Grilled Corn on the Cob

This one was a last-minute addition to our Sunday night meal this weekend. I was making grilled pork chops and was making a spinach salad for a side, thinking to myself there's something missing. I felt the need to add a starch of some kind. I didn't have any potatoes otherwise that would have been the obvious choice. But I did have a few ears of sweet corn in the fridge, so I thought, 'Let's toss those on the grill! Can't be a bad idea...' And as it turns out, it wasn't a bad idea at all!

SUPER simple:

Ingredients:

2 tblsp olive oil

1/2 stick of melted butter

Salt & Pepper to taste

1 tsp granulated garlic

1 tsp crushed red pepper flake (more or less as desired)

1 tsp dried parsley flake

4 ears of sweet corn


Directions:

Combine the first 6 ingredients in a shallow dish and mix together until thoroughly incorporated. Placed the ears of corn in the dish and turn to fully coat each one. Place the ears of corn coated with the oil & butter mixture in tin foil, then drizzle the remaining oil & butter over the top, making sure the edges of tin foil are turned up slightly to avoid spilling. Cover the corn with another sheet of tin foil and seal along the sides by pinching the layer underneath up over the edges of the top layer. Place the foil-wrapped corn on the grill over medium-high heat for about 7 minutes, then turn the corn over for another 5-7 minutes on the other side.

This can be enjoyed as-is straight off the cob, or it makes a great addition to a salad cut off the cob.

Lemon Grilled Chicken

This is a great marinade for grilled chicken. Very simple, but full of flavor. You're gonna love it!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 tablespoons finely-chopped onion
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 4 chicken breasts (about 4oz. each)
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Directions

• In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the first seven ingredients. Remove 1/4 cup for basting; cover and refrigerate. Add chicken to the bag; seal and turn to coat. Refrigerate for 4-8 hrs.
• Drain and discard marinade from chicken. Grill, covered, over medium heat for about 10-12 minutes, then about 10-12 minutes more on the other side. Baste and turn several times using the reserve marinade. Yield: 4 servings. Total grill time: about 20-25 minutes. 

Asian Glaze Grilled Pork Chops

This recipe is one that my husband and I really enjoyed this past week. We just bought a grill a few weeks ago and were excited to break it in. I love pork chops, but GRILLED pork chops take the cake! I was eager to try a new marinade, because I hadn't done one in a long time (mostly because the only grill we've had since we got married is a little George Foreman) and in my book, marinades are the only way to go when grilling.

Here's what I went with for the marinade:

Ingredients

• 3 tbls soy sauce
• 3 tbls honey
• 1 tbl lemon juice
• 1 tbl olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 4 boneless pork chops 

Directions

• In a large resealable plastic bag, combine soy sauce, honey, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, and ginger. Add pork and turn to coat. Seal and refrigerate for 2-6 hrs.
• Drain and discard marinade, saving some for basting if desired. Grill over medium heat for 4-5 minutes on each side or until a thermometer reads 145°. Let meat stand for about 5 minutes before serving. Serves: 4. 

Gorgonzola & Pear Salad

I love this combination. The sweetness of the pear and the saltiness of the gorgonzola cheese go together beautifully with the added crunch of toasted pecans and crispy red onion! Perfect for Summer time!

Ingredients:

- 1 bag of flat leaf spinach
- 2 pears
- 1 red onion
- pecan halves
- gorgonzola cheese (blue cheese crumbles work for this too)
- balsamic vinaigrette dressing (or whatever you prefer, but I think the balsamic goes very well)

Directions:

 Start by toasting about 1 cup of pecan halves over medium heat in a small skillet until they are warm. (your nose will let you know when they are done)

  Next dump your bag of spinach into your serving bowl and slice your pears.

Add your sliced pears to the spinach, arranging them neatly and evenly over the top.

  Next slice your red onion and add to the spinach and pears.

Finish by adding your toasted pecans and sprinkling the gorgonzola (or blue cheese crumbles) over the top.

 Now you're ready to serve! Add dressing to each plate after dishing up, or you can add the dressing first, toss to coat, and then serve. I like to let everyone add their own dressing and I just serve this salad as is, after it's assembled.

Fresh Spinach & Tomato Egg White Sandwich

Just got done making this one. After I work out, I try to refuel with a good balance of protein and carbohydrates to help with muscle recovery and to keep energy levels high.  This was something that I thought would do the trick, with the protein in the egg whites and the carbs from the bread, it was just what I was looking for!

This is a simple, fresh twist on your typical breakfast sandwich, it is really easy to make and takes hardly any time at all!

Ingredients:

-1 large slice of sourdough bread (cut in half & toasted)
-2 egg whites (kept separate)
-2 small handfulls of fresh spinach
-2 small tomato slices
-1-2 tblsp olive oil (divided)
-salt & pepper *to taste

*however much you like

Directions:

 Over medium-high heat in a small frying pan, fry each egg white in about 1/2-1 tblsp olive oil and keep separated so you can place one on each half of the sourdough toast. Fry for about 2-3 minutes then flip and fry for another minute or two until egg whites are cooked through. (Season egg whites with salt and pepper while they are cooking on the first side if you choose)

 Once the egg whites are cooked, assemble your sandwich! Open-faced is how I like to eat mine, less bread that way, but you can make 2 whole sandwiches with this if you like.

 Start by placing one egg white on each 1/2 slice of toast, then a small handful of spinach on each, followed by a tomato slice. To top everything off, drizzle the remaining olive oil over each 1/2 sandwich, and sprinkle with salt & pepper to taste. Bon Appetite`!

Balsamic Chicken & Strawberry Salad

 This is a great recipe for the warm weather coming up. I threw this one together one very hot summer day in Kansas City, MO. 

Ingredients:

-Fresh baby or regular Spinach

-1 grilled chicken breast per salad (sliced)

-5 or 6 fresh strawberries (sliced)

-1/4 of a small red onion (sliced)

-Toasted pecans

-Feta cheese

Dressing:

-Olive oil

-Balsamic vinegar

-Sugar (white)

-Granulated garlic

-Salt

-Cracked black pepper

*All of the ingredients for the dressing are 'to taste' because to be honest, I've never measured how much of everything I put into it, so I have no idea what the measurements are. :-P

Directions:

Fill a large plate with about 1-2 cups of Spinach.  Add onion, strawberries, grilled chicken, toasted pecans, and feta cheese on top of the spinach. Whisk all of the ingredients for the dressing together until combined, then drizzle on top of the salad. 

Tater-tot Shepherd's Hot Pie Dish

This recipe was a HUGE hit with my husband, who LOVES potatoes... He might as well face it, he's addicted to spuds... ;)  He made a request one night for Shepherd's Pie.. but then he couldn't make up his mind between that and Tater-tot Hot Dish. So I thought, why not both!?!?!?

Result: Happy Husband, Easy Entree :)

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 pounds ground beef
• 1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 6 cups frozen Tater Tots
• 2 cups frozen green beans, thawed
• 3 cups hot mashed potatoes
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheese (colby works great)

Directions:

• In a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in the soup, garlic salt and pepper.
• Place Tater Tots in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Top with beef mixture and green beans. Spread mashed potatoes over the top; sprinkle with cheese.
• Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 40-45 minutes or until heated through.