Spicy Blackened Chicken with Avocado Relish

My kitchen facelift is finished! I'm so happy and pleased with how it all came together. But, we'll talk more about that later- I've gotta get this post published so I can get Lily to swim lessons!

This dish was one of the first things I made after I got my kitchen all put back together. The pictures were taken with my iphone-- I'm a lazy lame-o, I know. I've had this recipe bouncing around my head and I'm so glad that it tasted as good as I imagined it to be. Creamy avocado with some tang mixed with the spicy blackened chicken is a really killer combo. Serve this with some corn on the cob and you've got yourself a meal! Here's the recipe:

Recipe (serves 4):

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded evenly to 1/2 in thickness

1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for cooking

1 teaspoon paprika

2 teaspoons ground pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (reduce this by 1/2 if you want to make it less spicy)

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1 large garlic clove, minced

-Preheat your grill to medium-high (or large pan, medium-high over the stove). Clean and lightly oil grill. 

-In a small bowl, combine paprika, ground pepper, salt, cayenne, oregano, thyme, minced garlic and tablespoons of oil. Rub all over chicken breasts

-Grill chicken, about 2-3 minutes per side or until juices run clear and the breasts are firm to the touch. Transfer chicken to a cutting board and tent with foil. Allow to rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.

-Transfer chicken to a serving tray and top with avocado relish. 

The avocado relish recipe is from my sister in law, Megan- we all lick the bowl clean when she makes it-

Avocado relish:

2 large avocados, cubed

2 roma tomatoes, washed and cubed

3/4 cup red onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon, red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

1/4 teaspoon white pepper

2 dashes habanero sauce

Combine all ingredients, toss gently, cover and refrigerate before serving.

Hope you're all having a great week thus far! Thanks for stopping in!

iphone images by Briana

Taco Box

How was your weekend? Anything good happen? We did a lot of yard work, which was actually fun! Randy and I both had that Springy itch to get out in our yard and start dinking around. So, there we were- in our yard, on Saturday, working alongside each other with our butt cracks flashing the neighborhood. Anyway, let's talk about this Taco Box:

I saw this Taco Box on the kitchn blog (via Cup of Jo). A neighborhood friend recently had a baby so my friend Kris and I put together our own version (above) of this taco box to take over. I didn't have a wine crate laying around to use like they did over at the kitchn, so I did the next best thing and wrapped a diaper box in wrapping paper. Wink. I also used some happy tape to write TACO BOX on the outside. It looks a wee bit crazy, but I like crazy. In wee bits. 

Here is what we filled our box with: Speciality sodas, tortillas, freshly grated cheese, shredded lettuce, salsa, sour cream, black beans, slow-cooked shredded beef, and stuff to make guac. I packaged the meat (which isn't pictured because it was still slow cooking) in freezer safe bags with the juices so they could have the option to freeze it for later use.
I'm sure there are other things that you could add to this taco box (like you could kick it up a notch and make it a little more gourmet) and you totally should! when you make one of these for a family in need in your neck of the woods.

Thanks to The Kitchn blog for this rad idea! 

images by Briana