Saturday, April 28, 2012

Rosemary Ranch Chicken Kabobs


I borrowed this picture from The Sisters Cafe because mine didn't turn out. :(  I love this recipe!  We have cooked this chicken both on the grill in kabobs (pictured) and cut into strips and broiled in the oven - both have come out delicious!  And a big plus - you can marinate the chicken for as little as half an hour!

Rosemary Ranch Chicken Kabobs

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into pieces (or strips if cooking in the oven)
1/4 cup ranch dressing
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tb Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp dry rosemary
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp white vinegar
fresh ground pepper to taste

Stir together marinade ingredients.  Place chicken in bowl and pour marinade over – make sure all the chicken pieces are coated.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat grill to med-high heat.  Thread chicken on metal skewers and discard marinade.  Lightly oil grill grates.  Grill kabobs for 8-12 minutes or until no longer pink in center and juices run clear.

Poppyseed Dressing


I don't know what was going on with my camera (or with the person behind the camera) but my pictures all came out awful.  Oh well.  I wanted to make sure I included this recipe - good picture or bad - because the dressing is really good! 

Salad:

Spinach
Strawberries, sliced
Avocado, diced

**This dressing would work with a lot of salads, especially any fruit variety.

Dressing:

1/3 cup white sugar (my strawberries were really sweet so I used less sugar...maybe 1/4 cup)
1/2 cup white vinegar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground dry mustard
1 tsp. grated onion
1 cup vegetable oil (I think I may have cut this down to 3/4 cup...but now I can't remember!)
1 Tbsp. poppyseeds

In a blender or food processor, combine sugar, vinegar, salt, mustard and onion and process for 20 seconds. With blender or food processor on high, gradually add oil in a slow, steady stream. Stir in poppy seeds.

Italian Pasta Salad


It's just about salad season and this is a super easy one!  I often have a lot of spinach on hand so I'm always looking for new ways to use it... rather than in smoothies and regular green salads (the two most common ways I use it.) 

Italian Pasta Salad

8 oz. bowtie pasta
Several handfuls of spinach
1 small head of broccoli, cut into small pieces
1-2 tomatoes, diced
3 string cheeses, cut into pieces OR part of a block of Mozzarella cheese, cut into cubes

Dressing:
I used a packet of Good Seasons Italian Dressing mix and made it according to package directions but you could use any Italian dressing.

Cook noodles and add broccoli pieces to pot for last 1-2 minutes of cooking time.  Drain and rinse in cold water.  Put in bowl along with spinach, tomatoes and cheese.  Coat liberally with dressing and toss.  Serve!

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Raspberry Lemon Muffins


Have I mentioned before that I love muffins?  So do my kids (and sometimes my husband.)  I'm excited to add this recipe to the mix.  It's always good to have choices when it comes to muffins...depending on what fruit, etc. I have on hand.  BTW, the crunchy topping on these is delicious!

Raspberry Lemon Muffins

1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup buttermilk (or you can substitute milk)
1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries
1 tsp grated lemon peel

Topping:

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp grated lemon peel
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 Tbs butter, softened

Glaze:

1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 Tbs fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine first five ingredients in a medium bowl.  Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the egg, melted butter, and buttermilk.  Stir just until all ingredients are combined.  Gently stir in the raspberries and 1 tsp lemon peel.  Fill 12 paper-lined or greased muffin cups 3/4 full.  Set aside.  Combine first four "topping" ingredients.  Cut in butter with pastry blender or use your fingers until crumbly.  Sprinkle mixture over muffins.  Bake 20-25 minutes or until lightly golden brown.  Cool for 20 minutes and glaze with mixture of powdered sugar and lemon juice.


Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Perfect Lemon Cupcakes


This recipe is for all the lemon lovers out there!  I won't tell you how many of these I ate today but it didn't help keep the pregnancy weight gain down! 

Perfect Lemon Cupcakes

Cake:
1 package lemon cake mix
1 cup sour cream
3/4 cup water
3/4 cup oil
4 eggs
1 small package lemon instant pudding
1/4 cup flour (This extra flour is not necessary if you are making a cake, but if you are making cupcakes they will fall in the middle if you leave this out.)


Frosting:
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, soft
6-8 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

For the cake, mix dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients. Mix with electric mixer on medium speed for about two minutes. Place cupcake liners in cupcake tin and fill half full. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.  If making a cake, bake 9×13 or two 9 in rounds 25-30 minutes. Don’t over-bake or the cake will be too dry.

For the frosting, place the butter in a large mixing bowl. Add 4 cups of powdered sugar, then the juice and the zest. Beat until smooth and creamy. Gradually add the remaining powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, until icing is thick enough to be of good spreading consistency.  (May not need all 8 cups.) Use and then store at room temperature. (Don’t refrigerate and it will last in a covered container for about three days.)

Friday, April 13, 2012

Strawberry Bread


I love sweet breads and usually make the banana or zucchini variety but I was excited to come across a recipe that called for strawberries.  Since they are coming into season we have been eating A LOT of them around here.

Strawberry Bread

3 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
4 eggs
1 1/4 cup canola oil
2 cups fresh strawberries, cut small

Mix flour, soda, cinnamon and salt in bowl. Add eggs, sugar, oil. Mix until moist, carefully add strawberries. Batter will be thick. Spoon into greased and floured loaf pans. Bake at 350 for 1 hour and 10 minutes. Cool in pans 10 minutes then remove.

Note:  I substituted 1 cup of wheat flour for one cup of the regular white flour.  I also substituted coconut sugar in place of the white sugar and I didn't use a full 2 cups because my strawberries were already pretty sweet.  I also used liquified coconut oil in place of the canola oil but I think the consistency of the bread would have come out slightly better had I stuck with the canola oil.