Sesame-Chili Chicken with Gingered Watermelon Salsa

Serves 4

For Chicken:
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 to 2 tablespoons chili sauce with garlic**
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

For Salsa:
2 cups diced seeded watermelon
1/4 cup diced yellow bell pepper
2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger
2 teaspoons mirin (sweet rice wine)**
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced

Remaining ingredients:
1/4 teaspoon salt
Cooking spray
Cilantro sprigs (optional)
Lime wedges (optional)

**note: you can find the chili sauce and mirin in the Asian section of the grocery store.

1. To prepare chicken, combine first 3 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add chicken to bag; seal and marinate in refrigerator for 1 hour, turning bag occasionally.

2. Prepare grill.

3. To prepare salsa, combine watermelon and next 8 ingredients (through jalapeño); cover and chill until ready to serve.

4. Remove chicken from marinade; discard marinade. Sprinkle chicken evenly with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Place chicken on a grill rack coated with cooking spray. Grill 6 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken from grill; let stand 5 minutes. Cut chicken diagonally across grain into thin slices; serve with salsa. Garnish with cilantro sprigs and serve with lime wedges, if desired.

Served with basmati rice.

Results: Don't let the crazy name of this recipe fool you. This was easy to make, and De-freaking-licious! I did not take a picture of this one, put wish I had, because it was a beautiful dish. Perfect for summer and for dinner guests, which we had.

For the kids, I didn't marinade their chicken, because I wasn't sure how spicy the chili sauce was. For ours, the chicken had just the right amount of kick to it. (I used 2 tablespoons chili sauce.) The salsa was incredible, and can be made ahead of time. For the kids, I just served theirs with watermelon slices. You know who only ate his rice, but only because our dinner guest told him he couldn't have the cookies she brought unless he ate his rice.

I'll definitely make this one again and again.

Pasta with Lemon Cream Sauce, Asparagus and Peas

Serves 4

8 ounces uncooked long fusilli (twisted spaghetti)
1 3/4 cups (1 1/2-inch) slices asparagus (about 1/2 pound)
1 cup frozen green peas, thawed
1 tablespoon butter
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup organic vegetable broth (such as Swanson Certified Organic)
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/3 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Dash of ground red pepper
Coarsely ground black pepper (optional)
Lemon slices (optional)

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Add asparagus during last minute of cooking time. Place peas in a colander. Drain pasta mixture over peas; set aside.

2. Melt butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic to pan; sauté 1 minute. Combine broth and cornstarch in a small bowl; stir until well blended. Add broth mixture to pan; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute or until thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in cream, juice, salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, and red pepper. Add pasta mixture to broth mixture; toss gently to coat. Garnish with coarsely ground black pepper and lemon slices, if desired. Serve immediately.

Served with garlic bread

Results: I love this pasta. It's easy to make and has a great, fresh flavor. Despite picking the asparagus out of the boys' pasta, Steven wouldn't even try it. Henry ate some of the pasta, but not much.

Dad's Corny-dogs

Dad made dinner for the boys the other night. Grapes for a smile, corn dogs for eyes, string cheese for hair and a ketchup nose. Not a bite was left on plates.

Last Minute Chicken

Serves 4

Ingredients
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 potatoes, thinly sliced
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into cubes
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup milk
1 onion, chopped
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
2 cups frozen broccoli, carrots and cauliflower combination
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. Heat oil in large frying pan over medium high heat. Cook potatoes, stirring frequently until tender-crisp. Stir in chicken, and cook until no longer pink. Reduce heat to medium. Stir in condensed soup, milk, onion, and garlic powder. Arrange vegetables on top, and sprinkle with parsley, marjoram and basil. Cover, and simmer over low heat until chicken is cooked through, and vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in Parmesan.

Results: I found this recipe on All Recipes, and based on the reviews, I was really expecting something spectacular. BLECH! This was gross. The boys wouldn't touch it, and neither would I, to be honest. My husband, on the other hand, really liked it. This was way more than four servings. As I was preparing it, I realized that and put half of the cut up veggies and chicken in the freezer. I'll find a different way to prepare the extras, in a way not related to this recipe at all.

Also, I have no idea why this was called "Last Minute Chicken", because it took well over an hour to make.

Cola Barbecue Ribs (aka Cowboy Ribs)

3 cans cola
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped, plus 1/4 cup smashed and peeled cloves (about 4)
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 rack baby back ribs (about 2 lbs)
1/4 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
salt & pepper

Serves 4 cowboys and cowgirls

1. In a large pot, add two cans cola, one-third of the onions, the chopped garlic, bay leaf and peppercorns. Add the ribs and, if necessary, enough water to just cover; bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, turning the ribs occasionally, until the meat pulls away from the bone, about 1 hour.

2. Meanwhile, in a large, heavy saucepan, combine remaining can of cola, smashed garlic cloves, butter, ketchup, brown sugar, mustard, Worcestershire sauce and remaining onions; bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, stirring often, until thickened, about 20 minutes. Let cool slightly. Using a blender, puree the sauce. (My blender is currently packed away in a storage unit, so I skipped this step. I don't think it was necessary.)

3. Preheat the grill or broiler to medium-high. Remove the ribs from the pot, pat dry, season with salt and pepper and brush with the sauce. Grill, turning often, until browned, about 8 minutes. Loosely tent the ribs with foil and let rest for 5 minutes before cutting into individual ribs.

Served with scalloped potatoes and broccoli.

Results: You all (all two of you who read this) owe me a big thank you. The original recipe served 20, so I actually had to do math (MATH, I TELL YOU!) to get the ingredients down to a serving of four. These ribs were deeeee-licious! Everyone except for HE-WHO-SHALL-NOT-BE-NAMED devoured the ribs. We had zero leftovers, and I think Henry ate more than Chris & me combined.

We called these Cowboy Ribs because Cowboy Henry did most of the work. Cowgirl Kegger did most of the watching. (And was treated with extra sauce poured over her dog food.)