Chicken on the Grill

I love chicken on the grill, especially my new grill that I won by leaving a comment on one of my favorite blogs.  (I will never get tired of saying that!)  Anyway, I had a whole chicken in the refrigerator and simply cut it in half and grilled it.  

To do this you want to cut the backbone out and then cut right down the middle of the breast bone.  If you have a good pair of kitchen shears it takes just a minute.  (If you don't, I know where you can get a pair! *wink*)

Set the gas grill to medium and season your chicken on both sides very generously both outside and under the skin.  I used olive oil, rosemary seasoning, garlic, salt and pepper.  Use what you like. 

 

Then when the grill is ready, put them on the grill.  I also cut up potato "fries" and put them on the grill as well (same seasoning).

   

Let them cook for 25-30 minutes total.  Check on them half way through.  Use a meat thermometer to be sure the chicken is fully cooked.  Let them set for 5-10 minutes to redistribute the juices.  Enjoy!  Grilling chicken is really very easy.  Enjoy!

Strawberry Banana Smoothie

My family loves smoothies.  I can't help but make them when the kids ask because they are so darn easy (and healthy!).  I never put ice cubes in my smoothies.  I think it waters down the flavors of whatever you put in them.  This is a favorite smoothie at our house.  The key is frozen fruit.

Frozen strawberries go in first.

Followed by frozen bananas.  I keep a gallon size ziplock bag in my freezer with peeled, halved bananas in it.  When the bananas are very ripe and there is no way we are going to eat them all I freeze them.  I used to leave the peel on, but trust me it is way easier to peel, cut in half ,and throw in the freezer bag.  

Add your milk.  For the kids I use the milk we all drink (skim).  You can use whatever you like.  When I make them for myself I like to use Plain Silk light Soy milk.  I think it makes it even creamier.  The point is, use what you like.  

Start with a cup for one person and two cups for two people (measuring with the ingredients already in the mixer).  If it is to thick, add more milk, a little at a time through the hole in the top of the mixer.  Make it as thick or thin as you like.  

I added a teaspoon of agave nectar to sweeten it, the berries were a little tart.  Use whatever sweetener you like IF YOU NEED IT.  Sometimes the fruit is sweet enough on its own, so don't just add it in or it will be too sweet.

This recipe is very simple, and you make adjustments based on whatever fruit you love (or have in the freezer/fridge).  I also like bananas with a packet of swiss miss diet cocoa.  YUM!  

Have fun coming up with your own recipes!

Country French Omelet

If you are looking for a delicious and flavorful omelet, look no further.  My boys wanted a quick bagel and smoothie for breakfast, but I wanted more.  I looked to my favorite cook to find a recipe for my husband and myself.  I had marked this omelet as something I wanted to make, but hadn't gotten to it yet.  I had all the ingredients (with a minor substitution), so I began cooking.

Heat olive oil in a ten inch ovenproof pan over medium heat.  Add bacon (I used prosciutto) for 3-5 minutes and remove with a slotted spoon.

Chop one cup of potatoes.  The recipe called for Yukon Gold, but I had Idaho that is what I used.

Place in the heated pan and season with salt and pepper.  Cook for 8-10 minutes. When browned, remove with a slotted spoon. 

Whisk eggs, milk, and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper.  Pour out oil from pan and discard.  Turn the heat down and add 1 tablespoon of butter.  Pour egg mixture into pan.  

Add the cooked potatoes, prosciutto and fresh chives.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for 8 minutes. 

Fresh out of the oven.

Is your mouth watering yet because it should be!

We enjoyed ours with fresh coffee brewed with cinnamon and whole wheat toast.

The kids wanted smoothies, so I added them to our breakfast too.  I'll post that later!

I did find the omelet recipe on line.  Click this link to get it in detail: Ina's Country French Omelet

Nutella Cookies

I will admit to you that Nutella and I have had a long lasting affair.  If you don't know what Nutella is, you are missing out.  It is a hazelnut spread made with skim milk and cocoa.  I have been trying to figure out a way to combine my love of nutella and baking...thankfully the blogger Alpineberry Mary did it for me!  I found a recipe for Nutella Cookies on her blog Alpineberry Mary and made them tonight.

It starts like any cookie recipe by creaming the butter with the sugars.  I did go ahead and add 8 tablespoons (1 stick) of butter rather than just the 7 her recipe called for.  The Nutella, egg and vanilla is then added.

In a separate bowl, you mix the dry ingredients.

Add the dry ingredients and then the chocolate chips and mix until incorporated.

I always use parchment paper.  I love that it is easy to clean up and a cookie will never stick to my sheet pans.  I don't need any kind of pam or butter to grease up the pan either.  Bake these in a 350 degree oven for 11 minutes.

Let them cool for 5 minutes.

Give these a try, you won't be disappointed.

Nutella Cookies by Alpineberry Mary

Gazpacho with a Special Guest Chef

Do I have to admit that I have never had gazpacho until yesterday?  I had a guest blogger talk me into   it...The Tipsy Gourmet.  She is a food blogger like me who enjoys good food, good friends and lots of laughs!  

Whenever we get together, fun things happen.  I was happy to have her and her son Wes over to cook, play with the boys and enjoy a cup of coffee.  

I had a ton of tomatoes on the counter, so she suggested gazpacho.  I admit, I was like Um, yeah, that sounds...um...yeah.  Once she looked up my favorite celebrity chef's recipe:  Ina Garten (The Barefoot Contessa), how could I say no?  Here is where you can find her recipe:  Ina Garten's Gazpacho Recipe. 

All of the ingredients were in the house, except for tomato juice.

We decided to just make it.  I put a 28 ounce can of whole tomatoes into the food processor.

And then put it through a strainer to take out the seeds.

Billie started by cutting up a giant cucumber I picked out of the garden.  She took all the seeds out of it, cut it into chunks, and put it into the food processor. 

Fellow bloggers hard at work.  We make a pretty good team!

The recipe called for red peppers, but my husband bought this ridiculously large bag of mini peppers, which were mostly orange...so there you go.  Use what you have in your house!  There is no need to go out and buy red peppers if you have orange or green in your fridge. I cut and seeded these.  Billie gave them a large chop and put them in the food processor.

Next the beautiful Roma tomatoes.  I love to grow these.   You can do so much with them!  And they are delicious!

Here is The Tipsy Gourmet ready to take a few pictures for her own blog.  

Next came the red onion.  The recipe called for a whole red onion, but we did half.  Later we decided 1/4 cup would have been plenty.

Four cloves of garlic, minced.

Billie added all the processed veggies to a large bowl, while I got the white wine vinegar, olive oil and tomato juice ready.  She also added salt and pepper.

Here is our bowl of gazpacho.  I couldn't wait to taste it!  It smelled delicious in my kitchen!

Here is one of our photographers, Wes (Billie's son), taking a shot of us for her blog.

Wishing for crusty bread doesn't make it appear.  We settled for a regular grilled cheese.  It did the job!  The boys had a sandwich too.

Billie got the kids plates ready while I started on another project.

Nicholas, food critic and photographer for Janis Cooks.

Marcus (in the blue shirt), official taste tester.  Wes, official taste tester and photographer for The Tipsy Gourmet.  

Here is the project I was working on while she got the boys sandwiches on plates.  I know I made a Caprese tart before on this blog, but this time I used Roma tomatoes.  It was a lot easier to clean them, much quicker to make, and oh so delicious!

Hope you enjoyed our collaboration.  I loved cooking with Billie and blogging this.  Maybe we can do this every month!  

Glorious Morning Muffins

These are so yummy and easy to make!  The only ingredient I didn't have on hand were carrots.  I got this recipe from the Silk Soymilk homepage under recipes.  Here is the link:  http://www.silksoymilk.com/recipe/vegan.  It is a winner!

Here is what you do:

Mix the dry ingredients with a whisk (whole wheat flour, brown sugar, baking soda, cinnamon and salt).

Whisk the wet ingredients (soy milk, oil, applesauce and vanilla), and add shredded coconut, apple and raisins.  (Carrots too, I just didn't have any.)

Line muffin pan with paper liners.

Using a large scoop, fill each liner with the batter.  Top with 1/2 cup chopped pecans.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30-35 minutes.  (I did 30 minutes and they were perfect.)

Allow to cool on a wire rack.

Here is your muffin!  Enjoy this delicious and healthy muffin!