Key West Grilled Chicken

Here is a simple, inexpensive summer dinner option. It requires very little active time and you can whip up a side while the chicken is marinating. You probably even have everything on hand already! If you don't have skewers (I have metal ones, you could use soaked wood skewers, too), you could just grill the breasts or even bake them or cook them on the stovetop. I served it with rice and chopped bell peppers. Squeezed some lime juice and sprinkled some crushed red pepper on top and called it a (very good) day!

my grill was a little hotter than I thought it was and I got a little charred right off the bat on accident!

Key West Grilled Chicken

3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp vegetable oil (I forgot this and they were fine)
juice of one lime
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (or 8 tenderloins)

Combine everything but the chicken in a small bowl. If you are going to skewer the chicken, cut it into cubes OR thread it on skewers. If you're using wooden skewers, soak them in water for ten minutes before threading the chicken on them so they don't catch on fire on the grill.
Pour marinade over chicken, cover, and marinate for at least thirty minutes. If it's going to be longer than that, put it in the fridge to marinate. I turned my chicken over to get the other side good after half of my marinating time (which was thirty minutes).
Preheat grill to medium high. Grill chicken for about 4 minutes on each side, depending on the thickness of the meat. It should test done and juices should run clear before serving.
Sprinkle with lime juice and crushed red pepper before serving.

from Grocerybudget101 (and, yes, I saw it first on Pinterest:)

Handheld Watermelon "Margaritas"

Yep, saw it on Pinterest. I pinned it and my cousin commented that we needed to try them for July 4th. Done! This was a creative idea and people really enjoyed them. It says to soak the watermelon for at least 45 minutes. We found after about six hours, they were getting kind of mushy, so don't prep them the night before. You could make the spiked simple syrup the night before, then soak the watermelon the day of. These aren't strong in the booze area, which most people appreciate. Some reviewers said they added more liquor, but I don't think that's necessary. These were great, simple, and fun!

Handheld Watermelon "Margaritas"

1 inch-thick watermelon wedges (enough to lay flat in two 9x13-inch baking dishes)


1/2 cup sugar


1/2 cup water


1/2 cup tequila
2 limes, halved or cut into wedges


sea salt

Arrange watermelon wedges in a single layer on dishes with a rim.
Bring sugar and water to a boil in a small saucepan. Cook, stirring until sugar dissolves, about 1 minute. Don't boil longer or it will get really thick. Remove from heat and stir in tequila. Set aside to cool.


Pour cooled syrup over watermelon and refrigerate for at least 45 minutes (longer if you wish).


Remove watermelon from syrup and arrange on a platter. Squeeze limes over the watermelon and sprinkle with sea salt.

from Martha Stewart

Monster Cookie Dough Dip

It's almost a joke now...."did you see that on Pinterest?" It seems like every time someone brings something new to a get together, it's from Pinterest! I have found lots of great things on there (and, as I was talking about with my cousins, plenty of totally wrong things that we hope people don't actually believe!). This was one of those great things. My parents hosted a great 4th of July party and they made all sorts of great food. My dad made this dip and it was really, really good. I have told my monster cookie memories before, so I'll just get straight to the recipe. Make this for a crowd because you won't want it all in your house...dangerous:)
I feel like you could pack some more oats into the recipe, too. The site I saw it on suggested forming half of it into a ball and freezing it if you don't need the whole recipe. Great idea!
It was great with graham cracker sticks, regular animal crackers, and chocolate animal crackers.

Monster Cookie Dough Dip

8 oz. Cream Cheese, softened
1/2 Cup Butter, softened
1 Cup Creamy Peanut Butter
1 Cup Powdered Sugar
3 Tbsp. Brown Sugar
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 Cup Oats (regular or quick)
1 Cup Miniature Plain M&Ms
1 Cup Miniature Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips


Mix cream cheese, butter, vanilla and peanut butter until smooth. Stir in brown sugar and powdered sugar, mixing well. Next fold in oats, m&ms and chocolate chips


as seen on Skip to my Lou...no idea of the original source

Creamy Radish Dip

After being gone for almost two weeks, I just went to the grocery store for the first time in quite a while! I was checking out summer's bounty in the produce department and got some juicy peaches and cherries. Love this time of year! I also spotted radishes on super sale, so I picked up a bag. I thought I'd just put them on salads, but that gets boring, so I found this dip and it's awesome. I made a dinner out of this with cucumbers and wheat crackers dipped in it. I think even non radish lovers would like this. You could use greek yogurt or sour cream or a mixture of the two, which is what I did. Wish I would have found this before we just went to all of the get togethers that are perfect to bring dips to! (although then I would have had to share....:)

Creamy Radish Dip

1 cup radishes, diced
1/2 cup low fat sour cream, 2% plain Greek yogurt, or a combo of the two
8 green onions, sliced
salt and pepper, to taste
dried dill, to taste (optional...I liked it both ways)

Combine all ingredients and serve with crackers and/or cucumbers. On the site I found the recipe, she suggested putting it as a spread on wrap, which I also think would be really great!
Oh, and according to the source I got this from, the whole recipe has under 110 calories, so it's okay to eat up!:)


slightly adapted from Prevention RD and Taste of Home

Summer Corn Salad

I recently got together with some girlfriends for a Pinterest party where everyone brought the ingredients to make something they found on Pinterest. Everyone picked a number to find out what course they got and then picked something from Pinterest (which could really be anything from the internet since you can "pin" from any site). We didn't put a theme to it and wound up with some really great dishes.

I got the side for the main dish and knew I wanted something summery. This salad tasted like summer to me (not like sand and suntan lotion, but the food of summer!) and we polished off a big bowl of it. I've made it a few times since then and some of the other girls have made it--it's a definite crowd pleaser!

Summer Corn Salad

6 ears of corn, shucked (I also supplemented with steamed frozen corn when I didn't have enough fresh and it turned out fine), cooked, cooled, and cut off the cob (I like some chunks...to cook it I boil it for about 14 minutes)

1/2 cup finely diced red onion
1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup chiffonade fresh basil leaves

Combine vinegar, oil, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. Add onions, corn, and tomatoes and toss in dressing. Stir in basil just before serving and adjust salt and pepper to your taste. Serve cold or at room temperature.

from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

This is how Bear makes sure he isn't left behind (he hasn't ever been left, but I think sometimes he just wants to be sure). Lay by my stuff and hook his leg in my purse!

Chewy Fruit Smoothie

Now that the hottest days of summer are setting in, cold breakfasts taste even better than they have the rest of the year. As soon as spring hit, I started making these smoothies in my new Ninja, and if I go more than a day or two without one, I find myself craving it. They're perfect to throw together and bring to work and I can drink/eat it without rushing. I like them best with a straw, but you can eat them with a spoon like ice cream, too! The "chewy" part of the title comes from the addition of oats. I think it gives it an almost dough-like consistency that I just love. You can play with the flavors of your yogurt and fruit (or even your milk!) to get your best results. My favorite combo is Yoplait triple berry torte yogurt, Great Value frozen mixed fruit (pineapple, mango, strawberries, peaches), and skim milk. Use frozen fruit so you don't have to use ice--between not using ice and adding the oats, I don't think the smoothie is icy at all, which I appreciate. My smallest Ninja bowl filled to the top makes exactly enough for my insulated cups!

Chewy Fruit Smoothie

1/4 cup old-fashioned oats
1 cup frozen fruit
6 oz yogurt
~1/4-1/3 cup milk

Put oats in bottom of Ninja, then add yogurt, then fruit, then milk. Process until well blended.

Happy 30th Anniversary to my parents (and buttercream icing recipe)

My parents celebrated 30 years of marriage on June 5, so we celebrated them with a family dinner. Norris smoked chicken breast, which was the best chicken I've ever eaten in my whole life (no stretch...it was that good), my grandma brought a blueberry spinach salad with an excellent blueberry vinaigrette (will get the recipe from her!), my aunt brought macaroni and corn, and we rounded it out with garlic bread, soy glazed green beans, and wedding cake. I saw the idea for the cake decorating on Pinterest when searching for yellow cakes, and had to run with it. I think I got pretty close! (used Wilton #104 tip) We all loved the cake. We did the whole bit--the champagne toast and the cake feeding. Happy Anniversary to my lovely parents!

For the cake, I did three 8-inch layers with buttercream in between. I froze the layers, then leveled them, did a crumb coat, then a final coat, then used the tip and two slightly different shades of yellow for the decorating on the outside. It was my first time working with the #104 tip and it was fun to use!

Buttercream Icing

1 cup butter, room temperature
~4.5 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract (clear if you are making white icing)
1/2 tsp almond extract
~2-3 tbsp milk or cream


Mix butter and sugar together on medium speed for about 3 minutes. Add flavoring and cream until you reach your desired consistency (I use a little thinner for the icing of the cake, then a little thicker when using decorating tips).