Polenta Taco Bake

Who knew polenta was so awesome? I did not -- until yesterday. I'll be honest, it kind of creeped me out when I was slicing it up. Something about that didn't sit well with me. Texture thing. But when it's cooked, it's amazing! And yesterday was one of those days for me when I had a stroke of culinary genius putting random ingredients together from my fridge before they expired even more than they were already expired. So here we go...

Polenta Taco Bake

1 lb ground beef

1 roll of polenta (Is that normal? Mine came from Trader Joe's)

Mexican shredded cheese

Taco seasoning

Onions, chopped

Toppings: Taco toppings like shredded lettuce, guac, olives, tomatoes, sour cream

Brown the ground beef and drain. Add a half cup of water, seasoning, onions (or in my case, expired pico de gallo), and simmer till well seasoned.

While browning, spray a baking dish. Slice polenta and layer in baking dish. Sprinkle thin layer of cheese over top. 

Layer seasoned beef over top of polenta, then smother it in more cheese. 

Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes, uncovered. 

Remove from oven and add taco toppings.

You're welcome.

Hashbrown Casserole (For Easter Brunch!)

Whether you're having Easter brunch or dinner, this hashbrown casserole will work for either one. And it makes a TON. I served it as a side dish for my St. Paddy's potluck and had half a pan left to take to a small potluck the next night too. I love this stuff! I love the panko crust versus the cornflakes version. And the bonus is you can fry it up the next morning to make hashbrown patties for breakfast....

Hashbrown Casserole
Thank you, JustAPinch.com

2 lb frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed
1/2 c  plus 1 tbsp. (1 stick) butter, melted
1 can (10.5 oz.) cream of chicken or cream of celery soup
1 pt (16 oz.) sour cream
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 c shredded cheddar cheese
1 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 1/2 c panko bread crumbs

1. Chop onion, green pepper and garlic

2. Melt 2 Tbsp. of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute onions, pepper and garlic in butter until the onions are transparent.

3. In a large bowl, combine the sauteed vegetables with the thawed hash browns. Add 6 Tbsp. of the remaining butter, soup, sour cream, cheddar cheese, salt and pepper.

4. Place mixture into a greased 11x14-inch casserole dish. Mix the remaining 1 Tbsp. melted butter with panko bread crumbs and sprinkle over the casserole.

5. Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 45 minutes, or until casserole is bubbly and the panko crumbs are golden brown.

Spaghetti Bake and Salad Discoveries

I love me some meatloaf but it's one of the few foods I don't really love to have leftover. Like who really wants meatloaf two nights in a row? Or fish? Or probably a lot of things if I really think about it now that I'm thinking about it...

In our house, leftover meatloaf always becomes the meat in the spaghetti meat sauce for night two. And last night it happened again, but in a more spaghetti bake casserole type of way. It was delicious!

Meatloaf Spaghetti Bake

1/2 lb. spaghetti, uncooked
Leftover meatloaf, cut into chunks
1 jar  (14 oz.) spaghetti sauce
1  egg, beaten
1-1/2 cups shredded cheese, divided
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Heat oven to 375°F.

Cook spaghetti as directed on package, omitting salt.

Drain spaghetti; place in large bowl. Add egg, 1 cup mozzarella and Parmesan; toss to coat. Place in 8-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray; top with meat, spaghetti sauce and remaining mozzarella. Dash with more Parm.

Bake 15 min. or until heated through. Let stand 5 min. before cutting to serve.

Salad: Keepin' it Crunchy

I don't really think my salad findings deserve their own post, but because we do have a simple green salad just about every night with dinner, I've found a few simple ways to keep it interesting. I've been going thru my pantry to find anything other than croutons for that added crunch. I don't even like croutons that much -- unless they're on some super gourmet salad from some super gourmet restaurant. If anyone has a lead on good croutons you can buy in a store that don't taste like cardboard, I'd love to know... So far, my favorite salad toppings include chia seeds (for the health nut), french fried onions (for the anti-health nut), slivered almonds or nuts of any kind, and my new favorite: boxed seasoned stuffing mix! And even though the stuffing mix is kind of like a bunch of smaller cheap croutons that I should hate, it totally works because they're tiny croutons that give you a crunch without that big bite of cardboard. 

And that's my salad rant. The end.  

Mexican Shepherds Pie

I looked in my fridge yesterday to get inspired for dinner when I discovered leftover homemade bean dip and homemade garden salsa a friend brought over for our Super Bowl bash. On my counter I found the leftover tortilla chips and decided we needed to go round two with these delicious ingredients. I made up a pound of taco beef, chopped up some red lettuce and cherry tomatoes I needed to use up, and decided to wing it...

I think it has a lot to do with the fact that the bean dip and salsa were already really yummy and had a bunch of good stuff in them, but this Mexican Shepherds Pie turned out amazing! You could call it a "touchdown." Pretty sure I ate half the pie myself. Here's how I put it together:

Bottom layer - Spread crushed tortilla chips on the bottom, the really good restaurant style.

Next layer - Spread your bean dip over the chips as best as possible. It'll be messy and totally fine if it's not a perfect layer. My bean dip already had cheese, jalapeno, and I think sour cream in it...so some add-ins you might consider mixing in to yours.

Next layer - Spread the chunky salsa over the bean dip. My salsa had all the good stuff in it like onions, peppers, herbs, even corn...so more good stuff to consider adding for flavor.

Next layer - Spread your taco beef over top, straight from the skillet so it's hot.

Top layer - Top with a healthy amount of Mexican shredded cheese.

Bake at 375 for 20 minutes. Top with chopped lettuce, diced tomato, and a few heaps of sour cream to complete this fiesta.

Watching the game inside while hanging outside - best seat in the house!

Emily's son, Grahambo, and I putting on our best game faces.
Not bad experiencing your team's first Super Bowl win at just 1 year old!

Blue Cheese & Rosemary Scalloped Potatoes

THESE ARE THE BEST POTATOES I HAVE EVER HAD. Period. Done. No more explanation needed.

I would end there but I need to give a big shout out to my sister-in-law, Kari, who brought these to Christmas dinner a few years back and introduced me to THE BEST POTATOES I HAVE EVER HAD. Do everyone a service this Christmas and bring this side dish to dinner. Like Rudolph, you'll go down in history...

Blue Cheese & Rosemary Scalloped Potatoes

5 lbs. russet potatoes
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 1/2 tsp. minced fresh rosemary
3/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup sour cream
2 cups cream (this is not a time to go light, use the heavy cream!)
1 tsp. salt

Preheat Oven to 350 degrees.
Butter a 9x13 glass baking dish.
Peel and slice the potatoes into 1/4 inch slices. Toss them in a large bowl with the salt, pepper, and rosemary.
In a small bowl, toss together cheeses.
Layer half the potatoes in the buttered dish. Sprinkle with half the cheese mixture and top with the remaining potatoes.
In a bowl, whisk together sauce ingredients (sour cream, cream, salt) and pour over potatoes.
Tap the baking dish on the counter to spread out the sauce and help release any air bubbles.
Sprinkle with remaining cheese mixture.
Bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until browned and completely tender all the way through when poked with a knife.
Take out of oven and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

You can also make these in advance and store, covered and refrigerated, for up to 2 days.
Bring to room temperature and reheat in a 350 degree oven until hot.
Missy's note: I use more blue cheese and Parmesan than called for because why wouldn't you?

Fudgy Chocolate Cake Cookies

I remember the first time I had these cream cheese chocolate cake cookies. My co-worker brought them to work during the holidays and blew my mind by giving me one. Of course I asked for the recipe and couldn't believe how easy they were to make. So, my gift to you this holiday season is passing on her secrets...

Fudgy Chocolate Cake Cookies

Plan 2 hours ahead of time as the dough will need to cool in the fridge.

Ingredients

1 (8-ounce) brick cream cheese, room temperature
1 stick butter, at room temperature
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (18-ounce) box moist chocolate cake mix
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 bar (100g) good bakers chocolate

1. Melt the chocolate in a small pot on low heat, stirring to make sure it doesn't become hard again.

2. Cream the cream cheese, add the butter and mix. Then add the egg and mix it all together, then add the vanilla.

3. Add the cake mix, next add the molten chocolate and blend it all together. Place the bowl in the fridge for at least 2 hours.

4. Preheat the oven to 350ºF (176ºC). Get your powdered sugar in a cereal bowl and the dough out of the fridge. Start rolling tablespoon sized balls between the plams of your hand (this will get sticky) then roll the ball in the powdered sugar and place it on an ungreased cookie sheet (repeat until you are out of dough).

5. Bake in the preheated oven for 12 minutes. Let cool on the sheet for a bit and move to a cooling rack.

The fixings

I've never seen such aggression licking (eating) the chocolate off the spatula.

Slow-Cooker Chunky Beef Chili

I wish I could get a picture that does justice to the amount of leaves, dirt and food left on my floor from our Halloween celebration. It's pretty impressive. I should be sweeping and mopping but I'd rather blog and ignore it.

Halloween this year swept thru like a raging storm. I volunteered to be in charge of my son's preschool party -- why? Because I'm insane. (wow, that was loud.) I will say, the snacks probably saved my life because that little platter of fruits, crackers, veggies and cheese was the healthiest thing my 3-year-old consumed all night. During set-up, the teacher didn't disguise very well how tough the day had been after classroom trick-or-treating and parades and costumes (can you imagine potty time for 20-some kids in costumes, omg). Whole new level of respect for teachers!

Then our party at home started and even before we could eat, the trick-or-treaters began knocking. Since my kid was already jacked to the max, we decided we'd let the chili sit on warm in the Crock Pot (slow-cooker bonus!) and go pound the pavement for a bit. So. Much. Fun! Our neighbors really get into the spirit of Halloween, which is merely a warm up for what Christmas brings.

When we returned, we dove into the chili right away. It rocked! It was chunky, meaty, hearty and spicy. And prep was so easy it's almost ridiculous it turned out so good. As the weather turns colder, I will be making this again 100%. This dish screams to be fed to hungry football fans...

The Chili Ingredients

2+ lbs ground beef, lightly browned and drained (I used fattier beef, c'mon it's Halloween, who cares.)
Kirkland no-salt seasoning
6 oz can of tomato paste
2- 16 oz cans of Bush's Chili Beans (I used medium spice)
16 oz can of black beans
2 Tbsps minced garlic
1 pkge chili seasoning
1 cup ketchup
1 onion, chopped
10 oz can of diced tomatoes (I used fire-roasted)

The Bar Ingredients

Shredded cheddar cheese
Chopped onion
Black olives
Corn kernels
Sour cream
Fritos corn chips

Directions

ln a skillet, lightly brown your ground beef and drain it. Add some very hefty shakes of the no-salt seasoning for added flavor. Stir well and simmer for a few minutes.
Add all chili ingredients to the slow cooker.
Cook on low for 8-10 hours.
Top with chili bar ingredients of choice.

Adapted from the Crockin' Girls Hearty Chili recipe.

***

As a bonus, I'm going to post Emily's Pumpkin Dip which was a whipped creamy amazing little appetizer (or dessert) that I went to town on as soon as she put it out. With ginger snaps, it's like mini bites of pumpkin pie. Sooo good! I'm sorry I didn't get a pic so you'll just have to believe it's incredible without a photo -- for now.

Pumpkin Dip

1 block cream cheese
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup pumpkin
1 Tbsp maple syrup
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup Cool Whip (or to taste)

Soften the cream cheese and blend everything together with a hand mixer.
Chill for 30 minutes.
Serve with apples, pears, graham crackers, or ginger snaps.

Slow-cooking to perfection.

Graham turned into Grahambo for his very first Halloween. Except he's far too sweet to play the part very well. 

Our trick-or-treaters, young and old, ready to go! You can see how jacked out of the gym my child is...

"Mom, I'm gonna need you to replace all of my pureed squash dinners with  this Milky Way bar from now on."

Big shout out to my sister-in-law Michelle for her candy corn Rice Krispie treats!

And just for fun, this spooky house rocked, complete with bubble and smoke-machines. Plus, they gave out full-sized candy bars so now Emily is going to stalk them every year.

Slow-Cooker Cheese Steak Sandwiches

A few weeks ago, I found this at TJ's:

Really wanting a cheese steak sandwich at that moment, I knew I'd settle for making tacos with it. So I bought the sirloin and in the freezer it went. Then, at random, a slow-cooker recipe for cheese steak sandwiches popped up on my Pinterest feed, and seriously, how can one deny that I was totally meant to make cheese steak sandwiches for slow-cooker month?

Thank you Sarah Marie, whoever you are, for this amazing slow-cooker recipe. I added to it a bit, but not much.

Slow-Cooker Cheese Steak Sandwiches
Serves 4 - 6

Ingredients

1 lb. round steak, cut into bite sized strips
1 green bell pepper, cut into strips
1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
1 medium onion, sliced
1 can French onion soup
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. Lawry's seasoned salt
hoagie style buns
Provolone cheese, sliced
Beechers flagship cheese, sliced (optional)
Butter

Directions

Place steak, pepper strips, onion slices, French onion soup, Worcestershire sauce, minced garlic, garlic powder, and seasoned salt into slow cooker and stir together thoroughly. Cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 8 hours.

Melt some butter or margarine in a small bowl. Brush the hoagie buns with the melted better, then place ¼ of the steak mixture on each bun*, and top with a slice or two of cheeses. Wrap each sandwich in foil and bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

*The steak mixture will be somewhat soupy, so when dipping it out to put on each sandwich, turn the spoon slightly and let the broth drain out before putting it on the sandwich. You will have broth leftover in the slow cooker at the end.

Slow-Cooker Spicy Chicken Lettuce Wraps

I make shredded chicken in the crock pot way too often. It's just that it always turns out good no matter how much I mix it up ingredient-wise. Today's shredded chicken creation is nothing short of Pinterest-worthy perfection for that busy mom who needs to build out her crock pot board. I would totally pin this...

So I may have slightly over-filled them...

Spicy Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Serves 4-6

2 large chicken breasts

2 cups spicy barbecue sauce (I used Stubbs spicy)

1 can diced tomatoes

1 packet of taco seasoning (or more)

1 can spicy black beans (I used Trader Joe's cuban style)

2 cups cooked rice

Head of lettuce (I used butter lettuce)

Put everything but rice and beans in the slow cooker and let it cook on high 4-6 hours or slow 8-10. (I let the chicken cook alone for an hour before adding the other ingredients.) If you're home to do this, start pulling chicken apart a few hours into it. Keep shredding as you go so it can soak up those juices. Add beans and rice in the last hour of cooking. I'm not big into corn but I bet it would add a nice crunch if you added it in. Rinse and pat dry the lettuce pieces and fill with chicken mix. Add hot sauce, buffalo wing sauce, sour cream or keep it plain -- it's so good!

My lettuce was still alive...and reduced price. Score!

This guy had 4 hugely-filled wraps. I think he liked it.

As with all my shredded chicken creations, this will undoubtedly become tacos or enchiladas tomorrow night. Bonus.

October Theme: Slow Cooker Meals

My favorite kitchen tool is featured this month--my personal chef, the slow cooker. Like magic, it makes a good meal that makes me look good to the fam. I hope they never know any better...

PS: I'm going to make it my mission to get a good photo of split pea soup someday.

Piroshky Piroshki Pirozhki or Pierogi?

There's this little hole-in-the-wall Russian bakery in Pike Place Market, Seattle, called Piroshky Piroshky and one of my very favorite foods of all time is there: the beef and onion piroshky -- a flaky hot pocket filled with savory ground beef like I've never tasted anywhere else. I'm not talking Taco Tuesday ground beef. It's special, like extraordinarily crazy good flavored beef. I kind of need a moment when I'm eating it.

When I began my search for piroshky recipes, the search engine kept asking if I meant to search for piroshki with an i. So after a search for "easy piroshki recipes" (because the word "easy" must precede every single recipe search I do), I found the winning recipe below.

The outcome was awesome! So good, it actually made me second guess the memory I have of the Pike Place piroshky. Having admitted that, I still think if I put up a piroshky to my piroshki, piroshky would still be my favorite. Lost yet? Basically this recipe provides a reeeeally good substitute, although its taste does not surpass the original.

On my search of piroshki history for this post, the first Wiki thing to come up was for pirozhki, Russian individual fried or baked buns with a variety of fillings, which is also known as pyrizhky in Ukraine, or pirosky in Greece. In Japan you can get a piroshiki and in Poland you can get a pierogi, while in America's frozen food aisle, you can get a hot pocket. So- we're covering a lot of ground here as you can see.

Thank you Just a Pinch Recipes for this cinch recipe:

They taste way better than they look...see photo below.

The Easy Piroshki-y-zhki-zhky-ogi Pocket

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef
1/4 - 1/2 large onion, diced
2 Tbsp sour cream
To taste seasoning salt
To taste no salt seasoning if you have it (I used Kirkland brand)
To taste garlic powder
To taste minced garlic
2 pkgs refrigerator crescent rolls
white flour
1 egg yolk
2 Tbsp water

Directions

1. Begin cooking ground beef in skillet. After slightly browned, add the onion and saute until beef is nicely browned. Remove from heat and set aside.
2. Prepare a place to roll out the crescent roll dough by sprinkling a little flour on a large flat surface. Open the tube and carefully unroll the sheet of dough. Flatten it on the floured surface and push the perforated areas together to make one large slab of dough. Roll dough with rolling pin to even out the surface. Dough should become somewhat wider as you do so. Cut dough into 8 or 10 evenly sized squares (I used a pizza cutter). Or if you want larger pockets, cut into 4 or 6 squares.
3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
4. Pour off some excess grease from meat mixture but leave a little, then add seasoning salt, no salt seasoning, garlic powder, minced garlic and sour cream. Mix well, taste and adjust seasonings. Place equal portions of filling on each square of dough. Then fold over one corner of each square to make triangle-shaped pockets, pressing the edges to seal (if you have trouble getting seal to form, dampen finger in water and rub around edge to be sealed, then press together again). Spray a cookie sheet and place your piroshki on it.
5. Once all piroshki have been sealed, cut a small slit or poke holes with fork in top of each pocket. Mix egg yolk with 2 tbs water and brush wash onto tops of pastries. Bake in preheated oven for 10 - 12 minutes until golden brown.

The reason I don't bake. Ever.

Itty Bitty S'more Pies

I had almost decided to let August quietly slip by without posting because there is nothing in me that wants to bake a pie -- ever. Then this little 4-ingredient recipe popped up in my Pinterest feed and since the word "pie" was in the title, it piqued my interest. Since chocolate was a main ingredient, I decided to go for it.

First, let's be honest. This little revolution of mini muffin versions of everything -- pies, casseroles, breakfasts and such -- is basically a cop out for lazy cooks like me who would rather not fuss with all the ingredients. Dumbed-down versions of the real thing. And I freaking love it, I'm not gonna lie. 

As it turns out, you don't even need a campfire to make s'mores as long as you own a muffin pan. Throw away those dirty sticks; here's the recipe you've been waiting for...

Itty Bitty S'more Pies
Swiped (and slightly altered) from Mess for Less

(For a half dozen muffin pan)

Pie Crust roll or Puff Pastry sheet

2-3 Graham Crackers

1-3 Hershey Bars

6-8 Marshmallows

Note: You're going to eat some of the ingredients (if you're a human) so I took that into account with the measurements.

Preheat oven to 375. Grease your muffin pan. Cut a piece of your pie crust and fit it inside each muffin tin, pressing until it's just right, or you just give up. Break graham cracker into pieces so they fill a good portion of the cup. Leave room for about 3 rectangles of chocolate to layer on top. Put in the oven to bake about 5 minutes. Remove and then place a single marshmallow on top of each tin. Put back in oven for about 10 minutes, or until marshmallows start to brown a bit. Drop another Hershey piece on top just because you can.

Things to consider: 1) Using pie crust. My tiny grocery store did not have any so I was stuck with puff pastry. Still worked. 2) Substituting Golden Grahams cereal for the broken graham cracker. 3) Making a Nutella and crumbled Nilla Wafers version. You can thank me later.

Since I'm pretty sure this recipe was intended for children, I decided to let this guy help me out.

But he ended up doing more of this and then dropping the pieces back into the muffin tins. Secrets in the sauce.

Really yummy and really easy. Pie month success. (Can I be done now?)

Gorgonzola Tomato Salad

New potluck dish.

Five minute prep. Looks lovely. Tastes divine. This one is coming with me wherever I go this summer. 'Nuf said.

Gorgonzola Tomato Salad

1 lb cherry tomatoes (a variety makes it look fancy)
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
1/2 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
1tbsp minced garlic
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Slice tomatoes in half. Place in bowl. Add chopped onion, garlic and cheese. Drizzle olive oil and balsamic vinegar over. Toss and season with salt and pepper.

If you are taking this to a potluck, place tomatoes, red onion, and cheese in a bowl. Add olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper right before serving.

Thanks to weekofmenus.blogspot.com for this recipe gem!

PS: I totally swiped the bowl with my finger to get the last of the garlic-y, Gorgonzola-y balsamic vinegar. Maybe the best part...

Suddenly Summer Pasta Salad

After all these amazing summer salad posts, I thought it was time to bring the bar down a little bit. That's where my old friend Betty Crocker comes in. Picked up her boxed pasta salad and decided to give it a try. Basically, you're buying the rotini noodles and a packet of powder Caesar seasoning. The rest she expects you to do on your own. Lame. Okay, to Pinterest I go...

Oh Betty, you really have thought of everything.

My stir-ins: kalamtas, hard salami, pepper jack cubes, tomatoes and romaine lettuce. I'm also addicted to putting Chia seeds into everything.

Along with the packet of seasoning, I added about a half cup of Italian dressing. I will definitely make this again and again and again. It's a meal in itself.

These guys ate it the night before they finished a 200 mile bike ride from Seattle to Portland. I'm sure it was the pasta salad that gave them their super human endurance. Pictured right to left: my hubs, my dad and some dude I just met who rides with my dad. SO proud of them!

I do have another less-boxed summer salad I wish to post later on (sorry Betty). It'll be more true to the theme and yet simple enough to keep my personal bar low. Stay tuned.

Thirsty Thursday: Zippy Zipfizz Quencher

Want a zippy little drink with a punch of energy? Ice, vodka, muddle in some mint. Add Zipfizz, gingerale and stir with a rainbow Popsicle. Bonus: When the Popsicle chunks start falling into your drink, gets even better...

I used pink lemonade flavor.

Warning: One whole tube will make it pretty sweet. I used one tube for two drinks and would probably like it even better dividing it into thirds. So...make sure you're drinking with two other people.

2nd bonus: The Zipfizz will give you that boost of B12 energy when you're in for a long afternoon of pool time  partying with toddlers.

Grilled Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad & An Easy Steak Marinade

This pasta salad recipe might also be a bit of a stretch for barbecue month but I'm including it anyway because a crucial ingredient came from the grill. Here's how it came to be...

Night 1, we welcomed our weekend guest, hungry Mike, with grilled chicken tenders and Caesar romaine wedges.

Night 2, I took the leftover chicken (there wasn't much left, unfortunately -- Mike) and I decided to make a pasta salad which ended up being another take on Caesar salad just so I could use the leftover dressing. Don't judge, Mike loved it.

Night 3 for Father's Day, we grilled steaks for Kelly and our adopted dad, Mike. The steak was awesome so I'll just go ahead and share the marinade for that one too...

I kind of made this one up as I went so here goes:

Grilled Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad

One bag of tri-color pasta, cooked and drained.
Place in a bowl and add about half a jar of your favorite Caesar dressing.
Add a handful of baby arugula.
Add another handful of cherry tomatoes.
Add about 1 cup of marinated artichokes.
Add about 1 cup of Parmesan cheese.
Add about 1/2 cup of red onion, chopped.
Mix it all up and determine if you need more dressing.
Before serving, add in leftover barbecue grilled chicken, cut in chunks.
Note: There is enough yummy stuff in this, that you could opt to leave out the meat if you wanted a vegetarian version -- still very delish.

Yes, I put out leftover St. Paddy's Day napkins for our weekend guest. I also made him get his own beer.
That's how we roll.

Kelly's Steaks

For three big steaks, we melted about a quarter to half stick of unsalted butter with a ton of minced garlic.
Bathe your raw meat in it, as Kelly is demonstrating in the pic below.
Sprinkle with blackened seasoning.
Grill it up nice and slow, rubbing on more garlic/butter/seasoning goop as needed.

I swear this is the only work I made him do on Father's Day.

Mike with his new shoe accessory to help him climb big mountains. He looks hungry, doesn't he?

Boom. Done!

A for-real Father's Day meal.

Who else saw the sun halo last weekend? Mike thinks it's lucky; I think he's just delirious from hunger.

So, if a rainbow is a perfect circle with no end and no beginning, where do they put the pot of gold?

Grilled Caesar Romaine Wedges

These romaine wedges were on the grill for a total of about 4 minutes -- that counts for barbecue month, right? I don't have a great story for these, just that I'm a little pissed I haven't tried them till now, that's how delicious and easy they were. I think this is the first time the meat became a "side" to the salad in my house...

Grilled Caesar Romaine Wedges

1/2 cup Caesar salad dressing
2 heads romaine lettuce, cleaned
2 tbsp olive oil
1 small red onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 tbsp cider vinegar
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
3 tbsp French fried onions (optional)
3 tbsp bacon bits (optional)
Sea salt and pepper

Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Remove loose outer leaves from each head of lettuce. Cut each lettuce head in half lengthwise. Brush cut sides with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt.

In a small bowl, combine onions and vinegar and set aside.

Grill lettuce cut side down, for about 2 minutes or until just charred. Turn lettuce and grill 2-3 more minutes (watch lettuce carefully as it may char quickly, depending upon temperature of grill).

Drain onions, arrange lettuce on plates. Drizzle with salad dressing and top with onions and Parmesan cheese. Add French fried onions (or croutons) and bacon bits for a little crunch and added flavor.

Beautiful wedges split in half and brushed with olive oil and sea salt.

Stay tuned for  another  recipe using barbecue chicken tender leftovers.

Kelly and his very hungry friend, Mike, who stayed with us for the weekend. After climbing Mt. Rainier, Mike was happy to eat his weight in food just about every night. Kelly spent four months with this guy (and his wife) about 11 years ago climbing in New Zealand and Thailand, living out of a small car, camping on beaches and eating rice and beans. When Mike stayed with us last weekend, he would disappear for the entire morning to go running. After he left us, he went back to Rainier to "run up it" and then the next day he was going to pick up his brother from the airport to do it all over again. That would be three climbs of Mt. Rainier in less than a week, people. I guess I won't complain this week about going to Zumba...

Saucy yummy grilled Caesar wedge. Mike ate two, of course.