4th of July Roundup

Happy 4th of July week to all!

I have decided to take a little bloggy break this week.
It's time to spend some quality family time...and eating. Yup, lots of barbecues in our future this week!

Here are some fantastic recipes that just scream barbecue to me!
Leave me a comment and tell me what you made for your barbecue.

Appetizers:

1. Greek Dip Platter: Jay Tried and True
2. Spicy Chicken Wings: A Chick who can Cook
3. Salsa Roll Ups: Chef in Training
4. Apple Salsa: Kayotic Kitchen
5. Da Bomb Deviled Eggs: Oh Sweet Basil
6. Antipasto Kabobs: The Hungry Housewife

Meats:

1. Sweet Grilled Chicken Sandwich: Jay Tried and True
2. Teriyaki Burgers: Recipe Girl
3. Sweet and Spicy Honey Grilled Shrimp: Our Best Bites
4. Sticky Chinese Spareribs: Fifteen Spatulas
5. Turkey Legs: Magical Recipes
6. Long Boy Burger: Sunshine and Bones

Potato Salad:

1. Baked Potato Salad: Jay Tried and True
2. Creamy Potato Salad with Bacon: Simply Gloria
3. Spanish Roasted Potato Salad: Food52
4. Italian Potato Salad: Sugar Free Mom
5. Potato Salad: Dixie Chik Cooks
6. Blue Cheese Potato Salad: Who Needs a Cape

Pasta Salad:

1. Tortellini Salad: Jay Tried and True
2. Amish Macaroni Salad: Comfort Cook Adventures
3. Cesar BLT Pasta Salad: Big Sis Lil Sis
4. Buffalo Chicken Pasta Salad: Simply Alli
5. Deviled Egg Pasta Salad: Half Hour Meals
6. Biergarten Macaroni Salad: The Disney Diner

Campbell's Skillet Sauces

Apparently I live in the land of "No Usable Coupon-Ville".
It's lonely here people!

I see all the Extreme Couponers shows and am amazed.

The few coupons I manage to get my hands on...well...stink.
They are usually for brands I do not use, or quantities I cannot use. It's not a good deal to save $0.25 if you buy 15 cans of X brand soup.

One day, I stumbled upon something I had only heard about in fairy tales. A coupon I could U-S-E.
I almost didn't know what to do with myself.

It was for a new product, Campbell's Skillet Sauces.
Since my schedule can be pretty insane, it's nice to have shortcut meals hanging around every now and again.

One night, I had 20 minutes to get a meal on the table before we had to walk out the door and wouldn't get to eat at all. Everything was frozen...except a bit of chicken.

Here comes my new packet-o-convenience to save the day!

We had picked up the Marsala flavor.
Super easy! Cook chicken, pour sauce, warm, eat.

Now I want to try the other flavors, off to hunt more coupons!

Bolillos

Hubby surprised me one Christmas with a bread machine...I was beyond excited!
(well, I use the word "surprise" loosely. It started with me saying "I want a bread machine" but the guy gets credit for remembering!)

I make breads and dough with it frequently...and have since become lazy about making breads by hand.

I read this recipe online and decided it sounded easy enough, even for a lazy bread maker like me.

Honestly, this bread is delicious! I never got around to using it for a sandwich, we were too busy walking by and grabbing part of a roll just to much on.
Plain, with butter, or with a hunk of sharp cheese, it was really just good!

Ingredients:

4 Cups flour

1 Tsp salt

1 Tsp sugar

1 Package yeast

2 Cups warm water

1 Egg white, whisked

Directions:

1. Pour water into a large mixing bowl and sprinkle yeast onto it.

2. In separate bowl, mix flour, salt, and sugar

3. Add flour mixture to water a little at a time and mix until dough forms

4. Place dough in a greased bowl, cover with a towel or cloth, and leave in a warm place for an hour.

5. Remove dough from bowl, punch it down, and knead for about 10 minutes.

6. Divide dough into 10 balls.

7. Cover and let rise again for 30 minutes

8. Preheat oven to 375

9. Brush each dough ball with egg whites

10. Score each roll with two, two inch lines among the top, about ¼ inch deep

11. Bake for 30 minutes

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This recipe was shared with:
Monday:  Flour me with Love, Pioneer Momma, Homemaking with Style , Kitchen Table Art , Jam Hands, Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms , A Pinch of Joy , The Modest Mom Blog , Huckleberry Love , I Should be Mopping the Floor  , The Chicken Chick, Uncommon Designs, Jambellish, A Mama's Story, All Things Fee, Boogieboard Cottage , Life After Laundry , Skip to my Lou, Mom Favorites, Sew Can Do, Mom's the Word, Feeding Big
Tuesday: Hot Momma's Kitchen Chaos, Pint Sized Baker, Morsels of Life, Yesterfood, Cornerstone Confessions, Inside Bru Crew Life, Lou Lou Girls, Mandy's Recipe Blog, New Mrs Adventures, Kathe with an E, A Bowl Full of Lemons, My Joy Filled Life, Time Warp Wife, Mini Van Dreams, Sweet Silly Sara
Wednesday:  Dizzy Busy and Hungry, Recipes for our Daily Bread  , Wine and Glue,The Newlywed Pilgrimage, Lemoine Family Kitchen, Ginger Snap Crafts, Gooseberry Patch, Crafty Allie, Lady Behind the Curtain, Milk and Cuddles, Raising Homemakers, White Lights on Wednesday, Buns in my Oven, A Peek into my Paradise, Mom's Test Kitchen, Mostly Homemade Mom
Thursday:  Lambert's Lately, Sweet Haute, What's Cooking Love, Think Tank Thursday, Miz Helen's Country Cottage, Embracing Change, Sweet Bella Roos, The Nourishing Gourmet
Friday: Morsels of Life, O Taste and See, Play Party Pin, A Little Clareification, The Better Baker, Endlessly Inspired, Love Bakes Good Cakes, Craft Dictator, Hungry Harps, Thirty Handmade Days, Angel's Homestead, Craft O Maniac, The Girl Creative, Tales of a Kansas Farm Mom
Saturday: Weary Chef, What's Cooking with Ruthie, Beauty through Imperfection, Coffee with us 3, Six Sister's Stuff, Simply Gloria, Sewlicious Home Decor, Raising Memories, 
Sunday: A Peek into my Paradise, Denise Designed, Three Mango Seeds

Grilled Chicken and Pasta Salad

I spent some quality time with the family this past weekend. Hubby and the girl of course, but also a couple of aunties, an uncle, and a cousin.

As if I didn't already know how fortunate I am to have a fantastic family, I am constantly reminded.

We all have a very easy, no demands, relationship. We all have (for the most part) the same ideas of "fun" and enjoy doing those things together.

This time we all visited an place that we all spent so much of our lives at. We played tourist, ate too much, and spent a lot of time reminiscing about times past.

This cousin is just over a decade younger than I. He brought a friend with him.
It made my heart happy to hear him giving his friend "the tour" and bringing up memories specific to him.
I love that we all shared this together.

Ingredients:

1 Lb skinless boneless chicken breasts (grilled/broiled and sliced)

2 Cups torn lettuce

2 Cups shell shaped pasta

2 Med tomatoes (chopped)

4 oz crumbled feta cheese

8 oz Italian salad dressing

Grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Cook pasta per package directions

2. In large bowl, combine all ingredients except chicken and lettuce.

3. Cover, chill thoroughly

4. Just before serving, stir in lettuce

5. Arrange chicken on top

6. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese

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This recipe was shared with:
Monday:  Pioneer Momma , The Chicken Chick, Homemaking with Style, Flour me with Love, Kitchen Table Art , Jam Hands , Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms  , A Southern Fairytale , A Pinch of Joy, The Modest Mom Blog, Huckleberry Love ,  I Should be Mopping the Floor, Uncommon Designs, Jambellish, A Mama's Story, Boogieboard Cottage, Say Not Sweet Anne, Skip to my Lou, Sew Can Do, Feeding Big, Mom's the Word, Mom Favorites
Tuesday: Memories by the Mile, Cornerstone Confessions, Inside Bru Crew Life, Pint Sized Baker, A Bowl Full of Lemons, Hot Momma's Kitchen Chaos, My Joy Filled Life, Our Table for Seven, Time Warp Wife, The New Mrs Adventures, Mandy's Recipe Box, Kathe with an E, Sweet Silly Sara
Wednesday: Dizzy Busy and Hungry, Recipes for our Daily Bread, The Newlywed Pilgrimage, Buns in my Oven, Lemoine Family Kitchen, Milk and Cuddles, Wine and Glue, Raising Homemakers, White Lights on Wednesday, A Peek into my Paradise, Gingersnap Crafts, Mom's Test Kitchen, Lady Behind the Curtain, Crafty Allie, Mostly Homemade Mom
Thursday:  Sweet Haute, Sweet Bella Roos, What's Cooking Love, Saving 4 Six, Miz Helen's Country Cottage, Lambert's Lately, Embracing Change, The Nourishing Gourmet
Friday: Coffee with us 3, Hungry Harps, Craft Dictator, The Grits Blog, O Taste and See, Play Party Pin, A Little Claireification, The Better Baker, Endlessly Inspired, Love Bakes Good Cakes, Thirty Handmade Days, Angel's Homestead, Craft O Maniac, The Girl Creative, Morsels of Life, Tales of a Kansas Farm Mom
Saturday: The Weary Chef, What's Cooking with Ruthie, Six Sister's Stuff, Simply Gloria, Sewlicious Home Decor, Raising Memories
Sunday: Denise Designed, Three Mango Seeds





Recipe adapted from here

Parsley Potato

I did my best to type this up for you all, but there simply just cannot be measurements. It all depends on how many people you are feeding and how flavorful you want it to be!
I would be curious to see what you end up using!

This is a go-to side dish for me when I have a protein with strong flavors.
These potatoes are subtle and make a nice contrast to, say, chicken with BBQ sauce.

I need to have a discussion with my mother in law. Hubby mentioned that she makes something similar on Thanksgiving every year. I should ask her how she makes hers, maybe it will be another variation.

From what I understand, that side of the family requests hers every year. Even though I have not had them, I assume they are yummy!

Ingredients:

Potato

Butter

Parsley

Salt and Pepper

Directions:

1. Wash potato. Peeling is optional.

2. Cut potato into 1 inch cubes (unless you are using the round baby potato, they can be kept whole)

3. Boil potato until just about cooked through, but still firm

4. Toss potato with butter, parsley, salt, and pepper to taste

Print

This recipe was shared with:
Monday: Pioneer Momma, The Chicken Chick , New Mama Diaries, Flour Me With Love , Kitchen Table Art, Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms , Feeding Big, A Southern Fairytale, A Pinch of Joy, The Modest Mom Blog, Huckleberry Love, I Should be Mopping the Floor, Uncommon Designs, Jambellish, A Mama's Story, All Things Fee, Boogieboard Cottage, Say Not Sweet Anne, Sew Can Do, Mom's the Word
Tuesday: Pint Sized Baker, Memories by the Mile, Inside Bru Crew Life, Cornerstone Confessions, New Mrs Adventures, A Bowl Full of Lemons, My Joy Filled Life, Our Table for Seven, Time Warp Wife, Mini Van Dreams, Mandy's Recipe Blog, Kathe with an E, Sweet Silly Sara, Hot Momma's Kitchen Chaos
Wednesday: Recipes for our Daily Bread, Dizzy Busy and Hungry, Buns in my Oven, Crafty Allie, Lady Behind the Curtain, Milk and Cuddles, Wine and Glue, Raising Homemakers, White Lights on Wednesday, A Peek into my Paradise, Gingersnap Crafts, Mom's Test Kitchen, Mostly Homemade Mom, Lemoine Family Kitchen, The Newlywed Pilgrimage
Thursday: Lambert's Lately, Sweet Haute, What's Cooking Love, Sweet Bella Roos, Saving 4 Six, Miz Helen's Country Cottage, Embracing Change, The Nourishing Gourmet
Friday: The Grits Blog, Hungry Harps, Coffee with us 3, Simple Nature Decor, Mommy on Demand, Daily Dish, The Better Baker, Endlessly Inspired, Love Bakes Good Cakes, Thirty Handmade Days, Angel's Homestead, Morsels of Life, Tales of a Kansas Farm Mom, A Little Claireification, Craft O Maniac, Happy and Blessed Home
Saturday: What's Coking with Ruthie, Simply Gloria, Sewlicious Home Decor, Weary Chef, Six Sisters Stuff, Raising Memories
Sunday:  Three Mango Seeds, A Peek into my Paradise  

Spiced Pear Cake with Browned Butter Icing

We have friends who live about 5 miles away from us.
One would think we would see them all the time. Nope.

As we all get super busy with our lives, little events seem to be the easiest to "blow off" in order to generate more time for our ever expanding schedules.

Her and I decided that this was not acceptable. We talk almost daily, but see each other only about 4 times a year.

3 months in advance we set a date. Yes, we needed that much advance notice to find a day that worked for both of us. Sad to say, that is not the furthest in advance I have had to schedule things.

She had asked me to bring a dessert, and I have been itching to try this recipe.

This cake is so moist and delicious! I love how the cinnamon and nutmeg lend just enough spice to bring out the pear flavor.

Ingredients:

3 Medium pears (peeled, cored, and chopped)

2 Tbsp sugar

2 Tbsp packed light brown sugar

1 ½ Tsp ground cinnamon

¼ Tsp ground nutmeg

2 Cups all purpose flour

1 Cup whole wheat flour

3 Tsp baking powder

1 Tsp salt

1 ½ Cup white sugar

4 Large eggs

¾ Cup milk

½ Cup vegetable oil

½ Cup unsweetened applesauce

Icing:

4 Tbsp salted butter

2 Cups powdered sugar

4-5 Tsp boiling water

1 Tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Arrange oven rack to the lower third of the oven.

2. Preheat to 350

3. Spray two 5x8 loaf pans with non stick spray

4. In a medium bowl, toss the pears with 2 Tbsp white sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg

5. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt

6. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, eggs, milk, oil, and applesauce

7. Whisk in the dry ingredients, just until mixed

8. Stir in the pears along with all the juices

9. Divide the batter between the two pans

10. Bake 60-70 minutes

11. Cool completely on a rack

12. When cake is cool, prepare the icing.

13. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat

14. Heat and stir butter for 5-7 minutes or until the butter is lightly browned

15. Remove butter and pour into a bowl

16. Whisk in 1 cup powdered sugar

17. Add 3 tsp of water and the vanilla.

18. Whisk in more powdered sugar a little at a time until it is thick but still pourable

19. Drizzle icing over cakes

Print

Cake Ingredients

Icing Ingredients

This recipe was shared with:
Monday:  Flour Me with Love, Pioneer Momma, New Mama Diaries, Kitchen Table Art, Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms, A Southern Fairytale, A Pinch of Joy, The Modest Mom Blog, Huckleberry Love, I Should be Mopping the Floor, Uncommon Designs, Jambellish, A Mama's Story, The Chicken Chick, Feeding Big, Boogieboard Cottage, Say Not Sweet Anne, Skip to my Lou, Call me PMC, Sew Can Do, Mom's the Word
Tuesday: Pint Sized Baker, Memories by the Mile, Cornerstone Confessions, My Joy Filled Life, Kathe with an E, Inside Bru Crew Life, The New Mrs Adventures, A Bowl Full of Lemons, Our Table for Seven, The Time Warp Wife, Mini Van Dreams, Mandy's Recipe Box, Hot Momma's Kitchen Chaos, Sweet Silly Sara
Wednesday:  Crafty Allie  , Lemoine Family Kitchen, Buns in my Oven, Lady Behind the Curtain, Dizzy Busy and Hungry, Recipes for your Daily Bread, Milk and Cuddles, Wine and Glue, Raising Homemakers, White Lights on Wednesday, A Peek into my Paradise, Gingersnap Crafts, The Newlywed Pilgrimage, Mom's Test Kitchen, Mostly Homemade Mom
Thursday:  Sweet Haute, Lambert's Lately, Sweet Bella Roos, What's Cooking Love, Saving 4 Six, Mix Helen's Country Cottage, Embracing Change, The Nourishing Gourmet
Friday:  The Grits Blog, Play Party Pin, O Taste and See Blog, Coffee with us 3, Hungry Harps, Craft Dictator, Daily Dish, The Better Baker, Endlessly Inspired, Love Bakes Good Cakes, Thirty Handmade Days, Angel's Homestead, Craft O Maniac, The Girl Creative, Morsels of Life, Tales of a Kansas Farm Mom, Cooking with Curls
Saturday:  Six Sisters Stuff , Will Cook for Smiles, Sewlicious Home Decor, Raising Memories, Yummy Healthy Easy
Sunday:  A Peek into my Paradise, Three Mango Seeds  , Denise Designed