Recipe #21: Summertime Chicken Tacos

Here is where I originally found the recipe: http://www.food.com/recipe/summertime-chicken-tacos-320869.

Once again, I failed to snap any pictures... sorry! :(

Ingredients:
*1/3 cup of olive oil
*1/4 cup of lime juice
*4 garlic cloves, minced
*1 tblsp minced fresh parsley or 1 tsp dried parsley flakes
*1 tsp ground cumin
*1 tsp dried oregano
*1/2 tsp salt (optional)
*1/4 tsp pepper
*4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves

In a large, resealable plastic bag, combine the all ingredients and blend well. Add the chicken, turning to coat. Seal the bag and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight, turning occasionally. Drain and discard marinade. Grill chicken uncovered over medium heat until cooked through.

Serve in soft or crunchy taco shells with favorite taco toppings. (We actually served it over lettuce and had chicken taco salads!) I thought the chicken was wonderful - it stayed extremely moist and tender, and had wonderful flavor. The one thing I changed about the recipe was that I used fresh cilantro rather than parsley. I was worried how it might affect the flavor, but it wasn't that noticeable in my opinion!

We will definitely be doing this again! TTFN!

Recipe #20 - OREO Cereal Bars

OHHHH another recipe from the OREO with a Twist cookbook. :) I think these are my favorite recipes to post, since they're my favorite to eat. Sorry, I didn't get a picture of these... we ate them way too quickly. Picture this - rice crispy treats, minus the rice crispies, plus cheerios and OREO pieces.

Ingredients:
*32 OREO cookies (1 package)
*4 cups of cereal - I used multigrain Cheerios
*1/3 cup of butter or margarine
*1 10.5 ounce package of mini marshmallows

Spray a 13x9x2 pan and a large rubber spatula with nonstick cooking spray; set aside. Place the cookies in a large plastic bag to coarsely crush the cookies. Put crushed cookies and cereal into a large bowl, and stir together with a wooden spoon.

In a large saucepan over medium-low heat, cook the butter and marshmallows are melted and smooth, stirring constantly with the wooden spoon. Once the mixture is smooth, immediately pour over the cereal and cookies, and quickly mix everything together. Pour the mixture into the greased pan, and press down using the rubber scraper. Let stand until set. Use a knife to cut the cereal bars into squares and store in an airtight container.

Enjoy! TTFN!

Recipe #19 - Fajita marinade

This past weekend, we had a few friends over for dinner. I wanted to make fajitas and all of the fixins', but I didn't want to buy the pre-seasoned fajita meat. I looked for a marinade I could try. The original recipe is here: http://www.food.com/recipe/chilis-fajitas-8595.

The ingredients below are based on either one pound of top sirloin or one pound of chicken breast.

Meat Marinade Ingredients:
*1/4 cup lime juice
*1/3 cup water
*2 tblsp olive oil
*4 garlic cloves, crushed
*2 tsp soy sauce (I used low sodium)
*1 tsp salt
*1/2 tsp liquid smoke
*1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
*1/4 tsp black pepper

Mix all ingredients and marinade the meat overnight. Grill meat over an open flame, flipping every 5-6 minutes, until thoroughly cooked. Thinly slice the meat. Set aside and keep warm.

Fajita Vegetable Ingredients:
*1 small onion
*1 small red bell pepper
*1 small green bell pepper
*2 tblsp water
*1 tblsp olive oil
*1 tsp soy sauce
*1/2 tsp lime juice
*1 dash salt
*1 dash black pepper

Thinly slice all vegetables, and set them aside. Mix remaining ingredients together in a large frying pan. Add sliced vegetables to the frying pan and cook them until brown. Add sliced meat to frying pan.

Let me first start by saying that I was really nervous about the marinade. I didn't like the way it smelled, so I was worried that would translate to not a good flavor. We cooked both steak and chicken. Both meats were so incredibly good! I was surprised by how juicy and tender the chicken was. This is definitely a keeper recipe, and it was so easy! I'll be saving this for game watching parties and tailgates!!

TTFN!

Recipe #18 - Bacon Wrapped Chicken Breasts

We actually tried this recipe about 3 or 4 weeks ago - I just have not had a minute to post the recipe! This is another find from Food.com. I've actually found a lot of really tasty recipes from their site lately. Here is the original recipe: http://www.food.com/recipe/bacon-wrapped-smoked-gouda-stuffed-chicken-breasts-111169.

Ingredients:
*4 boneless chicken breasts
*4 slices of bacon
*3 to 4 oz of cheese
*1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
*1/2 tsp garlic powder
*1/2 tsp paprika
*1/2 tsp pepper

Flatten the chicken breasts to approximately 1/4" thick. Combine the cayenne pepper, garlic powder, paprika and pepper. Coat both sides of the chicken with the spices. Place small piece of cheese on the chicken and roll up firmly. Wrap each chicken breast with a piece of bacon. In a skillet, brown the bacon wrapped chicken over medium heat until bacon begins to crisp. Remove from skillet and bake for 20-25 minutes at 350.

The original recipe calls for smoked gouda cheese. I didn't have any on hand and used feta cheese the first time I made this. I thought it was good, but I want to try it with a different cheese next time. I had a hard time getting the chicken as flat as the recipe called for, which made it really thick when I rolled it up, and it needed to cook longer. The recipe was really good, though, and I'll definitely be trying it again!

TTFN!

Recipe #17 - Pepper Lime Chicken

Well hey there! It's been a while! :)

I originally got this recipe from Food.com: http://www.food.com/recipe/dump-pepper-lime-chicken-112931. It was very easy to make on a Sunday afternoon and throw in the fridge for a "quick" meal later in the week. It will definitely be made in my house again, and I'll probably make up a larger batch to freeze some additional meals.

Ingredients:
*1/2 tsp lime peel
*2 garlic cloves, minced
*1/4 cup lime juice
*1 tsp pepper
*1 tblsp olive oil
*1 tsp basil
*1/4 tsp salt
*4 chicken breasts

Combine all ingredients in a freezer bag. Add chicken to bag and coat well. Marinate the chicken over night in the fridge, or place in the freezer for later use. When you're ready to cook the chicken, bake for 25 to 30 minutes at 350.

The original recipe says to serve over rice, which I did not. I probably will next time, though! The best thing about this recipe was how tender the chicken was. It was wonderful!!

TTFN!