Bringing Jamaica to You!

When we were dating Ryan decided he wanted to be sure he knew how to grill. So I got him the Grilling for Dummies book to help him out. =) I hadn't looked at this in years, but when we were in the mood to grill the other night and I wanted some inspiration I pulled this book out of my cookbook cabinet. I saw this recipe and decided that I wanted to give it a whirl- even though it sounded totally different- I have never made a jerk marinade before. Some of the ingredients sounded strange to me, but after looking at several other jerk recipes, it lined right up- so we did it and it was AWESOME! Ryan was skeptical at 1st when I said I was going to make jerk chicken- as the memories of the lime green bony stuff we "ate" on our mission trip to Jamaica came flooding into his head. "No honey, that was the curried goat that we ate after seeing it sitting on some one's doorstep on the way to our work site that morning." Relieved that that was NOT was I was planning on setting before him that night, he jumped on board and he thought it was delightfully delicious as well!! Even though he would never use the words "delightfully delicious" himself =). Be daring- give it a try- you won't be disappointed, I promise.

Jerk Seasoned Chicken Breasts

About 2-3 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts ( the recipe said eight, but for me, that was a five pack)

1/ 4cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup orange juice

3 scallions, finely chopped (green and white parts)

4 medium cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 Tbs. lime juice (about 1 lime will produce that for ya!)

2 Tbs. soy sauce

1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped

1 tsp. brown sugar, packed

1/2 tsp. Kosher salt

1/2 tsp. ground allspice

1/2 tsp. dried leaf time

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

Trim chicken of fat and rinse and dry well. Combine remaining ingredients, beating with a fork or whisk to mix well. Place chicken in a large freezer bag (or a shallow dish) and pour marinade over. Seal the bag pressing out the air, and refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight, turning occasionally to coat well.

Place chicken on well oiled, preheated grill and grill for 10-12 minutes total (5-6 on each side) or until done.

Seriously even if you are freaked out by the ingredients- try it! We had it with Lipton's oven roasted potatoes and roasted fresh asparagus. Yummy!

A Healthier Choice

We are not health nuts by any stretch of the imagination- but I am always open to trying healthy things and I would probably try cooking with light ingredients more often if my husband was more open to the idea- not that I want to eat beans and rice all the time- but you know what I mean. Anyway, maybe we made some progress last week when I made... gasp... TURKEY BURGERS! I had ordered one at a restaurant that was very good and was wanting to give it a whirl. So these are the ones I made and I must say, I thought it was delicious and even Ryan- who was completely UNstoked about the idea, enjoyed them I believe.

Tex- Mex Turkey Burgers

1 1/4 lb. ground turkey
1 envelope taco seasoning
1 Tbs. dried cilantro flakes ( I used fresh because I love fresh cilantro so much!)
1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup salsa
4 hamburger buns split ( I toasted mine)
4 lettuce leaves

In bowl, combine turkey, taco seasoning, and cilantro- shape into four patties ( I got 2 packs of turkey and doubled the seasoning and it made 5 nice large patties). Grill covered, over medium heat 5 minutes on each side. Sprinkle with cheese and grill 2-3 minutes longer, until melted. Combine sour cream and salsa. Serve burgers on buns with lettuce and sour cream mixture.

Trying Something New

I love to read cookbooks and sometimes I get on this kick where I just want to try all kinds of new and different from the usual type things. Last night, I made a new meal- taking a huge risk- by trying two new recipes for both the main dish and my side. But I must say they both turned out good! I got them from my Taste of Home Busy Family cookbook- which why wouldn't I love a cookbook directed toward being simple and easy =). So we tried these two and liked them both.

Spicy Flank Steak

1/3 cup sour cream

2 Tbs. mayo

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. celery salt

2 Tbs. Chili sauce

1 Tbs. lime juice

1/2 -1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 tsp. salt

1 beef flank steak (1-1 1/2 lbs.)

Combine 1st 4 ingredients in small bowl and refrigerate until serving. Combine chili sauce, lime juice ( 1/2 fresh lime squeezed is about a Tbs.), red pepper flakes, and salt- I double the basting sauce- brush on both sides of steak. Broil 2-3 in. from heat for 6-8 min. on each side. Let stand 5 minutes before slicing. Serve with sour cream sauce (which is yummy!).

*Instead of broiling, we grilled the steak for 8-9 minutes on each side.

If you've never made flank steak, this is what you are looking for. This was my second attempt at a flank steak recipe- the 1st was a honey based recipe and I didn't care for how sweet it was, and that time I used "flat iron steak" which I have heard both is and isn't the same thing. We liked this far better- and Ryan asked the butcher for a fresh cut of flank steak b/c all they had out were flat iron steaks- I'm still not real sure if they are the same or not. It is not a real tender piece of meat, but it holds the flavor well and is budget friendly. All in all we enjoyed this meal- and I was especially digging the corn recipe.

Double Duty Zucchini

Once it starts getting nice outside don't you just start craving fresh food?! Ryan and I often eat too much or too late at lunch and end up just wanting something light for dinner. Last night I got a strange craving for some gazpacho- (cold soup). Since all the recipes I wanted to make you have to chill overnight or 8 hours. I knew that wasn't going to work, so I decided to take the same fresh veggie route and we had Grilled Veggie Pizzas and while I was at the store getting stuff (i.e. zucchini) I decided to still get the stuff to make my gazpacho too- so here are two- light and veggie filled meals for you!

Grilled Vegetable Pizzas

(This recipe is actually from one of the more recent Better Homes and Gardens Cook Books- so I'm willing to bet you have it- you may just not have realized it!)

1-2 medium zucchini quartered lengthwise

1-2 yellow summer squash, quartered lengthwise

1 small sweet red pepper, quartered lengthwise

2 Tbs. olive oil

1 tsp. black pepper

1/2 tsp. salt

1 large, ripe tomato, seeded and chopped

1/4 cup mayonnaise or salad dressing

2 Tb.s store bought pesto

1 Tbs. fresh basil

1 Tbs. fresh oregano

4 6-7 in. flour tortillas

1 cup shredded mozzarella or smoked provolone

1. Brush veggies (minus tomato) with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill until crisp and tender- 5-6 minutes for squashes and 10 minutes for pepper (turning halfway through)-- I accidentally chopped all my veggies first so I just made a foil pouch and grilled them until tender). Remove from grill.

2. Chop vegetables. In medium bowl veggies, tomato, mayo, pesto, basil, and oregano. Place tortillas on grill and toast lightly (1-2 minutes). Flip and spread veg. mixture over toasted side of tortilla. Sprinkle with cheese. Cover and grill 2-3 minutes more until lightly toasted and cheese is melted. Remove from grill and enjoy! (Since I went a little heavy on the cheese, I ended up bringing them in and broiling to finish melting my cheese without over toasting my tortilla- you want them to be crisp but not blackened).

** I have made the gazpacho and it is chilling, but I haven't tried it yet- I will post it on here if it is any good- I am too afraid to put something up I haven't tried yet and can't vouch for. Hopefully, it will be coming soon...

Fire Up the Grill Baby!!

Okay now that spring is truly just around the corner and we have had at least a taste of some beautiful weather- it time to start grilling!! We had Ryan's brother and sister-in-law and our sweet little niece over last weekend and grilled out. We grilled this pork with the rub I found a couple years ago and have used several times since- we just love it. It's so easy and you most likely have the few ingredients on hand.

Grilled Pork Rub

** This is per 2 lbs. pork- I always cook more so I adjust accordingly**
3 Tbs. brown sugar
2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. oregano
2 lbs. pork- can use on tenderloin, loin, or even chops!

Combine well in a bowl. Coat pork generously and refrigerate 30 minutes- 3 hours. Grease grill and cook accordingly (about 25- 30 minutes for tenderloin, 45 min. for loin, and about 10-15 minutes per side for thick cut chops) Let stand 5 minutes before cutting.

Delicious and moist! This weekend I served this with mashed potato casserole and roasted broccoli and grape tomatoes.

Roasted broccoli is really good if you have never tried it. I take my fresh broccoli head, cut into florets, lay out on a baking sheet with a pint of grape tomatoes. I drizzle them with olive oil and salt and pepper and bake in the oven at 400- 425 degrees for about 20 +/- minutes. You'll really just want to watch them on the time, you want it to be nicely browned and toasted but not overcooked. Even if your not the worlds biggest broccoli fan, you just may want to give this a try!