaves.

I love to use a pinch of cayenne pepper or spicy paprika or even cumin instead of black pepper for a spicy kick.

To make this a creamy slaw side, try tossing in 2 tablespoons of Greek yogurt or whipped avocado!

From Emeril:
Fried Kicked Up Jalapeno Poppers

Ingredients
Vegetable oil, for frying
12 fresh large jalapeno peppers
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup Monterey Jack, grated
6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/4 teaspoon Essence, plus 1/4 teaspoon, recipe follows
1/2 cup all-purpose flour plus 3 tablespoons, divided
1/2 cup milk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs
Directions
In a deep-fryer or heavy-bottomed stock pot add enough oil to come 1/3 of the way up the sides of the pan. Heat oil to 370 degrees F over medium heat.

Cut a slit lengthwise in each pepper down 1 side to create a pocket. Leave stem intact and remove seeds if desired.

Combine cream cheese, Monterey Jack, crumbled bacon, and Essence. Place mixture in a zip-top plastic bag or large piping bag. (If using a zip-top plastic bag, cut and remove 1 corner of the bag, large enough so that the bacon will squeeze through.) Squeeze mixture to the bottom of the bag and fill each pepper with as much of the cream cheese mixture as will fit. Press slit edges of the pepper together to seal.

In a small bowl, combine 1/2 cup flour, milk and egg. Place remaining 3 tablespoons flour, panko crumbs, and 1/2 teaspoon of Essence in a shallow bowl or plate, and stir to combine.

Working in batches, dip stuffed jalapenos into the milk batter and then roll in the panko mixture, pressing to coat.

Working in batches, if necessary, gently place jalapenos in preheated oil and fry until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the oil and drain on a paper-towel lined plate. Cool slightly before serving, as the cheese is extremely hot.

I didn't have any essence of Emeril, so I used a little papricka, a little cumin, a little chili powder, and just a touch of seasoning salt. I added sea salt and cracked pepper to taste.

This took a while to prepare, longer that the 10 minutes stated cuz of the prep! but it was worth it! Dinner was so good and unusual for us.

I'm taking the left over roasted chicken and making a stir fry for dinner today, I think that will be quick and easy!

Everyone remember to enjoy every second of your day!

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