Garlic-Herb Butter (Compound Butter)

Garlic-Herb Butter, sometimes called Compound Butter, is something you should *always* have in your fridge or freezer.  It's the best way to add quick flavor to almost anything.  

Some things we use it for are:

Topping our medium-rare steak

Cooking our steak in a cast iron skillet

Melting it into some sautéed veggies (zucchini!)

Add it to any and all seafood

Spread it on freshly baked bread

Use it as a spread for garlic bread

2 sticks grass fed butter (I use a brick of Kerrygold)

4 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tsp. fresh minced Rosemary

1 tsp. fresh minced Thyme

2 tablespoons fresh minced Parsley

In a medium sized bowl cream the butter with a fork until smooth.

Add the crushed garlic and herbs and mix well.

Tear off two 12" sheets of wax paper.

Divide the butter mixture in two equal halves.

Place one half on each sheet of wax paper and begin shaping it into a log, as best you can.

Roll the ends of the wax paper like a tootsie roll until tight, continuing to shape it into a log as you go.

Refrigerate for 2 hours prior to use.

Use it on anything you think it sounds good on!  It will keep in the fridge for 2 weeks or in the freezer for 6 months.

Parmesan Chicken with Bacon Cream Sauce

We LOVE this chicken recipe and my kids devour it.  I mean...it's bacon and cream sauce so everybody wins.

For the chicken:

1lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 Tablespoons mayo

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

For the Sauce:

3 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled (reserve the fat)

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

1 Tablespoon cream cheese

1/4 cup shredded parmesan

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Rinse and dry the chicken and place them in a 9x13 baking dish.

Mix together the mayo and parmesan cheese and spread the mixture on top of each chicken breast.  Bake uncovered 40-50 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and juices run clear.

When the chicken has about 10 minutes left to cook, start the sauce.  Warm the reserved bacon grease in a medium skillet.  Whisk in the heavy cream and heat until it starts to simmer around the edges.  Add the cream cheese and whisk until completely melted.  Add in the parmesan cheese, garlic powder, and salt and pepper.  Whisk constantly until sauce begins to boil and thicken.  Remove from heat.

To serve, place a piece of chicken breast on the plate, spoon a generous amount of sauce over the chicken, then sprinkle with bacon pieces.  

**We LOVE to grill so sometimes I'll grill the chicken breast with our favorite grill rub instead of baking it with the mayo/cheese mixture and it's fantastic!

Zesty Pork Chops

These are incredible!  They're sweet, but the horseradish gives them a nice little hidden kick..Mmm!  I serve this with grilled zucchini and buttered, grilled french bread!

2/3 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup prepared horeseradish

1 tablespoon lemon juice

6 pork tenderloin chops

Heat coals or gas grill to medium-high heat.  In a 1-quart sauce pan, heat the brown sugar, horseradish, and lemon juice to boiling; stirring constantly.  Set some of the sauce aside for dipping.  Brush some of the mixture on each pork chop.

Place the pork chops on the grill, cover, and grill about 15-20 minutes, turning once, until the juices run clear.  As you grill, baste the chops with the remaining sauce.

For the veggies: Cut zucchini in half length wise.  Drizzle with evoo, salt, pepper, and garlic powder,  Place on the grill with the pork chops.  Turn occasionally until tender, yet crisp.

For the french bread:  Butter the bread and add it to the grill, buttered side down for the last 3-5 minutes of grilling.

Vidalia Topped Caesar Burgers

These burgers are our go-to burgers for the week.  They're packed with flavor and really easy!  You can always add your favorite toppings to it.  Seth likes them just how they are but he also adds bacon and sometimes cheese.  Sometimes you're just in the mood for a cheeseburger, ya' know!  So pile on whatever toppings you're in the mood for...but ya' gotta try the onions!  As a side, I also take zucchini and yellow squash, slice them in half long ways, drizzle evoo, salt, pepper, and garlic powder on the tops and grill them right along with the burgers.  So yummy!!

1 lb. ground beef

2 tablespoons dried parsley

1/2 cup Caesar dressing

1/2 tsp. seasoning salt

pepper to taste

1 Vidalia onion, cut into thick slices

1-2 heads of romaine lettuce, shredded

1/4-1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (powdered or freshly shredded)

4 burger buns

Heat coals or gas grill to medium-high heat.  Mix the ground beef, parsley, dressing, seasoning salt, and pepper.  Shape the mixture into 4 equal patties.  I like to take my thumb and make a thumb print in the middle of each one.  That keeps them nice and flat instead of turning into a meatball.

Place the burgers on the grill.  At the same time, place the onions (and any other veggies) along the outer edge of the burgers (just away from the main heat).  Cover and grill 12-15 minutes, turning everything once, until the veggies are tender, yet crisp, and the juice of the beef runs clear.

Toss the shredded romaine lettuce with additional Caesar dressing and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.  Layer romaine salad, burger, and onion on each bun.

Rosemary-Dijon Steaks

I LOVE rosemary.  I don't know exactly what it is that I like about it so much...but I like it.  A lot.  And I like steak, so this is perfect!  Serve with grilled corn on the cob and baked potatoes with sour cream and butter!

1/4 cup Dijon mustard (I use spicy brown.)

1 tsp. dried rosemary leaves, crumbled

1 tsp. pepper

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

4 beef boneless top loin steaks

Heat coals or gas grill to medium-high heat.  Mix the mustard, rosemary, pepper and garlic; spread the mixture on both sides of the steaks.

Place the steaks on the grill, and cook uncovered for 1 minute on each side to seal in the juices.  Cover the grill and cook 8-9 minutes longer for medium doneness, turning once half way through.

Cheddar Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Since we've moved one of my best friends has been my little 'ol charcoal grill.  We didn't use it much at the other house because it wasn't convenient.  Now we have a deck right off of the main living floor and it's super easy to get to!  Over the summer, we've made it a habit to grill 4 or 5 nights a week.  It's been wonderful!  This chicken dish has been a staple.  I prefer a charcoal grill over a gas grill because I think everything tastes better over a bed of coals, but use what you've got.  This chicken is juicy and loaded with flavor!

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

salt and pepper to taste

4 slices of cheddar cheese (I buy the small blocks and just cut half an inch or so for each breast.)

4 tablespoons melted butter

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

salsa

Heat coals or gas grill to medium-high heat.  Using a meat tenderizer, flatten each chicken breast into 1/4 inch thickness between sheets of plastic wrap.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper, to taste.  Combine melted butter and garlic powder, set aside.

Place one slice of cheese in the center of each chicken breast.  Roll the chicken around the cheese, folding in the sides.  Secure with toothpicks.  Place the chicken on the grill, seam side down, and brush with half of the garlic butter.  Cover the grill and cook about 10 minutes.  Flip chicken, brush with remaining garlic butter and grill an additional 5-10 minutes, until the juices of the chicken are no longer pink in the center.  Remove the chicken from the grill and top with salsa.  Serve with rice and beans and a salad.

Honey Soy Baked Chicken Thighs

Hey guys!  Wow...that was quite a hiatus!  So sorry for being gone for so long.  We moved in June and I am JUST NOW getting internet set up.  Long story short, we moved out to the middle of nowhere where no major companies service.  So I literally had to wait for a local guy who owns a local company to build a tower up in the sky that was high enough to reach my house.  It took forever.  Like...over 3 months.  I'm still not 100% power, but it's enough to do some blogging.  Really...slow...blogging.  In about another week and a half (I'm told) I'll have lightning fast, speedy internet.  Keep your fingers crossed for me!
Aaaaanyway...I've had a lot of time on my hands!  (Because what does one do in 2014 without internet?!?!?!)  I have tried a few new recipes (that I got from a book...like, with paper in it...hello?!?!?...those still exist?!?!).  I taught myself how to embroider!  With a needle and thread!!!!  Uh huh...who needs a machine?!?!?  It's crazy the things you'll do to avoid boredom and keep your sanity in the middle of nowhere, in a new, quiet house (because yeah...Pandora wasn't an option!), with no TV (Netflix was out too), and only an infant to keep you company.  And she's a really good infant...so she wasn't even that much work.  ;)  So, because of my boredom, you are going to get a nice handful of great recipes!  Enjoy!

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoons soy sauce

5 tablespoons honey

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

3lbs. chicken thighs (or breast...whatever you have)

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.

Mix the first six ingredients in a large mixing bowl.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Place the chicken in a large baking dish, skin side up, and pour the honey-soy mixture over top; making sure each piece is coated.  Place the dish in the fridge to marinate for at least 1 hour, or overnight is best.

When you're ready, place the chicken into the preheated oven for 25 minutes.  Flip the chicken and bake skin side down for another 10 minutes.  Then flip the chicken once more, back to skin side up, and bake an additional 10 minutes.  The chicken is done when the juices run clear.

*Note:  This is also VERY tasty grilled.  Place the chicken skin side down over hot coals.  Grill for 15 minutes, flip chicken, grill another 15 minutes.  Continue this until the juices run clear.

Grilled Summer Vegetables

I LOVE grilled veggies!  My most favorite veggie in the whole world to have on the grill is zucchini.  That being said, we grill veggies all the time.  My favorite BLEND of veggies to grill is zucchini, yellow squash, onions, and green peppers.  I love that you can add any or omit any veggie in there that tickles your taste buds.  Asparagus, tomatoes, leeks, red, yellow, and orange bell peppers...ANYTHING.  Here is what I do and these amounts feed about 4 people, so adjust accordingly.

2 zucchini, chopped into 1/2 inch slices

2 yellow squash, chopped into 1/2 inch slices

1 large onion, red or white, cut into 1 inch chunks

2 green bell peppers, cut into 1 inch chunks

olive oil

garlic powder

salt

Heat your grill to high heat.

Chop all those glorious veggies and add to a large bowl.  Drizzle enough olive oil over the veggies to give every piece a light coating.  Generously sprinkle on the garlic powder and salt; to your little heart's desire...and toss it all together.  Place a piece of heavy duty foil over top of your grill grate.  (Otherwise you'll be losing everything through spaces in grill.)   Now, depending on the size of your grill, you may have to grill them in batches.  Every veggie should be able to lay flat on the foil.  You don't want them all piled on top of one another or they'll get mooooshy.  Flip the veggies frequently and grill until you get a nice char on them, but they still have a bit of a crunch when you bite into them.

Brown Sugar Grilled Chicken

My family and I recently spent a week at the beach.  While we're there, we like to eat in a few nights of the week and we like to cook light.  I came across this marinade recipe that is AMAZING on the grill.  My favorite sides to have with it are Skinny Cilantro Lime Rice and Grilled Summer Vegetables.  Also, a neat little perk of this recipe, is that it makes a TON of marinade.  So...when I'm done with it, I take extra chicken breasts and portion them into freezer bags that fit my family's needs.  I then pour enough of the remaining marinade over the chicken (just so it covers the chicken)  in the freezer bags and pop 'em in the freezer for later.  It's so easy to pull out a bag of frozen chicken, already in it's own marinade, let it thaw/marinate all day and throw it on the grill when it's time for dinner.  You're welcome.  ;)

1 cup of packed brown sugar

1 cup of oil (I use canola or vegetable)

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup white vinegar.

Stir all ingredients together in a large bowl.  Add as much or as little chicken as your family needs.  Allow to marinate at least 1 hour or over night is best.  Heat grill to medium-high heat and grill until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.