Sunday, October 28, 2012

Rosemary Ranch Chicken Kabobs


I'm not a huge fan of dressings.  Whenever I have a salad, I don't usually use that much dressing; its just never been my thing.  However, after making this recipe, my whole viewpoint of dressing completely changed.  Who knew that ranch dressing could make chicken so........wonderful??  The ranch dressing added sooo much incredibly delicious flavor to the chicken, and made it perfectly salty and wonderfully moist.  You truly can't get any moister than this chicken is.  This is definitely one of my new favorite chicken recipes.  Ohmygoodness, just typing about it makes me want to eat a bunch of it.  The chicken literally melts in your mouth, and it's super duper addicting.  The sauce is awesome too, especially over rice!

Yield: about 6 servings


Ingredients
  • ½ cup olive oil
  • ½ cup ranch dressing
  • 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon white vinegar
  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper, or to taste
  • 1 tablespoon white sugar, or to taste (optional)
  • 5 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves – cut into 1 inch cubes
Instructions
  1. In a medium bowl, stir together the olive oil, ranch dressing, Worcestershire sauce, rosemary, salt, lemon juice, white vinegar, pepper, and sugar. Let stand for 5 minutes. Place chicken in the bowl, and stir to coat with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours, or overnight.
  2. Preheat the grill for medium-high heat. Thread chicken onto skewers and discard marinade.
  3. Lightly oil the grill grate. Grill skewers for 8 to 12 minutes, or until the chicken is no longer pink in the center, and the juices run clear.



Friday, October 12, 2012

Chocolate Chip-Apple-Cinnamon Bread

Img_4940_edited1


I wanna start off by saying that I am SO SORRY I haven't posted in so long!  My school started at the end of August and I've been super busy with my crazy schedule.  Buttt.... this recipe is totally worth the wait.  I made this a few weeks ago and I fell in love with the flavors of cinnamon, apples, and chocolate.  I know they sound kind of weird together, but I promise the flavor is really delicious.  I love the nutty flavor as well.  It's such a wonderful bread/cake to make in the fall, and goes great with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream when hot from the oven.  It also tastes divine the next day with a cup of coffee.  What I loved the most about this bread is that it has so many different flavors, textures, and ways to eat it!  My entire family gobbled it up within a day, and I will definitely make it again.  The next time I make it, I will experiment with walnuts, white chocolate chips, and maybe vanilla chips and/or cinnamon chips.  I also may try swirling the topping into the batter, or maybe even swirling in some - - - - wait for it...........Nutella! Yumm!

Yield: 1 loaf


Ingredients:
2 tablespoons white sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup finely chopped nuts (I used almonds, but walnuts would be my first choice)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup margarine, softened
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons buttermilk
1.5 cups chopped apples
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1/2 cup chocolate chips (i used semi-sweet, but dark or white would be great too)

Directions:
1.  To make the topping, in a small bowl mix the sugar, cinnamon and finely chopped nuts. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl combine flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.
3. In a separate large bowl cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla extract, and mix well. Gradually beat in flour mixture alternately with buttermilk. Stir in apples, nuts, and  chocolate chips. Pour into a greased 9x5x3 inch loaf pan. Sprinkle with topping.
4. Bake in a preheated 350 degree F (175 degree C) oven for 45 to 50 minutes. Cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.