Monday, August 15, 2011

Tonight's dinner and other musings

Tonight for dinner, I just kinda looked in the fridge and started grabbing stuff.  I haven't been really grocery shopping in a little bit, so I used what we had in the house.  I came up with cajun rotini with blackened chicken & sauteed shallots with red & yellow bell peppers in a white wine dijon cream sauce.  It was delicious!!! 
First, I sliced the shallots, chopped a clove of garlic and sliced the bell peppers.  Then I sliced the chicken into long strips.  I tossed the chicken into a bowl with blackened seasoning so it would be well coated.  I heated some olive oil in a large skillet and added the chicken and veggies.  I squeezed the juice of one lemon over the mixture.  I cooked the chicken through and then used my tongs to put the meat & veggies into a separate bow.  With the skillet still over the heat, I added the white wine to my glass  deglaze the pan and then added the dijon mustard.  Once that was well mixed, I added some lemon zest, sour cream and salt.  I let the sauce simmer for a few minutes to thicken then tossed the meat & veggie mixture with the sauce and added the boiled pasta to the mix.  It was really delicious and just spicy enough.  I love cajun spices!!!  I wish I had taken a picture, but the description will have to be enough this time.


Yesterday, Marc and I hosted another BBQ in the monsoon rain.  Marc pulled the smoker off of the deck and under the canopy of the pine tree in our back yard.  It kept him a little drier than if he just stood out on the deck.  We made 4 racks of baby back ribs, 2 racks of country style ribs and a pork shoulder.  I also made deviled eggs with bacon, cole slaw and potato salad.  Tex came over and brought fresh homemade guacamole and spicy pepper infused vodka, which he proceeded to make a kick-ass spicy bloody mary with.  He muddled limes and cilantro to add to the bloody mary, and I have to say, I don't think I ever want another bloody mary without it!! It was SO good!! The spicy vodka mixed with the freshness of the cilantro made such a crisp flavor.  I'll definitely be stealing his recipe!


After the BBQ, Tex and I got online and bought a plane ticket for my best friend, Michelle (who will be Shell from here on out, 'cause that's what I call her!) to come see us in New York!  I can't wait; she's never been here.  She's also never been on a plane, but that's another story.  Shell is coming up to visit and go to Oktoberfest with us!! She has been my best friend since we were 10 years old.  I'm so excited that she's coming...I just wish October wasn't so far away!!!


I hope y'all have a good week ahead!
Cheers,
Kelli

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