Chocolate Ice Cream

I got an ice cream maker attachment for my birthday back in March, so I deserve a slap on the wrist for waiting this long to use it. But I think knowing what I've been missing out on all this time is punishment enough! Wow. I don't think I'll ever have the need to buy ice cream in a carton. This is just too good to not go through the extra effort. I used the "Easy Ice Cream" recipe out of the newest Martha Stewart Everyday Food magazine.

Ingredients:
8 large egg yolks
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
2 cups skim milk
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups heavy cream

Steps:
1. In a medium saucepan, off heat, whisk together egg yolks, sugar and salt until blended. Add in cocoa powder. Gradually whisk in milk.

2. Cook over medium stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until custard thickens slightly and evenly coats back of spoon. (it should hold a line drawn by your finger), 10-12 minutes.

3. Pour custard through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl set over ice. Stir in cream. Let stand, stirring occasionally, until chilled. Churn in an ice cream maker for 30 minutes. Transfer ice cream to a resealable plastic container and freeze until firm, about 7 hours. It will keep up to 3 months....yeah right. Trust me, it won't last nearly that long!

Worth Mentioning Again: Mediterranean Orzo Salad

I made this salad awhile back, but posted it with a couple other items. I really feel as though this deserves it's own post. It's really light and refreshing, perfect for the warm weather months!

1 pound asparagus spears, trimmed and in 1 inch pieces
1 large red bell pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 medium red onion, sliced into 1/2 inch wedges
1 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, pressed
Salt and coarsely ground black pepper optional
3/4 c uncooked orzo pasta
1 can garbanzo beans
1 package (4 ounces) crumbled feta cheese
1/2 c pitted whole kalamata olives
1/2 c snipped fresh parsley
1/4 c prepared Greek vinaigrette dressing

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Combine asparagus, bell pepper, onion and oil in a medium mixing bowl. Press garlic into mixing bowl; toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper if desired.

Arrange vegetables on a bar pan (or cookie sheet). Bake 25-30 minutes or until vegetables are tender and deep golden brown. Remove from oven; cool completely.

Meanwhile, prepare orzo according to package directions, drain and rinse under cold running water. Place orzo in large mixing bowl, add vegetable mixture, beans, feta cheese, olives, parsley and salad dressing. Toss gently and refrigerate for 30 minutes or more.

I doubled this recipe for our party on Sunday, and it was a perfect amount. There were about 25 people here. I also recommend more olives...but I really like olives!

Courtesy of Pampered Chef

Grilled Jalapeno Chicken

(*My pic sucks...I was too excited to eat it and was moving fast!)
I went to look for a recipe on allrecipes.com, and this was the featured recipe. It sounded soooo good, I modified my meal plan to fit it in. I'm really glad I did too, because it was really really good! If you like a little spice, you will love this. Carl just kept saying, this is sooo good! And I agree.

I only made about a 1/3 of the recipe with one extra large chicken breast.

INGREDIENTS

* 6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - pounded to 1/4 inch thickness
* 1 (16 ounce) bottle Italian dressing
* 3 fresh jalapeno peppers, halved lengthwise and seeded (I used jarred sliced jalapenos)
* 1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
* 6 slices bacon (I skipped the bacon)
* toothpicks (I used turkey skewers...seemed safer than toothpicks)

DIRECTIONS

1. Place chicken breasts in a dish with the Italian dressing. Cover, and marinate in the refrigerator at least 2 hours.
2. Preheat the grill for high heat.
3. Stuff each jalapeno half with cream cheese. Roll chicken breasts around jalapeno peppers. Wrap each chicken breast with a slice of bacon. Secure with toothpicks.
4. Lightly oil the grill grate. Arrange wrapped chicken breasts on the prepared grill. Cook for 20 minutes, turning frequently, or until bacon is browned and the chicken juices run clear.

Grilled Veggies

This really isn't a recipe, I just needed a veggie to go with our meal tonight, so I threw together what I had and crossed my fingers.

1/4 of a Red Onion- sliced
1/4 of each a red and orange pepper
6 campari tomatoes
1/4 cup of olive oil
1 tsp rosemary
2 cloves of garlic

Mix all together in a bowl and place in a grill basket. Grill on medium for about 10 minutes. Veggie requirement complete.

BBQ Chili Chicken Thighs

This was another on the spot meal decision. Chicken thighs were on sale at the store, so I grabbed them. I've never made this cut of meat before, so I figured I'd give it a try. I just searched allrecipes.com for recipes for chicken thighs, and found this one.

I cut the entire recipe in half, and while I did enjoy the crispy chicken skin, I think I'll stick to chicken breast. I just prefer a leaner meat with less work, as does Carl. But we both agreed we WILL try this same recipe using chicken breast. The sauce was really flavorful and great on the grill. You could use this marinade on pretty much anything.

INGREDIENTS

* 1 (12 ounce) bottle chili sauce
* 1/3 cup white wine or chicken broth
* 1/4 cup olive or vegetable oil
* 10 cloves garlic, minced
* 4 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/8 teaspoon pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the first seven ingredients; mix well. Remove 1/3 cup for basting; cover and refrigerate. Add chicken to bag; seal and turn to coat. Chill for at least 2 hours.
2. Drain and discard marinade from chicken. Grill, covered, skin side down, over medium heat for 20 minutes. Baste with some of the reserved marinade. Turn; grill 10 minutes longer or until the chicken juices run clear, basting frequently.

Grilled Corn on the Cob

Carl really doesn't even like corn, but I just couldn't help myself when I saw these little guys at the store. I decided to have our entire dinner made on the grill tonight, and the corn was no exception. As we were eating them, Carl said "This was a pretty big risk knowing I don't like corn, but I actually really like it." I really think this is the best way to cook corn on the cob! It keeps it so firm rather than stringy. Yum!

Remove all the husks and clean the ears. Tightly wrap them in double thick aluminum foil. Heat the grill to medium and place ears on the rack. Cook them for 30 minutes, turning them every 5 minutes. Enjoy!

I'm Martha's Cooler Younger Sister...

...Because I don't have all the time in the world to make everything from scratch. I'm far too busy doing other better, cooler, more fun things...like....um...grocery shopping after work? Well anyway, I didn't have time to meal plan this weekend, so I had to wing it while shopping. I remembered a dish I made often while Carl and I were dating, but again another meal we've haven't had since being married. Scalloped Potatoes & Ham, the quick way. There is a much more elaborate way of doing this, but this is my quick fix. It never fails to satisfy!

Ingredients:
1 Center Cut Ham Steak (You'll find this by the ham, sometimes by the deli meat)
1 Box of Scalloped Potatoes (Think Betty Crocker....remember- you are younger and cooler...it's ok to get it them of a box)- Including the ingredients it calls for

Yeah, that's it.

Directions:
Make the potatoes according to the box directions. Each brand is a little different, but basically the same. They usually need to bake between 25 and 35 minutes. While they are baking, trim and cut the ham into 1ish inch pieces. I'm not picky, whatever floats your boat. After the potatoes have been in about 10 minutes and have set up a bit, take them out of the oven and dump the ham in. Give it a quick stir to incorporate the ham. Put it back in the oven for the duration of the cooking time or until golden brown on the top. Eat!

Simple. Fast. Delicious. Take that Martha.