Chicken Skewers with Cool Avocado Sauce and the Meal Plan 7/18- 7/21

I'm just now catching up on my weekend posts. This was our dinner on Friday night. When I found this recipe in Taste of Home magazine I was curious about how the flavors would work together. Lime, balsamic vinegar, and chipotle pepper in adobo sauce? Hmmm. The two reviews that I read on the website stated the that flavor was "unremarkable" and "needed work". I have to say that I disagree. The flavor of the chicken skewers was unique. Definitely tangy- probably due to the acid in the lime juice and vinegar. We grilled ours over charcoal which I think added another dimension to the flavor. And I really enjoyed the avocado sauce. My whole family, kids included, ate this without complaint. I personally really enjoyed it.

Here's how it came together:

First, I zested a lime for the sauce using my awesome microplane grater.

Then I squeezed a couple of limes for the marinade and the sauce with my favorite juicer.

Next, I seeded and chopped a couple of chipotle chilies in adobo sauce.

With all of the zesting, juicing, and chopping finished I went about the "pounding" step. Place 1 lb. of boneless, skinless chicken breasts in a large, resealable plastic bag and pound to 1/4" thickness.

Cut the flattened chicken into 1" strips and place them in a large, resealable plastic bag.

Add 1/2 cup of lime juice to the bag with the chopped chipotle peppers, a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar, and salt. Refrigerate for 30 minutes-2 hours. (Mine marinated for two hours).

Thread the chicken strips onto skewers. I recommend soaking wooden skewers in water for 20 minutes before skewering the meat.

While the grill heats, make the avocado sauce. I just tossed all of the ingredients into my immersion blender mixing cup. This is sour cream, avocado, a couple teaspoons of lime juice, a teaspoon of lime zest, and a little salt. I added extra cilantro. I'm digging the fresh taste of cilantro lately.

Blend until smooth.

This made a thick, creamy sauce. I really loved the flavors. Later that night, I mixed some chopped tomato and diced red onion into the leftover sauce for a quick snack of chips and guacamole.

Grill the chicken as directed. It cooks fast. Just 4 minutes per side. You don't want to overcook the chicken. In my opinion, dry, overcooked chicken is every bit as disgusting as undercooked chicken. Both are inedible.

Here they are hot off the grill.

While my husband grilled the skewers, I cut and washed the first crop of lettuce from our garden. It was delicious served with just a drizzle of salad dressing alongside our chicken. Oh how I love my garden!

With the addition of some cheesy rice, this was dinner. I'm still not sure why the recipe received poor reviews. The combination of chicken and sauce was yummy! Maybe ours was tastier because I added just a little more salt and allowed the chicken to marinate longer?

Here's the recipe from Taste of Home:

Chicken Skewers with Cool Avocado Sauce

Ingredients
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons minced chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
1/2-1 teaspoon salt

SAUCE:
1 medium ripe avocado, peeled and pitted
1/2 cup fat-free sour cream
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
2 teaspoons lime juice
1 teaspoon grated lime peel
1/4-1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions
•Flatten chicken to 1/4-in. thickness; cut lengthwise into sixteen
1-in.-wide strips. In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the
lime juice, vinegar, chipotle pepper and salt; add the chicken. Seal
bag and turn to coat; refrigerate for 30 minutes.

•Meanwhile, for the sauce, place remaining ingredients in a food
processor; cover and process until blended. Transfer to a serving
bowl; cover and refrigerate until serving.

•Drain chicken and discard marinade. Thread meat onto four metal or
soaked wooden skewers. Using long-handled tongs, moisten a paper
towel with cooking oil and lightly coat the grill rack.

•Grill, covered, over medium heat or broil 4 in. from the heat for
8-12 minutes or until no longer pink, turning frequently. Serve with
sauce. Yield: 16 skewers (3/4 cup sauce).

Nutrition Facts: 1 skewer with about 2 teaspoons sauce equals 59 calories, 3 g fat (trace saturated fat), 17 mg cholesterol, 74 mg sodium, 3 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 6 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 1 lean meat, 1/2 fat.

And now for the meal plan....

This is a short week of meals for us. I only need to come up with 4 meals (Monday-Thursday) and then I'm leaving town. Wednesday we will have out-of-town company, so we're planning a cook out. For those of you who are fans of my "Posts from the Farm" series, stay tuned! I'll be posting from "the farm" (my parent's house in Indiana) all next week.

Here is my abbreviated meal plan:

Monday July 18th

Farmers Market Salad (bumped from last week)

Tuesday July 19th

Weeknight Ravioli Bake

Wednesday July 20th

Burgers on the Grill (try Totally Edible Turkey Burgers)
BLT Macaroni Salad
Banana Split Cake

Thursday July 21st

Barbecued Brisket from the freezer

Grocery List (does not include Barbecued Beef Brisket ingredients)

Produce

1 lb. green beans
3 zucchini
2-3 tomatoes
lettuce and onion (if desired for the burgers)
green onions
celery
6 bananas
strawberries

Meat

2 lbs. bacon
hamburger patties

Dairy

light sour cream
milk
eggs
8 oz. shredded Italian blend cheese
Parmesan cheese
butter
2 blocks cream cheese

Canned Goods

1 jar spaghetti sauce
1 can diced tomatoes
vinegar
mayonnaise
crushed pineapple
chocolate syrup

Dry Goods

1 packet ranch dressing mix
hamburger buns
elbow macaroni
graham crackers or graham cracker crumbs (1-1/2 cups)
sugar
2 packets instant vanilla pudding

Freezer
2 lbs. fresh (in the refrigerator section in the deli) or frozen cheese ravioli
1 tub whipped topping

I hope that you all have a wonderful week!

Oh, and if you missed it, don't forget to enter my giveaway for a very cool apron HERE.

Honey-Grilled Chicken Breasts with Corn and Black Bean Salad

This was the perfect summer dinner. The flavorful grilled chicken with a delicious, cool and colorful salad really hit the spot!

The Honey-Grilled Chicken recipe also happened to offer a great way to showcase some of my favorite Pampered Chef kitchen tools too.

To begin, I prepared the marinade for the chicken. I cut the recipe for the marinade in half since only two of us would be dining at home tonight and the recipe makes enough for 8 chicken breasts.

First, I used my Microplane Grater to quickly and perfectly grate the fresh ginger.

Then I grabbed my juicer with a convenient built-in strainer AND a pour spout to juice a lime.

Next, I dropped clove after clove of garlic into my garlic press. This garlic press is awesome! One little squeeze and you've got fresh garlic without the hassle of mincing or chopping.

See?

It even comes with this handy little tool for quick and easy removal of any garlic debris left in the press.

Best of all, so you don't misplace the little tool, it conveniently fits right into the handle of the press for storage.

Once the ingredients are prepped, add them to a bowl with honey, soy sauce, orange juice, salt, and pepper.

Then whisk it all together. I totally love my sturdy little Pampered Chef whisk for jobs like this.

The pour spout on my small batter bowl made for an easy and clean transfer of the marinade to the plastic zip-top baggie filled with chicken breast. If you choose to make the marinade ahead, the batter bowl comes with a tightly fitted lid to cover the bowl before refrigerating.

Seal the plastic bag and marinate the chicken for at least 8 hours or overnight.

Because it was just my 3 year old and I dining in tonight, I didn't want to bother with firing up the grill. Instead, I heated up my Grill Pan and added the chicken.

Then I topped the chicken with my pre-heated Grill Press. This is a great tool not only for making paninis, but it's excellent for applying even heat to both sides of the meat. Last weekend one of my friends raved that her husband loves this tool for preparing hamburgers on the grill.

Please ignore all of the oil splatters in the picture. I added a little too much oil to the pan before adding the chicken and it splattered EVERYWHERE!

The chicken turned out beautifully! Very tasty! But I will say that it tasted more like Teriyaki Chicken than Honey Chicken. Even so, it was yummy! I'd used this recipe in place of store-bought teriyaki marinade again for sure!

The salad is a great "make ahead" dish and it came together in a snap. You just dump all of the ingredients into a bowl: corn, black beans, tomato, onion, cilantro, and garlic.

Then add all of the dressing ingredients to a jar that has a lid: sugar, vinegar, oil, lime juice, garlic powder, cumin, salt, and pepper. Put on the lid and shake until combined.

Pour the dressing over the salad and stir to combine. Then cover and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving. This salad just gets better with time, as the ingredients marinate in the dressing and the flavors mix n' mingle.

Confession: I doubled the dressing recipe. I tasted it after one application and the salad seemed a bit dry to me. After a second batch of the dressing, it was just right! Albeit not quite as healthy....

This dish would be the perfect addition to your 4th of July cookout. You could even serve it with tortilla chips as a salsa.

Enjoy!

I adapted both of these recipes from the June/July 2008 issue of Healthy Cooking.

Honey-Grilled Chicken Breasts original recipe found HERE

8 ServingsPrep: 15 min. + marinating Grill: 10 min.

Ingredients
1/2 cup orange juice
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons minced fresh gingerroot
12 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (6 ounces each)

Directions

•In a small bowl, combine the first eight ingredients. Pour 1/2 cup
marinade into a large resealable plastic bag; add chicken. Seal bag
and turn to coat; refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight. Cover and
refrigerate remaining marinade.

•Drain and discard marinade. Using long-handled tongs, moisten a paper
towel with cooking oil and lightly coat the grill rack. Grill,
covered, over medium heat or broil 4 in. from the heat for 5-7
minutes on each side or until a meat thermometer reads 170°,
basting frequently with reserved marinade. Yield: 8 servings.

Nutrition Facts: 1 chicken breast half equals 221 calories, 4 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 94 mg cholesterol, 331 mg sodium, 10 g carbohydrate, trace fiber, 35 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 5 lean meat, 1/2 starch.

Corn and Black Bean Salad original recipe found HERE.

8 ServingsPrep: 15 min. + chilling

Ingredients
1 can (15-1/4 ounces) whole kernel corn, drained
1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
2 large tomatoes, finely chopped
1 large red onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
2 garlic cloves, minced

DRESSING:
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons white vinegar
2 tablespoons canola oil
1-1/2 teaspoons lime juice
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions

•In a large bowl, combine the first six ingredients. In a small bowl,
whisk the dressing ingredients; pour over corn mixture and toss to
coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Stir before
serving. Serve with a slotted spoon. Yield: 8 servings.

Nutrition Facts: 2/3 cup equals 142 calories, 4 g fat (trace saturated fat), 0 cholesterol, 326 mg sodium, 21 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 4 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 1 starch, 1 vegetable, 1 fat.

* I doubled the dressing recipe.

To shop my personal Pampered Chef website, click HERE or just click the link in the upper left sidebar of this site. Choose "Shop Online" in the top tool bar, then click on option #2 on the next screen. Happy shopping!

Cowboy Steaks with Shallot Butter Sauce

Today is our wedding anniversary. After I kissed my husband goodbye for the day, I spent a brief moment reflecting over my coffee this morning, the sound of our sweet children warring over who got to play with a certain Barbie in the background. 7 years ago at this time of day, I was off to the hairdresser with my bridesmaids, sipping mimosas, having my hair swept into the perfect coif, and preparing to walk down the aisle toward my beloved. It was a beautiful day, beautiful wedding, and beautiful reception. I was so happy, surrounded by our friends and family with my new husband by my side. Today I am thankful that I still feel the same happiness now. As I sipped my coffee, I marvelled at how that day could seem like "it was only yesterday" in the same moment that it seems like a lifetime ago. Things certainly are different now. We have moved 4 times. We have gone from just the 2 of us to a family of 4. I spent the first part of this day cleaning the garage (scrubbing garbage can stains off of the floor and moving around an endless supply of bikes, trikes, and other outdoor toys) while supervising the kiddos (trying to keep them out of the piles of dirt I was sweeping up) and then carrying boxes labelled for our garage sale up from the basement.(Boy, would have this messed up my bride's french manicure) I fully intended to have a beautiful table set for dinner tonight, complete with a decadent chocolate dessert when my husband arrived home, bearing a bottle of my favorite wine and a bouquet of roses. However, by the time that I carried up the last box from the basement, showered and scrubbed the garbage scent off of my hands, and slipped into a dress, it was already after 6 pm. I still needed to run to the store for a forgotten ingredient or two and (ooops!) a card for my husband. As I tried to find the perfect card to convey just how I feel about my sweetheart, the girls pulled out every musical card from the shelves, yelling, "Look at this one mommy! Daddy would love this one." I was getting pretty frustrated when my husband called to ask where we were and if he should start the grill. "YES!" I answered. "We're on our way!". My how life has changed...

Tonight, our daughters decorated the table as I rubbed the steaks and my husband tended to the coals. I have to say, despite the hurried preparation, this dinner was absolutely delicious! The rub was surprisingly subtle on the grilled steaks, but was perfectly complimented by the shallot butter sauce. This butter sauce was out of this world! We couldn't stop eating steak! Even my daughters loved it.



I got this rub recipe from the latest issue of Better Homes and Gardens magazine. I used chili powder, ancho chili powder, smoked paprika, pepper, and sugar crystals. I didn't have any Sugar in the Raw as called for, so I improvised and used decorative crystal sugar.



I brushed 2 thick boneless ribeye steaks with a little oil and sprinkled them with kosher salt before applying 1/2 tablespoon of the rub to each side of the steak.



Pat it in with your fingertips. This is where I turned the steaks over to my husband for grilling and went about making the butter sauce.



The original recipe is called Cowboy Steak with Whiskey Butter Sauce. I didn't have 3of the ingredients (including whiskey) or 3 hours to make and chill a butter log. I decided to come up with my own sauce, loosely based on the ingredients suggested in the original recipe. Here's what I did: I melted a stick of butter in a saucepan, then tossed in a diced shallot. I sauteed the shallot until brown and a little crispy, then stirred in some Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, and a little salt.



Once the steaks came off of the grill, I sliced them and topped with the shallot-butter sauce.



It was ridiculously good.



Cowboy Steaks adapted from Better Homes and Gardens magazine original recipe found HERE

Makes: 4 servings
Prep: 20 minutes
Grill: 10 minutes
Stand: 25 minutes

Ingredients
1 Tbsp. New Mexican chile powder or chili powder
1 Tbsp. ancho chile powder
1/2 Tbsp. smoked paprika
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbsp. Sugar-in-the-Raw
2 1-inch-thick bone-in ribeye steaks, (about 1 lb. each)
Olive oil
Kosher salt

Directions
1. For rub, in bowl combine chile powders, paprika, peppers, and sugar.

2. Prepare grill for direct cooking over low heat (about 300 degrees F). Meanwhile, let meat come to room temperature about 20 minutes before grilling. Pat meat with paper towels to remove excess moisture. Just before grilling, brush steaks with oil. Sprinkle about 1 Tbsp. of rub and a little salt on each steak; pat in with fingers.

3. Place steaks directly over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes. Turn and grill 5 more minutes for medium-rare doneness. Remove from grill. Let rest at least 5 minutes.

4. Top hot steaks with Shallot Butter Sauce. To serve, slice steaks. Makes 4 servings.

Shallot Butter Sauce by me

1/2 cup butter
1 shallot, diced
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt, or to taste

Heat butter in a saucepan. Add the shallot and saute until golden brown and slightly crispy. Stir in Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and salt until combined.


My parents arrive tomorrow, so my husband and I are going out for a belated anniversary dinner without the kiddos. : )

Hot Dogs with Dr. Pepper Sauce

My Saturday did not go exactly as planned. I had big goals for making a pie, moving furniture, rearranging, organizing, yard work, cleaning...and this rich, spicy-sweet Dr. Pepper sauce over grilled hotdogs for dinner.



As I was cleaning up the breakfast dishes my mom called to get the details on my daughter's upcoming dance recital. I was telling her that I'd video the rehearsal so that those who couldn't attend could see the show. "When is the rehearsal?" she asked. There was a moment of dead silence on my part as the wheels started turning and I suddenly realized that it was....TODAY! Shoot. "Gotta go!" I told her and then called a friend to check the time of the rehearsal. I had a few hours, so I quickly threw together a pie for the church picnic we will attend tomorrow and then laced up my tennis shoes to help my husband carry furniture up and down the stairs. I spent a sweaty couple of hours racing around the house in my pj's and tennies trying create at least some semblance of order in our home. Then it off to the showers to make myself presentable. Since this was a dress rehearsal, I quickly helped my daughter shimmy into her neon green sequined ensemble, tossed her hair into a side pony tail and began styling it with corkscrew curls as instructed by her dance teacher. I hadn't even gotten to covering her face in the required JonBenet-style make up (Am I the only mom who is bothered by seeing her young daughter in full eye make up, blush, and bright red lipstick?) when my friend and her daughter arrived to finish getting ready and head off to the auditorium. I implored my husband to keep chipping away at our Saturday projects and suggested that I'd take our toddler along to the rehearsal to keep her "out of his hair". Upon arrival at the rehearsal, I realized that I didn't have my rehearsal pass to enter the auditorium and that siblings were strictly NOT ALLOWED to attend the rehearsal. Why oh why didn't I re-read the paper work that came home in my daughter's dance bag weeks ago? Luckily, I talked my way into the auditorium while my friend snuck in my baby. So...we were all in, but it was imperative that I keep my 2 year old absolutely quiet while the dancers practiced, in order avoid drawing attention to ourselves. Ever try to keep a talkative two year old absolutely silent? Um. STRESSFUL! At some point my toddler got her leg lodged in the fold up seats and as I was trying to free her as quickly and discreetly as possible, I loudly dropped my camera on the concrete floor. Luckily the camera survived, but as my oldest tapped onto the stage moments later, "Memory card full" flashed across it's display screen. I scrambled to try to erase items from the memory card, but it was dark in the auditorium and I couldn't see which "button" was for delete. Ugh. My friend fished around in her purse and gave my two year old her first-ever piece of chewing gum in the hopes that if her mouth was full, she wouldn't talk. Instead, she kept leaning over to announce, in a loud wannabe whisper, "I YIKE GUM MOMMY! YES I DO! I YIKE IT!" After my oldest daughter's performance, I snuck out with my toddler under the glares of other parents who had actually followed the rules and left their other children at home.

Back at home, my friend and her daughter came in to visit for a bit and re-hash the rehearsal as I got the Dr. Pepper Sauce under way for dinner.

Then my husband came down to say "hello" and he and my friend entered into their favorite activity...which is to debate. Usually politics. Today's topic: the oil spill and the role of government. And so, I found myself absorbed in the points of their argument as I was chop, chop, chopping the onion for this sauce with my favorite super-sharp Santuko knife. And that is when I chop, chop, chopped right into my middle finger. I tightly wrapped a towel around the finger and got those onions and garlic sauteing in 4 tablespoons of butter.



And I even took a picture of the star ingredient, Dr. Pepper.



And then I didn't take anymore pictures for a while. I was too busy trying to control the bleeding, brushing off suggestions from my friend and husband that I should probably seek medical attention, and still listening to their debate between these suggestions. You can find the recipe below. You add in lots of other ingredients and then you simmer the sauce, covered for 15 minutes and uncovered for another 20-30 minutes before blending until smooth.

I used my Cuisinart CSB-76BC SmartStick 200-Watt Immersion Hand Blender, Brushed Chrome




When dinner time rolled around my finger was better...at least the bleeding had slowed, although the throbbing is still pretty annoying as I type this 4 hours later.

I decided that the way to go with this hot dog was to load it up: cheese, onions, chopped pickle, and a generous serving of sauce and then go at it with a fork and knife.



Have mercy the sauce is delicious! Dinner was SO good! I found this recipe in the July 2009 issue of Better Homes and Gardens Magazine. It's by Elizabeth Karmel, the author of three grilling cookbooks and the woman widely acknowledged as "America's Female Grilling Expert". You can read more about Elizabeth on her website, Girls at the Grill, HERE.

I loved this sweet, spicy sauce so much that I decided it shouldn't be limited to a hot dog topping. I'm thinking that it needs to be brushed over chicken, or even better yet, RIBS in the near future. I decided to freeze two portions and leave one in the fridge.

I spooned the sauce into these Ball Plastic 8-Ounce Freezer Jars, 5 Pack My grandma recently gave me a set. I love em'! So convenient with their little screw tops AND...



they're stackable! Perfect for freezing individual portions of soup, fruit, or in this case...barbecue sauce. Great product!



Here's the recipe for Hot Dogs with Dr. Pepper Barbecue Sauce by Elizabeth Karmel

Makes: 8 hot dogs and 4 cups sauce
Prep: 15 min.
Cook: 45 min.
Grill: 5 min.
Cool: 10 min.

Ingredients
4 Tbsp. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1 large yellow onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 12-oz. can Dr Pepper
1 cup ketchup
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
3 Tbsp. tomato paste
2 tsp. ancho chili powder
1 tsp. finely ground white pepper
1 tsp. kosher salt
8 hot dogs (1-lb. pkg.)
8 hot dog buns, split and toasted
Toppers: pickles, sliced jalapeño peppers, chopped onion (optional)
* I like cheese too!

Directions
1. For sauce, in medium saucepan cook and stir onion and garlic in hot butter over medium heat about 10 minutes until onions are tender. Add all ingredients except hot dogs, buns, and toppers. Reduce heat. Simmer, covered, 15 minutes. Cook, uncovered, until sauce begins to thicken, 20 to 30 minutes. Remove from heat. Cool sauce 10 minutes.

2. Puree sauce in pan with immersion blender, or transfer to a blender jar, cover, and blend until smooth.

3. Meanwhile, on charcoal grill cook hot dogs on rack directly over medium coals for 5 to 7 minutes or until heated through.(For gas grill, heat grill. Reduce heat to medium. Cook on grill rack over heat. Cover; grill as above.) Serve hot dogs on buns with toppers. Makes 8 hot dogs and 4 cups sauce.

Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe 8 hot dogs and 4 cups sauce Calories 338, Total Fat (g) 19, Saturated Fat (g) 8, Monounsaturated Fat (g) 9, Polyunsaturated Fat (g) 2, Cholesterol (mg) 32, Sodium (mg) 1030, Carbohydrate (g) 30, Total Sugar (g) 10, Fiber (g) 1, Protein (g) 11, Vitamin C (DV%) 4, Calcium (DV%) 8, Iron (DV%) 13, Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

After this crazy Saturday, I decided a cocktail was in order. I could have cracked a beer or poured a glass of wine, but I needed to escape to the islands, so coconut rum and pineapple juice was my pick.



The recipe? Fill a glass with ice. Pour in equal parts of coconut rum and pineapple juice to fill. Add a splash of cherry juice. Garnish with an umbrella skewered cherry. Stick in a straw and drain. : )

Hope you're all having a wonderful weekend!

Gearing Up For Memorial Day Weekend: My Top 10 Grilling Recipes + What to Take to the Cook Out

From my experience, the Memorial Day gathering is all about the grillin'. I betcha weren't invited to a cook in. Heck no. You're cooking out! This holiday is about remembering and honoring the men and women who sacrifice so much in the service of our country. On Memorial Day, I take the opportunity to reflect on how grateful and proud I am to be an American and how thankful I am for the victories that this collective sacrifice has won.

Also, for me, Memorial Day symbolizes the beginning of summer. We want to be outside, enjoying the gorgeous weather and the freedoms that we've been afforded. We want to go to parades, head to the lake, gather with friends and family, and throw meat on a fire and listen to it sizzle! (Insert Tim "The Tool Man" Taylor man noises here). For this reason, I have decided to re-visit 10 of my favorite grilling recipes. Just click the link and it will take you to the original post. Each post featured here has a printable recipe available!

MY TOP 10 GRILLING FAVORITES:
(In no particular order)

Alton Brown's Grilled Pork Tenderloin



Hoisin Chicken (tied for 1st place as my favorite chicken on the grill recipe)



Totally Edible Turkey Burgers The only turkey burger I've ever loved.



The Giant Grilled Submarine Sandwich



Kentucky Grilled Chicken (The other contender for my favorite grilled chicken recipe)



Supreme Pizza Burgers



Two of the best kabob recipes EVER:

Spicy Peanut Chicken Kabobs




and Beef on a Stick



Dress up your dogs with this tasty chili sauce! Chili Cheese Dogs



And for my 10th selection: Grilled Pork Tenderloin Sandwiches. Topped with a delicious mustard-horseradish sauce, these are so good!



Okay I said 10, but a couple of honorable mentions are in order:

First, these Country Style Barbecued Ribs



And these Inside Out Bacon Cheeseburgers with a Grilled Onion Mayo.



Now for more recipes for the Memorial Weekend Cookout....

A few appetizers:

If you haven't tried SLIDERS yet, you are missing out!



Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers



Grilled Bruschetta




Some salads:

Rotini Salad. This is my go-to pasta salad recipe...SO GOOD! I wish that I had a better picture...



Mexican Salad with Creamy Avocado Dressing



Aaron McCargo Jr.'s Potato Salad



Italian Chopped Salad



Taco Salad




And let's not forget dessert:

Jimmy Carter Cake (scroll to the bottom of the linked post for the recipe.)


Strawberry Cheesecake Trifle



Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars



Apricot Pecan Bars



Peachy Chiffon Peaches are difficult to find this early in the season here in Ohio, but you could use strawberries or blueberries instead. If you happen to be lucky enough to have ripe peaches in your neck of the woods, this dessert is especially pretty if you drop a few red raspberries over the top of the peaches too!



Chocolate Banana Cream Pie



Rhubarb Cream Pie



I'm trying some new recipes this weekend. I'll keep you posted on how they turn out. In the meantime....I hope you all have a safe and happy Memorial Day Weekend!