a few new recipes

Now that the weather has been cooling down a bit (is it weird that today's high is 84 and I think that's cooling down??), I'm getting back to cooking and baking. Here are a few recipes that I've tried lately and loved:

Basil Grilled Chicken

Food Network

Ingredients:

3/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

4 skinned chicken breast halves

1/4 cup freshly chopped basil leaves, plus 2 tablespoons freshly minced basil leaves

1/3 cup (5 tablespoons) butter, melted, plus 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature

1 tablespoon grated Parmesan

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

Fresh basil springs, optional



Prepare charcoal grill. Press the coarsely ground pepper into the meaty side of the chicken breast halves. Stir the chopped basil into the melted butter. Brush the chicken lightly with this mixture. In a small bowl, combine the softened butter, minced basil, Parmesan, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Beat at low speed with an electric mixer until smoothly blended. Transfer to a small serving bowl; set aside. Grill the chicken over medium coals for 8 to 10 minutes on each side, basting frequently with the remaining melted butter mixture. Serve the grilled chicken with the basil-butter mixture. Garnish with fresh basil springs, if desired.

***I made this with the compound butter and wouldn't again - I would just sprinkle with extra shredded basil and some parmesan on each chicken breast. This was SO good!***

Farmgirl Dill &Cheddar Beer Bread

Makes One Loaf

Basic Beer Bread Mix:

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 Tablespoon granulated sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 Tablespoon baking powder (make sure it’s fresh!)

2 Tablespoons chopped fresh dill (or 2 teaspoons dried) -

1 cup finely grated sharp cheddar cheese

12 ounces beer

Optional glaze: 1 egg & 2 teaspoons water, beaten

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Combine flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, dill, and cheddar in a large mixing bowl. Slowly stir in beer and mix just until combined. Batter will be thick. Spread in a greased 8-inch loaf pan , brush with egg glaze if desired, and bake until golden brown and a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes.

Cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool 10 more minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Grilled Seasoned Vegetable Sandwiches



1 Japanese eggplant sliced on an angle in ½ inch thick slices

1 small zucchini sliced on an angle in ½ inch thick slices

1 red pepper cut in quarters lengthwise

1 small red onion cut into 4 slices

2 Portobella mushroom caps

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

Salt & Pepper

8 slices crusty peasant style bread cut ½” thick

4 pieces red leaf lettuce

Herbed Mayonnaise, recipe follows



Using a pastry brush, brush olive oil on the vegetable slices and the Portobello mushrooms. Season them with salt & pepper. Place vegetables on a hot grill and cook until they are tender. Once vegetables are done, brush sliced bread with olive oil and grill on both sides. To assemble, slice portabellas into ¼” slices, spread both sides of the grilled bread with herbed mayonnaise and then top with 1 slice each of grilled vegetables and a quarter of the mushrooms, and finish off with lettuce and top with remaining piece of bread.



Herbed Mayonnaise:

¾ cup mayonnaise

½ lemon, juiced

A few drops hot sauce

1 garlic clove, crushed and skin removed

2 T thyme leaves

2 T flat-leaf parsley leaves

2 T chopped chives

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse.

***We ended up with quite a few grilled veggies. I just chopped them up and added them to pasta for a yummy pasta that was great cold or hot.***