Grilled Watermelon Salad

I have really been into Bobby Flay lately and he made a similar salad on "Grilling with Bobby Flay" on the Food Network. I had never grilled Watermelon before myself, so I wanted to try it. Unfortunately Kelsey's barbecue was already taken, so we substituted for the pan, but I wanted to post the original recipe for you. It was light and refreshing for a summer salad and I definitely recommend it! It would be perfect to take to a picnic and I urge you to make accordingly as I think the leftovers wouldn't taste nearly as good. Happy Summer! Bon Appetite!

Grilled Watermelon Salad

from The Washington Post

2 large slices seedless watermelon, about 1 1/2 inches thick

1 medium red onion, cut into very thin strips

1 cup crumbled feta cheese

1 1/2 cups pitted kalamata olives, cut in half

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

12 to 16 oz. spinach

1 to 2 tbsp. finely chopped basil leaves

1 to 2 tbsp. finely chopped mint leaves

1. Prepare the grill on medium heat - Oil the grate then place watermelon directly on the grill for 2 minutes each side (unfortunately we weren't able to use the grill on this one, but I have used it to do Watermelon before and it is WONDERFUL - it caramelizes 'em)!

2. Combine the onion, feta, and olives in a mixing bowl.

3. Cut the watermelon up into 1 1/2 inch cubes and toss lightly in the bowl with the other ingredients.

4. Whisk together the oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Pour vinaigrette over bowl of other ingredients. Refrigerate for 1 hour, then pull out toss the basil and mint on top and serve!

Chad's Favorite Breakfast Casserole

When Chad introduced this casserole to me has his all time favorite breakfast when away on a weekend at the cabin I was skeptical. I thought, "it's just going to taste like all the rest," but in fact I do think it's delicious too! The sherry really brings out the flavors and the different kinds of cheeses add to the texture. It's worth making for a weekend away as you can pre-make it and then store it in the fridge until you are ready to throw it in the oven. It's sure to fill up the masses bellys! Enjoy:)

Chad's Favorite Breakfast Casserole
from his Mom's kitchen
About 8 or so pieces of white bread
1 lb. sausage (I use lo-fat Jimmy Dean in the tube package)
18-21 eggs
Salt and Pepper
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/4 cup sherry
2 tablespoons milk
1/4 lb sauteed mushrooms
1/4 cup green onions
1/2 cup grated Cheddar
1/2 cup Monterey Jack cheese

1. Layer the bread in a 9 inch pre-greased (I used Pam) baking pan.

2. Fry the sausage and pour over the bread.

3. Whip all of the eggs, mushroom soup, add salt and pepper to taste and pour over mixture.

4. Combine all other ingredients, mix well and pour over dish evenly.


5. At this point you can put it in the fridge to use within the next two days, freeze it, or immediately bake.

6. Bake at 350* F. for about 45 minutes - depending on the oven I've had to bake up to 55 minutes to make sure it was fully cooked.

It is delicious and will make enough to feed up to 8 people!

The Ultimate Cinnamon Rolls

I have never made any type of home-made bread before, but this recipe was a great start and it really was not too hard (surprisingly)! I had to call my mom a couple of times at the store regarding a few ingredients I haven't worked with before; what's the difference between all-purpose flour and bread flour or what the heck is vital wheat gluten? BUT once I did I ran with it! I decided to make these cinnamon rolls for a weekend away at the cabin and they were a hit! Easy to prepare beforehand and quick to bake the morning of. The lemon extract balanced out flavor of the cinnamon perfectly. I plan to make these at Christmas this year as many people wrote they've done after making them. Bon Appetite!

The Ultimate Cinnamon Rolls
from Whipped Blog


1 cup milk (heated approximately 1 minute in microwave)
1/4 cup warm water (110 degrees F.)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
2 eggs, room temperature and beaten
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup sugar
5 cups bread flour
1 tbsp. vital wheat gluten **
3 tsp. instant active dry yeast
Cinnamon Filling (see recipe below)
Butter Frosting (see recipe below)
**The Vital Wheat Gluten helps the sweet bread dough rise better, be more elastic, and easier to roll out

CINNAMON FILLING
1/2 cup butter, melted or softened
1 cup firmly-packed brown sugar
4 to 5 tablespoons ground cinnamon
3/4 to 1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

1. In a large bowl or in the bowl of a 5 quart stand mixer, combine all the ingredients in the order given except the Cinnamon Filling and the Butter Frosting. Using a dough hook, mix everything together until a soft dough forms. Turn the dough out onto a lightly oiled surface (you can spray the counter with cooking spray, you just don’t want to add a lot more flour if it is sticky), and knead until elastic, approximately 10 minutes. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rest for 10 minutes.2. Butter a 9×13x2-inch baking pan; set aside. After dough has rested, roll and stretch the dough into approximately a 15×24-inch rectangle. Brush the softened butter over the top. Combine the cinnamon and sugar well in a separate bowl. Sprinkle the cinnamon filling over the butter. Starting with long edge, roll up dough; pinch seams to seal.
3. Use a sharp knife and cut 1 ½ inch thick cinnamon rolls (it doesn’t need to be precise). Place cut side up in prepared pan, flattening them only slightly. The unbaked cinnamon rolls should not touch each other before rising and baking. Do not pack the unbaked cinnamon rolls together.4. To bake immediately: cover and let rise in a warm place for approximately 45 to 60 minutes or until doubled in size (after rising, rolls should be touching each other and the sides of the pan). Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake in a regular oven approximately 20 to 25 or until they are a light golden brown. Bake in a convection oven approximately 15 to 20 minutes.
To bake up to two days later: Put them in the refrigerator covered. They will rise slowly overnight. Put them into the oven the next morning and follow above cooking instructions.
Once baked, spread the warm rolls with Butter Frosting.

BUTTER FROSTING
2 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup powdered (confectioners) sugar
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/8 tsp. lemon extract

In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese and butter until creamy. Add powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and lemon extract or oil until well mixed and creamy. Refrigerate frosting until ready to use and then bring to room temperature before spreading.

Not Your Mama's Meatloaf

I hate it when I buy a new cook-book, make one recipe and then allow it to collect dust on the shelf, so I decided to make another recipe out of Kelsey B's cookbook! This time I went with something I've never made before - Meatloaf! It turned out delicious and mostly everyone at girl's night said they liked it; however I thought it would probably be a bit too sweet for some's idea of meatloaf. It definitely was an interesting deviation of "Mama's meatloaf," but although I liked it a lot I'm not sure everyone would. Try it, no reason why not -- it's worth tasting and seeing if you like it! If you are a fan of sweet marinades then this is sure to float your boat. Bon Appetite!

Not Your Mama's Meatloaf
from Celebrated Chefs


Serves 6
1 tbsp. unsalted buter
1 1/2 cups diced sweet onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 slices white bread, torn into pieces
1/4 cup whole milk, more if needed
1 egg
2 tbsp. finely chopped flat-leaf parsely
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 tsp. finely chopped fresh sage
1/2 tsp. finely chopped fresh thyme
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1 lb. ground beef
1/2 lb. ground lamb
1/2 lb. ground lean pork
1/2 cup diced cherry or grape tomatoes

Red Wine Glaze
1 cup full-bodied red wine
1/2 cup diced cherry or grape tomatoes
2 tbsp. sugar
2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp. molasses
1/2 tsp. ground allspice
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1. Preheat the oven to 350* F

2. For the glaze, combine the red wine, tomatoes, sugar, balsamic vinegar, molasses, cinnamon, and allspice in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Boil until reduced by 3/4 and the glaze is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 15 minutes. Set aside to cool.
3. Heat the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until tendor, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute longer. Set aside to cool.

4. Put the bread in a large bowl and add the milk; let it sit until absorbed, adding a bit more milk if the bread is not evenly soaked. Add the egg, parsley, salt, sage, thyme, black pepper, nutmeg, and cayenne and stir until evenly blended. Stir in the cheese.

5. Add the cooled onion mixture, ground meats, and tomatoes to the bowl. Stir until thoroughly blended. Transfer the mixture to a 9 by 5 inch loaf pan, packing it down evenly.

6. Pour the glaze evenly over the meatloaf to coat. Bake until cooked through (thermometer will read 160* F in the center), about 1 hour. Let sit for 10 to 15 minutes before cutting into slices to serve.

Vietnamese Salmon Salad with Mango, Chiles, and Mint

I invited Chad over for a home-cooked meal as this recipe was too good to pass-up. I tried a sample of it at Metropolitan Market one night while shopping (they actually have a cooking station where they make a recipe every night for you to try while shopping) and I almost bought the ingredients on the spot! I finally went back to purchase all the ingredients since craving it the entire week thinking Chad would love it just as much as I did. It just so happened that Kelsey S. had texted me earlier that day asking to hang out, so we decided to make dinner for 3! Below are a couple pictures of the night - one of Chad helping me in the kitchen and one of my two happy campers right as we sat down to eat. This recipe was honestly loved by all and I would and will make it again! Enjoy:)

Vietnamese Salmon Salad with Mango, Chiles, and Mint
from Real Food Magazine


1 pound salmon fillet, skinned and cut into 4 portions

Salmon Marinade
- 2 tbsp. fish sauce
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon tumeric

Dressing
- 3 tbsp. fish sauce
- 3 tbsp. lime juice
- 1 tbsp. sugar
- 1 small shallot, chopped
- 1 small jalapeno, minced (I deseeded and deveined and it still had a kick)

Salad
- 4 cups-napa cabbage, chopped
- 1 small cucumber, peeled, seeded and sliced
- 1 large mango, pitted and sliced
- 1 cup mint leaves, thinly sliced

Garnish
1/2 cup roasted peanuts, chopped

1. In a zipper bag or bowl, mix the marinade ingredients, then put the salmon in the 2 tbsp. of the mixture and turn to coat. Marinate 30 minutes.

2. In a small bowl, whisk the dressing ingredients, the remaining marinade, lime juice, sugar, shallots, and jalepeno.

3. Spread the salad over a serving platter. Heat a cast-iron skillet over high heat, and when hot, swirl with oil.

4. Place salmon in the pan, skin side up, and let cook for 3 minutes, then turn. Cook until the fish flakes easily and is barely opaque in the center, about 2 minutes depending on the thickness of the fillet. Place the warm salmon on the greens and drizzle dressing over it all. Sprinkle with peanuts and serve!