Wannabe Chili's Margarita Chicken

Everytime that I go to Chili's, I get the same thing. Their margarita chicken and chips and salsa. I wanted to see if I could re-create the tasty dinner at home and so I got on the ball and came up with this!

Margarita Chicken Knock-off

1 1/2 lbs chicken

1 pkgs McCormick Grill Mates Mojito Lime marinade mix

1 1/2 cups white rice

15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed

8 oz pineapple chunks, diced

1 jalapeno pepper

5 oz cherry tomatoes, grilled

1 Tbsp vinegar

4 Tbsps olive oils, separated

1 cup whole kernal corn

Place chicken in a bag or pie plate with 2-3 Tbsp marinade mix and 1/2 cup pineapple juice from the can. Let sit to marinate. Grill unil juices run clear.

In a bowl, combine beans, jalapeno and diced pineapple chunks (reserve the remaining pineapple juice for the rice) Dice and add tomatoes and 1/2 cup corn with 1 tsp seasoning mix, vinegar, and 2 Tbsp oil.

In a 2 qt saucepan, heat oil and rice until browned. Add remaining pineapple juice with water (total 3 cups liquid) and remaining seasoning mix. Bring to boil, cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer 15-20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed into rice. Add remaining corn to rice when cooked through.

Serve 1 cup rice with 1/2 cup black bean salsa and top with grilled chicken.

It is less than 400 calories per serving and much cheaper to make than going out!

Lemon Zester Cookies

I swear these are some of the easiest knock-offs EVER!!!! I really like going to Paradise Cafe for their AWSOME cookies! They have some of the tastiest Chocolate Chip Cookies (my knock off recipe to be posted soon!) and in the summertime, I look forward to the Lemon Zester cookies. I decided to try and make my own because I am a Cheap-o and The cookies are expensive at the store. Here is my knock off recipe!

Lemon Zester Cookies (like Paradise Cafe)

1 box lemon cake mix

2 eggs

1/3 cup oil (for chewier version - if you like them crumbly, use cold shortening)

1/4 cup lemon zest

Easy peasy...mix it all together and shape into balls. Bake at 375 for 7-11 minutes or until set around the edges. When the cookies are done, drop the cookie sheet about 4 inches to cooling rack. Let cool 1-5 minutes and remove from sheet.

Have a bowl or plate of powdered sugar right there and just cover cookie in the powdered sugar or else sprinkle over the tops before they are completely cooled.

Its as simple as that. I had 2-3 dozen cookies made and plated in 30 minutes....perfect for moments when you forget that you volunteered desserts for a party!

WANNABE Panda Express Orange Chicken - made with CUTIES

Another tasty night that took a little (I mean quite a bit more) work than usual. I haven't made Orange Chicken in over a year and I have kinda been craving it. I checked my fridge and noticed that I had almost all of the necessary ingredients (or substitutes) needed to make this WANNABE Panda Express favorite! Bear in mind that I just had some CUTIES sitting on my counter so rather than get some oranges, I wanted to see if these would work as well.

2 lbs boneless skinless chicken chopped into bite sized pieces.
1 egg (lightly beaten)
1 1/2 tsp salt
white pepper (or just fresh ground pepper is what I use)

Place in a large Ziplock bag and toss together.

1/2 cup Cornstarch
1/4 cup Flour
Oil (for frying)

Stir together cornstarch and flour. Add chicken pieces, stirring to coat.

Heat oil for deep frying in a wok (abt 375 degrees)

Add Chicken in small batches at a time and fry 3-4 minutes or until golden crisp. Remove chicken from oil and drain on paper towels - Set Aside and prepare orange sauce.


Orange Sauce

1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
1 1/2 tbsp water
5 Tbsp sugar (or Splenda)
5 Tbsp white vinegar
Juice of 1 cutie + zest of entire cutie (Or 1 orange juiced and zested)

mix together and set aside until ready to use.

1 tbsp gingerroot, minced (I jsut use a small grater)
1 tsp garlic, minced
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup green onion, chopped
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar

1/4 cup water
1 tbsp cornstarch

Clean wok and heat 15 seconds over high heat. Add 1 Tbsp oil. Add ginger and garlic and stir fry for about 10 seconds or until fragrant. Add pepper flakes and green onions. Add rice vinegar and stir 3 seconds. Add orange sauce and bring to a boil. Add cooked chicken, stirring until well mixed. Stir water and cornstarch together until smooth and add to wok. Heat until sauce is thickened and serve warm.