Grilled Chicken and Romaine

As I was scanning the March issue of Bon Appetit magazine I saw a recipe for Grilled Chicken and Romaine with Caper Dressing (click to go to Epicurious to see the recipe). I had never heard of grilling lettuce and although I don't have a grill, it sounded really good so I thought I'd give it a try with my grill pan. The only thing I changed about the recipe was using balsamic vinegar in place of the Sherry wine vinegar. The shallot and capers made the dressing very strong but grilling mellowed out the flavors and the chicken was very juicy and flavorful. The grilled lettuce was good as well but definitely different. I really liked it but Matt wasn't a big fan. I probably won't make this dish again but I will definitely use the idea of marinating chicken in a good salad dressing before grilling it. In the future when I have a grill, it would be easy to douse some dressing on romaine hearts and grill them up for an unusual side dish at a BBQ. I was going to make some pesto risotto to go alongside this dish but ended up just making plain risotto, cooking the arborio rice with chicken broth, but adding a little at a time and stirring a lot. It turned out really good!

Jessica's Brownies

My friend Jessica came up with this recipe for brownies and she made them for girls' night. I ate almost half the pan. They are so so so so so delicious! Thanks Jessica!

1 box of fudge brownies

3 Hershey's bars

Frosting:
3 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup milk
1/3 cup peanut butter

Bake the brownies according to the directions and let cool. Melt the chocolate and spread on the brownies. Let the chocolate harden. Mix the ingredients for the frosting and and then spread on the brownies.

This Week's Menu

Well, we came down with a 24-hour stomach flu last week and, needless to say, I strayed from the planned menu so I'm using some of what I had planned for this week's menu.

Monday 4/28:
* Turkey Sloppy Joes
* Sweet Potato Fries
* Salad

Tuesday 4/29:
* Grilled Romaine and Chicken
* Pesto Risotto

Wednesday 4/30:
* Crock-Pot Fajitas
* Spanish Rice
* Black Beans

Thursday 5/1:
* Shrimp Scampi
* Salad

Friday 5/2:
* Chicken Fried Rice

Saturday 5/3:
* Pizza and Salad

Sunday 5/4:
* Vegetable Lasagna
* Garlic Bread

Pulled Chicken Sandwiches

I tried this recipe from Rachael Ray for Pulled Chicken Sandwiches and they were excellent. Give them a try!

This Week's Menu

I strayed from my planned menu this past weekend so I'm re-using some of the meals I'd planned.

Monday 4/21
* Chicken Stir Fry & Rice

Tuesday 4/22
* Pizza
* Salad

Wednesday 4/23
* BBQ Chicken Sandwiches
* Sweet Potato Fries
* Steamed Broccoli

Thursday 4/24
* Turkey Tacos
* Black Beans
* Spinach Salad

Friday 4/25
* Grilled Chicken and Romaine with Caper Dressing
* Pesto Risotto

Saturday 4/26
?????

Sunday 4/27
* Vegetable Lasagna
* Salad
* Garlic Bread

Oven-Toasted Sandwiches

Oven-toasted sandwiches were one of my mom's "go-to snacks" when my brothers or I were having a bunch of friends over. You can just mix and match your meats, cheeses, vegetables, and dressing. This week I used turky, ham, provolone, cheddar and Italian dressing but I think it would have been even better with a ranch dressing. My favorite was when my mom would make the roast beef with provolone and Italian dressing. There are endless combinations! Here's what you'll need:

1 loaf Italian Bread
1 pound deli meat (roast beef, turkey, ham)
1/2 pound cheese (provolone is my favorite)
1 tomato
1 green pepper
1 onion
Italian Dressing

Cut bread in half. Drizzle dressing on bottom and top half of bread. Layer meats, cheeses, and vegetables. Drizzle more dressing on top of filling. Put top half on sandwich and wrap in foil. Bake on a cookie sheet at 350 for about 45 minutes, or until warmed through and cheese is melted.

I served the sandwiches with a great salad I copied from my friend Andrea. Spinach, bacon, cranberries, and avocado. Great combination!

Mexican Lasagna

My friend Kristi shared this recipe for "Mexican Lasagna" with me.

1lb ground beef

1 package Taco Seasoning

2-3 cans beans

No-boil lasagna noodles

20 oz jar salsa

2 1/2 cups water

Shredded Cheese

Brown and drain meat. Add taco seasoning and beans. Mix together salsa and water. In a 9x13 casserole assemble lasagna with a layer of meat, followed by noodles, meat, 1/2 of the salsa, noodles, meat, salsa, cheese. Bake one hour at 375.

Kristi gave me a sample of this dish and it was very good. I had a lot of corn tortillas leftover from making chicken chilaquiles so I changed the recipe a little to use those instead of lasagna noodles. Here is what you need for the tortilla version I made:

1 lb ground turkey (or beef)

1 package taco seasoning (plus water it calls for)

1 can black beans

1 can pinto beans

12 corn tortillas

1 20-oz jar salsa

2 tbsp sour cream

1 cup shredded cheese

Brown and drain turkey and add taco seasoning (and water) and beans. Add salsa and sour cream. In a 9x13 casserole assemble lasagna with these layers: meat, 6 tortillas, meat, half of the cheese, 6 tortillas, meat, remaining half of cheese. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes.

I really liked using the corn tortillas. The casserole was a little like an enchilada casserole. This was a tasty way to use ground turkey.

New note: My friend Sunny tried this out (thanks for using my blog, Sunny!) and said it was a little dry and suggested using some tomato sauce in addition to the salsa and adding a layer of refried beans. I think that would be a great idea!

Another note: I made this again using Sunny's recommendations and it was delicious! I added 1/2 cup of tomato sauce to the meat and salsa mixture, and omitted the beans. I used refried pinto beans instead and spread them on the tortillas before I layered them in. So, the layers were meat, tortillas, refried beans, meat, cheese, tortillas, etc. This was my favorite so far!

Slippery Shrimp

A few summers ago when we were visiting my cousin (and great friend, and former BYU roommate) Lindsey in L.A., she took us to a restaurant in Chinatown called Yang Chow. We shared her favorite dish, Slippery Shrimp. It was so good and we talked about it for weeks. When my mom came to visit she brought the March issue of Bon Appetit magazine and as I was reading it I came across the "R.S.V.P./readers' favoriter restaurant recipes" section and was thrilled to see a recipe for Yang Chow's Slippery Shrimp. The recipes from Bon Appetit and Gourmet magazines can be accessed at epicurious.com and there is an awesome restaurant recipe section, http://www.epicurious.com/bonappetit/restaurant_recipes, where you can search by location, restaurant name, or course. The slippery shrimp recipe is on page 26 of the March issue of Bon Appetit. I can't access it on the website but I'm sure there is some sort of purposeful delay in getting recipes from the printed issue onto epicurious. I served the shrimp over rice and with a side of steamed broccoli. This meal turned out amazing! The only thing I changed was substituting white grape juice for the sherry. The cayenne pepper gives the sauce a really good kick so if you don't love spicy foods, I would cut down on the cayenne. We loved, loved, loved this dish and it will be among the regular rotation from now on! Here is the recipe from the magazine:

Yang Chow's Slippery Shrimp, 6 servings

2 pounds uncooked large shrimp, peeled, deveined

6 tablespoons plus 4 teaspoons cornstarch

4 teaspoons water

1 cup corn oil or vegetable oil

4 garlic cloves, minced

3 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup tomato sauce

2 teaspoons unseasoned rice vinegar

2 teaspoons dry Sherry

1 cup plus 1 tablespoon thinly sliced green onions

Mix shrimp and 6 tablespoons cornstarch in large bowl to coat. Mix remaining 4 teaspoons cornstarch and 4 teaspoons water in small bowl to blend. Heat oil in heavy large skillet or wok over high heat. Working in batches, fry shrimp until cooked through and golden on both sides, about 3 minutes. Using slotteds spoon, transfer cooked shrimp to plate. Drain all but 1 tablespoon oil from wok. Heat oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic, sugar, cayenne, and salt; stir constantly until garlic begins to brown, about 15 seconds. Add tomato sauce, vinegar, and Sherry. Stir cornstarch-water mixture if separated and add to sauce. Cook until sauce boils and thickens, stirring constantly, about 1 minute. Add reserved shrimp to sauce and toss to coat. Remove from heat. Add 1 cup green onions to shrimp; toss. Transfer to plate; sprinkle with remaining green onions and serve.

This Week's Menu

Monday 4/14
* Joelle's Pasta with Chicken
* Spinach Salad

Tuesday 4/15
* Slippery Shrimp
* Rice
* Steamed Broccoli

Wednesday 4/16
* Kristi's Mexican Lasagna
* Steamed Veggies

Thursday 4/17
* Oven Toasted Sandwiches
* Andrea's Salad

Friday 4/18
* Chicken Enchiladas
* Spinach Salad

Saturday 4/19
* Stir Fry and Rice

Sunday 4/20
* Vegetable Lasagna
* Salad
* Garlic Bread

Taco Salads

This is a yummy take on a taco salad. My mom shared this method with me when she was here visiting. This makes 4 or 5 HUGE salads. I hadn't had Fritos in ages and they add a yummy crunch to the salad.

1 lb ground turkey (or beef)
1 can no-bean chili
1 can black beans
1 head romaine lettuce, chopped
1 small bunch cilantro, chopped
1 can corn
2 tomatoes, chopped
2 avocados, sliced
shredded cheese
1 bag Fritos
1 cup salsa
2 Tablespoons sour cream

In a large pan, cook ground turkey and drain. Add chili and black beans and heat through. Combine lettuce and cilantro. Heap lettuce on plates. Top with meat mixture. Add corn, tomatoes, avocados, and shredded cheese. Finally, add a small handful of Fritos on top of the salad. For dressing, mix salsa and sour cream. Add to salads.

Lettuce Wraps

These are not a version of PF Chang's lettuce wraps. Although, I love those, so if anyone has a recipe for them, send it my way. This is just a different way to use leftover chicken. I used romaine leaves because that's what I had but they are a bit tricky to roll up. Butter lettuce or iceberg leaves are probably easier. I added the jam for a little sweetness. I was going to make a fruit salad to go along with this but I ended up making frozen fruit smoothies instead since it was such a hot day! Here's the recipe.

4 cooked chicken breasts, cubed or shredded
1/2 of 16 oz bag of cole slaw mix vegetables (shredded carrots and cabbage)
1/4 cup Hoisin sauce or Chinese 5 Spice sauce
2 Tablespoons fruit jam
6 leaves lettuce

Saute cole slaw mix in a little bit of olive oil for about 5 minutes. Add chicken, sauce, and jam and saute for 5 minutes more. Spoon mixture into lettuce leaves and roll up.

Mushroom and Aparagus Risotto

I tried this recipe from Martha Stewart for risotto. Bottom line: it was delicious but I don't think I can ever make it again. I do not really have, nor wish to ever have, enough pots and pans to make this dish. If you like mushrooms and risotto, you'll really like this dish. It takes a lot of time, a lot of attention (as all risotto does), and, like I mentioned, a lot of pots and pans. The changes I made to the recipe were substituting chicken broth for the white wine, and cutting the butter in half. I thought the addition of the butter and olive oil at the end was a little excessive. I know that adding loads of butter to any dish will make it tasty but, I just couldn't add almost an entire stick! I actually just had the leftovers for lunch and I thought the risotto was even better. Still, though, not worth it!

Tortellini with Vegetables

Trader Joe's has a pesto tortellini that I've been wanting to try. This is what I did with it.

1 16-oz package dried pesto-filled tortellini

1/2 sweet onion, chopped

handful of baby carrots, or one carrot, chopped

1 head of broccoli florets

olive oil

1 26-oz jar marinara sauce (I used Trader Joe's Roasted Garlic Marinara)

Cook tortellini according to directions. In large pan, saute onion and carrots in 2 T olive oil for about 5 minutes, or until tender. Add broccoli florets to pan and add about 1/4 cup of water and cover the pan to help the florets steam for a couple of minutes. Continue sauteing about 5 additional minutes. Add jar of marinara sauce to pan and mix well to incorporate. Add cooked tortellini and warm until everything is heated through. I served this with parmesan cheese and garlic bread (1/4 c butter mixed with one clove garlic, minced, spread on 4 slices Trader Joe's Tuscan Pane, then toasted in the oven). This was a good way to have this tortellini, which is always easy. Next time I think I'll add a jar of roasted red peppers to the sauce to make it even heartier. I really like this pesto tortellini.

This Week's Menu

Monday 4/7
* Turkey Loaf
* Green Beans
* Sweet Potato Fries

Tuesday 4/8
* Pesto Tortellini & Vegetables

Wednesday 4/9
* Grilled Chicken
* Mushroom and Asparagus Risotto

Thursday 4/10
* Chicken Lettuce Wraps
* Fruit Salad

Friday 4/11
* Turkey Taco Salad

Saturday 4/12
* Pizza & Salad

Sunday 4/13
* Chicken & Dumplings

Troy's Chicken Sandwiches

Thank you to Troy and Sofiya for having us over for dinner! It was great and I had to try making Troy's delicious chicken sandwiches. The key to the sandwiches was the grilled pineapple.

4 chicken breasts
BBQ sauce
Worcestershire sauce
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
4 Pineapple rings
Monterey Jack or Provolone Cheese
4 hamburger buns

Troy said he improvised the marinade with whatever he had on hand so I tried to do the same. I combined a couple of tablespoons of BBQ sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and a couple of shakes of garlic powder, and onion powder in a ziploc and marinated the chicken for a few hours. I heated the grill and grilled the pineapple, probably about 3 minutes per side. Then, I grilled the chicken. It took about 10 minutes per side and I added a slice of cheese on each chicken breast the last few minutes. The chicken went onto the hamburger bun and I topped the chicken with the pineapple. Very tasty! This was a great alternative to a normal chicken sandwich. Now, I just need to figure out how to make Sofiya's amazing french fries!

Cheese Enchiladas

Here's an easy method for cheese enchiladas.

10 corn tortillas
Vegetable oil
2 cups cheese (I used Mexican style blend)
2 green onions, diced
1 can red enchilada sauce

Combine cheese and green onions. Heat small amount of vegetable oil in pan and lightly fry (about 30 seconds per side) tortillas. Fill tortillas with cheese mixture, roll, and place seam side down in baking dish. Cover with enchilada sauce. Bake for 20 minutes at 350.

Turkey Burgers

I love burgers. A Five Guys (or In-N-Out, when I'm out West) cheeseburger with grilled onions and fries is one of my favorite meals, but definitely a guilty pleasure. This is how I made turkey burgers the other night in an attempt to satisfy a burger craving.

1 lb ground turkey
1/4 c bread crumbs
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

Mix all ingredients and form into 4 patties. Pan fry in a little bit of vegetable oil, about 2 minutes per side. Place into baking dish and finish cooking in 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes. I placed a slice of sharp cheddar cheese on each burger for the last two minutes of cooking. I mixed some spring greens with a tangy ranch dressing, placed the greens on the hamburger bun, and placed the burger on top. I spread some extra ranch on the top bun. These were good, juicy burgers and I was quite pleased with my first attempt at turkey burgers. But, anyone up for Five Guys? :)

Cafe Rio Chicken Salad

Oh, Cafe Rio. In Provo, it can't be beat for affordable, delicious food. I love their tortilla soup, the delectable pork barbacoa, and of course salads with the excellent salad dressing. So, I was so excited when Abby made this recipe for the Cafe Rio salads. Thanks so much for cooking the great meal, Abby, and sharing the recipe with me. I made this for dinner yesterday and it was delicious. The dressing is very close to Cafe Rio's. Here are the recipes:

Chicken
5 lbs Chicken Brest – boneless, skinless

1 small bottle Zesty Italian Dressing
1 Tbsp Chili Powder
1 Tbsp cumin

3 cloves garlic, minced
Mix all ingredients together in a large crock pot.
Cook on high for 5-7 hours.
Remove chicken and shred with fork.
Reserve a small amount of juice and pour over shredded chicken to keep moist.


Lime Rice
In a sauce pan, sauté:
2 Tbsp butter

1 yellow onion
4 cloves garlic, minced
In a large pot, bring the following to a boil:
6 2/3 cup water

8 tsp chicken bouillon

½ bunch cilantro,
2 tsp cumin

2 small cans diced green chilies

1 Tbsp lime juice

½ tsp salt
Add onion and garlic to boiling water.
Add 3 cups long grain rice.
Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
*I halved this recipe and used only 3 cubes of bouillon and left out the added salt.


Tomatillo Dressing
1 pkg of Hidden Valley Buttermilk Ranch Dressing dry mix

1 cup buttermilk

1 cup mayonnaise

1-2 tomatillos, peel

½ - 1 clove garlic, minced

½ - 1/3 bunched cilantro, chopped
½ tsp lime juice

½ - 1 small Jalapeno, seeds removed
Blend ingredients together in a blender.
Add additional mayonnaise if dressing is too thin.
*I used 2 tomatillos and thought even a third would be good. Abby recommended refrigerating the dressing overnight and this really helped bring out the flavors.


To assemble the salad, layer chopped romaine, rice, chicken, beans (I used black beans), and serve with pico de gallo, cheese, guacamole and of course, the wonderful dressing. At Cafe Rio, they serve the salad in a huge warm tortilla that has melted cheese in it and top it with crispy tortilla strips. Yum! Now, if I could just make that pork!

Mmmmmm, Brownies

I just tried this recipe for brownies and it's a keeper. Easy and so good! Don't ask me how many I've eaten! :) I didn't even make the frosting and they were delicious.

This Week's Menu

Monday 3/31
* Stir Fry
* Brown Rice

Tuesday 4/1
* Cafe Rio Salads

Wednesday 4/2
* Turkey Burgers
* Sweet Potato Fries
* Broccoli

Thursday 4/3
* Cheese Enchiladas
* Black Beans
* Mixed Veggies

Friday 4/4
* Troy's Chicken Sandwiches
* Spinach Salad

Saturday 4/5
* Pizza
* Salad

Sunday 4/6
???????