Grilled Chicken Breast with Roasted Tomato Onion Sauce

I got another recipe from Melissa D'Arabian. Love her! The directions seem long, but really she is just thorough. It is easy to do. My kids each had three helpings of the chicken mixed with the sauce. I paired the chicken with salt potatoes. It worked perfectly to have the salty flavor and the sweet tomatoes with the grilled chicken!

Ingredients for sauce
Roasted Tomato and Onion Dipping Sauce:


5 Roma tomatoes, halved (about 1 pound)*
1 yellow or white onion, quartered
3 cloves garlic, unpeeled
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 to 2 tablespoons water
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

*Cook's Note: The tomatoes do not have to be "good" tomatoes

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F.

Place the halved tomatoes, onions, and garlic cloves on a baking sheet. Drizzle with half the olive oil and sprinkle with thyme, salt and pepper. Toss to coat well. Place the tomatoes cut-side down, and cook for 2 hours turning the tomatoes after 1 hour. After the second hour, remove the baking sheet, and set aside the unpeeled garlic. Place the rest of the vegetables and the pan juices in a food processor or blender. Add a tablespoon or two of water to the pan to scrape up any bits of flavor stuck onto the baking sheet and add to the food processor. Squeeze out the soft flesh of the roasted garlic into the food processor and add the remaining olive oil. Pulse the mixture until chunky, or puree until smooth, depending on desired consistency. Taste the sauce and season with salt, and pepper, if necessary.



For the grilled chicken;
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, smashed
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

Directions

In a small bowl, mix the vegetable oil with the smashed garlic, using a fork to help release the garlic flavor into the oil. Season the garlic mixture with salt, and pepper, to taste. Let sit for at least 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, prep the chicken breasts. Rinse and dry the chicken thoroughly. Find the ridge along the side of the chicken breast, and carefully pull off the tender. Take each breast and pound gently to an even thickness. Do not pound too thin; the breast will not be completely uniform. If there is a skinny little triangular tip, go ahead and cut off and discard. Prep the tenders by slicing off any jagged edges. Liberally salt and pepper the chicken and allow to sit at room temperature for at least 15 minutes.
(I let mine marinate in the oil for about 1 hour before I cooked the chicken.)


Preheat the grill to hot.

Once the chicken has rested, brush liberally with the garlic-infused vegetable oil. Place the chicken breasts on the hot grill, with the thicker portion facing the hotter part of your grill (usually the back). Allow the chicken breasts to cook undisturbed until char marks are made, about 4 minutes. Flip the chicken, keeping the thick part of the chicken toward the hot part of the flame, and cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the chicken reads 155 degrees F, about 3 more minutes. Place the chicken tenders on the grill and cook for 3 to 4 minutes total, turning halfway through. Allow the grilled chicken to rest for 5 minutes, covered, before serving.

-I dumped the sauce over the chicken and served it. YUM!

Peach Crunch

Peaches are in season. I had a Georgia peach with my lunch today. I was thinking about what to bring to a neighborhood social we are having over at the church tonight and I thought of my mother-in-law’s Peach Crunch. This is one of David’s favorite desserts and it is pretty easy to put together. I just used store bought canned peaches but everyone knows that home canned peaches are best if they are available. Tasty.

2 quarts sliced peaches

2 tsp tapioca

2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

1 tsp salt

2 tsp baking powder

2 eggs

1/2 cup butter, margarine, melted or 1/2 cup salad oil

Arrange peaches in a lightly greased 9x13 glass baking dish. Sprinkle with tapioca. Combine the dry ingredients and add the eggs. Mix until until crumbly and cover the peaches and tapioca with the mixture, spreading evenly. Drizzle melted butter or oil over all. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 50 minutes until golden brown on top. Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream. Also wonderful cold or room temperature. Good stuff!

Tahiti Salad

I almost always have all the ingredients on hand to make this salad so it’s easy to whip up. I don’t make it very often but it’s a treat when I do.

1 can pineapple tidbits, well drained

2 cans mandarin oranges, well drained

1 1/2 cups shredded coconut

2 cups mini marshmallows

1 pint sour cream (2 cups)

Mix all together thoroughly and chill for at least 5 hours before serving.

I substituted vanilla yogurt for the sour cream the last time I made it since my sour cream had gone beyond sour when I opened it. It was great with the yogurt too.

Wesley’s Best Dry Rub for Barbeque

My cousin shared this dry rub mix recipe with me. I haven’t tried it yet but he says it is the best and I trust him—he is truly a gourmet.

1 part paprika

1 part garlic powder

1 part black pepper

1/2 part sea salt

1/2 part brown sugar

Mix all together. You can make this in bulk and store in a tightly covered container.

This is how he uses it:

Cover meat (pork, chicken, beef, ribs, etc.) with olive oil (brush on) and rub with spice mixture until covered. Cook over low heat on a grill for an hour.

For ribs you can also prepare them with the oil and dry rub and wrap them in foil and refrigerate overnight. Cook low and slow—about 8 hours at 200 degrees.

I haven’t tried this yet but can’t wait to give it a shot.

Fried Green Tomatoes

My tomato plant on my patio is getting big and I have a feeling we’re going to be enjoying these some time soon. I lived in the South for a total of about 10 years before I ever had an opportunity to try this authentic Southern original. Simple fare, but a tasty way to use up some of those extra tomatoes.

4-6 medium to large green tomatoes

cornmeal

salt and pepper

bacon grease

Heat bacon grease (or vegetable or canola oil if you are a killjoy) in a skillet over medium heat. Cut the tomatoes into 1/2 inch slices. Salt and pepper the slices to taste. Dredge in the cornmeal and fry in the hot grease for about 2-3 minutes or until golden brown on bottom. Gently flip the tomato slices and continue cooking on the flip side for another couple of minutes. Serve hot!

Breakfast Shake

Two of my three kids are not breakfast eaters. I am one of those die hard "breakfast is the most important meal of the day" people.
Here is what I came up with in my desperation;

2-3 TBSP of whole flax seed

I use my magic bullet and the flat grinding blade to grind that down.

Add;
1 banana
1 cup vanilla yogurt
2 TBSP peanut butter
4 TBSP chocolate milk mix
2 TBSP cocoa
2 large handfuls of baby spinach leaves (They drank these for 2 weeks without even knowing the spinach was in there!)
2 cups of skim or 1% milk

I blend that up until it is smooth and split it between my three kids. The kids love it and drink it down pretty fast. It has plenty of fiber, protein, calcium, etc.

Cheddar Bay Biscuits

A friend of mine (Heather Howell for you current and former New Yorkers that know her) introduced me to this Red Lobster biscuit knock-off recipe a few years ago. They are really simple--actually more of a “semi-homemade” type item than real home cooking but still a delicious treat. We don’t have them too often but when we do they go fast! They go great with spaghetti in lieu of garlic bread or just with some fried chicken and cooked mixed vegetables like we had tonight.

3 cups Bisquick® baking mix (or other similar mix)
1 cup milk
1 cup grated cheddar cheese (I like sharp)
1/4 cup butter (margarine works too), melted
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
Parsley flakes for garnish (optional)
Mix baking mix, milk and grated cheese with a fork until moistened--will be lumpy. Drop by spoonfuls onto a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake at 450 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes or until nicely browned. Generously brush tops with melted butter that has been mixed with the garlic powder (I use all the butter). Serve while hot. Good stuff. Serves about 8.