Makings of Breakfast

I got up early one day last week and made Babe a breakfast taco. I foil wrapped it for her to take to camp and even placed an orange juice in her lunch bag so she could take her time to eat while at camp.

Well somebody finished getting dressed that morning and had time to tear into that sucka. "Mommy do we have time for you to make me another taco?"

Apparently I did that! She even requested them for Saturday breakfast. Of course I obliged and added are usual house fries.

You could hear a pin drop while B and her dad ate those tacos. These tacos were filled with fluffy scrambled eggs, bacon, chedder cheese, grilled onions and peppers and sour cream and salsa...so good! Ms. Maria (our company cafeteria lady) would be envious!

Now Churning: Vanilla Golden Oreo

Inner Fat Girl confession. When I buy Golden Oreos, I freeze them and gobble them up like they're gonna stop making them tomorrow. I love me some Frozen Golden Oreos. Girl BYE! They are the Bomb Dot Com.

So of course it was a no brainer that these would be turned into ice cream. My regular vanilla bean ice cream with crushed frozen golden oreos? Yes. Please.

Buttermilk Brined Chicken

Can y'all tell this is my favorite oven grilling pan? LOL

Just like marinades, brines are also your friend. They add tremendous flavor to meats and make Weeknight Winner meals flavorful. Brines are not just for turkeys at Thanksgiving!

The brine is simple and very tasty. I was going to add some herbs to the brine but at the last minute decided not too. It didn't need anything additional.  Place your chicken in the brine in the morning and oven grill (or charcoal/gas grill) when you get home and viola, delicious dinner.

Buttermilk Brined Chicken
adapted from http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/grilled-buttermilk-chicken-10000001010520/

What you need:

• 1 pint buttermilk
• 1/2 cup chopped onions
• 2 tablespoons chopped garlic
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• Non-stick cooking spray 
• 1 tablespoon cooking oil
• 4 skinless chicken thighs
• 6 chicken drumsticks

What to do:

• In a large bowl, mix buttermilk, onions, garlic, salt, sugar, cumin, and pepper
• Rinse chicken thighs and drumsticks and pat dry. Trim off excess fat. Submerge chicken pieces in buttermilk brine. Cover and chill for at least 4 hours, or up to 1 day
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees
• Take chicken from brine; discard brine. Drain excess brine from chicken
• Spray a grill skillet with non-stick spray. Heat grill skillet over high heat
• Place chicken on grill pan and sear for 3-5 minutes per side. Only flipping once
• Place grill skillet in oven and roast for 30-45 minutes or until juices run clear Be sure to let the chicken rest before eating...gotta let the juices redistribute!

Friday Food Randoms - Video Blog Style

It look like somebody socked me in the eye! LOL

My facial expressions slay me...good night! My eyes keep doing the crazy roll *sigh*

One day my video blogs gonna be flawless!

I hate how the sound and my mouth don't match

See how I do? I didnt say one good thing about how awesome my hair looked. How cute I am. Or how I was fairly articulate...noooooo I focused on what I want to correct.

*sigh*

Y'all have a wonderful weekend OK?!!!

Now Churning: Smores Ice Cream

Complete with mini marshmallows, graham cracker pieces and chocolate ice cream

Honey Mustard Shrimp

We STAY having shrimp.  This is my latest recipe for the over abundance that we eat all year.

I have been on this kick of using salad dressings that I make as marinades for different meats and seafood. The honey mustard dressing that I used is one I've made a million times and now it's also an awesome marinade for this here shrimp! These directions are for an outdoor charcoal grill but can easily be cooked in a pan on the stove.

There is not enough citrus in this marinade to cook the shrimp so you can marinate it for up to six hours. The marinade will be kind of thick and that's OK and can be adjusted to suit your sweet/savory tastes.

What you need:
Juice from 1 lemon
1 tsp EACH, basil, oregano, thyme (or herb mixture of your choice)
4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon of dry mustard
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon of sea salt
1 teaspoon of pepper
1/2 cup of olive oil
1 - 1 1/2 pound of jumbo shrimp, peeled (tail intact), de-veined

What to do:
Mix together the lemon juice, herbs, garlic, Dijon, dry mustard, salt and pepper
Add in olive oil. Whisk together. Test for proper flavor
Add shrimp.  Marinate for at least an hour or up to six
Preheat grill (or skillet) over medium high heat, place the shrimp directly from the marinade onto the skillet. Discard marinade.
Cook shrimp 3-4 minutes per side until cooked through.
 
 

Friday Food Randoms - Wings and Herbs

This was dinner one night last week. I love a fried chicken "wang". When Babe's friends stay the night, they don't just want pizza. Nooooo, "Ms. Tarsha could you please make some of your chicken wings?"

The salad was sooooo good. I am not a big ranch eater but I made this one homemade with tarragon as the main herb. Good choice! I added some Gorgonzola crumbles and avocado (cause y'all know I don't eat a salad without it), golden tomatoes and real deal bacon pieces. Yessir!

Babe: BFF and her family eat pretend bacon bits (Bac.os), that's a shame.

My sweetie and I are also trying our hands at planting herbs again. We started some last year but they didn't make it *shrug* Alas, we keep trying. One day we gon grow a whole yard full of vegetables and herbs! #WishfulThinking

She stays in that BEP t-shirt, it's her favorite and she is a Stan *smh*

Have a great weekend!

Bout that life...

The Photograzing life that is.  Seems like they are getting pickier with their photo selections. I have recently submitted four photos and the Yogurt Marinated Chicken is the only one that made the cut!

http://photograzing.seriouseats.com/2011/06/07/

Now Churning: Chocolate Chip Cookie

I made chocolate chip cookies a couple of weeks ago and placed some of the cookies aside to place in my Vanilla Bean Ice Cream. Child please!

Weeknight Stuffed Peppers

Eons ago when E and I became exclusive, he did all of the cooking. He would make these stuffed peppers that made me want to smack somebody's momma (not mine or his cause they are Gs). They were so good I couldn't even stand it!



 Well this is my first attempt at making stuffed peppers.  I am going the Weeknight Winner(TM) route by using my favorite boxed dirty rice mix with the addition of a little ground pork and ground turkey.

Some people don't get down with rice in their peppers but I have had them with and without and I don't have a preference. I wanted this to be a filling meal so I chose rice.

What you need:
1 Box of Zatarain Dirty Rice Mix
1 pound ground pork (or ground meat of your choice; I used a pork/turkey mix)
3 bell peppers (halved and de-seeded)
Olive oil for drizzling
1 cup of shredded cheese (more or less according to your tastes)



What to do:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Cook the rice according to package directions
While rice is cooking bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Place peppers in water (in batches if necessary) and par boil them for about 10 minutes. You will notice a change in color from light to dark
Carefully remove peppers from the water and set on plate to drain
Place peppers face up in a baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil
Fill the peppers with the rice/meat mixture, cover with cheese
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly

Church Note Randoms

While in church I take notes. Usually they are notes of things I want to remember, reflections, scripture I want to dig into later or even things that I just want to dump out of my mind.  But sometimes, *sigh* sometimes there is ratchetness afoot:

I've been way overthinking my entire business plan. Way. Overthinking.

"Church is the body of the Lord"

I wonder what my daughters are going to think of me when they read my journals after I'm gone....Lawd

Maybe I need to include letters of warning first LOLOL

"No one in Christ keeps on sinning"

If your baby is wailing like a banshee get up and walk out of the dang on sanctuary

"Don't be mad at me for giving my best to God"

"Sometimes you have to work real hard at loving unlovable people"

Really?!! Grown men older looking than me still wearing braids??? #BeAFence

I have got to get me a hot church hat, these women be cleanT (T is for emphasis)

Wait! Is that Riha.nna red hair on somebody's granny?? Stop

Chile her natural hair is sooooooooo banging #BigHairDontCare

"Watch what you say in a family of God"

The Friday Five - Stuff I've Purchased

Because I like the shape...LOL

I can't wait to use this. I was going to try it on some chicken over the Memorial Day weekend but I forgot...D'Oh



Organic spices! They were on clearance at my favorite grocery store



This was on clearance as well. I love a good Remoulade sauce so we will see how this one holds up.

Have no idea yet what I am going to do with these chocolate bars but I knew I had to have them. They were on sale!

What are some items you've purchased and enjoyed lately?

Yogurt Marinated Chicken



Skinless chicken thighs are so full of awesome flavor with this easy marinade.  I keep saying, marinades are your friend for weeknight meals! I even think the marinade would be fantastic run through a blender and used a salad dressing. It is that tasty.

The same reason I love cooking with chicken thighs is the same reason I hate cooking with them, all that fat...but it cooks down and adds greatness to whatever you are cooking.  I remove the skin and trim most of the fat off to make my waist line feel better.

I like char on my roasted chicken so I placed the chicken under the broiler for a few minutes. Oh, notice there is no salt in this recipe and you really don't miss it. 

Yogurt Marinated Chicken
adapted from: http://www.livinglou.com/2010/07/lous-authentic-chicken-thighs.html


What you need:

4-6 skinless chicken thighs
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup plain yogurt
Juice from one small lemon
1 tsp hot sauce, or to taste
1/2 tsp honey
3-4 cloves of garlic, crushed
Half green onion, diced
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp dried rosemary
Freshly cracked pepper to taste


What to do:

Poke several holes into the thighs and set aside
Whisk together the remaining ingredients, check for flavor
Place chicken in a large freezer bag and pour marinade over the chicken
Marinate the poultry for at least 30 minutes (I marinate mine overnight or up to two days)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Remove chicken from marinade, discard marinade
Place in a baking dish and bake for 30-45 minutes or until juices run clear
Be sure to let your chicken rest for about 10 minutes before cutting into it

My formatting is killing me softly right now...Apologies