Recipe Review 5/23/11 and Introduction



You think *your're* not certain about this...

It's been an unusual weekend in our household.  Participated in a three family garage sale on Saturday - my first in, oh, 25 years?  It was cold, then it rained and got colder, and windy and foggy, but yet it went okay.  And after the sale was done, I popped up to Animal Allies and picked up this fellow:


Andy comes to us via Animal Allies. He appears to be a Springer-Retriever mix, about three years old, and has a grown weight of about 43lbs. The shelter said Andy was picked up as a stray "up north" - it's uncertain if he was dumped or if he got away, he was found without a collar.





 




I think I would like to run over there.....



Andy is very people friendly, loves to be petted, likes to be very near his people when inside, and has a sweet personality. At three, he is a teenager, and we will need to strengthen some basic obedience training. He's has already been introduced to Our House Rules and Routine, which will need some reinforcement for a while. Nothing too bad so far - furniture is off limits in our house, not jumping on people (he's polite about it, but still a no-no), and not charging out the door. We don't know if he was "a runner" so he will be kept on-leash at all times until he has mastered "come" and if we know he can stick around the yard. Thank heaven's it's summertime! Easier to work on training without freezing our butts off.

Really, over there looks so very cool.

So why Andy? House seemed kinda empty without a second dog, personality seems to fit with our pack, right size, and he was nothing like Kia. It will be different to have a young pup in the house again!

 

Made a couple new recipes this past week:

Tequila Glazed Chicken Thighs (Ckng Lght, June 2011) - Outstanding!

I actually had a picture of this one and forgot to upload it! Drat and bother!  Oh well.  I ended up making these twice because I had to buy such a large package (3lbs) of chicken thighs.  I prefer boneless/skinless for ease of preparation and eating.  And, if one doesn't use baking soda in place of cornstarch you don't get a massive volcano effect from your pot....  Glaze makes a lot which was the impetus for making this recipe two nights in a row.  No complaints tho, they are that good.  I served them with the Cabbage Slaw recipe that follows - a tangy, crunchy compliment to the spicy chicken. 

If you would rather not use tequila, you can substitute 1/3 cup pineapple juice. Start the grilling over direct heat to get good grill marks and charred bits, and then move to indirect heat to gently finish the cooking.

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon chili powder
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
6 bone-in chicken thighs (about 2 pounds), skinned

3/4 cup pineapple juice

photo from Cookinglight.com

1/3 cup tequila

1/4 cup honey

2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons water

2 teaspoons grated lime rind
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1. Preheat grill to medium-high heat using both burners. After preheating, turn the left burner off (leave the right burner on).

2. Combine the first 4 ingredients in a small bowl; rub evenly over chicken.

3. Bring the pineapple juice, tequila, and honey to a boil in a small saucepan; cook until reduced to 3/4 cup (about 10 minutes). Combine cornstarch and 2 teaspoons water in a small bowl, and stir well. Add cornstarch mixture to juice mixture, stirring constantly with a whisk. Bring to a boil, and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and stir in lime rind, 3 tablespoons lime juice, and red pepper.

4. Place chicken on grill rack coated with cooking spray over right burner (direct heat). Cover and grill for 5 minutes on each side, basting occasionally with juice mixture. Move the chicken to grill rack over left burner (indirect heat). Cover and grill an additional 5 minutes on each side or until done, basting occasionally.

Cabbage Slaw  (Ckng Lght, June 2011)

photo from Cookinglight.com

This was a great way to use up half a head of cabbage in the fridge.  Good flavor - tangy and bright with a hint of lime.  Hmm, just needs a margarita to top it off!  I skipped the mint because I'm not real wild about mint flavor and I don't want to spend $2.50 on a package of it.

4 cups shredded cabbage

1 1/2 cups thinly sliced radishes

1/2 cup diagonally cut green onions

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/3 cup chopped fresh mint

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper

1. Combine first 5 ingredients; toss. Sprinkle with mint, salt, and pepper