First off let me explain why I’m posting my first grilling recipe in December.  I’ve been wanting a bbq grill for a while, so my husband got me one for our anniversary (which is in October).  Being the busy people that we are (I like that better than “procrastinators”), we just recently set it up a few weeks ago.  So, that, combined with the fact that our oven broke (and, being the busy people that we are, we haven’t made time to find our warranty information), our dinners have been made either on the grill (who cares if it’s snowing right?), or by using my friend Jess’ oven who lives two houses up from me (I’m probably the most annoying neighbor/friend that anyone’s ever had but what can I say?  That warranty information is hiding from me!).

Anyway, so that’s why you’re getting my grilling advice now.  :)  Here is one of my favorite ways to save time on dinner during the week:  cook something once and use it twice.  Here’s one way I cooked once and ate twice this week.  Now I know this isn’t an amazingly unique or impressive way, but hey it saved me time:

BBQ Chicken & Chicken Tacos (cooked once, eaten twice)

• Defrost some chicken (enough for two dinners); if desired, cut into strips (to make cooking time faster)
• Separate into two bowls:  in one bowl mix some bbq sauce with the chicken.  In the other bowl add olive oil, lime juice, salt & pepper, & worcestershire sauce.
• Marinade both at least 4 hours, or overnight.
• Preheat grill to medium heat.  Grill both the bbq and the lime marinated chicken at the same time.
• Eat the bbq chicken that night (we had it with mashed potatoes and salad).

• The next night, heat up the lime marinated chicken; cut into cubes.
• Heat up some flour tortillas; fill with chicken; top with black bean and corn salsa (I had some leftover that I had made for a party that weekend).

There you have it, two simple but delicious weeknight meals!  You could also serve the bbq chicken with rice, and serve the chicken tacos with the leftover rice, but make Emerald Rice with it…that way you’re cooking the whole meal once and using it twice!

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After I posted my Emerald Rice posting, it got me to thinking of some other great side dishes.  Here’s another one I love: 24K Carrots.  It has all the elements of a great side dish:  it’s fast, it’s simple, it’s made with ingredients you always have, it’s delicious, but still simple enough that everyone likes it.

With the holidays coming up, and with family coming to visit, I plan on making this side dish quite a few times.  This is another one of my go-to recipes.  If we’re invited over to someone’s house for dinner and they haven’t given me a specific assignment, a lot of times I’ll bring this side dish.  Even kids like this recipe…and the word on the street is that kids aren’t usually all that fond of veggies!  So, here you go!

24K Carrots

• 1 lb carrots, peeled and sliced (I just used whole baby carrots)
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar, packed
• 2 Tbsp butter or margarine
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger (this is what makes it special!)

1. Cook carrots until tender.
2. Melt butter; add brown sugar & ginger, stirring to blend.
3. Add sauce to carrots and stir to coat.
4. Yes, it’s THAT simple and you have a SIMPLE, delicious, and versatile side dish!

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There’s a newer show on the food network called Simply Delicioso.  I haven’t watched it a ton because it’s not my typical type of food that I like to make, but I watched it a while ago and she made a thing called emerald rice.  It’s a really good way to dress up rice.  I really like it because I’m all about cooking something once and using it twice…so recently when I’ve been making a dish that you eat over rice like Chicken Divan, Katie Couric’s Lemon Chicken, or Stir Fry I’ll make extra rice and use it to make this Emerald Rice as a side dish later that week.  It’s surprising how much you can spice up simple rice with this recipe with ingredients that alot of times you already have on hand!

I’m not usually a huge fan of rice, but I really love this dish!  It’s called Emerald Rice because it has cilantro and parsley in it so it has pretty green flecks all through it.  Then you broil it with parmesan cheese on top so it comes out with a golden crust.  So not only does it taste delicious but it’s a pretty looking little side dish too!

Emerald Rice

• 2 c. cooked rice
• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/4 c. finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves*
• 1/4 c. finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1/2 tsp lime zest
• 1/4 c. finely grated Parmesan (I use more!)
• s&p

1. Preheat your broiler to high.
2. Place the rice and butter in a 8×8 pyrex dish and heat in the microwave until it’s warmed through.
3. Mix in the cilantro, parsley, lime zest, and s&p.
4. Sprinkle the top with the Parmesan.
5. Place the dish under the broiler for 5 to 7 minutes, until the cheese is browned.

Recommendations:

• I know a few people that don’t like cilantro (I don’t understand why!), so if you don’t like cilantro, or if you don’t have any on hand I’m sure you could use all parsley.  I’m sure it would still be great because the main components of this dish are just the fact of having fresh herbs and the Parmesan crust on top.

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My aunt and uncle gave me the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook when I graduated from high school and went to college.  I got this stir fry recipe out of it my first year in college (simple and cheap!) and I’ve been using it ever since.  Like a lot of the recipes I love it’s made with ingredients that you’ll always have on hand, and it’s very versatile.  I’ve used it with chicken, beef, tofu, and it’s perfect to use up leftover meat and veggies.  This is a perfect recipe to have on hand for those super busy weeknight meals: just grab some leftover meat, a bag of frozen veggies, some minute rice and throw together this sauce…you’ll have dinner faster than you could run to McDonalds!

Stir Fry Sauce

• 2 Tbsp cold water
• 1 1/2 tsp cornstarch
• 2 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp orange juice
• 2 tsp sugar
• any meat and veggies you have on hand
• rice

1. Combine cold water and cornstarch well.  Stir in soy sauce, orange juice, sugar, and dash pepper.  Set aside.
2. Stir fry meat and veggies in olive oil (med high heat) in wok or skillet until cooked through (or if using leftover/cooked ingredients, heat through in wok/skillet).
3. Push meat and veggies to side of wok/skillet.  Stir sauce; add to the center of wok/skillet; cook and stir till thickened and bubbly (just takes a few minutes).
4. Stir to coat meat and veggies with sauce.  Cook and stir 1 minute or till all heated through.
5. Serve over rice.

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I found this recipe a couple months ago on allrecipes.com and knew I’d love it because it has two of my favorite things in it…artichokes and mayonnaise.  I tried it the day after I found the recipe and fell in love!  I’ve made this a couple times when we’ve had company over and each time they’ve asked for the recipe.  If you don’t love mayo don’t be afraid of this recipe…the combination of ingredients make for a deliciously creamy dish.  The chicken ends up moist and flavorful.

The other thing I like about this recipe is that is has ingredients that I always have on hand, so that’s always a plus!  You just mix the ingredients, put it in a baking dish, and 25-30 minutes later you have a VERY delicious dinner!  This is a great weeknight meal (like I said just stir it up put it in the oven and move on with your life), but it’s also perfect for a weeknight or entertaining.  I REALLY hope you try this one, I know you’ll love it!

Artichoke Chicken

• 1 (15 oz) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 pinch garlic pepper
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together the artichoke hearts, Parmesan cheese, mayonnaise, and garlic pepper. Place chicken in a greased baking dish, and cover evenly with artichoke mixture.
3. Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until chicken is no longer pink in the center and juices run clear.

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So I was watching the food network the other day (what? really?) and Guy Fieri’s live show came on.  I don’t usually watch him, most of his recipes I’ve seen are kinda out there, but I was bored so thought I’d give him a chance.  As usual, the stuff he was making wasn’t really my cup of tea, but then he started talking about this “malty strawnana.”  I had just gotten a blender from my brother and sis-in-law for a belated birthday present (that’s what happens when we live 500 miles away!) so it got my attention.  A malty strawnana is probably just what you’d expect: a vanilla shake with malt, strawberries and bananas.  I got the stuff for it that night, and it’s so good…just the perfect classic shake.  So…enjoy, I know we did!

Malty Strawnana

• 2 c. good quality vanilla ice cream (I always buy Breyers)
• 1/4 c. milk, add half in first, remainder if necessary
• 5 Tbsp malt (a.k.a. Ovaltine)
• 1 1/2 c. strawberries (he said to use fresh but let’s be honest…it’s December so they’re expensive right now.  I used frozen and it came out great!)
• 1 small ripe banana or 3/4 of a large one

1. In a blender, combine all ingredients and blend until smooth.

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So, again, once of those recipes that I had at a friend’s house when they had us over for dinner (thanks Emily!), begged for the recipe, and argued with her because I wouldn’t believe it’s that easy! It sounds like a typical chicken casserole, but believe me, the few variations on ingredients (aka curry and mayo…in a casserole? Believe me on this one…delicious!!). Seriously, you GOTTA try this one…it’ll be a new staple in your house!

Chicken Divan

• 2 pkg. frozen broccoli spears, slightly cooked
• -OR-
• 1 pkg. frozen broccoli spears, slightly cooked and 1 1/2 cups cooked rice (see recommendations, below)*
• 3 cooked chicken breasts*
• grated cheese

Sauce:

• 2 cans cream of chicken soup
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp curry powder

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Put broccoli in bottom of 9×13 pan. If using, put rice on top of broccoli. Place chicken on top of rice/broccoli.
3. Mix sauce ingredients together. Pour evenly over top of chicken.
4. Spread grated cheese over top.
5. Bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes.

Recommendations:

• Rice: So the original recipe that my friend gave me called for the 2 packages of broccoli. But after I made this a couple times, I thought that it would taste really good with rice to soak up all the DELICIOUS sauce, and to give it some more filling power. So, last time I made it, I made it with throwing some leftover rice in the bottom of the casserole dish, and I really liked how it turned out (like I said, just made it more filling…and none of the amazing sauce is put to waste!). So that’s definitely how I’m gonna make this from now on.
• Chicken:  I think the recipe calls for them whole, but I dice mine before I put them in.

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So I’ve officially found my new favorite weeknight meal. This actually would be good enough for a weekend meal (you know, when you sometimes might have just a bit more time to spend on a more “special” dinner), because it’s SO good, but I just love how easy it is and it’s made with ingredients that I usually have on hand. Also, my friend Suzanne told me that she makes these with broccoli in them, and that sounds really good, so I’ll have to try that next time (I’ll tell you how it goes)!

I found the original recipe from allrecipes.com, but after reading some of the reviews from other visitors (it was VERY highly rated from visitors, which is ALWAYS a good sign!), I changed it up a bit. So, if you’d like to see the original recipe click on this link: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Savory-Crescent-Chicken/Detail.aspx But here is the recipe exactly how I made it (which was delicious!!):

Savory Crescent Chicken (makes 4 servings)

• 1 pkg cream cheese, softened*
• 1 Tbsp butter, softened
• 1 large can (or 2 5 oz. cans) canned chicken*
• 1 Tbsp green onions, sliced*
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp pepper
• garlic powder, to taste
• 2 Tbsp milk
• about 1 c. corn*
• about 1 c. shredded cheese*
• 1 (8 oz) pkg refrigerated crescent rolls
• 1 Tbsp butter, melted
• 3/4 c. croutons, crushed*

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese & 1 Tbsp melted butter until smooth. Add the chicken, onion, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Mix well.
3. Separate crescent dough into four rectangles. Firmly press perforations to seal.
4. Spoon 1/2 cup of the chicken mixture onto the center of each rectangle. Pull the 4 corners of dough towards each other; pinch edges to seal.
5. Place sandwiches on an ungreased cookie sheet. Brush tops with 1 Tbsp of melted butter; sprinkle w/crushed croutons.
6. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.

Recommendations:

• Cream cheese: If you forget to take your cream cheese out of the fridge to soften it (which I ALWAYS do!), then just nuke it for a few seconds. Don’t do it too long, watch it carefully, or else you’ll end up melting it which is NOT the result you’re looking for, but if you do it for just a few seconds it does the job perfectly!
• Chicken: I used canned chicken and it turned out awesome, but the original recipe called for 2 cups cooked chicken, cubed. Just thought I’d let you know.
• Green onions: The original recipe called for white onions, but I only had green onions so that’s why I used them instead. And I’m glad I did, because I think it gave this rich dish a more light fresh taste than normal onions would have.
• Corn: The original recipe didn’t call for corn (that’s why I’m not sure of the exact amount because I just kind of guessed), but some of the reviewers put corn in so I thought I’d try it, and I LOVED the corn in it. Again, it added some freshness and sweetness to this rich dish.
• Cheese: Again, the original recipe didn’t call for it, but I took some of the other reviewers’ advice and added some. And again, glad I did…added a bunch of extra flavor (some of the other reviewers said these were a bit bland without the cheese)! Went really well with the other ingredients. I used cheddar.
• Croutons: Some of the other reviewers didn’t use these, but I don’t know why! They added so much flavor & texture!

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All I can really say about this dessert is that it is SUPER easy, OH SO GOOD, and different (which is always nice). I really don’t know what else I can say about this recipe except that you REALLY need to try it!

I was watching 30 minute meals the other day, and she made this dessert, and it was really intriguing to me, because first off like I said it’s super easy and I’m always down with that…I’m not a huge dessert fan, so I think it’s kind of pointless to take hours to create some crazy dessert that I really don’t get why it’s all that special in the first place. So an easy dessert I think always deserves a try. Also, it has Nutella (chocolate hazelnut spread) in it, which even though it’s chocolate I LOVE it…and that helps, because it seemed to me like one of the few desserts that would actually satisfy both me and those crazy chocolate lovers!

And once I tried it I was sold. It was as easy as it looked (always a plus), and it tasted SO great! And again, it’s a little bit different which I really liked. So please try it!

Heavenly Hazelnut Pound Cake

• 1/2 c. sliced almonds
• 1 store-bought pound cake*
• 1 cup Nutella*
• 1 cup heavy cream, whipped*
• 2 tsp almond extract*
• 1 lemon, zested
• Blackberries & raspberries, for garnish*

1. Lightly toast the almonds in a small skillet.* Set aside to cool.
2. Cut the pound cake in half, horizontally. Spread the Nutella on the cut side of both cake pieces. Sprinkle with toasted almonds. Then place the top half of the cake back onto the bottom half.
3. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the whipped cream, almond extract & the zest.
4. Cut the pound cake into 1-inch slices & serve with the whipped cream & berries.

Recommendations:

• Pound Cake: You can find these in the freezer section, by the frozen premade pies and stuff. You always see these in Sarah Lee brand. It’s so good and buttery! Just make sure you defrost it before using it!
• Nutella: This is a chocolate hazelnut spread that you can find in any grocery store by the peanut butter. If you’re not yet hooked on nutella, go buy some and you will be!
• Cream: I whipped some powdered sugar in with the cream to give it some sweetness.
• Almond Extract: The original recipe called for 1 Tbsp orange liqueur, but I don’t drink alcohol, so I used almond extract instead because I thought that flavor would go really well with this (but I didn’t use a full tablespoon because almond extract is pretty strong). And it tasted great with it! If you don’t drink alcohol I’d definitely recommend using the almond extract! But if you do drink alcohol, then definitely try the orange liqueur because that’s what Rachael Ray put in the original recipe and I’m sure she kind of knows what she’s talking about by now.
• Berries: I just used raspberries and it tasted great with just them. But I’m sure it would be even better with both berries!
• Toast Almonds: Just make sure you watch the almonds closely, cause they burn easily!

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This is the best broccoli grape salad I’ve ever had. I like it so much because, as opposed to some other broccoli grape recipes I’ve seen, it has all fresh ingredients (grapes instead of raisins, bacon instead of bacon bits, etc). And, it is SO easy! It’s a perfect side to bring to barbecues and things like that, people love it cause it’s not the typical salad that people usually bring (green, potato, or macaroni). So, here you go:

Broccoli Grape Salad

• 4 c. grapes, cut in half*
• 1 broccoli head, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 lb. bacon, cooked & crumbled
• 3/4 c. sunflower seeds
• 1/2 red onion, sliced*
• Dressing:
• 1 c. mayonnaise
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 1 Tbsp. cider vinegar

1. Cook bacon.*
2. Combine mayonnaise, sugar & vinegar. Set aside.
3. Combine grapes, broccoli, bacon, sunflower seeds & onion.
4. Pour dressing over salad; toss until combined.
5. Let sit in fridge overnight, if desired (this just lets the flavors meld together a bit, it almost marinades the broccoli).

Recommendations:

• Grapes: Definitely don’t skip the step of cutting the grapes in half. It makes the grapes absorb some of the dressing & it is just SO annoying to try to chase a whole grape around your plate!
• Red onion: If you’re making this for someone who might not like onions, don’t leave the onion out, just chop them small instead of slicing them. The onions add a lot of flavor, even if you only put a little bit in.
• Bacon: I just cook my bacon on a plate.  I just put a bunch of paper towels underneath the bacon, cover it with more paper towels, & nuke it till it’s done.  SOOO much faster & it tastes just the same!

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