Farewell summer BBQ

I am seriously in the BEST mood today.  Why, you ask?  Yesterday, it was 90 degrees out and felt like summer when I went to bed and today, when I woke up....AUTUMN!  Today's high is 62 degrees and overcast.  Now, I LOVE summer, but there's something about the seasons changing that make me happy.  And autumn  is my a close second when it comes to my favorite seasons because, to me, autumn means two things....boots and yoga pants!  

Another thing I love about fall is the veggies....sweet potatoes, butternut squash, pumpkins, root vegetables...love them all!  So look forward to seeing some recipes with those soon.  But, today I am going to share one last summer BBQ recipe.  I can't believe I haven't shared this chicken recipe yet because this one is amazing!!!  And it's very versatile, you can cook it for your beer-drinking, euchre-playing friends or you can make it for your wine-drinking, art-discussing friends too.  

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• Salt and pepper
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 6 ounces fresh mozzarella, cut into 1/4-inch slices, halved, and patted dry
• 4 chicken breasts, about 1 1/2 to 2 pounds (chicken needs to be thin)
• 2 large tomatoes, cored and cut into 1/2-inch slices

1.  In a small bowl, combine the basil, vinegar, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Slowly whisk in the oil until it is thoroughly incorporated. 

2.  Transfer 3 tablespoons of the vinaigrette to a bowl and toss in the fresh mozzarella pieces, coating the cheese with the vinaigrette. Set aside. Reserve the remaining vinaigrette for the cooked chicken.

3.  Pat the chicken pieces dry with a paper towel and season both sides with salt and pepper. Grill the chicken and tomatoes on a hot charcoal or gas grill until the chicken is browned and cooked through and the tomatoes are lightly charred, about 2-3 minutes per side (depending on the thickness of your chicken and heat of the grill).

4.  Transfer the cooked chicken to a platter. Top with the tomato slices and drizzle with the reserved vinaigrette. Cover the chicken with an even layer of mozzarella and tent the platter loosely with foil. Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes. Serve.

Mix your marinade.

Drizzle it on your mozzarella slices.  After I took this pretty picture, I gave it a good stir so that the cheese slices were coated all over.

Grill your tomatoes and chicken.  We used gorgeous yellow tomatoes from our garden.  We are awesome like that.

 Serve with the tomatoes and cheese layered on the chicken.  

This chicken is delish.  My tiny mini and I thought the tomatoes and cheese were better than the chicken. The boy minis and Mr. McGhee disagreed.  Must be a girl thing!

Grilled LEEKS!!!!

This past weekend was Labor Day.  I don't know about you, but I feel like Labor Day weekend is an official good-bye to summer.  So, the McGhees celebrated by spending the weekend together and outside as much as possible.  

I had big plans for Friday night's dinner.  However, after school on Friday we took the minis to see the movie, The Odd Life of Timothy Green.  If you haven't seen this movie, it comes highly recommended from the McGhee family.  Just remember to bring tissues.  And make sure you push up the arm rests so you can snuggle up.   We left the theater with the "feel-goods" and I don't know about you, but when I have the "feel-goods" I want to relax and enjoy them.  So, we went home, poured some wine, made a fire, stuck a weenie on a stick, and called it dinner.

The minis taking the plunge.  Look at that sunset. 

A (processed) hot dog on a stick.  It's what's for dinner.

Post-dinner diving contest.  The photos are shaky because it is dark out.  I swear, the wine had nothing to do with it.

Roasting marshmallows and holding her baby at the same time.  What a mama.

Rocking her baby to sleep.

Me and my boy with the funny looking foot.

Ah.  What a night.  And I hope you all can forgive me for, yet again, failing on my unprocessed kitchen.  Hot dogs and marshmallows.  For some reason it felt right on that night.

You will be happy to know that I whipped up back into shape the rest of the weekend.  And, as a tribute to the end of summer and BBQ season, I will post my new favorite grilling recipes this week for you.

The first one is grilled leeks.  I sent my minis out to our garden to get some leeks and this is what they came in with.

The only thing I have ever done with leeks is make absurdly addictive asparagus.  And apparently it wasn't that addictive, because I had no desire to make it again this weekend.  But, I remembered a picture I had seen in a magazine of grilled green onions, and I figured if you could grill onions, you could grill leeks.  And, lo and behold, you can!

Grilled leeks 

• leeks
• olive oil
• salt

1.  Cut the leeks at the place where the green goes from whitish-green to green.  Cut length-wise and then again in half.  Wash well under cold water to get any grit out.

2.  Plunge the leeks into boiling water for about 2-3 minutes.  The leeks will turn a real bright green color, that's when they're done.

3.  Plunge the leeks into ice water to stop them from cooking.

4.  Dry the leeks off.

5.  Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with salt.

6.  Cook in a grill pan on the grill until crispy.  (We experimented, we did some directly on the grill and some in the grill pan.  Putting them directly on the grill gives you nice looking grill marks, but we found they were crispier when done in the pan.  It's your choice.)

Cut here.  

Cut lengthwise and then cut each stalk in half.  Wash well in cold water.

Boil for about 2-3 minutes.  What are those artichokes doing in there?  Coming soon......

Plunge in ice water for about a minute or so to stop the cooking.

Dry off with a paper towel.

Drizzle with oil and salt.

Grill in a grill pan.

Grill until brown and crispy.

This is what I have to say about these grilled leeks.  These are a MUST TRY RECIPE.  They were crispy and delish.  They lasted 30 seconds in our house.  The minis were bonkers over them and Mr. McGhee and I had a hard time sharing.  But we did.  Because we didn't want to listen to the whining are self-less, generous, loving parents.

Portobello Mushrooms!

I thought I would share last night's dinner with you.  Last night's dinner was intended to be Sunday's dinner.  But, it rained all day Sunday and Mr. McGhee wasn't in the mood to stand outside in the rain and cook.  So instead, Mr. McGhee and I stayed inside and watched this out the window.

This is our boy minis, outside in the pouring rain, jumping from the top of their swingset and trying to use an umbrella as a parachute.  Sometimes I wonder if my boy minis are really smart.  Or really....errr.....not smart.

Meanwhile, my tiny girl mini was inside doing this.

So, Mr. McGhee and I decided we weren't cooking, and packed up the minis and went out to eat instead.  And that's how Sunday's dinner became Monday's dinner.

We had gone to the farmer's market on Saturday and bought two beautiful portobello mushrooms.  I love the meatiness and earthiness of portobellos, so I was pretty excited to try grilling them.  I decided to try them two different ways, one following a recipe from Bobby Flay's cookbook and one of my own.  

Here's Bobby Flay's recipe for marinated grilled portobello mushrooms.

• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp dijon mustard
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• pinch of red chile flakes
• 1 tbsp finely chopped thyme leaves
• 2 tbsp finely chopped flat leaf parsley leaf
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• kosher salt and ground black pepper
• 8 portobello mushrooms
• 1/4 cup canola oil

1.  Heat grill to medium.

2.  Whisk together vinegar, mustard, garlic, red chile flakes, thyme and parsley.  Slowly whisk the olive oil until emulsified.  Season with salt and pepper.  Store in fridge for up to 4 hours.

3.  Brush both sides of mushrooms with canola oil and season with salt and pepper.  Place mushrooms on the grill, cap side down, and grill  until golden brown and slightly charred, 4 to 5 minutes.  Turn the mushrooms over and continue grilling until just cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes longer.

4.  Remove the mushrooms from the grill and cut into 1/2 inch thick slices.  Place the mushrooms in a large bowl, add the marinade, and toss to coat.  Let marinate at room temp for 30 minutes before serving.  Mushrooms can be stored for up to 4 hours in fridge before serving.

Assemble your ingredients for the marinade.

Slowly add your oil.  Fridge for up to 4 hours.  DO NOT put mushrooms in marinade until after they are cooked.

Remove the stem.

Coat with oil and season.

Toss on the grill, cap side down.

Flip and cook the other side.

Slice mushroom.  

Toss mushrooms in marinade and let sit for 30 minutes.

I thought these were very good.  Mr. McGhee didn't love them, he said he preferred my shrooms over Bobby's.  Smart man.

Heids McGhee's pesto portobello  

• portobello mushroom, stem removed
• canola oil
• salt and pepper
• pesto
• goat cheese

1.  Brush both sides of mushrooms with canola oil and season with salt and pepper.  Place mushrooms on the grill, cap side down, and grill  until golden brown and slightly charred, 4 to 5 minutes.  

2.  Turn the mushrooms over and smear top of the mushroom with pesto and spinkle with goat cheese.  Grill an additional 4-5 minutes.

3.  I served these with fresh garden tomato slices on the side.

Remove the stem.

Brush both sides with canola oil and season with salt and pepper.

Grill, cap side down for 4-5 minutes.

Flip over and smear pesto and goat cheese slices on top.  Grill an additional 4-5 minutes.

These were delish.  You could eat these alongside a grilled steak or chicken breast, or they could easily stand alone as the main dish.  

Italian Feast

Years ago, when Mr. McGhee and I got married, we went to Florence, Italy for our honeymoon.  That means that Mr. McGhee and I are very fancy people that know things like there are a lot of churches in Italy, men in Italy wear colored jeans, and in Italy, the house wine is cheaper than water.

We also learned that we really really really love bruschetta.  So yesterday, when my oldest mini brought me this, my mind drifted back to the days of my honeymoon and I started fantasizing.  About bruschetta, of course.

Bruschetta is perhaps one of the easiest dishes to make.  The key to making delish bruschetta is to make it ahead of time, so all the flavors can settle and blend together.  I made mine yesterday morning and resisted eating it all day.  I feel like I deserve a reward for that accomplishment.

Bruschetta

• tomatoes (I used all the tomatoes shown above, except about 10 of the grape tomatoes.  I popped those babies in my mouth as I was whipping this up.)
• garlic (I only use 3 cloves.  Now, I have been known at times to double, or even triple, the amount of garlic in recipes.  But, in the case, resist that urge.  The tomatoes and basil are the star of this show.)
• olive oil (several tablespoons)
• basil (several sprigs of fresh, you can't add too much)
• salt (to taste)
• balsamic vinegar
• parmesan cheese
• french/italian bread, sliced

1.  In a food processor, add tomatoes, basil, garlic, olive oil and salt.  

2.  Pulse several times until mixture has a thick salsa-like texture.

3.  Place sliced cheese on bread slices and broil in oven until browned.

4.  Drizzle bread with balsamic vinegar and top with heaping amounts of bruschetta.

Pulse several times until you have this.  Let this sit in your fridge for several hours. 

 Top your bread slices with cheese.  You can use Parmesan.  I used a delish homemade cheese I got from the sweet cheese-maker at the farmers market.  

Top with bruschetta and serve.

I served my brushcetta with chicken kabobs with creamy pesto sauce.  This recipe was passed on to me by a friend of my sisters.  My sister always tells me this friend of hers is crazy like me, she loves exercise, gardening, and cooking.  Crazy?  I say she sounds wonderful!

Chicken kabobs with creamy pesto sauce

• 2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
• 4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, divided
• 2 teaspoons bottled minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons olive oil 
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 8 (1-inch) pieces yellow bell pepper 
• 8 cherry tomatoes
• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces 
• 1 small red onion, cut into 8 wedges
• Cooking spray
• 2 tablespoons plain low-fat yogurt
• 2 tablespoons reduced-fat sour cream
• 1 tablespoon pesto

1. 1. Preheat broiler.
2. 2. Combine rind, 1 tablespoon juice, garlic, oil, salt, and pepper. Toss with bell pepper, tomatoes, chicken, and onion. 
3. 3.  Thread vegetables and chicken onto 4 (12-inch) skewers. Place skewers on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Broil 12 minutes or until chicken is done, turning occasionally.
4. 4. Combine 1 teaspoon juice, yogurt, sour cream, and pesto. Serve sauce with kebabs.

Here's my garden veggies and chicken, tossed with marinade.

We grilled ours on the BBQ, rather than broil them in the oven.

Totally irresistible.  Charred garden veggies.

I increased the amount of pesto in my creamy pesto sauce.  It was delish.  I caught one of my minis licking the bowl.

Delish dinner.  Everyone ate it.  My favorite was the grilled tomatoes dipped in the creamy pesto sauce.  My minis loved the brushcetta and the peppers dipped in pesto sauce.  Mr. McGhee at it all in silence.  That means he likes it.

The best part about this dinner is that it was super easy and fast to make.  Clean-up was simple too.  I pretended like I had laundry to do and snuck up stairs to read my book while Mr. McGhee took care of cleanu-p.  

Bandwagon Flatbreads

Flatbreads are sort of the rage right now.  So this past weekend, I decided to jump on the flatbread bandwagon, and I've got to say....this bandwagon is far more enjoyable than this one.  

Flatbread is super easy to do.  You can make it an appetizer or the meal, itself.  Heck, you could probably get real creative and make it dessert too!

Flatbread

• 1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast 
• 1 tablespoon olive oil 
• 1 1/3 cups flour 
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt 

1.  Heat grill until hot. 
2.  Place 1/2 cup warm water in a medium size bowl and sprinkle the yeast on top; stir to dissolve, then set aside for 5 minutes until the yeast is foamy. 
3.  Add olive oil, flour and salt and mix to combine. 
4.  Turn the dough onto a well floured surface, knead 2 minutes or until elastic. 
5.  Place dough in an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let it stand in a warm place for 30 minutes. 
6.  Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface, divide into 4 equal pieces and roll out each piece to 1/8 inch thick round. 
7.  Lightly brush one side of each round with olive oil and place the rounds oiled side down on the hot grill. 
8.  Grill the flatbread for 2 minutes, brush the side that's facing up with olive oil and flip the rounds. 
9.  Grill for 2 more minutes, remove from the grill and sprinkle the hot bread with salt before serving.

Easiest dough ever to make.

Let dough sit for 30 minutes.

Roll it out.  Don't make it too pretty.  You want it to look homemade.

Toss these babies on the grill after you oil them.  

Flip over and add toppings.  Make your Mr. very nervous by using his grill.

Don't drop shredded cheese on the grill.  Unless you enjoy watching your Mr. sweat.

Let your toppings melt.

Enjoy!

I added my toppings after step 8, so that they were melted and warm as well.  I topped mine with pizza sauce and fresh mozzarella cheese and with pesto, fresh mozzarella, and sliced tomatoes.  They were delish and we will definitely make them again.  Probably when we sit down to cheer for the Reds, Giants, and USC.