Grains of Sand

It's Monday. After all the weekend fun, I really just need a simple no fuss dinner. Preferably one for the grill so I don't have to turn on the stovetop or oven in this summer heat. Bonus! Patrick loves to use the grill, so I might not have to cook tonight. Woot, woot! This chicken is tender and juicy and great leftover!  Now, while the kabobs are a fun novelty, I don't always want to fuss with the skewers.  Which, let me just say, is most of the time.  So, that is when I use the chicken tenderloins.  You could also cut the breast halves into strips. Photo by samer daboul from Pexels Rosemary Ranch Chicken Kabobs Ingredients: 1/2 cup olive oil 1/2 cup ranch dressing 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary 2 teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon lemon juice 1 teaspoon white vinegar 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, or to taste 1 tablespoon white sugar, or to taste (optional, I don't ever add sugar) 5 skinless, bone...

Happy first day of July!  Summer is in full swing and that means I need dinners that are easy and can be ready to grab as we all throw routine out the door in the summer.  This buffalo chicken sandwich recipe tops the charts for ease and it is also very tasty.  It pleases the taste buds for my 18 year old all the way down the ages to my 8 year old. Photo by Fernando Aguilar on Unsplash Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves 1 (17.5 fluid ounce) bottle buffalo wing sauce, divided 1/2 (1 ounce) package dry ranch salad dressing mix 1 cup or so of chicken stock/broth 6 hoagie rolls, split lengthwise Directions: Place the chicken breasts into a slow cooker, and pour in 3/4 of the wing sauce, ranch dressing mix and chicken stock. Cover, and cook on Low for 6 to 7 hours. Once the chicken has cooked, shred the meat finely with two forks (I use my hand mixer!  Works great). Pile the meat onto the hoagie rolls, a...

Are you hosting family or throwing a party for the holiday season?  May I suggest an easy appetizer?  My sister-in-law makes these meatballs in the crockpot and they are yummy to my tummy.  Just throw fully cooked meatballs, Sweet Baby Rays Barbeque Sauce and a 15 oz. can of Cranberry Sauce in the crockpot and heat.  Enjoy!

Patrick and I enjoy being in the kitchen together.  Whether it's baking pies or cooking dinner, it's something we look forward to, especially when we have the time.  I've been saving a chicken pot pie recipe for a few months in hopes of trying it out together.  Today was a chilly rainy day, a perfect day to try a new chicken pie. I found the recipe on Allrecipes.com, one of my favorite sites because of the user reviews and ratings.  We made the pie as the recipe stated and served our family of six.  Most of us really liked it and we even had leftovers.  This chicken pot pie recipe is going into the recipe binder with a big Yummy! written in the margin.

This is one of Patrick's favorite desserts and I'm making it for his birthday treat.  Thought you might want to tempt your taste buds too.  The butterscotch layer in this dessert just makes your mouth say yum!  ♥ Butterscotch Pecan Dessert ½ cup cold butter 1 cup all-purpose flour ¾ cup chopped pecans, divided 1 (8oz) package cream cheese, softened 1 cup confectioners’ sugar 1 (8oz.) carton frozen whipped topping, thawed, divided 3 ½ cups milk 2 (3.4oz.) packages instant butterscotch or vanilla pudding mix In a bowl, cut the butter into the flour until crumbly; stir in ½ cup pecans.   Press into an ungreased 13x9” baking pan.   Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes or until lightly browned.   Cool. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until fluffy.   Fold in 1 cup whipped topping; spread over crust.   Combine milk and pudding mix until smooth; pour over cream cheese layer.   Refrigerate for 15-20 ...

When your garden grows a large amount of zucchini, make bread.  Chocolate zucchini bread to be exact.  Very few things from our kitchen receive as many unsolicited compliments as this bread. Chocolate Zucchini Bread 3 eggs or 6 egg whites 1 cup canola oil 2 cups granulated sugar 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 2 1/2 cups flour 1/2 cup cocoa powder 3 teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 cups grated zucchini 3/4 cup chopped nuts (optional) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix ingredients with spoon in order listed and pour batter into greased loaf pans.  Bake 50-60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Enjoy!