Spicy Tequila Lime Chicken Quesadillas

Cooking:

First, I almost forgot how to spell quesadilla.  My confusion may come from the fact that I totally forgot that I made these AND I made them back in October (if the date stamp on my camera can be trusted).  Or I'm tired.  One of the two.

I marinated these chicken breasts in a plastic bag with tequila, lime juice, cayenne pepper, olive oil, and minced garlic for about 4 hours.

I grilled my chicken, then my peppers and onions, in the same pan (so the veggies would pick up some of the seasoning from the marinade).

I topped one flour tortilla with sliced chicken, onions, peppers, and shredded Boar's Head three pepper colby jack cheese (I am OBSESSED with this cheese).  Then topped it with another tortilla and threw it on my grill.

We enjoyed these tasty treats with light sour cream, habanero salsa, and homemade margaritas.  It didn't suck.

Reading:

So you're clearly all going to think that I only read really weird books.  Or books with dark characters.  Or books with murder.  Or whatever.  And I'm ok with that, because I always let people know that the books I tend towards are different before I make recommendations.  I give you the same disclaimer, peeps.

Sharp Objects is good.  The characters are interesting (if a little exaggerated in their imperfections) and the setting is well-described and spot-on.  I felt a little like Gillian Flynn fought too hard to make the reader go "WTF!" with this one, and so I didn't love it.  (For the record, I felt this way about Gone Girl, too, but not as strongly).  Given that this was her first novel, though, it was excellent.  And her mind must be a VERY dark and twisty place, which is nice for people like me who like dark and twisty (and slightly depressing) things.

Wearing:

The fun-spending ban is still on, and since I don't consider working out to be much fun, I don't consider purchasing this tank a violation.

via

But a girls' gotta keep herself in shape (for me, to keep myself from going absolutely CRAZY [or crazier than my normal nature]) so bring on the bar(re).  Boo.

Favorite Things Thursday: Smokin'

I want to tell you about my new favorite weekend past time.

But first, a confession.

Sometimes blogging is a bit of a drag.  I love this blog.  I started it for me, but there is a LOT of pressure to get a million hits a month and make money off of this damn thing.  And I think you can tell from my last few whiny posts, I don't have time or energy for that!  I would love to hear from some of you who blog for fun about how you deal with the stress, or whether you care about statistics and/or pleasing the masses at all!

Alright, enough of that.

New favorite thing:

No, not fire (per se) but using the hell out of the grill.  But not grilling, either!

Smoking!  That's right, I'm a smoker.  And I'm not ashamed to admit it.  Smoking meat is my new favorite thing to do on the weekends, and the rewards are sweet.

This is my grill/smoker/everything:

And I love it.  I can toss some veggies on the left, and smoke meat on the right.  And, keep in mind, I lay in the pool and read a book when I'm not tending the food.  It doesn't suck.

I have now smoked and shredded multiple pork picnics (after rubbing them with a combination of cayenne, salt, and pepper), and then doused them with barbeque sauce.  It's a feast for the senses.  Really.

Rest-assured more smoking recipes will be coming.  And for those of you who like details - it takes about 12 hours, at 250 degrees, to smoke a 12 pound pork picnic (bone-in) with applewood chips.  You can thank me later.

Easy Grilled Ribs

The H told me, many months ago, that he wasn't a fan of barbeque.  If I remember correctly, it went something like this:

Me:  I could really go for some ribs.  Or a pulled pork sandwich.  Or a half a chicken.  With barbeque sauce, obviously.  And cornbread.

H:  Huh?

Me:  Don't you ever get cravings for barbeque?

H:  No.  I don't really like barbeque.

Me:  . . . .

That ellipses is there because I passed out.  Who doesn't like barbeque?  Or, more accurately, what person who was born and raised in Iowa and lives for meat and potatoes doesn't like barbeque?  What kind of world do we live in?!

And then we went to Sonny's and the H changed his mind and we lived happily ever after.

Which is all true, but not where this story ends because this is a FOOD blog and I'm supposed to deliver food-related content, not just complain about what a goofy weirdo the H is.  I get it (and he is).  So I made ribs at home for you, peeps.  And damn, were they good.

I covered a cookie sheet with foil and slapped (is there any other way?) my ribs onto it, bone-side down (I used about 2 pounds of baby backs for the two of us).  I seasoned the ribs with lots of salt and pepper, then slathered on my favorite barbeque sauce (Sweet Baby Ray's, but with added onions, tobasco, and garlic).  I  baked them, loosely covered, at 350 degrees for an hour and a half.

Then they got thrown onto a grill preheated to medium high, for about 3 minutes a side.  I assure you, you won't be disappointed.  Unless you have a husband who doesn't like barbeque, in which case I'm sure you're disappointed on a number of levels right now, and this post is just rubbing it in.

I'm sorry.

But I'm not sorry about these.

Enzo Angiolini via Nordstrom

Are they boring?  Sure.  Are they basic?  Absolutely.  Are they the perfect librarian pump?  YES.

I shall wear them while reading and eating ribs.

Quickie Friday: Grilled Tilapia Packets

Blah blah I hate fish blah blah.  In an attempt to make fish (a) easy and (b) cooked somewhere other than my kitchen, I threw a bunch of stuff on a piece of foil and threw it on the grill.

For the sake of those of you who like tilapia, here is the recipe:

4 tilapia filets
2 jalapenos, sliced
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 zucchini, shredded
1 can petite diced tomatoes
1/2 cup whole kernel corn (I used frozen corn that i thawed before I put it in the packet)
4 large sheets of aluminum foil

Place a tilapia filet atop each sheet of foil, then season with the chili powder, salt, and pepper. Place a layer of jalapeno slices on each filet, followed by an even amount of the remaining ingredients.  Seal the foil packets tightly, then place them on a grill over medium high heat for approximately 10 minutes. 

That's it!  I served the tilapia with a side of spicy quinoa and black bean salad.  It was great, as fish goes.

via

And these are great, as cheap boots go.  Thank you, H&M!

Quickie Friday: Grilled Flatbread

Four ingredients and a grill is all you need today, peeps, and you won't regret it. 

But do me a favor and grease oil your flatbread well before you throw it on the grill, or it may get hole-y (as evidenced above).  I brushed mine with garlic oil before I threw it on the grill . . . but not enough.

We had this flatbread with steaks and grilled veggies one night, and I suspect they would be superb as bread for a sandwich or wrap.  Just enough flavor, and the grill made it all toasty-tasting. 

These don't quite fall in line with my lust for grunge, nor do they fit the usual super-cheap quickie Friday shoe profile, but I love them nonetheless.

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They would certainly be a suitable replacement for the uber expensive pair I showcased on Wednesday, and they look perfectly comfortable and maybe even (gasp!) work appropriate.  Then again, my wardrobe isn't what most would consider librarian-like, so maybe my perspective is off . . .

Quickie Friday: Grilled Veggie Salad

I have been taking the time, recently, to make a weekly stop at the produce stand near work to buy fresh veggies.  It is so worth it, I can't even begin to explain it, but this salad does a decent job of depicting my joy.

It doesn't even show off the grilled veggies to the best of its ability, but they're there.  Grilled eggplant?  Check.  Squash?  Check.  Sugar snap peas, asparagus, and tomatoes?  Check, check, annnnnnnnnnd check.  Homemade mustard vinaigrette on the side?  You're damn right.  Happy-summer-almost-fall, peeps!

Speaking of summer-almost-fall, I think these shoes would be great during this in-between season:

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Even though, here in Florida, it's still going to feel like summer for months, I'm thinking transitions.  Positive (and slightly wishful) thinking!

Grilled Corn on the Cob

I have very fond memories of going with my mom to the farmers' market, located in the K-Mart parking lot, when I was a kid and buying corn on the cob.  Delicious, sweet, yellow corn on the cob.  If you asked me, today, to name my favorite food, it would be very high on the list, and I still enjoy going to the farmers' market to pick some up today.

My favorite way to prep corn on the cob, now that we have a house and a yard and a grill, is to grill it.  I've tried grilling it without the husks and with, as well as wrapped in aluminum foil.

Grilling the corn either in the husks or wrapped in foil yields the best results, in my humble opinion, unless you have the patience to stand over a hot grill for 15 minutes, watching unwrapped (or un-husked) corn to make sure it doesn't get too charred.

Whichever way you grill it, the process is the same:  turn the grill on high and let it get nice and hot, put the corn on the grill, turning every 3 minutes or so, for 15 minutes.  CAREFULLY pull it off the grill and unwrap it (unless you grilled it "naked") and enjoy!

This particular picture is of the corn after a naked grilling - you can see how charred it got.

I like to serve my corn with a compound jalapeno lime butter (more on that on Friday), alongside steaks, burgers, chicken, pork chops, cereal . . . anything, really.

The opposite end of the goes-with-anything-spectrum belongs to these:

Jimmy Choo via Saks

These go with nothing.  Unless you're on an intergalactic space mission to find corn on the cob after having lived in a high-fashion hole on Mars.  Then - game on, or in the unforgettable words of Sookie Stackhouse:  "boot and rally."

Spice-Rubbed Pork Skewers with Tomatoes

Full and up front disclosure:  this is not a dish that I will ever make again.  Not because it was bad (I loved it) but because it wasn't wildly popular with the F (his palate doesn't lean towards Asian food flavors) and I prefer to make crowd pleasers as opposed to crowd "meh's."

I will say, however, that this recipe was both easy and light, making it ideal for those who love pork, love to grill, and love soy sauce, tomatoes, and sesame oil.

The other bonus - this recipe was FAST.  The pork is sliced thin so it doesn't take long to cook, and you know it's time to eat when the tomatoes start to char and burst.

There are few things that I enjoy (produce-wise) as much as a tomato charred on the grill.  That is one thing that I will do again and again, even if this recipe never makes it back into the fold.

Another thing that I tend to do again and again, despite my better judgment, is go shopping-CRAZY at the Nordstrom pre-fall anniversary fashion insider (or whatever they call it) sale.  The store has areas tented off where only fancy customers (myself included) can shop, so I picked these up:

image via, at Nordstrom here

I don't have any shoes this color, nor do I have many ankle boots (only one pair, if you can believe it, and in black) so these had to come home with me.  The allure of the super secret special tent didn't hurt, though.