August 16 - Rosemary Ranch Chicken

So there's been another long hiatus...I swear, once the fall hits and we have some sort of normal routine back in order that I will be better at this. For now, you better enjoy the random entries here and there ;-)

Last night I was in a grilling mood, so I decided to make rosemary ranch kabobs. As you may or may not remember, rosemary is my new favorite spice, so when I came across this recipe I just had to try it. It was quick to make the marinade and so simple! I made the rest of the corn on the cob we had from our oh-so-very-generous neighbors (thanks AGAIN Joy for sharing your produce with us!), and then Linds and I went out back and picked beans to have with it. I sautéed the beans in a little olive oil and minced onion and even the boy ate them...a first this season?!

Here's the chicken recipe...it's about 50 minutes prep time (about 15 min active prep; 35 minutes of marinating/sitting), and 10 minutes grill time. Both the boy and the kids devoured it (who wouldn't like ranch dressing on something??), and I plan to use the leftovers on a salad today. Yum!

Rosemary Ranch Chicken Kabobs
Ingredients
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup ranch dressing
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, or to taste
1 tablespoon white sugar, or to taste (optional)
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1 inch cubes

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, stir together the olive oil, ranch dressing, Worcestershire sauce, rosemary, salt, lemon juice, white vinegar, pepper, and sugar. Let stand for 5 minutes. Place chicken in the bowl, and stir to coat with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
2. Preheat the grill for medium-high heat. Thread chicken onto skewers and discard marinade.
3. Lightly oil the grill grate. Grill skewers for 8 to 12 minutes, or until the chicken is no longer pink in the center, and the juices run clear.

July 31-August 3 - Night away, stuffed tomatoes & more

It was another busy weekend in the Risser household! On Saturday Linds and I traveled to my brother-in-law and sister-in-law's place in Lancaster for a visit and evening out. Linds got to stay up late with her cousins and play with all of their "super duper duper duper cool" toys while my BIL and I hit the town for a show at a local club. We had dinner with them Saturday (corn on the cob and some fantastic grilled shrimp) and then brunch the next morning (a crab and egg white quiche). My BIL's culinary skills put mine to shame, so squeezing two meals out of him was a real treat! Plus, it delayed grocery shopping a few more days...yessss ;-)

On Sunday, Linds started vacation bible school, so we made it an easy dinner night with hot dogs and chips. VBS lasts through Thursday (and they serve dinner before it starts), so my cooking is quite limited this week. On Monday I did make myself a stuffed tomato with a neighbor's garden-fresh tomato. They take mere minutes to make and only need to cook for about 30 or 40 minutes. Very simple!

Stuffed Tomatoes
Ingredients
1 large tomato, top cut off and "gutted"
1/3 cup bread crumbs
2 tablespoons butter
Oregano
Garlic powder
Salt
Pepper
Basil
Rosemary
(and any other spice you like to give it a little extra flavor)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Cut off the top of the tomato and scoop out the "guts" and seeds.
3. Soften butter and mix with bread crumbs.
4. Add spices according to taste to bread crumbs and transfer into tomato.
5. Bake 35-40 minutes.

When I make mine, I like to use whole wheat bread crumbs and add a little flaxseed in it for the omega-3 and fiber benefits. Recent studies have shown that flaxseed may have a protective effect against such cancers as breast, prostate and colon (breast and colon both run in my family over the course of the last three generations). It also helps reduce cardiovascular disease and inflammation. I add it to dishes here and there and it doesn't affect the taste.