Monthly Archives: July 2010

July 7, 2010 · 10:21 pm

Grilled BBQ Sandwich with Spicy Avocado Spread

When I told my husband we were having BBQ chicken sandwiches for dinner he asked me what the twist was…he knows me too well. You will enjoy the avocado “twist” that goes along with this.

Sandwich
Ingredients:
4 boneless skinless chicken breast cutlets
1/4 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce (we used more for dipping)
Cooking spray
4 slices of cheddar cheese
Lettuce and tomato slices for garnish
4 Whole wheat hamburger buns

Instructions:
Spray grill rack with cooking spray.

Preheat the grill.

Brush both sides of chicken with BBQ sauce. Grill for 4-5 minutes on each side or until chicken is done. Place one cheese slice on each chicken breast during the last minute of cooking.

Assemble sandwiches on buns with chicken, lettuce, tomato and spicy avocado spread. You might want to add a little more BBQ sauce to the chicken or even dip the sandwich in the BBQ sauce as you eat it. We did.

Spicy Avocado Spread
Ingredients:
1 ripe peeled avocado, coarsely mashed
1 T jalapeno pepper
1 T minced red onion
1 1/2 T lime juice
1 garlic clove, minced
2 T minced fresh cilantro

Instructions:
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and mix well.

What did the family think? Everyone REALLY liked this. It was so good and it made me miss all of that Kansas City BBQ I am used to eating. The avocado spread made this sandwich extra special. Yummo! P.S. The kids didn’t eat the avocado spread, but they did eat the chicken sandwich with BBQ sauce. Our youngest even decided he REALLY likes BBQ sauce and used it for dipping his sandwich into. Who knew????

from Cooking Light

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Filed under Chicken, Definitely Making it Again, Everybody Ate It, Mexican, Sandwich

July 5, 2010 · 11:27 pm

Chicken Enchiladas with Salsa Verde

If you have never had green sauce with your enchiladas this would be a good place to start. Yum!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
16 oz. bottle salsa verde
2 cups shredded chicken breast
1/3 cup cream cheese, softened
1 cup chicken broth
8 corn tortillas
Cooking spray
2/3 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese (or cheddar)
1/2 tspn. chili powder

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Combine first four ingredients in a small bowl.

Combine chicken and cream cheese in another mixing bowl. Add 1/2 cup of the salsa mixture to the chicken and stir. Reserve remaining salsa mixture.

Bring broth to a simmer in a small/medium skillet. Working with one tortilla at a time, add tortilla to the pan for about five seconds, just until moist. (If you leave it in much longer it will turn to mush. Trust me.) Take out and spoon about 1/4 cup chicken mixture down the center of the tortilla, roll it up and place it seam side down in an 11×17 baking dish coated with cooking spray. Repeat procedure until you have run out of chicken mixture.

Pour most (but NOT all) of the remaining salsa mixture over the enchiladas. Sprinkle with cheese and chili powder. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes.

We had these with black beans.

What did the family think? Hubby and I LOVED these. The kids ate the chicken out of the enchiladas. They were a bit too spicy for them.

from Cooking Light

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Filed under Chicken, Mexican, Spicy

· 11:07 pm

Ranch Potato Salad

This was a hit at our 4th of July dinner…a little twist on the original and easy to make, too.

Ingredients:
7 small boiling potatoes
4 slices of crisp bacon, crumbled
3 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup celery, finely chopped
3/4 cup ranch dressing (more or less depending on how saucy you want it)

Instructions:
Place potatoes in a saucepan with enough water to cover the potatoes. Bring water to a boil and then reduce to a simmer and cook until potatoes are tender, about 15-20 minutes. Drain, let cool and then cut potatoes into bite-sized pieces.

In a large mixing bowl, combine potatoes with the remaining ingredients. Gently toss and place in frig for at least and hour or so.

What did the family think? Hubby and I really liked this with the ranch dressing. Yum! The boys aren’t big ranch dressing fans or potato fans so….

from ABC News

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Filed under Salad, Side Dish, Six Ingredients or Less

· 10:50 pm

Cherry Clafoutis

I picked up some cherries from the farmer’s market this weekend and this seemed like a great way to use them.

Ingredients:
2 cups fresh cherries, pitted
2 T slivered almonds
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 T brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/8 tspn. salt
1 cup milk
3/4 tspn. almond extract
1 1/2 tspns. vanilla extract
Powdered sugar for dusting

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Butter and lightly flour a 10×7 baking dish. Toss in the cherries and slivered almonds.

Whisk the eggs, sugars, salt and flour until smooth. Add the milk and extracts. Whisk again and pour into the baking dish.

Bake for 40-50 minutes or until lightly browned and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Let cool for 15-20 minutes. Dust with powdered sugar and serve.

What did the family think? Our oldest liked the custardy part of the dessert, but passed on the cherries. I liked it, but it is sweet. It may be a little too sweet for my palate.

from Simply Recipes

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Filed under Desserts

July 3, 2010 · 10:35 pm

Spaghetti Pie

This was a hit with the whole family!

Ingredients:
6 oz. spaghetti, cooked
2 T olive oil
2 eggs, well beaten
3/4 c. parmesan cheese
1 c. ricotta cheese
1 c. pasta sauce
1/2 c. mozzarella

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Toss spaghetti with olive oil in a large bowl. Stir in eggs and 1/2 c. parmesan cheese. Pour spaghetti mixture into greased 9-in. pie plate; form into crust.

Spoon ricotta cheese over spaghetti and top with pasta sauce. Bake for 25 minutes.

Top with mozzarella and bake for 5 more minutes or until cheese is melted. Sprinkle with remaining parmesan. Let cool for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

What did the family think? This was a HUGE hit with everyone.

from Sargento

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Filed under Definitely Making it Again, Everybody Ate It, Italian, Lent, Super Easy to Make, Vegetarian

July 2, 2010 · 11:24 pm

Chicken, Hummus and Roasted Red Pepper Wrap

These are super easy and super yummy and a great way to use leftover chicken.

Ingredients:
1 whole wheat tortilla
2 T hummus
1/2 c. shredded chicken
Roasted red peppers
Creamy caesar dressing
Lettuce

Instructions:
Spread hummus on tortilla. Top hummus with chicken, a few roasted red pepper strips, a little caesar dressing and garnish with lettuce.

So easy and great on a hot summer day.

from Cooking Light

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Filed under Chicken, Sandwich, Six Ingredients or Less, Super Easy to Make

July 1, 2010 · 11:01 pm

Ice Cream in a Bag

Try this with the kids this weekend…easy and LOTS of fun!

Ingredients:
1 T sugar
1/2 c. milk
1/4 tspn. vanilla
6 T rock salt
1 pint-sized Ziploc
1 gallon-sized Ziploc
Ice Cubes

Instructions:
Fill the large bag about 1/2 full with ice and then add the rock salt. Seal it up and then shake it a little.

Pour the milk, vanilla and sugar into the smaller bag and seal shut.

Put the smaller bag in the larger bag and seal it back up.

Shake, shake, shake for about five minutes until you have ice cream.

Open large bag, take out small bag and open carefully.

You should have about one scoop of ice cream.

You can add chocolate chips or whatever other goodies you want to add to it once it’s done.

You might want to have a pair of gloves on hand. The more you shake it the colder it gets. This is also a fun family thing to do…everyone can take a turn so that no one’s hands get too cold. 🙂

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Filed under After School Snacks, Desserts