Tag Archives: grill

Rosemary Ranch Chicken Kabobs

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We tried this recipe the other day.  I love chicken, but definitely feel that chicken (especially white meat) needs to be marinated prior to grilling. I just am not a fan of dried out chicken.  And this recipe was super easy! And a great reason to plan some rosemary next year, so I always have ingredients on hand for those last minute grill nights!

Rosemary Ranch Chicken Kabobs

1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup ranch dressing
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, or to taste
1 tablespoon white sugar, or to taste (optional)
5 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves – cut into 1 inch cubes

1. In a medium bowl, stir together the olive oil, ranch dressing, Worcestershire sauce, rosemary, salt, lemon juice, white vinegar, pepper, and sugar. Let stand for 5 minutes. Place chicken in the bowl, and stir to coat with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
2. Preheat the grill for medium-high heat. Thread chicken onto skewers and discard marinade.
3. Lightly oil the grill grate. Grill skewers for 8 to 12 minutes, or until the chicken is no longer pink in the center, and the juices run clear.

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Garlic and Cumin New Potatoes

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I had steaks at home all ready to go when I found this recipe in my RSS feed the other day.  I had all the ingredients except the cilantro, which I don’t like so I just left it out when I made it. And let me tell you, these potatoes were excellent!  Maria and Chad agreed as well!  I’m pretty convinced they would be good roasted in the oven too!

Garlic and Cumin New Potatoes

12 unpeeled small red potatoes, cut into fourths
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon peppered seasoned salt

  1. Heat coals or gas grill for direct heat. Place potatoes in large bowl. Add remaining ingredients except cilantro; toss to coat. Place in grill basket (grill “wok”).
  2. Cover and grill potatoes over medium heat 10 to 15 minutes, shaking basket or stirring potatoes frequently, until tender.

Grilled Pizza with Sausage, Onions and Peppers

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It was a gorgeous day today, so I tried a new recipe on the grill.  It’s a Weight Watcher’s recipe and very yummy!  Easy too!  5 points each.  The original recipe called for chicken sausages, but we used Sweet Italian Turkey Sausage.  Maria didn’t want any, so I grilled her a grilled cheese sandwich on the grill.  We ate fresh pineapple on the side, and it was delicious!

Grilled Pizza with Sausage, Onions and Peppers

6 oz cooked chicken or turkey sausage, about 2 links, halved lengthwise, thinly sliced
1 small red onion(s), cut into thin slivers
1 small yellow pepper(s), cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices*
1/2 cup(s) pizza sauce, or tomato sauce
4 medium whole wheat tortilla(s)
1 tsp dried oregano
3/4 cup(s) part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded

Preheat an outdoor grill to medium (or a grill pan over medium-high heat). Place sausage, onion and pepper on grill in a grill basket; cook, flipping once, until sausage is golden and vegetables start to brown, about 4 to 6 minutes. Remove from grill and set aside until ready to use.

To prepare pizzas, spread 2 tablespoons of sauce on each tortilla. Sprinkle each with 1/4 teaspoon of dried oregano and then top each with 1/4 of sausage-vegetable mixture; top each with 3 tablespoons of cheese.

Place pizzas on grill (or as many as will fit on grill pan at one time) and cook until edges begin to brown, about 3 to 5 minutes; rotate pizzas. Continue cooking until cheese is bubbly, about 2 to 4 minutes more. (If all 4 pizzas do not fit on grill pan at once, repeat with remaining ingredients.) Yields 1 pizza per serving.

* I used 1/2 green and 1/2 orange, because I had them sliced and on hand already.

Krystal’s Perfect Marinade

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I had chicken thawed for one recipe, but then decided it’d be good to grill with the fresh sweet corn we had.  I found this recipe which got good reviews and I had all the ingredients on hand.

It was excellent, I used reduced-sodium soy sauce. And only about 1 lb of chicken, so I would probably halve the marinade next time if I don’t make at least 2 pounds of chicken.

Krystal’s Perfect Marinade for BBQ or Grilled Chicken

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons sesame oil
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

  1. Whisk together the brown sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, sesame oil, garlic, and pepper until the sugar has dissolved.
  2. Marinade for 2 hours and then grill.

Honey-Mustard Chicken with Potato Wedges

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Well, I signed up for the Whip It Up Challenge again this summer!  And I’m looking forward to the peer pressure of trying new recipes! It doesn’t start for a couple weeks, but here is one I tried last night!

I found it in a Rachel Ray magazine, but you can find the recipe here as well.

Was the recipe easy to follow?

Yes! It was very easy. I was able to prep the chicken and potatoes and entertain Maria at the same time (well, Curious George helped too!)  The only real change I made was that I just sprayed the potatoes with olive oil spray before putting them on the grill, instead of mixing them in the bowl with olive oil.

Did the dish taste good?

Yes, it was very very good. I didn’t serve it with chives or the lime wedges, because I forgot to go out and cut the chives out of my herb garden (which only has chives right now) while it was on the grill. And didn’t get around to slicing the 2nd lime.

Would you make it again?

Most definitely. It was very tasty and easy!! Chad and I both thought it was great. It was hard to tell with Maria, she is so hungry after daycare that she eats a ton so isn’t always hungry when we eat dinner. She just likes to sit with us and pretend to eat, I think.

Honey-Mustard Chicken with Potato Wedges

3 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons spicy brown mustard
2 tablespoons vegetable oil 2 limes, 1 juiced and 1 cut into 8 wedges
8 skinless, bone-in chicken thighs
2 large baking potatoes (about 12 ounces)
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (or olive oil spray)
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

In a resealable plastic bag, combine the honey, mustard, oil and lime juice. Add the chicken and let marinate at room temperature for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, combine the potatoes and enough salted water to cover; bring to a boil. Cook the potatoes for 20 minutes, then drain and let cool slightly. Slice the potatoes lengthwise into 1-inch wedges. Transfer to a bowl and gently toss with the olive oil (or spray with olive oil spray); season with salt and pepper.

Preheat a grill to medium-high. Add the chicken and potatoes, cover the grill and cook for 10 minutes on each side.

Serve the chicken with the lime wedges and potatoes. Sprinkle the chives over the potatoes.

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Beets on the Grill

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I am trying to work in more vegetables to our diets.  Mostly because I don’t want Maria growing up thinking peas, green beans, and corn are the only vegetables. Also because Chad and I could use more vegetables.  So I decided I need to try and pick up different types of vegetables when I’m grocery shopping.

First go round, I picked beets. I’m not quite sure why. I remember liking them as a kid. I also remember my dad disliking them, so we didn’t have them very often. I have no idea even how my mom prepared them.  I found this recipe and decided it was easy and would be easy to prepare with grilled pork chops.  The only change I made was halving the recipe!

It was incredibly easy. I found out I still like beets. Chad found out he still does NOT like beets.  Oh well.  I may cook them a little bit longer next time, but I’m happy to have found another vegetable that I like!

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4th of July

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We had a very nice 4th of July. We like to host a grill-out potluck with family and friends. We had the perfect turnout this year, not too big, and not too small. I was able to thoroughly enjoy myself and get out of the kitchen. All the kids got to go swimming in the inflatable pools. The weather was perfect and it was just great.

After our guests left, we headed over to the neighbors picnic.  Now they had a spread!!!  wow!!  Maria enjoyed the finger jello the best!  Don’t need those teeth for jello!

We brought Maria home and Chad went out to watch the neighbors’ fireworks show from our front yard. Unfortunately they got shut down this year by the police.  😦  Too bad, because every other year has been amazing!!  It definitely rivaled the city’s show!

Yesterday we headed to our friend Abby’s 2nd birthday party.  It was fun to see friends, and Maria being the show-off that she is turning out to be took about 3 steps all on her own!  Which was completely appropriate since Abby took her first steps at our house last year on the 4th!

Here are some pictures from Friday:

Maria started out in her little pool

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But then moved up to the big pool with the big kids. Here she is with Grace.

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Grandma blew bubbles at the kids, and Maria would shut her eyes when they came close.

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Keeping up with cousins Jana and Luke

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In her new chair!

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Grilled Bacon-Wrapped Stuffed Hot Dogs

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I finally tried a recipe off Simply Recipes, and it was delicious!  I couldn’t resist after seeing the great pictures of the finished product… Chad thought that Bacon and hotdogs sounded strange together, but he agreed they were pretty tasty!  I got some nice fresh frankfurters from the Rainbow Fresh deli and some big thick bacon from their meat counter, and brat buns from their bakery!

I put them all together before Chad got home on Friday night, so it was just a matter of getting the grill (gas) started when he got home and cooking them. We only cooked 2 that night and cooked the other two for lunch the next day.

Here’s the recipe…

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