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Garlic and Herb Veggie Kabobs
Kabobs – another summer staple. I grill all year round, but love to make veggie kabobs in the summer when the zucchini is fresh and plentiful. I had been grilling kabobs for years but always felt like they were under-seasoned… when it occurred to me that I should marinate the veggies before I put them on the skewer! Problem solved – perfect kabobs. The marinade I like the most is this one – a mix of garlic, herbs and dried minced onion. Full of flavor! One of my favorite things about this marinade and process is that the mushrooms get a whole lot of the garlic and herbs stuck in the…
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Greek Orzo Salad
Now that it’s summer it’s time to roll out the salads! I first made this orzo salad for a bridal shower last spring. It was a big hit then, and so I made it about a dozen times throughout last summer. Somehow though, I never got around to blog about it! Well, I made it again last weekend, and so here it is! This salad is light and fresh. It has just as much (or maybe more) veggies than pasta, and is dressed with lemon juice and olive oil. The feta cheese and artichoke give it the Greek flare and it’s really hard to eat just one bowl. Hope you…
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Chocolate Cobbler
I can’t believe I’ve been blogging about food (and my recipes) for 9 months and have not shared chocolate cobbler with everyone. Shame on me. I was inspired to make this dessert 4 or 5 years ago after having something very similar at a restaurant… it was so good that I had to figure out how to make it. Well I found this recipe online (been too long, can’t recall the source) and it is a really good copycat. For a while there, this was my go-to… need a dessert? I’ll bring chocolate cobbler! So nudged by my husband having a chocolate sweet tooth lately and having company over for dinner on Sunday,…
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Black Bean Turkey Burgers with Guacamole Spread and Grilled Tomatoes
I have to admit that I’m not the biggest fan of ground turkey. I think it’s a texture thing. But if I’m going to do ground turkey, it’s got to be a burger. With turkey burgers on the menu this week, I wasn’t quite sure how I was going to spruce them up… but then it hit me today – add black beans and cilantro and top it with guacamole. And then, as if that wasn’t crazy enough, add some grilled marinated tomatoes. Now we’re talking. So if texture was my issue with ground turkey meat, the black beans totally fixed that – it was like the best of both worlds…
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Caprese Chicken Bake with Balsamic Reduction
This Italian dish is a fresh take on traditional pasta and tomato sauce. Simple to make and full of flavor. This is another Pinterest inspired recipe, but this time I took a few things from two different dishes. The end product was great! But to be fair, soaking just about anything in a balsamic reduction would be pretty awesome… Caprese Chicken Bake 2 pints of cherry tomatoes, cut in half 1/4 red onion, julienned 1/4 cup fresh basil, julienned (plus a little more for garnish) 1 tbsp minced garlic 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar 2 tsp sugar 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp pepper 3 chicken breasts 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese…
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Homemade Cheeseburger Macaroni
Anyone else have fond memories of Hamburger Helper growing up? Yeah. Me too. So when I came across this from-scratch recipe on Pinterest I was so, so, so excited. This is a super simple weeknight dish – it’s a one pot meal that takes 20 minutes start to finish. It was also a crowd pleaser… Brogan shouted, “Mommy, this is the best dinner ever! I want you to make this again!” Now it’s not the first time he’s flattered me with such a compliment, but regardless, he really liked it. Even the adults around here went back for seconds. I ate it as leftovers for lunch today and it was…
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(Homemade) Ranch Grilled Chicken with Skillet Potatoes
Dinner tonight was two of my favorites – chicken legs and potatoes. Inspired by the ranch dip and carrots that Blake was snacking on this afternoon, I decided to try something different with a ranch marinade for my grilled chicken legs. I used buttermilk and the herbs and spices I use in my ranch dip, and at the suggestion of my in-home chef, I added a little tarragon too. The flavor of the chicken was great, although it’s hard to go wrong when you’re grilling chicken legs. For the potatoes I actually made one of my breakfast time favs – skillet potatoes. These are super, super simple and absolutely delicious.…
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What is healthy?
Excuse me while I step onto my soap box. Okay, thanks. [Audibly clearing throat] I would consider myself a pretty moderate person – I don’t spout off my political or religious beliefs, I’m often able to see and appreciate both sides of an argument and I am not typically driven by my emotions. But, where food is concerned I am a little nutty. Well probably a lot nutty. Not only do I feel the need to constantly feed people (the thought of hunger hurts my soul), I also have a very clear personal definition of what is “healthy”. And while I understand it is not shared by all, I find it nearly impossible…
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Tuna Casserole
I feel like folks either love or hate tuna casserole… I love it. Turns out my little guys love it too. This is a pretty easy weeknight recipe… it took me a little over 45 minutes, but 30 minutes of that was “casserole in oven” time. It’s pretty classic comfort food, from scratch. Hope you enjoy! Tuna Casserole 12 ozs egg noodles (I used medium width) 4 tbsp butter 1 medium onion, diced 8 ozs mushrooms, sliced 1 tsp minced garlic 1 tsp salt 1/4 tsp pepper 1/4 cup flour 1/2 cup chicken stock 1 1/2 cup half and half 1/4 cup parmesan cheese 1 cup frozen peas 2 cans…
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Scalloped Potatoes and Honey Mustard Grilled Chicken
I love a good side dish. Sometimes, more than the “main course”. For me, scalloped potatoes have the potential to trump any meat, any day. And while this honey mustard grilled chicken was really good, the scalloped potatoes were great. I’ve attempted these half a dozen times before, but never got it just right. All that practice paid off with these bad boys. Issues I’ve had before – not enough/the right cheese, potatoes not cooked through and overall too bland were solved with using parmesan cheese (and lots of it), cooking it at a high heat (425 degrees) and flavoring it with thyme and green onions. Viola. Awesome potatoes. Scalloped…
