Cami's 40 Cloves & A Chicken

This was another hit at our house. It was easy, convenient and had very few ingredients. Although it takes a while to cook the hands on time is minimal. I also bought my chicken pre-divided. The cost seemed to be the same, so why not? I do have one little tip that you may all know already anyway. When peeling the garlic, lay the blade of a large knife horizontally to press down on the garlic until you hear a pop. That is the peel breaking. This makes it much easier to peel.

I never buy chicken with skin or bones. I was surprised how cheap it is when you buy it as a whole chicken. I probably won't switch my ways but I will make this recipe this way again. I did take the skin off one of the breasts because I don't eat the skin and thought it might be easier before I cooked it. This was a mistake. That piece was much drier than the other ones, so in the future I'll just leave the skin on to cook and then remove.

I really enjoyed taking the garlic and spreading it on french bread. I thought it tasted wonderful as did my husband. He ate this for dinner last night, lunch today and dinner again tonight, so I think he likes it.

I wasn't sure if my 12 inch pan could go in the oven. I want to get new pans sometime in the future so I figured if I ruined the pan that would be a good excuse to get a new one. Unfortunately/fortunately the pan did just fine.

Jen's 40 Cloves and a Chicken

The recipe is found on page 238 in the book. Here is the link to the recipe online, http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/40-cloves-and-a-chicken-recipe/index.html
I did make it as it was stated there only I did not cut up my own chicken, Sorry Alton. I did take the faster route and bought it that way from the store.

He says to use some of cooked garlic to spread on bread but it was a bit much for me. Although the chicken was moist and flavorable.

Out of the 6 of us eating only my nephew was slow to actually pick up his fork. But then again he is 4 ;).

Hope everyone likes this one.

Melanie W.'s Chicken Lettuce Wraps

These were pretty good. I haven't had the PF Chang's lettuce wraps in forever it seems, so now I want those again to remember the taste! (luckily there's 1 in Albuquerque!) Anyway, I was able to find ground chicken so I used that, though I think ground turkey would taste quite similar. I added grated carrots which added nice color and texture. I didn't have the garlic and red chili paste (I did see it at the store but chose not to buy it) but I had some hot chili sauce I added. It was good. I couldn't find any white chinese noodles and they would have been nice to add. I thought about trying the Boston lettuce but I found a small head of iceberg lettuce and it was nice and crisp and a good size. My ground chicken was buy one get one free and I still have some special sauce leftover, so I'll probably be making these again very soon!

Melanie W.'s Chicken Tortilla Soup

I made this a week or two ago and forgot to take a picture of it. Sorry.

We really liked this recipe at our house!! It was super easy and yummy. I try not to cook with condensed cream of ---- soups, but this is a good exception. :)  I don't like bell peppers so I substituted green chilies and it was perfect. I served it with blue corn chips which was nice for color. As we were eating it I realized that green chilies and blue corn chips are both considered typical foods of New Mexico, so I thought it was an appropriate meal since we're moving there in a few weeks!

Melanie W.'s Lemon Pasta

I hadn't made a creamy pasta dish is a long time, so this was a treat! I do love pasta, and this was good. I'm not one who loves lemon things, so I don't think I would make this very often, but it was a nice springtime dish. The lemon garlic chicken was yummy! I only marinated the chicken for a few hours, but I cut smaller pieces so I think it worked ok. I also found I needed to add more half and half than called for. This could be because I used the full 16oz pasta, but I probably would still have added more even if I used less pasta. Guess I like my pasta more saucy. I originally planned on putting the asparagus in with the pasta but then chose to eat it on the side.

Cami's Lemon Pasta

Sorry, no picture. My camera batteries are charging as I type.

I am definitely a saucy pasta girl and I loved this recipe. It is so fast and easy. There wasn't a lot of chopping or prep. I didn't marinade the chicken last night so I just threw all the ingredients in the pan. It worked but I will try marinating next time. I think this would taste just as good without chicken or with tofu.

I used whole wheat pasta and added the whole box. I think it was 13oz or so. It was perfect.

My husband is not generally a pasta fan but he really liked this. I will be making this again for sure!

Danielle's Lemon Pasta

We had kind of a late night last night, so no pictures.

We both thought this recipe tasted good, but it wasn't a favorite for either of us. I think mainly it's because we're not really big on Italian-style pasta dishes. But it was easy to make, and I can see this being a go-to recipe for people who like creamy pasta dishes.

I just cut my chicken up into cubes and sauteed it. I also liked the idea of having it with asparagus, so I cut some up into bite-sized pieces and sauteed it too. I combined the chicken and asparagus with the sauce and then topped the pasta with it. I liked it all combined, but I didn't make enough sauce to cover the pasta, chicken, and asparagus and still be saucy. I should have added more half and half to make the sauce go farther. It was definitely flavorful enough to stand up to some extra liquid.

One caveat, though -- I had the sauce on low on the stove for awhile while I waited for for Max to get home. So I ended up reducing the sauce longer than I intended to, and that probably factored into the sauce not going far enough.

Melanie W.'s Peanut Ginger Chicken

I wasn't going to make this at first, then those who made it said so many great things about it that I decided to give it a try.

I is really good! I marinated my chicken pieces for 24 hours and it turned out really tender. I halved the marinade recipe and it was perfect for the amount of chicken I used. It was really nice doing most of the prep work the night before, so making the rest was fast. I cooked mine on skewers in the oven for about 10 minutes. I didn't save any marinade to put on afterwards, but I didn't need to because the sauce was thick and enough stayed on during cooking.

My sauce was on the spicy side because my chili sauce was pretty hot. We didn't mind though because the cool fruit salsa complimented it really well. I used strawberry, kiwi, and pear in my salsa. I'd like to try peaches and/or avocado next time.

Danielle's Peanut Ginger Chicken

This dish is a winner! Max and I both loved it.

We don't have a BBQ, so I decided to cut the chicken into small strips before I marinated it. After marinating it, I put the chicken on skewers and cooked them under the broiler. That worked out really well, and the chicken cooked really quickly.

The marinade was excellent, and the chicken would have been good without the salsa. But the salsa makes this dish so much better. The chicken together with the salsa was really delicious. We used peaches and strawberries for the fruit, and I added avocado because I had some I needed to use up. Also, I used mainly lime juice instead of vinegar because basically, I just can't make salsa without lime juice. I did add a splash of vinegar and I liked the flavor it added.

I think I will definitely be making this again sometime. Probably sooner than later.

Cami's Ginger Chicken

I have various peanut butter-chicken recipes but I think this is my new favorite. I loved the flavor and it was really easy to make. The relish was my favorite part and I may try to incorporate it into other chicken dishes. I served mine with rice which was perfect. I think you could also serve it over pasta.

I didn't really follow the recipe. I forgot to look at the recipe in advance to see how much time I would need and at 5:00 tonight when I decided to make dinner I realized I should have been marinating the meat since yesterday. Oops. So, I ended up just putting all the marinade ingredients in my large skillet and threw in the chicken. I cooked the rice and mixed the relish and we ate. It was awesome. I think it only took me 20 minutes to make dinner. Next time I'll try it like the recipe suggests. I'm sure it will taste just as good if not better. Thanks Amy!

Melanie W.'s Chicken with Tomato, Feta, and Olive Relish

This was so full of color and flavor. I loved it, but then I also love feta cheese and kalamata olives. I did as Cami suggested and bought some from the olive bar. It was my first experience buying something from the olive bar, so I felt like a real cook and so grown up. :) I also did as Danielle did and added cucumber. It was perfect, and really made it like a greek salad. It went really well with the chicken. I could have gone a bit easier with the mint. It was my first time using fresh mint and so I didn't know how mild or strong it would be. My mother-in-law asked to have a copy of the recipe, so it was a hit!

Danielle's Chicken & Tomato Relish

This was a super easy, super tasty dinner. I don't make a lot of the same things twice these days, but I wouldn't be surprised if this ends up on our table again sometime.

As usual, I made some alterations. I was a little short on tomatoes, so I decided to add in cucumbers. I think the cucumbers went really nicely with the relish. The flavors meshed well and it added some crunchy texture. I think I'll make it the same way in the future. I also couldn't bear to shell out (or should I say, have Max's mom shell out) $8 for a jar of kalamata olives when it's not an ingredient I use regularly (or ever). So I got a $2 can of burgundy olives instead. I don't know how they taste different than kalamata olives, but I liked the flavor.

I loved the mint! The mint with the other flavors was fantastic. So fresh tasting. I'm always happy to have any excuse to use fresh mint.

This dinner gets two thumbs up.

Cami's Chicken with Tomato, Feta and Olive Relish

This is one of my go-to meals. It's quick, light and very flavorful. I love the combination of warm chicken with the cool relish. I thought of a few things while making it tonight.

1. I've used all different sizes of tomatoes. As long as they are small you can make them work.
2. You can use feta or goat cheese with great results.
3. Jason and I aren't crazy about kalamata olives, so I decrease the number I put in and chop them really small. They add a great flavor but I don't want to eat just olive. I normally buy them at the olive bar at the grocery store so I don't have to buy a whole jar.
4. You can vary the ratio based on your family's preferences. If you aren't big on feta but love tomatoes, just increase the tomatoes and decrease the feta. It's pretty versatile.
5. It tastes better if you make the relish ahead of time and let it sit in the fridge for a little while (at least 20 minutes). That gives it time to mix the flavors.

Enjoy!

Grilled Chicken Breasts with Tomato, Olive, and Feta Relish

1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped cherry tomatoes (about 10 ounces)
1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives, chopped
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese (about 3 1/2 ounces)

4 large skinless boneless chicken breast halves (about 6 to 7 ounces each)

Mix cherry tomatoes, olives, 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, mint, and vinegar in medium bowl. Gently stir in feta cheese. Season relish to taste with salt and pepper.

Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Brush chicken on both sides with remaining 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill chicken just until cooked through, about 7 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to plates and slice, if desired. Top with relish and serve.


Cook's Notes: I often substitute goat cheese for the Feta. I prefer goat cheese in general so I try to switch it in whenever I can. I'm making it later this week so I don't have a picture to post yet.

Since I already answered this round of questions I won't bore you again. Have a great week and give this easy recipe a try!

Danielle's Garlic Chicken Skewers

These were tasty and super easy. I actually still have some chicken marinading in the fridge cause I had too much, and I'm looking forward to having it again. We had our chicken skewers with grilled potato, veggie, and fruit skewers. Yum! Definitely a tasty dinner.

For those of you who like grilled fruit, our grilled mango tonight was amazing! I don't think I'd ever had grilled mango before tonight, but it was so so good. I brushed it with a lemon juice/brown sugar glaze. Yum.

Melanie W.'s Kabobs/Skewers

Since I didn't have a chance to make the Chicken and Bacon Kabobs, I decided to make them with the Sticky Garlic Chicken Skewers. I don't make kabos very often so this was something a little different and fun for us! If I had an outdoor grill I might make them more often, but instead we just grilled them on our George Foreman grill, and it seemed to work fine.

I liked both of these recipes, but I think I liked the sticky garlic chicken better. The cider vinegar used in the chicken bacon kabobs seemed way too over powering! I would have rather used way less. But either way, grilled chicken and veggies always makes for a yummy meal!

Cami's Sticky Garlic Chicken Skewers

We are also the proud owners of a new (to us) grill. It has been so nice and we use it all the time. We will definitely be using this recipe again before the summer is over. These have a really nice tangy taste. I enjoyed them. It was almost like BBQ sauce but better. I wasn't sure if I should mince the garlic so I didn't. It didn't have a strong garlic flavor and if I minced it I think it would have increased the flavor. I'll try that next time, but I loved it this way too. Thanks Melanie!

Sticky Garlic Chicken Skewers

Well looky, looky this is our 100th post! It's by accident that I'm the one posting it but I think this calls for a celebration. Some more peanut butter pie perhaps? Just tell me when it's a good time for me to stop in and share some with you all.

This summer we inherited a grill from a neighbor and we can't get enough of it. Our weekly meal plans are based around what would be good on the grill. Today we stuffed ourselves with sticky garlic chicken skewers, roasted potatoes and corn on the cob. All we needed was some watermelon to top off the quintessential summer meal. I know that chicken kebabs were posted a month ago, but these are a little different and definitely worth a try.


Ingredients:
3 garlic cloves
2 Tbsp honey
4 Tbsp ketchup
4 Tbsp worcestershire sauce
2 tsp dijon mustard
2 tsp hot pepper sauce (optional)
3 skinless, boneless chicken strips cut into chunks
salt and pepper

Combine all the ingredients except the chicken in a Ziploc bag to create a marinade. Toss in the chicken and marinate for at least 30 minutes or overnight. Skewer and grill. Easy peasy. Make sure your skewers soak for at least 20 minutes before you put them on the grill or their burn.

Oh and by the way, aren't my photos magazine worthy? I think I'll take up photography since I'm so obviously good at it.

PS Oh yeah, this is Melanie B.

A delish evening

We had some friends over for dinner last Sunday and I decided to serve up a delish dinner. I had been meaning to try Larisa's chicken kebobs and the peanut butter pie...and boy, was that a tasty dinner! For the kebobs, I added some brown sugar into the marinade to make it a little bit sweeter and I thought the sweetness of the marinade went really well with the smokey flavor of the bacon (and bacon make everything better...or was that butter? Either way, it was great!). In addition to the red bell peppers and mushrooms, I also skewered on some zucchini since that's my favorite veggie grilled. I realized, though, after they were on the grill, that I had forgotten the pineapple. We love fresh grilled pineapples, so I wanted to do it on these, but just forgot. Must try next time. Anyway, these were fabulous...they will definitely make an encore appearance at our dinner table.


Oh, the peanut butter pie. Loved it! It took me a little while to find the chocolate wafers, but I found them at Treasure Island...$5 for 9 ounces. I didn't want any leftover wafers, so I used all 9 ounces and an extra tablespoon of butter, so that made for a pretty thick crust. Maybe I pressed too hard to make it all fit, but my crust ended up being super hard once it was frozen. Did other people have super hard crusts? I think next time, I will just buy a pre-made chocolate crust to save myself a little time. Or I may try making it with Oreo cookies (as I purchased a box today at Costco). Heeding Danielle's advice, I was going to use the hot fudge on the bottom, but again, I forgot, so I didn't have a chocolate layer, which ended up being fine. Everyone loved it, and it was just tasty, really. In fact, we had some other friends over on Wednesday night for dinner and had it for dessert again that night. I loved that it was all super cold and frozen with the hot fudge on top. But I was kind of happy that we didn't end up eating the entire pie. The picture I took was of the very last piece, which Greg and I shared, although I think I probably ate more of it than he did. I think I'll be making the PB pie again, too. It's just too good not to.

Cami's Chipotle Chicken Nachos

These are so tasty! I love that they have a spicy kick at the end but it doesn't overpower the other flavors. The avocado cream was so perfect and good. I'll have to make another batch just to eat as a dip.

I wanted to make the mango salsa but the mango I bought was very far from ripe. I've never had such poor luck with mangoes before. I'll have to make it next time because it looks really good.

I served these with beans and rice. It was a great meal.