Chicken with Olives, Salsa and Lime

If you need an effortless 

dish for dinner 

that comes together in 20 minutes, 

this saucy chicken dinner is for you.

Chicken breasts braised in flavorful pico de gallo (salsa) and salty green olives for tender, delicious meat...

Spicy Garlic-Lime Shrimp with Grits

Remember what Bubba Gump said?

"Shrimp is the fruit of the sea. 
You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, 
bake it, sauté it. 
There's uh, shrimp-kabobs, 
shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo. 
Pan fried, deep fried, stir-fried."

And then there's this dish that has all the right ingredients: ~ Spicy Garlic-Lime Shrimp!

Baked Lime-Mustard Salmon

I adore salmon ~ unfortunately I'm the only one here who feels that adoration.  Salmon is one of the most widely loved varieties of seafood in the world.  Fresh, canned or smoked, it makes me happy when I enjoy a meal of it...

Eating two or three servings a week of salmon is a good way to improve your health, with it being  a healthy tasty alternative to chicken, beef and pork.  It’s rich in Omega-3 fatty acids and protein.  Plus providing iron, niacin, zinc, Vitamins B6 and B12, and a whole host of other ingredients essential for good health. 

Baked Chili-Lime Chicken Kabobs

It may be Spring according to the calendar, but by looking around outside now, it's still Winter for sure ~ thanks to the sleet/snow/wind combo over the weekend, we have another 3" snow on the ground yet again...

Because of the above, it's not grilling season here yet, so our chicken kabobs came from the oven.

The Fourth, John Adams and a Mamie Taylor Cocktail, the Original Moscow Mule (?)

The Fourth of July, John Adams...

In a letter to his wife Abigail, John Adams wrote:  "The Second Day of July 1776, will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America."

Adam's prediction came as the result of Richard Henry Lee's motion for independence being approved by the Congress on July 2, 1776.  It was Lee's motion that officially separated the thirteen America colonies from Great Britain.

John Adams, 2nd President of the U. S.  1797 to 1801

It turned out Adams was 2 days off from his prediction.  On July 4, the day after writing Abigail, Adams and his colleagues approved the Declaration of Independence, a document that eloquently proclaimed the reasons why the colonies had separated from the British Empire.

An elated and confident Adams declared in his letter to Abigail:

"I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival.  It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty; it ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires and illuminations from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more."

Even though John Adams spoke these words over 200 years ago, it describes exactly our Fourth of July celebrations to this day!
 

By the way, our older son, Bill, Jr. (Bubba here on my blog) has great respect for John Adams, has read a plethora of books about, or by him, and has visited his home in Quincy, MA.  Maybe both being born on October 30 has something to do with it! 

Update:  Bubba just reminded me that John Adams and Thomas Jefferson both passed away on the same day, July 4, 1826.

With this, our great country, pomp and parade and fireworks, here's a cooler for the 4th of July...

Word is, that circa 1899, coolers ~ refreshing fizzy drinks made with ice, a spirit and soda water ~ became popular throughout the country. 

Ginger ale, lime and a spirit, is known by a plethora of names:   If the spirit is rum, it’s a Dark and Stormy.  A shot of tequila?  Call it a Mexican Mule ~ if it’s made with vodka, it’s a Moscow Mule.

And then there’s the Mamie Taylor, made with Scotch, the progenitor of the Moscow Mule!

Mayme Taylor was an actress; the soprano prima donna of an opera company playing at Ontario Beach, near Rochester, New York, in 1899.  

She and members of the company were sailing on Lake Ontario on a hot breezy summer day, when they became rather heated.

Back at the resort, Miss Taylor was asked what cooling drink she’d like to quench her thirst. The barman couldn’t fill her first order, and swapped instead a gingery, smoky, citrusy concoction of Scotch, lime and ginger ale for her to sip on.  She was sold, she loved it:  the easier to spell, 'Mamie' Taylor cocktail was born!  The drink was the insanely popular cocktail of its day, before fading away in the early 1900’s.

Prima donna, Mayme Taylor

However, apparently bartenders became sick and tired of mixing Mamie Taylor’s so they hiked up the price of the cocktail to discourage customers from ordering it.  Or maybe it faded away because of Prohibition (1920-1933), and never recovered…

Today, not many remember this cocktail, and even more so, Miss Taylor, yet this drink has led to many variations that we do recall.

In the early 1940’s, after Prohibition, the Moscow Mule became the popular drink, and remains popular to this day.

There’s not enough flavor in a Moscow Mule for me ~ however, by replacing the vodka with scotch, and mixing a Mamie Taylor cocktail, it's transformed into a great little mixed drink to sip on!

The drink has quite a unique flavor combination with the smokiness of the scotch, the spiciness of the ginger, brought together with the unifying lime juice.

For a spicy smackdown on your tongue, heat it up by using Blenheim Old #3 Hot Ginger Ale - Red Cap!  If it's a touch too much for your taste, try a tamer version of Blenheim's ginger ale.

Spicy hot Blenheim Old #3 Hot Ginger Ale - Red Cap

The Mamie Taylor cocktail is effervescent and cool ~ it's a unique summer-time refresher on a hot summer day!

As for Mayme, by 1906, the actress was reduced to performing in San Francisco matinees of “a playful satire on New York fads and fancies.” 

The Mamie Taylor was thought of as a fancy drink back in its heyday.  It's easy to understand why, as Ted Haigh reiterates:  "The scotch soothes the soul, while the ginger excites the heart, and the lime keeps it all in perspective."  

It should be better known!


Cheers!

Yield: 1 servingAuthor: Pam

Classic Mamie Taylor Cocktail

It should be better known!

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 ounces blended Scotch, such as Dewar's
• Juice of half a lime
• 6 ounces spicy ginger ale or ginger beer (try Blenheim Old #3 Hot Ginger Ale - Red Cap)
• Lime wedge, for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Add several ice cubes to a highball glass.
2. Pour in scotch, squeeze in lime juice and fill with ginger ale or ginger beer.
3. Stir with a barspoon and garnish with a lime wedge.
4. Serve

Created using The Recipes Generator

HAPPY SAFE 
FOURTH OF JULY 
TO YOU ALL!

Chile Lime Shrimp

Oh, la la!  This is a tasty sauce for shrimp!

It’s spicy, but light and good.  It’s an old recipe from The Chicago Tribune, which I filed away. We really enjoyed the saucy shrimp, and I wonder why it took me so long to make it. 

This is the first time I have used the chili-garlic sauce.  If you’ve never tasted it, you’re in for a treat if you’re a garlic and chili sauce fan!  As the ad says, “it’s a tempting blend of ground chilies and garlic.  It has a full-bodied flavor that will make your mouth water.”

Combined with brown sugar, lime juice and scallions, it’s an enticing sauce and I wish I had doubled the recipe. I will the next time ~ and, I won’t wait so long!  

Chile Lime Shrimp

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon olive oil

Nonstick cooking spray

4 scallions (green and white parts), sliced thin

¼ cup lime juice

1 tablespoon garlic, minced

1 tablespoon Splenda Brown Sugar Blend

1 teaspoon Asian-style chili-garlic sauce

1 teaspoon seasoned pepper

9 ounces peeled and deveined raw medium shrimp

Method:

Add olive oil and a generous amount of cooking spray to a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.

Add scallions and sauté for 3-4 minutes.

In a small bowl, whisk together lime juice, garlic, brown sugar and chili-garlic sauce.

Pour over scallions and simmer until reduced by half, 3-4 minutes.

Add shrimp and sauté until shrimp is pink and just cooked through, about 4 minutes.

4 servings

 

ENJOY!

Key Lime Coins

Mom always said, anything lime-flavored, was like disinfectant to her. I say, I adore anything lime.

Needless to say, lime was a rarity in our house, when I was growing up.  Way back when, you could purchase lime Life Savers by the roll ~ pure bliss, and I enjoyed my share of them.

Then, when I had my very own kitchen, I made up for lost time with limes ~ lime in lemonade, salad dressings, marinades, cakes, stir-fries, drizzled over seafood, Key Lime Pie and Gin Rickey’s.  Now, I hear that to get rid of a headache, rub half of a lime over your forehead.  I just might, the next time I have one.  And then, there are these…

I need to find a lime-colored plate!

Delicious Key Lime Coins, a dainty little cookie.  Not too sweet, and just a little zesty.  With their perfect balance of sweet and tart, they will melt in your mouth.  They have a light, crisp taste and a crunchy texture, while a little dusting of confectioner’s sugar is the finishing touch.

They’re a scrumptious way to enjoy that great lime flavor, just ask Bill!

Ready to be baked

Key Lime Coins

Ingredients:

¾ cup butter, softened

1/3 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon finely shredded lime peel

2 tablespoons Key lime juice or lime juice

1 tablespoon water

1 teaspoon vanilla

1¾ cups flour

2 tablespoons cornstarch

½ teaspoon salt

2 cups powdered sugar

Method:

In large mixing bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds.

Add the 1/3 cup powdered sugar, lime peel, lime juice, water and vanilla.

Beat until combined, scraping bowl.

Beat in flour, cornstarch and salt until combined.

Divide dough in half.

Shape each half into a 10-inch-long roll, wrap rolls  plastic wrap.

Chill for at least 3 hours or for up to 2 days.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Using a sharp, thin-bladed knife, cut rolls crosswise into ¼-inch-thick slices.

Place slices 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheets.

Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until bottoms are just golden.

Cool on cookie sheets for 4 minutes.

Place the 2 cups powdered sugar in a large bowl.

Gently toss warm cookies, two or three at a time, in powdered sugar.

Transfer to a wire rack and let cool.

Makes 80 cookies.

Melt in your mouth goodness!

Be sure to visit my friend, Linda’s blog, @My Kind of Cooking for great tips and delicious easy recipes! 

MMMarvelous Coconut Margarita for Cinco de Mayo and a Happy Birthday to my cats!

I don’t know about you but Cinco de Mayo means time for my favorite cocktail.

Restaurants around here have a long list of margaritas.  There are different tequilas and different mixers all ending up in a zingy cocktail.  It’s the perfect drink for summer, festivals, parties, happy hour and Cinco de Mayo.

Cinco de Mayo not only commemorates the Mexican Army’s victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862, it is also the 6^th birthday of our two cats, Minnie and Moocher! 

We adopted them from a rescue shelter when they were 6 weeks old.  Minnie is feisty with a mind of her own and Moocher is laid-back and affectionate, contrary to what some people in this family think; you know who you are! 

That's Minnie on the left and Moocher yawning.

This is not the same old margarita ~ the ones with strawberry, lime or banana.  This margarita is shaken up a bit with the subtle taste of coconut. 

Minnie and Moocher will be diving into a can of tuna while I enjoy a Coconut Margarita.  Here’s the recipe:

Coconut Margarita

Ingredients:

4 cups ice

4 teaspoons Coco Lopez, Cream of Coconut

8 ounces pineapple juice

4 ounces tequila

8 ounces Sweet & Sour mix

2 ounces Triple Sec or other orange liqueur

Lime wedges

Sugar or toasted coconut

Method:

Place ice in blender and add remaining ingredients except for lime wedges ans sugar. 

Blend until slushy.

Add more ice for a thicker margarita.

Rub rims of glasses with lime wedges.

Dip rims in sugar or toasted coconut

Pour margaritas.

Sip and enjoy!

Makes about 4 margaritas.

¡Feliz Cinco de Mayo amigos!

¡Feliz cumpleaños Minnie and Moocher!