Steaks, beans and potatoes

I found this steak marinade recipe about a year and a half ago and immediately fell in love! P-M (pre-marinade), I would just slap on a little olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic onto my steaks and have the boy grill them up. They were always good, nothing extraordinary, but still tasty. Since I've found this recipe, though, I won't make them any other way. I also use some of the marinade on the veggies that we serve with it - adds a little punch to them, but not in an overwhelming way.

This last time we had steaks, I made them with beans that were fresh picked from our garden, and with some garlic red potatoes we had picked up through our crop share.

Garlic Red Potatoes
Ingredients
2 pounds red potatoes, quartered
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1 lemon, juiced
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Place potatoes in an 8x8 inch baking dish.
3. In a small bowl combine melted butter, garlic, salt and lemon juice; pour over potatoes and stir to coat. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over potatoes.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 60 minutes (or until golden brown).

Best. Marinade. Ever.
Ingredients
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon concentrated lemon juice (or 1/3 cup of fresh lemon juice)
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes

Directions

1. Place all ingredients in a large Ziploc bag. Knead bag to mix ingredients.
2. Place steaks inside bag and marinate for up to 8 hours (I did 4 hours and they were perfect).

Oriental Steak & Veggie Stir-fry

It's rare I come across a recipe that everyone will eat and enjoy equally well. Everyone in our family has unique taste buds, and I often struggle finding stuff that satisfies all of 'em. Usually it's the boy and me stuffing our faces while Linds and Luke refuse to eat...but today was a different story. Now, I knew the boy and I would be fine, but that Luke would for sure not eat this, so I heated the little man up some mac and cheese (I keep reminding myself that Linds was picky until she turned 3 or 4, so just give him some time). Linds I wasn't too sure about - she can be hit or miss with beef dishes or rice dishes.

Normally I would have skewered the beef and veggies and grilled it all up, but the dark skies and 90+ degree heat were too unappealing, so I just stir-fried it up on the stove. To my amazement, Linds finished her ENTIRE bowl. I was beyond shocked...even when she likes a meal, she rarely finishes it. She scarfed down zucchini and squash with an overzealous appetite, eagerly ate our garden's peppers (and chattered endlessly about how cool it was to eat food that we grew ourselves), and declared the red onion her new favorite vegetable. She even ate a few bites of the beef and polished off the rice. Honestly, it was like it was some alien child sitting in her seat - I was speechless. You know, it's one thing when the boy thanks me for dinner and said it tasted good, but when my once-picky daughter inhales her portion and waxes philosophical about all the components of a meal - well, that just makes me feel like I'm doing my job right.

I'll post the marinade recipe below, but the rest of it is to your liking. I tossed the veggies we had on hand in a little olive oil and soy sauce and fried those up in one pan, cooked our rice in the rice cooker, and then cooked the beef in the marinade stove top in another pan. Let everyone do their own mix and match and, voila!, dinner.

Oriental Beef Marinade
Ingredients
1 lb sirloin steak, cubed
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1 packet Lipton Beefy Onion dry soup mix

Directions

1. Mix soy sauce, honey, lemon juice, olive oil and soup mix in a Ziploc bag.
2. Add beef and let marinate at least 8 hours.

Cheeseburgers

So as I was going through my Blogger account, I realized I sent this photo to myself, but never did the actual blog post for it. I figure, what the hell? Might as well finish something I already started.

To be honest, I have no recollection of making this, however I can barely remember yesterday, so there's nothing new there! Regardless, I love this burger recipe - it makes the most basic burger (don't expect anything fancy or flavorful), but it's juicy and doesn't have that "freezer taste" some store bought burgers have.

Hamburgers
Ingredients
1 egg
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 lb ground beef

Directions

1. Mix all ingredients and form into 6 burgers.
2. Grill over medium heat or pan-fry on the stove.

Catch-up time!

So I feel like this is completely inexcusable - I mean, really? Nearly a month since I've updated? Wow, I suck. In my defense, I started working part-time from home, so by the time the kiddos are in bed, I usually catch up on a few work things that didn't get done during naptime and then try to get a few minutes in with the boy before completely crashing. We also joined our local YMCA and I've become totally addicted to going to the gym. Let me preface this by saying that I've *never* been very much into exercising, playing sports, etc., but since joining I've learned to love running (signed up for the Broad Street 10-mile run in May) and doing Body Pump (a barbell class that makes lifting not only tolerable, but almost kind of fun!). Mentally, I feel the best that I have in a long, long time. Physically, I'm in better shape than I've been in at least six or seven years (even lost 5 or 6 lbs since the beginning of the year!).

So, I think I've made enough excuses for now ;-) I'll post a few recipes that I've made over the last couple weeks to help make up for the disappearing act. I made my baked potato pizza for the game, too, so I'll repost that favorite.

Baked Potato Pizza
Ingredients
1 large pre-made pizza crust
4 medium unpeeled potatoes, baked and cooled
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1 cup (8 oz) sour cream
6 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
3 to 5 green onions, chopped
1 1/2 cups (6 oz) mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 F.
   
2. Cut potatoes into 1/2-inch cubes. In a bowl, combine butter, garlic powder and oregano. Add potatoes and toss.
3. Spread sour cream over crust; top with potato mixture, bacon, onions and cheeses.
4. Bake at 400 for 15 - 20 minutes or until cheese is lightly browned.
5. Let stand for 5 minutes before cutting.

Yield: 8 slices


Beer Glazed Ham
Ingredients
1 boneless fully cooked ham (3 lbs.)
1 can beer
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 T balsamic vinegar
2 tsp ground mustard

Directions

1. Place ham on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Score the surface of the ham, making diamond shapes ½ inch deep. 
2. Set aside 2 T beer. Pour remaining beer over ham. 
3. Bake, uncovered at 350 for 1 hour. 
4. In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, vinegar, mustard and reserved beer; spread over ham.
5. Bake 40-45 minutes longer or until a meat thermometer reads 140, basting occasionally.

Saucy Pepper Steak
Ingredients
1 green bell pepper, cut into strips
1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
1 yellow bell pepper, cut into strips
1 small onion, cut into strips
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp black pepper
3 T lite soy sauce
1/2 cup BBQ sauce
2 cups hot cooked brown rice
1 lb. trimmed beef sirloin steak, cut into strips

Directions

1. Heat large nonstick skillet sprayed with cooking spray on medium-high heat. Add bell peppers and onions; cook and stir 6 to 8 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Transfer to large bowl; cover to keep warm. 
2. Add meat, garlic and black pepper to same skillet; cook and stir 3 min. 
3. Add soy sauce; cook 1 min. or until meat is cooked through, stirring occasionally. 
4. Add BBQ sauce; cook until heated through. 
5. Spoon meat mixture into bowl with vegetables; toss gently. Serve over rice. 

Makes 4 servings. 330 calories, 6 g fat per serving.


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.

Cheesy Potato and Corn Chowder
Ingredients
2 tablespoons margarine
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped onion
2 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
3 cups peeled and cubed potatoes
1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn
1 (2.5 ounce) package country style gravy mix
2 cups milk
1 cup shredded Mexican-style processed cheese food

Directions

1. In large saucepan, melt margarine over medium high heat. Add celery and onion; cook and stir until tender, about 5 minutes.
2. Add chicken broth; bring to a boil. Add potatoes; cook over low heat for 20 to 25 minutes or until potatoes are soft, stirring occasionally.
3. Stir in corn; return to boiling. Dissolve gravy mix in milk; stir into boiling mixture. Add cheese; cook and stir over low heat until cheese is melted.

October 2 - Honey Chicken Kabobs

Miraculously, my little sister, little brother and I *all* had a Saturday with no plans, so we decided to get together. Now, you see, Steph is 25 and Zach is 22, so the fact that my Saturday was wide open doesn't say much...the fact that THEIR Saturdays were wide open was honestly an anomaly. And to make an awesome day even better, Steph brought her friend we affectionately call "Uncle Kaitlin." The kids had a blast spending time with their aunt and uncle(s?!) and it was great getting the three of us together for some silly fun. Scott was a good sport and endured the countless Seinfeld references and other assorted inside jokes (the two cases of beer they brought probably helped with that). Below is Steph, Miss Linds and me.

When I realized we'd all be here for a "lupper" (lunch/supper), I had to figure out something to make. I kind of have a reputation in my family for being a crap cook - stupid food fails that I've mentioned here if you haven't been keeping up regularly - so I needed to come up with some really impressive. I wanted to grill since it was a gorgeous day and decided to do some honey chicken kabobs, grilled veggies and rice. I also made buffalo chicken dip since it's a Hoover favorite.

Steph and Zach teased throughout the afternoon about the concoction I was making, but were quickly silenced when they started eating. Score one for me! And I think the veggies were extra delicious because I bought them at the farmer's market (and unfortunately no one will get that joke since neither of them read my blog regularly :P). Below are the pre-grilled skewered kabobs, the boy grilling (we split the task - he started them, I finished), and the food completely finished.

It was the perfect dinner to make - all the prep work was done before guests arrived and all that was left was making some rice and doing the grilling. Everything was delicious and everyone loved it! I made them pose for a photo and then pose for a "candid" photo so I could prove they actually ate it. The last one down there is of me and my broken "china" - stupid plastic utensil broke while I was trying to eat.

Here are the recipes for the marinade and for the buffalo chicken dip (thanks to Sharon Massey for her dip recipe - it's become a staple at Hoover family functions!):

Honey Chicken Kabobs
Ingredients
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup honey
2/3 cup soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 cloves garlic, minced
8 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1 inch cubes
Assorted veggies and fruit (I used zucchini, red onion, green and red peppers, mushrooms and pineapple)

Directions

1. In a large bowl, whisk together oil, honey, soy sauce, garlic and pepper. Place the chicken, veggies and fruit in the bowl, and marinate in the refrigerator at least 3 hours (the longer the better).
2. Preheat the grill for medium-low heat.
3. Drain marinade from the chicken and vegetables, and discard marinade. Thread chicken and vegetables onto skewers.
4. Lightly oil the grill grate. Place the skewers on the grill. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, until chicken juices run clear. Turn and brush with reserved marinade frequently.

 Buffalo Chicken Dip
Ingredients
1/2 cup hot sauce (more or less, depending on your taste)
1 cup ranch dressing
20 oz cooked chicken, chopped (I use 2 boxes of Perdue short cuts original roasted and chop it up)
2 - 8 oz blocks cream cheese, softened
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350. 
2. Mix the above ingredients and put in a pie dish and bake for 45 minutes until slightly browned and bubbling. 
3. Serve it with tortilla chips.

It was good!! :)

July 1 - Hot dogs, Brats, BBQ Chicken

My brother and his girlfriend came for a visit today, so I decided to grill. I made some cheese sausages, beer brats and BBQ chicken, and paired it with a side of butter garlic 90-second Uncle Ben's rice. We had eaten a late lunch at Chick-fil-A, so it was just enough food to fill us up, but nothing too heavy.

June 27 - Bacon-Wrapped Cheeseburgers

I found this recipe for bacon wrapped cheeseburgers, and they sounded like the poor man's version of filet mignon wrapped in bacon - perfect for us! I was really excited about them as I made them, but was pretty bummed about their lackluster turn out. They were so moist they crumbled on the grill and we had to pan-fry them, they tasted a bit bland to me, and the bacon didn't cook nearly as quickly as the beef. I'll post the recipe, but beware - it needs some tweaking! If you find a good way to fix this one up, let me know - I'd love to make them more successfully.

Bacon-Wrapped Cheeseburgers
Ingredients
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
1 small onion, chopped
1 egg
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 pound ground beef
6 slices bacon
6 hamburger buns, split

Directions

1. Preheat a grill for high heat.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the Cheddar cheese, Parmesan cheese, onion, egg, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Crumble in the ground beef, and mix together by hand. Form into 6 patties, and wrap a slice of bacon around each one. Secure bacon with toothpicks.
3. Place patties on the grill, and cook for 5 minutes per side, or until well done. Remove toothpicks before serving on hamburger buns.

June 8 - Kabobs and Rice

Kabobs were on the menu for tonight! They were so easy to make and tasted fantastic. Neither the boy nor I eat tomatoes, so we put beef cubes, red pepper, yellow pepper, red onion and mushrooms on ours (although he didn't eat any of the 'shrooms). I marinated the meat in an Oriental sauce and then basted the kabobs with the left overs while they grilled. They turned out perfectly! I even had enough veggies and meat left over to make up some stir-fry for lunch the rest of the week. YUM! Here are the kabobs pre-grilling:

Here's the recipe for the marinade...I like to make mine in a Ziploc baggy and let them sit overnight.

Oriental Steak Kabobs
Ingredients
1 envelope Lipton Recipe Secrets Savory Herb with Garlic mix
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup honey
1 pound boneless sirloin streak, cut into 1-inch cubes
Assorted veggies of your liking

Directions

1. In a Ziploc bag, blend savory herb with garlic soup mix, soy sauce, lemon juice, oil, and honey. 
2. Add steak and let marinate overnight or for at least 8 hours. 
3. Thread skewers with vegetables and steak cubes. 
4. Grill skewers over medium heat, turning and basting frequently with reserved marinade, until steak is cooked to desired doneness. Do not brush with marinade during last 5 minutes of cooking.

I served mine over saffron rice, but have done it with plain white and brown rice, and rice pilaf. I was out of everything else, so the fluorescent saffron it was!

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June 6 - Crockpot Chicken

I started off this morning with a delicious breakfast that I just threw together with random things that looked good from my fridge, and ended it was a scrumptious dinner and glass of wine...it was a great food day!

Before I get into dinner, here's a picture of my own healthy version of a breakfast burrito.

I scrambled 3 egg whites with a little bit of skim milk, and tossed in some diced yellow pepper and mushrooms. I have some of the Laughing Cow's french onion cheese, so I spread that on a whole wheat tortilla and added my eggs and veggies. Not only did it taste great, but it was hearty and filling, and only had about 300 calories total. YUM!

Now, onto dinner...

I had a bag of chicken parts frozen (2 breasts and 3 drumsticks), so I decided to make some crockpot chicken and used a variation of a recipe called 40-Clove Chicken. I didn't use 40 cloves of garlic, so to call it that would be a total misnomer. We grilled up the rest of the bunch of asparagus I had bought a week or two ago, and I made rosemary bread in the breadmaker (it is BY FAR the best bread I've ever had). The only issue I've been having with my bread-making is that the knead bar in the pan keeps baking into the bread. It drives me absolutely insane - I just can't figure out why it won't stick in the pan. If anyone has a solution, please let me know! Here are the recipes for the chicken and for the bread:

Garlicky Crockpot Chicken in White Wine (I think I need a new name?! haha)
Ingredients
3 lbs. chicken parts
Salt and pepper
1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley or 2 teaspoons dried parsley
2 teaspoons dried basil leaves
1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
Dash red pepper flakes
12 cloves of garlic
Splash of lemon juice
1 large onion, cut into thick rings

Directions

1. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper.
2. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add chicken and cook 10 minutes or until browned on all sides. Remove to platter.
3. Combine wine, parsley, basil, oregano and red pepper flakes in a large bowl.
4. Layer onion across bottom of crockpot. Place chicken on top.
5. Cover chicken with wine and seasoning mixture, and splash a little lemon juice over top. Toss garlic on top of chicken and around crockpot.
6. Cook over low heat for approximately 8 hours.

My chicken was frozen when I put it in the crockpot, so I skipped step 2 and it still turned out fantastic. I also used my crockpot's "auto" setting so it would defrost and cook in the 6 to 8 hours I had until dinner. As for the bread, here's that recipe:


Jo's Rosemary Bread
Ingredients
1 cup water
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon dried rosemary
2 1/2 cups bread flour
1 packet of yeast

Directions

1. Place ingredients in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. 
2. Select white bread cycle; press Start.

June 5 - Happy Anniversary to us!

Today was the boy's and my 6-year anniversary! To celebrate, we went out to dinner at the Olive Tree (a great Mediterranean restaurant in Downingtown) and then saw Get Him to the Greek. Dinner was fantastic...the movie? Not so much. But it didn't matter - we had 5 uninterrupted hours of adult time and were able to reconnect as partners instead of parents.

We've been hearing rave reviews of the Olive Tree for some time now - it's a BYOB favorite around here, but haven't taken the time to go. We had a Restaurant.com gift certificate, so we stocked up on a couple bottles of wine and headed over. We split a calamari appetizer (it's grilled, not deep-fried...absolutely delicious!), the boy got a pork chop, potatoes and veggies, and I got the shrimp and scallop kabobs, potatoes and veggies. I toyed with the idea of dessert, but was just too full.

Before dinner, though, we decided to have a small lunch, so I made mini-pita hamburgers and pasta salad. It was so yummy! The burgers were about a 1/2 portion of a normal one and the pitas are a much lighter bread than a roll. The pasta salad is also pretty light...it's my mom's recipe and a summer favorite of everyone in our family. Here's the pasta salad recipe:

Italian Pasta Salad
Ingredients
16-oz box of rotini pasta
1.5 cups cubed swiss or provolone cheese
1 cup fresh broccoli florets
1 bag of mini-pepperoni
1/2 cup chopped pepper (you can use any type - I like to use orange or yellow to give the salad more color)
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup fresh parsley
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup wine vinegar
2 cloves minced garlic
2 teaspoons dried basil
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Directions

1. Cook pasta; drain and rinse with cold water. Drain again.
2. For salad, mix pasta, cheeses, broccoli, pepperoni, peppers, onions and parsley.
3. For dressing, combine olive oil, vinegar, garlic, basil, oregano and pepper.
4. Shake dressing and pour over pasta.
5. Cover and chill 4-24 hours.
6. Mix before serving.

And here's the burger recipe again...our friends Sarah and Michael watched the kiddos, so I left a bunch of burgers for them to eat. When we came home, they couldn't stop raving about how delicious they were! They are beyond simple and easy to make in bulk. Give 'em a try!

Hamburgers
Ingredients
1 lb. ground beef
1 egg
1/2 cup bread crumbs (equiv. to about 2 slices of bread if you want to make the effort to grate it - I always do)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
minced onion and garlic powder to taste

Directions

1. Mix all ingredients until well-formed.
2. Split into 6 even patties

June 4 - Grilled Swordfish

I was going to make mahi mahi this week (the only fish the boy will eat), but Wegmans' seafood frozen section didn't have any in it, and I was so not in the mood to hike all the way back to the regular frozen food section to get it. I ended up getting swordfish, figuring that the boy might not notice the difference between two white pieces of fish?! Of course he unloaded the groceries that night and was like, "ew, swordfish?" ::sigh::

I pigged out at our monthly Munchin Mamas meeting today (fabulous dessert recipes to follow soon!), so I wanted something lighter for dinner. I marinated the swordfish, heated up an Uncle Ben's 90-second rice packet, and put together a quick salad for the boy and me. He actually ate AND enjoyed the swordfish (score!), and the rice was so-so. It was cooked really well (better than expected for a 90-second microwave bag), but the flavor (four cheese) was just not that great. I have two more bags (harvest vegetable and butter/garlic), so I'll give a better review once we try a new flavor.

I forgot to take a photo of dinner, but below is the 90-second rice packet I mentioned. It claims to only be 2 servings, but I dished it out to the boy, myself and Linds and it was plenty.

Here's my swordfish marinade...it was pretty good. Nothing exciting or super flavorful, but it gave the fish a nice, subtle taste.

Grilled Swordfish Marinade
Ingredients

4 cloves garlic
1/3 cup white wine
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon thyme
3/4 teaspoon rosemary
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
4 swordfish steaks

Directions

1. In a Ziploc bag, combine the garlic, white wine, lemon juice, soy sauce, olive oil, thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper. Mix just to blend. Place swordfish steaks into the marinade, and refrigerate for 1 hour, turning frequently.
2. Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat, and lightly oil the grate.
3. Grill swordfish steaks 6 minutes on each side.

May 27 - BBQ Chicken

We had an extra little one for dinner tonight (we watched my friend, Sarah's little guy while she and her husband went to a rehearsal dinner), so I wanted to make something I knew everyone would eat (especially since it went so well yesterday!). I decided to do BBQ chicken, braised carrots and garlic red potatoes. It tasted so good and all three kiddos cleaned their plates! I've posted both recipes before, but they're so delicious, I'll post them again. Enjoy!

Braised Carrots
Ingredients
1 lb bag of baby carrots
1/2 cup water or chicken broth
1 1/2 tablespoons of butter
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients in large saucepan.
2. Simmer over medium heat for 15-20 minutes or until water/broth evaporates.

Roasted Garlic Red Potatoes
Ingredients
2 pounds red potatoes, quartered
1/4 cup butter, melted (I used low-fat)
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (175 degrees C). 
2. Place potatoes in an 8x8 inch baking dish. 
3. In a small bowl combine melted butter, garlic, salt and lemon juice; pour over potatoes and stir to coat. 
4. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over potatoes. Bake in preheated oven for at least 60 minutes (often a little longer).

May 6 - Honey Dijon Chicken

A couple weeks ago I clipped a coupon for 50 cents of any Lawry's marinade...it went on sale for $1 at Acme that week, so after it doubled, I ended up getting it for free! Since I had a bunch of other kinds of marinade, I bought a honey dijon flavor. I wasn't sure if the boy would enjoy it (he's picking with his meat - he doesn't want fruit with it or anything sweet), but I know he likes honey mustard, so I figured it was a safe bet. I grilled up some chicken breasts that were marinating in the sauce all day.

I also made some scalloped potatoes (boxed - quick and easy) and Linds and I munched on frozen peas with everything else. I can't stand the thought of eating vegetables frozen, but for some reason, ever since I was a kid, peas are the best when they're frozen! My mom used to give it to us as a snack when we were younger.

I don't have any recipes since I didn't have to actually "prepare" anything, but here's what it looked like:

Playing catch-up...busy weekend!

WOW! Let me just say it was a SUPER busy weekend! We were gone all day Friday (MOMS Club activity and happy hour play-date at Julia's house), all day Saturday (sunning while the kiddos played at Christy's and then a visit from Lynzy and Conor who we haven't seen since New Year's!), and then the boy helped install cabinets at casa de Kurzeja on Sunday, so Sarah and Critter spent the day with us. By the time Monday rolled around, I was wiped out!

As for dinners...let's see. On Friday we did some quick pasta with jarred sauce (I used Bertolli's Four Cheese Rosa sauce - alfredo sauce mixed with tomatoes...pretty good!).

On Saturday we ordered out since we had company. Scott had stained part of the deck and we didn't know if it would be dry or not, so I didn't defrost anything. We got some Venice pizza and wraps...always a good meal and they deliver, which is nice (and a rarity for us out here!).

On Sunday, we dined at the Kurzeja's and let me tell you, they never disappoint in the food department! Sarah grilled skewers of chicken satay and fillets of salmon, put together a salad with some incredible homemade dressing, and I braised a bag of baby carrots. Topped off with wine and Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches, it was an incredible dinner! I still need to get her satay recipe, but here's the braised carrrot recipe:

Braised Carrots
Ingredients
1 lb. bag of baby carrots
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup water (or chicken broth)
Parsley

Directions

1. Place carrots, butter, brown sugar, salt and water (or chicken broth) in pan over medium-high heat. 
2. Bring to boil. 
3. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes or until carrots are tender and liquid evaporates. 
4. Sear slightly for color and top with parsley.

I don't have any pictures, but suffice it to say - FANTASTIC!!

Apr. 29 - BBQ Chicken Quesadillas

 I thought this was going to be a food fail as I started it. It's an intensely over-complicated recipe that honestly doesn't need to be even half as complex. The buttermilk dressing can easily be buttermilk ranch salad dressing, the smoked tomato relish can be a sweeter salsa (pineapple salsa, perhaps?), and the BBQ chicken could be regular old breasts shredded after barbecuing. But, I went through this step by step...and my god, it took forever. The result tasted pretty good, but nothing exciting. My buttermilk did NOT come out right (probably because of some substitutions) - it was watery and not nearly as creamy as it should have been. Ah, well, not every dinner can be fabulous?!

Bbq Chicken Quesadilla with Smoked Tomato Relish and Buttermilk Dressing
from www.foodnetwork.com
Prep time: 45 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Ingredients
4 chicken thighs, boned (about 1 pound), skin removed
3 cups BBQ sauce, divided
Salt and freshly ground pepper
24 (6-inch) flour tortillas
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
2 cups shredded white cheddar cheese
1 large red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons ancho chile powder

Smoked Tomato Salsa
8 cold smoked plum tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1/2 serrano chile, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Buttermilk Dressing
1/4 cup sour cream
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions

1. Place chicken in a medium baking dish. Pour 2 cups of the barbecue sauce over chicken and let marinate for 2 hours in the refrigerator. 
2. Remove from marinade, season with salt and pepper to taste and grill for 7 to 8 minutes on both sides or until tender and cooked through. Transfer chicken to a plate and let cool. 
3. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. 
4. When chicken is cool enough to handle, slice. Toss with the reserved 1 cup of bbq sauce. 
5. Place 8 tortillas on a flat surface and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of each of the cheeses and onion slices. Top with some chicken. Stack another tortilla on top and repeat. Top with the remaining 8 tortillas. 
6. Brush the top of the tortillas with oil and sprinkle with the chili powder. Place tortillas on a lightly oiled baking sheet and bake for 5 to 7 minutes or until golden brown and cheese has melted.

For the Smoked Tomato Salsa: Mix all ingredients together and season with salt and pepper to taste.

For the Buttermilk Dressing: Mix all ingredients together and season with salt and pepper to taste.

To serve: Place 1 quesadilla on each plate and cut into quarters. Top with a dollop of salsa and drizzle with the buttermilk dressing.

* I wish these were what mine looked like, but this is just from the Food Network page.

Apr. 27 - Grilled Mahi Mahi

Tonight's dinner, grilled mahi mahi with roasted red pepper sauce and cilantro pesto, was beyond phenomenal - I mean, restaurant-quality food served up right here in my kitchen! Kind of gourmet (at least for the boy's and my taste?!) and the best part...we ate it while the kids were in bed for the night :)

The boy is not a big fan of fish - in fact, he really doesn't like it. The texture bugs him, and he didn't eat much (if any) of it growing up; having a farming family, he had a lot of "meat and potatoes" dinners. He will dabble with mahi mahi (that's it though!), so I decided to try to find a recipe he'd like.

I stumbled upon this one from All Recipes and the reviews were very positive. It looked a little lengthy to make, so I did the cilantro pesto and half of the roasted red pepper sauce during the kiddos' naptime and put that aside for later. Once the boy got home, we put Linds and Luke to bed and made dinner together. It was nice being able to chat with each other without constant interruptions, and a double bonus was having some help in the kitchen! If you're a fan of fish, you MUST give this a try - it is absolutely delicious and the boy even said, "wow, this is amazing! Make it again." For him to say "make it again" to a fish dish is huge!

The prep time was about 30 minutes for the cilantro pesto and red pepper sauce (which I had leftovers of and froze...they aren't ingredients I normally keep on hand), and the fish took about 10 or 15 minutes to grill. All in all, not too bad an amount of time! We had grilled asparagus and white rice with it.

Grilled Mahi Mahi w/ Roasted Red Pepper Sauce & Cilantro Pesto
Ingredients
1/2 cup white wine
1 shallot, minced
2 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese
2 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup packed fresh cilantro leaves
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 (12 ounce) jar roasted red bell peppers, drained
4 (6 ounce) mahi mahi fillets
salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon butter
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat.
2. Place the wine and shallot in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and reduce the liquid down by about half, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
3. Place the Parmesan cheese, garlic, and walnuts into a food processor; process until finely chopped. Add the olive oil, cilantro, and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper; process until smooth. Remove the cilantro pesto from the food processor and set aside.
4. Place the red peppers into the food processor, pour in the wine reduction, and process until smooth. Pour the entire mixture back into the saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. 
5. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer the sauce for 4 minutes. 
6. Meanwhile, season both sides of the mahi mahi fillets with salt and pepper. Cook the mahi mahi on the preheated grill until the fish is golden and flakes easily with a fork, about 4 minutes per side.
7. Whisk the butter, 1/8 teaspoon black pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon salt into the red pepper sauce until smooth. 
8. Spoon the red pepper sauce onto the bottom of the serving plate, arrange the fish on the sauce, and top with the cilantro pesto to serve.

Another Guest Blog!!

My dear friend, Julia, agreed to guest blog on Dining with the Rissers! She, like myself, is a former public relations guru who left it all for the kiddos. We could sit and "talk shop" for hours on end (preferably over a glass or two of wine!) while the kiddos play. We met through the Coatesville MOMS Club, and in the fall, Lindsay and one of her daughters will be in the same preschool at about the same times. We'll have lots of opportunities to enjoy a few cups of coffee and let her 7-month old son and Luke chase each other around the house! Here's what she wrote...

Our family has fallen into pretty regular mealtime traditions. We have a very busy household with three children under the age of five, so designating certain days for particular meals makes a lot of sense. And on the weekends we try to make meals that don't require a lot of fuss. Saturdays, when my hubby is often in charge of the kitchen, we usually have homemade burgers on the grill. Todd is a big guy, from western Pa., and likes his meat and potatoes like the best of them. He's a great cook, too, having managed a restaurant and bar throughout most of his college career. Being the health-conscious mom and wife that I am, I try to make sure we all watch our fat and cholesterol intake.

This week I decided that turkey burgers would be a perfect option, whipped up easily but with a bit of a gourmet twist. With my gentle instruction, he made the patties and then I topped them with roasted red peppers and feta cheese. (Although, the girls ate their burgers sans topping, with the exception of some ketchup and mustard.) Served with a side of sweet potato fries and a nice glass of pinot noir, we had a delicious and healthier version of our regular favorite.

Turkey Burgers
Ingredients
2 1-lb. packages of ground turkey
McCormick onion powder
McCormick Grill Mates Hamburger spice
Roasted red peppers (we got these from a favorite Italian deli my dad goes to in NJ)
Athenos Feta cheese (chunk), from Wegmans, cut into small slices
Alexia Julienne Sweet potato fries, sold in frozen section of Wegmans
Rolls of your choice

Directions

1. Mold ground turkey into patties.
2. Season with onion powder and hamburger spice.
3. Grill over medium heat.
4. Put turkey burger on roll and top with feta.
5. Add roasted red peppers.
6. Serve with sweet potato fries, baked according to directions.

Apr. 20 - Cheeseburgers & Baked Beans

Every spring we start buying the "freezer special" from Hershey's Farm Market - for $59 (my $10 coupon made it $49!), we get:

• 5 lbs. ground chuck
• 4 lbs. country style ribs
• 4 lbs. chicken breasts
• 4 lbs. chicken legs
• 2 lbs. chicken wings
• 2 lbs. pork chops, and
• 2 lbs. sausage

Not too shabby, huh? Everything is individually prepackaged, too, so there's no sorting meat, re-wrapping, etc. I absolutely LOVE it! That meat will last us a good month or two, too, which makes shopping easy. The first thing I always do when we get that package is make hamburgers! Their ground beef is absolutely the best I've ever had and there's nothing like homemade burgers. I have yet to find a frozen pre-made kind that doesn't taste like the crap we used to eat in elementary school!

My burger recipe is super easy and is the perfect "base" for more intricate creations. Sometimes I add chopped up bacon and shredded cheese into the patties for a bacon cheeseburger, other times I've mixed in bleu cheese. Here it is:

Hamburgers
Ingredients
1 lb. ground beef
1 egg
1/2 cup bread crumbs (equiv. to about 1 or 2 slices of bread if you want to make the effort to grate it)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
minced onion and garlic powder to taste

Directions

1. Mix all ingredients until well-formed.
2. Split into 6 even patties

When we make our burgers, we use this awesome little tool my friend, Megan, bought for us. It's a "patty maker set" that you use to form the patties. It makes the burgers flat so that they cook evenly throughout and is so easy to use! Here's a link to the contraption on the right.

Today, I decided to go a little creative and make "stuffed burgers." I split up my beef into six even balls, and then I split each ball in half. I made a patty out of each piece, topped one with shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese, and then slapped the other piece on top. I pressed the sides down to create a seam, then grilled it up for about 7 or 8 minutes on each side (we like our burgers medium to medium well). Here they are pre-grilled:

And then after they were cooked, here's how they looked:

Paired with baked beans, it was a fantastic dinner! Oh, and the most important part of the burger - the bun and toppings! I always get the Pepperidge Farms poppyseed and onion rolls (the best bun I've ever had), and topped my burger with bacon, ketchup, mustard and French's fried onions. I love "spring/summer" foods!

Apr. 16 - Sausage & Pierogies

Poor Linds was sick AGAIN on Friday, so I spent my day taking care of her and trying to keep the baby entertained. It was a rather exhausting day, so by the time dinner rolled around, I was uninspired. I had another grilled beef sausage in the fridge and another box of pierogies in the freezer, so I sliced up some onion and green pepper and fried the pierogies up with those. I felt empowered after my successful grilling experience on Thursday, so I decided to grill up the smoked sausage instead of pan-frying. It was another hit (I'm really beginning to dig this grilling thing!), and dinner was delicious.

Apr. 15 - Grilled Chicken Salads

I DID IT!!! I learned how to grill!!! So, there really wasn't much "learning" involved - but, damn it, I figured it out. I'm pretty proud of myself! It might not be a big deal to some, but it's one new thing I can add to my cooking repertoire that I hadn't been able to do before.

I used one of the marinades I got during yesterday's fabulous grocery buy (89 cents, originally $2.79!) and had the chicken marinating all day. I fired up the grill and voila - grilled chicken!

Surprisingly enough, it wasn't nearly as difficult as I had anticipated! I served it over lettuce and cheese (our salad fixins were a little slim) and with some of the leftover sweet potato cornbread from the other night.

 

Ooooh - and before I forget! I put Marie Calendar's bleu cheese vinaigrette dressing on mine. If you've never tried it and like bleu cheese, you absolutely MUST give this one a try. Absolutely delicious. Now, it's off to mom's night out - WAHOO!!!!!!