Pretzel Buns with Grilled Dogs & Spicy Cheese Sauce

Sometimes, I think we all crave something salty and delicious.  These pretzel dogs fit the bill perfectly when that craving hits.  I can't claim that they are super fast, but they aren't really that complicated either.  The main things is that the require planning ahead so you have enough time to make the pretzel buns {which are delicious}.  The original recipe called for beef hot dogs but I went the Polish Sausage route.  We are just not big hot dog people around here.  I say, use whatever your family prefers.

I would like to add, the cheese sauce for this is delicious.  Several of us enjoyed dipping our french fries in it as well. 

As you can see in my picture, my buns were a bit big...even for my sausages.  The original recipe made 8 pretzel buns.  I modified it below to 12 because I think that would leave them a better size for the dogs or sausages.  

Pretzel Buns with Grilled Dogs & Spicy Cheese Sauce

Spicy Cheese Sauce:

12 ounces pasteurized cheese food, such as Velveeta, chopped

2 tablespoons milk

1 tablespoon diced pickled cherry peppers in jar

1 tablespoon diced pickled jalapenos

1 tablespoon pickled jalapeno juice

12 natural casing all-beef franks {I used Polish Sausages}

Sandwich Build:

12 Pretzel Hot Dog Buns, recipe below

1/4 cup pickled jalapenos, chopped for garnish, optional

Directions

For the cheese sauce: Add the cheese cubes, milk, pickled cherry and jalapeno peppers and jalapeno juice to a small saucepot and cook over low heat until melted and combined, 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally {I put this in a small dip sized crockpot while I was making the buns which worked great for me}.

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For the franks: Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Grill the franks on the grill pan, making sure to turn and char on all sides. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes.

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For the sandwich build: Split the Pretzel Hot Dog Buns in half, nestle the grilled franks in their pretzel blankets, pour over some spicy cheese sauce and top with some pickled jalapenos if you like. Enjoy!

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Pretzel Hot Dog Buns:

1 cup milk

1/4 cup light brown sugar

2 tablespoons honey

1 packet active dry yeast

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 small cloves garlic, grated

3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

1 cup bread flour

1/2 cup baking soda

Pretzel salt or coarse ground sea salt, for sprinkling

In a small saucepan, heat the milk, 1/2 cup water, sugar and honey to 105 to 110 degrees F. Add to the bowl of a stand mixer. Sprinkle the yeast over the water mixture and wait for at least 10 to 15 minutes until the yeast blooms.

In a separate saucepan over medium heat, add the butter and garlic and cook until the butter is melted and the garlic is fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes.

Combine the all-purpose flour and bread flour in a mixing bowl.

Add the flour mixture to the bowl with the blooming yeast, and then add in the melted butter and garlic mixture. Mix on medium speed until the dough has come together and is smooth and elastic in texture and pulling away from the sides of the bowl, 5 to 7 minutes.

Line 2 baking sheets with silicone mats.Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured cutting board and form into a ball. Cut into 6 equal pieces, and then cut those in half to form 12 equal pieces. Using your hands, roll each piece into a ball and place onto a prepared baking sheet. Cover with a dish cloth and let them rest in a warm place for 12 to 15 minutes.

Once rested, lightly dust your work surface again and roll the balls into 7-inch logs. Place onto the other prepared baking sheet, cover, place back in the warm spot and let rest for an additional 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Place one oven rack high and one low. Line 2 more baking sheets with silicone mats or parchment paper.

In a large pot, bring 8 cups water to a boil, and then add the baking soda. In batches, place the dough in the water and cook for 30 seconds on each side.

Using a slotted spatula, remove the logs and place onto the prepared baking sheets. Sprinkle the logs with pretzel salt as they come out of the water, to ensure the salt sticks. Then cut 3 diagonal slits on top of the bread, not too deep.

Bake for 10 to 13 minutes, rotating between the top and bottom racks of the oven halfway through the cooking.

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Source:  Jeff Murano, Food Network

Spicy Beef Gyros with Tzatziki Sauce

I know this is not a "traditional" Gyro recipe but it is delicious and I will be making it again.  The spicy beef pairs SO deliciously with the tzatziki sauce.  Wrapped in the pita and covered with the tzatziki sauce, the beef became mellow enough for my 2 boys to enjoy it.  My daughter is much more sensitive to spicy foods and she choose to eat her Gyro sans meat.

Spicy Beef Gyros with Tzatziki Sauce

~~~~~~~~~Spicy Beef Kabobs~~~~~~~~~

2 tablespoons beef bouillon granules

2 tablespoons water

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt 

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 1/2 pounds beef sirloin, cut into 1/2

-inch cubes

10 wooden skewers, soaked in water

for 1 hour

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1. Dissolve bouillon in water. Stir in the garlic, cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper. Toss the meat in the marinade, cover, and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

2. Preheat a grill for high heat.

3. Skewer the beef cubes, using 6 to 8 pieces per skewer. Pour the oil onto a plate, and roll the skewers in it to coat them on all sides.

4. Grill the skewers, turning frequently, until the beef has turned light pink, 12 to 15 minutes. 

~~~~~~~~Greek Tzatziki Sauce~~~~~~~~

1 (32 ounce) container plain Greek yogurt

1/2 English cucumber with peel, grated

1 clove garlic, pressed

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh mint

1/2 tablespoon salt

1/2 tablespoon fresh ground black pepper

1. Stir together yogurt, grated cucumber, garlic, lemon juice, and olive oil in a bowl. Add lemon zest, dill, mint, salt, and pepper; whisk until smooth. Pour into a serving dish, cover tightly, and refrigerate 8 hours before serving.

Warm Pitas and top with Beef, Romaine Lettuce, Tomatoes, Red Onions, and Drizzle with Tzatziki Sauce.  Enjoy!!

Source: Adapted from allrecipes 

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Grilled Salmon

Finding delicious recipes that my entire family enjoys always makes me happy.  Especially when they are healthy!  This salmon recipe is all of the above and also EASY!  It is a great recipe to throw together and begin marinating whenever you have a minute.  It will be in the fridge ready to throw on the grill whenever your busy family is ready for dinner!  If you are like us it is not always easy to find time for the family to eat together between baseball games and other activities that we are always running our kids to!

Grilled Salmon

1 1/2 pounds salmon fillets

lemon pepper to taste

garlic powder to taste

salt to taste 

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup water

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1. Season salmon fillets with lemon pepper, garlic powder, and salt.

2. In a small bowl, stir together soy sauce, brown sugar, water, and vegetable oil until sugar is dissolved. Place fish in a large resealable plastic bag with the soy sauce mixture, seal, and turn to coat. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

3. Preheat grill for medium heat.

4. Lightly oil grill grate. Place salmon on the preheated grill, and discard marinade. Cook salmon for 6 to 8 minutes per side, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork.

Source:  Allrecipes

Rosemary Ranch Chicken Kabobs

I have a few new recipes that I would really like to get up here tonight!  This chicken marinade really hits the spot every single time.  It is a recipe I find myself making time and time again so I knew it was time to share it on my blog!  Give it a try!

Rosemary Ranch Chicken Kabobs

                                  

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup ranch dressing

3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon lemon juice 

1 teaspoon white vinegar

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, or to

taste

1 tablespoon white sugar, or to taste

(optional)

5 skinless, boneless chicken breast

halves - cut into 1 inch cubes

In a medium bowl, stir together the olive oil, ranch dressing, Worcestershire sauce, rosemary, salt, lemon juice, white vinegar, pepper, and sugar. Let stand for 5 minutes. Place chicken in the bowl, and stir to coat with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.  I like to let this marinate overnight to really let the chicken soak up the fantastic flavors of the marinade.

Preheat the grill for medium-high heat. Thread chicken onto skewers and discard marinade.

Lightly oil the grill grate. Grill skewers for 8 to 12 minutes, or until the chicken is no longer pink in the center, and the juices run clear.

Sweet & Spicy Bacon Chicken

I have a thing for foods with a hint of sweetness.  I also have a weekness for spicy foods.  And bacon.  So you can bet that this one was a winner in my book.  All my kids liked it too.  My daughter has decided that she does not like bacon {what planet is this child from???} so she peeled hers off.  Thankfully, there were many kind individuals offering to eat it for her so it did not go to waste;)

As you can see below, the original recipe calls for this to be baked in the oven.  The advantage of that method is that you have some delicious flavorful juices to drizzle over the meat and mashed potatoes {if you choose to make them as a side}.  It was over 100 degrees the day I made this so there was NO FREAKING WAY that I was turning on the oven.  They were fabulous on the grill to, AND as I like to tell myself, MUCH healthier;)  

If you want to make this chicken teeming with deliciousness, here is all you will need!

Sweet and Spicy Bacon Chicken

4 chicken breasts cut in thirds (12 pieces)

Bacon slices

salt and pepper to taste

garlic powder

chili powder

brown sugar

Cut each breast into 3 pieces, season all the chicken with the spices, then wrap a bacon slice around each piece, roll in brown sugar and place into an oven proof dish....make sure you have some olive oil in the dish too, like 2 or 3 tablespoons is fine {I skipped this since I grilled them.  I honestly think you could coat your dish with nonstick cooking spray instead to save a few calories}.  

Bake at 400 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and bacon is nice and brown and crispy.  Delicious served with mashed potatoes with some of the gravy from the chicken drizzled on top.

**Also great on the grill!  No juices to drizzle on anything, but still delicious!

Source: Full Bellies, Happy Kids

{Easy & Delicious} Grilled Salmon

Salmon is one of my families favorite types of fish to eat.  I have tried countless recipes {hey, I get bored easily}.  This is one I keep coming back to.  It doesn't sound very impressive judging from the ingredient list, but is better than many of the far "fancier" recipes that I have tried.  Please, give it a try!  It is a perfect recipe for an easy weeknight meal for summer!  

{Easy & Delicious} Grilled Salmon

1 1/2 pounds salmon fillets

lemon pepper to taste

garlic powder to taste

salt to taste

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup water

1/4 cup vegetable oil

Season salmon fillets with lemon pepper, garlic powder, and salt.

In a small bowl, stir together soy sauce, brown sugar, water, and vegetable oil until sugar is dissolved. Place fish in a large resealable plastic bag with the soy sauce mixture, seal, and turn to coat. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Lightly oil grill grate.  Preheat grill for medium heat.

 Place salmon on the preheated grill, and discard marinade. Cook salmon for 6 to 8 minutes per side, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork.

Source:  Allrecipes

Tangy Sirloin Strips

These Sirloin Strips were fantastic way to up the wow factor on "just" sirloin steaks.  So delicious, I didn't even find myself yearning for a Ribeye while eating them.     

Tangy Sirloin Strips

1/4 c. Canola Oil

2 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 tsp. onion powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1 1/2 lb., 1 inch thick boneless sirloin steak

6 bacon strips

Lemon-Pepper seasoning

Glaze:

1/2 c. BBQ sauce

1/2 c. steak sauce

1/2 c. honey

1 Tbsp. molasses

In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the first six ingredients.  Cut the steak into 6 wide strips; add to the marinade.  Seal bag and turn to coat; refrigerate for 2-3 hours or overnight, turning once.

Drain and discard marinade.  Wrap a bacon strip around each steak piece; secure with a toothpick (I didn't, you just need to take care when handling the steak then).  Sprinkle with lemon-pepper.  Coat the grill rack with nonstick cooking spray before starting the grill.  

Grill steak, covered, over medium heat for 10-15 minutes, turning occasionally, until meat reaches desired doneness.  Combine the glaze ingredients, brush over steaks.  Grill until glaze is heated.  Discard toothpicks.  

Note: I heated all of the glaze and served it as extra dipping sauce with the steaks.

Source: Adapted from Taste of Home

Mini-Mac Sliders

Thought I'd get one more post up quickly while I am baking some yummy zucchini bread up.  I hadn't been out to my garden much lately and you would not BELIEVE the number of zucchini that I picked out there last night.  Some of them are HUGE!  Not sure if they are still very good that big?  We shall see because I decided to seed and peel one of the larger ones and try using it in a bread.  I'm thinking maybe the larger ones would be OK for baking?  I'm learning.  I obviously don't know much since I am the person that planted SEVEN zucchini plants.  I'm sure I will have many more zucchini recipes to share soon;P

I made these Mini-Mac Sliders last night and I LOVED them.  Now, I'm not a big fan of McDonald's, but these were so much better.  My kids really enjoyed them too, sliders are always just perfect for small hands to hold and manage.  My oldest skipped the Secret Sauce, but I guess I expected that since he isn't big on any type of sauce aside from ketchup on his burger.

Here is what you will need to recreate the McDonald's Special Sauce:

Special Sauce:

1/2 c. Mayo

2 Tbsp. Creamy French Dressing

3 Tbsp. Sweet Pickle Relish

1 1/2 Tbsp. finely minced onion

1 tsp. white Vinegar

1 tsp. granulated Sugar

1/8 tsp. kosher salt (as you can see, I messed up and used regular)

Combine all ingredients and refrigerate until ready to use!

Here is what you will need to complete the burgers:

Mini-Mac Sliders

1 1/2 lb. Ground Chuck

2-3 Green Onions, sliced thin, then roughly chopped

1 Tbsp. Olive Oil

1 tsp. black pepper

1 tsp. kosher salt

Iceberg lettuce cut into super-thin strips (about 1 c.)

Pickle Slices

6 Colby Jack cheese slices

12 Slider Buns (I couldn't find them so I used dinner rolls which worked perfectly)

Combine the ground check with the green onions, olive oil, black pepper, and kosher salt.  Mix by hand until just combined and, then form 12 mini burgers- make an indentation in the center of each burger to prevent them from becoming much thicker in the middle than in the rest of the burger.  Little tip from Bobby Flay;) 

Place on a preheated grill pan (I used my regular outdoor grill) over medium high heat.  Cook 3-5 minutes per side or until cooked through.  Flip and repeat.  

Toast buns if desired (I do, I just can't live without toasted buns).  Top bottom bun with a slider, cheese, pickle, lettuce, sauce, and then top bun.  

Enjoy!

Source: Simply Scratch

Grilled Chicken with Lemon Basil Pasta

Don't you just love it when you try something very much outside of your "box" (or your whole families perhaps) and everyone ends up loving it?  That is EXACTLY what happened with this recipe.  I was kind of expecting everyone to turn their noses up at this lemony pasta, but everyone from my husband to my 4 year old absolutely loved it!  OK, maybe not my 11 year old, he didn't even try it.  Want to know what he was doing during dinner that night?

Yes, he was completely passed out.  He had a "sleep" over the night before and was a little tired.  He never even got to try the lemony pasta.  This made a huge amount and it was gone in a flash.  I didn't even get any leftovers, I think my husband and 4 year old ate them all;P

Grilled Chicken with Lemon Basil Pasta

4 whole grilled chicken breasts, sliced (I only used 3 which was plenty)- Great marinated in mixture of olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon, honey, & salt for 6-24 hrs.

1 lb.  Penne pasta cooked until al dente

4 Tbsp. butter

3 whole lemons, juiced

3/4 c. heavy cream

1/4 c. half and half

1 1/2 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

20 whole basil leaves, chopped

Cook pasta, reserving 1 c. of hot pasta water when you drain.  Set pasta aside in a colander.  

In the same pot, melt the butter over medium heat.  Squeeze in the juice of 3-4 lemons.  Whisk together.  Pour in cream and half and half.  Whisk until hot.  Pour in cheese and whisk until melted.  Add salt and pepper.  Check consistency, adding some of the hot pasta water to loosen the sauce if needed.  Add about 1/2 of the basil and mix in.  

Pour pasta and sauce into a large serving bowl.  Sprinkle remaining basil all over top, the add the sliced chicken breasts.  Serve immediately! 

Source: PW

Firecracker Shrimp

Have you even made or eaten Firecracker Shrimp?  I'm sure that many of you have because it is a very popular recipe and there are so many different versions out there.  I have tried a few different versions, and this is my personal favorite.

Firecracker Shrimp

1 lb. (16-20 ct.) shrimp, peeled and deveined

2 Tbsp. hot chili sauce (Sriracha recommended)

2 Tbsp. Olive Oil

1/4 tsp. salt

2 tsp. sugar

4-5 cloves garlic, pressed

Combine all sauce ingredients in a large Ziploc bag.  Add shrimp and marinate at least 20 minutes or up to 2 hours.  Skewer shrimp and grill until opaque and brown with black bits.  

Great 4th of July recipe idea! 

Source: PW

Grilled Chicken Sandwich with Apricot Sauce

I am on a roll today, so I am going to try to post a few more recipes from my big backlog.

This is yet another recipe from The Pioneer Woman.  She has certainly been providing me with tons of kitchen inspiration lately.  Try not to be shocked, but this recipe contains NO BUTTER.  Now, that is a rarity for a PW recipe.  If you go easy on the olive oil, it really is a pretty healthy sandwich.  I really adored this sandwich, in fact, I think I really need to make it again, SOON.  The sauce was different, and I am really glad I tried it because it was unexpectedly delicious.  I will say, my kids did not care for it.  Next time, I think I will just let them put their own toppings on their sandwich, which probably will not include the red onions or the sauce.

Grilled Chicken Sandwich with Apricot Sauce

2 whole boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded to even out thickness (I marinated my chicken in Italian Salad Dressing)

Sliced Sourdough or other crusty sliced bread

Apricot Preserves

Mayonnaise

Dijon Mustard

Cayenne Pepper (optional)

Baby Spinach

Red Onion (thinly sliced)

Olive Oil

Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper (I skipped this and marinated them for about 4 hours in Italian Dressing).  Drizzle with olive oil (again, I skipped because the Italian dressing contains oil) and grill until they are cooked all the way through.  Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until needed.

Combine equal parts apricot preserves, Dijon mustard, and mayonnaise.  Add cayenne to taste, refrigerate until needed.  

To assemble, spread apricot sauce on two slices of bread.  Top with chicken, red onion, and baby spinach.  

Serve cold or drizzle with olive oil and grill on a panini grill until browned (I don't own a panini grill so I use my George Foreman grill which works perfectly).

Delicious with kettle cooked potato chips.

Note: The original recipe uses an entire chicken breast for each sandwich.  I found this to be too much.  Once I pounded them out a bit, 1/2 breast was perfect for each sandwich.

Potato Bundles

These potato bundles are the perfect side dish for grilled meats.  This is, obviously, the picture taken right before they were wrapped up in the foil and baked (they would also be perfect for throwing on the grill).  Unfortunately, I didn't get an after-photo taken.  My oldest son LOVED these.  I don't often get compliments from him, so that makes these a definite keeper.

Potato Bundles

6 whole Russet potatoes (I was out of Russets, so I had to use red)

1/2 whole yellow onion, diced

1 stick butter

1/2 c. heavy cream

Kosher salt to taste

Paprika to taste

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

2 Tbsp. minced parsley 

8 squares tinfoil 

Pile potatoes and onions on a squares of foil.  Add 1 Tbsp. butter.  Splash on cream.  Then, sprinkle on salt, paprika, and black pepper.  Sprinkle minced parsley over the top.  

Wrap bundles tightly and bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes or until extremely tender.

Serve bundles right on the dinner plate.

Source: PW

Hawaiian Kabobs

Last month while at my mother-in-laws, she made these delicious Hawaiian kabobs for us.  This is a recipe, originally from my husbands aunt, & I used to make them quite frequently, that I had kind of forgotten.  It is so, so good.  I made these for dinner last night after a long day spent mostly out in the garden.  I was so hungry, that I completely forgot to snap a picture after I cooked them!  So, here they are right before they went on the grill:-)    

Hawaiian Kabobs

4 whole large skinless, boneless chicken breasts

1 lb. mushrooms (I only use 1/2 lb. since I have several in my family that prefer theirs without)

1/3 c. soy sauce

1/3 c. cider vinegar

3 Tbsp. honey

3 Tbsp. Canola Oil

3 small green onions, minced

1 whole fresh pineapple, top, bottom, and outer layer cut off and cut into chunks (you will probably have some extra)- canned also works

1 lb. bacon, cut into 1/3's

Cut each chicken breast into chunks.  Clean mushrooms and cut in half if very large.  In a large bowl, mix mushrooms, chicken pieces, soy sauce, vinegar, honey, oil, and onions.  Let marinate for 1-4 hours  

Prepare grill.  Wrap each bacon piece around a piece of chicken.  If you have extra or if you like, it is also good wrapped around the mushrooms.  

On long skewers, thread bacon-wrapped chicken pieces, mushrooms, and pineapple pieces, being sure to leave space between each so bacon will cook completely.  Reserve soy sauce mixture for basting.  

Place skewers on grill over medium heat.  Cook about 15-20 minutes until chicken is fork-tender and bacon is crisp, brushing chicken kabobs frequently with soy sauce mixture and turning skewers occasionally.