A Father's Day Dinner With a Kick!

Adobo Peach BBQ Chicken with Smoky Potatoes and Sweet Sauteed Corn

Anyone else up at 12:30am? I’m nuts, my boys are going to up in less than 6 hours. I was catching up on some shows that I tivo’d last week. I finally got through Top Chef, so now I’m ready for the finale Wednesday night. Then, I couldn’t help but watch The Next Food Network Star that I missed last night, so entertaining, I love it. Oh, and then there was the Bachelorette, what a great season. No wonder I’m still up at this hour!

Ok, I’ve been meaning to put this dish together for over a week now and finally did it tonight. It was inspired by a dish I had at Tia Rosa’s in Mesa that I fell in love with. I re-created it at home and it was easy and delicious! It would be perfect for a Father’s Day Dinner, any Dad would be thrilled. I think I’ll make it again Sunday night. You might want to double the corn recipe, you’ll eat it by the bowlfuls. It is such a treat.

Alright, I’m going to try and catch a few zzzz’s with my sister’s snoring dog in the room! Hope you all enjoy!

Sweet Sauteed Corn

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 red bell pepper, finely diced
1 green bell pepper, finely diced
½ Cup finely diced white onion
4 ears fresh corn, kernels removed
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
2 Tablespoons butter
3 Tablespoons honey

1. Heat oil into a large skillet over medium heat. Saute red and green bell pepper with the onion for 5 minutes, stirring often. Stir in corn, salt and pepper. Cook for an additional 5 minutes. Stir in the butter and honey until well combined and melted through. Serve warm.

Smoky Mashed Potatoes

5 lbs washed, peeled and cubed potatoes
½ stick butter (4 tablespoons)
1 1/2 Cup milk (more if you like thinner mashed potatoes)
8 oz sour cream
1 ¼ teaspoons salt (or to taste)
¼ teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt (Lawry’s)
4 Tablespoons adobo sauce (from canned chipotles, add more if you like it spicy)

1. Boil potatoes for 12-15 minutes or until fork tender. Transfer drained potatoes to a large stand mixer bowl with the butter. Start to mix on low speed until mashed. Add milk, sour cream, salt, pepper, garlic salt and adobo sauce until well combined. Taste and season accordingly with additional salt/garlic salt if desired.

Adobo Peach BBQ Chicken

18 chicken tenders
1 1/4 Cups Peach preserves
¼ Cup adobo sauce (canned chipotle sauce), add more if you like it spicy hot!
½ Cup BBQ sauce
¾ teaspoon salt
2 cloves fresh garlic, minced

1. Place chicken tenders into a large zip lock bag. Pour in peach preserves, adobo sauce, BBQ sauce, salt and garlic. Marinate for at least 1 hour.

2. Preheat indoor grill pan or outdoor grill to medium high heat. Spray grill with cooking spray. Grill chicken for 3-4 minutes per side or until cooked through.

Adobo Peach BBQ Chicken with Smoky Potatoes and Sweet Sauteed Corn

My Spoiled Little Campers.....

Ever had a Hobo or Tin Foil Dinner? I'm not a huge fan of camping, but these dinners are worth it!

My husband and boys are getting ready for their annual Father and Son’s Camping trip they go on with our church. The boys get so excited. I think it's great they get to spend some quality time with Dad! They will all be in their element. We've been busy scurrying around the house to get the bags packed, snacks bought and of course a Hobo Dinner for each of them. What would camping be without a hobo dinner?

My husband asked me very sweetly if I’d make them something for their campfire dinner, so I thought I’d make them something special. Typically a hobo dinner is made with hamburger, potatoes and veggis, but I chose a yummy grilled chicken to accompany the veggis. Take a peek at what’s inside these kicked up hobo dinners.

Firehouse BBQ Grilled Chicken

6 thawed boneless skinless chicken breasts
½ Cup Frank’s Red Hot Sauce
¾ Cup of your favorite BBQ sauce
4 Tablespoons melted butter
2 Tablespoons Worstershire sauce

1. Place all ingredients in a large ziplock bag and marinate for at least an hour. Preheat stovetop grill pan (this is what I used) or outdoor grill over medium heat. Grill chicken for 5-6 minutes each side or until chicken is cooked through.

**This chicken recipe is one my father-in-law cooks all of the time for family gatherings. There's never been a name for it, so I've officially named it "Firehouse Chicken." I never usually measure out the ingredients, but kept track this time, so you all could enjoy. It is so simple and packed with intense flavor. If you are afraid of the Red Hot Sauce, just reduce the amount a bit, this recipe is worth trying! My 3 year old gobbled it down no problem, but my 5 year old said it was a little spicy, so use your judgement if you're feeding it to the kids. I'm all for the little kick it brings!**

Garlic Parmesan Roasted Potatoes

5 lb bag of russet potatoes, washed, cut into 1 inch cubes
3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon Lawry’s Garlic Salt
½ teaspoon Kosher Salt
½ teaspoon Fresh ground black pepper
¼ Cup grated Parmesan Cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Divide cubed potatoes onto a large baking sheet with edges. Drizzle potatoes evenly with olive oil. Sprinkle garlic salt, salt, pepper and parmesan cheese over potatoes. With hands, gently rub ingredients together so potatoes are well coated. Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until potatoes are fork tender and golden brown. Take a nibble then season accordingly if it needs a little more salt.

**This potato recipe is one of my classic "family favorite" recipes. I use this recipe so often because it always gets devoured. It's a great side dish for anything really. I can't wait to create something with all the left overs I have. Enjoy!**

Garlic Roasted Vegetables

1 lb bag of carrots, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 onion, thinly sliced and separated
1 lb bag celery washed and cut into 1 inch pieces
2 bell peppers of choice, I used a red and yellow, seeded and julienned or cut into strips
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
¼ teaspoon Lawry’s Garlic Salt
¼ teaspoon Kosher Salt
¼ teaspoon Fresh ground black pepper
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place all vegetables onto a large baking sheet with edges. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle garlic salt, salt and pepper or vegetables and gently rub ingredients together so vegetables are well coated. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until vegetables are fork tender.

**Another classic recipe of mine. Nothing fancy or difficult, just incredibly good. The onion and peppers leave the vegetables with a perfect sweetness. It's really fantastic. Enjoy!**

Time to pile everything up. Little mountain of goodness! I decided to pre-cook everything, so all the boys have to do is throw it on the coals to warm it, dinner in no time!

Have fun my little campers! My husband better brush their teeth. That's always my one request, Please brush their teeth! We'll see if it really happens!

Whether you are camping or not, all three of these recipes are classics that I make often. They are all keepers in my book! I've got some left overs that I'll be transforming into something new. Have a great weekend everyone! Oh boy, what's a girl to do with some extra free time?!!

Grilled Balsamic Bruschetta Chicken 2 Ways

I am a huge fan of bruschetta, any style really, but especially fresh tomato, basil and garlic bruschetta. I wanted to turn some boring pieces of chicken into something the whole family would enjoy.

Altering dinner is somewhat typical at my house lately. My husband who is now wearing braces, has a hard time biting into hard crusty bread, so he needs foods eaten with a fork. This first recipe was for him so he doesn't freak out me! I was actually surprised how tasty this grilled chicken was on it's own, do give it a try. I love my indoor grill pan, they are so handy, if you don't have one go check them out.

Balsamic Grilled Bruschetta Chicken

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, thawed (I use the big Costco bag)
Pinch of salt
¼ Cup balsamic vinegar
¼ Cup extra virgin olive oil
8 slices fresh mozzarella cheese

4 Roma Tomatoes, seeded and diced
8 fresh basil leaves, stacked, rolled and thinly sliced into chiffonade
3 cloves fresh garlic, minced
Pinch of salt
1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1. Preheat a grill pan over medium heat on the stovetop. Spray with cooking spray. Combine balsamic and olive oil in a bowl. Season both sides of chicken with pinches of salt and place on grill. Brush top sides of chicken with balsamic mixture. Cook for 4-5 minutes and flip chicken. Brush with additional balsamic and cook for an additional 4-5 minutes or until cooked through. During the last 2 minutes of grilling place 2 slices of cheese over top each chicken to melt.

2. In a large bowl combine the tomatoes, basil garlic, salt and balsamic. Toss gently to combine. Place chicken breasts on a serving plate and top with tomato mixture. Serve warm.

Garlic Toasted Balsamic Chicken Bruschetta Sandwich

Mmmm, here's my pick. My boys were all for the sammy too. Garlic ciabatta rolls, toasty and warm. Fresh mozzarella oozing out the sides with the same balsamic grilled chicken and tomato topping. The balsamic vinegar is so good basted on the chicken as it grills and drizzled into the tomato topping. My youngest little guy was eating the tomato and basil straight from the bowl. He's a smart boy! Definitely takes after his mother.

I also find it helpful to pound the chicken to an even thickness before grilling it. The chicken will cook evenly and quicker this way. Get a meat mallet and let the chicken have it! It's actually quite fun, my boys were looking at me funny as I was pounding away. If you get the Costco bag of chicken breast by Tyson, thaw it in it's individual wrap and pound it right in the wrapper, it works great and less mess to clean up.

Thank you Barbara over at Barbara Bakes for another "You Make My Day" Award. I have such wonderful cooking friends. I enjoy reading everyone's cooking blogs, a little too much, I could be at this computer for hours!

Well, it's 8:00pm, boys are in bed and I've got to go see what happened on American Idol! Have a great week everyone! Happy cooking!

Garlic Toasted Balsamic Chicken Bruschetta Sandwich

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts from above recipe
Pinch of salt
¼ Cup balsamic vinegar
¼ Cup extra virgin olive oil

4 Roma Tomatoes, seeded and diced
8 fresh basil leaves, stacked, rolled and thinly sliced into chiffonade
3 cloves fresh garlic, minced
Pinch of salt
1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar

8 thin slices fresh mozzarella
4 ciabatta rolls, or other rolls of choice

1. Preheat a grill pan over medium heat on the stovetop. Spray with cooking spray. Combine balsamic and olive oil in a bowl. Season both sides of chicken with pinches of salt and place on grill. Brush top sides of chicken with balsamic mixture. Cook for 4-5 minutes and flip chicken. Brush with additional balsamic and cook for an additional 4-5 minutes or until cooked through.

2. In a large bowl combine the tomatoes, basil garlic, salt and balsamic. Toss gently to combine. Set aside.

3. Preheat same grill pan over medium heat and spray with additional cooking spray. Place 2 slices of cheese on bottom rolls then layer with chicken breasts, spoonfuls of tomato mixture and 2 more slices of cheese. Place top rolls to close sandwich and grill both sides on hot grill pan until toasty and warm. Serve warm.