Sicilian Butter

WARNING: If you are not a garlic lover, run away now.  This recipe IS NOT for you.  However, if you are, you are home.  Keep reading, cause you will love this, baby.

Sicilian Butter

8 cloves garlic (about 1/2 a head), or to taste, minced

1 1/4 c. high quality, extra-virgin olive oil

2-3 pinches salt

1/2 c. finely grated Parmesan

2 pinches red chili flakes (optional)

2 tsp. chopped, fresh, basil

Whisk all ingredients together, except basil.  Let the mixture sit on the counter for a few hours in a covered container to allow the flavors to meld.  

Right before serving, add the chopped basil.  

Serve the Sicilian Butter in a shallow dish with Crusty bread.

Note: When I am making this for my family, I typically cut it in half.

Source: Cooking Ventures

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

Marlboro Man's Favorite Sandwich

Hello!  I am sure I have been sorely missed, it has been too long since I last updated this blog with a new recipe.  Funny, since I now have a huge backlog that I want to get up!  I will be posting several new ones today.  The thing is, I live in ND.  In ND we just DO NOT get enough really nice and hot weather, so I feel like I need to enjoy all the hot weather activities while I can, like taking the kids to the pool and NOT shivering the entire time.  This weekend we went tubing which was so much fun!  I couldn't believe it that my 7 year old loved it as much as he did!  

If you need a meaty, hearty sandwich, give this a try.  I just love these puppies.  Last time I made them though, I went a bit heavy on the hot sauce (which I love) and as a result my 2 younger kids wouldn't eat them.  Heavy means that I probably put in a good 2 Tbsp;)  Also, be advised that I cut the butter in this recipe in half.  If you want to go with the PW original, just double the butter each time you put it in.  I find it is delicious with just a stick, and my arteries thank me.

Marlboro Man's Favorite Sandwich

1 whole large (or 2 small) onions

1 stick butter

2-3 lbs. cube steak (tenderized round steak that's been extra tenderized)

Seasoned Salt

1/2 c. Worcestershire sauce

Tabasco Sauce, to taste

4 whole French/deli rolls (like Earthgrains)

Slice the onions & cook in 1 Tbsp. butter until soft and light brown.  Remove and set aside. 

Slice cube steak against the grain.  Season with seasoned salt.  

Heat 1 Tbsp. butter over high heat (in same skillet) until melted and beginning to brown.  Add meat in single layer.  Cook one side until brown, then flip and cook until brown, about a minute on both sides.  

Add 1/2 c. (at least) Worcestershire sauce, 5-6 shakes Tabasco, and 1 Tbsp. butter.  Add cooked onions.  Stir to combine.

Butter halved French rolls and brown in skillet or under broiler in oven.

To assemble, lay bottom half of French roll on plate.  Place meat mixture, followed by a spoonful of juice from the pan.  Top with the other half of roll, cut in half, and devour!

Source: Thank you PW for another winner!

Menu Plan Monday

Monday: Ground Round Chicken Tortilla Soup & Salad

Tuesday: Mini Mac Sliders & Firehouse Potatoes

Wednesday: Italian Zucchini Bake

Thursday: OOT

Friday: OOT

Saturday: OOT

Sunday: Cathy's Sherried Tomato Soup & Tomato & Basil Grilled Cheese

***Probably some additional snacks and things to take with out of town for my monthly menu.