InstantPot Chicken Tinga

If you're not familiar with Chicken Tinga (I wasn't!) here's what I have learned:  It's a classic Mexican dish made with shredded chicken that's simmered in a savory, lightly spicy tomatoey-chipotle sauce.

I've recently fallen in love with the La Tiara taco shells and decided I'd try their taco seasoning along with the seasoning for the Chicken Tinga.

While the package instructions direct you to simmer in a covered skillet, we were hungry and I decided to get out the trusted InstantPot to make sure the chicken cooked quickly and would be easy to shred.

You'll need a yellow onion (chopped), 1 pound of boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into large chunks, one envelope of the Tinga seasoning and about 2/3 cup of water.

I added a tablespoon of olive oil to the inner pot and hit the saute' button.  Added the chopped onion and let it cook for 2 - 3 minutes, stirring frequently.

Then in goes the seasoning and the water.  Gave it a good stir and turned off the saute function.

In went the chicken.....

Put the top on the pot, locked it into place, and made sure the vent was set to closed.

Then set the timer to 6 minutes.

After the cook time was over, I let it naturally release pressure for 10 minutes.  During that time, I got everything out that we would want for our toppings and heated a can of refried black beans as our side dish.

When the 10 minutes was up, I carefully removed the top of the cooker.

I removed the chicken from the pot, placed it in a bowl, and shredded it with two forks.

Then I poured in the remaining sauce that was in the pot and give everything a good stir.

At this point, you have many decisions to make!  You can use the Chicken Tinga to make enchiladas, burritos, crunchy tacos, quesadillas, or soft tacos!

We had soft tacos tonight and maybe we'll have crunchy tacos tomorrow with the leftovers.

The chicken was so tender and the sauce had just a little heat.  It was extremely flavorful and Sweet Harold kept bragging about how good it was the entire time we were having dinner!

I had the Chicken Tinga, shredded Mexican blend cheese, diced raw onion, pickled jalapenos, and taco sauce.  Sweet Harold had the same, but added black beans and sour cream to his.

Lolly's Amazon Storefront

 

My Amazon Storefront is officially open! I've gathered my favorite cookbooks, charcuterie essentials, kitchen tools, entertaining finds, grilling accessories, and more all in one place. Shop here by clicking this LINK ! Go browse and thanks for all of your support.

Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Grilled Lemon Pepper Buttery Buffalo Wings

I had lemon pepper buffalo wings for the first time a few years ago at my favorite burger spot. It was love at first taste.  I've been on a quest to duplicate them without frying.

I placed my share of the wings in a small bowl and liberally seasoned them with lemon pepper.  Yes, we are a divided household.  I like the drumettes, Sweet Harold is the flat guy.  

Get your grill smoking hot and place the wings on there to get a great sear and lock in the juices and start crisping the skin. You'll need to turn them over and around a few times to get a good crisp. Lower heat to medium and let them continue to cook.

Chicken wings are safe to eat when the internal temperature reaches 165𝇈 F.  However, the longer you cook them (up to 175-195𝇈) will result in a more tender wing.

When I'm going to sauce them, I begin to apply the sauce at 165 and let them glaze a bit.

I have actually become quite fond of Kinder's Buttery Buffalo Wing Sauce.

Just keep basting and turning them over and baste some more.  

The combination of lemon pepper and the buffalo fit the bill for me!

Garden Vegetable Spaghetti

Today is a rainy June day.  We took a break from most all productive activities and enjoyed a semi-lazy day at home. 

Sweet Harold requested spaghetti for a late lunch and I decided it was the perfect afternoon to use up some of those vegetables in the fridge that didn't have much time left.

Y'all know that spaghetti is probably one of my most favorite foods and this batch of sauce was guilt free due to all the veggies incorporated.  It's a thick and chunky sauce and it satisfied his craving.

1 lb. ground beef (93/7%)

1 large yellow onion chopped

1 large green bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1 medium yellow squash, chopped

1 medium zucchini, chopped

1 T. minced garlic

1 - 14.5 oz. can tomato sauce

1 - 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes

1 - 6 oz. can tomato paste

1 - 2 T. dried Italian seasoning

salt and pepper to taste

garnish:  Parmesan cheese and fresh basil

In a 3 - 4 quart Dutch oven, brown the ground beef over medium heat, breaking up with a wooden spoon.

When browned, add in onions, bell pepper, squash, and zucchini along with the garlic.  

Let cook for a 3 - 5 minutes and then add tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, and tomato paste with Italian seasoning.

Lower heat to low and let simmer for 30 - 40 minutes until vegetables are cooked through.  Stir as needed to keep from sticking.

Serve over cooked pasta and top with Parmesan and fresh basil.

Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Small Batch Peach Honey Bacon BBQ Sauce

 

I grilled two pork tenderloins last night.  I left one "plain" seasoned only with salt and pepper.  For the second one, after reaching the internal temp I wanted, I glazed it with a new flavor of the Small Batch BBQ Sauce lineup:  Peach Honey Bacon.  Now doesn't that sound like a perfect match for a pork tenderloin?  I certainly thought so.

Let me tell you about the flavors contained in that bottle!  It is a tomato (ketchup) based sauce, but there's these subtle notes of peach, sweetness from the honey, and then you get just the lightest touch of smokiness from the bacon.  They hit a home run with this one.  The sauce is extremely thick so it brushed on easily, stayed put on the pork, and glazed beautifully.  

The unsauced tenderloin is on the bottom half of the serving platter and, as you can see, the Small Batch version is proudly holding court on the upper half of the platter.

Thanks Small Batch BBQ Sauce!

Piggy Pasta Mac-n-Cheese

 

Our chosen grandson turned 10 years old recently.  He requested a homemade macaroni and cheese for his birthday meal.

When the birthday boy gets to choose the menu, you don't argue. You make Piggy Pasta. When he said the name, I immediately knew he had been putting some thought into this already. He quickly listed the meats he wanted along with the cheeses! I have to admit, I was super proud when he included Conecuh into the ingredient lineup!

This over-the-top baked mac and cheese is loaded with ham, breakfast sausage, Conecuh sausage, bacon, and a blend of five cheeses. It's rich, creamy, comforting, and guaranteed to be the first dish to disappear from the table.

Serves 10-12 with generous servings!  Feel free to half the recipe and cook in an 8 x 8 casserole dish.

For the Pasta

• 1 pound cavatappi pasta

For the Pork

• 6 slices bacon
• ½ pound breakfast sausage
• ½ pound diced ham
• 12 ounces Conecuh sausage, sliced lengthwise, and then  into half rounds

For the Cheese Sauce

• 4 T. butter
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 4 cups whole milk
• 1 cup half-and-half
• 1 t. Dijon mustard or mustard powder
• 1 t. onion powder
• 1 t. garlic powder or granulated garlic
• ½ t. smoked paprika
• ½ t. black pepper
• 1 t. salt (or to taste)

Cheese Blend

• 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 cup Fontina cheese, shredded
• 1 cup Gouda cheese, shredded
• 8 ounces Velveeta, cubed 
• ¾ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• NOTE:  save one cup of the cheese mixture for topping!

For the Topping

• Reserved crumbled bacon
• Reserved cheese blend

Cook the bacon in a large skillet until crisp. Remove and set aside on paper towels. Crumble when cool.

In the same skillet, cook the breakfast sausage until browned. Add the Conecuh sausage and cook until lightly browned around the edges. Stir in the diced ham and cook just until heated through.

Drain excess grease if necessary and set aside.

Cook the Pasta

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

Cook the pasta until just al dente according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

Make the Cheese Sauce

In a large Dutch oven or heavy saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.

Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 to 2 minutes.

Gradually whisk in the milk and half-and-half. Continue whisking until smooth and slightly thickened.

Stir in the Dijon mustard, onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, black pepper, and salt.

Reduce the heat to low.

Add the cheddar, Fontina, Gouda, Velveeta, and Parmesan. Stir until completely melted and smooth.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Lightly grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.

Fold the cooked macaroni and pork mixture into the cheese sauce until evenly coated.

Pour into the prepared baking dish.

Top with the reserved cheese blend and crumbled bacon.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until bubbly and lightly golden on top.

Allow the casserole to rest for 10 minutes before serving.

This truly was a comfort food dish.  He thoroughly enjoyed his creation and I was happy to have made his idea into a meal he could remember for his 10th birthday!

Black Bean Burgers

 

Well, I've been wanting to try a black bean burger for some time now.  During a recent visit to Aldi's I spied these in the freezer section.

There's four "burgers" in the bag.  The instructions offer several ways to prepare these:  skillet, oven, air fryer, or grill.

When I opened the package, I was surprised to see the obvious black beans and whole kernels of corn.

I opted to grill the burgers.  Using my handy dandy copper grill pan, I lightly sprayed it with olive oil spray and preheated it on the gas grill.

It only took about 3 minutes a side to reached the recommended internal temperature of 165℉.  

During the cooking, I decided that one of these on a bun would be lost.  So I chose to put the cheese on one of the patties and then stack the other on top.

We used all the usual condiments, but Sweet Harold added pickled jalapeno slices instead of pickles!

Our verdict?  I enjoyed them more than Sweet Harold did.  There was a pronounced black bean flavor which is totally understandable since their black bean burgers.  I seasoned them with Southwest seasoning which amped the flavor up a bit.  The texture is soft (he may have used the word "mushy").

Would I purchase again?  Yes.  Would Sweet Harold be thrilled with them?  Probably not, but he would eat them.  

Grilled Chicken, Broccoli, and Green Beans Courtesy of Small Batch Barbecue Company!

 

I found Small Batch a few months ago and every product I've tried has been awesome.  Today I used their Original Dry Rub Seasoning to season everything on our plate!

I had four small boneless skinless chicken breasts that I seasoned on both sides.

I preheated the gas grill and placed the chicken on the grates to get a good sear.  Then, I flipped them over and lowered the heat to continue cooking.

While the chicken was beginning to cook, I lightly sprayed some broccoli florets and green beans with olive oil spray, seasoned with the original seasoning blend and added them to my handy dandy metal cooking tray I found at Kohl's.  This is the best!

I kept the veggies cooking over a medium heat and gave them a gentle toss every now and then with tongs.

When the chicken was almost cooked through (about 150℉) I began saucing with their delicious "Kicked Up" Kansas City style sauce.

Yes, that "kicked up" reference assures it has a little heat.  But it's a good heat!  When the internal temp reached 165℉, we were ready to eat!

Meanwhile, in the air fryer, some cubed up potatoes were cooking away after having been seasoned with that delicious Small Batch Barbecue Company seasoning blend.

This was a delicious, easy to prepare meal, and we enjoyed every bite!

Don't Save it for Someday!

Do you have items in your home that you think are too nice to use?  Things that might have such emotional weight that you're afraid to get them out of the cabinet or drawer and actually let them bring you joy?

I thought so.  I think everyone does.

I hope my latest article helps you to know it's perfectly acceptable to embrace the happiness that some of those things can give to your life.

Click the LINK  to read.  

Blackstone Italian Chicken with asparagus and broccoli

Y'all.  I've been watching several influencers lately on FB.  One poor piece of chicken may end up with four or five different seasonings on it before cooking.  I'm not talking about salt, pepper, garlic, and onion powder.  I'm talking about four or five different BRANDS!  There may be parmesan garlic from this company and then honey garlic that from another one, and then they decide to add a third brand's Italian blend or Steakhouse Butter flavor.  I don't get it.  Most of the time all these flavors don't even pair well together.  Are they being sponsored by all these companies and decide they'll season whatever they're cooking with ALL of them?  I can't fathom that.

So today, I'll be using just a single seasoning blend:  Kinder's Italian Chicken.

Even more surprising, I'll season not only the chicken but the veggies with the same thing!  No additional conflicting flavors on the veggies.  While the chicken, broccoli, and asparagus are cooking happily on the Blackstone, potatoes are in the air fryer.  Guess what?  I seasoned those with the same Italian Chicken from Kinder's.  Sometimes less is more.

The chicken you see on the Blackstone above was two large boneless skinless breasts.  I sliced horizontally so they would cook more evenly and to watch the portion size as well.

I preheated the Blackstone on high, sprayed the surface with olive oil spray, and then seasoned both sides of the chicken with the Italian Chicken blend.  The chicken began to cook as soon as it hit the surface.  

While it began to sear, I used the olive oil spray to the other side of the Blackstone and then added the asparagus and broccoli.

It only took a few minutes of moving the veggies around with the metal spatulas to get a nice char.  I brought all the vegetables together in a mound, added a couple of tablespoons of water to make a lot of steam, covered with the metal dome for a few minutes to get the perfect tenderness.  Then I spread everything back out, turned the heat down, and let them finish cooking.

The chicken breasts needed to reach an internal temperature of 165℉.  They cooked within 6 or 7 minutes.  

Doesn't that look amazing?

Plenty of chicken and vegetables for two meals for us.  We added some garlic Texas toast along with an air fryer cooked potato.  Added bonus?  The kitchen stayed clean and cool, I got to enjoy cooking outdoors, and it's fun to cook on the Blackstone!

It's about the time for Road Trips!!

 

If you love a good road trip, and you tend to get into  interesting situations, you'll love my summer series on some of our experiences.  Click the LINK to start the journey(s) with us!

Chipotle Chicken Fajitas on the Blackstone

I am always ready to enjoy fajitas, either at home or at our favorite Mexican restaurant.

I purchased this particular seasoning blend with fajitas in mind.  It has the ideal mix of smoky chipotles, garlic, and lots of flavor.

I cubed up one pound of boneless skinless chicken breast and liberally seasoned with this blend.

Of course you need veggies!  This is one large yellow onion sliced along with an orange, red, yellow, and green bell pepper (seeded and sliced).

I set the Blackstone griddle on high to preheat and then lightly sprayed with olive oil spray.  I then tossed the veggies around a bit to coat them and then added the seasoning blend.

Cook the onions and peppers, lightly tossing them every few minutes until they begin to soften.  Lower the heat slightly and keep an eye on the veggies.  They'll begin to char and get that good flavor going!  

On the other half of the griddle I repeated the same process.  Heat to very hot, lightly spray with olive oil spray, add the chicken, and let the chicken stay put until it releases from the griddle.  If you don't let it sear first, it's going to stick and that's not a good thing.

Once it releases easily, begin to toss with metal spatulas and let the chicken cook and brown.

Once the chicken and the veggies are cooked, you can mix them all together in a big pile of chipotle chicken fajita goodness.

We enjoy the zero net carb tortillas.  You can add whatever toppings you like of course.  We kept it super simple.  I added some pickled jalapeno slices to one of mine.

And I combined flavor profiles big time and, boy, was it a successful pairing!  I topped this one with this!

I am becoming obsessed with this stuff!