We are having some warm days here in Southern California. I am not happy about it either. I much prefer cooler weather. But when it’s hot like this, there is nothing that I like better than iced tea. A big glass of it, with lots of ice. Come to think of it, I love iced tea anytime…..cold weather, hot weather, I love the stuff.  I usually don’t like flavored teas though. But I love orange iced tea. Have you ever tried it? No? Well, I highly recommend it. It’s refreshing and you get the sweetness of the orange, so you don’t even have to add any sweetener to it. But if you like your tea sweet, you can make some orange simple syrup.  Holy moly it’s good stuff.

So, summer is here, it’s getting hot and iced tea is the perfect summer time thirst quencher. You will be making pitcher after pitcher of this stuff.

Orange Iced Tea

8 cups of good drinking water
3  large cold brew tea bags
1  large orange

Fill a large pitcher or jar with the water.  Add the tea bags and allow to steep for a couple of hours. **
Slice the orange into thin slices and plop them into your tea. With a wooden spoon, just give the orange slices a bit of a smash to release the juices. Chill the tea for at least a couple of hours, so the flavors of the tea and the orange come together. Pour over ice and enjoy. If you like your tea really sweet, add some orange simple syrup. (recipe below)

** If you don’t have cold brew tea bags, you can use 6 regular tea bags and let the tea steep in 8 cups of hot water until the tea is as strong as you like it. Then add your orange slices.

Orange Simple Syrup

Simple syrup is a mixture of 1 part liquid to 1 part sugar. It’s heated until the sugar is all dissolved. It’s used to sweeten drinks instead of sugar, since there are no gritty sugar granules in your drink. You can add all kinds of flavorings to them. (fruit zest, vanilla, chile peppers, cinnamon, etc)

2 cups of water, or 1  cup fresh squeezed orange juice and 1 cup water
2 cups of sugar
zest of 1 orange

In a medium sized sauce pan, add the water, orange juice, orange zest and sugar. Heat just long enough for the sugar to dissolve.  Allow to sit out and come to room temperature. Pour it through a strainer, into a container. If you don’t mind the bits of zest, you don’t have to pour it through a strainer. Keep refrigerated. Use it to sweeten your iced tea and many other beverages.

This dish is a variation of a popular potluck favorite. I think we are all familiar with the  cheesy broccoli rice casserole. It has been out there for so long.  The one I made here, has chicken in it.  It’s a super quick and easy skillet version and it’s another one of those comfort dishes.

It may not look really cheesy, but that is because I used a combination of Monterey jack cheese as well as cheddar cheese. But you can use any of your favorite cheeses.  If you are a vegetarian, this is good without the chicken. You could even use mushrooms! In fact, I love mushrooms and actually prefer it instead of chicken in this dish. So, there you go….yummy, comforting, goodness. Now, go make it.

Sorry for the lack of pictures. I was so hungry, I was in a hurry to get this cooking. Hahahahah.

Skillet Cheesy Chicken Rice

1/2 cup finely diced onion
1  pound of boneless chicken thighs or chicken breast cut up in bite size pieces
2 cloves finely minced garlic
1 cup of uncooked long grain rice
2 cups broccoli, cut in pieces
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup wine (or you could just use water or more chicken broth)
2 cups of a mixture of shredded cheddar and Monterey jack  cheese

In a large skillet, with a bit of oil, brown the chicken pieces and the onion over medium heat. Add the garlic and the uncooked rice. Stir it around for for about a minute. Add the broth and wine. Allow to cook until it starts to boil. Reduce heat to a slow simmer and cover pan. Cook for about 14 minutes. Remove lid and sprinkle the broccoli on top.  Put the lid back on and continue to simmer 8-10 minutes or until rice and broccoli are tender, but not mushy.  Stir in about 1 cup of the cheese. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top and cover with lid, allowing the cheese to melt.

Note:  If you are serving this to vegetarians, just leave out the chicken entirely and use vegetable stock. You can always cook the chicken separately and serve the rice as a side dish to the chicken.

Don’t like broccoli? Use cauliflower or green beans.
Want a little Mexican flavor? Add some taco seasoning or salsa when you are adding the broth.

Ok, so just hear me out. We all love potato chips, right? Ever had a potato chip cookie? I know it doesn’t sound very good, but these cookies are da’bomb. My mom used to make these cookies often. It was a family favorite. Don’t wrinkle your nose and say yuck….just take my word for it…. these are soooo, so good. They are chewy, crispy, buttery, sweet, but just enough salty too. No, they don’t taste like potatoes. You really can’t even tell there are potato chips in them, unless you actually see any bigger pieces of chips. But that actually makes for a good conversation piece. It really is one of my favorite cookies……and I love cookies. I know once you make these, you will make them again and again. They are good with some chocolate chips too, but I prefer them without. But that’s just me. You could even dip them into some melted chocolate and let the chocolate set up.

I don’t even use a mixer for these.  I just mix the dough up with a wooden spoon in a big ol bowl. But feel free to use your mixer.

Potato Chip Cookies (Potato Chippers)

1/4 c (half of a stick) softened butter
1/4 cup butter flavored shortening (you can use butter, but trust me…it’s better to use the 1/4 cup of shortening)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white granulated sugar
1 egg
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup crushed potato chips (not too crushed……don’t smash em to death)

Preheat oven to 370 deg. In a large mixing bowl, using a sturdy wooden spoon, mix together the butter, shortening, brown sugar and white sugar. Mix until it’s nice and smooth. Add the egg and mix well, until thoroughly combined. Add the flour and baking soda. Stir until combined. Gently stir in the potato chips. Place large scoops of dough  (approx. 1/4 cup), onto an ungreased baking sheet, 2″ apart. Pat a few potato chip crumbs on top of the dough scoops. Bake for 10-12 minutes until light golden brown. I bake mine for 11 minutes. Allow to cool on the baking sheet. Cookies will be chewy and crisp when set.

Enjoy your chips.

Pucker up! You are going to love this pie. It’s super easy and delicious.

I think that limes are so under used. They are great for baking, in salad dressings, marinades and drinks. I love the smell of a fresh cut lime. It smells like summer time. It makes me think of my dad. He loved limes and every time he made himself a cocktail, he would squeeze a slice of lime in his drink. I loved that smell….still do. But it’s not just the smell, it’s the taste of lime. Yummm. So refreshing, tart and sweet. Especially in key lime pie. When I can’t find those cute little key limes, I will use regular limes and I have to be honest. I really cant’ tell the difference. Either way, this is a damn good pie. It’s sweet, creamy and tart. The sweetness makes it not too tart…..the tartness makes it not too sweet. Good balance, right? Yes! So, then you have the crust. I never use an ordinary graham cracker crust. Although, traditionally key lime pie is made with a graham cracker crust. I use a wafer cookie called Maria’s. It’s super crispy, not too sweet. They are super inexpensive and they make the best crust. If you can’t find them in the regular cookie aisle of your local grocery store, try looking in the Hispanic section.

Shall we make a pie?

Key Lime Pie

crust:

3  tblsp butter, melted
3  tblsp sugar
1  package of Maria’s cookies, or approx. 16 whole graham crackers

Crush the cookies into fine crumbs. Add the sugar and melted butter. Mix until combined. Press into a pie plate. Bake for 8 minutes in a 350 deg. oven. Remove from oven and set aside.

Filling:

2  14oz cans of sweetened condensed milk
1  cup of fresh lime juice (approx. 6 regular limes, or 25-30 key limes)
2 whole eggs
2 egg yolks
zest of 2 limes

In a bowl, hand whisk together the condensed milk, lime juice, eggs, yolks and zest. Whisk until creamy. Pour filling into the pie crust. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until firm. Remove from oven and let cool. Place in refrigerator for at least 4 hours. Serve with some whipped cream.

Try not to eat the whole pie.

Who doesn’t like macaroni and cheese? We all have our favorite mac n cheese. I have so many varieties that I make, but this is one of my favorites. It’s loaded with chicken….it’s super creamy, spicy and you just can’t stop eating it. It’s pretty easy to prepare too. I used spicy taco seasoning, but you can use mild if you’re not one to like beads of sweat to form on your forehead. Sometimes I throw in a can of chopped green chili peppers or some fresh minced jalapenos. As for the cheese, I find that Monterey jack cheese is a good melty cheese and that is what I have used many times.  But recently I discovered this “quesadilla” cheese, by Marcela Valladolid, from the Food TV show. I just LOVE this cheese. It’s sold in most grocery stores. It has a great melting quality and makes some great quesadillas. You just gotta try it.

So, let’s make some mac n cheese!

The picture looks a bit bland, but who cares….It tastes good!

Taco Mac n Cheese

2  cups elbow macaroni, cooked and drained
1  large chicken breast, sliced in bite sized pieces
2 tblsp taco seasoning (or more)
1/4 cup water
2 cups shredded cheese (Monterey Jack cheese is a good one. I used Mexican melty cheese and some sharp cheddar)
2 cups milk
3 tblsp butter
4 oz cream cheese
1/4 cup salsa

In a skillet, fry the sliced chicken breast in a small amount of oil. Don’t overcook. Stir in the taco seasoning and the 1/4 cup of water. Remove from heat. In a large buttered baking dish, add the chicken, cooked macaroni, salsa and shredded cheese. In a sauce pan, heat the milk and butter. Don’t boil it.  Add the cream cheese and stir until cream cheese is melted and mixture is smooth. Pour this sauce over the macaroni and chicken mixture. Mix all together. Cover with foil and bake for 20-30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Serves 4

optional: Top with cheese or crushed tortilla chips the last 10 minutes of baking.