First Grilled meal of the Year

Spring has arrived! Actually, it arrived & then went away. It's only 44 degrees today & I had to turn the heat back on in the house yesterday. Boo! But on Sunday it was still nice out & I took the opportunity to fire up the grill for a yummy steak. I used a dry rub on a filet, roasted some asparagus (yes...again) & sauteed some mushrooms & shallots. It was all very tasty & I gobbled it up!

Tasty spring asparagus:


Mmmm.....steak:

From Drop Box

Chipotle Chicken Pasta

I had some extra chicken tenders & mushrooms that needed to be used so I decided to make a chipotle chicken pasta for lunch yesterday. I made an alfredo sauce & added some of the adobo from chipotles in adobo to it. I also through in some chipotle powder. Doesn't look very appetizing, but it sure tasted good!



I crushed a large clove of garlic & put it in the pan while the oil was heating up. Removed the garlic, then added chicken, mushrooms, onion & chopped chipotles. After a few minutes I added a splash of chicken stock to the pan. At the very end I added parsley & scallions.



Mixed in the pasta & alfredo sauce, topped with grated parmesan & more parsley.



After taking a couple bites, I decided the dish needed a little acid, so I squeezed lemon juice on it. That's what it needed. Very tasty!

Adobo

I've never had (or really even heard of) adobo prior to a couple weeks ago. Which is a little crazy since I lived with a Filipino for 7 years. Can't believe she never introduced me to this tasty dish! Since I've never had it before, I have no idea if what I made tasted authentic, but it sure did taste good. I adapted a recipe found on Food Network for my own tastes. Of course I felt the need to spice it up, so I added serrano chilis & chopped onion. I only used chicken thighs & I also added some brown sugar to cut through the vinegar. Served along side some Jasmati rice.

The chicken was incredibly tender and flavorful, the meat just fell off the bone. I should braise more often!

New Orleans Pasta Special

Several years ago one of my favorite lunch spots closed. It was called Kiki's Bon Maison (or something like that). They made this amazing cajun pasta dish & I was lucky enough to get my hands on the recipe. It's certainly not figure-friendly, so I only make it once every couple years. I was craving it yesterday, so figured it was time to break it out again! Rough recipe for the sauce (halved): 1/2 C Olive Oil, 4 T Butter, 3 cloves garlic, 1 tsp each of paprika, basil, oregano, salt, black pepper & cayenne, 1 T lemon juice. Combine & heat over low. Serve over linguine with chicken/shrimp mushrooms, pimentos, parsley & grated parmesan. Soooo good.