Fresh Mozzarella & Tomato Paninis

Serves 2
Prep Time: 18 minutes, Cook Time: 6 minutes

1 1/2 tsp red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp olive oil
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/8 tsp table salt
1/8 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
4 oz Italian bread, cut into four slices
2 oz whole milk mozzarella cheese, fresh, thinly sliced
1 cup basil leaves
1 medium plum tomatoes, cut into eight thin slices
olive oil cooking spray
1 clove garlic, peeled and cut in half

1. Preheat grill.

2. In a small bowl, stir together vinegar, oil, oregano, salt and pepper until blended. Brush mixture onto 1 side of each slice of bread. To make each sandwich, layer 1/2 of cheese over brushed side of bread and then top with 4 tomato slices and 1/2 cup of basil. Top with another slice of bread, brushed side down and then coat sandwich with cooking spray. Repeat with remaining ingredients.

3. Grill, lightly pressing with a spatula from time to time, until bread is toasted
and cheese melts, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. (I found it easier to flip the sandwiches off the grill.) Rub grilled bread with garlic clove.

Served with Chive Parmesan Chips

Results: Mmmmmmmm...these are so wonderful. I love Caprese salad, so this is a fantastic sandwich. I've made these before, and I'll make them again. One of my favorites!

Chicken with Leek and Almond-Poppy Muffin Stuffing

Serves 4 (with a bit of leftovers)

2 medium leeks, sliced and cleaned
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons butter
2 celery ribs, chopped
4 almond-poppy seed muffins (the original recipe calls for lemon-poppy seed, so you could use either)
3 to 4 fresh thyme sprigs, chopped
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning (I didn't have this, so I used salt & pepper and fresh sage, chopped)
2 cups chicken stock
8 chicken breast cutlets
salt and black pepper
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
a handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped, for garnish

1. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and cook for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, then transfer it to a platter and cover it with foil to keep it warm. Add the 2 tablespoons of butter to the pan and when it melts, sprinkle the flour into the pan. Stir and cook for 1 minute, then whisk in 1 cup of the chicken stock. Cook for 2 minutes, or until thickened. Whisk in the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.

2. While chicken is cooking, heat a nonstick skillet over medium to medium-high heat with the olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter. When the butter has melted, add the leeks and celery. Saute the vegetables for 5 minutes, then crumble the muffins into the pan. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Season the stuffing with the fresh thyme, lemon zest and poultry seasoning. Moisten the stuffing with 1 cup of the chicken stock and reduce the heat to low.

3. To serve, place stuffing on plate, top with two chicken cutlets and ladle gravy over the top. Garnish with chopped parsley.

Results: This was really, really, really good! The stuffing had a great taste, and was really easy to make. If you have any extra stuffing, the leftovers were great on a sandwich the next day. Will make this one over and over...adding it to my favorites!

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.

Creamy Chicken and Mushroom Crepes

Serves 4

1 Tablespoon butter
1 cup vertically sliced onion
1 garlic clove, minced
3 cups thinly sliced baby portobello mushroom caps (about 8 ounces)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup dry white wine
3/4 cup chicken broth
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
1/4 cup crème fraîche*
2 cups shredded chicken breast (use a rotisserie chicken to speed this meal up!)
8 crepes*

*note: You may be able to find crème fraîche at your grocery store's imported cheese section. If not, you can substitute equal parts sour cream and buttermilk.

You could use packaged crepes, but they are expensive! At my grocery store a package of 10 was $6.99. My crepe recipe is at the bottom of this post. You can make the crepes ahead of time and store (separated by wax paper) in the fridge.

1. Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; sauté 2 minutes or until onion begins to brown. Add mushrooms, salt, and pepper; cook 3 minutes or until liquid evaporates and mushrooms are tender, stirring frequently. Add wine, and cook 3 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates, stirring frequently. Add broth and fresh thyme; cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat; add crème fraîche, stiring until well blended. Add chicken, tossing to coat.

2. Spoon about 1/3 cup mushroom mixture into center of each crepe; roll up.

Served with broccoli

Results: to say that Henry loved this meal would be an understatement! He devoured it, said it was "delicious", "really tasty" and "Daddy was going to be impressive when he tried it!" (He's three...cut him some slack for not knowing past tenses.) This meal does take quite a bit of preparation, but it is awesome. You could easily chop and shred everything ahead of time, so you are good to go when it's time to cook everything. I wanted to make it again the next night. Henry ate two crepes. Steven tried a tiny piece of chicken, but only because I promised him an ice-cream filled crepe if he did. Everyone else loved it, and I am looking forward to making it again.

Crepe recipe:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1/3 cup water
2 tablespoons butter, melted plus more for coating pan

1. Sift flour and salt into large bowl. In a medium bowl, whisk eggs. Mix in milk and water. Whisk egg mixture into flour mixture. Stir in melted butter.

2. Melt butter in a crepe pan or skillet. Hold pan away from heat and pour about 1/4 cup mixture into pan, swirling pan to spread the batter evenly across the pan. Let cook for about 30 seconds (or until it will flip easily), turn and cook additional 15-20 seconds.

Sweet Orange Salmon

Serves 4

2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon grated orange rind
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
4 (6-ounce) salmon filets
Cooking spray

1. Preheat broiler or grill.

2. Combine first 8 ingredients in a small bowl. Rub spice mixture over both sides of salmon filets. Place salmon on a broiler pan or grill coated with cooking spray. Broil or grill 8 minutes or until salmon flakes easily with a fork.

Note: This spice rub is very easy to make, but to make dinner even quicker, you can make it ahead of time and store in an airtight container in the fridge for a few days. You can also rub the spice onto salmon before freezing.

Served with orange slices, rice and sugar snap peas.

Results: Henry let out no fewer than three "I LOVE THIS!" comments while eating dinner. I think he was talking about the sugar snap peas, but he also ate most of his salmon without complaint. Steven wouldn't try it, but he didn't complain either, so I'll mark that as a win. This is one of my favorite salmon recipes and I make it all the time. It's a quick and easy meal, that tastes great.

Roasted Butternut Squash and Bacon Pasta

Serves 5

1 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 cups (1-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash (about 1 medium sized squash)
Cooking spray
6 sweet hickory-smoked bacon slices (raw)
1 cup thinly sliced shallots (about 5-6 small shallots)
8 ounces uncooked mini penne (tube-shaped pasta)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded sharp provolone cheese
1/3 cup (1 1/2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 425°.

2. Combine 1/4 teaspoon salt, rosemary, and pepper. Place squash on a foil-lined baking sheet coated with cooking spray; sprinkle with salt mixture. Bake at 425° for 45 minutes or until tender and lightly browned. Increase oven temperature to 450°.

Note: when allowing a three-year-old to sprinkle the salt mixture on the squash, be prepared for all of it to end up on the few pieces of squash he can reach:



3. Cook the bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, reserving 1 1/2 teaspoons drippings in pan; crumble bacon. Increase heat to medium-high. Add shallots to pan; sauté 8 minutes or until tender.
Combine squash mixture, bacon, and shallots; set aside.

4. Cook pasta according to the package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain well.

5. Combine flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly with a whisk; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute or until slightly thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add provolone, stirring until cheese melts. Add pasta to cheese mixture, tossing well to combine. Spoon pasta mixture into an 11 x 7-inch baking dish lightly coated with cooking spray; top with squash mixture. Sprinkle evenly with Parmesan cheese. Bake at 450° for 10 minutes or until cheese melts and begins to brown.

Results: This is my most favorite meal EVER. I love, love, love this dish! I tripled this recipe so I had two extra meals in the freezer. The original recipe calls for 3 cups of butternut squash, but that is not nearly enough. I use about 6 cups. You do what you want, but don't come bitching to me that there wasn't enough squash.

This meal is extremely labor intensive and will dirty every dish in your kitchen. Save it for a Sunday when you have time to prepare it. You won't regret it.

Oh, by the way...neither of my children would even try it. I have no idea why.

Lemon-Basil Chicken with Basil Aioli

Serves 4

Chicken:
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1/3 cup chopped green onions (about 2)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 skinless boneless chicken breast halves
2 tablespoons olive oil

Basil Aioli:
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
3/4 teaspoon bottled minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon olive oil

1. To prepare chicken, combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl. Add chicken to basil mixture, turning to coat.

2. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken to pan, cook 8 minutes on each side or until done.

3. While chicken cooks, prepare aioli. Combine 1/4 cup basil and remaining ingredients in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Serve with chicken.

Served with egg noodles and salad (carrots for the kids)

Results: This recipe just screams "SUMMER" to me and is one of my hands down favorites. I usually make extra because the leftovers are great. Henry devoured his, Steven wouldn't even try it, even with the threat of missing chocolate chip cookies for dessert. He is *so* missing out, because it's really delicious.

Panko-Crusted Pork Chops with Creamy Herb Dressing

Serves 4

Pork:
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
2 teaspoon soy sauce
2 large eggs
2/3 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
4 (4-ounce) boneless center-cut loin pork chops (cut into bite-sized pieces for kids)
1 tablespoon canola oil
Cooking spray

Dressing:
1 tablespoon chopped green onions
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoon sour cream
1 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1. To prepare pork, preheat oven to 450°F.
2. Combine first 6 ingredients in a shallow dish. Combine soy sauce and egg in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Place panko in a shallow dish.
3. Dredge pork in flour mixture; dip in egg mixture. Dredge in panko. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork to pan; cook 1 minute on each side. Place pork on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 450°F for 6-8 minutes or until done.
4. To prepare dressing, combine onions and the remaining ingredients. Serve dressing with pork.

Served with chow mein noodles and broccoli drizzled with teriyaki sauce

Results: I've made this recipe a few times and it's one of my favorites. I'm not sure if it's how the panko makes the pork chops crunchy or if it's the yummy dressing, but I love this recipe. For the boys, I cut their pork into bite size "nuggets". Steven sat down, snarled at his food and said "I guess I'm just going to have milk for dinner." A few minutes later, he was eating his noodles. A minute later, we saw him take a bite of pork nugget...then another...and another. No problems from Henry. The boys did not try the dressing, which was fine, because it left more for me.