Indian-Style Grilled Chicken

The two year anniversary of our engagement is approaching and I have been reflecting upon that crazy time period. We opted for the short, Six-Week Engagement. It was incredibly inconvenient for everyone, but it worked out well for us.

Perhaps the most stressful thing that we had to plan was our honeymoon. We didn't know where we should go, how much money we wanted to spend, etc. Thanks to the our friends who found us cheap flights and Chris's sister (who let us use her reward points for some sweet hotels) we were able to celebrate in Orlando, Florida.

So we had flights and hotels covered, but that still left food. We knew we didn't want to spend a lot and since our hotels came with kitchens we decided it would be fun to cook.

I went recipe hunting. I looked through magazines, newspapers, my mom's cookbooks, etc. and I found this little gem :)

If you love to BBQ, you're going to want to add this to your menu! Seriously, it is the best grilled chicken I have ever had in my life. We were so surprised by how much flavor it packed!

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 t black pepper
1 t ground cumin
1/2 t ground coriander
1 t chili powder
2 t garam marsala (optional)
1/4 c chopped cilantro
1/2 t salt
1/2 c Frank's Original Hot Sauce
3/4 c plain yogurt
1/4 c heavy cream
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 T soy sauce
Cooking spray
8 chicken breasts or bone-in chicken thighs

DIRECTIONS:
1) Combine all ingredients (except cooking spray and chicken)in a large bowl: stir until well blended. Add chicken, turning to coat well. Cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours and up to 24 hours.

2) Prepare grill and spray grate with cooking spray.

3) Remove chicken from marinade and place on a platter. Discard marinade. Grill chicken 6-8 minutes skin side down over direct heat with the grill cover closed: turn and grill second side 6-8 minutes, or until chicken registers 165F on an internal thermometer.

Recipe by Relish chef Jon Ashton.

I swiped this photo from the Relish website since I don't have a great photograph of this chicken myself.

But here's an alright picture of when we made them for lunch with our wonderful friends.

Banana Pancakes with Berries

We all know that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, right? Well, once upon a time I was on a quest to win the heart of my Prince Charming. I decided to wow him with a dish I had never made before: banana pancakes. I thought I would sing him a line or two from Jack Johnson's "Banana Pancakes" song for good measure, too :) I was really out to impress him!

We had the opportunity to substitute teach a Primary class and so he was coming over to my house that Sunday morning so we could prepare the lesson together. I enlisted the help of my father (I'm sure he could tell I was stressed out) and basically I owe him big time :) He always has been so supportive of our relationship.

Anyway, I stole this recipe from Taste of Home . Thank you, Katie Sloan! :)

INGREDIENTS:
Toppings
4 cups sliced fresh strawberries
1 cup sugar
2 T vanilla extract

Pancakes
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 T sugar
2 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
1 t salt
2 eggs
2 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 t vanilla extract
4 medium ripe bananas, cut into 1/4 inch slices
Whipped cream

DIRECTIONS:
1) In a bowl, combine the strawberries, sugar, and vanilla. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight. (P.S. I did not do this. I did this the morning of and it chilled for an hour; it turned out fine but I'm sure the longer it soaks the more of that sugary goodness bonds with the strawberries)

2) For pancakes, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Combine the eggs, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla: stir into dry ingredients just until moistened.

3) Pour the batter by 1/4 cupfuls onto a lightly greased hot griddle: place 5-6 banana slices on each pancake. Turn when bubbles form on top: cook until second side is golden brown. Serve with strawberries and whipped cream if desired (and I promise: you will desire it! jk).

4) Hit the play button on your iPod and allow Jack Johnson to sing to you about banana pancakes. Only jesting. This step is optional!

I didn't photograph the dish I made--I was too busy trying to woo this young man! This pic is taken from Taste of Home haha 

Welcome!

Regarding Recipes:
Let's be honest: I'm not a chef. I'm somewhat picky. I'm semi-healthy, but I'm definitely not afraid to use a little butter or sugar :) Basically, if a dish is easy to put together and tastes great, I'm in.

I created this blog for me; to help me link recipes to Pinterest because that is where I go for ideas and it's where I keep my virtual cookbook. There are many recipes I've already tried, so I'll be posting those tried and true recipes simply because I want to get those recipes off the cards and into my virtual cookbook. As a side note: I love to collect recipes. If I can't access it on my phone because a site is riddled with advertisements, I'll definitely link back to the original post, but I'm not a fan of losing fantastic recipes so I post them here. What can I say? I'm a recipe thief.

Regarding Photography:
I'm not out to promote my brand, I'm just trying to take on a new hobby. I'm looking to up my food photography game, but I'm mainly interested in taking fabulous photos of my children and satisfactory pics of others that they will treasure (I mean, I hope I can top a Family Selfie at least). I have much to learn but I hope I can get better :)

I post pics here so that I can keep myself accountable. I want to see progress!

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you find something that suits your fancy!

It's me . . . . could I be any more awkward? Challenge accepted!