Monday, April 30, 2012

what's cookin' honey lime?


For a couple weeks I was on a honey lime kick. Two yummy flavors that I can't get enough of. The first honey lime experiment was inspired by the fabulous grilling weather we have been having. Grilling is always a good idea.

from Six Sisters Stuff. With a tweak of my own.
Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts
1/2 cup 
lime juice
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 Tbsp 
honey
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried rosemary
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp black pepper
I also added a bunch (I say bunch because I have no idea how much it was.) of chopped cilantro. I am a huge cilantro fan and something I learned while living in Brazil is that cilantro and lime go together. You can't have one without the other. Ok, you can. But only in rare situations. 

Directions:
Combine lime juice, oil, honey, thyme, rosemary, garlic and pepper. Pour it over chickens in a ziploc bag. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours up to overnight. Grill until done and juices run clear. 

I think that this marinade would also be good if you wanted to bake the chicken in the oven or dutch oven even. Why limit yourself. Then you would have the yummy juices to serve with rice. I'm going to try it some time. 

My next Honey Lime craving is a recipe I have actually wanted to try for a while. And since I was on a honey lime kick I decided why not. You can find it nearly anywhere on the internet, but I my inspiration came from here and of course I tweaked it just a bit. Lets see if you can figure out what that is. 

Honey Lime Enchiladas
Ingredients:
1.5 lbs pork or chicken, cooked and shredded (I didn't measure this exactly.)
1/3 c honey (use less for a more tangy taste)
1/4 c lime juice
1 Tb chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
A bunch of chopped cilantro. ;)
2 (10 oz) cans green enchilada sauce
equal parts mixed together of: mozzarella cheese, shredded cheddar cheese, shredded
flour tortillas

Directions:
Mix together sauce ingredients then add to shredded pork or chicken. Let the sauce soak into the meat for about 30 minutes. Lightly spray 2 pans with non-stick baking spray. (9×13ish) Pour green enchilada sauce into pans to coat the entire bottom. Fill tortillas with shredded meat and desired amount of cheese. Roll and place in dish.

Pour remainder of sauce over enchiladas and sprinkle more cheese on top – don’t be stingy! Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Then turn on broiler and place enchiladas nearer the top of oven. Let it broil until cheese is slightly brown and crispy. 

I mixed it up in the morning and let it set while I thought about how good it was going to be all day long at work. I might or might not have left work a little early in order to get home and finish it up. I couldn't wait any longer. Yes, I was super excited and it did not disappoint. 

Monday, April 9, 2012

as adventurous as I am…

I am finding that I am not always a big fan of change as I would like to claim to be. I have the fortunate, and sometimes unfortunate, habit of getting comfortable and being happy with where I am. Even if it isn’t where I would love to be in life, I usually find a way to be happy and make a difference.  Then when the frequent visitor of change comes to the door, even though I am eager for a new adventure I sometimes want to close the door and dig in my heels. I think it is getting worse with age.

Yes, I welcome change, adventure, starting fresh. But I dread the good-byes. Sometimes I’m not quite ready say good-bye to the things I’m doing, to all the hopes and dreams that could’ve, might’ve happened there. And the people I’ve met.

Then I remind  myself I get to take all my hopes and dreams with me. I can keep doing what I love to do. I will meet new people I will most likely love. And I will probably love where ever I go to next. I usually do.