Spring Time is Tea Time!

It's spring and it's time to break out the tea...

The Iced Tea, that is!

Southern Iced Tea just has to be the best thing there is!  If you prefer sweet tea or 'un'sweet tea it doesn't matter.  One sip of this grand drink will have you singing with the birds and so glad the sun's out!  (Click the link above to learn how to make Southern Iced Tea)


Orange Iced Tea - A variation to try this year is Orange Iced Tea.  I been making this for years and years and years (ok I'm dating myself!).  Let's just say a long time.  This is one of my favorites as it give a nice citrus flavor which I prefer to lemon.  Just muddling oranges in your tea give you a hint of flavor, enough to make the spring air just a little fresher!  (click above for the recipe)

Apple Cider Iced Tea - This one is just as wonderful, but feels a little more like a fall flavor.  If you prefer use Apple juice instead of cider for a nice spring tea which will be crisp and wonderful!  (click above for the recipe)

So get ready to try some new Iced Tea Flavors this spring, or come up with your own combination.  I'm going to try mint tea and peach tea next, so look for new recipes soon!

Happy Spring!

Comfort Food: Quick & Easy Arroz con Pollo

When the weather outside can't make up it's mind...and turns from hot to cold again I tend to want something warm and yummy for dinner.  Comfort food comes to mind.

Don't you think comfort food is somehow filling and soothing in your tummy?  I love being able to put together something quick and have it turn out to be a bed of comfort for me and MGG while we sit down and relax after a hard day. Accomplishing this during the week calls for creativity.  Boy! I got the perfect solution for you.  Today's dish is Arroz con Pollo which translates to "rice and chicken".  

I don't think you can get better than a chicken and rice dish. Did you know there are famous chicken and rice dishes all over the world?  Hmm, there must be something to that!

This is my version of the Mexican restaurant style, Arroz con Pollo.  I used to order this all the time when we went out. Lately, it doesn't seem to be making an appearance on the menus.  So I make my own!

To make this dish easy, and a great weeknight meal I start with using leftovers.  Yep, that's right...leftovers.  This dish is like a casserole where you throw the ingredients in, bake it, and voila! dinner is served.  So it is a perfect base for using leftovers.  

Earlier in the week I roasted chicken for dinner.  Planning ahead I cooked several extra chicken breasts knowing that I could use them in other dishes such as salad, soups. tacos, including this comfort food dish today.  You can see my Roasting 101: Chicken Breasts recipe here.  It really is the best way to roast chicken and turn out juicy, tasty, tender breast meat.  

The next day I served my Easy Mexican Rice with some carne asada we made.   Again I made extra to use in this dish.  All I did to enhance this dish was to add some diced tomatoes to give it a little more pow!

That's the basis of the dish...but don't forget the cheese! Oooey gooey melting cheese all over the top just make this dish ring.  

I made them in ovenproof individual serving bowls which came out cute.  You can put it all in one baking dish if you like.

Enjoy some comfort!  Your hearts will sing!

Quick & Easy Arroz con Pollo

serves 4

2 roasted chicken breasts, shredded (pre-made)
4 cups of Easy Mexican Rice (pre-made)
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes, drained
2 cups Cheddar Cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spay a 2 quart baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Place the rice in a medium sized bowl.  Add the drained tomatoes and stir to incorporate.  Add rice mixture to the prepared baking dish.  Top with chicken and mix a little to mix together.  Top with cheese.

Bake covered with foil for 30 minutes or until cheese has melted and ingredients have been heated through.  Serve.

Orange Nutmeg French Toast

Just coming back from a wonderful vacation made me want to try my hand at a breakfast with a citrus twist.

We had some terrific breakfast in Hawaii that you can read about here.  One thing MGG had that I just drooled over was french toast.  I love me some good french toast.  Even if you eat it in Hawaii there is something about the atmosphere that makes you feel outdoorsy, healthier and fit.  So I tell myself that if you eat this over there that you are not really being that bad.....you can work it off with a nice swim, kayaking, paddle boarding or snorkeling.  (Ha! Good justification right?)

One thing that scream tropics is all the fresh fruits.  So I wanted to bring that into the dish with the orange extract and the zest.  You can get the orange extract here.  this is a great items to have on hand for cake batters, muffins, etc.  Almost anything you would use vanilla for you can substitute this flavor....it's yummy.  To go along I wanted to bring a little warmth so I thought cinnamon was typical, so let's mix it up a little and use some fresh grated nutmeg.  Oh so good!

The rest is simple, and just like basic french toast.  I used a loaf of day old french bread, which had perfect texture to soak up the custard.  This dish was just perfect, and exactly what I was looking for.  An ode to our favorite breakfast restaurant in Hawaii!  Aloha!




Orange Nutmeg French Toast

Serves 4

2 eggs

½ cup fat-free milk

½ teaspoon orange extract

½ teaspoon orange zest

1/4 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg

8 slices French bread

Powdered sugar, or maple syrup

In a shallow bowl, combine eggs, milk, orange extract, zest, and nutmeg. Whisk until well blended. Set aside.

Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat.

Dip bread slices into egg mixture, coating both sides of the bread.  Place in hot skillet.  Cook on first side until golden brown, about 3-4 minutes.  Flip and cook the other side another 3 minutes.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar or drizzle with warm syrup.