Day 319: Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad

Because my week was so busy, I didn't have time menu plan and grocery shop as I normally would.  And we've had some pretty "heavy" meals the past few nights, so I wasn't surprised when I asked Randy what he wanted for dinner and he said "Caesar salad."  But Randy knows he can request just about any meal we've ever tried and I'll make it.  So when he requests Caesar salad, it's not going to be just any Caesar salad. 
I've posted my Caesar dressing recipe before on this blog, but here it is again!  So to put together this salad, I started by grilling some chicken on my grill pan.  Then I began the dressing:

I started with 2 minced garlic cloves, some Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and a freshly juiced lemon in my salad bowl.

Whisk until smooth.

Add a good amount of mayonnaise and parmesan cheese.

 

Then, I grilled the Romaine lettuce.

Combine the lettuce, chicken, and sprinkle with parmesan shavings.  Toss in the bowl with the dressing.  That's a good-looking salad!

 

It's no secret that I like to have an appetizer or some food on the table when Randy comes home from work for him.  Here's a simple idea that takes literally no time and is absolutely fun and delicious for that "grown-up time" we have for a few minutes when he first comes home.  Then, he's off to play with the kids while I finish fixing supper...

In a small bowl, combine some parmesan cheese, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes.  Pour in some olive oil for a nice dip.  Tear up some crusty bread and place on a plate.  Serve with red wine. ;)



 

 



Days 269-270: Some old and some new...

So yesterday my poor wedding ring finger took a beating in the kitchen.  While slicing onions, I sliced the finger's tip, and then while removing an apple pie from the baking sheet it was sitting on, I burned the same finger right above my rings.  I definitely won't be getting those off for a while--at least not until the swelling goes down!  So please excuse my slow typing... ;) (I crack myself up!)

Around this time of year, I start bringing back recipes we haven't had since last winter.  Some are served almost exactly the same, others have different side pairings, and others are changed even more.  These two dinners are repeaters with a twist...

Day 269: Stromboli & Antipasto
Here is the original recipe when it first appeared on my blog: http://bethanysmeals365.blogspot.com/2014/04/day-83-easy-stromboli.html

That recipe was a simple cheese, pepperoni, and crust recipe.  This time, I followed the same guidelines with the crust, but I added a layer of my homemade sauce inside the stromboli.  I also made it long enough that I could change the filling every 3rd section.  I left 1/3 of the stromboli with just sauce, cheese, and pepperoni.  The next 1/3, I added diced green peppers into the mix.  And the final 1/3 (Randy's 1/3) included all the previous ingredients, plus chopped onions and olives.  I baked it the same (400*, 10-15 minutes) and served it alongside a nice, big antipasto.  Buon appetito!

Day 270: Apple & Thyme Stuffed Pork, Butternut Squash Risotto, Asparagus, Apple Sauce

The original recipe for just the pork portion of the dish can be found here.  In that post, I combined the whole meal into one "recipe" and gave instructions for cooking the meal as a whole, with the sides and all so it would come out at the same time.  Here, I'll break down the pork recipe by itself, and then show the side recipes separate.  I served this meal with my homemade applesauce, which will be featured in a different post.

Apple & Thyme Stuffed Pork

4 pork chops
1/2-1 small onion, chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/2-1 small apple, chopped
combo of fresh and dried thyme leaves (about 1/4-1/2 tsp each)
1/2 cup apple juice or cider
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
olive oil, salt, pepper

Preheat the oven to 350*.  In a small saucepan, drizzle a little olive oil and start sauteing the onion and garlic.  When the onion is translucent, add the apple and thyme and cook a little more.  Pour in the apple juice and breadcrumbs and turn off the heat.  Stir everything so a nice, sticky stuffing forms.  If it seems too dry, add more juice.  If it seems to wet, add more breadcrumbs.
Pound out the pork chops and place a couple tablespoons of the stuffing in the middle of each chop and roll the meat around the stuffing.  Use toothpicks to secure them shut and place on a baking sheet seam-side down.  Drizzle the pork rolls with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the meat is cooked through.

Butternut Squash Risotto

1 cup arborio rice
1 cup small cubed butternut squash
1 TB chopped fresh rosemary
3 cups good chicken stock
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
olive oil, salt, pepper

Warm the 3 cups of chicken stock in a saucepan on low.  In another, larger saucepan, drizzle olive oil and start the onion, rosemary, and garlic cooking over medium heat for about 2-3 minutes.  When the onion is translucent, add the rice and squash.  Pour in the white wine and cook until the liquid is mostly evaporated.  Start ladling in the warm chicken stock 1-2 ladlefuls at a time.  Once you've added 1 or 2 ladlefuls, stir the rice and squash vigorously to release the starches.  Then let it sit for a while until the liquid evaporates.  Once it evaporates, add more liquid and repeat the process until the rice is cooked through.  Add the parmesan cheese at the end and mix well.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Roasted Asparagus
Wash the trim the asparagus.  Lay out on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice.  Sprinkle on either garlic powder or 1 clove of finely minced garlic.  Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and roast in a 400* oven for 10-15 minutes, or until cooked to desired texture.

Pulled Pork, S'Mores Cookies, and salad! (Days 167,168,169,170)

While this year's 4th of July was a bit of a wash-out, the rest of the weekend turned out quite nice!  On the 5th of July, we hit the beach with my parents--fantastic time!  Then after getting cleaned up, went to their church for an outdoor picnic, live music, and a great view of the Worcester fireworks.  It was a great day and night and our kids enjoyed every second!  Meanwhile, at home, I had a huge pork butt slow-cooking in the crock-pot for our church's picnic the following day.  I love pulled pork, and it's so easy to make!  Everyone makes it different, but I like it spicy.  I don't put too much barbeque sauce in it while it's cooking, I save that for the buns when making the sandwich.  Instead, I use spices to bring out the flavor of the pork and let it cook for 10 hours or more so that when it's done, the meat literally falls off the bone with one touch.  Amazing!  And so incredibly good!  Here's my recipe:

So after the beach, I figured, "I'm already hot and sticky, might as well go for a run before my shower."  After the run I thought, "Well, I'm already hot, sticky, sweaty, and smelly, might as well pull the pork before I take a shower." :)

Spicy Pulled Pork
Let me first admit that I've had to "dull" this recipe down.  It used to be quite spicy, even intolerable for some.  I do love spicy food, but as a cook, I don't want my food to be a turn-off.  I feel like people can take this recipe and add in the spice if they want.  I've made my recipe a bit more user-friendly over the years and am happy with the way it turned out!

1 pork butt or shoulder, bone in or out, however you prefer

1 TB salt
1 TB pepper
1 TB paprika
1 TB garlic powder
1 TB Tastefully Simple's bbq spice OR a combination of cayenne, more paprika, more garlic powder, and chipotle chili powder
2 TB brown sugar
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup barbeque sauce

Combine the salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, and other seasonings to form a rub.  Massage the spices into the pork and let sit overnight.
The next morning, place the pork in the slow-cooker and add the brown sugar, vinegar, ketchup, and barbeque sauce and cook on low for 10 hours or so.  Pull the pork apart with a fork.  Serve on bulkie rolls with extra barbeque sauce.

S'Mores Cookies
I recently posted a recipe for s'mores bars, courtesy of a good friend of mine.  Our church has a 4th of July picnic each year and has started having cookie baking contests.  I wanted to enter the contest with an original recipe, and it had to be a genuine cookie.  So I re-wrote the recipe for the bars to make them into cookies.  Here are the results:

2 sticks of butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup mini marshmallows
12 oz chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350*.  Cream together the butter and sugar.  Add the eggs and vanilla and mix.  Add the flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking soda, and salt.  Stir until well combined.  Add the marshmallows and chocolate chips and stir.  Plop a heaping tablespoon down on a greased cookie sheet and fill the sheet.  Bake for 10 minutes and set on a cooling rack to cool completely when done.

While both of these recipes were prepared on Saturday (Day 167), they were enjoyed on Sunday (Day 168) with leftovers on Monday (Day 169).  Tuesday's dinner (Day 170) was a little lighter.  I whipped together a quick salad with grilled chicken, nuts, apples, cheese, and cranberries.  Even Abby loves a good salad!

Vegan Enchiladas & Brownies (recap Days 148-151)

Confession: I haven't felt like working on my blog AT ALL the past few days.  I haven't even felt like cooking or taking pictures!  Do you ever go through specific "modes" or "moods" in life?  I'm in an organizing/cleaning/packing mode.  At least during the day at school.  I just packed up my classroom (I had to switch rooms with another teacher in preparation for the new classroom arrangement for next year) and brought several things home.  I love to organize so I thoroughly enjoyed sifting through papers, separating items, deciding what I keep, what I toss, and what gets passed to my aunt who will start her first year teaching in the fall.  I know, I sound crazy.  I'm well aware that organizing is not a commonly loved activity.  I only wish this stamina would carry itself home.  It's been so beautiful out that I cleaned out our fairly large kiddie pool and filled it.  Now, the first thing I do when I get home with the kids is put on their swimsuits, hand them a freeze-pop, and stick 'em in the pool.  I sit with my feet in and a magazine in hand.  It's bliss!  Randy has also had the past couple weeks off from his night job, so we've had our evenings together.  We're spending that time watching "Lost" on Netflix and drinking wine.  So the time I normally spend folding clothes, organizing the house, writing my blog, and washing dishes, is now spent sitting on the couch.  Needless to say, things are piling up.  Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the time I'm spending with my husband and children! But with the last day of school tomorrow, I'm hoping that I can keep up my organizing craze and start packing up the house once school is out.  We're supposed to sign our P & S agreement for the new house tomorrow and I will take that as my "greenlight" to start the slow process of organizing and packing.  I am actually giddy at the thought of tossing/donating a whole bunch of stuff!

But back to the actual reason for this blog: food.  My cousin's fiancée just had a baby and they live a few streets away from us.  I wanted to bring them a meal and Jodi is vegan, so I needed to do a little research, first.  I found a recipe for Vegan Enchiladas which I thought would go great with my homemade guacamole.  I think every new mom deserves a sweet reward to help get through those sleepless nights, so I also made Vegan No-Bake Peanut Butter Chocolate Brownies.  But before I get to those recipes, let me catch you up on our week of dinners.

Day 148 (Monday): good ol' spaghetti and meatballs!

Day 149 (Tuesday): I made a big salad for Randy and I with some leftover chicken from Sunday.  We also shared a pizza with the kids.

Day 150 (Wednesday): salmon salad and an arugula salad with a homemade lemon vinaigrette, fresh parmesan cheese, and cracked black pepper.  I only ate the arugula salad and it was so tasty! 

And then there's today (Day 151-Thursday).  When I got home from school, I made the guacamole and the avocado sauce for the enchiladas.  I had already made the enchiladas and brownies the night before.  Abby and I walked down to my cousin's house to meet their beautiful baby!  Here are the recipes:

Vegan Enchiladas with Avocado Cream Sauce
I got this recipe from a vegan blog (http://ohsheglows.com/) that was recommended to me by a co-worker.  The original recipe called for black beans and I used pinto instead.  Also, it gave a choice between using a sweet potato or a zucchini and I used both since I doubled the recipe so my family could try them also.  Instead of doubling the enchilada sauce, I used both enchilada sauce and tomato sauce.  Tomato sauce is cheaper than enchilada sauce, and it allows you to control the seasonings.  I added chipotle chili powder to mine for a more smoky flavor.  This is the single recipe and it makes 4 enchiladas.

1 onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 sweet potato (or zucchini), chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 handful of spinach, chopped
1 can of black or pinto beans, drained
1 32 oz can of enchilada sauce
cumin, lime juice, salt, garlic powder, chili powder--all to taste
4 whole grain tortilla wraps
creamy avocado sauce (recipe follows)

Preheat the oven to 350*.  Pre-cook the chopped sweet potato/zuchini  by boiling in water for just a few minutes.  In a large skillet, cook the onions over medium/medium-low heat.  Add the garlic and cook another minute.  Now add the sweet potato, spinach, pepper, and drained beans.  Cook for 5-7 minutes.  Add the enchilada sauce and seasonings to taste.  Stir well.
Ladle a thin layer of sauce on the baking sheet.  Then fill each tortilla wrap with about 1 cup of the mixture and place them seam-side down on or in the pan (whatever you are using).  Complete each enchilada and the pour the rest of the sauce over the enchiladas.  Bake for 18-20 minutes.  Serve with creamy avocado sauce.

Creamy Avocado/Cilantro Sauce
1-2 avocados (depending on size)
2 TB of water
2 TB lime juice
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 cup fresh cilantro
salt, garlic powder, cumin, pepper--all to taste

Combine ingredients in the food processor and process until creamy.  Spread over baked enchiladas.

Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies (No Bake!)
At first, I looked at a recipe from the same blog for Two-Layer Raw Chocolate Brownies.  However, I couldn't find all of the ingredients for the homemade vegan chocolate sauce, so I decided to change it to a vegan peanut-butter sauce, which led me to swap out the walnuts in the brownie for peanuts.  I also couldn't find raw cacao nibs, so I didn't use them.  I used a tad more cocoa powder.  Here's my (slightly more "user-friendly") recipe.

1 cup unsalted peanuts
1/2 cup organic, unsalted sunflower seeds
1 1/2 cups dates
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsps vanilla
1/4 tsp kosher salt

Process the peanuts in a food processor until fine.  Add the seeds and dates and process until fine and sticky.  Add the powder, vanilla, and salt and pulse until combined.  Evenly press the mixture into an 8 x 8 baking pan lined with parchment paper.  Place in the freezer while you make the peanut-butter sauce or for 10 minutes.  Remove from freezer and pour the peanut butter sauce (recipe follows) over the brownies.  Return to the freezer for 20 more minutes.  (Overnight is fine, too.)  Remove from freezer and cut into squares.  These are so delicious!  I will most likely make more for myself soon!

Bethany's Peanut-Butter Sauce (vegan)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup light corn syrup
1/3 cup vegetable/soybean oil
1/2 cup all-natural peanut butter
1/4 cup almond milk (plain milk is fine if you're not making a vegan version)
1 tsp vanilla

In a small saucepan, combine the brown sugar, corn syrup, and vegetable oil over medium-low heat.  Whisk until smooth.  Whisk in the peanut butter and almond milk.  Continue to whisk and cook for another minute or until all incorporated.  Remove from heat, add the vanilla and stir. 

I actually sprinkled finely chopped peanuts on top, but forgot to sprinkle them on before I took the picture!

Days 125 & 129: Cook-Out Favorites & Beer-Marinated Chicken w/ Summer Vegetables

We finally had a nice sit-down dinner as a family at home tonight!  It feels like it's been forever!  I no longer sell Tastefully Simple products, but before I "de-activated" I "stocked up" on some seasonings.  Yes, they are relatively easy to make on your own if you use the right combination of spices and herbs, but when they're all perfectly pre-mixed for you right in your pantry, who can resist?  And these seasonings have added plenty of "kick" to my meals recently.  Tonight, I enlisted the help of their new summer beer-marinade, and their Seasoned Salt for my potatoes and vegetables.  Dinner was so easy!  Last night I pulled out my chicken to defrost and this morning Randy got it marinating for me.  Simply mix 1 packet of the powder "marinade" with a 1/2 cup of beer and marinate the chicken for however long you have.  Tonight I grilled it and finished it in the oven.  It was super flavorful!  Here's how I like to do summer vegetables:

Seasoned Summer Vegetables
1 zucchini, thickly "chunked"
1 summer squash, thickly "chunked"
1 red pepper, cut into bite-size pieces
1/4 of a red onion, chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
olive oil
"Seasoned Salt" (Tastefully Simple)
onion flakes (or Tastefully Simple's "Onion Onion")
paprika
cumin

Layer the vegetables on a baking sheet and coat with olive oil.  Sprinkle the seasonings on liberally and cook in a 400* oven for 10-15 minutes or until cooked through and fragrant.

Let's bounce back to Day 125 (Saturday), when we had Noah's birthday cook-out.  When I invite people over for a birthday party, I'm more inclined to do most of the cooking because people coming are already bringing gifts.  If someone asks to bring something, I let them, but I usually assume I'll do most of the cooking.  When I'm having a regular barbecue or get-together for no reason, I don't have a problem saying "I'm providing the meat, you bring a dish to share" or something like that.  For Noah's party, I did have some voluntary help, but I provided the majority of the meal.

Normally we like our burgers medium-rare.  I was not in charge of the grill...

Here's my basic burger recipe:

1 lb hamburg
1/4-1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp chipotle chili powder
1 tsp paprika
1 garlic clove, minced
1 TB onion flakes
oregano, parsley
salt, pepper

Mix well and form into 4 patties.  Cook on the grill or under the broiler.

To go along with the burgers, I made orzo salad, classic potato salad, broccoli salad, fruit skewers, and some Tastefully Simple dips with chips.  I also had a garden salad brought by my mother and my sister-in-law made deviled eggs.

Broccoli Salad
I've seen this made different ways before--all of them so delicious!  At Whole Foods, they call it "Broccoli Crunch" and sell it from the deli.  This salad is incredible... try it!

1-2 bunches broccoli, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 cup of mayonnaise
scant (just under) 1/2 cup of sugar
2 TB red wine vinegar
1/4-1/2 red onion, finely chopped
1 cup golden raisins
1 cup walnuts
10 strips of bacon, cooked and chopped

Mix the broccoli, bacon, raisins, walnuts, and red onions together.  Whisk the mayo, sugar, and red wine vinegar.  Pour the dressing over the salad and serve immediately.  (If you want to make it up ahead of time, keep the dressing separate and pour it on right before serving.)

 For dessert, we had Noah's chocolate chip "snowball" cookies, cake pops, and a flag cake.  The idea for the flag cake came from and Ina Garten cookbook, but I didn't use her recipe at all.  I wrote my own cake recipe, and made a raspberry filling to go inside.  The frosting was a whipped cream frosting and I used blueberries and raspberries to decorate the "flag."  I'm not ready to share my recipe yet because 1) I'm not 100% satisfied with it and 2) I think every cook needs a secret recipe, so I'm not sure I'll ever be ready to divulge the recipe. ;)

Happy birthday, my sweet man... hope you enjoyed the party you'll never remember!  (Your Momma sure did!)

Day 104: Avocado Caprese Burgers, Classic Potato Salad

This week I added the "recipe finder" search to my blog's homepage which meant I had to go back and "label" all of my posts.  I was disappointed to find so few burger recipes.  I thought I had a larger repertoire of burgers and I thought we ate them more often.  But I guess when doing a blog like this, you're conscience of "repeater" meals which is probably why we haven't had cheeseburgers as often as usual.  I also realized that my "classic" burger recipe didn't really appear as such since it was hidden in a post about other recipes.  (Day 55)  So I'll have to create a new post about my go-to burger recipe at some point.  Tonight was a new one, even for us.  We LOVE caprese salad, tomato, basil, and mozzarella paninis, and anything with those flavors.  So why not make it into a burger???  I got the idea to put on the avocado from a magazine that I glanced at one time.  I went searching for the recipe but couldn't find it so I came up with my own recipe tonight.  When Randy said he thought it was "the best burger he's had" I reminded him that he says that every time he has a burger!  Abby's words were, "This is so good.  I love burger."  (She's yet to add the "s" to that word.)  Yeah--we love burgerS in this family!!!

Avocado Caprese Burgers

1 lb ground beef
3-4 fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
1 TB dried basil leaves
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried parsley leaves (or fresh if you have them)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tsp onion flakes
2 TB mayonnaise, sour cream, or plain Greek yogurt
2 tsp balsamic vinegar, divided

4 buns
2 avocados, sliced
4 slices of tomato
4 slices of mozzarella cheese

Mix the seasonings, mayonnaise, and 1 tsp of balsamic vinegar in with the beef by hand.  Form into 4 patties and grill or place under the broiler.  Meanwhile, prepare the buns by spreading butter on the and drizzling the rest of the balsamic vinegar on top.  Place under the broiler to toast the buns.  When the burgers are almost done, place the slices of mozzarella cheese on top so it can melt onto the meat.  Place the burger patties on the prepared buns and top with a slice of tomato and some avocado.

Classic Potato Salad
This is a pretty traditional potato salad recipe.  It's very easy and delicious.  I make mine a little "heavy" on the dressing--that's how Randy prefers it.  And he sops up every last drop!

3 lbs potatoes (I used red)
1 cup mayonnaise (or 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt + 1/2 cup mayonnaise)
1/4 cup milk or white wine (I've used both but I can't remember which I prefer.  This was our first potato salad of the season and I used milk.)
2 stalks of celery, chopped
1/4 cup chopped red onion
2 TB chopped fresh dill
1-2 tsp black pepper

Boil the potatoes in salted water for about 10-15 minutes.  (They won't be fully cooked yet!)  Drain the potatoes then place the colander back over the pan and cover the potatoes with a clean towel and let them steam for about 15-20 minutes.  Meanwhile make the dressing: combine the mayonnaise and milk and mix well.  Chop the celery, onion, and dill.  When the potatoes are done steaming, cut them into chunks and add to the mayonnaise and milk and stir until they are fully coated.  Add the celery, onion, dill, and black pepper.  Mix well and refrigerate for at least a few hours so the flavors can combine.

Day 102: Grilled Salmon Salad & Rice

I seem to be going heavy on the salads lately, but I guess I am trying to eat "lighter" as summer is around the corner. ;) This salad was really good!  I served it just as a salmon salad next to wild rice and I served peas with it.  But the bonus is that tomorrow at lunch, I can put the salmon salad over a bed of lettuce and add some dried cranberries and it becomes a whole new salad!  If you like salmon, try this--you'll love it!  Here's my recipe for just under 1 lb of salmon:

Salmon Salad
1 lb (or less) salmon filet
1 stalk of celery, chopped
2 TB red onion, chopped
1 TB fresh dill, minced
1-2 TB raspberry wine vinegar (few drizzles around the bowl--it comes out fast!)
1 TB olive oil
salt, pepper to taste

Grill or bake the salmon as you normally would.  Then refrigerate until cold and firm (I was short on time so I stuck the salmon in the freezer for 20 minutes or so.)  Once out of the refrigerator, pull off any skin left, and then break apart the salmon and place in a bowl.  Add the celery, onion, and dill.  Drizzle in the vinegar and oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.  Mix well.  Serve refrigerated or at room temperature.

Day 101: Chicken & Goat Cheese Salads

Here's a healthy and flavorful lunch or dinner for you!  It was our dinner tonight.  The salad consists of lettuce (usually I like spinach, too, but we're out), red pepper strips, goat cheese (crumbled), and grilled black pepper chicken.  For flavor, before I grilled the chicken, I loaded it with black pepper and a little salt.  It really adds a kick to the salad.  Balsamic vinaigrette was the dressing.  Yum!

Day 85: Mediterranean Paradise: Lamb Meatballs, Cous Cous, Tomato-Feta Salad

I know I've mentioned before how much I love Greek food.  Well, I LOVE THIS MEAL!  The flavors are beautiful and each dish combined with the next makes more an amazing and cohesive dinner.  The cous cous and tomato-feta salads are inspired by Ina Garten, but the meatballs are mine.  Actually, the truth is I thought I had made lamb meatballs before and searched and searched for a recipe and couldn't find one.  But Ina does have a recipe for lamb kebabs in one of her cookbooks.  However, I already had it in my head that I wanted to make meatballs, not kebabs, and since I couldn't find a recipe I thought I had, I just made it up myself, using some of the ingredients I knew would work.  They were delish!

Today was our first trip back to the playground this year, and I wanted to spend as much time there as possible.  So dinner was a little rushed, and I didn't measure everything like I intend to do when I know I will be writing a post about the recipe.  I will do my best here.

Lamb Meatballs

1 lb ground lamb
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1-2 TB chopped shallot
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
2 TB red wine
2 tsp red wine vinegar
2 TB bread crumbs (to hold the meat together)
1-2 TB fresh rosemary, minced
salt, pepper, fresh parsley to taste

Combine the ingredients and shape meat into balls.  Drizzle a skillet with olive oil and brown the meatballs on 1 or 2 sides.  Finish them off in a 350* oven, for about 10 minutes or until desired temperature.

Cous Cous
Cous Cous is a snap to make!  The hardest part is just having the ingredients ready ahead of time (toasting the pine nuts and chopping the parsley) but it's really no big deal.  This is a great recipe for a simple dish that is the perfect complement to the other dishes tonight that have such a bold flavor.  The recipe makes A LOT of cous cous, we always have plenty leftover for lunches!

3 cups homemade chicken stock
1 1/2 cups cous cous
1 chopped shallot
3-4 TB butter
1 cup dried cranberries (or currants)
1/2 - 1 cup toasted pine nuts
3 TB (or a handful) of fresh chopped parsley
salt, pepper

In a large saucepan, melt the butter and saute the shallot.  Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add the cous cous and cover and turn off the heat.  Let stand for 10 minutes.  Fluff with a fork and add the pine nuts, cranberries, and parsley.  Stir to combine.

Tomato-Feta Salad

There are some bold flavors in this salad.  It's very yummy.  In the summer, I like to find the heirloom tomatoes so there's a color "pop" in the salad.  It also makes a great next-day lunch!
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
5-6 oz feta cheese, cubed
2 TB chopped red onion (or you can keep with the shallot theme)
2-3 TB fresh chopped parsley
2 TB fresh chopped basil
2-3 TB olive oil
1-2 TB white wine vinegar
salt, pepper

Combine all ingredients and mix well.

Day 80: Chicken Ceasar Salads, Homemade Croutons

Group Ride is at 6:30, so I want to eat before hand or I'll pass out in class, but it can't be too heavy or I'll throw up! ;)  The solution?  Hearty salad!  I'm so glad my husband loves a good salad.  He came home all excited tonight to see chicken ceasar salads on the table.  (Ok, it might have something to do with the homemade ceasar dressing and the homemade croutons.)  I'm so thankful that he's not like, "Oh, good, we're having salad, but what are you serving it on the side of???"  Sometimes, a good salad is all you need and he totally gets that!  Plus, we're both doing a 30-day push-up challenge and he says the 30-day ab workout is next, then he wants to combine them.  (We'll see if I can keep up!)

Anyway, I'm so sorry I forgot to take a picture!  Especially since these salads looked awesome.  But, I've included a repeat picture from another night that we had ceasar salads with homemade croutons and dressing.  So picture that, but with grilled chicken added in--YUM!

Day 72: (Group Power Night) Spaghetti & Meatballs, Guacamole Salad for Lunch Tomorrow!

Tuesday evenings I try to get to the gym for Group Power fitness class.  It's resistance training and is a lot of fun!  Spaghetti and meatballs with salad and bread is a great meal to come home to after working out!  Randy fed the kids, I came home, put them to bed, kissed him goodbye as he left for work, and settled in with dinner, a glass of wine, and my blog. 
Later, I'll do the dishes and make lunches for tomorrow.  Spring is here and the weather is getting nicer this week.  That always "wakes me up" a little and gives me more energy to put the effort into making better lunches.  Salads are great for lunch, but they can get boring fast.  Here's a fun and flavorful salad to add to your mix:

Guacamole Salad
1-2 avocados, diced in large chunks
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1 yellow pepper, diced in large chunks
1/4 of a red onion, chopped
salt, pepper
1/2 tsp grated lime zest
juice of 1-2 limes
1/2 tsp minced garlic
olive oil
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
optional: 1-2 TB minced jalapeno pepper

Mix the vegetables: tomatoes, pepper, onion, jalapeno.  Add the oil, lime zest, lime juice, salt, pepper, and cayenne.  Gently fold in the avocado.
I prefer the salad served cold, but it can also be served at room temperature!

Day 57: Pita Pocket Salads

So today is Monday.  And for me, it was a MEETING Monday.  And I had a great night last night, that I'm very tired tonight.  And I have 2 meals planned for tomorrow night (1 for my family and 1 for a friend and I) so tonight's dinner is simple.  We had salad served in pita pockets and dressing.  I put apples, turkey, cheese, walnuts, and cranberries in with my lettuce and that makes a pretty hearty salad.  Abby is at a point where she can eat salads now without choking on the lettuce, so this meal feels easy and refreshing again.  (When a meal is supposed to be simple but gets complicated because you have to make something different for both of your kids, it definitely takes the joy of it away!)
#nopicture #toobusy #somedaysarelikethat #sorry!

Day 32: Mini Corn Dog Muffins for Lunch, Spaghetti & Meatballs for Dinner

I realized that I forgot to include my recipe for homemade croutons in yesterday's post.  Luckily, I made them again tonight!  Along with spaghetti and meatballs tonight, we had salad with homemade croutons and my garlic/basil bread.  But first, let's talk about lunch...

Another playdate today--we've been busy this week in the best way possible!  For a fun lunch, I made my batter for "skillet" cornbread.  I then placed mini hot dogs in my mini muffin tray and poured the batter in.   I had some extra hot dogs, so I used my regular muffin tin for that and made "double dog" corn muffins in those trays.  (Thanks, Erica, for the "double dog" phrase!)  I baked the muffins at 375* for 10-12 minutes.  (*Make sure you grease the muffin trays.  Because there's a whole stick of melted butter in the corn bread batter, I thought I could do without greasing the trays--I paid the price for that one.  I'll definitely spray them good next time!)

These were a huge success with the kids AND adults!  What a great lunch for all!

Dinner recipe "extras":

Homemade Croutons
5-6 slices day-old bread, cubed (you may remove the crusts if you want)
2 TB dried basil leaves

1 TB dried oregano leaves
1 TB dried parsley
2 tsp garlic powder
1-2 TB grated parmesan
salt, pepper
1/2 cup olive oil + more if necessary

Start with the olive oil and add the herbs and spices plus the parmesan cheese.  Mix together.  Add the cubed bread and mix by hand to ensure that all the bread is coated but it doesn't break.  Place a cooling rack on a baking sheet so the cubes will be elevated.  Place the bread cubes on the cooling rack.  Bake at 350* for 15-10 minutes or until golden brown.
These are best made the day-of.  They will keep for a few days in a airtight container, but start losing their crisp after the first day.  

Garlic Basil butter

Use 1 stick of butter at room temperature or softened.
I start with 2 gloves of garlic, finely minced.  I then add a pinch of kosher salt and use my wooden pestle (or the back of a spoon) to smash the garlic and salt, bringing out the juices.  Add the softened butter, and about 2-3 tsp chopped, fresh basil.  Mix together.  Spread a thick layer of the butter over bread, and place under the broiler until melted and the sides of the bread start to brown.  Roll the remaining butter into a log with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator or freezer for a later date.