Grilled Veggie Packets

I hate heating up the house more than I have to in the summertime.  So for our veggies, we've started throwing them on the grill alongside the meat....and it is great! 

-your favorite veggies cut into bite-size pieces(we've used potatoes, carrots, summer squash,  zucchini, green and red peppers, and onions)

-olive oil
-Mrs. Dash seasoning (I've just used the original blend, but I'm sure other blends would be great)
-grated parmesean cheese

Place cut up veggies in bowl and drizzle with olive oil.  Sprinkle Mrs. Dash until seasoned to taste.  Double wrap in heavy duty aluminum foil, leaving air pockets for steaming of veggies.  Place on grill and cook for 25-30 minutes.  After opening up packet, sprinkle grated parmesean cheese and toss.

Chipotle-Lime Chicken Skewers with Avacado Dipping Sauce

Oh how I love this time of year!  I think we've busted out the grill about 3 or 4 times already, and I have no intention of stopping!  Why is it that meat tastes so amazing on the grill?!  I don't know, but I'm not stopping!  This recipe has all the perfect summer flavors...lime, cilantro, chipotle, and the char from the grill.  Yummy!  I got this recipe from Elizabeth Deibel at cooking club last summer and am finally getting around to trying it.  The sauce...also amazing!

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup lime juice
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons minced chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt

SAUCE:
1 medium ripe avocado, peeled and pitted
1/2 cup fat-free sour cream
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
2 teaspoons lime juice
1 teaspoon grated lime peel
1/4 teaspoon salt

Flatten chicken to 1/4-in. thickness; cut lengthwise into sixteen 1-in.-wide strips. In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the lime juice, vinegar, chipotle pepper and salt; add the chicken. Seal bag and turn to coat; refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, for the sauce, place remaining ingredients in a food processor; cover and process until blended. Transfer to a serving bowl; cover and refrigerate until serving.

Drain chicken and discard marinade. Thread onto 16 metal or soaked wooden skewers. Coat grill rack with cooking spray before starting the grill. Grill, covered, over medium heat for 4-6 minutes on each side or until no longer pink. Serve with sauce.

Banana Cream Pie

This pie is SOOO yummy, and really easy to make!  I have been craving bananas lately...so I went searching for a pie recipe.  This one is a step above your general pudding/graham cracker crust recipe.  The sweetened condensed milk is a good addition!  This one comess from Our Best Bites.  On the recipe they also offer a Chunky Monkey variation, which sounds amazing and I will be trying!

1 4-serving size box of instant chocolate or vanilla pudding
1 c. cold water
1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
2 cookie crusts. You can use anything--graham crackers, Nilla Wafers, shortbread, even Oreo.
Lots of bananas
1 pint whipping cream
1/3 c. powdered sugar

In a medium bowl, combine pudding mix, cold water, and sweetened condensed milk. Mix well and place in the refrigerator to chill for a few minutes. In another bowl, whip 1 c. of whipping cream until soft peaks form.

Slice the bananas (probably 4 small bananas or 2 large bananas) and layer them on the bottom of the crusts. Be sure and save the plastic domes that come with the pie crusts--you'll need them later!

Set aside. Remove pudding from the fridge and gently dollop the whipped cream on top of the pudding. Gently fold the whipped cream into the pudding mixture until well-combined.

Now divide the mixture between the two pies.

Prepare sweetened whipped cream with the remaining whipping cream and 1/3 c. of powdered sugar and spread it on top of the two pies. (I actually cheated and just used Cool Whip on top)  Place the clear plastic shells back on the pies and allow to chill for several hours.

Sweet Mustard Chops

Loving that grilling season is in full swing!  There is nothing like the taste of grilled food.  This is another recipe from cooking club, submitted by Melinda.  I was looking for a new pork chop recipe, and this one was great!  We had some grilled veggie packets on the side. Made for a perfect Sunday dinner!

Sweet Mustard Chops

1/2 c. mayonnaise

1/4 c. brown sugar

1/4 c. prepared mustard

2 tsp. seasoned salt

1/3 c. red wine vinegar

4 bone-in pork loin chops (1 inch thick, 8 oz each)

In small bowl, combine mayonnaise, brown sugar, mustard, and seasoned salt. Whisk in vinegar. Pour into large Ziploc bag. Add pork. Seal and refrigerate overnight. Discard marinade. Grill, covered, over medium heat for 20-25 minutes or until meat thermometer reads 160 degrees, turning occasionally.

Soft Personal Pretzels

I've been trying to think of some different, fun things to do with Tucker during the day that doesn't consist of tv watching, reading books, all that regular stuff.  So we did some baking.  One of his favorite things about going to Sam's Club each week is getting to share a pretzel with me.  He points to the snack bar as soon as we walk in the door and says "etzel" every time.  The recipe I used for these pretzels was from Jocelyn at cooking club.  They turned out great!

1 TB yeast
1 ½ c warm water
2 tsp salt
¼ c honey
1 TB sugar
4-41/2 c flour

Heat the oven to 425. Line 2 baking sheets with tinfoil.

In a large electric mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Add the salt, honey, and sugar and stir well. Blend in the flour at low speed, then medium. Knead about 5 minutes.

Divide dough into 16 equal parts, make shapes, and put on tinfoil.

Bake for 13-15 minutes.

Mix 1 TB cinnamon with 4 TB sugar (I just used cinnamon sugar), melt some butter.

When pretzels are done, remove from oven and apply butter and cinnamon/sugar mixture.

Almost Red Lobster's Cheddar Bay Biscuits

I honestly can't remember where I got this recipe from....I was just looking around last summer at some bread recipes and came across this one, jotted it down, and forgot to write down my source.  I finally came across the recipe again and decided to give it a try.  It is pretty good! 

2 1/2 cups bisquick baking mix
1 cup cheddar cheese finely grated
3/4 cup whole milk
2 tablespoons butter melted
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 cup butter melted
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
dash salt

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Combine Bisquick with cheddar cheese, milk, 2 tablespoons of butter that has been melted in the microwave, and 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder in a medium bowl. Mix until well-combined.

Drop approximately 1/4-cup portions of the dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet.

Combine 1/4 cup butter with 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, parsley flakes and salt. Brush this mixture over the tops of each unbaked biscuit.

Bake for 14 to 16 minutes or until the tops of the biscuits are light brown. Serve warm.

Spicy Chicken and White Bean Soup

I found this yummy quick-fix soup on the Sisters Cafe.  It seems like everyone is posting soup recipes lately, and it got me in the mood for some!  On the Sisters Cafe, they called this Fantastic Tortilla Soup, but I am changing the name, considering I already have tortilla soup recipes listed...this will make this one easier to find later!  It really was the fastest "tortilla soup" I've ever made, and it is so good!  It is actually more like a chicken chili, if you ask me.  The lime squeezed over top was wonderful...don't leave it out!


Spicy Chicken and White Bean Soup


1Tb olive oil
1 large onion chopped
1 can diced green chilis
1 lb chicken-cooked and shredded-I used 1 Sam's Club can of chicken instead to make it even faster
¼ tsp cayenne pepper (opt.)
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 16 oz can diced tomatoes
1 can small white beans
1 can chicken broth
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 lime squeezed over soup
salt and pepper to taste


In a large pot, heat oil and sauté onion and chilies. Saute until tender. Add the chicken and spices. Add tomatoes, beans and fresh cilantro. Add the broth.


Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes or longer to bring out flavors. Ladle into bowls & garnish.


Garnish:


tortilla strips
1 large avocado
Sour cream

Easy Sweet and Sour Meatballs

This is another tasty recipe I got from cooking club.  Sarah Walton submitted this recipe for our "under 5 ingredient" theme of the month.  It is definitely a quick-fix meal!  She did not put hers in the crock pot, but I did with great results!

1 ¼ c. sugar (Splenda works as well)

1 Tbsp. soy sauce
4 Tbsp. ketchup
½ c. vinegar
Already cooked Italian style frozen meatballs

Mix first four ingredients together and heat in skillet pan on stove. Add meatballs and cook until heated through (according to package instructions). Serve over rice.

Roasted Parmesean Red Potatoes

6-7 red potatoes, scrubbed and quartered

1 medium onion, cut into large chunks and separated

1/4 bottle Mrs. Dash seasoning, origional flavor

1/2 cup grated parmesean cheese

1 tsp. garlic powder

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Place potatoes and onions on cookie sheet and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.  Place rest of ingredients in large ziploc bag.  Dump potatoes and onions in bag and toss to coat well. Dump potatoes back out on cookie sheet.  Cook for 25-30 minutes until potatoes are fork tender.

Lemony Green Beans

Mmmm....fresh green beans.  So good!  They taste so good as a side dish to just about anything.  We had these ones for our Easter dinner this year.

Green beans, trimmed edges
1 shallot, chopped finely
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-2tsp. lemon juice (depending on how lemony you like them)
Salt and pepper to taste
2 slices bacon, cooked and chopped (optional)

Blanch green beans in boiling water for just a few minutes to soften up, rinse in cool water.  Heat a Tbsp. olive oil in skillet and add shallot.  Cook for a minute or two.  Add green beans, garlic, bacon (if desired), salt, pepper, and lemon juice.  Cook until beans are heated through.

Spicy Cauliflower Poppers

This is a good alternative to the traditional steamed cauliflower.  It was pretty tasty, although I must say I was expecting a little more for some reason.  They may be too spicy for kids, so cut back on the cauliflower and cumin for the wee ones!  I found this one on Taste Buds.

1 head cauliflower
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp course salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Cut cauliflower florets into {good sized} bite-sized pieces. Place all ingredients in a large zip bag and toss to coat. Spread on prepared baking sheet and bake until tender, but not mushy, stirring halfway through, about 10 min.

Cutlers Brownie Marshmallow Cookies

When I started working in hospice (which seems like forever ago), my office was right across the street from a Cutlers.  I had never heard of Cutlers before.  As time went on, my co-workers started talking this place up from its yummy soups to its cookies....still, I didn't try it.  Then, at a meeting one day, there was a big box of their cookies.  I tried one of these babies and was hooked!  Whenever I get to Bountiful (which is next to never, since I now live in Ohio), I love to stop and get one of these...but you have to go early, if you wait to long in the day they run out (I've had this unfortunate experience a few times!)  I was excited when I saw this recipe on A Bountiful Kitchen!

1 egg, beaten
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup shortening
2 (1 oz) squares unsweetened chocolate, melted
1 2/3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup nuts (optional)

Chocolate frosting:

1/2 cup butter, room temperature
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 cups powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup half and half
1 teaspoon vanilla

Cookies:

Beat egg and sugar until fluffy. Add vanilla, shortening and melted chocolate. Blend well. Combine all dry ingredients into small bowl. Add dry ingredients alternately with milk to chocolate mixture. If using, add nuts. Drop by tablespoons onto greased cookie sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 8-10 minutes. When the cookies are almost done cooking, remove from oven and place 1/2 of a large marshmallow on top of each cookie. Return to oven for about 1 minute or just until marshmallow puffs. Remove from oven, flatten marshmallow with the back of a wooden spoon or spatula. Cool completely. Frost with chocolate frosting.

Frosting:
Beat softened butter in bowl. Add vanilla. Slowly beat in cocoa, powdered sugar, milk or half and half. If needed, add more milk, a little at a time.

German Chocolate Cake

Today is Nate's birthday, and german chocolate cake has always been his absolute favorite birthday cake, so he's getting it!  This is my first time making it, and I got my recipe from All Recipes.

1 (18.25 ounce) package Pillsbury® German Chocolate Cake
1 cup water
3 eggs plus
1 egg yolk
1/2 cup Crisco® Pure Vegetable Oil
1 (14 ounce) can EAGLE BRAND® Sweetened Condensed Milk
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
1/3 cup chopped pecans
1/3 cup flaked coconut
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In large bowl, combine cake mix, water, 3 eggs, oil and 1/3 cup sweetened condensed milk. Beat on low speed until moistened, then beat on high speed 2 minutes.

2.Pour into well-greased and floured 13 x 9-inch baking pan. Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until wooden toothpick inserted near center comes out clean.

3.In small saucepan, combine remaining sweetened condensed milk, egg yolk and butter. Over medium heat, cook and stir until thickened, about 6 minutes. Add pecans, coconut and vanilla; spread over warm cake. Store leftovers covered in refrigerator.

Spaghetti with Chicken and Peanut Sauce

This one is a definite winner!  My husband loved it...just the right amount of spice/lime/peanut butter mix.  I found this one here.  I added cilantro to this recipe and it made it mighty tasty!

3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons lime juice (from about 2 limes)
1 tablespoon cooking oil, plus 1 tablespoon more if needed
4 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 pound in all)
1/2 cup chunky peanut butter, preferably natural
1 cup canned low-sodium chicken broth or homemade stock
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes, or to taste (I used 1/4 tsp.-we like it spicy!)
3/4 pound spaghetti
3 scallions including green tops, chopped
1/3 cup chopped peanuts (optional)
2Tbsp. cilantro, chopped

In a medium, shallow glass dish or stainless-steel pan, combine the 3 tablespoons soy sauce, the 2 tablespoons lime juice, 1 tablespoon of the oil, the garlic, and the ginger. Add the chicken; turn to coat. Let marinate at least 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium, stainless-steel saucepan, combine the remaining 1 teaspoon soy sauce and 2 teaspoons lime juice, the peanut butter, broth, sugar, salt, and red-pepper flakes. Pour the marinade from the chicken into the saucepan and bring just to a simmer over moderate heat, whisking until smooth.

Heat a grill pan over moderate heat. Cook the chicken until browned and just done, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Remove the chicken from the pan and let it rest for 5 minutes. Cut crosswise into 1/4-inch slices. Alternatively, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a heavy frying pan. Cook and slice the chicken in the same way.

In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the spaghetti until just done, about 12 minutes. Drain the pasta and toss with the peanut sauce, chicken, cilantro and scallions. Top with the chopped peanuts, if using.

Individual Potato Gratins

I have seen this one floating around the food blogging world and knew I had to try them!  Potatoes are my all-time favorite go-to side dish, and this one is yummy and so cute in their individual portions!  The recipe comes from Melissa d'Arabian, a winner of the Next Food Network Star and host of Ten Dollar Dinners.  I'm glad this recipe made it my way!  For her original recipe, click here.  We ate this with Tangy Slow Cooker Pork Roast.

Vegetable spray
2 large russet potatoes, roughly peeled and thinly sliced
1/2 cup grated Swiss cheese
2 green onions, finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup heavy cream

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Spray 8 muffin tins with vegetable spray. Layer potato slices, cheese, and onions into each muffin cup. Season with salt and pepper and top each gratin with 1 or 2 tablespoons of heavy cream. Cover with foil and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, removing the foil halfway through cooking time. Invert gratins onto plate and serve.