Grilled Lemon Garlic Chicken

 Dear Sally,

      I had to laugh a little when I read your last post. Usually I get upset with myself because it seems that whenever I starting making things for the blog they never actually end up in a letter to you. Your post reminded me that life gets busy and that's ok.

      Summer is one of my favorite times because I have no excuses. With Jesse gone I have peace and quiet in the house and unlimited time. I'll see what I can get into in the coming weeks.

     As you know, Jesse and I recently returned from Ohio for our anniversary trip. Whenever I return from long trips away or time on the road I always feel like I need a cleanse. After eating out for six days straight, Jesse and I hardly wanted something extravagant for dinner. I pulled some herbs from the garden, grabbed chicken at Costco, and potatoes from the cupboard. Dinner wasn't fancy but it was delicious.

     I'm intrigued to know what the word diet entails for you. If you need some good gluten free recipes I can share some sites with you. I always love the challenge of making food that tastes great but is also healthy. 

Grilled Lemon Garlic Chicken

2 Chicken breasts , chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 lemons
A handful of fresh basil and chives
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil

3 potatoes
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
butter
salt and pepper



Directions

Cut the chicken into small cubes and placed in a bowl. Mince 2 cloves of garlic and add it to the chicken. Squeeze both lemons into the bowl and add 2 Tbsp. of olive oil. Add some salt and pepper and mix well. I let the chicken sit in the fridge for most of the day and cooked it low and slow on the barbeque.

For the potatoes I simply sliced them along the length and put thinly sliced pieces of onion in. I put butter on top and wrapped them individually in foil. They were put on the barbeque first at a high temperature for about 30 minutes.

      I hope you guys have an amazing summer and you have a chance to put that garden of yours to good use. Looking forward to your visit!

Love,

Jessica

Portobello Mushroom Burgers

Dear Sally,

 

Your last two posts were AWESOME! Jesse has actually been growing pickling cucumbers in our backyard so that will be on my list of things to make very soon. We have also been enjoying an abundance of lettuce and kale lately.

Summer continues to fly by. There was a time in the last few weeks where I was just throwing things together at dinnertime in the hopes that it would resemble food. My parents came down this past weekend and broke me of that habit. My mom wanted to try a new recipe out and I’m glad she suggested it. Everyone loved it and there wasn’t too much work involved in making it.

Portobello Mushroom Burgers

1 tbsp olive oil

1 large Spanish onion, sliced into thin rounds

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

oil for grilling

2 red peppers, sliced into 4 segments

8 large Portobello mushrooms, stems and gills removed

Salt and pepper to taste

4 slices manchego, white cheddar, or goat cheese

2 cups baby spinach

4 whole grain buns

Warm oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook on low until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in balsamic vinegar. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover pan, and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

            Preheat grill to medium. Lightly brush red pepper slices with oil and grill for 2 minutes per side, or until tender with some grill marks. Remove red pepper from grill. Brush mushrooms with oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add mushrooms to grill, stem side down, and cook for 5 minutes. Flip mushrooms and cook for another 4 minutes.

Top 4 mushrooms with equal amounts of red peppers, cheese, and spinach. Cover each with a remaining mushroom, stem side down so that the stem sides are facing each other. Cook for 1 minute or until cheese has melted. If using buns, heat them on the grill for one minute or until toasted.

Serve stuffed mushrooms topped with caramelized onions. I added basil to mine and didn’t have a bun and it was delicious! The goat cheese really makes it creamy.

I am starting to get excited about September as my planning continues. It’s going to be a busy year but I am looking forward to it.

            I really miss you. So many times I have wanted to just walk over, grab a cup of tea and catch up. Hopefully we can do that soon. I love the photos you send each month of your beautiful baby belly. I definitely want to be in Peterborough soon but it is looking like it will have to be in September some time. We’ll get up there soon.

Love Always,