Grilled Chicken with Rosemary and Lime

This is one of my favorite ways to make grilled chicken more interesting. I love citrus, especially lime and rosemary is one of the herbs I grow year-round since I use it so much.

We made this just the other day - but unfortunately I didn't get a photo. These were exceptionally pretty plates with the deep purple forbidden rice and broccoli fresh from our garden.

Grilled Chicken with Rosemary and Lime

marinade:
2/3 cup lime juice
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup olive oil
2 T dried rosemary, or equivalent fresh
1/4 t pepper

2 chicken breasts cut into serving sized pieces

Combine ingredients for marinade. Mix well and pour over chicken. Refrigerate several hours or overnight.

Grill until chicken is thoroughly cooked, basting with reserved marinade if desired.

(Not So) Fakes: Homemade 'Poptarts'

I wish I had a better name for these. I think they deserve a name all their own that doesn't make them sound like junk food wannabes. After all, many cultures have their own versions of little pies that fit in one's hand. We're just more familiar with the commercial version, and since that is what people are more likely to know them by, that's what I've been calling them.

I've been making these for several years now. It was a fun activity for my son and me on a winter afternoon. Or any afternoon. We'd make all different kinds. His favorite was one he 'invented' - a S'mores version (pictured above) with chocolate chips and small marshmallow pieces, followed by his second favorite, cinnamon and sugar.

I usually brush with warm golden syrup as a glaze to make them shiny and add a touch of sweetness. You can use your favorite glaze and add sprinkles, too. 

Give it a try and let me know what filling is your favorite.

Homemade 'Poptarts'

1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter
3 tablespoons cold water

Combine as for pie crust. Roll out and cut into rectangles 2x3 or 3x4 inches . Place rectangle on cookie sheet, spread with jam, cinnamon sugar, chocolate pieces, or whatever takes your fancy. Top with a second rectangle and seal all the way around.

Bake 450, 8-10 minutes. Glaze and add sprinkles if desired.

Scrambled Eggs

It's probably no surprise that in my house, cooking together is an activity we all enjoy. And sometimes in the process of teaching the youngest member something new, I learn something, too.

The most recent example was how to make better scrambled eggs. I thought I made good scrambled eggs before - fluffy, souffle like eggs cooked in butter and coconut oil, but now that I've had these, I almost never want to eat eggs any other way again.

I don't usually show step by step instructions, but with these eggs, it's the method that matters.

First step: Throw some butter into a pan and let it get all foamy. I didn't measure mine, but it seems like a bit less than a tablespoon.

Into that golden lake of bubbly, melted buttery goodness, crack two eggs, sprinkle with salt and add a good glug of cream. About a tablespoon or so.

Stir it all together to break up eggs and combine all ingredients. Don't worry about making it all too uniform.

When the eggs are set and nearly cooked, add some more butter and a bit more cream. Yes, really.

Stir together and cook a minute or two more and serve. Lovely.

Coconut Gelatin

I've been making gelatin cubes from juice for snacks and school lunches for quite some time and thought making them from coconut milk would be a nice change. I have used coconut oil for years, but have never really done much with coconut milk.

I'm always hearing about the health benefits of coconut and gelatin. Here's a simple, hot weather friendly way to get more of both:

Coconut Milk Gelatin

2 cups coconut milk
2 tablespoons gelatin

Measure 1/2 cup coconut milk into a bowl. Add gelatin and allow to stand until softened.

Slowly heat remaining coconut milk to just under the boiling point. Add some of the heated coconut milk into the gelatin mixture. Stir until lumps are gone. Add gelatin/coconut milk to the coconut milk in the pan. stirring to prevent lumps. Continue to heat until gelatin is completely dissolved.

Pour into shallow pan and allow to cool slightly before putting it in the refrigerator. Chill until set. Cut into squares or desired shapes.

Breakfast 'Pizza'

This morning I wanted to make something a bit different for breakfast. We had some good Italian sausage left over from our pizza making the day before, along with fresh mushrooms, mozzarella cheese and some other pizza toppings. I've got dough in the refrigerator, so I could have made more pizza, but we've been eating a lot of bread lately and I wanted to rein it in a bit.

I considered making sausage and cheese omelets, but decided that was a bit too ordinary, and I hoped the pizza look would appeal to the youngest member of the family.  The result was definitely not ordinary and, as predicted, was popular with the younger, 'not-so-sure-about-eggs' family member who is now looking forward to trying it again - with pepperoni.

Breakfast Pizza

Ingredients:
pizza toppings: pepperoni, sausage, onions, mushrooms, peppers, spinach - your choice.
grated cheese
eggs
butter
herbs, salt, pepper or other seasonings

Preheat broiler. Prepare the toppings and set aside. Crack eggs into a bowl and scramble with a whisk or fork until uniform yellow color.  I used a small pan and two eggs per person. Season as desired.

Melt butter in a shallow, oven safe pan over med-low heat. When butter is foamy, add eggs and swirl to coat bottom evenly. Sprinkle egg mixture with pizza toppings. Top with cheese.

When the eggs are cooked on the bottom, place pan under broiler for a few minutes, watching carefully, until eggs are cooked on top and cheese is melted.

New Stuff

Out shopping recently, I stumbled on these cute silicon baking cups. I think they're just the think to brighten up Laptop Lunchboxes in the new school year!