Chris Barr

Balsamic Chicken with Onions

Monday, March 24, 2008

Tonight I decided to just make up a recipe and see how it turned out. Surprisingly, it turned out great, and I'm writing this post so I can reference it again in the future and share it. So here's everything you'll need to make this. I didn't write down any amounts, so I'm just guessing when I write them down. Just do what you think is best here.

Ingredients

• Chicken breast
• Chopped onion (about 1/4 cup)
• 3 garlic cloves
• Olive oil (about 2 Tbsp.)
• Balsamic vinegar (2-4 Tbsp. maybe more?)
• Lime juice (about 1 Tbsp.)
• Onion powder
• White pepper
• Black pepper
• Sea salt
• Brown sugar
• Paprika
• Crushed red pepper
• Coriander seed powder

Preparation

Add the oil and some balsamic vinegar in a pan and heat to medium-high. While that's heating up chop up the onions and garlic, then place then in the pan to caramelize.

In a small bowl, combine the onion powder, peppers, salt, paprika, crushed red pepper, coriander and brown sugar. Combine equal amounts of all these ingredients, but more of the brown sugar.

Trim all the fat off the chicken, and coat it with the mixture in the bowl. Once the onions and garlic are caramelized, place the coated chicken breast in the pan, along with the lime juice and some more balsamic vinegar. Cook for several minutes in each side of the chicken, and keep coating it with the liquid. Once it looks done on the inside, plate it along with all the onions and enjoy!

Green Tea

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

I've been drinking a lot of green tea from Adagio recently because I got a sampler pack for Christmas. It's a great way to try out all the many varieties they carry, and now I know which ones I like and which I don't.

Out of the gren tea sampler I got, my absolute favorite is Citron Green. It's infused with lemon and lime flavors, which gives it a nice citrus flavor - which is very refreshing. I normally drink it hot in the mornings, but I've had it cold a few times as well and it's just as good.

Next, I've grown to like Genmai Cha, which has popped rice and popcorn along with the tea leaves. It sounds a bit strange, but it's got a very sweet and nutty flavor. It's become one of my favorites. Lastly, I really like the Gunpowder green tea. This is just a good and strong tea. It's not too overpowering though.

I'm beginning to run out of tea leaves now and I'm going to have to reorder soon, and I'll be reordering larger containers of these teas I listed above. With that order, I'm probably also going to get the White Tea sampler pack as well. I don't think I've ever had any white tea before, and I'm always up for something new.

Lindt Chocolate

Thursday, January 31, 2008

A while ago I read this article about higher-purity chocolates from Lindt.  The article is a great read, I had no idea that you could even buy a 70%, 85% and 99% pure cocoa chocolate bar, but I always kept it in my mind that I wanted to try it sometime. 

Last week I was leaving Wal-Mart when I spotted a Lindt 85% bar for about $2, so I had to pick it up and try it.  Thinking back I probably should have gotten the 70% bar and worked my way up, since that’s what Lindt recommends anyway since these are so strong and unlike any other chocolate I’ve ever had before.

Unwrapping this bar feels like it’s one of the Wonka bars and I half expected to find my golden ticket inside.  It is a very very dark chocolate, almost black in appearance and very brittle.  I snap off a square and let it melt in my mouth, and wow is it strong!  It’s not a “chocolate” like you’re used to at all, it’s more like a strong coffee with a cocoa flavor.  At first I wasn’t too sure about it, but it grows on you.  I let some friends try it and 2 out of 3 don’t like it at all, which honestly doesn’t surprise me.  This isn’t for everyone at all, it’s a unique food for connoisseurs.

Next time I think I’d try buying the 70% version of this, just to try it and see the difference.  I like the 85%, but it can be a bit strong to just sit down and enjoy, so the 70% might be better for this.  With that said, if I ever see the 99% version, I’d definitely get that just to say I’ve tried it.  I know I won’t like it though, 85% seems to be my limit for now.

Pen Cutlery

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Now this is just a great idea.
You put these special pen caps on your pen, and you have instant cutlery.  It’s even made of natural starch fiber, so it’s 100% biodegradable.
More Info

Skippy’s Hotdogs

Wednesday, December 26, 2007

Today my dad took me and one of his old friends out to eat at Skippy’s Hot Dogs in downtown Winston-Salem.  I’ve ben there once before but not since this site’s been up!  Skippy’s main attraction is their pretzel recipe they purchased from a Pennsylvania Dutch man who was made famous for his pretzels.  They use this recipe to make their own pretzel dough in house, but they do much more with it than just make plain pretzels.

My personal favorite is the Chicago style hotdog in a grilled pretzel bun.  The bun is a very thick bread, just like a soft pretzel, and it’s grilled briefly to give it a nice crispiness on the inside and out.  The hot dog itself is split open and relish and banana peppers are piled on top.  On one side there’s a tomato slice, and on the other is a quarter of a dill pickle.  All in all, it makes for one really great hot dog.

Skippy’s is also one of the few places I’ve seen outside of Pennsylvania that will sell genuine birch beer, which I love.  If you’ve never had birch beer, it’s a soft drink very similar to root beer, but it’s a bit sharper in flavor.  If you get the chance, buy some!  Every time I take a trip up to Pennsylvania to visit relatives I always buy several bottles of it to take back and enjoy, mostly because it’s just hard to find anywhere outside of that state!