Orange Glazed Chicken

One of the first meals I've ever made was a Polynesian chicken.  My mother decided to go back to school to become a nurse, so I was let loose in the kitchen...kind of.  She would find a recipe I could follow, furnish all the ingredients and I would take it from there and create!   It was nice that my family survived my cooking at such a young age and that my mom could fulfill her dream and have it become one of her greatest accomplishments in life.

I found this chicken recipe on a fellow blogger's site called One Perfect Bite.  Her blog is simple and beautiful.  I took the recipe and halved it, but only changed it slightly because I could tell it was going to be awesome.  You decide.

Orange Glazed Chicken

1/4 cup orange marmalade

1 tsp cider vinegar

1 Tbsp honey

1/2 Tbsp lime juice

1 tsp spicy brown mustard

1 tsp grated ginger

1/8 tsp five spice powder

4-5 boneless chicken thighs

1 Tbsp fresh chopped parsley

1 Tbsp sesame seeds

Place marmalade in a bowl and microwave on HIGH for about 45 seconds.  Stir to loosen it and add vinegar, honey, lime juice, mustard, ginger and five spice while stirring to combine.  You can cook your chicken on the grill or broil.  I used a gas grill and after turning the chicken, I basted with the sauce during the last 4-5 minutes.  Plate the chicken and sprinkle with the parsley and sesame seeds.  Delicious!

Eggplant Parmesan on the Grill!

What's on the grill, now?  I  think most people are intimidated by eggplant or they don't know what to do with it, but it's one of my favorite vegetables.  Growing up, my family never prepared it...not sure why.  Maybe, because at family gatherings one of the Italian inlaws would bring over the best eggplant parmesan casserole which was pretty hard to compete with.  Years would go by without another eggplant "exposure".

Then, I married an Italian and eggplant seemed to be part of the package.  Lucky me!  I learned several different ways to prepare the purple football shaped veggie.  And, a few I made up myself along the way.  Just recently, though, a lot of grilling has been going on over here.  Why not grill an eggplant?  And make it appear like a casserole?  We did, and it turned out wonderful.

1 eggplant, cut into 1/4 inch slices

2 pieces of heavy duty aluminum foil measuring aprrox 18 " in length

sprinkle of salt and pepper

1 cup diced Muir Glen organic tomatoes with basil & garlic (my choice)

drizzle of olive oil

about 4 oz. sliced mozzarella

First, spray the bottom of one piece of foil with pan spray.  Begin to layer the eggplant, making about 4 rows or so.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper, add the tomatoes (scatter) and drizzle olive oil on top.  Seal all the ends by rolling and crimping.  Place on the grill for about 30 minutes.  Carefully open the edges and layer the cheese on top of the eggplant.  Loosely close (no need to crimp edges).  The heat and steam will melt the cheese.  Remove and serve immediately.   This was a meal in itself....very good!

 

Father's Day Feast

For Father's day this year we invited some talented caterers over to work their magic!  Actually,  my son and his beautiful girlfriend showed up, once again, with a feast for the father's.   Most of the prep work was done, all I had to do was provide an appetizer and make a salad!  How nice!

They prepared a Hawaiian theme barbecue with marinated and grilled skewered shrimp, grilled sweet potato fries and grilled juicy pineapple.  Children can be such a blessing and these two, although not children, are  truly a gift.  Everything was delicious!   To complete the day and the Hawaiian theme, simple ice cream cones!   More new flavors!   A butter yellow colored Persian  ice cream with  floral rosewater, a hint of earthy saffron and pistachios!  Then a Hawaiian rocky road, dedicated to my husband's father who passed over 25 years ago.  It was always his favorite!   He would have loved his grandson's ice cream making ability!  I know my dad did!

My contribution to the menu was garden salad made with more spinach from my garden, and a new edition to my line of homemade salad dressings.  Apricot Ginger.  I'll post the recipe tomorrow.

Thanks, again, to Jeremy and Leilani for being such gracious, creative and talented human beings, who selflessly honored their dad and grandfather with their Father's Day Feast and just their presence!  I Love you!

And I especially love my husband who is the greatest hubby and father, and my dad (above) who has always been there for me.  I appreciate you, both!

Memorial Day - Remembering and Grilling

What does Memorial Day mean to you?  Hopefully, it means remembering and honoring our wartime heroes.  These men and women made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom, so thank you !

When Memorial Day comes around,  the rush to the campgrounds and gathering around the grill begins.  Me?  I'm usually busy in my garden and more than likely covering my newly planted tomatoes with sheets and such to protect them from the evil late May snow storm.  It happens every year..you think I'd learn.  But, my garden survived and is thriving with all the saturating rain, a treat for the high desert region.

So, what's going to be on your grill as you celebrate our fallen soldiers with friends and family?  Here's a mix of suggestions.  And before you take that first bite, say a prayer and thank God for the freedoms we enjoy every day!

Maple salmon

Gorgonzola sliders

Shrimp kabobs

Grilled and steamed steelhead trout

Why not grill a pizza?

Grilled eggplantwith melted mozzarella

Whatever you decide, have a great day!

What's on the Grill?

I have to admit, I've never been much of a grill person.  Even though fire is a necessary part of cooking, I still have a fear of singeing my eyebrows or hair when lighting the beast, the grill.  I usually always leave that task to my hubby, the up and coming grill master!  He's gone through the  fire lighting steps numerous times but I still can't quite go there.  It's kind of like teaching him how to start the washing machine, I suppose....must be a mental block!

We still work well together no matter what the project is.   When grilling, I'll do all the prep and then he takes over.  This weekend we grilled marinated pineapple and foil wrapped new potatoes.  When roasting potatoes in the Winter, the oven method is the only way to go, but I love the results you get on the grill.  If cooked right the potatoes have a nice crunch around the edges but still very moist.  The pineapple was unbelievably juicy,  and sweet with a hint of ginger and lime.  So good!

For the pineapple marinade:

Place the following in a small bowl.

2 Tbsp honey

1 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 lime, juiced, with a bit of zest

knob of ginger (thumb size), minced or zested

1 1/2 tsp low sodium soy sauce

Place cut pineapple on the grill a few minutes on both sides to get those beautiful grill marks.  Then baste with the marinade, turn and baste again.  These don't need much cooking time, 10-15 minutes total.

For the foil wrapped new potatoes:

Spray a large rectangle (about 15 inches long) heavy duty foil with cooking spray.  Arrange 3-4 potatoes  (1/8 inch thick) slices on the foil.  Sprinkle with a  a Tbsp of fresh chopped chives and parsley, a bit of salt and pepper.  Drizzle with olive oil and dot with about 3 Tbsp of butter (optional)  If you have chive blossoms on your plant, include some of those!   Throw on 2 cut up garlic cloves and close the foil package.  Cook on the grill (upper part) for about 35 minutes.   Enjoy!  And especially enjoy the fact that there aren't any dishes!!

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner - Shrimp Marinade

After our kitchen remodel, there were several people I needed wanted to have over for dinner.  They so graciously invited us into their home while the kitchen chaos was being played out.  These friends, and they know who they are, probably fretted a bit over what to feed us.  After all, I write a food blog, and I must be this world renowned chef!  Truth be told, I fretted over what to serve them!

I decided to serve grilled shrimp and gnocchi for one couple.  A few weeks later I served steak and the exact same grilled shrimp.  This marinade recipe is a "keeper" and with a few revisions it morphs into a great salad dressing or vinaigrette.

Grilled Shrimp Marinade:

1/2 cup olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbsp dried rosemary

2 Tbsp lemon juice

1-2 tsp honey

about 1lb (16-20) uncooked, cleaned shrimp, tail left on (for appearance only)

Mix all the above and place all but 1/4 of the marinade into a plastic bag along with the shrimp.  This will easily marinade about 20 pieces.  Put the bag into the refrigerator until ready to use.  Place the 1/4 reserved liquid in a small bowl and refrigerate also.    This you will use for brushing the shrimp with on the grill.

After guests have arrived all you need to do is skewer the shrimp and put them on the BBQ. 

With one simple revision, substituting the honey with "truvia sweetener", I was able to have these after I started my current "slim down" plan.

A Little Help from my Friends

This last weekend was a flurry of activity.  The painter primed cabinets on Friday evening so he was ready to put the base coat on and paint some of the walls, ceiling, etc.  Before this happened the construction crew came in for finishing touches, sheet rock sanding, cabinet cutting and remounting, moving of phone jack, etc.  Our crew is the best!  They're doing a fantastic job and they even clean up after every day (as best they can).  They even get some unsolicited help. (see the cat climb.  She has a fascination with ladders)

Saturday evening we celebrated our son's birthday with a dinner at one of Reno's oldest Italian restaurant.  The only regret I have is that I  traditionally make his triple chocolate cake for him.  Oops, not this year.  No oven!   I promised to make it for him when the remodel is finished.  In the meantime his beautiful girlfriend made an assortment of decadent cupcakes.  Although I didn't try them (they were for a party they had later) the description and ingredients (bailey's Irish cream, butter cream frosting!) sounded awesome!

On Sunday the painting continued.  Later that evening we went to our wonderful neighbors, Al and Vi.  Vi, the master griller, put together a great Italian BBQ pork tenderloin with a pesto mascarpone filling encrusted with fresh herbs from her garden.  So good, I'll definitely be trying that.  To accompany this, she made an orzo mixed with herbs, tomatoes, onions and mint.  (I'm sure I'm leaving something out.)  Fantastico!

Vi's grilled pork tenderloins with minted orzo!

It was such a nice diversion from the "wrecking ball scene" at our home.

More progress!

 Then she brought out chilled berries in champagne glasses, drizzled with limoncello!  Yum!  While sipping more limoncello we talked about our travels to Italy and beyond.  It was truly a lovely evening.  Thanks again, Al and Vi!

Easy Grilled Eggplant

I think eggplant has been given a bad rap for being the most underused vegetable.  Maybe it's because most people don't know what to do with the bulbous purple veggie.  But, surprisingly enough, it's one of my favorites.  It's best known for its use in French ratatouille and Italian eggplant parmigiana.  I had my first encounter at my Aunt's home.  She married into an Italian family and one of the relatives had brought over a huge casserole of eggplant parmigiana.  I was probably around 7 or 8, but, I swear, I could have devoured the whole thing!

I continued my love affair with eggplant and married into my own large Italian family.  My mother-in-law would fry slices in egg and flour, dip in sauce, and attempt to save it for dinner.  Alot would get eaten before anyone sat down for the meal.  If there was ever any leftover, you'd find it between bread, eaten as a sandwich.  Yum!

After years of cooking it that way, I've also experimented by roasting, cubing for pasta and soups, baking, frying and now grilling.  To salt or not to salt.  To soak or not to soak, first.  Eggplants can be slightly bitter, so I salted the slices first, let them sit for an hour, rinsed well and marinated before grilling.  So good!  This process not only helps with bitterness, but it will absorb less oil, which is a more healthful thing!

Marinade in a large container.  Lay the slices out (used one large eggplant) and in a 2 cup measuring cup add about 1 cup of olive oil, a handful of chopped basil, 1 Tbsp of minced garlic, a squeeze of fresh lemon or a Tbsp of vinegar, and a dash of red pepper flakes.  Pour over the eggplant and let sit in refrigerator for at least an hour or two.  During that time arrange the slices (move around so that marinade is distributed evenly).  I drained the liquid out and re -poured it a few times, too.

On a medium heat grill, lay out the eggplant turning once after a few minutes.  I then placed a large piece of foil down onto the grill, arranged the eggplant on top, folded up the edges and used the rest of the marinade on top.  Close the grill and continue to cook until done.  I added fresh buffalo mozzarella at the last minute, but this is optional.  Great as a meal or with a meal and excellent as a sandwich!

Chili Lime Marinated Shrimp Kabobs

For a change from traditional barbecue, try these slightly spicy, yet tangy shrimp kabobs.  They're fun to make, beautiful to look at and even better in your mouth.  Plus, they won't break the bank.  For around $10.00, you can have this complete meal.

Although there are 100's of different bottled or packaged marinades on the market, I've been creating my own.  If you start to read the labels, you'll see why.  Too much sodium or sugar and ingredients with words you can't pronounce!  Make your own dressings and marinades, it's simple!

Chili Lime Marinade

2 Tbsp roasted garlic seasoned rice vinegar

2 1/2 Tbsp olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 tsp minced fresh ginger

1 large lime or 2 small, juiced

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1 1/2 Tbsp honey

1 Tbsp parsley, chopped

Mix the above in a small saucepan and cook on medium for a few minutes.  Remove from heat.

Thread the following onto skewers.

1/2 lb. + large (not jumbo) shrimp, cleaned, shelled and deveined

rounds of 1/4 inch zucchini slices

chunks of red bell pepper

chunks of red onion

chunks of pineapple

Throw onto your grill and before it's done, start to baste with the marinade for the last 10 minutes, or so.  Serve with rice or by itself.  Serves 2-3 people.

This is a great one for your Summer barbecues!  Happy 4th of July!!!

Honey Ginger Glazed and Grilled Chicken

If you're looking for a unique and light alternative to barbecue sauce, try this one!  I'm always looking for ways to introduce those "healing" plants and herbs into my cooking.  Rosemary, garlic and ginger goes well into this basting sauce for chicken, fish or maybe even steak or ribs.  It will be a welcome addition to your 4th of July barbecue!

Marinade:

1 Tbsp fresh rosemary (or in a jar)

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 tsp grated ginger

1 Tbsp honey

1 Tbsp roasted garlic flavor rice vinegar

2 Tbsp olive oil

Mix the above and set aside.  Grill the chicken pieces.  (I use thighs.)  During the last 10 minutes, start to baste the chicken, turning a few times to cover both sides.  So good!

No Dishes - Grilled Veggies

Buy a mattress and get a free barbecue grill!  Enticing enough...especially since we needed a new mattress, anyway.  It might have been even better if the grill came assembled.  After several hours and a few glitches with instructions and parts, hubby and I high fived each other.  We probably should have toasted with a drink instead.

The next evening we tried out our new grill.  It's nothing spectacular, but to us, it's kind of nice.  No charcoal or lighter fluid to mess with, so I'll be doing more grilling myself.  And with that future kitchen remodel on the horizon,  this will be our main means of meal prep.

I love roasted veggies, so my first side dish was a simple grilled vegetable medley which was cooked in a packet of foil.  Very basic and no dishes!

On a large piece of foil arrange:

2 baby bok choy, sliced lengthwise

2 carrots, sliced

5 cloves of garlic, or more, leave whole

1/2 cup red onion, sliced or in chunks

5 Tbsp margarine

drizzle of olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

I also had trimmings from the garden which I added.  Fresh parsley, spinach, beet and radish leaves.  Use your imagination.

Lay the veggies on the foil, add the margarine, salt & pepper, and drizzle with olive oil.  Fold the top and ends loosely so that it steams.  Place onto the grill for about 20-25 minutes.  Serve.  It doesn't get any easier than that!  Enjoy..