What's Going on the Grill?

I don’t know about anyone else, but this time of year I get super sick of eating brats, hamburgers and hot dogs. My boyfriend wants to grill out most weekends, but if I have to eat another plain old hamburger or brat I might just have to go on a hunger strike! OK,  not really, but I need some variety in my meals.

I recently became a Pinterest addict. We had our friends over for dinner a couple of weekends ago and, instead of making those plain old hamburgers and brats, I tried to look for a recipe on Pinterest using chicken. 

My boyfriend started grilling when we bought our own house. He had a fear of grilling chicken because chicken tends to dry out if you cook it incorrectly. I found a recipe on Pinterest for a chicken marinade that had so many flavors! I didn’t have to worry about eating any boring plain meat. The marinade calls for beer, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and Cayenne pepper. Sounds good right? Here is the recipe for this flavorful chicken:

Photo and recipe courtesy of Pinterest

Garlic Beer Marinated Chicken

Ingredients:

• 12oz beer
• 6 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp. Italian Seasoning
• 6 garlic cloves, minced (I used the minced garlic that you can buy in the jar at the store to save time)
• 2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• ½ tsp cayenne pepper (this spice was difficult to find. If you are having problems look for Ground Cayenne Red Pepper)
• 2-3 Ib boneless Chicken-You may want to pound chicken to an even thickness before marinating to ensure that the chicken cooks evenly and stays juicy.

Directions:

1. Whisk together beer, lemon juice, olive oil, Italian seasoning, garlic, salt, pepper and cayenne in a bowl. 
2. Add chicken and let marinate for 6-12 hours. I like to put a cover on the bowl and shake it around every few hours to make sure the marinade covers all of the chicken.
3. Remove the chicken from the marinade and grill until done-approximately 12-15 minutes.
4. Serve with your favorite sides. We served ours with salad, buttered noodles and dinner rolls.

Never be a victim of boring grilled meat again. Try this recipe today!  You won’t be sorry.

Happy Grilling!

Written By: Katie B. 

Delicious Sesame Chicken and Crab Meat Rangoon Recipes

I absolutely LOVE Chinese food and most of the time I find myself wishing I had a good, simple recipe that’ll be able to compare to my favorite Chinese places! Here are two of my favorite Chinese food items with recipes that seem simple enough to make at home!

Photo Courtesy of budgetbytes.com

Sesame Chicken

http://www.budgetbytes.com/2013/08/easy-sesame-chicken/

Serves: 4
Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cook Time: 15 Minutes Total Time: 25 Minutes

Ingredients:
- Chicken
- 1 large egg
- 2 Tbsp. cornstarch
- 1 pinch each salt & pepper
- 1 Lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil (for frying)
- Sauce
- 2 Tbsp. soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp. water
- ½ Tbsp. toasted sesame oil
- 1 ½ Tbsp. brown sugar
- 1 ½ Tbsp. rice vinegar
- 1 inch fresh ginger, grated
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 Tbsp. sesame seeds
- 1 Tbsp. cornstarch

For Serving:
- 4 cups cooked rice (depending on what kind of rice you like)
- 2 whole green onions

Instructions:
In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, 2 Tbsp. cornstarch, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Trim any excess fat from the chicken thighs, then cut them into small 1 inch pieces. Toss the chicken in the egg and cornstarch mixture. 

Heat a large skillet with 2 Tbsp. of vegetable oil over medium-high heat. When the oil is very hot (it should look wavy on the surface), add the chicken and all of the egg mixture. Cook the chicken, stirring only occasionally, until it is golden brown and cooked through (about 7-10 minutes). Drain off the excess oil, if desired. 

While the chicken is cooking, prepare the sauce. In a small bowl stir together the soy sauce, water, sesame oil, brown sugar, rice vinegar, fresh ginger, minced garlic, cornstarch, and sesame seeds. (ginger can be grated with a small-holed cheese grater) 

Once the chicken is cooked through and golden brown, pour the sauce over top. Toss the chicken to coat in the sauce. The sauce will begin to thicken as soon as it hits the hot skillet. Once the chicken is coated and the sauce thickened, turn off the heat. 

Serve the chicken over a bed of rice and sprinkle the sliced green onions over the top.

Crab Meat Rangoon

http://www.spendwithpennies.com/crab-rangoon-crab-cream-cheese-filled-crispy-wontons/


Photo Courtesy of spendwithpennies.com

Ingredients:
- 1 5oz. can of crab meat, drained (can use fresh or packaged crab as well)
- 4 oz. cream cheese, softened
- 1 green onion, finely sliced
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 18 won ton wrappers
- Oil for frying

Instructions:
1. Preheat 1 inch of oil to 325 degrees over medium heat.
In a small bowl, gently combine crab meat, cream cheese, green onion, garlic powder and Worcestershire sauce.
Lay out 3 wonton wrappers at a time. Place 2 teaspoons of the filling in the center of each. Dab the edges with water and fold the two opposite corners together to form a triangle. Wet the tips of the triangle and fold inward. Continue until all of your filling is used up.

To Fry
Drop the wontons into the hot oil for 2-3 minutes or until brown and crispy.
Drain on paper towels.

To Bake
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking pan with parchment paper.
Assemble wontons and spray each with cooking spray. Bake 12-14 minutes