Grilling Again

In the waning days of summer I feel like we need to be outside as much as possible. I love to grill then sit out on the deck with the candles burning and the music playing. Sometimes we talk sometimes we just sit quietly for minutes at a time.

Supper tonight was:

Citrusy Chicken*

Parmesan Thyme Couscous

Corn Pudding

Green Beans

Honey Wheat Bread

Paula Deen's Creamy Pumpkin and Pecan Bars*

This chicken was so tender and moist. Great flavor too. I think I will mix several batches of the marinade and chicken in freezer bags to have ready for a handy freezer meal. Just take it out of the freezer and refrigerate in the morning and cook at 400* for about 45 - 60 minutes covered when I get home from work.

Citrusy Chicken
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 lemon, juice of
1 lime, juice of
3 Tbsp. olive oil

1 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 tsp. dried oregano

1/2 tsp. dried thyme leaves
1 tsp. chili powder

1 Tbsp. agave syrup (may substitute 1 tsp. brown sugar)

Place the chicken in a plastic ziploc bag.
In a small bowl, combine juices, oil, herbs and spice.
Mix well.
Add to chicken in bag and turn to coat.
Marinade at least 30 minutes, the longer the better.
On a prepared grill, cook chicken over medium high heat until done.

NOTE: I hesitate to list a cooking time here. It depends on how high the heat is, how thick the chicken is, was it room heat or cold when placed on the grill.......

I always bring my meats to room temp before cooking, they cook much more evenly.

Usually chicken breasts take 7-8 minutes on the first side and 5-6 on the second side. This would be for regular thickness, not the thin and fancy ones, they are much too thin to grill well.

Paula Deen's Creamy Pumpkin and Pecan Squares

1 box yellow cake mix

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter- melted

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese- softened

3 large eggs

1 cup canned pumpkin

3/4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 (16 oz) box confectioners sugar

Whipped cream (optional)

Ground cinnamon (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 13x9 inch pan.
In a medium bowl, combine cake mix, butter, chopped pecans, and 1 egg. Press mixture evenly into bottom of prepared pan.
In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese and 3 eggs with an electric mixer until creamy. Beat in pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until mixture is smooth. Pour over prepared crust. Bake 35 minutes. Cut into squares to serve. Serve with whipped cream and lightly sprinkle with cinnamon, if desired.

This was decadent. A perfect fall dessert. The only change I made was add 2 tsp. of my homemade vanilla to the filling. In the future I might pre-bake the crust for about five minutes before spreading the filling and then continue baking.

I really think the sugar could be cut a bit also, a full box is a bit much. I think 2/3 of a box might be plenty.

So, until tomorrow.........

S~~~

The End Is In Sight

Well, last night it ended...... We sadly watched our last available episode of LOST. We actually thought we had 2 more discs and they turned out to be bonus footage. What a major let down.
The good news is now I am back to blogging more faithfully.
LOST has truly consumed us. We can't wait for the 5th season to come out on DVD in December.
Note to self: Finish Christmas shopping in November.
The 6th and final season is set for January or February 2010 so we will probably watch it in real time. I emphatically say it is the best television series ever created. (This from a true Cagney and Lacy fan).

Ok, so I seem to remember this was a cooking blog, right? So, it must be time to start cooking again. Quick meals were the norm during our LOST stage. I have almost depleted all of my freezer meals so those will have to be replenished as well.

I have always had an interest in the Once A Month Cooking (OAMC) concept. Even started a folder of recipes at one time. The idea is spend one weekend a month and freeze meals for the coming month. The only problem is I don't want to spend an entire weekend in the kitchen. Even as much as I love to cook that is a bit much. So, I prefer to double up on entrees that freeze well and have them in reserve for those days that time will not permit anything more.
What might be fun though is to have a few friends join me in the kitchen and we could work together and divide our efforts.
Let me know if you have any experience here, I would love your input.

Here is a OAMC recipe that I plan to try soon:

Orange Glazed Chicken (OAMC)

8 boneless skinless chicken breast (or whatever your family prefers)
2 cups French dressing
3 cups ginger ale (do not use diet)
2 cups orange juice
2 tsp. cornstarch
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

Marinade chicken in French dressing in refrigerator for at least 1 hour, overnight is even better.
Remove from marinade and brown in a small amount of vegetable oil over medium high heat.
Combine ginger ale and cornstarch. Divide chicken in what ever proportions work well for your family. Divide sauce and pour over chicken. Cool and freeze.

On serving day:
Take chicken out of the freezer in the morning and place in the refrigerator. When ready to cook, preheat oven to 300* and bake 1 - 1/2 hours, basting at least twice during cooking.
Serve over rice.

Supper here tonight was Shrimp Pitas*. Something light and refreshing for the last of July.

Shrimp Pitas

2 cups frozen salad shrimp - peeled and deveined
3 radishes - chopped fine
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 small cucumber - peeled and chopped fine
1 tsp. lemon juice - fresh if you have it
1 tsp. Old Bay
1/4 tsp. sugar
3 Tbsp. Ranch dressing

Combine all ingredients and chill.
Serve in pita pockets with very cold finely shredded lettuce.

So, until tomorrow............
S~~~