Greek Chicken

Greek Chicken

Chicken thighs, bone-in

1 c plain Greek yogurt

2 tbsp olive oil

4 cloves minced garlic

1/2 tbsp dried oregano

Lemon zest from 1 lemon

Juice from 1/2 lemon

1/2 tsp salt

Freshly cracked pepper

1/4 bunch fresh parsley, chopped

Mix all ingredients except chicken in mixing bowl. Place chicken in large ziplock bag, pour marinade over chicken and toss to coat. Marinade overnight. Bake for an hour at 375 degrees.

Tomato Bisque with Homemade Garlic Croutons

Tomato Bisque with Homemade Garlic Croutons

4 tbsp butter

1 sweet onion, diced

2 slices bacon, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

5 tbsp flour

5 cups chicken broth

28 oz can whole peeled tomatoes, undrained

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp dried basil

1/4 tsp black pepper 

1 bay leaf 

1 c heavy cream

Grated parmesan cheese

1/2 loaf French bread - day old (I used a cheese French bread from the bakery of our local grocery store)

3 tbsp butter, melted

Garlic powder

Black pepper

Heat butter in large soup pot, add onion and cook until translucent. Add the bacon and garlic, cook until the bacon is crispy (be careful not to burn the garlic). Add the flour and stir continuously for 2-3 minutes. Add the broth and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, add the seasonings and herbs, and simmer 30 minutes. Blend the soup with an immersion blender until smooth (or in batches in a blender). Stir in heavy cream and top with parmesan and croutons (recipe below).

Cut bread into 1 inch cubes, place in mixing bowl. Melt 3 tbsp butter, pour over bread cubes. Sprinkle with garlic powder and black pepper, toss to coat. Brown croutons over medium-high heat in a nonstick skillet. Drain on paper towel.

Squash Casserole

Squash Casserole (from Southern Living magazine)

3 yellow squash, diced

2 zucchini, diced

1/4 c butter

1 large sweet onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 bag frozen corn or 1 can corn

1 1/2 c shredded white cheddar

1/2 c sour cream

1/2 c mayo

2 eggs, slightly beaten

2 tsp pepper

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 c panko breadcrumbs

1 c asiago, grated

Boil squash and zucchini for five minutes or until tender, drain. Melt 2 tbsp butter, sauté onion and garlic. Stir together remaining ingredients with 1/2 c breadcrumbs and 1/2 c asiago. Spoon into lightly greased baking dish. Melt remaining butter, stir in remaining 1 c breadcrumbs and 1/2 c asiago. Sprinkle over casserole and bake uncovered on 350 for 45-50 minutes.

Grilled Pizza

Grilled Pizza

Refrigerated pizza dough (from deli section)

Olive oil

Flour

Salt

Pepper

Nonstick grill spray

Roll out the pizza dough on a lightly floured surface. The dough will plump while grilling, so go thinner than you want the crust to be in the end. After rolling out the dough, brush one side with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat grill to high heat, spray grill with nonstick grill spray. Grill dough olive oil side down for 2 minutes with grill lid open. While grilling, brush other side of dough with olive oil and salt and pepper. Flip the dough over after 2 minutes, then turn grill heat down to medium. Immediately put toppings on pizza, then close grill lid for about 5 minutes until cheese is melted and crust is brown.

Chicken (boiled and diced)

Bacon (cooked and crumbled)

Feta cheese

Olive oil

Minced garlic

Fresh oregano

Italian seasoning

Shredded mozzarella

Mix olive oil, minced garlic, and Italian seasoning in small bowl. Allow to sit for a few minutes. After flipping pizza over, spread olive oil mixture as sauce on crust. Top with mozzarella, chicken, bacon, feta, and oregano.

Pepperoni (lightly cooked)

Italian sausage (sliced and cooked)

Cappicola

Gorgonzola

Fresh oregano

Pizza sauce

Mozzarella

Spread pizza sauce on crust after flipping. Top with mozzarella. Add pepperoni, Italian sausage, and cappicola. Top with crumbled gorgonzola and fresh oregano.

Grilled Flank Steak

Grilled Flank Steak

juice from 1 lemon
1/4 cup soy sauce
2-3 tbsp olive oil
celery seed
garlic salt
Montreal steak seasoning
1 flank steak
Mix all ingredients in large ziploc bag.  Add flank steak and marinate over night.  Grill over medium high heat until medium-well (or until cooked how desired).

Sweet Potato Oven Fries

Sweet Potato Oven Fries

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into fries
1-2 tbsp olive oil
1-2 tsp sea salt
1 tbsp pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
After peeling and cutting sweet potatoes, arrange them on a large non-stick baking sheet.  Drizzle fries with olive oil (enough to cover, but not enough to drown them in oil).  Using tongs, toss fries to get them covered in olive oil.  Sprinkle sea salt over fries (we've been trying to cut back on salt, so I didn't use much, maybe 1-2 tsp).  Sprinkle a generous amount of black pepper over fries.  Finally, lightly sprinkle fries with cayenne pepper for a little spice (feel free to eliminate this step if you do not like a kick).  Toss fries again with tongs to cover, use more seasoning if you'd like.  Bake at 425 degrees for about 10 minutes.  Turn fries over and bake an additional 10 minutes.  Serve with ranch dressing.

Grilled BBQ Ribs

Grilled BBQ Ribs

4 lbs baby back ribs
3 garlic cloves, minced (I used the already minced kind)
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp paprika
2 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp cumin
For BBQ sauce:
1 small onion, finely diced
2 tbsp butter
1 c ketchup
1/4 c brown sugar
3 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp cider vinegar
1 1/2 tsp ground mustard
1 tsp celery salt
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
Rub ribs with garlic; place in a shallow roasting pan.  Cover and bake at 325 degrees for 2 hours.  Cool slightly.  Combine first 6 seasonings and rub over ribs.  Refrigerate covered overnight (or at least 8 hours).
In a small saucepan, saute onion and butter.  Stir in remaining ingredients and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and cook 10 minutes or until thick.  Remove from heat, reserve 3/4 cup sauce.
Grill ribs, covered, over medium heat for 12 minutes, turning and basting with remaining sauce.