Pesto Tortellini Salad

Another salad for a hot, sunny, day...

Ingredients:

• 1 medium sized package of tortellini, we use three cheese
• 1 8.1 oz can of traditional basil pesto
• 1 cup of cooked, cubed chicken
• 1/2 cup red pepper, diced
• 1/2 cup yellow pepper, diced
• 1/4 cup red onion, diced

Directions:
Bring 6 cups water to a boil. Add tortellini and cook until soft. Drain. stir in chicken. Stir in pesto. Add red and yellow pepper. Add red onion. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Right before serving, toss with a Parmesan or regianno cheese.

Reactions:
We didn't react, we just snarfed it down. This was a fabulous quick and easy, or make-for-later meal. :)

Super Salad With Crunch

It's been real hot out lately, so we've been making a lot of salads. :)

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds, skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
•  salt
• 1/2 cup lime juice (about 12 key limes or 4 regular limes)
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 3 Tbsp. honey
• 1 small head romaine lettuce, thinly sliced (6 cups)
• 1/2 small red cabbage, cored and thinly sliced (4 cups)
• 1 jicama (1 pound), peeled and cut into matchstick-thin strips (4 cups)
• 2 medium carrots, shredded
• 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
• 1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
• 1 medium red pepper, chopped
• 4 ounces white cheddar cheese, cut into1/2-inch cubes (optional)

Directions:
Heat pan over medium heat until hot. sprinkle chicken with 1/2 tsp salt. grill chicken 12 minutes or until juices run clear when chicken is pierced with knife, turning over once. Transfer chicken to cutting board; cool slightly.

Prepare vinaigrette: in a bowl, with wire whisk, mix lime juice, oil, honey, and 1 tsp of salt. Cut chicken into 1/2 inch pieces; place in large bowl with remaining ingredients and vinaigrette; toss to combine. serve immediately.

Reactions:
Jicama is a new favorite veggie in this family. We loved the salad, and it is so refreshing on a hot, muggy, Texas day.

Dijonic Tortispinach Salad

Ok, so...

take this 

 plus this

And you get... oh. We ate it too fast to get a picture. :) But trust me, it's yummy. And we have invented a new, yummy salad that I call Dijonic Tortispinach Salad. It is part Dijon, part Balsamic Vinaigrette, part spinach salad, and part tortellini salad.

Ingredients:

Salad:

• 1 (20-ounce) package cheese tortellini, cooked according to directions, strained, and lightly oiled (so it doesn't stick)
• 1 lb skinned and boned chicken breasts, grilled and chopped small
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• 2 cups firmly packed fresh spinach, chopped
• 1/2  cup yellow bell pepper, diced
• 6 oz feta, crumbled
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup toasted pecan pieces

Dressing:

• 3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 Tbsp light brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 clove of garlic - minced
• 4 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 Tbsp Honey Dijon mustard (we use Boar's Head)
• 2 Tbsp Citrus Vinaigrette (Maple Grove Farms of Vermont is a great brand)
• Pepper to taste

Directions:
Dump all of the salad ingredients into a large bowl. In a separate, small bowl, mix all of the dressing ingredients, whisk, and let set for about 15 minutes. Then whisk again and pour over the salad ingredients. Toss well to coat. Eat and die from the bliss of this strange concoction!

Reactions:

• Daddy - this stuff is awesome. Hard to eat, but awesome!
• Mommy - wow, I love the sweet, tart, bold flavors of the salad
• Briaunna - eh, I like everything separate, but together it is confusing. Maybe I'll like it when I'm "more mature"... (mom replies, "you mean when your older", I reply, "take off the 'er' and your right")).
• Kairi - I don't like it. Well, I like the tortellini and chicken, and I like the pecans and cranberries... but I don't like the spinach (surprise suprise)
• Charis - yum! Can I have more?
• Jocelyn - I'm full. I ate a bite and I'm full.
• Xander - it sticks in my mouth! I want to take a nap.

Spinach Chicken Salad

http://www.recipegirl.com/

We went to our friends house for a pool party on Sunday! So, of course, we had to make pool food!

We saw this pretty salad on pinterest and had to try it!

Ingredients:
 
Salad:

• 8 cups chopped spinach 
• 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
• 1/2 cup sweet corn cut from the cob
• 1 1/2 cups chopped cooked chipolte seasoned chicken
• 1 large avocado, sliced
• 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts

Dressing:

• 3 Tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:
Place spinach in a large salad bowl. add remaining salad ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients. Pour over the salad and toss well. We doubled the dressing recipe because we also added more spinach.

Reactions:
I LOVED the salad, and Jenn, Brian, mom, and daddy all loved it too. My brother and sisters didn't even try it, though, not with fruit salad salsa and ice cream to fill them up! It was super simple too! So we could spend more time in the pool than in the kitchen!

Thai Smoked Turkey Pizza

My mama was craving pizza one night and, rather than order the greasy stuff from down the road, we whipped up this pretty little rustic pizza party in our own kitchen! We got the recipe from How Sweet It Is and tweaked the Thai Chicken Pizza to use up some of our leftover smoked turkey... and this is what we came up with!




Ingredients:

• 1 Batch Of Your Favorite Pizza Dough
• ¼ cups Flour
• 1 Tablespoon Fine Corn Meal
• ½ cups Sweet Asian Chili Sauce, plus more for drizzling
• 1 whole Shallot, Thinly Sliced
• ½ whole Zucchini, Thinly Sliced
• ½ whole green pepper, thinly sliced
• ½ whole red pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon Red Chili Flakes
• 1 cup Cooked Smoked Turkey, Shredded
• ⅔ cups Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
• ¼ cups Chopped Peanuts

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 500 degrees F with a pizza stone in the oven. If you do not have a pizza stone, put a large baking sheet in the oven. (this is what we did because a pizza stone is on my wish list!)

Begin by adding some flour to your rolling surface. Take your dough that has already risen, and lightly knead it. Roll out the dough to about a 1/4 inch thick, or however your like the thickness of your crust. Put the dough on a surface that you can use to slide the entire pizza onto the hot pizza stone or pan. The corn meal helps assist with the pizza dough – so it slides off easily.

Spread the Asian chili sauce on the surface of the dough. Not too thick, not too thin. Add the sliced veggies. Top with the red chili flakes and shredded turkey. Top with the cheese.

Place the pizza into the oven on your cooking surface (stone or pan) and cook for about 15 minutes, keeping an eye on your crust and toppings so they do not burn.

Once the pizza dough is golden around the edges and the cheese is nice and bubbly, remove pizza from the oven. Drizzle more of the Asian chili sauce over the top, top with the crushed peanuts.

In addition to the Thai Pizza, we also made a white pizza (alfredo, black and green olives, fresh garlic, and canadian bacon - but added cheddar to the mozzarella) for the no-spice kids in our home.

Reactions:

• Daddy - 'This is a really good pizza. Sure beats _______ Pizza'. 
• Mommy - 'Oh. My. Gosh.... a great way to take care of cravings!'
• Bri - 'First a slice of one, then a slice of the other.. and I think I can fit just one more slice of the first one (Thai) in'
• Charis - 'I don't like the spicy, so I will have the alfredo.. but pick everything off except the sauce and the bread'.
• Kairi - 'I LOOOOOVE the spicy pizza!!! Can we have the leftovers for lunch tomorrow?'
• Jocelyn - 'yummy yummy yummy (singing to herself while she eats)'
• Xander - 'Bri, you make good pizzas. Can you make me a pizza for my birthday?'

Goi Cuo

These were really fun to make and turned out really pretty... like food art! 

Ingredients:

• 1 package clear edible rice paper sheet
• 1/2 lb cooked beef, filleted small
• 1/2 lb cooked tiger shrimp
• 1 bunch fresh cilantro leaves
• 1 bunch fresh mint leaves
• 1 large carrot, 'matchsticked'
• 1 cucumber, peeled and cut into very thin strips
• 1 cup fresh bean sprouts
• 1 package vermicelli rice noodles, prepared and cooled
• 1 small can sliced water chestnuts, drained 

Directions:

Have all meats precooked and cold and the rice noodles prepared already (the noodles should be white, long and at room temp). Make sure all veggies and herbs are cleaned, dried, and set out before you start. Dip a sheet of rice paper wrapper into warm water very quickly, no longer than a second or two (or they will get too soggy) and lay flat on a work surface.

On one edge, lay a small handful of noodles, a few strips of meat, some shrimp, some cilantro and mint leaves, and a little of all of the veggies. Try to keep the 'sharper edged' veggies on the inside (middle) of the stack. Carefully start to roll up eggroll style, tucking in the sides, then continue to roll up-but not too tightly or the spring roll will split.

These rolls will be thicker than the typical Chinese-style fried eggrolls. Serve immediately with your favorite dipping sauce. We had all types, the traditional spicy fish sauce, sweet and spicy, soy peanut, and ginger siracha. 

Reactions:

• Daddy - 'mmm, these are really... good... but I don't think I like Vietnamese food'. 
• Mommy - 'these are awesome, so light. I love them. We can definitely make these again'.
• Bri - 'uh, yeah, these are awesome, can I have another?!'
• Charis - 'mmhmsa sommgh!' (translation: my mouth is full but I love them!)
• Kairi - 'tooo... (gasp)... many... (eek) veggies!!!'. 
• Jocelyn - 'the rolls make me want to gag'
• Xander - 'um, I don't like the blanket, but I like everything else.'.

Sweet Potato Chili

This is my mama's recipe, but I did help her! :)

This is my favorite variation to traditional chili. The nuts are optional.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 8 garlic cloves, chopped
• 3 tsp ground cumin
• 1.5 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 2 cups fresh tri-color sweet corn
• 1-14 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1-14 oz can light kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 2-14 oz cans diced fire-roasted tomatoes
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, torn
• 1 teaspoon cocoa powder (unsweetened)
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 large sweet potato, peeled and finely diced
• 1/2 cup unbroken walnuts
• 1 tablespoon canned chipotle chilies in adobo sauce, chopped
• 1/2 cup sour cream mixed with 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 pinches of salt
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• 3 radishes, thinly sliced

Directions:
Heat the oil in a soup pot over medium-high heat. Toss in the onions and green pepper and sauté, stirring frequently, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in the garlic, cumin seeds, chili powder and oregano. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes.

Stir in the corn and beans. Add the whole can of tomatoes (juice and all) and cinnamon,cocoa powder, and cilantro. then stir in the sweet potatoes and chipotle chilies. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to simmering. Simmer, stirring frequently, until the sweet potatoes are tender and the chili begins to thicken (20 to 25 minutes).

Just before serving, add salt and stir (it will soften the potatoes even more, so don't add too early). Pour into serving bowls, top with green onions, radish slices and cinnamon sour cream.

Reactions:
We always just gobble this up. Sorry that there haven't been pictures lately, I have been really bad at blogging and just found these in my recipe history. :) We all love this dish, and you can make it as spicy or sweet as you want. It is also a great vegetarian meal for your non-vegetarian, vege-hostile guests and friends. :)

Fall Lasagna

This is a vegetarian meal, but you can easily make it vegan by substituting vegan cheese. We love Italian food in our house, so we try to make it as healthy as possible... since too much Italian can make us look like the bigger chef on Lady and the Tramp! :)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups peeled and diced pumpkin
• 2/3 cup broken walnuts
• 1 eggplant, sliced into 1/2 inch rounds
• 4-5 tomatoes, cubed and de-seeded
• 1 pint ricotta cheese (or a vegan cheese)
• 9 ounces crumbled feta cheese (or tempeh)
• 1 1/3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (or tofu cheese)
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (or other vegan cheese)
• 2/3 cup pesto
• 2 eggs, beaten (for ovo-vegetarians, otherwise, use Ener-G or 1/2 a small green banana)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce (or fresh, self made)
• fresh pasta sheets

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place pumpkin on a baking sheet and roast in oven until browned and tender, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, grill eggplant on a charcoal grill or fry in a skillet, turning once, until charred and tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Place  tomatoes on baking sheet in oven for last 15 minutes of pumpkin time; cook until tender and wrinkly.

In a medium bowl, stir together ricotta, feta, pesto, eggs, salt and pepper until well mixed. Fold roasted pumpkin into ricotta mixture.Beginning with the tomato sauce, layer tomato sauce, pasta, eggplants, and cheese mixture into 9x13 pan. Exchange tomato for the eggplants in the second layer. Finish with some sauce (or tomatoes if you have any left) and mozzarella.

Bake in preheated oven 30 to 40 minutes, until golden and bubbly.

Chicken with Coconut-Lime Peanut Sauce

We love Asian-inspired dishes in our house. I love Chinese and Pho, but Thai and Japanese are my favorites. When I saw this recipe on Family Fresh, I had to try it! I changed some things in it, but kept the same basic recipe. My picture is not nearly as pretty as hers!


Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup Coconut Milk
• 1/2 cup natural crunchy Peanut Butte
• 1 tablespoon Thai Red Curry Paste
• Juice from 1 Lime
• 1 tablespoon Soy Sauc
• 2 tablespoons Fish Sauce
• 1 Tbsp honey
• 2 teaspoons Toasted Sesame Oil
• Pinch of Cracked Black Pepper
• Pinch of Cinnamon
• Pinch of Cayenne
• 2 pounds Chicken Breast, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1/2 cup diced Onion
• 3 Garlic Cloves, chopped
• 1 teaspoon Coconut Oil, we use organic and unrefined
• 1 cup chopped Asparagus Spears, cut into 1 inch pieces

Directions:

Sauce: In a medium bowl whisk together the peanut butter, coconut milk, curry paste, lime juice, soy sauce, fish sauce, sesame oil, honey & seasonings to form a sauce. Taste and change anything if you want to. Set aside.

Chicken: Heat coconut oil in a large saute pan over medium high heat. Add onion & garlic, stirring and cooking until just getting smelly ('fragrant' is the proper term). Add chicken, cook until golden brown and cooked through about 10 minutes. Stir occasionally. Stir sauce into chicken and simmer for about 5 minutes. Add asparagus during the last few minutes of cook time.

We added crushed peanuts, coconut, and water chestnuts to ours and served it over jasmine rice and with steamed broccoli.

Reactions:

• Daddy, mommy, and I loved it! A total hit! I think Daddy and I had thirds...
• Charis liked it all, except for the fact Jocelyn kept putting her asparagus on Charis' plate...
• Jocelyn ate it, she eats anything, but wouldn't give me more than a scary clown face when I asked if she liked it.
• Xander didn't like the 'peanut butter green stuff' and made a stink face.. then again, he is getting into the picky 5's.

Ropa Vieja Pot Pies

This was so much fun. My sisters and brother all  helped out and we made this awesome (spicy) meal for the rents. :)

Ingredients:
4 thick-sliced bacon slices, diced
2 cups white onion, diced
1 cup red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 cup green bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 large poblano pepper, seeded and diced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
1 Tbsp garlic, minced
1 1/2 lb flank steak, trimmed and seasoned with sal y pimiento

1 bottle beer (12 oz)
2 cups beef broth
1 Tbsp spicy mexican chili powder
1 Tbsp oregano
2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/3 cup masa harina
1 15-oz can of diced tomato
1 can black beans (we like Goya), drained and rinsed
1/2 cup green olives, cut in half
1/2 lime (for juice)

Directions:
saute your bacon in a large saucepan or dutch oven until crisp. Set aside to drain on paper towels. In the same pan, saute the onion, bell peppers, chiles, and garlic in the bacon drippings until beginning to brown; around 8 minutes.Transfer those to a bowl and set aside.

Cut the flank steak into thirds and sear until browned, about 4-5 minutes on each side. Stir in the beer, broth, and seasonings. Bring it to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes.

While that is cooking, you can prepare your biscuits (below).

Ingredients for Biscuits:
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup masa harina
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
6 Tbsp unsalted butter, cold and cubed
1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
1/4 cup scallions, sliced
3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup sour cream

Directions for Biscuits:
preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Whisk flour, masa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl until combined. Cut in the butter until it forms pea-sized balls. Then stir in the cheese and scallions. Set aside.

Going Back to the Meat... 

remove the steak from the pan and shred with 2 forks. In the broth, whisk the masa, bring to a boil. Simmer to thicken. Remove from heat and add back in the meat, the bacon, the veggies, the lime, the olives, the black beans, and the tomatoes.

Divide either between 6 individual pot pie ceramics, 2 9x9s, or 1 9x13.

Going Back the Biscuits...

Blend in the milk and sour cream to the dough until just combined. Scoop with an ice cream scoop in patterns on top of the stew in your baking dish(s) of choice. The idea is to keep it looking rustic. Bake at 400 for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick into the biscuits comes out clean. Serve with a tossed salad. :)

Again, we didn't get pictures, but that is because mommy is having a hard time figuring out how to get the camera and computer to like each other. She is probably going to start using her phone, at least her phone and the computer like each other! :)

Reactions:
This was too spicy for Charis and Jocelyn, but the rest of us LOOOVED it.
Xander ate two helpings, but he didn't like the biscuits... they turn out like dumplings and he is a texture kid.
Mommy and Daddy both ate two helpings, of everything!
Me and Kairi thought the spice was perfect and it was soo good!

Pan-fried Brussel Sprouts with Bacon

Grrr... again, no pictures. I keep forgetting to take pictures, by the time I am done cooking, I just want to eat. :)

Ingredients:

• approx. 15-20 brussel sprouts
• about 1 cup sliced (lengthwise) carrots
• 2-3 cloves of garlic
• Morningstar veggie bacon, crumbled
• ½ an onion, chopped
• 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp butter
• salt and pepper to taste
• half a lime

Directions:

Soak brussel sprouts in water for about 15 minutes, Cut sprouts in half, chop garlic. In a large pan, heat oil and butter on medium heat, place brussel sprouts cut/flat side down, and carrots, sprinkle with salt. Cook for about 12-15 minutes, until bottoms of Brussel sprouts are browned. While cooking, make rice according to package for 6 people. Add onion, garlic, and pepper to Brussels sprouts/carrots during last minute or two. Crumble and stir in bacon, Squeeze lime over everything and serve with rice.

We added a sprinkling of apple cider vinegar before serving to add to the sweet and tangy, but it was good without it too. 

Zucchini Boats

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp sour cream
• 1/4 to 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp curry powder
• 1/2 tomato
• 1 tsp thyme
• 2 zucchinis
• 1 onion
• cheese
• pepper
• bacon (optional)

Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 400. Scrub your cchinis. Slice them in half length-ways. Trim the ends as needed to fit in your baking dish. Spoon out the guts. haha! Chop the tomato, onion, and cchini guts.

In a saucepan, put just a little butter. Saute the onion until almost clear. Add curry and toss well. Take off the heat. If you are using bacon, make sure it is cooked and crumbled. Put the onions, (bacon), cchini guts, tomato tidbits, thyme, salt, and sour cream into a bowl and mix well.

Scoop and fill the boats with the mixture. Top with pepper and cheese. Bake for 20 minutes.. YUM! We served ours with garlic and pine nut quinoa, and watermelon, of course.

If you have any leftovers, the next morning you can chop up the whole zucchini and toss with eggs to make curried scrambled eggs. :)

Reactions:
Me (Bri): WOW! I didn't think this would taste to good, but I can't always be right.
Daddy: Oh my gosh, this is great!
Mommy: Ohgh, yummy yum!
The people underneath this warning are very picky about their  veggies.
Charis: Yuck! I HATE zucchini!
Jocelyn: It's so-so. I just don't like the zucchini.
Kairi: (at first) YUM Bri! (later on) Do I have to eat this?
Xander: I don't like zucchini, can someone help me eat this?
Charis:

Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas

Mmmm... we tried to make this as healthy as possible, but I don't think we succeeded.

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken
• 2 cups shredded low-fat 4-cheese blend
• 1 2/3 cups plain low-fat yogurt
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 regular can condensed, reduced-fat, reduced sodium cream of chicken soup
• 1 can chopped green chilis, drained
• 8 flour or corn tortillas
• spray olive oil
• 1/2 cup shredded low-fat 4-cheese blend
• 1/4 cup chopped green onions

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350.

In a large bowl, combine the first 9 ingredients and mix well. Remove 1 1/4 cup of the mixture and set it aside.

heat a large skillet on medium high heat. Spray pan and place tortilla in the pan. Spray the top of the tortilla. Turn the tortilla after 5 seconds and brown the other side. Do all of the tortillas this way, removing from heat after done.

Fill each tortilla with about 1/2 cup of chicken mixture, then roll tight. Place them all in a greased 13x9 pan, seam side down. Top with the chicken mixture that was set aside.

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes, covered with tinfoil. Remove cover, sprinkle with the 1/2 cup cheese and green onions. Bake an additional 5-10 minutes.

We served ours with black olives, lettuce, and yellow rice.

Yum Yum!!!

Kid Rating: ****

Jocelyn: Off the hoo-zook! I want it again!

Kairi: You made it?!?! I loved it! It tasted sooo good!

Charis: Chicken tastes like candy with cheese. Onions are yummy in this.

Xander: Mommy gave me her's chicken.

Mommy: It tastes cheesy, chickeny, yummy yum.

Briaunna: Yummy rice, enchilada, and olives. Most everyone should enjoy this meal!

Garlic Asiago Steak and Fettucine

Kairi made her first meal the other day, so this is Nicole on blogging for her. She made an excellent meal that everyone wowed about!

Ingredients:
1 cup heavy cream
1 Tbsp olive oil
4-6 small flat-iron steaks
salt and pepper
4-6 shallots, peeled and diced small
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup parmesean
1/2 cup asiago cheese
10 oz whole wheat linguine

Directions:
Cook linguine according to package directions and drain, set aside.

While this is happening, in a small saucepan, combine shallots and garlic with olive oil. Cook until just starting to soften. Add to the pan the cream, salt, parmesean, and asiago cheese. Bring to a simmer and remove from heat. Toss linguine in mixture.

Turn broiler onto medium. Pepper and salt all steaks and set on the broiler. Broil 4 minutes on both sides. Slice thinly.

Put a pile of noodles on each plate and top with sliced steaks.

Kairi served hers with a side salad with honey mustard dressing and a whole wheat bread.

Kairi, I am so proud of you for your first meal! We all loved it!

Grilled Chicken Marmalade with Uncle Ken's Broccoli Salad

Since it was a hot summer day, we decided to grill out. BUT, since it was also my night to cook, daddy helped to make this meal by doing the actual grilling.

Grilled Chicken Marmalade
Ingredients:

• 4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, fat trimmed off
• 1 1/2 cups orange marmalade
• 3 Tbsp balsamic vinaigrette
• 3 green onions, minced
• 1 Tbsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp rubbing sage
• 2 Tbsp olive oil

Directions:
Mix ingredients 2-6 in a small saucepan. Warm over medium heat until warmed through. Start grill and cool mixture while the grill is heating. Rub chicken breasts with olive oil and place on grill. Brush with sauce. Continue to baste often, turning chicken 1/2 way through cooking (around 6 minutes per side).

Uncle Ken's Broccoli Salad
Ingredients:

• 2 bunches of fresh broccoli
• 1/2 cup Miracle Whip
• 1/2 cup Mayonnaise
  
• 2-3 Tbsp sugar
• 1 Tbsp vinegar
• 1/4 cup diced red onion
• 2/3 cup golden raisins
• 1/3 cup bacon, cooked to crisp, drained, and crumbled (about 3-4 strips)
  

Directions:
Begin by cutting off the tops of the broccoli (florets) and breaking into small pieces. Cut off the stump of the broccoli, then, using the side of the knife, pull (shave) off the length of the broccoli stem, throwing the shavings away, leaving the softer inner meat of the stem. Then, dice the stem into bite size pieces. Place all of the broccoli (except the shavings and stump) into a large bowl. Add the red onion, raisins, and bacon.

In a small bowl, mix together the vinegar, sugar, and both salad dressings. Mix well until smooth, adding what you need to make it the flavor and consistency that you need. Pour the dressing over the veggies in the bowl, cover with saran wrap, and shake the bowl well to coat all. Serve immediately.

We ate our meal of grilled chicken, broccoli salad, and cubed cantaloupe out on the deck, pool side, on a nice hot late spring day. I hope you enjoy it too...

The family says, all together, "YUM!!!"

There was nothing left on their plates!

Cheesy Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cooked and cubed chicken
• 1 can cream of potato soup
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1 small white onion, diced
• 2 stalks celery
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 16oz bag frozen broccoli, cauliflower, carrots and peas
• 1 tube refrigerated dough sheet.
• salt and pepper to taste

In large saucepan, heat butter on medium high with celery and onion. Cook for about 4 minutes. Add can of soup and milk and stir until well mixed and bubbly. Add Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and cheddar cheese; heat until melted then remove from heat.

Add chicken and frozen veggies.

Preheat oven to 375. Pour filling into 13x9 pan. Unroll dough sheet and cut into strips. Create a lattice pattern on top of filling. Bake, uncovered for 25-30 minutes or until the lattice topping is golden brown and the filling is bubbly.

Everyone loved this meal, it was a real hit! All of the kids asked for more, and daddy shoveled his mouth full- something he doesn't do very much.

Mexican Low-Fat Pizza

It has been a loooooooooooooooong time since Bri has posted any recipes on here. We have been through some major transitions, but she is starting to cook again! (applause inserted here).

Since we are still working on completely fail-proof computers, though, mama is going to post tonight's masterpiece (left-over night surprise).

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups taco meat, prepared
• 2 Tbsp ranch dressing
• 2 Tbsp medium salsa
• 1 cup shredded colby cheese
• 2 cups lettuce
• 2 flatout wraps

Lay both flatout wraps on breathable cookie pan (if you don't have one of these, you might want to cook your pizza right on the rack). Preheat broiler to LOW.

Combine ranch and salsa in small bowl. Spread on flatouts. Top with meat, lettuce, and cheese. Broil on LOW for 3-5 minutes, until starting to brown at the edges and cheese is bubbly. Serve with corn chips and salsa and black olives to wear as weird looking fingernails/

Good Old Spaghetti

For last Friday night, we had good old spaghetti since I wanted a kid's food.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 lb ground beef
• 1 yellow onion, minced
• 1 medium green zucchini, diced small
• 1 pkg whole wheat spaghetti noodles
• 1 jar Ragu Garden Chunky spaghetti sauce

Brown the ground beef in a saucepan while crumbling with spatula. While that is browning, bring a large pan of water to boil over high heat. Drain and rinse meat before putting back into the saucepan. Add the onion, sauce, and zucchini. Bring to a simmer. While that is simmering, add the package of noodles to the water, cover, and boil according to the directions. Drain noodles before serving.

Serve the noodles covered in the spaghetti sauce, topped with Parmesan cheese. I served our meal with corn (that was steamed with butter and crushed garlic cloves) and garlic bread (french bread, butter, garlic, minced onion, parsley, and salt).


KID RATING: ****

• Chef Bri - "I ate two servings of it all."
• Kairi - "It was so yummy. I slurped my noodles and they hit me in the face!"
  
• Charis - "Bri, you can make this tomorrow for breakfast."
  
• Jocelyn - "Isn't there any left? I want more please."
• Xander - "Nana - mmmmm!"
  
• Daddy - "This is wonderful Bri, very flavorful."
• Mommy - "This is honestly probably the best chunky 'mock-homemade' spaghetti sauce I have ever tasted Bri. A great comfort food meal!"

Toasted Sammies

We had Family Movie night on Sunday instead of Friday this week so we had sandwiches on a blanket in front of the TV.

Ingredients:

• 8 thin slices of Boar's Head pastrami
• 6 thin slices of Muenster Cheese
• 1/4 cup Boar's Head Sundried Tomato Pesto Mayonnaise
• 1/2 small white onion, sliced thin
• 1 small zucchini, sliced thin
• 1 medium loaf french bread, cut long
• Country Crock butter
• salt and pepper to taste

In a frying pan, saute the onion and zucchini in butter until onions are clear and the zucchini is starting to brown. Set aside. Spread mayo on both insides of the bread. Lay cheese on top of the mayo. Lay meat on top of the cheese. Spread the onions and zucchini on top of the meat. Place the whole loaf, opened, under the broiler until the cheese is melted. Remove from the oven, close the loaf of bread, and cut into sandwich sized portions.

We served ours with Pasta Puttanesca and anjou pear slices.



KID RATING: **

• Chef Bri - "I LOVE the sandwich."
• Kairi - "Uh uh. I don't like the vegetables and it tastes funny"
  
• Charis - "If I don't want my sandwich, can I still have desert?"
  
• Jocelyn - "I like the meat and cheese and bread"
• Xander - "mmm?"
  
• Daddy - "This sandwich is excellent!"
• Mommy - "REALLY tasty Bri!"

Brown Sugar Meat Loaf

Sorry - we forgot to get pictures this time. We served this with crn on the cob and blueberry muffins.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup packed brown suger
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
• 11/2 pounds lean ground beef
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 3/4 cup finely crushed Keebler's Toppers crackers (garlic and herb)
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 5x9 inch loaf pan. Mix the ketchup and Worcestershire sauce together. Press the brown sugar in the bottom of the pan and spread the ketchup mix on top of that. In a bowl, mix all of the rest of the ingredients (your hands work the best). Press into the pan on top of the brown sugar and ketchup. Bake for 1 hour. You can use a paper towel every 15 minutes to soak up the grease during cooking by carefully dipping it into the grease.

KID RATING: ****

• Chef Bri - "This was the best meat loaf I have ever made!"
• Kairi - "So yummy... it's like meat bread"
  
• Charis - "This is so good. It tastes like candy"
  
• Jocelyn - "Oh yeah Bri - this is the bestest you have ever cooked!"
• Xander - "yum - mama more". he ate everything on his plate
  
• Daddy - This was the best meatloaf I have ever had - it was moist, didn't fall apart, and hardly needed any BBQ sauce.
• Mommy - Briaunna, this is better than any meatloaf I have ever made. You truly have a gift for the kitchen!