The chicken filling for these tacos is very similar to chicken tinga, which is usually eaten on tostadas, but I wanted it a little less saucy for tacos, and with just a hint of chipotle.

You will need:
4-5 cups chicken, shredded
5 cloves garlic
3 large, ripe tomatoes
smallest sized can of chipotles in adobo
1 lime
cilantro, ~1/2 cup
olive oil for pan, ~1/3 cup

14-20 small (6 inch) tortillas
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Mash 2 of the garlic cloves to a rough paste.  Add the mashed garlic, juice of lime, and one of the tomatoes, chopped, to the chicken.  Mix well by hand and let marinade for at least 30 minutes. (If you want to marinate longer, leave out the tomato and refrigerate chicken mixture.  Add the chopped tomato just before the next step. [Call me quirky, but I  don't like the taste or texture of refrigerated tomatoes.])

Add to blender or food processor:
remaining 3 cloves garlic, cilantro, 2 tomatoes, chopped, 1-3 chipotles (I used only 1 for a subtle flavor).  Precess until well blended.

Thoroughly heat large pan on med-high. Add olive oil, then quickly add chicken mixture.  Sear the chicken, turning and toasting the chicken, about 5 minutes.  Pour sauce over the chicken and cook an additional 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Serve with grilled flour tortillas, sauteed onions and peppers, sliced avocado, fresh cilantro, mexican crema or sour cream.

Serves 6-8

Here’s a lightly sweetened, refreshing take on our beloved southern iced tea. Because it’s 90º F in North Carolina today. Enjoy.

Bring 4 cups water to a boil.  Pour over 3 large family-sized tea bags and 4 fresh mint leaves, torn.  Steep 4-5 minutes. Remove tea bags and mint leaves.  Stir in ¼ to ½ cup honey and juice of ½ lime.  Add 4 cups cold water.  Chill and serve over ice.

I started out to make baked caprese, but
1. I was really craving some toasty goat cheese, and
2. The fresh mozzarella I bought was overly salty, and
3. I was really craving some toasty goat cheese
so I made it with goat cheese.

So simple. So delicious.  That’s my philosophy for cooking, anyway.

You’ll only need:
16 oz variety of cherry, grape, or pear tomatoes
~1/3 cup fresh basil, torn
~ 4 oz (or more!)  firm-ish goat cheese
olive oil (~1/3-1/2 cup)

Preheat oven to 450.  Place tomatoes in baking dish.  Top with basil.  Drizzle with olive oil. Crumble goat cheese over and bake until tomatoes are slightly shriveled and cheese is golden brown, ~25 minutes.

Serve as a side dish or with toasted bread, as bruschetta.

I truly do know how to make a few things besides scones, but I love a fresh scone.  As Wes says, they are best eaten fresh from the oven.  As opposed to the American biscuit, scones are meant to be a bit firm – a base for lemon curd or clotted cream.

Raspberry White Chocolate Scones
2 cups flour
6 T sugar
1 T baking powder
3/4 t salt
7 T cold butter, sliced
1 1/2cup fresh raspberries, chopped
1/2 cup white chocolate, chopped
1 egg
1/3 cup sour cream
3-4 T milk

Preheat oven to 425º.  Combine dry ingredients.  Cut in butter with pastry cutter or two knives, or crumble by hand. Add raspberries and white chocolate.

Stir in egg, sour cream, and enough milk to moisten.  Shape into disk and cut into 8 wedges or circles.  Sprinkle with raw sugar.  Bake 15-18 minutes.

If it seems like I haven’t posted in a while, it’s because I was abducted by aliens from the 51 Pegasi system… and they hated Earth food…and food blogs…and, and..cameras.  I finally made my escape when they flew too close to the International Space Station and I commandeered a flight pod and docked there, where Commander Oleg Kononenko and Flight Engineers Don Pettit and Andre Kuipers gave me an MRE and some M&Ms and sent me on my way back to Earth.  Amazingly enough.

The first thing I wanted to make upon return was this fresh, creamy garlic herb spread on a baguette.

Garlic Herb Spread
1-2 small cloves garlic
~1/3 cup fresh basil
~1/3 cup fresh cilantro
4 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup sour cream

Blend well.  Eat on a crusty baguette or with fresh veggies.

I’m sitting here in the yellow pollen fog of North Carolina springtime, consoling myself over the poor air quality with a bowl of fresh cilantro hummus and toasty pita.  Hey, if we can’t open the windows without gilding all horizontal surfaces in an inch of flaxen dust, we can at least enjoy a spring-green treat holed up in our kitchens, dreaming of a quick escape to some cool, clean, treeless paradise.  Hold on, North Carolinians! In a couple of weeks this will all seem a remote puffy golden dream.

Cilantro gives this hummus a fresh, lively flavor, and it is quite easy to make.
You’ll need:
1 15 oz can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained – liquid reserved
~1/2 cup reserved chickpea liquid
2 T tahini
1-2 cloves garlic
juice of 1/2 lime
1/2-3/4 cup fresh cilantro
1/2- 3/4 t. salt
Like it spicy?  Add some jalapeño or 2-3 drops sriracha

Put everything in blender or food processor and blend until smooth.

A New Yorker walked into a southern diner and said, “I’d like to try one of those grits”.

There are some serious misunderstandings about the oft-maligned grit.  I suppose they derive from the name itself, “grits” sounding less fashionable than their european cousin, polenta.  But grits, while they should hold their head high served plain or with gravy  as classic southern breakfast fare, can also be a canvas for all kinds of combinations of flavors and ingredients.  Grits are all grown up and joining you at the dinner table. This would make a wonderful side dish with pork chops and collard greens or fresh fish and spinach salad.

Serves 4
for the grits:
3 cups water
1 cup grits
1/4 t salt
1/2 c.  shredded asiago cheese

For the topping:
8 oz mushroom of your choice, sliced
2 T pine nuts or slivered almonds
olive oil
2 T butter
1/2-1 T flour (you can skip it if gluten is an issue)
1/3 cup white wine (or substitute chicken or vegetable broth)

Bring water and salt to a boil.  Stir in grits and asiago.  Reduce heat to medium low, cover, and let cook 5 min.

Meanwhile, heat a large, heavy duty pan or skillet over medium high heat.  When pan is hot, add ~2T olive oil to the pan, then place the mushrooms in the olive oil, spread out so they can sear.  Toss in the pine nuts or slivered almonds.  Sauté mushrooms about 3 miuntes on each side until they are just softened and have a toasty brown color.  Add 2 T butter and let melt. Toss in flour and stir.  Add white wine and stir.  Cook 2-3 minutes longer until wine is slightly reduced.

Place a heap of grits on a plate or in a bowl.  Top with mushrooms and pine nuts.  Garnish with freshly ground black pepper and a thin slice or two of asiago.

Hash browns seem to come in all shapes and sizes.  Sometimes the potatoes are cubed and fried with onions and peppers or other seasonings, sometimes they are large and flat, sometimes they’re short and stubby.  I like them best with the potatoes shredded and slightly held together to make a crispy little cake.

You’ll need:
2 large sweet potatoes
juice of 1/2 lemon (optional – think I like it better without)
1-2 T flour
2 oz goat cheese
1/4 cup greek yogurt
1 egg
scallions or chives (optional)
kosher salt (optional)
Rinse, peel and grate sweet potatoes. Toss with juice of 1/2 lemon(optional).  Let sit for about 5 minutes, then place in cheese cloth and squeeze out all excess juices.  (Make a smoothie with the leftover juice Pat dry.

Sprinkle with flour.
In a small bowl, mash goat cheese and yogurt to make a paste.  Whisk in egg.  Add scallions or chives, if desired.  In a large bowl, combine floured potatoes and yogurt mixture.

Heat a heavy duty skillet to medium high.  Add oil. Form potato mixture into loose patties and place in skillet.  Fry 2-3 minutes on both sides, until toasty brown.  Place on paper towel to absorb excess oil. Sprinkle with kosher salt if desired.