Summertime In The South

And The Livin' Is Easy!

     (Scroll down to "The Playlist" and hit play before reading... works better that way!)

Folks all decked out in their straw hats, Seersucker and white linen, sitting under the ceiling fans on the front porch, sipping a cocktail and chewing on the ice... ahhh, summertime in the south.

Put on some cool slow "hang-out" music, grab a cocktail (preferably with a lot of ice) and throw a little something on the grill.  Folks don't move to fast down here in the summer; maybe not so much in the winter either.  There is something to be said for a little "porch therapy".

Try it... you'll see what I mean. Y'all come on up here and grab a rocker.

The Pots Are On...

The Plate...

Spicy Grilled Chicken with Serrano / Peach Salsa

It's summertime, so you know we got to fire up the grill.  How about a little sweet'n spicy?  It doesn't get more southern than a little chicken on the grill.  But, if you add some peaches, a little mint and some spice... well now, that's southern.

This is a great recipe that's simple and it goes well with sitting on the front porch while you're sipping on a mint julep.
I really like chicken breasts for this one... just seems to go better with the flavor of the salsa.

Now we are going to start off with a marinade to make sure the chicken is juicy.  It's just 30 minutes; long enough to make a cocktail.  Get that grill started... let's get going.

What you need... 

For the marinade -

6 - 4oz boneless chicken breasts

1 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp fresh lime juice

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp fresh ground pepper

For the peach salsa - 

3 ripe peaches peeled and diced

1/4 cup red onion diced

1/2 red bell pepper diced

1 serrano pepper chopped and seeded

2 cloves garlic, minced

1tbsp fresh lime juice

1 tsp brown sugar

1 tsp salt

1 tsp fresh ground pepper

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

2 tbsp fresh mint leaves, chopped

What you do... 

Put together the marinade and pour over chicken in a plastic bag.
Allow the chicken to marinade for 30 minutes.

While that's going on... combine all of the ingredients for the salsa in a bowl and mix well.
Stick in the frig until you finish grilling the chicken.

Set your grill to med-high. I always like to have a hot side and a cool side on the grill.
Start the chicken off on the hot side then move over to the cool side to complete cooking.
Remember that chicken should have an internal temperature of 165 degrees to be done.

Pull the chicken off the grill, grab your favorite platter and top it off with the peach salsa.
Garnish with some mint and your all set. 

See, you did good.  Make another Mint Julep.

The Playlist...

Summertime in the South

Pull up a rocking chair and grab your cocktail.  Get ready for a little "porch therapy" and listen to Anders explain what "Summertime in New Orleans" is all about.  

As usual, we have so old, some new and some you've probably never heard.  I love Michael Franti's "Sound of the Sunshine"; probably one of my all time summertime favorites.  Of course you can't talk about summer without a "porch" song... thanks to Robert Earl Keen for writing such a great song and Lyle Lovett for singing it.  Glad you two guys got together.  

So, regardless of your choice in beverage or tunes, sit back and relax... the livin' is easy down here.

("The Playlist" runs on Spotify. Don't have Spotify?... Click here it's free )

The Bar...

Mint Julep

What you need...

3 oz Bourbon 

6-8 mint leaves

1 oz simple syrup

crushed ice

What you do...

Simple syrup is just equal parts of water and sugar.  Bring to a low boil until sugar has dissolved.

Put mint leaves into a tall glass (or mint julep cup) add simple syrup and muddle to release the oil of the mint.

Add ice and bourbon and garnish with a sprig of mint. 

See... how easy was that?  Now grab the dog and have a seat.
The chicken will be ready shortly.

American By Birth...

Southern By The Grace Of God!

Y'all Please... Day Drink Responsibly 

& 

Keep On Cookin'!