Norris' favorite chicken marinade

This title doesn't tell you much about the recipe except that it's chicken and Norris loved it. That's because the original recipe is called "Grilled 7up Chicken" and our propane tank was empty, so it was baked, and I used Sprite instead of 7up, so it's really "Baked Sprite Chicken"!
Anyway, Norris told me he would eat this every night of the week. At the end of the meal, he said "I really liked it. That means I'd like you to make it again. Like, soon....not in three months." :) He knows me too well...I like to try new things so often that our "regulars" aren't even that "regular" most of the time! I will be happy to oblige (if he's reading this, I wonder if he'll hold me to it...) because this was super easy and cheap, and I like cheap and easy!

Baked Sprite Chicken aka Norris' favorite :)

1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 tsp horseradish
6 oz lemon lime soda (NOT diet. the sugars from the regular caramelize on the outside of the chicken when you grill it)
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 large chicken breasts (or three regular sized)

Combine all ingredients and let marinate for at least thirty minutes and up to overnight. Grill or bake until chicken tests done.

adapted from Six Sisters' Stuff (yup, found on pinterest)

Shrimp Stuffed Squash

This is another great summer dinner (and one that makes me wish I had my own garden since I keep using things from other people's gardens...thanks, friends and family!). It was light, but filling, and bursting with flavor. I kept telling Norris how much I loved it. You could adapt the filling however you'd like...omit tomatoes, add more cheese, use garlic powder instead of fresh, use crab, go meatless, use shallot instead of onion...whatever you have and love will probably work! Enjoy!

Shrimp Stuffed Squash

Serves 1 entree or 2 sides

1 large zucchini or yellow squash, split in half longways and seeds/pulp scooped out
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 medium shrimp, peeled, deveined, and chopped
3 Tbsp chopped red onion
1 medium tomato, seeded and diced
2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
dried or fresh basil, to taste
salt and pepper, to taste
dash of cayenne

Preheat the broiler to high and adjust rack to about six inches below heating element.
Brush squash with 1 tsp of olive oil and broil, cut side down, for about 8 minutes, or until it is releasing moisture beads. Remove squash from oven.
Reduce heat to 450 F.
Heat remaining olive oil in small saute pan over medium heat. Saute garlic and onion for about two minutes, or until soft.
Combine garlic, onion, tomato, shrimp, 1 Tbsp of cheese  basil, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Stuff into the squash halves and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake until cheese is browned and filling is cooked and hot, about 20 minutes.

adapted from allrecipes

Free "speakers" for your ipod---quick little trick!

I saw this on Pinterest and decided I needed to try it out. I can't believe how much the glass actually amplifies the sound (I don't know whether I'm using the word amplify and speakers correctly here..I know nothing about that stuff.). I kept pulling the ipod (you could use your iphone) out of the glass and putting it back in because it was such a difference. Fun little trick that takes no time or money!
If you have a cover, be sure you unblock the speaker area. I have one of those tough cover things where the bottom is also covered, so I took that cover out (the part where it charges) and that made it even louder.

Maple Bacon

I have a hard time deciding on menus for showers because I want to please every type of person/diet, have something available most people can eat, and have a nice variety while still balancing cost and prep time (especially since the last two showers I have helped host have been out of town and out of my own kitchen!). When we decided on a brunch for this shower, I needed to do some sort of meat, so bacon was pretty much the automatic choice. To jazz it up, we brushed the bacon with syrup in the last few minutes of baking and it was like candied bacon. Made me think I might like to try that bacon ice cream after all!!

Maple Bacon

16 slices thick cut bacon
16 skewers, soaked for five minutes in water
~4 tbsp maple syrup

Preheat oven to 375 F. Skewer bacon (you can skip this step if you want to; it was just for presentation!). Place on rack fitted to baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes, or until it's close to how you like it done. Brush on maple syrup, then return to the oven for about three minutes. Be careful when removing it from the oven so you don't get burnt by the grease!

Marshmallow Pops/Rattles

My mom has a good friend and coworker who tears it up at cake pops. Her creations remind me of Bakerella's site--all sorts of cute things. I made them once and I couldn't get the shape right and they were a ton of work and I gave up! I admire her patience and skill! Since I don't have that, I went with marshmallow "rattles" for the shower. These were a fun table centerpiece and really could take the place of flowers if you were trying to cut a cost. We (well, it was really my mom's idea!) bought a super cheap sand pail, put a can of green beans and some tissue paper in the bottom to weigh it down, then jammed a tissue-paper-covered styrofoam circle in the top to poke the sticks in. Right before putting the stick in the styrofoam, we put a little square of colored saran wrap for some extra pretty at the base.It worked out great! These are a rush of sugar, so don't plan on more than one per guest. They would make a great back-to-school night or birthday party treat. One suggestion I saw online was to dip them in chocolate, then coat with graham cracker crumbs. Like a s'more on a stick!  

Marshmallow Pops

enough lollipop sticks for your marshmallows
however many marshmallows you need
white almond bark (I needed about 2/3 of the regular sized package to do 30 "jumbo"--not throw pillow!--size mallows)
sprinkles (more than you think you'll need! we used about two containers of them)
waxed paper

Put mallows on sticks--don't put the stick all the way through, but as close to the top of the mallow as you can.
Melt almond bark according to package directions.
Dip and roll mallow on stick in melted almond bark. Shake off as much excess as possible. Roll in sprinkles, then place stick side up on waxed paper to cool.


Fiskars

French Toast Sticks

I really like French toast, but hate when it gets soggy or when all of the slightly crispy edge is gone. These French toast sticks remove both of those factors and taste great doing it. I love the crunchy outside and they're just the right amount of sweet when sprinkled with powdered sugar and drizzled in syrup.
The hardest part about this recipe is finding the Texas toast (because the best French toast is made with Texas toast...figures, right?). I found one brand at Dillon's/Kroger and my grandma said she finds it at the day-old bread store. Good thing, because you need this bread to be at least a day old anyway. I set it out on the counter overnight to let it get stale, which really helped during the soaking and coating process.
These are great because you can make them and just pull a couple out of the freezer to bake whenever the mood strikes you. Or, if you're making them for a party, they're completely make ahead besides the bake time! They'd probably be fun with other crushed cereals (we tried a pumpkin spice cereal that would be great on them) for a kid treat. The only thing I changed was to use more cornflakes, so I changed that in the recipe below.


I have no idea how I managed to do this, but I must have deleted some of my pictures from my camera. Half of the food/drink photos are missing. Oops!!

French Toast Sticks

6 servings

6 slices day-old Texas toast

4 eggs
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups crushed cornflakes
Confectioners' sugar
Maple syrup


Cut each piece of bread into thirds; place in an ungreased 13-in. x 9-in. dish. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla and cinnamon. Pour over bread; soak for 2 minutes, turning once. Coat bread with cornflake crumbs on all sides if desired.
Place in a greased 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan. Freeze until firm, about 45 minutes. Transfer to an airtight container or resealable freezer bag and store in the freezer.
To use frozen French toast sticks: Place desired number on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 425° for 8 minutes. Turn; bake 10-12 minutes longer or until golden brown. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar if desired. Serve with syrup. Yield: 1-1/2 dozen.

slightly adapted from Taste of Home

Princess Punch

A girly shower needed a girly punch! This pink punch has the right amount of sweet and tang. You could add raspberry sorbet or frozen raspberries for an extra color and flavor punch, too!

Princess Punch

48 oz pineapple juice
1 qt white grape juice
1 liter lemon lime soda (diet works)
2 cans frozen raspberry lemonade

Combine all ingredients. If it's too sweet for your tastes, add a little water or more soda.