I hope you all had nice Memorial Day weekends. It was really hot here in central Ohio, which unfortunately kept us inside for most of the day. My little boys play hard, and after just half an hour in the sun their faces were beet-red. Joe’s aunt’s pool isn’t quite swim-ready yet, which was a shame, because yesterday would have been the perfect day to spend in the water. As it was, after a feast of hamburgers and fresh fruit and homemade ice cream and peanut butter pie, we retreated inside to watch movies and nap. It was a lovely day, all in all.
I didn’t cook dinner last night because we were all stuffed from our afternoon cookout, so I’m posting the week’s meal plan today. Most of these meals are quick ones that won’t heat up the kitchen too much – which is just the kind of cooking I like to do when the weather starts to warm up.
Tuesday: Black bean tortilla pie, Mexican sour cream rice. This meal is carrying over from last weekend – I can’t remember why I didn’t make it.
Wednesday: Rosemary ranch chicken, foil packet potatoes. I’m going to try adding ranch dressing mix to my usual version of these potatoes (thanks, Jessie, for the idea!).
Thursday: Bacon and egg quesadillas, leftover Mexican sour cream rice
Friday: Chicken tender melts and fries
Saturday: Spicy bacon spaghetti
Sunday: Pizza ring. I didn’t get the chance to make this when it was on our meal plan a couple of weeks ago, and I really can’t wait to try it – I think the boys (especially Andrew) are going to love it.
Sorry I was quiet this week, but I’m back today with a recipe that you really must make for your Memorial Day cookout this weekend. If you’re anything like me, your favorite way to prepare chicken on the grill is to marinate it in Italian dressing. That’s how my mom made grilled chicken, and that’s how I’ve always done it. It’s simple and delicious and I was convinced that there couldn’t be anything better.
That is, until I saw this recipe. I first saw it on Ann’s blog, where she shared the recipe under the post title The Most Delicious Chicken in the Whole Wide World. How could I not try it after that?
This is honestly the best grilled chicken I’ve ever had. My whole family was blown away by the flavors. It’s succulent and amazing and it really may be the most delicious chicken in the whole wide world. You should totally try it this weekend and see for yourself. :)
Rosemary Ranch Chicken
ever-so-slightly adapted from Allrecipes
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup ranch dressing
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, or to taste
1 tablespoon white sugar, or to taste (optional)
Skinless, boneless chicken breast halves or tenders (I used tenders because that’s what I had)
1. In a medium bowl, stir together the olive oil, ranch dressing, Worcestershire sauce, rosemary, salt, lemon juice, white vinegar, pepper, and sugar. Let stand for 5 minutes. Place chicken in the bowl, and stir to coat with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (I marinated it overnight).
2. Preheat the grill to medium-high heat. Lightly oil the grill grate. Grill chicken until no longer pink in the center, and the juices run clear.
Last week really got away from me. Typically I have my meal plans for any given week ready to go by Wednesday of the previous week, but I didn't finish this week's meal plan until Saturday night. That meant that I utilized my cookbooks and magazines more than I normally do -- and that's something I'd like to do more often, for sure.
Monday: Sloppy cubanos, sweet potato fries. I'm working on trimming down my magazine collection, and I found this recipe in an old issue of Every Day with Rachael Ray. We tried Rachael's recipe for Philly cheesesteak sloppy joes last week, and loved them, and it made me eager to try more of her sloppy joe variations (in addition to these, which I already know we love).
Tuesday: Tortellini primavera
Wednesday: Pork and vegetable stir fry with cashew rice.
The boys have been obsessed with cashews lately, and they always love rice and anything Asian, so I think this recipe will go over well in our house.
Thursday: Egg tostada frittata. It must be Rachael Ray week around here! I knew I'd be making this the second I saw it on an episode of 30 Minute Meals.
Friday: Bacon- and cheese-stuffed grilled BBQ chicken (an idea I got from Carrie), buttered noodles
Saturday: Black bean tortilla pie, Mexican sour cream rice
Sunday: Lasagna buns. Lasagna in sandwich form? Sign me up!
Who doesn’t love a Monte Cristo? Deli meats and cheese sandwiched between thick bread, dipped and fried like French toast, sprinkled with powdered sugar, and served with a side of sweet jam – my mouth waters just thinking about it.
I’ve only made these sandwiches a few times at home, but they’re always one of my favorite things to order for brunch or lunch at restaurants. When I have made them, I’ve always made a classic version with ham, turkey, Swiss cheese, and raspberry jam on the side. I had a few ideas about how I could play with this sandwich to make it a little different and special, though, which I decided to try when I made them recently.
Basically, rather than serving the raspberry jam on the side, I put it right on the sandwich. I also mixed it with a little bit of honey mustard, and it became a spread that was equal parts sweet and tangy, and entirely delicious. I also added bacon to the sandwiches, because I can think of very few food items that aren’t made better by the addition of bacon. My minor little changes resulted in a kicked-up version of this classic sandwich that my whole family really loved.
I’m listing only the ingredients, not the amounts, because they’ll vary according to how many sandwiches you’re making. I used a couple of slices each of turkey and ham, two strips of bacon, and one slice of cheese for each sandwich.
Monte Cristos
Sliced deli ham
Sliced turkey breast
Sliced Swiss cheese
Cooked Bacon
Thick-sliced white or sourdough bread
Eggs, whisked well with a splash of milk and a pinch of salt and pepper
Raspberry jam
Honey mustard
Powdered sugar
1. Preheat a griddle to medium-high; coat the surface with butter or cooking spray.
2. To assemble sandwiches, top a slice of bread with ham, turkey, cheese, bacon, and the other slice of bread.
3. Dip the assembled sandwiches, one at a time, in the egg/milk mixture, then immediately transfer to the griddle. Cook until each side is golden brown.
4. Mix together raspberry jam and honey mustard (using more jam than mustard in your mixture) and spread a small amount on each sandwich. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired.
It’s pretty ironic that I’m sharing this refreshing summery smoothie with you today, since the weather set records this week for being the coldest on record for May in Ohio. We’ve been dealing with temperatures in the 40s all week, and I’m craving sunshine and warm weather like you wouldn’t believe.
I actually made these smoothies back in the beginning of April, when our part of the state was experiencing record high temperatures (Ohio weather is so weird and frustrating sometimes). They were such a refreshing treat for us after an afternoon spent outside playing and doing yard work. They taste exactly like dreamsicles – sweet, tangy, creamy and cool. I’ll be making these smoothies for us a lot!
Orange Dreamsicle Smoothies
adapted from Taste of Home
1 cup milk
1 11-ounce can mandarin oranges, undrained
1 6-ounce container orange yogurt
Ice cubes
Sweetened whipped cream
In a blender, combine the milk, oranges, and yogurt until well-blended. Add ice cubes until you reach desired slushiness (we like ours pretty frosty). Pour into glasses and top each glass with a dollop of whipped cream.
