Vacation on a Plate

We didn't travel anywhere for Spring Break this year and surprisingly, I ended up being okay with that.

We had a very relaxing week here at home taking care of a few projects around the house and just relaxing.  We both returned to work feeling rejuvenated.

There was still a little part of me that wanted to feel like I was on vacation - laying on a beach somewhere south of here with a drink in my hand and not a care in the world. 

Although I couldn't recreate the entire scenario, I did make what I call "Vacation on a Plate" a few nights.  The flavors are so fun, you can't help but feel like you've been swept away to some other place.

This is not a fancy or complicated meal, just one that makes me happy.

Recipes (I use the term loosely) are at the bottom of the post.

The Cilantro Citrus Chicken rests on a bed of Carmelized Plantains:

And is topped with Mango Black Bean Salsa

When assembled the dish looks something like this...

(Yes, the dollop of sour cream is a must. 

The goofy chip and red bell pepper strip are optional.)

Sorry for the poor quality and silliness of these pictures, but it had been a long, hard, physically and emotionally exhausting day and we had reached the point of delirium. 

*This meal goes perfectly with a pitcher of sangria or margaritas!

Cilantro Citrus Chicken

1 - 2 oz tequila
zest and juice of  2 limes (3 if they are small or not very juicy)
3/4 - 1 cup OJ
handful of cilantro, chopped
a tablespoon or so of oil
S & P
4 or 5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Mix the first 5 ingredients thoroughly in a shallow baking dish or large ziploc bag.  Season the chicken breasts with S&P.   Marinate the chicken for at least 3 hours.  (I like to marinate it all day)  Grill the chicken over med-high heat, 5-6 minutes per side.

Mango Black Bean Salsa

3 large, ripe mangoes
1 large, ripe avocado
1/2 red onion
juice of 1 lime
handful cilantro, chopped
1/2 can black beans, rinsed and drained
salt
cayenne pepper

Chop the mangos and avocado in to 1/2 inch chunks.  Finely chop the onion.  Mix those three together with the cilantro and toss with the lime juice.  Carefully stir in the black beans and season with salt and cayenne to taste. 

*This dish tastes best when made a few hours in advance so the flavors marry
*A little finely diced jalepeno would be a delicious way to add a little heat to this mild salsa

Carmelized Plantains (adapted from Tyler Florence's recipe for Sweet Plantains)

2 ripe plantains
2 T butter
1 T oil
2 - 3 tablespoons brown sugar

Heat a large skillet over medium heat.  Meanwhile, peel the plantains and slice each lengthwise.  Then cut those slices in half.  You should end up with 8 planks total. 

Melt the butter and oil and then place the plantains in a single layer in the skillet, flat side down.  Flip when the plantains are light brown in color.  While side 2 is frying, sprinkle some of the brown sugar on the flat, fried side of the plantain. 

After side 2 has cooked, flip the plantains back over to carmelize the brown sugar - this only takes about 30 seconds.  Repeat the process for side 2.

Out with the old, In with the new

I love spring... almost as much as I love autumn.
It seems like the entire world comes out of hibernation and begins to celebrate life again.

There is something incredibly joyful about the first pedicure of the season, the packing away of winter clothes and the deep spring cleaning that accompany this time of year.

It's a time for fresh starts, new beginnings.

I have been dying to try my hand at growing my own veggies for several years now, but just haven't gotten around to it.  Turns out, this is the year.

First of all, the old stuff had to go...

I know it doesn't look tough from this picture, but I had to dig out the roots of 3 dead shrubs from this area. 

They were some stubborn son-of-a-guns.

Luckily my sweet husband made me a little rest spot...

complete with shade, a drink and my cell phone.

Eventually all plants (and their roots) were cleared out.

While I was working and resting back here, R was busy building this...

an 8' x 4' frame for my little garden.

It took a little finagling but we finally got it in place

Pretty impressive, huh? 

The crepe (crape) myrtle had to sacrifice a few branches for it to fit.

 Another big change we made over the break was to replace our back door. 

In the interest of honesty and full disclosure, it needs to be noted that when I say "we" replaced the door I really mean that I helped pick it out, but R and a dear friend, MP, actually did the manual labor. 

Here is a picture of the old door that was incredibly drafty and as energy inefficient as possible.  Not to mention the fact that the door knob was broken... long story. 

Yes, the door did have moulding around it before the picture was taken.

Door's out and R is trying to salvage a 2 x 4 to make a new header...

or something like that. 

MP took this picture.

I was out grocery shopping at the point and missed all of the fun.

The guys did a great job installing the new door and avoided any major problems.

No drafts, a door knob that works and energy efficient glass!

Evidently this was a tough job...

R and SP needed a big nap afterwards! 

(Well, SP needed one.  R just wanted to pretend.)

The next day R installed the moulding around the door

and this time I did help with the actual labor part.

R still needs to do the caulking and I still need to do the touch-up paint on the wall around the door and actually paint the door and trim, but it's functional and allows us to enjoy our patio once again.  

Success is sweet. 

It's Not Delivery...

We had pizza for dinner tonight. 
But it wasn't delivery, and it certainly wasn't DiGiorno. 
It was homemade and it was delicious.

The Pioneer Woman posted two pizza recipes last week (CPK's BBQ Chicken Pizza & Carmelized Onion and Prosciutto Pizza) and I've been craving the stuff ever since.

Made the dough last night and let it rise slowly in the fridge overnight.  Best part is the crust recipe makes enough for two pizzas, so I now have a ball of pizza dough just sitting in my freezer hanging out.  Patiently waiting for the next time a pizza craving hits.

I swapped out few of the toppings (Pancetta and deli ham for the prosciutto) and added a few of my own (I cannot resist mushrooms on pizza). 

Hot, fresh pizza straight from the oven.

A little closer... look at the yummy melted/browned cheese.

The crispy edges of the salty ham were divine.

Only thing I will do differently next time will be to pre-bake the crust.  My edges were nice and crispy, but the middle of the pizza crust was a little under-cooked.  Carmelizing the onions with a little brown sugar was a great idea (thanks, PW!) and provided a nice balance to the saltiness of the meats and cheeses.