Cucumber Dill Salad

Looking for a refreshing side for your cook out. This one is light and simple. Hope you like it!

2 English cucumbers (thinly sliced or shredded, your choice)
1 small red onion (diced)
1 1/2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons dried dill or 2 tablespoons fresh

Directions

In a colander, toss the cucumber and onion with the salt and let it sit and drain for 20 minutes. Press the liquid out of the vegetables and rinse well with cold water.

In a medium bowl combine the vinegar and sugar and stir well. Add the cucumber mixture and toss to coat. Stir in the dill.

Salsa and While Wheat Chips

Yum Salsa! Everyone has their favorites! With so much cilantro growing on my back deck, I felt inspired to make some! (And the pix was taken yesterday, but I keep forgetting to reset my date on the camera, it always defaults to 1/13/2007 when I change the batteries! Argh) I like to make my own chips as well. This salsa can be made mild or super spicy like I like it. To make yours mild, just avoid the hot habanero! Also, do not include the seeds in the jalapeno and banana pepper. I used a can tomato because the fresh tomatoes just do not taste juicy and sweet this time of year.

Salsa

Ingredients:

1 can of diced tomatoes
1 vidalia onion chopped
1 green pepper chopped
1 banana pepper chopped, seed included
1 jalapeno pepper chopped, seeds included
1 habanero pepper chopped, seeds included
1 can of diced chilies, including juice
1 handful of fresh cilantro chopped
1 juice of a line
1 Tbsp. of sea salt
2 garlic cloves, chopped

Enjoy!

Chips

1 package of whole wheat tortillas cut in to triangles
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. sea salt

Heat oven to 375. In a large bowl, place the tortillas. Drizzle olive oil and sea salt. Toss gently to be sure each tortilla is lightly covered. Place the tortillas in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 6 minutes or until crisp. Stay close, they can burn easy. Repeat until all tortillas are cooked. Once cooled, place in an air tight bag.

BBQ Ribs

Barbecuing is a very popular American summer tradition with studies showing that as much as 90% of all Americans attend at least one barbecue party every summer. Most American families own some type of the grill or the other, depending on their own special needs and space or budget constraints. I love to grill out all year round. However, I do not own a smoker...YET! I only have a gas grill which is great to finish the ribs, but the ribs must be pre-cooked to ensure tenderness. I like to use a dry rub, place them in a bag, and allow to sit over night. Then, I use a slow cooker, on low for 8 hours. I finish the ribs off with sauce on the grill. I like Sweet Baby Ray's original barbecue sauce if I am using a bottle from the store. However, I do like to make my own as well.

Sauce:

2 cups ketchup
1 cup water
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
5 tablespoons light brown sugar
5 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tablespoon fresh ground black pepper
1/2 tablespoon onion powder
1/2 tablespoon ground mustard

In a medium saucepan, combine all ingredients. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat to simmer. Cooked uncovered, stirring frequently, for 1 hour 15 minutes.

Dry Rub:

1 1/2 cups paprika
3/4 cup sugar
3 3/4 tablespoons onion powder

Rinse and dry ribs. Place on a clean cutting board and pull off the membrane, the thin fatty skin that lines the underside of the ribs. Trim the ribs of excess fat and meat. Liberally season both sides of the ribs with 1/4 to 1/2 cup Dry Rub. Wrap ribs and refrigerate for at least 8 hours so flavors can permeate.

You can store any unused in an air tight container for 6 months.

Dry rub and sauce recipe courtesy of the Neely's.

Place the ribs in a slow cooker. Add a Tbsp. of liquid smoke.Cook on low for 8 hours or 4on high. Ribs should be fork tender. When cooked,brush the BBQ sauce on the ribs. Place ribs, meatier side down, on the grill, on medium high. Cook, with grill open, for 5-6 minutes each side. Remove from grill. Add additional BBQ sauce if desired.

Dry rub and sauce recipe courtesy of the Neely's.

Beer Can Chicken!

I have heard from many people how wonderful beer can chicken is. I decided to give it a try, After a search of various websites, I found one that I could make in the oven and seemed really easy. Let me tell you, it was AMAZING! This had to be the moistest chicken I have ever eaten! Yummy!!!

Recipe courtesy Guy Fieri, 2007

Ingredients:
1 (2 to 3-pound) whole chicken
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon dried sage
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1 (12-ounce) can beer
1/2 pound bacon

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Wash chicken with cold water and pat dry with paper towels.

Mix dry ingredients in small bowl. Rub 1/2 of the ingredients on inside cavity of chicken. Gently peel skin away from chicken and rub mixture into meat of chicken. Open beer can pour out about 1/2 cup. Drop the garlic cloves into the beer can. Place chicken, open end down, over the beer can to insert the beer into the cavity. Place chicken, standing up, in large saute pan. Place 1/3 of the bacon in the top cavity of the chicken and drape the remaining 2/3 of the bacon down the outside of the chicken. Pierce the bacon to the chicken with toothpicks.

Place chicken in the oven for 10 minutes and then lower temperature to 325 degrees F and cook for another 1 hour, or until the internal temperature in the thickest part of the thigh reaches 165 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer.

Dill Potato Salad

I hope everyone is enjoying their holiday weekend. The kickoff to summer! Summer to me is spending time with friends and family, camping, swimming, and of course cook outs!!!! My herbs and vegetable plants are abundant on my deck. The aroma of the sweet basil, fresh dill, and rosemary fills the air! I am anxious to begin to make many dishes with these fabulous fresh herbs. I am waiting anxiously for the first buds to appear on my tomato and pepper plants!
With the onset of cookout and grilling season, I will begin with sharing a fabulous recipe for potato salad. Every time I bring this dish to a picnic I receive rave reviews and many request for the recipe. I hope you will like this as well!!

2 pounds of idaho potatoes, peeled, quartered
6 eggs hard boiled
2 tablespoons freshly chopped fresh dill
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions
Place your potatoes in a large saucepan filled with cold salted water and cook on medium heat until tender for about 20 minutes. In a sauce pan place you eggs. Bring water to a boil, turn off heat and cover for 15 minutes. When cool, peel and slice the eggs.

Drain potatoes, transfer to large bowl and set aside to cool for a bit. When the potatoes are cooled slightly add the eggs, dill, chives, & mayonnaise. Drizzle with lemon juice and toss gently to coat. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Ricotta Chicken Pasta w/Broccolli

My daughter is a great cook. She attends Parkway where she studies the culinary arts. She is always saying how much she loves ricotta cheese. Now, I didn't think I did. My husband is very firm on his opinion on meat only ravioli. And the site of ricotta cheese and cottage cheese makes him queasy. So, when I decided to try and incorporate ricotta cheese into a recipe I had to hide the container. HAHAHA! Well, he liked this. Now, he did not LOVE it, as he likes beef in pasta. But, this was received well by the children! This recipe is a modified version of a pasta dish that is from Rachel Ray's 30 Minutes Meals. (A great cookbook given to me by my good friend Kellie B.)

Ingredients:

1 pounds whole wheat rigatoni
2 bundles of broccoli, cut into florets
2 Tbsp. of olive oil
1 pound of chicken breast
5 cloves of garlic, minced
2 cups ricotta cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 Tsp. thyme
1/2 Tsp. nutmeg

Please read through all the directions before starting. It will make this much easier!

Cook the pasta el dente in heavily salted water. Reserve 1 cup of the water from pot and drain. While pasta is cooking, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook the broccoli for 4 minutes and shock immediately in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. Cut the chicken breast into 1 inch pieces. Heat a large pan with the olive oil and cook the chicken and garlic for about 6 minutes, or until chicken is cooked the entire way through. To the pan, add the broccoli, pasta, ricotta, parmesan cheese, and the reserved cooking water. Add the thyme and nutmeg. Salt and pepper to taste. Toss until creamy. Enjoy!

Apple Pork Chops

My husband loves applesauce with his pork chop. So I came up with an easy recipe that gives him this taste. It was a hit with the kids too! Hope you enjoy!

4 pork chops
1 Tbsp. flour
1/2 sliced onion
1 cup apple juice
1 apple peeled and diced
1 Tbsp. butter

Season flour with salt and pepper. Lightly flour pork chops. Add 1 Tbsp. of butter to a skillet on medium and melt. Brown pork chop on both sides. Stir in onion, apple juice, and apple. Bring to a boil. Simmer for 7-8 minutes.