Memorial Day Grilling - Margarita Chicken (minus the tequila)

Nothing says Memorial Day like a hot grill, lots of food, with family and friends to share it with.  This Memorial day, try something a bit different. Margarita Chicken is a great crowd pleaser, full of flavor, not to spicy, and pairs well with corn on the cob, brown rice salad and fresh fruit.  Sure to be a hit at your next get together!

Margarita Chicken (minus the tequila)
Serves 4

Juice of 4 limes
1 tsp lime zest
juice of one lemon
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp cilantro
1 tbsp corn oil
1 small jalapeno
1 clove garlic
1/2 tsp dried tarragon
1/2 tsp salt
fresh ground black pepper to taste

4 chicken breasts (can be bone in, or boneless, skinless)

Place all ingredients, except chicken in a food processor or blender.  Blend until combined.

Place the chicken in a gallon size zip top bag and  pour the marinade over the top.  Arrange so all are covered with marinade.  Refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight, turning at least once during marinating time.

Grill chicken until no longer pink in the middle, basting with marinade as it cooks. If you wan to bake it,  bake at 450 for 15-18 minutes in a covered dish, uncover it for the last 2-3 minutes of cooking.

With either method of cooking, let it rest for 5-10 minutes. Then slice and serve.

Grilled Veggie Quesadillas

The Hubs has been working a lot of overtime and long hours lately.  I try not to complain, but those days/weeks can get really hard on both the girls and myself.  I can pinpoint when the girls need "daddy time" or haven't seen much of him in a week or two.  It seems on those days when he is working a lot, we have simpler meals.  Something that pleases everyone, is filling, and easy to put together/clean up. 

Mexican style foods are always a hit at our house.  Great flavors, simple ingredients...  An easy option for our family is a quesadilla.  The girls can choose what they'd like on theirs, I can make my own a bit more gourmet, and everyone is happy.

Grilled Veggie Quesadilla

Serves 4

8 8-10 inch tortillas

1 cup shredded cheese (we like sharp cheddar)

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 onion diced

1/2 red bell pepper diced

2 potatoes, baked, cooled and diced (great way to use up leftovers)

1 small zucchini sliced thin

1 Anaheim pepper, roasted, peeled and diced

In a medium skillet, heat olive oil over med-high heat.  Add onion, red bell pepper, and potatoes, season with salt and pepper.  Saute til the onion has become soft and translucent and the potatoes are heated through and becoming crispy.

Heat your grill or broiler, and grill the Anaheim pepper until the skin has become black and bubbled up.  Place it in a bowl, and cover with plastic wrap.  Let it steam for about 7 minutes and the skin will slide right off.  Then dice it up.  Also grill your zucchini slices, just until they have a little color.

To assemble your quesadillas, place one tortilla on the grill, top with a little cheese, the potato mixture, Anaheim pepper, and zucchini, then a bit more cheese.  Top with another tortilla.  Heat until the cheese has melted and the tortilla is browned, flip it over and brown the other side. (You can also do this part in a skillet, or broiler.)

Repeat.

Serve with avocado, salsa, and sour cream or plain Greek yogurt.

Grilled Turkey

I grew up in rural Utah, very rural. The nearest shopping mall was over an hours drive away.  Our neighbors were all farmers, some raised turkeys, some sheep, others cattle, but it seemed that everyone was a farmer.  Although I didn't grow up on a farm, I frequented my friends farms and learned a lot about hard work and to be perfectly honest, it made me glad that my parents were not farmers too.  I have a lot of respect for those people who choose to farm, long hours, and a very thankless job.  But where would we all be without them. 

I mentioned that some of my neighbors raised turkeys.  That truly is an understatement.  Scattered throughout the county were turkey farms, and in the center (sort-of) was a turkey processing plant that employed many residents as well.  We ate a lot of turkey growing up, not just at Thanksgiving, but all year long.  We roasted it, grilled it, turned it into jerky.  This recipe is, besides a deliciously roasted turkey, my favorite way to prepare turkey.  Marinated and grilled to perfection. 

Grilled Sanpete Turkey
Start with 6 lbs of turkey breast sliced into 1 inch thick slices.  Place in a large bowl and set aside. 
For the marinade:
3 cups Sprite (cannot be diet)
1 1/2 cups canola oil
1 1/2 cups soy sauce
Whisk the sprite, oil and soy sauce together in a medium bowl. Pour over the turkey, cover and marinate in the refrigerator overnight. 

When you are ready to grill it, heat up your grill to about 350-400 degrees.  Grill each piece until it is no longer pink in the center.  Discard the marinade and enjoy.

It is amazing what these minimal ingredients can do to make this moist flavorful turkey.  The leftovers make delicious sandwiches, salads and wraps too!

Comfort Food Makeover - Meatloaf Burgers

Classic comfort food is just that, comfort food. Whether your favorite is creamy mac and cheese, mashed potatoes and gravy, or good old fashioned meatloaf, sometimes you just need to eat one of those childhood favorites that has become a source of comfort. I am not condoning emotional eating at all, but I will say that comfort food (in moderation) helps when you've had a really horrible day, or getting over an illness.  It takes you back to when life had no worries and all you had to think about was who you were going to call to play that day.  Oh, if life were only that easy still.

The Hubs LOVES meatloaf, my girls both love it too.  With spring upon us we just cannot stop grilling, so we took one of our favorites and grilled it.  Two thumbs up from everyone!  I was skeptical that our youngest would eat it, because she seems to find fault in just about everything these days, but she ate the entire thing.  The burger stayed moist, juicy, and was full of flavor.   The glaze that we brushed onto the burger just before it was done, caramelized and gave it a wonderfully sweetness.  Delicious!  I whipped up another batch of the toasted onion buns, and thought that it was a great combo.

Meatloaf Burgers
makes 6 servings

For the burgers:
1 1/2  lb ground beef
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 tbsp ketchup
1 large egg
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

For the glaze:
1/4 cup ketchup
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp packed brown sugar

Preheat the grill, or broiler.  In a large bowl, mix the ground beef, onion, ketchup, egg, panko, salt and pepper (works well to dive in and just use your hands.)  Don't overwork the mixture, or you'll have tough burgers.  Divide the mixture into 6 pieces and form them into patties.

In a small bowl, combine the ketchup, Dijon mustard, and brown sugar to make the glaze.  Set it aside.

Grill the burgers until they are just about done, then using a silicone basting brush, brush the glaze generously over each burger.  Continue to cook until they are done to your liking.

Place on buns, top with cheese, lettuce, tomato, and onion slices.  Finish off with your favorite condiments and enjoy!  I'd love to hear what you think when you give these a try...