Jamaican Breeze

One of my favorite rums, and I have many, is the Appleton Estate Reserve 12 year old rum. It is made by Jamaica’s oldest continually run distillery sitting on the oldest sugar estate. It is the rum I use in Mai Tais and is also a very smooth sipping rum. The taste is what I think of when I think of rum. It mixes well in cocktails where you want to be able to highlight the taste of the rum. Below is one such cocktail. The Jamaican Breeze is perfect for a soft summer evening.

Jamaican Breeze
Ingredients:

• 1 slice Fresh ginger
• 1.5 oz Appleton Estate Reserve Rum
• 2 oz Pineapple juice (fresh is best)
• 0.5 oz simple syrup
• 1 dash Angostura Bitters (optional)
• Lime wheel

Instructions:

1. In a shaker, muddle the ginger.
2. Add the remaining ingredients and fill with ice.
3. Shake it like you mean it.
4. Strain into a rocks glass filled with fresh ice.
5. Garnish with a lime wheel.

Rotisserie Chicken

I do a lot more grilling in the summer just for the simple fact that I do not want to heat up the house any more with the oven. I do start missing things roasted in the oven. If you are lucky enough to have a rotisserie on your grill, that is not a problem. Anything you typically roast in the oven, is a perfect candidate for your rotisserie on your grill. You can also roast other items in your grill while your rotisserie is going as well. I decided not to share my recipe for rotisserie chicken, but instead direct you to the blog for the king of rotisserie cooking using your grill. You will get more information, techniques, and ideas for this method of cooking than I could ever give you in this post. So hurry and go check out Dad Cooks Dinner and keep your house cooler this summer.

Fish Tacos

I am still thinking about things we ate while on the Hawaiian Islands. While on Maui, we ate lunch at Coconut’s Fish Cafe. We had fish tacos topped with a wonderful tropical slaw that used coconut milk instead of mayonnaise. This is my attempt to recreate it.  I quickly sauteed some mahi mahi with mexican spices in a very hot skillet for the fish part of the taco. To build the taco, I started with the tortilla and added some grilled tomato salsa. I then added the fish and put the tropical slaw on top of that and squeezed some lime juice over it. The tropical slaw replaces the shredded lettuce. These tasted pretty close to the ones we had on Maui. Give them a try with some of you favorite taco toppings.

Tropical Slaw

Ingredients:

• ½ cabbage, sliced very thin
• ½ jalapeno, small dice
• ¼ green bell pepper, sliced very thin
• ¼ ed bell pepper, sliced very thin
• ¼ yellow bell pepper, sliced very thin
• ¼ red onion, sliced very thin
• 1 mango, small dice
• 1 cup coconut milk
• salt and pepper
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp ginger powder
• 1 tsp cumin

Instructions:

1. If you have a mandolin, this is the time to use it.
2. Very thinly, slice the cabbage, peppers, and onion into a bowl.
3. Add coconut milk and mangoes.
4. Season with salt, pepper, and other spices.
5. Toss to coat.
6. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.

Macadamia Nut Crusted Chicken

Since we just got back from Hawaii, I have been thinking about macadamia nuts. So I decided to use them as a coating for chicken. This is a variation on the pecan crusted chicken. After eating this dish I learned two things. You absolutely need to use fresh macadamia nuts, easy to do in Hawaii but not so much in Colorado. This recipe also seems a little bland. It needs a sauce or a salso to go on top. Probably something with mangoes.

Macadamia Crusted Chicken

INGREDIENTS

• 2 large eggs

• 3 Tbsp coconut milk

• 3 garlic cloves, minced

• 2 tsp dried tarragon

• Salt and pepper

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, halved horizontally

• 2 cups macadamia nuts

• 1 cup panko bread crumbs

• 4 tsp cornstarch

• 1 Tbsp dark brown sugar

• 1 cup Vegetable oil

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 250 degrees.

2. Line rimmed baking sheet with wire rack.

3. Whisk eggs, coconut milk, garlic, tarragon, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in large bowl.

4. Add chicken, coat well, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate while preparing nut mixture.

5. Pulse macadamia nuts in food processor until finely chopped, with some pebble-sized pieces.

6. Transfer to pie plate or shallow rimmed dish.

7. Add panko bread crumbs to nuts.

8. Stir in cornstarch, brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, 1/4 teaspoon salt into nut mixture.

9. Working one at a time, remove cutlets from egg mixture, letting excess drip back into bowl.

10. Thoroughly coat chicken with nut mixture, pressing on coating to help it adhere.

11. Transfer to large plate.

12. Heat 1/2 cup oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering.

13. Place 4 cutlets in skillet and cook until golden brown on both sides, 3 to 4 minutes per side.

14. Transfer chicken to rack on baking sheet and keep warm in oven.

15. Discard oil and solids from skillet and repeat with remaining oil and cutlets.

16. Season cutlets with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

Apple Turkey Burger

Monday night usually means something quick and easy, and a lot of the time that means burgers. Except I did not want the usual burger today. I wanted something different. A turkey burger sounded intriguing but it needed some flavor and some moisture. I got some inspiration from an article I read in a magazine once titled 25 gourmet sandwiches for guys. Not sure why these sandwiches were for guys in particular, but the apple turkey burger sounded interesting. There was no recipe, just a picture and a short description. So, I plopped the ground turkey in a bowl and started adding stuff. I started with the ingredient from the name, an apple. I used a granny smith diced small. I added some onion and a minced jalapeno for some kick. Then I just added salt, pepper, and thyme. These grilled up juicy and tasty. I added Swiss cheese on two and cheddar on the other one. I started with the bottom bun, and then added spicy pickles, the turkey burger, lettuce, red onion, and I topped it with honey Dijon dressing. Not your boring Monday burger!

Apple Turkey Burger

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground turkey

• ½ medium onion, minced

• ½ jalapeno pepper, minced

• ½ granny smith apple, small dice

• salt and fresh ground black pepper

• 2 tbsp dried thyme

• 2 Tbsp olive oil

Instructions:

1. Place all ingredients into medium bowl.

2. With your hands, incorporate ingredients evenly.

3. Divide into three portions.

4. Form 3 patties.

5. If cooking in a skillet, use a little oil.

6. If cooking on a grill, make sure your grates are clean and oiled.

Ginger Curry Chicken Pepper Stir Fry

It has been awhile since I have posted. We spent some quality time on some of the Hawaiian Islands the last few weeks. Check out Dinner Dates for some of the places we ate. One of those places inspired me to make a curry based stir fry. I made this on Saturday night. After chopping everything, dinner was done in a flash. I used some yellow Vietnamese curry powder for this dish. Use whatever curry you have on hand, or go buy some new ones to try. Also try different meats and vegetables to personalize this dish for your tastes. Stir fries are easily customized.

Ginger Curry Chicken Pepper Stir Fry

Ingredients:

• 1 pound chicken breast, sliced thin

• 2 Tbsp Soy sauce

• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil

• 1 Tbsp ginger, minced

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 jalapeno, minced

• 2 Tbsp curry powder (your favorite)

• 2 Tbsp water

• ½ cup coconut milk

• 1 medium yellow onion, sliced thin

• ½ red bell pepper, sliced thin

• ½ green bell pepper, sliced thin

• ½ yellow bell pepper, sliced thin

• ½ cup crushed peanuts

Instructions:

1. Slice chicken into thin strips.

2. Add chicken and soy sauce to medium bowl to marinate at least 15 minutes.

3. Chop, slice, and mince all your veggies ahead of time since cooking will go quick.

4. Combine curry powder and water to make a paste and set aside.

5. Add 1 Tbsp oil to hot wok or skillet.

6. Add chicken and cook thoroughly.

7. remove from skillet and cover to keep warm.

8. Add 1 Tbsp oil to still hot wok or skillet.

9. Add peppers and onions and cook until almost done but still crisp.

10. Add garlic, ginger, and jalapeno to center of skillet and cook about a minute.

11. Add chicken, curry paste,and coconut milk to skillet.

12. Toss all ingredients in skillet to coat thoroughly.

13. Season with salt, crushed black pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste.

14. Top with crushed peanuts.

15. Serve over, white, brown, or fried rice.