Citrus Honey Chicken

Hey friends– It’s a little crazy here– working ahead on a stack of blog posts to send off to you before we leave on a 2 week trip tomorrow!  So I’m typing away, doing last minute laundry and stacking piles of things to drop into the suitcase.  So fun!

And for your busy days, here’s an easy dinner, done in about 30 minutes.  It’s full of citrusy flavor with just hint of sweetness.  A little mixed rice, a bright salad and it’s dinner!

CITRUS HONEY CHICKEN
4 chicken thighs
2 tab. olive oil
salt
freshly ground pepper
2 limes, juiced
1 lemon, juiced
2 tab. honey
1 tab. soy sauce
garnish: more lime & lemon slices, green onion

Salt and pepper the chicken on both sides (I like to take the skin off, but skin on is fine too).  Heat the olive oil in a skillet that has a lid.  Cook the chicken meatier side down for 5 minutes in the hot oil until they are golden brown.

While they are cooking stir together the lemon juice, lime juice, honey and soy sauce.

When he chicken is browned turn it browned side up in the skillet and pour over the lemon/lime mixture.  Cover the chicken and let it simmer on low for 15 to 18 minutes until the chicken is cooked through (about 180 degrees with a meat thermometer).  It’s good to spoon the juice over the chicken a couple times while it’s cooking!

When the chicken is ready, put the pieces on a pretty platter and drizzle the pan juices over the top.  Garnish with lime and lemon slices and green onion.  So inviting!

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Honey Cilantro Lime Salmon

Hi friends– End of the weekend here.  How was yours??   Friday night the young moms from our table at MOPS (mothers of preschoolers) came over and we cooked dinner together.  So fun!!  And we sat and talked til after 11:00.  Love those girls.

Besides that we had a couple quiet days–lots of reading and long walks.  And here is a good dinner idea for a lazy Saturday supper.  With a big salad and some rice, it’s ready in less than 30 minutes.

HONEY CILANTRO LIME SALMON
1 pound filet of salmon
salt
freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup butter, melted
juice of 1 lime
3 tab. honey
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup cilantro, chopped

Line a baking dish with foil and spray it with cooking spray.  then set your salmon filet in the center of the foil, liberally sprinkling on salt and pepper.

In a bowl, mix the melted butter, lime juice, honey and minced garlic.  Spoon it over the salmon and fold the sides of the foil up over the salmon.

Bake it up at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes (depending on the thickness of the salmon).  Then turn on the broiler and cook 2 or 3 minutes more to crisp the stop.

Put it on a pretty plate and sprinkle the cilantro on top to serve it up nice and hot.

Honey Garlic Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

Hello all you gardeners (or just plain old tomato eaters!)– I’m pleased to report that Larry’s tomato crop has come in!!  We have piles of tomatoes of all shapes and sizes on the kitchen counter.  That is to say, tomatoes are a mandatory part of every meal around here.

So when Joy and Larry invited us to sit out on their deck in the breeze on Sunday evening, we took along these roasted little cherry tomatoes– with some bread and a little fresh mozzarella to round them out.  Add a glass of wine and convivial friends.  Summer perfect!

HONEY GARLIC TOASTED CHERRY TOMATOES
4 cups assorted cherry tomatoes*
3 cloves garlic finely minced**
1 tab. honey
3 tab. olive oil
1/4 tsp. sea salt***
1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper

Put the cleaned tomatoes in a mixing bowl.  In a smaller bowl stir together the garlic, honey, oil, salt & pepper.  Then pour it over the cherries and mix until the cherries are well coated.

Turn the cherries out onto a baking sheet that has been lined with foil.  Scrape all the extra oil mixture out of the mixing bowl and drizzle it over the tomatoes.

Bake it all up at 400 degrees for 15 minutes– wonderful serve hot or cooled.

* We used red, yellow and slightly larger purple varieties.
**Love Trader Joe’s minced frozen garlic– so easy!!
*** if you use regular salt in place of sea salt, use less!!  (I learned this the hard way on another dish.)

P.S –These paper thin crackers are my new addiction– You can get them at (where else??!) Trader Joe’s.

Lemon Honey Salmon

Hey there– We’ve already hit a couple hot days– feels like a little summer preview.  So on a warm evening this week, we had this simple salmon, back doors wide open to catch the breeze.

Love this dish– fast, easy and the sauce–oh the sauce!  It’s tart, garlicky and honey sweet.

LEMON HONEY SALMON
1 tab. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup water
2 tab. freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tab. butter, cut to small pieces
2 tsp. honey
4 six ounce salmon filets
2 tab. olive oil
salt & freshly ground pepper
garnish:
tab. parsley, minced*
lemon slices

In a small pan heat the 1 tablespoon of olive oil.  Put in the garlic and saute for 1 to 2 minutes until it’s fragrant.  Add in the water & lemon juice.  Simmer for 3 or 4 minutes until it is reduced about half the liquid.  Stir in the butter and honey until it’s all blended and set aside.

Heat a skillet to medium high.  Pour in the 2 tab. olive oil.  Liberally salt & pepper the salmon on both sides.  Then cook it 3 minutes on each side until is crisp and golden.

Set the salmon on a pretty plate and pour over the warm sauce.  Sprinkle with parsley and garnish with lemon slices.  Done!

*I didn’t have any parsley in the fridge, so I used cilantro.

P.S.  Photos are just half a recipe– enough for Larry and me.

Honey Ginger Pork & Sugar Snap Pea Bowl

Hello all– We are happily in a series of rain storms here, after years of drought.  The impatience in the front yard are bright and blooming and the mountains north of us are white with snow.  There are fires in the fireplace and heavy sweaters.  It’s real winter weather and we’re loving it. Unfurl the umbrellas!

So when it’s soggy outside, a hot savory bowl of pork and crispy sugar snap peas is really welcome.  You might like this no matter what your weather these days…

HONEY GINGER PORK & SUGAR SNAP PEA BOWL
1 cup white or brown rice.
2 tab. olive oil
1/2 pound pork loin cutlets, cut to small strips
salt & freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped
2 cups sugar snap peas (about 5 oz.)

sauce:
1/2 cup water
1 tsp. minced ginger (or powdered ginger)
2 tab. soy sauce
3 tab. honey
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tab. cornstarch

Cook the rice according to the directions on the package

Heat the oil in a large skillet.  Drop in the pork cutlet strips.  Liberally salt and pepper them as they cook. Stir to brown the pork evenly for 4 or 5 minutes until it’s brown around the edges.  Throw in the red pepper bits and cook 1 minute more.  Remove the meat and peppers from the skillet to a plate.

Cut the tough tips from the ends of the peas and then add them to the same skillet.  Cooking for just 2 to 3 minutes in the pork juices (you want them to stay crisp!)

Shake together the sauce ingredients in a tightly closed container until they are thoroughly blended.

Then put the meat and peppers back in the skillet with the sugar snap peas.  Stir in the sauce mixture over medium high heat.  Stir until the sauce thickens, just a minute or two.

Layer the pork and peas over a bowl of cooked rice, scraping all the sauce from the pan.  Makes two bowls.  Enjoy it nice and hot!

Honey Goat Cheese Toasts with Walnuts & Thyme

Hi friends– I know this recipe name is way too long.  But I wanted to include every flavorful bit of these little toasts– the tangy goat cheese, sweet honey, little bite of thyme.  It made a delectable lunch last Saturday with a mug of tea and a book for company.  And I thought you might like it too.

HONEY GOAT CHEESE TOASTS WITH WALNUTS & THYME

2 slices sturdy bread, sliced thick*
3 oz. goat cheese
1/4 cup chopped walnut
freshly ground pepper
honey
fresh thyme leaves

Spread the goat cheese on the slices of bread and toast it for 3 or 4 minutes until the walnuts are toasty and the cheese is warm.  Then lightly pepper the toasts, drizzle on a generous coat of honey and sprinkle to thyme leave over it all.  Enjoy!!

*I love La Brea Bakery sour dough loaf for this.  The picture shows just one of those slices, cut in half.

Honey Lime Salmon

Hi all– I almost called this simple salmon–because that’s what it is!  And I love the sweet, citrus, slightly spicy sauce.  And it’s ready in about 15 minutes!

I’m planning to make it for a summer dinner out under the maple trees with friends soon as school’s out. Serve it up with sweet corn, a bright salad, something cool and pretty to drink and a table full of old friends on a warm night.  Perfect.

HONEY LIME SALMON
5 tab. honey
grated peel of one lime
2 tab. lime juice (about 1 lime)
1 tsp. cornstarch
1/2 tsp. Thai chili sauce (or Sriracha)
4 salmon fillets
2 tab. olive oil
salt & freshly ground pepper
green onion, extra lime for garnish

In a small sauce pan, stir together the honey, lime peel, lime juice cornstarch and chili sauce until the cornstarch is all blended (no lumps!).  Then heat the sauce for a couple minutes until it thickens, stirring now and then.  Set aside.

Salt and pepper both sides of the salmon fillets.  Heat the olive oil in a skillet and then lay the salmon in gently.  Cook 3 to 4 minutes on each side (depending on how thick your salmon is), just until it’s beautifully browned and flakey.

Move it to a plate and brush each piece of salmon with the warm sauce.  Garnish with the green onions and lime slices.  So easy and delish!

Honey Crusted Pork Tenderloin (or Christmas with the family)

Hello all– Hope you had the merriest Christmas celebration.  We’re just winding down here with kids in the house til New Years.  There’s a high stakes Monopoly game going on in the family room right now.  And clutter everywhere. Big fun.

But our big meal for Christmas is  Christmas Eve lunch with our parents and kids and my dear friend Jenon– It’s a riotous squeeze to fit around the table, but I get a lot joy out of seeing the people I love the most sitting down to a big meal together.

We filled our plates with whipped sweet potatoes and broccoli quinoa salad, roasted carrots and this pork tenderloin.  It was just fine for our lunch together.

HONEY CRUSTED PORK TENDERLOIN (OR
1 medium pork tenderloin (about about 4 pounds)
salt & freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup water
1 tab. cornstarch

In a large skillet, melt the butter and honey, stirring them together.  Season the pork literally with salt and pepper.

Set the tenderloin into the hot pan and brown the top side ad bottom for 5 minutes each o medium high heat –be careful it’s not too hot or the honey could burn.

Remove the pork to a baking dish and scrape all the juices from the skillet over the meat.
Put the baking dish of pork into a 375 degree oven for about 30-40 minutes.  Best to use a meat thermometer to see when the interior of the pork reaches 145 degrees.

Let the pork sit 10 minutes before you slice it into 1/2″ slices.

While it rests, scrape the pork juices from the baking dish back into the skillet.  Heat it to a nice simmer.  Shake the cornstarch and water together in a container with a tight fitting lid and whisk it into the hot pork juices unit it thickens, just a minute or two.

Set the hot pork sliced onto a platter and drizzle the sauce over the top.  Enjoy!!

All of us set down around the table– It’s one of my favorite moments of Christmas.

 

Balsamic Salmon

Hi there– here’s a quick meal idea.  We had it for lunch last Sunday and it was just right.  Easy enough for every day and pretty enough to serve to friends–with a rice mixture and  some roasted Brussel sprouts.  Dinner.

BALSAMIC SALMON
1 pound salmon filets
2 tab. olive oil
2 tab. honey
3 tab. balsamic vinegar*
2 shakes red pepper
salt & freshly ground pepper to taste

Season the salmon with salt & pepper on both sides.  Heat the olive oil in a skillet and then drop in the salmon.  Cook just 1 to 2 minutes on each side to sear the salmon.

While the salmon is cooking, whisk together the honey, vinegar and red pepper.  Add the honey-vinegar to the pan, turning the fish to coat both sides.  Simmer on low for 5 minutes until the fish flakes with a fork and the sauce reduces a bit.

That’s it!  Quick & delicious.

*I’ve learned that there are such a range of balsamic vinegars.  We received a beautiful bottle of aged balsamic from friends and it is so dense and rich, I’m hooked on it.

Orange Chili Chicken

Hi all– You’d think that now that all our kids are grown and far flung around the country and Larry and I are on our own, that we’d have all the time in the world.  I should have hours to cook leisurely gourmet dinners that we would linger over by candlelight.

But that’s not happening.  So any super yummy and quick to fix dinner I can find is just fine with me. This marinade/glaze has so much flavor– sweet, citrusy and just enough heat.  And it’s ready in about 20 minutes.  I’ll be making it again and again.

ORANGE CHILI CHICKEN
3 boneless chicken breasts
1/4 cup olive oil + 2 tablespoons

marinade/glaze:
1/2 cup fresh squeezed orange juice (about 1 large orange)
1/2 cup orange marmalade
1/4 cup honey
2 tab. hoisin sauce
2 tab. soy sauce
2 tab. red wine vinegar
2 tab.brown sugar
2 tsp. Thai sweet chili sauce*
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. freshly ground pepper

garnish:
green onions, sliced
zest from one orange

Grate the zest from the orange and set aside sealed in a baggie.

In  mixing bowl whisk together all 12 (!) ingredients for the marinade/glaze.

Slice the chicken breasts horizontally to produce 6 flatter filets.  Put them into a heavy zip loc bag along with 1/2 cup of the marinade and 1/2 cup olive oil.  Set into the fridge for at least an hour or up to overnight.  Refrigerate the remaining marinade/glaze.

When your ready to get dinner going, heat the 2 tab. of olive oil in a skillet and set the chicken into the pan.  Cook just about 2 minutes on each side to brown the chicken.  Then add in the remaining marinade and simmer on low for about 10 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.

Serve up the chicken on a pretty platter (maybe with some brown rice) and cover with the glaze from the pan.  Garnish with the green onion and grated orange peel.

* The recipe I worked from calls for sriracha sauce, but I like this milder chili sauce.  It depends on how much heat you like, and what you have in the fridge!

 

 

Zucchini Walnut Cake with Honey Cream Cheese Frosting

Hello there– This tidy little cake stood in for the birthday cake for Larry’s birthday– He doesn’t like too much sweetness (unlike his wife!) and I thought this would be just about what he would like in the way of cake.

I wish I had taken a picture with the tall red candles burning away on top!  But you’ll just have to imagine.  Happy Birthday dear Larry!

ZUCCHINI WALNUT CAKE WITH HONEY CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

Cake:
1 1/2 cups zucchini, grated (about 1 medium zucchini)
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup canola oil
2 eggs
1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped*

Frosting:
4 oz. cream cheese
4 tab. butter (1/2 stick)
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 tab. honey

Candied Walnuts:
1/2 cup walnuts
1/4 cup sugar

Grate that zucchini and set it aside.

Mix the dry ingredients in a big bowl– the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.  Then stir in the vanilla, oil and eggs.  Finally fold in the zucchini and walnuts.

Scoop the thick batter into a 9″ square or round cake pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray and bake it at 350 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes.  Poke it with a thin knife to be sure it’s cooked through (it takes longer than you think it should).

Let the cake cool before you frost it.

To make the frosting, beat together the cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer.  Then beat in the powdered sugar, vanilla and honey.  Spread it on the cooled cake.

To make the candied walnuts,  drop the 1/2 cup walnuts and 1/4 cup sugar into a small skillet and stir continuously over medium heat until the sugar completely melts and turns a beautiful golden color.  (Be careful.  This is so hot!)

When the nuts are all coated, turn them out onto a piece of foil and let them cool (it just takes a couple minutes) before you arrange them on top of the frosted cake.

*1 cup is a whole lot of walnuts for this small size of cake.  Maybe you’d want less (like 1/2 a cup).  I just love nuts so I overdo them, I afraid.

P.S. I’m loving my new/old white plate sitting under the cake.  I picked it up in a thrift store settled into a little white clapboard church building along the way on our drive through rural New York this summer.  A $1 bargain plate–just my kind of shopping!

Honey Rosemary Baked Chicken

Hi all– Here’s an easy weekend night dinner– soaked in flavor.  It bakes in the oven while you put together some rice and a salad. Just lovely.  I think you might like to add it to your dinner time list…

HONEY ROSEMARY BAKED CHICKEN
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
salt & pepper
splash olive oil
1 cup red onion, chopped fine
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tab. dijon mustard
2 tab. seedy brown mustard*
1/3 cup of honey
4 or 5 sprigs of rosemary (+more for garnish)

Filet the chicken breasts, slicing them lengthwise, the flat direction to produce two flat filets.  Put them in a baking dish sprayed with cooking spray and liberally shake on salt and freshly ground pepper.

In a small skillet, heat the olive oil and then throw in the onion for 3 or 4 minutes until it is all wilted.  Add the garlic and cook a minute more.

Then spoon the two mustards and honey into the skillet with the onions and mix it all together.  Scrape the mixture out over the chicken and top with rosemary sprigs.

Cover the baking dish with foil and bake it at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, remove the foil and bake for 15 to 20 minutes more until the chicken is cooked through.

We ate this up with a nutty brown rice mixture, an arugula & apple chopped salad and slices of crunchy sour dough bread…

P.S. — The photo is just half the recipe– enough for just Larry and me.  But it would be easy to amplify for a crowd.

Honey Pecan Oatmeal Cake

Hello there–  What’s more warming and wholesome than a big bowl of oatmeal for breakfast?  My Larry has Olympian size bowls of oats most mornings for to start off this day.  And I occasionally brew up a bowl of my own.

But when Glenda asked me to bring along something for breakfast with friends at her house one Saturday morning I knew I couldn’t just be oatmeal in a bowl. So I did they only thing that made sense– Oatmeal in a cake!  Not too sweet and oatmeal hearty.  Just about right for a sunny fall breakfast with friends around the table.

HONEY PECAN OATMEAL CAKE
1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup butter, melted
2 tab. light corn syrup
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 cup old fashioned oats
1  1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup shopped pecans (again)
1  1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs
2/3 cup buttermilk*
1/4 cup butter, melted
1  1/2 tsp. vanilla
extra honey to drizzle on the cake

In a small bowl combine the 1/2 cup honey, the 1/3 cup melted butter, corn syrup and 1/2 cup of the pecans.  Pour this mixture into a 9″ or 10″ cake pan sprayed with cooking spray. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the oats, flour, brown sugar, baking powder and salt.  Then mix in the eggs, buttermilk, 1/4 cup melted butter and vanilla.  The batter will be a little lumpy (in the nicest sort of way).

Carefully spoon the batter over the top of the of the pecan mixture in the cake pan, spreading it evenly.

Bake up the cake in a 350 degree oven for 30 to 35 minutes until the cake is cooked through and firm to the touch.

Then immediately invert the cake pan on to a pretty plate.  Scoop any pecan mixture that sticks to the pan and add it to the cake.  Drizzle a little extra honey on the cake if you want it to be extra good.  Best eaten with friends!

*If you don’t have that a carton of buttermilk in your fridge, just pour 2 tab. of cider vinegar into your measuring cup and fill with milk to the 2/3 mark.  Let is sit a couple minutes to thicken.

Honey Orange Spiced Chicken

Hello cooking friends–  Here’s a nifty prep ahead recipe– easy to get in and out of the oven when you’ve got a busy day.  The marinade layers on loads of flavor and the meat comes out hot and tender.  I do think you’ll like it…

HONEY  SPICED CHICKEN
8 bone in chicken thighs
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup orange juice *
1 tab. finely grated orange peel
2 tab. honey
2 cloves garlic, minced fine
1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
1 tsp. cumin
1/4 cup olive oil
a few grinds of freshly ground pepper
1/4 tsp. salt

I take the skin off of the chicken thighs (personal preference)– You can do that or leave it on. Then whisk together the rest of the ingredients and pour them over the chicken thighs in a storage container with a lid.

Pop them in the fridge and marinate them all day ( 8 hours)– or overnight.

Nestle the chicken thighs into a baking dish and pour the marinade from the container over the chicken.  Bake it up at 400 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes– basting the chicken with the juices in the baking dish 3 or 4 times during baking.

Heap the chicken on a pretty platter with rice or couscous or roasted potatoes– or eat it cold for a picnic lunch!

*1 medium orange should do it for the peel and orange juice.

Honey Sesame Chicken

Hi friends–  Here’s yet another week night chicken dinner.  I guess you’d call it one of those staples, you pull out for quiet evenings at home– a little spice, a little sweetness and the homey combination of chicken and brown rice.

HONEY SESAME CHICKEN
1 1/2 cup uncooked brown rice
1/2 onion, chopped fine
2 boneless chicken breasts, cut to nice bits
2 tab. olive oil
garlic salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup tomato paste**
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 tab. olive oil
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes*
1/3 cup water
1 tab. cornstarch
1 tab. sesame seeds
3 green onions, green parts, chopped

Cook the rice according to the package directions.  While that’s going, brown the onion in olive oil and then add in the cut chicken and cook it stirring now and then until it’s cooked through– about 8 to 10 minutes.  Salt it with garlic salt while it’s cooking.  In a container with a tight fitting lid, put the garlic, honey, tomato paste, soy sauce, 2 tab. olive oil, red pepper flakes, water and cornstarch.  Shake it until it’s well blended and then spoon it over the chicken.  Cook on high heat stirring until it thickens– just a couple minutes.

To serve it up, spread the rice on a pretty platter and then spoon the honey chicken over the top.  Garnish with the green onion and sesame seeds.  I think you’ll like it.  We did.

*1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes is mildly spicy, if you’re a spice wimp (I would fall in that camp), you could start with less and work your way up to even more spicy.
** If you don’t have tomato paste on hand, the recipe I worked from called for ketchup.  That would work well too.

Honey Ginger Pork

Hi friends– Wish you could have dropped in for dinner tonight– tried this honey ginger pork recipe.  It was hearty and the sweet sauce was yummy spooned onto the rice we had with it on our plates.

HONEY GINGER PORK
2 pork loin chops
1 tab. olive oil
salt and pepper
1 tab. ginger, minced
2 tab. honey
1 tab. lemon juice
1 tab. soy sauce
1 tsp. cornstarch

Mix the honey, ginger, lemon juice and soy sauce.  Heat the oil in a nonstick pan.  Make sure the pork is well salted and sprinkled with freshly ground pepper.  Quickly brown both sides on high heat.  Then turn the heat down to medium and marinate it frequently with the sauce while you grill it for about 3 or 4 minutes on each side (to about about 145 degrees internal temperature).  Please, don’t over cook it as I’m prone to do!  As it cooks, the sauce will thicken and after you remove the meat, you can thicken it a bit more. Shake the cornstarch in the covered container along with 1/4 cup water and then stir it into the simmering sauce until it thickens and turns a beautiful glistening brown.  Pour it over the pork on your serving dish.  So pretty (and delish).

Honey Lime Chicken

Hey there–  Honey–Lime–Cilantro.  On chicken.  That’s a recipe that I couldn’t resist trying out.  So last night when our parents came to dinner, I grilled it up along with cilantro rice (my favorite!), watermelon & cantaloupe (it IS summer) and a bright green salad with red and yellow tomatoes from Larry’s garden.  A table full of fresh.

HONEY LIME CHICKEN
2 chicken breasts, filleted
3 tab.  soy sauce
2 tab. honey
1 tab. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tab. lime juice
3 tab. cilantro, chopped finely

Cut the chicken breasts lengthwise to make 2 or 3 thinner flat chicken pieces.  In a flat baking dish mix the soy sauce, honey, oil, garlic, lime juice and cilantro.  Stir them up well and then marinate the chicken in the mixture for a couple hours, turning occasionally.  Then grill the chicken about 4 minutes on each side on the bar-bque or in a nonstick pan sprayed with cooking spray.

Pretty simple and summery.  I’m going to try the same marinade on salmon and see how it comes out…

Crunchy Banana Oatmeal

Hello oatmeal fans–  Yesterday I spent the entire day cooking up food to send to you on the blog– Laurel and my mom were my taste testers– 3 breakfasts, a couple lunch treats, 3 dishes for dinner and 2 desserts!  It was a real cook-o-rama!!  But my favorite dish of the day was this crunchy banana oatmeal.  Delish!!

CRUNCHY BANANA OATMEAL
2 bananas, smooshed to a paste
2 2/3 cups oatmeal
4 cups milk
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tab. melted butter (optional)
1/4 tsp. salt
more bananas, sliced
granola
sliced almonds
honey

Mix the smashed bananas, oatmeal, milk, brown sugar, butter and salt up and pour it into a 2 quart baking dish.  Cook it up at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes.  Then spoon it into bowls and top it off with bananas, granola, sliced almonds and a drizzle of honey.

If you’re an oatmeal aficionado like me, I promise you’ll like this one!