Perfect Pesto

I don't always make homemade pesto...I have definitely been known to buy pre-made pesto before...but the homemade kind is SOOO much better.  Its a pretty healthy condiment that you can use on anything!!  Later this week I will show some of my favorites...but you can use it on sandwiches, on fish, on grilled chicken, tossed in pasta, or even just spread on some toasted bread.  Anyway, its delicious!

Start with 1/8 cup pine nuts, 1/4 cup Walnuts, and 3 cloves garlic.  Blend ingredients in a food processor until a paste forms. 

Add in 1/2 cup basil leaves, 1/8 tsp. salt, and 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper.  Blend again. 

Add 1/4 olive oil and blend.  Add more oilve oil if necessary or depending on how think or thin you want your pesto to be.  I tend to like mine a little thicker, but just add more olive oil if you want to thin it out. 

Add 1/4 cup good quality, grated Parmesan cheese.  And blend 10 seconds more. 

Store in refrigerator for up to 4 days.  

Later this week I will use this to make a roasted tomato and Mozzarella sandwich and I will use it in my pesto potatoes!

Perfect Pesto
1/8 Cup Pine Nuts
1/4 Cup Walnuts
3 Cloves Garlic
1/2 Cup Basil, Packed
1/8 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 Cup Oilve Oil, mor if needed
1/4 Cup finely grated Parmesan Cheese

Pecan Crusted Chicken with Honey Mustard

I've had a version of this recipe for a long time.  It is one of my staples when I have left over chicken breast and I need a quick dinner.  I made a few changes, added pecans to my crust and came up with a honey mustard dipping sauce.  We loved it and it was really quick for a weeknight dinner. 

Start my making your spice blend...Mix together:
1 Tbl. Chili Powder
1 Tbl. Kosher Salt
1 Tbl. Black pepper
1 tsp. Garlic Powder
1 tsp. Onion Powder
1tsp. Cayanne Pepper
1 tsp. Dried Oregano

Next, make the egg wash...Mix 1 Tbl. of spice blend with 2 eggs...

Now make the dry dredge...
Combine the remaining spice blend with 1/2 Cup Pecans and 3/4 Cup Panko Bread Crumbs and blend in a food processor until smooth.

Cut 1 1/2 pounds chicken breast into strips and dip into egg wash and then into the bread crumbs and place on foil-lined cookie sheet.  Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.  Turn chicken over after 10 minutes. 

Meanwhile for the honey mustard dipping sauce...Combine 1/3 Cup light mayo, 2 Tbl. Spicy Mustard, 2 Tbl. Honey, and 1/2 tsp. salt. 

I served mine with Garlic Green Beans.  It was awesome!

Pecan Crusted Chicken

1 Tbl. Chili Powder
1 Tbl. Kosher Salt
1 Tbl. Black pepper
1 tsp. Garlic Powder
1 tsp. Onion Powder
1tsp. Cayenne Pepper
1 tsp. Dried Oregano
2 Large Eggs
1/2 Cup Pecans
3/4 Cup Panko Bread Crumbs

1 1/2 Lbs. Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts cut into strips

Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce
1/3 Cup light mayo
2 Tbl. Spicy Mustard
2 Tbl. Honey
1/2 tsp. salt. 

Tandoori Grilled Chicken with Tomato Jam

My all-time favorite chef?  Bobby Flay.  No question, I have honestly never made one of his recipes that I didn't love.  This was my first time trying this recipe of his, and it did not let me down.  I think Kyle finished his in about 30 seconds.

OK, let me start my saying don't be intimidated by the ingredient list!  Here is what I do... I go to any specialty market (Whole Foods, Central Market, even the HEB in Houston, or an Indian market) and buy only the amount of the spices I need.  For instance, turmeric is not a spice I cook with very often at all.  Go to the bulk aisle and you can just scoop out exactly the amount you want.  Check this out...it only cost 12 cents!

OK, mix together the following spices...

• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon ground ginger
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• 1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1/2 tablespoon ground cayenne
• 1/2 tablespoon ground turmeric
• 1/2 tablespoon ground white pepper
• 1/2 tablespoon kosher salt

Then mix in 1 1/2 Tbl. Vegetable Oil to form a paste.

In the meantime..start the tomato jam...Grill 1 roma tomato and 1 serrano pepper until charred.

Saute 1/2 white onion...

Mix in chopped tomato and serrano and add 1 Tbl. Red Wine Vinegar.  Saute until mixture thickens.

Set aside.

Rub the chicken breasts with the spice paste until completely covered and well absorbed.

Grill about 5 minutes per side.

Serve with tomato jam and cilantro-sour cream.

Tandoori Chicken
2 Chicken Breasts
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
1/2 tablespoon ground cayenne
1/2 tablespoon ground turmeric
1/2 tablespoon ground white pepper
1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Tomato Jam
1 Roma Tomato
1 Serrano Pepper
1/2 Spanish White Onion
1 Tbl. Red Wine Vinegar
Salt and Pepper

Cake Balls

What I love about this recipe is that all the ingredients are completely interchangeable.  Today I made a strawberry-lemon cake ball covered in dark chocolate.  Some other combinations I love are red velvet-cream cheese cake ball covered in white chocolate, Vanilla cake ball covered in milk chocolate, and chocolate-peanut butter cake ball covered in dark chocolate.  All you need is a box cake mix, a jar of frosting, and any kind of melting chocolate.

Today I used a strawberry cake mix and lemon icing...

Bake the cake according to the directions on the box.  Let the cake cool and remove the top "crispy" layer of the cake.  This way the cake balls will be smooth and light. 

Spoon out the cake into a large bowl.

Gently crumble the cake with your hands.

Remove the lid and metal seal from the icing and warm in the microwave for 30 seconds.  Pour the icing over the cake mixture.

Mix together with your hands until all of the cake is moist with the icing.  Be careful not to over mix.  You don't want the cake balls to be dense, you want them to be light and fluffy.  Once combined, form the cake into 1 inch balls and place on a foil-lined cookie sheet.

Place cake balls in the freezer for at least 2 hours or up to overnight.  Melt the chocolate in the microwave or double boiler, roll the cake balls in the chocolate, place on cookie sheet and refrigerate until ready to serve. 

You can absolutely make these the day ahead of time, they will last up to 3 days in the refrigerator. Have fun!

Cake Balls
1 box Cake Mix (any kind)
1 jar icing (any kind)
Melting Chocolate (any kind)

Grilled Maple Plank Salmon

I got my dad these fun wooden planks for grilling meats for Father's Day, and I decided to get one for myself as well.

I know most of the time you see Cedar Plank Salmon, but I decided to try my luck with the Maple.  So the directions say to soak the plank in water for 2 hours prior to use...I'll come back to this later on...I'll advise soaking it for 2 days, but we will get to that later.

I bought these beautiful, wild-caught, Alaskan Salmon filets (kinda a splurge, but totally worth it when it is prepared well).

Remove the skin and lay fish on the water-soaked plank.  Season well with salt and pepper and then cover with spicy mustard.

Next, sprinkle generously with light brown sugar.

Then place plank on a pre-heated medium-high grill...

OK, everything looks great huh?  Right...I leave the fish on the grill...come inside for 10 minutes...start smelling a delicious maple smell.  Really it smelled awesome.  It reminded me of a campfire at my grandma's house in the fall...

Well, I thought I would go outside to enjoy the smell a bit more...and I opened my balcony door to a huge cloud of billowing BLACK SMOKE!!!  I couldn't even see the grill.  I opened the grill to find 2 foot high flames.  I immediately turn off the heat and run inside to get water.  I came back out and threw the water on the flames, shut the lid and slammed the door. 
So at this point we are like, ok...time to order a pizza...

Eventually I go out to retrieve the salmon and the plank...the edges are still burning...

SO I think, I might as well try it...see what it would have tasted like...

It was PERFECT!!  No, seriously, some of the best tasting salmon I have ever had!

So, I am not advising that you catch your grill on fire to produce the salmon, but really, I think I will give these maple planks another shot.  They give the fish such a delicious smokey taste.  Next time I will soak the plank overnight...heat my grill to medium, and stand over my fish the entire time with a cup of water in case it catches fire. 

Anyway, I wanted to share this recipe to show that not all recipes come out just the way you planned, but if you branch out a little bit, sometimes the outcome is totally worth it!

Baked Chicken Taquitos

So...let me start by saying this recipe is not exactly a looker...its a little messy, but it is absolutely DELICIOUS!!

Start with about 2 Cups, Chopped, Rotisserie Chicken.

Add 1/2 C Chopped Red Onion.

Add 2 Tbl. Chopped, Pickled Jalapenos. 

Then add 2 Tbl. taco seasoning.  Any brand is fine, but my favorite is Lawry's

Finally stir in 1/2 Cup Shredded Mexican Cheese Blend (Any kind of cheese is fine) and 1/2 C Chopped Cilantro.  

To make taquitos, dip each corn tortilla into peanut oil and then fill with 2 Tbl. of the mixture and roll tightly.  If your mixture seems too dry, mix in a few tablespoons of salsa.  Place seem side down on cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 15 minutes.  Don't worry if the tortillas break open, they will still taste great. 

I served mine with guacamole and Mexican sour cream (its sour cream mixed with taco seasoning). 

Baked Chicken Taquitos

2 Cups Chopped, Rotessire Chicken
1/2 C Chopped Red Onion
2 Tbl. Chopped, Pickled Jalapenos
2 Tbl. Taco Seasoning
1/2 Shredded Mexican Blend Cheese
1/2 C Chopped Cilantro
10 Corn Tortillas