Wednesday Night in the Kitchen with Dave

First, get that grill fired up. We're making tacos.

While that heats up, we're making chicken stock. Yes, it's 100F outside, but the chicken carcass is in the fridge and soup is deliciously low-fat.

Remove the breast from the chicken, if you haven't already. Break up the carcass and meat and place in stock pot. Run some water in there and add three carrots, three celery stalks and a quartered onion. Salt, peppercorns, and a bunch of herbs. Let the water come to an inch or so above the ingredients. Throw the pot on a burner and let come to a boil.

Then take one chicken breast, trim it, and cut it into long strips. You should be able to get nine or ten chicken strips out of a half-pound breast. Hit those strips with a little salt, pepper, paprika, and cumin mixture (I go with a 6-4-2-1 mix, but you do what works for you).

Take a bunch of cilantro and cut off the tops. Throw the herb into your food processor and chop that up machine-style. Set about a tablespoon aside and mix the rest up in a cup of sour cream and the juice of a lime for some sauce.

Open a can of pinto beans, rinse them, throw them in a small pot over lowish heat. Squeeze the juice of a lime in there and chuck in that cilantro. Salt, pepper, cumin. Stir.

That grill is hot, so go throw the chicken on it and come back inside and get the fixin's ready. I used a package of pre-shredded cabbage, grated some Tillamook extra-sharp cheddar, and opened a package of those tortillas I love so much.

Flip the chicken.

Get the plates ready, lower the heat on the chicken broth, and stir those beans.

Bring the chicken inside and tell the kids (Amber had a friend over) their dinner is ready.

While they go nuts, throw some oil, salt, and pepper on your ahi tuna pieces. Throw them on the grill for a couple of minutes on each side. If you got the room, throw some of those tortillas on there. Turn off your grill.

Slice up the tuna (should be just a touch cold on the inside) and make yourself some delicious tacos. I recommend the Simpsons while you dine.

Don't drink so many High Lives that you forget that chicken stock. When you can bend the chicken bones, but not break them, it's ready. About four hours. Strain it, chill it, and tomorrow night you've got the base for some badass soup on a hot day.