The Grill

Mike got a grill as a graduation present/home warming present from my parents. He won't let me touch it yet (don't worry I will one day) but I have prepared some really good meals for it. The latest and instant family favorite is Chicken Fajitas.

I got this recipe out of The Weber Gas Grill Cookbook which came with the grill.

Chicken Fajitas
For Marinade:

1/4 cup olive oil

3 Tbsp fresh lime juice (juice from 1 lime)

2 Tbsp red wine vinegar

2 Tbsp finely chopped onion

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp dried oregano leaves

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/8 tsp ground cumin

6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

1 red onion, cut into 1/2" slices

4 plum tomatoes, cut into 1/2" slices

1 red or yellow bell pepper, stem and seeds removed and cut into quarters

6 large flour tortillas

1 avocado, slice

Salsa

To make the marinade:

In a shallow, non-metal container combine the marinade ingredients. Add chicken to the marinade, turning to coat each side. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours, turning occasionally.

Remove chicken breast from the marinade and discard the marinade. Grill the chicken breast and vegetables over direct medium heat until the meat is no longer pink and vegetables are tender.

Review: This was by far the best Fajitas I have ever prepared at home. I didn't make all the veggies listed about just regular onion and peppers. Mike said that it tasted just like what you get at a restaurant. He was telling everyone about them and how HE wants to make them for everyone. Can't wait to make this recipe again!!

Michelle's July Recipe - Tilapia with Garlic Butter

I really am not a fish eating person...don't get me wrong I love shellfish just not regular fish. I eat sushi but really only tuna stuff. I was adventurous this week and decided to buy frozen Tilapia fillets at the supermarket. Partly because of this month's theme and partly because it was cheap.

Recipe: Tilapia with Garlic Butter.

2 tablespoons butter
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
dash pepper
dash salt
pinch dried dillweed or parsley
dash paprika
4 tilapia fillets

PREPARATION:
In saucepan, combine butter, garlic, pepper, salt, dillweed, and paprika. Heat over low heat until butter is melted and starts simmering. Remove from heat. Brush a little of the butter mixture in the bottom of a shallow baking dish (line baking dish with foil, if desired) then place tilapia fillets on the buttered area. Brush top of each tilapia fillet with the seasoned butter mixture. Bake at 350° for 12 to 15 minutes, until tilapia flakes easily with a fork.

Review: It wasn't that bad and I actually ate 2 fillets but next time I think I would at least double the butter part to get more taste on the fish. It smelled really good when I melted everything together. I would make it again.

Camping

Ok, so I am very excited, because I think I am actually all caught up on my recipes. Of course, I think this is by chance, as I am combining my Ethnic month with my Fish/Seafood month for the Hoisin Salmon. I just made it again this weekend for my parents and my mom really liked it. She was like, "Oh! This is good!" I think the name or maybe the ingredients may shy people away from it, but it really is tasty.

Anyhow, the title of this post is Camping. So, as you may know, I recently went camping and really enjoyed it! I know it's corny, but there is something about getting back to nature and just enjoying waking up to the noises surrounding you. Plus, it is one of the cheapest vacations/trips you can go on and it's even better with company!

So, we have already made reservations for our next trip, which will be in Cape Cod (across from the Brewster Sea Camps - yay!) and I have started to look into what can I pack up for this trip, since we'll be gone for 3 nights. I received an email from my grandmother about Camping recipes and meal plans from Allrecipes! http://allrecipes.com/HowTo/Camping/Detail.aspx?ARBMID=1127&ARFMTID=1
They also created a summer recipe book... http://images.allrecipes.com/site/bestbrand/area/hyundai/summerpicnics_07.pdf

What's camping without the food?! So, I think I'm going to try making a few of the recipes that I found (and will have to let you know later on how they turned out!).

Red Skinned Potato Salad: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Red-Skinned-Potato-Salad/Detail.aspx
Summer Tomato Salad: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Summer-Tomato-Salad/Detail.aspx
Grilled Yellow Squash: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Grilled-Yellow-Squash/Detail.aspx
Campfire Foil Packs: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Campfire-Foil-Packs/Detail.aspx?ARBMID=1127&ARFMTID=1
Campfire Banana Splits: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Campfire-Banana-Splits/Detail.aspx

Not a Pretty Brownie but a very YUMMY one!

I made the brownie ice cream sandwich dessert for company on Saturday. Really isn't a recipe for it but more like directions on how to put it to put it together...which I didn't follow very well. I miss read the "recipe" and thought the Milky Ways were going to be put into the vanilla ice cream (they are actually suppose to be put into the brownie batter). So I decided instead of doing that I would just buy a flavored ice cream instead...I bought Caramel Delight. Everything was going well until I had to put the ice cream on the bottom brownie. The ice cream I got had a ripple of caramel in it which caused problems....it wouldn't soften so I ended up melting the ice cream more then I should have. I thought I got it on the brownie and hardened enough (I put it in the freeze for about 30 minutes) to put the top brownie on with no problems. I went to bed and woke up to a brownie ice cream avalanche cake. Ice cream much have flowed out of the sides due to the weight of the top brownie. It didn't look anything like the picture on the recipe but I figured it shouldn't matter...all that matters is how it taste. I didn't take a picture of the full cake but here is a picture of what is left over after my guest left...

Review: I would make this again because it is super easy but I have to get better at softening the ice cream. It tasted just like I wanted it too...nice brownie taste with yummy ice cream in the middle. Next time I think I would make one brownie box in a small cake pan (I used a 9" pan) and cut it in half. I would also not use an ice cream with a caramel ripple but mix candy in the softened ice cream. These mistakes was the user and not the recipe...as I like to say User Error.

Engagement Brownie Time

About 7 years ago when Mike proposed to me...he made me brownies and wrote in frosting will you marry me. I told him that he was now obligated every year at the end of July to make me brownies. Well that happened maybe the first 3 years of marriage and now nothing....

So I am taking matters into my own hands and bringing back to life the brownie tradition. I think every year I will experiment with a new brownie recipe. I really want to make something more the just a plain brownie this year. Any ideas? Right now I found a million recipes on Very Best Baking's website...so many to choose from.

Update: I think I found that recipe I want to make...Brownie Ice Cream Sandwich The parents are coming over Saturday for a little BBQ and I wanted to make something with ice cream because it is summer but I really wanted to make my brownies....perfect combination if you ask me!

Karen and I went to a farmers market on saturday and I bought a nice zucchini. I made some very yummy zucchini bread with it. I used my moms reciept and it came out awsome. I dont have the ingredients with me...but if anyone is interested I'll post them tomorrow.

Baked Whole Cauliflower

So cauliflower was on sale this week so I bought one. I usually just cut it up and steam it. But I decided I wanted to do something else. So I look for a recipe. I found Baked Whole Cauliflower. It was really good. Here's the recipe

1 head of cauliflower
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup margarine or butter, melted
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 pinch of red pepper flakes
1 pinch of dried oregano

1. Clean cauliflower and trim off leaves and any brown spots. Place whole head of cauliflower into a steamer basket, place the basket in a large pot, and one inch of water. Cover, and bring to a bowl over medium heat. Cook for about 20 minutes or until tender.

2. Preheat the oven to 375. In a medium bowl, mix together the bread crumbs, cheese, melted butter, season with garlic powder, salt, red pepper flakes, and oregano. Mix well. Place the head of cauliflower into a baking dish, and coat with the breadcrumb mixture.

3. Bake for about 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown

My review of this recipe is that it was really tasty and the presentation of the whole head was nice, but next time i think after steaming it, I might just cut it up and than sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture on top of it. I would definitely make this again.

My Review...

My review of the coleslaw from July 4th...

Overall I have to say it was super easy to make and the taste was good. I feel like this is a healthy recipe because it wasn't overwhelmed with the dressing. Also using the fat-free mayo helps keep the calories down. I would definitely make this again for any BBQ in the future.

June Salad - Creamy Coleslaw

OK so I sort of feel like this was way to easy to count as my June salad but IT WAS SUPER EASY....doing it my way. Instead of the Martha Stewart way which is a good back up plan.

Creamy Coleslaw - From Everyday Food

1/2 cup light mayonnaise
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1/2 head green cabbage (1 1/2 pounds), cut lengthwise into thirds and thinly sliced crosswise
2 medium carrots, sliced with a julienne peeler or a vegetable peeler
2 medium scallions, minced

In a medium bowl, combine mayonnaise, vinegar, and sugar; season with salt and pepper. Add cabbage, carrots, and scallions; mix to combine. Let stand at least 15 minutes at room temperature to soften cabbage, or cover and refrigerate up to 1 day.

I can't review the taste of this recipe yet because I made it for tomorrow. I can tell you that it took no time at all doing it my way which is buying the already made coleslaw mix instead of chopping up everything yourself. The only thing it doesn't have is the scallions but that is OK because I wasn't too sure about them any way.

New Product

There is a new product out there from the company Ziploc and I am thinking about trying it out. It is a Ziploc Zip n' Steam which allows you to steam food in the microwave. Since I will be trying to eat healthier this seems like a good step. If anyone has seen them or has tried it out let me know how it went.