Chicken Tacos

This is entirely different from any chicken taco I've sampled but oh, so delicious.  This is also from my friend Melissa (Her recipe blog is linked on the right).  The only change I made was adding lime juice.

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 tsp. salt

1 Tbsp. oil, vegetable or canola

4 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded.

Pinch of pepper

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1/4 lime, squeezed

1 onion, chopped

2 (10 oz.) cans Rotel tomatoes (one can drained, one undrained)

grated cheese

Corn Tortillas

shredded lettuce

Sour Cream

Guacamole (recipe below)

 Heat oil in a large skillet. Add onion and garlic  and salt. Cook unitl onion is tender. Add tomatoes, lime juice, pepper and cumin. Stir in chicken. Cook uncovered, sitrring occasionally until liquid is obsorbed into meat. Taste and add more salt and cumin if needed.  Serve on corn tortillas.

A hint about corn tortillas:  heat them on a skillet until pliable.  I found that if I add a little oil to the skillet, they are much better to eat.  

I did think these would be excellent with black beans.

Guacomole

This is seriously amazing.  It comes from my friend's recipe blog and you can find the original here.  I changed it a bit because I am afraid of Jalapeno peppers and raw onions.  Also, I did not use a food processor as suggested in her recipe.

2 ripe avacados, pitted and peeled
1 jalapeno, finely chopped and seeded
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Roma tomato, chopped
1 Tbsp. lime juice
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper


Mash avocado using a fork or mini wisk, add other ingredients until combined (leave chunky).  Melissa suggests that if the avocado is too ripe you can add more lemon (or lime) juice and salt. 

Macaroni and Cheese

This is a barefoot contessa recipe. I normally add sauteed onions and mustard powder, but decided I would follow her recipe exactly. Using the cheeses listed is essential and pricey (I spent $15). McKay and I both agreed this was the best mac and cheese I've ever made--I wouldn't change a thing. I didn't have tomatoes, but I think they'd be delicious. I also didn't have plain bread crumbs so I used panko and it was tasty.

Ingredients

• Kosher salt
• Vegetable oil
• 1 pound elbow macaroni or cavatappi
• 1 quart milk (I used skim)
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, divided
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 12 ounces Gruyere, grated (4 cups)
• 8 ounces extra-sharp Cheddar, grated (2 cups)
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3/4 pound fresh tomatoes (4 small)
• 1 1/2 cups fresh white bread crumbs (5 slices, crusts removed)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Drizzle oil into a large pot of boiling salted water. Add the macaroni and cook according to the directions on the package, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain well.

Meanwhile, heat the milk in a small saucepan, but don't boil it. Melt 6 tablespoons of butter in a large (4-quart) pot and add the flour. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring with a whisk. While whisking, add the hot milk and cook for a minute or two more, until thickened and smooth. Off the heat, add the Gruyere, Cheddar, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Add the cooked macaroni and stir well. Pour into a 3-quart baking dish.

Slice the tomatoes and arrange on top. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, combine them with the fresh bread crumbs, and sprinkle on the top. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the macaroni is browned on the top.