Adobo!

From Bobby Flay's book Boy Meets Grill (page 180), this is Grilled Chicken in Adobo with Garlic Butter. In Spanish thats Pollo adobado. Adobo is oregano, garlic, chilies, and honey. Adobo is to Latin cultures what brown gravy over mashed potatoes was for me growing up. I marinated the chicken in the adobo sauce for about two hours - that may have been too long because this was very spicy. I grilled red, orange, yellow and green peppers to go with the chicken and it was the peppers that turned out to have less heat! You should still give this a try, because it was very good and very flavorful - but if you don't like it really spicy-hot then marinade for less time.

What to Drink? We pulled out a Blackstone Syrah. We knew we would need a big spicy wine to hold up against this dish and the wine met that requirement - but I still had a glass of ice water near by. For more on our Blackstone Winery experience check out the blog entry from back on New Year's Day!

What was on? Carly Simon. Sometimes you hear people say that a certain song or album is part of the "Soundtrack of their life." I gave this some thought. The Soundtrack of an entire life (at least of a life lived so far) should be a big deal. Here are the three requirements that I came up with for a song or album to qualify as a lifetime soundtrack. Number 1- When you first hear the music, you know every word, even though it may have been 10 years since you heard it last. Number 2- When you first hear the music again, a particular person, place or thing must instantly pop into your head. The music must carry you back to that moment when you first heard it. Number 3- The music must be from your past, but more so the music must qualify as being from "back in the day." I first heard the phrase, back in the day, from my adult son. I remember thinking that he hadn't lived long enough to know anything from back in the day. Then I over heard one of my college students use the phrase. He was reminiscing with nostalgia about something back in the day. This kid was only about 21 years old. He was not even alive back in the day! I eventually have concluded that back in the day really means back in your day. I have further concluded that back in your day took place when you were 19 years old. If you hear music that meets the criteria of Number 1 and Number 2, plus you first heard it when you were 19 or yonger then, and only then, does it meet Number 3's requirement and therefore qualifies as a "Soundtrack of your Life."

Carly Simon is definately a Soundtrack of my Life.

More helpful music definitions and grilling to come.

Paul