What's for dinner? Veal Parmigiana!

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     One of my favorite dishes to order in a restaurant is Veal Parmigiana.  If you've never had veal, it is delicious.  The texture is similar to beef, but it has a very mild, tender flavor and when you bread it and put red sauce and melted cheese on top, it is absolutely wonderful!  As much as I love to order Veal Parmigiana when I'm out, it is something that I've never made at home.  But, a couple of weeks ago, veal was on sale at the grocery store (you're probably figuring out, I'm ALL about finding a good sale).  So, I thought to myself, "I'm going to make some of my own Veal Parmigiana" and I bought some veal cube steaks and threw them in the freezer to have on hand when I had time to make it.

     So, last night was veal night! The method I used to make the veal was the same one I use for making breaded chicken breasts.  Although, I did do a couple of things differently, I used plain panko bread crumbs and added garlic powder and fresh parsley instead of using Italian style panko. I did this mainly because plain panko was what I had on hand.  Also, since the cut of veal was a cube steak, it was already thin, so I didn't need to pound it out.

     So, you may be wondering, how did it turn out?  It turned out great!  Nicole's boyfriend, Nate, was over for dinner and he had never had veal before and he thought it was really quite good.  The rest of the family thought it was pretty good, as well.  Let's just say everyone belonged to the clean plate club last night!

     The whole menu I made last night was:

• Veal Parmigiana with spaghetti
• Field Greens Salad
• Grilled Italian garlic bread 

                                         Veal Parmigiana with spaghetti              

• 4-6 veal cube steaks (about 4 oz each)
• 1 cup plain panko bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
• 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh Italian parsley, plus more for garnish
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• fresh cracked pepper
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup flour
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 4 cups marinara sauce
• 1- 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzerella (I use reduced fat) 
• 1 box spaghetti (I like to use Barilla Plus multigrain pasta)

Preheat broiler on high. 
Cook spaghetti according to package directions

Meanwhile, in a shallow dish, combine bread crumbs, parmesan, parsley, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Place eggs and flour each in their own shallow dish.

Coat each piece of veal first with the flour, then the egg and finally the bread crumbs.

 Preheat oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat.  Make sure you let the oil get nice and hot, once you start cooking the veal, you can back off the temperature if you need to.  Once the oil is hot, saute the veal for 4 minute on each side.  You may have to do this in batches, you don't want to crowd the meat.  Put the cooked veal on a cookie sheet and cover with foil to keep warm.

While veal is cooking, heat up your marinara sauce.  Once all of the veal is cooked and on the cookie sheet, top with about 1/4 cup, or so, of marinara sauce and about 1/4 cup of mozzerella.  Put under the broiler until cheese is melted and turning golden brown.  Toss cooked spaghetti with the rest of the sauce.

Place some of the spaghetti and sauce mixture in a shallow bowl, place a piece of veal on the spaghetti and sprinkle the chopped parsley over the top.
Serve immediately.

ENJOY!

A Light Summer Supper

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     This weekend was another busy one for us.  Friday night we went to Tomahawk Boyscout camp, where Alex had spent the week, to see their end of the week awards ceremony.  Then Saturday was spent helping Nicole and Kelly move back to school.  So finally, on Sunday night, I had some time to cook and came up with my version of the Cravings Field Greens Salad and Tomato and Basil Bruschetta. 

Salad and bruschetta for two on the deck

     The salad ended up being quite easy.  I did my shopping at Trader Joe's and bought a bag of spring mix greens, so there was no prep with that, just open.  I made some herb croutons out of ciabatta bread and seasoned them with herbes de provence (a blend you can find at most grocery stores) and then I made a very simple balsamic vinaigrette, with just balsamic vinegar, dijon mustard, olive oil and salt and pepper.  The other two components of the salad were sliced red onion and grape tomatoes.

     The bruschetta came together pretty easily, as well.  I found locally grown tomatoes at Trader Joe's that had great flavor (they tasted like tomatoes!), fresh mozzarella, a baguette and fresh basil.  Add to that olive oil, garlic and a balsamic reduction and you have some pretty tasty bruschetta!  There were a few more steps to this than the salad.  After slicing the bread and brushing it with olive oil, I put it under the broiler until one side started to toast up, then I flipped it over and put it back under for just a short time.  I then topped it with the mozzerella and put it back under the broiler until the cheese was just starting to melt.  Then I pulled it out and put the rest of the toppings on it.

     Steve thought the salad tasted similar to the Cravings salad and he really liked the bruschetta.  The only thing I'd do differently next time would be to not reduce the balsamic quite so much.  It ended up almost the consistency of carmel, which is too sticky.  What I didn't realize is that the reduction would continue to thicken as it cooled off.  So keep that in mind if you try this.

     I have to say, I was pretty pleased with how both recipes turned out. It was a great light supper on a warm summer evening!  I will definitely be making both recipes again!


                                                Field Greens Salad

• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 4 slices ciabatta bread, cut into small cubes
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp herbes de provence
• 1-5 oz bag spring mix greens
• 1 cup (more if you like) grape tomatoes, cut in half
• 1/2 medium red onion, sliced thinly

In a small bowl, whisk balsamic vinegar and dijon mustard together.  While whisking, slowly drizzle in 1/4 cup olive oil.  Continue whisking until the oil is incorporated.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Heat 3 tbsp olive oil in a medium to large non-stick skillet over medium heat.  Add bread cubes, tossing occasionally, until nicely toasted.  Sprinkle with herbes and toss.  Remove from pan and reserve.

In a large bowl, mix greens, onions and tomatoes together.  Drizzle dressing over the top (a little at a time, so it's not over-dressed) and toss until coated. Divide on to salad plates, top with croutons and fresh cracked pepper and serve.

Serves 4-6

                                           Tomato and Basil Bruschetta

• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 large tomato, seeded and chopped
• 2 oz fresh mozzerella, cut into a small dice
• 10 leaves fresh basil, cut into small strips (roll the leaves up together and then slice)
• 6-8 1 1/2" slices of baquette, cut on a sharp angle
• Olive oil
• 1 large clove of garlic, peeled and sliced in half
• salt and pepper

Heat broiler on high.
Place balsamic vinegar into a small sauce pan over medium heat.  Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium low.  Reduce until vinegar coats the back of a spoon (be careful not to take it too far, it will thicken more as it cools).

While the vinegar reduces, toss the tomatoes and half of the basil with about 1 tbsp of olive oil, salt and pepper.

Brush both sides of the baguette slices with olive oil place slices on a cookie sheet.  Place cookie sheet under the broiler.  When the baguette starts to get brown around the edges, remove from oven.

rub cut side of garlic over each piece.  Turn pieces over and put cookie sheet back in the oven until baquette is barely starting to get brown.  Remove from oven again, rub each piece with garlic and divide cheese equally on top of pieces.  Put cookie sheet in the oven one last time until the cheese is just starting to melt.  Remove from oven.

Place baquette slices on individual plates or on a serving platter.  Divide tomato basil mixture equally on top of each piece.  Drizzle with the balsamic reduction, sprinkle with the rest of the basil and top with fresh cracked pepper.  Enjoy!

Cook's Night Off

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       Last night, only Kelly and I were home for dinner.  It was an incredibly beautiful evening, there wasn't a cloud in the sky.  So we decided to walk up to one of our favorite restaurants in the neighborhood, Cravings Wine Bar & Grille, and have dinner on their patio.

     It was a lovely evening, and we had a great meal.  As much as I love to cook, sometimes it's nice to have a meal out and let someone else do the cooking.  Plus it was a great opportunity to have some nice one on one conversation with Kelly.

     One of the things I love about Cravings is that they change their menu several times a year, so there's always something new to try.  We both started out with a Field greens salad.  It is a very simple, but fresh tasting salad.  It's made up of mix greens, lots of grape tomatoes, red onions, croutons and then it is lightly dressed with a balsamic vinaigrette and they always offer you fresh cracked pepper.  Simple, healthy and delicious!

     We both decided we were going to keep things light, so I  had the Tomato and basil bruschetta and Kelly had the Margherita flat bread.  Both were awesome!  The bread for the bruschetta was perfectly grilled and then was topped with slightly warm, fresh mozzerella, tomatoes (which this time of year have so much flavor), basil and a balsamic reduction.  It was heavenly!  The flatbread was topped with a garlic puree, mozzerella and parmesan cheese, basil and roasted grape tomatoes.  It, too was delicious!

     Since I'm still thinking about last night's meal, I know what I need to do this weekend.  I am going to try and re-create the salad and the bruschetta.  That's one of the things I love about going out for dinner, if I have something really good at a restaurant, it's fun to try and come up with my own version at home.  That's the creative side of cooking that I love!

     So, in my next post, look for recipes and pictures of my own versions of Field greens salad and Tomato and basil bruschetta.  Then you can try it out for yourself!

Batch Cooking: The Great Time Saver

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      Today I want to talk some more about batch cooking.  If you're not familiar with what that is, it's basically making a large "batch" of something, packaging it up in either individual or family size portions and freezing it to use later.

      It does take some effort up front, but in the long run, there are a lot of benefits to batch cooking.  With your freezer full of food, you can whip up a meal in a short amount of time.  So on those nights that you get home from work late, or are running all over the place to get your kids to all of their activities, a homemade dinner is not going to take a lot of effort to get on the table.  In the long run, this will save you money and will help you avoid turning to fast food in desperation.

      My favorite things to make in quantity are marinara sauce, meatballs,  breaded chicken breasts, chicken noodle soup and roasted chicken.  I love having all of these things in my freezer because they are all pretty versatile.  The chicken noodle soup is not so much versatile as it is easy.  It is one of those things that is very fast.  All you have to do is put it in the microwave to defrost it and heat it up and dinner is ready.  Pair it up with a salad or some crusty bread, if you have any on hand, and dinner is done!

     There are a lot more things you can do with the rest of the items.  You can whip up spaghetti and sauce, chicken parmigiana, spaghetti and meatballs, meatball hoagies, roasted chicken quesadillas, chicken caesar salad, homemade pizza, chicken breasts with baked potatoes (in the microwave, of course) and a vegetable, chicken breast sandwiches.  You get the idea, the list goes on.

     If you want to give this a try, there is some kitchen equipment that can make this easier, but you can most likely make it work with whatever equipment you already have.  I have been doing this for a long time and have only recently added some of this equipment.  But this would be my wish list for your kitchen:

1.  A good quality large chefs knife (the number one thing a cook needs, in my opinion)

2. A super large stock pot, this one is 16qts. (I bought mine at Sam's Club in their commercial kitchen section and it was very inexpensive)

1. Several large mixing bowls, these are 8qt, 5qt and 3qt (also bought at Sam's Club)

3. A kitchen scale (very helpful for portioning the food)

  You also want to have lots of inexpensive plastic storage containers and quart and gallon size freezer bags.
                                                        

 Marinara Sauce

This sauce is super simple to make, but it is delicious and extremely versatile.  This is a single batch, it will make about 1 1/2 quarts of sauce.  If you want more, double or triple the recipe (this is where the big stockpot comes in handy).  I then divide the sauce into quart size plastic containers (you could use freezer bags if you prefer) and put them into the freezer. 

2 tablespoons olive oil

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (or more, if you like it spicy)

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 28oz cans crushed tomatoes

20 basil leaves, torn or chopped

¼ cup flat leaf parsley, chopped                                           

Salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive oil over medium low heat.  Add red pepper flakes and garlic.  Cook until garlic starts to sizzle, about 3-5 minutes, being careful not to burn the garlic.  Add crushed tomatoes, increase heat to medium and bring to a simmer.  Add basil, parsley and salt and pepper.  Reduce heat to simmer, cover and let simmer for at least 15 minutes to let flavors develop.

Baked meatballs

This recipe makes about 12 to 16 medium to small meatballs.  If you want more, double or triple the recipe.  When you're done baking them, place them on a cookie sheet, sprayed with cooking spray.  Place the cookie sheet in the freezer.  Once they're frozen, portion off  meal size portions into quart size freezer bags.  Reheat in the microwave or in spaghetti sauce.

1 lb 93% lean ground beef

1 glove of garlic, minced

¼ onion, finely chopped and sautéed in 1 tsp olive oil (optional)

½  cup Italian bread crumbs

1//3 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 egg

½ tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Spray a large, rimmed cookie sheet with cooking spray.

Place all of the above ingredients in a large bowl and mix together until everything is incorporated together.  Your hands work best for this.  Form mixture into 1 1/2 to 2 inch balls and place on cookie sheet.  Bake for 20-25 minutes until meatballs are starting to brown.

Panko Crusted Chicken Breasts

If your chicken breasts are especially large, you can cut them up into 4-6 ounce portions before you pound them out (this is where the kitchen scale comes in handy).  After you've sauteed them, place them on a cookie sheet, coated with cooking spray and place in the freezer.  Once the chicken is frozen, package in gallon size freezer bags and return to the freezer.  You can easily double or triple this recipe, I usually make 12-16 pieces at a time.

To reheat chicken, place frozen  in an oven preheated to 350 degrees. Bake for 30 minutes.

1 cup panko bread crumbs (you can use plain or Italian style.  I like to use Progresso Italian style panko)

1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 tsp garlic powder

Salt and Pepper

2 eggs, lightly beaten

½ cup flour

4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 tbsp olive oil

Combine first 4 ingredients in a shallow dish (disposable, styrofome plates work great for this).  Put the flour and the eggs each in the same type of dish as the bread crumbs.  Put the chicken breasts, one at a time into a Ziploc plastic bag.  Then taking either the smooth end of meat mallet or a flat bottomed pan, gently beat each chicken breast until it is about 1 inch thick.  Then, take each piece of chicken and coat it with the flour, dip it into the egg and then coat it with bread crumb mixture.  Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium to medium high heat (to speed things up, I heat up two pans when I'm making a big batch).  When oil is hot, add chicken to pan and cook 5 minutes on each side.

                                     

Chicken noodle soup

This is very easy to make, but tastes great, my whole family loves it!  This is enough to feed about 5 people, so double or triple the recipe.  I either package enough for the whole family in gallon size freezer bags, or I freeze it in individual portions in plastic storage containers.  Either way, it heats up pretty quickly in the microwave.

     2 tsp olive oil

     1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast

     2 medium or large carrots,  peeled and chopped

     2 large stalks of celery, chopped

     ½ medium onion, chopped

     1 tsp poultry seasoning

     1 tsp salt

     ½ tsp pepper

     6 cups chicken stock

     1 cup multi-grain pasta, such as Barilla Plus

Heat olive oil in 5 quart dutch oven over medium heat.  Add carrots, celery, onion and poulty seasoning and sauté for about 5-7 minutes until the onions are translucent.  Add chicken stock and increase heat to high and bring to a boil.  While waiting for soup to boil, cut chicken into one inch pieces.  Once soup comes to a boil, turn heat down to medium high and add the chicken and let it poach for about 5 minutes.  Then add pasta and let it cook for 8-10 minutes.  Remove from heat immediately or the pasta will continue to cook and will soak up the liquid and become over-done.  If you are not going to serve the soup immediately, you can let the soup simmer over low heat without the pasta.  10 minutes before you’re ready to eat, increase heat to medium high and add pasta and cook as directed above. 

Roasted chicken

It is so easy to roast chicken, you basically put it in the oven and let it do it's thing.  I usually do two chickens at a time.  When the chicken is done and has cooled off, I remove the skin and remove the meat from the bones, then I either chop or shred it.  I then package it in quart size freezer bags in 1 lb portions (another great use for the kitchen scale).

1-2 whole chickens (4-5 pounds each)

olive oil

salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Remove the neck and giblets from inside the cavity of the chickens, pat chicken dry.  Rub olive oil over the skin and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Place chickens in a large roasting pan if you have one, or in a cake pan.  Roast for between 1 hr and 15 min and 1 hr and 30 min, until the juices run clear.

I hope you try some of these recipes and work on filling up your freezer.  You'll be glad you did!

Weekend at the Cabin: Fun and Adventure Was Had by All!

   
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       Another great weekend at the cabin.  The weather could not have been nicer!  Saturday was a very pleasant surprise since rain had been in the forecast, but it was warm and mostly sunny.

     Paddleboarding was SO much fun.  Everyone tried it out at least a couple of times and thought it was great!  It was a lot easier than I thought it would be and it was very peaceful out on the lake.




Doesn't this look like great fun!!

     Along with paddleboarding there was tubing and wakeboarding.  So of course everyone worked up quite an appetite.  Both nights dinner went off without a hitch.  I was so glad that I did all of that cooking last week to get ready!

                                                                                                                                                                 
The menu for Saturday night, as I mentioned before, was:      Asian marinated round steak
                                                                                        Red potato grill packets
                                                                                        Simple green salad
                                                                                        Grilled Italian garlic bread

     Everything turned out fantastic (my husband, Steve, did a great job with the grilling!) and everyone seemed to thoroughly enjoy the meal.  The only thing left over was the steak and that was only because I had about 6 pounds of meat!  By the way, the steak turned out so juicy and tender, marinating makes all the difference when you have an inexpensive cut of meat.  Otherwise, the meal was GONE!  I always feel like that's a sign that your meal was good.

This was the crew we had for the weekend.  As you can see we had a beautiful evening for dinner!

  
     Sunday morning the kids all pitched in and made brunch.  If you have a lot of people to feed and they're all willing to pitch in and help, brunch is a very easy meal to make.  We had pancakes, bacon, scrambled eggs with cheese, and fruit salad.  Everyone paired up and started working on a different dish and everything was done in no time.

     As a side note, a really easy way to make bacon is to bake it.  Just put the bacon on a cookie sheet and bake it in a 350 degree oven for about 20 to 30 minutes (until it gets to the level of crispness that you like).  This way you don't get any of that greasy spatter on your stovetop and you don't have to worry about burning it while you're working on other things.




 The menu for Sunday night was:  Hamburgers
                                                  Bratwurst
                                                  Southwestern coleslaw
                                                  Smoky three bean bake
                                                  Assorted raw veggies

     Another successful meal.  The coleslaw was an especially big hit!  Even those leery of coleslaw tried it and said they liked it.  Many had seconds, so there was not much left over.  We decided that it would also be a good topping for various things.  Some suggestions were fish tacos, grilled chicken and bbq pulled pork sandwiches.  So if you make this recipe, try it out as a topping!

Sunday night's spread, and once again BEAUTIFUL outside!

      All and all, a great weekend!  Good food and great fun!         
      

Weekend Preparations Continue

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     Well today has been a crazy day!  Started out the day with a walk to Starbucks with Nicole and Kelly, then drove Alex over to my in-laws so he could go have some fun with his cousins and grandparents playing laser tag.  Then the garage door broke and I had to get someone out to fix that since we couldn't open it.  In the midst of all of that I managed to make the marinade for the steaks, coleslaw and the baked beans for this weekend.

     So, I REALLY can't wait to get up to the cabin!  Once we get up there, relaxation sets in quickly.  I'm also excited because we've rented a couple of stand up paddle boards to try for the weekend.  I'm thinking that watching everyone try it is going to be hilarious!

     Anyways, back to food.  I think dinner both nights is going to be great.  I really love when we have a lot of people up at the cabin for dinner.  It ends up being such a relaxing way to entertain.  Weather permitting, we always end up eating out on the deck and then hanging out seeing what craziness ensues! (We're the funniest people we know!!)

    I now have pretty much everything prepped for both nights that can be done ahead.  So getting dinner on the table should be pretty effortless (more time for me to try mastering that paddleboard!).



                                                            Southwestern Coleslaw

  This recipe was adapted from a recipe in the Star Tribune.

  I got everything done with this dish and then package the ingredients separately.  All I have to do on Sunday night is mix it together.

• 1 (14-oz) package coleslaw mix
• 1 (14-oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 medium tomato, seeded and diced
• 1 small red onion, finely chopped
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh lime juice (about 3 or 4)
• 2 tbsp rice vinegar
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp cumin

                                              Here's what all the ingredients look like

After you've prepped all of the ingredients, place coleslaw mix, black beans, cilantro, tomato, red onion, and jalapeno in a large salad bowl.  Wisk together lime juice, vinegar, olive oil, and cumin in a small bowl.  Pour over coleslaw and toss gently.  Serve immediately or refridgerate for a few hours until chilled through.

For my make-ahead purposes, this is how I packaged everything up.  It's like a homemade salad kit!  And doesn't it look good!



                                                     Smoky Three Bean Bake

                               This recipe is adapted from Cooking Light Magazine

To make this ahead, I did everything but bake it.  So all I have to do on Sunday is pop it in the oven.

• 4 slices bacon, chopped
• 1 medium red onion, finely chopped
• 1 green pepper, finely chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1-8oz can tomato sauce
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tbsp cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp agave or honey
• 1 tbsp dijon mustard
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 3/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1-15oz can black beans
• 1-15oz can cannellini beans
• 1-15oz can pinto beans
• cooking spray

                                   
                                         Here's your ingredients

 Start out by prepping your ingredients, then, preheat oven to 325 degrees and heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.

 
Add bacon to pan, and saute for 5 minutes or until crisp.  Remove bacon from pan, reserving 1 1/2 tbsp drippings in pan.  Set bacon aside.

Add onions, green pepper and garlic to drippings in pan, saute for 6 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat and cool slightly.  Combine tomato sauce, and the next 8 ingredients (through cayenne pepper) in a small bowl, stirring with a wisk.  Add beans to onion mixture and pour sauce over the top.  Mix well to combine.

 Place mixture in an 11x7 baking dish coated with cooking spray, and sprinkle withe reserved bacon.  Cover with foil and bake at 325 for 30 minutes.  Uncover and bake an additional 30 minutes.  Makes 8 servings.


     Well....that was a lot of cooking for one day, but I know I will be reaping the rewards this weekend!!!

Weekend at the Cabin

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     We have a big weekend planned at our cabin this weekend.  My daughters Nicole and Kelly are coming up to the cabin along with both of their boyfriends and another four friends.  So that's eight people (between the ages of 19 and 23), plus my husband and me for a total of ten people.  That means a lot of food will be needed!

     The kids are in charge of breakfast and lunch, so I don't have to worry about that.  But I do need a plan for dinner on Saturday and Sunday.  We have a BIG charcoal grill up there, so grilling is definitely part of that plan. 

     On Saturday night I'm planning on marinated round steak.  I found some on sale for just $2.99 a pound, so I bought two large steaks.  The marinade I'm planning as an Asian marinade that I came up with.  My plan will be to make the marinade tomorrow, so I don't have to worry about it when we get up to the cabin.  I'm also going to make some potatoes that are very tasty, and very easy.  You take red potatoes, dice them up along with some onion, garlic and parsley.  Then you pour some melted butter over them and wrap them up in tinfoil and grill them for about 30 minutes.  They are sooo good!. 

     Along with the steak and potatoes, I'll serve a green salad and grilled garlic bread.  I have the BEST way to make grilled bread.  First you start with a good quality crusty bread.  I like to use either Trader Joes Italian bread or baguette.  Then you melt a stick of butter in a small pan over low heat and add a couple of crushed cloves of garlic. Simmer the mixture for a few minutes to let the garlic infuse the butter.  Meanwhile, slice the bread in half lenghwise so that you have two pieces that are long and thin.  Then brush the butter onto the cut side of each piece of bread.  Grill the bread for a few minutes until it gets some grill marks on it and it gets nice and crispy (make sure you watch it closely). You will love it!

   Sunday night is going to be a little more simple.  I'm going to grill hamburgers and bratwurst and then make a baked bean dish and a southwest style coleslaw.  I'll share those recipes in my next post, along with pictures.  Both are great dishes!


                                                             Asian Marinade

This is a tasty marinade that is great to use on steak, chicken or pork.  Make ahead tip:  Place marinade and
your choice of meat in a freezer bag and freeze.  Now on a busy night, all you have to do is defrost and put on the grill for a super fast, delicious dinner!

• Juice of one lime
• 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
• 2 cloves garlic, grated with a microplane grater
• 2 tsp Thai chili sauce (more if you want it spicier)
• 2 tbsp peanut oil (preferable) or canola oil
• 2 tbsp chopped cilantro (if you don't like cilantro, use Italian parsley)
• 1 green onion, white and green parts finely chopped
• Black pepper to taste

Combine first four ingredients in a small bowl.  Gradually whisk oil into the mixture.  Add cilantro, green onion and black pepper.  Pour marinade into a ziploc back and add meat of choice.  Marninate for at least 30 minutes, or overnight.


                                                                 Red Potato Grill Packets

This is a very flexible recipe in terms of quantity.  You can make it for a small number of people, or just as easily for a large number of people.  The following proportions should be about 4-6 servings.

• 2 lbs red potatoes, cut into a medium dice
• 1 small onion, cut in half and sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp finely chopped parsley
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• Salt and pepper to taste

Mix first four ingredients together in a large bowl.  Pour melted butter over mixture and mix to coat, add salt and pepper.  Tear off a sheet of foil about 2 feet long.  Place potato mixture on one half of the foil, spreading out as thinly as you can.  Fold other half of foil over and seal all of the edges.  Tear of a second sheet of foil and wrap the packet a second time.  Place on a grill heated to medium tempurature.  Cook for 30 minutes, carefully turning over after 15 minutes.  ENJOY!