text: Sometimes I forget how easy and good marinades are. Just mix up a few ingredients, plop the meat in, let it sit, and then grill it up--delicious. This recipe was great because it also combined the ingredients used in the marinade for a yummy dressing for the side dish. I used green beans instead of snap peas (steamed them up for about five minutes) and it turned out delicious. I think my 11-month old ate more of them than I did. I had some coconut milk left over after making the marinade so I threw that in with the rice in my rice cooker to make it extra flavorful. I baked the chicken at 375 for 20 minutes instead of grilling it, it turned out great.
  1/3 c. plus 1 Tbsp. unsweetened coconut milk
  1. In a small bowl, whisk together 1 Tbsp. coconut milk, 1 tsp. honey and 1 tsp. lime juice. Set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, combine the remaining 1/3 c. coconut milk, 2 Tbsp. honey and 1 Tbsp. lime juice with the soy sauce, garlic, five-spice powder and salt. Add the chicken thighs, coating well. Marinate at least 15 minutes.
  Labels: chicken, main dish, What should I Make?
  Here is another crock-pot meal to add to your repertoire. I buy the pork loin roasts at Costco, they come in a package of four, and they're the perfect size for your family with some leftovers for a yummy lunch or second meal. I paired it with Hawaiian rolls and steamed broccoli. Easy. Delicious.
  recipe courtesy of I Was Born to Cook blog
  1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes (left this out for the kiddos)
  1 (15 ounce) can pineapple pieces, drained
  Place pork in crockpot, followed by onion and remaining ingredients. Cook for 6-8 hours on low. While cooking, when meat looks tender enough, shred with 2 forks so it absorbs more juice. Add salt and pepper to taste (about 1 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. pepper)
  Melissa's Notes: My family loves this moist, yummy fall recipe. You can frost the top with your favorite cream cheese frosting, but I'm happy with it just as it is!
  1 3/4 tsp. nutmeg
  Pour into greased loaf pans (this made 2 nice size loaves for me). Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and let cool on a cooling rack. Frost if desired.
  Monday - Beef Teriyaki
  Tuesday - Farmer's Market Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup
  Thursday - Waldorf-Salad-Style Penne
  Melissa's Notes: I'm always looking for good, easy salad recipes. This one fits the bill! My friend Allison brought it to a picnic and I couldn't stop eating it. A good kitchen tip I have learned about red onion is that if you let it sit in some kind of acid (lemon juice, vinegar, etc.) for at least an hour, it totally relaxes it so it doesn't overpower your dish. You can also substitute the apple for a crispy pear.
  3/4 c. slivered almonds, toasted at 350 for 8 min.
  1/8 red onion, chopped (optional)
  Mango, Tomoato, and Avocado Salad
  Melissa's Notes: James and I have been on a health kick this last week. We're trying to eat more fruits and vegetables and less meat and processed foods. So far (with the exception of a church picnic today) I have felt so much better and haven't really felt deprived at all. I will say that I have had a much higher grocery bill this week and have spent more time in the kitchen than I care to share. So if anyone has any words of advice for me, I'm listening! I made this salad with flank steak tacos and it was delicious on the tacos, or it would be great over a bed of greens as well. This is a nice side dish for Mexican food that is not too heavy and can easily be adapted for kids by just putting the ingredients they like to the side before you mix in all the dressing.
  recipe courtesy of Good & Fresh Magazine
  1. In a medium bowl combine mango, tomato, and red onion. For dressing, in a screw-top jar combine cilantro, oil, vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper. Cover and shake well. Pour dressing over mango mixture. Toss gently to coat. Cover and chill for 1-4 hours. (I didn't have time to do this and it still tasted great)
  2. Just before serving, stir in avocado. If desired, serve with lettuce leaves. Makes 4 servings.
  Melissa's Notes: I must say, I'm not completely comfortable cooking fish at home, mostly because I really haven't done it all that much. But last weekend James wanted a lighter dinner, so I decided to go out of my comfort zone and go for it...I'm so glad I did! The fish was perfectly cooked and dinner was on the table in less than 15 minutes, not to mention everybody loved it and cleaned their plates without complaint. It has inspired me to incorporate fish more regularly into our weekly menu. If the glaze isn't your cup of tea, I urge you to still try this simple way to prepare salmon, it's delicious even without the glaze and so easy. Just FYI, I halved the recipe for the glaze and it still made more than enough. Also, I made sure everything was ready to go before I put the salmon in the pan, that made the dinner super quick and stress-free.
  recipe courtesy of Rachael Ray 30-Minute Meals 2
  4 salmon fillets (6-oz. each)
  1/2 c. dry white wine (I'm sure you can substitute this with water or white grape juice if you want)
  orange or lemon rind slices
  1. Preheat a cast-iron pan or heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. Brush the salmon fillets with oil. Season with salt and pepper. Cook salmon until just cooked through, about 3 minutes on each side.
  2. While salmon cooks, bring wine, vinegar, citrus juices and brown sugar to a boil over high heat. Reduce glaze 3 or 4 minutes, until thickened (I found this took more like 6-7 minutes). Remove from heat. Stir in 1/2 tsp. coarse black pepper.
  3. To a second skillet, add green beans, pieces of orange and/or lemon rind and 1/2 inch of water. Bring to a boil, cover, and cook 3 or 4 minutes. Drain the beans, toss with a drizzle of EVOO and season with salt and pepper.
  Cooking is just one of the things I love to do! I am so excited when I find a good recipe that is easy to make, and I wanted a place to keep all my tried and true recipes. Hence...this blog!