Honey Mustard Grilled Chicken

Prep: 10 minutes   Grill 10 minutes

The weather is finally beautiful and its time to celebrate the soldiers who have fought to make our country what it is today. Memorial Day marks the start of the summer season, which means it is time to dust off the grills and celebrate with friends and an old fashion BBQ! This chicken marinade is great either for the grill or stove-top and can be paired with all of the traditional BBQ sides; baked potatoes, potato salad, pasta salad, chips, baked beans… the options are endless! I have paired my chicken with some homemade onion rings!! Yes… this is a sneak-peak of a recipe that is soon to come! I hope you enjoy your family and friends and kick off the summer right with some homemade goodness!!   

Ingredients

1 pound (about 3-4 a person) Chicken Tenders

½ cup plain yogurt

¼ cup Honey-Mustard

1 tsp. Salt

1 tsp. Pepper

1 tsp. Cayenne pepper powder

The Process

1. Heat the grill or stove-top pan to a medium-high heat.

2. In a reusable plastic bag combine all ingredients except the tenders and mix together.

3. Add the chicken tenders to the bag and coat well.

4. Place chicken on the grill or over the stove, turning until the chicken has been cooked completely (no pink in the middle).

5. Enjoy this simple yet taste chicken!

Cheez-It Chicken Strips

Prep: 10 minutes    Bake: 12 minutes

Growing up I was obsessed with Cheez-It crackers! So this recipe truly brought me back to my childhood. This recipe is so quick and easy it’s perfect for busy momma’s that have picky eaters on their hands or wifes/girlfriends that need a quick and delicious meal to impress the mouths that they feed. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did ;)

Ingredients

4 boneless, skinless, chicken breast halves

2 cups crushed Cheez-It crackers

½ cup finely shredded cheddar cheese

1 egg

BBQ sauce, ketchup or ranch dressing for dipping

The Process

1. Heat oven to 400*. Spray cookie sheet with non-stick spray.

2. Cut chicken lengthwise into ½ inch strips. Mix crushed crackers and cheese in a large resealable plastic bag.

3. Beat egg in a large bowl, add chicken strips into the egg and toss to coat. Remove chicken from egg, allowing excess to drip off and place the chicken inside the bag of cracker mixture. Seal bag and shake to coat evenly with cracker mixture.

4. Place chicken strips in single layer pan.

5. Bake uncovered 10 to 12 minutes or until the chicken is no longer pink in the middle. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce and ENJOY!

Cheeseburger Pizza

Prep: 10 minutes    Bake: 15 minutes

What is better than a recipe that lets your taste buds experience a cheeseburger and pizza in one delicious bite! This recipe is such a quick fix that I have added it to my last minute meal menu. With Memorial Day BBQ’s coming up just whip-up some of these tasty pizzas on little bit size pieces of bread and be the talk of the party!

Ingredients

1 loaf of French Bread

1 pound of ground beef

1 medium onion, chopped

1 jar of pizza sauce- about 14 oz.

1 cup of cherry tomatoes- sliced in half

8-10 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled

2 cups of finely shredded pizza cheese blend-mozzarella and cheddar cheese

The Process

1. Heat oven to 400* Cut bread loaf horizontally in half. Cut bread halves crosswise in half to make 4 pieces. Arrange on large cookie sheet.  

2. Cook beef and onions in a 10 inch skillet over a medium-high heat until all the beef is brown.  In a seperate pan cook the bacon until it is crispy.

3. Add in the pizza sauce to the beef mixture.

4. Spread beef mixture over the bread. Sprinkle bacon, tomatoes, and cheese on top of the mixture.

5. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until pizza is hot and the cheese is melted. Enjoy!

Almond Joy Chocolaty Cake

Prep: 5o minute (2 hours chilling)  

Cook: 30 minutes

Why bake from the box when you can make this? This creamy-dreamy chocolate cake with almond-coconut filling is a cinch! It will have you licking your fingers and not wanting to stop at just one slice. Now I must admit that I took this recipe from a recent Rachel Ray magazine but I just could not pass up this beauty!

Ingredients

 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 stick unsalted butter (4oz.)

½ cup semisweet chocolate chopped

2 ¼ cups granulated sugar

4 tsp. pure vanilla extract

½ tsp. salt plus a big pinch

3 eggs

1 ½ cups flour

1 ½ tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 bag (14oz) sweetened shredded coconut

2 cups sliced almonds

3 cups heavy cream

1/3 cup powdered sugar

The Process

1. Preheat oven to 325*

2. Butter two 8-inch-by-2 inch round cake pans. Like so

3. In a medium sauce pan bring 2/3 cup water to a boil. Whisk in the cocoa powder until smooth. Add in the 1 stick butter and chopped semisweet chocolate. Whisk it in until melted. Remove from heat and add in 1 ½ cups granulated sugar, 2 tsp. vanilla and ½ tsp. salt. Whisk together.

4. Whisk in 1 egg at a time, beating well after each addition.

5. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda and baking powder. Pour in the chocolate mixture until smooth. Stir in 1 cup coconut.

6. Divide the batter between the pans and bake in the lower third of the oven for about 30 minutes or until firm in the center. Let it cool in the pans on a rack for about 10 minutes then remove the cakes from the pans so the cakes can cool completely.

7. While the cake cools, spread the almonds on a cookie sheet and toast them for about 10 minutes.

8. In a sauce pan combine ¾ cup cream, the remaining ¾ cup granulated sugar and pinch salt and simmer, stirring over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved.

9. Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining 2 tsp. vanilla and 3 packed cups coconut. When the mixture is cooled fold in 1 ½ cups almonds.

10. Split the cake layers to make 4 layers. Place the first layer cut side up on the cake stand and spread with about 1 cup of the coconut-almond mixture. Top with the second layer cut side down and spread with 1 cup more of the mixture. Repeat with the remaining 2 layers.

 11. Cover the cake with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 2 hours to firm up.

12. After the cake has firmed whip the remaining 2 ¼ cups cream with the powdered sugar until stiff. This will take awhile so don’t give up… just keep whipping it. Spread over the cake. Sprinkle the top with the remaining almonds.

13. FINALLY ENJOY!!



Chicken and Veggie Pesto Tortellini

Prep: 15 minutes    Cook: 20 minutes

My chicken and veggie pesto tortellini originally started with just tortellini and pesto sauce and has developed to be such a wonderfully hearty dish that can be whipped up in no time. If you are vegetarian just subtract the chicken from the recipe and add in some of your favorite veggies. The red bell pepper adds a nice crunch and texture to the dish that makes your mouth watering for more!

Ingredients   

2 teaspoon EVOO

2 Boneless skinless chicken breasts

¾ cup chicken broth (for 9 ounces of tortellini)- I used 2 ¼ cups

1 package of Tortellini (about 9 ounces for 2 people)- I used a 24 ounce package from Costco to feed 5

4 small Zucchini cut into small slices

2 Red Bell Peppers

1 jar of Pesto Sauce

Parmesan Cheese as a garnish

The Process

1. Heat oil in a 12 inch skillet over a medium-high heat. Cook chicken in oil for about 5 minutes, turning occasionally, until brown. Remove the chicken from the skillet

2. Add broth and tortellini to skillet. Heat to a boil; reduce heat. Cover and simmer about 5 minutes or until the tortellini is tender.

3. Put zucchini and bell peppers in a larger skillet over a medium heat, stirring occasionally.

4. After the tortellini is done, add it to the veggie mixture. Add the chicken in with the veggies and tortellini. Cook over medium-high heat for about 4 minutes stirring occasionally, until the veggies are tender.

5. Toss with pesto and sprinkle cheese on top. Enjoy!!

Greek Style Steak Topped with Feta and Red Onion

Prep: 10 minutes   Marinate: 8 hours   Grill: 20 minutes

Steak is one of my all time favorite dinners; although I try to limit myself on eating red meat… I just cannot give it up entirely! This recipe gives your steak a little flair with a lot of mouth watering flavors. It also gives our men the chance to turn on the grill and create a wonderfully tasty dish for the family. So mix up that Greek marinade, turn on the grill, and let the aroma fill the air! Enjoy!!

Ingredients

 2-pound beef boneless sirloin steak-about 1 inch thick

2 medium red onions- cut into ½ inch slices

1 package of feta cheese

Chopped fresh parsley

Greek Marinate

o       ½ cup beef broth

o       1 tablespoon packed brown sugar

o       3 tablespoon EVOO

o       1 ½ teaspoon dried oregano leaves

o       ½ teaspoon salt

o       ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

o       2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

·        The pictures shown is a double batch of marinade

The Process

1. Make Greek marinade in a shallow glass or plastic dish or resealable plastic bag.

2. Pierce beef with fork several times on both sides. Add the beef and onions to marinade and coat both sides.

3. Cover dish or seal bag and place it in the refrigerator, turning the beef occasionally, for at least 8 hours and not to exceed 24.

4. Remove the beef and onions from the marinade and place on the grill over a medium heat for 15-20 minutes; for a medium doneness. Brush the extra marinade over the beef occasionally and only turn your beef ONCE.  Grill onions for about 3 minutes on each side.

5. Once the beef and onions are cooked to your liking, cut the beef across the grain into thin slices. Sprinkle beef with feta cheese and parsley, serve with your onion slices.

Tomorrows treat: Chicken and Veggie Pesto Tortellini 

Zesty Cuban Pork Chops

Prep: 5 minutes     Cook/Grill: 10 minutes

This is a quick and easy meal that will leave you licking your chops. The Cuban marinade is so tasty and zesty that you will want to use it on all different kinds of meals; and you can so go right ahead! If pork is not your favorite the recipe works just the same on chicken; although I recommend it on the chops.

Ingredients

4 pork boneless loin or rib chops- about 1 inch thick

Cuban Rub

o   2 tablespoons of lemon zest

o   1 tablespoon cracked black pepper

o   1 tablespoon cumin seed/ground

o   2 tablespoons EVOO

o   ½ teaspoon of salt

o   1 clove garlic- finely chopped

The Process

1. Heat grill or flat iron skillet with a medium heat. Remove excess fat from the pork. Make the Cuban Rub by mixing all the ingredients listed above.

2. Rub the mixture evenly on both sides of the pork.

3. Cover and grill pork over a medium heat 8-10 minutes, turning frequently, until it is slightly pink in the center; if the meat is left on to long it will become tuff.

4. Enjoy your quick and easy dinner!

Possible yummy side dishes

o   Grilled Corn on the Cob

o   Baked Asparagus with Parmesan sprinkled on top

o   Mango Slices

You will not want to miss out on tomorrow’s savory recipe…

Grilled Steak topped with Feta and Grilled Red Onion!!