Grilled Brown Sugar Balsamic Chicken

I love an easy grilled chicken recipe and this one was perfect and so flavorful! My kids devoured all of theirs and were asking for more even though there wasn't any more! This recipe is from Delightful E Made.

3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil
3 tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1/2 tsp salt

Whisk the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, brown sugar, garlic, pepper and salt together. Place the chicken in a ziploc bag and pour the marinade over the chicken. Let marinate for 3-8 hours. Grill chicken over medium heat 6-8 minutes on each side or until the chicken is cooked through. 

Cinnamon Pancakes

Pancakes are always a hit with my family and these cinnamon pancakes were a perfect twist on the classic! With school starting today this is the perfect breakfast or even better, easy weeknight dinner!

2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
3 tbsp cream of tarter
2 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups milk
2 eggs
1/2 cup butter (melted)

Whisk together flour, sugar, cream of tarter, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Stir in the milk, eggs and melted butter.  Heat an electric skillet to medium heat. Place 1/2 cup of pancake batter into the skillet. When the batter starts to bubble, flip the pancake. Repeat with remaining batter and serve with butter and syrup.

Baked Ravioli with Charred Tomatoes and Spinach

Ravioli has become one of the things I can almost always guarantee that both of my kids will devour, specifically my two year old who can be persnickety about dinner. Speaking of that two year old, this page has been open for the last 45 minutes as I try to get this recipe blogged but she has asked for water, to go potty for goldfish and to change the movie 234323 times. Bless it. This recipe is adapted from I Heart Naptime.

1 pint grape tomatoes
25oz frozen cheese ravioli
6oz fresh baby spinach
1/3 cup basil
1 jar marinara sauce
8oz fresh mozzarella (cubed)

Place the broiler on high. Spread the cherry tomatoes out on a foil lined sheet pan and place on the top rack of the oven. Broil until they start to blister, about 5 minutes. Remove and heat oven to 400. Toss together the frozen ravioli, charred tomatoes, spinach, basil, marinara sauce and cubed mozzerella. Pour into a 9x13 pan. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 10 more minutes. Remove from oven and serve.

Bacon Jalapeno Popper Dip

I love a good dip and with football season just around the corner this is a must have at your next tailgate or football party! I served with both frito scoops and tortilla chips and no matter what you put this stuff on it's sure to be the winner!

16oz cream cheese (softened)
1 cup mayonnaise
4 oz diced jalapenos (drained)
4 oz green chiles (drained)
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/3 cup crumbled bacon plus 1 tablespoon for topping

Heat oven to 350. Mix together the cream cheese and mayonnaise until combined. Stir in the jalapenos, chiles, shredded cheese and 1/3 cup of crumbled bacon. Spread into a 9x11 baking dish. Top with remaing crumbled bacon. Bake for 25-35 minute or until bubbly. Remove from oven and serve with chips.

Cheeseburger Meatball Sandwiches

Both of my children are currently loving meatballs of any kind. My oldest LOVES meatball sandwiches so I thought this was a fun twist on it! They turned out great and everyone loved them!

Meatballs:
1lb ground beef
1/4 cup finely diced onion
1 egg
1 tbsp worchestershire sauce
1 tbsp ketchup
1/2 tsp garlic salt
pepper to taste
1/2 cup panko

Sauce:
8oz tomato sauce
1/3 cup ketchup
1 tbsp mustard
1 tbsp worchestershire sauce
1/4 tsp onion powder
pinch of pepper

4 Hoagie Rolls
8 slices cheddar cheese 

Heat oven to 400. In a bowl combine the ground beef, onion, egg, worchestershire, ketchup, garlic salt and pepper until combined. Stir in the panko. Form the meatballs and place in the bottom of a greased baking dish. Bake for 25 minutes or until cooked through.  While the meatballs are baking, make the sauce by whisking all the ingredients together in a pot then heating until hot.  Once the meatballs are done, place them in the sauce and let them sit for 5 minutes. Then place the meatballs on the rolls, top with cheddar cheese and serve.

Salt and Vinegar Potato Wedges

One of the reasons I love these potato wedges is that it was easy to make them salt and vinegar style for Gray and I but leave the others plain for the kids who might not be so down with the vinegar part. They were super easy to make and a great side dish. This recipe is from Macheesmo.

2 lbs red potatoes (cut into wedges)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp coarse salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 tbsp red wine vinegar

Heat oven to 400. Toss the potatoes in the olive oil, salt and pepper. Lay on a sheet pan lined with foil. Bake for 25 minutes, flipping half way through. Brush on the desired amount of vinegar. Serve.

Soft Sour Cream Sugar Cookies

I made these delicious cookies for our 4th of  July cookout. The next day the leftovers were sitting on the counter and my 2 year old came walking into the den with one like it was no big deal that she had snatched a cookie without asking, I asked her "what are you doing?" and she said "oh just eating sprinkles!", she is a mess! This recipe is I Heart Eating.

Cookies:
2 1/4 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup butter (room temperature)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 packed brown sugar
2 large egg yolks
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tbsp milk

Frosting
1/2 cup butter (room temperature)
3 cups powdered sugar
2-4 milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
sprinkles

Heat oven to 350. In a mixing bowl whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl beat together butter, white sugar and brown sugar. Beat in the egg yolks one at a time, scarping down as needed. Mix in vanilla extract, sour cream and milk. Stir in the dry ingredients until just combined. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place 1 1/2 tbsp scoops onto the cookie sheet. Bake for 10-13 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes before moving to a wire rack to finish cooling.  Once the cookies are cool make the frosting. Beat together the butter, powdered sugar, milk and vanilla extract. Spread the frosting on the cookies and top with sprinkles

Grilled Vegetable Primavera

This recipe is a great meatless summer recipe! Loaded with lots of yummy vegetables, it's pretty quick to throw together and very filling!

1 lbs bowtie pasta
2 zucchini
2 yellow squash
1 red pepper
1 orange pepper
1 cup mushrooms
1 red onion
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup grated parmesan cheese 
4 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp italian seasoning 

Cut the veggies into bite size pieces, toss in olive oil, salt, pepper and italian seasoning. Place in a foil packet and grill over medium heat for 7-8 minutes on each side. Boil the pasta in the chicken brother and water. Drain the pasta and toss with parmesan cheese and grilled vegetables.

Lemon Cream Scones

Scones have become one of my favorite things to make for breakfast on Saturday mornings. They are pretty easy to throw together and they bake up quickly too. These lemon scones were great and we gobbled them up. This recipe is adapted from The Grateful Girl Cooks.

2 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 tbsp lemon zest
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
8 tbsp cold butter
1 egg
1/2 cup heavy cream

1 cup powdered sugar
3 tbsp lemon juice
2-3 tbsp cream
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Heat oven to 400. Whisk together sugar and lemon zest. Whisk in flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder. Cut the butter into tiny cubes and then using a pastry blender or fork to blend the mixture into coarse crumbs. In a separate bowl whisk together egg and heavy cream. Pour the mixture into the flour and stir until just combined. Lightly flour a surface and then pat the dough out into a circle about 3/4 inch thick. Cut into 8 triangles. Place on a parchment lined sheet pan and bake for 15 minutes. While the scones are cooling whisk together the powdered sugar, lemon juice, cream and vanilla extract. Once the scones have cooled for 15 minutes then glaze them.

Grilled Chicken Pitas

New favorite! This chicken had great flavor since it was grilled and I loved topping it with fresh ingredients and tzatziki. Everyone devoured this meal.

3 boneless skinless chicken breast
4 tbsp olive oil
4 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp plain greek yogurt
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp salt
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp black pepper
4 pitas
cucumber
tomato
lettuce
tzatziki

Whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, plain greek yogurt, red wine vinegar, garlic, salt, thyme, oregano and black pepper. Place chicken breasts in a plastic ziplock bag and pour the marinade over the chicken. Marinate for 1-12 hours.  Heat grill over medium high heat and grill the chicken for 7-9 minutes on each side or until the chicken is cooked through. Let sit for 5 minutes then slice and place on the pita with toppings.

White Queso Dip

I've tried a lot of queso recipes over the years. A lot. Too many really.  Bad ones. Okay ones. No good ones. I finally asked a big group on FB and so many people gave me this recipe. My best friend was coming into town a few days later so we tried and it and yes. Yes yes yes. This is it! It was delicious and creamy and perfect!!! This recipe was adapted from Seeded at the Table.

1 1/4 lb block white american cheese (from the deli)
2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup cold water
3 tbsp diced green chiles
3-4 tbsp diced pickled jalapenos
pinch of cumin

Cut the cheese into 1 inch cubes.  Place in the bottom of a  microwave safe bowl. Pour the milk and water over it. Heat in the microwave for 3 minutes stirring in between each minute. Continue to heat for 2 more minutes and whisk between every 30 seconds. Heat for 30 more seconds if it is still too clumpy. Stir in green chiles, jalapenos and cumin. Serve with your favorite tortilla chips. Store leftover in the refrigerator.

Salsa Fresca

This salsa is so easy to make and has the best flavor! I love being able to use all fresh ingredients to make something tasty, it was the perfect appetizer for a warm summer night! This recipe was slightly adapted from Mother Thyme.

1 lb roma tomatoes
1/2 sweet onion
3-4 garlic cloves
1 jalapeno (seeded)
handful of cilantro
juice of 1 lime
pinch cumin
pinch of salt
pinch of pepper

Quarter the tomatoes and place in the bottom of a food processor, top with the sweet onion, garlic, jalapeno cut into pieces, cilantro and lime juice then the seasonings. Pulse several times until it is finally chopped. Refrigerate until ready to serve. 

Orange Rosemary Salmon

This salmon was so great! It wasn't difficult to make and it had the best flavor! My 9 year old isn't a huge salmon fan but even said he really liked it cooked this way! This recipe is adapted from Cooking Classy.

3 tbsp olive oil
4 salmon fillets
salt and pepper
2 cloves garlic (minced)
2 springs fresh rosemary
5 tbsp chicken broth
2/3 cup fresh orange juice
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 1/2 tbsp honey
2 1/2 tsp cornstarch

Place olive oil in a large nonstick pan and heat over medium high heat. Season the salmon with salt and pepper. Saute the salmon on each side for 3-4 minutes or until it reaches desired temperature. Transfer out of the skillet and set to the side. Add garlic and rosemary springs and saute for 20 seconds. Add 4 tbsp of chicken broth and stir well. When the chicken broth has reduced in half stir in the orange juice. lemon juice and honey. Whisk together the remaining 1 tbsp of chicken broth and 2 1/2 tsp of cornstarch. Whisk into the pan and bring to a boil.. Stir as the sauce begins to thicken. Turn off heat, remove the rosemary sprigs and add back the salmon. Spoon the sauce over the fish and let sit for 3 minutes before serving.