Sweet 'n Savory Pineapple Chicken with Couscous

While Shaun and I are typically 'eat out on the weekends' people aside from most breakfasts, this weekend, we decided to enjoy a light dinner at home on Saturday night before heading over to a friend's party later in the evening. Though I did place my first Fresh Direct order a few days ago, I'm all about using up just about every item of food in our pantry - but both of those points are stories for another time.

While cleaning out said pantry yesterday, I came across a giant can of pineapple (only God knows when I bought that thing). Combined with my new 4lb pack of chicken breasts (don't worry, I didn't use all of it), I knew I had the makings of a fun new dinner of the sweet 'n savory variety - my favorite kind. And the warm weekend weather was just begging for some grilling. Since we currently have no outdoor space whatsoever (again, more on that later), I was relegated to breaking out the Foreman Grill - certainly a fine way to grill it up, but fell a bit short of truly grilled deliciousness (and did I mention that it's a pain and a half to clean? Yeah, it is.) Take a closer look at how I got 'er done.

Sweet 'n Savory Pineapple Chicken with Couscous
1 large can chopped pineapple
1 lb. chicken breasts or tenderloins
6 tbsp light brown sugar, divided
3 tbsp dijon mustard, divided
3/4 C pineapple juice, divided (drained from can)

Prepare couscous on stove top according to the package. Let sit, covered, while you prepare the chicken. Drain the canned pineapple into a measuring cup and reserve pineapple chunks in separately bowl. In a mixing bowl, combine 1/4 C pineapple juice, 1 tbsp Dijon mustard and 2 tbsp light brown sugar. Whisk together until combined. Add chicken and marinate for at least 30 minutes. On a Forman Grill (or actual grill), grill the chicken, making sure to get some carmelized grill marks on the chicken pieces. Meanwhile, in another mixing bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients. Add the mixture to a skillet, bring to a boil and then let simmer and reduce, adding the pineapple pieces to the sauce. Add the grilled chicken and toss to coat. Serve over prepared couscous.

Could it be any easier? The whole meal, save for the marinade, took about 20 minutes and you really can't beat that. So what do you think?

Sundried Tomato & Olive Tapenade

You may remember my tales of our Kentucky Derby slash Shaun's Birthday party last week, where I prepared the most chocolately, alcohol laced brownies of all time and a new twist on classic hummus. Of course, I didn't stop there.

For yet another chic cocktail food, I once again consulted Giada DeLaurentiis' Everyday Italian since all of her recipes are nothing short of classy, simple and delicious to boot. When I stumbled upon her Sun-dried Tomato & Olive Tapenade, I knew it was the perfect addition to my Derby spread. Though Giada serves it up with endive leaves, I personally am not a huge fan of the taste. Not to mention that I have an unhealthy obsession with crackers. I'll pretty much eat them with anything slathered on top. Anyhow, let's get down to the goods...

Sun-dried Tomato & Olive Tapenade
Adapted from Everyday Italian
3 cans black olives
1 jar sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil

In a food processor (or a blender would probably work as well), combine drained black olives and sun-dried tomatoes, including the olive oil they were packed in. Pulse until the mixture is smooth, but still with chunky bits of olives and tomatoes. If for some reason your mixture is dry, add a bit of olive oil and mix until smooth. Mine was very oily just from the jar of sun-dried tomatoes, so no extra olive oil was necessary. Serve with crackers, corn chips, endive leaves, crostini or pita chips.

Could this spread be any easier? The sundried tomatoes give a nice bite while the olives maintain a sublty salty flavor. This recipe makes a lot of tapenade, but can you ever have too much when hosting a party? Well, in my case, you can because I had a lot left over...but I'm chalking that up to the fact that my mother always taught me to have enough food for an army and then some when having company. I even served it up in a super sweet tea cup and saucer since there's nothing more unusual looking than a giant bowl of tapenade. Instead, opt for a small serving dish (or in this case, cup) and garnish with the dipping materials.

So what do you think? Are you a fan of tapenade? What's your favorite party food?

Share your Avid Appetite

You may have noticed the fancy little box that recently popped up on the side bar, begging readers to share their Avid Appetites. One of the many things I love about food is its uncanny ability to bring people together - shopping together at a green market, cooking together in the kitchen, sharing a dinner together...there's really nothing like enjoying food with the people you love. Or like, even. So in the spirit of food, I want to hear from you, dear Reader.

While I hope that you enjoy reading about my culinary adventures in and out of the kitchen, my hope is that you are out there having your own adventures...and I want to hear about them. We've already featured a few reader creations over the last couple of months...

I couldn't be more excited to feature Keri's Chick Cake Pops after I stumbled upon them a couple of months ago. I mean, really, did you ever think that cake could be so cute?

And how about Danielle's Irish car bomb cupcakes that she modeled after TAA's St. Patty's Day recipe? Don't they look divine? Between the frosting and sprinkles, I'd say they look mmm-mmm good. And I couldn't be more flattered that D was willing to test out a recipe of my very own (oh, and for the original recipe, you can find it right here).

So, wouldn't it be fun to hear from more foodies, and less of my rambling every day? if you want to be featured on The Avid Appetite, here's the skinny:

1) If you have a signature recipe that's oh-so-delectable in nature, send it on over with some scrumptious photos.

2) If you recently visited a restaurant, food truck or bodega that you've been dreaming about and is inevitably going on your permanent recommendation list, send it on over with a review (long or short) and, of course, photos.

3) If you found a fabulous foodie product, cooking technique that you've mastered, or essentially anything else remotely related to food and eating, send it on over...with photos.

To submit, you can visit the Contact page or email theavidappetite@gmail.com. Hope to hear from you!