In the Kitchen

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When I showed you how to make your own Pita Bread, I had several requests to share my Chicken Caesar Pita recipe.

So, here is what I do to make our Chicken Caesar Pita’s:

Whenever we have this chicken for dinner, I grill a couple extra so we can make the Chicken Caesar Pita’s the next night. If I don’t have any chicken already cooked, I just cut up a couple chicken breasts and fry them up in a pan. I usually throw on a little seasoning salt. You can also bake them in the oven or grill them.

Next, it’s as simple as making a Caesar Salad, you will need:

• Romaine lettuce
• Caesar dressing (Cardini’s is our favorite, but we are currently loving the Marie’s dressing we got for FREE back in March)
• Fresh Parmesan Cheese (we love the large shaved kind)
• Pepper
• Fresh Lemon (if desired)

Cut up the lettuce, toss with the dressing and add the Parmesan cheese. Next, add a little fresh ground pepper and a squeeze of the lemon (if desired).  It’s that simple!  The, add the Caesar salad and chicken inside you pita and you are good to go. I love these on hot summer nights, because they are so fresh, easy and don’t make a huge mess in the kitchen.

For a little more flavor you can add the following:

• Croutons
• Bacon Bits
• Tomato

This dinner makes everyone happy at our house.   I do have one child who is not a lettuce eater, so he fills his pita with chicken, cheese and ranch dressing and he is thrilled.

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We have an all time favorite marinade at our house, and it works for EVERYTHING!!!  It is Steven Raichlen’s recipe for The Only Marinade You Will Ever Need from his book Barbecue! Bible : Sauces, Rubs, and Marinades, Bastes, Butters, and Glazes.

I love this marinade, because it is so fresh and it is quick and easy to make.   I love that you don’t have to make it hours or even a day ahead of time.  In fact, it is freshest when you make it an hour or two before you cook it.   We use this on chicken all the time, but it is excellent on steak too.  Steven Raichlen claims its good on fish and veggies too, but I haven’t tried that yet.

Here is the recipe for The Only Marinade You Will Ever Need:

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon hot pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt (kosher or sea), or to taste
4 strips of lemon zest
3 cloves garlic, crushed with the side of a cleaver or minced
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil, cilantro, dill, oregano or a mix of all four (I always use Cilantro)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Combine the lemon juice, hot pepper flakes, cracked pepper, and salt in a nonreactive (glass, ceramic, or stainless steel) bowl and whisk until the salt crystals are dissolved.

Chop up the Parsley & other herb(s)

Add the lemon zest, garlic, parsley, and basil. Stir or whisk in the olive oil.

Marinate your meat, we are using chicken, but it works well for all types of meat.  The virtue of this marinade is its freshness; use it within 1 to 2 hours of making. Stir again before using.
Makes 1 cup.

Next, grill and enjoy!!!  Seriously, you should give this marinade a try, it really is The Only Marinade You Will Ever Need. YUM!

Recipe from Barbecue! Bible : Sauces, Rubs, and Marinades, Bastes, Butters, and Glazes by Steven Raichlen Copyright by Steven Raichlen. All rights reserved. Used by permission of Workman Publishing

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