NY Strip Steak and Veggies

I was really looking forward to a good steak tonight. I used some good old Spice House seasoning again and grilled along side some mixed veggies, and some corn on the cob (Michigan's finest of course). My favorite way to do veggies these days is straight on the grill. My medium baking sheet fits right on the rack. Some S&P and some Olive Oil = the best veggies ever. :)

Braised Chicken & Veggies

I found a way of doing chicken thighs a while back that I have come to love. I braise the thighs in the dutch oven and then cook with red onion, multi-colored bell peppers and then throw in some chicken broth and brown rice. I decided to do a little take on that with this dish. My husband brought home a yellow squash and a zucchini from a coworker and I needed to use up some bell peppers and tomatoes before we went out of town. So this consists of chicken breasts, veggies, chicken broth, white beans, and brown rice. The results were very very good.

Chicken Tenders, Biscuits and Roasted Summer Squash

I have to admit I have a problem with breading. For some reason I can never get it to fully adhere. So I avoid making breaded items because they turn out so ugly. Surely not because of the health factor of breaded foods, ;) .
1. Marinate the chicken in buttermilk
2. Mix 2 cups of flour with 3 tsp of Cinnamon Chipotle Seasoning.
3. Dredge the chicken in the flour mixture.
4. Coat with panko bread crumbs and place on baking sheet.
5. Drizzle with olive oil before baking.
6. Bake on 450 for 15-20 minutes.

The taste of these was great, the breading stood up better than most tries, but not perfect. My husband thought it was very tasty though.









Roasted Summer Squash

My husband brought home two yellow squashes from a coworker. So I had to think of a way to use them up.

1. Slice the squash into spears.
2. Place on baking sheet.
3. Sprinkle with S&P and some parmesan cheese.
4. Drizzle with Olive Oil.
5. Roast in oven at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

These were very good. My husband who doesn't like veggies much ate them up and enjoyed them.

Flank Steak and Portabellas on the Grill

Flank Steak has become one of my favorite items to grill. Costco sells a two pack for a resonable price. I use this for company often. Most recently I used if for fajitas for company. This meal was just a simple one for dinner with plenty of leftovers for the week. I marinated it in some fajita seasoning mixed with bbq sauce. Before putting on the grill I drizzled with some Olive Oil and some Montreal Seasoning.


The mushrooms were simply drizzled with Olive Oil and S&P.

I also cooked up some chicken tenderloins on the grill for meals later in the week. Those were marinated in fajita seasoning.

Chicken Thighs and Corn on the Cob

I decided to marinate the chicken thighs all day in OJ concentrate. I then pan "poached" them with some of the marinade until almost cooked. I dumped out the OJ and slatthered the thighs with some BBQ Sauce and cooked until done. The marinade made for a very moist chicken and the mild orange flavor was great with the BBQ Sauce. I love the flavor of Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ Sauce. I use it all the time.

This is my first corn of the season. It was so very tasty. Michigan has some of the best corn. Trust Me!!

I served both with a side of the tomato salad I talked about below. :)

Red Snapper Burgers and Sweet Potato Fries

I had a large red snapper filet that I pulled out of the freezer this morning. I wasn't sure what dinner was going to be. But since we had some leftover hamburger buns I thought making a sandwich would be good. I marinated the snapper in salt & pepper, a little olive oil and some cinnamon chipolte dry rub. Then I cooked it up on the grill. Added a slice of colby jack cheese, placed on a bun with honey spread. (I threw together cottage cheese, honey and dijon mustard in the mini food processor to get a mayo like consistancy.)



My favorite way to make veggies now is to cook them on the grill on a cookie sheet. My medium and small size both fit perfectly. So I basically roast them on the grill. I cut the sweet potatoe into small pieces, drizzled with a bit of olive oil and salt & pepper. They turn out crispy, but be careful to just drizzle with oil. Too much oil prevents the crisp.

Cumin-Coriander Roasted Potatoes

One of my best side dishes by far is oven roasted potatoes. This is my go-to side dish with company often. It is simple to prepare and goes over great. As mentioned before I am still learning the intricacies of herbs and spices. I am starting to understand the flavors of cumin and coriander more and decided to try them on my roasted potatoes.
I made these a week or more ago so the amounts are a little from memory.

3 medium yellow potatoes, diced small
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and Pepper to taste
2Tbs Olive Oil (drizzled over top and then stirred all together)

Roast in a 425 degree oven for 60 minutes or longer to get desired crispness. Make sure you stir a few times through out the cooking process.

Squash &Zucchini Cakes

I bought yellow squash and zucchini and wasn't sure what I should do. I got some suggestions to do a fritter and then found this recipe. They were tasty, but I made them too large. I also cooked on a griddle with canola oil instead of butter. This recipe is from Paula Deen on the Food Network.


Paula Deen's Squash & Zucchini Cakes

Tonight's Dinner

We had Ahi Tuna, Hawaiian rice, and brown sugar/honey glazed carrots. I marinated the Tuna in teriyaki sauce that was blended with some pineapple juice and then grilled to rare. The rice was the brown frozen rice from Trader Joes (plain). I chopped up some red onion and pineapple and sauteed with the rice. I tossed in some toasted almonds. The carrots were baby carrots that have been quartered, placed in foil pouches and sprinkled with a bit of brown sugar and honey, closed up and then grilled.