I am a Honey Bee

All about my adventures with cooking, crafts, and travel

taco tuesday

Chipotle Lime Honey Roast Chicken

chipotle-lime-honey-roast-chicken

Let’s talk Podcasts.

I am super behind the times and just ‘discovered’ them.

chipotle-lime-honey-roast-chicken_01

I know, I know. I am lame. But it’s true.

Still reeling from when John & Sherry quit blogging at Young House Love last year, but things are getting better now that they have a podcast.

I downloaded the Stitcher app on my phone and now I’m hooked. I have gone through all their podcast episodes, and now I’m discovering others.

I’m burning through the David Gregory Show, I listen to NBC’s Meet The Press too. I have added Chris Loves Julia to my favorites to check them out. Gilmore Guys… yes please!  I have been adding bunches and bunches to my queue.

Send me podcast recommendations!!!!

chipotle-lime-honey-roast-chicken_02

Anywho, it’s Tuesday… so it means Taco Tuesday.

So what am I doing posting a chicken?

I use the ‘Taco Tuesday’ loosely in this sense so that I can make cool dishes like this chicken that is loaded up with Mexican spices and flavor notes. Plus, it’s super cool to slice this chicken up and load it up on a taco.

I mean, I’m not telling you how to live your life and eat tacos, but it’s cool to change things up and have some roasted chicken in tacos. Give it a try so you don’t just eat the same ground beef tacos. Although I could eat them 24/7…

chipotle-lime-honey-roast-chicken_05 chipotle-lime-honey-roast-chicken_06

We get chicken whenever it’s on sale or when we go to Costco since we try to cook them up every weekend, or so. I think they are great for dinner and for whatever. My husband makes chicken salad all the time. He is working on perfecing his roasted chicken too. He plays around with spices, herbs, butter vs oil, temperatures. It’s quite fun to watch and taste his work.

But I took over chicken roasting duties recently to make this chicken.

It takes about 10 minutes to prep. Then another hour and a half of cooking, when it fills up your house with the best aromas. Let it rest for a bit- a must or all those delicious juices will come pouring out when you cut it. And then done. It’s done in under 2 hours which is perfect for a Sunday dinner.

I served our dinner with some fresh summer corn and a cous cous salad I quickly through together with some tomatoes, cucumbers, red cabbage, cilantro, and a lime based dressing.

chipotle-lime-honey-roast-chicken_03

The layered flavors of the spicy and smokey chipotles, zesty lime, and sweet honey make this chicken liven up your dinner tonight!

chipotle-lime-honey-roast-chicken_04

Chipotle Lime Honey Roast Chicken

Makes 1 Roast Chicken

Ingredients

  • 5lb whole chicken, giblets removed
  • 2 tablespoons adobo sauce from a can of chipotle peppers in adobo
  • 2 limes
  • 1/4 Cup honey
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced

Progress

  1. Preheat oven to 450F degrees.
  2. In a small bowl, mix together the adobo sauce, lime juice, honey, garlic.
  3. Carefully, lift the skin up from the breast by inserting your hands under the skin. Place about 2 Tablespoons of the adobo mixture under the skin of chicken. Massage the rest on the ski of the chicken. Generously sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  4. Roast for 20 minutes, then turn down to 375 for the rest of the cooking time.Baste every 20 minutes. If the skin of the chicken is getting too dark, or dry cover with foil for the remaining cooking time.
  5. Cook for 1 hour and 20 minutes, until the internal temperature is 160F.
  6. Let sit for 15-20 minutes prior to cutting.

 

 

 

 

Quick Sheet Pan Nachos

These Quick Sheet Pan Nachos are meaty, cheesy, and spicy. Perfect for a late night snack or for watching the some football or NASCAR with friends.

Quick Bar Style Nachos

So they have begun working on our house!!!

Well, they dug up the lot. So, I guess that is progress because I’m dying to get things going. Trying to stay positive here.

…

Read More

Tres Leches Cake

tres leches cake

I saw Bad Moms this weekend and I freaking L-O-V-E-D it!!!

It was hilarious and dead on with how I feel related to being a working mom.

tres leches cake_01

In summary… It’s god damn hard, but it’s the best thing ever. Hectic life filled with hilarious moments. And it really does take a village to raise kids. Maybe the village is for the kid, maybe the village is for you.

tres leches cake_02

Finding great mom friends is key. Shit, finding any great friend is key, but having people you can really relate to helps. Plus, there is a good chance you can dump your kid off at their house so you can get a break. And then you can do them the same favor. Also, it totally works to just hang at each other’s houses and let your kids run a muck while you chat (with some wine!)

I think you should go see it. The whole cast is great. The story is great. The sad moments are great (yeah, I cried). The funny parts are great.

Get some girlfriends together and go out for some drinks and then go see the movie.

tres leches cake_05 tres leches cake_06

tres leches cake_07 tres leches cake_08

And if you can’t, then I suggest you watch the ladies of “I Mom So Hard“. I watch their videos and I cry laugh at them. they are so awesome and real.

In addition to going to see Bad Moms, I insist you make this Tres Leches Cake to celebrate this week’s Taco Tuesday. It’s a wonderful way to finish off  a taco dinner.

tres leches cake_09 tres leches cake_10

tres leches cake_11 tres leches cake_12

 

I mean, you can’t resist a big slice of cake that has been soaked in a mixture of condensed milk, evaporated milk, and half and half. Damn good. Plus then it’s topped off with a whipped cream frosting.

I don’t know about you but I think a cake that is soaked in a mixture of 3 rich milks is pretty damn awesome. I am temped to add some rum to it next time. Oh that would be some trouble!!

tres leches cake_03

 

Lately, I have been putting vanilla bean paste in just about everything that calls for vanilla extract. I love getting to see all those flecks of vanilla beans in there. Bliss.

Something that this cake requires is a kitchen scale. It makes for more precise baking. Really, I try to use it for all of my baking. You can convert it to use a measuring cup but the weight will make the amount of each ingredient more exact. (Plus, you can weight your dogs food… fatties are on a diet!!!)

Grab yourself a big slice of this Tres Leches Cake for dessert!

tres leches cake_04

Tres Leches Cake

makes 1 9×13 cake, 24 small pieces

Ingredients

  • 6 3/4 ounces cake flour, plus extra for pan
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 4 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 8 ounces sugar
  • 5 whole eggs
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the glaze

  • 1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
  • 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
  • 6 ounces half-and-half (or heavy cream)

For the topping

  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 8 ounces sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • maraschino cherries

Process

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil and flour a 13 by 9-inch metal pan and set aside.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt.Set aside.
  3. Place the butter into the bowl of a stand mixer. Cream together the butter and sugar on medium speed until fluffy, approximately 3 minutes. Stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl, if necessary.
  4. Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix to thoroughly combine. Then add the vanilla extract and mix to combine.
  5. In 3 batches, add the flour mixture to the batter, mix just until combined.
  6. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until the top of the cake is lightly golden.
  7. Let the cake cool on a cooling rack for 30 minutes. Poke the top of the cake all over with a skewer or fork.
  8. Prepare the glaze while the cake cools completely. Whisk together the evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk and the half-and-half (or heavy cream). Once combined, pour the glaze over the cake. Refrigerate the cake overnight.
  9. To make the topping, combine the heavy cream, sugar and vanilla into the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the whisk attachment, whisk together on low until stiff peaks are formed, then turn up to medium speed and whisk until thick.
  10. Spread the topping over the cake and allow to chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Cut and top each piece with a cherry.

Adapted from Alton Brown 

Post contains affiliate links 

15 minute Fish Tacos with Chimichurri Sauce

15 minute fish tacos w chimichurri sauce

I don’t know if I rocked or utterly failed at being a parent this morning.

I am going with the ROCKED IT approach.

15 minute fish tacos w chimichurri sauce_01

So it’s Summer Session Picture Day!

I picked out Autumn’s outfit last night- super cute floral capris with a patterned yellow top and clear glitter jelly sandals. The outfit was nice and the shoes were pretty nuetral, compared to sneakers or her new favorite minnie sandals that are covered in polka dots and are topped off with a bow. Good, great, we had a plan!

This morning went well. She woke up in a good mood and I quickly got her I even managed to do her hair this morning without an argument. Yes! She watched some Mickey Mouse Clubhouse this morning and then we were on our way to daycare. On the way out the door she grabbed one of my chubby lip tints, like usual to play with in the car. No big.

15 minute fish tacos w chimichurri sauce_02

I let her take this lip tint for the car rides since it’s pretty pale and she doesn’t do too much damage to it or herself. She mainly likes to just hold it.

Well, during the 5 minute ride to daycare, she decided her shoes were acceptable. How dare they not be the Minnie sandals?!?! And covering herself with lip tint would be a great idea.

By the time we reached daycare, I could just mange to get the shoes back on her and I gave up on the lip tint since prying it out of her hands was just not worth it. I did get a brief moment to talk to her teacher about not letting her look like a drag queen for the preschool pictures. Drag queens are awesome, but I don’t need my 2 year old looking like one for a class picture 🙂

Sometimes a 5 minute ride with your kid is just not so simple. But these fish tacos are. Promise!

They allow you to get a healthy, delicious meal on the table in 15 minutes. I’m not even kidding with that. The fish takes almost no time to cook and while they are cooking you can be charring the tortillas. and you just need to cut up the cabbage and the radishes. The chimichurri can be made in advance and stored in an air tight container for when you need it. Otherwise, that too is super quick.

15 minute fish tacos w chimichurri sauce_03

We stuffed our faces with just these tacos (and margaritas!) but you can simply serve them with a side of rice or beans.

Enjoy Taco Tuesday with these quick fish tacos!

15 minute fish tacos w chimichurri sauce_04

15 minute Fish Tacos with Chimichurri Sauce

Makes 4 tacos

Ingredients

  • 2 flounder fillets (12-16 ounces total)
  • salt and pepper
  • 8 corn tortillas
  • 1/4 of a small red cabbage
  • 4 radishes
  • 1 lime cut in wedges
  • 1/3 Cup Chimichurri Sauce

Process 

  1. Lightly salt and pepper the fish fillets.
  2. In a lightly oiled skillet, over medium heat. Saute the fish. Gently flip after 3 minutes. Continue cooking, another 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and let rest.
  3. While the fish is cooking, char the tortillas over an open flame. (alternatively, warm in a dry very hot tortilla.) I suggest you use tongs for this.
  4. While the fish is cooling, finely chop the red cabbage and thinly slice the radishes.
  5. Break up the fish into 1″ pieces.
  6. Assemble the tacos by laying 2 tortilla down, adding some cabbage, 1/4 of the fish, a few slices of radishes, top with some chimichurri. Serve immediately with the lime wedges.

 

 

 

2 minute Chimichurri Sauce

Chimichurri Sauce

There was the most amazing lightning storm all around us last night.

Tampa is known as “The Lightning Capital of the World”. In reality it gets the most thunderstorms for North America. If the season was longer maybe it truly would be the most for the world but at least it can hold the title for North America.

It rains a lot in Florida in the summer, which isn’t such a big deal since it helps cool off the afternoons. Plus, it just puts on a good show since it’s not just a drizzle, but it’s typically a big storm that passes through for a bit. You always have to remember to leave your windows up!

…

Read More

Southwest Orzo Salad with a Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette

Southwest Orzo Salad with a Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette is the perfect pasta salad that brings the fun, bold flavors to your meals.

Southwest Orzo Salad with a Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette

When making dinner be sure to enjoy this flavorful orzo pasta salad that is packed full of fresh veggies and bold flavors. You’ll love this Southwest Orzo Salad with a Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette when you serve it with your favorite grilled chicken, burgers, and steaks. 

…

Read More