Summer BBQ

Mr. McGhee and I love to entertain.  Nothing makes us happier than being surrounded by family and friends in our home, with the swimming pool, swingset, and backyard full of activity.  To us, summers are backflip and cannonball contests off the diving board and dance parties around the siwmming pool.  And that's just the adults I'm talking about!  


And, of course, nothing makes me happier than having a backyard full of people that need to be fed.  

I always tell guests that want to bring something to bring snack food or dessert.  I'll take care of everything else.  This is my go-to BBQ meal....spicy honey chicken, grilled veggies, and fruit salad.  The fruit salad is easy.  Cut up some watermelon, berries, grapes, and any other fruit you like and toss it all in a bowl.  That's it!  The spicy honey chicken takes a bit more work.  

Spicy Honey Chicken

Chicken Rub

• 2 tsp granulated garlic (or 1 tsp garlic powder)
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp coriander
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder

Glaze

• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 tbsp cider vinegar

1.  Mix all spices together.
2.  Drizzle oil on chicken (I use a mix of breasts and thighs) and rub the chicken rub onto the chicken (how's that for obvious?)
3.  Grill chicken until no longer pink in the middle.
4.  Warm honey and add vinegar.
5.  Pour honey/vinegar mixture on chicken.  Grill an additional minute.  

6.  Pour any leftover honey/vinegar mixture on chicken when serving.

Can I give you a tip?  Make a huge batch of the chicken rub and store it in a glass jar in your spice cabinet.  Make extras for all your friends to take home that night.  They'll be asking for it and call you to thank you every time they use it.  

I always serve this chicken with grilled veggies.  Nothing makes me happier than seeing my hungry guests chow down on vegetables.

Grilled Veggies

• assortment of veggies (get an assortment of your favorites...here's what I used)
• 3 summer squash, 3 red bell peppers, 3 zucchini, 1 eggplant, mushrooms, and a bunch of asparagus
• olive oil
• sea salt and pepper
• balsamic vinegar
• 2-3 cloves fresh crushed garlic
• fresh basil 
• fresh rosemary
• fresh italian parsley

1.  Slice the veggies lengthwise into about 1/4 inch slices.
2.  Brush each side of the veggies with olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper.
3.  Grill the veggies on each side until tender and slightly charred.  Don't move the veggies around on the grill too much, you want those black grill marks!
4.  Mix 4 tbsp olive oil with 4 tbsp balsamic vinegar.  Add garlic and fresh herbs.  I make this ahead of time and let it sit so the flavors can blend together.
5.  Once the veggies are grilled, put them on a platter and brush the oil/vinegar/herb mixture all over the veggies.

Here's the herb mixture.  As you can see, I use a lot of herbs.  They're the star of the show.

This is what I like to call Holy Grilled Goodness.  My prep + Mr. McGhee's cooking = Heaven in the mouth

The minis fight over this asparagus.  Let me repeat that.  The minis fight over this asparagus.

If you're a local reader, don't be surprised if the McGhees invite you over for a BBQ and serve you this meal.  If you aren't local, fire up your BBQ and make this meal.  Channel your inner McGhee.  You'll have a blast, I promise.

P'sketti

What family in America doesn't eat spaghetti once a month?  It's a staple, right?  And, lucky for all of us, it's so easy to do unprocessed!  Let's start with the shining star of spaghetti night....the sauce!  I have to admit, in the past, for me making the sauce meant opening the jar of sauce and dumping it on some noodles.  So, today, I set off to make my very first batch of spaghetti sauce.  And, to keep things interesting, I didn't follow a recipe, but just some comments that I found online.

These are the ingredients I used.

• one onion, diced
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 3/4 cup red wine
• 3 cans plum tomatoes
• basil
• salt and pepper
• sugar, 1 tsp

1.  Remove tomatoes from cans (keep the juice) and cut into chunks.
2.  In a pan, saute onion and garlic until onion is translucent.
3.  Add red wine, and let cook for a few minutes.  Some of the liquid will evaporate.  This is okay, just don't let it all.
4.  Add tomatoes, basil, salt and pepper.  Stir.
5.  Simmer 30 minutes.
6.  If you don't like your sauce chunky, remove the large chunks of tomatoes and puree in a food processor. 
7.  Simmer on very low heat until ready to serve.

OH!  I forgot....there's a little "step 3.5" that I forgot to include in the recipe.  Find a large wine glass and fill to rim with remaining red wine.  Drink up.  And, yes, in a perfect world we would all use fresh plum tomatoes.  For those of us living in the middle, we are far better off with canned tomatoes this time of the year.  If using fresh, plop them in boiling water for a few minutes and then peel them. 

Now, if you were impressed with my sauce, sit tight.  Prepare to be amazed. 

Instead of using noodles for your spaghetti, try using squash....spaghetti squash. 

Cook the squash at 375 F in the oven for about an hour (or, if you're okay with the microwave, just nuke it.  I'm still unsure about microwaving everything, so I bake mine).  Once it's cooked, slice it in half, dig out the seeds, and scrape it with a fork just like this. 

Now, I know some of you are rolling your eyes and thinking, "Heids McGhee, there is no way my kids are eating squash instead of noodles."  OK, fine.  Go buy some whole wheat spaghetti and do a 50/50 mix of the squash and noodles.  You still don't think your kids will eat it?  Tell your kids to go to their rooms and don't come out until their palate has matured.  What?  You don't talk to your kids like that?  Yeah, me neither. 

Everyone likes bread with their spaghetti, right?  How would the plates get clean if you don't do the final bread swipe once all the food has been eaten?  Well, this afternoon, I looked outside my window and this is what I saw.

And, when I see snow like that, there is only one thing my mind thinks.  White bread.  Yes, there's a time and a place for good ole' white bread and being snowed in on a Friday night with Mr. McGhee and the minis calls for white bread.  So, I followed a recipe from the NIU FCNS200B lab manual.

One Large Loaf

• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1.5 TBSP sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 pkg active dry yeast
• 1 cup water
• 1/8 cup oil or shortening

1.  Grease loaf pan.
2.  In large bowl, combine 1/3 of the flour with all the sugar, salt, and yeast.  Blend well. 
3.  In small saucepan, heat water and oil until very warm (120-130 F)
4.  Make a well in the flour mixture and pour the warm liquid mixture into the well.  Blend at low speed until moistened.  Beat 3 minutes at medium speed.
5.  By hand, stir in additional flour (no more than 1/2 cup at a time) until dough pulls cleanly away from sides of bowl.
6.  On floured surface, knead in additional flour until dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 to 10 minutes of kneading.
7.  Place dough in greased bowl; cover loosely with plastic wrap and cloth towel.  Let rise in warm place (80-85 F) until light and doubled in size, about 45-60 minutes. 
8.  Punch down dough several time to remove air bubbles.
9.  Shape loaf by rolling dough into a rectangle.  Starting with shorter side, roll up tightly.  Pinch edges and ends firmly to seal.  Place seam side down in prepared pans.
10.  Cover.  Let rise in warm place until dough fills pans and tops of loaves are about 1 inch above pan edges, about 30-35 minutes.
11.  Heat oven to 375 F.  Bake 40-45 minutes or until loaves sound hollow when lightly tapped.  Remove from pans immediately.  Cool before eating. 

We ate our p'sketti with a salad of spinach, blackberry, clementine oranges, goat cheese and this dressing along with a glass of resveratrol. 

Random assortments

Mr. McGhee is cheating.  Now, before you get all huffy and start tsking my man....Mr. McGhee is not cheating on me.  But, he did give the kids lollipops.  They came home from school on Friday, giggling and full of laughter.  I assumed it was because of me and a home full of the scent of fresh whole wheat banana muffins.  Then tiny mini McGhee proudly announced, "daddy gave us lollipops" and stuck out her green tongue to prove it. At this point, I just gave Mr. McGhee my blank stare.  In our marriage, that means pick your poison, buddy.....a butt-chewing or the silent treatment.  Mr. McGhee claimed it was a lapse of judgement.  I pointed out that it was sugar and food-coloring on a stick.  That's a pretty big lapse.  Then, he grinned and said he did it to give me material for the blog.  Being a new blogger and all, I realized, he did have a point.  So, I dropped my blank stare and dropped the subject.  See, I really am a treehugger and don't like to fight.

Yesterday, one of my readers emailed me and said her husband told her that the banana muffins tasted like sticks.  That was a little harsh and I hope she gave him a blank stare.  You know, the "pick your poison" blank stare. 

That being said, I do want to accomodate my readers....so, I hit the kitchen this morning to come up with a new recipe.  And, I promise, this one is fabulous tasting, but slightly less healthy than these muffins.  One of my best friends from high school was visiting today and she told me these pumpkin muffins were really good.  And I believe her.  She would never lie to me.

Pumpkin Muffins (based on this recipe with some changes)

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 2.5 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1.5 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 eggs
• 1.5-2 cups pumpkin puree
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup applesauce
• 1/3 cup coconut oil (melted slightly)
• 1 cup honey

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 
2.  In a bowl mix flours, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. 
3.  In a separate bowl, mix eggs, pumpkin, oil, applesauce, coconut oil, and honey.
4.  Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour wet ingredients into well.  Mix just until the dry ingredients are absorbed.  DO NOT OVERMIX. 
5.  Bake until a toothpick comes out clean.

I've gotten a few emails about hummus, so I thought I would share how I make hummus.  It's super easy, and you can follow a recipe like this or you can do what I do and just dump stuff into the food processor. 

• 1 can of garbanzo beans (slightly less than 2 cups)
• 2 tbsp tahini
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 cloves garlic

1.  Drain garbanzo beans, keep liquid separate.
2.  In a food processor, put beans, tahini, lemon juice, salt, and garlic.
3.  Blend using liquid from beans to thin hummus, if needed.

I would recommend not putting all the tahini and lemon juice in right away.  I would add half of them and blend.  Then taste and add more, based on your personal preference.

And, because I know someone is going to want to know what tahini is, here's a picture. 

Ever have one of those nights where everyone is tired and lazy and you don't feel like making dinner?  That was the general mood at the McGhee house tonight.  I would have loved to have ordered a pizza and I'm pretty sure my kids would have sold their souls for some cheetos and a chicken nugget.  But, since we have given up processed foods, we opted for a dinner of a random assortment that made no sense at all......kale chips, zucchini and squash, and chicken breasts.  OK, after I read that it doesn't seem so random, but for some reason it sure felt it.  Kale chips, you already know the recipe and I've gotten great feedback on them.  I am happy to be part of the green leafy revolution that is going on amongst the minis of America.   

Zucchini and squash

• oil (I used grapeseed oil)
• 3 cloves of garlic (chopped)
• sliced squash and zucchini

1.  Heat oil on stove.
2.  Add garlic and squash and zucchini slices.
3.  Cook until brown on both sides.

Remember when I said I wasn't promising you perfect pictures.  Um, yeah, I think it was this picture I was referring to.

I had leftover dressing from last night that I drizzled over the slices and then threw it on some spinach leaves. 

For the chicken I used this recipe from Our Best Bites.  I got this recipe from my friend Jami that lives in Seattle, which makes her way cooler than those of us stuck in "the middle".  I like to channel my inner Jami when I am shoe shopping and when I cook spicy honey chicken. 

Chicken Rub

• 2 tsp granulated garlic (or 1 tsp garlic powder)
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp coriander
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder

Glaze

• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 tbsp cider vinegar

1.  Mix all spices together.
2.  Drizzle oil on chicken and rub the chicken rub onto the chicken (how's that for obvious?)
3.  Grill/pan fry chicken until no longer pink in the middle.
4.  Warm honey and add vinegar.
5.  Pour honey/vinegar mixture on chicken. 

Just at tip....you can make a huge batch of that chicken rub and store it.  It makes life much easier on those "I would so much rather order a pizza tonight" nights.

And that is it for today.  I've got to get moving and get some menu planning done for the week.  Enough of these random, shameful dinner nights!