Mojo Chicken Nachos

As a housewarming gift my parents got my wife and I a Weber grill. We christened the grill on Sunday with a couple Mojo (Pronounced: Mo-Joe) marinated flap steaks and on Monday I used the remaining mojo marinade on some boneless chicken thighs. Rather than grilling up some corn tortillas and having chicken tacos, I took the nacho route. Cheddar cheese, mojo grilled chicken thighs, and the left over salsa verde that I also made on Sunday resulted in a solid dinner. Let me break down the mojo marinade and the salsa verde for you:

Mojo marinade - fresh lime juice, fresh orange juice, olive oil, salt, fresh garlic, fresh jalapeno, and cilantro all blasted in a food processor. Next time I need to add a splash of white vinegar to balance out the citrus.

I made a mild and hot salsa verde. Started out with some pablano peppers, tomatillos, red onion, a jalapeno, and a habanero on the grill to char them up a bit. For the milder salsa, I mixed the grilled tomatillos, pablanos (stem and most seeds removed), and red onion in a food processor. For the hotter salsa, I added the jalapeno and habanero to half of the milder salsa and pulsed it in the food processor. The salsa was great, but next time I need to add some salt and a little fresh lime.

Weber Genesis E-310

Those Thighs

Nachos baking on the grill

Chicken Wings

This past Sunday I had some chicken wings in the freezer that I needed to get rid of so I cooked up a quick batch for lunch. I didn't not have any propane for the new grill that had just gotten delivered so I opted to bake these. I threw them in a bowl and tossed them with some garlic powder, cayenne, crushed red pepper, black pepper, and some seasoned salt. To get them as crispy as possible I backed them skin side down on a rack placed in a foil line baking sheet for 20 minutes at 400, and then flipped them and baked for an additional 20 minutes. Now the skin doesn't crisp up like it does with a deep fried wing, but it is pretty close. Nothing compares to a great batch of buffalo wings, but I will take these any day.

The Great Dane Pub - Madison, WI

I have been away for a while, life has been pretty busy over the past year and I can fill you in on the details later.  I figured I would throw up a post real quick to get back in the swing of things.

During the 2010 college football season, my fiance (now my wife) and I flew out to the University of Wisconsin (her alma mater) for the Wisconsin vs. Ohio State football game.  We met my brother out there who drove from MN.  We arrived in town on Friday night and Sarah suggested the Great Dane Pub.  Great bar with great beers and food.  Started out with a few sampler trays of beer and to figure out what we were thirsty for and then ordered pints.  Once the buzz kicked, the food followed.  Pictured below are are the Applewood Bacon Burger which I dominated and a burger with grilled onions and a beer cheese sauce which Sarah enjoyed.  My brother ordered the hummus platter which I have elected not to show.

Except for puking on my shoes on Friday night and OSU getting slaughtered on Saturday, the trip was a success and I can't wait to get back there again.

- Lunch Pail