Simple Happiness

Oh...My...Goodness, I can't wait for dinner tonight.  It's going to make me so happy.  Now, I'm not going to lie, it wasn't a hard dinner to make, but it was time consuming.  I love to cook for the fam, especially when it's something healthy and different from the normal fare.  It's so worth all the work you put into this dish.  It's light, it's summery, and it's happiness on a plate.  It's a great meal to share with family during the summer.

Sunday night, my brother's neighbor, Diana, came over and made a form of Ceviche called Picarro.  (or at least I think that's how you spell it)  She is so precious.  She's American-Colombian and is a great cook.  She wanted to cook for all of us, but we talked her into cooking with us so we could get the recipe.  :)  I'm so glad she was willing to share it!  We added chicken that I baked, rice, and served it over a bed of lettuce with the picarro.  No salad dressing is needed.  (the picarro takes care of it)  Everything in it is fresh.  It just smells like summertime.  It was one of the best things I've eaten in a long time.    Diana had us laughing and crying as she shared her life's stories with us.  I'm so glad we had the chance to visit with her & learn one of her family's recipes.

If you want to add chicken to the picarro, here is what I did: 
Dice chicken breasts into bite sized pieces
Generously coat with cumin and chili powder
Add juice of 1 lime and lightly drizzle with olive oil
Toss gently making sure all the pieces are well coated
Lightly sprinkle sea or kosher salt over chicken
Cover and cook 30-45 minutes on 350 degrees

I have my chicken marinating now, and I will cook it along with the rice in a few hours.  I'm so excited I can't wait.  I've had to put the picarro in the outside fridge so I won't eat on it all day.  Yes, it's that good.

Well, I guess I go do some other chores as I wait for dinner!

Celebrating Life!
~ashley