On the Grill | Garlic Chicken with Balsamic & Herb Mushrooms

So, I've been bad. Time has totally escaped me this week - and now it's May! Seriously? At least the pool opens soon. Counting down the days...

I'm truly sorry for my absence and I promise I will make it up to you with many, many delicious recipes to come. In fact, today is another two-fer: grilled Garlic Chicken with Balsamic and Herb Mushrooms. It's even tastier than it sounds. The boyfriend called it "killer."

I can't stand them. I'm a texture person, and they just don't do it for me. The boyfriend, however, loves mushrooms. So for him, I put them in everything humanly possibly. Mushrooms are just one of those foods - sitting high on that shelf with the mayo, pickles, hot sauce, snack food, and other boyfriend-required bites.

And as for the chicken... well, we eat a lot of chicken. Chicken and fish, with the occasional red meat thrown in (later this week - Grilled Cracked Pepper Sirloin), are our go-tos. It's inexpensive and there's the whole red vs. white meat deal: white meat is leaner and better for you (check out this article on CNN about the health hazards associated with red meat).

However, the great thing about this marinade is you can use it on anything, and it's inspired by dinners with my family.

Since I was young, my parents have made their own salad dressings. From simple olive oil and vinegar combinations, to ginger soy and beyond. This basic Italian dressing has stuck with me - so quick and easy, and so versatile. It's a marinade and a salad dressing. Win-win!

Plus, it's fantastic on shish kabobs.

In fact, you could use the sauce on the mushrooms as a salad dressing, as well. Same basic concept. Feel free to tweak the herbs, and taste often - it's all about what you like.

Of course, if it weren't for Pinterest, the mushrooms never would have happened. But they did. Oh, they did. Thanks to inspiration from Italian Food Forever's recipe found here, they happened, and they will happen again, and often.


Herbed Garlic Chicken
Yield | 4 servings

Prep Time | 5 minutes, with 1 hour to chill
Cook Time | 25 minutes
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Ingredients:

1/2 cup EVOO
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons oregano
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1/4 tsp sugar
Salt and pepper

1-1 1/2 lbs chicken breasts

So pretty!

Mix olive oil, vinegar, garlic, spices and sugar well in a small dish. Pour dressing over chicken, reserving a small amount for basting. Refrigerate for at least one hour.

Make sure your grill is hot. Cook chicken for 5-6 minutes on the first side, and flip. Baste chicken with reserved marinade.

Grill second side and grill for another 5-6 minutes, until cooked through.

Balsamic & Herb Mushrooms
Yield | 2-3 servings

Prep Time | 5 minutes
Cook Time | 25 minutes
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Ingredients:

1 lb fresh mushrooms, cut into pieces (I used crimini)

1/4 cup EVOO

2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon rosemary

1 teaspoon thyme

1 teaspoon sage

Salt and pepper

Cut up your mushrooms and set aside. 

Combine olive oil, vinegar, herbs, garlic, salt, and pepper in a small dish. Mix well and pour over mushrooms. Coat with marinade.

Wrap with aluminum foil and grill so the mushrooms are not directly over the heat, on the grill rack. Grill for 20-25 minutes, until mushrooms are soft.

The boyfriend wanted his on top of his chicken, but they could be a side dish. Either way - yum! 

This Week... look forward to Dark Chocolate Coconut Cookies (with a dark chocolate filling, ohhhh my!), Pasta Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing, Grilled Cracked Pepper Sirloin, Stuffed Manicotti, and more!

Making up some lost time and trying tons of new recipes... going to be a tasty week, that's for sure.

Fresh Veggies | Roasted Artichokes

I love restaurant-style spinach and artichoke dip. Really, though, who doesn't? Aside from the wonderful appetizer served by so many restaurant chains, and occasionally using artichoke hearts in a recipe, my experience with these prickly vegetables has been minimal.

When I saw them on sale at the store though - well, I am an opportunist shopper, after all. Good side dish, I thought.

So, I roasted them. Knowing nothing about artichokes (other than the canned variety), I let Google educate me a little before I started, of course! I came across this assortment of fresh artichoke recipes. As always, I made it my own, but I have to give it to Ms. Stephanie Lyness - delish! Thanks for introducing me to a new side of artichokes :)

Oh, as a note: the original recipe called for 8 baby artichokes, but I had full-sized ones and they came out fantastic, so my version below uses those.

Roasted Artichokes
Yield | 4 servings

Prep Time | 5 minutes
Cook Time | 50 minutes
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Ingredients:

2 artichokes

5 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoon oregano

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/8 teaspoon sugar
1/2 onion, sliced

1/2 cup water

Salt and pepper, to taste

Cut the artichokes in half, length-wise.

Remove the choke and sprinkle with salt and pepper. For those of you who don't know what the choke is - I didn't - it's the fuzzy part in the center, toward the stem. Just take a paring knife and slice along the base of the fuzzy part. Then, take a spoon and dig it out, like a grapefruit slice. Piece of cake... once you figure out the choke. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in a large pan.

Combine the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil with 1 clove of minced garlic, the oregano, the crushed red pepper, sugar, and red wine vinegar. Whisk until mixed through. Brush over artichokes.

A picture is worth 1000 words. This one might be worth 1000 tastes.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place artichokes face-down in pan with olive oil and cook with onions and remaining garlic until artichokes have browned, about 8 minutes. Rotate periodically. Add water to pan.

Cover and bake, face-down, for 20 minutes. Uncover and roast for 10 additional minutes.

So simple. So delicious. Definitely better than all the calories in the dip.

Although, I will say, next time, I want to top them with crumbled bacon and balsamic vinegar. Ooooo... ideas...

Cookie Monday | Red Velvet Cheesecake Cookies

I know, I know.

Cookie Monday on a Tuesday... shame, shame.

I know. I know... I promise, I'll work on it. But if the guys in the shop don't complain... well... these cookies are worth the wait. I swear.

These are Red Velvet Cheesecake cookies. When I first saw this recipe, from Two Peas and Their Pod, I thought, "no way."

No, really, no way. Cheesecake-filled cookies? Wow. My two favorite desserts... in one... imagine the applications, the implications. This is like my cookie kryptonite. My cookitonite. Seriously. These might be a problem.

Anyways, make these giant, delicious orbs of red velvety goodness. I promise you will enjoy every cheesecakey, wonderful bite. And before you scoff at the filling part, it's not as hard as you think. Really, just mix, freeze, and squish into giant yummy cookie balls. Super easy and so delicious you'll want to eat every single giant tasty cookie.

Red Velvet Cheesecake Cookies
Slightly adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod's original recipe, here.
Yield | 10 giant cookies

Prep Time | 10 minutes
Cook Time | 11-13 minutes
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Ingredients:

Cookie Dough

1 package red velvet cake mix (I know, totally cheating, but I promise... no one will be able to tell! I used Duncan Hines, so good)

2 tablespoons flour

2 large eggs

1/2 cup canola oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cheesecake Filling

4 oz cream cheese, softened

2 cups powdered sugar

1 tablespoon sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For white chocolate icing, see my White Chocolate Ganache recipe.

Mix all ingredients for dough together. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.

While dough is chilling, prepare your cheesecake filling. Mix all filling ingredients together. Scoop into tablespoon-sized balls and place on wax paper. Chill for at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Take roughly 1/4 cup cookie dough and wrap it around 1 scoop of cheesecake filling. Make sure it completely covers the filling so nothing leaks out. Place 3 cookies on a baking sheet (trust me, the original poster is correct, they really do expand) and bake for 11-13 minutes.

Let cool and frost with your icing. Eat. Enjoy. SO. GOOD.

Be honest. Really, could you resist?

Kitchen Classics | Chicken Cord en Bleu

I have something to admit to you. All of you.

I don't like ham.

I don't really care for Swiss cheese, either.

However, even I'm a sucker for homemade chicken cord en bleu. It started as a way to get rid of extra Christmas ham. And now, we're stuck with it. It is a boyfriend-approved and oft-requested recipe.

So, chicken cord en bleu it is. He's been asking for it for a little while now, but we've only had frozen bag chicken. Anytime I have to beat the crud out of a chicken breast, I prefer the fresh, meat section kind - the frozen ones just don't... smoosh... quite as nicely as the butcher section cuts.

It's easy, quick, and completely tasty. I hope your family loves them as much as we did!

Chicken Cord en Bleu
Yield | 3-4 servings

Prep Time | 5-7 minutes
Bake Time | 20 minutes
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Ingredients:

1 lb chicken breasts

8-10 slices of ham (depending on how many chicken breasts)

5-6 slices of Swiss cheese (same as above)

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup cracker crumbs (or panko, breadcrumbs, etc)

2 tablespoons cornstarch

Cooking spray

Three flattened chicken breasts

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Pound chicken breasts out to 1/4 inch thickness. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Top with 1-1 1/2 slices Swiss cheese and 2 slices of ham. Roll together tightly. Repeat with each chicken breast.

In a separate bowl, combine cornstarch and crumbs. Lightly spray each chicken roll with cooking spray and  coat with the crumbs, covering each side.

Yup, some of those crumbs are definitely multi-grain Cheerios. I substituted. You know what, they were delicious.

Bake for 20 minutes or until cooked through.

Uhmm, yum. For real. So good. Love it.

On the Grill | Hawaiian Shoyu Chicken & Grilled Pineapple

One of my favorite things about North Carolina summers is that they being in February. Yes, the bugs are terrible and no one really likes 105 degree days unless they're at the beach, so it does have its downfalls.

Nothing beats nearly year-round grilling, though.

Hawaiian Shoyu Chicken is probably one of my absolute favorite summertime eats. The sweet taste of grilled pineapple, the salty soy sauce, the spice of the cayenne... fantastic dish, inspired by the Shoyu Chicken recipe here.

Hawaiian Shoyu Chicken & Grilled Pineapple
Yield | 4 servings

Prep Time | 5 minutes
Cook Time | 30 minutes
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Ingredients:

1 lb chicken thighs (or legs, breasts, your choice! Skin-on is fantastic for this, as well.)

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup water

1/3 cup pineapple juice

3 cloves garlic

1/2 onion (I used a sweet Vidalia onion, so good!)

1/2 tablespoon oregano

2 teaspoons ginger

1 teaspoon ground pepper

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

6-8 pineapple rings

Whisk all marinade ingredients in a bowl until mixed through. The spices are completely adjustable - this marinade has a good heat to it, but if you're not a fan of spice, feel free to cut back the cayenne and crushed red peppers.

Reserve 2/3 cup marinade for later use. Pour remaining marinade over chicken and add 2-3 rings of pineapple, reserving at least 1 per serving for the grill. Let your chicken soak in the flavors in the refrigerator for at least one hour (longer, if possible).

I LOVE grilled pineapple.

Preheat your grill to medium heat. Remove chicken from marinade (discard the leftover marinade and pineapple rings) and place on the grill until cooked through, basting often with the reserved marinade. Add pineapple rings a few minutes before chicken is cooked through, brushing lightly with marinade.

Once chicken is nice and dark on both sides, top with pineapple and serve.

I've made this recipe at least once every 2-3 weeks since I discovered it, and I'm not really a recipe-repeater, except in rare cases, like my mom's banana bread and my dad's chili. This is definitely a repeater. Boyfriend-approved.

Next time: Red Velvet Cheesecake Cookies... Decadent and creamy cheesecake-filled cookies, a Cookie Monday feature! I've been busy this weekend, that's for sure!

Gameday Grub | Deviled Egg Challenge

The Bruins are fighting to stay in the playoffs today - if they win today, they go to game 7. If they don't, well, I'll have a very sad boyfriend until football season distracts him. Or the Red Sox go to the World Series.

My Blackhawks aren't in any better of a position. They squeaked out a victory in OT, but have to win the next game to stay in until game 7... it's an anxious hockey season, that's for sure.

We need something tasty. Something different. All right, Allrecipes. Let's see what you've got to offer me.

I've mentioned eggs are a staple in our household. Well, deviled eggs are among our egg faves. The same ol' mayo, mustard, sweet relish combo gets old after awhile, though. So, the Deviled Egg Challenge flag was thrown.

Three recipes. Three contenders. C'mon, Allrecipes, give us something good. The recipes below are three of the highest rated on the site. Let's see what we've got here...

Deviled Egg Challenger #1: Spicy Horseradish Deviled Eggs. Horseradish, mustard, and sweet relish gives these a sweet and spicy flavor. Thanks, Sara on Allrecipes, for this one!
Deviled Egg Challenger #2: Balsamic & Bacon Deviled Eggs, Stephanie V's Bacon-Balsamic Deviled Eggs. Sweet and tangy Balsamic vinegar with savory bacon - great combination!
Deviled Egg, Challenger #3: Bacon Cheddar Deviled Eggs inspired by UserEmily3260. Bacon and cheddar is always a fantastic duo. Can't go wrong there!

Let the battle begin!

*Each of these start with hard boiled eggs. If you need tips, try this guide by Simply Recipes. Great resource!

Spicy Horseradish Deviled Eggs
Adapted from Sara's Special Deviled Eggs recipe, posted on Allrecipes.com.
Yield | 12 servings
Prep Time | 5 minutes, plus 15 to chill

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Ingredients:

6 hard boiled eggs
1/4 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons onion, finely chopped (I used a sweet Vidalia, my favorite!)
3 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
Salt and pepper, to taste
Paprika, for garnish

Slice eggs in half, length-wise. Scoop out yolks. Mix yolks and all ingredients, except paprika, until creamy. Scoop into egg halves. Garnish with paprika and refrigerate for 15 minutes until chilled through.


Balsamic & Bacon Deviled Eggs
Courtesy of Stephanie V's Bacon-Balsamic Deviled Eggs recipe on Allrecipes.com.
Yield | 12 servings
Prep Time | 5 minutes, plus 15 to chill

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Ingredients:

6 hard boiled eggs
3 slices bacon, crumbled
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons red onion, minced
1 teaspoon white sugar
1/4 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1/8 teaspoon celery salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
Fresh parsley, for garnish

Slice eggs in half, length-wise. Scoop out yolks. Mix yolks and all ingredients, except parsley, until creamy.  Scoop into egg halves. Garnish with parsley and refrigerate for 15 minutes until chilled.

We didn't have any fresh parsley on hand, and it's raining, so I didn't feel like going out, so mine aren't very pretty. That's okay, though, still tasty!

Bacon-Cheddar Deviled Eggs
Inspired by UserEmily3260's Bacon Cheddar Deviled Eggs, from Allrecipes.com.
Yield | 12 servings
Prep Time | 5 minutes, plus 15 to chill

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Ingredients:

6 hard boiled eggs

1/4 cup mayonnaise

3 slices bacon

2 tablespoons cheddar cheese, shredded

1 tablespoon mustard

1 1/2 teaspoon sweet relish

Cayenne pepper, to garnish

Slice eggs in half, length-wise. Scoop out yolks and mix with remaining ingredients, except cayenne pepper, until creamy.  Scoop into egg halves. Garnish with cayenne pepper and refrigerate for 15 minutes until chilled through.

I clearly need a piping tool.

And the winner is...

Bacon-Cheddar Deviled Eggs. Once again, not real surprised. You just can't beat the bacon and cheddar combination! "It's killer," to quote the boyfriend. Just killer.

He did, however, enjoy all of them. The Bacon-Cheddar just took the cake.

Either way, they're all delicious and inexpensive. Great appetizers for any occasion. And 100s more varieties, I'm sure!

Man Meal | The Grilled Chriswich

You have the boyfriend to thank for this little, tasty bonus gem.

For breakfast today, he decides he wants a sandwich - with bacon, fried eggs, ham, and cheese. 

Okay, honey. Sure thing. And so, the Grilled Chriswich was born, and named for its creator: the boyfriend (Chris). 

Here you go! Worth every caloric bite (and it is just chock full of them, of course), and protein-filled. I could only make this worse for you if I deep-fried it. A manwich at its best.

The Grilled Chriswich
Yield | 2 sandwiches

Prep Time | 5 minutes
Cook Time | 5-6 minutes
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Ingredients:

4 slices bread, thick-cut
6 slices deli ham
4 eggs
4 slices bacon
3 slices cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
2 tablespoons butter
Honey mustard, to taste

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Butter the outsides of each slice of bread. On the bottom slice, place 1/2 slice of cheddar cheese, 3 slices of ham topped with honey mustard, the 2 fried eggs, 2 slices of bacon (broken in half), and a full slice of cheese. On the inside of the top slices, apply a thin layer of mayonnaise and add to the top of the sandwich. Grill each side on the skillet, pressing down with your spatula so everything sticks together nicely.

Ooey, gooey and bacony. He loved it, of course.

Enjoy - I think my boyfriend may be cheating on me with this sandwich.