Lime Chicken Tenders

This one came out of Southern Living last month. So yummy!

1 lime

1 1/4 lb chicken breast tenders

1/4 c. olive oil

2 garlic cloves, pressed

2 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

Preheat grill to 300-350 F. Grate zest from lime to equal 1 tsp. Cut lime in half; squeeze juice from lime to equal 3 Tbsp.

Combine chicken, lime zest, lime juice, olive oil, and garlic, salt, pepper. Let stand 10 minutes. Remove chicken from marinade, throw marinade away. Grill chicken 5 to 7 minutes a side.

SO GOOD AND EASY!

Orzo Stuffed Peppers

This one came from another blog... www.twopeasandtheirpod.com Love it, you should check it out. Surprisingly filling entree. Good vegetarian meal!

Orzo Stuffed Peppers

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups fresh spinach leaves, roughly chopped
1 (28 ounce can) can diced tomatoes
4 cups vegetable broth
1 1/2 cups orzo
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, plus more for sprinkling on top
1/3 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese, plus more for sprinkling on top
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
6 sweet bell peppers (red, yellow, or orange)

1. Preheat the oven to 400° F.

2. In a medium skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until tender, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for two more minutes. Stir in the spinach. Cook until spinach is wilted. Remove from heat.

3. Pour the tomatoes into a large bowl and stir in the spinach mixture. Set aside.

4. Meanwhile, bring the vegetable broth to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the orzo and cook for five minutes. The orzo should be only partially cooked because it will finish cooking in the oven. Strain the orzo pasta, making sure you save the vegetable broth.

5. Stir the orzo into the tomato spinach mixture. Stir in the cheese and season with salt and pepper. Stir in the basil.

6. Pour the vegetable broth into a 3-quart baking dish. Slice the tops off the peppers and remove all ribs and seeds. Cut a very thin slice from the base so the peppers will stand up in the baking dish.

7. Place the peppers in the baking dish and spoon the orzo mixture into the peppers. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 40- 45 minutes. Remove the foil, sprinkle the top of each pepper with additional cheese and continue baking until the cheese is golden, about 15 minutes.

8. Remove from the oven and let peppers sit for five minutes. Serve warm.

Makes 6 stuffed peppers

Jan's Tomato Dill Soup

I'm embarrassed that I haven't posted in almost a year! I've got several new favorite recipes from various places. So look out.

This is not good timing for this recipe, but I've made it and served it cold in hot weather... so eat this delicious one HOT or COLD! Your choice.

1) In stock pot cook 1/2 large chopped onion and 2 cloves garlic minced in 3 T. butter until tender.

2) Add onion mixture and 1 28 oz. can plum tomatoes to food processor and pulse until tomatoes are pureed.

3) Add tomato mixture back to pot over med. heat and add the following:

3 cans Campbell's condensed tomato soup

3 soup cans of chicken stock (plus more for right consistency later)

1/2 tsp. celery salt

1 tsp. onion powder

2 T. Worcestershire sauce

1/3 cup Parmesan cheese

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

4 (+) T. finely chopped fresh dill

Salt & pepper to taste

Reduce heat and simmer for at least 20 min.; add additional cream/broth for desired consistency and may need a chicken bouillon cube for added richness.

Enjoy!

Trail Mix

   This should probably not even be a legal post as a recipe, but I've so loved making this fresh trail mix from ingredients at the Dekalb Farmer's Market!  I decided to share the ingredients and then specific directions inside the market for those who live close enough to shop there :)  If you walk in and turn right, there is a nut section just past the candy.  Turn down that aisle and get ready!

Diced dried pineapple bits   (on the left and the beginning)

Dry roasted almonds with conventional salt (on the right hand side towards the front)

Raw sunflower seeds  (on the right just past the almonds)

California raisins (on the left side towards the end)

Mexican peeled peanuts (on the right hand side across from the raisins)

This costs about $11-12 depending on the weights you get.  But it makes SO much.  Enjoy :)

Pasta Salad

  This is Sarah's recipe, I think!  I got it from Meaghan, who made it for Susan's bridal shower.  I made it this week and added shredded rotisserie chicken to it.  It was delicious!  I used mini bowtie pasta:  

Pasta Salad

 

One box of pasta, (bowtie, penne whichever shape you prefer)

One package of crumbled feta

One cucumber (seeded and diced up however)

Cherry tomatoes

Celery (optional)

Fresh basil leaves (just chop up a few of them and throw them in there)

 

They sell salad dressing shakers in the grocery store at the salad dressings and they come with a packet of zesty Italian dressing (Good Season, I think it's called) and you and follow the instructions on the shaker as for how much water, oil and use balsamic vinegar. Then add into that a tablespoon of spicy mustard (grey poupon) and shake that up real well and put half of the dressing on the night before and then add more the next morning.

Beef Tenderloin

  This piece of meat was so delicious.  We got a 7 lb beef tenderloin of certified Angus from the Dekalb Farmer's Market.  However, 5-6 lb would serve 8-10 people.  Leave it whole!

We sort of made up our own recipe for it:

one clove garlic, cut in half

fresh ground black pepper

kosher/sea salt

Rub the entire surface of meat with garlic clove, pepper it well and massage in.  Preheat oven to 500 degrees.  Once you place the tenderloin in the oven, immediately turn it down to 300 degrees.  Let it cook for approximately 15 minutes per pound and continue to check meat thermometer.   We let ours cook to 125, though 130-135 would have worked, too.  Let it sit and cool with its juices 10-15 minutes and then cut just before serving.  

For delicious mushrooms on top:

4 T. butter

1 lg. clove of garlic, minced or pressed

8 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced

pinch dried thyme

pinch dried basil

1 t. dijon-style mustard

1/2 c. dry red wine

1/4 c. beef bouillon

salt and pepper 

water + flour mixture if needed later to thicken it up

Melt butter, saute garlic and mushrooms until tender.  Add remaining ingredients and simmer over low heat about 20 minutes.  Thicken gravy and serve with tenderloin.  YUM.

Apple Turnovers

Meaghan made these for the dinner party, too!  And they were so scrumptious.  All the boys ate them with ice cream on top -- even better.

Apple Turnovers

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 4 cups water
• 4 Granny Smith apples - peeled, cored and sliced
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 (17.25 ounce) package frozen puff pastry sheets, thawed
•  
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1.     Combine the lemon and 4 cups water in a large bowl. Place the sliced apples in the water to keep them from browning.

2.     Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Drain water from apples, and place them into the hot skillet. Cook and stir for about 2 minutes. Add brown sugar, and cinnamon, and cook, stirring, for 2 more minutes. Stir together cornstarch and 1 tablespoon water. Pour into the skillet, and mix well. Cook for another minute, or until sauce has thickened. Remove from heat to cool slightly.

3.     Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

4.     Unfold puff pastry sheets, and repair any cracks by pressing them back together. Trim each sheet into a square. Then cut each larger square into 4 smaller squares. Spoon apples onto the center of each squares. Fold over from corner to corner into a triangle shape, and press edges together to seal. Place turnovers on a baking sheet, leaving about 1 inch between them.

5.     Bake for 25 minutes in the preheated oven, until turnovers are puffed and lightly browned. Cool completely before glazing.

6.     To make the glaze, mix together the confectioners' sugar, milk and vanilla in a small bowl. Adjust the thickness by adding more sugar or milk if necessary. Drizzle glaze over the cooled turnovers.