Well hello there summer

Summer unofficially got underway in Chicago this weekend with a lovely 97 degree record-breaking day (side note: I think I can officially put away my snow boots now).  As much of a pain as 97 degrees is, I'll take that over NATO any weekend!

We decided to stay put, avoid the airports and enjoy some downtime at home.  Roy's had his nose stuck deep in a nerdy science book called The Short History of Nearly Everything and has been soaking up all the military movies on TV.  I took advantage of the long weekend with a few extra yoga classes and some cooking, including a strawberry pie to go with some Asian honey kebabs and grilled veggies for dinner tonight.

We also made a visit to the dog park that resulted in some hilarious photos.  Here's a quick preview, more to come along with a homemade frozen dog treat recipe later this week.

Wherever you were this weekend, I hope you enjoyed yourself and took a few moments to appreciate the real reason behind the Memorial Day holiday.  And to all our service men and women, thank you for all that you and your families do.

xoxo,
A Grateful American 

Asian Honey Chicken Kebabs

This recipe is as much of a summer staple for me as my flip flops.  I'm pretty sure I whip up a batch of these kebabs two or three times a month between June and October using whatever veggies I can find at the Farmers Market that week.

Asian Honey Chicken kebabs with grilled red onion, zucchini and squash and corn on the cob

And unlike some grill recipes that have you making your own rubs and spice mixes (which is fun, when you have the time to do it from scratch), this recipe is about as "lazy woman friendly" as it gets.  It uses just a couple of every day ingredients that you probably have sitting in your pantry right now like honey, soy sauce and garlic.  And it gives normally bland chicken some great flavor!

Occasionally I'll throw some steak in the mix as well.  Or if I'm really feeling fancy pants, sometimes I'll marinate the steak separately in some teriyaki sauce and make a duo of chicken and steak kebabs.  See, doesn't that sound delicious and as fancy as you can get for a BBQ?  I con my guests that way all the time :)

You can throw your veggies into the marinade along with your protein.  Or try keeping them separate and spray them with a light mist of Olive Oil PAM before they hit the grill so their natural flavors shine through.  And seriously, try whatever you can get your hands on... bell peppers, red onions, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, zucchini, squash, potatoes (yes, I said it, potatoes, apparently it's the "new thing" to grill although I've yet to try it).

One lesson I will impart after a summer of making kebabs: while it may look cute to mix and match your protein and veggies, resist the urge!  It's just not practical.  Chicken, steak and veggies all have different cooking times and keeping like items on their own skewers makes it easier to cook everything just right.

Happy Eating!  And of course, let me know if you have any other summer marinades that you swear by.

*****

Asian Honey Chicken Kebabs

Serves 6

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce

1/4 tsp pepper

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed (about 1.5 lbs)

1 clove of garlic, minced

veggies of your choice

In a medium bowl, mix together vegetable oil, honey, soy sauce, pepper and minced garlic.  Reserve a little bit in a smaller bowl or glass to brush on kebabs while grilling.

Add cubed chicken and veggies if you choose decide to marinate them.  Stir or mix well to coat the chicken.  Refrigerate for 3 hours or more.

When you're ready to grill, thread chicken and veggies on skewers and discard remaining marinade.  Preheat grill, lightly oil grill grate, and cook for 10-15 minutes or until chicken is done.  Brush with reserved marinade and turn to keep kebabs from burning.

Parmesan Garlic Chicken

I think someone has been sprinkling some crazy in my cereal these days.  Life has gone from busy to controlled chaos to chicken-with-it's-head-cut-off.

I've been trying to find ways to take back some control, like making bigger meals on Sunday so I can start the week off with some good leftovers and enough time to make it to a Monday night yoga class. As much as I'd love to stop working at 5, swing by the grocery store and come home to cook dinner... yeah, not so much.

This Sunday I made an old standby - Parmesan Garlic Chicken. It's just a Kraft recipe but it adds a lot of flavor to otherwise boring chicken breasts.  It's healthy and holds up really well when reheated.  Plus the garlic and parm make your house smell great!

I made it with an Asparagus Gruyere tart that was fantastic (recipe coming later this week), but ended up being too much cheese and sodium when paired with the chicken coated in parm and garlic.  That's what I get for being fancy!  Next time back to basic veggies like oven roasted broccoli or asparagus.  And I'll save the tart for something like steak or ham.

Happy eating!

*****

Parmesan Garlic Chicken

1/2 c. grated Parmesan Cheese (use a heaping 1/2 c. to make mixture last longer)
1 envelope Good Seasons Italian dressing mix
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 egg
6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 2 lbs)

Mix cheese, dressing mix and garlic powder.

Lightly beat egg with a splash of water.  Dip chicken in egg mixture and then in crumb mixture, turning to coat the piece of chicken entirely.

Place in a shallow baking dish.  Bake for 20-25 mins at 400 degrees.

For a golden appearance / crispier crust, after the chicken is cooked through, set oven to broil.  Place chicken 6 inches from heat and broil for 2-4 mins until it's golden brown.

Calories 230, Total fat 7g, Saturated fat 3g, Cholesterol 100mg, Sodium 680mg, Carbohydrate 2g, Dietary fiber 0g, Sugars 1g, Protein 37g