Rainbow Fruit Tacos

Happy St. Patrick's Day, everybody! Today is the day I try to pretend I actually know something about my Irish heritage. My maiden name was Shannon, and I'm a Notre Dame fan, but otherwise I'm not much more Irish than a box of Lucky Charms.  Plus, I recently read a Buzz Feed article listing 7 myths about St. Patrick's Day that essentially negated everything I thought I knew about Ireland. Corned beef and cabbage as Irish staples? Totally bogus. That was sort of a relief, though, because I don't like either one of those.  What I do like are these adorable fruit tacos! This rainbow needs no pot of gold at the end, any little leprechaun would find these to be a perfect treat all by themselves.

Rainbow Fruit Tacos
Prep time: 30 min  Cook time: 7 min
Serves 7

Shells:
7 large flour tortillas
1 Tbs sugar
½ tsp ground cinnamon
nonstick cooking spray

Filling:
8 oz light cream cheese, softened
1 Tbs honey
1 Tbs sugar
½ tsp ground cinnamon

½ cup chopped strawberries
½ cup chopped mandarin oranges
½ cup chopped pineapple
½ cup peeled and chopped kiwi
½ cup blueberries

Preheat the oven to 350°F. 

To prepare the taco shells, use a biscuit cutter (or an empty can) to cut 3" circles out of your large tortillas. Lay the cut tortillas out flat and very lightly spray them with the nonstick cooking spray. Mix together the cinnamon and sugar. Sprinkle tortillas evenly with the cinnamon sugar.

Gently fold each tortilla in half and hang them upside down on the rungs of your oven rack (a slight fold will yield a wider taco shell that is easier to fill). Bake for 5 - 7 minutes and then remove and gently set aside.

For the filling, beat the cream cheese, honey, sugar, and cinnamon until fluffy, about 3 minutes.

Spoon 1-2 teaspoons of the filling into each shell. Top with the chopped fruit.

384 calories per serving.  Click here for more nutritional info and shopping list!

5 Spice Cream Cheese Chicken

I work in a small optometrist's office, and apparently my ability to use ctrl+alt+del effectively qualifies me as the office computer expert. I have become the de facto IT consultant, responsible for solving all our office technology woes. Mind you, I don't have the faintest idea what is wrong most of the time, but I usually manage to poke my way through enough settings menus to chance upon a solution. You know what I've learned from all this experimenting?  Computers are way too complicated! As complicated as they are, you'd think they'd be sophisticated enough to fix themselves when we screw them up!

Today's tech problem was a little more complicated than most and called for the ultimate simple solution--buy a new computer.  Unfortunately, that means tomorrow will be spent setting it up and transferring all the important stuff from the old to the new--another complication in the making. Good thing I had an amazingly simple supper planned for tonight. Just a few basic ingredients made a delicious piece of chicken and an incredible sauce that was also great as a gravy on mashed potatoes. Next time, I'll make a double batch so I can have leftovers for dinner the next night. Now that would be a simple supper!

5 Spice Cream Cheese Chicken
Prep time: 5 min  Cook time: 15 min
Serves 4

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp adobo seasoning
½ tsp cayenne pepper
¼ tsp smoked paprika
¼ tsp ground mustard
1 Tbs olive oil
1 Tbs butter
2 Tbs heavy cream
¼ cup milk
¼ cup cream cheese

Pat the chicken dry.

Combine the salt and spices in a small bowl.  Sprinkle the seasoning onto both sides of all the chicken pieces, rubbing it into the meat.

Melt the butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  When hot, add the chicken.

Cook for about 3-5 minutes per side, until golden brown.

Once cooked on both sides, reduce the heat to medium-low and add the heavy cream, milk and cream cheese. Stir to combine and coat the chicken in the cream mixture.  Let the sauce thicken for about 3 minutes before serving.

282 calories per serving.  Click here for more nutritional info and shopping list!

Huli Huli Chicken

A week ago today, we got six inches of snow and I got a day and a half off work for the weather. Today, it was 73 degrees, sunny, and beautiful! I wish I could've gotten a day off work today instead.  But, at least my menu was perfectly apropos. This incredible chicken could be baked in the oven, but it was soooo yummy seared on the grill! I'm sure we made the neighbors salivate from the smell of delectably charred meat, especially since we took the opportunity to eat out on the back deck.

This is not my typical quick and easy type of recipe: it calls for overnight brining then a lengthy amount of time on the grill, but it was totally worth it. I suppose you could skip the brining, but it adds great moisture and flavor to the inside of the meat that you really don't want to miss. Don't get lazy with the basting, either. Multiple coats every 5 minutes or so creates an amazing crust that's practically like candy.

The story of Huli-Huli chicken is kind of interesting. In 1955, a guy named Ernest Morgado cooked up a big batch of chicken for a farmer's group. It had been marinated in his take on the classic Japanese teriyaki sauce, and painted with the sauce on the grill. It was such a hit that, by the time he died, it had become a signature dish beloved throughout Hawaii, served mostly by shade tree cooks from roadside stands, parking lots, and parks at fundraisers. Drive around Oahu and if you see smoke rising and smell something sweet, it is likely Huli-Huli chicken. The locals keep napkins in their glove compartment just in case!

Rather than turn scores of chicken pieces one by one when he was catering an event, he sandwiched the meat between two mesh grates, and, with the help of an assistant, flipped the whole contraption. Sort of like Hawaiian rotisserie. When it was time to turn, he would shout "huli" which is Hawaiian for "turn" to his assistant who would shout "huli" back, grab the handles on the other side of the grates, and turn the chicken over, lickety split. Thus, Huli-Huli Chicken was born!

Huli Huli Chicken
Prep time: 10 min (plus 4+ hrs brining)
Cook time: 30 min
Serves 6

For the Brine:
6 chicken leg quarters, cut up
1 quart of water, or to cover
2 Tbs of kosher salt
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

Chicken Seasoning:
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp Creole or Cajun seasoning
1 tsp garlic powder

For the Sauce:
1 cup pineapple juice
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce or ketchup
1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 Tbs Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbs of olive oil
1 tsp of hot sauce
Juice of one lemon


Whisk together the brine ingredients. Place the chicken in a non-reactive bowl or zippered bag and pour the brine over. Seal tightly and place in a bowl in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight. Remove chicken from brine; drain, but do not rinse. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and rub in a light dusting of black pepper, Creole and Cajun seasoning and garlic powder on both sides. Let rest while you preheat grill to high.

When ready to grill, whisk together the sauce ingredients. Leave one grill zone (one or two burners) on high, turn all other burners down to medium. Oil the grates, and quickly sear the chicken on the hottest part of the grill, with the lid closed, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Move the chicken to the cooler part of the grill, apply a generous basting of the sauce on both sides, and grill covered, about 25 to 30 minutes, turning and basting every few minutes, until thoroughly cooked through. An instant read thermometer should register 165-175 degrees F in the thickest part of the thigh.

560 calories per serving.  Click here for more nutritional info and shopping list!

Spicy New Orleans Shrimp

I tend to think of myself as a self-described Wonder Woman. I have a full time job and a family to take care of, I cook amazing meals and do pretty much all the household chores every day, I blog usually at least once a week, I volunteer at my church, I decorate lavishly for all major holidays, and for the last year I have been writing a novel and trying to find an agent to help me get it published! Somehow, I manage to do all this and still find time to keep up with my Facebook newsfeed, read a stack full of library books every month and watch all my favorite TV shows. I have to say, I amaze myself sometimes!

Most days, I juggle all this with ease, and a smile on my face. Some days, however, my super powers slip just a little. Like the last time I planned to make this fabulous dish.

The recipe is for 2 lbs of shrimp--I had only one. It calls for chili sauce--I forgot to buy any. It's supposed to marinate for 4 or more hours--I started it 20 minutes before I planned to eat. The sauce is supposed to be simmered for 10 minutes--I dumped it straight onto the shrimp instead. To top it all off, I was serving this with my Crock Pot Corn Casserole, which is supposed to cook on high for 2 hours, but I only put it on low for 2. Definitely NOT my finest moment! 

Amazingly enough, it STILL turned out awesome! This sauce is absolutely delicious, so I recommend serving it with some crusty french bread to sop up any extra.

Spicy New Orleans Shrimp

Prep time: 15 min (plus 4+ hrs)
Bake time: 20 min
Serves 5

2 pounds shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 cup butter, melted
4 Tbs chili sauce
3 Tbs olive oil
2 Tbs worcestershire sauce
2 Tbs fresh lemon juice
1 Tbs fresh parsley
1 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 1/2 tsp Liquid Smoke (hickory flavor)
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp Tabasco sauce
5 cloves fresh garlic, minced

Add all ingredients except shrimp to a saucepan, stir and let simmer for 10 minutes. Remove pan from heat and let cool.

Arrange the shrimp in an oven- proof casserole dish and pour the sauce over the shrimp. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or preferably overnight.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Bake shrimp for 15 - 20 minutes.

411 calories per serving.  Click here for more nutritional info and shopping list!