Greek Marinated Chicken Kabobs & Grilled Apples

A couple of weeks ago my husband made the trek, or should I say flight, from South Florida to California so that he could be a there for his brother Matt and his new bride Cassie’s big day. Regretfully, the children and I couldn’t make it to California. The sheer thought of traveling across the country with the two toddlers makes my brain hurt, for such a short trip anyways. Hopefully we will make it out there in a few years. So, we made the best of the “wishing we were there situation, “and the absence of Rick, as he is rarely away. We shopped a little but mostly we spent our time hanging out at home. The NFL pre-season kicked off the night he departed, so we watched plenty of football, ate ample amounts of hummus and veggies, and watched more football while we swam in the pool. [TV by the pool is stellar, at least during football season :)] Anyhow. The bottom line is we had a weekend of Mother-Kiddo bonding time. However, I must admit that I was guilty of a little jealousy each time I spoke with Rick. There wasn’t a single conversation that we had that he didn’t tell me about something  ~ Wonderful ~ he had eaten that day, even a chicken dish, and he isn’t a fan of chicken. Now, this is the same man who usually cannot tell you what he had for dinner the night before, he eats for survival purposes alone. So, to hear him go on about the scrumptious food, made my foodie brain kick into overdrive. I was going to come up with something great tasting, healthy and different from my usual rotation of chicken dinners. I am not being boastful, but I did it! This Greek inspired marinade is delicious and would work well on anything chicken, beef, pork, lamb, fish, shellfish, vegetables, you could even use it as a spread or dipping sauce for bread (or pitas).

I decided to use the marinade on chicken, make it into kabobs, and put them outside on the grill where we spent the evening dining “Al Fresco”. Everything we ate that night was cooked on the grill, even the desert of grilled cinnamon apples. I apologize for the lack of a single picture of the finished “Grilled Apple” dish. My four little one’s had them devoured within 2 minutes, literally, even eating my portion! In other words they were spectacular, they didn’t even wait for the vanilla ice cream that I had intended to serve with them.

Congratulations on the ‘I Do” Cassie and Matt! The kids and I wish we could have been there.

Now on with the recipe:

Greek Marinated Chicken Kabobs:

 This recipe is enough for two-three pounds of boneless skinless chicken breast.

– 1 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

– 1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice

– zest from one lemon (two if you like more zing)

– 1/4 cup Dijon mustard

– 4-5 cloves of garlic minced

– 2 Tablespoons dried oregano

– 2 Tablespoons dried parsley

– 1 Tablespoons dried rosemary

– 1 Tablespoon dried thyme

–  Coarse Sea Salt and Black Pepper to taste

– 2-3 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 1″ cubes

– 2 zucchini squash sliced into 1″ thick slices

– 1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1″ squares

– 1 large sweet onion, halved and each half cut into thirds, try to keep sections intact this makes the assembly of the kabobs easier.

Directions:

– Place all ingredients, except the chicken and vegetables, into a gallon size ziptop bag. Seal the bag and then shake it around to mix it all together.

– Add the chicken to the marinade. Allow to soak up the flavors for 6-24 hours (in the refrigerator)

– Assemble the kabobs, alternating chicken and vegetables. If using bamboo skewers remember to soak in water for 30 minutes.

– Place skewers on hot (375 degrees or so) grill for about 7-8 minutes per side. Turning twice, for a total of 14-16 minutes or until done. If you have excess marinade brush onto kabobs while on the grill.

Grilled Apples

– Cut desired numbered of apples in half and remove core and seeds.

– Brush cut side of apple with melted butter.

– Sprinkle cinnamon and brown sugar on top of melted butter.

– Place on hot grill, skin side down, close lid and allow to cook for about 15-20 minutes.

 

Crunchy Baked GF Chicken & Isaac

The path of Tropical Storm Isaac isn’t expected to impact SW Florida as was anticipated by the meteorologist’s, or the many people who were out buying up as much water, batteries and canned goods as they could. This is a good thing 🙂 well maybe not for those who will be eating soup and tuna for the next few weeks but that we are no longer in the cone (or path) of Isaac. I must also add, in preparation for this storm my husband has moved all of the patio furniture to the garage, took the kids’ John boat out of the pond and secured it to a tree and trimmed all of the trees in our yard, and we have many, many trees. As you can see in the pictures below the trees, especially the palms, really were pruned! I moved all of my orchids and part of my herb garden into the outdoor bathroom [lots and lots of fun]. If nothing else this gives us (mostly Rick) a great opportunity to thoroughly clean up outside and groom all the landscaping! Yay!  We will still see plenty of wind and rain, enough to keep the children in doors all day today and tomorrow. I am trying to keep them occupied so they are not tempted to munch on junk food out of boredom. All in all I really do love this weather, it is such a nice break from the scalding heat.

 

 

 

 

When the, “Mom, when will lunch be ready?” echos started rolling in I decided to try something new (to us). I recalled reading a recipe, some time ago, that was for fresh chicken tenders breaded with crushed potato chips instead of bread crumbs.  I have one child who has to avoid gluten and this recipe seemed as if it would appeal to all four of my hungry kiddos. I didn’t try to find the recipe that sparked the idea, time didn’t allow for that. They were hungry! So, this is a recipe I threw together on a whim, and it turned out great! Often gluten-free foods aren’t quite as tasty as the gluten laden version. Especially things like chicken tenders, however, these oversized crispy chicken nuggets are an exception and they are were GOOD and they are gone

Crunchy Baked Chicken Chunks (Gluten-Free)

Ingredients:

• 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into large chunks (about 2 or 3-bites per piece)
• 1/2 cup Gluten-Free Bisquick
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 Tablespoon water
• 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2 or 2 1/2 cups of crushed Kettle Cooked Potato Chips (I used the Reduced Fat Cape Cod brand)
• 2 Tablespoons dried parsley (divided)
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• salt and pepper to taste (be careful with the salt, the chips provide saltiness)
• non-stick cooking spray

Directions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit
• Spray a wire rack with non-stick spray coating well, or rub with oil
• Place the Bisquick in a shallow bowl
• In a second bowl beat eggs, water, Dijon mustard, and 1T of parsley until well combined
• In a third bowl combine crushed chips, 1T parsley, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper
• Coat all of the chicken with a three-step dip/dredge: First dredge each piece in the Bisquick, next dunk in egg/mustard mixture allowing excess to drip back into bowl, third roll the chicken in the crushed potato chip mix. Be sure to coat the chicken well and press the crumbs gently into the chicken.
• Place chicken on the wire rack placed on a cookie sheet. This allows the chicken to remain crispy on both sides.
• Bake in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until a thermometer reads 165 degrees at the thickest part of the meat.
• This chicken is tasty enough to eat without and dip. However, it would be great with your favorite sauce or rolled in hot sauce and served with Bleu Cheese 🙂 my combination of choice!

And on a final note. I sincerely hope and pray that everyone, who is at risk of being of being affected by Tropical Storm or Hurricane Isaac, is safe. Take care.