Grilled Chocolate Cake

We were having another "Dinner at 8pm" and I decided that I wanted to make dessert on the grill so I made up my mind to attempt chocolate cake and the grill. It turned out lovely and we enjoyed it with some homemade vanilla frozen yogurt. It didn't take very long to whip together either, which is always a perk!

Grilled Honey Cinnamon Plums

This is such an easy and delicious dessert to make on the grill while plums are in season. Top your freshly grilled plums with homemade whipped cream, vanilla frozen yogurt, or lowfat ice cream.

• Plums (however many you what to make, you can get about 4 thick slices out of one plum)
• Cinnamon
• Honey

Directions

1. Sprinkle plum slices with cinnamon, then drizzle with honey. 
2. Place on the grill and cook for 3-4 minutes each side. Serve warm with any of the above mentioned toppings. 

Philly Cheesesteak Flatbread Sandwiches

One night, I decided that I didn't want to make sub bread for Philly Cheesesteak sandwiches. I determined that I would much rather have flatbread, but...I didn't want to run to the store with the kids. Yes, a lot of the time it's just more work than making something from scratch or finding a substitute that I have on hand. So, I determined to find a flatbread recipe. I am so glad I did, too. I LOVE it! It's fairly quick and easy to make and has such a great texture and versatility to it. Anyway, I made up my flatbread on the grill and then decided to try cooking the filling on the grill as well. I pulled out my awesome 14" cast iron skillet on created something delicious! In fact, it
was so delicious that there wasn't anything left over.

Pepperoni and Sausage Flatbread Pizza

Ever since I learned how to make flatbread a few weeks ago I've worked to expand my list of uses for it. I've made sandwiches, appetizers and finally I've even made pepperoni and sausage pizza for supper. I'm almost to the point where I like grilled flatbread crust more than my usual hand-tossed crust. The crust comes out nice and crunchy like a wood-fired thin crust pizza. This recipe makes 3 pizzas.

Pepper Crusted Steak with Mushrooms and Onions

I really wanted a major "wow factor" type entree for our last Dinner at 8pm. We'd had a super busy and stressful couple of weeks leading up to it so I needed something amazing yet quick and easy. This pepper crusted steak recipe is all of those. The flavor is "out of this world" good, super tender and juicy, and, best of all, simple and easy!

Dinner at 8pm: September 2013

The entire meal (including dessert and coffee)
only cost us between $25-$30. If we would
have gone out, the meal would have cost us
between $50-$70 with tip, plus another
$40 or so for a sitter. 

This summer has been so incredibly busy that we've had no time for date night "in". With school starting, and the craziness it brings, I decided that Dinner at 8pm was a must! I love how it gives time to cook and chat with each other (without interruption) on a completely different level than when the kids are awake. I will also admit that I enjoy the fact that it's way more economical for us than hiring a sitter and paying for dinner, dessert, and coffee. On September 13th, we will put the kids to bed a little early, make ourselves a delicious dinner, and enjoy some time together without breaking the bank. :) Here is our delectable menu for the evening. By the way, everything except the rice and frozen yogurt will be prepared on the grill so the kitchen will be quiet, which helps the kids to fall asleep faster.

Cookies: On the Grill

Don't they look like they came out of the oven
instead of off the grill?

I've done it before for fun, but today it was a necessity. Yes, my oven decided to go on strike. What are the chances that two different gas ranges, in two different locations, would both have the oven ignitor break? The first oven issue happened almost 3 years ago while I was roasting squash. It ended up being an easy fix for Jared after Googling it and watching a YouTube video. :) However, this time around the oven went out as I was prepping food to take to a family from church. I had French bread rising, cookies ready to bake, and tomato sauce simmering for lasagna. This was NOT the time I wanted my oven to go on strike!

Grilled Green Beans and Carrots

Grilled Green Beans and Carrots = YUMMY!

I needed a veggie for dinner the other night but wanted to make it on the grill. Mr. R has an aversion to summer squash and zucchini (it's a texture thing, not the taste) so I really didn't want to make that. What other veggie can be made on the grill that all my kids like? Hmmmm...then I saw it. A recipe for green beans and carrots on the grill (thank you, Pinterest!). Now, you know me, I can't leave a recipe alone so here's my take on it.

Sweet and Spicy Pork Chops

I had gotten some beautiful thick cut pork chops from the store the other day and wanted to do something delicious with them. I came across a recipe for Sweet and Spicy Pork Chops and decided that was the way to go. I wasn't disappointed, they were yummy in my tummy (and the kids seemed to think so as well).

Santa Fe Grilled Chicken Salad with Chili-Lime Dressing

I am always looking for new SAMD (salad as a main dish) recipes to try during the summer months when I can get really flavorful fresh veggies. When I saw this recipe for Santa Fe salad on WeightWatchers.com I just had to give it a try. I wasn't disappointed. This salad is bursting with flavor and texture! The crunch of the veggies and the spice of the chili-lime dressing really make this salad awesome. I did make a few minor variations (noted by an *) so here's what I did.

Grilled One-Pouch Feast

I've been wanting to try some new grilling recipes now that we are on summer break and what's not to love about a dish by the name of "One-Pouch Feast". So I tried my own variation of the recipe and it was a hit! It's a great meal for picky eaters because each person can add the veggies of their choosing with the way I serve it. Now if everyone in your family likes the same combination of veggies, by all means, stick with one large foil pouch. Since that is not true of our family, we make individual pouches. You can change up the veggies that I have listed and use other items, like sliced potatoes (the original recipe had these instead of the rice), asparagus, jalapenos, etc.

Simple and Delicious Grilled Chicken

With the weather being unusually warm and "springy" on Saturday, Jared decided that grilling would be much a better idea for dinner than leftovers (and who can argue with that?!). I pulled some chicken breast out of the freezer and asked him if there was any particular style of grilled chicken that he wanted to make. His answer was something with a little bit of spice (go figure) and topped with sauteed veggies and cheese. This is what we came up with:

• 4 - 6oz. chicken breasts pounded out to 1/2" or so thick
• 2 tablespoons taco seasoning (I make up a pint-sized mason jar of it and then keep it in my cupboard)
• adobo seasoning (or seasoned salt if you don't have adobo)
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• olive oil for sauteing veggies
• toppings: bell peppers, jalapeno peppers, onions, mushrooms, any combination of these...
• 1/2 cup shredded or 4 thin slices of cheese 

Directions

1. Sprinkle taco seasoning and adobo over both sides of the chicken breast. Place in a tupperware container (preferably one with a lid) and pour lime juice over the top.
2. Let the chicken sit for a bit (30-60 minutes) while you get the grill going and saute your toppings over medium heat in olive oil.
3. Grill on each side for 6-8 minutes on each side or under chicken reaches 170 degrees. Add toppings with veggies and then cheese. Remove from the grill and let rest 5-10 minutes. Enjoy!!

Chipotle & Orange Grilled Chicken

Jared and I are big fans of Bobby Flay. We may even be slightly addicted to his shows. I'm sure it has something to do with the fact the both of us love southwestern flavors (our first "date" was even at a Tex-Mex restaurant called the Tumbleweed, but that's another story altogether). Anyway, Bobby uses chipotles in a lot of things and has "introduced" them to us.