This is some seriously good chicken - easy and cheap to make, too.

Chicken:
2 tbs corn oil
4 bone-in chicken breast halves with skin
2 tsp chipotle chili powder
Kosher salt

Pan Sauce:
Juice of 2 limes
2 tbs honey
1/4 cup chicken stock
2 tbs butter

Fresh Tomato Salsa:
3 medium tomatoes, chopped
1⁄2 to 1 jalapeno, stemmed and minced with seeds
1⁄2 red onion, grated
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 clove garlic, peeled
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1⁄2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Heat large ovenproof skillet over med-high heat (if you don’t have an oven-proof skillet, just deglaze the pan when done w/ a bit of chicken broth). Add the oil and heat. Season the chicken with chipotle chili powder and salt, to taste. Lay the chicken in the skillet skin side down and cook until brown, (4-5 min). Turn the chicken, place pan in the oven, and cook until firm, basting occasionally with the pan drippings, 15 to 20 minutes.

Salsa: Toss tomatoes, jalapeno, onion, and 1⁄2 teaspoon salt. Turn oil, smashed garlic clove, remaining salt and cilantro into a coarse paste.

When chicken is cooked through, transfer the pieces to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm. Add the lime juice to the pan. After 1 minute, add honey along with chicken stock to heat through. Remove pan from heat and stir in reserved 1/4 cup cilantro and butter.

Jim,
On the topic of bean recipes, here is mine:

1 can (16 oz.) refried beans
1 cup picante sauce
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
3/4 cup sour cream
1 package (3 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
Tortilla chips and salsa

In a bowl, combine the first eight ingredients; transfer to a slow cooker.

Cover and cook on high for 2 hours or until heated through, stirring once or twice.

Serve with tortilla chips and salsa.

Sometimes I leave out the cream cheese and just add more salsa in its place

Magnolia’s Spicy Shrimp, Sausage, and Tasso Gravy Over Creamy White Grits

Creamy White Grits:
12 cups chicken broth
4 1/2 cups coarse stone ground white grits
1 cup heavy cream
Salt and white pepper

Shrimp and Sausage:
1/2 pound spicy Italian sausage
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 pounds medium or large peeled and deveined shrimp, see Cook’s Note
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
Tasso gravy, recipe follows
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley

Cook’s Note: If using large shrimp, allow 6 per person; for medium sized shrimp, 8 to 10 shrimp.

To make the grits, bring the chicken broth to a boil in a heavy-bottomed stockpot or large saucepan. Slowly pour in grits, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat to low and continue to stir so that the grits so not settle to the bottom and scorch. In about 5 minutes, the grits will plump up and become a thick mass.

Continue to cook the grits for about 20 to 25 minutes, stirring frequently. The grits should have absorbed all of the stock and become soft.

Stir in the heavy cream and cook for another 10 minutes, stirring frequently. The grits should have a thick consistency and be creamy, like oatmeal. Season, to taste, with salt and white pepper. Keep warm over low heat until ready to serve. If the grits become to thick, add warm chicken broth or water to thin them down. To make the Shrimp and Sausage: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place the Italian sausage on a baking sheet with raised sides. Place on the top rack of the oven and bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until the sausage is firm and the juices run clear. Cool and cut into small bite size pieces.

Heat the olive oil in a heavy bottomed frying pan over medium heat. Add the sausage and saute for 2 minutes to brown slightly. Add the shrimp and saute until they begin to turn pink, no longer than 1 minute.

Add 1 cup of chicken broth to deglaze the pan. Add the Tasso Gravy and 1 tablespoon of the parsley. Bring up to a boil and simmer for 1 minute. The last 1/2 cup of the chicken stock is to be used to thin the gravy, if needed.

Divide the hot grits between 8 warm bowls. Spoon the shrimp, sausage mixture over the grits. Sprinkle with the remaining tablespoon of parsley and serve immediately.

Tasso Gravy:
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup sliced tasso, cut into 1-inch strips
1/2 cup flour
4 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
Salt and white pepper

To make the Tasso Gravy, melt the butter in a heavy bottomed saucepan over low heat. Add the tasso. Saute for 1 minute, browning slightly. Make a roux by adding the flour and stirring until well combined.

Continue to cook over low heat for 5 minutes. Stirring frequently until the roux develops a nutty aroma. Turn the heat up to medium and gradually add 2 cups of the chicken broth, stirring vigorously. Keep stirring constantly until the broth begins to thicken and is smooth. Gradually add the remaining 2 cups of broth, stirring constantly until the broth thickens into gravy. Reduce the heat and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes to cook out the starchy flavor. Add the parsley. Simmer for another 5 minutes. Season, to taste, with salt and white pepper.

Im a big curry fan… will post receipe soon!

Thanks Jim!

Cocoa Peanut Butter Kisses

Makes 48

1c all purpose flour
1/4c unsweetened cocoa powder
1t baking soda
1/2c butter or margarine, at room temperature
3/4c creamy peanut butter
1/3c plus 1/4c granulated sugar
1/3 c packed brown sugar
1 large egg
2T milk
1t vanilla extract
48 chocolate kisses

Preheat oven to 375.

Have cookie sheets ready.

Mix flour, cocoa and baking soda.
Beat butter and peanut butter in large bowl with electric mixer ‘til creamy. Add 1/3c sugar and brown sugar; beat ‘til fluffy. Beat in egg, milk and vanilla ‘til well blended. Stir in flour mixture.
Shape heaping teaspoonfuls into balls. Roll in remaining sugar to coat. Place 1 ½ inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake 10-12 minutes until firm.
Immediately place a chocolate kiss on each cookie, pressing down so that cookie cracks around the edge.
Remove to racks to cool completely.

I love cooking in between SEO projects I find it therapeutic. Got a real love for Japanese food… and work a whiz with noodles!

For mango salad
2 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 (4-inch-long) fresh hot red chile, thinly sliced, including seeds
1 medium shallot, thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
2 firm-ripe mangoes, pitted, peeled, and thinly sliced

For shrimp
16 jumbo shrimp (1 1/4 lb), shelled, leaving tail and adjoining first segment attached, and deveined
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium fresh jalapeño chile, minced, including seeds
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt

Special Addition: lime wedges

Special equipment: 16 (8-inch) wooden skewers (optional)

Preparation:

Make mango salad: Whisk together brown sugar and lime juice in a large bowl until sugar is dissolved, then whisk in red chile, shallot, cilantro, and mint. Add mangoes, tossing gently.

Grill shrimp: Beginning at thick end, insert a skewer lengthwise through each shrimp to straighten. Transfer to a tray.

Prepare grill: Whisk together oil, jalapeno, cumin, and salt, then brush on skewered shrimp until well coated. Grill shrimp, turning occasionally, until lightly charred and just cooked through, about 4 minutes.

Toss mango salad again and divide among 4 plates. Arrange 4 shrimp on top of each serving.
Makes 4 (first course) servings

It is a fried slice of spam on a block of rice that’s been pressed together to form the shape of a slice of Sam, then wrapped with a large strip of seaweed. (Just like a gigantic piece of Spam sushi)

Here is a link to the Wikipedia page with links to the recipe and pictures of what it should look like when it’s done. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spam_musubi

It’s an extremely popular snack over here. They sell these things everywhere. You can’t go into a place like a 7-11 without seeing a rack full of them. This is one reason why I eat so many of them. I even have a special Spam Slicer at home to make the preparation easy. They gave them away at the grocery store a while back if you bought the “Family pack” (8 cans or about a three week supply)

Aloha,
Dave.