Well, my husband darted in and darted back out again so I never had to make dinner. (He's gone to fill in for a co-worker on their bowling team.) Good thing, too, because I've been working on fixing the computer all day and hadn't had a chance to make anything. I had a corned beef sandwich.

Tomorrow my husband has a golf tournament and banquet so I won't have to cook then, either. And then Friday we're going to Ruth's Chris Steak House. My flight out on Saturday morning is at 6:00am, so we've booked a room at the airport and my husband is taking me to dinner for my Mother's Day prezzie.


I make egg mcmuffins too! lol

I have an easy peasy recipe for eggs benedict, too, if anyone's interested.

I just fry an egg, fry up some sausage, toast those thingies and then put the egg and sausage on the thingie and then put some cheese on it and I like to eat mine with some ketchup on it... yum....

I've done it with sausage, peameal, sliced ham, and "Canadian bacon". You know..... those round rings of ham that Americans call Canadian bacon for some reason.

I have done it with sliced ham before..

oh English muffins.. I couldn't think of what they were called before

mmmm I love roasts!

Had left over Pork Roast that was made in the Slow Cooker with dried apricots and apple juice (just a smidge). It was really tasty! Side of salad with the meat.....we're trying to ease up on the eating after gorging during our wedding...he he he

mmm dinner was good.. the chicken was really yummy

i marinated the chicken in a mixture of mustard, soy sauce, brown sugar, lemon juice, garlic and ketchup....

for dessert I took some flour tortillas and then spread them lightly with peanut butter and then on half I put thinly sliced bananas and chocolate chips and then I folded them over and baked them in the oven until the chocolate chips were melted... once done brush them with butter and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar... mmm, yum yum

i usually add marshmallows too but i didn't have any and they also can be done on the grill....

That's what I had tonight but no potatoes or salad, only steak and a big bowl of sliced cucumbers.

The roast last night was great. It just melted in your mouth!

Anyways, I was thinking of grilling some chicken this weekend. I haven't used a grill in awhile, but been craving grilled chicken lol. Anyways, does anyone have a good recipe for a merinade for chicken? I got a lot of fussy eaters in the house and was looking for a merinade that wasn't too strong. Nothing too salty, sweet or sour. Just something light. I know none of them would go for a lemon, orange, or any kind of fruity chicken. Any suggestions would be great.

Mary

That sounds really good. I'll have to try that sometime.



A nice light marinade I use sometimes is olive oil, thyme, white wine, and salt and pepper. If you don't have any white wine, just use a squeeze of lemon or orange. You want the flavour of the thyme more than you do anything else. Rosemary (or a combination of thyme and rosemary) would also be good. Another alternative is to use those Mrs Dash seasonings.

I've actually marinaded Chicken with Italian salad dressing....just a little will go a long way...surprisingly yummy and oh so tender....

I have done this as well. I find it though a little too much for my sensitive teeth. Not sure if it's the vinegar in the dressing or what that makes my teeth more sensitive or what it is in the Itallian dressing. I'm pretty sure though it is. My wife makes Chimmichangas and it uses a small amount of vinegar in it, but I guess not enough to set my teeth off.

I vaguely remember someone in Canada once getting me to try vinegar on a french fry and I think that also hurt my teeth (mabey along with the salt?). Of course the overwhelming urge to throw up from having that over killed the sensitivity to my teeth ha ha...

Mmmmm. Malt vinegar and salt on chips. Yummy.

We're breaking out the grill tonight and having sweet italian sausage and rice. Yummy!

Hubby is home with a bad cold today..so i am making homemade chicken noodle soup.

this is the recipe for the two potato packet thing I did last night with the chicken....



we usually wrap them in foil and do them on the BBQ but I have also layered them in a casserole dish and baked in the oven....

Two Potato Packet

2 medium sweet potatoes
4 small red potatoes, thinly sliced
1 medium sized onion, chopped
2 tablespoons margarine or butter, cut into small pieces
4 small sprigs of fresh rosemary, basil or oregano (I have used dried too, works just as good)
Salt
Pepper
1/2 cup shredded smoked provolone or Gouda cheese (I have used mozzarella cheese and it works too)

Fold four 24x18 inch pieces of aluminum foil in half to make 18x12 inch rectangles. Divide sweet potatoes and red potatoes among the foil rectangles, alternating and overlapping the slices. Top with onion, margarine, herbs, slat and pepper.

Bring up opposite edges of the foil and seal with a double fold. Fold remaining edges together to completely enclose vegetables, leaving space for steam to build.

Grill on BBQ until potatoes are tender. Remove packets from grill. Open packets and sprinkle with cheese. Let stand for 1 to 2 minutes or until cheese is melted

here is a couple of recipes for marinades...

I made these yestarday and it was yummy.. I added a couple of tablespoons of ketchup to the marinade though... it smelled a little strong with just the ingredients on the list...

Honey Mustard Chicken Drumsticks

8 chicken drumstick, slashed
6 garlic clove, crushed*
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2-1 teaspoon black pepper

Combine garlic, honey, mustard, soy sauce, lemon juice and pepper in a bowl. Add the drumsticks and toss to coat evenly. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour (can marinate for up to 6 hours in advance). Pre-heat grill to medium-hot, for outdoors medium-hot coals. Grill turning every 3 minutes and basting with any leftover marinade until the chicken is opaque with no trace of pink, for about 15 minutes.

*Instead of garlic cloves I just used garlic powder...

I marinated the chicken for about 3 hours and it had plenty of flavour.... I heated the marinade to boiling and let it boil for a few minutes and then when I grilled the chicken I brushed it with it....

************************************

i haven't tried this one but it looks good...

Easy Italian Chicken Marinade

3-4 lbs boneless chicken
1 (16 ounce) bottle Italian salad dressing
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons paprika

Marinate chicken for 6 hours or overnight and grill.

**************************

this one is for steak but I am pretty sure I have used it for chicken before....

Steak Tip Marinade

1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 cup Italian-style salad dressing
2 teaspoons garlic pepper seasoning
1 cup barbeque sauce
2 pounds beef sirloin tip steaks

1. In a medium bowl, mix the Worcestershire sauce, Italian-style salad dressing, garlic pepper seasoning, and barbeque sauce. Place the meat in the marinade, and turn to coat. Cover, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
2. Preheat grill for high heat.
3. Brush grill lightly with oil to prevent sticking. Place steaks on the grill, and discard marinade. Grill steaks 10 minutes on each side, or to desired doneness.

*if you are going to use a tougher piece of meat or chicken you might want to marinate a little longer then an hour...

************
when I marinade stuff I like to through everything into a big ziploc bag.... super easy that way...

Ok going to do oysters and scallops cooked on the stove with lemon juice and herbs and then serverd over wild rice. Should be pretty simple, so I'm curious how it'll get screwed up...

we had French toast for lunch... I make like a batter thing with milk and eggs and stuff and then I soak the French bread in it until it is all soaked up and then I fry it just until golden brown and then finish it off in the oven..

i was all proud of myself they came out looking so nice and puffy .... and then I was eating them and they tasted good but I noticed something odd about them and I was trying to think what it was and then it connected.. I forgot to put the some sugar in the batter

i told hubby and he said "I know" but he still ate them all.... like I said they still tasted good with the syrup on them...

i make it like this..... i make the batter a little different though...

That's funny Marilyn, I made french toast for breakfast/lunch today too! I haven't made it in ages. I like to eat mine with just butter, salt and pepper, sometimes syrup.

Well I have just ordered Papa Johns Pizza, we have never tried it, hope it's great! We ordered the white pizza.

salt and pepper on french toast??

Mmmmmm



The Papa Johns here in town sux. But I had the best pizza I've ever had in the US at the airport on Friday. Sbarro. My husband had a bite (he had ordered something else), agreed with me, stared at me eating for a while, then asked "Are you going to eat all that?" So I ended up giving him half. (I'd only bought a slice.) If they're open at 5:00am on Saturday morning I'm going to get another.

Absolutely delicious! (the French toast that is). My Mom always used to make it that way for us, she even cut it in to bite size pieces before frying it

The pizza was good, nothing to get excited about.

Yes krikit, you are about to jaunt off to Canada!! Sbarro looked awfully familiar - they have them in Calgary (had to look that up mind you).

we are going to have grilled hamburgers today.. we were bad and bought some of those pre-made frozen burgers.. yeah I know..

but they are super easy when you want a quick meal.... mmmm, can hardly wait for the burger with some lettuce and tomato.. mmm... yum yum..

Yes, I had to go to the Wine Cellar today to pick up 3 bottles of wine my daughter had ordered.... @ $67/bottle. Apparently there were only 2 available in all of Ontario so she had me ask Nancy - the owner of the wine store - to order them. I'll be mortified if they break in my suitcase. But Nancy packed them up pretty good so I'm thinking they'll be alright. Oh, and she said I almost lost them because two people came in the store and saw them sitting there and wanted to buy them.

I'm hoping I'm getting a bottle of wine for Mother's Day.

tonight I am making chicken again. what a surprise... lol

i am doing a variation on that mustard chicken thing.. but this one you coat the chicken in ranch dressing and you mix some Parmesan cheese into the bread crumbs...

Here are some pics from the dinner we had with Joe and Kathryn a few weeks ago (OMG, it's been almost a month!). We had a great time...it was so nice getting together with them, as always. We needed this time...lots has been going on for us. Anywho, I'm attempting to post a few pictures. The first one, of course, is of the four of us. The second and third are of me, Joel and Kathryn, then Joe (Kathryn's husband), Kathryn, and my husband Joel.

Now...we really do want to plan something...seriously. We have several nice parks here, the one my husband works at particularly is nice. There is lodging, cabins, camping areas, etc. There's a restaurant with conference rooms and there are several picnic shelters. This park is about 1.5 to 2 hrs from Atlanta...but well worth the drive. IF anyone is interested, please PM me...I know we might not be able to pull it off in a matter of weeks, but it would be something to plan for later on. I will be glad to find out particulars and such...but I need to know who would be serious enough to actually come out this way. IF anyone else can think of a more centrally located place to meet up, we are all for that as well. The only reason I mentioned Unicoi State Park is because of the availability of accomodations (type and cost) as well as different types of meeting areas.

http://www.gastateparks.org/info/unicoi/ This is the park I am speaking of. You can find prices for the different types of accomodations available.

http://www.bluewillowinn.com ... if anyone is interested in seeing where we dined. There are pictures and recipes.

Thanks for posting the photos, Karen! Yes, we had a great time and great food! It was wonderful to meet up with you and Joel once again

Well, Joe and I would definitely be up to get together at Unico State Park for an Atlanta group get-to-gether of Canadian VJers. There is no need to keep it just for the Canadians either - unless we want to try and correlate something with Canada Day celebrations - which would be a cool idea:-) . I wouldn't mind opening it up for other VJers in the area as well. Why not put this post into a separate thread of its own and start it on either the Canadian forum or even the off-topic forum so more people will get to see it?


Oh, and about dinner tonight . . . we are going out to eat again (VBG)! Joe's former boss and his wife are back in town so Joe and I and another of his former employees are getting together with them for dinner at a local Chinese/Japanese restaurant called Chin Chin Osaki. It is one of our favourites:-). A good time will be had by all, I am sure! We may all end up back at our place too, afterwards, for some slow-moving games of dominoes - we keep getting lost in the conversation during the games so that it takes quite some time to get to a winner:-) - but we have loads of fun.

Oh for sure...anyone from VJ would be most welcome...and if someone else wishes to post it in the other OT then go ahead. I don't post there anymore. I didn't mean to exclude anyone else who would like to join in so yeah, let's make this an across the board get together!!!

Well we had this packaged stir fry for dinner last night, in fact we had a packaged dinner for lunch yesterday, the healthy request chicken and a steak one as well.

Enough with the pre-packaged food in general I would say. The lunch was horrible (Husband actually threw his in the garbage) and dinner was so-so. It's just that you see these things in the supermarket that you haven't seen or tried before so you think, hey we will give that a go.

So tonight I am making a roast, potatoes and either spinach or asparagus, and gravy.

Hmmm I think dinner tonight will be what my Grandpa use to make me....I don't even know what it's called! It's almost a hash I guess?

Ground beef
cubed potatoes
frozen mixed veggies
spices, garlic, salt pepper to taste

probably going to have chicken again tonight .. I have more chicken then any other meat in my freezer thats why..

Oh I meant to say thanks for posting the pictures Karen - nice group you guys are

ok no chicken in sight today....... pheew

made a simple sgetti sauce using jarred sauce..... I added some onion, celery, green bell pepper and some sausage to the sauce... I will serve this over angel hair pasta.. my hubby's favourite pasta....

Oh, nice pictures Karen and Kathryn! Looks like a really nice place to eat, too!

I'm up for a get-together for sure. I'll even try and drag Trailmix and T.O._2_FL along! Who else lives down here? I'll grab them too.

Can everybody say "Road Trip"?!!!!! Sure. I knew you could.

Florida get together? he he he

any Canadians in the LA area??? ...lol

I can say Road Trip, but i'm not the person you want to take on a road trip (ask my Husband). It's supposed to be all about singing old songs and grabbing slurpees at the 7-11 and meeting people at road stops along the way as you laugh at silly jokes.

I know that, i'm just saying that isn't what travelling with me is like

Anyhoo, just had stirfry, it was soooo good, not sure why, didn't add any sauce and just salt and pepper, but oh so tasty!

that is how I do a lot of stir-frys.. usually a little garlic powder, salt and pepper and some soy sauce... yum...

Had some left over Taiwanese chicken from dinner last night so stir fried some additional broccoli, cauliflower, yellow squash and peppers in a garlic ginger sauce, then added the chicken and rice and made a whole new dish! Yum! Left over chocolate cake for dessert, too!

What lovely pictures! Thanks for sharing. I've missed seeing your posts Karen! Hope all is well with you.

We're having leftover fried chicken, fried leftover mashed potatoes, and corn on the cob.

we had hamburgers and I made some yummy oven baked potato wedges..

todays menu is Chicken Tortilla Soup with some homemade bread

this is the recipe for the Chicken Tortilla Soup.. I found the recipe online but I made some adjustments to it so here is my revised version... this recipe is about enough for 2 or 3 people but you can easily double the recipe if you want...

Chicken Tortilla Soup

vegetable oil
1 (6 inch) corn tortillas, coarsely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 onion, chopped
1 (15 ounce) can Italian diced tomatoes
1 tablespoons ground cumin
1/2 tablespoon chili powder
2 bay leaves
3 to 4 cups chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (I use just a pinch because I don't like my food too spicy)
1 can corn, drained
1/8 cup uncooked rice
2 boneless chicken breast halves, cooked

1. In a large pot heat oil. Add tortillas, garlic, cilantro and onion. Saute for 2 to 3 minutes.
2. Stir in tomatoes and bring to a boil. Add cumin, chili powder, bay leaves and chicken stock. Stir in chicken, corn and rice Return to a boil, reduce heat to medium and add salt and cayenne. Simmer for 30 minutes remove bay leaves. Heat through and serve.

*I like to serve these with some tortilla chips coarsely crumbled on top and some grated cheese. Sometimes I make my own by taking some corn tortillas and cutting them into small strips and baking in the oven just until crisped and season them with a bit of salt right when they get out of the oven.

* I also usually make my own chicken broth but you can use the canned stuff. I put about 4 cups of water in a pot and then add spices like chili powder, oregano, poultry seasoning, cumin, parsley, paprika, salt, pepper, garlic powder and bay leaves. and then I throw in some uncooked chicken breasts and I let that all boil together until the chicken is cooked through then to use it in the recipe take out the chicken and pour the liquid into the pot...

stir fried vegetables (lots of zucchini and squash, asparagus, broccoli, carrots, peppers, mushrooms, peas) with frozen meatballs and rice cooked in beef broth - all done in a garlic ginger sauce - yum!

mmm sounds good..

I really should buy some frozen meatballs.... I like meatballs but they are a bit time consuming to make.. but then again I like how my home made meatballs taste.. what to do.. what to do ....lol

tonight i'm going to attempt to make mini honey-mustard meatloaves.

http://www.marthastewart.com:80/recipe/fam...stf_MSLO-RECIPE

it looks quite simple and i LOVE meatloaf! david has made these with lucas a few times and they have raved on about how tasty they are. i'll likely make some sweet potato fries and a salad as well.

that recipe looks good.. might have to try it... hubby and I love meatloaf too...

Ok well, I am back! I got my Bio appointment so got some foodie time on my hand....

I made fresh Peruvian Ceviche for my hubbys graduation party so will have some of that probs

I don't know if you have a recipe for your sweet potato fries but I use this one and it is really good... I have done it with a combination of regular potatoes and sweet potatoesbut I am sure you could use just sweet potatoes...

Baked Potato Fries

4 large potatoes
1/4 cup cooking oil
1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon paprika*
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Wash potatoes and cut into wedges. Mix the rest of the ingredients together. I like to throw it into a big ziploc bag along with the cut up potatoes and shake until all the potatoes are coated. Place potatoes in a single layer on a sprayed baking sheet. bake at 350 degrees. The time varies depending on how big you cut the potatoes.. usually about 40 minutes to an hour... but make sure and flip the potatoes over about half way though the cooking time...

*I usually just add a few sprinkles of paprika and I also add some chili powder...