Spicy Honey Chicken

Way back when I first started surfing the Internet to find recipes, I came across this one on a great blog called Our Best Bites. I have made this recipe many times and have always enjoyed it, so has the Mr. Foodie and our Foodie children.

I will say that as-is, the recipe is great. However, I’ve also found it very forgiving. The original is made with boneless, skinless chicken thighs and while I prefer it that way, my guys like breast meat so I made it with cut up breast tenders and it was still yummy. I’ve made it leaving out coriander and chipotle chili powder when I didn’t have it on hand and yep, still yummy. I will say that I don’t think it is overly spicy, in the burn your mouth sense, after all, my kids eat it with zero problems – the honey glaze seems to really cut that down. I have even used Hot Mexican Chili powder in it and it never got off-the-hook spicy.

Although it makes quite a mess in your pan, it is worth it! Such a tasty, easy recipe, definitely worth adding to the rotation.

SPICY HONEY CHICKEN
Adapted from Our Best Bites

Ingredients:

-4 Large Chicken Breasts (boneless, skinless, cut into smaller pieces)
-2 Tsp Vegetable Oil
-2 Tsp Garlic Powder
-2 Tsp Chili Powder
-1/2 Tsp Onion Powder
-1/2 Tsp Coriander
-1 Tsp Kosher Salt
-1 Tsp Cumin
-1/2 Tsp Hot Mexican Chili Powder
-1/2 Cup Honey
-1 TBS Cider Vinegar

Directions:

1. Make a rub for the chicken pieces by combining the garlic powder, both chili powders, onion powder, coriander, salt and cumin.

2. Drizzle chicken pieces with oil and coat well with rub mixture.*

3. Heat a grill pan, coated with cooking spray, on the stove to medium/medium-high heat.

4. Grill chicken pieces until cooked through, depending on the size of the pieces, about 3-5 minutes on each side.

5. While the chicken is cooking, place honey in microwave and heat until it thins out a bit – 30 seconds to 1 minute. Stir in the vinegar. Reserve a little to drizzle on at the end for serving.

6. Brush the honey mixture on both side of chicken pieces at end of grilling. I continue to brush until it is all used up and turn pieces frequently.

7. Top with reserved glaze before serving.

*You can mix chicken, oil and rub mixture in a large plastic bag or glass dish and leave in fridge if you want to do this part ahead of time. Just mix well to coat chicken pieces.

Spaghetti with Garlic, Oil and Pepper

I thought I would stick with a pasta theme and post this very simple, almost non-recipe, for Spaghetti Aglio, Olio e Peperoncino (spaghetti with garlic, olive oil and pepper flakes.) This dish actually makes me think of a dear friend of mine, as it is her favorite. She is someone I consider an ‘eating buddy’ and our general rule is never to order something on the menu that is either a) so simple we can whip it up ourselves anytime or b) made from ingredients that are common and can be purchased just about anywhere. However, if this dish is on the menu, she is ordering it – going against both of our eating out rules. Tsk, Tsk, Tsk…. But, I can’t blame her, I guess, I really like it too!

This dish is pretty spicy so I would definitely adjust to your personal taste and comfort level. I had honestly never thought of the exact amounts for this recipe as I have primarily always done it by sight and/or taste. I highly suggest playing with it to your liking as well.

Mr. Foodie and I ate it as our main course, with a side of steamed broccoli but it would go well with lots of other veggies and fish, shellfish or poultry.

SPAGHETTI WITH GARLIC, OLIVE OIL AND PEPPER FLAKES

Ingredients:

~10 Oz. Spaghetti
-3 Garlic Cloves, finely minced
-1 (to 1 1/2) Tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
-1/3 Cup Extra Virgin Olive
-3/4 Tsp Salt
-1/2 Tsp Coarsely Ground Black Pepper

Directions:

1. Boil Spaghetti noodles in salted water until al dente. They should have a little bite and not be overlooked at all.

2. Drain spaghetti well and place in serving bowl.

3. Add all other ingredients to Spaghetti and toss until well coated.

Note: This can be served warm or at room temperature. If you choose to serve at room temp, be sure to re-toss before serving.

Cranberry Jalapeno Sauce

Or ‘cranapeno’ sauce?  Whether you go with the long drawn out name in the title or the cutesy nickname I gave it, it tastes the same – good.  I’ve known a lot of people over the years who make a version of this and I generally put my feet up and let someone else make the cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving but this year, I thought I’d give it a try.  (Frankly, I did not even start eating any kind of cranberry sauce until maybe five years ago, it never did anything for me.)  And though I now love my beloved can-shaped, congealed, whatever that is that graces family tables every year (I know, I know) this kicks butt on that.  I love the sweet heat of this sauce and can’t wait to try it with my bird tomorrow.  Confession?  I can’t wait to try in on my leftover turkey sandwiches after Thanksgiving.  Even bigger confession?  I will probably dump this on cream cheese or ricotta and eat it with crackers before it even takes it’s place on the table next to that stinkin’ bird.  So, from my table to yours, I hope you have a really great Turkey day and relish is all the things you are most thankful for.  Oh, and if you need something to be thankful for – make this.

Okay, so once I threw the jalapeno in, I just loved the festive color of the dish.  It made me want to start playing Christmas carols, almost.  So, I wanted to share this photo because well, I thought it was pretty.

CRANBERRY JALAPENO SAUCE

1 12 oz Bag of Fresh Cranberries, washed

1 Cup Water

1 Cup White Sugar

1-3 Jalapeno Peppers, cleaned, seeded and chopped (This pepper amount is dependent on how big of a spicy kick you want your sauce to have.  I used one larger one and one medium one and liked it just fine.)

Juice from 1/2 a Lime

1/4 Cup of Cream Sherry

Directions:

1.  Add sugar and water to a sauce over medium-high heat and bring to a slow boil.

2.  Add cranberries and lower heat, simmer for 10-12 minutes.

3.  Add Jalepenos and lime juice and continue to simmer another 10-15 minutes, until you get the consistency you want.

4.  Add in Cream Sherry and simmer a few minutes longer.

5.  Remove from heat and serve either room temp or chilled.

Spicy Pork – Korean Style

This isn’t really a recipe post.  Primarily because I did not make the spicy pork and have been sworn to secrecy about the recipe.  My recent food obsession is Korean food for some reason and I am lucky enough to have a friend that is not only Korean but also a lover of food whose family owns a catering business.  Talk about knowing the right people… She took pity on me since she knows Mr. Foodie does not love Korean food and I always want to eat it and brought me over some of her native dishes.  (The spring rolls pictured are also her creation, just maybe not so Korean!)  I’m not allowed to tell you the recipe but I can give you a list of ingredients, hopefully you can play with it and figure out the measurements.  I had to give my friend some props on this blog for feeding me a good meal!

SPICY PORK – KOREAN STYLE

Ingredients:

Sriracha

Sambal

Korean Fermented Pepper Paste

Corn Syrup

Dried Pepper Flakes

Sugar

Ground Ginger

Ground Garlic

Salt

Pepper

Lemon Juice

Sesame Oil

Soy Sauce

Directions:

1.  Call good Korean girlfriend and have her make this for you.