One and Only

I've never been a fan of ground turkey.

There, I said it.  It's just not as tasty as ground beef.  Sure, it's better for your health but turkey meatloaf is icky, and don't even get me started on turkey meatballs.  Turkey meatballs with tomato sauce are just plain said.

However, with that being said, I was pleasantly surprised last week with I found this recipe on Pinterest for Thai Turkey Burgers with Broccoli Slaw.  With the right veggies and herbs, these were fantastic.  Garlic, ginger, cilantro....all good stuff.  It made 6 or 7 patties and I had the rest of them as the week went on, over a little rice or quinoa with a smear of hoisin  sauce on top.  I'd certainly make them again.  The slaw, well, it was so-so.  I appreciated the flavors but after the first serving it got a bit mushy in the fridge so I threw it out.

So there you go, Ground turkey, for turning me into a believer.

In the Name of Healthy Eating

The last few months have been about establishing healthier eating habits.  I haven't shared a lot because healthier sometimes is a bit dull.  I will say that we've been more adventurous in our eating, such as willingness to try things like tempeh. Yesterday it was roast chicken enchiladas from ATK ' S Healthy Eating cookbook, last week it was mixing spaghetti squash with pasta.

Tonight was something new that I'd never think that Brian would suggest:  portobello mushroom burgers.  Yep....a big grilled mushroom cap on a whole wheat bun.  I thought that it was so-so, but he really liked them. 

I'm willing to try anything once, and this healthier game is no exception.

Summer Salads

In our house, we eat well.  In fact, I think a lot of the time that the food that Brian makes is better than most restaurant food that we get to have.  I'm not being braggy...ok maybe a little.  But in terms of cooking, I've always said that he is exceptional whereas my cooking is good for everyday.

Speaking of restaurant food...there is one food that I've always found better at a restaurant than at home.  Salads.  

Salads just taste better at a restaurant.  The produce is fresher, the presentation, the variety of ingredients.  Until recently, salads at our house were just green salads with a little tomato and cucumber on top.  Maybe some celery or carrots, and almost always featured "bag-o-salad."  You know, the big bag of mixed lettuce that you buy at the grocery store and pray that it will still be good in two days.  (It usually isn't.)

I'm starting to change my mind about salads....a couple of weeks ago Brian and I made a Chinese chicken salad using romaine, rotisserie chicken, oriental noodles, toasted almonds, mandarin orange slices, etc.  It was delicious!  It was also huge--and would've made great leftovers if we hadn't dressed the whole thing.  It was a soggy mess the next day.  So I've learned a few things:  the secret to a great salad is in the dressing.  Homemade is best, and honestly, it's not difficult or really time-consuming.  Plus, you know what's going into it and can adjust it to your taste.

So Brian and I have resolved to a salad dinner once a week, and here was last night's:

Rib-eye steak over watercress, radish and a little blue cheese, with a wine vinegar dressing.  

It was quite good and surprisingly, filled us up.  Can't wait to see what the next salad turns up like!

Lemon and Garlic Week!

This week's theme is lemon and garlic.  Apparently.  This was purely accidental, but it's definitely two well-loved ingredients in this house.  Brian wrote the menu and it's chock full of delicious recipes...but clearly he was craving lemon and garlic when he wrote it!

Monday night:  grilled chicken with lemon and garlic, rice and frozen peas.  Chicken recipe courtesy of Better Homes and Gardens.

This was a whole chicken that he cut up and grilled.  On a weeknight.  :)  The intensity of the marinade was incredibly flavorful.  I couldn't wait for the leftovers the next day!  And yes...frozen peas.  My mother will be happy to hear that she was right...frozen does taste way better than canned.  Not to my child self, but as an adult frozen are the way to go.

Tuesday:  rib eye steaks with grilled garlic.  Accompanied by baked potatoes and grilled Caesar Salad.  Steak recipe courtesy of Better Homes and Gardens.

First of all, there's no such thing as too much garlic.  That's the way it is in our house, anyway!  Roasted (or in this case grilled) garlic, smushed on a piece of bread is delightful.  The same garlic smushed on steak is to DIE FOR.  And the steak was cooked perfectly, medium to medium-well.  Just how I like it best.  :)

The first time I ever had a "grilled" Caesar salad I wasn't sure I'd like it.  But the smokiness of the grill, combined with the saltiness of the shaved parmesan and the tang of the caesar dressing....it's something special, I tell ya!

 The last meal in the theme of the week:  Lemon Tilapia packets with corn and zucchini.  Recipe courtesy of Hubby's Mom, who emailed it to him.  Served over quinoa, which we almost forgot to make.

Couple of things:

-Fish store didn't have tilapia, so we substituted cod.  By the by, I loved having a small local fish store in our old neighborhood, and now we have one near here, too!
-Recipe called for corn on the cob cut into rings with the kernels intact.  There really wasn't any fresh corn in the stores, so Brian substituted the chinese-style canned mini corn ears that you see in stir-frys.  I don't think it translated well.  If we were to make this again, it would be when corn on the cob is available.
-Fish can overcook quickly.  It was still edible, but it could've been better.  This was a tough dinner because of the distractions.
-I have to say....quinoa isn't something I pictured myself eating.  But the more I have of it, the more I like it!

So there you have it:  Lemon and Garlic week is over.  Pretty soon it'll be time for fall suppers and crockpot stuff!

Chicken n' Muffins

Chicken n muffins....not meant to be eaten together but that's what was made on Sunday.  It was also the first case of "Trashed Kitchen" in this house!!  And I'm sure we'll do it again and again.

The chicken was "Peruvian Grilled Chicken" from Epicurious, and man, so flavorful!  Brian quartered a whole chicken, and I made up the marinade.  It consisted of soy sauce, lime juice, paprika, cumin, oregano, and garlic.  Lots of garlic.  Absolutely fantastic, and a different flavor combination than what we're used to.

Brian had gotten unsweetened flaked coconut at the grocery store to make a banana bread recipe that he found on Pinterest.  I was running low on sugar though, and it also requires rum.  (Sounds pretty good, huh?)  No rum in the house, so instead I made the blueberry-coconut muffins on the back of the bag.  Brian adores anything coconut, so it works out well.  Plus, it's nice to have some muffins for mid-morning coffee at work.

Brine Time

From the first time I saw Alton Brown's first Thanksgiving episode, Brian and I have wanted to brine something.  Not a turkey first try out per se, but maybe a chicken?

Instead,Brian brined corn tonight.  I didn't even know that one could brine vegetables.  But do you know what?  Brined corn is awesome.  And if you grill it, it's even better.  Char-grill marks on an ear of corn, and having that corn be super soft as you bite into it is incredible.  We just had regular butter, salt and pepper on it but there's a flavor opportunity there somewhere.  The brine liquid that Brian used was just four quarts of water, half a cup of kosher salt and a quarter cup of sugar.  The ears of corn had to soak for at least half an hour, then drained and grilled.  Perhaps next time (And there WILL be a next time!) we could add some cider vinegar to the liquid, or try a compound (read:  flavored) butter.  Some flavor ideas:  barbecue and scallion, or perhaps chipotle and lime?

I'm getting hungry all over again just imagining the possibilities.

Sunday Summer Supper

Three of my favorite summer foods on one plate:  grilled sausage sandwich, corn on the cob and homemade potato salad.  :)  So, so, good.

I did top the sandwich with sauteed green pepper and onion.  They're invisible here, and no, you can't have the recipe for invisible peppers n onions.  :)

Day 30: Grillin' Again

Here it is....the last post for the Thirty Dinners thread.

Last night was grilled chicken, potatoes and candied carrots.  I love anything on a grill, I really do!  Sean liked the carrots, and Will pretty much refused to touch them.  I really worry about him sometimes, getting nutrients.  I won't stop trying to get him to eat veggies though.

This was fun, posting dinner every night.  I was careful not to change what we eat because it was on the blog, and from what I see we do get a variety of food.  I'm pretty satisfied with how this experiment turned out, though I am glad not to have to remember anymore to write it down!

Day Seventeen: Father's Day

Father's Day is usually spent at my parent's cottage, and it's all about grilling and relaxing.  Ribs have been the meal of choice for the past two years, so we can call it tradition if we have them next year, too!

We all LOVE ribs.  They're not great for you but are a great splurge.  This year also included garlic mashed potato (with actual roasted garlic) corn on the cob and salad.  Dessert was a choice:  brownie sundae and strawberry shortcakes.  Naturally, I ate too much.  Hubby had two desserts, he couldn't choose just one.  But it was all so delicious, and Father's Day is only once a year.

Day Nine: Down at the Cottage

This post isn't just about dinner, but eating at the cottage in general.  I love it, and so does the family!  dinner is almost always on the grill, and if it's a nice day we have breakfast on the deck, watching the water.  Sitting at the table, drinking your coffee and looking at the ripples on the lake really is a crummy way to start the day.  :)  Plus, next week is Father's Day and we usually have something special.

Last night's dinner was marinated steak tips, rice pilaf and salad.  Today we had leftovers, since we were coming back from strawberry picking.  the boys had a good time filling a box with juicy berries and being outside in general.  Strawberry shortcakes this afternoon!  Now I'm freezing what I brought home, for syrup, scones and who knows what else.  Mmmmmmm......

Day Five: Grillin' Indoors

When Hubby's in school I tend to go a bit minimalist when it comes to feeding the fam.  Tonight's dinner was homemade cornbread, grilled pork chops, applesauce cups and green beans.  Nothing super special, though I am pretty satisfied that I baked the corn bread from scratch instead of using a bag mix.  A while back we got a grill pan for the stove (total impulse buy on our last trip to IKEA but worth it!)  This was my first time using it, I'm not totally comfortable with grilling things but I'm trying to get better at it.

So everyone eats the same dinner tonight, and that makes this Mama happy.

Day Three: A Cookout

Dinner last night was a cookout with friends at their house.  The weather wasn't exactly compliant, so we ate inside.  Shrimp salad, chicken kabobs, hot dogs, hamburgers and corn on the cob.  Lots of delicious summer fare!

For dessert I brought a chocolate cream pie that I picked up at the grocery store on my way home from the nail salon.  It was ok, nothing special.  As I was plating it I discovered that I had bought one that's sugar-free.  Oops!

Thirty Days of Dinner: Day One

For June, I thought I'd post dinner every night.  Well, we'll say the next day perhaps.

Last night's dinner:  Grilled Chicken with Fresh Homemade Mango Salsa

Chicken cutlets spiced with paprika, cumin, cayenne and cinnamon.  The salsa had fresh mango and red onion and was absolutely delicious.  I had two thin cutlets and the rest of the (instant white) rice this afternoon for lunch.  There is a smidgen of salsa left over, and I'm going to savor it with corn chips later.  Mmmmmmm!  I love summer salsas.

Good Stuff from This Week

My camera was lost for a few days....seems a curious little toddler hid it in his toy bin!  It also appears to be stuck on a setting that looks like drawings instead of pictures, but I'll have to fix that later when the battery is recharged.  Meanwhile, Highlights from the past week (or so):

Spinach and feta-stuffed chicken breasts, and basil couscous.

I LOVE spinach and feta together, it's one of my favorite flavor combinations.  The tomatoes were OK.  I wish that there was a way to make canned tomatoes not taste like the can that they were packed in, but haven't figured out a way to do that.  The couscous is a mix, it was pretty good.  I used to shy away from couscous because of its dryness, but with the right saucy meal, it's perfect.

First burgers on the grill for the season!

A beautifully moist burger patty recipe, courtesy of Cooking Light.  Served atop baby arugula, topped with sauteed onion and mayo.  And on the perfect crusty bun, toasted of course.  This burger was out of this world!  I'd never had baby arugula before, it's got a peppery bite to it.  And onions sauteed in butter make any meal better, not to mention the wonderful aroma they bring to your kitchen.  On the side:  sweet potato waffle fries from the freezer.  I liked them, but I think that I was the only one.

Beets and Beef, Oh My!

This week's new veggie is:  fresh beets.

Today was SUCH a gorgeous day.  We were supposed to have Shepherd's Pie, but it was just too nice to fire up the oven, even though it makes leftovers for the week.  So we did a quick defrost of Tuesday night's steak to turn into tips on the grill.  After a little research (and the aforementioned "I don't wanna" to the oven) I discovered a recipe to grill the beets.  The beef went into an orange juice and spice marinade.  Add leftover white rice from last night's Spring Salmon and Asparagus Pilaf and you've got dinner.

The steak...melt in your mouth.  And the beets....well, I've always liked beets.  But I think that I am ruined for canned beets ever again!  These were so sweet, and grill char really adds something.  We were both sad that Brian only brought a small bunch home.  Both of us were sopping up our beef and beets in the rice, wishing there were more.  Lots of happy noise and lip-smacking at our table tonight!

Fire Up the Grill!!

Here's one thing I love about New England:  last week there was a snowstorm.  A week later, it's warm enough outside to have our first grilled meal of the season!

Grilled Steak, Mashed Potatoes and Multicolor Cauliflower.

The potatoes were finished with a hint of sweet cream, and they were slightly addictive.  We're still on a "Veggie of the Week" kick so tonight was roasted cauliflower.  All in all, a great meal.

Dessert...on a Grill??

The grill was probably invented just as much to keep the house cooler in the summer as it was to have delicious grilled meats and veggies.  At least, that's the way it works in our house.  However, I've never given much thought to having dessert on a grill.  Sure, I've seen Alton Brown make fruit kabobs and serve them with a homemade caramel sauce over ice cream.  And a couple of years ago my mom followed a recipe that was slices of grilled pineapple, served with ice cream and sauce.  (delicious btw)  But actual baked items?  No, not in my train of thought.

Fortunately, it was in Hubby's realm of possibilities.  When down at my parent's cottage, we try to cook outside as much as humanly possible.  It's a small cottage and though there is an oven, once you turn it on it's really hard to get that heat out of the house.  After a little research online, some shopping at the new Target grocery store and some prepwork at home, Brian made a successful Granny Smith Crisp.  He used the grill as an oven and a cast iron skillet to hold the crisp, carefully monitoring the progress.  And it was spectacular, the special delicious, patriotic dessert and perfect for Fourth of July Weekend.  Just goes to show, I never know what this guy is going to come up with next!

Steak Stretch-Out

Recently the grocery store had a special on Sirloin Steaks, buy one, get one free.  So Friday night's dinner was steak on the grill, foil-wrapped potato packets and fresh corn on the cob.  (Nothing like just-bought corn on the cob.....summer!)

All four of us had the steak (neither kid would touch the potatoes, and only Sean ate a little corn) and there was some for leftovers.  Last night my mother was over and we were doing Boboli pizzas on the grill.  At first they were just going to be cheese pizzas, until we found the steak.  Oh, and mini peppers in the fridge.  Chopped up peppers and onions, sauteed in butter.  (Not too many things smell as good as that.)  I chopped the entire container, because they were already showing signs of age.    Tomato sauce on the crust, followed by shredded mozzarella, the pepper/onion mix, thin slices of steak, finished with a touch of Colby Jack cheese and some fresh basil from the garden.  Best pizza at home ever!!

This morning, we're doing a quick breakfast so we can spend the rest of the weekend at the cottage.  I had saved some pepper/onion mix for eggs today, and Brian surprised me with yet more steak.  So steak-and-cheese omelettes.  Accomplishment:  awesome food prepared at home, and ingredients used up.  Mission complete!  :)

Father's Day Feast

It's a tradition to spend Father's Day down at my parent's cottage in Connecticut.  We usually have a big cookout, gifts and summer activities.  This year's put every previous year's to shame:  we had ribs! 

Mmmm.....ribs.  Mom got the Lloyd's ribs that come pre-basted with barbecue sauce, all you have to do is wrap them in foil and cook them on low.  Ribs from scratch are quite a production, they take like three hours on the grill.  You also have to be careful with what you use for seasoning, too much spice will render them inedible.  So this was the perfect, easy meal for our growing family.  Rounded out by potato packets, salad, coleslaw and fresh corn on the cob.  Dessert was blueberry or apple pie, and cupcakes for the kids.  (And my brother, a kid at heart.) 

Happy Father's Day to my dad, my husband, and the dad-to-be, my brother! 

Weekend Eats

Lots of cooking ambitions this weekend.  The biscotti came out fantastic, and there was Southwestern Refrigerator Pie for dinner tonight:

This is Alton Brown's recipe for Refrigerator Pie, which I've written about before.  (And, in my humble opinion, kind of a silly name for the dish.  But I digress.)  This one has chicken shortcuts with "southwestern flavor" that I had kickin' in the freezer, some diced onions and three kinds of peppers, a blend of Colby Jack and Cheddar cheeses and a bit of cilantro.  It came out awesome!  With no sides (usually we have salad) two slices apiece was enough for dinner, and there's some leftovers in the fridge.  Hmmm....that might be good for breakfast.  No different than an omelet, really.  :)

I also made a batch of chili for dinner one night this week.  Chili is one of those things that if given a day or so in the fridge it tastes even better.  (also on the list:  lasagna and shepherd's pie)  The little taste that I got while putting it away tells me that the chili is pretty spicy.  Good, just how I like it!

Also, mark March 12th on the calendar:  it's the day Grilling Season 2011 opened in our house!

Grilled steak tips (naked, with no marinade, just steak sauce) baked potatoes and broccoli, all cooked outside.  It doesn't get any better than that.