it's the small things....

........ like adding herbs :)

tonight i made rice krispy chicken. while the chicken thawed, i added fresh chopped herbs (rosemary and thyme from my garden) to the bag. that's it. nothing else. that made a HUGE difference in the flavor of the chicken--it was wonderfully herby!

NEED
chicken breasts (i like to slice my thin)
herbs (optional)
rice krispies
butter
salt
pepper

DO
dip breasts in butter
dip breasts in krispies
place on a "pam coated" foil lined tray (trust me the foil is well worth the effort)
sprinkle with salt and pepper
drizzle a little more butter on (worth the extra calories... mmmmmmmmmm)
bake 400 degrees until chicken done. watch so krispies do not burn.

enjoy

Cast Iron Grilled Fajitas=Amazing

i had an awesome and spur of the moment visit from my cousin allison and her boyfriend jim yesterday--that is a side blog--they happened to be in the area so they stopped by.  we had a wonderful time visiting. turns out, jim (who i have known since i was a small child) and i have more in common than i knew! we both LOVE food and love to cook....might even call us foodies! he gave me this awesome recipe...and of course i tweaked it a bit. Enjoy! 

**disclaimer....i do not measure :) just go with the flow and it will be yummy!

NEED: 

Chicken Breasts--Boneless/Skinless 

Peppers

Onions

Tomatoes 

Jalepeno (optional) 

olive oil

grapefruit juice 

lime juice (i squeezed fresh limes) 

black pepper (fresh ground is best)

oregeno (i used italian blend) 

garlic powder 

salt (i used kosher) 

chilli powder

cumin 

tortillas 

DO: 

mix together in a big zip lock bag:

olive oil

grapefruit juice  (about a half a small can full)

lime juice (i squeezed fresh limes--2 of them) 

black pepper (fresh ground is best)--i used quite a bit

oregeno (i used italian blend)--about 1 T

garlic powder about 1 T

salt (i used kosher) about 1.5 tsp

chilli powder 1-2 T

cumin- 1-2 T 

add chicken to bag and let marinade up to 5 hours--i had an hour so that is what i did

toss the veggies (minus tomatoes) with cumin, chilli powder, salt and pepper. let them sit on a board all ready to go 

put tomatoes in a bowl so they are ready to go (1/4 to 1/8 of tomato chunks) 

put some oil in a cup/small bowl so it is ready to go 

preheat grill--turn one side to HOT and put cast iron skillet on this side. turn the other side to med-med high.

grill chicken breasts whole until BARELY cooked through on this side. when chicken has a few minutes to go, quickly dump the oil into the hot skillet and then throw peppers and onions in. Let "blacken" while you cut chicken on the bias. Add chicken to the pepper mixture in the skillet and let the juices all mix. when the veggies are almost to the texture/consistency you want, add the tomatoes and let sear.  the skillet is hot so i put all the mix into a bowl to bring inside.

while all this is happening--i recommend having your spouse "toast" the tortillas in a hot ungreased skillet for 5-10 seconds on each side and keeping them warm in the oven. 

i served with cheese and sour cream on the side.

you know it was good when jack told me it was good chicken....look at that clean plate. and luke devoured his  before giving me the thumbs up :)

SO TASTY! the grapefruit juice was a super tasty addition! bon apetit!

Review of the Basil Shrimp Meal

AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If you like shrimp, you are bound to like this recipe!

Ingredients

• 1  regular-size foil oven bag
• Cooking spray
• 1/2  cup  uncooked orzo (rice-shaped pasta)
• 2  teaspoons  olive oil, divided
• 1  cup  diced tomato
• 3/4  cup  sliced green onions
• 1/2  cup  (2 ounces) crumbled feta cheese
• 1/2  teaspoon  grated lemon rind
• 1  tablespoon  fresh lemon juice
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 1/4  teaspoon  black pepper
• 3/4  pound  large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1/4  cup  chopped fresh basil

Preparation

Preheat oven to 450°.
Coat inside of oven bag with cooking spray. Place the bag on a large shallow baking pan.
Cook the pasta in boiling water 5 minutes, omitting salt and fat; drain. Place the pasta in a large bowl. Stir in 1 teaspoon oil and next 7 ingredients (1 teaspoon oil through pepper). Place the orzo mixture in prepared oven bag. Combine shrimp and basil. Arrange shrimp mixture on orzo mixture. Fold edge of bag over to seal. Bake at 450° for 25 minutes or until the shrimp are done. Cut open bag with a sharp knife, and peel back the foil. Drizzle with 1 teaspoon oil.

I tweaked it slightly:

I did not have a foil bag so I made my own
At the end I opened it up, sprinkled a tiny bit of parmesean on top and broiled it
I did not drizzle it with oil at the end

Next time:

I will add a touch less lemon juice

Overall--excellent!