“A mind stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions.” – Oliver Wendell Holmes
NOTE: I spend my Wednesdays Unplugged from appointments. It’s my day to stay home, enjoy cooking and welcome our kids and grandkids for dinner in the evening. We end our meal with quotes from the Norwegian ‘Quote Cup’ passed on to me from my grandmother. I share a quote and a recipe here each week, along with an update and photos of what has been going on in our lives. I love trying new recipes…and love getting recipes you would like to share!
John and our son both love food trucks, so we invited him and his kids to join us at the North Loop Food Truck Festival last weekend. Unfortunately, in spite of the high volume of food trucks we were disappointed by the lack of variety and the long, long, lines… so, being in the North Loop, we decided to walk to get food somewhere else. We ended up under a tree on the patio at The Freehouse brewpub… grateful that the food trucks pulled the crowds away! …and grateful for the trees that protected us from rain showers while we were there!
RECIPE OF THE WEEK
Loved this chicken for build-your-own-nachos we had a few weeks ago… not only good for nachos, but also for tacos, enchiladas, with rice or even for salad. I was sad we didn’t have more leftovers. Thank you, recipetineats.com!
CHICKEN FOR NACHOS
- 1 1/4 pounds chicken thighs or breast
- 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 cup chicken broth, separated
Seasoning
- 3 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons EACH garlic powder, onion powder, dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon EACH cumin powder, paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon EACH salt and pepper
Place seasoning ingredients in a bowl. Ad 2 tablespoons of the chicken broth and mix to form a loose paste. Add chicken, turn to coat in paste.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Cook chicken for 3 minutes on each side (keep leftover paste in bowl). Remove chicken to a shallow dish.
Return skillet to stove. Add remaining chicken broth, tomato paste, sugar and scrape any paste left in the bowl. Mix to dissolve, scraping base of pan, and bring to a simmer.
Meanwhile, shred chicken with two forks, or chop (don’t worry if raw inside).
Add chicken to sauce, toss and simmer about 3 minutes until sauce reduces down to a thick sauce. Adjust salt to taste.
Nachos
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place half 8-ounce bag of tortilla chips on an ovenproof tray. Top with half the chicken and 1 cup melting cheese such as Monterey Jack. Top with another layer of chips, chicken and cheese. Bake 7 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly. Serve with Jalapeno peppers, guacamole and sour cream.
