Grilling in Wisconsin

The weather was just too wonderful last week to not take more advantage of being able to grill out. I searched through my Pinterest posts and found Greek Kabobs that sounded amazing and Pinot Noir Burgers. I had almost everything in the house for both of these and set to work.


First up the Greek Kabobs. I thawed out some chicken breasts that I had in the freezer, sliced them in to thin pieces and then threw them in a Ziploc bag with the marinade. I didn't have Greek Seasoning, but I had almost everything that comprises it and made it myself. I omitted the marjoram. I let the chicken marinate while I made the avocado tzatziki sauce. I also soaked the skewers at this time to help prevent them from burning so quickly on the grill.

The sauce came together really easily and my only substitution was sour cream for Greek yogurt because I didn't have any in the house. While I let the chicken marinate a little longer, I made my potato packets. Using my mandolin, I chopped up potatoes and carrots and sprinkled them with onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Add other spices if you would like.  Spray the aluminum foil with cooking spray and then add a dab of butter to the top of the pile.

 

Then seal it up tightly so the steam doesn't escape. This went on the grill before the chicken because it was going to take a bit longer.

 I threw the packets on the grill and skewered up the marinated chicken.

The directions said to only have them on the grill for 4 minutes per side, but I found that it took a lot longer to reach a safe consumption temp for me. Maybe their grill was hotter than mine. But when they were done, they smelled amazing. Notice the charring on the skewers - even with the water, they still burned.

Then it was time to unwrap the potatoes and serve up dinner. Everything was great. The chicken came off the skewer nicely and the tzatziki was nice and refreshing. The Greek flavors really came through the meal. And as always, the potato packet was delicious and filling.

Next up were the Pinot Noir Burgers. I didn't have Pinot Noir in the house, but I had a bottle of New Age red that I substituted. I sauteed the mushrooms and onions in some of the wine and then set those on the side.

The burgers were a little moist because of the added wine, so we formed them and then set them in the fridge to firm up a bit before grilling them. I would suggest next time to really mash the burger into a ball as they are still very moist and crumbly on the grill. None fell apart and I have always heard that over-mixing the meat can make a tough burger.

With the burger, I also grilled up some pineapple and more potato packets.

Then it was time to assemble. I had Swiss cheese that we put on the bottom bun, topped by theburger and then the mushrooms and onions over the top. We did add a little Miracle Whip to the top bun for added flavor.

All said and done, the burgers were cooked medium well and had really great flavor. The pineapple was a great treat and the potato packets are always a great addition.

I will keep this on my repertoire as another way to make a grilled burger. I made some great ones for a Packer party in Fall for my friends and I think this ranks right up there with them.

The Best Meal I Have Made My Guy....So Far

Last week, I received the ultimate praise from my guy. This is the praise that every woman that wants her man to be happy loves to hear. What is the best way to your man's heart? Through his stomach. Ok and being loving and supporting and a good listener and all those other things. But as a girl that loves to cook, I love it when I please my man with my cooking. So what was it that I heard him say?

"This is the best meal you have ever made"

And the best part - the meal was sooooo simple, thanks to some Pinterest searching and some Food Network TV watching.

I am a huge fan of Ree Drummond, AKA - The Pioneer Woman. I love her blog, her TV show and most of all her cooking style. She is so down to earth and cooks with normal ingredients. Most of her meals are simple to make and will keep you full and satisfied.

Recently, my guy and I watched an episode of her show where she made creamy herbed potatoes. They looked absolutely fantastic and we were left just short of drooling after the episode. I knew this was something I needed to make soon. Mind you this is not a healthy dish and even though I used a few healthier ingredients than Ree, it's still a splurge side dish.

Start with sauteing some onions in a lot of butter!

 
I was able to use my new mandolin to slice up the potatoes. It worked like a dream and all the potatoes were the same thickness to cook the same.

Then you add cream cheese (I went with the 1/3 less fat kind)

I used just a small amount of cream (because I had it) and 1% milk to complete the creamy part of the potatoes. I didn't have any fresh herbs, so I just cut back on my dried herb usage. I have read that dried herbs can have double the flavor as fresh so you don't need to use as much.

Stir it all around until everything is smooth and combined and then pour it over the potatoes.

The it's into the oven for about 45 minutes, or until the middle is bubbly. I do think I could cut back on the butter a bit - maybe use half a cup instead of a cup, but that would probably affect the flavor.

While the potatoes were cooking, it was time to make the Paninis. 

I recently got a Cuisinart Griddler and have been trying different Panini sandwiches on it. Cafe de Arts in Waukesha makes an awesome Prime Rib Panini, so I scoured Pinterest and found something similar to try in my press. I think what makes Cafe de Arts Panini so delicious is the sauce, so I made sure to buy some fresh horseradish to use in the mix.

I started by softening some onions with a little oil over medium heat. I didn't actually caramelize them, just softened them up for the sandwich. I nuked some mushrooms for about a minute in the microwave, drained off the water and set them on the side to add to the sandwich.

I made the spread from Miracle Whip, horseradish and mozzarella cheese.  Then it was time to assemble. Oil the outside of the bread and lay that side on the heated Panini maker. Spread the spread over the bread and then put two pieces of roast beef, onions and mushrooms and then 1-2 more pieces of roast beef. Then spread the spread on another piece of bread and place the spread side against the roast beef. Spray the outside of the bread with EVOO and then close the Panini press using light pressure for about 30 seconds.

The sandwiches were done 5 minutes later and the potatoes rested. It was time to dig in. My guy was in heaven. And that's when I heard....."This is the best meal you have ever made" He loved everything about it. The crisp bread with a little heat to the sauce on the sandwich. The potatoes were rich, creamy and irresistible.

I told my mom about the delicious sandwiches and she wanted the recipe as well. I sent it to her and she made them this past week too. She agreed they are fabulous! This meal definitely goes on the list of To Be Made Again (and again and again)!

Party Eats & Treats!

Today the Packers played a nerve-wracking game against the "dirty-playing" Lions. Though Aaron Rodgers went out early with an injury, he came back for the second half and (despite getting stepped on) threw some great passes for a Packers NFC North Championship WIN!

I invited my friends over and together we made a great buffet of eats. 

I made a large crockpot of sloppy joes. I used 3 lbs of locally sourced meat. My parents bought half a cow from Salentine Farms in Big Bend. It was processed at Sorg's in Fort Atkinson.

I browned it off, drained off the grease and added sloppy joe mix, carrots, celery, onion, worchestershire sauce, garlic powder and a bit of sirracha for a kick.(I don't think I added enough, but I was worried about over spicing it and then no one would like it). I served it on King's Hawaiian rolls and it was well received. I had very little left at the end of the game.

I also made Hissy Fit Dip, a big hit at my Super Bowl party last year. This pic is of the mixing stage but it's gooey, creamy, deliciousness when warmed up. I served it with carrots, celery, pretzels and tortilla chips. This was almost completely gone at the end of the game and people even enjoyed it on the sandwiches. I even just grabbed some Sloppy Joes (not on a bun) and then drizzled some of this dip over it and ate it with tortilla chips. I did really like it with carrot slices.

Other dishes that were brought to share included Oreo ball truffles, salsa, spinach dip, party potatoes (similar recipe) roasted cauliflower and lots of drinks.

Did you know in some states Party Potatoes are called Funeral Potatoes?? How odd! Party Potatoes is a much nicer name!

I made a fire in my fireplace to increase the ambiance and it was a nice touch! I love my fireplace, even though I only burn Duraflame-type logs in it. 

And we were even visited by two puppies - my friend Chris brought them over and the youngest is a lover of all things lap related. They were both very well behaved and helped bring that Packer win.

The next time the Packers play is on January 11 at noon. I'm not sure I'll be hosting as I have a work obligation that morning. But you better believe I will be watching it somewhere and eating some great tasting food!

Thanksgiving Recap

Thanksgiving was a HUGE SUCCESS! We ended up trimming the menu slightly when we saw how much food we had for 4 people, but basically I want to give you a more visual than wordy representation of my day. I will then go into detail on the recipes and tweaks that I gave them at a later date. Although these were turkey day recipes for me, they really could be used any day.

Almost all the ingredients I needed!

Cleaning the bird - eww!

Stuffed and ready to roast!

 

Making the stuffing

Covering the bird so it doesn't get too crispy!

Stuffing done!

Stuffed Mushrooms pre-oven

Fresh brussel sprouts

Ready to get in the oven!

More roasting

Cheated on the gravy :)

The bird is done!

Sweet potatoes with cranberry topping

Dad carving up the bird

Brussel sprouts were to-die for!

Cauliflower was just ok

Quite a feast for just 4 people!

A little bit of everything!

PIE!

I just had to try both! :)

Thanksgiving Day Meal Preview

This year, I have assigned myself the task of making the entire Turkey Day meal. It's the least I can do after living at home for the last 18 months while trying to buy a condo. With me almost out of the home, and on a tight budget, I offered to make it all this year and my parents gladly offered to buy the groceries. They are hunting down the deals as I type this. My mom can (hopefully) sit back with a glass of wine, relax by the fire and watch some football while I take over (destroy) her kitchen.

The part that grosses me out the most is actually prepping the turkey. I made sure my mom has new gloves for me to wear and I'm really grossed out about sticking my hands in the body cavity and making sure it's ready to go. I do want to spread the herbs and butter between the skin and meat, as long as I don't pass out. Go figure, I'm a foodie that handles meat all the time, but never in the whole body variety.

I found almost all my recipes on Pinterest, so here is the preview of my turkey day, with results to follow. I hope my mom can help with the picture taking and not take too many that have me in destructive stages of the meal prep that she can use against me later. I hope that all spatulas and spoons are found in their complete form after the cooking marathon and everyone has full, happy bellies.

Pinterest Recipes for Turkey Day:

The Bird: This is a chicken recipe, but I have heard of doing the same thing with a Turkey.

Stuffing: I'm not a stuffing fan, so I'm trying a new one to see if I can like this one more!

Garlic Mashed Taters: I plan to make a smaller portion than usual, but I love me some carbs so we will see.

Sweet Potatoes: I can't find the original recipe I was going to use that had goat cheese in it, but this is pretty close.

Butternut Squash: I made this recipe a few weeks ago and it was amazing! Seriously, so simple after you hack apart the squash. Boil for 10, brown the butter, add the sage and pour over the top.

Here is my picture:

Green Beans: I just love almonds & beans together.

Rolls: Pillsbury - yep cheating on this one, but they are just so good. I don't have a popovers pan or I would have made those.

Cranberry: My mom has an awesome raspberry cranberry sauce and so I have to find her recipe. Otherwise, I'm going this route

Dessert: My mom is making her apple pie and I'm going to try this pecan cheesecake pie

And my family always puts out a pre-dinner spread with cheese, crackers, sausage, crab dip and more so I'm going to be a chubby kid after the meal, but I think it will all be worth it!

Did I miss anything? Is there something that is a must on your table every Turkey Day?

From the Books: Scrumptious Scalloped Potato Soup

Have you finished all of your holiday leftovers yet? We have, except for the sweets and I wish those would just disappear as I don't need all that sugary temptation around me when I'm trying to eat better in 2013.

We had ham for Christmas and you can only have so many leftover ham sandwiches before you get sick of it. I asked my mom what we could do with the ham and she suggested soup, and boy do I love soup!!!

We looked through another one of our Light & Tasty Taste of Home cookbooks and found a lightened up version of Cheesy Ham 'n Potato Soup. And the best part, we had almost all the ingredients in the house.

The lightened up part didn't happen as much as we thought because the only milk we had in the house was Whole Milk for little Alex. I didn't mind as I knew it would make the soup more rich and creamy.

Mom chopped up the ham while I boiled the potatoes. I got to use my immersion blender again to mash up some of the potatoes to add to the base.

Ham and onions were sauteed together while I worked more on the base.

We altered the recipe a bit more to add mixed veggies of cauliflower, carrots and broccoli (instead of just broccoli) to add more flavor. And it was what we had in the freezer.

Then it was time to add the potatoes and the cheese - aaahhhhhh - heavenly! The soup thickened up pretty fast into a stewp and smelt amazing.

We let it simmer for about 10 minutes and then turned the heat off. I snuck some right away and was immediately addicted. I renamed this soup "Scalloped Potato Scrumptious Soup"

I'm pretty sure I ate 3/4s of the pot on my own for lunch in the last few days it was so good. It was such a filling lunch and not horrible for my waistline. This definitely gets starred to make again!