Cilantro-Jalapeño Margarita

I found this recipe a while back and knew it was for me.  It has all the good stuff - cilantro, jalapeño, lime juice and tequila!  Let me tell you, this is yummy!!!

Cilantro-Jalapeño Margarita
(Makes 1 cocktail) from cbs.com

Ingredients:

• Margarita salt
• 1 lime wedge
• 1 to 3 thin slices jalapeño (from a jalapeño that has been stemmed, halved, seeded and sliced lengthwise)
• 2 fresh cilantro sprigs (or more; sometimes I use more)
• 2 ounces tequila (I used Jose Cuervo Gold)
• juice of 1/2 a lime (about 1 ounce)
• 1 ounce Triple Sec
• ½ ounce simple syrup
• 10 ice cubes

Directions:

1. Spread the salt on a small plate. Moisten the rim of a 6-ounce glass with the lime wedge and upend the glass onto the salt to crust the rim.
2. In the bottom of a cocktail shaker, muddle the jalapeño and 1 (or 2) of the cilantro sprigs with a cocktail muddler or a wooden spoon until roughly mashed. Add the tequila, lime juice, Triple Sec, simple syrup and ice. Cover and shake vigorously until frothy and cold; tiny ice crystals will appear in the drink after about 15 seconds of shaking.
3. Pour contents of the shaker into the salt-rimmed glass. Bruise the second sprig of cilantro by slapping it vigorously between your palms to release the aroma and add to the glass.  Serve immediately.

The original recipe called for straining the contents of the shaker into the glass, leaving the cilantro, jalapeño, and ice in there.  While that may be fine, I decided I like all that stuff in my drink, so I just pour everything into the glass.  It is really good!!  Of course, if you don't like cilantro or jalapeño - or salt - then this is not the drink for you.  It's definitely the drink for me.  I've had one the last two nights!  And I'm wondering why I don't make these more often.

Bartender's notes: Jalapeños vary wildly in their spiciness (as does each person's penchant for that spiciness), so you'll want to taste the one you're using and determine what you think is the perfect amount. I really love the spicy, grassy-green freshness that jalapeño infuses into this libation, a flavor that's made all the more delicious by the bruised cilantro leaves. Salt is essential in this drink, in my opinion, because of the way it dances with the jalapeño and cilantro.

-Sometimes I sprinkle additional salt right into my drink.  This is definitely a margarita that calls for salt.  Of course, I think the salt is one of the best parts of a margarita - after the tequila, of course.

Related articles

• Blackberry Cilantro Margarita
• Jalapeño Grapefruit Margarita
• 5 Fresh Margarita Recipes

Baking without Eggs

What do you do when you're in the middle of baking and suddenly realize there are no eggs in the house?  Substitute something else you do have, of course!  I saw these Egg Substitutions on Facebook and thought this list might come in handy someday.  So I'm sharing.

I'm going to have to try some of these even if I'm not out of eggs.  Just because.  I'll save the eggs for omelets!

Handy Reference of Cooking and Baking Substitutions

Here's a great list of handy baking substitutions for those times when you're in the middle of a recipe and realize you're out of an essential ingredient.  Chances are you have something in your pantry that can be substituted.

Source: eReplacementParts.com

Related articles

• Quick Substitutes For Busy Cooks
• Baking Measurements and Substitutions
• Foodie Tuesday: Substitutions

Coconut Macaroons

I had some egg whites in the fridge - leftover from my Secret Recipe Club recipe, which you will get to see on July 7, so be sure to come back for that - so I went looking for a recipe to use the egg whites.  I had a recipe saved from a while back, but I decided to try something else, even though I haven't tried that one yet.  It looks really good, so I am going to have to try it next time.

These just sounded interesting.   Once again, I am making cookies with cereal.  These also called for cornflakes, and I still don't have any, so I used a combination of Wheaties and Honey Bunches of Oats.

Coconut Macaroons
from allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

• 3 egg whites
• 1-1/2 cups sugar
• 1-1/2 cups flaked coconut
• 3 cups cereal, crushed (I used 2 cups Wheaties and 1 cup Honey Bunches of Oats)

Directions:

1. Grease cookie sheets (or use silicon baking mat).  Preheat the oven to 350° F
2. In a large glass or metal bowl, whip egg whites until stiff peaks form. Stir in sugar. Fold in coconut and crushed cereal. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto prepared cookie sheets.
3. Bake for 18-20 minutes in preheated oven, or until golden.  Remove from oven and let sit for a few minutes before moving from cookie sheets to cooling racks.

Makes about 3 dozen

These turned out really good.  They're kind of gooey in the middle with a nice crunch from the cereal.  The only thing I want to change next time is to cut down the sugar.  I should have read the reviews before making these, instead of after, because several people mentioned cutting the sugar down. 

A couple of the reviewers also mentioned that these weren't really like macaroons, which I don't really know because I've never made them before, or even had any as far as I can remember.  All I know is that these are really yummy, and it's hard to stop eating them!

Tip: Measure cereal into mixing bowl and use a plastic cup to crush it.

Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Spinach, and Feta

I know I've seen some recipes for spinach stuffed chicken breasts, probably on Pinterest, but when I started looking, I didn't find any that were exactly what I was looking for.  So I just put some stuff together, and it really turned out good.  The flavors were amazing.

 

Sun-Dried Tomato, Spinach, and Feta Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 large handfuls fresh spinach
• Sea Salt
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2 to 4 T. crumbled feta

Directions:

1. Heat tomatoes and oil in a skillet over medium high heat; add onions and garlic, and cook until onions become translucent.  Add spinach and continue cooking until spinach is wilted.  Add a pinch of sea salt, and set aside.
2. Place a chicken breast between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound with a mallet or the bottom of a heavy pan until breast is about 1/4" thick.
3. Spread half of tomato/spinach mixture on chicken breast.  Crumble 1 to 2 T. feta on top and roll chicken breast up, starting with the narrowest end.  Secure with toothpicks and transfer to a baking dish.  Repeat process with second breast.
4. Drizzle the breasts with any oil remaining in the skillet, season with salt and pepper, and bake at 350° F for 30 minutes.
5. Let sit for 5 minutes; Remove toothpicks, slice and serve.

And that's it.  It's really simple, and has me wondering why I haven't tried this before.  There is a lot of going back and forth between handling raw chicken and spreading other ingredients or whatever, so it's really handy to have a sink full of soapy water while you do this.  Or just keep using more soap and washing your hands like I did.

Spread tomato/spinach mixture on chicken; crumble feta on top

I didn't really measure any of my ingredients, but these amounts are close, and this is one of those things where it doesn't really matter.  Throw in what you have or what looks good to you.

Roll up, secure with toothpicks, and place in baking dish

I think this is going to become a regular recipe around here.  The flavors go together so well, and the chicken is really moist and flavorful.

Of course, now that I've discovered how easy it is to make stuffed chicken breasts, I may have to find some other things to stuff them with too.  What do you think?  What would be good stuffed into a chicken breast?