The Tasty Table for July 2012

By Jenny Stauffer

I have posted before about finding new recipes and this month I have found some delicious new recipes that will definitely make a regular rotation in our house. I also have started something new this past month. Normally, I jot down a weekly menu of which I plan one weekend morning. Then I use my menu to create my weekly grocery list. And then I throw those papers away. I have tried, unsuccessfully, to type the menus and save them on a file, but I am really more of a pen and paper person. So I bought a spiral-bound notebook and began recording my weekly menus. If it’s a new recipe, I also write down the source, be it Pinterest, a magazine, or a cookbook. I make sure to include what sides we have with our main entrée.

Already, I have found great benefit from this. It is nice to instantly locate a recipe and I like being able to see what is on our weekly rotation. I am not the most well-organized person, but I would encourage you to try something similar, in whatever method would work for you. Even if it’s frozen ravioli and sauce, it’s nice to look back and have weekly or daily ideas for dinner on hand.

I hope you try out one of these delicious ideas for your own dinner this month! They are all super tasty and received two thumbs up from our family!

Pork and Veggie Kabobs

These are an adaptation from a recipe from Family Circle. We could not believe how tender and flavorful these kabobs were. I encourage you to use fresh herbs here, as they really made the marinade summery and bright.

Here is the original marinade. I will say I just eyeballed more of about a quarter cup of olive oil, a whole lemon’s worth of zest and lemon juice, and approximated the herbs.

4 T olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped (I minced)
1 T fresh rosemary
1 tsp. fresh thyme
2 T fresh parsley (I omitted and used basil)
Zest and Juice from one lemon
1 tsp. sugar
¾ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. ground black pepper
(I used a small, Un-marinated Hormel Pork Tenderloin. Normally these can have almost a mealy texture, but this plain one seemed to work really well.
I small pork tenderloin, cut into chunks for kabobs)
Squash, red onion, and cherry tomatoes, and/or zucchini

Combine marinade and add to a large plastic bag with pork. Let sit in the refrigerator for an hour, turning often.
Meanwhile, cut veggies into kabob-size chunks in a bowl.
Drizzle with olive oil, more lemon juice and zest, and more fresh herbs. Let sit on counter.
When ready to grill, thread pork and veggies on skewers.
Place skewers directly over medium heat. Grill pork about 5 minutes per side and veggies about 3-5 minutes per side.

Lemon Chicken

This was a winner. We had this with the Parmesan Orzo below and asparagus.

2-3 T lemon juice
1 T white vinegar
2 T fresh snipped dill (I used dried, and about 1 tablespoon)
1 T honey
1 T Dijon mustard
1 tsp. salt
¼ tsp. black pepper
1 lemon, thinly sliced
1 pkg of boneless, skinless chicken breasts

For the dressing, whisk together lemon juice, vinegar, dill, basil, honey, mustard, salt and pepper. Add oil slowly, whisking until blended.
Place chicken in a large plastic resealable bag. Add 1/3 cup dressing. Marinate for 2 hours or longer.
Drain chicken and discard marinade.
Grill chicken. Place chicken on a platter. Pour remaining dressing over chicken and place lemon slices on top.

Parmesan Orzo

This is adapted from Tastykitchen.com. It is much like Rice a Roni, but homemade. I enjoyed making this cleaner version and my kids LOVED it!

Adapted from Jen of My Tiny Oven

3 T butter
11/2 cup orzo
3 cups of chicken or vegetable stock
1 cup fresh parmesan cheese, grated
½ tsp. salt

Melt butter over medium heat. Add the orzo and sauté for a few minutes until the orzo begins to turn golden brown. Add the broth and cover and simmer for 20 minutes until the liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat. Add parmesan and salt and pepper to taste.

Nacho Chicken

Source: Southern Living Easy Weeknight Favorites
The girls loved this unusual chicken recipe. I used Baked Doritos and we still thought these were delicious!

4 T mayonnaise (light is fine)
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
Chicken tenders (one package)
1-1/2 cup crushed nacho chips
2 T butter, melted

Combine first three ingredients, spread on both sides of chicken. Dredge chicken in nacho chips. Place chicken on lightly greased baking sheet or jellyroll pan. Bake 350 for 20-25 minutes, or until cooked through and crunchy.