Grilled Chicken with Mango Pineapple Salsa

Ingredients

• Salsa:
• 2/3 cup diced peeled ripe mango (1 medium)
• 2/3 cup diced fresh pineapple
• 2 tablespoons minced red onion
• 1 tablespoon minced seeded jalapeño pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 
  Chicken:
• 4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 1/4 cup pineapple juice
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
• Dash of crushed red pepper
• Cooking spray

Preparation

1. To prepare salsa, combine first 8 ingredients. Cover; refrigerate 30 minutes.

2. To prepare chicken, place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; pound to 1/2-inch thickness using a meat mallet or small heavy skillet. Combine pineapple juice and next 5 ingredients (through red pepper) in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add chicken to bag; seal. Marinate in refrigerator 30 minutes.

3. Prepare grill.

4. Remove chicken from bag, reserving marinade. Place chicken on a grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 3 minutes on each side or until done.

5. Place reserved marinade in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and cook until reduced to 1/4 cup (about 5 minutes). Drizzle over chicken. Serve salsa with chicken.

Um. Hello. This is what they in the The Industry (and by 'the industry' i mean 'the people in my kitchen' by which I mean 'me') call A WINNER. This recipe could not be easier and it was positively delightful. Yum. Yum. and YUM.

Chewy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks or 8 ounces) butter, softened
1 and 1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 and 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups rolled oats
1 and 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, egg and vanilla until smooth. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt together. Stir this into the butter/sugar mixture. Stir in the oats, chocolate chips and walnuts, if using them.

At this point you can either chill the dough for a bit in the fridge and then scoop it, or scoop the cookies onto a sheet and then chill the whole tray before baking them. You could also bake them right away, if you’re impatient, but I do find that they end up slightly less thick.

The cookies should be two inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake them for 10 to 12 minutes (your baking time will vary, depending on your oven and how cold the cookies were going in), taking them out when golden at the edges but still a little undercooked-looking on top. Let them sit on the hot baking sheet for five minutes before transferring them to a rack to cool.

Courtesy of Smitten Kitchen. These are so good! Chewy and moist and delicious.

Mushroom Soup

Ingredients

• 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1 whole Small Carrrot, Finely Minced
• 1/2 onion chopped
  
• 1 Tablespoon Garlic, Crushed And Minced
• 1 pound White Mushrooms, Sliced Thin
• 4 ounces, fluid Chablis White Wine
• 4 ounces, fluid Tomato Juice
• 4 ounces, fluid Chicken Broth
• 1 pint half and half
  
• 1 cup Parmesan Cheese, Freshly Grated
• 1 teaspoon Cornstarch
• ¼ cups Water
• 1 pinch Salt And Pepper, to taste

Instructions:

Heat oil, over medium heat, in a large deep pot.

Mince the carrot and celery nice and fine. Too big and the soup will end up chunky. Toss into the pot and allow them to soften while you slice the mushrooms. (Please remember to clean the mushrooms first. You probably already knew that … I’m just sayin’.) Next, add your garlic, right as the carrots and celery start to cook down.

Add the mushrooms to the pot and allow them to reduce and soften. Pour in the Chablis, and let it cook with the mushrooms for a few minutes.

Add the tomato juice, and the chicken broth. Allow it to boil for about 5 minutes before adding the heavy whipping cream, and bring to a soft boil.

Grate Parmesan and add it to the pot. Let this cook for a few minutes, until the cheese is melted and blended with the soup. Add the cornstarch to 1/4 cup of water, then pour into the soup.

Lower the heat and let the soup simmer for about 10 minutes or so, until thickened. Salt and pepper the soup to your own tastes.

So good! Nothing like your standard Campbell's cream of mushroom soup. Like so much of what I make in the kitchen, this recipe came about because I picked up some mushrooms for crazy cheap at Aldi. I pureed the garlic, onion, and carrot and it thickened up the soup nicely. Warm and hearty.

Pioneer Woman's Homemade Salsa

Ingredients

• 1 can (28 Ounce) Whole Tomatoes With Juice
• 2 cans (10 Ounce) Rotel (diced Tomatoes And Green Chilies)
• ¼ cups Chopped Onion
• 1 clove Garlic, Minced
• 1 whole Jalapeno, Quartered And Sliced Thin
• ¼ teaspoons Sugar
• ¼ teaspoons Salt
• ¼ teaspoons Ground Cumin
• ½ cups Cilantro (more To Taste!)
• ½ whole Lime Juice

Instructions:

Combine whole tomatoes, Rotel, onion, jalapeno, garlic, sugar, salt, cumin, lime juice, and cilantro in a blender or food processor. Pulse until you get the salsa to the consistency you’d like—I do about 10 to 15 pulses. Test seasonings with a tortilla chip and adjust as needed.

Refrigerate salsa for at least an hour. Serve with tortilla chips or cheese nachos.

I'd never even thought about attempting salsa before but now I may never go back. This is so easy with a food processor and ADDICTING. It really is just like restaurant style salsa. Definitely worth a try.