Grilled pork tenderloin sandwiches

We made these grilled pork tenderloin sandwiches from Cooking Light this week, and they were a big hit! So simple to make - no marinating required, the rub is typical pantry items, and the sauce is just two ingredients! YUM!

Tomato soup with roasted chickpeas

We made this tomato soup with roasted chickpeas from Cooking Light last week. I love tomato soup in all forms and fashions, so I knew we would like this one. The country ham might be an acquired taste- I had never even heard of it until I married Robert, and his grandmother always has it in her fridge. (I think pancetta would be a great substitute, if you're so inclined).

Chocolate chip-peanut butter cheesecake bars

These chocolate chip-peanut butter cheesecake bars from Rachael Ray were a hit at this week's Bachelorette watch party. And they are SO easy - no baking! I used chocolate graham cracker crumbs for my crust, and fat free sweetened condensed milk (Note: 7 oz is just half the can). Also, I haven't worked with gelatin much, and my first batch didn't congeal. So I googled and started over- start with the tbsp of cold water in your bowl, then sprinkle the gelatin over it. Don't stir and try to avoid dumping big clumps. Simple and delicious makes for a great recipe!!

Carne asada cheese tacos

It has taken me way too long to post about these carne asada cheese tacos - they became an instant favorite in our house and you HAVE to try them! You know how the best part of a grilled cheese is the cheese that oozes out of the bread and gets crispy? Well imagine taking that crispy cheese and wrapping it around flank steak - YUM!!!

(And to clarify in case it's hard to tell from the written recipe - you put the cheese in the pan and let it crisp on one side only- you put the meat on the top-side of the cheese which is still gooey. So crispy on the outside, gooey on the inside. Is your mouth watering yet??)

Chicken satay sliders

We had Rachael Ray's satay sliders for dinner this week. They have a spicy, Asian flavor- delicious! The original recipe had lots of options/substitutes, so I noted below where I made changes.

Satay Sliders
Yield: 8 sliders

Sauce:
1/2 cup chunky peanut butter (I used creamy)
1/4 cup apple juice, apple cider or pineapple juice (I used pineapple)
3 tablespoons Tamari (I used regular soy sauce)
1 tablespoon Asian chili sauce, or 1/2 teaspoon sriracha (I used sriracha)

Sliders:
1 1/2 pounds ground chicken or turkey (I used ground chicken)
2 scallions, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, grated or finely chopped
1 piece (1 1/2 inches) fresh ginger, grated or finely chopped
salt and pepper
vegetable oil, for coating
8 slider sized soft rolls

Toppings:
shredded cabbage or iceberg lettuce
sliced chile peppers, such as fresnos
thinly sliced radishes (Yuck- skipped these)
mint or cilantro leaves (I used mint)

Preheat an outdoor grill or a grill pan to medium-high.

Mix the meat with the green onion, garlic and ginger. Season with salt and pepper. Divide the meat and portion into 8 patties. Coat each with a small amount of vegetable oil. Grill, turning once, until cooked through – 6 to 8 minutes.

In the meantime, heat the peanut butter in the microwave to soften, or in a small pot over medium heat. Stir in the juice, tamari/soy sauce and sriracha.

When the burgers are cooked through, serve them on the buns with a generous amount of satay sauce and your desired toppings.

Nutella chocolate chip cookies

Last week's Bachelorette sweet treat was Nutella chocolate chip cookies from Baking Arts. These were chocolatey and delicious! My cookie scoop must have been smaller than what the recipe intended because this made close to 4 dozen cookies instead of 2 dozen. They were so flat and crisp (probably because I baked them on silpat instead of parchment paper) that everyone ate a handful of them, so the "extra" cookies went quickly!

Mediteranean summer pasta

Dinner last night was Mediterranean summer pasta. This recipe was a little out of the box for us - uncooked pasta sauce? I usually drown my spaghetti in hot marinara, but I was willing to give this a try. And I'm glad we did - it was interesting, in a good way! (Oh, and I omitted the olives- personal preference).

Tropical watermelon sorbet

My ice cream maker is working overtime - next up was this tropical watermelon sorbet from Giada deLaurentis. Fruity, cold, and refreshing. So easy, too! Once you freeze it, it isn't very scoopable - more like a snow cone texture. (Snow cones - another one of my summer favorites!).

Chocolate chip cookie dough cheesecake bars

Last week's Bachelorette watch party sweet treat was chocolate chip cookie dough cheesecake bars from My Baking Addiction. I'm actually not a big cheesecake/cream cheese person, so I was surprised at how much I enjoyed these! There's a lot to like with the graham cracker crust, sweet cream cheese layer, and cookie dough topping. Yum!

Cinnamon ice cream

The other ice cream served at game night was this cinnamon ice cream from, again, The Perfect Scoop. This recipe was sooooooooooo creamy- the best texture I've ever accomplished from a homemade ice cream. Not sure if I should attribute that to this particular recipe or if I've just gotten better at making custard with all of the practice recently. Anyway, this ice cream has just the right amount of spice, and is delicious plain or accompanied by something else - fresh peaches, apple pie, oatmeal cookies... you get the picture.

Cinnamon Ice Cream

1 cup whole milk
3/4 cup sugar
pinch of salt
Ten 3" cinnamon sticks, broken up
2 cups heavy cream
5 large egg yolks

Warm the milk, sugar, salt, cinnamon sticks and 1 cup of the cream in a medium saucepan. Once warm, cover and remove from heat, and let steep at room temperature for 1 hour.

Rewarm the cinnamon infused milk mixture. Remove the cinnamon sticks with a slotted spoon and discard them. Pour the remaining 1 cup cream into a large bowl and set a mesh strainer on top.

In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Slowly pour the warm mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.

Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom as your stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula. Pour the custard through the strainer and into the cream. Stir until cool over an ice bath.

Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Blackberry-lime sorbet

We hosted a game night this week, which I thought was the perfect excuse to make ice cream. First up was this tart and tangy blackberry-lime sorbet from my usual source, The Perfect Scoop. I followed the recipe as is, but I skipped the straining step out of laziness. (The seeds weren't totally offensive, but Robert requested I strain it next time). Also, it needed a few minutes at room temperature before it was scoopable. This sorbet is refreshing and delicious!!

Blackberry Lime Sorbet

Ingredients:
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup water
4 cups blackberries, fresh or frozen
3/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (about 7-8 limes)

Directions:
In a small saucepan, bring the sugar and water to a boil, stirring, until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.

Puree the blackberries in a blender or food processor with the sugar syrup. Press the mixture through a large mesh sieve to remove the seeds, then stir the lime juice into the sweetened puree.

Chill the mixture thoroughly, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.