Spicy Grilled Chicken

I know that 17.75 of you will reject this recipe outright because you see the word "spicy." But in this case, "spicy" doesn't refer to "flaming hot," but to the actual number of spices used--many. I tried to rename the recipe, but somehow "Chicken That's Been Marinated With A Whole Heap Of Things And Then Cooked On The Grill To Perfection" didn't clear things up at all.

That aside, this is my favorite recipe for grilled chicken. The meat is always tender and flavorful. The ingredients look a little weird, but trust me: Weird is good.

That's also my personal motto.

Enjoy.


Spicy Grilled Chicken

3/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup fresh-squeezed juice from a grapefruit
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon honey
1 whole garlic clove, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons rubbed sage
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon pepper
6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves

In a large resealable plastic bag (cereal bag!) or shallow glass container, combine all ingredients; mix well. Seal bag or cover container; refrigerate overnight. Drain and discard marinade. Grill chicken, uncovered, over medium coals for 7-10 minutes each side or until juices run clear.

Notes:

• This marinade freezes well. When bringing chicken home from the store, place meat in freezer bag along with appropriate amount of marinade. Thaw and grill as directed.

• If there are leftovers, the chicken can be served cold over a salad the next day.
  
  
• On the George Foreman (the only grill I own), the chicken cooks in about 7 minutes.

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Water Wall

Love the medium and the message...

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Books I'm Hogging From The Library: The April 24, 2010 Edition

I am simultaneously, okay not literally "simultaneously," finishing up school with the kids, moving across town, and reading. "Reading" happening either a) at the park while I push a swing or b) five minutes before I fall asleep from crazy exhaustion each night. Emphasis on the "crazy."

Here's what I've got home from the library this week:

Lord Save Us From Your Followers :: Dan Merchant dressed himself up in a "bumper sticker suit" and went across the country dialoguing with all sorts of people about the messages contained on that suit. That experience became a documentary, and also this book.

Letters from Vietnam :: The whole book is a collection of letters written by soldiers fighting in the Vietnam War. It's been enlightening for me to piece together stories from my dad alongside stories told by people in the book.

A New Kind of Christianity :: I like how Brian McLaren messes with my religion. He's highly controversial in the Evangelical circles, but that's why I like him. As my friend Daisy says, "If you don't stir the pot occasionally, it burns on the bottom."

The Lion King: Pride Rock on Broadway :: You know how I said I could go on and on about education? Same is true for (good) Broadway musicals. There are no words to describe how much I love Lion King on Broadway. I got this book for my kids to thumb through, as a consolation prize for not being able to afford tickets to the show. Yeah, that'll work, right?

20 Things Adoptive Parents Need to Succeed :: I have a great deal of respect for the author of this book--Sherrie has many great insights for adoptive families. But if I was to recommend a book to buy--I'd start with these other two books of hers first: Twenty Things Adopted Kids Wish Their Adoptive Parents Knew and Twenty Life Transforming Choices Adoptees Need to Make.

What's on your shelf today?

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Tuscan Chicken Stew

I like that this recipe a) sounds fancy, b) assembles easily, and c) sneaks in a little green to four-fifths of my family. The member representing one-fifth of the family is currently waging a mealtime war against all things green and slimy.

And I'll betcha a hundred bucks that Martha Stewart has never used the word "slimy" when promoting a recipe. See? That is why you keep coming back for more here at the Stretch Mark Mama Blog. Enjoy.

Tuscan Chicken Stew

3 frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts

1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

3 cloves garlic (or a few shakes of garlic powder)

7 ounces roasted red bell pepper (from a jar), chopped

6 cups chicken broth

-----

6 cups fresh spinach (a little less than one bag), shredded

2 cans white beans (navy, cannellini, great northern), rinsed and drained

Throw the first seven ingredients in a crock pot and cook on HIGH (does anyone know why HIGH and LOW are almost always capitalized in crock pot recipes?) for 3-4 hours. Chop up the meat and add the spinach and beans until soup is heated through. 4 servings.

More recipes over at Ann's Food on Friday and the Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap.

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What The Best Teachers Do

I'm so teacher-like that if you squeeze me, I shoot out pencils, books, and apple-shaped knick-knacks. Just bring up any education-related topic and I can monologue dialogue for hours.

That explains why I went to the trouble of requesting What the Best College Teachers Do through the library's intergalactic network of libraries. No regular inter-library loan for me! I mean, if I even remove the super-special routing sticker off the front of the book I get a $50 fine! Woot! Why buy the book when I have the thrill and the risk of that?!?

Moving on.

This book has reminded me, even in my own small world, that educating the next generation--and educating them well--is a worthy and valuable use of my time. That's easy to forget most days this time of the school year.

There are all kinds of goodies contained in the book, but I'm going to pull out just one of them to share:

If you ask many academics how they define teaching, they will often talk about "transmitting" knowledge, as if teaching is telling. That's a comforting way of thinking about it because it leaves us completely in control; if we tell them, we've taught them. To benefit from what the best teachers do, however, we must embrace a different model, one in which teaching occurs only when learning takes place.

What does this mean to you in your world?

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In the interest of full disclosure, no one asked me to promote this book. But if you do click the link and buy something on the amazon site, I get a minuscule percentage of the purchase. The earnings I receive by being an affiliate help feed my family addiction of throwing pennies in a fountain twice a year.

Books I'm Hogging From The Library: The April 17, 2010 Edition

The sun has started to shine in the Pacific Northwest, which means I take a book with me when soaking up Vitamin D.

The Eight Characters of Comedy :: Before reading this book, I had never given much thought to the elements of good comedy, or to the different comedic personalities. But this was such an interesting look at those things and it really rang my bell.

Between a Church and a Hard Place: One Faith-Free Dad's Struggle to Understand What It Means to Be Religious (or Not) :: The gray matter sitting atop my shoulders thinks a lot about religion as an institution, and how it must look to those outside of it. This was a helpful read.

The Midnight Disease: The Drive to Write, Writer's Block, and the Creative Brain :: I couldn't resist picking this up, seeing as I rarely get motivated to write until 11 p.m.

The Complete Guide to the Gap Year: The Best Things to Do Between High School and College :: One of my dreams is that my kids experience "real life" as part of their education, and not just once it's over. Taking a gap year between high school and college is a similar idea, and fascinating to consider.

Wicked piano :: Sheet music to the musical "Wicked." Love to the 89th degree.

Reading anything good? Or even mediocre?

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Chicken In Lime Butter

I doubt I need to say more than one word about this recipe: "butter." But I will.

Every time I make this dish I can't believe how simple and good it is. It's one of the few ways I cook chicken on the stove, and doing so makes it tender and moist. The lime butter is served on the side, so it can be daintily dipped, drizzled, or dumped. Your choice.

Chicken in Lime Butter

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves

1/8 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1/4 cup butter

1 tbsp lime juice

1/2 tsp dill weed

1/4 tsp minced chives, optional

Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, cook chicken in oil over medium heat for 5-7 minutes on each side or until juices run clear. Remove and keep warm. Add butter and lime juice to the skillet; cook and stir until butter is melted. Stir in dill and chives. Drizzle over chicken. 4 servings.

More recipes over at Ann's Food on Fridays and the Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap.

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What Is The Average Attention Span For Children?

I'm not an overachiever.

HA HA HA HA HA!!!

Okay, well at least I don't push my kids to overachieve.

HARDY HAR HAR HA HA AS IF!!!

All right, all right. So I'm a bit overly-ambitious.

When I started to teach my oldest boy (then four) at home, I had no idea what to expect in regards to attention span. I do remember pushing him to the whining and crying point nearly every single day. (See? Positive memories all around.) But in my adult-sized mind, I thought for sure that a preschooler could sit and be read to for at least an hour. After all, it was sitting! And snacking! How could that not be a marvelous way to whittle away an hour? 

Oh, youth is wasted on the young.

But over the past four years, I've started to see my kids not as miniature old geezers but as "kids."  So this means they need movement and variety more than once every full moon. Shocking, I know.

While reading Homeschooling for the Rest of Us (affiliate link), I came across these guidelines for how long children can actively pay attention:

• Preschool: spend lots of time reading aloud to your child
• Kindergarten: 5-10 minutes per subject with frequent breaks
• Grades 1-3: 10-20 minutes per subject with frequent breaks
• Grades 4-5: 20-30 minutes per subject with regular breaks
• Grades 6-8: 30-45 minutes per subject with breaks as needed
• High school: 45 minutes or more as needed per subject to complete assignments

Those amounts seemed spot-on according to my unofficial research with three kids. Would you agree?

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Removing Poop Smell From Your Hands

There is no topic I will not touch. And over eight years of motherhood, there is no bodily excrement I haven't had to touch. Ew.

Regardless of what method I use to clean a baby's bottom, my hands always end up smelling like poo. Which then leads me to the sink for an obsessive-compulsive party with some scalding hot water and a pump pot of soap. And if that doesn't work, I try to cover up the stink with a nice flowery lotion. Which is sorta like carrying around some roses with fresh fertilizer on the side.

Not helpful.

But with my third child, MY WORD AM I A FAST LEARNER, I finally found the one thing that quickly gets rid of the smell:

Bar soap.

I know!

Soap!

I don't know the technical reason why bar soap works and liquid soap does not. I passed notes during chemistry class, ya know? And while I'm sure those notes had something to do with "chemistry," I doubt they mentioned the scholastic kind. *wiggles eyebrows*

For more tips, be sure to check out this week's edition of Works For Me Wednesday.

I also have a related tip you can check out--applying sticky medicine (without getting your hands all sticky)!

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