Roasted/grilled Chicken and veggies

Roasted/grilled chicken and veggies

2 medium chicken breasts, chopped(left over chicken works too) Just shorten the grill or oven time)

1 cup bell pepper, chopped (any colors you like)

1/2 onion, chopped

1 zucchini, chopped

1 cup broccoli florets

1/2 cup tomatoes, chopped or plum/grape

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1/4 teaspoon paprika (optional)

Preheat oven to 500º or preheat the grill to high. 

Chop all the veggies into large pieces. In another cutting board chop the chicken into cubes.

Place the chicken, if using raw, and veggies in a medium roasting dish or sheet pan. Add the olive oil, salt and pepper, italian seasoning, and paprika. Toss to combine.

I char the veggies and meat on the grill in the summer. 500º is too hot for oven use in the summer.

Bake for 15 minutes or until the veggies are charred and chicken is cooked. Or add the left over chicken just before the veggies are done, to heat the meat. Enjoy with rice, pasta, or a salad.

Arizona No bake Lemon pie

Living in Arizona in the summer months you really don't want to use the oven, but you still have to eat. A nice cool dessert is a great way to top off a meal, and this  pie is light and refreshing. Give it a try. The most difficult part of making this pie is deciding when to stop eating it.

Arizona No bake lemon pie

1 pre-made graham cracker crust, homemade or store-bought

2 (3.4 oz.) boxes instant lemon pudding mix

2 cups whole milk, 2% works too

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream or cool whip

3 tablespoons powdered sugar omit if using cool whip

1 tablespoon lemon zest for garnish if desired.

In a large bowl, whisk together instant pudding mixes, milk and fresh lemon juice until just combined.

Pour 1 1/2 cups of pudding mixture into prepared pie crust and set aside.

Omit this step if using cool whip. In a separate bowl, beat heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks form, mixing in powdered sugar until incorporated. 

Take 1/2 of whipped cream and fold into remaining lemon pudding mixture. Spread whipped cream lemon pudding into pie crust, then gently top with remaining whipped cream.

Refrigerate until thoroughly chilled and set, then top with lemon zest, slice, serve and enjoy!

Cheeseburger salad

Cheeseburger Salad

1 lb. ground beef ground beef

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

FOR THE SALAD

2 heads romaine lettuce, chopped

1 c. shredded cheddar

1 c. grape tomatoes, halved

Dill pickle chips, quartered

1/4 red onion, thinly sliced

1 tsp. sesame seeds, for garnish

Thousand Island Dressing

 In a medium skillet over medium heat, add ground beef, garlic powder, and Worcestershire sauce and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until no pink remains, 8 to 10 minutes. 

Assemble salad: In a large bowl, toss together romaine, cheddar, tomatoes, pickles, and red onion. Divide among salad bowls, add hamburger to each bowl.  Serve with thousand Island dressing.

No bake cherry dessert

The heat of the desert doesn't make baking a very wanted event. So no bake desserts are very popular. This dessert is delicious, light and easy to make. Enjoy.

Cherry dessert 

1⁄4 cup butter, melted

15 graham crackers, crushed

1 (21 ounce) can cherry pie filling

30 large marshmallows

1⁄2 cup milk

2 cups of cool whip

Combine butter and graham crackers. Mix well.

Press 3/4 of this into bottom of a cake pan. Set remaining crumbs aside for topping.

Melt marshmallows in milk over low heat. Cool and then fold in the whipping cream.

Place cream mixture on top of the cracker crumb crust.

Spread pie filling over the cream mixture.

Sprinkle with remaining cracker crumbs.

I used a 9 x 9 pan.

Hobo bread

This was a simple bread made over a hobo campfire in an empty tin can. Since beans were a staple of most hobos in the 1920's and 30's, it made sense to use everything you had available. Tin cans were often used as cooking vessels to heat meals, water for coffee and breads like this. Today most people use bread pans. But either way the bread is delicious.

Hobo Bread

1 cup raisins

1 cup boiling water

2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)

3 tablespoons melted butter

1/2 cup broken or chopped pecans or walnuts

Soak raisins in one cup of boiling water for one hour.  Do NOT pour off extra water.  Whisk together flour, sugar, salt, baking soda in a large bowl.  Pour in soaked raisins with extra water, vanilla extract and butter.  Mix with a spoon.  Fold in nuts.  Spray a 9 x 5 loaf pan with cooking spray.  Spread dough in pan.  

Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 45 to 50 minutes or until center tests done. Remove from oven and cool in pan for 10 minutes before removing.  You could add a powdered sugar glaze to this bread if desired.  Makes 1 loaf.  Enjoy!

Coffee cake delight

A must with your morning coffee or anytime you like. Just beware, one piece won't be enough. Enjoy. 

Delightful Coffee cake

1/2 cup butter, melted

2 eggs

1 cup sugar

3 cups flour

2 tsp vanilla

4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups milk

Topping:

1 cup butter, melted

1 cup brown sugar

2 Tbsp flour

1 Tbsp cinnamon

Glaze:

2 cups powdered sugar

5 Tbsp milk

1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, mix all the cake ingredients together until well combined.

Pour into a greased 9x13 pan.

For the topping, mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl until well combined.

Spread evenly on the batter and swirl with a knife. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes.

For the glaze, mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl until it is a consistency like pancake syrup.

While the cake is still warm drizzle the glaze over the cake.

Serve warm or at room temperature.