Lots of margaritas + Margarita Infused Food = 4th of July 2013!
..... and can I just ask, why in the world did it feel like every-single-person was somewhere out on a lake while we were chillin' in the backyard?! Come on now... where was our invite peeps?!.. Lost in the mail eh?
Not gona lie here, Alex and I are pretty boring... Let's just put it out there. We. are. boring.
We've never been into going out to bars and getting crazy although have done so and shy away from crowds or things that involve lots of waiting (especially if it's traffic waiting)... which is basically all the things required to attend a Fireworks show, so keep it simple... food, drinks and watching other people's fireworks! SCORE :)
This year was now different, except I made more food than we could eat in a week! Whoops... Sorrynotsorry. Hello leftovers!
But to start, of course drinks are in order...
HELLO FRIEND and perfect compliment for dinner tonight :)
Then it was time to whip some GUACAMOLE! to top our dinner, but also was a spectacular appetizer... FTW!
GUACAMOLE
Serves 3-4
In the line up!
This may not be exact since I add pinches of things here and there as I tasted along the way!
- 3 RIPE avocados (mine weren't very ripe)
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1/2 teaspoon chili flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika + extra to spill on top
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2-3 teaspoons garlic, minced
- Handful of mint leaves
- Handful of cilantro
- 1/2 medium onion, largely diced
- Handful of cherry tomatoes
Coach's Orders!
1. Avocados can be pretty confusing to work with cause' there's always the how is the best way to get this darn pit out? conundrum! I cut the avocados in half length, slap a sharp knife into the put and twist that sucker outta there! Hey, if it works, don't try and fix it!
2. Scoop the avocado out, which is yet another question, but I find sliding a spoon in between the skin and avocado and sliding the spoon around will pop that baby outta there!
I'm also weird because I like thin guacamole, so I put mine in a food processor at this point so it's silky smooth and creamy, but if you like it chunky, mash to your desired consistency!
3. Now it's time to add in the spices, lime juice and garlic and give that baby a rip in the food processor to combine all the flavas!
3. Add in the mint, cilantro, tomatoes and onion and give them baby another go until everything is silky smooth!
<----------- SILKY SMOOTH :)
Of course taste to make sure you got the flava of your likin'!
Garnish with some paprika on top and there ya' have it!
Alex had the nerve to say... Eh, I don't really like guacamole... and then I kept catching him snacking on it all afternoon... LIAR! ;)
Now it's time to start marinading the Chik'n for MARGARITA CHIK'N!
Quorn Chik'n Cutlets to the rescue again....
Margarita Chik'n Marinade
Slightly Adapted from Iowa Girl Eats
In the line up!
- 2 lemons, zested and juiced
- 1 orange, zested and juiced
- 2 teaspoons tequila
- 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 teaspoon agave nectar
- 4 Chik'n cutlets
Coach's Orders!
1. Zest the lime and orange and then slice in half and juice into a large ziplock bag.
2. Add the tequila, garlic, honey and agave
3. Throw in 4 frozen cutlets, lather them in the flavas and put in the fridge for several hours before grillin' and since it's VEGGIE chicken, you can use the extra marinade to top and soak on the Chik'n after grillin' (at least for the 21+ peeps!)..... TOTAL SCORE!
I love to follow blogs (and Pinterest of course.... what was the world even like before Pinterest?!), but anyways, especially food blogs to get ideas to inspire a twist on a dish and also just plain ideas to use... so next our my menu was what one of my favorite blogs renowns The BEST Fruit Dip EVER... and I concur. So I made no adjustments to this baby!
... and only 3 ingredients... how can you go wrong? You just can't really...
In the line up!
- 7 ounce jar of Marshmallow Creme
- 8 ounce, ROOM TEMPERATURE, reduced fat cream cheese
- 2 Tablespoons thawed orange juice concentrate
Coach's Orders!
1. Empty the marshmallow into a microwave safe bowl and pop it into the microwave for 20 seconds!
<---------- OOOO GOOEY GOODNESS!
2. Add in the ROOM TEMPERATURE cream cheese and whisk together until it's all incorporated.
3. Add the orange juice concentrate and stir that baby up!
Skewer some fruit up (I suggest doing this first because you will want to face plant into this dip!)
...... FRUIT DIP HEAVEN!!!!!
Trust me, this ain't just a dip either! I used it for dessert later on too! :)
Commence face planting my fruit appetizers about now...
After it started to rain on our parade!.... we fired up the grill and it's back to the Chik'n!
MARGARITA CHIK'N!
Grill those babies on a hot grill for about 7-8 minutes on each side until golden brown
For a side, I roasted some asparagus doused in 2 teaspoons olive oil, 1 zested and juiced lemon, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon garlic powder and freshly ground black pepper.
Roast in an pre-heated oven at 425 degrees for 12 minutes, flipping at the halfway point for a deliciously, lemony, crunchy side :)
I moistened the Chik'n by adding splashes of the marinade and some lemon juice, topped that baby with oh-so-creamy-guacamole we tried not to inhale during the day... and here ya' have it folks!
Still moist, the flava from the marinade and addition of the guacamole plus the crunch from the asparagus was DE-LISH-OUS!
....This could not get in ma belly fast enough!
We ate on the front porch and got to look out at this BEAUTY of a sky... the rain left us a sky of gorgeous-ness! SO.UNBELIEVABLY.PEACEFUL.
...... and then there were fireworks a blazin' thanks to our neighbors who put on a spectacular show! :)
Oh yes, time for dessert... and since we made fruit dip to serve about 20 people... this came in handy :)
Angel Food Cake layered with leftover fruit from the day then topped with fruit dip and then add your next layer until the bowl/jar/whatever you use is full. SO YUMMY!
HOPE YOU HAD AS GOOD OF A FOURTH AS WE DID :)
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