If I could bear the thought of storing a picture on my iPhone of my front yard so I could post it for you, I would. But looking outside makes me figuratively ill. Realizing my truck's gas gauge was on 'E' and needing to make a late night gas run in the middle of an almost-blizzard... that made me literally ill.
I've lived in upstate New York all of my life. I should be fairly proficient at shoveling snow and walking on ice and all of those talents that all good northerners should have. You would think. Unfortunately, every year, as much as I enjoy the snow on occasion, I spend about 90% of the time either ignoring or fighting with winter.
Don't get me wrong. There are tons of fun things to do in winter if you just look for them. I'm all for ice skating, snowmobiling, fishing and sledding. And yes, I'm 26 but sledding is still a hobby of mine. The trouble is, when you're done with the snow, the snow is not done with you. It doesn't care that you're boots have no traction, or your tires for that matter. It doesn't care that the Vitamin D in your system is virtually depleted and you're on the brink of a nasty case of Seasonal Affective Disorder. It doesn't care if your pipes burst, or if your power goes out, or if an icicle-covered tree branch falls on your most important possessions. As much as New Yorkers love the stuff, we readily admit that it's a pain in the butt about 90% of the time.
So where am I going with this? Well, thanks for asking. When winter comes, I invariably become a huge hermit by where I don't leave me house unless someone is paying me to. It also means I have to be a little bit more creative because the things I take for granted in the summertime are no longer in reach for me. That includes my snack shop and coffee shop stops. In fact, if you look back through some other posts, you might notice a trend where my fast food copycats are more commonly posted in winter months. That's no coincidence when you consider there's about 10 miles of below zero weather separating me from my favorite foods.
So, in honor of my newfound hermit status for 2014, I am sharing a list of some of my favorite copycat recipes from restaurants I love.
This is a recipe that I adapted from one of my favorite sandwiches ever made. One of my favorite combinations is bourbon and pineapple. I got the idea from a sandwich that I first tried at in college. This salsa goes so well as a topper to my Bourbon Chicken. You could shred the chicken and serve it on a sandwich as I usually do, or serve a whole chicken breast topped with this salsa for garnish. Either way, the bourbon flavor with the pineapple is a crazy delicious combination that I'm completely in love with!
Pineapple Salsa
(adapted from my Pico de Gallo)
2 cups finely chopped pineapple
2/3 cup finely chopped red onion
2 seeded jalapenos, minced
1 tsp minced garlic
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
Salt & Pepper to taste
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and stir.
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