Chicken On The Barbie

When you think of Australian cuisine, what are your first thoughts? This was mine:

Well, I have to say...when I was invited over for an Australian BBQ, I had my doubts. But, I have to say, I was definitely in for a treat.

The meat of choice was chicken! And, my host was making it the way his dad had made it (kind of sort of). He marinated the chicken in a combination of soy sauce, chili sauce, garlic, & ginger.

Then, he threw on the "barbie"! A lot of the delicious marinade fell to the bottom of the pan so be sure to dump the rest on once the chicken is on the grill!

The chicken was served up with a light salad that had tomatoes, cheese, and light vinaigrette.

I was in charge of the wine selection (of course)! So, I asked my friend at Oak Cliff Cellars what he would recommend. I went with the zinfandel, a nice light red that complimented the BBQ chicken perfectly!

A delicious summer dinner and a wonderful memory :)

Strawberry Salsa with Grilled Salmon [VIDEO]

I am FINALLY starting a video blog! It's definitely way over due...

For my first video recipe, I decided to do something pretty simple but packed full with flavor! It's a strawberry salsa with grilled salmon. Fast, easy, and great for summer.

For the print friendly recipe, click here

This is a work in progress...and it's definitely difficult to shoot yourself cooking! But, it's a start! I hope you keep up with "Foodie For Fun", try my recipes, and let me know what you think!

Buon Appetito Ya'll ;)

The Taste

Yes...I auditioned! And here's what went down..

I had applied a few weeks before the auditions and wasn't planning on attending because A) they were in Austin and B) I never got a confirmation.

WELL...the Thursday before the auditions I get a call. They asked if I was planning on coming. Of course I said yes (while thinking to myself "oh crap!"). I hung up. They called back and said I was getting a "front of the line" pass and to bring my BIG personality!

Friday, I called into work. NO WAY was I going to be able to prepare something and go to work that day. The plan? To make pulled pork tacos with a chilled corn salad and leave at 6:30 am Saturday morning in order to be there by 11:30.

NOTE: You had to bring your dish ready to plate. NO heating anything up. Nothing. So, I had to think of something that traveled well and was edible at room temperature.

I literally spent ALL day in the kitchen. First, I started the pork butt. I seasoned it with lime zest, cilantro, garlic, salt, and pepper. Then, roasted it low and slow for about 9 hours until it was like butter! For the corn salad (original recipe here), I changed it up and grilled the corn. Delicious! I decided the taco needed a little something spicy. So, I made an avocado and sriracha crema with lime juice. To garnish, I did pickled red onions that were pickled with sliced jalapeños and garlic. I also added a sprig of cilantro (which I hunted for all day Friday...there was no fresh cilantro to be found!), some lime juice, and a dash of fleur de sel ;)

Now, the important part (so I thought) were the tortillas! Normally, I would serve these with corn tortillas and warm them up. But remember...no warming! So...I decided to just go with the corn tortillas and forget it.

Friday morning, everything was ready and my mom and I set out on our adventure! Oh wait...I forgot the cilantro! So, we stopped at HEB in Waco. Then...my mom spots it...."HOT TORTILLAS". We race to the counter. They have WARM tortillas that are half corn and half flour. PERFECT.

We get to the audition in time. There were maybe 10 people lined up. I get my front of the line pass and wait for them to call me in.

We were called in in groups of 8. They said "take everything out of your coolers but don't start plating". Then, "take the lids off but don't start plating". Finally, "Ok 3 minutes to plate starting now". Don't panic. I'm not sure how they liked it...I keep replaying it all in my head. Who knows?

At any rate, it was a good experience and a lot of fun! Especially the lunch and cocktails post audition at Elizabeth Street Cafe (definitely recommend!).

So, suffice it to say, even if I don't get cast, it was a great experience!

Mercy Street Lunch

Cooking for a crowd is a challenge. If you have not done it, I suggest trying it -- just for the experience!

This week, I did a mini cooking demo and prepared lunch for 45 people at Mercy Street. It was definitely interesting considering the fact that A) I drive a Fiat so it was hard to fit everything in my car and B) I work full time...

So, the goal was to demonstrate and serve a meal that was a healthier version of some of their favorite foods. I did a take on fried chicken and mashed potatoes.

I served up breaded and baked chicken with a chilled potato salad and coleslaw (without mayo!). The funny part was that the oven was too small for all the chicken! So, we ended up pan frying it anyways...

Chicken:

Ingredients:

Chicken Breast

Mayo (olive oil or eggs work as well)

Bread Crumbs

French Onion Soup Mix

Process

-Preheat oven to 350

-Mix bread crumbs and soup mix together

-Slice (or pound) chicken breasts (this allows for faster cooking time and they go farther!)

-Dip chicken in mayo (or eggs/olive oil) and coat with bread mixture

-Bake on cookie sheet or in a baking dish (9x13) for 30 minutes

To pan Fry:

-Heat skillet on the stove with a drizzle of olive oil. 

-Cook chicken for 5 minutes (more or less depending on size) on each side

Potato Salad:

Ingredients:

2 1/2 pounds potatoes (any variety)

1/3 Cup Olive Oil

3 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar

1/3 Cup finely chopped red onion

1 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard

Salt and Pepper to taste

1/4 Cup Chopped Parsley 

Process:

Quarter potatoes and boil (no need to wash or peel

Strain and once cool enough to handle, peel off skins

Mix together everything for the dressing and toss over potatoes

Coleslaw:

Ingredients:

1 Package Coleslaw

1/4 cup Apple cider Vinegar

Juice of half a lime

2 Tablespoons honey

2 Tablespoons Chopped Cilantro

2 - 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil

1 Clove garlic; chopped

Salt & Pepper to taste

 *best if made ahead

Process:

Mix it all together!

It's not easy to talk, demo, and cook at the same time! Not to mention trying to be fun and interesting! But, I'm learning more every time and it's always a blessing to be able to serve in the community :)