Ending the Year with a Thank You

Happy New Year to everyone! 

As 2009 comes to a close, I am reminded of just how good of a year it was.  I reconnected with some really good friends from high school (thanks to Facebook), I successfully duplicated my Dad's famous sausage bread (oh, yes, that will be a recipe I share with you soon), I cut my financial debt in half, and I finally volunteered for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure (this year the push was due to my Aunt being diagnoised with breast cancer...she's doing amazingly well now.. YAY!!!).  I could go on and on, but I won't bore you, just know it was a good year for me and I'm sorry to see it go.  Now, just becuase I say I'm sorry to see it go, that does not mean I'm not excited about the new year that is ahead of us.  There are good things in our future and I can't wait to see where we go from here!

Speaking of good things, I would like to take a moment to say thank you to Chris.  He created my header that you see at the top of this site.  Isn't it cool?  I love it.  So, thank you Chris, you amaze me still with your talent, your love and your support.  I appreciate all that you do for me and all the support you have given me, especially with my culinary adventures.  Thank you baby!

I am not going to post a recipe today.  The meal we had last night did not turn out to be all that good.  Don't get me wrong, it wasn't bad, it just wasn't what I would consider a great recipe to post.  It did give me an idea for creating my own recipes, though, so I will work with that and post it at a later date.

I hope you all have a fantastic and safe new year! I'm excited about the year ahead and hope you all check back every once in a while to see what I'm up to.

Ciao!

Mexican Grilled Chicken

I know, I know...grilling in December, right?  Where in the world can you actually grill on December 29th?  Well, we are fortunate enough to live in the Arizona desert where we truly can grill all year round.  Thanks to my Mom and Dad, Chris and I got a grill last year.  I used it pretty much every night from June until about the middle of October. I figured out in that time, that pretty much anything you can cook on the stove or in the oven, you can grill.  It was a summer of trying new things. Plus, when it's 110 outside, the last thing you want to do is turn on the oven. Needless to say I love the grill and I love grilling.  I am the self proclaimed grill master in our house now :)  I guess what I'm trying to say is there will be plenty of grilling recipes to come!

I found this recipe on the Taste of Home website and have made it at least three times since I tried it.  It is simple and inexpensive to make due to the few ingredients it calls for.  I have made a few changes to the recipe but if you would like to see the original one, here's the link to the Taste of Home website.

Now, if you don't have a grill or your grill is hiding under a foot or more of snow, you can easily make this in the oven.  I would first sear it in a skillet, about 3-4 minutes on each side, then put it in a 375 degree oven until the juices run clear, about another 10-15 minutes depending on the thickness of the chicken.  Or if you don't want to sear it, just bake it.  Either way, this is a "gotta try" recipe.

Mexican Grilled Chicken
Adapted from Taste of Home


Ingredients:

1/2 cup mayonnaise
3 Tablespoons lime juice
1/2 package of taco seasoning
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Directions:

In a small bowl, combine the mayo, lime juice and taco seasoning until blended.  Set aside 1/4 cup of the mixture.  Slather both sides of chicken with the remaining mayo mixture.  Let marinate for at least 1 hour.


Grill chicken on preheated grill until no longer pink in the middle, about 8-10 per side depending on thickness.

Serve with reserved sauce.

Oh and one more thing...I have to give a birthday shout out to my Dad.  Happy Birthday Dad! You mean the world to me (you too Mom) and know that I'll always be your "little girl" no matter what.  You truly are my hero.  I Love and miss you bunches!

Southwest Baked Tilapia

Before I actually get too far into this post, I want to introduce you to the name Chris...that's my boyfriend.  I figured you all should meet since you will hear me speak of him from time to time!

Ok...so on to some food!

Chris and I are BIG fish eaters. Actually, we are big Tilapia eaters. We buy it frozen and it's very inexpensive. Plus, fish is healthier for us then the pasta I would cook every night if I could :) Tilapia is a fish that will pretty much take on any flavor, so if you're not a huge fan of fish due to the taste, Tilapia is a good one to start with. It has a very mild flavor.

Last night I tried my hand at a Southwest Baked Tilapia. It turned out really good. It's very simple to throw together. I love meals like this on the week nights. Though I love love love to cook, some days I come home from work and I don't want to spend a ton of time in the kitchen. Recipes like this one are perfect for those nights. I threw it together in 5 minutes and then put it in the oven for 15 minutes. That's it! (If you didn't have Tilapia or don't like Tilapia, you could easily use another white fish such as cod or sole.)

Southwest Baked Tilapia

Ingredients:

4 Tilapia fillets

4 tablespoons non fat sour cream

1 tablespoons chili powder

1 teaspoons ground cumin

1 tablespoons paprika

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 tablespoon garlic powder

1/2teaspoon crushed red pepper

1/2 tablespoon dried oregano

1/2 tablespoon dried parsley

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a small bowl, mix all the spices together.

Place Tilapia in a baking dish that has been prepared with non stick spray. Sprinkle the fillets with half the seasoning mixture. Spread sour cream over the top of each fillet. Sprinkle remaining seasoning mix over fish.

Bake for 15 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

You can adjust the heat of this recipe by cutting back (or adding) the cayenne and/or red pepper flakes.  Hope you enjoy this as much as we did!

Ciao!

Welcome!

Welcome to Jenn's Food Journey! I'm Jenn.

Pull up a chair and join me as I take you on a journey of edible proportions.

This is a new adventure for me. I love to cook and I want to share that love with anyone that is willing to listen and/or read. I am starting this blog to do nothing more then prove to myself that I can do it. The one goal I have set for myself is to create more of my own recipes. I am great at following instructions, but this year, I want to focus more on my own recipe creation.

So, I hope you enjoy your visit...come back and see us again sometime :)

Ciao!