I have been trying to be more open minded about recipes lately.  I no longer reject a recipe just because it calls for curry powder or coconut milk.  In the past, I would turn up my nose at any recipe that didn’t have a flavor profile I immediately recognized.  Mix cumin and soy sauce? Never.  Makes no sense.  My attitude these days is more along the lines of: “I like cumin and I like soy sauce, so I why won’t I like them together?”  Also, I feel like I should trust the experts.  If Fine Cooking says these flavors taste good together, then I am willing to try it.

This turned out to be a really nice, quick dinner.  Serve over rice or couscous to soak up all of the juices and sauce.  The chicken is marinated for a few hours and then seared.  The marinade is reserved and then boiled and served as a sauce.  If you don’t like the idea of using the marinade as a sauce you can either double it and reserve half before adding the chicken or you can  serve it without the sauce.  I thought it was juicy and flavorful on it own, mrChaos liked the sauce a lot (and by the way if you asked him he would tell you he doesn’t like curry powder or coconut milk)-so it’s up to you.

Lime and Coconut Chicken

• 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 3 tbsp oil
• zest of 1 lime
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 2 tsp curry powder
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• pinch cayenne
• 1 small fresh hot chili, such as Thai or Serrano, minced (optional)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• Fresh limes, cut into wedges

1. Trim fat from chicken breasts.  Starting on thick side of the breasts slice the chicken breasts almost in half, then open each like a book.
2. Place each open breast between two pieces of plastic wrap, wax paper or inside a large, open, Ziploc bag.
3. Using a small heavy pan, bottle or smooth meat mallet lightly pound out each breast into even thickness.
4. Mix all remaining ingredients except fresh cilantro and limes.
5. Add chicken and marinade to a large bowl or ziploc bag and chill in the refrigerator for up to two hours.
6. Your chicken doesn’t take long to cook so you can use this time to get your dishes prepped and ready.
7. Once you are ready to cook the chicken, remove each breast from the marinade.
8. Pour the marinade into a small saucepan and bring to a rolling boil.  Boil continuously for at least 2 minutes, stirring occasionally so it doesn’t burn.
9. In a heavy skillet or grill pan, heat a splash of oil over high heat.
10. Cook the chicken in batches to prevent over crowding the pan.
11. Place the breasts in the hot pan and cook without turning for a couple minutes
12. Flip the breasts over and cook until the other side is golden, it shouldn’t take long depending on the thickness of your chicken.
13. Place cooked breasts on a plate in a warm oven or under foil while cooking the remaining chicken.
14. Sprinkle with fresh lime juice and cilantro. Serve with sauce on the side.

If you typically have these ingredients on hand this is a quick, cheap main dish to throw together.  It would be delicious on the grill or as kabobs as well.

Fresh peaches are truly a delight in Texas and you’ll be hard pressed to find barbecue not accompanied by homemade peach cobbler.  Be warned: peach cobbler in Texas is SWEET.  Every recipe I found had at least 2 cups of sugar.  It’s a heady combination of syrupy pudding and biscuity cake.  The vanilla ice cream is an essential balance to the sweetness.  You can use any type of fruit in this recipe, and if you use frozen or canned peaches it takes no time at all.

This is a slightly adapted version of my mother-in-law’s peach cobbler.  Fresh peach cobbler was a summer tradition when mrChaos and his sisters were kids.  They would climb into the peach trees and shake down the peaches for their mother.  And while you can certainly make this anytime of year with canned or frozen peaches, I like to think of it being a special summertime treat.

Texas Peach Cobbler

• 2 lbs fresh, canned, or frozen peaches (approx. 7 medium peaches)
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup flour
• 2 cup sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg

1. For fresh peaches, ripe peaches are easier to peel.  When you press your thumb against the peach you should be able to feel the peach’s flesh move beneath the skin.  If they are too hard you will have to peel them with a pairing knife (or wait for them to ripen).
2. To peel fresh, ripe peaches bring a pot of water to boil.  Submerge peaches completely in boiling water for approximately one minute (less if they are really soft) then immediately dunk them in a bowl full of ice water.
3. Remove peaches and cut a small X at the bottom of each and use these points as starting points for pulling the peels off.
4. Peel and slice the peaches, place in a medium bowl.  If using canned peaches drain them and place them in the bowl.  For frozen peaches, thaw and place in the bowl.
5. Preheat oven to 350°F.
6. Melt butter in a 13×9 inch casserole.
7. In a mixing bowl, stir together flour, 1 cup of sugar, baking powder, and salt.
8. Add milk and egg and stir to combine.
9. Pour batter over melted butter in the casserole dish, do not stir.
10. Add 1 cup of sugar to peaches along with cinnamon and nutmeg if using.  Stir to combine.
11. Spoon peaches and sugar gently over batter, do not stir.
12. Bake casserole for 30-40 minutes or until batter is fully baked and golden.
13. Serve hot with vanilla ice cream.

To make Nana’s peach cobbler: omit the spices and egg, decrease the butter to 1/4 cup and increase the milk to 2 cups.

I need suggestions from the been there done that military families.  My cousin just arrived at boot camp and I’d like to send him a little we’re thinking about you care package but the rules say: not food.

So what does a young guy fresh into boot camp need other than food?  Tylenol? Magazines? ChapStick?

Help!

Update: So do you think a phone card so he can call his mom and his girlfriend?  What about stamps and envelopes?  Will they let him keep that stuff?

Summer Reruns: One of our favorite summer treats, and the first homemade ice cream recipe I ever attempted.  If I could do it, you can do it!

To learn how to make this delicious ice cream go here.