Tequila Lime Chicken (and perfecting stove top rice)

We got some interesting peppers in our last CSA, Anaheim Chiles and pretty purple peppers. I sliced them up with a red onion and sauteed them in some oil. I like my peppers and onions a little charred, so I start them on higher heat, then reduce to get them all soft and flavorful.

Meanwhile, I started a pot of white rice. I finally found my perfect rice making process..

1. Start off a with a pot that you know has a corresponding, tight fitting lid.
2. Fill it with double the amount of water that you want to make rice. For two of us, I usually do 1 cup of rice (which leaves a bit for leftovers). So, that’s two cups of water.
3. Bring the water to a boil, but don’t let it boil too long, or else you evaporate too much water, and your water to rice ratio gets off balance!
4. Add your rice, stir it up, otherwise you get clumpy uneven cooking. Put the lid on, and turn the heat waaaaay down. As you cook the rice, it should not bubble over at any point.
5. Stir periodically, I stir about twice in the cooking process. About 20 minutes. Turn the heat off when you can’t see any more water, but the rice still looks “wet”. If you waited to long and the rice is beginning to stick to the bottom, don’t worry. This is when you can season it or add butter or herbs or what have you. Tonight, I liberally added Adobe seasoning, lime juice and fresh chopped cilantro.
6. Now that the heat is off, put the lid back on, and don’t touch! This is the secret. Just let the rice sit and steam and get delicious. I start my rice first thing, then let it sit and steam while I cook right up til it’s time to plate up. I should also mention, I mostly use Jasmine rice, so cooking times may vary with different types of rice.

Back to the chicken. I sliced up some chicken breasts and added them to my half cooked peppers and onions. When the chicken was almost cooked through, I added salt, pepper, cumin. Then juice of a whole lime and a healthy douse of tequila. Let it simmer.

I also opened a can of black beans, drained them and put them in a put on low heat, just to warm them. I added some chicken pan juice and pureed them for the side.

This pretty much comes out like Fajitas without the tortillas, so enjoy however you please. The beans make a nice dipper for mouthful of chicken and veggies. Or, mix everything up together, like my male counterpart. Either way, it’s got good textures and tangy lime and tequila flavors.

The Barnes in It's New Home

The historic and elite Barnes Collection has moved to it’s new digs on the Parkway in Philadelphia, previously housed in Dr. Albert C. Barnes private home in Overbrook. The Barnes Collection is, hands down, my favorite collection and presentation of fine art I have ever seen. Dr. Barnes not only had an exclusive taste for art before it’s time, but he arranged and displayed his pieces by elements of color and design. So, unlike a regular museum experience, each wall is chock-full of paintings, furniture and metal workings that all flow together, through shapes, color or theme. It’s eye candy for any art lover. Renoir beside Van Gogh and flanked with Soutine? Monet next to French 18th century hinges? See for yourself!

This was my first visit to the Barnes’ new home, and I was concerned that the new building would somehow take away from the beauty of it’s original setting. Thankfully, it did not, and I will venture to say it has enhanced the collection and the entire experience. All of the actual artwork is hung in the exact same way in a indoor replica of the original house. But the museum it self is modern and airy, allowing for dining, learning and other cultural entertainment. I’d like to think that a museum of this caliber will draw in visitors internationally, and maybe give Philadelphia some more cultural props!

Cezanne, Bathers

Van Gogh, House and Figure

Matisse, The Joy of Life

Manayunk Brewing Company: 4120 Main Street, Philadelphia

I've been to the Manayunk Brewing Company before for their own beers and other tasty drinks, but this was my first dining experience. I genuinely enjoy all of their brews from the Bohemian Blonde to the Schuylkill Punch (it doesn't actually include any river water). I had a Kennett Square Pizza cause I like eating local things when I can, and more importantly I love me some mushrooms. Nearby Kennett Square bears the title of “mushroom capital of the world”, and if you don’t believe me, Wikipedia will set you straight.

The pizza was described as “mushrooms, goat cheese, caramelized onions and mozzarella”. What was delivered was only slightly disappointing. I was hoping for 2x the mushrooms, and the onions weren't caramelized, just cooked. So maybe the chef forgot to do that part, or the menu writer doesn't really know what caramelized means. I gripe because that would really have made it awesome. The crust was nice and thin, and well done. And the mushrooms that were present were tender and meaty. And yes, I ate it all. I’ll be be back, it’s fun to eat outside by the river, but perhaps I’ll opt for the burger next time, they looked really good…

Tico: 222 Berkeley Street, Boston, MA

Photo Credit: Melissa Ostrow.

This past Saturday we dined at Tico, whilst in the Boston Area for a bridal shower. We ended up here through a suggestion from Chef’s Feed. An awesome app that crowdsources where local chefs eat. Because who better to tell you where to eat, right? Download it now! But I digress. Tico specializes in Tex-Mex style tapas. An array of different flavors and styles all presented in small plates. Typically I don’t like sharing my food, but in places like this I hang up my only-child hat and embrace the experience.

The place has a very up-beat vibe, there was a good crowd for a Saturday, but not so loud you couldn’t hear your own conversation. I began my meal with a house margarita made to perfection with salt on the rocks. We started off with Mixed beef tacos, Chorizo in Chimichurri, and Roasted Cauliflower. The tacos had melt in your mouth shredded beef, then a sprinkling of crunchy beef, topped off with fresh cilantro and radishes on soft corn tortillas. Texture won me over on these. Chorizo came skewered “ala plancha” in a Chimichurri marinade. The marinade soon also marinated hunks of bread after the Chorizo was devoured. My favorite of the evening was the Cauliflower. It came roasted topped with a mild shredded cheese, a creamy chipotle sauce and toasted fava beans. Again the textures were amazing, and the creamy chipotle complimented the mild cauliflower quite nicely. It’s something that I may try to replicate in the future (especially since we just got fava beans in our CSA box last week). After that we had some room in a our bellies for one more plate. Mushroom quesadillas with a truffle oil and olive tapenade. Another favorite, these mushrooms were divine, housed in a crispy, chewy, flaky quesadilla. Oh Hello, truffle oil and olives, did you want to hang out too? It was a delicious ending to the meal. So delicious we opted out of dessert. If I lived in the area, I would certainly be back to bring more friends.

*My only teeny criticism is that they need to fine tune their playlist. It almost sounded like it was a staff members iTunes library on shuffle. Control the ambiance with music, it’s very important!