Trying Something New

I am on a mission to lose weight. I can't even really call it baby weight since about a week after Logan was born, I technically weighed the same as before I was pregnant. I even lost some weight after that and started to move in the right direction. Then all three of us got the flu, I quit exercising and things just went down hill from there. My goal is to lose 20 lbs.

I have started using the elliptical machine that has been just a room decoration up until now. And I am going to try the weight watchers point system to help me stay on track. I would really like to lose the weight by Christmas. We'll see how it goes.

I found this great food blog all about weight watchers. She has already figured out the points for each meal, making it really easy! I have added her to my blog list on the left. Here is the first recipe I tried: Asian Grilled Chicken.



Please forgive the picture. My camera battery was dead, so I had to use my cell phone. It was really good. Our whole family liked it, and one 3 oz. serving is only 3 points! Find the recipe here.

Comfort Food

I have some friends who are all about crock pot cooking. I have a great crock pot that we received for our wedding and I've used it a few times, but I've never been overjoyed with the results. Don't get me wrong, the food was ok, just not my style. Taylor usually really likes it. I think the only thing I've actually ever made in it is pot roast, which isn't my favorite any way, so that might be why I haven't been pleased with the resulting flavors.

Well, today I have a new crock pot recipe for you, and it is really good! My mother-in-law recently asked me if I knew how to make chicken and dumplings. She said she's never mastered making good dumplings and I told her I would look into it. This Crock Pot Chicken and Dumplings is SO good and super easy. I read a bunch of different crock pot recipes and most of them called for using canned biscuits for the dumplings. Usually I'm not above taking that short cut, but I really wanted to make my own dumplings this time. I did take the short cut of using baking mix instead of completely from scratch because I already had some on hand. I think next time I'll try canned biscuits. Haha! My baking mix dumplings were like drop biscuits on the top of my chicken and they just turned into huge 1/2 wet 1/2 dry dumplings. Don't get me wrong, they were good, but not really what I was looking for. The chicken turned out great! Great flavor and Logan loved it! He did not like the dumplings. Ha!

I really just came up with my own recipe and I'll definitely be doing this again. I did add some peas and carrots to Logan's bowl so he could get some extra veggies. He loves peas and carrots! I on the other hand, do not. Taylor had the choice to add some to his and he passed too. At least we try to make sure our son gets some healthy food. ;)

Crock Pot Chicken and Dumplings
Source: Me

Add to the crock pot:
3 frozen chicken breasts
1 tbsp each: onion powder, garlic powder and dried basil
1 tsp each: salt and pepper
Chicken Stock, enough to completely cover the breasts. I used about half a box of stock.

Set crock pot on low for 5-6 hours. You can tell when they are ready because the chicken just falls apart when you try to pick it up.

Remove chicken breasts and shred the meat.

Dissolve 1 tbsp cornstarch into 1 tbsp cold water, then add to the stock in the crock pot. Mix well, then add back in the chicken. (This thickens the stock and makes it creamy. If you prefer a thinner stock, skip this step)

Turn crock pot to high.

In a mixing bowl combine 1 1/2 cups baking mix and 1/2 cup milk. Don't over mix, just stir until combined. Once the crock pot mixture is bubbling, drop in spoonfulls of the dumpling mixture.

Cover and cook on high until the dumplings are cooked through.

I chopped some fresh cilantro and sprinkled it over the top of my bowl. It added great flavor and some color to the dish! (We never have fresh parsley on hand but we do usually have fresh cilantro. It's our herb of choice around here.)

Dinner By Accident

One of Logan's favorite past times these days is to open all the drawers in the kitchen and pull out all my recipes and cook books. While cleaning up his mess for the 3rd time yesterday, I came across a Rachael Ray cookbook with tabs for recipes I wanted to try. Of course I had never gotten around to any of them, so I decided I would make one for dinner. One look at the pasta carbonara and I was sold. I've made it once before using Tyler Florence's recipe and it was ok, but I wanted to try it again with a different recipe.

As for the protein part of the meal, chicken won the toss up and I decided to blacken it with a blackening recipe I recently saw on my friend Dela's website. She used it on fish, as was my initial plan, but I figured it would be good on chicken too. It was FANTASTIC! Thank you Dela! I will be using this any time blackening is required from now on. It was a little spicy for Logan, so he had some smoked sausage I threw on the grill with the chicken.

Blackened Chicken Carbonara:

Pasta Carbonara
Source: Rachael Ray, my changes/additions in italics

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 pound pasta, such as spaghetti or rigatoni
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (enough to coat bottom of pan)
1/4 pound pancetta (Italian bacon), chopped (I used regular bacon)
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
5 to 6 cloves garlic, chopped (I found I was out [gasp!] and so I minced some onion and used it instead)
1/2 cup dry white wine (I used water because I was even out of chicken stock which is my usual substitute for wine)
2 large egg yolks
Freshly grated Romano cheese
Handful of finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish (Omitted)

1. Put a large saucepot of water on to boil. Add a liberal amount of salt and the pasta. Cook to al dente, about 8 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil and pancetta. Brown pancetta 2 minutes. Add red pepper flakes and garlic and cook 2 to 3 minutes more. Add wine and stir up all the pan drippings.

3. In a separate bowl, beat yolks, then add 1 large ladleful (about 1/2 cup) of the pasta cooking water. This tempers the eggs and keeps them from scrambling when added to the pasta.

4. Drain pasta well and add it directly to the skillet with pancetta and oil. Pour the egg mixture over the pasta. Toss rapidly to coat the pasta without cooking the egg. Remove pan from heat and add a big handful of cheese, lots of pepper, and a little salt. Continue to toss and turn the pasta until it soaks up egg mixture and thickens, 1 to 2 minutes. Garnish with parsley and extra grated Romano.

Blackening Recipe
Soure: Dela from Not Your Mama's Southern Cooking

2 teaspoons ground paprika
4 teaspoons dried leaf thyme (I used basil because I was out of thyme and I love basil!)
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper, or to your taste
1 teaspoon dried leaf oregano
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg (I omitted because I didn't have any)

I actually doubled this and had plenty left over to use later!

Getting Creative

I picked up a snack while out shopping the other day called New York Style Focaccia Sticks. I thought they would be great, but they were a little hard and crunchy for my taste. I guess I'm just more of a chip person. I didn't want to just trash the bag, so I decided to smash them up and use them to bread chicken fingers. I am all about getting creative and turning something you don't like into something you do like. This way I wasn't wasting food or money. :) These sticks had a great flavor, after all, just not a good texture. I bought the Quattro Formaggio flavor, and turned them into Parmesan Chicken Tenders. And for those of you with weight loss New Year's aspirations, these are baked, not fried.

Parmesan Chicken Fingers
Source: Me

1 cup crushed New York Style Focaccia Sticks, Quattro Formaggio flavor
1/2 cup bred crumbs
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1 tbsp italian herb seasoning blend
1/2 cup parmesan salad dressing (you could also use ranch)
1 tbsp chili paste
6 chicken tenders

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place a cooling rack on top of a rimmed cookie sheet. Mix the salad dressing and chili paste in a medium sized bowl. Mix the other remaining ingredients (other than chicken) in another medium bowl. Dip the chicken in the dressing mix and then in the breading mix. Place the chicken strips on the cooling rack/cookie sheet. Using the cooling rack keeps the underside of the chicken fingers from being mushy. Bake for about 40 minutes or until browned outside and all the pink is gone from the chicken.

Cilantro Pesto Chicken and Crash Potatoes

Ok, it is fairly well known that I am a big fan of chicken and potatoes.  We have this meal fairly often because I am all about quick and easy and these items usually lend themselves to this concept.  Therefore I am always looking for new ways to do them.  Monday Taylor was off work and hanging out at home helping me take care of Logan, so I had a little more time than normal.  That is why I could try a little more involved marinade and potatoes that take a little longer than usual.

This chicken marinade comes from Weber's Real Grilling by Jamie Purviance.  I usually don't like it when guys have the same name as me, but I'll give this guy a pass because his recipes are THAT good! ;)

This book is awesome!  He has huge color photos for each recipe, which is a must in a cookbook in my opinion.  If it doesn't have pictures, I probably won't spend much time looking at it.  After all, we eat with our eyes first, right?  The same is true for me when perusing recipes.  What looks good usually gets my attention the quickest.

I've made pesto before and honestly it didn't turn out as good as the stuff you can buy in a jar.  I was inspired to try this recipe because it was a cilantro pesto and cilantro has to be my favorite herb ever!  I only had one addition to the marinade recipe and that was some vinegar because when I tasted it, it was a little bitter for my tastes.  The vinegar solved that problem for me.  This pesto didn't have any parmesan cheese in it, so I decided to make some parmesan crisps to go along with the chicken.  They didn't really turn out like I wanted, so I crumbled them over the chicken and it tasted great.  I really like the flavor of toasted parmesan cheese.  In the words of Rachel Ray, YUMO!

The potatoes didn't really turn out like the Pioneer Woman's crash potatoes, but they were good.  I used white potatoes, but I don't think I boiled them long enough.  They were fork tender, but they didn't smash all that well.  I also don't have a potato masher so I used the bottom of a heavy glass.  So maybe those reasons were my downfall.  They tasted good anyway. :)

Cilantro Pesto Chicken

Source: Weber's Real Grilling - Jamie Purviance

4 tbsp coarsely chopped walnuts

4 medium garlic cloves

3 cups loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems

1 cup loosely packed fresh Italian parsley leaves and tender stems

1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 cup olive oil

3 chicken breasts

Pulse walnuts and garlic cloves in the food processor until it makes a paste.  Add the cilantro, parsley, salt and pepper until mixed.  Then stream in oil with the motor running.  Place the chicken in a resealable bag and marinade for 2 hours.

So hungry I forgot to make a side dish!

Yes, it is true. When I got home from work last night I was so hungry I completely forgot to start the potatoes. Actually, I was on the phone with my husband when I walked in the door. Since he is working 2 jobs right now I hardly see him and sometimes talking on the phone is the only talking we do. So, I was a little distracted. But, let's just call this what it is...baby brains coupled with crazy pregnancy appetite!

I saw Paula Deen's recipe for Basil Grilled Chicken on the Food Network website yesterday afternoon and decided that would be dinner. Yes, I start thinking about dinner as soon as lunch is over. This baby must be going through a last minute growth spurt. ;) (Or at least that is what I tell myself) I knew I would just do something simple with potatoes to go with it, but they never crossed my mind again after I got started on the chicken. Usually I begin work on the side dish while the meat is marinating, but this recipe doesn't have a marinade time.

Since I didn't realize I didn't have anything to eat with the chicken until it came off the grill, I decided to eat in shifts. I told you I was starving, so I couldn't possibly wait until I got the potatoes fixed. Plus, the chicken smelled wonderful and I was so excited that I got to use the first basil from my Garden in a Bag project! I couldn't wait to taste it.

This is a great, quick grilled chicken dish. Like I said, no marinating required and it has tons of flavor. I will definitely make it again! I reduced some of the butter since I was using cutlets instead of whole breasts. Plus, we all know how much Paula Deen loves that stuff and it seemed a bit on the heavy side to me. You will notice from the pictures though, it is still a lot of butter!


Basil Grilled Chicken
Source: Paula Deen

3/4 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
4 skinned chicken breast halves (I used boneless, skinless chicken cutlets)
1/4 cup freshly chopped basil leaves, plus 2 tbsp freshly minced basil leaves
1/3 cup (5 tbsp) butter, melted plus 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temp. (I only used 4 tbsp melted and I used 5 tbsp at room temp.)
1 tbsp grated parmesan
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
Fresh basil, for garnish


Press the coarsely ground pepper into the meaty side of the chicken breasts (I did both sides since mine were cutlets). Stir chopped basil into the melted butter and brush chicken lightly with this mixture.








In a small bowl combine softened butter, minced basil, parmesan, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Beat at low speed with an electric mixer until smooth. (I just used a spoon to combine everything and it worked out fine). Transfer to a small serving bowl.


Grill the chicken , basting frequently with the remaining melted butter mixture.

Serve the chicken with the basil-butter mixture and garnish with fresh basil. (I just went ahead and spread the basil butter on the chicken as soon as it came off the grill)

*Also, I had a good bit of the basil butter mixture left over, so when I got around to making my potatoes, I just fried them in a mixture of olive oil and the remaining basil butter. They were great!

Friday Night Dinner

All day I thought about what I wanted for dinner tonight. I knew it would just be me since Taylor had to work late. I also knew it needed to be chicken because we already had some in the fridge defrosted. And can I just say I LOVE chicken cutlets? They are really the perfect size and cook up so quickly. If you can't get cutlets, or the regular breasts are on sale, you can slice them in half to make your own.

Chicken and potatoes seemed an easy choice. It turned out perfectly and really hit the spot. Actually I am sitting here considering going back for seconds, even thought I know I will be stuffed and miserable. It might just be worth it. ;)

Smoky Chipotle Grilled Chicken
Source: Me

4 chicken breast cutlets
2 chipotles in adobo, chopped
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tbsp sugar
2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tbsp cumin
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp lime juice
1 drop liquid smoke
couple pinches sea salt

Combine all ingredients in a large ziploc bag and marinate for 45 minutes. Get the chicken on the grill and put the marinade in a sauce pan over medium high heat. Bring to a boil and let boil about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and let simmer until the chicken comes off the grill. This doesn't really make a glaze. It turned out more like a sauce, and wasn't really pretty in the pan, but it tasted (and looked) great on the chicken! When chicken comes off the grill, top with a little of the sauce.


Fried Potatoes
Source: Any good southern girl knows how to make these :)

2 slightly under-baked potatoes (I use the Idaho variety and "bake" them in the microwave. It takes about1-2 minutes per potato depending on the size)
1 shallot, minced (traditionally you would use white or vidalia onion, but I've been in a shallot mood)
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp butter
salt and pepper to taste

Add the oil and butter to a skillet over medium heat. Add the shallot and let cook until translucent.

Cut the potatoes in half...

and then cut them into wedges.

Add them to the pan in a single layer and let them hang out. Don't stir them around, just let them crisp up.

Once they have browned on that side turn them over and let them brown on the other side. Add your salt and pepper to taste.

Ok, yeah, I'm going back for seconds...

Garlic Cream Chicken and Rice

Ok, finally another food post! I realize this is a food blog and my past two entries were about my anniversary/my life, but hey, it's my blog. I can post anything I want. I can even be a little attention-whorish sometimes. ;)

But now, I am back with food. Tonight we had Garlic Cream Chicken. I've had this recipe saved for a while, but for some reason I just haven't made it yet. I changed it a lot, but the biggest change was that the original recipe called for 3 heads of garlic (for 4 chicken breasts) and you were to leave the cloves whole through out the cooking process. Now we love garlic at our house, but have you ever heard the saying, "too much of a good thing?" I decided to cut down on the garlic a lot and to press it so that you wouldn't bite into a chunk while eating your chicken.

I served the chicken over rice to soak up the wonderful garlic sauce. It really is a great recipe!

Garlic Cream Chicken and Rice
Source: Adapted from Elizabeth's Cooking Experiments, which she adapted from www.adamandmonika.com

6 cloves garlic, pressed
4 chicken cutlets (or 2 full size breasts)
salt & freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 tbsp butter
1 1/2tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 tbsp flour
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
flat leaf parsley, rough chopped, for garnish
cayenne pepper, sprinkled over the top

Season chicken liberally with salt & pepper. Heat the butter and oil n a large deep pan over medium heat. Sauté chicken until nicely browned (~5 min per side). Chicken does not have to be fully cooked at this point. Transfer chicken to a plate and get the rice cooking.

Add garlic to the pan, lower heat to medium, and sauté until soft. Be careful not to burn the garlic. Add stock and bring to a boil. Return chicken to the pot. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove chicken to a platter and cover with foil.

Add cream and boil for about 3 minutes. Plate rice, sprinkle parmesan cheese over the rice. Add a little sauce then chicken and more sauce. Top with parsley and sprinkle with cayenne pepper.

Dinner in a bowl

When I made the sauce for the ribs Wednesday night there was a ton leftover. That was fine because we both really liked it and I had already planned to make grilled chicken tonight, so it became BBQ grilled chicken. Yum! But what to go with it???

I have some fresh corn I stuck in the freezer and of course we always have potatoes, so my mind wandered to a dish I threw together right after Taylor and I got married. I had grilled some chicken and made sautéed potatoes for dinner, but Taylor had to work late. So, I just cubed the grilled chicken and threw it in a Tupperware dish with the potatoes for him to heat up when he got home. He loved it! He ate it right out of the container and said he liked having the chicken and potatoes all mixed together. He has asked for it several times since then. I really do have an easy to please husband.

Tonight I decided to do a similar dish and add some corn to the mix this time. This was super easy and quick and of course fabulous! I think this may be the best meal I've had/made in a long time. All the flavors went perfectly together! I ate so much I am now reclined back sighing and watching my belly jump as Logan enjoys it too. Ha!

Oh, and I got to use the first little sprigs of cilantro from my garden in a bag!! I was so excited!

Jaime’s BBQ Chicken, Potatoes and Corn Bowl

4 chicken cutlets (or 2 chicken breasts pounded thin)
1 cup Southwestern BBQ Sauce, plus more for basting
4 ears fresh corn
1 tbsp paprika
1/2 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp salt
4 tbsp melted butter
4 medium red potatoes
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp onion powder
salt and black pepper, to taste
juice of 1/2 a lime
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Place the chicken in the BBQ sauce to marinate while you prepare the other items.

Wash the potatoes and prick them several times all over with a fork. Microwave for about 5 minutes or until tender. Let cool. When they are cool enough to handle, dice them. Heat a skillet over medium high heat and add the olive oil. When the oil just starts to smoke it means it is ready for you to add the potatoes. Sprinkle with 1 tbsp of the onion powder and let them sit and get crispy. When you see the edges browning up, toss them around, but be sure you get them back in one layer. Now add the other tbsp of onion powder. Once they are all crispy and brown, remove from the heat and let them hang out until you are ready for them.

Shuck the corn and add the paprika, cumin, garlic powder, cayenne pepper and salt to the melted butter.

Preheat your grill and add the chicken and the corn. I like to put a little olive oil on my grill before I preheat it so the chicken doesn’t stick. Baste the chicken with the BBQ sauce and the corn with the butter each time you turn it.

Once the chicken and corn are all grilled and yummy looking, take them inside. Cut the corn off the cob into a serving bowl. Add the potatoes and toss. Cube the chicken and add to the mix and squeeze the lime juice over it all Top with cilantro.

Chicken Parmesan

I don’t really have anything interesting to say about our dinner in this post. It was really good. We both enjoyed it. Wow…I just re-read that and realized how lame it sounds. I think I am just too tired and too full to complete decent sentences right now. I have been eating a ridiculous amount of food lately. I just feel hungry all the time. And then after I eat, I feel exhausted and ready to lay down for a nap. I guess my little man is growing big and strong in there. I am dreading reading the scale at my next doctor’s appointment though. Anyway, here’s the recipe for the Chicken Parmesan we had tonight. It was really good. We both enjoyed it. Wait, I think I’ve said that already. ;) The only complaint I have is that the crust never got good and brown for me and it stuck to the foil even though I sprayed it with cooking spray. I had to turn ont he broiler to get any color at all. I think next time I will just pan fry the chicken breasts. Who really cares about eating healthy anyway?

Chicken Parmesan
Source: adapted from Brittany at Adding a Little Southern Charm

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded thin - I marinated mine overnight in a romano basil vinaigrette
1 1/2 cups bread crumbs
2 tbsp Italian herb blend
1 tbsp garlic powder
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
1/4 cup marinara sauce, divided
1/4 cup mozzarella cheese, divided

Preheat oven to 400. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray well with cooking spray. Mix bread crumbs, Italian herb blend, garlic powder and parmesan cheese together in a dish large enough to fit the chicken. Take chicken out of marinade and shake to remove any excess. Dip into bread crumb mixture, again shaking to get rid of any excess. Place on baking sheet. Cook 15 minutes, then turn over. Continue to cook until chicken is done and add a small bit of marinara sauce and top with cheese. Put back in oven for a few minutes until cheese is melted.

We served ours with angel hair pasta, mine with alfredo sauce and Taylor’s with marinara.

Wow, now that's what I call SPICY!

After my purchase of garam masala last week, Kate said I HAD to make Chicken Tikka Masala. Of course I had never heard of it, so I was on a quest to find out what this new chicken dish was all about. Turns out it is a very well known Indian dish. But seeing how I’ve never really been exposed to much Indian food, it was not well known to me. I’m not even sure if we have a good Indian restaurant in Central Alabama. Was it even something I would like?

I searched Kate’s blog because I knew if she was recommending it, it must be on there somewhere. It took me a few minutes since she has 50, yes 50, chicken recipes posted. I finally found it and it looked great! I decided to look around at other recipes also because hers called for a few things I didn’t have on hand. Let me tell you, a lot of food bloggers have made this dish and everyone seems to love it. I was convinced and set out to make my own.

I found what looked like a fairly easy recipe on allrecipes.com (but it didn’t actually call for garam masala and that is why I was making this dish!) and then found out that Jaime at Good Eats ‘N Sweet Treats had used the same recipe but added the garam masala to the chicken and the sauce. We also spell our name the same way so I was pretty sure she would be right on this too. ;)

I also discovered that most people serve theirs with Naan, an Indian flat bread. I looked at recipes and even chose one, but at the last minute decided I just wasn't up for that much work on a weeknight. So, I had garlic crescent rolls with mine and they were delicious!

I wish I had thought to make the marinade last night and let the chicken sit in it until tonight, but that much forethought just doesn't happen these days. I did let it sit for the recommended hour, but I think it would have been even better over night. I've never had the "real thing" before, but if it tastes anything like how mine turned out, I really like Indian food! The flavors were unlike anything I've ever had before. It was spicy, but the spice didn't overpower the dish. It was the perfect amount of spiciness for me. :)

Chicken Tikka Masala
Original Source: allrecipes.com-my changes/additions in italics

1 cup yogurt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
4 teaspoons salt, or to taste - I only used 1 teaspoon…who uses that much salt??
1 teaspoon garam masala
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces - I just grilled the breasts whole and cut them up later

1 tablespoon butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons garam masala
2 teaspoons paprika
3 teaspoons salt, or to taste (again, just 1 teaspoon)
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

In a large bowl, combine yogurt, lemon juice, cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, black pepper, ginger, garam masala and salt. Stir in chicken, cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour. Preheat a grill for high heat. Lightly oil the grill grate. Thread chicken onto skewers, and discard marinade. Grill until juices run clear, about 5 minutes on each side.

Melt butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic and jalapeno for 1 minute. Season with cumin, paprika, garam masala and salt. Stir in tomato sauce and cream. Simmer on low heat until sauce thickens, about 20 minutes. Add grilled chicken, and simmer for 10 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter, and garnish with fresh cilantro. I served the chicken and sauce over jasmine rice.

Where's the Beef?

We've had a lot of beef lately, on our table and therefore, on the blog. Tonight was a chicken night. I've missed it and was glad to see it re-emerge. I've had a recipe I saw on Amber's Delectable Delights saved for a while, foil packet chicken. I'm not sure why I haven't made it before now, but I'm glad I stumbled across the recipe again. Taylor has now deemed this his favorite meal. He kept oohing and aahing over the flavor of the chicken. He said he was prepared to not really like the potatoes, but they ended up being well seasoned also. I'm guessing this will be showing up on our table more regularly now. Works for me since clean up is a breeze!

Corn was on sale at the grocery store, so I picked up a few ears and they too made their way onto our plates tonight. I love grilled corn! And since all the cooking took place outside on the grill our house didn't get so hot. The corn ended up being my favorite part of the meal.

Foil Packet Chicken
Source: Originally from Amber's Delectable Delights, adapted by me

2 boneless skinless thin chicken breast cutlets
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp garlic powder
Salt, pepper and parmesan cheese to taste
2 medium sized red potatoes
1/4 cup marinara sauce
1/4 cup mozzarella cheese

Preheat Grill to 400 degrees. Lay 2 pieces of aluminum foil on a flat surface and spray the middle of each with non-stick cooking stray. Wash and scrub potatoes and slice into very thin slices (I used my mandolin). Arrange the potatoes in an oval shape onto the middle of the foil about the size of your piece of chicken and sprinkle them with salt, black pepper and parmesan cheese to taste. Mix garlic and Italian seasoning in a small bowl and sprinkle on both sides of the chicken, along with a little salt and pepper, and place a chicken breast on top of each pile of potatoes. Top each chicken breast with 1/8 cup of marinara sauce and 1/8 cup of cheese. Raise up the long sides of foil and fold down twice, do the same thing to the sides of the foil creating an air tight seal.

**Be careful not to let the top of the foil packet touch the top of the chicken or your sauce and cheese will be stuck to the top. This happened to me, so I just added more cheese after I opened it and let it melt. Next time I will be more careful.**

Transfer packets to the grill. Grill for about 30 minutes. Remove packets from grill and allow to sit a few minutes before poking holes in the packets with a fork to release some of the steam before opening. Make sure juices from the chicken run clear. If you are using thin chicken breasts this should not be a problem.

Grilled Corn
Source: Adapted from The Food Network

3 ears corn
1/2 tbsp cayenne pepper
1/2 stick butter - this actually made a little much. You could probably use 1/4 stick.
1 tbsp dried basil or oregano
1 tbsp garlic powder

By peeling back husk, but not detaching, remove silk from corn. In small skillet melt butter and add cayenne, basil and garlic. Brush onto exposed kernels. Cover kernels with husk. Place corn on electric, gas or charcoal grill. Grill for 12 - 15 minutes, rotating every 2 - 3 minutes.

This corn is awesome, but preparing is slightly messy. Especially after it comes off the grill and the outer husks are charred. I ended up with black corn husks all over my kitchen floor from when I was cutting the corn off the cob and onto the plates. Nothing the dust buster couldn't take care of and it was so worth it!

McDreamy and some McChicken ;)

Last night I came home with a plan. My husband had to work late, so I decided to make a nice dinner he could have when he got home. Plus, I was pretty hungry and didn't just want a sandwich. I decided to make Balsamic Grilled Chicken and Herb Roasted Potatoes with a cilantro dipping sauce. I made good use of my time and went for a run/walk around the neighborhood while the chicken was marinating. I suggest at least 30 minutes of marinating, but longer is ok too. This meal sort of cooks itself, once the prep is done, so you'll have time to do other things like empty and load the dishwasher. Or if you are like me, you can get everything ready to watch the season premier of Grey's Anatomy. Yeah, McDreamy.....anyway, more about the food. :)

Following are the recipes from last night's dinner. I just kind of threw together the idea of the marinade. The potatoes are a take on Rachel Ray's oven fries. The cilantro dipping sauce is from a cilantro potato salad I recently made and loved. I thought just making it as a sauce would be great on the herb roasted potatoes. Honestly, it wasn't as good as I thought it would be. I'd just as soon have ranch dressing. But if you really like cilantro, you should try it.

Balsamic Grilled Chicken

3 boneless chicken breasts

2 TBSP balsamic vinegar

2 cloves pressed garlic

½ TBSP onion powder

½ TBSP ground ginger

2 dashes cayenne pepper

½ TBSP fresh chopped basil

1 tsp sea salt

4 TBSP olive oil (or any other light colored oil you have in the cabinet)

Mix vinegar and all the spices/herbs together in a medium sized bowl. Whisk in oil. Add chicken breasts and turn several times to make sure they are covered well. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let marinate at least 30 minutes. Then grill until chicken is no longer pink in the middle.

Herb Roasted Potatoes

2 large red potatoes, sliced

1 - 1 ½ TBSP toasted sesame oil (you could also use olive oil, I just like the nutty flavor sesame oil adds)

Rosemary (dried)

Dill (dried)

Thyme (dried)

Sea salt

Black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place sliced potatoes on cookie sheet. I prefer one with a lip so that things don’t go sliding off when I remove it from the oven. (Yes, I am accident prone when I cook) Drizzle the toasted sesame oil over the potatoes and use your hands to toss. Make sure the potatoes are well covered in the oil. Sprinkle the dried herbs, salt and pepper over the potatoes. I didn’t put amounts in the recipe because you just make it to your liking. I am pretty liberal with mine because I like a lot of herb flavor on the potatoes. Toss the potatoes again to make sure they have herbs on all sides, then spread out on the cookie sheet. Bake for about 30 minutes (depending on how thick you sliced your potatoes) turning the potatoes ½ way through cooking.

Cilantro Dipping Sauce

1 TBSP sour cream

1 TBSP mayonnaise

1 handful fresh cilantro

1 tsp salt

1 dash of cayenne pepper (you can add more if you like things spicy. My husband does not)

Add all ingredients to a food processor and pulse until everything is incorporated and the cilantro is finely chopped.

This ended up being a really great dinner. I started cooking around 6:45 and was done eating in time to watch Grey's at 8:00. Not bad, huh? In honor of last night's premier, I will leave you with a quote from the first episode of Grey's Anatomy Season 4.

"Change; we don’t like it, we fear it, but we can't stop it from coming. We either adapt to change or we get left behind. And it hurts to grow, anybody who tells you it doesn’t is lying. But heres the truth: the more things change, the more they stay the same. And sometimes, oh, sometimes change is good. Oh, sometimes, change is ... everything." - Grey's Anatomy