Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Another Pinterest Win!

I have been wanting to stop and grab some El Pollo Loco chicken for dinner but kept forgetting. I finally decided to just search for a recipe and make it at home...good ole pinterest comes to my rescue...
I found this recipe from www.shockinglydelicious.com And I made it tonight, Wow! Pretty darn good!

The only thing missing was the grilled flavor but I just don't have a huge open fire grill in my house and there was no propane on the outdoor grill...so I just oven baked them and I gotta tell you, it was Yummy!

You just need this chicken, some flour tortillas, salsa, and mexican rice.

Once on the plate, you shred your chicken into a tortilla, add salsa and rice, roll and eat, fabulous!
A nice cold margarita helps the process as well!


Here is the recipe:
Marinade
  • 6 ounces pineapple juice
  • 2 tablespoons lime juice
  • 1 tablespoon white vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • 2 cloves crushed garlic
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  • 1 teaspoon finely minced jalapeno, seeds included
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric
  • 2 1/2 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (or 6-ish pieces of bone-in chicken like breasts, thighs, drumsticks in any combination you like)
  • I used 6 chicken thighs skin on!
Mix all marinade ingredients in a 2-cup measuring cup. Place chicken in zipper-top bag, pour marinade in and squeeze out air from bag before sealing. Massage chicken in bag to make sure all pieces of chicken are bathing in marinade. Marinate in refrigerator for half a day, or overnight; turn bag occasionally to ensure chicken is entirely covered.
When ready to grill, remove chicken from marinade (discard marinade) and grill chicken over medium heat until done, about 20-25 minutes, turning once for nice grill marks. You can add some moist mesquite chips to the grill for a smoky flavor.

As I said above, I did not grill, so what I did, I laid out the 6 chicken thighs on a baking pan and cooked for 40 minutes at 400* degrees, let rest and then served.

Sunday, March 15, 2015

Fabulous, Fun, and Fifty!



 
 
I would like to thank everyone for making my 50th Birthday a fun time!

My hubby surprised me with a limo ride and our friends from across town! We headed out to The Brighton Store where I was dropped at the door and told to go pick something out, I chose a beautiful turquoise set to wear this summer. After that we hopped back in the limo to Ventano's for a wonderful dinner, try the Sole, it was like BUUTTTAAA!
Then we drove down the strip, hooting and hollering at all the tourists!! Got to Treasure Island where we went to see Mystere, very odd but entertaining. After that we all jumped in taxi's and went our ways, all safe and sound to home!
they showered me with 50's and drinks and laughter, who could ask for anything more!!
Thank you!!! Thank you!!!

Thursday, March 5, 2015

Pasta with Shrimp and Broccoli



Found a recipe in the cooking light magazine 20 minute dinner section. It is pasta with shrimp and broccoli in a light scampi sauce. Whipped it up for dinner and it was pretty good! Made some Red Lobster cheese biscuits to go with it. Top your pasta off with freshly grated parmesan cheese and some red pepper flakes!

Here is the recipe:

  • 8 ounces uncooked thin spaghetti
  • 12 ounces broccoli florets
  • Cooking spray
  • 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 2 teaspoons canola oil
  • 10 garlic cloves, minced
  • 3/4 cup unsalted chicken stock (such as Swanson)

    • 1 tablespoon water
    • 2 teaspoons cornstarch
    • 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
    • 1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
    • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
    • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
    • 1 ounce Parmesan cheese, shaved or grated (about 1/4 cup)

    Preparation

    1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Add broccoli in the last 2 minutes of cooking. Drain.
    2. Heat a large skillet over high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add shrimp; cook 2 minutes on each side. Remove shrimp from pan.
    3. Heat pan over medium-low heat. Add butter and oil; swirl to coat. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add stock; bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Combine 1 tablespoon water and cornstarch in a small bowl. Stir cornstarch mixture into stock mixture; cook 1 minute. Stir in shrimp, pasta mixture, parsley, rind, juice, and salt; cook 1 minute, tossing to coat. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.
       

    Nutritional Information

    Amount per serving: Serving size: 2 cups
    • Calories: 417
    • Fat: 9.8g
    • Saturated fat: 3.6g
    • Monounsaturated fat: 3g
    • Polyunsaturated fat: 1.5g
    • Protein: 29.7g
    • Carbohydrate: 53g
    • Fiber: 4.8g
    • Cholesterol: 157mg
    • Iron: 3.4mg
    • Sodium: 476mg