Lemon Basil Pasta With Grilled Chicken

I made this for Brad for Father's Day this year, and as I cooked it, he was pretty skeptical since pasta isn't his absolute favorite thing. He likes it, but pasta dishes rarely get five stars. This blew him away!




Photo from The Pioneer Woman

Lemon Basil Pasta with Grilled Chicken

The night before, toss 4 chicken breasts into a gallon-size ziplock bag with the juice of four lemons, a generous amount of olive oil, a couple good squirts of dijon mustard, about the same amount of honey, and some course salt. Store in the fridge, mushing the bag a few times throughout the day, until ready to grill.

4 whole Grilled Chicken Breasts, Sliced
1 pound Penne Pasta, Cooked Until Al Dente
1/2 stick Butter
3 whole Lemons, Juiced
3/4 cups Heavy Cream
1/4 cup Half-and-half
1-1/2 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese (or Romano)
Salt And Freshly Ground Black Pepper, To Taste
20 whole Basil Leaves, Chopped

Cook pasta, reserving 1 cup of hot pasta water when you drain. Set pasta aside in a colander.

In the same pot, melt butter over medium heat. Squeeze in the juice of 3 to 4 lemons. Whisk together. Pour in cream and half-and-heat. Whisk until hot. Dump in cheese and whisk until melted. Add salt and pepper. Check consistency, adding some of the hot pasta water to loosen the sauce if needed.

Pour pasta and sauce into a large serving bowl. Sprinkle remaining basil all over the top, then add sliced chicken breasts. Serve immediately!

Recipe from THE PIONEER WOMAN

Family Rating:
Brad: *****
Jordan: *****
Eli: ***
Phoebe: *****
Nena: *****
Overall Family Rating: 23/25

Blue Cheese Burgers

My very favorite burger ever.



Photos and recipe from THE PIONEER WOMAN

Blue Cheese Burgers

2 pounds 80/20 Ground Beef
1 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper
Tabasco Sauce, To Taste
2 Tablespoons Butter
1 whole Red Onion, Sliced
2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
1/4 cup Real Mayonnaise
Kaiser Rolls
1 cup Crumbled Blue Cheese
Your Favorite Lettuce

Place the ground beef into a medium mixing bowl. Add 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon of ground black pepper. Add a few dashes of Tabasco sauce. With your hands, mix the meat and seasoning well. Set aside.

Next, for the onions, heat a medium skillet over low heat. Add in 2 tablespoons butter. Dump in the sliced (not too thick, not too thin) red onions. Now add 2 generous tablespoons brown sugar. Give it a toss to combine the ingredients, and then allow the onions to caramelize over low heat for about twenty minutes, tossing occasionally.

While the onions are caramelizing, make the spicy mayo: Place ¼ cup mayonnaise into a small bowl and simply add a few dashes of Tabasco. Stir together and test for taste.

Next, slice the Kaiser rolls in half and spread each half with about ½ tablespoon of butter. Place them face down on a grill pan or skillet over medium heat. Lightly grill the rolls so they’ll be tough enough to hold the spicy mayo. Let the rolls cool on a plate until you need them.

Form the meat into two patties and place on a grill pan or skillet over medium to medium-low heat. Allow each to cook about 3 minutes, then using a spatula, rotate 45 degrees, leaving it on the same side.

Flip the burger and cook it for a couple of minutes, rotating it 45 degrees again to get the nice grill marks.

Now add a large helping of caramelized onions over top of that glorious patty, followed by an equally generous helping of crumbled blue cheese.

As it finishes cooking, spread the spicy mayo on the Kaiser rolls and transfer the burger onto the bottom half of the bun. Top with a handful of greens and top with the bun.

Family Rating:
Brad: ****
Jordan: ***** (This is my very favorite burger to eat at home!)
Nena: **** (Yep, she had dinner with us.)
Eli & Phoebe had hot dogs so this is a skewed rating...only 15 stars total
Overall Family Rating: 13/15

Cowboy Calzones

Cowboy Calzones

1/2 lb. hot breakfast sausage
1 lb. ground beef
1/2 onion, diced
1 can Rotel
8 oz. whole milk Ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated mozzarella
1/2 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese
1 egg, beaten
salt and pepper
1 pizza crust
olive oil for brushing

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Brown sausage, ground beef, and onion in large skillet. Drain excess grease. Pour in Rotel; stir to combine. Cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes. In a bowl, combine the ricotta, Monterey Jack, mozzarella, and egg. Add a little salt and pepper. Add the cooled meat mixture to the cheese mixture and stir gently to combine. Freeze half the mixture for a future meal in a labeled ziplock bag. Divide pizza dough into 8 equal portions and roll into circles about 6 inches in diameter. Place a few tablespoons of filling into each circle. Fold half of the circle over the other half, gently pressing to slightly spread and flatten the filling inside. Press a fork along the edge to seal closed, then transfer the calzone to a greased baking sheet. Repeat with remaining pizza circles. Brush with olive oil. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until golden brown. Serve with warmed marinara sauce.

Recipe from The Pioneer Woman Cookbook

Family Rating:
Brad: ***
Jordan: ***
Eli: ****
Phoebe: *****
Overall Family Rating: 15/20

Smoky Chicken Barbecue Kabobs

Photo from Southern Living

Smoky Chicken Barbecue Kabobs
1 pound skinned and boned chicken breasts
1/2 large red onion, cut into fourths and separated into pieces
1 pt. cherry tomatoes
1 red bell pepper
8 (8-inch) metal skewers
Smoky Barbecue Rub
White Barbecue Sauce

Preheat grill to 350° to 400° (medium-high) heat. Cut chicken into 1-inch cubes. Thread chicken, onion, and tomatoes alternately onto skewers, leaving a 1/4-inch space between pieces. Sprinkle kabobs with Smoky Barbecue Rub. Grill kabobs, covered with grill lid, 4 to 5 minutes on each side. Serve with White Barbecue Sauce.

Smoky Barbecue Rub:
Stir together 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 2 teaspoons garlic salt, 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, and 1/4 teaspoon oregano.

White Barbecue Sauce:
Stir together 1 1/2 cups mayonnaise, 1/2 cup white vinegar, 1 teaspoon pepper, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 2 (or more) teaspoons sugar, and 1 clove garlic minced.

Recipe adapted from SOUTHERN LIVING.

Family Rating:
Brad: ***
Jordan: ***
Eli: ****
Phoebe: ****
Overall Family Rating: 14/20

Crockpot Cajun Spaghetti

Recipe from Carrie Nimz (aka "Sister")

Crockpot Cajun Spaghetti
2 lbs. ground beef
1 regular bag seasoning blend (this is in the frozen vegetable section at Wal-Mart and it has diced onions, celery, and bell peppers)
1-2 teaspoons Tony Chachere's Cajun seasoning
1/2 teaspoon white pepper (I substituted black)
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Tone's granulated garlic, to taste (I used a small palmful)
Tone's Italian seasoning (I used a small palmful)
Tone's Rosemary Garlic seasoning (about a tablespoon)
Bay leaves ( I use 3 large or 5 small)
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 jar Alfredo sauce
1-2 jar Tomato Basil spaghetti sauce (I used one, but next time I'll use two)

Cook beef until done in a large skillet and season with everything except sauces and bay leaves. Add to crockpot, along with sauces and bay leaves, and cook on low anywhere from 2 hours to all day. Serve over spaghetti noodles. Freeze leftovers in ziplock bags for future use.

Family Rating:
Brad: **
Jordan: **** (Extra star because it's an easy, crockpot meal and makes enough to freeze for two more meals.)
Eli: ****
Phoebe: *****
Overall Family Rating: 15/20

Notes: This was one of those recipes that didn't really come with measurements so I just guessed and documented what I did. It wasn't Brad's favorite because he said he like "regular" spaghetti better. Unfortunately, "regular" spaghetti is a little more involved and this was so dang easy.

Shrimp and Grits

Photo from Our Best Bites

Shrimp and Grits
4 c. water
1 c. grits (regular or quick-cooking, but not instant)
3 Tbsp. salted butter
Tabasco sauce to taste
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
6 oz. regular (not thick-sliced or maple) bacon, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. lemon juice
2 Tbsp. fresh chopped parsley
1 c. sliced mushrooms
2 cloves garlic, minced

Cook grits according to package directions. When you have about 15 minutes left on the grits, cook the bacon until brown and crispy. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate, reserving the bacon drippings.

Cook the shrimp in the bacon drippings over medium-high heat until they are just starting to turn pink (about 2 minutes). Add the lemon juice, garlic, mushrooms, parsley, and cooked bacon and cook for about 3 more minutes or until the shrimp are just pink all the way through. Season with kosher salt and Tabasco sauce to taste (if desired).

When the grits are done cooking, stir in the butter and cheese until smooth. Season with kosher salt and Tabasco sauce to taste. Ladle the grits into shallow bowls and top with the shrimp mixture for serving (although you’ll want to stir it all together before eating). Serve with a light green salad to offset the heaviness of the grits. Serves 4-6.

Adapted from OUR BEST BITES

Family Rating:
Brad: ***
Jordan: ***
Eli: ****
Phoebe: ***
Overall Family Rating: 13/20

Oven Baked Ribs

This is the only way I make ribs. They come out perfect even if you're not a grill master.



Picture from MEL'S KITCHEN CAFE

Best Oven Baked Ribs

*Makes 2 slabs ribs

2 whole slabs pork baby back ribs, silver skin removed

Dry Rub:
8 tablespoons light brown sugar, tightly packed
2 tablespoons kosher salt (Morton’s brand – other brands may vary in strength)
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 tablespoon ground black pepper
1/2 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1/2 tablespoon smoked paprika or regular paprika
1/2 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning
1/2 tablespoon dried thyme
1/2 tablespoon onion powder
1/2 tablespoon garlic powder

1-2 cups BBQ sauce

In a bowl, combine all dry ingredients and mix well. Place each slab of baby back ribs on a piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil or a double layer of regular tin foil, shiny side down. Sprinkle each side of the ribs generously with the dry rub. Pat the dry rub into the meat. Wrap the ribs tightly in the foil and refrigerate the ribs for a minimum of 8 hours or overnight and up to 48 hours.

When ready to bake the ribs, preheat oven to 250 degrees F.

Place the ribs (still in the foil packets) on a foil lined baking sheet and bake the ribs in the oven for 2 1/2 hours-3 hours or until tender when picked up with tongs. The meat will come easily off of the bone!

Remove ribs from foil and place on another foil lined baking sheet. Brush with your favorite BBQ sauce and broil until charred and bubbly. Alternately, you can grill the ribs at this point, if you like, but sometimes they are falling off the bone and are so tender that it is a little difficult. Cut the ribs into individual portions (2-3 ribs per person). Serve with additional BBQ sauce, if desired.

Recipe adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Family Rating:
Brad: *****
Jordan: *****
Eli: *****
Phoebe: ***** (She originally said six stars because she just loved them that much!)
Overall Family Rating: 20/20

Notes: This recipe is awesome! We've all had really good ribs before (prepared by other people) that takes hours--even days! These are just as good as the prep is so much easier. As is the clean-up. Brad said that nothing beats a Mike Robertson or Jimmy Newman rib, but this comes about as darn close as we're gonna make.

Seriously, yummy.