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.)

Pork Chops & Pears

Serves 4

1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper
4 boneless pork chops
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 cup white wine or chicken broth
1/3 cup chopped scallions
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 firm ripe pear, cut into thick slices
2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley

1. Combine the flour with 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper in a shallow plate. Add pork chops, tossing to coat.

2. In a large skillet, heat oil and butter over medium-high heat. Add pork chops and cook, turning once, about 8 minutes total or until cooked through. Remove to a plate; cover loosely with foil to keep warm.

3. In the same skillet, add wine, scallions, cream, lemon juice, and remaining salt and pepper, stirring to scrape up any browned bits and until sauce is thickened, about 5 minutes.

4. Gently stir in the pear slices; cook until lightly heated (about three minutes). Pour over chops; sprinkle with parsley.

Served with salad and roasted potatoes

Results: This is an easy meal to prepare and is very delicious. The cream sauce is fantastic. The original recipe calls for only cooking the pears for about 30 seconds, but I didn't like how raw they were, so I cooked them longer. Henry devoured his pork chops, which have a nice crunchy bite to them with the flour coating. While I was enjoying my pork chops & pears, Steven sat next to me announcing how yucky dinner was.

Italian Meatball Sandwich Casserole

Serves 8

1 (1 pound) loaf Italian bread, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Frozen meatballs (amount is up to you)
3 cups spaghetti sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Arrange the bread cubes in a single layer in an ungreased 9x13 inch baking dish. Mix together the cream cheese, mayonnaise, Italian seasoning and black pepper until smooth. Spread this mixture over each bread cube with a rubber spatula. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of the grated mozzarella cheese.

3. In a large bowl, mix together spaghetti sauce and garlic. Gently stir in meatballs. Pour over the bread and cheese mixture in the baking pan. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella cheese evenly over the top.

4. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 minutes, or until heated through.

Served with salad

Results: This is one of my favorite casseroles, which is saying a lot, since I'm not much of a casserole fan. Whenever I make it, I will usually put half the ingredients in another dish, because it freezes really well. (Allow to thaw before following the cooking instructions above.) You can use homemade meatballs if you like, but I think it takes too much effort, so I always buy a big bag of frozen meatballs and divide them among the different dishes.

Eating this dish has never been a problem for Chris, Henry and me. Steven has never wanted to touch it, but I'd like to proudly state that he not only ate a full serving, but asked for seconds! (No meatballs for him, though.) Success!

Grilled Salmon with Tangy Cucumber Sauce

Serves 6

1 cup cubed seeded peeled cucumber
1½ cups sour cream
2 tablespoons chopped green onions
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
1½ teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon prepared horseradish
¾ teaspoon salt, divided
1 (3-pound) salmon fillet
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Cooking spray

1. Combine first 6 ingredients in a medium bowl. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt; stir well. Cover and chill 30 minutes.

2. Prepare grill.

3. Sprinkle fish with remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper. Place fish, skin side up, on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 3 minutes. Rotate fish one quarter-turn for diamond-shaped crosshatches. Grill 3 minutes. Turn fish over; grill 4 minutes or until desired degree of doneness. Serve with cucumber sauce and garnish with dill sprigs (optional).

Served with rice cooked with grated lemon peel (yum!) We really needed a veggie with this dish though. I don't know what I was thinking by not making one!

Results: Yum...the cucumber sauce was so delicious and easy to make. It just screamed SUMMER, which was nice on this cold, rainy day in Denver! Henry is a big salmon fan, and had no problem eating his. Steven (no surprise here!) wouldn't try it. Everyone liked the rice, which had just a hint of lemon flavor. A definite keeper!

I think this sauce would make a great spread for a sandwich too.

Note: I halved the sauce recipe above, and we still had a ton of it leftover.

Orange Beef and Broccoli

Serves 4

1 navel orange
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 large egg white
1 lb beef sirloin, trimmed of fat, cut into 2-inch slices (1/2-inch thick)
1 (16-oz) bad broccoli florets
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup Asian orange sauce or citrus stir-fry sauce
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 cup shredded carrots

1. Remove the peel from orange (colored part only) using a vegetable peeler and reserve; juice orange and reserve.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk 1 tablespoon of the orange juice, 2 tablespoons of the cornstarch, and egg white until blended; add beef strips; toss to coat.

3. Cook broccoli in microwave with 2 tablespoons water in a microwave-safe bowl covered with vented plastic wrap 2 to 3 minutes on high, or until crisp-tender. Drain; refresh under cold water; reserve.

4. Combine the remaining orange juice and cornstarch, broth, orange sauce, soy sauce, ginger and garlic.

5. Drain beef; heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large, deep non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Cook beef, in batches, 1 to 2 minutes per side until golden brown. Remove to a plate.

6. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to skillet; add orange peel and red pepper flakes and stir-fry 1 to 2 minutes, until peel begins to darken and smell fragrant. Pour reserved orange sauce mixture into skillet and cook, stirring, until bubbly and sauce starts to thicken. Add broccoli, beef, and carrot; continue to cook 2 minutes, stirring, until hot and coated with sauce.

Served with jasmine rice and orange slices

Results: This was kind of fun to make, since I typically don't make "Asian" food at home. I leave that up to the experts at Cherry Village. This was a beautiful dish, and very delicious, but the sirloin was a little tough. Next time, I think I may marinade the beef in orange juice to tenderize it. As for the boys, Henry surprisingly ate all of the beef, but didn't like the sauce on the broccoli. Do I even need to tell you what Steven didn't do?

Pilaf with Chicken, Spinach & Walnuts

Serves 4

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup uncooked basmati rice
1 cup diced plum tomato
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 cinnamon stick
1 (6-ounce) package fresh baby spinach
2 cups chopped roasted skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 2 breasts)
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill

1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Stir in rice, and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in 1 1/2 teaspoons oil, tomato, salt, broth, and cinnamon stick; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.

2. Stir in spinach; cook 2 minutes or until spinach wilts. Stir in chicken. Sprinkle evenly with walnuts and dill. Discard cinnamon stick.

Results: The boys sat down at the table and Henry promptly declared "YUCKY DINNER!" Steven agreed to try a bite if I sang the Popeye the Sailor Man song. (Then quickly ran to the bathroom to spit it out.)

Despite what my ungrateful children thought of this dish, Chris and I really enjoyed it. In fact, Chris said it was "perfect". The rice had a very nice flavor with the cinnamon simmered with it. I would definitely make this again, but it's not "nice looking enough" to serve to company.

Baked Buttermilk Chicken

Serves 4 (with some leftovers)

Cooking spray
4 chicken drumsticks, skins removed
4 chicken thighs, skins removed
2 1/2 cups low-fat buttermilk
4 cups cornflakes, finely crushed
3/4 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1. Rinse chicken and pat dry. Transfer to a medium bowl. Pour buttermilk over chicken. Cover, and let marinate 1 hour in refrigerator.

2. Preheat oven to 400°. Cover a baking sheet with tin foil, and spray generously with cooking spray.

3. Toss cornflakes, Old Bay, thyme, basil, and cayenne in a large bowl. Remove 1 piece of chicken at a time from buttermilk, letting excess drip back into dowl, and dredge in cornflake mixture.

4. Transfer pieces to oiled baking sheet; lightly coat each one with cooking spray. Bake, turning pieces halfway through, until crisp and cooked through, about 40 minutes.

Served with green beans and roasted potatoes

Results: Henry ate...make that, devoured, two drumsticks all on his own. Steven wouldn't even pretend to look at the chicken. He did, however, love the roasted potatoes and requested seconds. I thought this was very good chicken, and easy to prepare, but it was messy to eat and between the hour to marinate and 40 minutes cooking time, it took awhile to be ready. The corn flake mixture was yummy, but most of it came off on the baking sheet when I turned the chicken. I'm definitely keeping this recipe!

Korean Barbecue Wet Rub

Serves 4

1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons dark sesame oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 pork loin chops

1. Preheat grill.
2. Combine all ingredients. (Can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 week at this point). Rub marinade onto pork chops and grill until finished.

Served with Sesame Cucumber Salad and Mac & Cheese

Results: I so cheated on this dish and made Mac & Cheese for Steven to eat. My requirement was that he could have the Mac & Cheese after he ate one bite of pork without gagging. You should have seen him struggle to eat this teeny, tiny dime-sized bite of pork! He finally did, and got his Mac & Cheese. Henry had no problem eating his, but didn't like the cucumber salad. (Not surprising.) This rub is very easy to prepare and very delicious! (The recipe says it can also be rubbed on salmon, steaks or chicken.)