On a Whim Tequila-Lime Chicken

I was driving home from work today when I suddenly got the urge to practice being domestic. For some reason I have been craving the Tostitos Hint of Lime chips, and that is exactly where my inspiration to make tequila-cilantro-lime chicken came from. So I stopped by the grocery store to buy the needed ingredients (I was kind of hungry so I also bought broccoli, bananas, eggs, and of course, the hint of lime chips).

Not to be arrogant or anything, but one of the things I happen to have a slight talent in is cooking on a whim. This means I don't really use a cookbook or recipe. I just throw things that sound good together, and voila! Today, I'm writing this post soon enough to remember what I put in it (I've even remembered the measurements!)  I'm calling it "On a Whim Tequila-Lime Chicken."

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp tequila
3 limes--juiced
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cracked black pepper
1/4 c. chopped cilantro
4 chicken breasts- skinned and boneless

Combine all of the ingredients except for the chicken as your marinade.
Take the chicken breasts (I cut mine in half because they were HUGE!) and trim off all the fat and blood veins. Next pound them down to about 1 - 3/4 in. thick--In reality this would have gone over well for me, however, at first I discovered we did not have a pounder. So used a rolling pin...Also, I never want to pound down chicken again. Those images will forever haunt me-- Once this is finished, place the chicken in a Ziploc bag, pour in the marinade and refrigerate for at least an hour. 1-3 hours for marinating is probably ideal.

After the chicken is finished marinating, saute the chicken in olive oil, 1 chopped yellow onion, salt and pepper until thoroughly cooked. This takes about 7 minutes.

I have also been obsessed with sour cream lately. So I thought that serving the chicken with cilantro-lime sour cream sounded delicious. I basically combined 1 Tbsp. of lime juice, chopped 1Tbsp. of cilantro and mixed it with 1 c. of sour cream. It is sensational, pairs perfectly with the chicken, and it's great with those hint of lime chips.

I'm very pleased with my meal. The chicken tasted delicious, and it was very flavorful! Also, the sour cream really did add a nice touch. Perfect! I think this "On a Whim Tequila-Lime Chicken" is about to become a regular in my mental cookbook.






**Editor's Note: In all honesty, this wasn't a huge moment of sheer genius. Many people that enjoy cooking could have guessed that tequila, cilantro, lime, and chicken pair well together. I just enjoyed writing about it and taking pictures ;)

Bucket List Item #75: Flashmob

I think that the reason the Flashmob exists is because people like me enjoy entertaining thoughts like:

"What if life was a musical, and it was possible for groups of people to spontaneously erupt into choreographed dance and song?"

I have long thought about how fun it could be to dance up and down the supermarket aisles, and not be the only one doing so. ( I'm talking the musical "Annie," in the scene where the maids and household staff are singing and dancing around her.) Then one day, I saw a video on YouTube of a Flashmob like this one, and I realized not only had my weird fantasy come true, but someone had figured out how to make it possible.

 Since then I have looked for opportunities to make this happen myself, or been standing in the middle of a crowd or at a club and just wished for everyone to hear the same song and join in an elaborate dance. And I do not mean the Cupid Shuffle, Electric Slide, or the Cotton Eyed Joe.

Now I realize that there have probably been some opportunities to join in that I have missed out on, and that it is probably my lack of zeal that has held me back, but no more! After seeing that an elite group of preppy college students (Thanks to Anina, who I grabbed this from) at Virginia Tech can make it happen, I've realized that either choreographing one or participating in one has become a life-long goal. Or rather, a bucket list item.

National Dance Week begins in April, which also means that as a result, Dance Is the Answer sponsored by Dance/Metro DC, will be going on April 15-May 2, 2011. During this time, Deviated Theatre, the fabulous company in which I dance will be celebrating dance, but there will also be Flashmobs to participate in as a celebration of dance! I definitely plan to become a part of this process, and cannot wait to fulfill my dream of becoming a Flashmob dancer. Perhaps I can even win "Never Have I Ever" with that one!

It all began in 1920

As many of us well know, and are anticipating, Super Bowl Sunday is this weekend. I, myself, am very excited. This year Superbowl XLV features two great teams: Green Bay Packers vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
(Go Packers!).  Lately, I have been a little bit down on American culture because as this country is considered to an emulsification of other cultures, I am jealous of the traditions of other countries. However, good ole American football is definitely one thing I appreciate. You really can't go wrong with friends, food, and football!

 I joke with my Dad sometimes because I have 3 older brothers, but I'm the one that watches sports with him and texts him for the scores of different games. In fact, it's probably my older brothers' fault I like sports so much. When you show up to your first day of preschool with a plastic hand grenade tucked into a little red purse you have to know a girl's got older brothers and not very many pink toys(I did have Barbies). I also remember being upset that my brothers would not let me join their army platoon because I couldn't do pushups. This is probably also why I was motivated to do the 100 pushups challenge. So maybe it is really my brothers that I have to thank for the sports genes in me (that a few bruises). Those little anecdotes aside, some of my favorite sports teams include The Washington Redskins and the North Carolina Tarheels, though there are other teams I am partial to.

So in honor of sports and the most watched sporting event of the year...Here are some Super Bowl Fun Facts!

Professional football began in 1920 with the American Professional Football Association which later became the NFL in 1922

The Green Bay Packers are the only city-owned franchise

The Green Bay Packers won the first Super Bowl

The Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin is the youngest coach to lead a team to the Super Bowl twice

The Pittsburgh Steelers have won the most Super Bowls out of any other NFL team


Courtesy of my Facebook wall, here are some of the best menu items for Super Bowl Sunday:
Cheese
Nachos
Meat: meatballs, chicken wings, burgers
Chili
Chips and Dip
Beer
A Packers win

And thanks to my friend Corey, here is a really great link for many other Super Bowl menu items.
Have a happy Super Bowl!