Lime Chicken Kabobs & BBQ veggies

So a couple weeks ago I was totally craving some great BBQ food (the weather was warming up back then). I did a quick search but didn't find much that sounded good. That's when I got a little creative. The key lime juice really adds a great lime taste to the chicken, it also makes the chicken very tender while marinating. I had Nellie and Joe's Key Lime Juice in my fridge so I used that as the base for this masterpiece.

Lime Chicken Kabobs

6 T Key Lime Juice

6 T Soy Sauce

6 T Orange Peach Mango frozen juice concentrate

2 tsp minced garlic

Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and marinate for two hours. Put onto skewers and barbeque until cooked thoroughly.

BBQ Veggies

Zucchini

Yellow Squash

Red Onion

Asparagus

Tomatoes

Mushrooms

Parmesan Cheese (about 1/3 C, but depends on how many veggies you have)

Olive Oil (about 1/4 C, you want to lightly coat all the veggies)

Key Lime Juice (about 2 T, you want to lightly coat all the veggies)

Fresh Cracked Pepper (to taste)

Kosher Salt (to taste)

Cut the veggies into bite-sized pieces and place into a big bowl. Coat lightly with olive oil and key lime juice. Cook on the BBQ in a vegetable basket , adding the tomatoes half-way through. Once cooked, place into your serving bowl and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

The best pork roast ever!

This is absolutely the best way to cook a pork roast. I don't remember where I found the recipe, but my family instantly fell in love with it. The vinegar sounds a little odd, but it makes the roast so tender and really adds an amazing flavor.

The best pork roast ever

4lb Pork Roast

2 cloves Garlic, minced

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

1/2 tsp Thyme

4 Bay leaves

1/2 - 1 C White Vinegar

Put the roast in a pan with a lid. Poke several holes in the roast with a fork. Spread the garlic over the roast, poke some if it into the holes. Sprinkle the salt, pepper and thyme on top. Slowly pour the vinegar over the roast. You want enough vinegar to come up 1-2 inches on the roast. Put the bay leaves in the vinegar. Roast at 325 for about 30 minutes per pound.

Man Soup

In the summer of 2007 I decided I wanted to lose some weight and went on a low carb diet. Needless to say this caused a pretty big change in my eating habits. 18 months and 50 lbs later I'm glad I did it, but it took a lot of creativity when it came to what to eat. I have collected and created several of my favorite low carb dishes and I will share them over the next several weeks.

One of the best dishes on a cold winter night is Man Soup. I don't remember where I got the inspiration for this soup, but it is pretty tasty. It got its name when I made it for a Super Bowl party with my brothers.

Man Soup

1 lb Hamburger

1 lb Mild Italian Sausage

1 Onion, sliced

4 oz Pepperoni, sliced in half

1/2 lb Pastrami, sliced thick

1 C Mushrooms, sliced

1 14oz can Olives, sliced

2 Zucchini, sliced

1 14oz can Stewed Tomatoes

3 14oz can Chicken Broth

3 C Water

1/2 tsp dried Basil

2 Bay Leaves

Combine the hamburger, sausage and onion in a soup pot and brown. While browning, leave the hamburger and sausage in bite size pieces. When the meat is almost done cooking add the pastrami and pepperoni. Once the meat is fully cooked and the onion is tender, add the rest of the ingredients. Bring the water almost to a boil and let it simmer until the vegetables are tender.

Christmas Eve Dinner

Last year was the first time that I went all out for our Christmas eve dinner and I really enjoyed it. So of course we had a repeat this year. As usual, I always have the desert figured out first; I didn't actually decide on the main course until just a couple days before.

I was very happy with the way it all turned out, I really out did myself this time. Here's the menu:

Shrimp and Cocktail sauce

Spring Mix salad with Cranberry dressing

Sparkling Raspberry Jell-o

The Best Ever Green Bean Casserole

Dry Rub Baby Back Ribs

Spiced Honey Semifreddo with Dried Fruit and Almonds

Spiced Honey Semifreddo with Dried Fruit and Almonds

We saw this on Food Network one night and I was dying to make it. Christmas Eve dinner seemed like the right occasion to give a whirl. I loved it! April and everyone else was just okay with it, so I guess it isn't an instant hit with everyone. I'm gonna experiment with this base a little bit, I bet I can find a variation everyone will be all over. Thanks Tyler Florence.

Spiced Honey Semifreddo with Dried Fruit and Almonds

Base

2 1/2 cups milk
6 large egg yolks
2/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon amaretto liqueur (or almond extract)
1/2 cup chopped almonds
1 1/2 cups heavy cream

Spiced Honey:
6 figs, fresh or dried, cut into quarters
6 dates, pitted and chopped
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup water
1 lemon , juiced
1 cinnamon stick
Amaretto cookies, for garnish

Pour the milk into a saucepan and bring just to a boil over medium-high heat.
In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and the sugar until the sugar starts to dissolve and the yolks turn light yellow, about 3 minutes. Gradually whisk in the hot milk, adding it in a thin stream at first so as not to cook the yolks, and then more quickly. Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over low heat, without boiling, until the mixture thickly coats the back of a spoon, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla and amaretto. Refrigerate until cool (or chill in a water bath).

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spread the almonds on a baking sheet and toast until golden and fragrant, 7 to 10 minutes.


When the custard is cold, whip the cream to stiff peaks and fold into the custard along with the toasted almonds. Scrape the mixture into a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan, cover and freeze until firm.


Meanwhile, put the figs, dates, honey, water, lemon juice, and cinnamon stick in a small saucepan and set it over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes until the fruit is soft. Let cool slightly, then remove the cinnamon stick.


To serve, dip the bottom of the loaf pan in a bowl of hot water for 5 seconds. Put a platter on top and then invert quickly; lift off the loaf pan. Cut the semifreddo into slices and put the slices on plates. Spoon the spiced honey and dried fruit over and crumble amaretto cookies over the top for crunch.

Dry Rub Baby Back Ribs

We were stumped on what to make as the main dish for our Christmas Eve dinner so we turned to Food Network and Bobby Deen and we weren't disappointed. I was a little rushed so I couldn't let them sit with the spices for 2 hours and I wish I had cooked them a little longer, but they were still amazing.

Dry Rub Baby Back Ribs
1 tablespoon paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons packed dark brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 pounds baby back ribs, cut into 2-rib portions

In a small bowl, stir together all ingredients except the ribs. Rub spice mixture all over the ribs. Cover and refrigerate ribs for at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Place the ribs in a roasting pan. Bake for 1 to 2 hours, until meat easily pulls off the bones.

The best ever green bean casserole

This is the very best version of the classic green bean casserole I have ever tried. The fresh green beans and the toasted onions were the best part. I had a hard time keeping April out of the onions while I made the rest. It may seem like a lot of work, but it is definitely worth it. Thanks Alton Brown on the Food Network.

Best Ever Green Bean Casserole

Topping:
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons panko bread crumbs
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Nonstick cooking spray

For beans and sauce:
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1 pound fresh green beans, rinsed, trimmed and halved
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
12 ounces mushrooms, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup half-and-half

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F.

Combine the onions, flour, panko and salt in a large mixing bowl and toss to combine. Coat a sheet pan with nonstick cooking spray and evenly spread the onions on the pan. Place the pan on the middle rack of the oven and bake until golden brown, approximately 30 minutes. Toss the onions 2 to 3 times during cooking. Once done, remove from the oven and set aside until ready to use. Turn the oven down to 400 degrees F.

While the onions are cooking, prepare the beans. Bring a gallon of water and 2 tablespoons of salt to a boil in an 8-quart saucepan. Add the beans and blanch for 5 minutes. Drain in a colander and immediately plunge the beans into a large bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Drain and set aside.

Melt the butter in a 12-inch cast iron skillet set over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms begin to give up some of their liquid, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and nutmeg and continue to cook for another 1 to 2 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and stir to combine. Cook for 1 minute. Add the broth and simmer for 1 minute. Decrease the heat to medium-low and add the half-and-half. Cook until the mixture thickens, stirring occasionally, approximately 6 to 8 minutes.

Remove from the heat and stir in 1/4 of the onions and all of the green beans. Top with the remaining onions. Place into the oven and bake until bubbly, approximately 15 minutes. Remove and serve immediately.