Grilled Thyme Potatoes

It's time to get out of the kitchen and enjoy the outdoors.  Summertime is here!  Grilling time is here! (even though I grill all year round)  The Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club has gotten together again.  This month's theme is barbecuing and getting out of the kitchen to cook.  

I made a very simple side dish.  Thyme potatoes.  What I love about this recipe is that you make individual foil packets with red potatoes, olive oil, thyme, salt and pepper.  Everyone has their own potato package.  The potatoes got so tender and creamy.  A perfect side dish to go along with your grilled meats or other vegetables.

Note: This recipe makes one serving.  I cut up enough potatoes to make 4 servings and increased the other ingredients as well. I divided the potato mixture evenly among 4 foil square packets. 

Click here for recipe on Myrecipes.com

Thyme Potatoes

Recipe By Cooking Light

Serving: 1 cup


Ingredients
1/2 pound small red potatoes, quartered  

• 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 
  
• Preparation

• Prepare grill.
• Combine all ingredients, tossing to coat. Cut 2 (12-inch) sheets of aluminum foil. Arrange potato mixture in a single layer on 1 sheet of foil. Place remaining sheet of foil over potato mixture; seal edges. Place foil packet on grill rack. Grill 8 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

What did the rest of the group cook outside the kitchen?  Check out the links below for some other great Cooking Light grilling and outdoor recipes.

Val from More Than Burnt Toast made an appetizer - Barbecued Chicken Sliders with Pickled Onions

Roz from La Bella Vita also made an appetizer - Grilled Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

Jerry from Jerry's Thoughts, Musings and Rants brought a salad - Grilled Vegetable Salad with Creamy Blue Cheese

Jamie (that's me) brought a side dish - Thyme Potatoes

Sandi from Whistlestop Cafe Cooking made the main dish - Scallops Grilled on Rosemary

Mary Ann from Meet Me in the Kitchen made the dessert - Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream

Enjoy some time getting out of the kitchen this summer.  These Cooking Light recipes are a great inspiration to get started.

Enjoy!

Mom's Cooking Club Lesson:  I used petite red potatoes and quartered them to make even pieces.  If you buy the red potatoes that are larger, I would cut them more to make smaller pieces.  This will help them cook quicker.  Also, keep an eye on the potatoes and check them for doneness at the suggested cook time.  If not done, cook a few minutes more.  If you cook them too long, which I did, you may end up with some burned potatoes. (we ate the ones that were not burnt which were very good)   

Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars

Peanut Butter.  My favorite.  Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches.  My favorite childhood sandwich.  Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars.  My new favorite dessert bar.

I absolutely love the combination of this peanut butter cookie bar with a layer of jelly filling and crunchy peanuts on top.  Adults and kids will love them.  Try these.  But be warned.  They will not last long.

I first saw this recipe on Jerry's blog, Jerry's Thoughts, Musings and Rants.  I then saw it soon after in my March 2011 issue of Bon Appetit.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars

Recipe by Bon Appetit, March 2011

Serving: 16 bars

Ingredients

• Nonstick vegetable oil spray
• 1 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 cup smooth peanut butter
• 3/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup grape jelly or other jelly or jam
• 2/3 cup coarsely chopped salted dry-roasted peanuts
• 
  

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 8x8x2-inch metal baking pan with heavy-duty foil, leaving 2-inch overhang around edges and pressing firmly into corners and up sides of pan. Coat foil with nonstick spray. Whisk flour, baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in small bowl. Using electric mixer, beat peanut butter, sugar, and butter in large bowl until smooth. Add egg and vanilla; beat on low speed until smooth. Add flour mixture; beat on low speed just to blend. Transfer half of dough to prepared pan (about scant 1 1/2 cups). Place remaining dough in freezer for 10 minutes. Using fingertips, press dough evenly onto bottom of pan. Spread jelly over in even layer. Remove dough from freezer; using fingertips, break into grape-size pieces and scatter over jelly layer. Sprinkle chopped nuts over.
• Bake bars until top is golden brown, about 30 minutes. Cool bars completely in pan on rack.
• Using foil overhang as aid, lift bars from pan. Gently peel foil from edges. Cut into 16 squares. DO AHEAD Can be made 3 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.        

Enjoy!

Mom's Cooking Club Lesson:  Change the flavor by using different jellies and jams like strawberry, raspberry or blackberry.  

Balsamic Strawberry Topping

Spring is a Berrylicious Season!  This is the theme for May's Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club.  Myself and 5 other bloggers "meet" every month to share a Cooking Light menu.  Virtually, of course, since we live in different parts of the U.S. and Canada.  This month's theme focuses on berries.  Berries can be used in many different ways.  You will find berries used in a drink, appetizer, salad, main dish and dessert this month.

I wanted to make this Blueberry Crisp a la Mode but blueberries aren't in season and are very expensive in my grocery store.  I guess this will have to wait for summer.  Strawberries are in season right now and reasonably priced.  So, I chose to make this Balsamic Strawberry Topping.  Four simple ingredients and very quick to make.  The sweet and tart strawberries went perfect with some frozen vanilla yogurt.  I'll be using this strawberry topping in my greek vanilla yogurt as well.  YUMMY!!!  

Click here for recipe on Myrecipes.com

Balsamic Strawberry Topping
Recipe by Cooking Light

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3 cups sliced strawberries

Preparation

• Combine the first 3 ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat; cook 2 minutes or until slightly thickened. Stir in sliced strawberries, and remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes.

Serve over low-fat vanilla frozen yogurt or ice-cream.

For more Berry recipes, check out the rest of the Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club menu below:

Jerry (Jerry's Thoughts, Musings and Rants) - Raspberry Daiquiris

Mary Ann - Meet Me in the Kitchen) - Strawberry-Avocado Salsa

Val (More Than Burnt Toast) - Mesclun with Berries and Sweet Spiced Almonds

Sandi - (Whistlestop Cafe Cooking) - Raspberry Asparagus Medley

Roz (La Bella Vita) - Pork Medallions with Spicy Pomegranate-Blueberry Reduction

Jamie (me) - Balsamic Strawberry Topping

Enjoy!

Mom's Cooking Club Lesson:  The pluses of strawberries:

 Low in Saturated Fat, Cholesterol and Sodium.  Also a good source of Folate and Potassium, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin C and Manganese.   

http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fruits-and-fruit-juices/2064/2

Zucchini, Red Pepper and Feta Frittata

A delicious and easy egg dish that I made today for Sunday breakfast.  This frittata would be perfect for Easter breakfast or brunch, Mother's Day or even a light dinner.  Enjoy this frittata full of zucchini, red pepper, feta cheese (also has parmesan in it too!) anytime of year.  

Click here for printable recipe on Babble.com

Zucchini, Red Pepper and Feta Frittata

Recipe by The Naptime Chef on Babble.com

Ingredients

6 eggs

¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

4 tablespoons olive oil

¾ cup zucchini, roughly chopped

¾ cup red pepper, seeded and roughly chopped

salt and pepper

1/2 cup feta, crumbled

Directions

1. Turn on the broiler.

2. Add the eggs to a large mixing bowl and beat them with a fork until they are broken up. Then add half of the parmesan cheese and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil.

3. Heat the remaining olive oil (2 tablespoons) in an oven proof pan over medium heat. Add the zucchini and peppers and stir them until they are cooked through and wilted.

4. Pour the eggs into the pan with the cooked zucchini and peppers.  Add a few pinches of salt and pepper. Cook the eggs on the stove top for one more minute. Scatter the remaining parmesan cheese and the feta on top and place in oven.  Broil it for about 1 minute. Shake the pan to make sure the eggs are set. If not, broil for one minute more. Remove from the oven, cut in wedges and serve.

Enjoy!

Mom's Cooking Club Lesson:  A frittata starts on the stove top and then is finished in the oven.  Make sure to use an ovenproof skillet that can handle broil temperatures.  

Grilled Ginger-Lime Shrimp: Local Foods for The Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club

It's time to share another Cooking Light recipe with The Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club.  This month the theme is 100 Miles of Flavor.  Each of us had to find a food ingredient that is locally made or grown within 100 miles of where we live.  At first, I couldn't think of any locally grown food within 100 miles of where I live, which is Pensacola, FL.  I kept thinking of Georgia corn or Alabama peaches.  But those food items aren't in season right now.  Then I had one of those "duh" moments.  Pensacola lies on the Gulf of Mexico.  Local seafood.  Right here in my own "backyard".  


We eat seafood once or twice a week.  We love seafood and are very lucky that we have a fantastic seafood market here (Joe Patti's Seafood) that gets a variety of fresh seafood from the Gulf of Mexico as well all over the world.  I chose shrimp as my local ingredient.  There is nothing like Gulf Shrimp.  When the BP Oil Spill hit this region last summer, it was devastating.  I could go on and on about the oil spill and what it did to our waters, sea life, beaches, economy and our lifestyle here and to our nearby cities but I won't get into that discussion now.  I'm happy to see that our beaches and waters are coming back and I'm starting to see Gulf of Mexico shrimp back at Joe Patti's.  They are also still getting shrimp from the East Coast as well as other safe areas.  


If you like grilled shrimp, you will love this recipe.  You marinate the shrimp for 30 minutes in a mixture of cilantro, ginger, lime juice, garlic, jalepeno pepper and a few other ingredients.  Place them on skewers and grill for 5 minutes or so until done.  The shrimp had a wonderful flavor to it.  It was a great way to showcase my local food - Gulf of Mexico Shrimp!        

Click here for the printable recipe on Myrecipes.com

Grilled Ginger-Lime Shrimp

Recipe by Cooking Light

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 2 skewers)

Ingredients

• 1/2  cup  fresh cilantro leaves
• 1/4  cup  thinly sliced green onions
• 2  tablespoons  chopped peeled fresh ginger
• 1  tablespoon  fresh lime juice
• 1  tablespoon  canola oil
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• 1/2  teaspoon  dark sesame oil
• 4  garlic cloves, chopped
• 1  jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 1/2  pounds  large shrimp, peeled and deveined (about 32 shrimp)
• Cooking spray

Preparation

1. Combine the first 9 ingredients in a food processor, and process until coarsely chopped.

2. Combine cilantro mixture and shrimp in a large zip-top plastic bag; seal and shake well. Refrigerate 30 minutes.

3. Prepare grill.

4. Remove shrimp from bag; discard marinade. Thread 4 shrimp on each of 8 (8-inch) skewers. Place shrimp skewers on a grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 5 minutes or until done, turning once.

What other local foods were brought to the dinner table this month?

Check out the links and menu below.

Jamie (me) - Grilled Ginger-Lime Shrimp

Mary Ann (Meet Me in the Kitchen) - Mixed Greens with Blueberry Vinaigrette

Sandi (Whistlestop Cafe Cooking) - Peas and Orzo with Pesto

Jerry (Jerry's Thoughts, Musings and Rants) - Beef Tenderloin with Mushroom-Red Wine Sauce

Roz (La Bella Vita) - Risotto with Porcini Mushrooms and Marscapone Cheese

Val (More Than Burnt Toast) - Fallen Chocolate Cake with Cherry Red Wine Sauce

Enjoy!

Mom's Cooking Club Lesson: When using wooden skewers to grill your seafood, meats and vegetables, don't forget to soak them in water for at least 30 minutes.  This will prevent them from burning and catching on fire.    

Giveaway - $10 Gift Card and Old El Paso Prize Pack

This giveaway is now closed.  Congratulations to comment #8, Karin, picked by Random.org.  Thanks for everyone that entered. 


I'm back with a fun giveaway!  It's been a month since my last blog post.  Where does the time go?  There have been some changes in my life the past several months that have limited my time and shifted my priorities.  After being laid off from my part-time job in October (company closed), starting a full-time job in November, keeping on top of my 2 daughter's sports and activities, as well as keeping up with house and home, has left me with little time to focus on my blog.  

One thing I haven't stop doing is cooking and sharing meals with my family.  My husband, myself and my 2 daughters sit down for dinner together every night.  One way to keep my weeknights easier is to make quick but delicious meals.  Such easy family meals are Taco Nights.  "Old El Paso offers a variety of seasonings, sides, sauces, and meal kits as simple solutions for a night of catching up with the family over a delicious taco dinner."

"To satisfy your Mexican style cravings, the Old El Paso^® line up of products includes chilies, dinner kits, dips and sides, enchilada sauce, refried beans, seasoning mixes, shells, taco sauce and salsa. The Old El Paso taco seasoning mix selection includes flavors like Burrito, Cheesy Taco, Chili, Fajita, Taco, Mild Taco and even a seasoning with 40% less sodium."

Visit Old El Paso website for news, tips recipes and more.  

Also, to keep your family laughing at the dinner table, have some fun with El TacodorTM, the world´s only Family Taco Night Game. With El Tacodor, your family can share a special night at home by challenging one another to quick fire trivia, wordplay and pantomime. Visit www.ElTacodor.com today to download instructions, a score card, and a challenge sheet for even more fun on Family Taco Night! 

For giveaway specifics, keep reading......

The Old El Paso "Family Taco Night" prize pack includes:

Packet of original Old El Paso Taco Seasoning, a Cactus Chip & Dip Serving dish, a set of 3 Fiesta Chili Pepper serving dishes and a $10 gift card to purchase your taco fixings.  What a fun way to share taco night with your family!

To enter, please leave a comment telling me your favorite taco fixings.  Simple as that.

  

Comments must be received by Friday, April 8th, 2011.  I will pick a winner through Random.org.  Winner will be announced by Sunday, April 10th, 2011.

Note of Disclosure:  Old El Paso through MyBlogSpark provided me with the information and a prize pack.  They are also generously offering a prize pack to one of my readers. 

Mom's Cooking Club Lesson:  No matter how busy life gets, try to keep your family dinner routine going.  It's a great time to connect, stay in touch, laugh, make lasting memories and enjoy some delicious food together.