CHIPOTLE CHICKEN SKEWERS & CILANTRO DIPPING SAUCE

when i started pinning my life away on pinterst i started finding all kinds of new recipes that not only look and sound different but also super delicious. i don't know about you but i tend to get stuck on a rut cooking the same meals over and over and i don't want to be bored with my own food. i want to explore new tastes and cultures through food. so this year i challenged myself to try at least one new recipe a week. and i have been doing great at it and loving new and exciting meals to share with my family. so far all the recipes i've tried are winners and the mister gives me a high five after he's done eating. :)
i am so excited about this recipe because it has become my new favorite & the mister loves it too!super simple and super delicious! the result of this recipe is kind of a sweet & spicy taste, very flavorful. if you don't like spice too much make sure you don't add too much of the chipotle pepper skin or the seeds & just add the sauce. i found this recipe on pinterest but once i looked it up you had to buy a subscription with the magazine so i found it on food.com and made some changes since i didn't have the exact ingredients i substituted for something similar. i tend to do that a lot but the results are usually pleasant. okay on with the recipe.. & this is the end result.

 ingredients for the chicken:::

CHICKEN

BROWN SUGAR

CHIPOTLE

SALT

CILANTRO

BLACK PEPPER

PAPRIKA

GARLIC SALT

 ingredients for the dipping sauce:::

SOUR CREAM

MAYONNAISE

GARLIC SALT

SALT

SCALLIONS

LEMON

CILANTRO

preparing the chicken::: 

1. cut your chicken in small pieces to fit your skewers 

2. coat your chicken in brown sugar, just toss the chicken so it has a light coat of brown sugar

3. cut cilantro & chipotle peppers finely then mix in the seasonings (salt, paprika, pepper, garlic salt)

4. put your chicken in skewers and on a rack or do like i do. its important to cover the bottom of your pan with aluminum foil since it drips and it will stick. makes clean cup super easy!

5. bake at 350 for 30 minutes.  

for the dipping sauce:::

mix half and half sour cream and mayonnaise

squeeze half of a lemon juice

a teaspoon of each seasoning   

 a table spoon of finely cut cilantro 

two tablespoons of finely cut scallions. 

(NOTE: like any other chicken meal you can prep this the day before and let it marinate overnight. i haven't done that just yet since i usually don't plan my meals a head of time as i should but I'm sure the taste would be great letting it sit for that long, and a lot easier to cook the next day, just a suggestion!)

i used the cilantro dipping sauce to eat with my veggies & i smothered it in mashed potatoes too. i love the taste so much! probably not the healthiest  but its so good i can't help it!

here's the end result again.. 

and for fun, here's the mister after eating his dinner :)

i hope you enjoy this recipe if you decide to try it for yourself! i would love to hear if you try it! Liz 

LET'S MAKE SOME MOLE!

when i first started this blog almost three years ago i wanted it to be a place where i can share recipes and places-events. the content on here has changed quite a bit since this is my first recipe ever, so since i am new at this, bare with me. i will try to explain as best as i can but im sure if you never tried to make chicken mole  you will love this easy recipe! and i have to give credit to my sisters for teaching me how to make this like most of the mexican food that i cook. my sisters are amazing cooks! this mexican recipe is for making chicken mole, red rice, beans and horchata from scratch. if you have any questions please comment and i will answer as soon as i can!

BEANS: 

ingredients: 

beans. water. half onion. salt. 

i use the mayocoba beans, also known as peruvian beans. when i boil the beans i add salt and half an onion. the secret to making beans is to keep checking on them, stirring and adding water if needed. beans soak up a lot of water so if you don't add enough water at the beginning they will dry up in the process. i suggest making the beans before anything since they usually take around two hours to fully cook. you can cook them without onion or add a few pieces of garlic. or just boil with salt. i boil a big batch and freeze half since we're bean lovers in this house. then i mash them. you can also leave them un-mashed!

 CHICKEN MOLE: 

ingredients:

5 cups of water 

1 pound of boneless chicken

1 doña maria mole container

half an abuelita chocolate bar

2 spoons of peanut butter

2 teaspoon of sesame seeds to garnish (not necessary)

cut up your chicken in small pieces, add salt to the water & boil the chicken with a generous amount of water for about ten minutes. let it sit for a while or take chicken out of the pot so it can cool by itself once its fully cooked. do not throw away the leftover water (chicken broth). while the chicken cools, open your container of mole and put it on your pan on low heat, add the chicken broth and try to blend with a fork or spoon. this takes a while since the mole is very thick. once you have a good consistency add some peanut butter and half of a abuelita chocolate bar or any other mexican chocolate. its the one that comes in a round cardboard container. once you have the sauce made and good to taste, shred the chicken. i shred mine because i don't like eating bones or fat or picking it out while im eating it. some people do leave the bone and skin but i don't. its up to you really. if the mole sauce hardens or thickens just stir or add some more chicken broth. it usually happens when it cools down. then add chicken to the sauce, mix and sprinkle sesame seeds on top & enjoy!

 (melting the mole sauce with chicken broth & chicken on the other pot)

RED RICE:

ingredients:

1 cup rice

2 cups water or chicken broth

2 red tomatoes

half an onion

2 pieces of garlic

2 spoons of salt 

i just recently started making my mexican rice with real tomatoes. my mom used to use canned tomato sauce and then i learned making them with fresh tomatoes is SO MUCH tastier. so i fry my rice in vegetable oil, about two spoons of oil for about a cup of rice. let it fry for a little bit on low heat with half an onion and keep stirring so it fries evenly. not too much that it gets too dark you want a beige kind of color. then in your blender put double the amount of chicken broth or water if you don't have enough left over chicken broth. so if you want a cup of rice its two cups of water. in your blender you will add water, tomatoes cut in squares, slice of an onion, two pieces of garlic, & garlic salt. blend and then pour this mix into the rice and let it boil until rice rises and soaks up all the water. this takes about eight minutes. adjust recipe to your liking.

 HORCHATA:

ingredients: 

6 cups of water

1 cup of rice

2 table spoons of vanilla, or one stick

5 tablespoons of sugar or brown sugar adjust quantity to taste 

half a cup of condensed milk

2 teaspoons of cinnamon 

if you plan to make horchata ahead of time let your rice soak in water overnight. but if you're making this out of the blue don't worry. you don't have to. you will need sugar, condensed milk, vanilla, rice, and cinnamon. add ingredients to your blender and liquefy. taste and add more sugar or water or whatever you think you need. if it taste good, drain and pour into your container like the picture above. let it sit in the refrigerator and serve chill or add ice.

and there you have it! i hope you find my recipe helpful! xoxo! 

BABIES, BEST FRIENDS, BURGERS AND BUNNY KITTY.

my friends and i walked over to the tavern in south park for some beers and burgers. the walk over wasn't so nice, it was way too hot to be walking in my opinion but we made it. all sweaty but we made it. we ordered some stella's and burgers and boy did it hit the spot! that was one of the best burgers ever, spicy black bean veggie burger with garlic fries and tater tots. i think the tavern is one of south parks little treasure since we can bring the kiddos to play in the sand box while we eat and drink with friends. after the burgers we took our chubby butts to the daily scoop for some delish homemade ice cream and then on the way back we stopped at the empty lot where persue painted a bunny kitty mural at. it was a pretty perfect day for me today and the walk back seemed so much faster and a lot less sticky. getting ready for blogher now. xo Liz

DOWNTOWN SAN DIEGO, A (mini) FOOD GUIDE.

okay so next weekend is blogher. i still haven't got my ticket and not sure if i will even be able to go due to the mister's schedule. anyhow, blogher will take place in san diego, just about two miles from my home and so i thought i could blog a little guide of my favorite places in san diego. of course once i started thinking about it i realized that most people would be too busy to even travel around and get to know the city. so here are some cool restaurants in downtown san diego close to the convention center. hotel or convention center food doesn't seem too appetizing to me. and if you're bringing your hubby and kiddo. the children's museum is just across the street from the convention center. kiddos of all ages love that museum. also beware, if you go into the mall in downtown, chances are you will get lost. the mall was designed to be like a maze and its really confusing, even after going for years.. its so frustrating when you're in a rush.

breakfast-brunch-lunch: CAFE 222 

222 Island Ave., San Diego, CA 

i suggest: peanut butter and banana french toast. my mouth melts every time i think about it. 

lunch-dinner:  POKEZ -Mexican, Vegetarian food

947 E St., San Diego, CA 

i suggest: tofu fajitas, not pictured but they're amazing. 

dinner : RAMA Thai food  

327 Fourth Ave., San Diego, CA 

i suggest: pad thai and a cocktail. don't go here if you're eating on a budget.

 photo source:  cafe 222, pokez, rama

note: if you want to visit the city, please let me know what you have in mind and id love to direct you in the right place. id like to think i can be of help considering ive lived here forever. :)  

CHEERS, TO US.

okay i know im posting this a week late but i have some serious catching up to do here on the blog. last Tuesday was womans day and i celebrated with my lovely friend tassia. we went to starbucks first to watch her 14 year old brother and dad perform. they had open mic night and miles (her little bro) was the cutest thing ever. he sang "we're gonna be friends" while his dad played the guitar. afterwards, we went to eat at a restaurant that's about 4 blocks from my house. i had never been there, its called alchemy. they have a very eclectic menu, my favorite dish was the pumpkin soup. go figure, we also ordered ceviche, pad thai, and calamari. to tell you the truth its not a place i would go to again. the food was okay but kinda bland. i really enjoyed my time alone with my friend though. we had fun talking and joking. i actually got a lot of tassia action last week since we met up the next day, we picked her up to go to the farmers market and enjoyed some beers and pupusas with her and raoul. thrusday we went to a couple vintage shops looking for furniture but instead we found a vtg sesame street book from rusty gold and a really cute 1940's romper for Luna Elise from frock you. hope ya'll celebrated womans day too! next year we should plan a big party! xo Liz

and if you want a painting that reminds you of a penis you can get it at the restaurant for only a couple g's. no big deal. its not a pink penis of life, its "tree of life"