Kabob Salad

Here's a great recipe for a fun "leftovers night" or just something different to do when you grill up some yummy veggie or meat kabobs this Summer!

I usually make separate kabobs so I can cook the veggies for one lenght of time and the meat kabobs longer- this past week I made both chicken and veggie, then made this salad with the leftovers the second night.

On the veggie kabobs I put- zucchini, red, orannge & yellow bell peppers, onion and pineapple.
For the chicken I marinated the chicken in some teriaki sauce and then skewered it up and grilled away.

Here is what you need to make this yummy salad
makes 2 adult-sized servings

2 veggie kabobs
2 chicken kabobs
2 spoonfuls non-fat Greek yogurt
Honey
Balsamic vinegar (or to get really amazingly delicious try Trader Joe's "Balsamic Glaze" it's amazeballs)
Fresh black pepper
2 handfuls of baby spinach or chopped raw kale


Add the spinach or kale to a bowl.
Add a dollop of Greek yogurt and top with each bowl with the veggies from a kabob and the chicken from a kabob.
Drizzle with honey & balsamic
Add pepper to taste

Linguine Fernando

I loooooooove fettuccine Alfredo, LOVE it. I would eat it once a week if I could do so and still fit in my favorite jeans. It's one of those amazing indulgences, like eggs Benedict, that I try to limit hoarking down more than 2 or 3 times a year- usually on vacation, the ultimate excuse!!

Well, I was totally craving some yummy, creamy pasta and of course this craving hit at about 3pm right as Logan went down for his afternoon nap- so going to the market was not an option, I threw together this MUCH LIGHTER version of my favorite for a super-easy, really delicious weeknight dinner.

Here's what you'll need
makes 4 adult sized servings

1 package dry pasta (spaghetti, linguine, fettuccine, whatever you've got!)
1 8oz package light cream cheese, cut into small cubes
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 of a white or yellow onion, chopped
1 T butter
a few handfuls baby spinach
1 or 2 chicken breasts- we only had one
1/2 a package white or brown mushrooms chopped
1/2 grated Parmesan cheese
Olive oil, salt & pepper, red chili flakes

Chop the chicken up into bite sized pieces, lightly season with salt and pepper.
Start a LARGE pot of water boiling so you can cook the pasta according to package directions (I always hack a minute or two off their suggested cook time, and use a bit of the pasta water and other ingredients to finish the cooking and have nice, aldente pasta- totally up to how you like it!)
Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a medium frying pan over medium heat, then add the chicken. (do this about 5 minutes before you put the pasta in the boiling water)
Cook the chicken about 7-10 minutes, until it is completely cooked through.
Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside on a plate. Add another a splash of olive oil and the 1 T of butter to the pan and toss in the onions & garlic- sautee over medium to medium low heat for about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms, stir, satuee another 3-5 minutes. Add the chicken back to the pan and stir for about a minute.
Drain the pasta, reserve 1/4 cup of the water, remove the large pot from the hot burner.
Return the pasta to the large pot. Add the contents of the pan (chicken, mushrooms, garlic & onion)
Add the cream cheese & stir.
Stir in a bit of the pasta water.
Add the Parmesan and the raw spinach (the hot pasta and other ingredients will cook the spinach perfectly!)
Season if needed with salt, pepper and add some hot chili flakes if you like a little kick!

Post-Flood Livin'- Pan steaks with peppers, onions & mushrooms

We took Logan on a fun-filled adventure to San Diego recently- his first overnight in a hotel and...first trip to SEA WORLD!!! He (and we) had a GREAT time!
But, like all vacations, it had to end, and unfortunately for us that meant coming home- opening the front door and walking into a completely flooded living room, thanks to the pipe that had burst on the 2nd floor in the master bathroom that morning. While we petted dolphins. #SADFACE.

With everything still packed from SD we gathered anything else not soaked and let the professionals get to work. Nate's family kindly let us stay there for TWO WEEKS while the place was restored, and dried out.
After what felt like MONTHS of "nomad livin'" all five of us- doggies, baby, mommy & daddy finally got to return home.
The first few days were filled with "where is my..." and "did.....get ruined or is it packed up somewhere?"
Then by Friday of our first week back, we were finally in the swing of things again...messy, and with work ahead, but so much more settled.

I relished in that first trip with Logan to our neighborhood market- it was so much fun! Ahhh, the little things.
Since we had packed up our entire kitchen and not yet unpacked it all, I chose something SUPER simple, but comforting and yummy for our first dinner home.

Here's what you'll need:

2 steaks- our store was running a special on cut tri-tip steaks- a package of 4 of 'em was $6- hello!!! But a NY strip would work perfect here- if it's within budget.

1 green bell pepper, sliced

1 package sliced mushrooms (I used baby bellas because I like the flavor)

1 medium yellow onion, chopped or sliced

salt, pepper,olive oil, 1 T butter

A pan that goes from stove top to oven or a pan and a baking sheet.

Preheat the oven to 475.
In a medium pan heat 1 T olive oil over medium heat and add onions- stir occasionally.
Meanwhile....
Add about 1 T olive oil to a large oven safe frying pan (or just a large frying pan then use the baking sheet, if you are doing the baking sheet put it in the oven when you start cooking the steaks so it's hot like the pan...) over medium heat and let it warm up for about a minute or two.
Cover both sides of each steak with salt & pepper.
Add the steak to the pan.
Sear on each side for about 3-4 minutes or until browned well but still very uncooked in the center.
When you do your first flip- turning them over to brown the second side, add the mushrooms to the onions, turn the heat to med/low and keep stirring occasionally.
When both sides of the steaks are browned place the whole pan in the oven- or if your pan is not oven safe place the steaks on a baking sheet and put in the oven.
Add the bell peppers to the onions & mushrooms- and stir from time to time.
Cook the steaks in the oven for about 8 minutes (they will be medium to medium rare...if you like a more well done steak, leave them in there for 10-12 minutes)...
Remove steaks- add 1/4 to 1/2 T of butter on top of each and let melt.
Add veggies & serve with brown rice or quinoa!

SOOOOOO GLAD TO BE HOME!!!! :D