Grilled Chicken, Fajitas

I think people over think food.  I think they worry about too many seasonings, too much futzing and are too concerned with timing, and coordinating courses. 

I think cooking, and food, are about joy.  Simple is always best.  My friend has a recipe for chili that he proudly states includes in excess of 38 ingredients.  Really?  Why?  There is no way it all matters, no matter how complex and sophisticated you consider your pallet, there's no way that number of ingredients matters.

Friday night, beautiful weather in Austin, Texas.  Husband won't be home till close to 8, as per usual, and Connor and I will die of hunger before then.  Enter fajita night.

There are few things a BBQ grill won't enhance. I have a gas grill but am just as happy to use charcoal.

When I was at the store today I picked a family pack of chicken thighs (boneless and skinless) and a I had a couple of breasts I'd boned out a few days ago.

In a big bowl I tossed all the chicken with some salt, pepper, a little oil. If you want to be chef-y, add cumin and garlic but I just wanted the flavor of chicken and the flavor of grill :)  In another bowl I tossed a couple red peppers, a green pepper, 2 zucchini cut length wise and 3 onions, cut n/s (through the stem so they stay together.

Preheat grill to 10,000 degrees.  Hot hot hot!

Char the vegetables and toss them back in the metal bowl with a cloth over them.  When you're hungry later, peel them, slice them and throw them on a tortilla with, oh look at that chicken!  Grill it high and hot hot hot.  Flip it a few times, let the edges get good and crunchy, crispy.  Toss the whole pieces of chicken and onions in another oven dish and cover it with foil.

Cook some tortillas, slice the meat and add some vegetables.  You will be very, VERY, happy and it didn't take any time at all, didn't matter when anyone could sit down, this is one of those 'it waits for you' meals.  Most excellent.

Beauty shots!

 

     
It's all happily sitting and waiting, I have some fresh tomato and some beautiful avocados what I'll slice up and add when I make the tortillas.  Ah, grilled dinner in the palm of my hands.  You'd hardly know it's only for 3!

The veggies all slices up... I love the charred ends of the onions.  Connor is a purist, meat, cheese, sour cream. I'm a little bit of everything sort of girl.  The grilled zucchini rocked!
   

more, just because
 

Go grill something.

/enjoy

Dutch Baby Skillet Pancake

AH, I have a HANKERING!

Some mornings I want a cup of coffee, some quiet time and my ankle not to hurt (long story)  Some mornings I want a crunchy piece of toast made from my home made bread with a runny poached egg (or two) dribbling down the crispy, buttered, sides.

Some mornings I want something sweet, eggy, crunchy, soft, lofty and dense all at the same time.  Enter the Dutch baby.  To me it's just a giant Yorkshire pudding but it's got sugar and vanilla in it so it's sort of different while being sort of the same.

Preheat oven to 400.  Put a measuring cup and an 8' frying pan on the counter.

In a measuring jug:

1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 eggs
1/2 cup plus a quick splash of milk
some vanilla
a couple teaspoons of sugar
pinch of salt
*a tsp or 2 of orange juice or a bit of orange zest if you have it*

Mix all the ingredients with a fork until smooth, thin with a little milk if you need to.  Should be the consistency of single cream.

Butter the frying pan.  Place frying pan in the preheated oven for about 5 minutes.
 

Pull shelf of oven out and pour contents of jug into hot hot hot frying pan quickly, close oven door.

Bake for about 25 minutes.  DO.NOT.OPEN.THE.DOOR.

 

Remove from oven and slice into wedges as it deflates.

Add chocolate chips and chocolate sauce to your son's piece.  Oh then some powdered sugar.
 

I like a drizzle Lyle's Golden Syrup.  Oh and then some powdered sugar, for the prettiness.
 

Alternate toppings, oh wait, there's about a zillion.  I like sugar and lemon, Orange zest rubbed into sugar and sprinkled over the pancake. Maple syrup. Fruit both fresh and grilled.  Anything you like.

  

/Eat.  Enjoy.

How to Hull a Strawberry with a straw

My son thinks this is hysterically funny.  "That's just wrong, mom" and "you need to show everyone how to do that".  I am relatively confident there are loads and loads of people who hull strawberries with straws, although truthfully, I've never really checked, I'm just guessing.  Sort of like that whole, there are no new ideas thing.

So, the video:

How I Hull a Strawberry with a Straw!

*I do have to add that I am fully aware that strawberries don't necessarily have "innards".

Jalapeno Alchemy

I'm playing with making candied jalapenos, on some sharp cheddar and a cracker.

I think I may cut it up next time and make it more of a jam...  it's super hot and super sweet.
 

I threw some sugar, some vinegar, salt and turmeric in a pot, boiled it hard for a few minutes to dissolve everything then threw in sliced jalapenos.  I boiled for about 3 minutes until they shrivelled and got darker.  Popped them into 2 mini jars and boiled the syrup down further.  I may have boiled it too hard because it got a bit thick.  I filled the jars with the liquid and tossed them in the fridge. 

They are delicious!!!!!!!!!!  super super hot and super super sweet.  Husband isn't a fan but really, he never really is.  I have girlfriends coming tomorrow, I'll make them try it and get opinions on how to tweak it.

I had extra syrup which I poured into a jar of it's own and it's like pepper caramel, I will find a way to use it! 

I'm going back to the store today so when I make the next batch I'll post the exact amounts and ingredients. I love kitchen alchemy.

/Tracy

Update from the Kitchen

I've been a bit re-directed lately.  This is what I've been up to instead of cooking quite so much: 


http://tracyhomeschooling.blogspot.com/


I'll be back to more detailed cooking after spring break (11-19 March, 2012)


/enjoy

White Bread, A Pictorial Journey

It's bread, it's the stuff of life.

I'll admit, I do this well.  It's easy, it's tasty, it's CHEAP and it's fresh and it's infinitely better than any $7 "artisan" loaf you'll buy.

I make this loaf every few days.  More often when Connor was in school but since he's been home schooled, we don't eat so many sandwiches mid day, hopefully that'll change, full kitchen duty 3 times a day, although fun, isn't necessarily the way I saw my day being spent.  I have, apparently, turned into a diner.

That being said, I have been asked many times for the play by play of the daily white bread.  I may have done it before, here and on other sites, but here's a new one. 

 I use 3 cups of a/p flour for this.  You can substitute up to 3/4 cup whole wheat, much more and it gets a bit stodgy and you have to futz with the liquid levels so really, just use another recipe. 

TRACYS BORING OLD (delicious) WHITE LOAF

This is my tried, true and I make it in my sleep bread.  I only ever make it in the Kitchen-aid.  I CAN make it by hand, I just don't want to :)

COMBINE and allow to bloom: 

1 cup milk, body temperature

2 Tablespoons melted butter

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

2 tsp sugar

2 tsp yeast

ADD, MIX to beautiful soft dough.

1 1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 egg

3 cups a/p flour (or a/p whole wheat blend)

RISE till doubled

DEFLATE, SHAPE, put in loaf pan, RISE till doubled

BAKE 375, 25 minutes

REMOVE from pan, leave to cool on rack

Yeast blooms in about 3 minutes.  The first rise is about 1 hour, second is the same. I beat the heck out of the dough for 5 minutes from when it starts to come together.  IF it's too sticky, like this day, add a little flour just to keep it off the sides. Sometimes it sticks, that's fine.  

I put the plastic container, with lid, in my oven with the light on purely to keep it off the counter.  My house is full of yeast in the air and things tend to rise faster now ???  so here, the rises are each about 45 minutes. 

Usual bread making rules/system apply.  Here's the shots: 

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

 

 

 

/enjoy