Have you ever tried to juggle too many things all at once?  Inevitably there comes a time when something must be put on the back burner.  You simply cannot manage so many things all at once, as your sanity tends to be the first to take a toll.  Wow this is sounding sad!  Don’t worry!  I am not quitting my life as a blogger but I am putting it on hold until June 20th.  I am freeing myself from the underlying love/pressure of posting each day, each week.

Thank you to all my readers, I hope you’ll stick it out until I am back in action! Until then…

Living in Southern California and being the Mexican food enthusiast that I am, re-creating the authentic Mexican flavors in my own kitchen is a constant challenge.  A challenge that my locale does it’s very best to help me succeed at with extensive access to fresh tortillas, mexican spices, carnecerias, tomatillos, and spicy peppers galore.  Tonight I am happy to share a new favorite, Mini Baked Chimichangas!  You will devour these up so fast, you’ll wish you made more!

INGREDIENTS

Makes 8 – 10

• 2 chicken breasts
• 1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 packet of sazon seasoning
• 1/4 yellow onion, diced
• 1/2 poblano, seeded and diced
• 1 jalapeno, diced
• 3 – 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 c frozen or fresh corn kernels
• 1/2 c tomatoes, diced
• 2 tbsp of adobo sauce and chilis, minced
• 3/4 c chedder cheese, shredded
• salt and pepper to taste
• 8 – 10 flour tortillas, 8 inch
• 1/2 c sour cream
• 1 c salsa fresca

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Place chicken into a cast iron skillet or an oven safe pot/pan.  Add 1-1/2 tablespoons of olive oil and add the sazon seasoning and pepper.  Place in the oven for 30 – 40 minutes or until cooked through.

Meanwhile, chop the onion, jalapeno, garlic, tomatoes, and adobos.  10 minutes before your chicken is done, add onion, poblano, jalapeno, corn and tomatoes to a saute pan with a tablespoon of olive oil, place over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes.  After 5 minutes season with salt/pepper and add garlic, adobo sauce and chilis.  Simmer for an additional 2 minutes.

Remove the chicken from the oven and begin to shred with a fork, add to the vegetable mixture.  Saute for another 2 minutes.  Turn oven temperature up 375°F

Place a 1/3 cup of filling into the center of one tortilla and spread into a log and top with shredded cheddar cheese.  Tightly wrap the chimichanga as shown below and place, seam side down, onto a baking sheet lined with parchment.  Repeat until filling is gone.

Bake chimichangas for 20 – 25 minutes or until the tortillas are golden brown.  Serve with salsa fresca and sour cream.

I am so very happy to be sharing a recipe for Chicken Marsala with you tonight.  I am entering those chaotic months of April through June in which blogging takes a back burner to real life.  My chances to be inspired in the kitchen are rare, simply due to lack of time.  Weeknights and even weekends, you more often than not will find Chris and I scrounging the fridge for unplanned and easy concoctions.  Instead of eating to create, we are eating to fuel.

It’s been a rainy, windy weekend in Santa Monica and it was just what I needed to get back into my groove.  I planned a week of new recipes that I have been dying to create and share.  Chicken Marsala was a perfect close to a laid back weekend.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 skinless, boneless, chicken breasts
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 c all purpose flour
• 1/2 c vegetable oil
• 8 oz mushrooms, sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1/2 c Marsala wine
• 1/4 c chicken stock
• 1/4 c sherry
• 2 tbsp heavy cream
• parsley, chopped (I am an Italian Flat-leaf parsley fan)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Carefully split the chicken breast through the middle creating 2 pieces about 1/2″ thick. Sandwich the four pieces of chicken between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound each one flat using a meat tenderizer/mallet until they are about a 1/4″ inch thick. If you do not have a meat tenderizer you can use the bottom of skillet.  Season with salt and pepper on both sides. Place flour on a plate or paper towel and dredge each piece of chicken.
2. Heat the oil over medium-high heat, once the oil is hot add chicken and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side until they are golden brown (you can do this in batches if you cannot fit all pieces). Remove chicken and place them on your serving platter and cover with foil.  Soak up any remaining oil with paper towels and discard.
3. Reduce the heat to medium and add butter, mushrooms and garlic.  Saute mushrooms for 4-5 minutes and season with salt and pepper. Add Marsala wine, sherry, cream, and chicken stock allowing the liquid to reduce slightly, should take approximately 4 minutes. Pour mushrooms and sauce over chicken and serve.

It’s sunday night and I thought I would wrap up this dark and stormy weekend with a quick Pin & Tell post.  Today I am in the mood to share some favorite pins from my Food – NOM! board and Clothes to Yearn For, Style to Create.  Enjoy!

One.  Asparagus Ricotta Tart from Sweet Paul Blog.    Two.   Keep it Skinny boasts Balsamic Honey Pulled Pork Sliders.    Three.  Frozen Yogurt Dots a snack from One Good Thing.    Four.  Blueberry Pie Pancakes by Chocolate-Covered Katie.

One.  Earrings from Keep Me Happy tumbler.    Two.   Perfect Ex-Boyfriend Chambray Shirt from Madewell.    Three.  Earthy Geode Slice Necklace found at Obaz.    Four.  Suhana Messenger Bag by Will Leather Goods.    Five.  Seriously Smitten Dress from Dress911.    Six.  Nice Girl Flats by Steve Madden.

Whoever claimed Los Angeles as the city of ‘fake and fame’ was somewhat mislead.  Sure we have our starlettes, party goers, and fame devotees but search a little deeper and you’ll find there lives another sub-culture.  One committed to a down-to-earth, active lifestyle free of Botox, star maps and underground nightclubs.  They live amongst the latter in the neighborhoods that make up Los Angeles County and trust me when I say they are enjoying and living out all that Southern California has to offer.  Whether it’s hiking, mountain biking, beach volleyball(ing), surfing, scuba diving, skiing (yes I am serious!), or even rock climbing it is all within a few miles of a Angelenos reach.

Chris and I have both rock climbed before but neither of us really ever considered Los Angeles as a climbing mecca.  Little did we know there are 150+ climbing spots in the Santa Monica Mountains alone.  Excited by this new discovery we started the search for a company to get us back into the groove and re-teach the basics.

OnRope Consulting caught our eye with an amazing all day climbing adventure in Malibu Creek State Park.  We started our Sunday off early, arriving at Malibu Creek State Park around 7:30.  On arrival we eased into the morning with quite introductions — name, where you live and something about yourself.  It was a little like the first day of camp, yet the exercise seemed to calm everyone’s nerves and instantly create a group that was willing to push their limits with one another.  Walter, owner of OnRope Consulting and two other guides instantly instilled confidence as they talked about the day and what was going to happen.  After a small warm-up and gear fitting we were off on a 20 minute hike to Rock Pool.  Fact: Swiss Family Robinson television series was filmed here.

On arrival at Rock Pool it was time to get our first taste of adventure for the day.  Traversing across the large boulder that sits over the pool.  Walter and his team carefully explain safety, risk and what to expect.  They offered tips and criticism that ensured our entire group of 8 made it across the rock pool with very little drama.

Image courtesy of OnRope Consulting

With the Rock Pool traverse conquered we were off to our climbing destination.  One heart pumping hike later we arrived  at a small off the beaten path rock wall — an overhead canopy offering us coverage and shade on this 80 degree day in March.  As we sat under the canopy catching our breath and sipping Jetboiled tea, Walter and his crew explained that they were working hard to preserve the area and had put some sweat into preventing some standard erosion.  To me it showed a true understanding of the sport of climbing and those that take part.  Climbers care to preserve their climbing spots, making sure that we are causing little to no impact on the area we are utilizing.  It’s not only a sport but a lifestyle.

Staring at the rock wall was encouraging excitement amongst the group.  We quickly split into teams of two, in which all the original groups of two were split up (meaning Chris and I and all other couples that knew each other were separated).  In my opinion a very smart move.  Trust is an enormous aspect of climbing and trusting your guides and those you are climbing with is crucial.  The guides divvied up and taught us the skills of belaying.  Belaying for those not in the know refers to a variety of techniques used in climbing to exert friction on a climbing rope so that a falling climber does not fall very far.  We watched and then practiced and practiced and practiced, honestly when belaying it can never hurt to practice too many times.  Once the skills were mastered and the guides were satisfied with our success, they taught us the typical climbing conversation and checklist that must take place between a climber and his/her belayer.

Next thing we knew we were in motion, scaling the rock wall, coaching each other on hand and foot placement and reaching the top with the reward of a sun-drenched view of Malibu Canyon!  For me it was an utter reminder of why I loved and now love again this sport.  I had the chance to scale that rock wall 6 times on 4 different routes and had an amazing time.

Image courtesy of OnRope Consulting

After a morning/afternoon of climbing and adrenaline, feeling complete with our climbing experience we packed up and headed out.  Once safely back across the Rock Pool and on solid ground.  Walter and the guides called us in to talk a little about the experience– what we took away from the day and what we learned.  The conversation a little more lengthy and full of laughter than the one of the morning, the 8 of us each shared successes and epiphanies of the experience.

To complete the afternoon Walter setup a team building exercise in which we all stood in a circle.  A climbing rope was laid out on the outside of the circle.  We were asked to step out and drop a bracelet a full arms length distance from the climbing rope and then told to step back inside of the circle.  Instructions were to retrieve the bracelet without touching any body part outside of the ring.  I will go no further as I do not want to ensure you thoughtless success if this task is ever asked of you!  What we took away is that climbing is about trust — trust of skills, technique, equipment and most importantly trust in those you are climbing with.

Image courtesy of OnRope Consulting

All in all my experience with OnRope Consulting was impeccable.  Having seen and experienced other rock climbing guides and classes in Wyoming, Washington, and Colorado — Walter, Tom and crew instantly create confidence amongst their group.  They share experience, knowledge, safety and criticism in ways that leave you the climber/belayer confident not only in them but in yourself.  They create a fun and relaxed environment that leaves you craving more remarkable climbing experiences.  I recommend OnRope Consulting to anyone living or visiting the area of Los Angeles that is looking for a little adventure or a chance to escape the typical.

OnRope Consulting offers a wide range of services from the beginner climber to the novice:

• One Day Classes – ROCK 1 – 3 and Traditional Lead Climbing
• All Day Climbing Trips – Custom
• Two Day Clinics
• Three Day Retreats
• Wilderness Adventure Trips
• Ropes Courses & Team Building Experiences
• Personal Training for Climbers

Check them out at the following:    Website      Facebook      Yelp

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