Gordon's Marinade

I got this recipe from Shawn's mom, its actually her best friend's husband's brother's recipe who's name is: you guessed it, Gordon.........We like it on chicken....you can marinate a bunch and then grill it off and use for tons of dishes.....I think the only thing I added was some ground pepper (Shawn loves pepper).....

1/2 C Soy Sauce
1/4 C Oil (I use Veggie or Canola)

2 T Light Molasses

2 tsp Ginger powder

2 tsp Dry Mustard

6 Cloves of Garlic, Smashed

1/4 tsp Black Pepper

Mix all ingredients pour into plastic bag or container, add in 4-5 chicken breasts and marinate for at least 6 hours.

Colorful Chicken Pasta Salad

I love cold salads on hot summer days for dinner. This is an adaptation from Shawn's Moms Chicken Salad. I have changed the noodles from Soba or Chinese to Whole Grain. Partly because I can not find the Chinese noodles I normally use (Not a big Chinese selection down here in TX) and partly because its a good recipe to use whole grain noodles. Shawn even likes this salad as do the kids.....but the kids prefer it with Homemade Teriyaki Sauce instead of the Sesame dressing which is fine with me since I always have Teriyaki in the fridge (good way to get my kids to eat rice and such).......Anyway you can use your favorite marinated chicken, but I would recommend Gordon's Marinade, which I have on a separate post or a Teriyaki Marinade. I like to serve this salad with the dressing on the side, it makes for easy keep if there are leftovers plus it also allows a person to put as much or as little as they want.

Serves 6-8

4-5 Marinated Grilled Chicken Breasts, sliced

1 lb Barilla Plus or Barilla Whole Grain Spaghetti Noodles

1/2 Head of Cabbage, chopped

2 Bell Peppers (Red, Orange or Yellow), quartered & sliced

1 English Cucumber, quartered & sliced

1-2 Cans Mandarin Oranges (we use 2 cause the girls LOVE them)

Grape Tomatoes, whole

4 Green Onions, chopped

Toasted Sesame Seeds or Almonds, Garnish (optional)

Dressing-(this is the doubled recipe, you can 1/2 it)

4 oz Apple Juice

8 oz Rice Wine Vinegar

4 T Sesame Oil (can reduce and add a splash of chili oil if you want some heat)
4 T Soy Sauce

2 tsp Sugar

To make the dressing mix all ingredients in a container and shake vigorously until sugar is well mixed. Cook Pasta according to package and rinse under cold water. Let Drain. Layer salad in a large Pasta Serving Bowl, start with cabbage then layer the noodles on top, then top with veggies and chicken...Basically make it pretty (although my pic above is not my best work, oh well) Like I said before I like to serve the dressing on the side (we also do green onions on the side since Shawn does not like them)....avoids putting too much on or not enough, yadah, yadah.....

Fresh Tomato Bruschetta

I love tomatoes......I mean LOVE them.....I even have a few plants in the backyard growing like weeds....I can not wait to taste the fruit from them. Anyway, I also love bread and put them together and I am in La La Land......I developed this recipe when Shawn and I were living in Boston, grilling on our tiny tiny Weber BBQ, we were pretty new at using briquetts as they were always hotter when we were done cooking.....but I can proudly say we rock with briquetts these days.....We actually use the all natural hard wood ones.....they burn hotter and last longer and we like that they are natural.....Ok, so on with the recipe.....Easy, Simple and Good.....

Serves: 6 or more

1 Loaf Rustic Bread or Baguette, sliced

1 garlic clove, peeled & halved

4-5 Roma Tomatoes, diced

2-3 T Red Onion, finely diced

5-6 Fresh Basil Leaves, Chiffonade (rolled & cut in strips)

2-3 T Red Wine Vinegar, to taste (sometimes I use more & you could use Balsamic instead)

Splash Olive Oil (I just swirl a bit around the bowl)

Salt & Pepper, to taste

Goat Cheese, optional (we love it, so we spread on before tomato)

In a bowl stir together tomatoes, onion, basil, vinegar, oil and salt & pepper, set aside. Rub Garlic on all break slices. Grill bread, turning once, until lightly toasted with grill marks. Platter up and serve with goat cheese and tomato topping....

Marinated Flank Steak

So if we are going to eat steak we usually eat Flank Steak because we all just love it but also because its affordable too. (New York Steaks will always be my favorite, but have you seen the prices lately, Ouch!) Flank to me is a marinating steak and this recipe is our favorite marinade for flank. We slice thin and use the steak in many meals from wraps to sandwiches to salads to you name it.....We actually just made this for Mother's Day, so good.....You can make it with out fresh herbs and it tastes just as good, but I will throw the fresh herbs in if I have them.....More flavor.....I have been known to use this same marinade with out the herbs for Shish-Kabobs....

Serves 4-6 (depends on who you have to dinner!)

1/2 C Vegetable or Canola oil
1/3 C Soy sauce

2 T Worcestershire Sauce
1/4 C Red Wine Vinegar
1 T Dijon Mustard
3-4 Garlic Cloves, minced
Juice of 1 Lemon
1 tsp ground black pepper

2-4 T Chopped Fresh Herbs, I usually have Basil or Parsley
1 1/2 pounds Flank Steak

In a medium bowl, mix the oil, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, mustard, garlic, lemon juice, ground black pepper and herbs. Place Steak in large plastic bag or glass pan and pour marinade over the meat. Seal the bag or cover the steak and marinate for 6-7 hours. (if you marinate in a shallow glass dish, be sure to flip the steak halfway through marinating)

Preheat grill for medium-high heat. Oil the grill grate. Place steak on the grill, and discard the marinade. Grill meat for 4-5 minutes per side, or to desired doneness. Let it rest for 5-7 minutes. Slice and serve......

Cilantro Lime Rice

I just love experimenting and after eating at a burrito shop down here that served Cilantro Lime Rice, I decided it was time that I try to make my own. I am sure I will make different variations of this recipe but I really liked what I created.....Very simple flavors, and sometimes simple is best.....I must admit I am not good at cooking rice on the stove.....I cook most of my rice in a rice cooker....I love my rice cooker because the rice always comes out perfect....This rice is a great with my Crazy 'K' Chops.....So good.....

Serves 6-8

8 C Hot Cooked Rice

1-2 T Lime flavored Olive Oil, or Plain Olive Oil (or Garlic)

1/3 C Cilantro, chopped

1/4-1/2 C Fresh Lime Juice

Salt & Pepper, to taste

Lime Wedges, Garnish

Once rice is done cooking, fluff and then add in Oil. Stir together, then add in Lime Juice and Cilantro. Toss all ingredients together and season with Salt and Pepper.....Serve with Lime Wedges.

Greek Tortellini Salad

As you know or don't know....I love salads....especially summertime ones. This one was a big hit with the family and the kids.....they love tortellini.....I added a little more dressing on my individual salad and we also topped ours with some vinegar marinated grilled chicken to make it a complete meal. So good, I didn't have grape or cherry tomatoes in the photo, but I would definitely add them in....This one has been added to the family rotation. Its versatile, the spinach can be swapped out with any favorite salad green, I know for me I would love it with arugula.......and the Greek Dressing is so good....I store it in the fridge and set it on the counter about and hour before I will need it....

Serves: 8

18-24 oz Fresh Cheese Tortellini

1 pound baby spinach leaves

6 eggs, hard boiled & quartered
1/4-1/2 cup slivered red onion

1 Can Medium Black Olives

1 C Grape Tomatoes

1/2-1 C Feta Cheese, Crumbled (you can use flavored if you want)

1 C+ Greek Dressing, recipe below

Marinated Grilled Chicken, optional

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add tortellini, and cook for 6-7 minutes or until al dente; drain. Place the cooked tortellini in the bowl, add in about 1 C of Greek Dressing, toss to coat. Cover, and chill for 2 hours in the refrigerator.

Gently mix the spinach, feta cheese, olives, grape tomatoes and onion into the bowl with the pasta. Arrange the quartered eggs around the salad, garnish with extra tomatoes, olives, and feta if you like. Top with Grilled Chicken or any other grilled favorite....... Serve with extra salad dressing for those that want it.

Greek Salad Dressing: Yields about 2 cups

3/4 cup olive oil
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp dried basil
1-1/2 tsp pepper
1-1/2 tsp salt
1-1/2 tsp onion powder
1-1/2 tsp Dijon Mustard
1-1 1/4 C Red Wine Vinegar

In a large container or glass jar, mix together the olive oil, garlic powder, oregano, basil, pepper, salt, onion powder, and Dijon-style mustard. Pour in the vinegar, and mix vigorously until well blended.

Teryaki Chicken Salad

I grew up eating this salad, it was actually served at a restaurant where I grew up.....My brother took the idea of the salad and made it at home. Yes, my brother too is a good cook, so is his wife and so is my dad. We all love trying and creating new recipes....To this day this is still one of my favorite salads. My husband actually will eat this one too....He is not too big on lettuce or salad dressings......but loves chicken and teriyaki......

Serves 4-5

4-5 Chicken Breasts
1-2 heads of Romain or Leaf Lettuce (or a combo of both)
1 lg Can of Mandarin Oranges
1/2 C Slivered Almonds, toasted
Poppyseed Dressing, to your liking (I use store bought Briannas or Kraft)

Simple Teriyaki Sauce:
2 C Water
1 1/2 C Soy Sauce
1 1/2 C Sugar
1/2 T Garlic Powder
1 tsp Ginger, chopped (I have used ginger powder, just need to reduce amount)
2 T Sherry Wine

Whisk teriyaki sauce ingredients together in a small pot, boil gently to dissolve sugar and cook out the alcohol from the Sherry. When all sugar is dissolved sauce is ready. Use it for a marinade, stir fry, or as a sauce over rice.....endless possibilities.....I store in the fridge.

Marinate chicken for at least 6 hours or overnight. Grill chicken, seasoning with salt and pepper and brushing on a little extra teriyaki sauce, about 6-8 min a side, until no longer pink inside. Rest for a few min and then slice.

To assemble the salad. Gently toss lettuce, warm chicken, almonds, mandarins and poppy seed dressing (to taste) all together in a bowl. Serve immediately. You can do 1 big salad or you can toss individual bowls (which is what I do salad bar style).....That way if there is any left it can be served again....and not be all soggy!

Faux Refried Beans

I can be a simple girl. Sometimes I just want a bean and cheese burrito. Probably one of my favorite simple meals....I use to make them a lot in college, you know can of refried beans, some cheese, onions and hot sauce all wrapped up in a tortilla.....Well, I decided it was high time I try to make refried beans, but once I got looking there was just too much fat in some of the recipes and some just didn't sound good.....so I decided to try something different......These are awesome probably some of the best beans I have tasted.....I had found a similar recipe but it didn't look like it have enough flavor, so I added some other ingredients and stepped it up to something my kids, husband and I would like.....Who knew I would rely on the Crock Pot so much.....its just so easy....I am not sure if I will be buying canned refried beans anymore......I may just have to make these again, some homemade guacamole and homemade salsa to serve with chips for Cinco de Mayo......So good and so easy.....and I even think my mom would like these as they are not spicy! Feel free to spice up if you like!

Serves 12

3 C Dry Pinto Beans, Rinsed

1 Lg Sweet Onion, finely chopped

1 Jalapeno, seeded & chopped

5-6 Cloves of Garlic, minced

2-3 tsp Cumin

1-2 tsp Chile Powder

2-3 tsp Salt

1 1/2-2 tsp Black Pepper

9 C Water (Plus extra if they dry out, mine did not)

Throw all ingredients into a Crock Pot (slow cooker) and cook on High for about 8 hours. Stirring occasionally and re seasoning if necessary. Once the beans have cooked, strain them, reserving the liquid. Mash the beans with a potato masher, adding the reserved water as needed to attain desired consistency, I think I added back about 3/4-1 cup of the bean cooking liquid.....You can make them as dry or as wet as you would like.....Serve w/ chips or in a burrito, or as a side dish.....If you plan on keeping them in a crock pot on low after mashing, I recommend keeping some of the cooking liquid in case the dry out a little bit.