Chicken and Waffles with Collard Greens

Let me preface this post by telling you a little story behind the making of this meal. OK, so my boyfriend, John, doesn't like fried food, let alone fried chicken, and he had never even heard of the Southern classic, chicken and waffles. So, since Southern food is my absolute favorite, I decided to make it for him! OK, so I had gone and gotten all of the ingredients, and was letting the chicken marinade when I decided to clean out my over, which I had set on fire about a week ago. Well...this took about 2 hours, and not the 1/2 hour that I was expecting. So by the time John came over I still had to go out and get a new fire extinguisher, since I had used mine. I was totally planning on having dinner ready for him when he came over so that we could have a nice, leisurely meal before Overtones rehearsal. Well, by the time we got back to my apartment from getting said fire extinguisher, we only had about 40 minutes to make a meal which should have taken about an hour and a half. I decided to go ahead with it anyways, since I was so frusterated with the entire situation. LET ME TELL YOU WHAT! This was the best tasting meal I had ever made in my entire life! It may have been the stress, but I don't care. It was delicious and successful and I'm making it again ASAP. Even John, the skeptical Southern eater, was convinced. SO PROUD! Ok, so there's the story, here's the recipe! Hope you enjoy as much as I did!

Ingredients:

2 boneless chicken breasts
2 tbsp salt + 2 tsp. salt
2 tbsp black pepper
1 pint buttermilk
1 c. flour
1 tbsp. chili powder
2 c. corn oil
4 Eggos (I used buttermilk...or you could even get fancy and make your own waffles, but Eggos were just fine!)
1 package of frozen collard greens
2 cooked sausage patties
1 tsp. pepper flakes


Directions (Fried Chicken):

1) Cover chicken breast evenly with 1 tbsp. each salt and pepper. Place in dish just big enough to hold it, and cover with buttermilk. Chill in fridge for 4 hours before cooking.
2) After chicken has marinated remove from fridge.
3) Mix flour, 1 tbsp. salt and pepper, and chili powder and put on a flat plate.
4) Cover drained chicken evenly with flour mixture.
5) Heat oil in a deep pan until it reaches 325 F. DO NOT LET IT GET HOTTER THAN THIS!
6) Fry both chicken breasts in oil for 10 minutes per side (until 180 F inside)
7) Place chicken on wire rack over foil and let drain
8) Place over toasted waffles and enjoy!

Directions (Collard Greens):

1) Place frozen collard greens in pot and cover with water.
2) Bring to a boil.
3) Once water is at a boil, reduce to a simmer for 15 minutes.
4) Drain the greens.
5) Mix in salt, pepper flakes, and sausage, and enjoy!

Shrimp Tacos

Ingredients:
2 servings cooked shrimp
1/4 c. tomato
1/6 c. green salsa
1 tbsp. cilantro
3/4 tsp. olive oil
1/2 tbsp. lemon
1/8 tsp. salt
pinch of chili powder
warm tortillas
cheese (whatever kind you like)
chopped avocado

Directions:
Combine first 8 ingredients. Spoon over tortillas and top with cheese and avocado. Enjoy!

Pic: www.womansday.com

NEWS FLASH!

I'm allergic to white fish. Boo. Kind of had an allergic reaction to some cod fish tacos last night, and it wasn't nearly as bad as the one I had to tilapia about a month or 2 ago...soo yeah, it's pretty official. That's too bad.

Spicy Shrimp Salad

Ingredients:
1 serving mixed greens (I used baby romaine, red and green)
9 peeled, deveined, raw shrimp
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1. tsp. chili powder
1/2 c. feta (or other cheese)
1/4 c. olive oil
1/4 c. lemon juice
1/4 tomato, chopped

Directions:
Mix lemon juice and 1/8 c. of olive oil. Set aside. Marinate shrimp for 10 minutes in remaining olive oil, salt, pepper, and chili powder. Saute on medium high heat until just cooked. Top greens with shrimp, cheese, and tomato, and enjoy!

Picture: www.bfeedme.com

Crab Pizza

Ingredients:

1 frozen cheese pizza
1 can minced crab
1/4 c. chopped chives
1 tsp. chili pepper flakes

Directions:

Top frozen pizza with crab, chives, and flakes. Bake as directed. Enjoy!

Picture: Crabplace.com

Corn and Shrimp Pasta

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. of de-veined and de-shelled shrimp
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/4 c. of onion, minced
1/2 can of corn
1/8 tsp. of chili powder
1/8 tsp. of nutmeg
1/8 tsp. of salt
1/8 tsp. of pepper
1/8 c. of olive oil
1 tbsp. of butter
2 servings of cooked farfalle pasta

Directions:

Saute onion and garlic in olive oil and butter until translucent. Season shrimp with salt and pepper. Add corn and other seasonings to onions and galic. Let simmer for 3 minutes. Add shrimp and cook until just done. Mix with pasta and enjoy!

Picture: Blogspot

Bertolli

...don't buy it. It's awful. I thought it would be a good solution to not feeling like cooking yesterday...it was sad.