Five-Spice Coconut Chicken

Sometimes I forget how easy and good marinades are. Just mix up a few ingredients, plop the meat in, let it sit, and then grill it up--delicious. This recipe was great because it also combined the ingredients used in the marinade for a yummy dressing for the side dish. I used green beans instead of snap peas (steamed them up for about five minutes) and it turned out delicious. I think my 11-month old ate more of them than I did. I had some coconut milk left over after making the marinade so I threw that in with the rice in my rice cooker to make it extra flavorful. I baked the chicken at 375 for 20 minutes instead of grilling it, it turned out great.

recipe courtesy of Rachael Ray Magazine

Five-Spice Coconut Chicken

1/3 c. plus 1 Tbsp. unsweetened coconut milk

2 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. honey

1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. lime juice

2 Tbsp. soy sauce

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

2 1/2 tsp. Chinese five-spice powder

1 tsp. salt

8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs

1/2 lb. sugar snap peas

Cooked white rice, for serving

1. In a small bowl, whisk together 1 Tbsp. coconut milk, 1 tsp. honey and 1 tsp. lime juice. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, combine the remaining 1/3 c. coconut milk, 2 Tbsp. honey and 1 Tbsp. lime juice with the soy sauce, garlic, five-spice powder and salt. Add the chicken thighs, coating well. Marinate at least 15 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Add the sugar snap peas and cook for 1 minute; drain. Transfer to a medium bowl and toss with the reserved coconut-honey dressing.

4. Preheat a grill or grill pan to medium. Grill the chicken thighs for about 4 minutes on each side, until cooked through. Serve with the sugar snap peas and rice.

Another Apricot Chicken

Melissa's Notes: Chances are you have tried Apricot Chicken where you mix apricot preserves, onion soup mix, and russian dressing and pour it over chicken. I really like this recipe as well, and I serve it with an instant rice mix and vegetable. I love that I almost always have all the ingredients on hand and it cooks up in about 30 minutes.

recipe courtesy of Keeping Up Cookbook

Another Apricot Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or thighs)
1/2 c. apricot jam
1 1/2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. whole-grain mustard (I just use spicy brown mustard)
1 Tbsp. butter
1/4 c. sliced almonds

Pat chicken breasts dry, season with salt and pepper, then place in a greased 9x13 baking dish. Bake for 10 minutes in a 400 degree oven.

Meanwhile, stir together remaining ingredients (except almonds) in a saucepan. Heat until well combined, stirring often. Pour sauce over chicken and continue to bake for 10-15 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Sprinkle chicken with almonds and briefly broil until almonds toast and sauce begins to caramelize. Be sure to pour the sauce over the rice!

Corn Chowder

Melissa's Notes: I've tried a lot of different recipes for Corn Chowder, and most of the time, it just doesn't do it for me. But when I had my second child, Annie, my good friend Jen brought this over for dinner one night and it was delicious! So even if you don't get excited at the thought of Corn Chowder, give this one a try, it might just change your mind. Serve with Cornbread Muffins.

recipe courtesy of Jen

Ingredients

1 stick butter
1/2 c. flour
2 cans chicken broth
2 c. fat-free half and half
1 c. onions, chopped
1 c. celery, chopped
1 c. carrots, chopped
2 c. potatoes, cubed (I used yukon gold)
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 can corn

Melt butter and add flour, quickly stirring. Cook about 1 minute, then slowly add chicken broth and half and half, continually stirring. Add the salt, and all the vegetables, except corn. Simmer for 20-30 minutes, until vegetables are fork tender. Add extra chicken broth or milk if soup is too thick. Add the canned corn, and heat through. This makes enough for 6-8 adult servings.

Pineapple Salsa Chicken Tacos w/ Mango Salsa

Melissa's Notes: I had a bit of help coming up with this recipe from a Trader Joe's cookbook, it's so easy and delicious, my favorite combo! James raved about this, and I made quesadillas with the chicken for my kids, Annie's was gone before I even sat down to the table. I served it with corn on the cob...yum!

Pineapple Salsa Chicken:

chicken tenders
Pineapple salsa from Trader Joe's (or something similar)
flour or corn tortillas
mild cheddar or pepper jack cheese, grated

Heat oven to 375. Put chicken tenders in a baking dish and cover with salsa, you don't even need to defrost them! Cook about 30 minutes, or until cooked through. Warm tortillas. Cut up chicken and put in tortillas. Top with cheese, melt in microwave if needed. Top with mango salsa.

Mango and Avocado Salsa:

1 mango, peeled and cubed
1 avocado, cubed
juice of 1 lime
1 Tbsp. red onion, chopped finely
1 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt

Combine. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Summer Tomato and Basil Soup w/ Grown-up Grilled Cheese

Melissa's Notes: This meal was soooo good. I am not a huge fan of tomato soup (esp. the Campbell's soup kind), but I love the tomato soup at Nordstroms Cafe. My Mom bought this cookbook years ago, and I finally tried this recipe, YUM! I made up the grilled cheese recipe myself (I know, not so hard to do, but you have to start small), and it was so satisfying to eat together. It got rave reviews from hubby and kids, they ate it all up! A winner in my book if my 2 year old is getting some vegetables in her. I halved this recipe and it still made plenty. I love that you don't need fresh basil to make the soup, very convenient. And I am positive that if you left the whipping cream out it would still be super good (for the health conscious).

courtesy of Nordstrom Friends and Family Cookbook
For the soup:
1/3 cup EVOO
5 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 Tbsp. dried basil
3 28-oz. cans whole Italian-style tomatoes in puree
1 14-1/2 oz. can chicken broth
2 cups heavy whipping cream
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp. lightly packed fresh basil leaves, cut into fine ribbons

In a 6-8 quart saucepan over medium heat, warm the oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the carrots, onion, and dried basil and saute, stirring occasionally, until softened, 10 to 12 minutes. Add the tomatoes, including the puree, and the broth and bring just to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes to blend the flavors.

Remove from the heat. Puree the soup in the saucepan using a wand type immersion blender or working in batches, puree the soup in a blender or a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Return the pureed soup to the saucepan, add the cream, and place over medium heat. Warm until heated through. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Ladle the soup into a warmed soup tureen or individual bowls, garnish with the basil, and serve immediately.

Grown-Up Grilled Cheese (my own recipe)

fresh French bread from the store
Havarti cheese
Grated Parmesan Cheese (I just used the Kraft kind)

Assemble the sandwiches by cutting thick slices of bread, and putting about 2 slices cheese on each. Heat a skillet to medium heat. Melt some butter and olive oil together on skillet. Put sandwiches on skillet, and flip right away to make sure the butter/oil mixture soaks in on both sides. Sprinkle the tops with the Parmesan. Get another skillet and squish down the bread, leaving the skillet on top (kind of like Panini). When browned on one side, flip and brown the other side. Smoosh the bread again so it's a nice thin sandwich.

What Should I Make?

Menu:

Chicken with Cashews and Broccoli (recipe follows)
Brown or White Rice
Orange slices and Avocado over butter lettuce, with Asian dressing

Melissa's Notes: This dinner was really good, and really healthy, too. Stir fry takes no time at all, as long as you prep during the day when you get a moment. Sometimes I'll just put all the veggies in a bowl, chopped up, and store it in the refrigerator until it's time for dinner. You could do this with the meat and sauce as well. I love the brown rice in the frozen section at Trader Joe's. You pop it in the microwave for three minutes and it's done, it tastes great! A really good Asian dressing is Brianna's Ginger Mandarin. I halved this recipe and it was enough for James, Annie, and I (Nat was at her cousin's house), plus leftovers for James' lunch.

Chicken with Cashews and Broccoli

recipe courtesy of a Junior League Cookbook

1 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 c. chicken broth
2 Tbsp. soy sauce (add more if it needs more salt)
1/4-1/2 tsp. Tabasco (I left this out)
1/4 c. peanut oil (I used Canola)
3 chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 slices fresh ginger (1/2 tsp. powdered)
3 c. broccoli flowerets
1 medium, sweet red pepper, cut into 1-inch squares (I left this out and instead added yellow squash)
1/2 lb. mushrooms, sliced (I left this out)
1 bunch scallions, slivered
1 clove garlic, minced
1/3 c. dry roasted cashews (I used honey roasted peanuts)

Combine the cornstarch, chicken broth, soy sauce, and Tabasco in a small bowl. (I also added some orange juice from the orange I segmented for the salad)

Ten minutes before serving, heat the oil in a hot skillet or wok. When oil is very hot, add chicken and ginger (I used powdered ginger, and coated the chicken with it before putting it in the skillet). Cook, stirring constantly, until chicken turns white. Remove chicken and discard ginger slices.

Place the broccoli, red pepper, mushrooms, scallions, and minced garlic in the skillet. Cook 3 minutes, stirring constantly.

Combine the chicken and cornstarch mixture with the vegetables and continue stirring until the sauce thickens slightly. Sprinkle with the cashews and serve immediately with steaming hot rice.

What Should I Make?

I make dinner about 5-6 times a week. And I like to mix it up. So, I'm often asking the question: what should I make? I thought I would start posting "What Should I Make?" ideas for myself (and hopefully others). That way I can just refer to these when I'm wondering what to make; there will even be a link on my side-bar titled "What should I make?". So here's a menu for a great dinner, that is minimal effort:

The Menu

Easy Grilled Tri Tip
Twice Baked Potatoes (recipe to follow)
Caesar Salad-use a mix or toss romaine lettuce with parmesan cheese and your favorite dressing, add croutons if desired.

Twice Baked Potatoes
this recipe takes awhile, but it's not very labor intensive, you just need to leave enough time for the potatoes to bake in the oven.

Serves 4

2 medium baking potatoes
oil, for rubbing potatoes
2 Tbsp. light sour cream
2 Tbsp. milk (or buttermilk)
1 Tbsp. butter
salt and pepper, to taste
Cheddar cheese, shredded (for topping potatoes)

Preheat oven to 400. Clean potatoes, rub with oil and prick with a fork multiple times. Bake in oven for about an hour (just stick them on the rack). Cool for 5 minutes or so. Cut in half, scoop out potato and put in a medium bowl. Mix milk, sour cream, and butter in a measuring cup with spout, stick it in the microwave for about 30 seconds to melt the butter. Use a mixer to mash the potatoes, gradually stir in liquid until desired consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste. Put mashed potatoes back into their skins and top with cheddar cheese. Put into a 350 degree oven until heated through and cheese is melted.