Grilled Potatoes with Lemon, Garlic, and Herbs

I've grilled potatoes before but it was in my grilling basket. Putting them on a skewer is ingenious and of course came from Cooks Illustrated.  This recipe is adapted from their Grilled Potatoes with Oregano and Lemon.  I don't usually make too much of a fuss over our side dishes. It's usually some form of cooked vegetable, with butter or olive oil and salt and pepper, that graces our table.  This is pretty much just dressing up my go to with a little garlic and herbs and it makes for a huge win; and a good change.

Grilled Potatoes with Lemon, Garlic, and Herbs

Serves 4

Ingredients

4 medium potatoes
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/2 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme
Zest of one lemon, divided
Salt and pepper

Directions

In a small skillet, heat oil, garlic, herbs and a pinch of salt over medium heat.
Stir and cook until garlic is just barley light golden brown. Remove from heat.
Chop the potatoes to equal sizes.  I cut each potato into 8 equal pieces.
Microwave 2 minutes, stir, and then again, 2 minutes more.  The par-cooked potatoes skewer much easier. If they are still too hard, microwave 2 more minutes.
Heat grill on high to 400 degrees.
Skewer potatoes and lay them on a plate or cookie sheet.
Brush potatoes with some of the infused oil.*I try to avoid putting the larger pieces of garlic onto the potatoes.*
Turn burners to medium heat.
Lay potatoes onto grill and cook about 3-4 minutes and flip when grill marks show up.
Cook until tender.  If they are not done after about 8 minutes you may want to turn your burners down to low to avoid over charring.
Remove from the grill and coat once more with the infused oil.  Add a pinch more of lemon zest.
Salt and pepper to taste.

Apple Stuffing

This is a pretty basic stuffing, but with apples. The original recipe comes from Williams-Sonoma cook book American. It calls for dried apples and to be stuffed in a pork chop which is delicious. But, this is for those who only want the stuffing.

I cubed some bread I had and let it dry out in a bowl for a day, stirring it occasionally to let all parts of the bread be exposed to the air.

Apple Stuffing

Ingredients

~4 cups cubbed and dried Bread
2 Tbs Olive Oil
1/3 cup Chopped Shallot, Green Onion, or Yellow Onion
1 chopped Apple
1 tsp Dried Sage or 2 tsp Chopped Fresh Sage
~3/4 cup Chicken Broth
Salt and Pepper

Directions

Heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and bread to the pan to saute the onions and toast the bread. Stir every few seconds. If it is sticking, add more oil by the teaspoon.
Turn off the heat and add the apples when the onions and bread are close to done, about 4 minutes.
Add the sage, salt and pepper. Drizzle the chicken broth trying to coat as much bread as possible. Coat until the bread is just wet, not soaked but damp. You may have to add more broth if it looks a little dry.
Transfer to an oven baking dish.
Bake at 375 degrees for about 25 minutes. Stir halfway through to check the stuffing.

Enjoy!

Guacamole

I had two avocados that desperately needed to be used, as well as a giant bag of chips. The choice was easy to make, guacamole it is! Perfect for your upcoming Super Bowl party. Although, I would probably double the recipe if you plan to have a lot of people over.

Guacamole is so simple and so good. I hope you find this recipe very do-able. I swear every store bought guacamole is some sort of mutant green color or just does not taste right. You will be much happier making your own. Promise.

Guacamole

Ingredients

2 Ripe avocados
Juice of 1/2 a Lime or about 2 Tbs (depends on how juicy it is)
1-2 Tablespoons Chopped Red Onion
~ 1 Tbs Chopped Cilantro (I like a little less than a Tbs)
1/2 Squashed and minced Clove Garlic (add more if you'd like, I am not a garlic lover)
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions

Slice avocados and remove the pit. Scoop avocado away from the skin and into a bowl. Smash with a fork.
Add the lime juice, red onion, cilantro, and garlic.
Salt and Pepper to taste.

*The picture shown does not have a tomato in it. It is good with or without, enjoy.

Chicken Pasta Caesar Salad

When summer comes around I love salads, it's refreshing. This Pasta Caesar Salad is big enough for a meal in itself! Mixing pasta with lettuce really is delicious, a little different but good!

Chicken Pasta Caesar Salad

Ingredients-- Customize to fit what you like

1-2 Heads Romaine Lettuce
Chicken-- about 1/2 breast per person
Cooked Bowtie Pasta-- about 1/2 cup per person (uncooked)
Bottle of Caesar Dressing
1 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
Cherry Tomatoes-- optional
Croutons-- optional

Directions

Cook the pasta and rinse with cold water. Let it sit to cool.
Chop the lettuce and place in a large bowl and set aside.
Grill or cube and cook the chicken until it is no longer pink in the middle and set aside.
Add the tomatoes, Parmesan, croutons, and cooled pasta to the lettuce and coat with some dressing.
Layer the chicken on the top and serve.

With some french bread and some lemonade, this makes for a perfect summer dinner!