Rosemary Ranch Kabobs with Strawberry Feta Salad

A summertime meal in the backyard: cool refreshments, a hot BBQ, lingering over the meal, and finally lighting citronella candles as the mosquitoes come out.

We invited our grandparents over for dinner on the deck, and decided to tackle the meal preparations ourselves. We started marinating the chicken early in the afternoon and tossed the salad just before serving the meal. As sides, we served hot rice and cold marinated asparagus. Our next blog post will be the spectacular dessert!

Rosemary Ranch Chicken Kabobs - from AllRecipes

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup ranch dressing

3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary (we used 1 1/2 teaspoons dried)

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon white vinegar

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 tablespoon white sugar (optional --> we didn't add this)

5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes

Assorted chopped vegetables

• Stir together marinade ingredients (everything on the list except the chicken!) and let the mixture stand for 5 minutes. Put the marinade in a wide bowl or shallow baking dish and add the chicken, coating it in the sauce. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
• Thread the chicken and vegetables onto skewers. Grill over medium-high heat for 8 - 12 minutes, until the chicken is cooked thoroughly (juices will run clear). Discard the rest of the marinade.

Strawberry and Feta Salad - adapted from AllRecipes

1/4 cup slivered almonds

1 clove garlic, minced

1 teaspoon honey

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/4 cup raspberry vinegar --> we used cherry vinegar and it was perfect!

2 tablespoons balsamic vingar

2 tablespoons brown sugar

3/4 cup vegetable oil

1 head romaine lettuce, torn

1 pint fresh strawberries, sliced --> we used 3/4 cup frozen... and you should definitely use fresh

2/3 cup crumbled feta cheese

• Toast the almonds in the oven (350 F for 5 minutes) or in a skillet on the stove. Remove from heat and set aside
• To make the dressing, whisk together garlic, honey, mustard, vinegars, brown sugar, and vegetable oil.
• In a large salad bowl, toss together the almonds, lettuce, strawberries, and cheese. Add the dressing a little bit at a time - you won't need all of it! Toss and serve.

Zucchini and Ricotta Shells

A summery pasta dish!

Sometimes pasta feels a little heavy in the warm summer months, unless it's in pasta salad form. Instead of tomato sauce, this recipe relies on the zesty flavor of lemon. Canadian Living magazine suggests pairing the pasta with a Sauvingnon Blanc or an Italian Soave.

Although this dish could stand alone, we think it works best as an accompaniment to chicken or fish.

The recipe comes from the May 2010 issue of Canadian Living, and can also be found online. It's from their "quick and easy" series - and it lives up to that designation. Admittedly, it's not spectacular, but it is a quick, easy, and pretty tasty.

Zucchini and Ricotta Shells

Makes 4 servings

4 cups medium or large shell pasta

1/2 cup ricotta

2 teaspoons grated lemon rind

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 zucchini

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons fresh mint

2 tablespoons fresh chopped onion

2 tablespoons lemon juice

• Cook pasta according to package. Drain, but save 1/2 cup of the cooking water.
• In large bowl, toss together pasta, ricotta, lemon rind, salt, pepper, and 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water.
• Quarter the zucchini, lengthwise. Cut away the core and cut (with a bit of diagonal flair) into slices.
• Heat oil in frying pan over medium-high heat. Sauté zucchini for about 5 minutes, until tender.
• Add zucchini to pasta, along with mint, green onion, and lemon juice. Use the remaining pasta water to achieve desired creaminess. Toss together to coat pasta.

Just wait until the end of the summertime

when zucchini overtakes gardens...

Sliced and ready to sauté

Fresh mint is incredibly fragrant

Next step: toss!

Enjoy!

Gouda, Apple, and Chicken Quesadillas with Orange-Almond Salad

Sandwiched between turkey dinners, we needed something a little different. The quesadilla recipe came from the lunch section of a cookbook, but it's hearty enough for a full dinner. Don't skip out on the gouda cheese! We didn't use smoked, but we made sure to get medium instead of mild to amp up the flavor.

We have to note that both recipes in this post came from a very special cookbook: Bravo! Best of Bridge Cookbook (Sally Vaughan-Johnston, 2009). Lisa and I won it in our grandparents' Christmas gift exchange, and we've been itching to try something out of it for ages. This weekend it was put to good use!

Smoked Gouda, Chicken, and Apple Quesadillas

Serves 4

4 flour tortillas (9-inches)

8 tablespoons peach or apricot jam

1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese

1 apple, thinly sliced

1/2 green onion, thinly sliced

1 cup chopped cooked chicken

1 cup shredded smoked Gouda cheese (we used medium, unsmoked)

Salt

Olive oil

• Lay tortilla on work surface. Spread jam over half the tortilla, sprinkling Mozzarella over the jam. Layer apple, onion, chicken, and Gouda on top. Sprinkle a pinch of salt over everything.
• Fold uncovered half over filling.
• Heat large skillet over medium-high heat and grease with a little bit of oil. Cook quesadilla, flattening lightly with a spatula, for 3 - 4 minutes on each side. Cheese should be melted and sides will be lightly browned.
• Transfer to a cutting board and cut in half. Serve warm.

Mozzarella

Gouda

Assembling a quesadilla.

Cheese, apple, and chicken - oh my!

Since the quesadillas have a bit of a summer flair to them (the weather was warm this weekend!), we thought a citrusy salad would be a perfect match. The salad recipe below is loosely based off of two we found: "Green Salad with Orange-Walnut Dressing" from the Bravo! book, and "Orange Almond Salad" from the Company's Coming: Salads (Jean Pare, 1985). Sidenote: The latter recipe's description reads "Men like this as well." Okay, great??

Orange-Almond Salad

Salad greens

4 tangerines (or 1/2 tin Mandarin oranges)

1/8 cup toasted sliced almonds

1/3 cup olive oil

1/3 cup orange juice

2 tablespoons / a splash vinegar

1 tablespoon honey

Pinch dried tarragon

Salt

Pepper

• In tupperware container, add olive oil, orange juice, vinegar, honey, tarragon, salt, and pepper. Put lid on container and shake it!
• To toast almonds, spread in single layer on a baking sheet. Bake in preheated 350 F oven for 5 minutes.
• Peel tangerines and separate pieces.
• Put greens in large salad bowl, add almonds and tangerines, pour desired amount of dressing, and toss.

Orange dressing - a little frothy.

Toast the almonds to bring out a nuttier flavor.

We used fresh tangerines, but you can also try

canned Mandarin oranges.

Toss it all together!

Skillet Eggplant Beef

We have a box of ground beef in the freezer... what to do with it all? There's always the go-to-stand-bys: meatloaf, meatballs, hamburgers, lasagna... but Amy's not a huge fan of most of those, and really, they get a little repetitive.

So, in our search for a unique ground beef recipe, we came across this. We'd love to call it a gem. It was unique. It was edible and even a little tasty. But a gem? The cinnamon takes some getting used to - the original recipe says there are Middle Eastern flavors. Maybe we'll make it once or twice again, but maybe not. Give it a try if you're looking for something different.

Nutrition PSA about ground beef: it's a great source of iron, protein, zinc, and niacin.

This came from a mini Canadian Living book, "The Canadian Living Cooking Collection: Easy Main Dishes" (Amy think she's going to steal them when she moves out). Very handy, but we wish there were more pictures!

Skillet Eggplant Beef

1 eggplant

Salt

1 pound ground beef

1 small onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 cup red wine (or water)

1 can tomato sauce (7 1/2 oz, 213 mL)

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

3/4 dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 pepper

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Paprika

Parmesan cheese

Pita bread

• Peel eggplant. Cut into 1/2 inch thick slices and sprinkle lightly with salt. Spread eggplants out into single layer on paper towels.
• Cook beef, onion, and garlic in a large skillet. Break up the meat with a wooden spoon. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until browned. Drain off the excess fat. Stir in wine, tomato sauce, parsley, oregano, cinnamon, and pepper.
• Pat the eggplant dry (you'll notice the paper towel will have absorbed a lot of the moisture). Overlap the eggplant slices (we cut them in half) on top of the meat mixture and reduce stove heat to low. Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes, turning eggplant slices once. Eggplant should be tender.
• Top with mozzarella and sprinkle with paprika to taste. Add a little Parmesan cheese for flavor. Serve with warm pita bread.
• The original recipe suggests a salad with orange slices and black olives - we didn't prepare this, but it sounds like a great idea!

Just in case you weren't sure, this is an eggplant.

Peeled and sliced. Looks a little like a cucumber, but it's kind of spongy inside.

Skillet shot.

Added the eggplant and cheese.

Dinner is served!