Grilled Balsamic Chicken and Vegetables

This was a great weeknight meal, especially because I could prep it and Chuck could grill it! The blog I took it from, C+C Marriage Factory, said they liked it as a healthy meal; but of course I had to add some au gratin potatoes on the side. :)

The marinade was delicious, but I would marinate both vegetables and chicken much longer than the suggested half hour to absorb more of the flavor. And maybe save some of the marinade before adding it to the chicken so that you can baste while grilling. The only other change I made to the original recipe was to eliminate the mushrooms because Chuck doesn't care for them. I also think this would be good for a crowd because it's so easy to prep and cook!

Grilled Balsamic Chicken and Vegetables

Roasted Potatoes with Ricotta

These were part of our Fourth of July meal alongside the ribs and I liked the idea that I could make little individual portions for each of us. Usually I dollop sour cream all over my baked potato, and the substitution here of ricotta was delicious. Chuck doesn't normally like ricotta and even he said they weren't as offensive as he thought they would be!

I couldn't find new potatoes in the supermarket (and they're usually way more expensive than regular potatoes as well) so I bought a bag of baby red potatoes. If you do this, just adjust your cooking time based on the size of potatoes. Mine took about 50 minutes in the oven. Link below!

Roasted Potatoes with Ricotta

EJ's Simple Ribs

Why, hello there! Have you missed me? Between vacations, the heat, and the general weariness of chasing around an active toddler all day; I haven't been cooking or baking much of anything new in the kitchen. But I'm back with a few new things!

With all the family parties and birthdays we have going on, somehow Chuck and I were able to spend the actual fourth of July by ourselves. So I wanted to make it a special meal that I wouldn't normally make for the two of us. I decided on pretty traditional ribs but went the extra mile and found a recipe to make my own rub and sauce.

These were pretty good! Chuck wants to try cooking them lower and slower in the oven next time - maybe 2-3 hours at 250 degrees instead of the recommended time and temperature in the recipe. I would also suggest leaving a LOT of time to reduce the sauce down to your desired consistency. The recipe suggests simmering for 30 minutes - I simmered for well over an hour and it still wasn't as thick as I would have liked it.

But all in all, these were good and I was pretty proud of myself for taking the time to make everything myself. I served these alongside roasted baby potatoes with ricotta and a tomato/mozzarella/pesto salad. Link to the ribs below with the rib sauce link within that:

EJ's Simple Ribs

Crockpot Santa Fe Chicken

Head on over to C+C Marriage Factory and check out the picture for this recipe - it's what made me save the recipe in the first place. Christina's picture is so light and clean, it didn't remind me of your typical heavy crockpot meal. I have made variations on this recipe, but I liked that there was no salsa added to the chicken, just vegetables and spices. I served this over rice for myself and Chuck had it on tortillas. Delicious!

Crockpot Santa Fe Chicken

Salmon with Brown Sugar and Mustard Glaze

I love finding new, easy ways of making fish. Basically anything that calls for broiling the fish and then adding a topping is simple and usually delicious. This one did not disappoint - the mustard and brown sugar played nicely off of each other and paired well with the salmon.

I adjusted the amounts to feed just Chuck and myself, since fish doesn't save well, so that is reflected below. The original recipe also calls for lemon wedges and watercress to serve alongside but I didn't need to get that fancy on a weeknight. :)

Salmon with Brown Sugar and Mustard Glaze

amounts adapted from Everyday Food

Makes 2 servings

1/2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 small shallot, minced

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard

2 tablespoons packed brown sugar

kosher salt and coarse ground black pepper

2 (roughly 8-ounce) salmon filets, skin removed

Heat broiler to high, with rack in top position. Line a rimmed baking sheet with non-stick foil.

In a small saucepan or skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high. Add shallot and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add vinegar and cook until slightly evaporated, 1 minute. Add mustard and brown sugar; stir until warm and combined. Season with salt and pepper and remove from heat.

Place filets on prepared baking sheet and season with salt and pepper. Transfer 1/4 cup glaze to a small dish and brush on top of salmon. Broil salmon until glaze is bubbling and fish is opaque throughout, 5 to 10 minutes, depending on thickness. Brush remaining glaze over filets and serve immediately.

Raspberry Cheesecake Swirl Brownies

You really can't go wrong with a dessert that has cheesecake, chocolate, and raspberry in it. And these little bars definitely did not disappoint. A delicious layer of dark chocolate brownie is topped with a layer of creamy cheesecake swirled with raspberry jam.

The recipe calls for chopped dark chocolate, but you can just as easily use dark chocolate chips. Other than that, the directions were perfect, so the link is below!

Raspberry Cheesecake Swirl Brownies

Mother's Day Dinner 2011

This year for Mother's Day, Chuck and I had our families over for dinner to celebrate. I enjoyed spending my second Mother's Day with Abbie as well as with my fantastic mother and fabulous mother-in-law. I wanted dinner to be easy to put together beforehand and asked all the siblings to help with appetizers and dessert. Everyone brought something delicious and we all had a good time eating, drinking, and blowing bubbles with Abbie. :)

Mother's Day Dinner 2011

Appetizers

• Brie-stuffed mushrooms


• Spinach artichoke feta dip with pita chips


• Bacon appetizer crescents


• Assorted cheese and cracker platter

Dinner

• Grilled chicken with barbecue sauce or honey dijon marinade


• Cavatelli salad with artichokes and goat cheese


• Southwestern layered cornbread salad (without the chicken)


• Zucchini and yellow squash gratin
  

Dessert

• Bakery cupcakes


• Cookies and cream cheesecakes


• Assorted cookies