Category Archives: Entree’

Grilled BBQ Chicken & Potato Salad

10 Saturday Jan 2009

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Summer Special in January?

Backyard BBQ in January!!!

Tonight we had a wonderful meal, and at a wonderful price. This is the kind of meal you have at a summer picnic, but the last few weeks in Florida have felt like summer…so why not. Today was quite beautiful. The temperatures were in the 70′s and there was not a cloud in the sky. I actually wore shorts today, in January. Now I had no idea what the weather would be like when I planned this meal earlier in the week, but it turned out to be very fitting.

Leg 1/4′s were on sale at Publix this week at .59 cents a pound. I got a pack of 5 huge 1/4′s for $2.50… To go with the chicken I made classic potato salad and some steamed corn and broccoli. Dessert was a new twist too, but I will post that tomorrow.

To prepare the chicken you will need:

  • Boiling water, salted
  • 5 -6 chicken leg quarters
  • BBQ sauce of choice (I prefer Kraft Original for this chicken)

I always boil leg quarters for a few minutes before throwing them on the grill. Bone-in meat always requires extra cooking time, and I cannot stand charred meat. So about 10 minutes in a boiling bath starts the cooking and also enhances moisture in the finished product.

Boil Leg Quarters for 10 minutes and gently transfer to hot grill (to keep the skin from tearing). Grill for 10 minutes right side up, then flip to brown the top. After about 5 minutes spread desired BBQ sauce on the bottoms of the chicken. Let cook for a couple of minutes and flip the chicken again. Thoroughly coat the tops with sauce and allow to simmer on grill until cooked through, which won’t be long… Remove and serve! My total cooking time after boiling was about 10 minutes on each side. The temperature on my grill was at 500 initially, and remained at 400 ish for the rest of the time.

Now, for the potato salad!

Classic Potato Salad

  • 3 – 5 lbs baking potatoes, diced
  • 6 boiled eggs
  • Sweet Relish
  • Salt, Pepper to taste
  • Diced Onions & Celery (if desired)

Boil potatoes until tender, remove and drain in colander. Chop eggs into small pieces, or use egg slicer. Place in large bowl, lightly salt and pepper then add potatoes. (Now this is where I just eyeball measurements and add to taste). Add 2 heaping tablespoons of mayonnaise and sweet relish. Stir into potatoes. Add more mayo, relish and salt & pepper to taste. I like to prepare the salad while the potatoes are still warm. It kind of mushes the potatoes, but I think that contributes to the creaminess of the potato salad. If you stir gently, you will get a combination of creamy and chunky potatoes – yum. If using, add the chopped onions and celery and stir until well mixed. Maybe next time I will measure how much of everything I add.

After dinner I broke out the dessert, which I made last night. I will talk more about that tomorrow – I still have to take pictures.

Finally, after dinner cleanup, I prepared Sunday lunch. Home made lasagna. I will pop it in the oven before church and it should be hot and ready to serve when we get home. That’s it! Good night all.

Chicken Quesadilla’s

31 Wednesday Dec 2008

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Grilled Chicken Quesadilla's

Grilled Chicken Quesadilla's

I posted these back in October without pictures. I made them again tonight and took the time to take a few photos. As usual these were a hit for dinner. I will post the recipe for a re-cap…

These are sooo easy to prepare. They are very basic, but delicious and appetizing. I grill the tortilla until it begins to crisp, we prefer that over a soggy shell. I always serve them with tortilla chips and salsa.

Chicken Quesadilla’s

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound chicken breast or tenderloin (no bone or skin)
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 1 small green pepper chopped
  • 2 cups shredded cheese (reserve some for topping)
  • 10 flour tortillas (8″)
  • Sour Cream
  • Butter
  • Salsa
  • Any other desired toppings

Directions:

Grill chicken and slice into thin strips. Meanwhile saute onions and peppers. Butter one side of tortilla and heat griddle. Place tortilla butter side down. On one half, place cheese, chicken, onion/pepper and cheese again, in that order. Cook on griddle until shell is browned then fold in half. Remove and serve with sour cream, salsa and extra cheese. Slice in half if desired. Makes ten Quesadillas.

For ease of preparation, I place the chicken, cheese and vegetables in three separate bowls next to my griddle in an “assembly line” fashion.

 

Undercover Gordita’s

27 Saturday Dec 2008

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Turkey Gordita's

Turkey Gordita's

What’s for dinner mom??? That was tonight’s burning question. So what better way to disguise the superfluous Christmas turkey than with Mexican spices and ranch dressing!

This was my last minute dinner idea, it was quick, easy and everyone said it tasted really good.

Turkey Gordita’s (via Taco Bell)

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound “surplus” Christmas turkey
  • 1 Taco Bell Gordita Kit
  • 1/2 cup water
  • Diced Tomatoes
  • Sliced Olives
  • Shredded Cheese
  • Anything else you need to finish off!

Directions:

Shred the turkey and place in 10 inch frying pan. Mix the spice pack with the water (as directed) and pour it over the turkey, cook until the meat and sauce is hot. At the same time, toss the gordita shells in a 350 degree oven for about 8 minutes, or until soft and warm. When everything is heated through, top the shells with meat, cheese, tomatoes and olives, finish with the included ranch dressing. Serve and smile! You have just finished off more turkey leftover and no one even knew!

Give Turkey the Boot! ~ Friday Night Fried Shrimp

27 Saturday Dec 2008

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No Fuss Fried Shrimp

The Thanksgiving turkey is always succulent and appetizing. The day after at a second family dinner it begins to lose its savour. The two days of leftovers that follow begin to be monotonous. Three weeks of reprieve and you do turkey all over again. The bird is still scrumptious, but lackluster. Two turkey sandwiches later you can’t take it anymore. It is probably good there are no other holidays whose food focus is turkey. It gives you almost a year to begin to want turkey again.

So to ease our weary turkey-ed-out selves I chose not only a different meat, but another method of preparation. Tonight we had a classic southern seafood dinner. Lacking in color perhaps, but that is about it. I was perusing the fresh seafood at our local Publix trying to decide what we would have for dinner. It was the lady at the seafood counter that inspired our meal tonight. She mentioned she was headed home to fry some shrimp with Aunt Jemima…not her Aunt… the pancake one! The shrimp sounded wonderful and the ease of preparing the batter signed the deal for me.

Ok, this is not my idea of a healthy meal, that is with the frying, but I do allow some leeway in our nutritional repertoire. This meal resembled that of a nice seafood restaurant but without the traffic and crowds, and for under $20.

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Eat Me!

The Seafood Counter Lady’s Fried Shrimp

Ingredients:

  • 2 pounds x-large shrimp, peeled & deveined
  • 1 box Aunt Jemima pancake mix (the add water only one)
  • Seasoning to taste
  • Hot oil

Directions:

Pour dry pancake mix in a medium bowl and add desired seasonings. I added seasoned salt and pepper. Add water until a thick batter forms. Dredge the shrimp through the batter and fry until golden. I used grandaddy fryer and kept the temperature at 350.

So easy and succulent, and I didn’t have to leave a tip either.

 

To the shrimp I added french fried potatoes for the kids and sweet potatoes for the adults. For the vegetable I steamed extra sweet corn on the cob. Dinner was a hit and there was no turkey involved.

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Southern Fried Goodness

 

 

Fried Buttermilk Chicken

09 Tuesday Dec 2008

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Buttermilk Fried Chicken

Buttermilk Fried Chicken

I originally set out to bake this chicken. Then, under the influence of hungry family members, I figured the frying pan would cook a little faster than the oven. Breaded chicken really does taste better fried, and I figure it’s ok to poison the family every once and a while…

I live with leg lovers… chicken legs that is. Legs seem to be the first pieces of chicken taken… and the ones most asked for. Last night I filled a gallon storage bag with fresh chicken legs and doused them with buttermilk. They soaked all night and all day today. Just before cooking I strained them and prepared the flour mixture. They were awesome, and they really did cook faster then the oven would have. My recipe was just random. All I knew was that I had to have them swim in buttermilk overnight.

Fried Buttermilk Chicken (Legs)

Ingredients:

  • 5 lbs chicken legs
  • 2 cups buttermilk (I used low fat)
  • 2 cups flour
  • Salt, Pepper, Garlic Salt, Seasoned Salt
  • 2 cups canola or peanut oil

Directions:

Marinate chicken in the buttermilk as long as possible, overnight is best. *Add some pepper and garlic salt to mixture. Remove and strain chicken. Prepare flour mixture, season as desired… add some chili powder for a little zing! Heat oil in thick pan (I used a 10″ cast iron pan). On my stove top, I kept the burner between medium and high. The oil is ready when the oil “bubbles” when drops of flour are added. Dredge chicken in flour mixture. Place chicken in oil. Cook for 10 minutes, turn the chicken over and cook about 10 more minutes. Thicker pieces of chicken will need longer cooking times. The chicken is cooked when the internal temperature has reached at least 165 degrees. Drain on wire rack position over a sheet pan.

I served my legs :) with mashed potatoes and gravy with corn on the cob. The classic southern dinner! (huh Paula Dean)

Dinner went over great and since I completely ruined any thought of a healthy dinner, I gave the kids some cookies and cream ice cream for dessert. Does it count that it was “light”???

Have a great night!

Playing Hooky, again…

07 Sunday Dec 2008

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Stunning Shrimp!

Stunning Shrimp!

Well, we have missed yet another Sunday of church. Having three kids means that just about the time you get one well, the next one has it. Your chances get slimmer that you won’t get sick…since you get exposed to it three times…

This did however give me the chance to cook some shrimp I picked up last night. I got a pound and a half of large shrimp… even better, it was already deveined. I also picked up a bunch of broccoli (not a lot, but a bunch!). So Sunday dinner was calling for a shrimp broccoli stir fry. We are all avid shrimp lovers here, and broccoli is about the only vegetable that my kids don’t snub their nose to anymore.  It came together really quickly…which is a good thing because my family was in breakdown mode. (i.e. need to eat, like an hour ago).  This is a great dish. It’s very filling and healthy, even low calorie. Oh, I didn’t add the cornstarch, if you like thicker sauce though, you’ll need to add it. Here’s the plan:

Shrimp Broccoli Stir Fry

Ingredients:

  • 1 onion, sliced into strips
  • 1/2 tsp ginger
  • 1 1/2 lb. large shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 1 large bunch fresh broccoli
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • Salt & Pepper
  • 1 tbsp cornstarch (dissolved in 1 – 2 tbsp water)
  • 3 -4 cups white or brown rice

Directions:

In wok, or large saucepan, saute’ the onion in some water (or butter, or oil…I went the healthy route). Meanwhile, steam the broccoli until it begins to turn bright green then add to wok. Add shrimp, ginger and other desired seasonings. Cook over medium heat until shrimp is pink and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Add cornstarch mixture and allow the juices to thicken, about 1 -2 minutes. Serve stir fry over hot cooked rice.

Notes:

When I stir fry, I always saute’ with water or broth. As the water dissolves in the heat I add more, about 1/4 cup at a time. It steams and makes cool noises, but I have found it helps to caramelize the onions…or whatever is being sauteed.

One more thing, I steamed my broccoli using a pot with boiling water and a collander. It worked wonderfully.

 

 
Shrimp Broccoli Stir FryShrimp Broccoli Stir Fry

 

 

 

Pork Ribs with Homemade Sweet BBQ Sauce

03 Wednesday Dec 2008

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Lip Smackin!

Lip Smackin!

Tonight’s dish is a favorite in both my family and my sister in laws, who originally shared the recipe with me. I have had pork ribs in the freezer, but kept procrastinating making this meal. I am not sure why though, because it’s quite easy to prepare. I suppose you can do this with any type of pork, but the country style ribs are always the juiciest. The homemade sauce is sweet with a slight tang. This is definitely a finger-lickin dish!

Country Style Pork Ribs with Homemade B-B-Q Sauce

Ingredients:

  • 6 – 8 Country Style Pork Ribs (2 per person)

Sauce: (Double if you love BBQ sauce!)

  • 1/2 – 3/4 cup brown sugar (3/4 for thicker sauce)
  • 1/2 cup ketchup
  • 1 tablespoon white vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

Directions:

Boil the ribs until they are just shy of being done. This assures keeping the ribs moist without having to over bake them. Meanwhile, combine the remaining four ingredients and stir until smooth and pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. When the boiling is completed, drain the pork and place it in one layer in a 11 x 7″ pan lined with foil. Pour the sauce over the pork and bake uncovered for about 15 minutes, or until sauce begins to boil. Remove and serve with desired side items. I almost always serve this dish with scalloped or Au gratin potatoes and a vegetable.

Thanksgiving Ham, Take Two

29 Saturday Nov 2008

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Split Pea & Ham Soup

Split Pea & Ham Soup

Refrigerator full of Thanksgiving leftovers? Here’s a great recipe to empty some space…
 
My mother-in-law is appointed annually to provide the ham for holiday meals. I don’t know if it is just her touch or something about her aged oven, but this ham is like no other. As a matter of fact, the first thing my kids ask is “Is Grandma bring the ham?”. This year she brought this amazing spiral cut ham. It was not only beautiful, but quite an impact to the taste buds. It was also huge. With only nine of us dining, there were a lot of leftovers to disperse. In years past we always disposed of the ham bone, but this year I decided to keep it and save it for some post Thanksgiving soup. So here you have it, my own rendition of Split Pea & Ham Soup. Not the prettiest dish to look at, but it makes for a fantastic hearty fall meal.
 
Ingredients: 
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 1 ham bone, (leave some ham on bone)
  • 16 oz. bag of split peas, rinsed and picked through
  • 2 carrots
  • 1 large potato
  • Seasonings if desired (or even needed)
  • Additional ham, diced
Directions:
 
In a small pan coated with cooking spray, saute the onion until clear. Meanwhile, place ham bone in large stock pot and cover with water. Note, don’t add more than 5 quarts or your soup will be too thin (I learned this the hard way, I’ll add less next time – still great taste though). Add the peas and cooked onions and bring to a boil. Dice the potatoes and carrots and add to the pot. Reduce heat to low – medium for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep the peas from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Reduce the heat and simmer the soup until the peas begin to “dissolve”. This will probably take an hour or so. Now add your leftover ham chunks - At this point I broke out my wonderful Cuisinart immersion blender and lightly blended the mixture – making sure to leave some chunks.
 
Serve to your loving appreciative family… oh, and if you can get your kids to eat something with a shocking green color, let me know. Mine wanted no part of it. Their Grandma’s wonderful ham had been exploited. Sounds like PB&J for them.
 
My soup did not need any seasoning, as the ham provides plenty of sodium (and arteriosclerosis).
 
 

Grilled Holiday Turkey

27 Thursday Nov 2008

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Sliced and Diced

When you have limited cooking space, you improvise. We started improvising a couple of years ago and we aren’t looking back! It was Thanksgiving and we needed to cook a Turkey, ham, stuffing, vegetables, breads and baked goods. Kind of makes for a very busy oven. So we decided to incorporate the grill to help with our meal. I live in Florida, so the weather usually accommodates year round grilling. To avoid being too overwhelmed, I looked for an easy way to “marinate” our bird. I came up with a sunny Florida favorite – Orange Juice. Simple, boring, maybe… but it resulted in the most moist turkey we have ever had. So our grill and a little OJ is now our method of cooking for holiday turkeys. Here is our “recipe”.

How to grill a Turkey – Light and Extremely Easy

  • 1 Turkey, thawed if frozen
  • 1 Large Container of Orange Juice (your favorite brand…)
  • Salt, pepper, desired skin seasonings
  • Large roasting pan
  • Foil
  • A hot grill!

Directions:

The night before, place Mr. Bird breast down in roasting pan and give him an OJ bath for the night – reserve one cup of orange juice. In the morning, drain the juice and season the skin as desired. Pour reserved juice into the hull of the turkey and cover the entire pan tightly with foil. About 2 hours before hand (more or less depending on the size), heat your grill to 350 and place pan directly on the grate of the grill. Cook until the internal temperature reaches 140 degrees and remove foil. Grill uncovered until the skin begins to brown and the turkey reaches at least 165 degrees. Remove pan from grill (if the skin is not to your liking, you may need to remove it from the pan and grill directly over the heat – I haven’t had that problem though – and I don’t like burnt black skin either.

If you need to be “fancy” add some sliced oranges and orange zest to the skin of the turkey before cooking – that is if you want a little citrus taste… Serve on a tray with halved citrus fruits and some grilled veggies… He will (the bird) look quite handsome! Add some whole cranberries for a nice color variation.

Slice turkey and serve – and trust me, you won’t taste the citrus, but this meat – especially the breast, will be drooling in juices. It is quite wonderful. When my bird finishes today, I will post pictures.Update: Um, in all the hullabaloo I didn’t take a picture of the turkey before we cut it. You will have to settle for a photo of a slice.

Baked Potatoes, Take Two

19 Wednesday Nov 2008

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One of the few meals that please all six members of my house is “load your own” baked potatoes. It is a great comfort food that can be used as a side or a main dish. When I serve them as a meal I offer add ins like chili, broccoli & cheese, sour cream, bacon, shredded cheese and more… I also bake a few extra in order to make this hearty comfort food – Baked Potato Soup. The original recipe is a Kraft foods classic. When I make the soup, I don’t necessarily follow all of the ingredients or measurements, but rather adapt the soup to what I have on hand, and to taste… Here is the base recipe that I use: (I would post a link, but I cannot find it posted on their site anymore).

Bacon & Baked Potato Soup(Adapted from Kraftfoods.com)

Ingredients:

  • 1 Tbsp. butter
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 1/4 cup celery or green pepper, chopped
  • 14 ounces chicken broth from can or home made
  • 1 1/4 cups milk – I use half milk, half heavy cream (bring to room temperature)
  • 3 – 4 baked potatoes, peeled and cut into pieces
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/8 tsp pepper
  • 8 slices cooked crispy bacon, crumbled and divided
  • 3/4 cup Cheddar Classic Melts cheese (or shredded)
  • 2 tbsp green onion slices, divided (optional, I use only if I have them on hand)
  • 1/4 cup sour cream
  • Shredded Cheese for topping

Directions:

In large saucepan or dutch oven, saute onion and peppers with butter until the vegetables are tender, about 2 – 3 minutes. Add broth, potatoes and seasonings and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer five minutes. Slightly crush some the potatoes with the back of a spoon (I use an immersion blender). Add milk and continue to simmer about five more minutes, stirring often. (Add 1 Tbsp cornstarch or flour if the soup is not thick enough for your taste). Reserve 2 Tbsp each of the bacon and cheese and 1 Tbsp green onion. Stir remaining bacon, cheese and onion into soup, stirring until cheese is melted. Serve immediately. Top with remaining cheese, bacon, onion and desired amount of sour cream.

Makes about 6 servings, 1 cup each.

Serve with fresh baked biscuits or bread-sticks. Goes great with a cold,  blustery day. Mmmm

*Note, I ususally double this recipe and adapt to our tastes. And if I feel like the kids haven’t had enough veggies for the day, I will throw in some broccoli or corn.