Chicken Marinade

I am always looking for new ways to cook chicken. I feel like every week we eat some sort of chicken, beef, pork, and seafood. Every. Single. Week! I love to branch out but sometimes it's just easier to make something that you've already made. Have you ever felt that way? Well I found this simple marinade recipe and decided to try it. I used chicken tenderloins because I love to bring them in my lunch as wraps. The chicken was so good! And this recipe makes a whole jar full of marinade so you can use it more than once. I cut the recipe in half because I was only marinating about 1/2 pound of chicken (the full recipe is listed below). I mixed everything and let it sit over night. The chicken came out moist delicious!

Ingredients:

- 1 cup of olive oil

- 3/4 cup of soy sauce

- 1/2 cup of red wine vinegar

- 1/2 cup of Worcestershire sauce

- 1/2 cup of brown sugar

- 1/3 cup of fresh lemon juice

- 2 tablespoons of minced garlic (I used garlic powder)

- 3 teaspoons of salt

- generous dash of pepper

* Mix all of the ingredients together and submerge chicken. The original recipe says to marinate for at least 4 hours. I marinated the tenderloins over night.

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Cajun Remoulade Sauce

Remoulade is a Louisiana style sauce that is meant for seafood. It usually starts with a mayo base and then lots of other things are added to make a reddish sauce that is tart, creamy, and spicy. I feel like I've tasted 100 different sauces in my lifetime, all claiming to be some sort of a remoulade. Some have been wonderful and some have been not-so-great. I decided to try to make one of my own by combining a few recipes I found online. This one was good, but not great. It needs some refining but the basic structure is there. Here it is! Try it and see what you think.

Ingredients:
- 1 cup of mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon of finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 1 tablespoon of Tabasco
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon of worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon of paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon of cayenne pepper

Directions:
Mix everything together and then let sit for 1 hour so the flavors can combine. Store in the refrigerator.

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My New Favorite Way To Cook Bacon

.... In the oven! Genius! Why didn't I think of this sooner?

Reasons why it's my new favorite:
- it's so quick and easy
- it tastes just like fried bacon
- there's virtually no clean up (no greasy pan to deal with)
- it doesn't stink up your house

I found this on Pinterest and had to try it. I was skeptical at first because I thought it would taste like bacon cooked in the microwave (not nearly as good as fried bacon). But it doesn't at all! Even though I consider myself a "foodie," I'm really picky about what I will cook inside my house. I absolutely HATE the smell of bacon days after I've cooked it. It's like it lingers f-o-r-e-v-e-r! (and eggs too, for that matter) Jason cooks bacon, eggs, and other smelly foods outside in an electric skillet or on the grill. Bacon and eggs are banned from my house!

But if you cook the bacon in the oven, there is no lingering smell. Yay! And it's alot harder to burn this way, too. It always seems like bacon goes from raw to burnt in .5 seconds, so you have to keep your eye on it. In the oven it's not like this at all. It cooks slower so it's less likely to burn (and more fat is rendered so it's better for you).

I cooked the bacon at 400 degrees for about 10-12 minutes (depending on how crispy you want it) on a piece of foil (this makes for a super easy clean up- just trash the foil, wipe the pan, and you're done!) . I've heard, though, that you can cook it at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Supposedly the slower it's cooked the more fat that is rendered. So the healthier it will be!

One last tip...Next time you cook bacon, try sprinkling a little black pepper on each side. It really brings out the flavor! You can buy black pepper bacon in the store but it's too peppery. Just add your own and it is delish!

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Tip: Spicing-Up a Week Night Taco Salad

I was grocery shopping yesterday and decided that I wanted to make taco salads for dinner. I grabbed all the necessities: ground beef, lettuce, tomato, cucumber, cilantro, lime, avocado, cheese, etc. I went down the salad dressing isle to find a new dressing to try and I saw these. Score! I was already wondering how croutons would be in a taco salad because I didn't want to just crush up regular tortilla chips. Looking for a way to spice up a week night taco salad? Try these tortilla strips! They are so good. They sort-of taste like chili cheese Fritos, sort-of. I love the description on the bag, "Zesty Southwest Crunch." So true!!

Once I decided that I love these tortilla strips, I did the the next logical step in the learning process....I Googled them! And I discovered that this brand also has another flavor- chili lime. YUM! I can't wait to try these.

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Just Say No to Boring Spaghetti!

Spaghetti is a classic, easy meal that is a crowd pleaser! Below I've listed 5 tips to turn ordinary, bland spaghetti into a delicious one-pot wonder! 

Tip #1: Fresh Garlic! Start with 1 or 2 cloves of chopped garlic and a tablespoon or so of EVOO. Cook it down for a few minutes.

Tip #2: Fresh Veggies! Once the garlic has cooked for a few minutes, add some chopped bell pepper, onion, and celery. The fresh vegetables add so much flavor to the sauce!

Tip #3: Thick and Zesty Sauce Mix! When the veggies are soft, add the beef. Brown it with the veggies. When the beef is fully cooked, add a package of McCormick's Thick and Zesty Spaghetti Sauce Mix. I learned this trick from my mom! This sauce mix adds so many herbs and spices to spaghetti- so good!

Tip #4: Use Bertolli sauce! Sometimes I like to make my own tomato sauce. But during the week when I'm in a hurry, I use Bertolli sauce. My favorite is Organic Olive Oil, Basil, and Garlic. The sauce is very basic so you can really taste the flavors from the fresh veggies.

Tip #5: Red wine! After adding the sauce, add a dash (or two or three) of red wine. It totally sets off all the flavors in the sauce! I like to use merlot or cabernet sauvignon. I have 2 favorites, but any will do:

               

Do you have any tips for spicing up spaghetti? Share them by posting a comment below!   

     Get Cookin'!

First Things First!

Before I start posting about my latest creations in the kitchen, I feel like I should give a little more information about my "must haves." Please know that  you don't necessarily need fancy seasonings, pots, and kitchen utensils to make a delicious meal. I use a set of pots from a discount store I bought about 5 years ago. My spoons and spatulas don't match and most are hand-me-downs. However, there are a few things I cannot live without..Let's start with my top 5 seasonings:

1) Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning. I use this for everything. Everything! It's a season-all that adds the perfect mixture of spice and depth to any meal. If you don't have this, go buy some TODAY!

                                                             

2) Garlic Powder. I love to cook with fresh garlic, but sometimes I am just too busy to peel and cut cloves of garlic. So, garlic powder has become a good friend of mine in the kitchen! It is a great substitute to fresh garlic and I put it in just about everything.

3) Cavender's All Purpose Greek Seasoning. This is not just for Greek food! It is delish! It adds seasoning to bland foods without making the dish too salty or spicy.

4) Thyme. (Pronounced /time/) A friend from back home got me hooked on this herb. I use the dry leaves-- but beware! A pinch is all you need. Adding too much of this herb can ruin a dish. But just a dash will make any dish delish!

5) Lea and Perrins Worcesterchire Sauce. Okay, okay it's not a seasoning. But it's definitely a must-have! It seems like I go through so many bottles of this stuff. I like it because it adds a hint of smoke to foods. I use it alot to brown meat- it makes a great gravy!

Well, there you have it! Simple, seasonings I use everyday! 

      Get cookin' !