Cheesy Garlic Bread Swirls

I was craving some italian food tonight, and I came across these on OurBestBites.com (great recipes there, by the way). They were very yummy and I served them with a big bowl of meat marinara sauce and salad. Yum!

French Bread Dough:
1 Tbsp. yeast
1 1/2 c. warm water
1 1/2 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
4-5 1/2 c. flour
3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 egg yolk

Garlic Butter:
1/2 c. (1 stick) of real butter, no substitutions
1/2 tsp. basil
1/2 tsp. parsley
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. marjoram
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons powdered parmesean

Shredded mozzarella cheese

Preparation:

Combine yeast, water, and sugar in large mixing bowl and allow to stand 10 minutes or until bubbly.

Add salt, vegetable oil, and egg yolk and combine. Add 3 c. flour and mix well until combined. Add enough remaining flour to make a soft dough that barely sticks to your finger. Knead, either by hand or in mixer for another 2-3 minutes. Cover and allow to rise 1 hour.

While dough is rising, combine butter and garlic bread seasoning. Set aside.

When the dough is ready, roll your dough into a rectangle that's about 18-20 inches by 6 inches. Smear garlic butter over the entire surface of the dough and then sprinkle with cheese. Roll up jelly-roll style and then cut into 1 inch slices. Place each slice in a muffin tin. Cover with a clean cloth. Preheat oven to 350 and allow rolls to rise while the oven is heating.When the oven is ready, bake for 18-22 minutes. (You may want to cover the rolls with aluminum foil the last 10 minutes or so to keep them from getting too brown).

The Only Marinade You'll Ever Need

I found this on Epicurious.com and it is really very tasty. I needed a light, flavorful marinade for chicken for a chicken salad that I wanted to make and this was perfect. It's easy, flexible and pretty tasty.


1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon hot pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt (kosher or sea), or to taste
4 strips of lemon zest
3 cloves garlic, crushed with the side of a cleaver or minced
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil, cilantro, dill, oregano, or a mix of all four
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Preparation

Combine the lemon juice, hot pepper flakes, cracked pepper, and salt in a nonreactive (glass, ceramic, or stainless steel) bowl and whisk until the salt crystals are dissolved. Add the lemon zest, garlic, parsley and basil. Stir or whisk in the olive oil. The virtue of this marinade is its freshness: Use it within 1 to 2 hours of making. Stir again before using.

Taco Chicken

Taco ChickenRecipe
by OurBestBites.com

1 lb. chicken breasts or thighs
A couple of juicy limes
A splash of red wine vinegar
2-3 cloves garlic, pressed or coarsely chopped
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper

Juice the limes and combine with a couple splashes of red wine vinegar. Add garlic. Pour over chicken. This will not completely cover the chicken; just turn it occasionally as needed. Marinate for at least 4 hours, no longer than 8.

Heat an outdoor grill (you can also use a grill pan inside. Or your broiler in your oven.) Combine salt, chili powder, cumin, and black pepper in a small bowl. Remove chicken from marinade and rub the spices all over the chicken. Grill about 7 minutes per side.Remove from heat and allow to stand a few minutes so it doesn't lose its juiciness. You can either eat the chicken as it is, maybe with Mexican rice and beans, or use slice it up and use it as you would taco meat.

Quick and Easy Black Beans

2 Cans Black Beans, drained and rinsed
1 T olive oil
2/3 C diced onion
2-3 garlic cloves, pressed or finely minced
1 C chicken broth (or 1 C water + 1 t chicken bullion)
1/4 t cumin
1/4 t coriander
1/4 t oregano
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1 lime

In a saucepan on the stove, heat the olive oil to med-high heat. Saute onions for about 3 minutes or until they just start to become translucent. Add garlic and saute abut 30 seconds more. Add beans, broth, and remaining seasonings and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a low simmer and simmer for about 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. When they are done cooking, remove from heat and add in a few squeezes of fresh lime juice. Then use the back of a spoon or rubber spatula so smoosh (yes, that's a technical culinary term) some of the beans. You don't want to pulverize them, but you want to take a bunch of good smooshes so that some of the beans are smashed, which will thicken the sauce. I like mine on the thicker side so I smoosh quite a bit. They will thicken more upon standing.

Feta Aioli

1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled feta cheese
2 tablespoons light mayonnaise
2 tablespoons plain fat-free yogurt
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 garlic clove, minced

To prepare aioli, combine first 5 ingredients in a food processor; pulse 1 minute or until smooth. Cover and chill.

things we didn't get to last week and a few others...



Teryaki Salmon / Sauteed Zucchini / Bread

Sliders / Corn and Tomato Salsa / Acorn Squash

BBQ Grilled Chicken / Corn on the cob

Chicken Salad / Green Salad / Bread

Pan Roasted Corn and Tomato Relish

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup chopped shallots
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups fresh corn kernels (about 2 ears)
2 cups cherry tomatoes, quartered (about 1 pint)
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preparation
1. Heat oil in a large cast-iron skillet over high heat. Add shallots and garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add corn; sauté 5 minutes or until corn is lightly browned. Add tomatoes; sauté 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Place corn mixture in a medium bowl; cool to room temperature. Stir in basil, vinegar, and salt.

Nutritional Information
Calories: 47
Fat: 1.8g (sat 0.3g,mono 1.2g,poly 0.3g)
Protein: 1.4g
Carbohydrate: 7.5g
Fiber: 1.2g
Cholesterol: 0.0mg
Iron: 0.3mg
Sodium: 123mg
Calcium: 8mg

Menu 8/12

Hamburgers with Pan Roasted Corn and Tomato Relish / Grilled Squash
Grilled Pork with Strawberry Avocado Salsa / Bread
Teryaki Salmon / Grilled Pineapple / Salad
BBQ Chicken Pizza / Salad
Macaroni and Cheese (because it's Maren's birthday, and she LOVES mac and cheese)