As you may already know, I posted a Simple Fries recipe a couple months ago.  This Garlic Fries recipe uses that recipe as a base.  Once you get the basic way to make fries down, the possibilities are endless.  Endless!

To tell you the truth, I actually didn’t even have garlic fries on my radar until Dustin suggested it one day.

So glad he did.

The first time we made these, we used about 7 or 8 potatoes and I’m pretty sure we finished every last one of those fries by the next day.

We needed a little break from fries for a week or so, but it was so worth it.

Mmm.

Oh — and I totally recommend using this Homemade Ranch Dressing for dipping as well. It’s a little bit of awesome — watch out.

And, if you haven’t yet signed up for my newsletter, you can do so here.  You’ll even get a free download of my cookbook, Easy Family Recipes, just for signing up!

Insanely Good Garlic Fries

Props to Joy the Baker for the helpful tips behind this recipe

3 large Russet potatoes, un-peeled
1 quart – 1 gallon peanut oil (enough to fill a deep fryer or large pot)
3 tbsp. kosher salt (enough for tossing)
5-8 cloves garlic, minced (enough for tossing)
1/2 cup fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped (enough for tossing)
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, finely grated (enough for tossing)

Directions

Wash and partially peel each potato (see photo above). Slice each potato lengthwise into 1/4-inch (or slightly larger, if you like steak-type fries) slices. Then, stack those slices together and slice across again with the same measurement to make the fries.

After you cut the potatoes into fries, place into a large bowl of cool water to help remove the starch off the surface of the potatoes so they don’t stick together during frying.

Pour enough peanut oil to fill the deep fryer to the desired level or a heavy bottom, deep pan. If you are using a pan and not a fryer, attach the thermometer to the pan so that it touches the oil. Heat over medium heat until oil reaches 250 degrees F. If using a deep fryer, set to the same temperature.

While you’re waiting for the oil to heat, prepare two baking sheets with several layers of paper towel and set aside.

When the oil reaches 250 degrees F, carefully drop small batches (about 10-15) of potatoes to the hot oil. Fry until cooked though, about 4 to 6 minutes. Remove from the oil using a pair of tongs or metal slotted spoon and allow to cool on the prepared paper towels. If using a wire rack from the deep fryer, just make sure to remove as much of the hot oil as possible before transferring to the baking sheet. Continue until all of the fries are cooked.

Once the fries have cooled to room temperature, heat the same oil to 350 degrees F. Add the already-cooked fries in small batches again. Gently stir until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Remove fries from the oil and place on the remaining lined baking sheet.

Immediately place 10-15 twice-cooked fries at a time in a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle 1/2 tsp. kosher salt over the hot fries and toss to coat. Then, add 1 tsp. of the garlic and 1 tsp. of the parsley and toss again to coat. Finally, sprinkle 2 tsp. of the parmesan over the fries and toss a final time to coat. Serve immediately.

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I’m so sorry my site has been down on and off over the past few weeks. There have been some technical difficulties with my site and my hosting service is looking into how to resolve them. I hope to have it fixed as soon as possible.

Thanks for your patience!

Lacey

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Right?  I think so, too.

So, I decided to make some at home!

These tasty little buggers are surprisingly easy.  I even microwaved the potatoes to cook them faster than baking them in the oven.

I usually like to throw some (okay, a lot of) sour cream and sliced green onions, but we also tried them with some Homemade Ranch Dressing and that was pretty awesome, too.

Try out this potato skin recipe if you’re looking for an easy and tasty appetizer — or even meal.

Baked Potato Skins

6-8 small-to-medium russet potatoes (about 3 inches long, approx. 2 lbs.)
5 to 6 slices bacon
2 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup sour cream or this Homemade Ranch Dressing
2 tbsp. thinly sliced green onions

Directions

There are two ways you can cook the potatoes in preparation to make the skins. I personally take the shortcut of the microwave method, but feel free to choose whichever you prefer.

For the microwave method, clean and scrub the potatoes and place into a large Ziploc bag. Add 1-2 tbsp. water to the potatoes in the bag and then place, unzipped (but bag open upright), into the microwave. Heat on high for 8 minutes. Check the potatoes after 8 minutes by gently squeezing the potatoes using a dish towel or oven mitt. Be very careful as the steam and potatoes are very hot. If the potatoes do not “give” when you gently squeeze them, heat on high for an additional 3-6 minutes, depending on how hard the potatoes still are. Once the potatoes are soft, carefully remove from the microwave. Avoiding the steam from the bag, cut the bag open and allow the potatoes to cool before handling.

If using the oven to bake the potatoes, heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Using a sharp knife or a fork, pierce each potato several times. Place the potatoes directly on an oven rack in the middle of the oven and bake until the skins are crisp and a knife easily cuts into the potatoes, about 50-60 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool enough to handle, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large frying pan, cook the bacon over medium-high heat until crispy. Allow to cool and crumble into small pieces. Set aside.

Set oven to broil.

Slice each potato in half lengthwise. Using a spoon, gently scoop out the flesh while leaving about 1/4 inch. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the potato skins, cut side down so the skins are facing up, on the sheet. Brush the melted butter on the skins and season with salt and pepper. Place under the broiler in the oven. Broil until the butter starts to foam and the skin starts to look crispy, about 2-4 minutes. Flip the skins over and repeat with the skins face up. Broil for an additional 2-4 minutes or until the top edge of the potato starts to crisp. Remove from the oven.

Fill each skin with the cheese and crumbled bacon as evenly as possible. Place back into the broiler and broil until the cheese is melted and bubbling, about 4-6 minutes. Remove from the broiler and top each with a dollop of sour cream (or ranch dressing) and sprinkle some of the green onions over the skin.

Serve immediately.

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They also brought me an antique mortar and pestle to grind some of the whole spices. Do they know their daughter, or what?!? 

The whole thing was an amazing gift that I am very happy to have and am very fond of.

Right after my parents gave me this gift, which happened to be while they were visiting, we all decided we wanted to put it to use.  And soon!

After discussing it for probably way too long, we came up with the idea to make Tandoori Chicken.  None of us had ever made it before, but we all were interested in eating it and intrigued by making it from scratch.

So, we did some research online, went to the grocery store and the rest is history.

That night, we made Tandoori Chicken, steamed asparagus and jasmine rice.  It was one of those meals that was super tasty and fun to experiment with that I will remember for many years to come.

I’ve made this recipe several times since that night and have found it is very reliable and forgiving — and it’s always good.

I don’t tend to go out of my comfort zone as often as I’d like or probably should with my cooking so I am very glad that we did.  This is one meal (and gift!) that is a keeper for sure.

Thanks again, Mom and Dad!

Tandoori Chicken

3 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tbsp. paprika
1 tbsp. garam masala
1 cup plain yogurt
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
5 garlic cloves, minced
2 lbs. bone-in, skinless chicken (can be combo of breasts, thighs, legs)

Directions

In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Combine the coriander, cumin, ginger, cayenne, paprika and garam masala in a small bowl. Once the oil is hot, add the spice mixture and stir to incorporate. Cook for 1-2 minutes over medium-high heat until fragrant. Turn the heat off and allow to cool.

In a large mixing bowl, add the cooled spice and oil mixture to the yogurt. Add the lemon juice, salt and garlic and stir to combine.

Using a sharp knife, slice 2-3 deep slits (almost to the bone) into each piece of chicken. Add all the chicken to the large mixing bowl with the yogurt sauce and stir to coat well. Cover the bowl with saran wrap and place in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours (if possible!).

Preheat your outdoor grill to medium-high heat. Once chicken is ready and grill is heated, place the chicken on the medium-high heat and cook for 5 minutes with the lid/cover closed. You want to cook the chicken so the outside is charred and there are clear black grill lines on the flesh from the heat. After the heat-facing side of the chicken is charred well, flip over and cook for an additional 5 minutes on high heat. Reduce the heat to low, close the lid and cook for an additional 8-15 minutes (depending on the size of your chicken) or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees F.

*If you don’t have a grill, you can also char the chicken using the broiler in your oven. Follow the same steps as above in the broiler and then transfer to the oven at 375 degrees F until it reaches 165 degrees F.

Once the chicken is done, remove from heat and let sit for 3-5 minutes before serving. Serve alongside some steamed white rice and a lemon wedge, if desired.

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Well…I guess I am officially an Austinite now.  Heehee!

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We’ve always been intrigued by making sourdough bread. And, when I say intrigued, I mean we have talked about it for years but have never done anything about it.

We ran across this sourdough starter recipe from Pinch My Salt and figured we’d give it a shot.

Now, you know me and baking bread – I tend to get a little intimidated. But, then I always come to realize, it’s really not that scary.

Creating a sourdough starter from scratch was pretty exciting.  Dustin and I would get a kick out of coming home from work and seeing that our starter had grown from earlier that morning.

In addition to being kinda fun, the whole process of making your sourdough starter is actually quite simple. All you gotta do is give it some love and attention. You will have to feed it on a daily basis – sometimes twice daily — so be prepared.

But, just follow these simple instructions and you’ll be on your way to successfully making your own sourdough starter and to making delicious sourdough bread in your own home.

How to Make a Sourdough Starter

Original recipe and directions from Pinch My Salt

Day 1

In a small bowl, mix one cup of whole wheat flour with 3/4 cup (6 oz) filtered water (bottled) at room temperature until all of the flour is hydrated.  Scrape mixture into a wide-mouth glass container, such as a jar.  Mark the level of the starter with a piece of tape or rubber band. Cover the container with a paper towel r cheesecloth and secure with a rubber band.  Leave at room temperature for 24 hours.

Day 2

You probably won’t notice much change at this point.  Scrape the contents of the jar into a mixing bowl using a spatula and add 1 cup of unbleached all-purpose or unbleached bread flour plus 1/2 cup filtered water (make sure at room temperature).  Mix until all ingredients are evenly distributed.  Wash and dry your glass container and scrape the mixture into the container.  Mark and cover the container just like day one.  Let sit at room temperature for 24 hours.

Day 3

You may notice some activity at this point.  The mixture may have risen some and there might be bubbles.  Regardless of whether you notice any fermentation or not, discard half of the mixture (or give it to a friend to cultivate) and mix the remaining half with 1 cup of unbleached all-purpose or bread flour and 1/2 cup filtered water (make sure water is room temperature).  Wash and dry your container and scrape the mixture into the container.  Mark and cover as before.  Let sit at room temperature for 24 hours.

Day 4

The mixture should have at least doubled in size at this point.  If it seems to be sluggish and hasn’t doubled in size, allow it to sit at room temperature for another 12 to 24 hours.  Otherwise, repeat instructions for Day three.

Day 5

Feed the starter (repeating Day 3 instructions) first thing in the morning and then again in the evening (about 12 hours apart).

Day 6

If your starter has been very active and always doubles in size (or more) between feedings, then your starter is ready to bake with.  You may also choose to refrigerate your starter at this point and slow down the feedings to once a week.  If your starter still seems a little sluggish, continue with the twice daily feedings as above.

Day 7

Same as Day 6.

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So, remember way back in January when I posted about Dustin’s amazing burgers?  Well, have you tried ‘em yet?  I hope so.  If you have, please feel free to share how it went.  I always love reading your comments.

In said burger post, I mentioned my plan to share an easy to make fries recipe.  Take-home here: If you have not tried that burger recipe yet, here’s a great side to make along with it.

‘Cuz, really, what on earth goes better with a burger than fries?

We wanted to go-to fries recipe that allowed us a tasty, quick-ish side to compliment the burgers.  And we found it!

Our first variation of these fries,  garlic fries, definitely made it to the “Man-I-wish-I-took-pictures-of-this-recipe-so-I-could-share-on-the-blog” list.  Ah well, guess I’ll have to make them again soon while actually taking some photos to share.

For these fries, I use a deep fryer, but you can also use a deep, sturdy pot to do the trick, assuming you can monitor the temperature relatively easily — with a candy or fry thermometer, some other device or just plain winging it.  Totally up to you.

This Simple Fries recipe is, well, fairly simple.  You know me and simple: We are buds…especially when it produces tasty homemade fries!

Oh!  For a delish sauce to dip these buggers in, try this Ranch Dressing Recipe.

Simple Fries

Props to Joy the Baker for the helpful tips behind this recipe

3 large Russet potatoes, un-peeled (‘cuz we’re going easy)
1 quart – 1 gallon peanut oil (enough to fill a deep fryer or large pot)
kosher salt, to taste
ground black pepper

Directions

Slice each potato lengthwise into 1/4-inch (or slightly larger, if you like steak-type fries) slices. Then, stack those slices together and slice across again with the same measurement to make the fries.

After you cut the potatoes into fries, place into a large bowl of cool water to help remove the starch off the surface of the potatoes so they don’t stick together during frying.

Pour enough peanut oil to fill the deep fryer to the desired level or a heavy bottom, deep pan. If you are using a pan and not a fryer, attach the thermometer to the pan so that it touches the oil. Heat over medium heat until oil reaches 250 degrees F. If using a deep fryer, set to the same temperature.

While you’re waiting for the oil to heat, prepare two baking sheets with several layers of paper towel and set aside.

When the oil reaches 250 degrees F, carefully drop small batches (about 10-15) of potatoes to the hot oil. Fry until cooked though, about 4 to 6 minutes. Remove from the oil using a pair of tongs or metal slotted spoon and allow to cool on the prepared paper towels. If using a wire rack from the deep fryer, just make sure to remove as much of the hot oil as possible before transferring to the baking sheet. Continue until all of the fries are cooked.

Once the fries have cooled to room temperature, heat the same oil to 350 degrees F. Add the already-cooked fries in small batches again. Gently stir until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Remove fries from the oil and place on the remaining lined baking sheet. Immediately sprinkle with kosher salt and ground black black pepper, if desired. Serve immediately.

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Frankly, I find amazing burgers more appetizing than modern downtown apartments, but that’s just me.

We had become so accustomed to getting a delicious burger any time we wanted. Then, it was gone.

So Dustin decided to learn how to make an awesome burger at home. While we’ve made cheeseburgers before at home, they’ve never been amazing. Until now.

Probably not a shock to you, but for my burgers, I like all the fixins — lettuce, tomatoes, onions, pickles, cheese, bacon, mayo, mustard and ketchup. Yup.

But, then I tried Dustin’s amazing homemade burger with just meat, cheese and mayo and I was hooked.

It’s so good, I didn’t even miss all the toppings!

One of the tricks to the amazing burger is the bun. He spreads a *healthy* portion of butter along the inside and cooks them on a hot griddle until they’re golden brown.

This gives the burger a nice, rich crunch to it. So good!

(And, yes, that little patty right there is for one of the kiddos.)

The next trick is to use ground chuck, not ground beef. Ground chuck has the right amount of fat to it to make a juicy burger. You can also try using part brisket or tri tip with the chuck for more flavor.

If you’re looking for an easy, delicious and dependable burger at home, here it is. Collie’s, we miss you, but we’re making it through.

(Those fries right there will be my next post!)

Awesome Homemade Burgers

Makes 6-8 burgers

1 lb. ground chuck (can substitute 1/2 pound ground tri tip or brisket for more flavor)
6-8 Hamburger buns
3-5 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
Optional toppings: mayonnaise, sliced cheese (American, cheddar, whatever you like), ketchup, mustard, sliced tomatoes, lettuce leaves, sliced dill pickles, bacon, avocado, sautéed onions, etc.

Directions

Heat an outdoor grill to medium heat (or, use a griddle or fry pan, though this is MUCH messier). We have a three zone grill and Dustin heats the back two zones on high and the front zone on medium-low.

Divide the ground chuck into 4 oz portions (roughly 1/2 cup, see photo above) using a scale. Using two sheets of wax paper (or one large sheet, folded in half), gently press the meat into a round patty — the thinner, the better. Once they start cooking, they will plumpen up. And, yes, “plumpen” is a completely new word I just created. Set aside and repeat for rest of the parties.

Once all patties are formed, lightly season with kosher salt and ground black pepper.

Once grill is hot, place the patties on the hot zone of the grill. Do not close the lid and let cook for 3-5 minutes. Flip the patties and cook another 3-5 minutes, uncovered, on the high zone. Then, flip the patties once more but also move to the medium-low zone. Cover and cook patties until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F, about 3-5 minutes. Once patties are at 160 degrees F, add cheese slices, if using cheese, and cover an additional minute to let melt. Quickly remove the patties from the grill and let sit 3 minutes before serving.

Once the burger reaches an internal temperature of 160 degrees F, the burger will no longer be medium rare, but will still be juicy. This will roughly be a medium done burger. Cooking any longer will make the burger dryer.

For the buns, on a flat griddle or fry pan, heat on medium-high to high heat. Generously spread the softened butter along the inside of each bun. Set, butter side down, on pan and cook for 3-5 minutes, until golden brown. Once ready, remove from pan and set aside.

Prepare the burger as you wish using the optional toppings listed above. We really enjoy a simple combo of mayo, cheese and sliced avocado. So simple. So good.

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I wanted to share I’m working on a tasty new burger post. I have all the pictures taken and the recipe perfected — I just need to sit down and actually write it all out.

Here’s a sneak peak of what’s to come…

Thanks for stopping by — I’ll post soon!!

Lacey

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Well…so…umm…I was checking out my site and I realized I haven’t posted in about a month.  Boo.  Crazy how fast time flies when you’re insanely busy, right?  My last post was on my Homemade Creamed Corn recipe so I wanted to share with you how to grill corn on the cob using an outdoor grill.  We use this technique quite a lot.  I just loved grilled corn — it brings a deeper, country flavor to the corn you’d never get by just steaming it.

Since the process is so simple, I have photos below that should just help you grill your way right to perfect grilled corn.  If you’d like to print off the instructions, I’ve also included them below without the photos.  Enjoy (and happy holidays!)!

How to Grill Corn

Peel off the first couple scraggly outer layers of the corn husk, leaving the majority of the layers for protection (don’t remove all the layers).

Turn on your grill to medium heat (about 350 degrees).  Gently pull the husks of the corn back — but do not completely remove them.  The goal is to get the corn husks as far back as possible in order to remove the silk.  This is a messy process, so make sure to do it over the sink or a trash can.

If desired, you can brush the corn kernels with olive oil or butter at this time (as some people suggest), but I prefer to add the butter once it’s all cooked and ready to eat.  Personal preference.

Carefully reposition the husks back over the corn, layering from the inside and then outward to cover as much of the interior corn as possible.  If you’d like, go ahead and tie each ear with a piece of loose husk.  I don’t and it works fine for me.

Place the ears of corn on the grill over direct heat. Rotate as needed to keep it from getting too cooked or even burned on one side.  After a couple of turns (about 3-5 minutes), place the ears of corn over indirect heat (to the side of the grill) and close the cover.  Keep the cover closed for 15-20 minutes over indirect heat, turning every 5 or so minutes.

You’ll know the corn is ready to remove from the grill when the husk begins to darken and pull away from the tip of the ear and the kernels are tender when pierced with a knife.

Carefully remove the corn from the grill using tongs or oven mitts.

Peel the charred corn husks from the corn (over the sink) to expose the cooked corn.  Some ashes will get on the corn and this is ok.  If you really want them removed, just run under warm water for a quick minute.

Serve warm (with butter, if preferred).

How to Grill Corn

(without pictures)

Peel off the first couple scraggly outer layers of the corn husk, leaving the majority of the layers for protection (don’t remove all the layers).

Turn on your grill to medium heat (about 350 degrees).  Gently pull the husks of the corn back — but do not completely remove them.  The goal is to get the corn husks as far back as possible in order to remove the silk.  This is a messy process, so make sure to do it over the sink or a trash can.

If desired, you can brush the corn kernels with olive oil or butter at this time (as some people suggest), but I prefer to add the butter once it’s all cooked and ready to eat.  Personal preference.

Carefully reposition the husks back over the corn, layering from the inside and then outward to cover as much of the interior corn as possible.  If you’d like, go ahead and tie each ear with a piece of loose husk.  I don’t and it works fine for me.

Place the ears of corn on the grill over direct heat. Rotate as needed to keep it from getting too cooked or even burned on one side.  After a couple of turns (about 3-5 minutes), place the ears of corn over indirect heat (to the side of the grill) and close the cover.  Keep the cover closed for 15-20 minutes over indirect heat, turning every 5 or so minutes.

You’ll know the corn is ready to remove from the grill when the husk begins to darken and pull away from the tip of the ear and the kernels are tender when pierced with a knife.

Carefully remove the corn from the grill using tongs or oven mitts.

Peel the charred corn husks from the corn (over the sink) to expose the cooked corn.  Some ashes will get on the corn and this is ok.  If you really want them removed, just run under warm water for a quick minute.

Serve warm (with butter, if preferred).

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What I didn’t post, fortunately, were photos of me licking my plate along with her.  I’m kidding, of course…kind of.
 

Now, you know me when it comes to tasty, home-cooked food — I really have no self-control.  Well, when that food happens to be down-home, fresh creamed corn…I mean, are you kidding me?  Done.

I have always loved creamed corn so trying to make some homemade creamed corn seemed like a real no brainer.  For added flavor, Dustin grilled the corn (post coming soon!), but regular steamed corn will do just fine for this.  I use fresh corn, but pre-cut kernels would still suffice.

This recipe is amazingly delicious.  If you like corn, I urge you to try this.  I’ve already converted certain stubborn creamed corn haters and I’m looking at you next!

Fresh Creamed Corn

4 fresh ears corn, grilled (preferably, but can also be steamed or pre-cut)
4 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp. sugar, plus more to taste
1/4 tsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste (I add about additional 1/8 tsp.)
3/4 – 1 cup heavy cream (depending on desired thickness)

Directions

Heat butter over medium heat to melt. Slice cooked corn off the cob and and then, using the back of your knife, force off any remaining kernels of corn and the “milk” (juices) from the cob.

Add the flour to the butter and stir to combine. Add the sugar, salt and corn. Stir and cook 1 minute. Add the cream to slightly over your desired thickness and cook an additional 5 minutes to thicken. Season to taste with additional salt and/or sugar, if needed.

Serve warm.

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If you don’t subscribe to my newsletter, I wanted to share my latest email that went out today.  Figured you might be interested in what kind of things I send out to my newsletter subscribers.  If you’re interested in subscribing, click here or sign up on the left of this page. If you already subscribe, thanks!

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I know this is my food blog and all and I am the Sweet Pea Chef, but so much of our home kitchen and my foundation as a cook comes from Dustin.

Like with grilling.  I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned it already, but Dustin is a fantastic griller.  This means good things for me because I am not such a grilling aficionado.

In fact, I much prefer to leave all the grilling to Dustin.  And, why not?  He spends a lot of time and energy researching all the best ways to grill and he makes amazing burgers, tri tip, salmon, steak, chicken and more.

The good news for me?  He cooks delicious food on the grill.  And I get to eat it.

The good news for all of us?  He is willing to share all his secrets and provide us step by step instructions on how to grill amazingly flavorful food.

As our inaugural “How To Grill” post, we decided to start with Dustin’s tips on grilling chicken thighs and drumsticks, though these tips also will work for most any cut pieces of chicken, like wings and chicken breasts.  Let’s get grilling!

Dustin’s Tips For How To Grill Chicken

• What you’ll need: Good quality chicken (separated into thighs, drumsticks, breasts, etc.), a gas or charcoal grill (ideally with the ability to set and read temperature), a meat thermometer, salt and pepper (BBQ sauce is optional).
• Leave the skin on the chicken for added flavor and juiciness.  Even if you don’t like to eat it, you can always take it off after grilling.

• Make it simple and just sprinkle a healthy serving of salt and pepper on the raw chicken before placing on the grill.
• Preheat your grill before adding the chicken — have two areas on your grill – one for high, direct heat and one for lower heat.  You will first place the chicken directly above the high heat to sear, then move it to the lower heat.

• Use tongs (like the ones pictured) rather than a spatula for better control when flipping the chicken.
• Place the chicken over the high heat for approximately 5-8 minutes or until well-browned and crispy.  The longer you leave it there, the crispier it will get.
• Once seared, flip the chicken and place over the area of lower heat.  Close the cover to the grill at this point and leave the chicken, untouched, until the internal temperature reaches at least 165 degrees, approximately 5-10 minutes, depending on your grill.

• If desired, you can spread on your BBQ sauce at this time.  Either use a brush or add some sauce to a deep dish and roll the chicken around to cover.  If removing the chicken to add sauce, place back onto the grill for a minute or so.
• Remove from the heat and let rest for 5 minutes.

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And I’m not just saying that because it means cooler weather. Not gonna lie, though, these Texas summers take some getting used to. It’s been in the 90′s the past few weeks and that has felt cool. Hard to believe!

Fall is just so awesome, isn’t it? I mean…you’ve got the cooler weather, the soups and stews, Thanksgiving and all the goodness the upcoming holidays entail. There’s the pumpkin spice in the air, scarves, boots and jackets, fire in the fireplaces, hot chocolate, leaves changing colors, holiday carols starting and so much more. It’s just an amazing time.

The Fall also means I get to bring back out some of my absolute favorite Fall recipes — sure, you can make them during the Summer and Spring, but it’s just not the same, ya know?

So, even though it still happens to be 91 degrees outside today, I’ve got Fall on my mind.  Here’s a list of some of my favorite recipes I hope you get a chance to try this year.

Yay for Fall!

Stuffed Pork Chops

Roasted Acorn Squash Soup

Hearty Beef Stew

Hot Apple Cider

Roast Beef

Chicken Pot Pie

Mashed Sweet Potatoes

 Baked Potato Soup

Cream of Fresh Tomato Soup

The Thanksgiving Dinner Spectacular

I hope you enjoy the Fall as much as I do and eat lots of tasty food!  What are your favorite Fall recipes?

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And I hear ya.  What’s not to love about a delicious, easy-to-prepare, home-cooked, nutritious meal after you get home from work?

I don’t know about you, but our time after work and before dinner is pretty packed.  After the commute home and picking up the girls, we have about an hour and 15 minutes to fit in making dinner, eating dinner, family time and clean-up all before bath time and then bed time for the girls. Few!

Sometimes, when I’m feeling lazy, I break down and buy pre-packaged meals or frozen foods that are easy to just heat up and serve.  I mean, who doesn’t like a tater tot every now and again?

While this isn’t the end of the world, these types of foods tend not to be as healthy for you because of all the processing and unnecessary added ingredients.

The funny thing is that it really doesn’t take that much time to prepare a great home-cooked weeknight meal within 30 minutes or less.

Here are some of my tips for making easy weeknight dinners:

• Plan your meals ahead of time. Before each week, decide what dinners you want to have for the upcoming week.  Plan out the main part of the meal and the entree.  For example, “Monday will be Panko-Crusted Sea Bass with Steamed Broccoli, Tuesday will be Chicken Alfredo with Fettuccine Noodles,” etc.  The more you plan it out, the easier the grocery shopping experience and the less stressed you will be when it’s time to get dinner ready.  Have trouble remembering what you planned?  Post it on the fridge — it’ll be like a menu for your week!  Plus, writing it down like a menu will hold you more accountable for actually making it when you get home.

• Buy staples that will keep in your pantry or freezer.  Make sure to keep some extra noodles, rice and other grains in your pantry just in case you want to throw something together or you need a side.  Also, keep some frozen chicken breasts, ground beef and maybe even some frozen vegetables in the freezer to use on an as-needed basis if you don’t have something ready in mind for dinner.  This will help in the event that you didn’t plan anything for that night and you really don’t want to eat cereal again for dinner.

• Plan meals that you will enjoy.  No one wants to come home from work and make a meal that doesn’t sound tasty.  Try to make your meal plan exciting and new.  Rotate in new easy recipes and some old favorites.  Make every Tuesday a Taco Tuesday, for example.  Keeping it interesting will help you mentally prepare to make the dinner and enjoy your evening.

• Plan out each meal, if possible, to include Proteins, Vegetables and a Starch. While you may not get all three into every meal, making your weeknight dinners well-balanced will keep you healthy and satisfy your appetite.  Try to do your grocery shopping on the weekend before the week gets too crazy.  That way, everything you need will already be there for you when you get home.

• Make ahead if you have time. It’s a lot easier to prepare meatballs, lasagna or pizza dough on a lazy Sunday afternoon than on a busy, tired week night.  Try to make some things ahead of time for your upcoming week so that you can simply heat up when you get home.

I hope these tips will help you with making your weeknights less stressful and more tasty.  Making delicious, nutritious dinners after work takes *some* effort, but — like mostly anything — it will get easier the more you do it.

To get you started, this recipe for Chicken Florentine is a great weeknight dinner for you to try out this week.  You can cook the chicken and noodles ahead of time if you’d like and just throw it all together when you’re ready to prepare your meal. Either way, it’s quick, it’s nutritious and it’s yummy.

What are some of your tips for making weeknight dinners?  What are your go-to last minute meals?

Chicken Florentine

1 lb. bow-tie noodles (can also be penne or a similar type)
1 tbsp. olive oil
1-2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 shallot (2 tbsp), chopped
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
15 oz. alfredo sauce (homemade or store-bought)
kosher salt, to taste
ground black pepper, to taste
4 cups fresh baby spinach

Directions

Prepare noodles as directed on box. Once cooked, rinse and set aside.

Heat oil in a deep skillet over medium-high heat. Season chicken breast with salt and pepper, then add the chicken to the hot oil. Cook until well-browned and cooked through, about 6-8 minutes per side. Remove from skillet and let cool. Once cooled, slice into bite-size chunks.

Add garlic and shallots to the chicken drippings in the skillet. Cook on medium heat for 1-2 minutes, until fragrant. Add chicken and noodles to the skillet and stir to combine. Add sauce and parmesan and heat through. Season to taste. Turn off heat and add the spinach. Combine and stir until spinach begins to wilt.

Serve warm, garnished with grated parmesan if desired.

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There are many way to do this, but most importantly, you will need to build your “brand” and pay attention to Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Because SEO requires a post all to itself, I will go into more detail in a later post.

Providing a consistent, informative and personal presence is essential to building your brand and increasing positive awareness about your site.  This means your potential readers will find you by how you can set yourself apart from your peers. A great way to do this is to have a well-established, unique and consistent brand for your blog (though this concept applies to pretty much any business model, for that matter).

What is a “Brand”?

Your brand is how your blog is viewed online and elsewhere.  It’s how you market your blog.  It’s your logo, your site motto, your content, the way you interact with your readers, your online persona, even the color scheme on your website.  You want all this to be as consistent and seamless as possible in order to demonstrate togetherness, professionalism and, even more importantly, to develop a relationship with your readers.  If you can engage your readers by creating a following or a “community,” your readers will come back again and again because they will feel they can depend on you.  This not only opens the door to increasing your website traffic, but it also allows you an incredible opportunity to reach an engaged community of readers.

How do I foster a community?

Creating a community online takes effort. Lots of effort. You have to be there for your community.  You have to be like-able.  You have to be genuine and transparent.  You have to have something interesting to share or something useful to provide.  Here are some good ways to get started:

Provide useful information to your readers.

Let your community get to know you and connect with you as a person. The more they like you, the more they’ll come back and the more they will share with their friends about you. Just look at the Pioneer Woman. Everyone absolutely loves her (for very good reason!) and she keeps being more and more successful because of it. But take a step back and look at just how much effort she puts into her site: She provides dependable, high quality posts all the time with great recipes, photographs, tips and engaging content.

Join social media sites like facebook and Twitter in order have a presence in that world. 

Get to know your readers, your peers, your friends.  Don’t just read about them — share! The more you put yourself out there, the more people will get to know the real you and the more they will engage with you.

Be available to your community if they need your help or information.

Let them know you are interested in them and their needs.  Listen and they will tell you how to keep them coming back. For example, many of my readers ask me for cooking tips, help starting their own blogs and easy methods for making delicious food. So, that’s what I try to provide as often as possible.

Be the expert.

Do the work for your readers and become the expert in your niche.  Customers will want to try your recipes, techniques and ideas because they will trust you and believe you know best. Just be sure to provide high quality information so they don’t lose their trust in you!

Provide good quality, original content.

This can be in the form of articles on your blog, free content for them to use or download (i.e. an eBook, newsletter or coupon), free consulting, informative interviews, tips, etc. Awesome, free content is amazingly powerful, especially in the blog world.

In conclusion, the absolute best method to build your brand is to just get out there and get started.  The more you share yourself and how awesome you are, the more people will feel they know you on a personal level and will, in turn, become your ongoing readers.

I hope you find this content helpful.  Stay tuned for more lessons in this series.  Please contact me if you’d like more in-depth, hands-on assistance, as I also offer consulting services to help you get started or to improve your current blog.

Thank you so much for subscribing! I can't tell you how much I appreciate your support of my blog. I love to read your comments, so please feel free to share! Become a Fan of a sweet pea chef on Facebook or Follow Me on Twitter and join the conversation! Enjoy!